《Welcome to the Insane World of Pokémon (SI)》


 1. Summoned

    Arc 1: New World


    Chapter 1:


    Summoned


    I knew it was a possibility.


    I''ve read too many self insert fanfictions and I¡¯ve seen too many Isekei anime to be surprised. It was just so clich¨¦, someone gets dragged into a world and has to survive. I was too familiar with the concept, so familiar in fact, that I promised myself that I wouldn''t be surprised if it happened to me.


    It was one of those things I imagined happening from time to time. I thought I wouldn¡¯t be surprised by it because I was already familiar with it. At least, that''s what I promised myself.


    Not that I expect it to actually happen but still, I refuse to be surprised by such a thing.


    So when I woke up in a forest after falling asleep in my own bed, I was not surprised. Somewhere deep down maybe I was. But I refused to give in to that feeling. I didn''t waste time freaking out like a lot of other would people do, I didn''t waste time suspecting I was dreaming either. A quick glance at my hand showed that this was all very real. If it were a dream my hand would look weird, it was a neat trick I learned from a lucid dreaming website.


    "So, another world huh?" I muttered, going over myself. I patted myself.


    I was not in my own body, that was the first thing I gathered. My skin was a bit too pale and I felt smaller, though not by a lot. Just enough to give me a sense of size.


    I pulled a strand of hair from my head and saw it was blue. Not dyed or anything, no, an honest to god blue hair lock. If I required any more evidence that I was in another body this was it.


    Strangely, I did not have any memories of dying or getting hit by a truck, so I could at least assume I was not in the afterlife. Unless I died in my sleep but that was unlikely. I was young and reasonably healthy.


    I was in another body, did I hijack it? The lack of housing and family seemed to disprove that theory, though it was still a possibility. I really hope it was a new body or else I had to deal with family members who ¡®remembered¡¯ me.


    That would be quite an issue, it would give me a few advantages but I also had to fake amnesia and pretend to have lost my memories. I always thought that the entire spiel was a bit creepy. In hopes of finding more information, I started studying my own body.


    My new body seemed to be around my age, maybe a few years younger, I estimated my current self at 17 years old. It was hard to say without a mirror so it could have been a few years extra or less.


    Deciding I wasn¡¯t going to glean more information from my own body, I glanced around, knowing what world I was in was one of the most important things. There was a chance I was pulled into a world that was unknown to me, that would be a pain to deal with, not impossible but troublesome.


    I looked for some obvious landmarks, I hoped for something recognizable like Hyrule Castle or the Avengers Tower.


    All I saw were trees. No clues there.


    Suddenly, I saw something on top of the trees. Movement. Leaves stirring. My eyes focused and I saw another creature. It looked like a bird but it was bigger than any bird I''ve ever seen and had a striking combination of black and white feathers.


    Despite never having seen such a creature in real life,I immediately recognized it.


    "Staravia?" I murmured.


    The bird that sat atop the tree glanced dismissively at my direction, as if it understood me, then it flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing behind the treeline.


    Okay this was an important discovery, couldn''t ask for a more obvious one.


    Immediately my mind started racing.


    It seemed like I was in the Pok¨¦mon world, not too bad. I wasn¡¯t out of the woods yet. I mean sure, the world of Pok¨¦mon was filled with creatures who could tear me to pieces with a mere thought but it was doable. It had its own set of rules and was to some degree fair.


    It could''ve been way worse, at least I was not transported to a world with insane power levels like WORM or DragonBall Z. I was familiar with the world of Pok¨¦mon, I had seen a few episodes of the anime and played some of the games. Though I knew next to nothing about Sun and Moon, same for Sword and Shield. Did this world even feature Galar?


    I glanced over my body, I kinda wished for a mirror. Anything to see my own face. I couldn''t remember any important Pok¨¦mon characters that had blue hair but still, it would be nice to know how I looked. It was starting to feel like an itch. Knowledge that had to be scratched.


    I put away that thought and focused myself on the problem at hand. So Pok¨¦mon it was, now the next question was: Did I have any powers? Most Isakei heroes who get transported to another world had some kind of superpower, I did not feel super strong or anything else.


    I tried to summon a game menu but nothing really happened, same for trying to summon aura. I must have spent at least 10 minutes looking like a lunatic, before giving up on pursuing hidden powers.


    I didn¡¯t rule out the possibility completely though. I might have a hidden power but I suspected that I ended up powerless.


    Nice! Starting to look really great here.


    I checked my pockets, I wore a sleeveless blue shirt with a pok¨¦ball on it and some off brand boring looking jeans. There wasn¡¯t even a backpack with items to help me out. That sucked, if I had hijacked another body then this person hadn¡¯t planned to wander into the woods.


    Deciding I was done with standing around I tried to focus on the next part of the problem. Locating myself. I looked around, tried to decide where North was but quickly realized that it was futile.


    In a world where there was a lion/sun Pok¨¦mon the sky was no longer a reliable compass. Did the sun even come up in the same place here? There were too many unknown variables.


    Also, I had no idea where I was. Like not at all.


    A big forest meant not a lot in the world of Pok¨¦mon, in fact I didn''t even know in what region I was. I just saw a Staravia, a generation 4 Pok¨¦mon from the Sinnoh region if I was correct.


    However this wasn¡¯t conclusive evidence I was in Sinnoh. After all, Pidgeys showed up in every region after Kanto even though they are from Generation 1. If I remembered correctly, in the I choose you Pok¨¦mon movie they had all the later generations show up in the Kanto region.


    Was I even in the anime? Was I in the game version?


    I decided to leave those questions for later, there was no use pondering about stuff I wouldn''t get the answer to anytime soon.


    Okay, first objective, escape the forest.


    Seemed easy enough, unless I was stuck on one of those islands in Pok¨¦mon that were only meant to fill up the map.


    Shit, I wish I knew anything at all about my own situation. At least the air didn¡¯t taste salty to me and the temperature seemed about average.


    I kept my head cool. I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t be surprised and freak out.


    No use in freaking out, I told myself and I started working on a plan. It wasn¡¯t a great plan. I just took a look at the sun and decided to head in that direction, sure it might not be North but atleast I wouldn''t walk around in a circle.


    <hr>


    Turns out, the forest is huge.


    Not that I expected anything else of a nature filled world like Pok¨¦mon but still, kinda annoyed me. It meant that my poor legs had to carry me, not that I was out of shape or anything, my old body and my new body were both quite in shape. It was just annoying. I could have spent that time walking on more important things.


    The scenery was beautiful though, colors were more vibrant and the air felt far fresher than you would find back on our earth. I suppose seeing Pok¨¦mon everywhere was also neat.


    I came across a Weedle and Wurmple and a lot more arthropods. Seriously, there were a lot of them. I saw a few bird Pok¨¦mon crossing through the sky and even spotted one herd of Sawsbuck with a Deerling. Most pok¨¦mon stayed out of my way luckily, they were skittish like real animals, so that was at least something.


    It would be quite embarrassing to be killed by a Wurmple on my first day in this world. Not impossible mind you, just really embarrassing.


    The thing with Pok¨¦mon was that almost every creature was as deadly as a machine gun, worst in most cases. Even a Weedle you would run away from in the game has poison and a stinger that could kill you with just a headbutt. If poison doesn¡¯t kill you, bacteria will.


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    Not all Pok¨¦mon were this peaceful, the aforementioned Sawbuck made it clear to me that I had to stay away from the small Deerling. I wasn¡¯t an expert with animals in the slightest but I recognize a threat when I see one.


    I encountered a few Beedrill which I definitely did not want to meet closer, I made sure to make a wide arc around them.


    In the end the forest was not that bad, as long as you are not stupid, I can imagine a child could walk around here without getting harmed.


    It still soured me that I hadn''t encountered any signs of civilization. It was almost worrying. I was getting a bit hungry and the forest was getting heated. The sun constantly shone down on the back of my head. Glaring at me. It almost felt nauseating. That coupled with my doubts didn¡¯t make it the most enjoyable stroll through the forest I had.


    Questions started to rise. Was there even a civilization? For all I know I was transported to Pok¨¦mon Mystery dungeon. Now, that would be a letdown, not that I hated those games but I barely knew anything about them.


    Just as I was pondering about my place in this universe I heard some noises.


    The sound of tree branches rustling, growls and high pitched sounds were coming from my left. Whatever was happening over there broke through the peaceful silence of the woods.


    I turned around and heard the growling coming from a spot behind the bushes. The growling grew louder yet it was not directed at me, but rather at something else.


    I moved closer, behind the bushes there was a clearing. Something was happening.


    A Pok¨¦mon fight? I heard more growling, followed by a whimper.


    Should I check it out? Should I stay away from it?


    I quickly considered all the possibilities, checking it out might give me more information about wherever I was or anything else. It came however at the risk of exposing myself, being the meek unpowered human I was, it was quite dangerous.


    Playing it safe or fulfilling my curiosity?


    Curiosity killed the cat...but satisfaction brought it back.


    I decided to check it out, I dug and crawled towards the bushes. I pushed a few branches away and saw that they led to a clearing. Like a hidden tunnel almost.


    The bush hid me from sight yet allowed me to see what was going on. I peeked over the branches and saw three brownish racoons-like Pok¨¦mon growling at a smaller white humanoid figure.


    Zigzagoon! I recognized the iconic racoon Pok¨¦mon immediately..


    The three Zigzagoon were looming over a Ralts, growling and mockingly tossing it around. It was clear they were bullying it for their amusement. Everytime it got up they knocked it down again and then challenged it to get back up again.


    The Ralts looked like they did in the anime and games, a weird human looking thingy with thin arms and wearing something that looked similar to a dress. On its head there was a weird helmet/hair thingy that hid a large part of its face, like a haircut.


    I examined the situation, the Zigzagoon were obviously toying with the Ralts who seemed to be in pain. It painfully whined out its own name like all Pok¨¦mon did while the Zigzagoon were growling and mock biting at it.


    It reminded me of the scene in which Professor Birch was being chased by a Zigzagoon and you had to choose a Pok¨¦mon to save him. Just like then, I was watching it happen.


    I always loved to pick a Pok¨¦mon as slow as possible while he was being chased. However this was the real world now and in front of me was a Pok¨¦mon being hurt. I could just walk away, pretending I did not see it. I mean, it''s just Darwin at his finest right? The strong prey on the weak and I had nothing to do with it.


    What could I even do? I did not have a Pok¨¦mon nor did I possess any powers.


    Still, the Zigzagoon were mercilessly bullying the Ralts, it tried to fight back but it seemed to be helpless. A purple ray shot out of its forehead but it was slow, the Zigzagoon closest to it dodged it with ease and it laughed, or as close as a racoon could get to laughing.


    Did the Ralts just try to use Confusion?


    Whatever the Ralts did it took a lot of energy from it, its shoulders slumped and it fell to the ground again.


    "I should walk away." I whispered to myself, trying to convince myself to do the wise thing. Something about this not being my problem.


    Still, one glance at the Ralts and I knew I couldn''t walk away. I blame my bleeding heart.


    Okay, so how to save the Ralts? Nothing came to my mind, I had literally nothing on me except my clothes and I was not even in possession of a bug Pok¨¦mon.


    Thanks whatever force brought me to this world!


    Time to do something stupid.


    I braced myself and focused on the scene before me. Though I was a human I still had my own body, it wouldn''t uphold in a Pok¨¦mon battle but maybe it could still function as a surprise attack.


    Deciding it was now or never I charged forward. A burst of adrenaline was released into my veins the same time a branch swung into my face but I ignored the sting and jumped out of the bushes. Surprised, all three Zigzagoon turned to face me.


    With no time to lose, knowing full well that they could take me out with a quick attack, I kicked away the first one closest to me before it could fully realize what was going on.


    My foot met his side and he was kicked away like a football. It was surprisingly heavy for such a small creature. It crashed into a tree with a loud thud that even made the tree shake. Before the other two Zigzagoon could react I knelt down, grabbed the Ralts in one fell swoop and turned around. I immediately began to run.


    I sprinted through the treeline and prayed to Arceus that the Zigzagoon would decide I was not worth the effort of chasing. While running I took a quick glance behind me and knew that Arceus was not feeling benevolent today.


    All three Zigzagoon were chasing me, a mad fury written on their faces. Their mouths fumed and they yapped at the air.


    I yelped and ran harder, ducking under sharp branches and jumping over obstacles.


    The little Ralts in my arms, who was surprisingly light, muttered its own name and looked up at me, red eyes met mine and confusion was written on its face.


    "Ralts?" It asked.


    "Hang on buddy!" I said, not having any idea what the Ralts just said, "We''re almost to safety."


    While I was having one problem literally right behind me my thoughts drifted towards what I knew about the Ralts line. According to the Pok¨¦dex and anime they had empathetic powers.


    I really hoped that it would understand that I''m not trying to harm it, or it might try to attack me.


    "Ralts." The Ralts said, sounding like they doubted my statement. I decided to interpret it as encouragement.


    Around me I saw Pok¨¦mon moving away from my path, making it clear none of them felt helpful.


    One of the Zigzagoon came closer to my feet, I managed to kick it away without turning around. A cry followed and I smiled. At least I could still kick things in my new body, though I doubted that it would be anything more than a minor setback.


    "Ralts!" The Ralts in my arms yelled and pointed its tiny arm at my right side.


    One of the Zigzagoon was running parallel to me through the treeline, it leaped towards me, opening its mouth and revealing a nice row of shining teeth I did not want to meet.


    I ducked underneath it just in time and the Zigzagoon crashed into the ground in a crazy nosedive. Eating the dirt upon impact.


    Before I could cheer over my takedown the last Zigzagoon suddenly disappeared in a blur. As if it teleported. I only had time to wonder ''where did it go?'' before he slammed right into my side.


    Quick attack, that was just unfair.


    It felt like someone had punched me in the gut and I almost tripped. The wind was knocked out of my lungs and I lost speed. The Zigzagoon grinned at me.


    I cursed and brought my hand down on the Zigzagoon''s head like a hammer. It did lack the impact of a hammer, but it fell to the ground anyway.


    My next heroic step?


    I ran, I did not even attempt to fight that hacking freak of nature. I made a wide turn left and disappeared into the bushes, hoping I could shake them off.


    If I could get away alive I consider it a win for my team.


    Only after running for 10 minutes straight did I decide that I was safe, or as safe as I could get in a world filled with Pok¨¦mon. In a strange forest with no ID or money.


    When I no longer saw or heard any of the Zigzagoon I slowed my pace and came to a halt.


    I was panting, although I was fit, I was not a trained athlete. Adrenaline had been keeping me moving the past few minutes but I already could feel my body retaliate against the strain I had put on it, and my mind was still reeling from the chase.


    "Ralts?" The Ralts said, sounding a bit better than before. She squirmed in my hands.


    I let out a sigh of relief and gracefully fell to the ground of exhaustion, hitting a tree with my back and leaning against it.


    I dropped the Ralts at my feet while I tried to catch my breath.


    "Ralts?" Ralts repeated its question.


    "Yeah, they''re gone." I answered, glad that the Ralts did not immediately kill me. Gotta take small victories.


    "Ralts." It said again.


    "No idea what you actually say," I told the Ralts, it was looking at me with a questioning gaze.


    "Ralts." it repeated.


    "Are you okay?" I asked, I was almost sure that it could understand me. The anime and the games showed that Pok¨¦mon were able to understand human language...which was quite unfair for humans but there''s not a lot you can do about it.


    "Ralts." The Ralts said, nodding its tiny head.


    "I take that for a yes," I concluded, satisfied.


    Now, that was a good deed done for the day, although now I had no idea where I was or where to go. Not that I knew before but the idea I did something was nice.


    Well, at least I had my first heroic moment in this new world.


    Next step, discover I have a broken power and become the most important person in the world. Seems easy.


    I looked at the little creature in front of me, "So you have any idea where we are?"


    "Ralts." It said, sounding a bit confused.


    "Know any towns nearby? A city?" I asked, hoping it even knew what a city was.


    Ralts shook its head.


    "Well, that makes the two of us." I said and silently cursed. The sudden sprint made my stomach act up, and now it required more fuel.


    Having someone show up conveniently now would be amazing.


    I glanced at the sky, nothing.


    "Seems like I''m still stuck here." I said out loud, I glanced at the Ralts who was still staring at me intensely.


    I looked back into its red eyes...what to do? I could pull an Ash, considering that I just saved a Pok¨¦mon. If I were an anime protagonist the Ralts would join my team, all the clich¨¦s were there. I blinked, it wouldn''t be that easy right? It can''t be that easy.


    "Hey," I said, the Ralts face perked up, "Want to join me? Travel the world, become the very best and so on?"


    Not my best speech but I rather wanted to be honest with the Ralts. Besides, I was practically dying from exhaustion. Honesty was the best course of action here. Especially since it was a psychic Pok¨¦mon who could later on read minds if I was correct.


    The Ralts tilted its head, and stared back at me.


    It became an awkward staring contest and I considered telling it that it was okay to say no but to my surprise it gave me a firm nod along with a happy exclamation of its own name, "Ralts!".


    "You really want to go with the person you just met?" I asked, a bit skeptical, however the Ralts nodded again showing no hesitation or self preservation.


    "God," I groaned, "This is so stupid."


    "RALTS!" Ralts cheered.

 2. Gender Reveal

    Chapter 2:


    Gender reveal


    When the wild Ralts agreed to join I kind of expected something to happen. It felt like it warranted any sort of action. Maybe a cheerful "Ralts joined your team!" pop up, or maybe some kind of flashy effect. It felt like a major step for me, getting a Pok¨¦mon.


    Yet, nothing happened, not even a sound effect.


    Ralts looked quite satisfied with its agreement, it bobbing its tiny head. Or maybe it was just looking around, it was hard to say.


    "So," I began to start my conversation with my newly acquired Pok¨¦mon. "Do you know how to battle? You got any good moves or hidden OP powers?"


    Ralts titled its head, confusion written all over its face. I was sure it understood English.


    "Raaaalts?" It asked, the sound drawn out like a question.


    "You do know how to battle right?" I asked again. Uncertainty was creeping into my voice.


    "Ralts?" It repeated with the same intonation.


    I still had no idea how to Pok¨¦speak, but I could read body language and interpret the tone of her response.


    Reluctantly, I decided to interpret it as a ¡®No¡¯.


    "You decided to join me without even knowing a single thing about battling and just thought following me was good enough?" I asked dryly.


    Ralts nodded excitedly.


    Guess Stockholm syndrome kicks in quite faster than I thought. To be fair though, I wouldn''t want to spend any longer in this God forsaken forest either.


    Or was it Arceus? Helix? Whatever.


    "Okay, how to explain a Pok¨¦mon battle?" I wondered out loud; glorified dogfights with all the participants having superpowers?


    "Ralts?"


    "Well," I began, drawing from my own limited understanding of this world. "Pokemon like you team up with a human to fight with each other, the Pok¨¦mon fight while the humans give them commands from the sidelines. They fight together in competitions, tournaments and against random Pok¨¦mon in general." I tried to explain the concept as honestly and basic as possible, I wouldn''t want to force a Pok¨¦mon into battling on a false promise.


    "Ralts Ralts?" It sounded like a question.


    I decided to interpret it as ¡®Go on, tell me more about it¡¯.


    "Well, they do it because they like it, there is also fame and money. The Pok¨¦mon themselves seem to enjoy it too, I guess it''s because they like to become stronger through battling opponents."


    Or it''s because they''re all masochists. I decided not to share that perspective.


    "Ralts, Ralts?" It pointed at himself and then at me.


    I really needed Ralts to learn telepathy or something, guessing the definition of ¡¯Ralts¡¯ every time was bound to cause some confusion. There was a chance Ralts was talking about the weather while I was monologuing like a crazy person.


    "Yeah," I went on with my hopefully-not-monologue. "We would be a team, trying to beat the Gyms and challenge the league. Become the very best like no one ever was."


    Ralts stared at me.


    "Sorry," I chuckled, "Inside joke. You wouldn''t get it."


    "Anyway¡­" I awkwardly tried to carry the conversation, which was hard when my companion only said its own name. "That''s my short term plan. Assuming I don''t die on my way to finding civilization. Still want to join, now you know what is required of you? All the fighting and stuff?"


    I was a bit unsure, I had expected that all Pok¨¦mon would instinctively understand the concept of battling, apparently they did not.


    After a scary silence, Ralts, who stared deep into my eyes for several seconds, surprised me by letting out a cheerful "Ralts Ralts Ralts!"


    I was 90% sure it was a yes.


    "Well, that''s nice." I let out a sigh of relief. At least I was not alone in this weird and very dangerous world.


    "So...what attacks do you know? Got some special moves?" I asked.


    Ralts nodded and walked towards a tree trunk, it took a pose in front of, retracted its hand and gave it a Falcon Punch¡­minus the fire, shouting and being effective.


    "Ralts?" Ralts titled its head and gave me a confused look when it noticed my lack of reaction.


    I tried to approach it carefully. "Do you know any Psychic or Fairy moves?" I recalled Ralts being a Psychic type, although they later made it into a Fairy/Psychic hybrid.


    Ralts gave the tree trunk a weak kick and fell on its butt. Effectively losing to a tree.


    I sighed. Well it did explain how it got harassed by the three Zigzagoon. I saw it use a Psychic move back there but it seemed weak, was it a newly learned move?


    "Silly." I smiled at Ralts, "you''re not a close ranger fighter."


    "Ralts?" Ralts turned to me. "Ralts Ralts Ralts?"


    A new record...4 Ralts in one sentence. The possibilities for its meaning could be endless!


    "You''re not supposed to fight someone close," I explained. "You''re a long range fighter, a mage, blaster or zoner. Whatever you call it, fighting close combat is not your style. Your kind strikes from far away and avoids physical combat."


    "Ralts¡­" Ralts answered thoughtfully.


    Still no idea what that means.


    I began considering how I should train Ralts...unless, a thought popped up. Ralts had two final forms, Galade and Gardevoir.


    Gardevoir was a so-called zoner but Galade was a melee fighter with his Fighting/Psychic type. I hadn''t considered that.


    "Hey Ralts," I began awkwardly. "Quick question. Are you a boy or a girl?"


    Ralts froze, it gasped and stared at me, eyes wide, shock written on its white face.


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    "Uh¡­" I muttered, feeling I had just said the wrong thing. Just had to figure out what part of what I said was wrong.


    "RRRRAAAALLLTS!" It said accusingly, its voice filled with disbelief. It even pointed its finger at me in the most accusatory way possible.


    "A boy?" I guessed, 50% chance I was right, right?


    "RAALTS!" It yelled, sounding angry?


    "A girl?" I guessed for the second time. Ralts stared angrily at me.


    "A girl!" I exclaimed, "You''re a girl of course." Well that it did explain a few things.


    "Ralts!" She retorted angrily.


    I groaned. "I''m sorry, Should''ve known."


    Not really, I mean what was the difference between a male and female Ralts anyway? However, admitting my fault seemed to be a better idea than arguing with her.


    Ralts stepped forward and gave me a weak kick. However due to her size she didn''t even reach my thighs and only succeeded in losing her balance.


    "Ralts Ralts Ralts Ralts." she muttered.


    "Look," I said, "I''m really sorry for mistaking your gender."


    Ralts stared at me and began muttering in her own weird language, it sounded like she was complaining.


    "Come on," I cried. "What do I have to do to show I''m sorry?"


    <hr>


    I learned a few things about Ralts, first off she really needed to work on her almost non existent move set. Second, she did not appreciate being mistaken for a boy and lastly, she enjoyed riding on my shoulders.


    She had a satisfied smile on her face as she sat on top of my shoulders, cheerfully bobbing her head back and forth. At least she had stopped complaining and guilt tripping me.


    I really didn''t mind giving her a ride, she was not that heavy and it allowed me to think for a minute in silence and ignore all the red flags.


    Ralts would evolve into a Kirlia and after that into a Gardevoir. Right now she was still underleveled. If this were the game I would simply take her to the first patch of grass and grind it out until I was 15 levels above the wild grass Pok¨¦mon. Sadly this wouldn''t work and I had to do it the hard way.


    Assuming we would even be able to escape this forest, craft a believable backstory, get enough money to even start an adventure and not straight up die from starvation.


    Haha, gotta stay positive.


    Still, Ralts was a good starter and she seemed determined to do her best, also she was a Psychic which was in my opinion one of the best types. Maybe not in the game but now? It was a blessing.


    It was not powerful per se but it was versatile. Several ideas cropped up in my mind.


    I could play with the possible strategies psychic powers provided. For example a Fire type was pretty straightforward with what it could do while a Psychic could fuck you over a thousand different ways. Assuming again that the laws of this universe operated on the same principles my own did. There was so much research to be done and relying on assumptions was growing old real quick.


    I of course will use every exploit and loophole I can find to cheat the system.


    Also, black holes!


    According to the Pok¨¦dex Gardevoir creates black holes to protect her trainer. Fucking black holes, in case you don''t understand that would be like bringing a nuke to school because your sister is being bullied. Would I want that kind of power? Hell yeah!


    "Ralts!" Ralts said, I really should find a nickname for her.


    "What?" I asked absentmindedly, "You''re saying I should find a Pikachu and spam down-B?"


    "Ralts!" She insisted and she pulled a strand of my hair. That actually hurt.


    I looked up and saw the white humanoid pointing forward with its weird hand thingy. I stopped moving and froze. There were sounds coming from ahead, was that coughing?


    I looked up at Ralts and she looked troubled.


    Making sure I didn¡¯t step on a twig, I hurried towards a tree and hid beneath it, trying to be as silent as possible.


    I knelt down and grabbed Ralts from my shoulder and put her down. I motioned her to be dead still, but I think she understood that already. She had a nervous look on her face. She stared at the bark of our tree. I wondered why she was so fascinated wit it, but then I realized she was sensing something in that direction.


    Empathy, I recalled, was one of Ralts abilities. If I were correct she was able to sense emotions from humans and Pok¨¦mons.


    I had totally forgotten about it.


    The coughing stopped and for a few seconds I heard nothing but the usual chattering of birds and wind blowing through the trees. But then I heard footsteps. They came closer. I didn¡¯t look but I knew someone passed through the clearing we were just walking through.


    Taking a gamble, I took a quick peak and saw something you don''t want to see on your first day in the world of Pok¨¦mon.


    A Team Rocket grunt.


    He wore the typical black Team Rocket uniform I had seen in the anime. He had a rough appearance. He looked like the kind of person you wouldn¡¯t want to follow you into a dark alley.


    He was just passing by though, his eyes were straight ahead and slid past me. It looked like he was heading towards something, judging by the fact that he did not even bother to look at his surroundings.


    He had a Pok¨¦ball attached to his belt, though I saw he had no Pok¨¦mon out.


    I held my breath and luckily Ralts was smart enough to stay quiet as well.


    The guy left the clearing and the drum of his footsteps faded into the background. I remained unmoving for several more seconds. Meanwhile thoughts were running wild in my head.


    Ralts had detected the Rocket grunt before he was even in sight. This meant that her Empathy was not limited by sight and could potentially be used to detect our opponents location.


    Did it work as a radar or something? If it did it could be used to track down Pok¨¦mon who were using Smokescreen and Dig. Hyper awareness of the opponent''s position could be a huge advantage against Pok¨¦mon who liked to strike from the shadows.


    It required more research though, test the limits and see how we could apply them. Putting those thoughts away I considered what to do.


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked unsure.


    "That was a Team Rocket grunt." I replied after double checking he wasn¡¯t coming back. "He works for Team Rocket, an organization who abuse Pok¨¦mon to further their own goals. They''re evil." Or atleast, I assumed he was. I hoped my meta knowledge was still relevant.


    Team Rocket. What a day this turned out to be. Did this mean I was in Kanto? Or Johto?


    For all I know I could be in Galar and this was some stuff that was hidden beneath the lines of game dialogue. Best not to make assumptions.


    "Did you sense his emotions?" I asked Ralts, she nodded and shivered.


    "Was it bad?"


    She nodded, though I wondered what her standards for good and bad emotions were.


    I looked up at the sky. The sun was on its way to descend. I had no clue how long the light of day would be able to aid us. I weighed my options before turning to Ralts.


    "Well, what do you think we should do?" I asked. "We could try to find out what that guy is doing here. Though it could be dangerous. He has maybe some supplies we could use, to get us out of this endless forest. Or we stay away and spend more time looking for a town. Opportunity or safety,"


    "Ralts?"


    If it were a video game it would be easy, go after Team Rocket. However I did lack any real resources. On the other hand, wasting more time in this forest was also not preferable. I was growing to despise it and I really didn''t want to run around the bushes when night came.


    Ralts must have sensed what I was thinking because she pointed into the direction the grunt had gone. She had a decisive look on her face.


    "Okay," I said, resigning myself to this path, "warn me if we get close." Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes like she was focusing on something. Hopefully it was working.


    Together we followed the trail as silently as possible. My eyes were constantly focused on the ground and the trees ahead. A hyperfocus that almost canceled out everything besides my immediate area. Despite this,I almost stepped on a Weedle which freaked me out more than it should''ve but I managed to keep my screams internal.


    After a solid 10 minutes of playing Metal Gear solid in the woods we finally found what we were looking for.


    We found a river in a clearing. A spot devoid of trees. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing. Someone had set up a large tent, though it looked more like a small villain lair than a tent. It was the kind of tent people used at festivals, big enough for like 2 or 5 people.


    Ignoring the big red R on the side, I saw it was stacked to the brim with stuff one would need to survive and technological equipment. I did not even know what half of the machines he had, but it all looked expensive as hell, and extremely out of place in the middle of a forest.


    I saw Pok¨¦balls lying on the floor along with a few empty birdcages. At least I recognized that. Everything here screamed ¡®Team Rocket Outpost¡¯.


    I wondered why they even put a big R on the side of the tent? Were they really that determined in branding themselves? Was the presentation such a big deal for them?


    As I scoured my eyes widened when I saw an antenna sticking out of a device that suspiciously looked like a radio.


    Bingo.


    I could already see the opportunities. If I could use it I could contact the police and escape this damn forest. Settle and find more about myself, this world, and get started in this new world.


    All that stood between me and my future was one Team Rocket grunt.


    I had a Ralts who couldn¡¯t fight, a useless pool of uncertain meta knowledge and my bare fist.


    Things were looking up.

 3. Team Rocket

    Chapter 3:


    Team Rocket


    <hr>


    The Team Rocket guy paced back and forth in front of the tent, eating what seemed to be a sandwich while his mind seemed to be somewhere else entirely.


    Just looking at him made me feel jealous. He had food, a comfortable place to sleep, tools to communicate with the others and probably not a single care in the world.


    For this reason, I didn¡¯t feel that bad about what was about to unfold.


    "So you understand the plan?" I asked Ralts, I mean most plans start with a sentence like this so I felt I had to follow the clich¨¦ for good luck. I thought it was kind of funny but the joke was clearly lost on Ralts.


    "Ralts," She confirmed, or I hoped it was a confirmation. This might become an issue later.


    "Remember to keep him distracted." I said, repeating what I had said before countless times.


    Ralts nodded like before. I took that as a sign she understood and I walked away from her, making sure to stay out of Team Rocket''s grunt sight. Slowly but surely I circled around his camp, moving through bushes and between trees. All the while I counted the seconds inside my head, and after 30 seconds just like we had planned Ralts stepped out of the bushes and loudly declared, "Ralts!"


    It drew the guy¡¯s attention. The team Rocket grunt stared at Ralts, a look of confusion was on his face while his right hand went down to his belt where he had a Pok¨¦ball.


    Before he could reach it Ralts sent out a ray of purple energy.


    Confusion, one of Ralts moves.


    I had seen her use it against one of the Zigzagoon and although it wasn''t very effective...pun not intended, it still had some uses. And it was also her only move. So I asked her to do it again.


    After a little bit of experimenting, we figured out that she could do the move but it was painfully slow and the beam was really small. Still, it was good enough for our scrappy plan.


    The beam Ralts shot was not good, in fact even the Team Rocket grunt could dodge it.


    Ralts did it again, releasing a purple ray of energy that sped forward.


    Like before, the man was forced to move before he could reach for his Pok¨¦ball. Ralts spammed the move for a third time and the man was ready to move away again but another ray was already headed towards the grunt.


    Good Ralts, I thought fondly, never let someone tell you spamming is bad.


    Before Ralts could send her fifth Confusion ray I hit the man in the back of his head with a blunt stone I found on the ground. The stone hit him right below his ear and the lights went out immediately. The muscles in his body relaxed. He fell over and his face hit the dirt.


    Luckily he had been distracted by my little spamming Ralts and he didn''t notice me going full ninja mode and sneaking around him.


    I gave myself a compliment for the wonderful execution.


    Sure, the plan was not that difficult. It was a simple distract-and-strike plan but the Team Rocket grunt now lying on the ground was definitely proof that simple plans could work. Guess some things never change.


    "Ralts!" Ralts strode towards the man and kicked him in the face.


    I knelt down and checked the vital signs to see if he was still alive. Although I was not a doctor, I definitely detected a heartbeat. I let out a sigh of relief. He was still alive. At least I didn¡¯t murder him.


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked, probably sensing my insecurity.


    "Just checked if he''s alive, luckily for him, he is." I answered.


    I took his Pok¨¦ball and checked his pockets. I found a stylish pocket knife that was still sharp. I decided to take it for myself. I was a hero after all, if Link was allowed to walk into a random house and smash all the pots to get some Rupees, I was allowed to steal from a thug.


    "Johnathan!" A female voice came from behind us.


    That moment I cursed Arceus and Dialga for the horrible timing and I cursed Fate for fucking me over.


    I slowly got up.


    Ralts and I had been watching the tent with the grunt for over an hour. He didn''t do much more than walk around and generally be lazy. Ralts didn''t sense anyone else beside him so I had assumed he was alone, probably a solo mission, or so I thought.


    However ¡®Johnathan¡¯ was not as alone as I thought.


    Behind us stood a woman in a Team Rocket outfit. I would spend time describing her but honestly she seemed to be a boring background character to me. Uninteresting features combined with a bad attitude.


    Also, she had thrown a Pok¨¦ball in front of her and that was a bit more concerning than her appearance.


    Shit.


    Ralts being the powerful Psychic she stepped forward and prepared to defend her trainer...nah, she did not. Instead she timidly hid behind me and stared fearfully at the woman in front of me. "Ralts!" She exclaimed fearfully and grabbed my left leg, although I appreciated the affection, it did limit my movement.


    A bright flash came out of the Pok¨¦ball and the cry of a Pok¨¦mon followed. Two seconds later a Raticate stood in front of us, it must have been brimming with bad emotions because Ralts even pulled even tighter on my leg.


    The Team Rocket woman grinned evilly at me because why not. Sure.


    "I''m gonna make you pay for what you did to Johnathan!" She screamed even though I wasn''t standing that far from her. Was she related to Johnatan, were they in a relationship? Did I care?


    Not really, considering she was a villain and she was bound to have some kind of monologue. I could maybe ask what Team Rocket was doing here but honestly I wanted to leave this forest as fast as I could.


    I was more worried about the Raticate in front of her. Even though Raticate was not really a powerful Pok¨¦mon in the games, here he was powerful enough.


    Rattata evolves into Raticate at level 20 and even though I doubted that this world had levels like the games did, it still showed that this Raticate was a threat to consider.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Even if Ralts was willing to battle, I estimated her to be level 5 or something. And with her having only one move she was no match for this Raticate.


    Also a fun random fact from the Pok¨¦dex came to mind. Raticate¡¯s fangs are strong enough to topple concrete buildings! Haha, now that''s something I want to avoid.


    Although those thoughts popped up in my mind. My situation didn¡¯t improve. Ralts was too scared and too underleveled to battle and this woman was about to sic her overgrown rodent on me.


    How to salvage this situation? I made a mental inventory of everything I could use, a Pocket knife in my back pocket, wouldn''t do much good against a Pok¨¦mon. A Ralts who is too scared and a stone which would not even leave a scratch on the Raticate.


    How to solve this?


    I stared at the rock in my hand, if I could...no, that wouldn''t work right?


    Deciding it was worth the try I smirked at the woman. I opened my mouth and began to speak. "You know that your boss is lying right? He never showed up at the meeting."


    The woman was startled, I was bullshitting but it worked. I had her attention.


    Before she could interrupt me I went on with bullshitting. "Don''t worry. We are right now-" mid sentence I raised my hand and threw the stone at the woman full force.


    If it were an anime I would scream something heroic but I didn''t. Instead I had launched the stone with all of my stone throwing abilities. Which wasn¡¯t much. However, as the rock flew towards her the woman didn¡¯t dodge.


    The thing with people is that when you start a sentence they expect you to finish it. It''s a conditioned habit to let people finish what they''re saying. If you stop in the middle of a sentence the other person will most likely be distracted by his own expectations.


    That¡¯s the theory at least.


    The woman didn''t even blink when the stone hit her face. The stone impacted the left side of her face with a thud and I heard a worrying sound before the eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground.


    Huh, that worked.


    Talking about hitting two grunts with one stone¡­


    "RALTS!" Ralts screamed while shaking my leg violently, shaking me up from my thoughts.


    Just in time, a silver flash appeared in front of my face and I raised my arm to protect my eyes on instinct. A silver fang tore through my skin and a second later a blinding pain flooded through my nerves. I screamed.


    However, I was still alive. The Raticate had jumped towards me and had tried to tear my face open with its oversized fang. The fact that I still had eyes was due to the fact that I raised my arm just in time. I got really lucky there.


    Still hurts like a motherfucker. I lowered my arm and looked at it. My entire lower left arm was ripped open and looked like someone had slashed a knife through it. Blood flowed through the ripped flesh and I felt a sick combination of numbness and blinding pain that shouldn''t be possible. I cursed out loud while clutching my arm, trying to stop the blood from flowing out of the massive wound.


    "RALTS RALTS!" Ralts yelled and panicked. My eyes drew back towards the attacker.


    Raticate prepared to make another jump, wild fury on its face. I don''t know what I had thought, maybe that Raticate wouldn''t attack me if its trainer was knocked out. Guess that did not happen.


    I spat out more curse words. Now I had to deal with it and it was looking grim. I couldn''t move my left arm and even looking at it made me want to throw up. I averted my eyes.


    I could barely even stand, let alone defend myself or my Ralts but I had to. I still had a small Ralts to protect and I was a damn dimensional traveler! I refuse to die to an overgrown Mickey Mouse.


    With my functioning arm I reached for my pocket knife but I was too slow. Raticate lunged for me a second time. I gritted my teeth and prepared to strike with my good arm, hoping I could maybe sucker punch him, but before I had to a purple ray slammed into Raticate midair and smashed it into the ground.


    "Ralts!" an angry shout followed.


    Did Ralts just save me?


    The beam had been bigger than when she had attacked the grunt. The beam had also struck way faster. Raticate was now lying on the ground, it was mostly undamaged but it seemed to have trouble moving.


    Was it confused?


    Confusion had a 10% chance of causing the Confusion effect. Raticate was trying to move but every move seemed to take a huge effort, like it had a massive headache. Raticate was out of it but for how long?


    "Ralts!" Ralts urged, sounding desperate.


    She pointed at the Raticate.


    I know I have to do something but what?


    I considered grabbing the pocket knife but that wouldn''t neutralize it. I could try to kill it as a last resort but I didn''t dare putting myself in its attacking range. I spotted the Pok¨¦ball the woman had thrown.


    I made a dash for it, grabbed it with my good arm and pointed the surprisingly large Pok¨¦ball at the Raticate and pressed the button in the middle as I had seen being done in games and on tv a thousand times.


    A red beam came out of the Pok¨¦ball, much like in the anime, and shot towards the Raticate. It enveloped it and a second later the Raticate disappeared leaving nothing but a path of trampled grass, blood on the soil and a ripped open arm.


    However it was gone at last.


    That moment I could drop to the floor and fall asleep, the pain in my arm had subsided and I was feeling numb all over my body.


    "Ralts Ralts Rarara Ralts!" Ralts said as she ran towards me, dragging her weird dress thing over the floor. Were those tears in her eyes?


    No time for that, I''m bleeding out and I need medical attention.


    "Ralts," I said matter-of-factly. "Keep an eye on those two will ya? If they wake up, knock them out with Confusion!"


    "Ralts Ralts RaRalts!" She yelled and panicked.


    "Just do it please," I pleaded. "I''m going to make a call."


    With those brave words I walked towards the tent.


    I stepped over trash that the Team Rocket grunt had left behind and made my way towards the radio I had seen. Now how to operate this thing?


    It was hard to keep myself focused, I really had some thoughts I wanted to evaluate. Ralts¡¯ sudden boost in power, the question if I would unlock a secret power now I needed it and if I was anywhere close to a hospital. The numbness from my arm began to spread throughout my body and I knew it was a bad sign.


    The radio looked exactly like one of my earth did, nothing too fancy. I turned it on by switching some dials and grabbed the mic, only to be reminded I couldn''t use my left arm. I put it down again and went through the channels, trying to find an occupied broadcast.


    After skimming through a few empty channels I finally came across a conversation.


    It seemed to be a woman and a guy talking about wild Pidgey behavior in the Sinnoh region.


    I interrupted the conversation like a civilized person.


    "Guys," I said and the two voices went quiet. "I''m kinda in a tough situation¡­"


    Oh so sleepy. I wanted to lie down and...no, I had to stay awake.


    Outside Ralts gave me a wary look but she kept guarding the two unconscious grunt on the ground like she had promised.


    Good girl.


    "Who is this?" A static voice came from the radio.


    "Look," I groaned, losing patience and consciousness with each second. "I''m bleeding out and I need medical attention. I came across a Team Rocket outpost and I''m wounded."


    The woman became serious immediately. "Where are you? We''ll send help."


    Well at least someone was being useful today.


    No, that was not fair towards Ralts, I had to focus.


    "I-I don''t know¡­" I answered.


    "How can we help you if we don''t know where you are?" A deep man''s voice asked. It sounded like he was annoyed with my presence and wanted to keep talking about Pidgey.


    "Fucking triangulate the signal!" I yelled, why did I yell?


    I felt myself getting more dizzy and dizzier.


    "We''ll call the police for you, they''ll be able to trace you." The woman responded professionally. "Please stay on the line so we can trace the signal."


    "Okay," I answered and turned to Ralts, leaving the radio on. I was feeling like I had only a few seconds left before I would fall into the sweet grasp of sleep...or death.


    "Ralts," I said, "People will show up to help me...I hope. Don''t attack them okay?"


    "Ralts?" She tilted her head, worried and confused at the same time.


    "Don''t worry," I said, "I''m only going to black out."


    I flashed her my best I''m-definitely-not-about-to-die smile.


    And just like that unconsciousness took me over.


    If I die, would I appear in another world?


    That thought ran through my mind as I was blacking out.


    Or maybe I would respawn and do a Re:Zero. Replay the entire day.


    I managed to groan while blacking out. Please, let me not go through all that bullshit again.


    And my lights went out.

 4. Black Out

    Chapter 4:


    Black Out


    <hr>


    "Find me."


    The voice was female, although I could barely make it out. It was due to the fact that the voice was not human or anything even close to human. It was hardly a voice at all.


    Vague and cryptic, I thought sarcastically, not really a lot I could work with.


    The real question was if I would remember this when I woke up instead of conveniently forgetting it.


    It would be illogical to tell me to find someone if I wouldn''t remember it later. On the other hand, beings/entities/Pok¨¦mon/Gods who summoned people from another world were not known for making smart choices.


    Me being a perfect example of that.


    <hr>


    I was like 99% sure that I wouldn''t be waking up in the same place I blacked out.


    No, I would either open my eyes and find myself in some heavily guarded containment cell or I would wake up in a hospital. Or I would not wake up at all. Fate demanded it, there has never been a protagonist who blacked out and didn''t wake up in a new scenery. Okay, maybe there was but you get my point.


    When I woke up I didn''t show any signs of it. I kept my eyes shut and my breathing steady. My first goal was to gather as much information as I could. I felt myself lying on something soft, was that a pillow? It felt like one. So I was no longer in the forest, Arcues thank you for the small miracles. I also didn''t feel a blinding pain in my arm anymore, in fact I felt refreshed.


    Whoever took me had either been the nicest villain ever or the people on the radio had managed to get me some help in time.


    "Ralts!" a cheerful cry came from above me.


    Before I could even open my eyes something hugged my chest really tight and kept yelling "Ralts!"


    I wonder who it could be.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes and spotted a green haired creature hugging me.


    I lifted my right arm and hugged her back.


    "Hey little one." I said, my voice sounding hoarse.


    "Ralts Ralts RaRaRalts," she muttered while hugging me.


    Damn, that''s a new record. I think she was doing the whole oh-you-almost-died-and-I-missed-you-so-much speech. However after her speech she stopped trying to squeeze me to death and looked me in the eyes, she then slapped me and yelled, "Ralts!" It sounded vaguely accusing.


    "Hey," I protested, "how was I supposed to know that there was a second one?"


    "Ralts!" she said and I had no idea what it meant this time. After that she began hugging my chest again, how clich¨¦ could it get?


    I petted my Ralts on her head. "Don''t worry, we are still alive."


    While my Ralts kept trying to merge with my chest I took a good look around, It seemed like I was in a hospital. The clean and sterile white walls and beeping heart monitor were a dead give away.


    The beeping of the heart monitor annoyed me so I leaned over to pull the plug.


    Ahhh, finally silence.


    I slumped back on the bed.


    Sunlight shone through the window. Through the curtains I saw a small town down. Rooftops were poking through the treeline, Pok¨¦mon were flying through the sky.


    I did not recognize the place, which was to be expected.


    I moved my left arm and saw it was wrapped in a bandage.


    I wiggled my fingers and felt no pain or struggle. Yay for progress!


    "Ralts," I said and she stopped hugging to look at me. "How long was I out?"


    Please don''t pull a Zelda and tell me I''ve been sleeping for a hundred years and the world is in ruins. Although, at this point, that might as well just happen.


    Ralts tilted her head and looked like she was thinking really hard. After a few seconds she said, "Ralts."


    I blinked. "Yeah, I still don''t know what that means."


    Why did I even ask?


    Ralts stretched her left arm out and folded her hand except for her thumb.


    "1?" I asked.


    Ralts quickly opened and closed her hand three times and then retracted it. I had to say it looked rather cute, seeing her trying to communicate without fingers.


    "Three days?" I asked incredulously.


    Ralts nodded.


    "How the heck did I sleep for three days?" I cursed, Ralts shrugged at that.


    "Undernutrition, blood poisoning, blood loss and a heatstroke," A girl''s voice answered suddenly.


    It scared the shit out of me, same for Ralts who bumped her horn against my face in surprise.


    Aren''t you supposed to have an emotion radar?


    A young girl stood in the doorway, she had long purple hair that contrasted her sparkling green eyes. She wore a white sundress and wore a stethoscope around her neck. I estimated her to be around 13 years old.


    Was she the local nurse? She seemed to be a bit too young but this was the world that thought it was a good idea to send a 10 year old alone on an adventure to explore the world.


    She strode into the room, looking very smug for some reason.


    "Don''t worry, you won''t be dying and we fixed that arm of yours."


    She sounded surprisingly cheerful, so much so it unsettled Ralts and she grabbed my hand and held tight.


    "Uhhm, thank you?" I tried to react properly while feeling unnerved by this girl.


    "It was quite easy, you know?" She went on in the same creepy cheerfulness. "The Team Rocket guy though? His nape is fractured and he is permanently paralyzed."


    The Rocket grunt I had hit in the back of his head? Had I broken his nape? That shouldn''t have been possible, right?


    I didn''t hit him particularly hard but a stone is a stone. Did I feel guilty? Not per se. He had this coming and knowing this world there was bound to be some kind of berry or Pok¨¦mon that would heal him.


    The girl shot me a grin that I classified in the ''She will draw a knife any second'' category.


    "Stop messing with the patient Chelsea." A man''s voice called from the door.


    Does no one knock in this world? What is this? Open House?


    I glanced at the door and hey! Isn''t that a familiar face?! Brown eyes, black hair and wearing a brown coat that would fit Sherlock Holmes?


    "Agent Looker," the man at the door introduced himself, confirming my theory, "I''m from the International Police and I¡¯m here to investigate your case. I would like to ask some questions."


    He gave me a curt nod as he walked into the room but he didn''t bother to shake hands...what a letdown.


    "Stop lying Chelsea," He looked at the girl who''s name was apparently Chelsea and then looked at me. "The Team Rocket goon is doing fine. He woke up a few hours after the police arrived."


    "Aaaah, come on Looker." Chelsea pouted.


    "Go help your sister with the other patients." Looker sighed.


    "There are no other patients," Chelsea complained.


    Looker gave Chelsea a tired look. "None of them are as interesting as Mister Mysterious."


    "Mister Mysterious," Looker air quoted. "Is not here for your amusement."


    I was torn between not wanting to be in the same room alone with Looker (Who was a detective and I could use everything that could distract him) or being in the same room as Chelsea who was definitely not a psycho.


    Looker was someone I had seen in both the games and anime which was no help at all in finding out in which version I was. If I remember correctly he was some kind of detective agent guy who was always disguising himself and helps the player take down the bad guy teams.


    Also, didn''t he have amnesia? Welp, that did make things more interesting.


    Also, Mister Mysterious? Time to fish for information.


    "Talking about here," I asked. "Where is here?"


    "Sunbright town." Chelsea answered quickly.


    Sunbright town? Never heard of, although that did not mean a lot considering the amount of unimportant unnamed towns Ash passed through in the anime.


    "I mean what region am I in?"


    Please don''t say Galar, I prayed, I don''t want to deal with Attack on Pok¨¦mon bullshit and the Dynamax stuff that was going on there was bound to ruin my day.


    Both Looker and Chelsea stared at me like I was crazy, was the question that weird?


    "You don''t know in which region you are?" Looker asked suspiciously.


    "Sinnoh," Chelsea said to the dismay of Looker. "How can you not know what region you are in?"


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Sinnoh, huh?


    The region of space and time warping Pok¨¦mon. The region of Arceus, the Pok¨¦mon god.


    Welp, that does give me some theories as for how I got here, still Sinnoh was a pretty easy region to be in. I knew quite a bit about it and it was at least not Galar or the tropical heat of Sun and Moon.


    "You have no idea of the region you are in," Looker said, talking like he was interrogating me, "And I did notice you didn''t give me your name nor did you have any identifying papers on you."


    Now comes the most important part, faking memory loss.


    Or to be precise, Agnosia.


    People in my situation would often go with faking Amnesia which is not that strange. Movies these days misrepresent Amnesia as something that would simply block the long term memory.


    On its own it doesn''t sound that bad, it lets me get away with not having a backstory.


    The problem for me was that everytime I would slip up and mention something I shouldn''t know or remember, people would notice that and start doubting my backstory. People would start digging and ask questions until my Amnesia excuse fell apart.


    No, what would be better was Agnosia.


    Agnosia was similar to Amnesia but it was quite different at the same time.


    People who had Agnosia couldn''t remember details.


    For example, someone with Amnesia would have no idea how he woke up in a random place while the same person with Agnosia would remember what happened to him but not his own name or the name of the town he came from. This also went for visuals like faces and places. Now what was easier to fake? Complete memory loss or just partly memory loss?


    With Agnosia I could explain knowing certain things but not knowing my name, of course Agnosia is a bit more complicated than that but you get the point.


    Agnosia was the way to go.


    I frowned. "I couldn''t remember the name of the region."


    "You don''t remember coming to Sinnoh?" Looker asked, surprise and doubt were etched onto his face.


    "I don''t even remember my own name," I stuttered.


    Now that got a reaction out of them.


    "You don''t remember your own name?" Chelsea asked.


    I shook my head and pulled Ralts into a tight hug, she seemed to be quite content with that.


    "Did the fight damage your brains?" She suggested, sounding more excited than worried.


    "No, I remember the fight and going into the forest." I answered truthfully.


    "Do you remember anything else?" Looker asked, a bit more pressing.


    "I remember most things fine but I can''t just recall anything solid. I remember coming from another region and trying to escape from Team Rocket." I said,


    "You were being hunted by Team Rocket?" Looker asked sympathetically.


    Looker''s main objective in the game and anime was stopping the bad guys, placing myself in the victim role was bound to give me some credit.


    "Why?" Chelsea asked.


    "Aren''t you supposed to leave me and the patients alone for questioning?" Looker asked her.


    "Yes." Chelsea smiled at Looker and then turned her gaze on me again.


    So I was being ''questioned'', welp that was to be expected. Time to play my role and put my acting skills to use.


    I lowered my head and made my voice sound shaky. "They took my parents and tried to take me too."


    Chelsea gasped too loud while Looker gave me the look you give someone whose pet just died. A dark expression of both understanding and familiarity.


    "Where are they?" Looker asked, "Can you remember anything we can use to help? Faces, names?"


    "They killed them," cue the dramatic silence, "And no, I can''t even remember their names. I just remember that Team Rocket showed up at our house. They breached the door and started attacking my parents. They wanted something from my mother. My mom commanded her only Pok¨¦mon to teleport me to safety before they entered the safe room."


    A tear ran over my cheek and I felt bad for guilt tripping them but I had to create a backstory for myself. So far, I was killing it.


    "As I was being teleported away I saw it happen." I finished.


    Well, if that is not a hero''s worthy backstory then I''d be damned.


    Also, it would take a brave detective to question the validity of my parent''s death, plus the fact that I hadn''t even given them a region name. It would be virtually impossible to track down anything. I would be a ghost in their records. Just a tragic victim.


    "And that''s how you got into Sinnoh?" Looker finished.


    I nodded. "If that''s where I am, then yes."


    "Seems like you had a rough few days." Looker said sympathetically. He looked at me and for a moment I almost felt bad for deceiving him. The way he was looking at me made me feel bad for his own past.


    "But you can''t remember anything?" Chelsea asked, it still sounded like she was talking about her favorite show instead of my fake parent''s death. "That sounds to me like you got Amnesia from that trauma."


    No you girl! I''m suffering from Agnosia.


    "Seems more like Retrograde Agnosia," Looker said thoughtfully.


    Wait, how did he even know that kind of stuff? You''re not a psychologist!


    Then it struck me, he must have been investigating memory loss himself since he has Amnesia. This was literally the best thing that could happen to me.


    I thanked divine interference for this.


    "Oohhhh," Chelsea cooed. "That''s even better!"


    "Chelsea," Looker said, "if you would be so nice to leave us alone ''Mister Mysterious'' and I can have a talk."


    No, don''t leave me alone with him, distract him from noticing flaws in my backstory!


    Ralts gave me an encouraging hug.


    "Come on!" Chelsea pouted, "Give me the juicy details!"


    "I really think you should go help your sister with the other patients," Looker insisted, the same way an FBI agent would tell you to leave the room.


    "Fine," Chelsea said and she reluctantly walked out of the room but not before giving me an evil smile and saying, "Later Mister Mysterious."


    How about no?


    She left the room and Looker closed the door behind her. An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Looker took his time to walk towards one of the chairs next to my bed and took a seat.


    "Ralts Ralts?" Ralts asked, what did it mean? I still don''t know.


    "So," I broke the ice, "am I in trouble?"


    "Do you think you are in trouble?" Looker replied.


    That Asshole! Don''t answer my question with a question. That''s my strategy.


    I shrugged nonchalantly,


    "I recognize the look in your eyes. You''re lost. You truly have no idea who you are, do you?" Looker asked, or stated. Whichever it was, he sounded like he sympathized with me.


    "Yeah, not a single clue."


    "Well," he went on. "I did some digging, I visited the Team Rocket Site and honestly, for someone without any memories you brought some great findings to light."


    "I did?" I asked, truly confused. All I did was attack two people without provocation. I''m sure that I was definitely in the wrong here. Sure they were part of a terrorist organization known for slavery and other Pok¨¦mon related crimes but still.


    Looker took out his...phone? I thought it was a smartphone at first glance but when I took a better look it saw it was a blue Rotom Phone.


    Wasn''t that from Sword and Shield?


    Welp, forwards compatibility confirmed. I had expected it but this was all the proof I needed. Even though I was in Sinnoh, all the future regions still exist and could impact this region too.


    Good to know.


    Looker made a few taps and swipes on his fancy Rotom Phone until it showed a photo of the Team Rocket tent.


    "What do you know about Team Rocket?" He asked.


    "Just the gist of it, bad guys who steal Pok¨¦mon and use them for their own profit?"


    Looker sighed. ¡°Close enough. They are originally from Kanto but later they spread to Johto as well. They¡¯re like a plague over there, the police take out one cell or branch and it just comes back up. But at least they stayed within their own region."


    I nodded, this information aligned with the Red/Blue and Gold/Silver games.


    Looker coughed, he seemed a bit embarrassed. "Your ¡®accidental¡¯ trip in the woods brought to light that they are expanding their operations to Sinnoh. Possibly other regions too. This is something all the regions should know."


    This was useful to know. A Team Rocket plot and I stumble across it the first day in this world? If that''s not enough proof that I''m a generic heroic protagonist then nothing would be enough proof.


    "Okay," I said thoughtfully. "So what does this mean?"


    "Well I''m here to thank you in the name of the International Police. We''ve taken the liberty of covering your medical expenses. Also, the Kanto League has a bounty for capturing the two Rocket Grunts which you can claim. Though it''s not much, it''s still a good amount."


    My eyes widened, I needed money and this was literally the jackpot.


    "Ralt?" Ralts perked up, sensing my sudden change in emotion.


    One of the first things I had to do was buy a Pok¨¦ball for Ralts, no way in Hell I was going to risk someone else capturing her.


    "The fact that you can''t recall anything means it is a bit more troublesome to help you." Looker pointed out the obvious.


    "Until we know who your parents are, you can not claim their heritage which leaves you without resources, identity and a place to stay."


    Thanks Captain Obvious.


    "Ralts," Ralts told Looker.


    "I have Ralts," I said and for the first time I was completely honest. "And for that I''m eternally grateful."


    "You are quite lucky with that one," Looker said, "she refused to leave your side for the entirety of your stay in the hospital."


    "Seriously?" I asked Ralts, and I gave her a big hug. "Who''s da best?"


    "Ralts!" She squealed in delight.


    "Although you have Ralts you still lack other essentials," Looker went on. "That limits your options for the near future."


    "What options do I have?" I asked.


    "Well normally I would suggest you settle down and try to build a life somewhere but the lack of money and a place to stay is troublesome.¡± Looker sounded apologetic. ¡°That alongside the fact that you seem to be a bit too young for that. There¡¯s also the problem that Team Rocket might be looking for you after you escaped their grasp and sabotaged their operation."


    Oh, I hadn''t even considered that, though it did further my own plans.


    "What should I do?" I asked rhetorically.


    "Well you already have a Pok¨¦mon and some money from the bounty. Unless you want to settle someplace, I think it would be best for you to just stay on the move. Try to find some footing in Sinnoh until we know more about your past and the Team Rocket situation blows over."


    Yes! Send a traumatized teen on a journey please!


    "You''re suggesting I become a Pok¨¦mon trainer?" I asked.


    "You remember your age?" Looker asked, though his voice already told me he knew the answer. I shook my head.


    "You seem to be around 16 years old, maybe older but it can''t be much older. 16 is the age most trainers start their journey. You''re not too old to start one."


    Huh, 16 is the starting age instead of 10?


    Well it makes more sense, does this mean that this universe is auto correcting itself to make sense? 16 made more sense than 10 but still, at least it was a good thing to know.


    "You can still go on a journey. You don''t need a lot of money to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer. A lot of kids these days do it." Looker sounded like he was trying to convince me to become a trainer but I was already convinced.


    "You think I can be a Pok¨¦mon trainer?" I asked.


    "You have a sharp mind, the fact that you took out two Team Rocket grunts showed that. You could try to take on the Gym challenge. If you want I can ask Professor Rowan to hook you up with a few Pok¨¦balls and a Pok¨¦dex. He¡¯s a friend of mine and owes me some favors."


    "Don''t you need an ID to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer? I probably don''t even have legal Sinnoh citizenship."


    Looker smiled, warmly. "I can create a new ID for you. The International Police kind of owes it to you and I have already checked you for any criminal background you might have. Consider it a thank you."


    YES YES YES YES! This was literally everything I wanted. All the pieces had fallen into place.


    "You think we should do that Ralts?" I asked Ralts with a smile.


    She gave me a determined nod and raised her first in the air with an explosive "Ralts!"


    "Well," I grinned at Looker. "There is your answer."


    Looker gave me a satisfied nod and rose from the chair. "Well, then my business here is done." He scratched his neck. "Just ask me if you remember anything else. Although I might not be able to respond immediately." He gave me a sore smile. "I think I''ll be swamped in the foreseeable future. Team Rocket might have more operations in Sinnoh and potentially other regions so I won''t be sitting still."


    "Thank you for everything Agent Looker." I smiled and Ralts gave the man a nod.


    "Though I still need a name for your new ID. Got one in mind?"


    I gave him a thoughtful look before saying. "Dust. That sounds like a fun name."


    Well, choosing my old name would be stupid and break character. Dust would work just as well. A synonym of Ash. Hopefully a name like that meant good things for the future.


    Sure Dust might sound weird but in a world where you had people named Red and Ash, Dust fits right in.


    Also so many puns I could make, though people could dust me not to do such a thing.


    "Last name?" Looker asked, neither complimenting nor refusing my new name.


    "Wildfire." I said, "Dust Wildfire. That sounds cool enough." I shrugged.


    "If you say so," Looker answered. "Well, good luck with recovering, Dust." he walked out of the door frame but not before saying. "I''ll make sure to send you your new citizenship papers and ID to the hospital. In about two weeks Professor Rowan should ask you to come to his lab to start your journey."


    He turned around and left the room...wait.


    ''TWO WEEKS?" I yelled incredulously.


    "Your arm was ripped open kid," Looker yelled back from the hallway, sounding humored. "That takes time to heal. You''re under observation for two weeks until you can leave the hospital. Enjoy your stay!"


    THAT MOTHERF-

 5. Mysteries

    Chapter 5:


    Mysteries


    <hr>


    Two fucking weeks?! I had to wait 2 weeks before I could start my adventure.


    I raised my left bandaged arm, didn''t feel any pain, was I under the influence of painkillers? I sighed and slumped back in my hospital bed.


    Guess I was still in the tutorial that I couldn''t skip.


    "Two more weeks," I complained out loud. "That''s way too long."


    "Ralts," Ralts agreed lazily. She was lying on my stomach like she was sunbathing.


    "Hey Ralts, How about we explore this place?" I had gotten sick of lying in bed.


    I glanced at the clock to see how much time had passed since Looker had left. Only 40 minutes...damn you Dialga!


    "Ralts Ralts?" Ralts asked concerned and she pointed at my bandaged arm. Aaahhh...she is worried.


    "It''s just my left arm." I smiled reassuringly. ¡°I''m not dying."


    "Ralts," she answered skeptically.


    "No one ever became a hero by staying in bed." I shot back, except Ash but he had plot armor so that doesn''t count.


    I moved myself slightly and forced Ralts to hop off my bed.


    She rolled her eyes and muttered a soft "Ralts".


    I swung my legs over the bedside and saw I was wearing a hospital gown, now that was not something I wanted to think about. I took a few shaky steps around the bed to test my footing and saw the clothes I had worn, neatly folded on top of a chair.


    Time to get changed, everything was better than hospital clothes.


    "Ralts, please wait outside."


    "Ralts?" She questioned.


    <hr>


    The building we were in was small, very small. The hospital had two floors but was not much larger than an average family house. It also missed the entire hospital feeling, instead it looked more like a motel/hotel hybrid.


    Ralts and I passed a few closed doors but there was no saying if someone was inside them.


    I felt my pocket knife, which I had borrowed, was still in my back pocket.


    We found a staircase and an elevator that led downwards, we took the stairs and found ourselves in a lobby that had one desk and a few couches placed against the wall.


    A few posters decorated the wall showing the skeletal figures of different kinds of Pok¨¦mon. There was also a poster about the health regulations of the hospital whose colors had faded a long time ago.


    A woman was sleeping behind the desk, she was also snoring very loudly. Her face laid sideways on top of a book that was about...psychology? Being super creepy, her eyes suddenly snapped open and purple eyes stared back at me.


    Huh it seems like we had woken her up, I was not sure if I felt guilty about it.


    It was a hospital but on the flip side I would have fallen asleep here too.


    "Now now," she spoke with a playful tone, "decided to escape Mister Mysterious?"


    She had deep purple eyes that held an intense gaze, way too intense for someone who had just woken up. Just like her eyes her hair was purple too and long enough to almost reach the end of her back.


    She was dressed in a white shirt, black skirt and wore something comparable to sneakers.I estimated her around the twenty, give it or take it.


    Okay, this has to be Chelsea''s sister.


    "Uh, hello." I answered. "I''m...now going by the name Dust."


    "Ralts!" Ralts waved happily at the woman.


    The woman smiled at the Ralts and then at me, "I''m Hylla and yes, I am Chelsea''s sister. The two of us run this hospital."


    She leaned her head on her hands. "So, is the service here so bad you decided to escape?"


    I shook my head, "No, just decided to take a look around."


    "And, enjoying your stay?" She asked with a smirk. She grinned when she saw the distaste on my face. "No need to lie, no one likes hospitals."


    "Just sucks to be stuck here," I replied, "though it looks nice, a bit empty too."


    "I like my hospital to be as empty as possible."


    So you can sleep?


    "That makes sense I guess," I murmured. "though it would make bad business."


    She shrugged, "I get paid per hour, not for what I do in that hour."


    Welp, I could respect her mindset. Though it was disturbing since I was the patient in her hospital.


    "So, if you''re going to visit the town could you get me some groceries?" She asked casually.


    "Wait, I neve-"


    "Come on," She said. "Don''t you wanna go out? You need to get some fresh air anyway. We''re low on food and unless you want to eat hospital food you could help me out."


    I blinked. "I''m hospitalized." I pointed at my arm.


    "Your arm is in a bandage," she said dryly, "unless you''re dying you can totally get me some groceries and lift my workload."


    "You were just sleeping." I told her.


    "Well," Hylla smiled smugly. "According to the doctor I require a lot of rest."


    "Ralts." Ralts pointed out which I completely agreed with, I think.


    "You are the doctor." I deadpanned.


    She grinned, "So, you''re gonna stick around in the boring hospital or explore the town, bother some old people and buy some groceries so we can eat something decent today?"


    I blinked, this woman, or girl. She was childish enough.


    "Okay, so this is what we need," she began writing on a post-it she found on her desk before I could even agree.


    I just watched her write, my mind still trying to catch up with this person. "Yup, this should be about it." She handed me the folded piece of paper with the same knowing smile.


    "I didn''t even agree," I complained but I accepted the paper anyway.


    It was not like I had anything else to do.


    "You didn''t agree, yet," She corrected me. "So whenever you need to pay, just tell them to send the bills to Sunbright''s hospital. They are familiar with my ways so it shouldn''t be too much of a problem."


    "Uhuh, aren''t you scared I get lost?" I asked.


    "It''s a small town, you''re not stupid right?"


    I really wondered if she had an actual doctor''s license.


    "Well, then I''m going." I announced, still unsure whether I was actually just walking out of here. Just as I was about to turn around Hylla yelled. "Wait!"


    She opened a few drawers, clearly looking for something, until she found something. She suddenly tossed it to me and I barely managed to catch it.


    It was a Pok¨¦ball.


    It was the regular red and white Pok¨¦ball. It''s simple design had an elegance to it and it felt so smooth and OMG I AM HOLDING A FUCKING REAL POKEBALL!


    It''s so cool!


    "Exciting isn''t it?" Hylla asked, "holding a Pok¨¦ball for the first time?"


    I nodded. "It''s so cool."


    And now I was losing my ability to form a normal sentence.


    "What''s inside it?" I asked curiously.


    "It''s empty. Now you can capture Ralts. Wouldn''t want anyone to capture her while you''re in the open." Hylla empathetically nodded towards Ralts."She''s really loyal, you know? She stayed at your side and refused to leave, even for food. I had to leave it in the room."


    "You gave her food?" I asked.


    "Ralts." Ralts confirmed.


    "Thank you," I said. "Thank you very much."


    "No big deal," Hylla gave me a mock salute. "Wouldn''t let a Pok¨¦mon starve on my watch. Now go and catch Ralts so I can continue my work."


    "Are you sure?" I asked and glanced at the Pok¨¦ball. "Aren''t those really expensive?"


    Hylla shrugged. "Don''t worry. I had a spare one anyway so it''s not a big deal."


    "Awesome, thank you so much." I thanked her. After, I knelt down to meet my Ralts on eye level.


    "Ralts, I finally got you a Pok¨¦ball."


    "Ralts?" She asked.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take you out immediately afterwards, it''s just for emergencies so everyone knows you and I are partners."


    Ralts gave me a determined nod and pushed the button in the middle. The ball popped open and a red beam sucked Ralts in. A Second later she was gone.


    I definitely did not have a minor heart attack.


    The Pok¨¦ball did the shaky thing and I held my breath, left right, left right and left and right. The light stopped blinking and it played the ''Captured'' sound.


    I let out a sigh of relief.


    I pushed the button in the middle and the Pok¨¦ball opened, Ralts appeared a second later.


    "Ralts!" she cried out and lunged at me to do a hug attack.


    Damn you were only gone for 10 seconds.


    "So, how is it inside the Pok¨¦ball?" I asked.


    "Ra Ralt. Ralts." Ralts told me seriously. I nodded, pretending to understand it.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Uhuh, so that''s how it is."


    "You can hold the button to shrink it." Hylla told me and I tried it.


    I did as I was told and the Pok¨¦ball indeed shrank. Huh, how did that work? Did it change the density of the particles or was the entire Pok¨¦ball a hard light construct?


    I put the Pok¨¦ball in my pocket and stood up straight. I faced Hylla to thank her again when I saw she was lying on her book again.


    Did she just...no she wouldn''t, right?


    The purple haired woman had fallen asleep, was she faking it? How in the hell-


    Oh, and now she was snoring again.


    <hr>


    Sunbright town was...well bright.


    The small town bathed in the sunlight and had this weird almost fairy tale-like feeling to it. It was not big by any means, it had a small town square that had a few shops around it, just the essentials. No big Pok¨¦mon stores like you had in the games.


    I found out that the Hospital was located on top of a hill that overlooked the entire town. It was a small hill, but large enough to oversee the entirety of Sunbright town.


    It was an odd place for sure.


    I figured out that Sunbright was south of Sandgem town, which was interesting since that was where Rowan''s lab was located. The nearest town was Twinleaf town where the game''s protagonist would start his/her adventure.


    Also of note, nearby Twinleaf town was Lake Verity which I really wanted to visit. If my memories were correct, the three lakes in Sinnoh were the places where you could find the three lake Guardians. Apparently the lakes themselves were a portal to where they actually lived which was an interesting concept.


    Alternate dimensions exist in the Pok¨¦mon universe and I really wanted to know more about that kind of stuff.


    Also, I kind of want to meet a Legendary.


    I''m in the world of Pok¨¦mon after all and Legendaries were one of the best things in the Pok¨¦mon games and anime. Sinnoh has 9 legendaries of its own and that was not even counting the roaming legendaries from the other regions.


    Would I try to capture one? Let''s leave that question for another day.


    People waved at me and Ralts as we walked around the town. They thought Ralts was really cute, which was understandable. She was sitting on top of my shoulders again because it was much faster than walking. I imagined it also must have looked adorable.


    As we were walking through town at a lazy pace I saw an ongoing Pok¨¦mon battle.


    "Shall we take a look?" I asked Ralts.


    "Ralts!" She said and she urged me to move.


    I complied and walked towards the clearing where two people were having a battle on a Pok¨¦mon battlefield. A boy and a girl, the girl was fighting with a Starly while the boy had a Fennekin.


    Huh, Generation six?


    The boy shouted a command, "Fennekin tackle!"


    The yellow fox Pok¨¦mon charged at the Starly who was standing on the ground.


    Why wasn''t it flying?


    If it were me I would order the Starly to keep flying and keep attacking Fennekin from the air, at this point Fennekin was most likely not really equipped to fight an opponent who stayed in the air. It could probably do Ember or even Flame Charge if it was lucky enough to know the move but that would drain energy and once it was getting tired I would attack relentlessly from the air.


    "Starly dodge it and then do wing attack!" the girl yelled back.


    Starly tried to dodge it but being a bird its ground movement was inferior to Fennekin''s 4 legs which allowed it to move much faster than Starly. Fennekin bumped into Starly and Starly let out a cry.


    "Starly!" The girl yelled, the panic in her voice rising "Quick attack!"


    While the Starly was thrown in the air it suddenly faced its opponent and shot towards it in a flash, completely ignoring its previous momentum.


    "Ralts!" Ralts yelled excitedly. "Ralts Ralts!"


    "I know," I said, "That was quite the hit."


    Starly crashed into Fennekin and it was thrown in the air before it regained its footing and landed on all fours.


    "Ember now!" The boy yelled and Fennekin yipped a happy "Fenne" before it opened its mouth and a burst of flame shot towards Starly who was too slow to dodge it.


    A second later the Starly had fallen to the ground, clearly unconscious.


    "Welp, it seems like Fennekin won." I said.


    "Ralts!"


    It was the first battle I had seen in this world, or atleast a real battle.


    The girl recalled Starly and whispered something to the Pok¨¦ball, probably something along the lines of "Take a rest now." The boy for his part hugged his Fennekin who proudly smiled. The boy and girl congratulated each other and then departed. I stayed at the field for some time.


    This battle left me with a lot of questions.


    It confirmed something I had thought before, Pok¨¦mon can tank lethal moves without much trouble.


    See, when that Fennekin crashed at full speed into Starly it should''ve crushed all the bones inside Starly''s body. Normal birds have hollow bones so they aren''t too heavy and I assumed that Starly had something similar being a bird Pok¨¦mon after all.


    However, it did not break any bones nor did Fennekin''s Ember burn Starly''s feathers or burn its eyes out.


    In a lot of ways it reminded me of RWBY.


    In the show RWBY there was a thing called Aura which was the manifestation of the soul, lore bullshit aside it meant that the people in RWBY could tank bullets and survive lethal attacks as long as they had enough Aura. A shotgun blast to the face or scythe coming down on your head would only lower your Aura instead of decapitating you. If someone ran out of Aura however the attacks would land as they normally would.


    Pok¨¦mon must have something similar, I suspected some kind of ultra thin force fields but that was just a theory, a Game-


    "Ralts?" she asked.


    "Oh, just theorizing." I patted her on the head. "Was thinking about the battle and the underlying mechanics. Anyway, what did you think of the battle?"


    Ralts suddenly leaped off my shoulders and landed in front of me. She raised her fist and started fighting the air in front of her, yelling a few explosive "Ralts" to exaggerate her movements.


    I grinned. "Yes, we will prevail and make this world crumble underneath our greatness!"


    "RALTS!" Ralts cried out, her eyes practically shining.


    "But first I gotta get some groceries."


    I grabbed her and lifted her back to my shoulders.


    We passed a few stores, one sold Pok¨¦mon merchandise, or was it just called regular Pok¨¦mon stuff in this world?


    Another store was focused on camping stuff and the third store, the one I was looking for, sold food.


    I entered the store and found what I was looking for.


    Matpat once theorized that the Pok¨¦mon Dollar is not worth much compared to an American Dollar. He calculated that 100 Pok¨¦dollars was as much worth as 40 cents.


    Turns out, he was wrong.


    The Pok¨¦dollar was around the same value of a regular dollar, or euro. Of course I hadn''t studied the economy here but just seeing the prices in the store it wasn''t that different. I collected everything I needed, lifted the bag with my good arm and went to the counter to pay.


    "Aaah," the old man behind the counter said. "The mysterious patient of the Sunbright Hospital."


    The man was dressed in summer clothes, khaki shorts and a white polo shirt.


    "Huh?"


    "Ralts?"


    The man beamed generously. "Just a jest kid."


    "Okay¡­" I slowly replied, wondering what that was about. "Uh, you''re supposed to send the bills to the hospital."


    The man nodded. "So, if I may ask, how is it, staying at Sunbright Hospital?"


    "Not really anything special?" I replied, wondering why he was asking. The man must have seen my confusion because he chuckled again.


    "Is there anything wrong with me staying at the hospital?" I asked, getting a bit annoyed.


    "Well, you''re the first person to stay in that hospital for a long time." He explained after he calmed down, "so we all began to theorize what''s so special about you."


    I blinked, oh no, I smell an information dump coming in.


    "What''s so special about the hospital?" I said, which was the sign for the npc-I mean man to start his explanation.


    "It''s just that no one ever goes to hospital, and if they do they never stay."


    Don''t tell me it''s haunted and that Hylla and Chelsea were dead all along.


    "Why?"


    The man shrugged, "It''s not that something is wrong with the hospital. It''s just that it''s kind of unnecessary to have it here in this town. Almost an eyesore, we could have had a park on that hill."


    I scowled. "Wait, how is a hospital unnecessary?"


    "It''s a small town," The man answered as he started to lean on the counter to make himself more comfortable. "The hospital is under equipped for anything serious so whenever people actually need help they go to the Hospital in Sandgem town. It''s actually a mystery why it''s still running considering that it just sucks up money right now."


    "Who pays the hospital?" I asked. "Seems like a waste of money."


    "The League," The man answered. "although we don''t know why they refuse to close it."


    So the League was involved with keeping the hospital open? Why?


    It sounded like the League was some kind of governing body but why bother with a small hospital in this town? Was Hylla connected to the league? If she was, then how?


    "Does Hylla work for the League?" I asked.


    The man shrugged, "I don''t know. We never see her in town, she always stays at the hospital. Her younger sister, Chelsea, always buys groceries."


    "That''s weird." I said,


    "Yeah," The man agreed, "That''s why we were so surprised that you were brought over to this hospital instead of the one in Sandgem town. "That along with the fact that Hylla appeared in town to do some shopping the same day you arrived, led us to theorize about you."


    "Weird," I said. "She was pretty nice to me but it''s indeed weird I''ve been sent to Sunbright Hospital with my condition."


    The man shrugged. "So got some juicy details?"


    I shook my head, not gonna give you something to talk about. Knowing how much this man loved gossiping the entire town would soon know. I thanked the man and headed back towards the town.


    I tried to train Ralts a bit but even Ralts noticed I was too distracted with whatever the man had said.


    Something was just wrong here. I couldn¡¯t just relax without knowing what was going on here. I tried to study Ralts'' Confusion move but I gave up after my thoughts kept going back to the mystery on hand.


    Ralts and I headed back towards the hospital where I found Hylla sleeping in her chair again, though she had switched positions.


    I considered waking her up but I saw a layout of the building hanging on the wall. Using the layout I found the kitchen pretty easily. I placed all the stuff I had bought in the fridge.


    The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, I played outside with Ralts and I had her spam Confusion to see her limits. Around the end of noon I was called for dinner which turned out to happen just at a regular table instead of my own bed. It was almost as if I was back home, instead of being a patient in another world.


    It was pretty chill, all things considered, just eating like I wasn''t on the edge of dying but I couldn''t help but feel suspicious.


    "So, what do you think of Sunbright town?" Hylla asked me.


    I shrugged. "It''s nice, though small."


    "It''s a shithole." Chelsea grinned, "come on, you can say it."


    I blinked, "well, that''s one way to call it."


    "Saved me lots of time though," Chelsea complained. "The people in town are so boring."


    I couldn''t really deny it, though I haven''t spoken to anyone really. Except the weird man at the store but that doesn''t count.


    "So, anything special happened?" Hylla asked and her purple eyes stared into mine, it was an innocent question but it felt like she was looking for something.


    I shrugged, "Saw a Pok¨¦mon battle, Fennekin vs Starly."


    "Ah, Thomas and Melon. They love to have their battles in the open." Hylla said, "They always hold their battles around noon sunday." Wait, the girl is named Melon? Now that is weird.


    "Oh, well the girl with the Starly lost anyway," I told them.


    "Ra Ralt." Ralts confirmed, happily eating the weird Pok¨¦food Chelsea had given her.


    "That''s like the only thing that ever happens here," Chelsea complained.


    "Well, boring is better than danger." Hylla argued.


    "Ugh, if only there came some Pok¨¦mon to wreck this town, at least I would have something to do."


    Hylla ignored Chelsea''s remark and pointed her gaze at me, "Oh, before I forget. You got a gift sent to you from The Sinnoh Bird club. I left it in your room to open it."


    "Huh, wonder what that''s about."


    <hr>


    The letter that came with the box was kind of simple, apparently it was sent by the woman and guy who I had called on the radio. They wished me the best regards and a fast recovery.


    As I had thought, they were part of some bird spotting group in Sinnoh. Not my cup of tea, but they did pull through and saved my life.


    I opened the large cardboard box and found inside...a Pidgey plush? It was smaller than a real Pidgey but still quite big. It felt soft and I squished it.


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked as she studied the plush.


    "It''s a gift from the Sinnoh Bird spotting club," I told her as I threw her the plush.


    She caught it and began hugging it. "Ralts!" she cried out.


    Wasn''t Gardevoir called the Embrace Pok¨¦mon?


    I glanced at Ralts who was trying to merge with the cute Pidgey plush, yeah I can see why they would call her that. Curious for myself I took the Pidgey plush and tried to give it a hug myself, though I didn''t enjoy it nearly as much as Ralts did, it was still quite soft and warm.


    "So, want to sleep in your ball or-" I began but Ralts has already claimed a part on my hospital bed.


    I blinked, "Don''t assume anything." I answered and I ignored all the things I knew were coming.


    I hopped onto the bed with the Pidgey plush when my heart froze.


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked, when she noticed my sudden shift in emotion.


    I forced myself to think about something happy so Ralts wouldn''t notice. She still did but didn''t mention it.


    I felt cold inside, a feeling of dread was filling my mind, still I tried to act as normal as I could. I placed the plush back on the chair and layed down on the bed.


    "Ralts?" Ralts whispered, apparently noticing me trying to force my emotions.


    "Nothing," I told her. "Just nervous for tomorrow."


    Ralts gave me a skeptical look before closing her eyes, any other day I would complain about Ralts sleeping in my bed but my mind was now a mess.


    I closed my eyes but I didn''t feel relaxed in the slightest. My mind kept wandering to the things I had heard in the grocery store.


    I should''ve been excited about starting my own Pok¨¦mon adventure but I couldn''t shake it.


    That along with the fact that Hylla appeared in town to do some shopping the same day you arrived led us to theorize about you. The man had said.


    As I tried to fall asleep my thoughts kept going back to the Pidgey plush.


    When I peered through the cracks in my eye lids I saw it sitting in the chair I had placed it in. There was a store in town that sold Pok¨¦mon merchandise, a store that probably sold Pidgey plusiesh.


    I tried to think of a reason, an explanation, a hypothesis but my mind kept going in circles.


    It kept going back to the Pidgey plush I had hugged. I had hugged it tightly, and found that a part on its back could be opened,out of curiosity I put my hand inside and felt what was inside it.


    I opened my eyes again and stared back at the Pidgey Plush.


    The Pidgey plush with a camera inside.

 6. Confusion

    Chapter 6:


    Confusion


    <hr>


    I heard that people who were the victim of burglary describe it as traumatic. Even when the burglar took nothing of value they often say that they don''t feel safe anymore.


    I now understood what those people felt. The plush Pidgey with the camera inside didn''t really change anything. A lot of hospitals had cameras, though none of them were hidden ones. None I knew of at least. I wasn''t even doing anything that required privacy yet I felt unsafe. What was supposed to be a long recovery at the hospital turned into a game of mysteries.


    I had fallen asleep with my pocket knife under my pillow, even though I knew it was futile. Considering there were literally Pok¨¦mon who could attack me in my sleep, realistically I was totally defenseless. Still, I managed to get some sleep that night. Clutching the pocket knife like it was a teddy bear.


    I woke up at 8 in the morning. Feeling tired as hell.


    Now, I was a big fan of sleeping in, but I had to forego my usual habits. I really wanted to work on Ralts training. Yesterday I couldn''t really focus on anything but today I felt a bit better.


    I had managed to calm myself down and went over everything. I promised I would not panic or freak out. Stay logical and don¡¯t do something stupid.


    I stared at the Pidgey plush.


    Sure it was creepy as hell and totally ruining any sense of personal space I had but would I let it ruin my day? No, I had to be practical about it, there was nothing I could do about it and if this world wanted to throw me into a game of mysteries, I would do everything to come out victorious.


    And being strong enough would help me with that.


    With that goal in mind I started my day, pretending nothing had happened. I prepared to wake up Ralts.


    I turned my head and saw Ralts was still asleep...and she was drooling on my pillow.


    Well, that did it.


    I tapped Ralts on her horn thingy to wake her up.


    She turned around and began to sleep on her left side, I tapped again and this time she woke up. Her eyes lazily opened and and looked back at me accusingly. I pointed at the pool of saliva on the bed, she spotted it and her eyes widened. Her face turned red and she began to mutter an embarrassed "Ralts."


    I chuckled, "Don''t worry about it. Wanna go out and train?"


    Ralts happily nodded and moved out of the bed. I sent her out of my room and began to change my clothes. It was the same pair from yesterday, the clothes I woke up with. I made a mental note to get my own stuff soon.


    I changed out of my sleeping gown. Sleeping in a hospital gown was really uncomfortable and made me feel like I could die any moment. I was grimly reminded of my lack of privacy by the Pidgey plush, I was torn between acting like I wasn''t aware of the camera, turning away from it and potentially showing my hand or taunting it and dressing myself as slow as I could.


    In the end I did the smart thing and acted like it wasn''t there. It was better not to reveal my cards.


    I left the room and met up with Ralts, we passed the rooms that Hylla and Chelsea had claimed as their own. The doors were firmly closed.


    Guess they both like sleeping in.


    It reminded me of how weird my stay here was. In name I was a patient but Hylla and Chelsea were okay with me doing my own thing. I was only here so they could observe my recovery and keep the bandages clean. It was better than a regular hospital in every conceivable way, in fact it was better because I was the only one. I could run in the hallways!


    Ralts and I went down the stairs and passed an empty lobby.


    I was not sure if I was supposed to wait until they woke up or if they expected me to make my own breakfast. Not wanting to intrude I went outside and wandered around the area before I found behind the hospital the perfect training spot.


    It was located behind the main building, it was only a minute walking away from the hospital and was just your average Pok¨¦mon battlefield, lines drawn on the ground to mark the edges and an indicated spot sprayed white for each Pok¨¦mon during a 1 on 1 battle.


    Convenient.


    It made me wonder if any of the two sisters had Pok¨¦mon, probably since this was the world of Pok¨¦mon and everyone had them in the games and anime.


    The lines drawn in the sand had faded a little and different kinds of weeds had crept into the battle area. I guess if they had Pok¨¦mon then they didn¡¯t use them for battle.


    Ralts and I stopped in the middle of the field. Precisely when I was standing on the white dot I turned around.


    "Okay Ralts, time to do some testing." Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes in concentration.


    "Confusion, full force!" I yelled dramatically, why did I yell? Because that''s what Pok¨¦mon trainers do. I pointed my finger at a patch of overgrown grass.


    It took about two seconds for Ralts to do it. She clenched her fist and arched her back. As if preparing for a strong punch. Then, defying all laws of physics, a long purple ray came from her horn.


    The ray she fired was big in range, bigger than the one she did in the forest. The size of the purple circles were getting bigger as it got further away from her but they faded when they reached some point away from her.


    I estimated the distance the Confusion covered was about 15 meters (50 Feet) which is quite good.


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    As the purple circles crossed the battlefield they stirred up dust and sand alike, tearing a few patches of grass along its way. I made some calculations. It took the ray around 5 seconds to cross the field before fading away which was quite slow but considering the size of the attack it wasn''t too bad.


    "Please do it again," I asked and I picked up a stone from the edge of the field and threw it into the ray that soon followed.


    The moment it came in contact with Confusion it was launched forward. It kept following the direction the Confusion was going and eventually it crashed into the ground where it was firmly stuck into the ground.


    Huh, well, it seems that the Confusion ray does have a physical impact on non organic materials as well as Pok¨¦mon, considering it did affect the Raticate in the forest.


    The Raticate in the forest had been thrown away by this attack but it didn''t really hurt him.


    I knelt down, grabbed some sand from the ground and threw it up. I took a step back and commanded Ralts to fire a Confusion at it the moment I let it rain down.


    As expected, it created a perfect hole in the falling sand, the sand in the middle being accelerated forward while the sand that was not within range of the ray fell down like it normally would.


    My current theory was that Ralts drew psychic energy from somewhere and manifested it into a beam of energy that was being released in small amounts, like a machine gun in burst mode.


    It didn''t really matter how it worked but I always loved theorizing about superpowers. Guess that was a useful skill in this world.


    Still, it took Ralts two seconds to charge a Confusion and it still wasn''t that strong. Sure it had the reach and range but the damage output was not even close to Pikachu''s Thundershock or something comparable. Guess she was really a low level Pok¨¦mon. Right now this move was probably meant to drain the enemy of strength instead of knocking it out.


    The start up time was big and could probably be reduced by her leveling up, metaphorically speaking of course. Beside that, Ralts seemed to be immobilized when she fired that beam which was a huge disadvantage in my book.


    It was a big commitment to fire the Confusion full force and it left Ralts open for counter attacks if her attack wouldn''t hit her opponent first. If it were a bit more powerful it could be considered a high risk-high reward attack but it wasn''t strong enough yet.


    But what if¡­


    "Ralts," I said, "try to fire another Confusion again but this time less powerful. In fact, put as little power in as possible."


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked, confused.


    "I have a theory, if I am right it could change a lot of things. If the previous attack was 100% then try 10% now."


    Ralts nodded and faced away from me. Immediately a purple ray shot out of her forehead just like before. But this one was slow, way slower.


    It was as slow as when we had first met and was around walking speed, the width of the ray was also smaller whereas 100% was around the size of a big tractor wheel this one was the size of a basketball.


    However it just reached as far as the 100% beam before fading away, it just took a bit longer to reach.


    "Okay, it looks promising so far."


    "Ralts?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face.


    "Trust me on this one okay," I said. "It will all make sense later. Now I want you to try to fire again but this time after firing, take a step to the left and try again."


    "Ralts!" She said determined before she narrowed her eyes and focused. A purple ray instantly appeared and she hopped to her left where she fired again.


    The result was two purple rays moving parallel to each other, one being ahead by only a tiny bit.


    "Yes!" I cried out having my theories confirmed.


    Just like I thought. Reducing the amount of energy Ralts put into her Confusion negates the startup time and removes the immovability entirely.


    "That was amazing Ralts," I said, "now I want you to find the right amount."


    "Ralts?" She asked and I think she was asking what I meant with ¡®the right amount¡¯.


    "I want to see how much energy you can put into the ray without it affecting the startup time okay?"


    Ralts tilted her head and began to think before nodding and walking towards the middle of the field where she would have more space to experiment.


    She fired Confusion after Confusion, moving and jumping while firing it. Rays were sent flying everywhere. At some point I was almost worried one would reach me.


    It was necessary though. Finding the right amount of energy would be like trying to find a radio frequency, possible but with trial and error.


    Still this was great, Ralts had met all my expectations and the future seemed a bit brighter.


    Sure she only knew one move but we were still in the tutorial so we could take our time to find our way.


    "Ralts!" Ralts cried out and I fixed my gaze on her. She was excitedly waving her arms while trying to tell me something.


    "Show me." I folded my arms. She turned away from me. Immediately a purple ray appeared, she walked left and right and more rays kept spawning every second.


    It had the size of a small fridge this time and it still crossed the same distance as the 100% one.


    Ralts was now creating a small area that was continuously being occupied by the rays of purple energy. Because of its low speed it was able to cover a whole lot more ground than the 100% one which was something to keep in mind.


    I picked up another stone and threw it into the rays, it was thrown towards the other side of the field but with less force than the 100% one.


    "Are you not getting tired of spamming a low power Confusion?" I asked when Ralts finally stopped.


    "Ralts." She shook her head with a proud smile on her face. Her smile was practically beaming. Small droplets of sweat did fall down her head but the smile deterred all of them.


    "Okay, so final question about the Confusion, how many percent of the full force Confusion was that?"


    "Ralts," she told me and I wondered why I even asked it.


    "20?"


    She shook her head.


    "30?"


    "Ralts!'' she happily nodded.


    Okay, 30% of a full force beam was without startup time, no end lag and a slower traveling beam perfect for spamming and sealing off areas on the battlefield to limit our opponent''s movement.


    Sure the damage it did was lower but that could also be used as an advantage. It reminded me a lot of the character Fox in Super Smash Bros.


    Fox had a blaster that shot out a red laser, the laser only did around 3% damage and didn''t have any knockback on the opponent, nor did it make you flinch but it could be fired rapidly. The laser could be dodged but because of its low damage most people ignored the blaster and stormed through it, however as the match goes on and Fox keeps shooting and camping the damage stacks up.


    Before you know it he had done 50% damage by laser blasts only.


    The spamming of Confusion would slowly but surely damage our opponent if they were not careful enough. A death by a thousand cuts!


    Even better, we could let them get used to the slow, low damage Confusion and then suddenly hit with a full force Confusion and catch them by surprise.


    And that was not even considering the Confusion status effect it could give. In the game it had a 10% chance of giving the status effect. I knew it could inflict the same status effect in this world too thanks to the Raticate but I was unsure how it worked.


    Was it 10% per ray or 10% per second one was exposed? Or was it not at all measured in percentages and was it a combination of chance, exposure to the ray and the opponent''s strength?


    I knelt down and hugged Ralts to reward her for her efforts.


    Ralts squealed in delight and hugged me back. After a few seconds of hugging I took a step back and smiled.


    "Now how do you feel about becoming Daredevil?" I asked with a smile.


    "Ralts?"

 7. Unraveling

    Ralts was standing in the middle of the battlefield, held a pebble in her hand and was looking at me. Or atleast, where she thought I was.


    I was standing a few meters to her right, Ralts raised the pebble and threw it full force...to her left.


    "Miss!" I informed her and I moved again, this time to stand behind her, though a bit further away.


    Ralts sighed and knelt down to grab another pebble from the pile near her feet, she waited for a second before turning around and throwing it, this time it landed at my feet.


    "Hit," I said and she let out a sigh of relief.


    She knelt down to grab another pebble as I again moved to a new location.


    Oh yeah, she was blindfolded, I did mention that right?


    She was tilting her head, clearly having trouble finding me.


    "What are you guys doing?" a voice behind me whispered.


    "Wahahaa!" I cried out and turned around to see Chelsea standing behind me. "Don''t sneak up on me like that!"


    This morning Chelsea apparently decided to go for the emo look because she wore a black skirt, black boots and black shirt with the outline of a Haunter in white on it. This time she had her purple hair in a high ponytail.


    "How in the fuck do you manage to sneak up on me like that?" I cried out.


    Chelsea grinned at me, "That''s because I alw-"


    Before Chelsea could finish being creepy a pebble hit her in the face. It didn''t really hurt, I knew it from experience but still it left her blinking in surprise.


    "Hit," I called out at Ralts, "Though this time a miss would''ve been better."


    "Ralts?" she asked and lifted the bandage that I had wrapped around her head to block her view.


    "RALTS!" she cried out when she saw Chelsea and ran towards me at an incredible speed to hide behind my legs. She was surprisingly fast.


    You were the one who threw the pebble you know?


    "What are you two exactly doing?" Chelsea asked again, "because I just came here to check up on you, and now I see a blindfolded Pok¨¦mon throwing pebbles at her trainer. Should I call the police?"


    "Ralts," Ralts muttered hiding behind my legs.


    "We were training her empathy senses," I told her.


    "Has she grown empathetic to your suffering yet?" Chelsea dryly asked. She looked at Ralts who was cowering behind my legs.


    "That horn thing on her head can sense emotions," I told her, "I think it''s technically called Empathy but I''m not sure. She can sense emotions."


    "I know that a Ralts can do that but why train it?"


    "Because," I began, "if we train this power and she becomes powerful enough, not only will she be able to sense emotions but also pinpoint the exact location of people and Pok¨¦mon. That way Ralts will be able to track down her opponent''s location at any given point or time."


    I saw Chelsea''s incredulous look and went on with my explanation.


    "It can become a form of Hyper Awareness that can be used not only to assist in aiming ranged attacks but will also nullify any stealth based move like Double team or Smokescreen."


    Chelsea stared at Ralts and then back at me, "that sounds very powerful."


    I shrugged. "Not as much as you would think, there are other moves to pinpoint your enemy''s location like Future Sight and Aura. Still, it will give us the slight edge. And it''s a passive ability, so hopefully it stays active the entire fight."


    Chelsea had again that grin of her''s, "So, Mister Mysterious is also an excellent strategist."


    I rolled my eyes, "Seriously, still going with that schtick?"


    "Ralts?" Ralts copied.


    "Anyway," Chelsea said. "We need to check your left arm and replace the bandages."


    "Ahh," I said. "Hylla is awake?"


    "Nope." Chelsea answered as she walked back to the hospital, making me wonder if I should follow her.


    Ralts and I did anyway and we found ourselves in the lobby where Chelsea was dragging a second chair towards the one behind the desk.


    Next to the two chairs was a metal trolley, the kind they always had in hospitals. On top of it I saw various medical supplies that made me gulp.


    Chelsea took a seat in the comfortable desk chair and gestured to me to take a seat in the plastic chair she had just dragged over. I sat down and Ralts jumped on my lap where she sat silently.


    "Arm please," Chelsea said professionally and I laid my arm on the plastic armrest.


    Chelsea began unwrapping the bandage in silence. Becoming agitated by the silence I tried to make conversation.


    "So," I began, "Any reason you look after my arm instead of your sister?"


    "Don''t trust me to do a good job at it?" Chelsea smiled.


    Can you please not make it sound like you''re going to stab me if I give the wrong answer?


    "Just curious," I answered, deciding to stay vague for obvious reasons.


    "Well if you want Hylla to take care of your arm you better amputate it right away." Chelsea had just unwinded all the bandages and now my arm was visible. And God was it ugly, the flesh was no longer ripped open but it was still rough around the edges and dried patches of blood made it not look any better. That and the lack of sunlight made it look really ugly.


    Still it was better than before and it was clearly healing.


    "What do you mean by amputating my arm right away?" I felt confused.


    "Hylla wouldn''t be able to fix your arm, in fact just replacing your bandage is something only I can do." She sounded proud and had a satisfied smile on her face. "Hylla has many qualities but being a doctor isn''t one of them."


    Chelsea opened her hand and said, "alcohol."


    I thought she meant me and she was offering me some but to my surprise Ralts reached out to the metal trolley and grabbed a small bottle and handed it to Chelsea.


    The teamwork between the two showed that they had done this before, my guess was that Ralts and Chelsea had worked together to fix my arm while I was unconscious and apparently Hylla was sucking at her job.


    Chelsea opened the bottle and dipped a piece of cloth inside it and began cleaning my wound with it. It hurt like a bitch but I grinded my teeth, I needed something to distract myself from the pain.


    "Wait, but don''t you and Hylla work together? She told me she was a doctor." I began, hoping to distract myself from the pain.


    Chelsea answered without looking away from my arm, "Hylla does the administration and the legal stuff and yes, she is a doctor but only in name."


    "Ralts," Ralts said and pointed to a spot Chelsea missed. I had hoped she wouldn''t notice because it hurts when she dabs the wound but my loyal Ralts betrayed me.


    Chelsea managed to keep talking without looking up from her work. "She has a medical license but never did any medical school or medical training to get it. She convinced the guy in charge of the medical school that it was a waste of time to let her follow the course and exam."


    I blinked, "Wait she did what?"


    Chelsea shrugged. "Hylla is like that, the guy gave her an impossible test and she somehow managed to beat it. It''s thanks to the fact that Hylla is officially a doctor and I can do my job without a license even though I am just doing minor treatments. Officially I am only assisting her."


    "Uh," I said dryly, I wanted to point out how illegal it was but I kinda did not know how illegal it exactly was. I had no ideas about the laws in this world, considering they have legal dog fights (or something comparable), the law gave me not a lot of confidence.


    Chelsea however was really good. She was already carefully cleaning up the rough edges of my healing wound.


    "So, how did you learn all this stuff? In fact, how did you and Hylla end up running a hospital anyway?"


    The moment I said it Chelsea lost her focus and pressed the cloth a bit too hard against my wound and caused a short moment of flaming pain, before she recovered and pretended nothing happened.


    I bit my tongue and managed to not let out a cry.


    Although Chelsea managed not to falter, her emotions betrayed her...or Ralts did. She must have sensed a shift in Chelsea''s emotions because she gave Chelsea a confused look.


    "Our parents taught us, or me. Hylla never really cared for our parent''s hospital but I do." Chelsea answered the question cheerfully, too cheerfully for my taste.


    So it was their parent''s hospital, well following the question why are they not here I reached the logical conclusion.


    "They''re dead aren''t they?" I whispered, why did I say that out loud? God I suck at this.


    The following akward silence however confirmed it.


    "I''m sorry," I said, knowing how hollow those words could be, "they''d be proud of you, I''m sure of it."


    "I hope so."


    She silently said and began wrapping the bandage back on my arm.


    So it seemed that the sisters inherited the hospital, or probably Hylla did since she was of legal age. Assuming of course that they had the same legal age as my world.


    Hylla obviously didn''t care as much as about the hospital considering she was neither skilled in healing nor interested in her job.


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    The question was why did the Sinnoh League deem the hospital important enough to keep it open even when it was a waste of money, or so the people in town thought. If all the injuries they treated here were minor, why pump money into this place?


    After a short silence Chelsea seemed to be done because she said; "And you can go on with your day, Mister Mysterious." She grinned at me, back to her usual self.


    "Thanks," I said gratefully. "Seems like I was really lucky to have such a good doctor."


    "Hehe," Chelsea chuckled, "Wasn''t luck Dust, Hylla requested it."


    My heart skipped a beat. "Wait, what?"


    She looked at me like it was something obvious. "You don''t know? Nobody informed you? When the police were looking for a place to fix you up Hylla personally requested that you would be nursed in her hospital."


    "Why?" A feeling in my gut began to stir. .


    Chelsea shrugged. "Dunno but it makes my life at least a bit less boring. Don''t you think so?"


    What is that even supposed to mean?


    I nodded and Chelsea stood up to clean up all the mess we made.


    Hylla had personally requested I would be nursed here, placed a Pidgey cam in my room and didn''t even know a single thing about being a doctor. It seemed that Hylla was playing a game but what was she trying to achieve?


    "You look pale," Chelsea suddenly said. I looked up and saw she was finished. "Have you eaten anything since you''ve woken up?"


    "I always look pale," I deadpanned. "And no, I hadn''t had breakfast yet. Wasn''t sure I could just grab something or had to wait for one of you two to wake up."


    I had seen myself in a mirror yesterday and it was horrifying.


    I had anime protagonist hair!


    It was blue, somewhere between Aqua blue and Marine blue. Who the hell has blue hair? I mean in the anime world it was more common, not a lot but a bit more. I would still stick out in a crowd, even here and that annoyed me.


    Luckily my hair was not spiky, instead it was long but not girly long. The hair locks in front of my eyes reached my mouth and would block my eyes if I didn''t swipe it out of my face. My hair was messy but not like a homeless man kind of messy but more like a rebellious teenager. It kinda pissed me off, it was like Rem from Re:Zero had gotten a child with Light Yagami and the child joined the edgiest metal band he could find in highschool. It kinda looked cool but also pissed me off for no real reason.


    I had a pretty normal face with deep blue eyes that made me regret I had not chosen a name related to blue.


    Like Blue...get it? The antagonist in Pok¨¦mon Red?


    My skin was also really, really pale, so pale it made me wonder if I had some kind of Vampire powers but the lack of sharp teeth seemed to suggest I was just pale. Chelsea blamed my lack of substantial food but I knew better.


    I was an edgy anime protagonist. Helix may have mercy on my soul.


    "Ralts RaRalts," Ralts said and I thought she was talking about my appearance but I realized that she was talking to Chelsea, she pointed at my stomach and then said again her own name.


    Chelsea seemed to understand it because she laughed and looked at me. "You can just grab something from the kitchen if you''re hungry." She tilted her head. "We have dinner at six, yesterday was an exception because we were out of food."


    "Thanks," I said. "Well, in that case, I''m going to get some food for Ralts and I."


    "Yeah, you should. You both look really pale." Chelsea laughed at her own joke and then walked away.


    We went to the kitchen and I wondered what the hell Ralts should eat but that question was quickly answered. In the kitchen fridge I found a paper bag with a memo stuck to it saying: Food for Ralts, not edible for humans, side effects may include death. Seriously, stay away from this stuff. -Hylla


    Did Hylla seriously think I was this stupid?...okay, I totally would try to taste what Ralts'' food tastes like but still.


    In the end Ralts ate some kind of berry/apple hybrid which probably had a fancy name but I really didn''t recognize it.


    After breakfast I asked my eternally determined Ralts if she was up for some jogging, she was...but only for 10 minutes. As I expected her small legs couldn''t really carry her for an extended session of running. That along with the fact that one of my steps took like 10 small steps of hers made it really awkward to jog together.


    Most of the time I would run a few meters, wait for Ralts to catch up and then run again. Still, her unwavering determination couldn''t carry her forever, or more than 10 minutes.


    Being the good trainer I took her upon my shoulders and carried her, sure I could put her back in her Pok¨¦ball but we really had this Ash/Pikachu relationship going on so I decided that I could carry her. Which made me feel exhausted after my 40 minute run of carrying an exhausted Ralts.


    When we arrived back at the hospital I found my favorite purple haired spy sitting at the desk again and she was sleeping on top of a book.


    She again did that creepy thing where she snapped her eyes open the moment I stepped close. "The shower is on the second floor at the end of the hallway next to the backdoor. Feel free to use it," She said, putting a few yawns in the sentence for good measure.


    "Thanks, I think?"


    She gave me a sweet smile, and then went back to work...which meant sleeping obviously.


    I left Ralts in my room to recover from her 2 minutes of running and found the shower. It took me a while to figure out how to do it without disturbing the bandages, but I think I managed. When I was done I entered my old sweaty clothes again and made, again, a mental note to buy new clothes once I got the bounty for Team Rocket.


    I went back to my room and found Chelsea looming over Ralts who sat atop of my bed. Ralts seemed to be having a conversation with Chelsea, although Chelsea couldn''t really understand her either, she seemed to be amused by Ralts Pok¨¦speak though.


    "Ralts!" Ralts cried out happily and hopped into my arms the moment she saw me.


    "You know I''ve only been gone for 10 minutes at most?" I chuckled.


    "Rals Ralts!" she cried out, giving me another critical hug attack.


    "So what are you doing here?" I asked Chelsea, sounding more hostile than I intended but she didn''t seem to mind because she gave me her usual creepy smile. "Can''t a doctor check up on her patient?"


    Not if said doctor is creepy as hell.


    "Anyway," Chelsea said when I just kept staring at her. "Hylla said you were going to the town and I was bored and decided to come along."


    This made me stop, I hadn''t told anyone that I wanted to go to the town, in fact I just decided to do that while I was showering.


    Was Hylla a psychic or was it just a simple prediction? It wasn''t impossible for a human to have psychic powers in the world of Pok¨¦mon. Sabrina from Kanto was a prime example of that.


    ''Hylla,'' I thought, ''if you are a psychic, make a noise.''


    Nothing.


    ''Hylla, I''m about to murder your sister.''


    Still nothing.


    ''You have a nice ass.''


    Still nothing, either Hylla wasn''t a psychic or she wasn''t stupid enough to fall for these traps, I had to try it again when I could read her facial expressions.


    Anyway Hylla was right about me wanting to go to town, I wanted to ask around for information. In particular, information about Ash, Red, Ethan and Team Galactic. I need access to the information.


    Sunbright town didn''t have a library and I couldn''t just march into someone''s house to use their pc unlike in the games.


    I could ask Hylla and Chelsea but asking them would be a bit too risky, I would have to explain stuff and I really do not want to explain that I was trying to figure out if I was in the games or in the anime.


    Chelsea coming along would kind of ruin that plan, on the other hand could I really turn her down after she had that weird emotional moment?


    Yes I could but I wasn''t heartless.


    "Fine," I sighed, "You can come."


    "Awesome!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Maybe we''ll come across Melon and Thomas and we can have a double battle."


    Melon and Thomas, the kids I saw yesterday with Starly and Fennekin.


    "You have a Pok¨¦mon?" I asked.


    "Raaalttss." Ralts protested loudly when I put her down, honestly I was getting a bit tired from carrying her, especially after having a long exhaustive training exercise behind me.


    Chelsea beamed. "Yes."


    She didn''t elaborate so I took it upon myself. "Fine I''ll bite, what kind of Pok¨¦mon?"


    "Not gonna tell you, maybe you get to see it once we challenge those two kids to a duel. Their smug looks always annoyed me." Chelsea finished the sentence with an annoyed frown.


    "Ralts never had a real battle," I told Chelsea.


    Ralts protested and imitated a Raticate, or I thought she did, otherwise she was choking.


    "Doesn''t count," I told Ralts. "We barely did any damage to the Raticate."


    I turned to Chelsea. "Is your mystery Pok¨¦mon experienced with battling?"


    "Nope." Chelsea said, popping the p and crushing all my hopes that her Pok¨¦mon could help Ralts develop more moves. "But that shouldn''t be a problem for you, right Mister Tactician?"


    "Ralts!" Ralts happily agreed.


    You traitor.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In the end we didn''t battle Melon and Thomas. They were nowhere to be seen and although Chelsea told me she knew where they lived I decided we wouldn''t drag them out of their houses for a Pok¨¦mon battle.


    Ralts had found a short tree branch which she decided to keep for unknown reasons. I would love to say that she was using the stick to learn a new move or fighting style but she was just amazed by its mere existence. Waving it around and watching it with great fascination.


    Chelsea was skipping instead of walking which made me feel like a grumpy adult, especially when she dramatically waited for me every 10 seconds.


    Nothing of importance really happened, we were watching some people go on with their day and I saw a girl with a Nidoking which I thought was impressive but Chelsea told me it wasn''t that impressive.


    After a few hours of killing time Ralts suddenly let out a panicked "RALTS!" and started pulling my leg and kept crying out her name.


    "Hey, what''s she doing?" Chelsea asked, concern written all over her face.


    I shrugged. "Don''t know."


    I knelt down to meet my Ralts in the eyes. "What''s wrong?"


    "Ralts! RaltsRalts!" she panicked. Her eyes were big. She pointed towards...oh a dark back alley at the other end of the town.


    I wanted to ask what the fuck she was so obsessed about but she continued her cries. Being the impulsive child she is Chelsea immediately dashed towards the alley. I yelled at her to stop but she didn''t listen, leaving me and Ralts alone on the town''s square.


    "Goddamnit!" I cursed, "Does no one in this world think before they act?"


    Apparently not because the moment I finished that sentence Ralts chased after Chelsea into the totally not suspicious back alley. Because that''s a safe thing to do!


    I followed her and found myself in a narrow street caught between the food store and some urban housing unit. The size of the house was big enough to cast a shadow on the alley, making it a bit shady and totally okay for sneak attacks. Or was I just being paranoid?


    I don''t know what I was expecting. But whatever my expectations included, reality managed to surprise me.


    A man was lying on the ground, breathing heavily and grunting in pain. He had blood on his shirt and although I couldn''t see a wound the amount of blood made me suspect it came from his stomach as a red spot began to pool around his body.


    "Help me drag him out of the alley." Chelsea demanded.


    "Shouldn''t you stabilize him first?" I asked.


    "Can''t work in the dark," Chelsea shot back and tried to pull the man up by his shoulder, only to fail.


    Ralts tried to help but both were really small and light compared to the man.


    I wanted to argue there was enough light in the alley but one angry look from Chelsea made me shut up and help.


    Together we managed to drag the man out of the alley towards the middle of the town''s square and placed him against the fountain that had a marble Gyarados on top of it.


    Now that it was a bit brighter I could see the man, beside being covered in blood he was looking quite mundane.


    I estimated him around 30, he had a neatly trimmed beard that made a combo with his dirt brown hair. He wore black jeans and a t-shirt with a vague pattern on it that was ripped open around the stomach and revealed a bloody mess of cloth, blood and torn open skin.


    The man was panting like he was on life support. His eyes kept drifting around and foam was spilling out of his mouth.


    I took a step back, unsure what to think or how to act.


    Before Chelsea could start on helping the man a huge shadow passed over us and HOLY FUCK that is a Charizard.


    The Charizard circled above us before landing next to us, to my surprise it had someone riding on it. A purple eyed woman who was now fully awake.


    Hylla has a Charizard? Why did no one tell me?


    I saw people staring at us from the edges of the square, though none of them offered to help. I realized that one of them must have called an ambulance...or Charizard. It was a weird reminder that the two sisters were in charge of a hospital and not a hotel.


    Hylla jumped off Charizard''s back and took a quick glance at the bleeding man. "Place him on Charizard''s back now, I''ll fly him to Sandgem town''s hospital."


    She demanded it with such authority that I already moved to help her but Chelsea stopped me. "No, he''s not stable. We need to help him in our hospital or he might lose too much blood."


    "We''re under equipped." Hylla argued, "We don''t have time for this."


    "We''re not under equipped!" Chelsea exclaimed angrily.


    Personally I agreed with Chelsea but I didn''t know a single thing about this kind of stuff. Still, to me a bandage seemed enough to stop the bleeding.


    It really didn''t matter because Hylla fixed her gaze on me, "Dust, help me swing this man over Charizard''s back. Make sure his stomach is facing up."


    She didn''t really ask, but I complied anyway. Eventually Chelsea began helping us move the man but it was clear she didn''t agree with Hylla.


    "Pocket knife Dust." Hylla suddenly said.


    "What?" I said dumbfounded.


    "Ralts!" Ralts explained, I think.


    "Your pocket knife, I need to borrow it." Hylla stated.


    How did she even- no, now was not the time for that. I handed her my knife and she flipped it open and cut the man''s shirt into pieces and handed the pieces to Chelsea.


    "Make a temporary bandage, to stop him from bleeding," Hylla demanded and Chelsea began to work on it wordlessly.


    We had to move the man a few times but in the end we managed to cover the wound.


    "It won''t hold." Chelsea looked at the bloody mess we had made. She was grinding her teeth.


    "It will do," Hylla said sternly and climbed atop Charizard''s back. "I''ll make sure of it." The Charizard flapped its wings.


    "Don''t leave the town," Hylla told Chelsea, "Don''t move an inch from where you''re standing." Chelsea didn''t answer but instead was just glaring at her older sister.


    "That counts for you too, Dust." Hylla added.


    Wait, what? Why does it feel like I''m grounded?


    "Ralts?"


    "You heard me. Don''t move!" Hylla said, then she stopped. I thought she was about to say something else but instead she reached into her pocket and took out two Pok¨¦balls.


    She threw both of them at the ground and in a flash two Pok¨¦mon appeared next to us. A burning horse and a weird blue lion thingy. Or as they are called here, Rapidash and Luxray.


    Hylla has three fully evolved Pok¨¦mon?


    "Rapidash, Luxray, I''m flying this man to Sandgem town, don''t let Chelsea and the blue haired boy leave your sight."


    The two Pok¨¦mon fixed their intimidating gazes on us and it was terrifying. With those cheerful words Hylla took off.


    "Your sister is kind of overprotective," I told Chelsea.


    "You wouldn''t say." Chelsea glared up at the sky.


    I looked up at the sky where Hylla flew North on her Charizard, carrying a man who was possibly bleeding to death. It disturbed me because the wound in the man''s stomach was awfully similar to the one in my arm after my encounter with the Raticate.

 8. Battle

    Chapter: 8


    Surprise


    <hr>


    ¡°Psssst¡­¡± I whispered, "Hylla''s Pok¨¦mon are kinda scary."


    ¡°Ralts.¡± My Ralts whispered back softly.


    ¡°No they''re not.¡± Chelsea denied my claims but she still gave the two fully evolved Pok¨¦mon a wary look.


    ¡°Luxray.¡± Luxray vocally disagreed.


    I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not you, It¡¯s me.¡±


    Luxray gave me the stink eye.


    Rapidash stayed silent, just watching me with its creepy orange eyes.


    ¡°Hey, can I touch your mane?¡± I asked the burning horse.


    It kept staring at me.


    ¡°The flames will burn you, you know that right?¡± Chelsea asked like I was stupid.


    I did know that, something about trust and friendship. Still, I wanted to try it.


    Call it me geeking out in a world filled with Pok¨¦mon.


    I reached out to Rapidash¡¯s head and felt the heat of its mane. I slightly brushed the edges of the flames and felt an intense heat, though it didn¡¯t burn me immediately upon contact.


    I pulled back anyway.


    ¡°Told you.¡± Chelsea deadpanned.


    Rapidash gave me the same weird stare.


    I wonder if I would have some kind of arc about winning Rapidash¡¯s trust, being some kind of summoned hero it would fit to befriend every random side character that isn¡¯t straight up the antagonist.


    The flames didn¡¯t immediately burn me, it was just really hot. Was this a sign of hidden power? Some kind of natural affinity for friendship with random Pok¨¦mon?


    Luxray sent me another glare for no apparent reason.


    Or maybe not.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve such a mean look?¡± I asked Luxray, more out of boredom than actual interest.


    Hylla¡¯s Pok¨¦mon had taken her orders seriously and the three of us couldn¡¯t move our asses without being stopped by Luxray.


    Ralts was silently watching the two Pok¨¦mon while Chelsea was still sitting in silence.


    Now my only conversation partners were a Rapidash and a Luxray.


    ¡°So how did you and Hylla meet?¡± I asked both Pok¨¦mon.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Tough crowd,¡± I muttered.


    And that¡¯s how the entire afternoon passed, me trying to have a conversation with the two Pok¨¦mon.


    When Hylla came back the sun was already setting.


    Her Charizard landed next to us and Hylla returned all Pok¨¦mon back into their Pok¨¦balls. She thanked them like all trainers did in the anime, before putting the Pok¨¦balls away.


    ¡°So,¡± Hylla said cheerfully and revealed herself to be holding a paper bag, ¡°I brought dinner.¡±


    ¡°The man,¡± Chelsea ignored the food, ¡°how is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll live.¡± Hylla said, which would be funny if the man hadn¡¯t been bleeding in front of our eyes.


    ¡°So what happened to him?¡± I asked, ¡°How did he get wounded like that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious,¡± Hylla said, ¡°But it¡¯s something you won¡¯t have to worry about.¡±


    That sounds ominous.


    We made our way towards the hospital while the sun was just touching the horizon. It must have been a long day for Ralts because during our walk back Ralts had managed to fall asleep.


    We crossed the hill in silence, everyone, including me, was lost in their own thoughts,


    When we reached the hospital I went upstairs and opened one of the empty patient rooms to grab the pillows and blankets.


    After collecting everything I went back to my own bedroom, placed the blankets and pillows on the ground and managed to make it look comfy.


    I put Ralts down and she happily tugged at the blanket, a satisfied smile was plastered onto her face.


    Before I went down I took a glance at the Pidgey cam and saw it hadn¡¯t been moved, it was still sitting in the same chair, in the exact same position.


    I ignored its presence and went downstairs.


    Hylla revealed she had brought along noodles from a restaurant in Sandgem town, when I arrived the two sisters were already eating in silence.


    Hylla handed me a bowl with soy noodles and I began eating them.


    I don¡¯t really dislike silence but I hated awkward silence.


    Still, I wasn¡¯t going to say anything.


    It became even worse when Chelsea went upstairs to her bedroom midway through dinner. It wasn¡¯t that late yet but I guessed that finding the bleeding man in the alley was shocking and took its toll.


    It left me alone with Hylla and her undivided attention. The moment Chelsea was gone Hylla fixed her intense purple eyes on me.


    ¡°So Dust, what are you thinking?¡±


    That I am in grave danger and you¡¯re definitely hiding something.


    ¡°Not much,¡± I replied, ¡°Just wondering how you got such awesome Pok¨¦mon.¡±


    ¡°Aaah,¡± Hylla said with a nostalgic look in her eyes, ¡°They¡¯ve been my friends for a very long time and I agree. They are quite magnificent.¡±


    ¡°You were a Pok¨¦mon trainer?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I even did the entire Gym challenge.¡± Hylla said with a smile, ¡°Though I stopped when I had collected 5 badges.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked and Hylla¡¯s gaze intensified with at least 50%.


    ¡°Do you know about our parents?¡± Hylla asked, the smile slightly dropping.


    I did, Chelsea had told me but was I gonna share that I knew it? There was of course the risk that Chelsea and Hylla talked and then my lie would be found out.


    ¡°Yes. Chelsea told me this was your parents¡¯ hospital but they¡¯re no longer here.¡±


    ¡°Well, Chelsea did tell you.¡± Hylla said with an amused smile that was totally not creepy. ¡°Seems like she trusts you quite a bit if she trusts you with that.¡±


    Or she is a young girl with no friends, damaged by her parent¡¯s death and latches onto the first parent/brother figure she can find which turns out to be a 16 year old boy with memory problems.


    I decided not to share that perspective.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± I said, ¡°So I assume you stopped with the entire Gym challenge when they passed away and you inherited the hospital?¡±


    Hylla chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable deduction but not quite yet. My parents passing away happened later, nah I stopped the Gym challenge because I received a better offer.¡±


    Hylla didn¡¯t elaborate on what said offer was and I didn¡¯t feel brave enough to ask.


    Hylla¡¯s interrogation seemed to be over because she relaxed a bit more and we had some small talk for the rest of the evening.


    Hylla and I cleaned up the dishes together and I went to bed, wondering what kind of twists and turns the next day would bring.


    Strangely enough the following two days nothing special happened.


    No bodies, no mysteries, just me doing my thing and recovering.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Ralts and I kept training Empathy sense so she could find people and Pok¨¦mon even when blindfolded and we made some progress, same for Confusion.


    We practiced different formations with the rays like walls and trenches and to my delight we managed to stack multiple low power Confusion on top of eachother, firing them so rapidly that they were basically placed into each other.


    They had the same speed as normal low power Confusion but they did double the damage of a full force Confusion.


    It could be useful for setting up traps, we could shoot a stacked-slow Confusion and later push the opponent into said ray with a full force one.


    The stacked rays were a really good knock out option so that did give me more confidence in Ralts¡¯ odds.


    While we were training on the fourth day Ralts suddenly let out a burp which made her face turn red in embarrassment.


    I thought she had eaten something wrong that morning but apparently wasn¡¯t it.


    Ralts burped a second time, making her turn even redder but the third time¡­Her mouth opened but instead of a burp a funnel of wind came out of it.


    I thought something was seriously wrong so I woke up Hylla to ask what¡¯s wrong, considering her past as Pok¨¦mon trainer she was bound to have some basic knowledge.


    When I told her what had happened she began laughing.


    Turns out, Ralts had accidently learned a new move: Disarming voice.


    Guess all the spamming and training was good for something after all.


    Disarming voice was not really what I wanted but it was still decent.


    It was a lot like Confusion but faster and was basically her weaponizing her own voice.


    The funnel of sound waves she produced was, once activated, faster than a full force Confusion but it didn¡¯t have the same long reach. It was shorter and had a smaller window of opportunity to hit.


    It was slightly stronger than a full force Confusion but it didn¡¯t give any status effects nor did it last as long as Confusion. Disarming Voice could probably be used to throw out a fast attack and then follow up without having a cooldown, but the attack exhausted Ralts far more than Confusion, way more.


    A plus point for Disarming Voice was that it had a physical effect beyond being just a pulse of energy.


    The high amplitude of the soundwaves could be used to deflect incoming attacks but also projectile based attacks.


    The best part though was that the scream was deafening and if we could apply it at the right time we could make our opponent¡¯s communication with their trainer impossible. I wasn¡¯t sure if meta strategies like that were allowed, I had to look into that a bit more.


    In the games Disarming Voice had an always hit effect like Swift but I wasn¡¯t sure how that worked in the real world, still, the move was decent and versatile in its own way, even though it had only one power setting (being full force).


    Nonetheless, I praised Ralts for learning the new move.


    The fifth day we didn¡¯t do anything special either, just some more training and I played a few games of chess with the two sisters.


    They were both quite good, I managed to beat Chelsea around half of the time and I tried to teach Ralts how to play.


    She was horrible at it but she looked absolutely adorable while trying to move the pieces.


    Hylla however was extremely good at chess and I did not even manage to get close to beating her. It made me suspect she was some kind of human Porygon hybrid.


    The last three days were quite relaxed compared to the first two days and it made me wonder if the universe had cut me some slack.


    On the sixth day of my stay at the hospital (not counting the three days I was unconscious) I had my first Pok¨¦mon battle, or to be precise: a double battle.


    <hr>


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see their faces once we win,¡± Chelsea said while skipping next to me.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if we will win in the first place.¡± I cut down her hopes.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts disagreed with me.


    ¡°Just saying,¡± I said, ¡°We both haven¡¯t battled before. Have to be realistic.¡±


    ¡°You two have a decent chance to win,¡± Hylla interjected, ¡°Melon and Thomas only battle each other for fun and neither side has a huge type advantage over the other. You trained your ass for the last 3 days and you.¡± She pointed at Chelsea, ¡°have a very versatile Pok¨¦mon for a first battle.¡±


    Ah, Chelsea¡¯s mystery Pok¨¦mon.


    Chelsea had told me her Pok¨¦mon was more for company than for battling but the fact that I hadn¡¯t seen said Pok¨¦mon since I was here made me suspect I replaced the mystery Pok¨¦mon in its role for companionship.


    Must suck to be stuck in a ball because a blue haired kid showed up and offered better companionship, although didn¡¯t the Pok¨¦mon Sun and Moon developers reveal that being inside a Pok¨¦ball was like staying in a fancy hotel suite?


    The official battlefield located near the town¡¯s square was big enough for a 2 on 2 battle, which was very convenient.


    Apparently Chelsea had run into Melon (read stalked) and challenged the two kids to a double duel. They agreed and we decided to have our battle there.


    Thomas and Melon arrived and we exchanged the basic pleasantries.


    Melon was a blond girl with freckles, same for Thomas except he was a boy. I estimated them around 14-15 and apparently they were brother and sister. Not much could be said about them.


    The pair took place on the opposite side of the battlefield, Chelsea and I mirrored them and Hylla walked to the sidelines.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the referee of this battle,¡± Hylla announced, formally starting the battle. ¡°Melon and Thomas Grasslinger vs Dust Wildfire and Chelsea Shiner. Each participant uses 1 Pok¨¦mon and the battle ends when one team is out of Pok¨¦mon. Start!¡±


    Huh, their last name is Shiner, I never bothered to ask for their last name.


    ¡°Go Fennekin!¡± Melon yelled.


    ¡°Go Starly!¡± Thomas yelled.


    Ah, so they switched Pok¨¦mon. Last time I saw them battling they had it the other way. Maybe they shared their Pok¨¦mon with each other?


    The siblings threw their Pok¨¦balls and in a flash the two Pok¨¦mon appeared.


    A small fox materialized in front of Melon and a small bird Pok¨¦mon stood in front of Thomas.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± I yelled dramatically. ¡°I choose you!¡±


    Ralts stepped forward and confidently strode onto the battlefield. It was such a difference between the Ralts I found in the forest being attacked by the Zigzagoon and the Ralts that was now prepared to take on any challenger.


    The sight alone made my chest swell with pride.


    ¡°Chimchar!¡± Chelsea yelled and threw her Pok¨¦ball.


    In front of her appeared a chimpanzee-like creature whose tail was literally just fire.


    This world is insane, but beside that...Chelsea has a fucking Chimchar? How?


    One of the Sinnoh starters? Now that was some bullshit going on.


    ¡°You have a Chimchar?¡± I whispered, not wanting to give away how inexperienced we were.


    ¡°A gift from Hylla,¡± Chelsea answered matter of factly, like people around her get Chimchar¡¯s for breakfast, ¡°now let¡¯s kill the competition.¡±


    Poor word choice aside she was right, my mind shifted mental gears and went full battle mode.


    ¡°You two can start,¡± Thomas offered with a smile.


    I pointed, ¡°Chelsea you go for Fennekin, I¡¯ll take on Starly!¡±


    Ralts would be able to deal with the superior air mobility of Starly while Chimchar would be left at its mercy.


    ¡°Ralts, fire three Confusions at Starly!¡± I said and Ralts complied.


    She shot three purple rays that flew in rows towards the enemy


    ¡°Chimchar use scratch!¡± Chelsea started her attack.


    The three purple rays would force Starly to move up or backwards to get out of their range.


    ¡°Starly!¡± Thomas yelled. ¡°Fly up and do a Wing Attack!¡±


    ¡°Fennekin, meet Chimchar¡¯s attack with an Ember!¡± Melon countered.


    Starly flew up and dodged the three rays and flew towards Ralts, its wings glowing white.


    ¡°Ralts wait!¡± I commanded and Ralts didn¡¯t move out of Starly¡¯s path.


    Just before it would crash into Ralts I shouted. ¡°Ralts, side step to the left and hit it with Disarming Voice.¡±


    Ralts nodded and it was like I was watching a slow motion movie, Ralts stepped to the left and twisted her body out of its line of flight. As the Starly passed Ralts¡¯ previous location Ralts opened her mouth and a funnel of sound waves crashed into the bird Pok¨¦mon.


    Starly was hit point blank and it let out a cry as it was shot through the sky and crashed down on Chelsea¡¯s side of the battlefield.


    Chimchar had jumped over Fennekin¡¯s Ember and landed in front of Fennekin and retracted its arms to start the move Scratch.


    However Melon was not stupid, she commanded Fennekin to cancel the Ember and meet it head on with Tackle.


    Fennekin yipped and slammed forward, its own momentum throwing Chimchar off balance.


    Chimchar was knocked backwards and a few seconds later Starly landed with an impact next to Fennekin, being thrown across the battlefield with my point blank Disarming Voice.


    Starly was not knocked out like I had hoped it would be.


    Now, three of the 4 Pok¨¦mon were clustered together. It was becoming a mess.


    ¡°Pull Chimchar back to our half of the battlefield.¡± I told Chelsea the same moment Thomas gave Starly his next order.


    ¡°Hit Chimchar with Quick Attack!¡±


    Melon followed her brother¡¯s orders with one of her own. ¡°Fennekin, assist Starly with a Tackle of your own.¡±


    It was a smart move, Chimchar was the nearest and easiest target and Ralts wasn¡¯t close enough to hit with any melee ranged attack and every ranged attack would hit Chimchar as well.


    Haha, bold of them to assume I cared about things like friendly fire.


    Luckily Chelsea followed my advice. ¡°Chimchar, pull back!¡±


    The two Pok¨¦mon prepared to give him a chase, however, Fennekin was about to Tackle and Starly was about to do a Quick attack.


    ¡°Ralts! Shoot Chimchar with a full force Confusion, then follow up with 3 stacked Confusions!¡±


    ¡°DUST!¡± Chelsea cried out. I ignored her and kept my eyes on the battle.


    Ralts, being the good girl she was, didn¡¯t even hesitate to shoot her ally. She charged up a Confusion and after two seconds a big purple ray sped towards the Chimchar.


    What happened next was hard to follow with the naked eye.


    As the ray shot towards the three clustered up Pok¨¦mon, Chimchar was hit by Starly¡¯s Quick Attack, next to Starly was Fennekin, ready to follow Starly¡¯s attack up with a Tackle of its own.


    Before Fennekin could hit Chimchar and finish it off, three purple rays slammed into them.


    It would have hit all three combatants if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Chimchar had been knocked out of range by Starly¡¯s Quick Attack.


    Quick Attack always hit first, I wasn''t sure if that would work in the real world as well but it was at least faster than Confusion.


    Or so that was my plan.


    The two Pok¨¦mon fell to the ground, their momentum completely destroyed by the purple ray.


    Chelsea finally caught on to what had happened and smiled. ¡°Chimchar, jump up and hit them with Ember!¡±


    ¡°Chimchar!¡± Chimchar yelled for no apparent reason and it jumped up in the sky and midair opened its mouth and bolts of fire shot down at Fennekin and Starly.


    ¡°Fennekin!¡± The fox cried out which made me feel bad, but only a small bit.


    When the Ember stopped, Chimchar landed a small distance away, claws out and ready.


    Just in time for a slow stacked purple ray to hit the two Pok¨¦mon.


    It had taken them a few seconds to cross the field but Chimchar had kept the two occupied.


    I held my breath to see if they would get up and for a painful 5 seconds I felt my own heart in my throat. But once those seconds passed and both Pok¨¦mon didn¡¯t get, I was starting to relax a little.


    I chuckled, all the pieces had fallen in place.


    Thomas and Melon were watching with widened eyes¡­


    Chelsea had a smug smile on her face, though I knew she was surprised as well because her hand was trembling.


    I for my part resisted the urge to laugh out loud like a maniac.


    Hylla raised her arm. ¡°Dust Wildfire and Chelsea Shiner win!¡±

 9. Attack

    Chapter 9:


    Attack


    <hr>


    Remember what I said about Pok¨¦mon battles being glorified dog fights?


    I hereby retract my statement because Pok¨¦mon battles are fucking awesome.


    The moment Hylla declared Chelsea and I won, I understood why the people in this world were obsessed with Pok¨¦mon battles.


    I felt adrenaline rush through my body and in the name of Arceus did it feel good.


    The entire fight it felt like Ralts and I were one, part of one big machine that could only work if all parts were perfectly in sync.


    Nothing mattered except the thrill of the fight.


    And the moment Hylla declared us victorious?


    It felt like getting a perfect speedrun, finding a shiny legendary, winning a tournament after months of practice or beating the final boss of a game after a long battle. All that combined was not even close to the feeling of winning a Pok¨¦mon battle.


    I could talk about the feeling for days but you get the point.


    That moment, I decided that I was going to become the best Pok¨¦mon trainer in this world, not for the sake of it but because I wanted to win on the highest stage possible, to get the same feeling as before with a thousand eyes watching me and have the Gods of the Pok¨¦mon world watch in awe.


    ...Oh no, I am developing a God Complex.


    And yes, I do realize that beating Melon and Thomas was this world¡¯s equivalent of beating up the Bug catchers at the start of every Pok¨¦mon game but remember; even Julius Caesar started his career by claiming his own spot on the couch, I think.


    ¡°We won,¡± Chelsea said bewildered, one look at her told me she had felt the same rush of the battle too.


    ¡°Well, it seems you two won.¡± Thomas let out an embarrassed laugh. He pulled out his Pok¨¦mon and called back Starly. ¡°You did great,¡± he whispered to the Pok¨¦ball before shrinking it and putting it away.


    Melon followed her brother and Fennekin disappeared in a red light.


    Chelsea and I walked towards our two Pok¨¦mon who were waiting for us.


    Ralts was standing with a smug smile on her face, not a scratch on her. Chimchar for his part was happily bouncing up and down and if I closed my eyes enough I could call it dancing.


    Chimchar looked worse, he had slight burn marks from Fennekin¡¯s Ember and his fur was all messed up.


    It could have gone a lot worse, if Ralts¡¯ Confusion had been too late or not hit at all, Chimchar would have been out of the fight and Ralts would have to fight two opponents, one which could attack from the air and the other one could attack from the ground.


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts greeted me calmly, folding her tiny arms in front of her chest and striking a pose that said: ¡®No problem at all.¡¯


    I knelt down, grinning. ¡°Now, who¡¯s da best?¡±


    Ralts tried to keep her badass facade going but failed after 2 seconds. She lunged forward to give me the biggest hug yet all the while squealing her own name repeatedly.


    Next to me, Chelsea complimented her own Chimchar.


    ¡°This was your first battle?¡± Melon asked as she walked towards us, ¡°Because that was so awesome!¡±


    Chelsea grinned, ¡°Of course we were awesome, what did you expect?¡±


    I laughed and stood straight, Ralts still clinging to my chest. ¡°You two were doing great too, turning the tables by focusing on Chimchar with both Pok¨¦mon. Really smart.¡±


    I placed Ralts and Chelsea copied me.


    ¡°Well if you want a rematch anytime soon, we are up for it!¡± Thomas said as he walked towards us. ¡°But now we have to go home and explain why both our Pok¨¦mon are knocked out.¡±


    Both siblings shot us a smile and proceeded to head home.


    ¡°Well, well well,¡± Hylla walked towards us, ¡°you two did quite well.¡±


    She proceeded to give Chelsea a head pat which made Chelsea groan. Hylla shot me a grin, ¡°And you Mister Mysterious, that was quite the daring move. Hitting Chimchar with a Confusion.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It seemed like a good idea.¡±


    Hylla proceeded to give me a head pat as well, ruffling my blue hair without even asking. ¡°No need to be shy, that was a genius move.¡±


    She gave the Chimchar sitting on Chelsea¡¯s shoulder a curious look. ¡°And you taught Chimchar Ember without ever battling? Seems like you really took good care of him.¡±


    Chelsea nodded. ¡°Yes, Ember is really hot, so hot it could burn down a small town.¡±


    Sure, why not?


    ¡°So the Chimchar was yours?¡± I asked Hylla.


    She nodded. ¡°Yes. I gave it to Chelsea as a gift. Some time ago though, she never really battled with him.¡±


    So it was a male, good guesswork by me.


    ¡°How did you get it?¡± I asked curiously, if she claimed it to be her Starter I would call bullshit on that. No one gets 5 Gym badges with an unevolved Chimchar that only knows two moves...unless she dumped it into the pc and left it to rot, does that option even exist in this world?


    ¡°Well, I have some connections.¡± she answered with a mysterious smile.


    Connections with the Sinnoh League by any chance?


    ¡°Anyway¡­¡± She cut the conversation off. ¡°I got some cake in the fridge for the champions of today. We better start going before it''s gone.¡±


    Hylla began walking back to the hospital with a smirk on her face.


    That doesn¡¯t make any sense, it''s in the fridge any-


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts cried out, panicked and pulled on my hair, urging me to follow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how cake tastes.¡± I tried to argue but Ralts kept panicking.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts insisted, Chelsea laughed at us and followed after Hylla.


    Ralts pulled another hair lock.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m moving already.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°The cake better not be a lie.¡±


    <hr>


    One day later a letter arrived for me, along with it came a small package.


    The letter was long and boring, giving me legal Sinnoh citizenship and the permission to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer and all the other boring stuff. The cool stuff, however, was inside the small cardboard package that came along with it.


    It contained a small red-black device that I immediately recognized: A Pokedex.


    It was the version they had in the Sinnoh League episodes and it reminded me of a DS but it was way cooler. It had a sleek metallic case and looked very sturdy, yet it barely weighed anything. It did look expensive as hell.


    The Pok¨¦dex came along with 500 Pok¨¦dollars from the Team Rocket bounty which was stored on my personal bank account, which was conveniently connected to my Pok¨¦dex.


    Like I suspected the Pok¨¦dex was used as a Trainer ID, credit card and smartphone Hybrid (it also had some function to scan Pok¨¦mon but who cares about that anyway?)


    I wanted to use it on Ralts but all the features besides identification and payment were locked and had to be unlocked by Professor Rowan which was a huge dick move from whoever programmed it.


    My Pok¨¦dex didn¡¯t seem to be sentient but that could come later, if this was the game universe I could try to catch the Rotom at the haunted house in the Eterna Forest.


    Not sure if I want a sentient smartphone but we¡¯ll see.


    Even though almost all functions of my Pok¨¦dex were locked away I couldn¡¯t help but grin, finally, my journey was going somewhere.


    I pulled Ralts away from her (failing) game of chess with Chelsea and explained to her that we finally have money. Although the concept of money was strange to her my happiness was infectious.


    I told Chelsea I was going out to town. Before she could invite herself I took Ralts on my shoulders to be faster and went to the store that sold everything one would need to start his own Pok¨¦mon journey.


    I bought some regular clothes that would work great on the road and a set for sport.


    I also got a deluxe backpack that had some bullshit going on with folding dimensions and nanotechnology, which allowed it to store more stuff than it should.


    I tried to find out how it worked but I couldn¡¯t really find anything, my guess was that it was some lingering effect from a Pok¨¦mon move, sadly the store owner didn¡¯t know anything about it.


    It did explain how the people in Pok¨¦mon could travel the world with nothing more than a backpack.


    Next, I bought a camping set which came with a sleeping bag and some kind of electric cooking plate among other things.


    It took me most of my money and I still hadn¡¯t bought Pok¨¦balls and Potions but that kind of stuff could come later.


    As I was walking through the town I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy. Ralts had picked up on my happy mood and was happily humming a song I didn¡¯t recognize while she sat on my shoulders.


    The sun was just touching the horizon when Ralts suddenly pulled on my hair lock, so hard that it actually hurt.


    ¡°Ralts Ra Ralts.¡± Ralts said cheerfully.


    My heart froze, yet I kept walking as though nothing happened, I slowed my pace to the point it looked like I was getting tired instead of adjusting it because something was off.


    I kept looking in the same direction I was walking but I studied the edges of my vision, looking for something out of place.


    ¡®Ralts Ra Ralts¡¯, long-short long, aka: The morse version of S.O.S. That in combination with Paradoxical behavior meant one thing: someone was spying on us, someone with malevolent intentions.


    When Ralts became good enough to detect people in hiding (namely me) I had taught her a 4 step protocol so we wouldn¡¯t let the enemy know we knew.


    I first taught her not to freak out and act normal, if someone was potentially sneaking up on us she would give me a subtle sign. Something like pulling my hair, pinch me in the arm or send me a glare, something subtle to show something was wrong, immediately after that she would return to normal behavior and give me a cheerful ¡°Ralts Ra Ralts.¡± which meant S.O.S.


    Ralts knows that I don¡¯t understand Pok¨¦speak but we both had defined this sequence in combination with all the previous signs as S.O.S. I had wondered what it actually meant in Pok¨¦speak but I guess it really depends on the context.


    If this entire sequence was done within a second, it meant trouble.


    I was now on high alert, still, for a bystander nothing would be out of the ordinary, just a trainer talking to his Pok¨¦mon.


    Despite not knowing telepathy and human speech Ralts was quite smart, I¡¯m not sure if it''s due to her species, Psychic typing or just her as an individual.


    ¡°So,¡± I asked, ¡°Have you seen Alex recently?¡±


    ¡®Alex¡¯, a codeword for trouble.


    ¡°Ralts,¡± she answered.


    Yes.


    And now the second part of the protocol, locating our hidden friend.


    ¡°Oh, and when do you want to see him again?¡± I asked, feigning surprise. ¡°Next week?¡±


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts said cheerfully.


    ¡®Next week¡¯, which meant something was in front of us, if Ralts had answered No, it would mean something was behind us.


    Next week or last week, simple code for in front of us or behind us.


    I had discovered that Ralts had no concept of the days of the week, she had no clear distinction between Monday or Friday which makes sense considering she lived in a forest. I had taken it upon myself to teach her the days of the week.


    It had taken me some time to explain why one would name 7 successive days only to start over at day 8. I told her that the weekend was cooler than the weekdays and that seemed to do the trick.


    But now it serves a second function too.


    ¡°Oh really,¡± I chuckled, ¡°And when do you want to see Alex again, during the week?¡±


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts answered with a tone that said No.


    ¡°Aaah, on the weekend.¡± I laughed, ¡°Dunno if Alex has time for us though I should call him to see if he¡¯s up for some training.¡±


    I tugged both my hands in my pocket, in my left pocket was the pocket knife I stole and in my right was Ralts¡¯ Pok¨¦ball, both ready to be drawn any moment.


    The weekend meant something was on the right side of my vision, being the last part of the cycle.


    The message was clear.


    SOS, someone in front of us, right side


    I casually observed my surroundings, we were walking through a pretty wide alley that would lead us out of the town and towards the hospital, though we were still a good 10 minutes away.


    I checked the rooftops on my right side from the corner of my eyes and I spotted something.


    Before I could even identify the shape something shot towards me.


    I ducked, throwing Ralts off my shoulders in the same moment as something passed over our heads and pinned itself in the wall behind us.


    Ralts managed to land safely on her two feet and shot a glare at the rooftop.


    Two more black things shot towards us but before they came close Ralts opened her mouth and activated Disarming Voice.


    The soundwaves immediately stopped both projectiles and they fell onto the street.


    I took a quick look at the fallen projectiles and I recognized it immediately, throwing knives.


    I grabbed the nearest one and stood straight, took out Ralts¡¯ Pok¨¦ball with my free hand and prepared for battle.


    Ralts placed herself in front of me, fist clenched and eyes narrowed


    From the rooftops, a figure jumped down and landed at the end of the alley. He was blocking the way to the hospital.


    He wore all black clothes but most notoriously was the red R printed on his uniform.


    His face was hidden by the shadow of his cap but I could see a wicked smile on his face.


    The man reached out to his pocket and pulled out a walkie talkie.


    I was about to order Ralts to hit the guy with everything she got but before I could do it the guy wordlessly dropped two Pok¨¦balls and they landed in front of him.


    The familiar white flash followed and I silently cursed.


    Two different cries came a second later, one I was familiar with.


    A Raticate appeared in front of the guy, it let out a screech and revealed a huge set of silver fangs.


    However, the second flash brought something worse.


    A black fox-like creature with yellow rings on its body appeared and again, I recognized it.


    Red eyes met mine and it let out a snarl.


    Umbreon, the Dark-type evolution of Eevee.


    Dark-type, the perfect counter for Psychic.


    The man in front of us took his time as he made his call, perfectly aware of the fact I couldn¡¯t run nor attack him.


    ¡°We found the blue-haired brat, he was indeed at Sunbright Hospital. I caught him on his way back.¡±


    He waited for a response when he got one I sadly couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Okay,¡± the man replied, ¡°See you soon and over.¡±


    He lowered his walkie talkie and finally took the time to look at me.


    ¡°And now little boy,¡± his smile managed to get even wider, ¡°It¡¯s time to teach you why you don¡¯t mess with Team Rocket.¡±

 10. Counter Attack

    Chapter 10:


    Counter Attack


    <hr>


    Confession time, I am a proud coward.


    When things get too tough I will run and resort to cheating, live to fight another day you know?


    Work your way up and play it safe, no need to be a hero if you die trying.


    However I couldn''t run, Ralts and I were most likely too slow to outrun an Umbreon.


    I had a pocket knife in my left pocket and I had picked up the throwing knife, though I had no idea how to efficiently use it.


    Ralts knew two moves, Confusion and Disarming Voice.


    Confusion would work on Raticate but not on Umbreon.


    Raticate would be a challenge on its own, being fully evolved and more experienced it would be very hard to beat Raticate. However Raticate in the end was most likely a simplistic enemy, I don''t see a Raticate pull of some bullshit strategy anytime soon.


    Umbreon however was the biggest threat, considering Pok¨¦mon Types, I was at a disadvantage because Ralts could only use Disarming Voice on it, which wasn''t strong enough to fight a fully evolved Umbreon for more than a second.


    Raticate was a dangerous foe but a relatively simple one, like a knife was dangerous but simple. Umbreon would be an entire kit of weapons, all to be used to its own desires. I had no idea what kinds of attacks it knew but I doubted that the man would be this confident if his Umbreon only knows Tackle.


    Umbreon was in every way more versatile, smarter and more powerful than both Raticate and Ralts. Also Umbreon looked generally very cool but that''s beside the point.


    I tried to view this problem from another angle.


    If I could only remove the Team Rocket grunt from the equation it would almost be doable, almost being the keyword.


    Point was; this guy looked way more competent than the two I had fought in the forest.


    There had to be a solution, every puzzle had one and if it doesn''t have an answer you brute force it.


    Someone had sent me to this world (or something), there was no point in sending someone to another world if said person dies within a week.


    I was hoping for a legendary Pok¨¦mon to show up, maybe one of the Legendary Beast from Jotho, Mewtwo hunting down the remnants of the organization that created him or maybe the Swords of Justice would show up and protect my Ralts (and by extension preferably me).


    No one came, well that sucks.


    The way to the hospital was blocked and I was pretty confident that turning my back to these guys would sign my death warrant.


    If only the Team Rocket guy would vanish¡­


    I considered throwing the knife I had picked up but throwing a knife was vastly different from throwing a rock, besides this person was skilled with a knife himself. It would be arrogant to think I could beat him at his own game.


    A plan began to form. Not a good one, not even a complete plan but it was at least something.


    I stared at the grunt in front of me, he was smiling like a psycho.


    Ralts stood in front of me staring at both Pok¨¦mon, ready to battle at my command.


    I enlarged the Pok¨¦ball in my right hand, "Well Ralts, it seems like we won''t be able to practice Disarming Voice with Alex."


    Ralts nodded, thinking she understood the hidden message: Use Disarming Voice on the Team Rocket guy.


    Before she could do it however I pressed the button in the middle of the Pok¨¦ball and recalled her.


    Ralts let out a panicked cry as the red light engulfed her and she was transported back into the Pok¨¦ball.


    It was clear she didn''t want to be recalled but there was no point in keeping her out.


    I felt the ball twist violently in my hand, she was trying to break out of it but I kept it closed.


    "Maybe later," I said, I had no idea if Ralts could hear it but I hoped she could. People in the anime and in this world continuously talked to their Pok¨¦ball, so I assumed she would be able to hear it.


    With another press the Pok¨¦ball shrunk in my palm and it stopped shaking.


    Did she understand it?


    I put the shrunken Pok¨¦ball away in my pocket and moved my knife to my right hand.


    "What are ye! Stupid! Puttin'' ya Pok¨¦men away like tha!." The Team Rocket grunt talked with a thick accent.


    I know that you are a villain but can you please not try to sound like one?


    "Who are you and what do you want from me?" I asked angrily.


    "Ya know who we are! Ya attacked our team mates and now it''s time for payback." He answered again with his weird accent, it couldn''t be his real voice right?


    "I don''t even know who you are." I lied.


    The man chuckled, "Stop playin'' dumb brat, we know ya sabotaged our mission and it''s easy to find ya with hair likes yours."


    I silently cursed my hair.


    I shifted my position to be more relaxed, inside however I was shitting myself.


    "So you did manage to find me?" I asked nonchalantly, "and why go after me anyway?"


    "It''s simple kiddo," he licked his lips, "Ya mess with us and we mess with you!"


    That''s it? Simple payback?


    "You''re here to kill me?" I stated.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "It''s about sending a message. If we don''t, other stupid brats like ya might think they stand a chance and we can''t have that."


    I held the knife in my hand and prayed this would work.


    "I would say nothing personal," the grunt spoke, "but I''m gonna enjoy this one!"


    "Well," I answered with a smile of my own. "Then I won''t have to feel guilty about returning the favor."


    I retraced my right arm, preparing to throw the knife. The man grinned and he seemed to know what I was about to do.


    "After all, those who kill should prepare to be killed!"


    And with those dramatic words I threw the throwing knife at the man.


    It was a sloppy throw.


    I threw it holding the shaft instead of holding the blade between my index and middle finger and the results showed.


    As the knife was thrown towards the man it didn''t spin properly, instead it pathetically twirled through the air without a clear direction.


    Still, it would have hit the man, not hard but still a hit.


    The man for his part moved out of the way, leaning to the left like he was in the Matrix or something.


    As the knife moved past him I saw him smirk at me, a sadistic gleam in his eyes; he was enjoying this humiliation.


    The knife landed harmlessly behind him.


    "Well that was disappointing." The man grinned.


    Raticated cried out its own name while Umbreon kept silent.


    "You can say that again pal," I said with a smirk of my own.


    A woosh sound and a flash came from behind him and he turned around in surprise.


    I wasted not a single second, I drew my pocket knife and flipped it open, next I made a mad dash towards him as he was distracted by what was going on behind him.


    His Pok¨¦mon were clearly not expecting this, they were both staring wide-eyed as I ran towards them.


    Behind the man the white flash formed into a small humanoid figure.


    Ralts came out of her Pok¨¦ball and opened her mouth, her red eyes practically shining with anger.


    I jumped over the Umbreon and Raticate who didn''t even reach my tights with their small bodies.


    A high pitched cry came out of Ralts'' mouth and a funnel of high amplitude-audio waves crashed point blank into the Team Rocket member.


    The man fell backwards but a second later I slammed into him, my momentum from jumping over his Pok¨¦mon still carrying me, I kicked him down and landed on top of him.


    Before he could even recover from Ralts'' Disarming Voice I slammed my knife between his shoulder blades and twisted it, his uniform offered some protection but not nearly enough to protect him from my knife.


    He screamed and my hand became slippery thanks to his blood.


    I was worried his scream would attract more attention, unwanted attention.


    "Confusion now!" I yelled and the man was hit by a purple ray and fell silent.


    I jumped off him and kicked him in the face. I considered grabbing the pocket knife but if I did that nothing would stop his wound from bleeding and he might die.


    He was unconscious but not dead, I preferred to keep it that way.


    I instead grabbed the throwing knife I had just thrown and turned around to prepare for round two.


    The plan had worked which was a miracle, Ralts had done as I had hoped and the man had played his part perfectly.


    Ralts'' orders had been to hit the man with Disarming Voice but before she could do it I had recalled her into the Pok¨¦ball which had upset her.


    "Later" I had said, hoping she would understand I was keeping her inside the Pok¨¦ball not to protect her but because I had a plan.


    Next, I shrunk her Pok¨¦ball and clenched it in my palm and pretended to put it away in my pocket while I actually had it still in my hand.


    It was one of those silly tricks you would find in a child''s Magician box with 100 tricks and for some reason my mind thought it was important to remember it after 10 years.


    One of those tricks was pretending to put a coin in your pocket and it would magically appear in your hand.


    It was a dumb trick that I had learned and never used, until today.


    I had moved the throwing knife to my right hand and at that point both items were in the same hand.


    Step three, throwing it at the guy without him noticing I wasn''t aiming at him and I was throwing a shrunken Pok¨¦ball at the same time.


    My excessive foreshadowing of the throw added to the image of an overconfident child without an actual plan.


    It wasn''t all hope though, it was science too. I read somewhere that the human eye can only see a ridiculous small area and the rest is filled in by the brains by what we expect to see.


    And that gamble had worked out, the man had dodged the knife and missed the shrunken Pok¨¦ball entirely.


    The final part of my plan was to pin him between two attacks from both sides and hope that everyone would be too surprised to act.


    And in the end it seemed my plan had worked.


    What did Einstein say again? If you can''t beat them, cheat them?


    However there was no time to cheer because the second phase of the boss battle was about to unfold and I had no idea what to do.


    Ralts took place in front of me, glaring at Raticate and Umbreon.


    Shit, I had no plan for this part.


    I didn''t really stand a chance against either, maybe I could beat Raticate with luck and cheating but probably not Umbreon, let alone both at the same time.


    Maybe I could try to fight with the knife but I suspected that it wouldn''t do much harm considering Pok¨¦mon survived more lethal attacks on a regular basis.


    What could I do, talk to them?


    Well, Pok¨¦mon are sentient, some more than others, could I bullshit my way out of this?


    "We''re not looking for trouble," I tried weakly.


    The Raticate took a step closer and opened its jaw threateningly, Umbreon followed but without making an obvious threat which was actually scarier.


    "Raaallltss," Ralts murmured, urging me to decide on what to do.


    A new idea popped up and I knelt down next to the unconscious man. Ironically enough the knife in his shoulder stopped him from bleeding to death which was quite more than he deserved.


    I placed the throwing knife against his throat and looked at the two Pok¨¦mon, "One move and I will kill him."


    They took another step.


    I uttered a curse. seems like they hold no love for Team Rocket. Why would one though? I mean it''s Team Rocket no one likes them¡­


    Okay, time for my third attempt.


    I hastily went through his pockets until I found what I was looking for, two Pok¨¦balls. I enlarged them and stood straight and faced the two Pok¨¦mon again.


    I considered recalling them but there was a chance they would break out and then I had no chance of winning at all.


    I showed the two Pok¨¦mon their Pok¨¦balls and they stopped walking.


    "Your Pok¨¦balls," I said, "I can crush them and give you two your freedom and we can all have a very nice day."


    It was evening already but who cares?


    Umbreon and Raticate gave me an awkward stare that made me feel uncomfortable.


    "That''s a yes?" I asked when none of them moved.


    Umbreon and Raticate looked at eachother, apparently having a silent conversation, before gazing back at me.began Umbreon nodded and w


    alking back all the while keeping its red eyes focused on mine.


    First I thought they agreed but Raticate hadn''t moved from his spot and Umbreon had stopped moving when he was 15 meters (50 Feet) away from us.


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked, confused.


    "Raaaaticate!" Raticate cried out and his claws came out.


    "You want me to battle?" I asked Umbreon incredulously.


    Umbreon nodded. Somehow I could feel it smugness.


    "If I battle the Raticate you let us go?" I asked, still confused as hell.


    Umbreon shook his head, a no.


    "We have to win?" I guessed.


    Umbreon nodded and glanced at the two Pok¨¦balls in my hand before looking at me.


    "If we beat Raticate and crush the two Pok¨¦balls you let us go?" I tried and Umbreon nodded.


    So it was testing our strength, welp this world is already insane, why not turn it up a notch?


    Still it''s the best chance I would get since this was at least a 1 on 1. Raticate would be hard to beat but not impossible. I wasn¡¯t certain I could fight Umbreon as well.


    "You think you can handle this Ralts?" I asked.


    Ralts gave me a confident smirk and answered. "Ralts."


    I turned my gaze back to Umbreon.


    "Then let''s battle!"

 11. Eradicated

    Chapter 11:


    Eradicated


    <hr>


    The moon shone down on the alley where Destiny and I had a date; this would be the battle of minds, the legendary confrontation, the duel of fates, the battle against...a Raticate.


    It felt pretty lame to be nervous about a battle against a Raticate.


    In the games I wouldn¡¯t even give it a second thought and just kill it with 3 hits or less, now it was a battle that could end my life if I lost and couldn¡¯t run away fast enough.


    ¡°Ralts, full force Confusion!!¡±


    Ralts waited for 2 seconds and then fired the Confusion.


    The place where we held our battle was less than preferable. Buildings trapped us on both sides. There was not a lot of space to move in the alley except away and towards the enemy.


    Sure it meant that a full force Confusion would guarantee a direct hit if it could travel far enough to grow in size but I wasn¡¯t convinced that Raticate would go down this easily.


    The Raticate indeed got hit but did not even flinch nor did it get the Confused status effect. Raticate ran straight through the purple ray, tanked it and then shrugged it off like it didn¡¯t even hit and was now on a collision course with Ralts.


    ¡°Ralts Disarming Voice now!¡± I yelled but it was too late.


    Ralts was too slow, due to the long cool down of a full force Confusion she only managed to do the move when the Raticate was already in her face.


    Raticate slammed into Ralts and she was flung backwards towards me and landed face first on the stone ground with a thud.


    I had to resist the urge to draw my knife and engage in battle myself. One glare from Umbreon told me that the moment I would join the fight Umbreon would join too.


    ¡°Ralts,¡± I said, ¡°Shake it off, I know you can!¡±


    I had no idea if she could get up but things like trust, encouragement and friendship seemed to push a Pok¨¦mons limit, or at least in the anime it worked that way.


    Ralts let out a whimper and her small body began to move, Raticate was patiently watching it from a distance which was really considerate of it.


    ¡°RAAALLTTS!¡± Ralts cried out and pushed herself up, she stood straight and glared venomously at the Raticate.


    ¡°RAAAtttiicccaaatee!¡± Raticate let out an elongated cry and made another dash towards Ralts, this time instead of just charging forward it lowered its head while running, was it going to do a Headbutt?


    Doesn¡¯t really matter, if a normal Tackle got Ralts in such a bad state I did not want Ralts to be hit again because that might be the end of us.


    Okay, don¡¯t try to meet Ralts head on and try to avoid melee combat as much as possible. Try to outzone him and keep stacking up damage.


    ¡°Ralts, fire a slow Confusion to the left, side step to the right and use Disarming Voice.¡±


    Ralts did as commanded and a purple ray was created and traveled towards the edge of the alley, a second later Raticate was about to slam into her but she managed to hop to the right just in time.


    She almost stumbled but managed to keep her balance and opened her mouth.


    Sound waves hit Raticate right in the chest and it was thrown across the width of the alley and smashed into the wall. And to make its day worse, the Confusion fired seconds ago arrived just in time to bulldoze Raticate with its effect.


    A hit by Disarming Voice in the face, a low power Confusion and a full force Confusion plus the damage of hitting the wall. Was it enough?


    Raticate jumped to its feet and let out a triumphant cry.


    Seriously? What does it take to put that thing under?


    Ralts clenched her tiny fist in frustration but she was still standing.


    The Raticate opened its mouth and a high-pitched screech followed.


    The sound tore through my ears and I had to cover them to prevent myself from going deaf.


    Ralts did the same thing and almost dropped to the floor but after a second the sound stopped.


    Screech, Raticate just used Screech!


    What does that mean? Has Ralts¡¯ defense been lowered like it did in the games?


    Doesn¡¯t matter, the next serious attack would take her out anyway.


    Okay retreat time!


    ¡°Ralts, run away to Umbreon¡¯s side of the battlefield and go with your back to the wall. Fire Confusion to cover your retreat.¡±


    Ralts fired three Confusions parallel to each other and began to run to the other side of the alley, firing a couple of purple rays every 3 seconds to cover her retreat.


    The Confusions sped towards Raticate like some kind of flappy bird game in which the overgrown rat had to jump every few seconds to dodge the rays.


    It managed to jump over the first one with ease and the second one too but he landed into the third one and was thrown into the wall, though not that hard.


    I hoped for it to fall under the Confusion effect but it just shook its head a few times and he was ready for battle again.


    He opened his mouth and a light yellow orb of energy appeared in front of it.


    Oh fuck! A Hyper Beam!


    ¡°Ralts dodge!¡±


    The ball of energy turned into a beam and shot towards Ralts. She had already moved out of the way and the beam hit the brick wall behind her.


    Ralts was safe but the wall wasn¡¯t, bricks and small pieces of stone were thrown around by the impact and one of the smaller bricks hit Ralts in the back of her head.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She stumbled forward and let out a cry, she fell on her knees (assuming she has knees) and was breathing heavily.


    ¡°Ralts get up!¡± I yelled. ¡°You can still move, don¡¯t let a fucking rat get the better of you! You¡¯re too awesome to die this way!¡±


    I really need to work on my speeches, however it still worked.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts cursed as she got back up and sent another glare at Raticate.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± I complimented her, ¡°Now show him why you are the best! Hit him with full force Confusion!¡±


    Ralts started charging the Confusion but Raticate was on the move and charged across the alley towards her, its back glowing with white energy.


    Double Edge?! He knows Double Edge too?


    ¡°Cancel the Attack and wait,¡± I ordered Ralts. Sweat pearled down my face.


    Ralts nodded.


    If the Confusion wasn¡¯t a one hit KO for Raticate then Ralts would be the one to get knocked out, not only that but the move would also slam her into the wall and might as well do even permanent damage.


    Double Edge does massive damage at the cost of receiving ? of the done damage but I was pretty sure that Ralts would go down first.


    Or this was an opportunity to turn the tables.


    ¡°Ralts wait until Raticate is close, then jump up and use Disarming Voice aimed down.¡± I cried out. Raticate had already crossed half the alley.


    Ralts nodded and narrowed her eyes, trying to time it perfectly. When Raticate was about to hit her Ralts jumped up and dodged it by only a hair. The rat passed underneath her.


    Raticate for his part had it worse, he crashed into the wall full force and...ouch that''s gotta hurt.


    What did Newton¡¯s third law say again? When a moving object hits another object with force the same magnitude of force will be sent back in the opposite direction?


    Now that¡¯s a lot of damage.


    However we were about to do even more damage because Ralts opened her mouth while still flying in the air and a high-pitched scream followed.


    Sound waves crashed down on Raticate. It couldn¡¯t even dodge because she was directly above it but that was not even the best part of it, the sound waves bounced back up towards Ralts and launched her even higher.


    Being fired so close to a flat surface, the Disarming Voice¡¯s sound waves weren¡¯t absorbed, but instead directly sent back, and with Ralts so close, it had turned into a repulsive force that launched her even higher.


    Having seen this actually work, I began to consider all the new techniques we could create; we could use it to move across the battlefield faster and possibly catch airborne enemies by surprise.


    I watched Ralts being launched higher by her own attack. She was twirling her arms in panic, trying to regain a sense of balance, and that moment I realized I made a small mistake.


    Huh, I never explained the laws of physics to her?


    Okay, that was not fair towards her. To be sent flying without a clear idea of how, that would be confusing as hell.


    Ralts was launched more than 10 meters (40 feet) up into the sky up before gravity decided to pull her back and she fell down.


    I glanced at the Raticate, hoping he was knocked out by the barrage of attacks.


    Raticate was slowly getting back to his feet.


    This thing was a fucking tank.


    If Ralts would hit the ground and get knocked out then we would be out of the fight.


    Ralts fell down, no longer twirling aimlessly but clear determination and...what the hell?


    She was diving down, her body in a straight line and her left arm held back like she was about to...O shit, she was about to punch the Raticate while falling down.


    Her fist was clenched and glowing with energy, rays of light came from her fist as she opened her mouth and yelled:


    ¡°RRAAAALLLLTTSSS!!!!!¡±


    Her expression was locked into a combination of anger and despair as her momentum increased while she dove down.


    Raticate looked up only to see a falling star crash down on him.


    A second later Ralts landed with a bang and I couldn¡¯t see a thing, dust and debris were thrown around by the impact and blocked my vision and the uncertainty that followed made my heart stop for a short second.


    The scene that unfolded before me made me almost gasp; Raticate was lying in a small crater, completely knocked out by the crash/punch.


    Next to the crater stood Ralts, breathing heavily and looking worn out, but she was still alive.


    I ran towards her and knelt down, cursing myself for not having a potion ready.


    ¡°Ralts, are you alright?¡± I immediately realized how stupid the question was. Of course she was not okay.


    ¡°RaRalts, Ralts Ralts.¡± Ralts smiled and tried to hug my face, only to stumble forward. I caught her and took her in my arms and stood straight. ¡°Now, that was the most awesome thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Ralts smiled proudly at me and muttered something I couldn¡¯t understand.


    Umbreon moved from its spot and walked towards me, I thought it might attack me but instead it walked straight past us and towards the two Pok¨¦balls which I had dropped when I ran towards Ralts.


    Umbreon placed its front paw on the Pok¨¦ball and said: ¡°Umbri.¡±


    Upon hearing its voice I decided it was a female.


    ¡°You want me to crush the Pok¨¦balls right?¡±


    She nodded and I smiled, relieved things worked out like they did. I was apparently worthy.


    I walked towards the two Pok¨¦balls, carrying Ralts in my arm and Umbreon moved out of the way.


    I placed my foot on the Pok¨¦ball and put all my weight on it.


    It broke underneath my weight and electricity sparkled around the remains before even those sparks faded away.


    Umbreon pointed towards the second Pok¨¦ball and I broke that one too.


    When the final Pok¨¦ball was crushed I grabbed Ralts¡¯ Pok¨¦ball which was still lying on the ground, I shrunk it down again and put it away; this time for real.


    I picked up the throwing knife and tried to find a place to put it but I didn¡¯t find a suitable one that wouldn¡¯t risk me cutting myself when reaching for it. I really missed my pocket knife but that one was still stuck in the guy¡¯s back and shit...it''s easy to forget someone when he¡¯s lying next to you with a knife stuck in his back.


    ¡°Ralts¡­¡± Ralts said and she was right, I really had to get back to the hospital. I considered looting the guy for useful stuff but I was really getting impatient.


    Umbreon nudged her head against my leg and pointed to the exit of the alley.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, suddenly feeling like I should stay and do something. ¡°Your ex-boss is still here, shouldn¡¯t I...I dunno get help?¡±


    Umbreon shook her head and stepped on top of the guy, glaring at him and making it clear she had some words for him when he would wake up - assuming he would wake up.


    ¡°Okay, so if you kill him it''s not considered my fault right?¡± I joked, feeling slightly unnerved.


    Umbreon nodded and nudged me to leave again.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said hastily, ¡°Welp, goodbye was nice meeting you, sayonara and all that shit.¡±


    With those wise words I turned around and ran back to the hospital, leaving behind an unconscious Team Rocket member with a knife in his back, a knocked out Raticate, a vengeful Umbreon and a lot of property damage which was definitely not my fault.


    This world is truly amazing.


    Still high on adrenaline, I managed to reach the hospital in 3 minutes and stormed into the lobby where I found Hylla sitting behind the desk and Chelsea sitting on the desk, they were playing a card game together I didn¡¯t recognize.


    They looked up in surprise when I entered the lobby.


    I realized that moment I looked pretty bad. I was sweating, panting and my shirt had blood on it, some of that blood had gotten on Ralts while I was carrying her.


    ¡°So, who¡¯d you kill this time?¡± Chelsea asked cheerfully, she was wearing a black dress that seemed to be a combination of a nightgown and a regular dress.


    Hylla however was wearing her normal clothes despite it being dark outside, a white shirt and black jeans.


    She immediately narrowed her eyes when she saw me.


    ¡°Explain now,¡± she said with a cold tone.


    ¡°Got attacked,¡± I said while trying to catch my breath, ¡°Some kind of ninja-assassin attacked me. He was from Team Rocket. I had a battle with him and his Pok¨¦mon and now he¡¯s knocked out.¡±


    I pointed at Ralts. ¡°She¡¯s in a pretty bad state.¡±


    An explosion came from outside and shook the entire building.


    Seriously Fate? Can¡¯t you just give one second of rest?


    I sighed. ¡°They apparently followed me.¡±

 12. Sky Encounter

    Chapter 12:


    Sky Encounter


    <hr>


    Hylla didn''t waste a second, she opened the drawer behind her desk and pulled out a sleek black laptop.


    I wanted to shout that now was not the time to do that but in the second I was processing that thought she had already logged in and was typing away faster than I thought was possible.


    It was not an operating system I recognized but that was not strange, considering I''m not in the same universe anymore.


    She typed something faster than I could read and closed the window, then she opened another window.


    The window itself was divided in 4 parts, 3 of them showing live footage from outside and the fourth being black.


    "We have cameras? Awesome." Chelsea commended, not at all disturbed.


    Hylla didn''t bother answering, instead she studied what was going on.


    On the live footage we saw Team Rocket members walking up the hill, it could be seen from three different angles and they all showed the same thing.


    They were surrounding the hospital.


    Welp, time to prepare for trouble.


    I could spot 6 Team Rocket members in total, they all had a variety of Pok¨¦mon though most of them did not look very threatening.


    They had a shitload of Zubat, Ratata and other pest like Pok¨¦mon that were not really a big threat.


    Having lived in this world for almost a week made me less scared of them, sure they were dangerous but I have Ralts and my trusty knif¡ª shit I need to get a new one as fast as I can. Until then stick with kicking and running away.


    However one of the Team Rocket Members had a Machamp with him and another one had a Ursaring which was concerning.


    Hylla closed the laptop and pulled out three shrunken Pok¨¦balls and threw them to the floor, enlarging them in the process.


    With a flash Charizard, Luxray and Rapidash appeared.


    They each let out their generic cry, Charizard''s sounding a bit anxious and Luxray sounded like it was ready to battle.


    Rapidash stayed completely silent, I could barely hear its breath. Weird shit I know.


    "You''re gonna fight them?" I asked.


    "Not exactly." Hylla said and turned to her Pok¨¦mon. "The hospital is under siege by Team Rocket members, go stall them but avoid direct combat. Charizard-" Charizard perked up, "-after exactly two minutes you create a Smokescreen big enough to cover the entire hill, Rapidash keep the Smokescreen going using Tail Whip and keep pressure, but don¡¯t stay still, keep moving."


    Rapidash stared blankly.


    "And you two," Hylla ignored the stare and turned to Luxray and Charizard. "Come back here as soon as the Smokescreen is up. GO!"


    It sounded like a weird plan to me but Hylla seemed to know what she was doing.


    Charizard and Luxray roared triumphantly and Rapidash neighed which actually surprised me.


    They turned around to leave, I briefly wondered how Charizard would leave the building considering its size but it stormed through a wall without much consideration.


    "This place is going to turn into a battlefield soon anyway," Hylla said without breaking a sweat. Chelsea and I were staring at the gaping hole in the wall. Hylla didn¡¯t even look at it.


    We heard the sound of an ongoing battle coming from outside. Roars, the sound of trees being toppled over and cries. The sounds were still a distance away but far too close for my liking.


    "So," I said, "If you plan to fight them just so you know, my Ralts is in a bad shape."


    "Ralts," Ralts agreed, lying comfortably in my arms.


    Hylla opened her magical drawer again and pulled out a weird purple bottle with a spray head mounted on top.


    Wow, that''s a potion.


    She tossed it at me and I managed to catch it without dropping Ralts. "Spray it on her and it should heal the wounds, it''s not a replacement for an actual Pok¨¦center but it''s a good temporary solution.


    "Ralts?"


    I followed her directions and began spraying, it apparently tickled because Ralts tried to suppress a chuckle.


    "So, we''re going to fight them?" Chelsea said, then yawned which was kinda misplaced.


    A loud crackle tore through the air and interrupted Hylla''s answer.


    Hylla waited till the sound of crackling electricity faded away and began to explain.


    "We''re not going to fight them," Hylla said matter of factly, "They are after you Dust,"


    Hylla turned to me.


    "So, what should I do?" I asked, truly having not a clear idea of what to do.


    "You and Chelsea are going to fly away while I fight the Team Rocket members and keep them occupied. In the meantime the two of you can make an escape." Hylla folded her arms confidently.


    "We''re going to fly!?" Chelsea asked.


    "You''re going to fight them alone?" I asked at the same time.


    "Ralts!?" Ralts imitated me.


    Another explosion shook the building and I almost fell to the floor. Chelsea hopped off the desk to have a better footing.


    "They are here for you to get revenge, you and Chelsea are the most vulnerable. If you two fly away on Charizard while I keep them busy I won''t have to worry about you two. Help should arrive in 14 minutes, the Smokescreen will hopefully feed them the illusion you are still here."


    It sounded like a solid plan to me, I love fleeing and if Hylla was confident she could hold out till help arrives, I was all in, still if we left on Charizard Hylla would be left with only two Pok¨¦mon.


    "I still have Luxray and Rapidash so I won''t be alone. Besides I don''t have to win, just to sit out the time and give off the illusion of a battle."


    Hylla was so calm it was almost freaky, the sounds of an ongoing battle kept coming closer and I heard people shouting outside.


    A continued barrage of attacks hit the building and I heard things on the top floor fall, though it looked like the building withstood most of it.


    "Chimchar is still upstairs!" Chelsea suddenly gasped.


    "Go get him." Hylla ordered and Chelsea stormed up the stairs.


    Ralts was now in a better state so I moved her to sit on my neck so I had my hands free.


    "So, 100% sure you can handle the situation?" I asked anxiously.


    Hylla smirked. "Don''t forget I''m a Pok¨¦mon trainer too. Don¡¯t worry about me, just make sure you and Chelsea make it safely to Twinleaf town''s police station, Charizard knows the way."


    "Wait, why not Sandgem town?" From my understanding Sandgem town was bigger than Twinleaf town so I would head to that place, assuming they had more people.


    "Twinleaf town is smaller but still has a decent sized police department but less chance of infiltration by Team Rocket."


    "Infiltration?"


    Another explosion shook the building.


    "The Team Rockets must have used a leak or something to track you down, Twinleaf town is too insignificant for Team Rocket and thus safer," Hylla said matter of factly.


    "Got it!" Chelsea cried out as she ran down the stairs, holding a Pok¨¦ball.


    "Okay, are you two ready to take flight?" Hylla smiled.


    "Small problem," I said, "I don''t know how to ride a Charizard."


    "Don''t worry, it''ll come naturally."


    A loud roar came from outside and I heard again the sound of lightning ripping through the air.


    "Oohhh...they brought a Rhyhorn along, how interesting." Hylla apparently recognized the sound.


    "So, where are we flying to?" Chelsea asked, sounding slightly afraid now the danger was getting closer.


    "Twinleaf town." I answered, as if I knew the way.


    "Okay, everyone ready to go?" Hylla asked, clapping her hands together.


    "Except for the part of not knowing how to fly, yes!" I replied with sarcasm.


    Just as I said that Charizard and Luxray entered the lobby, Charizard did not have a scratch but Luxray''s mane was ruffled and dirty from whatever fight he just had.


    Charizard huffed as it stopped in front of Hylla.


    Black, thick smoke flowed through the gaping hole in the wall and made it impossible to see through.


    I heard sounds of panic coming from outside, followed by cries of pain.


    Guess Rapidash was doing a good job.


    "is Smokescreen covering the entire place?" Hylla asked Charizard and the dragon nodded.


    "Okay, everyone move to the side," Hylla commanded and we followed, not wanting to get hurt by whatever she was cooking up.


    "Luxray, Charge Beam straight up through the middle of the roof."


    "WHAT!?"


    Luxray''s body began generating electricity, yellow-electric arcs sprung to life around its body and a net of electricity formed before it all was focused into one spot above Luxray''s head.


    "Cover your eyes,¡± Hylla calmly said and I did as I was told.


    I didn''t see what happened but I could see the flash straight through my closed eyelids.


    When I opened them again a hole big enough to fly through had appeared in the roof, going straight through the second floor and cutting a bed in the process.


    A pile of rubble had formed around the hole but most of it was apparently annihilated by the electric beam of energy.


    "Huh, that worked."


    "Raaaltts."


    "What the hell?"


    Hylla didn''t even blink. "Luxray, go outside and assist Rapidash, I''ll join you two soon."


    Luxray roared and ran away, back into the smoke.


    "Okay, Charizard," Hylla turned towards Charizard, "I need you to bring these two to Twinleaf town for safety, can you do that for me?"


    Charizard stared at the two of us.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I stared back at it, not sure what to say or to do.


    The dragon huffed but it lowered its back and folded its wings open, allowing us to climb on top of it.


    "Now," Hylla said, turning to us," Charizard is not used to the weight of two people so don''t expect too much okay?"


    "Yeah yeah yeah," Chelsea said impatiently, "now I wanna ride." She sounded upbeat but I could hear a frantic edge


    Hylla ignored it and pointed her finger at me, "Climb on Charizard''s back and place your feet around the neck."


    A series of explosions were coming from outside and I saw that the smoke was slowly but surely fading away.


    I quickly complied and mounted the dragon, which mind you, was scary as fuck.


    It kept shifting its weight making me wonder if it would attack me if I said the wrong thing.


    Still, I managed to sit on top of it and swung my legs over the joins where its wings were connected to the shoulder so I would not restrict its movement.


    It was not really comfortable, a combination of Charizard being kinda scary, the dragon''s body being kinda hot (probably due to its Fire typing) and Charizard itself being nervous as well, making me even more afraid.


    Ralts folder her legs around my neck and her arms around my head, effectively securing her own position.


    Chelsea followed and sat between the shoulder joints and wrapped her arms around my middle, which made me realize how stupid this way of flying was.


    If I fell Chelsea and Ralts would fall too, which didn''t put pressure on me at all.


    "This is awesome!" Chelsae cried out, making herself more comfortable.


    "No, it''s not."


    "Okay, hold on tight." Hylla grinned. "Well, see you all in Twinleaf town!"


    She turned around and before I could even protest or ask more questions, Charizard flapped its wings 2 times and shot straight up in the sky.


    It should''ve been impossible, taking off like that, but Pok¨¦mon ignored the laws of physics on a daily basis.


    Wind and gravity tried to peel me off Charizard''s back as we shot up and I almost fell because I didn''t anticipate the G-force of going straight up.


    I couldn''t even scream, Ralts was strangling my throat in an effort to not fall to her death and Chelsea was trying to crush my ribcage.


    I slightly turned my head and could see the hospital. It was a full moon, which besides being ominous was also really useful for seeing what was going on.


    The entire hospital and the hill it was built on was covered in smoke, making a stark contrast with the clear night sky.


    Through the black smoke I could see lightning rip across the landscape, zapping multiple opponents at the same time.


    A trail of bright flames flashed through the smoke without a clear pattern, striking tiny enemies who were too slow to even react to the burning horse.


    The hospital looked worse than when I had arrived, the back part of it had collapsed and it had a huge hole in the roof.


    Why do I have the feeling I''m partly to blame for this?


    Charizard roared and we broke through the clouds. I felt the air condense on me but it was thrown off by our ridiculous speed which was at least a small positive of this horrible experience.


    Okay, that was exaggerated. Flying on Charizard was awesome but it was scary and not at all relaxing, probably because of my two passengers.


    When we finally achieved the right height Charizard stopped flying vertically and switched to flying horizontally, which was way better.


    I let out a sigh of relief as Charizard slowed its speed and I could breathe again.


    "Welp," I yelled to no one in particular. "That was fun."


    "I know right!" Chelsea said, still trying to break my ribs.


    I wasn''t particularly scared of heights, sure they made me uncomfortable but that made me want to overcome that fear by going even higher. Still, this was the highest I''ve ever been in my life.


    I managed to make myself even more comfortable by slightly leaning over and placing my hands on Charizards¡¯ neck, which I couldn''t do before without risking falling down. But now we were slowly flying horizontally I allowed myself a bit more space


    Below us I only saw white clouds covering the earth, a small gap in the clouds revealed we were flying above a forest.


    It made me wonder how Charizard knew where to go, did it read the stars or something? The clouds blocked everything that could indicate where we were going.


    For about 2 minutes we flew relaxed and I was actually enjoying it, that was until Fate decided to fuck me over again.


    "Raaaaallltts" Ralts let out a panicked cry.


    "What?" I cried out, "How? We''re flying fucking high."


    "What -what?" Chelsea asked, confused.


    "Ralts senses someone following us." I explained and I tried to see where our enemy could be at the same time, but I saw nothing except clouds.


    Then the sound came and I immediately knew what was coming.


    Ultrasonic cries filled the air all of a sudden. It sounded like an ominous siren. I looked behind me.


    A swarm of Zubat broke through the clouds and it was immediately noticeable.


    Their screeches filled the air as they began to give chase and there were so many that I couldn''t even count them, how many did Team Rocket even have?


    I guessed about a hundred of them but I had no idea if that number was accurate or exaggerated by my own fear and imagination.


    They flew with no particular pattern, they were all clustered up into a single screeching mass of flapping wings that had a clear intention of chasing us.


    They began firing attacks at Charizard, purple rays and blades made of wind flew past us as they tried to take us down but Charizard dodged them as expertly as it could without moving too suddenly and risk throwing us off its back.


    "Zubat!" I cried out and Charizard began to fly faster but the speed was dramatically slower.


    Was it getting tired?


    The swarm was gaining on us.


    "Chelsea," I asked, "Why isn''t it doing anything about the Zubat"


    "It''s a she," Chelsea yelled, trying to be heard but the wind generated by Charizard''s increasing speed was making it hard to have a conversation. "And no, why don''t you ask her?"


    Charizard gave me an annoyed huf, then suddenly glided down as another barrage of attacks flew over our head.


    "How do you even tell the difference between a male and female Charizard?" I muttered annoyed.


    "The horns." Chelsea answered, apparently hearing it.


    "Rraaaalllttts!" Ralts yelled panicked, not contributing to conversation.


    I leaned forward to talk to Charizard. "Charizard," I asked. "Can''t you get rid of the swarm with Flamethrower?"


    She gave me a wary look and shook her head.


    "Why not?"


    I mean, isn''t Flamethrower super powerful? One good hit should be able to take down at least most of the swarm, leaving the survivors to be picked off one by one.


    The swarm was now around 40 meters (130 Feet) behind us and I could even see a few Golbat flying in the swarm, the attacks were now getting closer to hitting us.


    Charizard demonstrated the reason why she couldn''t get rid of the swarm, she turned around mid air and opened her mouth.


    A beam of flames tore through the night sky and it was beautiful...but also utterly useless.


    I immediately understood why Charizard couldn''t get rid of the swarm, the moment Charizard turned around the swarm scattered, apparently smart enough to know the danger of a dragon.


    Charizard turned back and began to fly away again, trying to gain speed but being at a disadvantage by Chelsea and me riding on her back.


    So it seems like Charizard couldn''t turn around fast enough to face the swarm before it scattered, or maybe she could but didn''t dare too because that might throw us off her back.


    Same for going faster, we were limiting its movement options by just sitting on her back.


    If only¡­


    Charizard slightly turned her head to give me a "told you" look and focused her attention on dodging attacks again.


    The swarm continued its attack like nothing happened and was now coming even closer.


    I leaned forward to talk to Charizard. "Charizard," I yelled. "I have a plan to deal with the Zubat."


    Charizard gave me a skeptical look.


    "Do you trust me?" I asked as I began to consider all the possibilities.


    The Charizard shook her head clearly saying no...okay, ouch.


    "Do something!" Chelsea yelled.


    "I''m trying." I gritted my teeth.


    "Look," I faced the dragon again. "I have a plan, I know you don''t trust me but we''re kinda in a bad spot."


    Charizard didn''t even pay me attention.


    Still, the swarm kept getting closer and the attacks were still raining down on us.


    The ride was also getting more uncomfortable as Charizard was forced to make weird maneuvers to dodge the attacks.


    I tried again. "You need to trust me this once," I yelled. "Hylla told you to bring us to safety and right now you are not going to make it."


    Charizard groaned and shot me an annoyed look.


    The best moment to have a deep conversation is of course while sitting on a dragon''s back and escaping a swarm of flying rodents. "If Hylla''s sister dies it''s going to be your fault, do you realize that?"


    Charizard shot me a glare, good at least I got some reaction out of her.


    "I think I know something but I need you to listen to me or it will fail. Nothing to lose, right?"


    Another windblade passed over our heads and almost hit us.


    Charizard''s gaze passed over me and Chelsea, she suddenly dove down and up and dodged another barrage of attacks.


    They were getting closer and closer and I was not sure if Charizard could keep dodging like that, I had no idea how she knew what direction to dodge towards but I didn''t trust her to keep doing that perfectly, especially not as the swarm drew closer and their accuracy improved.


    "Look if it fails you can eat me yourself now good?" I said, raising the stakes.


    I didn''t mention the fact that if my plan would fail we would be screwed anyway, it''s about the symbolism anyway.


    Charizard gave me one final look before nodding and gazing in front of her again to see where she was going.


    "Zard." she huffed.


    Bingo!


    "Okay, let the swarm gain on us, not noticeable but surely and focus all your efforts on dodging. When I yell "now" you turn around and use Flamethrower on the swarm!" I yelled as I measured the distance between us and the swarm. "Don''t worry about missing, this time it should work."


    "What are you doing?" Chelsea shouted.


    "Trying to get rid of our pursuers!" I yelled.


    I hooked my legs behind Charizard''s neck so I would have my hands free and pulled Ralts off my shoulders so I could talk to her.


    Ralts for her part looked terrified, her red eyes were wide with fear and she held my hand so tight it actually hurt.


    "You didn''t expect this when you joined me did you?" I tried to ease her, I forced myself to feel calm so she would pick up on it.


    Ralts gave me a shaky nod.


    "Don''t worry, it''s almost over-"


    Charizard suddenly swooped to the left and I almost fell, I had to strain every muscle in my leg to keep myself up.


    I smiled at Ralts. "Almost over, just need you to do one thing. Think you can do that?"


    "Raallts." Ralts tried to smile.


    The swarm was now making more progress as Charizard stopped trying to outrun (outfly?) them and instead focused on dodging.


    I counted the distance and the seconds.


    "Okay, Ralts I need you to fire a full force Confusion at the middle of the swarm when they are in range."


    "Ralts?"


    The problem with this was that Ralts'' Confusion was limited by line of sight and it was almost impossible for her to get a clear shot at the swarm without falling.


    "I will hold you okay?" I said and she nodded.


    I didn''t mention the fact that I was almost falling down myself.


    While my hands were shaking I slowly lifted her above my head. I tried to keep balance on the flying dragon with my legs, they began to feel numb but I could still use them as leverage to position myself.


    I put Ralts on my head and held her with my hands above my head in position, she was shaking in fear.


    She was now facing the swarm and could clearly see all the attacks they were firing, most of them were missing but some of them drew dangerously close.


    They were almost in range of Confusion.


    Three seconds later they were close enough, I quickly went over the speed of the Confusion and the speed of the swarm and decided this was the best shot we would get.


    "Okay, Ralts fire the Confusion full force in the middle of the swarm!!!" I yelled.


    ¡°RAALTTS!¡± .


    The Confusion appeared in the middle of the air. Big ethereal purple rays. They sped towards the swarm, growing in size as it traveled further.


    At least 60% of the swarm flew right into and were thrown back a little.


    I pulled her back into my arms and yelled. "Now Charizard!"


    She spun around and faced the swarm, the spin almost made me fall (again) but this time Chelsea pushed her own weight against me to help me keep balance.


    The swarm did not scatter this time, they couldn''t.


    I resisted the urge to smile, just the satisfaction of a scheme going as I planned made me want to laugh.


    The swarm of Zubat and Golbat went nuts, they began to fly into each other and attacked their comrades in the chaos.


    Some of them even fired attacks at their teammates which made for even more chaos.


    The problem with the swarm was that they were cautious of Charizard, everytime she would turn to face them they would scatter and they became a very hard target. However they did not consider Ralts to be a threat, she was a lot smaller and didn''t look half as dangerous.


    But she was a threat, Ralts'' Confusion was not merely just a damaging attack but also gave the Confused status effect, though the effect was inconsistent.


    That didn''t matter when she had a few dozen targets she hit at once, for every 9 Zubat who just got damaged at least one of them would get Confused.


    And the Confused ones dragged down the others with them, a swarm relied on their coordination, especially with blind Pok¨¦mon.


    The Confused Zubat stopped flying (making their teammates crash into them) or began to attack at randomly (causing more trouble), I had no idea how many of them were affected but it was enough to disrupt the entire swarm.


    Charizard opened her mouth as the swarm descended into chaos and a beam of fire cut through the swarm.


    Some of the bat-like Pok¨¦mon tried to escape but they were heavily hindered by the others who were not paying any attention to the dragon.


    They screamed as the flame roasted them.


    It was oddly satisfying, seeing Charizard take them out with such ease, the swarm began to thin out as Zubat fell from the sky.


    Within a few seconds at least 95% of the swarm was taken out, only a few Zubat and Golbat remained, none of them were confused.


    Charizard prepared a second Flamethrower but they fled, no longer having their numbers to their advantage.


    We waited for a long minute for them to come back but it seemed like we scared them all off.


    Charizard gave a satisfied huf and our eyes met, I saw respect and pride in her eyes. Then she returned to flying towards our destination.


    "That was awesome." Chelsea said after a long silence.


    "Ralts."


    "Zard."


    I stayed silent, not really having something to add to it.


    I was still wary, the last hour was a rollercoaster for me and I still expected something worse to happen.


    Only when a small town appeared underneath us and Charizard descended did I felt a little bit safer.


    Charizard circled around a building that looked to be the police station before slowly diving down and landing on the pavement.


    Chelsea hopped off first, followed by Ralts.


    I jumped off last and the doors of the police station opened, a few guys in uniform stepped outside and greeted us.


    I glanced at Charizard and wondered if she would fly back but she stayed near our side while Chelsea explained the situation.


    I turned to face the orange dragon.


    "Thanks." I said awkwardly. "For trusting me."


    Charizard nodded and lowered her head, my mind froze before I realized that she wanted me to pet her.


    I did and she let out a satisfied roar.


    Now I only had to hope Hylla was doing okay.

 13. Enemys enemy

    I slept that night like Jigglypuff had passed by and sang her song.


    In other words, it was a good night¡¯s rest.


    After we arrived, Chelsea and I waited inside the police station until one of the officers had gotten a call from Hylla.


    I was biting my nails in the meantime, but when the news broke my heart finally eased up.


    Turns out, Hylla''s plan went like she expected and neither she nor her Pok¨¦mon had been wounded. She was staying in Sandgem town where she was wrapping up things with the international police who had come to investigate and interrogate the captured members.


    They had managed to capture at least 5 of the attackers, apparently there were more of them than the security cameras showed because two Team Rocket members died during the assault, which made me reconsider my place in the universe.


    Apparently people do die, it was not like I expected people to live forever but still, most summoned heroes never had to deal with actual death, which kinda sucks for me.


    The hospital was destroyed during the battle, or so the reports said. Multiple explosions and fire-based attacks had torn the building apart, the final blow to the building was being dealt by a Rhyhorn who crashed through a wall and made the building collapse on itself, which didn''t surprise me considering Luxray had made a hole in the building prior to the battle.


    Hylla told us to stay at the police station for the night while she would talk stuff over with the police, she promised to pick us up next morning and hung up.


    The police offered us a few blankets and empty cells (all cells were empty, Twinleaf town has a very low crime rate) but Charizard proved to be a problem as she couldn''t be left alone without her becoming agitated.


    We didn''t have her Pok¨¦ball with us so I sacrificed myself to babysit the dragon, which turned out to be the best choice since coming to this world.


    We managed to move Charizard to one of the empty storage rooms, Ralts and I made ourselves comfortable.


    The room was small and had some paperwork stored on metal shelves that were collecting dust, a small window that was enforced with metal wiring and a lightbulb hanging from a thread.


    Charizard curled around us and at that moment, I no longer needed petty things like blankets and pillows, warm dragon skin was surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.


    Maybe it was just me having a bad day but the moment I closed my eyes I crashed.


    <hr>


    "You must do it," a voice said.


    I had no idea what I had to do, what was going on? I had fallen asleep and now I was standing in a black void that stretched as far as I could see, I wasn''t standing on something solid yet I was not falling.


    It suddenly struck me, I was in a dream sequence.


    The real question was if I would remember this or forget it once I wake up...wait, why does it feel like this has happened before?


    I frowned and a dream that was like a distant memory began to form, it was vague and nothing more than just a feeling of D¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Shit, if I forget this again I would lose all the information I gained in the dream sequences. Maybe a Pok¨¦mon with Dream Eater would be able to help?


    "Your dream must come true," the mysterious voice spoke again and it sounded vaguely familiar. Had I heard it before, I couldn''t recall it, maybe in a previous dream?


    "Because if you can not," the voice said with a tone of finality, "we all pay the price."


    And a blinding pain overtook me.


    <hr>


    I woke up screaming, my hand flared with pain and my eyes shot open.


    Just as quickly as the pain had come it faded away, I took a look around, still feeling a bit dazed.


    After 2 seconds of sheer confusion, everything that happened the night before came back. I took a look around.


    Charizard shifted underneath me, her entire body had curled around me and somehow during the night Ralts had fallen from her back. The tail had wrapped around my arm, like a snake.


    I immediately understood what happened, Charizard gave me a guilty look but I gave her a smile.


    "Don''t worry, it was my fault."


    Apparently I grasped Charizard''s tail in my sleep, which if you don''t know, is on fire permanently.


    "Ralts." Ralts greeted her as she got up, I translated it to good morning.


    "Goodmorning," I greeted her back and pulled her in for a hug because why not?


    Something bothered me though, it felt like I was missing something important, something I was supposed to remember.


    I went over everything but couldn''t recall anything, weird.


    Still, it bugged me.


    I took out my Pok¨¦dex and checked the time.


    10:30, wow I slept long, not too weird considering the shit I went through.


    I considered going out of the storage room to check up on the situation but...snuggling against Charizard was too relaxing.


    I decided to keep relaxing and tried to organize my thoughts. I''m a lazy person after all.


    After 20 minutes the door of the storage room opened and two purple haired girls walked in, not even bothering to knock.


    "Well, don''t you three have it cozy together?" Hylla smirked.


    Charizard greeted her trainer and got up, I got to my feet too as Charizard walked over to Hylla. She petted her dragon. "Thank you for keeping them safe.¡±


    A Pok¨¦ball appeared in her hand and Charizard gave me a roar as goodbye and then disappeared in a red flash.


    "Well, it seems you slept well," Chelsea said grudgingly. "Sleeping in a cell was not nearly as cool as I thought it would be."


    Why would sleeping in a cell be cool anyway?


    "So how were things going in Sandgem town?" I asked Hylla, cutting to the case.


    "Well about that," Hylla grinned mercilessly. "You have a visitor."


    I sighed. "It''s Looker isn''t it?"


    They both nodded.


    Great.


    "I kinda need to bring Ralts to a Pok¨¦center." I offered meekly my excuse.


    "Ralts," Ralts agreed.


    "If you want, Chelsea can bring her to the Pok¨¦center. You know where it is right?" Hylla offered.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "No problem," Chelsea said. "I can totally do that without trouble."


    Twinleaf town has a Pok¨¦center, that''s new. I guess it makes sense but still, another deviation from what I knew.


    I was about to say no but reconsidered it, if I really had to talk to Looker I kind of didn''t want Ralts around. She didn''t mean it but she would be distracting me.


    "If that''s okay with you?" I asked Ralts.


    She frowned and gave me a questioning look, I think she was quickly checking my emotions before answering.


    She finally nodded and walked over to Chelsea, she turned around when she reached her and gave me a stern look and told me with a lot of conviction, "Ralts.!"


    I blinked. "How much trouble can I get while having a conversation?"


    "A lot," Hylla answered helpfully.


    I sighed. "Let''s get this over with." I turned to Ralts. "And you behave."


    Ralts rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at me.


    I followed Hylla through the police station, she seemed familiar with the layout of the building because she didn''t even stop once to look for directions.


    We passed by a few cops who beside giving a quick "good morning" didn''t bother us, after a few turns we stopped in front of a closed door.


    Hylla opened it and led me inside.


    "Here''s Patient Mischief." Hylla announced my presence to the agent sitting in one of the metal chairs.


    The room was your typical interrogation room, boring gray clad walls with one of the walls having a mirror that was totally not see-through from the other side. There was a metal table and metal chairs placed on both sides.


    Agent Looker was still eating a sandwich and held a mug of coffee in his hand.


    He still wore the same Sherlock coat he wore last time and hadn''t really changed much from last time I had seen him except for the tired red eyes that showed a lack of sleep.


    "Sup?" I greeted him, "Also, Patient Mischief?"


    Hylla shrugged. "It has a nice ring to it."


    Looker gave me a look that told me he had no idea what I just said, guess sleep deprivation was hitting him hard.


    "What''s up?" I explained.


    Looker gave me a long look before nodding and saying; "Good to see you again Dust, though the circumstances are less than pleasant."


    I wanted to say that it wasn''t that bad, then I realized that the hospital was burned to the ground and 2 people had died.


    "Yes." I answered neutrally, Looker offered me a chair and I sat down.


    "Okay, you two go have your talk, want something for breakfast Dust?" Hylla asked.


    "Something light on the stomach," I answered, "also, bring me some tea please."


    Hylla nodded and left, leaving us to our own business. She closed the door behind her for privacy.


    "I told you to stay hidden and wait until the situation blows over," Looker said accusingly. He kept his voice low and leaned forward, as if he was sharing a secret.


    "They found me." I shot back, "I mostly ran away and tried to avoid contact."


    Looker gave me a skeptical look and pulled something out of his pocket and put it on the table.


    A knife, my pocket knife.


    "We found your knife," he empathized with the ¡®your¡¯ part. "In a Team Rocket grunt''s back."


    "He cornered me in that alley!" I protested.


    He gave me another long look before sighing and taking another sip of his coffee.


    "Okay, I believe you." He finally concluded, his posture relaxed a little. He leaned back. "I thought maybe you were out to seek revenge but it seems like you were just being stupid."


    "Wait, how was I stupid?"


    "When a guy in town gets attacked by someone associated with Team Rocket, you don''t go out in town like an idiot."


    "Wait, when was someon-'''' I suddenly realized he was talking about the guy Chelsea and I had found in the alley. "Nevermind, wait he was attacked by Team Rocket?"


    "Yes." Looker said. "You didn''t know that?"


    "I was told not to worry about it," I replied. "Why was he attacked anyway?"


    Looker shrugged, uncaring. "Nothing special, apparently Team Rocket was looking for you and this guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time."


    And Hylla told me not to worry about it, what the fuck?


    "Huh," I tried to process what just happened. "Well, I guess that''s a mystery solved. So am I being charged for the fight in the alley?"


    Looker shook his head, "No, I just wanted to know if the Team Rocket assassin said something, maybe he gave some clues. You are of course the victim in this."


    I let out a sigh of relief, at least there was no trouble with the authorities. "So the guy I fought is still alive?"


    "He''ll live," Looker replied and took a bite from his sandwich. "Though he won''t win a beauty contest anytime soon."


    "Because he is in prison?" I tried to follow his train of thought.


    Looker gave me a weird look that was a combination of disturbed and humorous.


    "Because his face is scratched open and he is missing his left eye."


    Go Umbreon, glad I wasn''t the one she unleashed her powers on.


    "You know something about that?" Looker asked curiously.


    "Nope," I lied.


    "Well, the culprits are still miss-"


    His phone rang and he stopped talking. He fished his Rotom Phone thingy out of his pocket and made a few swipes before putting it to his ear.


    I waited patiently.


    "This is Agent Looker from the International Police, Whom am I speaking with?"


    I didn''t hear what the person on the other side of the conversation said, though Looker recognized the name apparently.


    "What''s wrong?" Looker asked, he was frowning and he sounded worried.


    "WHAT!" Looker suddenly yelled, almost making me jump. "Who the fuck was in charge of securing the convicts?"


    I never heard him curse before so it was kinda impressive to see him do it, though I was more worried about what was going on.


    "I''m coming over as soon as I''m finished. I''m now talking to the kid of the attack, turn up the security to level red until I arrive."


    He didn''t wait for a reply, he hung up and put his phone away.


    He took the mug from the table and slammed it over like it was alcohol or something. In a few big gulps it was all gone.


    He blinked after that and sat down on the chair again.


    "What was that about?" I asked curiously.


    "That''s classified information," Looker answered automatically, he grimaced. "Though," he went on, "you do deserve to know."


    "Know what?" I asked, a bit annoyed.


    He gave me a serious look. "Why do you think Team Rocket attacked the hospital?"


    "Revenge because I sabotaged them?" I guessed.


    Looker considered it. "Yes but that''s not the entire reason. Sure Team Rocket is a prideful organization but they wouldn''t throw around resources like that for petty revenge. They had a second goal."


    "Which is?" I urged him to go on.


    "They got orders from the homefront to make a big show of it. To show Sinnoh their might. They don''t hold the same reputation here as they do in Johto and Kanto so they went all out, trying to strike fear."


    ¡°Huh, so just regular terrorism?" I asked. "To get a better reputation?"


    He nodded, then let out a pained chuckle. "It''s a bit crazy, you know. You show up and reveal the presence of Team Rocket in Sinnoh and around a week later your presence allows us to take down their entire operation here and figure out their motives and goals."


    "Their goals?" I asked.


    Looker nodded. "We got our hands on their stuff, interrogated some of them and broke into their personal pcs. We discovered why Team Rocket was trying to build an operation here."


    "And that is?" I was getting a bit tired of all the dramatics.


    "To investigate something code named Galactic." Looker replied matter of factly.


    Hold your horses, Team Galactic? The main bad guy of the Diamond, Pearl and Platinum games? The people who want to commit mass genocide to create a new world?


    They exist!? Does this mean I''m in the game universe? No, they also exist in the anime.


    I needed more information.


    "Galactic?" I asked innocently. "What''s that supposed to be?"


    Looker shrugged. "We don''t know, we just heard about it too, we suspect it''s a rival gang or something." He narrowed his eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know anything about Galactic, right?¡±


    "Nope, don¡¯t the Team Rocket guys know anything?" I asked.


    He nodded. "One does, the leader of the operation, he is the only one who knows stuff. The others are in the dark about it."


    I nodded understandably. It''s not uncommon for organizations to work like that, keep their lower ranked members in the dark in case they are captured.


    "Well, interrogate the guy in the know," I said. "If he knows more than the rest he is your man."


    Looker gave me a pained look. "He is willing to talk, in exchange for amnesty."


    I blinked. "He is? He wants to go free in exchange for information?"


    The International Police agent gave me a nod. "Yes, we''ve been negotiating all night."


    My eyes widened, if he were to go free I might be in even more trouble.


    "You can''t do that right!?" I asked.


    Looker frowned. "It''s not my choice either but that doesn''t matter anymore."


    "They decided?"


    He shook his head, "The phone call I just got made it clear that the guy won''t talk."


    "Did the negotiations fail?" I asked.


    He gave me a tired sigh. It was one of many, but this one sounded deeper, more desperate.


    "No, but the Team Rocket member who knows about Galactic? He was found dead in his cell this morning."

 14. Bait

    When Looker left he didn¡¯t realize how much information he had given me.


    Beside the fact that Team Galactic exists in this universe he had also told me, unknowingly, that they were competent.


    Team Galactic had the means necessary to assassinate a Team Rocket member while in custody, not only that but they also had access to the police database in some form because they knew which of the Team Rockets could spill the beans, otherwise they would have killed them all.


    They were competent which was scarier than I liked to admit.


    I rather dealt with idiots like Team Yell or Team Skull but it seems that I¡¯m playing the game in hardcore mode.


    However Looker had also given me the final piece of the puzzle about my stay in Sunbright Hospital, he probably wasn¡¯t even aware of it.


    Looker had given me his phone number before he left, I wordlessly took the knife back as he left.


    He either didn¡¯t care or was too sleep deprived to see it, must suck to work for an organization like the International Police.


    He stormed off and I found Hylla waiting on the other side of the door, holding a cardboard cup of tea and a sandwich, the same kind Looker had been eating.


    I took them and sat down in the metal chair.


    ¡°You want to eat here?¡± Hylla asked. ¡°Because there are better places to eat.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± I asked kindly and I pointed at the chair opposite of me.


    ¡°Suuuure¡­¡± Hylla drew out the reply, clearly not understanding where this was going.


    She closed the door behind her and sat down.


    ¡°So,¡± she fixed her eyes on me and smirked. ¡°If you are about to confess your undying-¡±


    I cut her off, ¡°I want to know why.¡±


    I love dramatics, or as long as I¡¯m the one being dramatic.


    Hylla blinked and tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The truth.¡± I answered without a smile. ¡°The truth about my stay in Sunbright town.¡±


    She frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t think I follow, if this is about the mon-¡±


    I cut her off again, gotta love those dramatic cut offs.


    ¡°I want to know why you used me,¡± I said. ¡°used me as bait for Team Rocket.¡±


    Her entire posture changed, not physically but it was like she suddenly dropped a mask she had been wearing for days.


    She slightly leaned forward and gave me a smile. ¡°So you figured it out? Even faster than I expected.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    She seemed to be more amused than shocked, if anything she was smiling like she was pleased.


    ¡°So you admit it?¡± I asked cautiously, not sure why she was smiling.


    She shrugged. ¡°If you could explain how you came to your conclusion it would help us both. Otherwise we might be talking about different things.¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter how I came to the conclusion?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Hylla said sternly. ¡°You¡¯ll understand it later, hopefully.¡±


    She was still being annoying as hell.


    I glared at her. ¡°Fine, my stay at the hospital, from the beginning to the end it was all part of your scheme to lure out Team Rocket and take them down, you used me as bait.¡±


    Hylla rolled her eyes, unimpressed. ¡°Yes I did, but how did you figure it out?¡±


    She didn¡¯t even look guilty, just relaxed.


    What was she playing at?


    I nonetheless revealed my train of thought. ¡°You requested I would stay at your hospital before you even met me, it''s very unusual for someone to stay at the hospital in Sunbright for more than a day. Yet you went out of your way to have treatment in your hospital. Even though you knew I had run into trouble with Team Rocket you didn¡¯t hesitate on the chance to help me.¡±


    Hylla nodded. ¡°So you talked to the locals I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did,¡± I said. ¡°You sent me into town the same day I woke up, first I thought you wanted to make me feel better or something but that was not the reason.¡±


    Hylla shrugged. ¡°You do stand out, you know? Your blue hair and pale skin are really noticeable. There are only a few hospitals you could¡¯ve gone to and it''s a given that Team Rocket would keep their eye out for you.¡±


    I gritted my teeth, why did I have blue hair and freakin¡¯ vampire skin? Whoever summoned me must be color blind.


    ¡°The second day too, I didn¡¯t have any plans to go to town but you told Chelsea I did anyway, to guilt me into going.¡±


    ¡°Not guilt per se,¡± Hylla said. ¡°Just tried to push you in the right direction.¡±


    My breakfast remained untouched.


    The moment I confronted Hylla I had forgotten about it, I took a bite, deciding not to let Hylla get the better of me. Somehow it tasted awful.


    ¡°The guy Chelsea and I found in the alley. You refused to let him stay at the hospital despite the danger he was in, instead you moved him away,¡± I said accusingly.


    ¡°He was a risk in the long run and it was too risky to keep him around.¡± Hylla replied nonchalantly. ¡°So, I brought him to a safer place.¡±


    ¡°He could¡¯ve died during the trip.¡± I didn¡¯t really care much about that random guy but still, it pissed me off that she treated it like it was nothing more than a nuisance.


    ¡°But he did not die.¡± Hylla said, ¡°But I assume that part gave it away? The fact that I didn¡¯t tell you that Team Rocket attacked him in a search for you?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer which made her smile even more infuriating.


    ¡°Come on, tell me.¡± Hylla challenged.


    ¡°The attack at the hospital, you had a plan to deal with the attack the moment I stormed into the lobby. You were literally waiting for it.¡±


    Every odd detail and moment started to make sense. Her unusual interest in me, the Pidgey cam, the lack of other patients. It finally made sense.


    Hylla nodded. ¡°The real question is, why did I do it?¡±


    She was not even denying it, just twisting and making it some kind of mindgame.


    I stared at her incredulously. ¡°What? Why does that matter? I figured out your little scheme.¡±


    ¡°But not my motive.¡± She smiled.


    I blinked, it was the biggest problem for my theory. The lack of motive.


    ¡°You either work for Team Galactic or the Sinnoh league.¡± I finally blurted out.


    ¡°That¡¯s still not a motive.¡± Hylla said with a disappointed tone. ¡°You think I would put so much on the line just to stop a bunch of criminals?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I tried.


    Hylla grinned. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about stopping Team Rocket. No you played a different role, you were never just bait for Team Rocket.¡±


    She leaned backwards. ¡°No, I simply needed an excuse to burn down the hospital.¡±

 15. Pretender

    "My job doesn¡¯t really have an official description, but basically I consult the League when they deal with a problem they can''t fix." Hylla explained.


    "They call me and I do what I''m good at, make plans and schemes; Are Pok¨¦mon hunters in the Safari Zone? I will devise a plan to get rid of them within a week. A gang shipping illegal goods across Region borders? They give me a map with the details and I can narrow down their location by 80%. They give me a problem and I figure out an answer."


    We had moved outside, once it became clear that Hylla was about to dump her entire past on me I decided a change of scenery was necessary.


    Outside was nice, Twinleaf town was not really big and was much like the anime portrayed it to be.


    A peaceful, quiet and insignificant place.


    We were sitting outside on a picnic table and I enjoyed the sunny weather. I felt a bit better already with the change of scenery. It had broken Hylla''s momentum of the conversation.


    Going outside hard reset the conversation like I expected and now I could think a bit more straight.


    Talking with Hylla was like playing mental chess and just like with every other game you couldn''t let the opponent decide the pace of the game.


    "So that''s why the League keeps the hospital open? You''re their think tank or something?"


    "Yes." Hylla answered without shame or pride. She pulled her eyes away from me and gazed into the distance. "When our parents passed away I moved back in and made it my base of operations. They paid and considering I only need a computer and a phone for my work it was a good deal, I could laze around all day and only had to solve a few problems every month."


    Damn, that sounds like a nice job to have.


    "Then why burn it down?" I asked, sincerely confused. "It sounds like you have everything you want."


    "Burning it down was the solution to another problem.¡±


    ¡°And that problem was?¡±


    ¡°The hospital kept Chelsea from doing anything with her life." I wanted to ask what she meant but I saw her look at me expectantly. She was pushing me to find the answer myself.


    Everything that Chelsea had said and all the things that happened since I arrived started to make a greater picture together.


    "She dislikes Sunbright town." I tried to formulate a hypothesis as I was recounting the facts, "And the hospital has no real value except emotional value to her because no one comes there anyway."


    Hylla nodded approvingly, "I''m not sure why she is so attached to the hospital, maybe a misguided feeling of guilt or as a last respect to our parents. Whatever it is, it''s stopping her from doing something else."


    More pieces of the puzzle fell into place, The Chimchar, the battle against Melon and Thomas and finally my arrival at the hospital.


    "You''re pushing her to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer." I said, "You gave her a starter Pok¨¦mon but she never did anything with it."


    "Yes, being a Pok¨¦mon trainer is currently the most popular career. It lets you travel the world and the current economic system heavily favors Pok¨¦mon trainers."


    That was new information, I had no idea how this world economic system works but it made sense I guess.


    "Isn''t she too young though?" I asked, "Looker told me 16 is the starting age."


    "16 is the most commonly chosen, however, as a 10 year old it is already possible to become a registered Pok¨¦mon trainer if a respected professional can vouch for you. Chelsea is 12, almost 13 and I can definitely vouch for her and my word should be enough."


    10, What!?


    So is it possible to send a 10 year old into the world with nothing more than a monster with the powers to bend the laws of physics, just uncommon?


    Does that mean that Ash still left Pallet town at the age of 10? Having Professor Oak back you up would probably be convincing enough.


    If not Ash then Red could''ve left at the age of 10.


    "So you burned down the hospital to get your sister moving?"


    Sounds kinda over the top to me, man this world is insane.


    "To make her do something with her life," Hylla corrected me, "To show there''s more than the hospital of our parents."


    "And of course the only thing you can do is burn it down and let a terrorist group attack it," I muttered dryly.


    "No," Hylla said. "If it was just about getting rid of the hospital I would arrange a gas leak or a wild Pok¨¦mon attack. No, doing it like that would be counterproductive. No, I needed something better."


    Me, someone like me.


    A potential friend for Chelsea, a distraction from the loss of her house and someone she could look up to.


    I don''t really consider myself a good role model but I guess the bar wasn''t that high with Chelsea, I think Hylla realized that.


    Yesterday when Hylla called and told us about the state of the hospital, Chelsea wasn''t nearly as devastated as one should be when your home is destroyed which suggests that Hylla''s plan worked but it sounded like she started everything before she even met me, or knew my personality.


    "How''d you know I was going to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer like you wanted Chelsea to be? In fact, what if I was a huge jerk? Seems like a huge gamble."


    Hylla closed her eyes, as if recalling something. "I think I got a very good read on you when I heard a boy around the age of 15-17 had taken down two Team Rocket members with nothing more than an uncaptured Ralts and a stone. That alone told me you were smart, smart enough to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer, Second the fact that you managed to partner up with a wild Ralts proves you''re at least a decent person. Being an emotion reading Pok¨¦mon after all."


    Oh you don''t know how easy it is to trick Ralts'' emotion sense powers, still she was right that such a report could give you a lot of information if you knew what to look for.


    "So all of this, the entire Team Rocket situation and my stay was all just a huge gamble to help your sister forward?" I deadpanned.


    "I didn''t just help Chelsea you know," Hylla said with a smirk. "I find solutions to problems, and this solution solved multiple problems. For all the ''manipulating'' I did, everyone got better out of it."


    She empathized the "manipulation" part with air quotes.


    "I pathed out a better future for Chelsea and I received a lot of insurance money," Hylla finished. ¡°Sinnoh made a strong stand against Team Rocket and we learned more about their operations.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I blinked, I hadn''t even considered insurance money. How many layers did this go?


    "Where¡¯s the part I benefit from your insane ass plan?" I frowned.


    "Besides getting treatment?" Hylla raised her thumb. "I got rid of Team Rocket for you, who, mind you, were bound to bother you at some point, even without my interference."


    A second finger joined her thumb.


    As a third finger joined as she said, "I got you a reputation with the League, the police and Team Rocket as a trainer who faced off against Team Rocket multiple times and won."


    A fourth finger went up, and she gave me a smirk. "And the most important part. Bounty. For Team Rocket."


    I blinked again, Hylla had that effect on me. "What?"


    She made a quasi confused face. "You took down a Team Rocket cell, that''s at least worth 7000 Pok¨¦dollars don''t you think?"


    "Are you bribing me?"


    "Danger money." She said it with a knowing smirk. "Money that you could use when you travel the world and try to be the best Pok¨¦mon trainer."


    She was definitely bribing me, the message was clear; let''s leave this behind us.


    She twirled a purple hair lock around her finger as innocently watched a flock of Starly passed by. ¡°It is a lot of money, especially for someone who came to Sinnoh with nothing.¡±


    The point was, no matter how much of a manipulating sociopath Hylla had been, she was annoying and reasonable at the same time, which I quite hate.


    Nothing worse than a reasonable maniac.


    Still, I had to deal with Team Rocket anyway and money is always nice.


    I didn''t really know what to think of Chelsea but she wasn''t that bad and being stuck in a place like Sunbright town was kinda sucky.


    On the other hand, apparently I had a reputation with the League now which was mildly infuriating. It promised more trouble in the future knowing that I was the playball of fate. I was bound to be in the center of it.


    I rubbed my temple, was it really too much to ask to let me become an overpowered Pok¨¦mon trainer and have a nice life without too much trouble?


    With the conspiracies and dangers going on at this stage of my journey in this world it didn''t promise anything good for the endgame.


    I hated how I had been used. But despite that I couldn¡¯t help but to agree it worked.


    "You know what?" I answered suddenly. "Fuck this shit, yeah you did me a service in a weird twisted way. But I want double."


    Hylla raised an eyebrow.


    "You know how many times I almost died? You might have thought I would be safe, but if it wasn¡¯t for my own skill, Ralts and just sheer luck, your plan wouldn¡¯t have worked at all and instead you be left with pieces.¡± I folded my arms. ¡°So, double and we¡¯ll leave it at that.¡±


    "Alright." Hylla perked up. ''Now thank you for the assistance, Mister Mysterious, the money has already been transferred to your account."


    "Still going with that silly name? You kno-" I paused.


    Wait, the money has already been transferred, when had she done that?


    Before the conversation even started? Did she plan all of this?


    I gave her a blank stare.


    Hylla gave me a big grin.


    This woman gives me a headache.


    <hr>


    Ralts and Chelsea came back around 1 PM and honestly I didn''t see anything different about Ralts but I wasn''t a doctor so I wouldn''t have known it anyway.


    Still Ralts greeted me with a hug like I was gone for years instead of 2 hours.


    Hylla and I had discussed what I should do from here and she had fired me from the hospital, with it being burned down and my role being played. She revealed that I could basically clean up my own wound as long as I wasn''t stupid and it was almost healed anyway.


    Hylla took Chelsea on a walk and I took Ralts along for a shopping spree to buy stuff, mostly food and other stuff I lacked.


    I also bought some stuff I didn''t really need but might be useful one day, they won''t be useful one day but it''s the thought that counts, especially with some money to burn.


    Annoyingly there was not a Pok¨¦Mart or library which again proved we can''t have nice things in life.


    Still, Ralts enjoyed our time out.


    I tried to find any signs of Dawn, Barry and Lucas but I couldn''t find any of them without being overly creepy and breaking into people''s houses and asking for them like a stalker.


    I did ask directions for Sandgem town and Lake Verity since even the GPS function on my Pok¨¦dex was locked.


    I met up with Hylla and Chelsea when the sun was touching the horizon again. We were standing in a park that was in the middle of Twinleaf town.


    The entire town bathed in orange light, there was a slide in the park that was slightly rusted and a few wooden benches at the edge of the park.


    "You never guess what I decided." Chelsea began. I faked a curious look.


    "I dunno."


    I noticed a Pansage swinging around in a tree and it was more interesting than the surprise reveal Chelsea had in store.


    "Being temporarily homeless I came to a realization," Chelsea went on.


    That you want to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer?


    "That you need a challenge." She pointed at me.


    "Wait, what?"


    "I''m going to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer," Chelsea said with an evil grin. "And I am going to be your rival."


    "RaRalts?"


    "Yeah what?"


    "I''m going to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer too," she said like it was obvious ."If you are going to do the gym challenge then I''m going to do that too." Chelsea said.


    What the hell is going on in the Universe? Why do I get a rival?


    Was she Barry''s replacement or something?


    "You know, a rival is perfect for beginning trainers, they both push each other to go further." Hylla offered thoughtfully.


    I knew what she really meant, but still, Chelsea? Isn''t my rival supposed to have an opposing philosophy and color set?


    Also, she is way too young to actually rival me, well I never really bothered with them anyway, guess I will just battle her from time to time and use it to satisfy my own ego.


    "Sure," I said thoughtfully. "If you want we could battle right here and now."


    Free exp is always nice and a rival would be an amazing exp generator.


    "Ralts." Ralts stepped forward and clenched her fist, shooting a ,what should be, menacing glare at Chelsea.


    Chelsea returned it with a grin, took out her Pok¨¦ball and released Chimchar.


    "Char!" The monkey cried out as it appeared, then he became the focus of Ralts'' glare and he gulped.


    I took a few steps back and Chelsea did the same thing.


    "You can go first," I offered Chelsea, not out of kindness but Ralts was right now better at reacting than playing aggressively.


    "Chimchar, charge forward and use Ember!"


    Chimchar sped forward on four legs and opened his mouth, a small flame was visible inside it.


    A burst of flames shot towards Ralts.


    Do flames count as physical constructs? Probably not. That means it probably can''t be deflected by Disarming Voice.


    "Ralts, Disarming Voice down again," I said, "The same thing as you did against Raticate."


    Disarming Voice was weak against Fire type but it still did damage and served as a good movement tool.


    Ralts nodded and did as she was told, she aimed a Disarming Voice at her feet and was promptly launched up by the waves bouncing back. She also dodged the fire attack.


    However things were not going as they should be in the air, Ralts twirled helplessly, this time there was no epic shining fist.


    Guess that means that last time was a spur of the moment thing.


    It made sense that she couldn''t do it perfectly after one try but it was still kinda annoying.


    "Chimchar!" Chelsea called out, "Do scratch when she lands!"


    Oh no you don''t!


    "Ralts, break your fall with Disarming voice Now!"


    Chimchar ran towards the spot Ralts would land, his claws out and ready to punish her the moment she came down.


    Ralts managed to turn around in the air and let out a high pitched scream while falling.


    Soundwaves crashed down on Chimchar and bounced back to soften her landing, they didn''t seem to do as much damage to Chimchar as I would¡¯ve liked because of his typing, but it still did damage and it kept him stunned for a short amount of time.


    Chimchar let out a cry while Ralts landed next to him, unharmed while Chimchar was still stunned by the attack.


    "Ralts, stacked Confusion!" I said and the battle was over at that moment.


    Being a pretty weak starter Chimchar was immediately knocked out by 5 Confusion attacks placed into each other, the fact that Ralts landed close enough negated the entire slow part of firing a low power ray.


    Ralts grinned, and so did I.


    And with that I had finished the tutorial, I had my starter Pok¨¦mon, gained a Pok¨¦dex, a backpack and an invitation to Professor Rowan''s lab. Completed the rival battle and lots of money to spend and now all that was done I could finally start my own journey.


    Fate was smiling upon me.


    Though I was not sure if it was a genuine smile or a sadistic smile of what was to come.

 Traveler

    ARC 2:


    Journey


    <hr>


    Ralts was sitting on a small boulder, sweating nervously.


    I was pacing in front of her while she watched me.


    ¡°Ralts we need to talk,¡± I said with a serious voice.


    She gulped.


    We had slept in the tent for the first time yesterday evening, Chelsea and Hylla had left to do their shit somewhere else and I had the choice between staying in a hotel or sleeping in the tent I had bought.


    I could¡¯ve slept in a hotel but I wanted to get used to sleeping outside so I had set up camp somewhere on the outer edge of town like a homeless person.


    Lake Verity wasn¡¯t far away from Twinleaf town, in fact it was only an hour away but I wanted to get some training and power testing done.


    When the sun began to rise I headed in the general direction of the lake and when I was far enough away to not bother the townspeople, I left the trail that went towards the lake and hiked into the forest.


    The forest was not really dense and it was quite beautiful in the morning sun.


    I had seen flocks of Starly wake up and head towards the horizon the moment the sun shone over their trees, I saw Budew open their buds and enjoy the sun which was cool to see.


    There were a lot of them and they mostly went on with their day.


    I made sure to stay away from any Ariados, I don''t want to end up like Piplup who managed to get caught in the first episode it showed up.


    Finally we found a nice clearing with some boulders and we did some power testing. First, I had Ralts try the shining fist attack.


    We never really had the time to study it so now it was the perfect chance.


    I made her try it while standing on the ground and it took her 4 strikes of hitting the boulder without any damage before it worked.


    Her arm lit up as she retracted it and started glowing like a small star punching it forward.


    And it turns out, whatever the move was called, it was weak as shit.


    Sure it was strong compared to a human but with the likes of Machamp and Blaziken out there it was laughable weak.


    Considering the physical stats of the Ralts species that were not that great to start with it didn¡¯t surprise me, it was a useful move for close combat but not a move that would be a deciding factor anytime soon.


    One punch would make a slight crack in the boulder and the time for the punch to actually charge up was too big to throw it out fast in real time battle.


    So we did some more testing and turns out, when she does the fist attack while falling it does at least 4 times more damage, breaking the boulder in one strike with ease.


    I guess that the momentum from the fall is being transferred to her fist or something which was nice.


    I decided to name the punch move just ¡°smash¡± until I got its real name and named the combination attack of Disarming Voice and descending ¡°smash¡±, Meteor Smash.


    It kinda looks like a meteor to me when she falls like that with her fist clenched and shining like a star.


    Also, because of Smash Bros but no one in this world will understand the reference.


    So after figuring out the nature of her punch we tried to do some more testing with the Disarming Voice jump, which I have to find a new name for now I think about it.


    I had her try to do a Confusion while in the air and it worked but it was kinda bad,


    A full force Confusion would take too much time and she would reach the ground before firing it and a low power Confusion would just travel through the air like a normal Confusion.


    Considering how it was unlikely to hit anyone in the air due to its slow speed and the fact that most Pok¨¦mon were too small it was kinda useless to do that.


    I had hoped we could use it to launch ourselves even further while in the air but like I thought Confusion doesn¡¯t bounce back so that was a minor disappointment.


    After that I had her practice Disarming Voice Jump and landing safely for over an hour.


    She fell a lot but over time she became better at landing, learning to bow her knees to break her fall.


    In that hour I spent some time writing stuff up in a notebook I had bought. I didn¡¯t dare to write down any future knowledge or knowledge I shouldn¡¯t know because that might be hard to explain.


    I considered using a cipher but they were easy to crack with computers, especially when someone has a Porygon to assist with decoding.


    Instead I just wrote up possible attack patterns and drew the entire match up chart.


    I was bound to have a few things wrong but I got the gist of it.


    When Ralts finally managed to consistently launch herself and land safely I made her beat up a few boulders with smash and Disarming Voice, trying to make it stronger.


    I was not sure if it really works but people in the anime did it so I guess it wouldn¡¯t really hurt.


    And that was how we spent the morning and when the sun finally reached the middle of the sky I decided we had trained enough for now.


    Normally I would grind until we were around level 20 but I guess that would be really boring, also I was pretty sure levels didn¡¯t exist in this world.


    I fed Ralts some of the weird berry things that Hylla had given me before she and Chelsea had left and after that I had put her on of the boulders that was still intact and started pacing in front of her.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I need to confess something, Ralts,¡± I said ominously.


    She turned red and nervously started fiddling with her nonexistent fingers¡­


    What did she think, I was going to say, that I was about to kill someone?


    I was just pacing in front of her, arms behind my back and having a thoughtful look on my face.


    There was no real reason for me to act like this but I love dramatics and I always wanted to put the drill instructor act to use.


    I stopped pacing and faced Ralts, I held a dramatic pause before beginning my speech.


    ¡°I can not make you the strongest.¡± I said and she frowned, the blush fading away. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to become the very best.¡±


    ¡°Ralts?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What you just did for over an hour, all that training? In the end it won¡¯t matter.¡± I told her bluntly.


    ¡°Rals,Ra Ralts?¡± She protested.


    I translated it to her telling me she felt stronger or something


    I pointed at myself, ¡°I am a mere human, I don¡¯t have Aura or Psychic powers to boost yours.¡±


    I pointed at Ralts. "You are right now a Ralts, and even when you finally evolve into a Gardevoir you still won¡¯t be the strongest.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°No matter how much you train it will be impossible to become the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Ralllltts?¡± Her voice was a little shaky and it seemed like she was emotionally affected by what I was saying.


    ¡°Even if you manage to become the most powerful Psychic in Sinnoh or the world it won¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Ralts?¡± She tilted her head, her red eyes filled with confusion.


    ¡°Even when you win every tournament and beat every opponent there will be a Pok¨¦mon who has the perfect counter to your powers and is immune to every move you can do. And even if you manage to beat that Pok¨¦mon there will be Legendary Pok¨¦mon who manage to overpower you because they are the gods of this world.¡±


    I took a deep breath, people in movies never ran out of breath in movies while holding a speech but this was exhausting.


    ¡°Even if you can take down a Legendary there are Pok¨¦mon like Arceus and Victini who can not lose due to their nature.¡±


    Ralts was staring at me, her red eyes locked with mine. I really wondered what she was thinking.


    ¡°And even if you manage to beat Arceus someone will show up with the lorestone and plotsword, who will win because he is your only Kryptonite and the universe just decides he should win.¡±


    It''s the simple nature of the universe, especially in one like Pok¨¦mon where power levels were everything.


    ¡°However,¡± I said and Ralts perked up. ¡°I can make you the most dangerous Pok¨¦mon in the world. The Pok¨¦mon that people don¡¯t want to fight because they know nothing will go as planned. A Pok¨¦mon that will make Legendaries struggle because they don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. A Pok¨¦mon that battles the way Arceus will pause and wonder what the fuck is happening.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°A Pok¨¦mon that is unpredictable and fights like no other.¡±


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts perked up. It was so easy to manipulate her feelings.


    She was still a child after all, a child that lives in a world that is about to end unless someone stops it.


    ¡°Your strength is limited to the amount your body can handle.¡± I took a step closer and tapped her forehead. ¡°But this isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ralts?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Your brain is not limited. There¡¯s no skill cap on your mind, there is no limit to your determination.¡±


    Ralts smiled, good this was going alright so far.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be the strongest but you can be the smartest, the sneakiest or the trickiest. The most versatile and creative.¡±


    I mean its basic knowledge right? There will always be someone stronger than you, there will be battles you can not win by conventional means or normal strategies.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why I will not only focus on your strength. No, I will also work with you on strategy. When we¡¯re done with physical training we will study together and figure out new ways to fight, how to switch playstyle during a battle and how to fight on a psychological level. Raw power is only a small part of the battle.¡±


    I smiled at Ralts. ¡°In short, we will be the very best, using mind and body. Now how does that sound?¡±


    I opened my arms, waiting for Ralts¡¯ response.


    Ralts turned around and for a second I wondered if I was too dramatic.


    She jumped off the boulder, face towards the boulder and screamed.


    The soundwaves split the boulder in two and Ralts was catapulted towards me by the bouncing sound waves. She crashed into my stomach and I fell over, not expecting a Ralts suddenly headbutting into my stomach.


    We both fell over and Ralts hugged my chest, squealing with happiness.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a way to give a hug.¡± I chuckled as she kept hugging my chest affectionately.


    Well it seems like Ralts was on board with the entire idea, in raw power she would be lacking but we would find a way together.


    ¡°Are you really trying to disturb the entire forest? There are people who actually have things to do.¡± A boyish voice suddenly interrupted.


    I stopped and leaned over, Ralts stopped hugging and gave our intruder a curious look.


    A glaring flaw in her emotion radar was that I trained her to pick up hostile/violent emotions aimed at us while the person was also hidden from sight.


    She was able to sense others and locate them but I told her to ignore most of it unless she was in battle, else her radar would be drowned out by all the unrelated emotions.


    No need to pick up the depression of a random Sobble after all.


    I gave our intruder a curious look.


    He was around my age, having striking yellow hair that was slightly pointed up and flew backwards like they were devil horns. He had orange eyes that didn¡¯t look happy.


    He wore an orange and white striped cardigan with short sleeves and a short green scarf,he had a backpack draped over his shoulder and wore gray pants with brown boots to finish it off.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I mused thoughtfully, ¡°And who may you be?¡±


    I already knew it, with that kind of look it was obvious.


    ¡°Look,¡± He said, not answering my question, though it was not really necessary. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a lot of time. I just wanted to say that you are being rather loud, WAIT, are you a Pok¨¦mon trainer?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said as I got up, ¡°I just abducted a random Pok¨¦mon and now I forced her into loving me.¡±


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts nodded.


    Sometimes I wonder if she even understands me.


    ¡°If you are a Pok¨¦mon trainer then you should battle me,¡± he said, he suddenly looked at his watch and his eyes narrowed. ¡°We can make it quick. I really need to train my Pok¨¦mon before I show it to Professor Rowan.¡±


    ¡°Welp,¡± I said, ¡°I kinda have to go.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± the blonde teener asked perplexed, as if he was the only one in this world with a schedule.


    ¡°Lake Verity.¡± I said,


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for the Legendary too?! Aw man! Well, you¡¯re not the one to catch it because I¡¯m going first!¡± he yelled dramatically.


    His voice was kinda high pitched and he sounded like he was high on a sugar rush.


    ¡°What about the battle?¡± I asked, wondering if he would realize the loop in the conversation we just made.


    ¡°Oh, so you do want to battle!¡± He said, ¡°I think I got some time, yeah you will do.¡±


    And with that he threw out his Pok¨¦ball, still not having properly introduced himself.


    In a flash a bright blue penguin-ish creature appeared, it let out a cry as it jumped in front of the trainer..


    A Piplup, interesting.


    ¡°Ralts, if you would do the honor?¡±


    Ralts took a step forward and glared at Piplup.


    Piplup didn¡¯t flinch. Well at least it has more spine than Dawn¡¯s Piplup.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dust by the way,¡± I said. ¡°And this is Ralts, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    He grinned, ¡°My name is Barry, I¡¯m from Twinleaf town.¡±


    ¡°Piplup!¡± Piplup cried out.


    ¡°And this is Piplup,¡± he looked at his watch, ¡°I don¡¯t have long.¡± He gave me a grin. ¡°Now let''s get this going.¡±

 Re:Rival

    Barry, the childhood friend of the game''s protagonist and also his or her rival.


    In the games your rival always picks the Pok¨¦mon with the type advantage so it was interesting to see him with a Piplup, does that mean Lucas is walking around somewhere with a Chimchar?


    On the other hand, Barry had a Piplup which he also had in the anime.


    Conclusion: Inconclusive.


    However I could still beat his Pok¨¦mon.


    "Piplup, use Peck!" Barry ordered, I immediately gave a counter order.


    "Close your eyes." I told Ralts. "And wait."


    There''s no time like a real time battle to try out new strategies. Although I did forget to mention this strategy to Ralts.


    Ralts however complied, her eternal trust in me pushing her to do it anyway. She closed her eyes and waited while Piplup ran forwards in what I dubbed a Naruto Run while being a penguin.


    Its beak glowed white as it drew closer and when I deemed the timing right I gave out my next command. "Eyes closed, Disarming Voice forward, aim it at the ground 3 meters (10 Feet) away from you."


    Piplup ran forward as the Disarming Voice hit the ground a few steps away from Piplup, the soundwaves stirred up dust and grass alike and some of it was flung into Piplup''s eyes.


    The effect of the sound waves went in all directions, even Ralts'' but most of it was flung towards Piplup due to the angle of the attack.


    Sand and dirt were stuck in Piplup''s eyes but worse was the fear.


    You know, it''s pretty scary to suddenly go blind, also the eyes are very sensitive so besides being blind it was also hard to focus.


    "Ralts full force Confusion." I said,


    "Piplup, Bubblebeam forward, now!" Barry yelled.


    Wait, what?


    Piplup listened and stopped panicking, it was still blind but it opened its mouth and blue bubbles flew towards Ralts who was stuck trying to charge Confusion.


    They are just bubbles right? What the hell can they do?


    Welp, turns out, a lot of damage.


    They hit Ralts and she let out a cry of pain.


    When the final bubble hit Ralts she was propelled backwards and landed on her butt.


    What the fuck?


    Piplup had rubbed out the sand of its eyes and glared, ready to attack again, apparently the sand attack we did had to be followed up faster.


    "Same attack again, then follow up with a Meteor Smash!" I said and not a second too late.


    Barry had given a new order and Piplup was running towards Ralts with its beak glowing again.


    "It''s another sand attack!" Barry said, "Close your eyes!"


    Hahahaha, never take the eyes off your opponent you fool!


    Again sand and dirt were thrown around and Piplup shielded its eyes with its wing/hand.


    Ralts wasted no moment and jumped up in the sky, launching herself with Disarming Voice.


    She rose up in the sky and when she reached the peak of her rise she turned around and retracted her fist.


    It began shining brightly as she fell back to earth, Piplup opened its eyes just in time to see its own doom.


    Ralts'' fist drilled Piplup into the ground and created a small crater, sand and dust were thrown around again and I had to shield my own eyes to protect them.


    I smiled while Barry stared wide eyed at the devastation in front of him.


    "Good job Ralts," I smiled at Barry.


    The scene in front of us showed Piplup lying in a small crater, Ralts standing next to it, one leg on its stomach and her fist clenched in front of her face.


    Was she striking a pose?


    "How?" Barry gasped. "We lost!"


    Ralts stepped away and ran towards me, arms open for a hug.


    I knelt down and caught her as she leaped for me, "Rrraaalllts!"


    Damn, you love hugs don''t you?


    After the hugging, I lifted her up and put her on my shoulders so I had my hands free.


    "You fought great Piplup." Barry said and he pulled out a red and white Pok¨¦ball and pushed the button.


    Piplup disappeared and he put the Pok¨¦ball back in his pocket.


    He looked at me and pointed his finger at me. "Don''t think this is over, next time I will beat you!"


    "Sorry but I kinda have this 12 year old girl who claimed to be my rival already." I said apologetically. "Though you fought great."


    "Oh don''t think that excuse will help you!" Barry said and he smiled. "After all, I still want a rematch."


    Did you even hear what I just said?


    "Suureee¡­" I said, "You do you."


    "Raaalltts." Ralts copied.


    Barry nodded. "Otherwise I will fine you a million Pok¨¦dollars"


    "Anyway," I ended the conversation. "I''m going to Lake Verity now, See you later."


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Catching a Legendary huh?" Barry said grinning., "Don''t think I''m going to let you catch one because I''m the one who is going to catch it!"


    Ralts chuckled.


    Barry gave Ralts a shocked look, "You don''t think I can do it? Just watch me!"


    "Do you have any spare Pok¨¦balls?"


    Barry stayed silent, just what I thought.


    "Well, nice to meet you but I''m gonna go." I said and turned around to walk away, Barry caught up with me and said. "Wait, I''m coming with you. I want to go anyway. Maybe I can see a Legendary Pok¨¦mon and tell Professor Rowan about it."


    And that''s how I got stuck with Barry, while I was walking he kept talking and talking.


    He told me about a show he had seen on tv, about a person in his town he knew and a book he once read.


    It was pretty boring but Ralts seemed to be paying attention which was enough to distract Barry from my lack of interest.


    When we finally reached the lake I had to admit it was worthy of housing a Legendary.


    The lake was big, very big and not at all like the pond the games made them look like.


    The water was blue, like actually blue and not the transparent gray-blue you normally see. it was sparkling in the light of the sun and the water''s surface reflected a bit of the blue color back to the air giving it a fairy tale like vibes.


    I stopped walking when we reached the edge of the forest and stared forward.


    "What''s wrong, Dust?" Barry stopped walking too when he saw I wasn''t following him.


    At the edge of the lake sat a man, sitting on his knees and his left hand submerged in the water of Lake Verity.


    He had light blue hair that ended in spikes and had a rather thick brow, he wore a black business suit that made him look like an evil board member of some shady company.


    I knew who he was; Cyrus the mad titan of the Pok¨¦mon world.


    Except that he wanted to kill everyone to create a perfect world which was kind of worse.


    He came close to achieving his goals but he was just stopped in time.


    And here he was, darkly looming over the water, muttering to himself.


    "There are deities in the ocean and in the sky." He muttered, almost inaudible but I was paying close attention. "But if only one could get them to listen...they could change the world. Create the world the way it''s supposed to be and remove the rot."


    Yeah, keep dreaming, Light Yagami.


    I stared at him, he looked so vulnerable.


    He sat with his back to us, I could have Ralts push him in the water with either Confusion or Disarming Voice after that we could keep him under until he drowned.


    Or I could attack him with my knife and stab him in the back and hope to leverage my own body weight to keep him at a disadvantage.


    However I didn''t want Ralts to become a murderer, if I had to I would rather do it myself and live with the guilt.


    Barry was also an unpredictable factor.


    But most important of all was that I still needed him.


    I theorized that either Dialga, Palkia, Giratina or Arceus had brought me to this world considering they all had dimension related powers and Cyrus was the key to meeting them.


    Other contenders were Celebi and Hoopa but the list ended there, the other Legendaries had unrelated powers or were too retarded.


    I mean, if I was summoned by Zapdos I would really need to evaluate my chances in this world.


    "Hello sir." Barry said as he stepped forward and I followed, putting a smile on my face.


    "Are you here to catch a Legendary too?" Barry asked curiously.


    The man rose to his feet and turned around, giving us a charming smile. "Oh, hello there. Didn''t see you two."


    "Ralts." Ralts said annoyed.


    "Three." I said.


    Cyrus ignored it, "And what brings you two youngsters to Lake Verity."


    "Just checking out to-" I tried to reply but Barry cut me off.


    "And if you think you can catch a Legendary then I''m sorry but my friend and I were here first." Barry finished my sentence, though it was not even close to what I was going to say.


    "Hahaha," Cyrus laughed good-naturedly. "Don''t worry I''m just a businessman looking for a place to relax."


    He gazed over the lake. "I''m currently investing money into libraries and building projects all over Sinnoh and studying the myths is one of my hobbies."


    "Mmm¡­" Barry frowned thoughtfully. "Well, My name is Barry and this is my friend Dust, we came here to see the Legendaries ourselves."


    "Sup." I greeted the maniac.


    "Ralts." Ralts greeted coldly.


    "Oh how nice it is to see young people start their journey." Cyrus said. "Though I wish you the best of luck, my job is calling me."


    He smiled at us and turned to leave, disappearing into the forest.


    "Huh, weird guy." Barry mumbled before smiling. "Anyway, I''m going to look for the Legendary."


    He ran towards the lake and knelt down and sang. "Oh, Legendary..."


    As if that was gonna work.


    Ralts jumped off my shoulders and walked towards the edge of the lake and watched it with amazement.


    Was this the first time she saw a lake? It could be, considering she lived in a forest before she met me it was a possibility.


    I for my part peered over the water, trying to see if an invisible Mesprit would be watching me.


    I saw nothing.


    Welp, that was disappointing, I gave up and walked towards my two companions and knelt down between them to study the water.


    The water was clear and I had no trouble seeing the bottom of the lake, yet at the same time it reflected my face almost perfectly.


    My own reflection made me flinch, a face that wasn''t mine stared back at me.


    Still took some time to get used to it, I wondered what my parents would think of it.


    Would they think it look stupid or would they think it fits my personality?


    I studied my reflection on the surface of the magical lake and noticed something odd.


    A pink, cat-like figure was floating behind me. Curiously watching me with an almost childlike glee.


    I spun around and could only catch a glimpse of something pink before it disappeared.


    I felt something briefly brush through my hair before it disappeared with a chuckle.


    "So are you the one who summoned me?" I asked the empty air in front of me.


    No reply came and I had the idea the Legendary was gone.


    So did Mew bring me to this world?


    Mew wasn''t known for dimensional powers but it''s still known as the first Pok¨¦mon which contradicts Arceus'' existence. It might have been able to bring me to this world since Mew could learn every move in existence, or at least in the games with the TMs.


    But...it was Mew, the Pok¨¦mon who was known to be playful and pretty retarded.


    I mean it was absolutely cute and one of my favorites in the game and anime but it was also pretty ignorant towards the world considering it allowed Mewtwo''s creation and ultimately to almost destroy the world, only intervening at the final moment, though that is just opinion.


    No, it was more likely Mew was just curious, perhaps it knew about me or maybe I just had a weird Aura it was attracted to.


    It felt that my arrival here was planned to some extent, allowing me to delve into the plot with encountering Team Rocket the first day I''m here and me meeting up with Looker.


    Mew was not a planner, or it didn''t seem to be one.


    Still interesting to know that I had a visit from a Legendary.


    "Did you say something?" Barry looked up.


    "Nope." I lied.


    "Oh-kay." Barry said like I was crazy before trying to spot a Legendary, if only he knew what he missed.


    I sat down next to Ralts and laid on the grass, watching the clouds above me form weird shapes.


    Ralts was still watching the water like it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw.


    I closed my eyes and began to think.


    The last hour made it look like I was in the game universe, or to be precise: Pok¨¦mon Platinum.


    I met Barry near Twinleaf town and we both went to Lake Verity like the start of the game and we even met Cyrus.


    However there were also elements from the anime, Barry having a Piplup and Cyrus pretending to be a businessman.


    Was it a mix of both? If I was then this would be a pain to deal with, nothing would be certain and I had to work with possibilities of events that can happen instead of will happen.


    I sighed and pushed those thoughts out of my mind.


    Time to relax a bit, this place was chill as hell and I could use some relaxation.


    Had a meeting with the Professor soon and that was bound to bring up more trouble and reveal.


    For now, I could just lie here and relax.

 Research

    I almost fell asleep at the edge of Lake Verity.


    Barry had left after 15 minutes when it became clear there was no Legendary to be seen. He suddenly realized how late it was and ran off, giving me a hasty goodbye and he stormed off to visit the professor.


    Ralts kept herself busy with playing in the lower part of the lake. I had told her not to drown herself and hoped she would take my advice to heart.


    She ran off to play in the water and began talking to some of the Pok¨¦mon that lived in the lake, mostly fish Pok¨¦mon like Goldeen and Magikarp but I also spotted a Ducklett and a small group of Surskit dancing on the surface of the lake.


    They made it a game to splash water at the Surskit who in turn tried to dodge it and splash water back at them.


    After two hours of just lying at the edge of the lake and watching the clouds I realized that I still had stuff to do.


    Sandgem town was not that far away and I could make it before the end of noon with ease.


    I got up and took Ralts on my shoulder again, she bid her new friends goodbye and we left to continue our journey.


    I came across two Pok¨¦mon trainers who challenged me to a battle, and with me, I of course meant Ralts because I was not the one fighting.


    The first fight was not that hard, he had a Charjabug which surprised me a little bit since that Pok¨¦mon was not from Sinnoh but Alola.


    We still kicked his ass since his Pok¨¦mon was barely trained.


    After the fight I asked him about it and he explained that he was not a professional trainer but just here to visit his grandmother in Sinnoh.


    He had gotten bored and was looking for a distraction.


    The second challenge was more interesting.


    It was a kid around the age of 11 and he challenged me to a fight with money on the line.


    I had wondered how the entire money thing went, I mean in the games everyone gave you money but in the anime they never did.


    A brief exchange with the boy taught me a lot.


    In this world you have two kinds of Pok¨¦mon battles, Casual and Professional.


    Professional battles were Gym battles, Tournaments and other contests which were regulated by the League and required money to participate but you could also win money depending on how far you made it.


    The exception to this rule were Gyms which could be challenged free of charge.


    The amount of money you could win and had to pay upon losing was determined by an official algorithm that factored in the experience you had as a trainer, the duration of the battle and other factors that were kept hidden to prevent exploitation.


    It was a lot like gambling except it was more skill based and probably meant to make trainers push themselves harder.


    Battles against other trainers outside the official battles were considered Casual battles and didn''t involve any money at all, which was apparently the kind of battle I had done with Chelsea and Barry.


    However, people could bet money on a battle and make it a professional one, which some trainers apparently did to raise the stakes and make it more exciting for both parties.


    And this kid just challenged me to a professional match.


    I wondered how an eleven year old boy had enough money to gamble with it but when he started bragging about his rich parents it became very clear.


    Luckily for me, the kid was stupid.


    He had a Timburr which was a fighting type.


    Ralts being a Psychic/Fairy type had the double advantage and beat him with a simple Confusion, which was enough to finish it off.


    Ralts and I continued our journey after that with more money and a bigger smile on our faces.


    After that nothing of interest happened, we just kept walking and after two hours we finally reached the outskirts of a town.


    It was bigger than Twinleaf town but not much, it had no significant landmarks or building style.


    Pretty boring all things considered but that was okay, I was only here to meet Professor Rowan and this town served no other purpose for me.


    While I was walking through the town without a clear idea where Professors Rowan''s lab was, Ralts sensed something interesting.


    She pulled my hair locks and excitedly pointed into a side street that led deeper into town, "Raaalts!"


    I had no idea what it was, but I had some time to kill and decided to investigate it anyway.


    We walked through the street, passed more houses and made a few turns until I saw the thing that must have drawn Ralt'' attention.


    A shopping mall that happened to be located at the heart of the town, I frowned and approached the building.


    It was a colorful building that hosted all kinds of different small stores and I saw a restaurant as well.


    I heard the people in the crowd murmur, sigh and groan displeased.


    My interest was piqued.


    The shop window and door were taped off with police tape and in the middle of it was a sheet of paper stuck to the door.


    The store had a distinct blue roof that had a Pok¨¦ball symbol on it and I could guess the purpose of this building.


    It was a Pok¨¦mart, it was written underneath the Pok¨¦ball symbol with bold white letters so everyone could recognize it at first glance.


    I still needed to visit one to get Pok¨¦balls and Potions. I also wanted to look into getting a better diet for Ralts which the Pok¨¦mart supposedly sold.


    "Huh, so this is what drew your attention?" I asked the Psychic Pok¨¦mon.


    "Ralts."


    I took a few steps towards the crowd and they moved around a bit so I too could get a chance to read what was written on the paper.


    Closed due to an ongoing Police investigation


    Sorry for the inconvenience


    "What''s this?" I asked out loud.


    A girl standing next to me was the one to answer.


    One quick look at her told me she was a Pok¨¦mon trainer as well, she was a year or two older than I was and had long black hair.


    She wore a black shirt and had a backpack slung over her shoulder, more importantly she wore a black belt around her waist that had a few Pok¨¦balls attached to it.


    "It''s Crimson again," she sighed like she just heard her favorite show got canceled. "Just when I''m out of Pok¨¦balls he has to strike."


    I blinked. "Crimson?"


    She turned to look at me and she had a confusion written all over her face. "Wait, you don''t know who Crimson is?"


    "I''m from another region." I gave her an apologetic smile, it was not even a lie. "I''m not really caught up with the news in Sinnoh."


    She nodded understandingly. "Crimson, he''s a thief who robs banks. He''s a bit of a celebrity here in Sinnoh. He has a real name but the media started calling him Crimson so he began to use it too."


    I stared blankly at her. "Never heard of him, he''s a celebrity you say?"


    She shrugged. "He robs banks every few months or so, nothing major, he has been doing it for over 2 years and he is known as the best in Sinnoh. He hasn''t been caught by the police despite the fact that he robs in broad daylight and doesn''t care about keeping things under the radar." She scoffed. ¡°He just likes the attention.¡±


    Crimson, I recognized the name from the anime but it was all wrong. Crimson was a woman in the anime and worked together with another guy, they only appeared in one episode and were basically a throw away character, also they never robbed banks.


    On the other hand, I was not in the original universe, considering all the differences I had already encountered it wasn''t too hard to imagine things were different.


    Also, it was quite possible there were multiple people going by Crimson in one universe.


    I wrote him off as an unknown background character, it made sense that Team Rocket were not the only ones to commit crimes.


    "He hasn''t been caught in 2 years?" I asked.


    "Yeah," A man joined the conversation. He was beardy and looked like he belonged in a woodcutting camp or something. "He works together with a Butterfree that knows the move Teleport. He shows up and takes what he wants and leaves, everytime the police manage to find his hideout he just teleports away and leaves them in the dust. The media loves this kind of cat and mouse game and gave him the fancy nickname Crimson, after the red capes he wears."


    Thanks, random NPC for the infodump, still it was useful to know.


    "Ugh, the media loves him but I hate him, I mean can''t he just go back to robbing banks?" The girl complained.


    "What do you mean with ¡®back to robbing banks?¡¯" I was confused.


    "You don''t know?" The man with the beard asked incredulously, repeating the girl.


    "He''s new here." The girl replied before I could.


    "Aaah, well that explains it." The man chuckled, he stroked his beard like he was some great philosopher. "Crimson has been targeting Pok¨¦marts all over Sinnoh lately, robbing everyone inside and taking all the TMs, it''s been on the news. He apparently really likes TMs."


    TMs? So they do exist?


    They practically don¡¯t exist in the anime, so this was something to reconsider.


    "Ugh, he doesn''t care about anything other than the attention. I mean, robbing a bank has to be more lucrative than selling TMs right?" The girl said angrily. She was getting heated.


    "Weird shit." I muttered under my breath and the bearded guy nodded.


    "Well, whatever his goal is, I won''t be able to get the newest edition of the Sinnoh Daily."


    And with that the conversation quickly died down and I continued listening to the rumors of the people in the crowd.


    No one else had anything new to say, most of them just complaining about the fact the store was closed.


    I heard a seven year old telling his mother he wanted to be like Crimson later which was funny but that was about it.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It had made me wonder how Crimson managed to stay away from the police for so long, was the police incompetent or was Crimson that good?


    If he has a Pok¨¦mon with Teleport shouldn''t they just use a Pok¨¦mon with Disable?


    I left the shopping mall and headed towards Professor Rowan''s lab, my curiosity for that moment satisfied.


    After asking a few times for directions I found his lab, it was a large metal construct built at the edge of town near the forest.


    The building looked like it only served one purpose, researching.


    The building was shaped circular like a small tower of Babel and had antennae and windmills built on top of it.


    The main building was connected to a windmill by a stone tunnel that made a very stark contrast with the metal of the main construct.


    The windmill was made of red bricks and bigger than the lab itself which was a questionable design choice.


    It made the entire place look like someone just decided to build a lab next to the windmill and thought, hey, why not just pretend those two buildings were built at the same time, no one will notice.


    I didn''t see any security measures, nor any cameras, only a small wall made of stone which I could jump over without any trouble. It made me wonder why no one has robbed this place yet.


    This place was supposed to store all kinds of high tech stuff right? There was bound to be something expensive inside.


    Then I recalled the bit about how the rival in Pok¨¦mon Silver and Gold just stole a Pok¨¦mon from Professor Generictree at the beginning of the game.


    Yeah, I could see that happen here.


    Ralts motioned me to stop stalling and I entered the building without much ado. I could just walk in, which was another questionable choice in security.


    The inside looked much better and more organized than the outside.


    It still had the metal covered walls which made me wonder how the building managed temperature and echoing, but meh, it wasn''t my house.


    Strange machines were attached to the walls and to the ground, various monitors were all over the place and cables snaked across every surface.


    In the back there was a metal desk with a large computer mounted to the wall.


    Professor Rowan sat in a comfy looking chair with his back to me, tinkering away at a metal device that I couldn''t even begin to describe.


    A mug of coffee was placed on his left and an empty pizza box to his right.


    He didn''t hear me coming inside, either because he was too focused or because the TV above him was too loud.


    It was displaying some news channel that, according to the logo in the corner, was named: Jubilife TV.


    On the TV I saw a typical news studio with a blonde woman and a man with curly red hair sitting behind a desk and smiling at the camera.


    A news show?


    "And what do you think of this?" the blonde woman asked the man.


    He gave the camera the kind of bright smile that was only reserved for news readers.


    "I think it''s amazing and again it shows how all the regions are better and stronger when they work together."


    The woman nodded approvingly. "And you are right. However, now that Hunter J. is driven out of Unova, people are afraid she might come to Sinnoh, what are your thoughts on this scenario?"


    "Mmm," The guy said thoughtfully. "Unova and Kanto both agreed to continue their alliance with Sinnoh if Hunter J. shows up in one of the three regions."


    He smiled brightly at the camera again. " There''s nothing to worry about for our watchers."


    Nothing to my ass, Hunter J. was coming to Sinnoh.


    And she might be a bigger threat than I initially thought.


    The anime already showed her to be quite good at being a bad guy, she had a Salamence and an entire fleet to her disposal with minions included.


    However, I might have to give her a bigger threat rating, if three regions had worked together to stop her and only managed to drive her off she was definitely going to become a pain in the ass.


    "Ralts." Ralts said, urging me to stop staring and alerting the professor.


    He perked up as he turned around and gave me a long look.


    "Hello there," he said. "You are Dust right?"


    He had a calming voice perfect for narrating audiobooks and he spoke as if he reconsidered every word before speaking out loud.


    "I''m indeed Dust," I said.


    "Hmm¡­" he said "You''re quite early. At least a week earlier than Looker told me you will be arriving.¡±


    I shrugged. "The hospital burned down and the doctor said I was healthy enough to travel."


    Normally you think such a question would elicit a shocked response, more questions, but this kind of stuff was apparently normal in this world.


    ¡°The Team Rocket situation?" Professor Rowan said. "That was quite unfortunate for you. Anyway my name is Professor Rowan. Welcome to my laboratorium."


    Professor Rowan gave me a stoic smile, he had a white hair and a neatly kept mustache, he looked to be around 60 years old but he radiated strength and calm.


    He wore a brown coat with a blue suit underneath him with a red tie, and brown pants underneath it.


    "I''m Dust," I said, "Or at least that''s what I call myself."


    "I read about your Agnosia, are you recovering well?" he asked sternly.


    "Not much," I lied, "But I will manage."


    "Ralts raralts," Ralts added and I nodded because it sounded like she was making a valid point.


    "I see, and you decided to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer?"


    "Yeah, I''m going to become a Pok¨¦mon trainer," I gave him my best grin, "Believe it!"


    After all, I''m the summoned hero.


    The man gave me a cold smile. "Well, we will see. Being a trainer is not as easy as you may think, but if you have decided I won¡¯t stop you. I assume you are here to unlock your Pok¨¦dex?"


    "Amongst other things." I took out my Pok¨¦dex and handed it to Professor Rowan.


    He took it and weighted it in his hand before walking over to his PC.


    Ralts jumped off my shoulder to get a better look, her eyes widened when she saw the Pok¨¦dex disappear into one of the empty slots in the PC.


    Her head turned to the screen where a new window popped up, Professor Rowan pressed a key on the keyboard and the window expanded.


    My trainer information appeared on the screen, the amount of Pok¨¦mon I caught and seen, the amount of money I had (quite a lot) and in the right corner it showed an image of me Hylla had taken during my stay at the hospital.


    Professor Rowan scrolled down and a large section of text appeared; it was detailing my multiple encounters with Team Rocket however there were some blank spaces and stuff they had entirely wrong.


    For example it detailed how I had gotten into a Pok¨¦mon battle with a Team Rocket grunt while in actuality I just stabbed him.


    Professor Rowan typed a long code into one of the empty bars and all the windows closed, a ping sounded and the Pok¨¦dex slid out of the pc again.


    Rowan handed it to me and said; "Here you go kid. All the options should be unlocked."


    I took it and flipped it open, a menu showed up with all kinds of options displayed with cute and simple symbols.


    "Do you need any help with it?" Professor Rowan asked concerned while I was quickly reading over all the options in the main menu.


    "Nah," I clicked on the symbol that looked like an eye with a laser shooting out of it. "I love figuring things out myself."


    A new menu popped open and I found the option for scanning Pok¨¦mon.


    "Get ready, Ralts." I knelt down and aimed the Pok¨¦dex at her.


    A red beam shot out of it and began scanning her, she giggled as the red light faded over her before it disappeared.


    "You figured it out pretty fast," Professor Rowan complimented me.


    I nodded, figuring out how technology worked was something I was quite good with.


    "Ralts, the Feeling Pok¨¦mon. Ralts is the pre-evolved form of Kirlia. It can use the horns on its head to read human emotions. Ralts rarely shows itself to humans, but may occasionally approach when it senses positive or happy feelings." A mechanical female voice spoke.


    Hello Pok¨¦dex lady, also I already knew that.


    I studied the options on the menu screen and there were quite a lot of them, considering it was the sub menu of a submenu it made me wonder how advanced this device was.


    "Moves," I said out loud to indicate what button I was about to press but to my surprise the Pok¨¦dex lady copied what I just said and tapped the button itself...herself?


    "This Ralts, currently not nicknamed, has the special ability Telepathy. Currently known moves are: Confusion, Disarming Voice, Mega Punch and Double Team. This Ralts is a female and¡­"


    I cut off the voice with a tap on the screen and looked Ralts in the eyes. "Huh, so you know Telepathy?"


    Ralts rubbed her head, clearly confused as well.


    She shrugged after a short moment and muttered. "Ralts."


    Mmm, weird, never heard her speak or anything like that. Does it mean we have to train it or will it develop over time?


    I hadn''t seen her use Double Team before either so maybe she just had an affinity for those moves?


    I chuckled to reassure Ralts. "Don''t worry about it. We''ll get there eventually."


    It would be extremely useful to master Telepathy, besides it being awesome to talk to her it was potentially one of the best offensive moves Ralts could have, especially with opponents stronger than her.


    I made a mental note to study that later.


    Knowing this world both powers would manifest the moment we needed them.


    "The Pok¨¦dex is currently in the advanced mode but you can set it back to basic mode like most trainers do."


    "Nope," I said, "I like it this way."


    I closed it and put it away.


    Professor Rowan folded his arms in front of him, "So, you said you had other reasons to visit me, besides unlocking the Pok¨¦dex full capabilities?"


    "Yeah, though still one quick question." I stood straight to meet the Professor''s eyes. "Mega Punch? Isn''t that a TM Move?"


    "A typical rookie mistake. Although it''s a move that Ralts can learn with a TM she can also learn Mega Punch without it, though it''s rare."


    I stared blankly at him, they don''t learn Mega Punch, or at least they don''t in the games.


    He saw my confused look and elaborated. "What do you know about TMs kid?"


    "Not a lot."


    "Well I suppose you still have to learn, it is true that most Ralts don''t learn Mega Punch but they can learn it occasionally. However the effort to learn it and the time it takes is too big of a commitment for most trainers who would rather focus on the moves that come naturally from their Pok¨¦mon."


    "So TMs are like cheat codes? A bypass for impatient people?" I thought out loud.


    A cloud moved past the window and cast a shadow on Professor Rowan.


    "Yes," he nodded. "And just like with cheats most people don''t use them. It''s allowed but it is frowned upon by the majority of the Pok¨¦mon trainers who consider it a trainer''s duty to learn it the hard way. A move learned by TM is always weaker than when it''s learned the hard way, it''s also very expensive which means it is mostly used by people who have money to burn and care more about winning than the bond with their Pok¨¦mon."


    Wow, he sounded judgemental.


    Ralts didn''t practice Mega Punch in the slightest but it was nice we had a move like that to our disposal. Although Professor Rowan was wrong about it requiring a lot of practice.


    Lots of people in the anime thought that battles made Pok¨¦mon stronger and they weren''t entirely wrong but battles were not the real cause.


    What was it called again? False cause fallacy?


    Whatever the point was. Pok¨¦mon might become tougher by battling physically but the real big guns like evolving and new moves were not achieved by battle but by stress.


    Just look at the anime, the direr a situation was, the bigger the chance a Pok¨¦mon learns a new move or evolves.


    And when are Pok¨¦mon under a lot of stress?


    Indeed, in a battle. I guess it''s something like how adrenaline works but it enhances the strength permanently.


    Of course, this was just a theory, a game-


    "A lot to take in?" Professor Rowan asked when I stayed silent for a few seconds, I really should stop monologuing in the middle of a conversation.


    "Just processing this new information," I answered, "And I think I got it. TM bad, training good."


    "That''s one way to put it." Professor Rowan said dryly.


    Ralts started hugging my leg for no reason at all, because why not?


    He walked towards one of the shelves and took out a paperback book and handed it to me.


    It had your typical Pok¨¦ball symbol in the middle and white bold letters spelled out: Trainers Guide Sinnoh edition(7th released)


    "You like reading?" he asked and I nodded.


    "It should cover most of your questions," he explained, "Though if you have more questions my number has been installed on your Pok¨¦dex."


    "Thank you," I said and I put it in my backpack, this was hella useful.


    "So, was that all?" He asked and I shook my head.


    "One more thing," I gave him an apologetic smile, "you got any spare Pok¨¦balls? I wanted to visit the store but it apparently got robbed and is closed."


    "I''m sorry Dust," he shook his head, "but I just gave away my last spare Pok¨¦balls. A boy came here just an hour before you."


    I groaned, "was it Barry by any chance?"


    His eyebrows moved up, "you know him?"


    ''Yup," I said, "Met him on the way here, we battled and chilled together before he stormed off. It seems like he got here first indeed."


    Goddammit Barry, you made it personal.


    This means I won''t be able to get my hands on them until I reach Jubilife City and that I probably have to beat Roark, the first Gym leader, with only a Ralts.


    I mean I could get a Pok¨¦mon between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City but I doubt I could get it to a decent level before facing the first Gym.


    Then I remembered another option.


    "Uh, Professor, you don''t happen to have a spare starter Pok¨¦mon right?" I asked him, "Or a Pok¨¦mon you just got you can''t take care of?"


    He raised an eyebrow, "You know most trainers try to catch themselves a Pok¨¦mon?"


    I picked up Ralts who smiled vaguely. "Already caught a Ralts, technically I never got a starter. Maybe you have one for me? Or maybe you have an egg I can take with me?"


    He didn''t budge.


    "A Pikachu you found in the back chewing on some cables?"


    Come on, you are the professor, you must have some spare rare Pok¨¦mon lying around in case someone important shows up.


    He shook his head. "Although I appreciate the excitement, I don''t have any Pok¨¦mon I can give you right now."


    That''s so anticlimactic.


    "Awww, that sucks."


    "Raaaa ra Ralts!" Ralts copied.


    "I will keep in mind you are still looking for your starter," Rowan said.


    "Ralts!" My Pok¨¦mon leaned to the left and forced me to turn with her weight, I turned around and saw someone else had just entered the lab.


    A boy with black hair had walked through the door, he was followed by a purple monkey that had a hand-like appendage stuck to its tail.


    When he saw us standing in the corner his eyes lit up and he spoke.


    "Hi, Professor Rowan. I was told you could help me find Pikachu?"

 Player 2

    Ash Ketchum, the eternal 10 year old, the forever underdog and the savior of the world.


    He was the protagonist of the anime for over two decades and by extension the most important person in the Pok¨¦mon world considering how he met every Legendary in existence.


    I had watched the anime countless times as a kid, despite him being kinda stupid at times he was my childhood hero.


    Sure, he lost about every tournament he entered and never fully evolved his team. He ignored type advantages most of the time and dumped his best Pok¨¦mon at the end of every season.


    Still, he was my childhood hero.


    Was he stupid? Yes.


    But he was admirable in some way.


    He lost but he never gave up, he never forced his Pok¨¦mon and every region he took only his Pikachu along with him (of course there were some exceptions, but let''s be honest, only Pikachu really stays)


    Even when he lost, he kept true to himself and he didn''t change his philosophy and ideals. Most people would bend their own morals and ideas after facing many losses but Ash didn''t.


    While it was stupid it made him an honorable person in my view.


    Didn''t he win the Alola league though? I hadn''t watched Sun and Moon but I heard people say it online.


    "Oh, hi there." Ash said when he spotted me standing next to Professor Rowan. "My name is Ash Ketchum."


    He wasn''t ten.


    That was the first thought that crossed my time.


    He was around my age which surprised me.


    He exists, which confirms my theory this universe is a mix of anime and the platinum games.


    This, alongside the fact that the universe is trying to stay consistent with the rules of logic and featured unknown elements that were neither in the games nor in the anime meant that I had to watch my steps.


    I groaned, this means I have to find a way to beat Tobias'' Darkrai and Latios in the Lily of the Valley Conference.


    Could I maybe get a Latias of my own? Maybe I could convince the one Ash had met to join me on my journey.


    Although I had bigger problems. The world was going to end...more than once.


    The fact that the anime was now a factor meant that the world was going to end about every season. What a great world to be in!


    I gave Ash a good look, he was athletic. That was something I noticed at first glance.


    Not overly but I could see some muscles on his arm that appeared to be sticky at first glance.


    He had fierce black eyes, black hair and wore a black and red cap on his head.


    He wore a blue sleeveless hoodie with gold trim and a white hood with a black short sleeve undershirt underneath it.


    He had black fingerless gloves like I had and wore black jeans and firm blue sneakers that were showing signs of wear.


    Huh, his outfit was from the Advanced Generations season.


    "Sup, I''m Dust." I smiled at Ash, a genuine smile. "And I am going to become the best trainer there ever was."


    Ash laughed, "Don''t say that because Pikachu and I-" he pointed at his shoulder before realizing his yellow comrade wasn''t there.


    "Aipom," the purple monkey said, sounding depressed.


    Interesting, so I was at the utmost start of the Sinnoh anime. That means that Dawn is somewhere with Ash''s Pikachu and Team Rocket.


    Was Dawn 16 too? Or would she be 10?


    The fact that Ash was around my age made me believe he left Pallet town around the age of ten, else the anime timeline wouldn¡¯t match up, at least that was the absolute minimum age.


    "Ralts!" Ralts waved at Ash.


    "Hi," Ash leaned closer to meet Ralts on eye level. "My name is Ash Ketchum, nice to meet you."


    Ralts booped Ash on the nose and it was fucking adorable.


    "Aaahh, Ash Ketchum, Professor Oak already thought you would come." Professor Rowan coughed.


    Ash rubbed the back of his head and gave him a weak smile. "Ah, sorry for rushing in here, I was told you could help me find Pikachu and I was really in a hurry."


    Rowan gave Ash a small smile. "It''s alright. I have something for you."


    He walked back to his desk and retrieved a Pok¨¦ball. "Oak had the wisdom to send Aipom''s Pok¨¦ball ahead."


    Ash took the Pok¨¦ball and Aipom did a backflip, "Aipom!"


    "Thanks Professor." Ash pocketed the Pok¨¦ball.


    "As for the Pikachu you''re missing?" Professor Rowan went on. "A young trainer I just sent out on her Pok¨¦mon journey just contacted me about a Pikachu she found. She is at the next Pok¨¦mon center on the way to Jubilife City. If you are fast enough you can catch up with her before dark."


    Ah, that would be Dawn, interesting to see how the plot plays out right in front of my eyes.


    "Okay, thank you very much!" Ash cheered and Aipom did a backflip, a smile plastered on her face.


    "You should watch your Pok¨¦mon closely," He scolded the black haired boy, then he turned to me. "And that counts for you too, Dust."


    I blinked, why was I getting scolded? Ash lost a Pok¨¦mon, I hadn''t lost a single Pok¨¦mon yet. "Especially with the Snatchers you should keep a close eye on Ralts." Professor Rowan had a dark look on his face as he said that.


    "The Snatchers?" Ash and I asked at the same time, which gave me a chuckle.


    "You don''t know them?" He asked incredulously.


    Why does everyone play the ¡®you don''t know that card?¡¯ in Sinnoh, do these people do anything else other than keeping up with the news?


    "I''m from Kanto." Ash shrugged.


    "I¡¯m from a different region too," I explained.


    Professor Rowan had a disgusted look on his face. "The Snatchers are a group of criminals that are responsible for the disappearance of Pok¨¦mon all over Sinnoh. They steal wild Pok¨¦mon and captured Pok¨¦mon. Once they are taken they completely disappear off the radar."


    I stared at Professor Rowan who seemed dead serious.


    Snatchers, they were definitely not in the anime nor in the games.


    "Man," Ash growled, clenching his fist and shaking slightly. "If I meet one of them I''ll make sure to teach them a lesson."


    "Ralts," Ralts said sounding concerned,


    "I''ll be sure to stay away from any shady figures I see." I finally said.


    "It''s better to avoid any confrontation. If you encounter any criminal activity you should contact the authorities instead," Professor Rowan said and I agreed with him.


    If I come across a problem in the future I''ll be sure to stay back while other people deal with the problems...why do I feel like Fate is laughing at me?


    "Okay," Ash said reluctantly, then he perked up. "Anyway thanks for everything professor but I should be going. Pikachu is waiting for me!"


    "Aipom!" The purple monkey climbed onto Ash''s shoulder and smiled at us. It waved its tail at us with a cheeky smile.


    "See you later Professor, bye Dust!"


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    He turned around and ran away in a hurry.


    Professor Rowan sighed, "And I had a no running-rule here."


    "Aww," I mockingly complained. "And I was just about to run a marathon here."


    Ralts burst out laughing, squirming in my arms as her tiny chest couldn''t keep up with her laughter.


    I raised an eyebrow as she was running out of breath, after 10 seconds it died down and she let out a yawn.


    It was only 5 o'' clock in the afternoon and she was already tired?


    I did the mental math, we trained in the morning, fought Barry, she played at the lake for several hours and we fought more people on our way to Sandgem Town.


    "Well," I said, "I think I should be going as well, find a place to set up camp for the evening."


    "You could stay at the Pok¨¦mon Center in town." Professor Rowan offered.


    "Wait, I can?" I asked, surprised.


    "It''s free for registered trainers," Professor Rowan explained. He gave me a genuine smile. ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll want to use their services.¡±


    "Welp, then I''m going to claim a room. Thanks for everything Professor." I turned around to leave but before I could, the professor called out to me right after I stepped through the doors.


    "Wait Dust." he called out and quickly walked towards me. "You''re going to visit Jubilife City next, right?"


    "That''s my plan," I answered. ''Assuming I don''t die along the way.''


    "Well could you deliver a package for me? If you are going anyway?" he asked calmly.


    "Sure," I said, "As long as it fits in my backpack, I can bring something along for you."


    He walked over to one of the cabinets and retrieved a small black box and handed it to me.


    I took it and it was surprisingly heavy.


    The black box was around the size of a Pok¨¦dex and the surface of the black box was smooth and spotless.


    I didn''t see a way to open it so I assumed it was an electric device of some kind.


    "What''s this?"


    "It contains data that was transferred to me by my colleague Professor Magnolia. I took a look at it myself and found some interesting material. If you could pass it onto Professor Seikyo in Jubilife City, it would help me a lot." Professor Rowan said and I raised an eyebrow.


    "If it contains data can''t you just mail it or something?" I asked.


    "I don''t trust it to be that way, call me old but I believe it might be intercepted if I send it online. The data inside is quite valuable and sensitive."


    "And I am your best choice?" I asked skeptically.


    To my surprise he nodded. ''Yes. The report from the league said you perform well during stressful situations. Seeing how you managed to deal with the Team Rocket situation I am inclined to agree with that statement."


    Hylla this is your fault.


    "Do you think you can do that?" he asked. ¡°If you can¡¯t, that¡¯s also fine. But it would help me out a great deal.¡±


    I smiled. "No problem."


    I put the data container in my backpack and the Professor gave me a small smile. "I''ll be sure to send the address to your Pok¨¦dex."


    "Yup, one delivery of very sensitive data incoming." I gave him a salute and turned around.


    "Good luck with your journey!" Professor Rowan waved as I left the building.


    Ralts and I found a Pok¨¦mon center and I was surprised to see that it wasn''t the red building like in the games but instead it looked more like a small hotel.


    The building was located close to the heart of town, hidden away in a maze of streets, rooftops and small shops.


    It took a long time before I found it even though Sandgem town was a relatively small town.


    In the end I just used the GPS on my Pok¨¦dex and with the directions the Pok¨¦dex lady gave me I could find it within 5 minutes.


    The building was tall compared to the other buildings in this small town, around 3 stories big and had a large red P placed in front of it with a signature Pok¨¦ball symbol above the entrance.


    The insides weren¡¯t really impressive, it featured a wide lobby with doors that led to what I assumed to be operation chambers.


    A stairwell led up to the other floors which were reserved for people who wanted to stay the night.


    There was no Nurse Joy which was a relief, my mind would shatter the moment there would be more than one Nurse Joy in existence because there is not a single law in the universe that should make it possible. And that''s saying a lot considering I have a Pok¨¦mon on my shoulders who can produce soundwaves high enough to shatter stone.


    Instead I found a bored guy sitting behind a desk, there were not a lot of people inside. Only a girl with her Mawile and a man with his Sandile.


    I talked to the bored guy and when he noticed my Pok¨¦mon wasn''t on the edge of dying he lost his interest.


    He asked for my Trainer ID and I handed him my Pok¨¦dex, he scanned it and handed me a room key.


    I wanted to ask him more questions but someone else walked in and demanded his attention.


    Ralts and I headed upstairs and found our room.


    It was spacious and had a bed in the middle and a TV mounted onto the wall in the corner. An open window allowed fresh air to enter the room and a clock on the wall displayed the time. There were some other default decorative furniture but nothing really stood out.


    It really was just a hotel room, still it was free so that was awesome.


    <hr>


    "Okay Pok¨¦dex Lady, I dub thee Oracle." I said with a dramatic voice.


    "Are you sure you want to rename device:390735 to Oracle?" The mechanical voice asked.


    Ash had already named his Pok¨¦dex Dexter so that name was already taken and I refused to let it keep the name 390735 because that''s a sucky name.


    "Yes." I confirmed.


    "Device successfully renamed to Oracle. Hello I''m Oracle, a Pok¨¦dex programmed by Professor Oak for Pok¨¦mon Trainer Dust Wildfire of Sinnoh. My function is to provide Dust with information and advice regarding Pok¨¦mon and their training. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."


    I blinked, huh, that was more than one sentence.


    "Just don''t go sentient on me okay?"


    "Confirmed."


    I watched Ralts but she was still fast asleep, not at all stirred by the conversation I just had with my Pok¨¦dex.


    She was drooling, luckily I had managed to move her to the corner of my bed without her noticing it.


    Two empty plates were placed on the ground and I still had a half eaten Pizza slice in my hand.


    Next second it was gone and I had my hands free again.


    I wiped my hand clean and then swiped a few times across the screen until I found the voice commands section.


    The basic version of the Pok¨¦dex menu was way easier to use, I had to retrace my steps multiple times because I ended up in the wrong menu but all the options it offered made up for it.


    The Pok¨¦dex had a function similar to smartphones that allowed them to respond to certain vocalized questions even when not actively being used.


    I installed a few emergency voice commands and a few more just to be sure.


    When I had had enough voice commands to satisfy my paranoia I closed the sub menu and went to the scan option and scanned the sleeping Ralts.


    My eyes went over the information but didn''t find what I was looking for.


    Ralts and I had been practicing her emotion sense powers while we were eating dinner. I had her keep track of people inside the Pok¨¦mon center by using their emotions and later had her find them again when she had lost track of them.


    The idea behind this was simple; I want her to be able to sense someone''s emotions and recognize the person later, even when in a crowd.


    This was meant for double battles, if she mistook an ally for an opponent because they had similar emotional states it might cost me a victory.


    Sadly there was no way to calculate how much stronger the emotion sense radar had become, it was really hard to measure her range. She could already keep track of multiple people within her range but she couldn''t identify them or differentiate between them.


    She could hold onto one person and remember their "signature" and track them down later by their "signature" but only one person at a time.


    My ultimate goal was to reverse the emotion sense process; right now Ralts would feel happy if I did and depressed whenever I felt depressed.


    It would be amazing if she could reverse it and induce emotional states at will.


    Imagine her fighting an opponent and as the battle went on the other fighter would feel a crippling despair, even though it was winning it would still feel like giving up.


    Sadly there were no signs of even getting close to that goal and I wondered if it''s even possible but meh, a trainer could dream right?


    I closed the Pok¨¦dex and put it away, instead I took the black box in my hands and tossed it up and down, knowing it would fall onto the blankets if I missed.


    After doing that for a few seconds I became bored again, I considered reading the book but...I kinda didn''t feel like reading.


    My eyes narrowed down on the remote and I grabbed it and turned the TV on.


    The TV zapped past a few channels that all had fancy names that didn''t mean anything to me.


    After some zapping, I came across a news broadcast that was filming how a group of Tauros in Kanto were on the warpath to Dark City.


    It was still light in Kanto, or at least it was in the broadcast. I had no idea if it was live or not.


    The footage showed people arriving at the town, some came on Pok¨¦mon that could fly while others arrived riding on land Pok¨¦mon.


    Around 30 people had gathered around the edge of the small town that looked like it was pulled straight from a western movie.


    The people who had arrived seemed to be Pok¨¦mon trainers from varying ages, the youngest being 12 and the oldest being around 50.


    They released their Pok¨¦mon and began to prepare for battle.


    And when the stampeding herd finally arrived the battle wasn''t impressive.


    The moment they were in sight the Pok¨¦mon unleashed long range attacks on the Tauros; Thunderbolts, Shadow Balls and Swifts were thrown around and a couple of Tauros fell to the ground before they even crossed half the distance.


    The Tauros decided it was apparently not worth it because they turned around and left.


    Trainers and their Pok¨¦mon began cheering and hugging each other. They gave each other high fives and acted like they had won the battle of their life instead of scaring away a herd of Tauros.


    Though it was pretty anti-climatic the broadcast cut off and switched to a different scene.


    A group of people sat around a table in what looked like a TV studio, they began talking about the heroic deeds of the trainers and praised them for taking down a D-level threat.


    I endured 5 minutes of them putting the "brave trainers" on a pedestal before getting bored and switching to a different channel.


    This time it was a movie and I settled underneath the blanket.


    No better way to fall asleep than watching a movie right?


    The movie itself was very confusing but mostly because I had missed the intro.


    Apparently, it was about a group of humans and Pok¨¦mon that were going on a quest to destroy an amulet that would decide the fate of the world. It was pretty amusing to watch, especially when they got stuck in an underground city with a thousand Raticate chasing after them.


    It was vaguely familiar but I was a bit too tired to think about it and I didn''t really care anyway,


    After all, it had been a busy day for me.


    I fell asleep before the movie ended.

 Mind Games

    The chess pieces gleamed underneath the sun, and if they could sweat, they would have.


    Black and white pieces stood in neat rows, though the board was slightly tilted to the left because we were playing on a hill.


    It had been cloudy today and I was worried the wind would blow away our game but it had lied down after our training session in the morning.


    It was our fifth day on our journey to Jubilife City and we had woken up early in the morning again to train.


    I had taken her on a jog through the woods, carried her on my shoulders when she became exhausted and then returned to the road again.


    I had her practice full force Confusion and Disarming Voice against tree barks while trying to manifest and maintain the Double Team clones.


    After learning that she could do it according to the Pok¨¦dex I had her try to create clones of herself for half a day.


    It first resulted in her just sitting and being bored but when the sun went down suddenly two Ralts had appeared.


    After that it was way easier, right now she could create four Double Team clones and although it wasn''t a lot, I was really glad she could do it in the first place.


    I had done some testing to see what Double Team could do and it was kinda underwhelming.


    It was literally nothing more than an illusion that would break upon contact. Sure, it was a mind blowing reality breaking power, but it also wasn¡¯t that useful in a fight.


    The clones could move independent of Ralts but they relied on Ralts'' vision and couldn''t affect the world around them.


    They could however be used to bait people into attacking if used properly, and they could create a situation where an opponent had to destroy clones while the real Ralts could hide away and heal.


    I had created several attack patterns for Ralts that used Double Team, both offensive and defensive.


    I had no idea how Ralts created the clones, according to the Pok¨¦dex Double Team clones were created by moving so fast that Pok¨¦mon created after images, but that didn''t seem right.


    Ralts was not that fast.


    I theorized that maybe they were illusions that were imprinted into the viewer''s mind or it could be some kind of physical illusion created by warping space, whatever it was, it was weird.


    While Ralts was doing that I tried to teach myself how to fight with a knife.


    I watched countless action movies with knife fights and I had seen a few tutorials on youtube that I only watched out of boredom in my past life. And turns out, I couldn''t remember anything useful.


    After a few minutes of awkwardly trying to remember anything about fighting with a knife I could only remember the phrase: "When you see someone with a knife you run. 99% of all the tricks won''t work in a real fight."


    After some half assed stabbing motions that could maybe scare away a Ratata, I gave up and decided to read the guidebook Professor Rowan had given me.


    I knew I needed to get some offensive powers of my own. If my first week was any indication of my future in this world I don''t want to rely on my Pok¨¦mon to fight my battles.


    I should really start looking into Aura and Psychic Powers; would Sabrina be able to teach me?


    I made a few notes in my Pok¨¦dex and kept reading.


    After 2 hours of Ralts boring herself with training I gave her a hug and fed her salad.


    I wasn''t sure if she was supposed to eat that stuff but when she didn''t spit it out I assumed her stomach could at least endure it.


    After that I started with the second part of Ralts'' training, the mental part.


    I moved the white pawn two spaces forward and the game of chess started, Ralts narrowed her eyes and focused on the board.


    The game of chess was only one of many ways I tried to make Ralts smarter than the average Pok¨¦mon; I had her try to solve puzzles as fast as possible and even had her play games with me while keeping up Double Team clones which made it really hard for her to focus.


    Ralts was a psychic/fairy Pok¨¦mon and most of the psychic moves relied on the brainpower, or at least I assumed it works that way, considering how most Pok¨¦mon with a higher level of sentience were Psychic in type.


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    And just like with any muscle the brain could be trained to perform better.


    We were in our 4th game when we were interrupted by someone.


    I was just castling my king and rook when he coughed and forced me to pay attention.


    Turning around I frowned, honestly I expected to see Chelsea or Barry to challenge me to a duel, instead I met the dark blue eyes of someone else.


    He had dark purple hair that had one big strand hanging over the middle of his face and had a scowl on his face that seemed to be permanent.


    Unlike almost everyone else I had met he didn''t wear short sleeves, instead he wore a purple jacket with long sleeves and a dark blue shirt underneath it.


    "Oh, hello there, didn''t see you." I smiled kindly at him, knowing he wouldn''t appreciate it.


    "My name is Paul, I heard about the blue haired trainer that beat Flo''s challenge, is that you?" he said, not pausing or returning the smile.


    I shrugged, "yeah, that''s me."


    Flo was a trainer I had encountered on my third day of traveling towards Jubilife City.


    She lived in a small town named Riley Town that was on the route towards Jubilife City. It wasn''t in the game or in the anime but when I passed through I could easily see why.


    Riley Town was small, like smaller-than-Sunbright-Town small.


    In fact, it was not much more than a Pok¨¦mon Center and a row of houses around a big plaza that featured a concrete fountain with a statue with Palkia on top of it but that was about it.


    A trainer named Flo lived in that town and apparently she challenged everyone who passed through to a professional match with the conditions they had to beat her Pok¨¦mon within 3 minutes or she would win.


    However there was a catch, her Pok¨¦mon was a Metapod.


    As you could probably guess her Metapod had a ridiculous high defense, even for a Metapod.


    Most trainers who passed town accepted the challenge upon seeing her Metapod, thinking they could stack up enough damage within 3 minutes for the shell to crack.


    While I was passing the plaza I saw an ongoing match and witnessed with my own eyes how Metapod survived a Seismic toss, flamethrower and a whole barrage of slashes from a Charizard.


    Metapod kept using harden and didn''t sustain any real damage the entire match.


    The clock timed out and Flo had won the match by simply waiting for the clock.


    When her opponent had to pay up he didn''t look happy.


    The people who had gathered, a mix of travelers and town''s people didn''t look surprised at all because this happened a lot.


    After seeing that I couldn''t resist the urge to try for myself and an hour later we were at the plaza, our Pok¨¦mon in front of us and ready to battle.


    The nurse who worked at the local Pok¨¦mon Center offered to be the referee and the battle started.


    I had given Ralts special instructions before the match and once the signal was given to start she ran towards her opponent.


    Metapod used Harden and a silver shine flashed over its entire body.


    Ralts didn''t attack though instead she grabbed the Metapod and tossed it into the fountain.


    Everyone stared in shock as it began drowning in the fountain water.


    Flo just stared, her mouth wide open, before she realized her pok¨¦mon was drowning.


    She recalled her Pok¨¦mon and with that I had won the challenge.


    It was really shocking to see that no one had thought of drowning the so-called ¡®invincible¡¯ Pok¨¦mon, I mean it still needs to breathe right?


    No matter how hard its skin was, all living things need air.


    Having no appendages to swim, Metapod had lost within a minute.


    Considering it could talk there had to be a hole air passed through. I had assumed that it either used the nose-like appendage it had to breathe, or spiracles and breathing tubes like cocoons from my world.


    Maybe everyone else was just too focused on damaging it and breaking through its hard skin.


    Flo bursted out crying and I felt bad for her but when one of the spectators in the crowd had told me how much money she had made with the challenge the guilt faded away quickly.


    I gave her the advice to "not be a one trick pony" and left with a shitload of money I had earned, apparently she had a high status in the algorithm because I earned a whole lot more money than I felt I deserved.


    And looking at Paul in front of me I guess the word had spread faster than I could travel.


    "I am challenging you to a 3 on 3 battle," he said sternly and held out three shrunken Pok¨¦balls clutched between his fingers.


    I pointed at Ralts, "Sorry but she is my only Pok¨¦mon so it has to be a 1-on-1. If you are up to it of course."


    The last part was directed at Ralts who nodded and slammed her two fists together, challenging Paul.


    "Fine with me." Paul sneered and I rolled my eyes.


    Why did Ash''s rival have to bother me? Shouldn''t he be somewhere else and bully some poor Pok¨¦mon?


    Luckily for us the hill we stood on was close to a Pok¨¦mon Center so we decided this was a good place to hold our match.


    Although I didn''t really like Paul in the anime it was a small blessing he had shown up. Ralts and I had practiced some new moves and techniques and we were eager to test them out.


    Considering Paul had just experienced a draw against Ash if the anime timeline was at play it meant that he wasn''t strong enough to be a real challenge yet.


    "Elekid, time to fight." Paul said and he threw his Pok¨¦ball.


    I raised an eyebrow; Elekid wasn''t really the opponent I wanted to face. It could be done but I really wanted to fight his Chimchar to test out a theory I had prepared for my first Gym battle against Roark.


    A yellow creature appeared in front of Paul, it had a round body with arms larger than its whole body.


    On its head it had two weird horns that made it look like a plug, which was very funny in my opinion.


    It cried out its own name like Pok¨¦mon do all the time and shot a glare at Ralts who answered the glare with a grin.


    "Elekid," Paul began, "Use Thunder."


    And the battle began.

 Crippling Victory

    The hill we stood on provided us with a great view.


    Mushlands stretched as far as the eyes could see in the west while Mount Cornet loomed on the opposite side, endless in its own way.


    The sun had begun its slow descent down the heaven and in turn the wind changed from being spring-like warm to cold and biting.


    It was a perfect place to hold a battle in my eyes, a place worthy of a crushing defeat.


    Elekid had taken the first move, it was spinning its arm rapidly while arcs of lightning were generated the apendage.


    My distracted mind began to wonder how that would work? Was his arm functioning like a dynamo or was he ionizing his own blood cells with the movement; maybe it was just showing off?


    ¡°Ralts, don¡¯t let him finish, Confusion!¡±


    Ralts prepared a Confusion but before she could fire it Elekid released all the electricity it had generated and a stream of lightning shot towards Ralts.


    There was nothing to conduct the electricity¡¯s path, no water on the ground nor anything resembling iron around us.


    Yet it flowed through the air, defying anything that resembled anything close to the laws of physics, or at least it looked like that.


    The speed it traveled at was too slow for actual lightning, I could follow its trail with my own eyes which is not possible with actual lightning at such a small distance.


    Okay, so it wasn¡¯t an actual lightning strike, it must be, subconsciously, ionizing the air to create a path for the lightning to follow, or maybe it was warping a magnetic field.


    If I ever get my hands on an electric type I should look into manipulating the flow of electricity into another shape.


    Lightning whips would be awesome.


    Still despite the fact that it was not like getting hit by actual lightning, it still struck Ralts with a deafening blow.


    ¡°Thunder Punch!¡± Paul yelled as Ralts was launched backwards by the blow.


    Elekid charged after Ralts, its fist crackling with electricity again.


    Luckily Ralts wasn¡¯t stupid, she had the presence of mind to fire the Confusion she had been building up and the purple rays slammed into Elekid as well, evening the score by throwing him back as well.


    Both Pok¨¦mon landed on their backs and I feared that Ralts wouldn¡¯t get up.


    Due to Ralts¡¯ unusual campy fighting style she avoided getting hit most of the time which meant that she had built up almost no pain resistance and defense.


    If this were an RPG she would be the assassin, fast moving speed, decent attack damage but a very low defense.


    It made me wonder if my Ralts was unusually weak or if it was just a lack of training. Considering I had picked her up in the middle of nowhere 2 weeks ago it wasn¡¯t too much of a stretch.


    Ralts got up and was prepared to go another round, Elekid followed and let out a victorious cry.


    ¡°Nice,¡± I encouraged her. ¡°Now use Sandstorm!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Paul¡¯s eyes flared and his fist clenched. ¡°Ralts can¡¯t learn Sandstorm!¡±


    She can, if you¡¯re creative enough.


    Ralts inhaled deeply and unleashed a high pitched scream, much higher than ever before.


    Elekid was too far away for Disarming Voice to hit but Elekid wasn¡¯t the target.


    The low aimed Disarming Voice tore through the earth and soil in front of Ralts, dirt, grass and debris were shot up in the air.


    Ralts closed her eyes after that to protect them.


    ¡°What is this nonsense?¡± Paul muttered and Elekid gave Ralts a wary look.


    When Ralts had stirred up enough debris she shot 8 different Confusions, each spreading into a different direction, scattering the dust that already blocked Elekid¡¯s sight.


    Within five seconds Ralts had managed to cover the entire battlefield in a sandy mist that was almost impossible to see through.


    Elekid let out a cry as the Confusion that carried the hazy mist hit it. However, it was a low power Confusion and the damage output was low compared to Ralts¡¯ other attacks.


    Sadly, Elekid didn¡¯t get the Confused status effect which was pretty rare.


    In the last few days of battling random trainers only a few Pok¨¦mon had gotten the Confused status effect while the majority was only knocked back and got damaged.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a Sandstorm.¡± Paul said, glaring at me.


    And he was right, it didn¡¯t look in the slightest like an actual sandstorm.


    But it still functioned as a mist that could hide Ralts from sight.


    The sand attack we had created with Disarming Voice during our battle against Barry was already useful but it had terrible range.


    If we tried to do a sand attack with Confusion it would be even worse because the psychic energy ray doesn¡¯t stir up any dust that¡¯s outside its range because the rays don¡¯t bounce.


    However when the two attacks were combined it created a much better result.


    The end result was a hasty mist of debris that blanket a large area in a cloud of dust that was almost impossible to see through.


    Ralts however didn¡¯t need to see.


    ¡°Thunder, again!¡± Paul said, probably figuring out that the rapid motion of swinging Elekid arm would blow away the mist and it was a smart move.


    Ralts however appeared behind Elekid and without my command she knew what to do.


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    She started her most powerful combo; she jumped up and used Disarming Voice to launch herself even further while at the same time hitting Elekid with Disarming Voice in the head.


    The mist was blown away by the sound waves and Elekid could see again but Ralts was already up in the sky.


    She turned around when she reached the top of her climb and her left arm began glowing white while she began her descent.


    ¡°Elekid, Brick Break!¡± Paul didn¡¯t waste a second.


    Shit.


    Brick Break was a move similar to any other punch besides the special quirk of bypassing Light Screen and Reflect. That wasn¡¯t the important aspect of the move, no, the execution was different.


    Where a normal punch was just thrown into a direction Brick Break was swung downwards like a Karate chop.


    That swing made it a good anti-air move, stopping its opponent¡¯s previous momentum and punishing them at the same time by slamming them down into the ground.


    ¡°Ralts, Confusing Punch!¡± I countered and while Ralts was falling and charging up Mega Punch she executed another attack at the same time.


    Purple rays shot out of her forehead and crashed down on Elekid before she could land.


    It was a low power Confusion which could be fired while charging up Mega Punch, convenient as shit, I know.


    The purple ray hit Elekid and although the damage done was laughable it made it flinch and that was enough to interrupt its Brick Break.


    Before Elekid could recover Ralts¡¯ Meteor Smash crashed down on it and Elekid was drilled into the floor while Ralts let out a dramatic cry.


    After that debris again stirred up and Ralts jumped back, her fist still clenched in case she had to follow up with another attack.


    ¡°Elekid get up, now!¡± Paul yelled and Elekid whimpered.


    The dust cleared and revealed a small crater with a yellow Pok¨¦mon standing in the middle of it, heavily damaged but still standing.


    Damn, this Elekid had a high defense or he was very well trained.


    Well, Paul was shown to expose his Pok¨¦mon to heavy attacks during their training because he is that kind of person.


    It made sense since it also managed to get a draw against Pikachu but still annoying as hell.


    ¡°I see your strategy.¡± Paul said with a small smile, or was it a sneer? ¡°You bait out an opportunity and use combination moves to deal damage but that won¡¯t work if we approach.¡±


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts spat out and I had no idea what she said.


    ¡°Sure, whatever you say,¡± I answered, not sure if I should deny or confirm his statement. Personally, I still hadn¡¯t designed a battle philosophy beyond the hit-and-run but if he thought it was something like that then it was fine with me.


    Paul groaned and I grinned at him.


    ¡°Elekid, hit Ralts with your best Thunder Punch now!¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound encouraging, instead it sounded like he would kill Elekid if it didn¡¯t listen.


    Elekid obeyed its trainer and ran towards Ralts, its fist crackling with electricity again.


    It was a mad dash, I could see it in one glance, an all or nothing attack for Elekid. It was standing on its last legs and he had enough power for one attack.


    Theoretically Ralts could tank the hit and Elekid would lose by just running out of spirit to fight but I still had a new technique to test out.


    Okay, time for our finishing move to end this battle.


    ¡°Ralts, FINISH HIM! SHADOW COUNTER!¡±


    Ralts narrowed her eyes and nodded.


    Elekid didn¡¯t stop , it kept dashing at Ralts but the white humanoid didn¡¯t falter, instead she patiently waited for Elekid to strike.


    The fist of Elekid glowed yellow and electricity danced the entire length of his body.


    Elekid swung its arm and hit Ralts in the face.


    Except it passed through her head and the illusion dispersed, as he struck air he stumbled forward, not meeting the force it expected to meet.


    It reminded me of when you think of a staircase that is longer than it is and you take the wrong step and fall down.


    The ghostly feeling caused Elekid to fall through the double team Clone.


    Behind the faded Double Team clone the real Ralts appeared, previously hidden behind the illusive clone and safely outside Elekid¡¯s initial range.


    Her fist was glowing white and a nasty grin was plastered onto her face.


    Captain Falcon style she had charged up the Mega Punch and now it was time to end it.


    She stepped forward and swung her fist at the stumbling Elekid.


    It was smashed straight into the Pok¨¦mon''s face and he was thrown backwards, he landed on the ground and created a small trail before coming to a stop.


    Shadow Counter had worked.


    Ralts and I had brainstormed on the idea of turning the tables once an opponent tried to use close combat against her long range attacks.


    The result was a technique I named: Shadow Counter.


    It was very situational; it relied on tricking the opponent into committing to a melee attack and bait it into attacking the clone, trusting tunnel vision would blind it from seeing what was going on.


    Behind the illusion the real Ralts would charge up a Mega Punch and wait until the enemy broke through the clone and it would either really be confused or it wouldn¡¯t be able to react fast enough, both options were good enough.


    The biggest weakness of Shadow Counter was that it failed against multi hit moves or attacks that either lasted longer or had bigger range.


    Volt Tackle and Double Kick would both break through the illusion and attack the real Ralts afterwards, intended or not.


    However Elekid¡¯s Thunder Punch was a single hit move with relatively small range and thus it was perfect.


    Ralts walked towards the Pok¨¦mon, her fist ready to attack again, though I expected she would use Disarming Voice if it really came to it.


    Elekid didn¡¯t move and Ralts smiled widely.


    ¡°Well,¡± I grinned at Paul. ¡°Seems like victory is ours.¡±


    Paul opened his mouth to speak but stopped, his eyes snapped towards Elekid.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts muttered and her eyes widened, I followed her gaze and a pit in my stomach grew.


    ¡°Nononono, this can¡¯t be happening,¡± I muttered.


    In front of me Elekid¡¯s body began glowing white.


    White light flared around its body and it began to form into a sphere that ultimately consumed Elekid''s entire body and hid it from sight.


    Nononononno! This is so unfair.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± I yelled as I saw Rays of light shoot out of the white sphere. ¡°Get away-¡±


    Too late, a large figure appeared as the sphere and the light faded away.


    A yellow clawed hand with black stripes on it reached out to Ralts and grabbed her.


    She squealed as she was lifted up in the air and met the gaze of the newly evolved Pok¨¦mon.


    It roared and slammed Ralts down on the ground, she let out a cry as she was pushed down with an impact that could shatter rocks.


    I was about to forfeit the match but Electabuzz wasn¡¯t done.


    It let out another roar and began to glow yellow, electricity spiked around its body, way more than before.


    Large arcs of lightning flew around it and covered his entire body, it screamed and the lightning intensified.


    The body of Electabuzz had become one big generator and it unleashed all its stored power into its palm where Ralts was helplessly squirming and trying to wiggle herself free.


    The entire area glowed yellow and Ralts screamed.


    And a second later it was over.


    A red beam sucked in Electabuzz and Paul stood in its place, scowling but a small smile visible on his face.


    ¡°I win,¡± he said coldly and he turned around.


    While he walked away with his back to me he muttered something; ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    I gritted my teeth and looked at Ralts who remained unmoving.


    Her body was still smoking and she smelled like burned flesh.


    I had to resist the urge to vomit, it wasn¡¯t the smell.


    Just the horrible realization.


    This was so unfair.


    ¡°Oracle,¡± I whispered while trying to keep my voice steady. ¡°Notify the nearest Pok¨¦mon Center I¡¯m coming.¡±


    ¡°Confirmed.¡± the mechanical female voice answered.


    I picked up Ralts and began carrying her.


    As I walked a thought kept repeating itself in my head.


    This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, this was unfair

 To Defy a God

    I carried Ralts to the nearest Pok¨¦mon Center in my arms, she wasn''t moving.


    First, it was because she was still in shock but later because she lost consciousness.


    The Pok¨¦mon Center was built near a small lake and was located close to the road to Jubilife City yet far enough that it served a purpose for the people who wanted to roam the wild.


    Inside, a girl was waiting for me and she took Ralts to a special room where she put Ralts inside a small device that looked very similar to an incubator.


    If I were a better trainer I would''ve stayed by her side but I did not.


    I dumped my stuff in a room I had claimed for the night and told the girl to call me the moment Ralts woke up.


    My insides still feeling cold, I wandered outside until I found a place I could sit and gather my thoughts.


    After 4 minutes of wandering I found a nice cliff that overlooked the mushlands.


    The area was glowing orange, the water was reflecting the orange sky while the sun was touching the horizon.


    The color of the sky was perfect for a warm summer night, yet it still was spring and the wind was making the night cold instead of warm and soothing.


    I sat down on the edge and took a deep breath.


    I just couldn''t stand the idea of waiting inside for Ralts to wake up; I knew she would be okay, it was practically a fact.


    Pok¨¦mon get hurt all the time and the damage Ralts had sustained was very low compared to what high level Pok¨¦mon experienced during a match.


    Still I felt horrible for not staying.


    There was nothing I could do or say to Ralts to help her and if she woke up with me sitting next to her bedside I wouldn''t be able to do anything except apologize.


    I buried my face in my hands and tried to steady my breath, I was getting emotional and I would start crying. I wouldn''t stop crying.


    It wasn''t just the match that made me feel horrible, I was used to losing, it''s part of life after all.


    But this felt so wrong.


    Ralts and I had been unstoppable and beaten everyone in our way.


    We had spent so much time training and I had spent hours thinking up combos and painfully trying to remember every small detail from the anime and the games so I wouldn''t start forgetting.


    We deserved to win, Ralts and I had a stronger bond than Paul and Elekid and we had been more creative in our fighting style.


    But in the end it was just a random factor that turned the tables and led to a crushing defeat.


    It was humiliating in a weird way, if I lost to Ash I would just congratulate him and take notes for next time.


    But to lose against Paul, a person who had the personality of a cardboard cut out?


    It felt horrible.


    Maybe it wasn''t just Paul, maybe it was my presence in this world.


    How I had come here, expecting a power fantasy, only to get my arm ripped open by a low level Raticate the first day I arrived.


    Keep in mind, I didn''t make the choice to be in this world.


    Yet Fate kept throwing me around like I was her toy, taken out of the box only to play in some twisted scenario she had thought up.


    Hylla''s shenanigans at the hospital, Team Rocket and then discovering that this world wasn''t like the cheerful anime or the easy games.


    Being around Ralts meant I had to keep my emotions in check: No thinking about consequences or what the hell was going on and the world I left behind.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    And losing to Paul only added to the pile of small frustrations because it told me one thing.


    Fate can and will screw me over.


    "Does it even matter what I do?" I asked out loud, trying to reach whoever brought me to this world.


    I studied the landscape in front of me to spot any invisible legendaries who were watching me but I saw nothing out of the ordinary.


    Letting out a deep sigh, I closed my eyes and tried to push away the feeling of injustice and anger.


    Hours passed like that. I just sat there and watched the sun dip underneath the horizon, taking the orange sky with it.


    Soon it was getting cold but I didn''t mind it really, it was uncomfortable but it made me feel real.


    Like this world was more than just a rush of action and emotions.


    It wasn''t until midnight that someone joined me.


    She wordlessly sat down next to me, her legs dangling over the edge of the cliff.


    I raised an eyebrow; wasn''t she supposed to be in bed and recovering?


    She must have snuck out and found me using my emotional signature, considering I hadn''t gotten a call from the Pok¨¦mon Center she had woken up.


    I wasn''t that far away from the hospital but still¡­


    She took hold of my left arm, embraced it and then she rested her head against my upper arm.


    Her horn was slightly pressing into my arm but it wasn''t too much of a problem.


    "Today sucked didn''t it?" I grimaced and looked at her.


    Ralts eyes met mine.


    As if a spell was broken she buried her face in my arm and began crying.


    It shocked me.


    I had never seen her cry before, whimper and crying during combat, yeah but never like this.


    She cried her lungs out, whimpered and wailed like a banshee.


    Her breath began to shake as she couldn''t keep crying without losing her breath.


    Tears streamed down my arms, she tried to stop a few times but she couldn''t stop.


    Seeing this I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me.


    Seeing her cry like this made me feel horrible, seeing her cry while I was doing nothing made me feel worse.


    I was maybe thrown into this world involuntarily but I had made promises of my own. I had a Ralts to take care of, responsibilities and right now I wasn''t doing anything useful.


    The reason Ralts was crying was unknown to me; she was a Pok¨¦mon and despite having a mindset similar to humans, it was still different.


    Was she ashamed? Scared I would be angry or did she feel cheated as well?


    She couldn''t talk and her Telepathy was still not working so I could only guess.


    I took a deep breath, my Ralts was crying and I had to do something about it.


    Get my shit together and stop self pitying.


    "Hmmm¡­" I mused when I managed to get a grip on my emotions. "Now it''s the perfect time for a heartwarming speech with encouraging undertones."


    Ralts'' crying halted and I knew I had her attention, the problem was that I had no idea what to say.


    Welp, the truth never hurts -said no one ever.


    "A speech about bravery, learning from your mistakes and friendship..." I paused. "But I won''t."


    I looked at Ralts, she was watching me, hanging onto every word I said.


    "Because today was fucking bullshit," I finally said.


    "Ralts?" She had finally stopped crying, but her voice was still shaky and she sounded fragile.


    "I mean you were amazing and you did everything perfectly. You made no mistakes and both of us did all we could. But we lost anyway and only because Fate''s a bitch."


    I grimaced, "We should''ve won. There was nothing we could''ve done differently to change the outcome. Just a random, inevitable factor. So that''s why I can only tell you one thing."


    I gave Ralts my best smile. "Suck it up."


    "Ralts!?" She muttered, not expecting that.


    Shrugging, I gave her a chuckle. "We can''t change it or learn from it. All we can do is accept it and carry on. It sucks a lot but in the end we can only suck it up and keep going."


    I picked up Ralts and put her in my lap, she didn''t resist; she kept watching me intently though.


    "Today we cry," I said. "And tomorrow we fight."


    She was still not convinced, huh, quick a joke!


    Paraphrasing, I said. "You know, where I come from we have a saying: When life gives you lemon you don''t make lemonade. Instead you burn down life''s house and show you don''t take shit like that."


    Ralts chuckled and I let out a relieved sigh.


    She hugged me and leaned her head against my chest, no longer crying but instead she was smiling peacefully.


    "So suck it up because tomorrow we will keep going, just to spit Fate in the eye." I whispered, at that point more for myself than for Ralts.


    Life sucks but you gotta keep going, just to piss off someone you don''t like.


    I looked at Ralts to see what she was thinking but her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping.


    Huh, cute.


    I looked up at the moon and I imagined it being the eye of a god looking down on me.


    "You heard that Arceus?" I whispered. "Ralts and I will keep going, so if you are the one who summoned me, get ready for a battle, and if you''re not the one. Please pass on my message."


    I stood up and carried Ralts back to the Pok¨¦mon Center, still sleeping in my arms.


    Suddenly the night no longer felt cold and depressing, it felt warm and inviting instead.

 Tales of the World

    "Seismic waves of 5.4 on the scale of Groudon, struck this morning in the East part of Galar. There has been major damage done to the landscape but luckily it appears that the casualties among Pok¨¦mon and humans are relatively low. The earthquake''s epicenter was luckily in a wild area and no-"


    I tapped on the screen of my Pok¨¦dex and the radio switched to a different station.


    Nothing important happened in Galar it seems, though it was interesting to see that people used Groudon as a magnitude scale instead of Richter like my world had. Does this mean they recorded a Groudon related earthquake once and used that to set the standard?


    "Raaaltts!" Ralts complained and pulled on a hair lock.


    I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You want to hear about that?"


    "Ralts," She exclaimed and I sighed and switched back to Galar Star-Radio, the most important news station according to themselves.


    The Pok¨¦dex began playing the radio again and the people in the studio were discussing the aftermath of the earthquake.


    I tuned it out as Ralts kept listening to it, from atop of my head.


    It had been a grave mistake to listen to the radio while Ralts was nearby because the moment I flipped open the Pok¨¦dex she wanted to listen in too, despite the fact that I only wanted to do a quick listen to see what was going on, she wanted to listen to it till the end.


    My guess was that she was starving for entertainment, considering she was now paying attention to 3 nerds talking about seismic waves and she genuinely seemed to like it.


    Guess I had to get her a book sometime in the future, otherwise I wouldn''t be able to actually do something useful.


    It was kind of funny though, the fact that I considered an earthquake unimportant news. In my old world it would be big news but living in this world has changed my view on a lot of subjects.


    I had been listening to the news every evening, first Sinnoh Daily and after that I did a quick check on all the other regions.


    The Pok¨¦dex was able to receive radio signals from almost all over the world which was very convenient, or so I thought.


    You see, It always struck me as odd that people thought it was a good idea to send a 10 year old kid into the world and though Looker had told me that most people waited until 16 it was possible from the age of 10 which seemed like utter bullshit to me at first.


    But now after listening to the radio for a week, reading the guide book from Professor Rowan over 3 times and seeing the world of Pok¨¦mon with my own eyes it became clear.


    You know, the usual bullshit that happens to Ash in the anime? Like how every week or so a small town is in danger because of some stupid Pok¨¦mon related issue? Or how a giant Tentacruel just attacks the city out of nowhere or an ancient fossil Pok¨¦mon breaks free and decides to go on a rampage?


    Turns out, that bullshit does not happen because Ash is the anime protagonist.


    That bullshit happens everywhere around the world.


    Apparently living in a world that has creatures with the powers of the gods made it a bit dangerous for people and Pok¨¦mon to live in.


    Just listening to the radio for a week made me realize that; in this week alone there were about 4 natural disasters caused by Pok¨¦mon and multiple small towns threatened by flocks and herds of Pok¨¦mon who were pissed off for some reason.


    Shit doesn''t happen to Ash, it happens to everyone.


    Which kind of makes sense, in a world with bullshit creatures there are bound to be bullshit problems.


    And that''s where Pok¨¦mon trainers come in.


    I really had to read between the lines in the Trainers Guide Sinnoh edition but after re-reading it a couple times I think I understood it a bit.


    You might wonder how the entire world hasn''t torn itself apart with all those Legendaries roaming the world and the truth is: the world almost ended a few times.


    In fact, it''s not that rare for the world to almost end at all.


    History books in this world were filled with disasters on a large scale and people in this world heavily relied on Legendaries and Aura Guardians to help them and fix their shit.


    However nowadays the Aura Guardians no longer exist and Pok¨¦mon still cause trouble for both humans and other Pok¨¦mon.


    So the League thought: Hey, dealing with that stuff is very costly and takes a lot of time and organizing, why don''t we make someone else do our job?


    And here comes the entire ¡®becoming a Pok¨¦mon trainer'' business.


    It''s this world''s number one job with great promises of fame, glory and money. Not in that specific order but you get the idea.


    And why wouldn''t one want to be a Pok¨¦mon trainer? It''s awesome, you travel the world, make friends with Pok¨¦mon and if you are good enough you become a hero like Ash!


    And heroes are what this world really needs, so that''s why they supply people with all the possibilities to become Pok¨¦mon trainers.


    They set up tournaments, Gyms and free Pok¨¦mon Centers instead of spending money on every problem that pops up in the region (and there are a lot of problems) all underneath the banner of glory and fame.


    It''s smart, Pok¨¦mon trainers travel a lot and they do have the Pok¨¦mon to combat any trouble they come across on their way and with their hero complex and lust for challenges they are bound to solve problems along the way to fame and glory (the league really pushes the fame and glory part) and registered issues even have bounties on them, their amount based on the threat level they propose.


    Do I mind this? Not really, if a problem gets too big and the reward is not worth it I just leave it to a more competent trainer.


    It at least made more sense, considering this world really has some problems with Legendaries causing trouble.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Are you done yet?" I asked Ralts and she nodded.


    "Finally," I muttered, "can''t wait till we get to Jubilife City. I''m buying you a Nintendo DS or something."


    "Ralts." Ralts clapped her hands together, excited for the DS although I never even told her what it was.


    Does the DS even exist?


    I turned off the Radio and switched to the map of Sinnoh, zoomed in on our current location.


    "Tomorrow," I said out loud, "Tomorrow we should arrive in Jubilife City."


    Ralts didn''t have a response for that.


    "Welp, you feel like doing a training montage?" I asked her.


    She hopped off my shoulders and landed in front of me, somehow doing a flip in the process.


    I raised an eyebrow, "A flip?"


    She pumped her fist a few times and shot me a grin. Guess, someone was ready for training.


    I was standing in the middle of a big forest that was split into two parts by a dusty road that went through the woods and straight towards Jubilife City.


    The clouds were blocking the sun, luckily there was no wind and for the love of the gods there was no rain.


    Rain really sucks when traveling. Ralts and I had been stuck at the Pok¨¦mon Center for an entire day after our battle against Paul because of some water falling from the sky.


    Luckily there was a guy who had a shitload of comics and I bought a few from him so Ralts and I wouldn''t die from boredom.


    Regardless, as a Pok¨¦mon trainer, the weather could really make or break your day. Today, it was a good day.


    We found a small clearing after a bush and I decided this place would do.


    It was not much, just a patch of grass surrounded by trees on all sides. Hidden from the world and waiting for us to find it.


    Ralts patiently took place in the middle of the clearing and patiently waited for today''s lesson.


    I knelt down and put down my backpack. I took out a couple of empty food cans that were left from the past days of living and camping on the road.


    Patiently I stacked them on top of eachother until they formed a small pyramid.


    A nearby Starly descended from the sky and took a seat on one of the tree branches and began watching us, clearly interested in what was happening.


    "Okay," I took a step back, "Today''s lesson is aiming."


    Ralts gave me a questioning look.


    "You see the empty can atop of the pyramid?" I pointed and Ralts nodded.


    "Knock it off without toppling the other cans."


    She took a step forward, ready to punch it. Just in time I blocked her with my arm. Silently I cursed myself for forgetting to be specific.


    "With Confusion and Disarming Voice," I added.


    "RaaaraRalts!" She complained loudly, and whatever she was saying sounded really complicated. I had no idea what it was though. When she noticed I didn''t understand a single bit of what she just said she moved her hands in front of her body and moved them away from each other.


    "You say that your attacks are too big?" I guessed and she nodded.


    I smiled. "That''s the point of this training, I want you to hit it with the low part of your attacks, aim a Confusion or Disarming Voice above the pyramid so it will only topple the top one. Then the next one, until your aim improves and you can hit a certain part without hitting the other cans."


    "Ralts?" She scratched her head.


    "It''s simple," I said, "I want you to be able to hit someone''s left side or right side. Mess up their directions instead of just sending them backwards."


    "Raaaaallttsss," she said enlightened and I translated it to an: "aaaaahhh, I get it".


    She gave me a determined nod and smile before turning to the pyramid of empty food cans.


    "Now go train Padawan." I joked and left her to her training.


    I found a perfect tree to lean against that provided me shade and a good look at Ralts'' training without being too close.


    I pulled out my Pok¨¦dex and earphones, little did she know the training was nothing more than a ploy to claim the Pok¨¦dex for myself.


    Though I did intend for Ralts to train her aim, just not this moment.


    The plug of the earphones slid into the Pok¨¦dex and flipped it open.


    "Oracle, switch to Sinnoh Daily."


    "Just add water to the flour and mix it for-"


    I rolled my eyes, who the hell would listen to a baking program on the radio? Like, do they write everything down for later or are the people who listen to this kind of stuff just that bored?


    "Switch to Trainer Station." I said.


    I listened for a good while and it was pretty entertaining, though nothing new. A Minor theft in Floaroma Town, but that was pretty boring since I joined midway and missed all the juicy details.


    The second piece was about a man who had a Meowth with the move Pay Day that got arrested by the International Police for using Pok¨¦mon abilities to manipulate the economy in an illegal way.


    It made me raise an eyebrow, why would anyone use Pay Day with Meowth?


    In this world, it was common knowledge that Regions all over the world had Pok¨¦mon who could detect such interferences.


    Guess the guy didn''t believe that rumor and got the short end of the stick.


    The third piece of the broadcast was more interesting, though not new to me.


    "And Pok¨¦mon Hunter J has been spotted near Snowpoint City. The local Gymleader managed to chase her away with the help of a couple of brave trainers but it seems that she still managed to raid a Pok¨¦mon Center during her brief stay. She managed to steal a couple of rare Pok¨¦mon before people came to stop her¡­"


    This made me reconsider why I had called this world easy. Hunter J was really a bitch in this universe, stealing rare Pok¨¦mon to sell them to her clients.


    In the anime she was just an antagonist that appeared every now and then. But here, in this world, although similar, she was far more menacing.


    Three regions were after her but because her fleet could turn invisible along with the overwhelming firepower they only managed to drive her off every time they encountered her.


    It really made me wish not to run into her. Maybe in the anime universe some smart kid could overpower her, but if even the best trainers could only chase her off, I didn¡¯t like my odds.


    The discussion about her on the radio continued, they had a lengthy discussion about the consequences of the raid that went on for 3 minutes before they switched to a different topic.


    Apparently there was a girl in Shorelight who claimed to see the future and saw the sun coming down from the heavens and scorching the earth.


    I thought she might be for real and had some precognitive skill, that was after all not impossible in this world, but when I heard another claim of hers was that the world would be saved by a talking Magikarp I started to doubt it.


    Nothing else noteworthy came up after that which meant it was a very peaceful week for Sinnoh.


    I switched to a few radio stations from Johto to see what was going on over there.


    "And a Ninetales in Ilex Forest has killed its trainer, according to witnesses his throat was bit open before the Ninetales fled the scene," A male voice droned, apparently not really liking his day so far.


    Or was it in the middle of the night over there?


    "I know," A female voice said, sounding fake as hell. "Such a tragedy."


    "According to the witnesses this Nintetales has the ability to speak, Pok¨¦mon trainers and travelers who pass through Ilex Forest are advised to stay away from any Ninetales they spot in the wild just to be safe." The male voice droned on.


    I raised an eyebrow, sometimes I wonder why people even become Pok¨¦mon trainers.


    Of course that would be very hypocritical for me to say, also; a shit load of PR and money can make people do almost anything.


    "Next topic," The woman said, sounding annoyingly cheerful, "You won''t believe what this woman did with her Magikarp!"

 Unwanted Arrival

    Nature was alive in the world of Pok¨¦mon. If it wasn''t for the countless bug Pok¨¦mon then the grass Pok¨¦mon would be the alive part.


    Like the anime depicted nature, it was one big organism that worked through collaborations between species and the forest they lived in. The forest itself was a big network of tiny lives, beating the same heartbeat.


    And in the same way nature was alive in the world of Pok¨¦mon, Jubilife City was as well, but in a different way.


    The city was a giant machine with every person, car and Pok¨¦mon being a small cog.


    And the machine was in motion; Pok¨¦mon doing work, cars driving through, people heading towards their jobs, trains and buses, all adding to the big picture of a city that was alive and blooming.


    Large skyscrapers reflected the morning sun but it was just as likely to block it in a different area, allowing the light to slip through at the gaps and painting a beautiful picture.


    Wide avenues divided the large city into smaller parts, those parts were again divided by smaller ones, buildings and back alleys.


    However, despite what the first glance might suggest, the city had enough space left for parks and wild areas, a chance to walk among nature.


    On the Northern skyline I could see a large building that had to be the Global Trade Station, on the Eastern skyline I could see Mt. Coronet underneath the sun.


    On the Western horizon the city continued to expand, though the skyscrapers were slowly being replaced by large warehouses and shipyards that were built alongside the river that ran through Jubilife City.


    However, immediately after crossing the water and the small havenport the city and its skyscrapers started to pop up again, like mushrooms during fall.


    All these elements combined made Jubilife one big metropolis that reminded me of cities like New York City and Tokyo.


    "Jubilife City, AKA the city of joy." I spread out my arms and basked in the city¡¯s glory. It would have sounded cooler if I wasn¡¯t still trying to catch my breath.


    The view from up the Jubilife Observatory was amazing but the staircase to the top was not.


    I had considered taking the elevator (or is it a lift here?) but I wanted to be a better human in this life and decided a little exercise wouldn''t be that bad.


    Now, I am regretting that choice.


    "Raltssss." Ralts dropped next to me to the floor, sprawled out and ready to die.


    "You wanted to walk," I laughed at her.


    She stuck her tongue out at me.


    The Jubilife Observatory was pretty empty this morning, only an elderly couple was present and they were minding their own business.


    "Want to see it too?" I asked Ralts and without waiting for an answer I lifted her up to my middle so she could peer over the small stone wall that surrounded the rooftop so stupid people wouldn''t fall off the building.


    Ralts'' eyes widened as she saw the city in its entire glory.


    We passed through it this morning and she was already impressed by the sight of that many humans and the glass buildings that reached the sky, something she had never seen before.


    I promised her a better view of the city and with the assistance of Pok¨¦dex Lady we found a high skyscraper that functioned as a city hall and observatory for visitors.


    My Pok¨¦mon stared with awe, her eyes practically sparkling.


    I grinned too; it truly was a sight to behold.


    The city was so much larger than the anime and games portrayed it to be.


    Another interesting thing was the large river that split the city in two, though there were multiple bridges to help people and trains cross from one side to the other.


    It made sense, almost every big city in my world had some river flow through it since a river meant transportation and business


    "One day, Ralts," I said while she was still watching the skyline, "This entire city will know our names. Everyone in the world will know."


    Ralts nodded eagerly, a smile plastered on her face.


    "Everyone in the entire world will know about Dust, his unbeatable Ralts and her teammates."


    Ralts turned around and gave me a funny look I translated to: "Seriously?"


    I shrugged. "You do realize I kinda need more than one Pok¨¦mon?"


    "Ralts," she sighed.


    I gave her a big hug. "Don''t worry, I won''t leave you or something stupid. You''re my main after all."


    "Though talking about future teammates, I still need to get some Pok¨¦balls." I paused, "And I need to deliver the black box with data."


    I closed my eyes and visualized the games and anime, in the anime nothing important was going on in this city; or important for me.


    Dawn and Jessie would enter the Jubilife City Contest and meet Zoey, but that was about everything, oh and there was the B-button league or something but they were really not in my list of priorities


    In the games, you had to find three clowns to receive a free Pok¨¦tch, there was a trainer''s school that gave you a potion upon completion and you found your rival inside. You meet Looker once you enter the city, but I already met him so I doubt that will happen.


    There were some other minor things you could do in the city, though I doubted that talking to people would give me free stuff.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Well, the first thing to do today was get a few Pok¨¦balls.


    "Oracle, how close is the nearest Pok¨¦mon Mart?" I asked while flipping the Pok¨¦dex open.


    The map showed 16 blue dots that marked the locations of different Pok¨¦mon Marts in Jubilife City.


    I whistled, 16 Pok¨¦ Marts, that''s a lot.


    Well, considering the size of the city it made some sense I guess but still, that''s a shitload of Pok¨¦ Marts.


    Welp, time to get some balls, pun intended.


    Ralts pointed at the elevator and I agreed, I wasn''t about to make that mistake twice.


    As we walked through the streets of Jubilife City I saw so much interesting stuff going on.


    Big billboards were advertising an upcoming battle between Cynthia, the current Champion VS a guy I had never heard of.


    According to the amount of advertisements and flashy trailers it was really hype but honestly I couldn''t care less because I was convinced Cynthia would win anyway, though they managed to attract Ralts'' attention.


    I passed a small shop that sold Cynthia Merchandise and couldn''t resist buying one thing. I ended up with a black mug that had an image of Cynthia striking a pose in front of her Garchomp printed onto it.


    Did I have a reason for buying it? Not really but I kinda wanted it anyway and I had money to spare so I bought it for the sake of it.


    We walked past a food stall that was making waffles and I bought one for the two of us deciding it was a solid breakfast replacement.


    While we were standing there, eating our waffles a small girl asked if she could pat Ralts.


    Her mom gave us an apologetic smile but Ralts was okay with it so I let the girl have her moment.


    After a minute of the girl hugging and patting Ralts the mother gave me a thank you and pulled her daughter away.


    The girl proudly exclaimed she would catch a Ralts too once she became a Pok¨¦mon trainer.


    It seemed kinda weird to me, was I supposed to be happy that she would enslave a wild Ralts?


    After that weird conversation we went on our way to find the Pok¨¦Mart.


    I was curious how it would look but when we found it I wasn''t really surprised.


    It was placed in the middle of a shopping area and had a big blue roof with the Pok¨¦ball symbol on it, underneath was written: Pok¨¦mon Mart


    The storefront was filled with all kinds of posters, announcing discounts on certain items, a battle between Cynthia and some random dude, a new tv show and one that encouraged people to become Pok¨¦mon trainers.


    I entered the store and discovered it was very spacious inside.


    A large blue counter with a man standing behind it filled the left part. Walls were stacked to the brim with shelves that colorfully displayed the items that could be bought with special baskets on the isles for discount items.


    Large blue couches were placed in the middle of the room, the backs to each other so they formed a little island in the sea of consumerism together.


    Computers were mounted into one wall, a guy with raven black hair was swiping away at the screen. I saw he wore a black belt with 3 Pok¨¦balls attached to it so I assumed he was a Pok¨¦mon trainer as well.


    It was a very big but neat place that perfectly combined professionalism with style and comfort.


    I walked over to the shelf that held shining Pok¨¦balls on display and stopped in front of it to study them. Ralts was a bit slower, taking the time to give everything a good look.


    Next to me stood a young girl with green braided hair, she held a potion in her hand and she was having a discussion with another boy around her age.


    The boy had green hair too, short and curly. He seemed rather annoyed by whatever the girl was talking about.


    A woman with blond hair stood in front of the Pok¨¦dex with her back to me, in her left hand she held a Pok¨¦dex.


    Giving it a quick look it seemed her Pok¨¦dex was malfunctioning and she needed help with it.


    I picked up a Pok¨¦ball and weighted it in my hand, giving it a studying look.


    Honestly I was just trying to look like I knew what I was doing but this Pok¨¦ball looked the same like every other Pok¨¦balls.


    Next to the shelf was a poster plastered on the wall detailing the instructions for catching Pok¨¦mon and all that other shiz.


    "Ralts, what do you think of this one?" I asked as I knelt down to show Ralts the Pok¨¦ball I just picked up, "don''t you think this one is perfect?"


    Ralts shrugged.


    Just as I was about to get more¡ªI heard a loud bang. A sound that just rattled my bones and soul to the core.


    I spun around, ready to fight or run, yet I still felt dazed.


    It was disorienting, suddenly hearing a loud bang and I wasn''t the only one shaken up.


    Everyone in the Pok¨¦Mart turned around.


    In the middle of the store black smoke began to fan out. A small layer of thick black smoke spread from the center and crawled across the couch.


    A flash followed. I closed my eyes in time to avoid the bright light.


    When I opened them there stood a person covered in body armor on top of the blue couch. A Butterfree flew behind him.


    The person was standing with his legs wide and arms crossed, sending a clear message of confidence and arrogance.


    He had red hair that was a bit shorter than mine, his face mostly obscured by a domino mask that had the shape of a Butterfree but all the white parts had been painted red.


    The big smirk on his face was a mix of arrogance and the knowledge he could back it up without a sweat.


    He wore body armor, much like the stuff you see special forces wear, except he only had the shoulderpads and body vest to protect him. Underneath it he wore a black shirt with long sleeves, his hands were covered by white gloves.


    He wore gray pants with padded kneecaps and combat boots underneath it.


    Most striking was the red cape he wore on his back which was connected to his shoulderpads, it looked more like a Roman cape than a super hero cape. It wasn''t overly long but still big enough to be impressive and eye-catching.


    Behind him flew a Butterfree who glared at everyone in the room before flying towards the door and blocking it with its wings.


    "Welcome people of Jubilife City,'' the man spoke with an amused tone, "Today you all have the honor of being robbed by the number one criminal in Sinnoh."


    He chuckled and I could only just stare.


    Ralts grabbed my leg tight but didn''t move her gaze away from the intruder.


    He jumped off the couch and shot the two kids who stood near me with a grin. "So be grateful,"


    The man walked towards the two kids who quivered in fear, they didn''t dare to move from their spot.


    He gave them a mock bow, "It isn''t everyday you get robbed by Crimson after¡ª"


    He froze mid sentence and without a warning spun around, his arms outstretched and in both his hands he held something shiny.


    Two bangs followed and I involuntarily closed my eyes in reflex, when I opened the I saw what he had in his hands.


    In his left hand he had a golden gun while in his right hand he held a shining silver gun. Both had a small smoke trail coming out of the barrel.


    A Pok¨¦ball and a Pok¨¦dex clattered to the ground.


    The man who had been swiping at the pc stared wide eyed at his empty hand where he held his Pok¨¦ball a mere second ago.


    On the other side of the room the woman squeaked as her Pok¨¦dex she was holding also fell to the floor.


    My eyes widened as I realized what just went down.


    Ralts gripped my leg tighter.


    "Now," Crimson said with a disappointed tone, he lowered his two guns. "There''s no need to be rude."


    His gaze passed over everyone in the room, making sure to meet everyone''s eyes at least once.


    When he was done with it he had, once again, a wide grin on his face. "Now there''s no need to play hero." He aimed one gun at the man who tried to release his Pok¨¦mon.


    "Or to start calling people." He aimed his second gun at the woman.


    "If we all just act like the scared people we are, everything will be fine."


    He laughed out loud, then without a warning he aimed both guns at the green haired girl.


    "Otherwise we all will discover what colors her insides have." Crimson chuckled. "Spoilers, it''s crimson red."

 Crimson Crime

    Crimson loved hearing himself talk, if that wasn¡¯t a dead give away then his attire and overly cheerful tone would reveal that he had a very big ego.


    ¡°Now, we all love the youth,¡± Crimson smiled as he lowered his guns while he kept his fingers on the trigger. It was subtle but the message was clear.


    I can shoot faster than any of you can act.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, I just saw him shoot a Pok¨¦dex and Pok¨¦ball at the same time without even needing to take aim.


    His Butterfree was blocking the door with its wings.


    I had no interest in trying to escape right now. If I wanted to escape I had to outsmart both Crimson and find a way to deal with his two guns and I had to get rid of Butterfree in quick succession.


    My pocket knife burned in my pocket but I knew that drawing it would result in bloodshed.


    Ralts was a decent fighter but most of her attacks were useless in such a small area and I doubted she could be faster than a bullet.


    Why the hell does Crimson show up the first time I enter a Pok¨¦ Mart? That¡¯s just Fate telling me I should fuck off.


    Crimson jumped on top of the counter, his cape waving behind him. He aimed his golden gun at the man who worked here.


    ¡°Now, I want all your TMs,¡± Crimson said, he paused and then added. ¡°Please.¡±


    The poor guy gave him a shaky nod and knelt behind the counter.


    The man was balding and he had to be in his forties, at least. He wore a blue shirt that had the Pok¨¦mart logo but the shirt was a bit too small for him.


    He was a bit on the heavy side and right now his entire forehead was glistening with sweat.


    Still sweating like crazy, he opened a drawer and pulled out 10 golden discs around the size of an apple. They were packaged in a plastic case that made it look like they were music discs.


    Crimson grimaced, ¡°Only 10? Please tell me you have a few good ones.¡±


    The man nodded carefully and answered with a high pitched voice. ¡°One is a Seismic Toss and I have a Rock Tomb.¡±


    Crimson sighed and lowered his gun. ¡°Yeah, whatever. Please put it all in a plastic bag for me.¡±


    He hopped off the counter and his heavy boots made a heavy thud as he landed.


    While the counter guy was putting all the TMs in the plastic bag, almost dropping one to the floor, Crimson walked over to the magazine stand and paused in front of it, he put his weapon away in what I now saw was a belt.


    His left gun slid into an empty sheath that was previously hidden by his red cape and he placed his left hand on his chin. He gave the magazines a thoughtful look.


    He stood with his back towards everyone in the room, completely open to any attack.


    Except he had a small smirk on his face, still clearly visible despite the Butterfree shaped mask he wore.


    It was a challenge or a display of power.


    He knew it, we knew it.


    If we tried anything he could still shoot us, even with his back to us he held all the cards.


    I knelt down and picked up Ralts, both to prevent her from doing stupid and to protect her...okay I could probably do nothing to protect her but it''s the sentiment that counts right?


    But there was also a second reason, or third, whatever works out.


    ¡°Remember Alex please,¡± I whispered and I waited.


    Ralts knew that Alex was the codeword for trouble but was she smart enough to decipher what I meant by remembering what I meant by Alex?


    It was something we had never discussed before so it was pretty much guesswork for her.


    Ralts narrowed her eyes on Crimson and nodded.


    As she did so I hid a smile, that sneaky trickster of mine had understood it.


    Now, I had an ace against Crimson.


    Crimson impatiently grabbed a magazine from the rack and flipped through the pages.


    Apparently, he liked it because he grabbed more magazines and walked back to the counter where the sweaty guy had packed everything in a white plastic bag.


    The sweaty guy handed him the bag and Crimson took it in his free hand. ¡°You happen to have Pok¨¦mon Daily?¡± He asked with a kind voice, though it had an edge to it.


    He shook his head, ¡°N-no sir. It¡¯s no-ot out yet.¡±


    Crimson¡¯s shoulders slumped and he raised his right hand, a silver barrel was held against the man¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Too bad.¡± Crimson hissed. ¡°Now apologize.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m s-¡±


    Without a warning, Crimson hit him with the grip of his weapon against the temple.


    The sweaty guy fell to the ground and the woman screamed.


    She had short blond hair and I estimated her to be around 40, yet she squealed like she was a girl.


    Crimson aimed his gun at the woman. ¡°Please be quiet.¡±


    Screaming woman covered her mouth with her hand and began shaking, still she managed to stay quiet, mostly.


    Crimson grinned and he swept a red hair lock out of his face. ¡°Now that¡¯s what you get for such a horrible service.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get away with this!¡± The man who tried to release his Pok¨¦mon exclaimed.


    He had a croaky voice like he had been awake for an entire week.


    My guess was that he was a Pok¨¦mon trainer as well, I estimated him around 30 but he could¡¯ve been older. He looked fairly athletic and I could see some muscles on his arm.


    Not that Crimson was intimidated.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll get away with it,¡± Crimson exclaimed, ¡°Everyone always says those clich¨¦ things when I enter but I won¡¯t be caught and I WILL get away with it, right Scarlet?¡±


    ¡°Free!¡± The white Butterfree chirped and I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to frown.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    His Butterfree was named Scarlet? Like Scarlet red?


    I smell an ongoing theme here.


    ¡°Now!¡± Crimson exclaimed like he was announcing his next act. ¡°Time for community service, who here is carrying around some cash?¡±


    He gave everyone a look but no one reacted.


    I had no cash, all my money was on my bank account which could be accessed with my Trainer ID or Pok¨¦dex. I considered getting cash but I¡¯m really lazy and buying a wallet and visiting a bank had been too much of an effort.


    Crimson sighed and strode towards the boy with green hair.


    I noticed that both the girl and the boy had green hair and green eyes as well. They were probably siblings, they had to be.


    The boy wore a black shirt with a Charmander on it, he didn¡¯t have a Pok¨¦ball belt but that didn¡¯t exclude the possibility he had his Pok¨¦balls somewhere else.


    The boy stepped back but Crimson simply put his silver gun against his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that no one here has some cash available?¡± He exclaimed, the boy let out a cry and held his (what I assumed to be) sister¡¯s hand, probably crushing all her bones in the process.


    ¡°Do I really have to blow this kid¡¯s brains out?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± A screaming woman offered hastily and grabbed her purse to grab her wallet.


    Crimson instead just stepped towards her and took the entire purse.


    ¡°Finally some honor among thieves.¡± Crimson sighed, he took the purse but put it down a second later, realizing he couldn¡¯t hold two bags without putting away both guns.


    Okay, he could¡¯ve put one bag into the other one but I doubted he really cared about the purse anyway.


    He had robbed banks all over Sinnoh; there was no way he actually needed the money. My guess was that he just loved bullying people and showing them how inferior they are.


    He literally ignored all the money the Pok¨¦ Mart had inside the cash register.


    Still struggling with having too much stuff to carry, his eyes scanned the room and landed on me.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Hey blue, care to lend me your back,¡± He pointed his gun at the green haired girl. ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts said furiously but I told her to stay still and took off my backpack.


    As I handed him my back he gave me the sweetest smile. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±


    I was quickly going over everything I had put inside...and fuck I had a lot of shit inside.


    Everything except I had on me was in that backpack.


    Besides all the expensive shit it also contained the black data box Professor Rowan had given me.


    Now personally I didn¡¯t really care that much about the data but I hated the idea of failing such a simple task.


    Crimson opened the backpack and dumped both the plastic bag and the woman¡¯s purse inside.


    As he got up he smiled at me again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your stuff. I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±


    He was fucking with me, I¡¯m sure of it.


    I took a step back towards Ralts, making sure not to keep my eyes on Crimson.


    ¡°Now,¡± Crimson looked at his right wrist, ¡°Seems like we¡¯re running out of time.¡±


    ¡°Free!¡± The Butterfree flew over towards her trainer.


    ¡°It was a true honor to rob you all.¡± He grinned and he gave us all a deep bow.


    And just like that, he disappeared in a flash.


    For a second no one moved.


    It was like a movie that suddenly cuts to black but there was no next scene. Everyone was frozen, unsure what to do next.


    Except me.


    I was on a tight schedule, so I picked up Ralts. She yelped as I picked her up but calmed down once she realized that it was just me. I put her on my shoulders.


    I strode towards the door but the man with the croaky voice called out to me. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going? We should wait for the police.¡±


    He blocked the way with his body.


    I rolled my eyes, does everyone have to annoy me today?


    ¡°I¡¯m getting my stuff back. Now can you let me go?¡±


    ¡°You think you can get your stuff back that easily?¡± he asked, skeptically. ¡°You, a kid?¡±


    Technically an adult but meh.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I pointed above me, ¡°We¡¯re gonna find him and I¡¯m gonna get my shit back.¡±


    ¡°Ralts,¡± Ralts agreed.


    ¡°You really think you can get him?¡± The green haired girl asked, she sounded like she was on the edge of breaking down and needed a yes.


    I think that being taken hostage might be traumatic for a child. Oh, Crimson is gonna pay for this.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I shot her my biggest grin.


    What do they say again? Fake it till you make it?


    ¡°I will make sure he¡¯ll pay, believe me.¡±


    With those confident words, I walked past the guy who was blocking the door and stepped outside, leaving behind a room full of scared people and one unconscious guy...assuming he¡¯s not dead.


    Outside life had gone on like nothing had happened, people were walking around and shops were doing business.


    I think that the entire robbery took around 5 minutes.


    Weird, it felt like it lasted at least an hour. It was almost surreal to walk through the streets, as if nothing happened.


    Ralts and I walked over to a quiet park without annoying bystanders who could interfere with my life and drag me into another side quest I literally had not the time for.


    We found a small park that was placed between a couple of skyscrapers, it was not much. Just a green hill with some trees planted on top of it and a couple of wooden benches around the tree.


    I sat down on the bench and Ralts hopped off my shoulders and landed next to me.


    Glancing around I only saw a couple of children playing with a Poochyena.


    ¡°Okay, Ralts you still remember Crimson¡¯s emotional signature right?¡±


    Ralts gave me a firm nod and narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s not in range right now?¡±


    She shook her head. I hadn¡¯t expected him to be nearby but I still had to try.


    Okay fine, now my next quest.


    Get my shit back from Sinnoh¡¯s most famous bank robber.


    Something the police failed to do for several years.


    I had heard a lot about Crimson on the radio.


    His strategy of teleporting in and out made him really famous as a bank robber.


    Then he switched to robbing Pok¨¦mon Marts for TMs, a choice people were still speculating about.


    The police had managed to find his base multiple times but he managed to teleport away every time before they showed up.


    He had been robbing Pok¨¦ Marts for some time and he had developed a pattern the media that picked up on.


    Either he would rob one in a small town or he would rob multiple Pok¨¦ Marts in a bigger city.


    He favored bigger cities, my guess was that it got him more media coverage and he really loves attention.


    Anyway, everytime he targeted a big city he would go on a robbing spree, robbing multiple Pok¨¦ Marts in the city in quick succession.


    Mostly it lasted a week which made it a cat and mouse game everytime Crimson targeted a big city.


    Though he didn¡¯t do it often, when he went on a spree he robbed like 5 to 10 Pok¨¦ Marts and then kept quiet for a few months before starting it all over.


    Being a teleporting thief catching him in the act would be really hard, considering he could retreat without any repercussions and attack whenever he wanted.


    Thanks to listening to hours of talk shows covering Sinnoh¡¯s most famous bank robber I might be able to take him down.


    See, my hypothesis was that everytime Crimson targeted a big city he set up a temporary base somewhere.


    He had to, right? Teleporting across the land multiple times a week had to be draining Butterfree, might as well stay in the city until you got everything you wanted.


    It was a gamble but it was all I had.


    I looked at Ralts, my precious radar.


    If Crimson had a base I would find it, or better; Ralts would.


    Emotion sense was a powerful tool for locating someone and I had been training her for this from day one.


    However right now she wasn¡¯t picking up a signal which meant Crimson wasn¡¯t in her range.


    We had to move.


    ¡°Ralts?¡± Ralts asked and I smiled at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll show him why he shouldn¡¯t mess with us. He¡¯s a petty, narcissistic, thief. Not Dialga or Mewtwo.¡±


    Ralts shrugged and I took it as a cue to start working.


    I took out my Pok¨¦dex and flipped it open.


    ¡°Oracle, show me a map of Jubilife City.¡±


    On the small screen the map of Jubilife City appeared.


    ¡°Show me a map detailing all the bus routes and bus stops in Jubilife City,¡± I corrected myself.


    Colorful lines were drawn on the map, spreading from the middle of the city like it was the heart and all the other lines were the nerve system.


    After tapping a few buttons, a grid overlay appeared on top of the map and divided the entire city in squares.


    I changed the proportions to what I assumed to be the range of Ralts¡¯ emotion sense...humm, I should find a better name for that.


    Ralts leaned over the screen to see what I was doing.


    ¡°Oracle, plan out a route to systematically pass through every square on the grid as fast as possible. Don¡¯t worry about money.¡±


    ¡°Calculating.¡± Pok¨¦dex Lady¡¯s mechanical voice replied and I smiled, a genuine smile this time.


    ¡°Ralts, we¡¯re gonna take a ride.¡±

 Trail

    It took us 3 entire days to find Crimson¡¯s hideout.


    I honestly expected it to go faster, we had traveled around 50% of the city on the first day and found his signal within Ralt¡¯s range like I had hoped.


    But he wasn¡¯t in his base.


    Instead he was robbing a second Pok¨¦ Mart which made me realize a downside to my plan to locate Crimson¡¯s hideout.


    We could only find his hideout if he was inside it. After that realization I shifted to only tracking him while the sun was down.


    His tendency to only rob in broad daylight led me to that decision, otherwise we would just wind up finding him robbing another bank or something.


    Small problem, the buses don¡¯t drive all night, they only drive till midnight which made it very hard to cover enough ground to find him. Also Ralts would grow more tired as the day lasted longer and I didn¡¯t want to put her through too much stress.


    On his first day Crimson robbed 5 Pok¨¦ Marts which was troublesome, I had to find his base of operations before his robbing spree ended.


    Luckily I found it on my fourth night in Jubilife City.


    It was located near the river that slithered through the city. He occupied an empty warehouse that looked like all the other ones.


    It was an abandoned part of the small haven Jubilife City supported.


    According to Pok¨¦dex Lady it was abandoned due to a ghost Pok¨¦mon causing some deaths some time ago and it made people apparently wary of the place, even though the Pok¨¦mon was dealt with.


    The warehouse was located on the westside of the river and surrounded by a large industrial yard with metal scrap piles everywhere.


    Graffiti and wild growing vines decorated the brick walls of the warehouse making it look even more broken than it actually was.


    The place was relatively small and had a heavy door which had a broken iron chain that probably once kept it locked but was now just lying on the pavement.


    There was one big window on the front side right above the door that had a large crack in it.


    It was kinda ironic that I could probably walk in, considering Crimson was a thief himself.


    Maybe he just didn¡¯t expect anyone ever to find him or maybe the fact that he was a teleporter made him less reasonable to common things like locking doors and shit.


    Ralts and I actually hadn¡¯t seen him enter the building.


    No Ralts would suddenly sense two beings inside and they would hang around inside for some time and at a random point they would suddenly disappear, which meant they were off to rob another place.


    From hanging around the place all day and night, Ralts and I learned that Crimson never put Butterfree in her Pok¨¦ball, instead she apparently slept outside her ball.


    Using Ralts¡¯ emotional radar we managed to draw a vague map of the place. I had managed to get a vague sense of where Crimson slept and where Butterfree slept, though I had no idea what the interior of the building looked like.


    I briefly considered sneaking in the moment Crimson left to rob a place but if he came back too soon I would be done for.


    Maybe I could make a gamble and sneak inside just to get my stuff but...I kinda wanted fucker behind bars and face justice.


    I had spent 3 entire days and evenings searching for him and to let him run free as if nothing had happened?


    It felt wrong.


    Calling the police and giving them the location of Crimson¡¯s hideout was the easiest option. I only had one Pok¨¦mon and Crimson was a known Criminal who has way more experience in this world than I have.


    The problem was that I wasn¡¯t sure the police could actually arrest Crimson.


    According to the news, Crimson''s base had been found multiple times but he managed to escape every time before the police could get to him.


    This could mean three things;


    Possibility 1 was that Crimson was a really lucky guy, considering this was the world of Gods who broke physics, it was a possibility, though I doubted it.


    Second possibility was that this world¡¯s police force was incompetent.


    The game and anime¡¯s policemen were pretty useless when it really mattered. It was possible but I couldn¡¯t really imagine a society like this functioning properly with a police force as useless as the ones in the game and anime.


    The third option was the most undesirable one, though the most realistic one as well.


    Perhaps the police were corrupt to some extent.


    It was possible one of the cops gave Crimson a warning every time they made a move and thus allowed Crimson to escape every time.


    I had no idea how good this world police force was, for all I know Sinnoh has some Gotham levels of corruption going on in the shadows.


    Considering how Giovanni was both a Gymleader and the leader of Team Rocket, it was certainly a possibility.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    This left me with a choice.


    I could go to the police and let them deal with it or do it myself, Batman style.


    I decided to let Fate decide to choose for me.


    Was it lazy to decide with a coin flip? Yeah but honestly I couldn¡¯t choose.


    Theoretically I could buy everything again, tell Professor Rowan I lost his data and let the police deal with this shit.


    Or I could do it myself and take the first step on my road to become the world¡¯s best champion and shiz.


    I flipped the coin.


    A harsh wind blew it away as it fell down, but Ralts jumped up and caught it before it could fall into the river.


    She opened her hand and¡­


    ¡°Ralts,¡± I said, ¡°Tomorrow night we¡¯re gonna do what the police couldn¡¯t¡±


    (linebreak)


    The moon shone through the small window and painted the entire warehouse in a soft blue light.


    Everyone was asleep, everyone except for me and Ralts.


    Ralts had done a double check before entering the warehouse and our targets were still asleep.


    Crimson was a heavy sleeper.


    I had set off a small firecracker outside the warehouse last night to see if he would wake up, surprisingly he didn¡¯t.


    Maybe it was due to the location of the warehouse.


    We were in a big city after all, and Jubilife City never truly gets quiet, not even during the night.


    Ships passed through the river and even after nightfall traffic continued as usual.


    I could make some noise but still, I felt nervous as heck.


    Ralts and I had prepared for this the entire day, we made plans and backup plans.


    Ralts herself was maybe even more determined than I was, she held a grudge against Crimson that I only discovered on our second day of searching and jokingly offered to just give up on searching.


    We were both ready, plans and backup plans were ready.


    Now it was the time to act.


    I was summoned to this world, time to see how much I could do with the life I¡¯ve been given.


    The heavy door opened without a sound, the oil we had preemptively put on the metal joints to make it as quiet as possible worked wonders.


    It was laughable, how the door was not even locked but I wasn¡¯t about to complain.


    Hopefully it meant Fate was looking over me instead of trying to screw me over.


    Anyway, I wasn¡¯t about to rely on fate alone. Instead I decided to prepare myself as well as possible. I was carrying around a (cheap) backpack on my shoulder with stuff I might need.


    I couldn¡¯t buy any real weapons but I did manage to get an actual brand new combat knife and pepper spray. Ironically enough both were from a camping store which was a rather questionable choice.


    Ralts might not need weapons but I did.


    Although, I had no idea how Ralts would take a bullet. Would it do lethal damage or would her body treat it like any other Pok¨¦mon attack?


    Better to take precautions.


    Although sneaking around with a backpack and a big knife made me feel like a burglar it was a sacrifice my ego was willing to take.


    Also the Ralts that stood beside me right now wasn¡¯t the real Ralts. Nope, it was a Double Team clone, the real her was somewhere out of my sight, probably behind me in the shadows like a true assassin.


    It took some time to convince her to let me go first and alone, however when I explained my reasons she agreed, albeit reluctantly.


    The world of Pok¨¦mon relied on trump cards and right now I really needed one.


    The insides of the warehouse cast away any doubts I had of Crimson staying here.


    It looked about how I expected a warehouse to look. Messy and old, the building was divided into two parts, a lower part that was mostly empty and a rusty metal stair that led up to a second floor.


    I couldn¡¯t see the entirety of the second floor but it really looked like it was primarily made up of the metal walkways you see at building sites.


    The place wasn¡¯t lit by anything except the light of the moon which made some sense considering the eyes a light in this ¡®abandoned¡¯ warehouse would draw.


    On the ground floor there was a large metal table that seemed to be stuck to the floor. A large pile of golden discs, purses and other random items like jewelry and phones were piled on top of eachother at the middle of the table.


    The way it was put on display reaffirmed my idea that Crimson was narcissistic.


    It reminded me of how dragons in films always sleep on their treasure, it was located the way that it catches someone¡¯s eye from anywhere in the room.


    However it wasn¡¯t nearly enough , it was a lot and probably worth a lot of money but Crimson had been robbing banks for some time.


    He had to have a real base somewhere else thus this had to be a temporary base.


    Seems like Crimson did have some brains behind his ego.


    A plastic desk was placed against the wall and had a black laptop on it, attached to the wall behind it was a map of Jubilife City.


    Red flags were pinned on all the Pok¨¦ Marts he had already robbed, which was quite a lot.


    I scanned the place for Butterfree and found her sleeping in the left corner of the room.


    Crimson had made a special spot for her, a large pile of pillows was stacked on top of eachother and a big butterfly was sleeping on top of it.


    She was lying on her back, her wings open, and hugging a pillow which was oddly cute.


    Still, I wasn¡¯t about to back down.


    If I wanted to succeed I had to get rid of her as silently as possible, if I didn¡¯t get rid of Butterfree first then Crimson could escape the moment I had him in a tight spot.


    If this was the Pok¨¦mon game I would probably fight it and have Ralts deal with it but the problem was that I had to keep it quiet because Big Red was sleeping above me, and he had two guns that could end my life with ease.


    I pointed at the Butterfree and the clone Ralts nodded.


    From somewhere else in the room a slow purple ray formed and began to crawl towards Butterfree at a slow pace.


    A second later the more rays were placed into the already fired ray, making it look like a real world glitch.


    If Ralts pulled through then the total of those rays should be around 24.


    They moved slow enough that Ralts could place more along the way, of course they lacked power but I hoped that the total amount would be good enough to KO Butterfree instantly.


    I had considered multiple ways of doing this, from suffocating Butterfree myself to letting Ralts try to Mega Punch a sleeping Butterfree, the problem was that a Mega Punch¡¯s hit made a lot of noise.


    Also, I didn¡¯t feel comfortable trying to suffocate a Butterfree.


    Confusion was a silent move which made some sense.


    It was of course only energy, pure energy that only emitted the slightest amount of disturbances.


    It had no physical effect after all, thus it was the perfect move for a sneak attack.


    And I was right. The rays quietly traveled across the room and after a painful few seconds they arrived at their destination.


    If they didn¡¯t knock her out instantly I would fall back on the good old, run and retreat method.


    Butterfree didn¡¯t make a sound as the beams hit her.


    And she didn¡¯t move.


    I gave Ralts a thumbs up.


    Part 1, removing Butterfree from the scene, was completed.

 Strike

    I silently wrapped the blindfold over Butterfree¡¯s eyes and placed the noise canceling headphones over where I assumed her ears would be.


    The Double Team Ralts clone impassively waited as I tied the wings together with a piece of rope I brought along. I made sure that the rope wasn¡¯t actually cutting into the wings while she was incapacitated.


    I didn¡¯t want to accidentally tear her fragile looking wings apart, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t use duct tape like I initially planned.


    The problem with Butterfree was that she was a teleporting Pok¨¦mon that wasn¡¯t limited by line of sight.


    The blindfold was only meant to confuse her and prevent her from firing any attack with the idea that friendly fire was off.


    The noise canceling headphones should prevent her from hearing Crimson¡¯s commands and hopefully also add to the confusion.


    And now, Butterfree couldn¡¯t see, hear and hopefully also not fly.


    I could already imagine Butterfree flying outside and some stupid side character getting rid of the blindfold for her, hence I made sure she couldn¡¯t move an inch.


    When I was done with all the precautions I took a step back.


    Time for part 2, take out Crimson.


    Now I was running on a tight schedule, I had no time frame for how long it took for Butterfree to regain consciousness, it could be 3 minutes or the entire night.


    If I was correct, Crimson would be somewhere above me.


    According to Ralts, he slept directly above Butterfree.


    Ralts and I made our way towards the metal stairs, knife in my left hand and pepper spray in my right.


    The metal stairs began next to the door and they went to the center of the second floor. There were no handrails to support me or to prevent me from falling down which added to the image of an abandoned warehouse that was falling apart.


    The second floor hovered over the ground floor like a large balcony, supported by metal bars and wooden platforms.


    I suspected it was originally meant to store containers or something.


    Now it was Crimson¡¯s sleeping place.


    Although it looked more like a homeless person was sleeping here instead of Sinnoh¡¯s most famous thief.


    Surprisingly the second floor was better lit than the ground floor by the moonlight which allowed me to get a look.


    At the end of the platform was a mattress laid out on the floor where Crimson was sleeping right now, his figure hidden by a blanket.


    Next to his bed stood a plastic camping table that functioned as a nightstand with random stuff on it, though mostly junk food and other trash had been left on the table.


    A large metal shelf was placed against the wall, on it were various tools a thief might need, camping equipment and his costume.


    His red cape was draped over the entire shelf the way a teenager would throw his clothes over the tv.


    There was however one thing missing.


    The figure underneath the blanket shot up and I ran towards him, trying to see if I could cross the distance fast enough.


    Two shiny guns were pointed in my direction and without even thinking about it I pushed myself against the wall while Ralts beside me dropped to the floor.


    Just in time, an almost blinding flash followed and I could almost feel the bullet fly past my head.


    I heard two bangs, one from his silver gun and one from his golden gun.


    The fact that Crimson slept with both his guns in bed was just utter bullshit.


    I really hoped he would have them on a nightstand or in a drawer but it seems that we truly can¡¯t have nice things in life.


    Another bullshit thing was that Crimson, the guy who slept through a firecracker in front of his house, for some reason woke up and noticed something was wrong.


    Did he have a psychic friendship based connection with his Butterfree? Did I make too much sound or did he have some criminal instincts that warned him?


    Okay, so I was spotted, time for plan B.


    I leaped towards Crimson before he could fully comprehend what was going on and to see if he missed.


    Before he could fire a second shot I was already in his face, my knife was pressing against his throat.


    At the same time a silver gun was pushing against my temple and a second gun was aimed at Ralts who stood to my left.


    Crimson and I both grimaced at the same time once we realized the stalemate we were in.


    I could slice his throat and he could shoot with both his guns.


    Now I could see his face, no longer obscured by his mask, I saw he was very young, around 20 or so.


    His red hair was all messy and a large hairlock covered one half of his face.


    Crimson had dark red almond shaped eyes that had a combination of annoyance and surprise within them.


    He wore short pants and a black shirt that revealed his body wasn¡¯t as well trained as I thought.


    He was taller than I was but not a lot, which was a small relief if it would come to a serious fight.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you and how did you get inside?¡± Crimson snarled, confused, ignoring the knife I held against his throat.


    It was an uneasy stalemate but I could work with it, I hope.


    ¡°I am Justice,¡± I lied, no point in telling him my real name right?


    Crimson¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Wait, it¡¯s you! The blue haired kid with the Ralts.¡±


    I sighed, sometimes I wondered if I should dye my hair for real.


    Crimson grinned when he saw my expression, ¡°So it is you? Came to get your revenge?¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He sounded no longer confused, instead he sounded like his usual old self.


    ¡°You stole my stuff, now I want it back.¡± I said, having actually no idea what to say.


    Crimson laughed out loud, his throat almost scraping against my blade in the process. ¡°You truly try to get revenge, don¡¯t you! Oh, this is gold!¡±


    ¡°Ralts!¡± Ralts cursed, or it sounded like a curse to me.


    I narrowed my eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you walk out like this.¡±


    Crimson had an arrogant smirk on his face, ¡°You and what army?¡±


    He gave both his guns a quick wave, ¡°You brought a knife to a gunfight?¡±


    ¡°I have a Ralts,¡± I fired back.


    Crimson rolled his eyes, ¡°Well aren¡¯t you the smart one, RIGHT SCARLET!?¡±


    We both waited for something to happen but Butterfree didn¡¯t appear.


    Crimson¡¯s smile faltered.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°SCARLET!?¡± Crimson cried out, not taking his eyes off me.


    When it became clear his Butterfree wouldn¡¯t show up he narrowed his eyes. ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°Just some kinky stuff,¡± I answered, ¡°Now my turn; Who is Rem?¡±


    Crimson blinked, ¡°Wha-¡±


    His stance slightly faltered and I made my move.


    I removed my knife from his throat to slap away the gun that was pushed against my temple while at the same time I dropped down, letting my body go limp.


    Crimson fired both guns.


    He missed, to his own surprise.


    One bullet passed over my head while the other hit Ralts right in the face.


    However, instead of wounding her, she disappeared.


    ¡°What!?¡± Crimson muttered as he witnessed the bullet pass through the illusion.


    Standing to Crimson¡¯s right the real Ralts opened her mouth and screamed.


    Crimson slammed against the metal railing and he let out a groan.


    He got up but he had lost both his guns in the process,


    The golden gun was flung towards the stairs while the other one fell next to Crimson.


    I made a dive for the golden gun and aimed it at Crimson the same time Crimson readied his gun to fire at me.


    From his position he could now see his Butterfree, his eyes widened and he let out a curse.


    Ralts fist glowed white and I saw she readied herself to jump, which would turn the situation into a 50/50.


    Either he would try to shoot Ralts out of the air or he would try to shoot me.


    To my surprise, Crimson kicked the nightstand towards Ralts.


    Immediately after that, he shot at me but his aim was thrown off by a Disarming Voice Ralts used to block the white nightstand.


    Crimson dashed towards me and I tried to fire but he again surprised me by grabbing his red cape that hung over the metal shelf.


    He tossed it towards me and blocked my sight.


    I stepped back, almost tripped and took hold of the blanket that was draped over my head and threw it aside.


    Crimson stood in front of me holding a Pok¨¦ball and a pair of shoes he had grabbed from the metal storage shelf.


    Shit, did he have a second Pok¨¦mon or was it Butterfree¡¯s Pok¨¦ball?


    We hadn¡¯t sensed anyone else inside the warehouse beside Butterfree and Crimson.


    Both cases were bad, if it was Butterfree¡¯s Pok¨¦ball he could recall her and run away and wait for her to wake up.


    If it was a second Pok¨¦mon he might try to start a fight, thus distracting Ralts from helping me deal with a gun maniac.


    Crimson¡¯s eyes surveyed the area before deciding to jump over the metal railing.


    He landed on his feet and let out a groan as he dropped a good 6 meters (10 feet) to the ground floor.


    Crimson got up and aimed his gun at me but a purple ray speeding towards him made him move.


    I tried to aim at Crimson but I knew that the chance I would actually hit him was very low. I never held a gun in my entire life and all my experience came from shooter games.


    But Crimson didn¡¯t know it.


    He raised both his hands, still holding his gun and Pok¨¦ball.


    Without a warning, he pressed the button in the middle of the Pok¨¦ball and a red flash shot out of it.


    White light, almost blinding, began to form into a Pok¨¦mon and I cursed.


    A yellow Pok¨¦mon solidified in front of Crimson and I fired, trying to aim at his leg but honestly my aim was so bad, I just hit the wall on the other side of the room.


    The recoil from the gun surprised me and made me almost lose my footing.


    The Pok¨¦mon that Crimson had summoned floated in front of him.


    Its head vaguely looked like a kitten but even that comparison was a stretch.


    ¡°Abra,¡± it yawned.


    ¡°We¡¯re out of here,¡± Crimson told his Abra, ¡°Grab Scarlet and get us out of here.¡±


    Abra turned towards Butterfree but Ralts had other plans.


    She too jumped down from the second floor and launched herself towards Butterfree with a Disarming Voice aimed at the wall, flinging her across the warehouse.


    She landed in front of Butterfree and shot a Confusion at Abra.


    Abra swiftly moved aside, gliding through the air, and gave Crimson a questioning look.


    Crimson cursed and spit on the floor, ¡°Leave her, get us out of here.¡±


    ¡°Abra.¡±


    Both Abra and Crimson glowed white for a second.


    Ralts fired a Disarming Voice at the two but before the sound waves reached them they disappeared.


    I ran down the stairs, not feeling like jumping.


    Fuck, he has a second teleporter.


    My back up plan covered him releasing a second Pok¨¦mon to fight Ralts but Crimson didn¡¯t fight.


    He teleported away, fucking coward.


    It had to be his final trick, a second Pok¨¦mon with the move Teleport, hidden away until Crimson was cornered.


    ¡°Ralts!RaltsRaaaaRaaals!¡± Ralts cried out as she ran towards me.


    I frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Except for the fact that Crimson escaped of course, well, at least we had his Butterfree and all his loot.


    She pointed at the map on the wall. Her eyes stressed and I felt she really wanted to share something.


    ¡°Can you sense him?¡± I asked.


    She nodded and pointed at the pocket where I kept my Pok¨¦dex, gesturing for me to hurry.


    I took out my Pok¨¦dex and she jumped up to grab it out of my hand, she flipped it open and


    scrolled through the menu with such ease I was actually surprised.


    She found the map option and zoomed in on our current location.


    She tapped at the screen. ¡°Ralts!¡± she said, determined.


    ¡°Wait, he¡¯s there?¡± I asked.


    If that¡¯s true that meant that Crimson was only a city block away.


    ¡°Ralts!¡± She suddenly cried out, she tapped another button and zoomed out. She pointed at a new location.


    This time it was further away from us.


    ¡°He teleported again?¡±


    Ralts nodded.


    I frowned, last time Crimson teleported he was immediately out of Ralts¡¯ range but now it looked like he was moving away from us in smaller steps with intervals.


    The realization took me longer than I¡¯d like to admit.


    ¡°Abra has a smaller Teleporting distance than Butterfree!¡± I exclaimed and Ralts nodded.


    I stared at the two points on the screen, Crimson had teleported, apparently waited and then teleported again.


    Abra was maybe a weaker teleporter than Butterfree, because it was less trained or maybe because Crimson kept Abra inside its Pok¨¦ball most of the time.


    Maybe Abra¡¯s teleport had a cooldown time, it was possible and it could explain the spacing between the teleports.


    ¡°Ralts.¡± Ralts told me, her eyes narrowed and her fist clenched.


    ¡°You want to go after him?¡± I asked and she nodded, she did have a point.


    We made Crimson flee, why leave it at this?


    Still, we had the small problem of Crimson still being faster than we could run, especially if he could teleport.


    No matter how small the distance was he would stay ahead of us.


    I studied the markers on the Pok¨¦dex, it looked like Crimson was going West.


    How do we catch up with Crimson?


    ¡°I think I know something,¡± I muttered and took the Pok¨¦dex in my hand.


    Ralts nodded and smiled at me.


    I smiled back.


    After tapping on the screen and navigating to my contact list I pressed a button.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope she says yes,¡± I muttered as the text on my Pok¨¦dex read:


    Calling Hylla

 Wings of Justice

    I made myself comfy on the big pile of pillows besides the unconscious Butterfree.


    Ralts was guarding the Butterfree, though it was kind of unnecessary since she was all tied up.


    The screen of my Pok¨¦dex illuminated the warehouse in a soft blue glow, pretty creepy if you ask me.


    It wasn''t quiet however, waves crashed against the river banks and cars honked in the distance.


    Midnight had passed an hour ago, yet I didn''t feel tired in the slightest.


    Adrenaline pumped through my veins and kept me fully awake and ready to fight.


    Ralts was a Pok¨¦mon so I wasn''t sure if she even had anything like adrenaline, still she was pumped and ready to go.


    That''s why it was so anticlimactic that I actually had to wait for Hylla to pick up and it led me to doubt if she was even awake at 1 AM.


    She had been asleep most of the time I was staying at her hospital but she worked for the League so I kinda thought she should''ve been available at all times.


    Of course, that was an assumption on my part.


    Luckily, after a few anxious seconds of silence, I got through.


    The screen changed and the Pok¨¦dex informed me I was now in a video chat with a certain purple haired sociopath.


    "Oh, it''s you," Hylla smiled at the camera. "Good evening Mister Mysterious. Or should I say good morning?"


    Still going with that nickname?


    "Sup Hylla," I said automatically, then I took a good look again, "Wait, where are you?"


    Hylla wasn''t in a bedroom like I expected, no she was fully clothed and sitting behind a desk which wasn''t out of the ordinary but the background was.


    Behind her, I saw a large room with big metal cabinets and gray walls with instruction manuals written on them. The room was illuminated by a big neon light.


    In the background, I could hear people vividly talking, though I couldn''t make out any individual words.


    It looked like she was in some kind of laboratory or something.


    Hylla grinned. "That''s classified information but if you really want to know,"


    She picked up, what I later learned to be, her laptop and allowed me to the room from a different angle.


    I saw a group of men dressed in heavy body armor preparing for something.


    They all had guns on their belt and a rifle slung over their backs.


    Different kinds of Pok¨¦mon stood beside them. I saw a Machoke, multiple Staraptor and a black crow-like Pok¨¦mon that I remembered from the Galar game but couldn''t recall its name and a few wolf-like Pok¨¦mon.


    She put the laptop back in its place and grinned. "We''re near Eterna Forest. I was asked to assist with a raid and to look over all the data. It''s all very classified,"


    She put a finger to her mouth, "So don''t tell anyone okay?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Look, I need your help but I don''t have a lot of time."


    She grinned, "Oh, so no time for small talk huh?"


    "Can I borrow Charizard?" I asked, ignoring her playful jab. "Please right now?"


    "Why?" she frowned, she tapped a few times on the keyboard. "Oh, wow. You''re at Jubilife City?"


    I wasn''t even surprised that she knew where I was. "Mmm, why would you want my Charizard in the middle of the night?"


    "Look, I really don''t ha-"


    "It won''t take long, I''m bored anyway." Hylla said. "You need her for something crucial, otherwise you wouldn''t call in the middle of the night. You''re in a dark room that clearly isn''t yours¡­mmm, near the abandoned docks, I see. That¡¯s interesting¡­"


    Her eyes widened. "You found Crimson huh?"


    I blinked. "Yeah¡­"


    She tilted her head. "Well, that explains it. So he has a second teleporting Pok¨¦mon? The league already suspected such a thing. You really think you can keep up?"


    I ignored the way she made skips in her deduction and filled the gaps with stuff she shouldn''t know; maybe she did have psychic abilities after all? A short ranged clairvoyant power wasn''t too weird for this world of magical creatures.


    "Yeah, now can I borrow Charizard?" I asked impatiently. I was a little bit irked by how much Hylla knew, but I was more worried about Crimson getting away.


    I had no idea how much distance Crimson had managed to cover, it was possible that his first 2 teleports were an indicator for his travel speed but it could also be the opposite and that the distance he could travel would decrease as time went on.


    "Mmm," Hylla mused, "Well, Charizard wouldn''t mind going on a chase."


    She typed away at the keyboard. "There''s a Pok¨¦mon Center 3 minutes away from you. Just go west and at the end of the city block you should find it."


    She grinned at me, "I''ll send her your way. Call me when you''re done, okay?"


    I nodded.


    "Also," she gave me a wink. "You now owe me one."


    And with those cheerful words, she cut off the video call.


    "Great," I muttered, then turned to Ralts. "Okay, we gotta run. Our transport is on the way."


    "Ralts." She said and she ran towards the table, she managed to jump on top of it and rummaged through the pile of shit Crimson had looted in Jubilife City.


    "Ralts!" She yelled and she threw something from the pile towards me. I caught it and smiled.


    My good old backpack.


    I opened it and to my amazement, Crimson hadn''t even bothered to take out his own stuff.


    After removing the TMs and purse Crimson had stolen I put my newly bought goods from my second backpack into my old one and slung my good old backpack over my back.


    I released a sigh of relief. Backpack retrieved!


    My eyes went over the empty room. Something caught my eye.


    The silver gun that was still lying at my feet sparkled in the moonlight.


    Crimson had dropped it and I tried to use it, only to find out I sucked at it during a gunfight, that¡¯s usually not the time where you want to learn that kind of stuff.


    Nonetheless, I picked it up from the floor. Curiously I looked it over.


    It looked very similar to a design from my world, although I had no idea what the official name was. Something strange I did find, or rather didn¡¯t find, was that there was no way to remove or insert ammo clips.


    The entire thing was one solid piece of steel or iron; or maybe actually silver, I had no idea what it was made of but it couldn''t be opened and unless I had to insert the bullets via the barrel my guess was that this was another one of those bullshit Pok¨¦mon world technology things.


    I tossed the thing into my backpack anyway, finders keepers right?


    "Come on Ralts," I said and she hopped towards me, I caught her and put her on my shoulders.


    I decided to leave the Butterfree and the entire base behind, knowing Hylla, she would probably inform the police anyway and I had a certain red haired thief to stop.


    <hr>


    Deciding this was the best spot to release Charizard I tossed the Pok¨¦ball at the ground.


    I wanted to release her the moment the lady at the Pok¨¦mon Center handed me her Pok¨¦ball but I had to consider the sheer size of a dragon Pok¨¦mon and I also didn''t want to scare off any pedestrians.


    Luckily Jubilife City had a lot of parks for wild Pok¨¦mon and trainers to battle.


    With an impressive roar, Charizard appeared in front of us.


    Her head was facing the sky as she roared and for a second I kinda worried someone would complain about me disturbing the peace.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    However, after her quick show of dominance she faced me, I was ready to go.


    "Ralts." Ralts greeted the dragon who was clearly very confused about where the hell she was.


    Guess Hylla didn''t inform Charizard beforehand. Maybe she thought it was funny.


    "Hi," I greeted.


    "Zard?"


    I shrugged. "Yeah, I asked Hylla if you could assist us. So yeah, wanna help us out?" I really hoped she would say yes, otherwise it would be all for naught.


    Dragons are a proud species in the Pok¨¦mon world and I thought I had earned her trust last time. I really hoped I was right about that.


    She stepped towards us and lowered her head. The big orange dragon let out a demanding growl and I did the first thing that came to mind.


    I patted her head between the horns. She let out a satisfied groan.


    "Ralts," Ralts informed me and she was right, we were in a hurry after all.


    I stopped and Charizard gave me a puzzled look.


    "We''re chasing after a criminal who has a low range teleporter with him. Can I ride on your back?" I asked.


    Charizard nodded and she turned around, she opened her wings and gestured to me to get on her back.


    Awesome.


    Ralts climbed onto Charizard''s neck and I followed behind her, placing myself between the wings.


    Ralts leaned into me while I grabbed Charizard''s neck to get some leverage.


    "Okay, fly South-East, not too high!" I commanded and Charizard flapped her wings a few times to gather lift before flying up.


    It was a much better take off than last time, she flew above the streets and weaved between all the skyscrapers like she was born for this moment.


    Flying in a city during nighttime was a lot different from flying above a forest.


    The cool midair night brought forth a wind that was actually really nice. It was cold, but in a good way, it helped me focus and forget my tiredness.


    Clouds wrapped around the moon, yet the moonlight shone through it and allowed me to see the entire cityscape below us.


    It wasn''t just the moon, a thousand tiny lights coming from traffic, houses and skyscrapers all added to the entire beautiful view..


    Charizard growled victoriously and I had the idea she was smiling.


    Meanwhile, I was trying to do the mental math of how far Crimson was.


    He wasn''t in Ralt''s range but he couldn''t have gotten too far, it had only been 10 minutes since he escaped.


    Crimson could teleport but I had no idea about the interval between teleports, did it increase over time or decrease? There were so many unknowns.


    Charizard soared around a skyscraper that had a big billboard announcing some kind of new product.


    "Ralts!" Ralts suddenly called out. "RaRalts!"


    I had no idea what she meant but Charizard understood it, she lowered her altitude and changed her angle slightly. Her wings began to beat faster.


    The cityscape underneath us had changed quite a bit.


    The mighty skyscrapers were now less frequent and replaced by apartment blocks and luxurious hotels. The never sleeping city had quieted down here.


    The streets in this part of town were almost empty at night, I only saw a lone car drive underneath us and a few trucks, probably people who were coming home from a late night shift.


    "RALTS!" Ralts announced. She stretched out her hand and pointed a finger straight forward.


    I squinted my eyes.


    My heart skipped a beat. Far away, standing on a large office complex, I saw a figure standing on a rooftop.


    Seeing details was impossible from this far away but I swear I saw him distinctly holding a gun. Behind him I saw the shadow of a floating creature.


    They disappeared in a flash a second later.


    "Ralts!"


    The Charizard changed directions and flew faster.


    At the center of the horizon Crimson appeared on top of a large radio tower. I was only able to barely see his outline against the backdrop of the night. It disappeared a few seconds later.


    Charizard began to beat her wings more aggressively. She tried to go even faster. From her low growling I could make up that she didn¡¯t like how prey kept getting away.


    She had already reached his last location and Ralts was informing her of Crimson''s new location while he was teleporting. At least we could clearly see him travel.


    I frowned. Crimson was traveling via rooftops, but why?


    He could just teleport from house to house, making him impossible to track with the naked eye.


    This made him stand out like a sore thumb and wasn''t really logical...unless.


    "Abra''s Teleport is limited by line of sight!" I cried out, "He can''t teleport to a place he can''t see."


    It made sense, from a roof he could see far more and thus more potential locations to teleport too. If he were in a street he could only travel to the end of that street. From a rooftop, he had much more range and options.


    Abra was much weaker than Butterfree it seems, that much was clear. Butterfree had a bigger range and wasn''t limited by line of sight. That¡¯s why Abra was just a secondary Pok¨¦mon.


    It made sense I guess, not every Pok¨¦mon is the same as in the games. Maybe Crimson never bothered to refine Abra''s Teleport or maybe Abra was just a weaker species.


    Charizard roared and spit out a flamethrower.


    Underneath us Crimson and Abra had reappeared. Crimson found himself on a slanted rooftop that seemed to belong to some kind of factory. He lost balance for a split second, before regaining footing and got a hold on his surroundings.


    He spotted us and raised his arm. His golden gun was aimed at us and it fired.


    Charizard steered out of the way while at the same time shooting surging flames at Crimson, forcing him to teleport again.


    The flames didn''t burn the building, instead they just simply disappeared which was quite interesting, scientifically speaking of course.


    He and Abra disappeared from sight and reappeared a few rooftops over.


    Charizard flew towards them but the pair teleported again before she could continue her assault.


    This time the pair materialized even a smaller distance away.


    "Abra''s getting weaker," I muttered and Charizard gave me a questioning look.


    "Either Abra has only so much distance in total he can cover or every time he uses Teleport it gets weaker," I explained my theory.


    Charizard nodded and I grinned. "Only a matter of time."


    Crimson shot at us again, Charizard blocked it with her wings, making a sudden spin.


    It almost threw me off but Charizard quickly returned to not being a rollercoaster.


    I heard the bullets hit Charizard¡¯s wings and bounce off them.


    Crimson cursed and the pair teleported away, this time they teleported to a taller rooftop.


    It was a high industrial building made of redbricks, it had a big pipe running over the roof and appeared to be connected to a big machine.


    Charizard flew towards him and this time the pair didn''t teleport away.


    "Hold it," I told the dragon and she began to hover mid air, a small distance away from the building.


    "You really don''t know when to stop, do you?" Crimson snarled.


    He was shivering in his nightwear.


    It was a stark contrast to our first meeting. He didn''t wear a mask and cape, he wasn''t the one holding all the cards.


    I allowed myself to grin, oh how the tables had turned. Here I was, sitting on a dragon with a psychic Pok¨¦mon while the thief was cornered, stuck with a Pok¨¦mon who was growing weaker by the second.


    "I do love my revenge." I said my words loud enough so Crimson could hear it.


    "RRRAAALLTS!" Ralts added, smirking evilly.


    Charizard huffed and a small burst of smoke came out of her mouth. I had the idea she was generally clueless about the context, but understood enough to feel smug as well.


    Crimson spat on the ground, "You really want to keep going?"


    I laughed. "I have the high ground you loser. You''re running out of energy to run. Just put an end to it."


    The criminal gave me a small smile. "Fine, if you want to play that way I''ll play along."


    He raised his left arm and aimed his golden gun, without even looking he fired three shots.


    I thought he wanted to shoot me but the bullets passed harmlessly.


    Instead they hit a lone skyscraper behind us. The building stood out as it was the tallest in the entire area. All three bullets hit the same window and the glass panel shattered into pieces.


    It created a distinct hole in the top floor of the skyscraper.


    I frowned. "What was that for?"


    "If you want to play, fine by me." Crimson snarled. "Let''s play hide and seek."


    He aimed his gun at me, Charizard twisted her body to tank the bullet if necessary.


    Crimson didn''t shoot, instead he lowered his gun.


    "You have my other gun right?" He asked and I gave him a confused nod.


    He pointed at the window he just shot. "If you''re really that determined, let''s see who finds who first."


    He gave me the finger. "Come and get me."


    Abra''s eyes glowed white and the pair disappeared.


    They reappeared standing in front of the shattered window, he gave me one final look before walking inside the darkened building.


    "Are they actually inside?" I asked Ralts cautiously, unsure what to think of this unforeseen development.


    "Ralts." She narrowed her eyes and nodded.


    Charizard flew towards the building but she stayed a safe distance away, in case they tried something.


    Two questions in Pok¨¦speak came at me, both wanting to know what to do next.


    I sighed and explained the situation. "Crimson''s luring me into a trap,"


    It was kinda obvious, however it put me in a rough spot.


    "He''s trying to get me into a small confined space where he can use his superior snipe skills."


    "Ralts." Ralts said and she made some weird motion with her hands that probably meant to explain something.


    "No," I said. "If we wait outside there''s a chance Abra''s Teleport recharges and that could lead him to escaping for real."


    I was unsure how long it took for Abra to get stronger but if it could get to its original strength our entire chase would all fall apart.


    It took Abra three full teleports to escape Ralts'' range, from there he could go any direction he wanted. Crimson knew our range now, so he wouldn¡¯t make trailing him this easy again.


    There was no point in calling reinforcements either, they would take too much time reaching him.


    "Ralts," I said, "We''re going inside."


    Charizard made an unsatisfied growl.


    "Ralts!" Ralts protested.


    I gave them both a smile. "Charizard, you need to cover his escape routes, you would be too tall anyway."


    Charizard let out a sound that was a combination of a growl and whimper.


    "Ralts!" Ralts protested.


    "Don''t worry, I have a plan." I reassured her. "I''m not one to go into a situation blindly."


    "Ralts." Ralts gave me a long stare but I didn''t waver.


    After that she let out a sigh, and pressed her fists together.


    The shattered window was somewhere on the 30th floor, I urged Charizard to fly towards it.


    "Cover the entire floor with your smoke screen," I commanded. "Then send a smokescreen into the building as well. Don''t want him waiting for me at the entrance."


    "When we enter I want you to find and take out Abra." I told Ralts. "Use your emotional sense."


    Ralts tilted her head.


    "I''ll deal with Crimson," I declared.


    It was almost poetic, a final duel, man against man.


    Red vs Blue.


    Never say Fate doesn''t love her jokes.


    I began swiping at my Pok¨¦dex while Charizard began covering the entire floor in a black, impenetrable smokescreen. It flowed out of the hole left by Crimson and blanketed the entire area.


    "I give him 90 seconds to hide." I announced. Swiftly I tapped a button on my Pok¨¦dex. "There''s no running now."

 Hide and Seek

    There''s nothing better than a plan coming together.


    Maybe it was a megalomaniac trait I developed during my stay in this world, maybe it was the adrenaline rush that was clouding my mind, or maybe it was simply me following my destiny.


    Crimson would go down tonight, I felt it.


    As the wind brushed through my hair and I looked up at the moon I could myself feel being watched by the Gods of this world.


    Moments like this made me feel invincible, sitting on top of a mighty dragon and watching the sleeping city underneath me move on.


    I somehow got to this world and I wasn''t about to do something mundane.


    Tonight I would end Crimson''s career.


    Tonight would be the start of my own legend in this world.


    "They''re still apart right?" I asked Ralts. She nodded and made a weird movement with her hands.


    I paused for a moment.. "So they¡¯re trying to separate us."


    It was a simple strategy, smart even.


    Ralts could take down both Abra and Crimson but I wouldn''t be able to take down Abra unless knives dealt critical damage to Psychic Pok¨¦mon.


    I considered sending in Ralts alone but I had no idea how Crimson would react to that.


    Crimson''s movement made it look like he was looking for a final confrontation, something that would fit his self involved worldview.


    Ralts'' emotional radar told us he had been moving around at the top floor, not going up or down or making an attempt to flee. Maybe he couldn¡¯t?


    I had no idea what this building looked like from the inside, the outside suggested it was a run of the mill boring insurance company.


    Through the windows I could see desks and shelves thus it led me to thinking this had to be an office.


    It was ironic.


    This was an insurance company and right now Crimson had already caused collateral damage, I couldn''t be the only one who thought it was funny right?


    There had to be stairs somewhere in the back of the building but Crimson hadn''t bothered to use them apparently.


    Empathy Sense was such a hack, knowing where someone was at all times gave me so much more options.


    I looked at Charizard. I briefly wondered if dragons could get a sore throat. She had been busy after all. The entire floor was now covered in a hazy low hanging smoke screen that would soon fade.


    Charizard''s Smokescreen made sure I couldn''t be killed the moment I entered the building, considering Crimson couldn¡¯t shoot me through the smoke, which was very nice.


    I took out the kitchen towel I brought along and sprayed the contents of the water bottle on it.


    Most of it clattered down, some of it landed on Charizard''s wings.


    However it did its job, making the kitchen towel drenched in water. I wrapped the towel around my face and tied it into a knot, turning it into a makeshift facemask and preventing me from inhaling too much smoke.


    Strangely, Charizard''s Smoke Screen wasn''t like real smoke.


    Breathing in real smoke would make your lungs swell and fill it with liquid which is very unhealthy.


    Charizard''s smoke just makes your throat hurt very badly and it stings in the eyes but unlike smoke that came from real fire there was no risk of suffocating which was odd.


    My guess was that it wasn''t actual smoke (also, the Smoke Screen didn''t burn you alive which smoke could) but something that looked very similar and that the people of this universe lazily called it Smoke Screen.


    It sucked, otherwise Crimson would be out of air before he could even escape.


    Still, it stings and it hurts and it would make Crimson very uncomfortable.


    I put on my glasses, not that I actually needed one but they would protect my eyes to some degree.


    The glasses were just plastic mock versions for people to see how it fits. They were slightly modified by me so they wouldn¡¯t be knocked off easily, but still, cheap plastic.


    Yeah, I had enough money to burn.


    Ralts didn''t need any protection, being a Pok¨¦mon after all. To her, Smoke Screen was just an accuracy lowering move, though she could use her emotion sense powers to bypass that problem.


    I put away the empty bottle in my backpack and took out the silver gun.


    It was kinda heavy but not in the wrong way but more like how a sword should be heavy to be balanced.


    To me the silver gun was kinda useless at the moment, my aim sucked and unlike Crimson I wasn''t trying to kill someone.


    I would if it was unavoidable but I''d rather not.


    Still the gun could help me, a lucky shot could always occur, however it wasn''t about to rely on it.


    I took out my knife and held it in my left hand, for some reason I felt more confident holding a knife than without one, was that messed up?


    Perhaps, a knife isn''t a very heroic weapon, it belonged to serial killers and yanderes.


    I didn''t consider myself either one of those, mmm, I had a knife and a gun.


    "Damn, I really feel like I am cosplaying some vigilante or something.¡±


    "Zard?"


    I chuckled, "Nevermind that, just keep pouring in more smoke around and inside the building."


    Smoke Screen would prevent Crimson from sniping me and force him to get close and that should make up for my lack of accuracy.


    "Okay, Charizard, fly us towards the window please."


    She reluctantly flew towards the window, clearly worried about our wellbeing. Ralts hopped off first, not at all scared. It was a small jump, yet my heart skipped a beat when I jumped from Charizard''s back towards the hole in the building.


    Glass shards fell off the edge as I stepped on them and they disappeared from sight.


    "Okay, final direction for Crimson?" I asked Ralts and she pointed towards the left, though I couldn''t see shit thanks to the smoke.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I nodded. "Okay. In the words of the famous detective. The game is on."


    I offered her my fist and she answered the fistbump. "Good luck girl."


    "Ralts." Ralts said, she narrowed her eyes and then suddenly turned around and disappeared into the smoke.


    She probably said something clich¨¦ like: you better come back alive.


    I turned to face Charizard who hovered in front of the window, flapping her wings and in the process sending the smoke deeper into the building.


    "Welp you know what to do, keep the smoke pumping," I said and I gave her a big grin, only to realize she couldn''t see it.


    She gave me an unsatisfied growl.


    "Crimson is cornered and practically done for," I sighed. "I already told you. The police should arrive soon anyway, I just have to keep him entertained so he doesn¡¯t teleport away again."


    Somehow Charizard managed to scoff.


    "You do trust me right?" I said, playing the guilt card.


    Charizard huffed and sent a burst of black smoke my way.


    "Good girl," I chuckled before I turned around to find Crimson.


    The building had already been dark before Charizard blanketed it entirely in smoke but right now it was like playing a horror game.


    I couldn''t see far, only a couple meters at most. The smoke smelled horrible and the drenched kitchen towel only managed to filter most of it.


    Imagine if someone decided to throw rotten eggs and spoiled milk into a blender and then evaporated it.


    Still, the thought that Crimson had it worse made me smile.


    I walked across a desk with some paperwork on it, my gun and knife both ready.


    The entire place was a big office hellscape, an endless row of desks, shelves and cabinets. Stacks of paperwork filled some tables, apparently just left there while other desks were mostly empty.


    If my sense of directions were correct I should be around the center of this floor.


    The building had multiple big pillars running through it, dividing the place in equal squares. It provided me with some cover.


    This place kinda gave me the creeps, though it was the design and not the situation I was in.


    It was like somebody had copied and pasted this entire place multiple times.


    The air conditioning vents, the inactive ceiling lights, bookshelves and desks all repeated themselves like an endless hell of paperwork.


    Just another day at the office.


    I heard someone cough, it sounded far away but that was only because I was walking at such a slow pace that it made a small distance look big.


    A quick look around told me I was surrounded by big pillars on four sides, perfect.


    I knelt down underneath a desk.


    "There''s no running now."


    My voice echoed through the building and I moved myself to a new location.


    "You''re cornered and trapped, It''s over."


    I heard a laugh echo, "For you maybe."


    It was still far away from me, the sound came from my left, I moved again.


    "It''s funny how you never stood a chance, want to know why?"


    "Don''t cry victory too soon.." Crimson snarled and I heard his gun click.


    It sounded further away again, was he zig zagging around my location?


    There was a reason Crimson and I were monologuing.


    One we were both aware of.


    Right now we were playing a game that went deeper than hide and seek. Both Crimson and I were limited in sight and only vaguely aware of each other''s position.


    Sound didn''t carry far through the thick smoke and we constantly had to check each other''s position. It was the best way for the both of us.


    I didn''t want to wander around with zero idea where I was going and neither did Crimson.


    So instead we talked, everytime we spoke we shared our position.


    I told him mine and he told me his, a dangerous dance in which the first person to find the other would most likely win.


    Crimson however was at a disadvantage.


    He was tired, not at all dressed right and cornered. Time wasn''t working in his favor either.


    I had no idea where Ralts and Abra were, probably doing their own battle somewhere else.


    The odds were definitely in my favor, Crimson was getting desperate and the police were on their way.


    That was why I was making myself comfy behind a desk.


    "It''s a secret but I''ve been summoned by the creation trio themself with a glorious goal in mind. You''re nothing more than an obstacle to level me up."


    It was not necessarily a lie, just a guess with a lot of assumptions.


    I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, they were getting dry from the smoke.


    "Tssss, and here I thought you were from the police or something," Crimson taunted, "Guess you are just another lunatic."


    He chuckled and I heard his footsteps hesitate.


    My eyes closed, I did the mental calculations.


    He was making a wide arc around me, interesting.


    After a moment of mind breaking silence he asked. "Nothing to say blue?"


    My eyes widened, damn he had gotten close.


    I counted the seconds in my head, gun and knife ready.


    "HahaaahaaaHaaa."


    My laugh rolled through the building. "Arrogance, you mongrel! You truly think you can stop me, you stupid fool!"


    I wondered if I had overdone my laugh, nah it was good.


    Suddenly I could hear Crimson''s footsteps, they were very close.


    Only a few meters away from me every step thundered through the building.


    "Here''s a tip blue," I heard Crimson''s voice next to me. "I found you," he said and I heard him actually pull the trigger before the bang came.


    3 more bullets followed, all deafening in their own way.


    "Guess you shouldn''t talk like that," Crimson muttered.


    I raised my gun and took aim.


    Just to be sure I fired 4 times..


    This time it was different.


    The sound was horrible and it felt somehow louder than before. Bracing myself for the recoil didn''t help a lot, the shock and flash still almost paralyzed me.


    Still, my aim was clear.


    A crunching sound followed by a horrifying splash sound that echoed through the building.


    It was almost impossible to miss, Crimson stood only 4 meters away from me and his back was turned to me.


    I couldn''t make out his facial expression, yet I could''ve guessed it.


    This time there was no snarky one liner or finishing line. Only an agonizing scream that shook me to the core.


    The lower part of Crimson''s leg had exploded, it was torn open and looked like a meat grinder had gone over it.


    He collapsed, his left leg was unable to support his weight; still he held a gun in his hand.


    Crimson stumbled forward and I made a dash for him.


    I flipped my knife in my hand and aimed the grip at his hand and slammed it down.


    He dropped the gun as pain spasmed through his arm. I followed my strike up with a hit to the back of his head to knock him out.


    With a kick his gun flew away and landed somewhere in the darkness, probably underneath a bookshelf or desk.


    Crimson kept screaming so I hit him again, almost in blind panic.


    He stopped after that and quietly lied on the floor, the only sign he was alive were the jerky breaths he heaved.


    "Fucking game over," I muttered, still kinda in shock.


    Sinnoh''s infamous bank robber was lying knocked out on the floor with a small puddle forming around his leg.


    I began chuckling.


    The craziness of what I just had done finally came down on me.


    It was morbid and totally insane to laugh while someone''s bleeding out next to you but I just couldn''t stop shaking and laughing.


    My chest began aching from the maniacal laughter and I couldn''t help but to wonder if I was finally getting my breakdown, it was bound to happen.


    I had been in this insane world for quite some time and now I was standing over someone I promised to take down.


    Somehow I had managed to do what others couldn''t.


    "You are trapped," My voice came from behind me, "You played right into my hands, did you really think I would just roll over and let you get away?"


    This was enough to make my hysterical laughter stop.


    I calmed myself down and managed to recollect my thoughts.


    Had to contain Crimson and tie him up, check up on Ralts and Abra and tell Charizard that everything was alright. Also, perhaps I should tend to Crimson''s wound and close it.


    "You ran out of luck. So don''t keep the police waiting, Crimson." My voice droned on and I turned around and walked towards the desk.


    The desk he had shot had multiple holes in it, woods had splintered around it and I counted at least 4 holes.


    I walked around the desk and knelt down.


    "You can stop playing the recording, Oracle." I smiled as I retrieved my Pok¨¦dex from underneath the desk.


    The screen blinked and the Pok¨¦dex lady stopped playing the recording.


    "Now Oracle, how much money does Crimson have on his head?"

 The Crimson Connection

    Ralts managed to deal with Abra just fine, no big problems on her part which made me swell with pride.


    She dragged Abra towards the unconscious Crimson and dumped the creature on the floor.


    He had stopped bleeding, I just wrapped a bandage around his leg and waited for the actual professionals to arrive to actually deal with his injuries.


    They arrived 10 minutes after I shot Crimson, which was kinda disappointing to be honest. I thought they would react faster.


    They shipped Crimson to a police car but they gave Abra a pair of handcuffs which I thought was very weird, but when they explained why, their reasoning made sense.


    Pok¨¦mon can''t teleport through shaking molecules or something. Apparently it distorted their Teleport and if they attempted to do it anyway horrifying things would happen to them.


    Things like reappearing with their insides outside, entire body parts missing or just going straight up kaboom.


    I wasn''t sure how it exactly worked since air molecules are constantly moving. I asked the officer about them but he just explained it was some high tech shit someone invented to contain teleporting Pok¨¦mon if necessary and told me to stop bothering him about it.


    They asked me to come along to the police station.


    I told them I was tired and would come by in the morning which they were totally okay with.


    My guess was that Hylla pulled some strings because they didn''t even bother asking my name, instead I could just stumble my way towards Charizard and fly off.


    It was getting late and the adrenaline had stopped pumping through my body, thus I needed a place to crash down at.


    Being a good trainer, I thanked both Charizard and Ralts.


    I couldn''t resist the urge to say: "Told you so."


    Ralts gave me a weak punch and Charizard gave me a mock growl.


    We arrived at a nice quiet Pok¨¦mon Center and I returned Charizard to her Pok¨¦ball and claimed a room inside.


    Once I found a nice room I released Charizard and decided to use her as a pillow because that''s what dragon Pok¨¦mon are meant to be.


    The following morning I left the Pok¨¦mon Center to visit the Jubilife Midtown Police Station which was a very mouthful name, though that didn¡¯t stop me from enjoying dawn to its fullest.


    It was a beautiful morning, the sun was just above the horizon and I decided to wake up earlier and just get my business with the police done.


    As I walked through the city I saw the gears of the city slowly being greased by its waking people. Some were headed to school, work or whatever reasons they had to wake up this early. I saw some people jogging, or to start their work out at the park. Some of them were accompanied by Pok¨¦mon but most of them were just alone.


    It was mostly quiet.


    When I entered the police station I got a small applause which was very good for my ego. Afterwards things quieted down and everyone went on their way. I was taken to a backroom and I had to explain the entire process of capturing Crimson for the reports.


    Being a liar, I told them I figured out where Crimson''s location was by eliminating possibilities instead of using Ralts'' emotion radar.


    Maybe it was wrong of me to lie but I would rather keep Ralts'' abilities a secret, especially since I had never heard about someone doing something similar.


    I had to give them my Trainer ID before I could claim the bounty, surprisingly it wasn''t as much as I thought, it was still a shitload of money and I really appreciate it nonetheless. I learned something new in the process, apparently Pok¨¦mon related problems had a higher priority than other threats.


    Again, there was an algorithm involved that calculated the bounty, it factored in the amount of danger, the time the problem has been going on, the chance said problem could create more problems, the threat level and the amount of people affected by said problem.


    It was again a very delicate process that was mostly hidden to prevent exploitation.


    The league deemed Pok¨¦mon related problems more important because Pok¨¦mon had the ability to destroy towns if they had the numbers or were powerful enough.


    Still, the money I earned was quite a lot, way more than I got from the entire Team Rocket situation.


    The fact that Crimson remained untouched until I came along made him a very pricey criminal. I accepted the money and went on with my day.


    I briefly spoke with someone from the news who wanted to make an article about it. According to a police officer it was for PR, seeing how a 16 year old Pok¨¦mon trainer managed to take down an infamous bank robber would apparently inspire a lot of other people according to them.


    Charizard deserved to be in the spotlight as well so when they asked for a photo I released her to be on it too.


    In the end Ralts sat on top of Charizard while I was standing in front of the pair with a big grin on my face.


    It was a cool photo and they promised to send me a copy when the next edition was out.


    Ralts enjoyed her short moment of fame which gave me a false feeling of accomplishment, I had promised her that we would become famous and although this was a small step it was a step after all.


    Sadly, Fate didn''t smile for everyone.


    It was late noon when I decided to give a call and return to Charizard.


    I had spent the entire day flying with her and Ralts because, well do I need to explain that? Flying is awesome.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    While I was calling Hylla the nurse at the Pok¨¦mon Center was doing a check up on both Pok¨¦mon, just to be sure.


    The Pok¨¦mon Center had a PC I could use free of charge.


    I found a computer to use in a backroom that provided me with enough privacy to make a video call.


    However when I called Hylla she didn''t give me her usual smirk.


    She was sitting cross-legged on a big bed, her long purple hair looked messy and she had red rings around her eyes.


    The style of the room suggested it was a hotel or something similar.


    Next to her on the bed was a big pile of fast food.


    "Hello Dust," Hylla said, "Congrats on your victory over Crimson, quite the game you were playing."


    She gave me a weak smile.


    "Thanks," I said hesitantly, "Your Charizard really helped me."


    "Yes. Charizard seems to like you a lot," Hylla mused.


    "Well, no one said my Pok¨¦mon have good taste." I joked.


    Hylla didn''t smile.


    "Okay, I''ll cut to the chase," I muttered before looking Hylla in the eyes, "You look like shit Hylla, what''s wrong?"


    "Now that''s not something a lady likes to hear," Hylla said tiredly,"But to be honest I feel like dying right now. I''ve been staying up for 37 hours and 13 minutes straight."


    She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "I¡¯ve been staring at computer screens all day."


    "For what?"I asked.


    Hylla shrugged. "Spitting through data, tracking money across multiple region borders, directing a mission and I just went through Crimson''s entire laptop."


    I thought back to yesterday evening, "You said you were helping with a raid?"


    She nodded, "Yes, we managed to find the current location of the Snatchers, a hiker saw their camp while he was out in Eterna Forest. The League''s special team and the Pok¨¦mon Rangers decided to launch an attack together in hope of stopping them and hopefully freeing some poor Pok¨¦mon before it was too late."


    She gave me a disappointed look.


    The Snatchers, I had heard about them but solid information about them was scarce.


    They were a group who traveled across the world and kidnapped Pok¨¦mon, wild or owned, it didn''t matter to them.


    The big difference between them and Hunter J was that they were shrouded in mysteries. Unlike Hunter J, they didn''t steal Pok¨¦mon to sell them.


    No, if a Pok¨¦mon got snatched by the Snatchers it was as good as gone. No one knew what happened to them but it was clear that everyone who came in contact with the Snatchers disappeared and would never be seen again.


    It was quite unsettling, especially since no one knew anything about their reasoning or members. They just traveled from place to place and snatched, seemingly at random, Pok¨¦mon.


    "How did it go?" I asked dreadfully.


    Hylla sighed. "Well I was in charge of coordinating the communication between the squads and everything seemed to go alright; we found their location with surprising ease and managed to catch them off guard..."


    "But it went wrong," I concluded.


    "They set the entire forest on fire," Hylla said with disgust, "Can you imagine the nightmare that the fire caused? Stuck between a very hostile camp of Snatchers and a forest fire?"


    She cast her eyes down, "They managed to turn the tables on us after that. It was a nightmare. Both Pok¨¦mon and men were consumed by the fire before the Rangers managed to put it out. Massive damage to the local ecosystem and we failed to catch any of the Snatchers."


    I was left speechless; how was one supposed to react to that?


    That sucks?


    Better luck next time?


    "So yeah, not everyone had as much luck as you did." Hylla cast down her eyes..


    "Sorry," I eventually said, still at a loss for words. "At least you managed to drive them off."


    "Yes, at least that. However, after that my job wasn''t done yet." Hylla turned her eyes back to me again, she pointed at the junk food pile next to her. "I''ve been stuck in this room the entire day, analyzing the scarce data we managed to uncover during our brief raid."


    "Got something?" I asked.


    Hylla gave me a grave look. "Sadly I did. We managed to find a record of all the Pok¨¦mon they snatched during their stay in Sinnoh."


    "What did you get out of it?" I asked.


    She leaned to the left and grabbed something that was outside the camera''s view. Hylla pulled it into the frame. A second later she held a long list.


    "See this?" She asked, "These are all the Pok¨¦mon they snatched, can you see the pattern?"


    She held the list in front of the camera. Her voice sounded strained.


    To me it was just a random list of Pok¨¦mon names. I shook my head.


    "That''s because there isn''t one," Hylla yawned, "The Pok¨¦mon on the list are not rare, pretty or powerful, it''s seemingly random. Almost as if they just snatch Pok¨¦mon out of sadism but¡­"


    "But?" I urged her to continue.


    "Well, I had been working on this problem ever since the catastrophe in Eterna forest," Hylla continued.


    No shit, you look like you came back from the dead.


    "I just couldn''t let it all be for nothing," Hylla sounded very emotional to me, though she managed to hide it very well, I could almost convince myself I had imagined the crack in her voice.


    "And it all seemed to be useless junk we got until the Jubilife City Police force sent the League the data that was stored on Crimson''s Pc."


    I raised an eyebrow, "Crimson has a connection with the Snatchers?"


    "Not directly but they are similar in some ways," she paused to think. "Did you know that Crimson stole 1756 TMs last year? A crime that made no sense in the public''s eye, however after recovering Crimson''s data I found out that he himself was tasked to get as many TMs as possible, in exchange he got paid three times as much as they''re worth!"


    "You managed to figure that out in one day?" I asked incredulously.


    "Working non stop all day and night," Hylla reminded me with a pained groan. "And it paid off because Crimson held the piece to solve a part of the Snatchers mystery."


    She gave me a weary smile. "I tracked down the channels Crimson used for monetary transactions, turns out, both the Snatchers and Crimson get their money via the same networks."


    I briefly closed my eyes to reconsider everything Hylla had just revealed.


    My first thought was that someone was putting together an army, using the TMs to power his Pok¨¦mon, except that couldn''t be it. That made no sense.


    Hylla''s list also contained worthless Pok¨¦mon that were unfit for battle.


    I began eliminating all the possibilities that didn''t fit the details and came to an ugly conclusion.


    Hylla had been patiently waiting for me to reach the same conclusion, I opened my eyes and one gaze of hers told me I was right. We shared the same dark look.


    "How sure are you?" I asked, hoping for a ''not sure at all.''


    "98% sure," Hylla said with her eyes down, "Pok¨¦mon are snatched too frequently to form a sustainable assault force and too random for a collector. I did consider that they were sold for body parts but the local black market shows no significant increase once the Snatchers enter a new area."


    "Oooh fuck," I muttered, "So what''s the League going to do about it now?"


    "The Snatchers already received a B as threat level because of their body count and even after their slaughter in Eterna Forest they were still not threatening enough to change their threat level."


    "They refuse to change it?"


    "No, they did change it." Hylla answered with a sad smile. "After I showed them the new information Crimson''s capture revealed and my conclusion they agreed to change their threat level to A."


    "You think it''s that bad?"


    Hylla fixed her eyes on me. "Whoever receives all the Pok¨¦mon and TMs shouldn''t be underestimated."


    She tapped a few buttons on her laptop and clicked a few times and a news article popped up on the screen, it was about a small island in the Kanto region disappearing overnight.


    Hylla grimaced.


    "After all, history shows that whenever someone is experimenting on Pok¨¦mon, tragedy follows."

 Threat Level

    The world of Pok¨¦mon is very dangerous, just the sheer amount of different Pok¨¦mon and Legendaries in this world guaranteed trouble on a daily basis.


    Most of the Leagues in this world used the Threat Level System to signify the threat a Pok¨¦mon, Human or situation presented.


    The fact they had a threat level system was already messed up, the list itself was even more disturbing and made me want to switch universes; I heard that Animal Crossing is very peaceful.


    When Hylla had told me the Sinnoh League upped the Snatchers'' threat level from B to A, I decided to see what the entire Threat Level System was about. I had heard about it but it always was spoken of in such a mundane manner, I thought it was something as everyday as the weather.


    But holy shit was it scary.


    The system started at E, which was the designation assigned to small local threats in deserted areas. For example a swarm of Beedrill making a forest unsafe or an Ursaring that was rampaging around because they were generally violent.


    Most problems in this world had an E-level rating and they were so common people didn''t really bother with them, most people didn''t even bother to report and label those threats.


    E level threats were 99% of the time dealt with by traveling Pok¨¦mon trainers who had nothing better to do.


    D level threats mostly involved a Pok¨¦mon or multiple Pok¨¦mon putting a small town in danger but at the same time the threat they presented was still weak and manageable.


    Tentacruel being annoying? D level threat, a Drowzee kidnapping children by accident? Also a D level threat.


    The list of D level threats is kinda big, probably because natural disasters fell into that category too.


    Still, most people in this world didn''t consider D level threats too bothersome, it was mostly just an annoyance.


    C level threats involved small towns too, but this time the threat was considerably more serious, think about Pok¨¦mon actually killing people or villainous gangs trying to take over.


    Problems that involved casualties, both for Pok¨¦mon and for humans.


    Still compared to the other threat levels above C it was still laughable.


    B level threats involved cities.


    If a large city is threatened it means a lot more casualties and collateral damage, for that reason B level threats were very rare, though still present.


    As I was scrolling through the list of past threats, I found some events from the anime as well, I found a (solved) threat about a giant Tentacruel in Hutber Port, a tidal wave almost wiping Alto Mare of the map and something about Deoxys in LaRousse City which was later turned into an A level threat when Rayquaza showed up.


    B level threats were considered a disaster because of the massive collateral damage they brought forth.


    And finally you had A level threats.


    Most A level threats had one or more Legendaries involved; though the A level category was not Pok¨¦mon exclusive.


    According to Pok¨¦dex Lady, the rule for an A level threat was that large parts of a region had to be in immediate danger due to an escalating B-level threat that affects multiple cities or has the power to move/spread into other areas.


    The big shit you know?


    Again, A level threats were much scarcer than the others below it, mostly because Legendary Pok¨¦mon dealt with them.


    I found a lot of Pok¨¦mon movies in the past A level threats;


    There were mentions of a girl in Johto manipulating the Unown, Jirachi''s awakening and a battle between Rayquaza and Deoxys.


    However, most of the A level threats were ones I had never heard of which made sense, not everything in this world revolves around Ash Ketchum after all.


    Humans too could be found on the A level threat list.


    Team Rocket had been one but right now they were marked as dealt with, it was a small mystery for me because Team Rocket does still exist in the anime but in the games they were stopped and disbanded by Red and Gold.


    Hunter J was also marked as an A level threat because of her tendency to mess with Legendaries and her high mobility.


    And now the Snatchers joined the list as an "A level threat" as well.


    And you might think that A is the highest rating but nope.


    S level threats exist too, but they are very rare.


    Also, S basically means; We are all fucked.


    Whenever an S threat rating is given all regions are considered to be in immediate danger.


    I found an S level threat that described the Legendary Birds stirring trouble at the Orange Islands and in the process almost changing the world''s climate to the point life would be unsustainable.


    Another notorious past S level threat was a short fight between Groudon and Kyogre that threatened every region in the world.


    The list of past S level threats was very short but one caught my eyes, one reported threat from two decades ago in the Kalos Region.


    Apparently there was someone who had caught ice Pok¨¦mon from all over the world and built a machine that could throw the world into a new ice age.


    He had built a fort on a mountain and created a big ice storm that prevented everyone from getting close.


    According to the report all attempts to stop the guy failed until Suicune showed up and destroyed the entire mountain.


    You can still see the remains of the fort, it''s a tourist spot in Kalos now.


    Right now there is only one active S level threat in the world, something called Celebi''s Forest.


    It had a mention that it was a passive threat and there was no more information about it except for the fact that the problem was under control.


    Seeing how that certain threat had been on the list for over 3 decades suggested that no one found a permanent solution for it yet.


    So yeah, this world is very dangerous.


    Still, right now everything was going alright. My biggest problem was that I missed Charizard.


    Riding on her back was so much better than walking.


    Still, I had to suffer through the painful fact of not having a dragon to ride on. Ralts walked beside me while I was holding a city map in my hands, trying to find the address Professor Rowan had given me.


    Pok¨¦dex Lady was unavailable right now, updating her took quite some time and I was forced to use a map to find my way.


    The map however was of the entire city and left out all the smaller avenues and it was basically useless.


    I was still trying to burn a hole into the map with my eyes when Fate decided to mess with me and I bumped into someone.


    I fell on my butt and Ralts burst out laughing.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The other people on the street made a wide arc around us, some of them gave me a cheerful smile or apologetic nods but most of them were just annoyed.


    "Seriously?" I asked Ralts who was still laughing.


    "Ouch," the person who I bumped into muttered as she fell too.


    "Piplup!"


    In front of me, sitting on the pavement sat someone I hadn''t expected to see.


    She had long dark blue hair, the same color as her eyes though most of her hair was hidden by a white hat she wore.


    The girl wore a dress that went from a black v neck and ended in a short pink skirt. A red scarf was wrapped around her neck but it had to be for fashion sake because she wore no leggings or jeans, instead she had pink boots that almost reached her knees but that was about it for her legs.


    I estimated her to be around 16, considering her height.


    Next to her was a blue penguin-like creature I had seen before.


    Being a very nice person I stood up and offered her my hand to get up.


    "Sorry," I offered her an apologetic smile, "Wasn''t paying attention to my surroundings."


    "Me neither," the girl laughed as she rubbed the back of her head. She took the hand and I pulled her up, Ralts was still laughing like crazy which led to another comedic scene.


    Piplup got up as well and shot Ralts a glare.


    Ralts ignored him and kept laughing, Piplup got annoyed and began saying something.


    "Now Piplup, that''s not a way to talk to someone," the girl scolded the penguin.


    I felt like Ralts should stop laughing but I would be a hypocrite to tell her not to.


    Instead I just watched Ralts mess with Piplup.


    "Hey, do I know you?" The girl asked.


    She put her hand on her chin and gave me a thoughtful look.


    "No¡­" I replied.


    "No, I do recognize you," She muttered, her eyes widened. "I know, you''re the person who caught Crimson!"


    "Huh, Guess I''m famous already," I said, "Yup, I''m Dust."


    "My name is Dawn," She introduced herself, "Nice to meet you."


    "Yeah same," I said, "Again, sorry for bumping into you."


    It was interesting to see that Dawn wasn''t 10 but around my age. Guess it made some sense for Ash to travel with someone around his own age.


    "No it''s my fault, I wasn''t paying attention either." Dawn waved it off.


    "Cool, so we agree it''s your fault?" I grinned and I picked up Ralts, who stopped laughing.


    "Wait! It is your fault first!" Dawn exclaimed.


    "Ralts,'' Ralts told Dawn, sounding very smug for some reason.


    I folded the map I had and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.


    "Oww!" Dawn squealed, her eyes practically shining, "You look so cute!"


    "RaRalts!" Ralts waved.


    She pulled a Pok¨¦dex out of a pocket that was apparently hidden inside her dress and scanned Ralts.


    Her version of Pok¨¦dex rattled off the entire description of Ralts, minus all the moves and personal things.


    "Oh wow! I have never seen a Ralts."


    "She is very special," I told her and Ralts gave me a big hug.


    "Yeah she does look very special." Dawn laughed.


    "Hey Dawn you have a Pok¨¦dex, could you help me out please?"


    She blinked. "Oh sure, what is your problem? Need to make a call?"


    "Nah, I am kinda lost and my own navigation is kinda not available, so if you could point me in the right direction?"


    "Yeah of course I can." Dawn smiled. "Where do you need to go?"


    I told her the address Professor Rowan had given me and she started typing.


    She stopped midway and looked up, "Wait, you''re going to Professor Seikyo?"


    "Yup. You know him?" I asked. surprised.


    She nodded. "Yeah I do!"


    "How?"


    "I''ve been Professor Rowan''s assistant for the past 2 years! Of course I know!" She exclaimed.


    Wait, say what?


    I assumed she was Ash''s traveling companion like she was in the anime, in the games however she could be Professor Rowan''s lab assistant if you chose to play as Lucas.


    "You don''t believe me?" Dawn asked, there was an edge to her voice.


    "No, I do," I said, "I just thought you would be a Pok¨¦mon trainer."


    I pointed at Piplup to explain my reasoning.


    Dawn pridefully pointed at herself. "I''m a Pok¨¦mon coordinator and this is my partner Piplup!"


    "Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed pridefully.


    Ralts stuck out her tongue at Piplup.


    "But I''ve helped the Professor the last two years to learn from him before I set out on my journey." Dawn explained.


    So she was still Ash''s traveling partner?


    Seems like this time both anime and games were mixed together.


    "Cool," I said dryly. "So you can point me to Seikyo''s lab?"


    "I''ll bring you!" Dawn offered and she took Piplup in her arms.


    "You can? I mean, if you have something better to do¡­"


    "No problem at all," Dawn smiled. "Now follow me!"


    Dawn led me through the city, taking all kinds of routes that only seemed to make sense to her.


    "So you travel alone?" I asked, curious if she was with Ash and Brock or not.


    "Nope," Dawn replied, "I travel with 2 friends, one of them is trying to get all the badges even!"


    "Let me guess his name is Ash Ketchum?"


    She stopped dead in her tracks, "Wait, how do you know?" She frowned and eyed me suspiciously.


    "Professor Rowan told me a young girl who was about to start her journey found his Pikachu, which kind of narrows it down." And having knowledge of the anime and games helped as well.


    "Well, that''s such a coincidence," Dawn mused before continuing to guide me through the city.


    I doubted it was a coincidence, most likely just Fate bringing all the pieces together.


    "So why are you visiting Professor Seikyo?" Dawn asked, "The paper said you were a Pok¨¦mon trainer."


    "Professor Rowan asked me to deliver a black box with data to Professor Sicko."


    "Seikyo." Dawn corrected me.


    Dawn found the building without too much effort.


    It was a big brickstone building that looked like an apartment to me but there was one small metal sign that told me it was a laboratorium.


    We walked through the sliding doors and I was surprised to see how different the inside was compared to the outside.


    A white lobby met our eyes and almost blinded me.


    There was a woman who redirected us to the elevator.


    On the third floor we left the elevator and found a guy sitting in a white swivel chair, surrounded by floating holographic panels.


    The entire floor was filled with data storage containers and big glass containers, the place was lit by a small light bulb that hung from the ceiling which was very weird in my eyes, considering all the techy stuff lying around here.


    The Professor was sitting in a swivel chair and spun around to face us.


    Seikyo was a young man, not even in his thirties. He wore the classic white lab coat with a t-shirt underneath it.


    "Aaah," He clapped his hands together. "Finally the good stuff arrives."


    "Hello Adam!" Dawn greeted the professor.


    "Sup!" I raised my hand.


    Both Ralts and Piplup were occupied with annoying each other so they didn''t bother greeting him.


    "Good to see you two," He stood up from his chair and walked towards us, taking big strides with each step.


    He had black curly hair and a big grin on his face. They gleaned under the scarce light of the lightbulb.


    "Oh shit," I muttered and stepped back and successfully escaped a hug.


    Dawn wasn''t fortunate enough and was squashed alive.


    When he was done he stepped back, "Dawn, it''s been too long."


    "Yes, way too long," Dawn said, sounding sarcastic.


    "And you my man!" He said cheerfully. "Everything for science!"


    He was looking at me, not at all bothered I escaped his death hug,


    "Science?" I wondered.


    "You protected the data with your life!" the professor said, "So cool how you took down Crimson after he stole the valuable data!"


    "Yeah, totally did that because he stole the data." I lied through my teeth.


    "We need more people like you!" He grinned.


    Ralts hopped on my back and I opened my backpack to get the black box.


    I tossed it at him and he caught it with a smile so big his muscles had to be torn apart.


    "AWESOME!" He cried out as he himself tossed it to the middle of the floor.


    I expected it to hit the floor but it stopped falling when it flew above a metal table and instead it was just hovering above it, as if kept afloat by magnetic force.


    "So what''s inside it?" I wondered, "Hopefully something worth my life."


    Professor Seikyo opened his arms triumphantly. "My boy, the data inside contains the future of Pok¨¦mon battles."


    He walked towards the table and pushed a button on one of the holographic tiles.


    The cube sunk into the table and started unfolding itself like some kind of reverse origami cube until it formed one big black tile that eventually melted into the table.


    The holographic panels began to rearrange themselves and formed one big panel, a loading wheel appeared on the screen.


    Dawn and I were both confused, unsure what to expect.


    The build up for it was for sure building anxiety and raising my expectations. Seikyo saw it and gave us a wink.


    "This kiddos," he turned around and faced the screen. "Might revolutionize Pok¨¦mon battles and take them to a new height!¡±


    In red bold letters one thing was written on the holographic screen.


    Project Dynamax

 Dynamax

    Adam Seikyo was a thin man that had the unfortunate combination of being tall and having slender limbs.


    As he walked around his lab, waving his hands expressively, I just couldn''t help but to think of him as a cartoon character.


    The way he moved, the cheerful, overly excited tone and the exaggerated movements all added up to that image.


    It could also put him in the ¡®hidden serial killer¡¯ category or in the ¡®actually interesting teacher¡¯ category, both seemed very plausible.


    However what he was telling us was no laughing matter.


    Images of giant Pok¨¦mon in the Galar region floated around him, projected onto holographic panels.


    "It''s a known mysterious phenomena," Professor Seikyo whispered with awe, yet it was loud enough to be heard, "Giant Pok¨¦mon are very rare and clouded in mystery."


    More images popped up, a giant Tentacruel in a city, A giant Gengar and Alakazam covered in weird symbols, a huge Beedril hovering over a forest, a huge Vivillon floating above a swarm of Beedrill.


    More and more examples filled the panels, ranging from video footage to ancient drawings.


    "They are very rare, extremely rare" Seikyo held a dramatic pause, "Except in Galar!"


    He spun around and a map of Galar appeared.


    "Pssstt, is it just me or is he giving us an entire slideshow?" I whispered to Dawn.


    Dawn gave me a nervous laugh, "Yeah, he loves doing that."


    From what I understood she had met Professor Sicko before and she didn''t seem too excited to see him again, her fault for being nice and helping out a stranger.


    Her Pok¨¦mon had abandoned her and managed to fall asleep in her arms.


    Ralts for her part was sitting in front of me, watching the entire info dump with glee in her eyes, what was it with her and being interested in everything nerdy?


    Of course I was interested too but I had the decency to act bored when someone was monologuing.


    "In Galar!" Seikyo continued the show, "Giant Pok¨¦mon are a common occurrence, at least 98% of all the Giant Pok¨¦mon reports come from Galar, however¡­"


    Another dramatic pause.


    "They are different, their enormous size is only temporary and they only are sighted  in specialized areas. There they call it Dynamax!"


    He was talking about the entire Dynamax thingy they had going on in Pok¨¦mon Sword and Shield and it was new information for me too.


    I had seen some trailers and gameplay videos but never played it; when the trailer came out I was kind of stupefied by seeing the next step in Pok¨¦mon would be bigger Pok¨¦mon and never really looked into it.


    At first the visuals looked kinda cool but I just couldn''t help but think it looked stupid on some Pok¨¦mon, I couldn''t help thinking about a Dynamaxed Wailord using Body Slam.


    Also, the entire National Dex fiasco was a massive let down for me.


    As a result, I now have a big hole in my knowledge of this world I''m now living in. I had hoped Dynamax didn''t exist in this universe, of course I was wrong. Does this mean Mega Evolutions exist too? Z moves?


    There had been no mentions of those two so I assume they are still ¡®undiscovered¡¯, or they were kept a secret. Or, maybe, they straight up don¡¯t exist.


    Was the universe following the anime logic of everything being discovered once Ash entered a new region?


    There were so many questions and yet so little answers.


    "So you just study them?" I asked.


    Professor Seikyo shot me a hurt look, "Not just investigating it kid, no what we are trying to do is-"


    He struck a dramatic pose. "To Dynamax Pok¨¦mon ourselves. Can you imagine the possibilities?! Specialized Arenas where hundreds of people watch two Dynamaxed Pok¨¦mons duke it out!"


    I was tempted to make a ¡®size doesn''t matter¡¯ joke but instead I just told him my thoughts on it.


    "Sounds kinda lame."


    He blinked.


    "Ralts?" Ralts questioned, clearly not getting my point.


    "I mean, it''s just the same but bigger?" I shrugged.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "For a Contest Battles it won''t really matter, I think." Dawn said thoughtfully.


    "Can''t get all of them," Seikyo muttered, "Well we''re still years away from achieving a safe, on purpose, Dynamax. The secret to the code is quite big."


    "Years? You can not Dynamax a Pok¨¦mon right now?" I asked.


    "Not yet, we have only just started this entire field of study so of course years," Seikyo exclaimed, "Revolution doesn''t happen overnight, it''s a delicate process that requires a lot of research before we can even think of trying to test it on Pok¨¦mon,"


    "How do you research it right now?" Dawn questioned.


    "We study wild Pok¨¦mon who Dynamax on their own," Seikyo explained and a video of a Dynamaxing Pok¨¦mon showed up.


    "It''s a long and delicate process since we can not even predict when a wild Pok¨¦mon will Dynamax."


    Interesting, so it seemed that only wild Pok¨¦mon can Dynamax so far.


    "Until then, I''ll go over all the data Professor Rowan sent me," He sat down in his chair, clearly exhausted from all his dramatics, he crossed his legs and gave us a grin.


    "You think we''ll ever have a Dynamaxed Pok¨¦mon in Sinnoh?" Dawn asked and it was a valid question.


    I hoped not, I hate big Pok¨¦mon, they would bring as much trouble as normal Pok¨¦mon but...well bigger.


    Seikyo sighed, "Most likely not. It seems that Dynamaxing is only limited to Galar, everywhere else it seems impossible, unstable and unsafe. There have been theories of moving the powerspots but the damage an unsafe and unnatural Dynamax could cause made everyone decide against it. "


    I let out a sigh of relief, as long as I stay out of Galar I should be golden.


    Seikyo strode towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder which made me feel very uncomfortable. "Thank you Dust, without you the data would be lost."


    "There are no copies?" I wondered.


    "Professor Rowan says that if we make no copies of the sensitive data it will be clear who-knows-what and where the data is at all times. Easier to track and keep it under wraps, if you get me." Seikyo gave me an unsubtle wink.


    "That sounds exploitable."


    Seikyo laughed. "That''s what I told my old man too, but he said ''what if someone with lesser ethics and morals gets his hand on this''. Haha, imagine that!"


    "Haha, that''d be stupid." I muttered.


    Of course Crimson was in possession of the black box but did he do anything with it? He had access to it for 4 full days, of course he didn''t know I had it right? Or how valuable it could be?


    The chance of him targeting me on purpose required him knowing Professor Rowan gave it to me in the first place and on top of that he would need to know when and which Pok¨¦ Mart I would enter, just to steal it and cover up the theft with a bigger theft.


    The amount of intel and planning that required sounds almost insane, beside Dynamax was a Galar problem.


    The Professor tried to pull me into a hug but I stepped back, saving myself once again.


    He didn''t seem to care because he went on like nothing happened.


    "So Rowan told me I should get you a reward once you deliver it,"


    He frowned/ "But I kind of don''t know what to give."


    A free Pok¨¦mon would be nice, or an egg. Eevee seems to be this world version of the gift card.


    "I know!" He said before he delved into the pockets of his lab coat, pulled out a chocolate bar. It wasn''t what he was looking for apparently because he tossed it away and delved inside once more.


    It made me wonder if all the scientists in this world had some generic character trait and if that was just anime bullshit or a weird case of the stats points being spent on wisdom instead of charisma.


    After a painful long silence he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and held it in front of him for me to take it.


    "What''s it?" I asked skeptically.


    I kind of don''t want to look a gift horse in the mouth but I had enough money.


    He blinked, unfolded the crumpled paper and revealed it was in actuality a letter.


    Seikyo tore through the lid and fished out another paper, keeping the actual contents of it a secret.


    "Cool, what''s it?" I asked.


    "This my boy, is the ticket to heaven."


    I took it and unfolded it to read what it was.


    "Huh, it''s a ticket for Cynthia''s next battle."


    "RALTS!" Ralts yelled and she leaped forward and took it.


    Although Ralts could not read she still pretended to actually look over it. "Ralts!"


    "Oh really!" Dawn said, "That''s so cool."


    "I guess." I said, not at all hyped.


    I was like 99% sure Cynthia would win and it wasn''t even in Jubilife City.


    Ralts however was sold, she hugged the piece of paper and gave me the look that said, we''re going.


    "Welp, seems like I''m going to see a high level Pok¨¦mon Battle."


    "RALTS!"


    I took the ticket from Ralts, the match  was still some time away and apparently hella expensive.


    "So, you don''t wanna go?" I asked Ralts.


    Ralts gave me a weak punch, then resumed hugging me.


    "Thank you," I smiled at the weird Professor.


    "And with this it seems all my business is concluded in this city," I told Ralts.


    I had finally finished all the side quests, bought Pok¨¦balls and more stuff and made some plot progression.


    Now I only had to get my first Gym badge.


    "You''re going already?" Dawn asked. "I have a Contest coming up."


    "I would love to watch but I have something I need to take care of," I lied.


    The Jubilife Contest was tomorrow and after that Ash and Co would go to the Oreburgh City gym after that, that put me in an uneasy spot.


    If they got to the Gym first, and things would work out like they did in the anime, then they would meet Paul who challenged the Gym leader Roark before Ash could.


    The problem was that if I did not challenge Roark first then I would be third which would level up Roark before I could even challenge him, figuratively speaking of course.


    And thus I was on a race against the clock to be first, Ash and company had no real side quest between Jubilife City and Oreburgh City, it was like only two episodes of traveling.


    "Ah, that''s too bad." Dawn said, "Well, I guess I''ll see you later."


    "Probably," I said, "I''m going to Oreburgh City now, Ash is doing the Gym challenge too right?"


    Dawn nodded, "Yes, we''re going to the Gym after my Contest."


    "Welp, we''ll see eachother then and shit." I said as I lifted up Ralts.


    "Ralts!" Ralts waved.


    And with that I had finished the entire Jubilife City quest...for now.

 Different Approach

    It rained.


    Just when I try to make some progress, it has to rain, just my luck.


    I was stuck in the middle of nowhere on my way towards Oreburgh City and the nearest Pok¨¦mon Center was still too far away.


    Unlike the games, you could reach Oreburgh City without going through a cave so I had taken that choice, the idea of going through a cave wasn''t very appealing to me.


    Also, there was something about a Spiritomb in the depths of that cave that no one had dealt with yet.


    But then, the heavens opened up and rain began to pour down.


    Luckily the tent I had set up did provide us enough cover and it was big enough for the two of us.


    Again there was some bullshit technology going on with the tent, not that I complained about it. It was surprisingly comfy inside and there was no leakage.


    Both Ralts and I sat on a pillow and a black laptop was placed between us. I had bought the laptop in Jubilife City, my Pok¨¦dex could do most of the things a laptop could do but the bigger screen was a nice advantage.


    It took some time to figure out how the operating system and the internet worked but once I got the hang of it, using the laptop became much easier.


    A strange difference between my old universe and this universe was the lack of a developed entertainment industry. There was a lack of Hollywood, games and social media. It probably had to do something with gods flying through the sky outside, those things tend to make fiction pale in comparison.


    Man do I miss my old games.


    I was really tempted to recreate some games from my old universe, for example, the first Zelda should be easy to recreate.


    However, I had different ambitions, still a good back up plan if I ever decided to become a lone person living on a mountain top.


    Although I think that people in this world would freak out with 4th wall breaking games like Undertale and DDLC because Pok¨¦mon like Rotom and Porygon exist.


    However, now it was not the time to play.


    The rain was no excuse for slacking off and that counts for Ralts too.


    We had beaten a few NPCs on our way to Oreburgh City, tried a few new techniques but no new moves appeared.


    On my way through the forest I had considered catching a second Pok¨¦mon but my time schedule didn''t allow me to catch and train a second Pok¨¦mon in time for the next Gym battle.


    Of course, that was just an excuse for me because I was too much of a pussy to catch a second Pok¨¦mon.


    I knew it was  normal and everyone does it but I really didn''t feel like enslaving a wild Pok¨¦mon. It was stupid of me but I just couldn''t push myself to do it.


    I know I''ll become best friends with the Pok¨¦mon if I caught it, but it still felt unnatural for me, other people doing it were totally cool with me, but trying to catch one myself?


    It was a lot harder.


    Was it stupid? Yeah, but I couldn''t push myself to do it.


    Maybe it was just my dislike for strangers, Pok¨¦mon were a bit better but still, to just befriend a wild Pok¨¦mon and decide that he/she would become my friend was almost impossible.


    My final plan was that I would follow the Ash'' route and just look out for wild Pok¨¦mon to befriend and then politely ask if I could catch them.


    You know, the sappy stuff.


    And if that doesn''t work out, I guess I have to bend my morals but atleast I have some time before that.


    Fate would probably give me some OP Pok¨¦mon anyway, I mean I was the summoned hero right?


    So with no time to spare, I had to design a plan to beat Roark.


    Ralts has gotten stronger since we entered Jubilife City and we had one big advantage.


    I knew all of Roark''s Pok¨¦mon, moves and strategies he would deploy. It was a big trump card, almost hacking but I really needed it. Our battle against Roark had to be perfect.


    Ralts¡¯ raw power had increased but her defenses were still low, right now she was a glass cannon.


    "Okay, Ralts," I clapped my hands, "Time for school."


    While traveling, I had put in a lot of hours in trying to figure out how Pok¨¦mon battles worked and tried to deconstruct them to their basics. To everyone else in this world they were just a thing they grew up with, for me, it was something brand new.


    I had to catch up yeah, but I also wasn¡¯t blinded by preconceptions and traditions.


    I downloaded some footage of top ranked matches and watched all of them. After trying to analyze them I came to the following conclusion.


    A Pok¨¦mon battle consists of three steps.


    Step 1. Pok¨¦mon A would attack Pok¨¦mon B.


    Step 2. Pok¨¦mon B would either dodge, get hit or use a counter attack.


    Step 3. If Pok¨¦mon B chooses to get hit or to dodge the game would reset to step 1. If the Pok¨¦mon chooses to use a counter-attack a second game comes into play. A pissing contest to see which move/Pok¨¦mon is stronger. A combination of Type advantage/raw power and speed decided the outcome and either Pok¨¦mon B or A or both of them would get damaged and the game would again reset to step 1 until one Pok¨¦mon got knocked out.


    It was a very stripped down version and there were exceptions, especially on higher level battles but this was the most common structure in which a Pok¨¦mon battle took place.


    "Today, I''m going to teach you a new categorization system. You know the entire Type advantage system?¡±


    Ralts nodded.


    ¡°I got something that will be more useful." I tapped a key on the laptop and the screen showed 6 words on the screen.


    Brute


    Mover


    Blaster


    Shaker


    Stranger


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Trump


    "Ralllts?" Ralts studied the words on the screen.


    "This is what I call the Power Classification System; something I will teach you today. This system only has 6 classes, way less than 18 different typings right?"


    Ralts shrugged. I continued nonetheless.


    "It may look strange at first, but hear me out. First of all, we have the class: Brute."


    I pointed at the first word. "This class contains every move that depends on physical strength and close-range combat."


    A video began playing on the screen, various recordings of Pok¨¦mon using their special moves were stitched together into one video.


    I began to explain. "Strength, Scratch, Fang Attack and Iron Tail are all examples of Brute class moves. Another name for Brute could be melee attacks but if we do that, everyone else knows what we are talking about and they would alter their actions, right?"


    Ralts hesitantly nodded.


    "So rule of thumb, the Brute designation means close range physical moves. Now, the best counter strategy is to stay away from anyone trying to use a Brute move, outrange them or try to attack from an unexpected angle."


    I handed her a playing card I had made. On it had drawn a stick figure with thick arms.


    "Second class, Mover."


    I dragged the cursor to the next video. "Mover includes all attacks and moves that enhance the Pok¨¦mon''s movability. Think about Fly, Teleport, Rollout and Quick attack."


    The examples were being played on screen.


    "Moves that result in Pok¨¦mon navigating and moving across the battlefield faster, that''s it basically. Agility, Volt Tackle and so forth. However, keep in mind that some of those attacks string into a Brute attack. Volt Tackle, for example, starts as a Mover but ends in a Brute class attack. Now how would you deal with a Mover class attack?"


    Ralts grinned and tapped her knees.


    I blinked. "Yeah, breaking their kneecaps is an excellent way to deal with most of them."


    Damn, who had taught her that? It wasn''t me, right?


    I went on like she hadn''t said something extremely violent. "Another way to deal with Movers is forcing them to change directions, be unpredictable or try to play along with their plan and suddenly strike."


    I handed her a playing card with a running stick figure on it.


    "Next one is Blaster, can you guess what it is?"


    "RaRalts," Ralts eagerly said and she pointed at her horn.


    "Indeed, ranged attacks that can be thrown or shot."


    A keypress later and a new video began playing on the screen.


    "Blaster moves are very basic, Flame Thrower, Poison Needle, AuroraBeam, Gust you can name it."


    Ralts tapped her horn.


    "Yes, Disarming Voice and Confusion both fall under the Blaster class, very easy right?"


    Ralts nodded with a smile.


    "Now how would you deal with a Blaster move?"


    Ralts made a movement with her tiny hands, I interpreted it as dodging.


    "Yes, dodging is a good idea." I pointed at the mover card, "You could try that with a quicker move or you could try to fire your own Blaster Attack and hope to overpower your opponent but it would be a gamble."


    Ralts nodded understanding.


    I gave her the card with a laser-shooting stick figure.


    "Next one is Shaker."


    "Ralts?" Ralts asked, confused.


    I chuckled, "I know, it sounds like Brute, Mover and Blaster cover almost every attack but not yet."


    I pressed a key and a video began playing.


    A Golett creating an Earthquake, Lapras creating a Blizzard inside an arena and an Empoleon creating a Whirlpool and leaving it in the middle of the battlefield.


    "Shaker, moves that reform the arena, you could call them area of effect moves."


    Ralts nodded, she had heard me talking about AoE moves before.


    "Shaker moves are very dangerous because they have a big range and they last longer than a Blaster type move but they deal less damage than most Blaster moves because they cover a bigger area. They literally shake the arena."


    An Aloan Ninetales sliding over a battlefield covered in ice began playing on the screen.


    "Of course not all of them are immediately offensive, but still keep an eye out for them. After all, whoever controls the arena controls the fight."


    I gave her a card that showed a stickman raising a mountain from the ground.


    "Fifth is Stranger, sounds strange right?"


    Ralts chuckled.


    "Stranger class moves hide someone."


    On the screen, a Staravia created multiple Double Team clones, A Greninja escaped a fire attack by using Substitute and a Charizard used a Smoke Screen to hide himself.


    "Very standard if you think about it. Illusions, distractions and covers. Those should be very easy for you to deal with, anything to hide one¡¯s presence."


    I tapped her horn.


    "After all, you can sense their location."


    Ralts grinned at me, also slightly blushing; weird shit.


    "Other ways to deal with Stranger moves are Shaker moves since they can attack everywhere at once."


    Another card joined Ralts'' hand, a stickman clouded in smoke.


    "And the final one,"


    I pointed at the final word. "Trump moves."


    There was no video this time, I had run out of time to mix a new video together and I really wanted to teach Ralts this new system.


    "Trump, moves that manipulate other moves."


    Ralts scratcher her head, "Raallts?"


    I smiled. "Think about Disable, a move that disables an opponent''s move. Metronome, a move that randomly chooses another move. Sunny day, a move that boosts certain attacks."


    "Raaaallttsss," Ralts murmured. That was her version of saying; Aaaaahhhh.


    "The list can go on, counter, endure, lock-on. Basically just fucking with other moves. They¡¯re the most versatile, the most varied and probably the hardest to counter. We can¡¯t really plan against them, until we even know what it does."


    I gave her a card with a stick figure doing nothing.


    "And that''s all of them."


    Ralts studied the 6 cards in her hand, each one signifying a certain class.


    "And you might wonder what use this system has?"


    Ralts patiently waited for me to continue my monologue.


    "Well, imagine if an opponent uses a move you have never heard of but you know it''s a Steel-type move. What good does knowing that do?"


    "Ralts."


    "Exactly, but if I told you it''s a Brute move, you know you have to keep your distance and try to outzone his move. When all strategies fail these archetypes can offer you a basic fallback strategy."


    Ralts nodded eagerly, her eyes were practically shining with excitement.


    I opened a bag of chips and Ralts'' eyes widened.


    I grinned. "And if I tell you to use the Shaker Protocol you know what I mean while our opponents are in the dark. It''s a highly versatile system that can be applied without too much explanation."


    "It''s important to keep in mind that some Pok¨¦mon have natural abilities as well. For that reason, Staravia is always a Mover because it has wings. An Onix is a Brute by nature because of its hard body. Keep that in mind."


    Ralts was staring at the chips bag, guess I was losing her attention.


    I moved the cursor over the screen and a video playlist popped up.


    "Now let''s play a game. I''ll show you a Pok¨¦mon move and you guess to which class it belongs to. If you get it right, you can take a potato chip...and eat it!"


    Ralts nodded eagerly, was she drooling?


    I pressed the spacebar and a video began playing.


    An Absol was fighting a Lopunny, the Absol lunged forward and used Bite.


    I paused the video.


    Ralts showed me the Brute card.


    I tossed her a potato chip and she caught it, she put it in her mouth and began chewing on it with a smug smile.


    A video of Litten using FlameThrower.


    The Blaster card was pushed forward.


    Another potato chip was added to Ralts'' body mass.


    A Diglett using dig.


    Ralts gave me the Stranger card.


    We went on like this the entire rainy day, I explained her ways to deal with every class and things to look out for.


    Being from another world I had a vast amount of otherworldly knowledge.


    I had watched all kinds of movies and series, played games and studied the underlying mechanics.


    The current system I had taught Ralts was not complete, moves like Destiny Bond had no clear classification for example. The original version was from Worm and had 12 different classes but I managed to narrow it down to a manageable 6 classes.


    I had considered using the Fate series servant classes but their archetypes were too broad for this world.


    And this was just today''s lesson.


    My team would become the best in the universe, and not just in raw power.


    I want my future team to be able to fight and think for themselves if necessary.


    And with my knowledge of thousands of fictional universes;


    There is no limit.

 Ruthless Efficiency

    "You smell that Ralts?"


    "Ralts?"


    "That''s the smell of victory."


    I frowned, "And coal."


    Ralts playfully pulled on my hairlock, chuckling carelessly.


    Oreburgh City was...well, not nice.


    The faint smell of coal was lingering everywhere, it was barely noticeable which made it even worse because it was still annoying me, but I couldn''t really complain about it.


    Oreburgh City was small, way smaller than Jubilife City. In my eyes it was too small to even be called a city, it looked more like a town to me.


    The entire city was built on the foot of Mount Coronet. It was a modest place, nothing too significant in my opinion.


    The streets were filled with people doing their stuff, but again nothing interesting. Somewhat further downtown, I could see a small mine with railroad tracks, the entire place seemed to be surrounded by fences.


    "This place sucks," I muttered.


    "RaaRalts."


    Oreburgh City was important for Sinnoh''s economy apparently, due to it being so close to Jubilife City both places benefited from the riches the earth provided.


    Jubilife City exported all the coal that Oreburgh City delivered and Oreburgh City got all the relevance it needed despite being a coal district.


    I mean they have a mining museum, who cares about that?


    We found the Gym without too much effort. It was built in a mountainside which made it look more like a hangar or the open part of a mine than an actual League issued Gym.


    Inside, I talked to a green haired dude who told me Roark was mining somewhere else and told me that I had to wait for him to return.


    He gave me a free badge case since it was my first time and checked my Trainer ID because Gym battles are Profesional battles by default, so I had to be put into the system.


    After that was done I told him to send me a text once Roark returned and left.


    Once I was back outside, with the reassurance that I would be the first to fight Roark, I asked Ralts what she wanted to do and she pointed towards the mining museum.


    "Seriously?"


    "Ralts." Ralts reaffirmed her decision.


    I sighed and began to make my way towards the mining museum.


    In the end, it was actually pretty interesting.


    I saw some Pokemon fossils and learned some awesome weird shit.


    Mining in this world was a whole lot more difficult than you might think, the fact that Pok¨¦mon could reshape the earth in a second and do stuff that took nature eons to do made the Earth''s crust a big sematary.


    In this world, it wasn''t rare to find huge underground structures which made some sense. All someone had to do to bury a city was create an earthquake or something similar and it would be lost to time, only to be rediscovered thousands of years later.


    And the world of Pok¨¦mon did have a rich history of bloodshed.


    Civilizations sometimes disappear overnight, entire regions could be drowned by Legendaries and apparently, humans had enough time to wage war between each other during the periods Legendaries didn''t pull shit.


    The Earth in this world was stuffed with history.


    It did explain how Ash came across so many "newly discovered" ruins in the anime.


    This world had a shit ton of them.


    Yeah Minecraft, eat your heart out.


    So while I was thinking about the odds of me standing on the remains of a collapsed civilization I received a text that Roark had returned.


    "Time to go," I told Ralts, "Destiny is waiting for us."


    Ralts gave me a dramatic nod and jumped onto my shoulders.


    We had prepared as much as we could, now it was time to play.


    Inside the Gym, I met with a couple of familiar faces.


    Ash and Dawn were standing near the door along with a tall guy that must have been Brock. It couldn¡¯t have been someone else.


    A certain purple haired dude was talking to, who I assumed to be, the Gym leader near the counter. I ignored Paul and walked towards Ash and co.


    Dawn was carrying Piplup in her arms and Ash was carrying his Pikachu on his left shoulder.


    "Sup, Ash, Dawn," I greeted them with a nod as I joined them.


    Ralts stayed silent, probably mentally preparing for the battle...I hoped at least.


    "Oh hi Dust, so you came here too?" Ash grinned. He still remembered me!


    "Definitely did, I see you got your Pikachu back," I smiled back.


    "Yeah I indeed did, say hi to Pikachu!"


    "Pika!" the yellow mouse waved, and God was it adorable.


    "Hi," I said dryly.


    "Dawn found him."


    Dawn smiled, "Sure did, no big deal."


    "Sup Dawn."


    "Oh you know, everything''s alright." Dawn greeted me. "Can''t wait to see my first Gym battle."


    "And this is Brock." He pointed at Brock who had been waiting patiently to be introduced.


    He had brown spiky hair and dark tanned skin, his eyes were not closed but narrowed. Not like he was focused but in a lazy way, like someone who had just woken up. He was taller than I was and I estimated him to be around 18 or 19 years old. He wore a green shirt with an orange vest over it and brown pants.


    Brock looked like the guy you would see at a beach party, relaxed in every way.


    "Hello, nice to meet you, I am Brock." He offered me his hand.


    "Hey, I''m Dust, awesome to meet you too," I replied as I shook his hand.


    "So, are you ready for the Gym Battle?" I asked Ash.


    "You bet I am!" He answered, raising his fist. "It''s going to be a blast."


    "Yeah, once it''s your turn," Dawn joked dryly.


    Ash groaned. "I just can''t believe I have to wait for Paul."


    He glared at Paul who didn''t notice it because he was standing with his back to us.


    "Maybe if you helped with the dishes today you wouldn''t have to wait so long," Brock muttered.


    "Can''t have nice things in life. Remember that." I offered.


    Damn was I glad I got here before Ash and Paul did.


    "Aah, you must be Dust Wildfire right?" Roark walked towards us, apparently done with talking to Paul.


    "Yep."


    His eyes drew towards Ash. "Then you must be Ash Ketchum."


    Ash grinned, "That''s me!"


    "My name is Roark," The Gym leader introduced himself. He sounded formal, yet friendly. "I''m the Gym leader here, sorry to keep you all waiting."


    Roark was still wearing his miner''s helmet and it wasn''t just for fashion''s sake, the helmet actually had fresh scratches on it.


    Brown hair lingered underneath his red helmet and I saw some dirt still clung to his hair. He wore grey safety clothes meant for mining, gloves for mining and heavy metal boots. I wonder what this guy does in his free time (spoilers: it''s mining)


    "So we battle now?" I asked impatiently.


    "Yes, you were here first after all." Roark said.


    "Oh, can I watch Dust?!" Dawn asked, "I''ve never seen a battle before!"


    Roark shot me a questioning look and I shrugged. "I''m cool with that."


    "Awesome!" Ash said. "I''m really curious how you and Ralts battle."


    "I too am curious how this is gonna go." Paul said to my surprise and he walked towards the tribune for the audience.


    Roark led me towards the battlefield for our match.


    It was nothing fancy.


    The field itself was a big rocky field with growths of stalagmites coming out of the ground at random spots.


    It was dusty, very nice for Ralts'' moveset potential.


    The eye catching part was the roof, or better, the lack of the roof.


    Mind you, this place was built inside a mountain, yet it still had an open roof.


    I guess it would be good for any flying Pok¨¦mon, although they would have a weakness to Rock Type.


    We both took place on the opposite side of the field and the spectators took seats on the tribune.


    The green haired dude was the referee for this match, he stood on the side lines.


    "The Oreburgh City Gym battle between Dust the Challenger and Roark the Gym Leader is about to begin. The battle will be three on three and as soon as all three Pok¨¦mon on either side are unable to continue the challenge is over. Only the challenger, Dust, may substitute Pok¨¦mon!"


    Roark and I nodded.


    "NOW LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"


    Roark smirked and threw his Pok¨¦ball; "Geodude let''s go!"


    A small weird creature appeared in front of Roark.


    It looked like a small boulder with two arms, that''s like all I can say about it.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Destiny''s waiting for us!" I yelled and Ralts jumped off my shoulders and took place on the battlefield.


    "Ralts!" My Pok¨¦mon glared at Geodude.


    "You get the first move." Roark offered.


    I smiled, "Nah, you take it."


    Roark raised an eyebrow but he didn''t complain.


    It wasn''t a gesture of kindness from my part either, I needed him to commit to an attack instead of responding to one.


    "Fine by me! Geodude, Hidden Power!"


    Geodude began to glow and levitated above the ground. Around it small orbs popped into existence, they began to glow in the same color.


    Geodude threw his arms forward and the orbs flew towards Ralts.


    "Disarming Voice."


    Ralts opened her mouth and the high pitched scream shattered the projectiles.


    Most of the orbs were destroyed by the soundwaves before they could even get close, the ones that didn''t get destroyed missed Ralts.


    "RAALTS!" Ralts challenged the Rock type Pok¨¦mon.


    "Geodude, Rollout!" Roark yelled.


    "Geodude!" It cried out and began to spin on its own axle like it was imitating Sonic the hedgehog.


    I smiled, this was perfect.


    It sped towards Ralts, rolling over the battlefield with surprising ease. Rollout was quite fast too, I had no idea how it did work but I knew one thing.


    Geodude might one shot Ralts if he were to hit her.


    Ralts dodged its first attempt with ease, hopping to the left and letting the Geodude roll past her.


    The rolling Pok¨¦mon didn''t stop, it made a wide arc and made a second attempt to crash into Ralts, this time it was faster.


    "Rollout gets faster everytime," Dawn noticed from the sidelines.


    "No shit." I muttered as I saw Ralts narrowly dodge a second strike.


    Geodude sped past her and rolled up against one of the rock spikes, using it as a slope to propel itself towards Ralts.


    "Dodge it again!" I ordered and Ralts jumped up, using a Disarming Voice to launch herself even higher.


    Geodude missed her by an inch and Ralts managed to land behind it.


    "Ralts, Mover Protocol 2, follow up with an Ultimate Punch!"


    Roark frowned but didn''t yell a counter command, not that he could.


    The Pok¨¦mon which turned into a Beyblade made a wide turn and went for another attempt, again faster than before.


    "What''s Mover protocol 2?" Ash asked out loud from the sidelines.


    Right now Geodude could be considered a Mover, he was fucking fast.


    The downside to being fast was that even a small disturbance in your path can trip you up and send you flying.


    Ralts took a deep breath as Geodude sped towards her and screamed. The scream however was not directly aimed at Geodude, doing that would turn this into a power match, which we would lose.


    Instead, she aimed it to Geodude''s right, only slightly brushing against his left side.


    It still worked wonders though, a small push in the wrong direction was all it took for Geodude to lose control.


    No longer having any control over its directions, it flew past Ralts and crashed into a boulder. An audible cracking sound followed and it had to hurt a lot.


    Mover Protocol 2 was a simple counter against any fast moving opponent, abusing their own speed and knocking them off course with a small attack.


    We discussed multiple ways of dealing with each class of attack, and right now she executed protocol 2.


    Ralts didn''t waste a second, she launched herself up with Disarming Voice. While flying up she shot a Confusion at Geodude and stun locked it against the boulder.


    Geodude was already damaged by crashing into the boulder with a heavy impact but now a second attack slammed into him.


    Ralts turned around midair and her fist began shining, a Mega Punch ready.


    "Geodude get away!" Roark yelled but it was futile.


    Geodude was stunlocked by the Confusion and the force of crashing into a boulder with the speed of a car.


    The combo continued as Ralts descended down from the sky like a glowing angel and struck Geodude with her fist, dust stirred up but she wasn''t done.


    A Disarming Voice was executed upon her landing and the scream threw Geodude away from her and towards Roark.


    Roark didn''t say anything.


    No one said anything.


    For a few long seconds, it stayed silent, then the referee got his shit together and yelled. "Geodude is unable to battle."


    "HOW!?" Ash cried out, "That was so cool."


    I shot a grin at Ash, "I know right!"


    "Well done, take a nice rest," Roark said as the red beam of his Pok¨¦ball engulfed the Pok¨¦mon.


    He gave me a sharp look, "Impressive, you baited me into attacking and waited for the perfect moment to strike."


    "Ralts." Ralts grinned.


    "Onix, you''re up now!" Roark shouted and he released his Pok¨¦mon.


    A huge rock-like snake appeared in the middle of the battlefield, looming over Ralts.


    "You''re still good?" I asked Ralts.


    She turned around and gave me a smile before focusing on Onix again.


    Welp, seems like we keep going.


    "Fine, then use Sandstorm, as we practiced." I said.


    "Sandstorm?" Roark muttered, "Ralts can''t learn that move."


    "Sandstorm again huh?" Paul said thoughtfully. I had almost forgotten he was present.


    Ralts took a deep breath and let out a high pitched scream. The sound waves tore through the rocky soil and stirred up sand and dust alike in a crazy frenzy.


    Ralts closed her eyes as the dust reached the height of the arena border and she shot multiple Confusions to spread them even further, making sure to cover the entire battlefield.


    Sand bounced against the edge of the arena and force fields flickered to life, protecting the spectators from harm.


    A sandy mist hung now in the arena making it impossible to see anything.


    Still, that didn''t stop Roark from giving orders.


    "Stealth Rock now!" He demanded.


    I didn''t see what was going on but I knew what was happening all the same.


    Stealth Rock was a move that did no direct damage but it would hurt the Pok¨¦mon I would send in next, the moment I replaced Ralts, the Stealth Rock would activate and damage the next Pok¨¦mon.


    Of course, I don''t have any second Pok¨¦mon, not that Roark would know that.


    Still, it was a smart move that would''ve worked very well if it wasn''t for the fact I only had Ralts.


    Big problem for me anyway.


    "Your Pok¨¦mon are really well trained." I complimented Roark.


    "Thank you," he smiled. "Your Ralts is also very good."


    "You mind if I ask you something?" I asked innocently, deliberately making my voice higher.


    Nothing seemed to be happening on the battlefield, no cries of pain or battle sounds; we had some time for chit-chat.


    "No problem," Roark said confidently.


    "Do you love your Pok¨¦mon?"


    "Of course I do," Roark sounded confused.


    "Would you let them suffer?" I followed up on my question.


    "No¡­?" Roark said, confused.


    I smirked. "But what if they need to suffer in order to get stronger, would you let them suffer?" I mused.


    "NO!" Roark said, "I would never do such things!"


    Ow, it seems that I have struck a painful subject.


    "So you wouldn''t let them suffer? You love them so much?"


    "Of course I do," Roark said.


    "But what if they need to suffer in order to get stronger?" I asked. "Would you deny them the opportunity to get stronger? Just to keep your morals?" I taunted.


    He stayed silent for a second.


    "What are you implying Dust?" Roark asked, sounding quite angry.


    "Pok¨¦mon get stronger through hardship, would you deny them suffering just to keep your hands clean? Or would you let them suffer, knowing they''ll get stronger and benefit from it?" I pointed out the dilemma. "In both cases, your Pok¨¦mon will suffer."


    "That''s an impossible question," Roark muttered. "What are you thinking, Dust?"


    He sneered at the last part.


    "Not much." I said, "Just that you should keep your eyes on the match."


    "What?" Roark''s eyes widened and shot towards the battlefield, noticing that it had been eerie quiet.


    "Onix are you okay?!" Roark shouted.


    No reply came.


    As if waiting for Roark to notice something was going on the sandstorm began to descend and eventually settled.


    Roark glared at me, his fist was clenched and I had the vague idea he was not happy.


    I held my tongue.


    On the battlefield the lying shape of a rock snake was revealed. Ralts walked away from it and stopped in front of me.


    "But how?" Ash wondered from the sidelines, his expression was one of marvel. "There was nothing going on."


    "Simple," I said, "You should keep your attention on the battle."


    Ralts had done her job perfectly, taking down Onix as quietly as possible. And she had done it so perfectly that Onix didn''t even notice what was going on.


    It had taken her some time though, time that I bought while talking to Roark. While that was going on Ralts had been spamming Confusion, a low power move that makes no sound.


    Like a deadly poison you only noticed once it was too late.


    Being a big opponent, even the smallest Confusion was likely to hit Onix, especially when he too was distracted by conversation with Roark.


    It had been a patient job, draining Onix with low power attacks that were almost unnoticeable. A dead by a thousand paper cuts.


    Roark called back his Onix, "I''m sorry my friend."


    He shot another glare at me. "That was a sneaky thing to pull, Dust."


    "There''s no rule against talking right?" I looked at the referee.


    "No, there''s not. The match has never been paused officially," The referee said reluctantly. I could see he was pissed at me.


    "See," I said, "No one said the battle had stopped."


    Roark was no longer smiling, he took out another Pok¨¦ball. "Don''t think I''ll go easy on you Dust."


    He threw the Pok¨¦ball and with a loud roar a small dinosaur appeared in front of him.


    "Cranidos!" Roark yelled. "Headbutt now!"


    I raised an eyebrow, I was no longer offered the first move it seemed.


    "Shadow Counter, Mover Protocol 1."


    Ralts grinned at me and focused on the rampaging Cranidos.


    Her tiny chest was heaving and I saw she was growing tired, but she was still fighting.


    The dinosaur Pok¨¦mon lowered its head and stormed towards Ralts.


    Just as before, Ralts waited patiently for Cranidos to storm into her.


    The moment Cranidos struck Ralts the clone dissolved and the real Ralts appeared behind it, however unlike before with Shadow Counter Ralts didn''t try to hit Cranidos with a Mega Punch.


    That would be useless, Cranidos'' Head Butt had a priority over Ralts'' Mega Punch.


    Instead, she twisted her body out of its path and hit the dinosaur on his left knee.


    Mover Protocol 1, the best way to deal with a fast-moving opponent; hit the knees.


    Immediately after hitting Cranidos Ralts split off into two clones, each one retreating to a safe distance.


    Cranidos let out a cry of pain and I noticed his left leg was shaking.


    It wasn''t broken of course but it was definitely not alright.


    "Ralts Disarming Voice!"


    "Hit both of them with Flamethrower!" Roark yelled and Cranidos opened its mouth.


    A beam of concentrated fire shot towards the first Ralts, by sheer luck Cranidos managed to hit the real Ralts.


    The Flamethrower completely ignored the sound waves and Ralts was struck in the chest. She was thrown backwards but she managed to land on her feet.


    "Zen Head Butt!" Roark yelled and Cranidos stormed forward.


    "Shadow-" I tried to command but Roark changed his command.


    "Flamethrower!"


    Ralts biggest weakness right now was dealing with ranged attacks that were not projectiles.


    She was not fast enough to dodge them for an extended period of time and it seemed that Roark caught up to that fact.


    Flamethrower outranged Disarming voice and was faster than Confusion.


    While running Cranidos opened its jaw and a Flamethrower was unleashed on Ralts.


    "Dodge it with a Disarming Voice."


    After Ralts had managed to escape the Flamethrower she faced a nearby rockpile and used Disarming Voice to launch herself away from the flames.


    "Chase after it, keep the flames up!" Roark commanded.


    I groaned, "Sand Attack Ralts!"


    Disarming Voice was a Fairy Type move, weaker against a Fire Type and that was probably the reason the fire had no trouble breaking through the sound waves, maybe the sand could throw off its aim.


    Ralts screamed as the flames tore through the sand and hit her in the chest and threw her against a rock.


    She fell over and landed on the ground, I thought the battle was over but Roark had other ideas.


    "Zen Head Butt!"


    The endless barrage of fire stopped instead blue energy was focused on top of Cranidos head as it stormed towards Ralts.


    I shot a look towards the referee but he didn''t call off the match, even though Ralts was clearly not getting up.


    "I for-" I began, trying to save Ralts of a lost game but she suddenly began glowing white.


    And then she disappeared.


    Cranidos stopped its charge, clearly confused since its original target was missing.


    "What?'' Roark asked, "Where did she go?"


    I could predict where she was going; Ralts was smart enough to realize that Cranidos had superior Blaster and Brute moves.


    Above the arena, the sun began to shine brighter.


    Of course, it was not the sun.


    Finally, she had learned the move I wanted her to learn for eons.


    "Raaaaaaallllltttss!" A long cry came from the shining meteor that fell down from the sky.


    She was a blur, the only thing that could be seen was her glowing fist, shining brighter than ever before and drawing a glowing streak across the sky.


    Cranidos looked up at the heavens and flinched, unable to do anything. Sheer terror froze it in place.


    Then the impact came and it was no exaggeration to say that the ground shook.


    The impact even broke free rocks from the ground and threw them around, wind blasts came from the point of impact and for a second I couldn''t see anything.


    A second later it all settled down and a crater had appeared in the middle of the battlefield.


    "Cranidos is unable to battle," The referee called out as Ralts stepped away from the unconscious Cranidos.


    "Dust the challenger wins."


    When the final word was out Ralts shot me a wide smile.


    And then she fell over.


    A/N Ugh, this chapter took way longer than normal but I really wanted to make the final battle of this arc something cool and wholesome; I hoped I did a good job with it.


    So yeah Ralts learned Teleport and the MC has won his first battle, well that only took 98K words ;-).


    So I think there are only 2 more chapters in this arc.


    Welp, please review, I love those a lot and I¡¯ll see you later.

 Aftermath

    "Here''s the coal badge." Roark handed me the badge. "Although you fought without honor, I''ll have to admit you and Ralts worked hard."


    Roark didn''t smile, his expression was calm but I could tell he was seething.


    The badge was pretty boring looking, the design was similar to a Pok¨¦mon emblem but dirt brown instead of red and white.


    I put it in the badge case, only 7 more to go.


    "Honor?" I raised my eyebrow at Roark, "Not everyone is strong enough to afford being honorable."


    Roark stayed silent.


    Ash jumped over the edge of the battlefield and ran towards me followed by his Pikachu.


    "That was so awesome!" He cried out once he reached me. "Your fighting style is so weird but at the same time so cool!"


    I chuckled, "Yeah, I try to be different."


    "Ralts." Ralts sleepily murmured her own name as she was lying in my arms.


    "Your Ralts is amazing too," Ash complimented my Pok¨¦mon.


    Ralts nodded and tried to give me a hug but she couldn''t muster the energy to twist her body in the right angle.


    "Well, I should go to the Pok¨¦mon Center to heal Ralts." I said and Ralts nodded satisfied.


    "Yes, my Pok¨¦mon needs to rest as well." Roark turned towards Paul who was sitting at the tribune. "Do you mind if we battle later? That counts for you as well Ash."


    "No problem at all," Paul answered the same way I would tell someone to die.


    Either Roark didn''t notice or didn''t care because he turned to Ash who smiled and said, "I can wait."


    Ash gave me a sly grin, "You''re going to watch my battle too Dust?"


    I did want to see him battle, knowing that this was the same person who placed eight in the Kanto League and just won the Battle frontier if I''m correct. If this world was following the rules of logic Ash''s Pikachu should be stronger than the anime and be a sight to behold.


    "Yeah, if you''re okay with it I would love to see your Pikachu in action."


    Ash smiled brightly. "You can trust us, it''s gonna be awesome!"


    "Pika!" The yellow mouse Pok¨¦mon exclaimed, slamming his fist together while small bolts of electricity came to life around his cheeks.


    "You''re really good at battling," Dawn said as she and Brock made their way towards us. She gave Ralts a smile. "The way you strung attacks together was amazing and that final blow too!"


    She turned her blue-grayish eyes to me, her expression turned serious for a second. "Have you considered Contest Battles?"


    I hadn''t.


    To be honest I totally forgot they existed until I had been working on reconstructing and remembering the anime timeline.


    The games and anime mostly focused on Gym battles and the Contest battles totally slipped my mind, although Contest battles seemed to be less important in this world; the League preferred the Gym battles over Contest battles.


    "I think I''m unfit for Contest battles," I said thoughtfully, "True I love dramatics and elegance but when push comes to shove I resort to efficiency and I will use any means necessary."


    I thought back to Flo''s Metapod who Ralts tried to drown, that shit probably wouldn''t give me points with the judges.


    "Raralts," Ralts said.


    "Yeah, I also promised Ralts we would become the best in the world so Contest battles don''t fit that particular goal."


    Dawn gave me a nod, she seemed to be disappointed.


    "Besides," Brock cut in. "If Dust would enter Contest battles as well your odds of winning would become even lower."


    Wow, Brock, way to go.


    Though he was right of course.


    Dawn paled visibly and I couldn''t help but to chuckle.


    "Yeah good point." Dawn said while scratching the back of her head.


    "Welp," I said, "Gotta go, sayonara and shit."


    Honestly I had not much more to say and I wanted to avoid talking about my strategies and attack patterns, so it was better to let all the side characters get over it and get back later once they don''t care about it anymore.


    They waved me off and Ralts waved back from behind my back, being her usual cute self.


    The Pok¨¦mon Center in Oreburgh City was conveniently placed near the Gym, probably because first aid wasn''t a luxury with a Gym in town.


    Inside I met a girl sitting behind a long white desk, though sitting was a broad term. She sat on a swivel chair with her legs on the desk, tapping away at this world''s version of the smartphone.


    The girl had blue hair which made her the first person I''ve seen in this world with blue hair too. Mmm, James from Team Rocket has blue hair too, does he exist?


    It was a tricky question since the Team Rocket that chased after Ash were kinda illogical and this world loves logic and self correcting itself if necessary.


    On the other hand, they were an essential part of Ash''s journey.


    If they did exist and the anime timeline was at play they should be at the museum right now. I could try looking for them but I didn''t feel like doing something active at the moment. I felt drained.


    Well, I suppose Dawn also had blue hair, though it was much closer to a shade of black or cyan than mine was.


    "Sup," I greeted the blue haired girl, "My Ralts needs fixing."


    She looked up from her phone, gave me a curious look and then proceeded to tap something on the computer before returning to her phone.


    A Chansey with a hospital bed came through one of the many doors and took Ralts.


    I told her to rest and said my goodbyes.


    After that I claimed a room for the night and dumped all my stuff in the corner and opened my laptop and sat down on my bed.


    I wrote down everything that had happened during the battle for later analysis.


    This Gym battle had been quite the challenge but we pulled through, of course it wasn''t fair but this time Fate was working in my favor for once.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The next Gym battle would be against Gardenia, the grass type Gym leader. I was not sure how she would fight but if she fought like she did in the anime then it would be very easy to defeat her because almost all of her moves relied on the weather.


    Ash had managed to turn the tables by simply abusing the weather to his own advantage, if he could do that then I could just pick a stormy day to challenge her...of course this required some more thought but I hadn''t bothered with that yet.


    When I was done with writing everything down I noticed it was getting late and ordered some pizza.


    Ralts should be up and running very soon and we should celebrate our victory with food.


    When I was done with that I decided to check up on the news and listened to the radio to kill some time.


    And it turns out, not much was going on in the world.


    The most notorious news reports were a string of murders in Ilex Forest and a woman in Kalos who made a machine that could attract meteors from space and threatened to take a city hostage.


    Of course the local League didn''t agree with that and sicced the local Gym leader on her.


    So yeah, not much going on in the world of Pok¨¦mon.


    There was a brief mention of Unova and Kanto continuing their support to Sinnoh in their pursuit to take down the infamous A level threat known as Hunter J.


    They were apparently forming a squad to take her down the moment she popped up somewhere.


    I thought it was pretty stupid to announce it publicly but then I realized they must have done it for morale and faith in the system.


    "Ralts is ready to be picked up." Pok¨¦dex Lady suddenly announced and I closed the laptop to pick her up.


    Going down the stairs I found her waiting in the lobby, sitting on one of the big couches.


    "Raalts!"


    A white meteor shot towards me and did a Hug Attack.


    I caught her and she giggled. She began squirming in my arms, trying to hug me as much as possible.


    "Glad to see you''re doing alright." I laughed.


    {Adoration} A weird sensation popped within my head.


    I blinked.


    Ralts blinked.


    "Wut?" I muttered.


    "Ralts?" She said in the same tone.


    "Did you do that?" I asked.


    Ralts nodded, surprised, I put her down and scanned her with my Pok¨¦dex.


    "New moves learned are Teleport and Psybeam." Pok¨¦dex Lady began. It was cool to see she had learned new moves but I kinda was wondering what the hell just happened.


    I began to look up information on Telepathy, I found a short description that wasn''t really useful. The longer explanation however held the clues I needed.


    I put my Pok¨¦dex away and turned to face Ralts who was patiently sitting on the couch, slightly blushing for some reason.


    I knelt down to meet her on eye level. "It seems that you are starting to develop Telepathy."


    "Raaalts?" She drew out. Her reply.


    She tilted her head and closed her eyes.


    A feeling appeared in my head, though it was clearly not mine.


    The feeling itself was hard to describe, it was almost like a message instead of an emotion but it was an emotion, just not mine which was probably the reason why the message was so weird.


    {Confusion}


    She opened them and squealed in surprise.


    "Yeah," I laughed, "Apparently the skill to talk to others telepathically starts with basic stuff like emotions and shiz, after that it develops into words and sentences."


    I had hoped that she would be able to speak full sentences but I guess it took some time, it was logical but very annoying.


    "Ralts," She muttered, sounding disappointed.


    I petted her on the head. "Don''t worry about it. Small steps to great heights, remember?¡±


    {Satisfaction} Ralts smiled brightly.


    I carried Ralts up to our room and we shared a big pizza to celebrate our victory.


    Telepathy was a nice addition to Ralts'' moveset, sure it needed some time to develop but I was satisfied nonetheless.


    Ralts had finally learned Teleport and now she was also learning Telepathy.


    It seemed that Telepathy started out as emotional projecting and would later develop into full speech which I was okay with. Teleport and Telepathy both had massive potential. It might take some time to fine tune both but if everything would work as I had hoped those two attacks might become OP.


    Of course I was shooting for the long game.


    One day Ralts would become a Gardevoir and I want her to be on par with a Legendary at that point, not by sheer strength but by being able to outplay her opponent.


    That is of course assuming I''m not dead by then.


    "Beep...beep...beep." The Pok¨¦dex suddenly began beeping.


    "Ralts?" Ralts said, holding a pizza slice that was way too big for her.


    "Yeah," I stared at my Pok¨¦dex like it was some kind of bomb. "What the fuck?"


    "You are being called by Professor Rowan." The slightly mechanical voice of Pok¨¦dex Lady announced.


    I stared aghast at my Pok¨¦dex. "That''s my ringtone?"


    "Correct."


    I hadn''t been called before, I called other people. Not that I did that a lot but still, I had never heard my ringtone before and it was apparently a dumb beeping sound that was very similar to an alarm clock or a timebomb.


    "We should definitely change that," I muttered.


    "Right now? You are being called, are you aware of that?"


    "Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Let''s do that later, also don''t get too snarky Oracle."


    I flipped the Pok¨¦dex open and Ralts lay down next to me, choosing to abandon the pizza slice in order to find out what was going on.


    "Sup Professor Rowan," I answered the video call.


    The Professor in question was sitting in his own laboratory, surrounded with techy metal stuff that probably served a purpose.


    He was still wearing his lab coat over a brown vest, his white hair was slightly messy and I could see sweat on his forehead.


    Professor Rowan also didn''t look very happy.


    "Hello Dust," He calmly greeted me. "Good to see you again."


    "Yeah you too," I said, "So how are you doing?"


    "Working as always," he replied.


    The conversation quickly died down after that and it became really awkward for me because I had no idea what to say.


    "So," Professor Rowan finally said, "I see you got your first Gym badge."


    "Ralts." Ralts said smugly, directly after that I got another mental message.


    {Happiness}


    "What she said." I grinned.


    Professor Rowan nodded thoughtfully, like I said something deep.


    "Dust, I actually wanted to thank you for what you did in Jubilife City, not a lot of people would have gone through so much trouble just to deliver a package."


    "Everything for science." I smiled. "Also, Crimson was a big moron."


    "Well, I''m grateful for it all the same," he said and it sounded genuine.


    "Sure," I replied, "So that''s what you called for?"


    "I wanted to discuss something with you."


    I raised an eyebrow, "Okay, what''s the matter?"


    Rowan sighed, "I see that you still only have one Pok¨¦mon, any particular reason for that?"


    "Combination of bad fortune and not finding the one," I answered.


    The Professor nodded, "You asked me some time ago if I had a Pok¨¦mon for you, one I couldn''t take care of."


    "Yes I did."


    "Well right now I have a Pok¨¦mon who needs a trainer to take care of her," he said and I resisted the urge to smile. "I would do it myself but I fear that I''m not the right person to do that."


    Now it is getting interesting.


    "Why is that?"


    Rowan coughed. "The Pok¨¦mon in question was orphaned very recently and she was sent to me but right now she is misbehaving and I am unable to give the support she needs."


    "Ow," I said, "That sounds...tragic."


    "What happened was indeed a tragedy," Professor Rowan said, sounding sad. "I was about to send it to someone else who might take better care of her but then I recalled your request and I thought maybe you could take care of her?"


    I gave him my brightest smile. "If there''s a Pok¨¦mon who needs my help I am certainly willing to do whatever I can."


    "Great," Professor Rowan let out a sigh of relief. "You can pick her up in Twin Leaf town as soon as possible."


    "Cool." I said, "Then I''ll come by immediately."


    Sorry Ash, seems like Fate has other plans in store.


    "So what kind of Pok¨¦mon is it actually?" I asked.


    Professor Rowan gave me one of his rare smiles. "That''s a secret young one but I think you''ll like it."


    And with that he cut off the video call.


    I turned to Ralts and beamed, "Guess who''s getting a new team mate?"


    {Annoyance} was the emotion Ralts sent back.

 36. The Third Pawn

    I found Ash sitting in the breakfast area with Dawn and Brock. It was not even 7 AM yet everyone was already up apparently.


    My own reasons for getting up early like this was my excitement for getting a second Pok¨¦mon and the new moves Ralts had that I still wanted to test, but it was a mystery to me why Ash and his friends were up this early.


    The free breakfast in the Pok¨¦mon Center was at least available till 11 o''clock so that couldn''t be the reason.


    Ralts and I took place on their table, I put down my plate with scrambled eggs and Ralts sat down next to me, holding a weird fruit looking thing she liked.


    The breakfast area was not big, just a few big square tables aligned in neat rows with a bigger wooden table next to the door for the buffet.


    There were posters plastered onto the wall, tips for Pok¨¦mon trainers, upcoming tournaments and other shiz a new trainer might need.


    A big long light bar illuminated the room but the light was pretty harsh on my eyes that still hadn''t adjusted to being awake yet.


    I wasn''t the only one who was still feeling sleepy, Ash and Dawn too looked like they could fall asleep any second.


    "Goodmorning," I said, sounding far more cheerful than I felt.


    "Oh hi Dust." Dawn yawned, looking up from her pancake that was still untouched.


    "Goodmorning," Brock replied, looking more alive than his comrades.


    He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms.


    "Ralts," Ralts replied sleepily.


    {Sleepy}


    I raised an eyebrow, Sleepy was not an emotion at all, does this mean Telepathy is evolving?


    Ash didn''t show any signs of life, instead he lay face down on the table, a bowl of cereal in front of him remaining untouched.


    "Pika." Pikachu poked his trainer. Ash didn''t react.


    A small jolt of electricity shot out of Pikachu¡¯s tail and blitzed towards Ash.


    "Aaa! I am awake!" Ash cried out, quite literally shocked.


    His eyes widened when he saw me sitting opposite of him. He recovered very fast. "Oh good morning you two."


    "Sup."


    "Ralts."


    "So," I began taking a bite, "Why are you all up this early?"


    Ash smiled brightly, "My Pok¨¦mon and I are going to train a bit extra for our challenge against Roark."


    "Same as Ash but for an upcoming Contest battle," Dawn mumbled.


    "And someone has to keep an eye out for those two," Brock laughed, "Without me they wouldn''t even know when to wake up."


    Ash nodded, "Sleep is essential for a good performance."


    "It was your plan to train a bit extra in the morning," Dawn muttered.


    Ash fixed his black eyes on me, his hair was still messy and wet from a shower. "So why are you up this early?"


    "Yeah about that," I gave him an apologetic smile, "I can''t stay in Oreburgh City¡­"


    "What? Why?!" Ash exclaimed way too loud.


    I shrugged. "Professor Rowan asked if I could come as soon as possible."


    It was definitely not a lie but not the whole truth either, Rowan did need my help and he did say I could come as soon as possible.


    "Something wrong with him?" Dawn asked, concerned. She nervously pushed a hairlock out of her face and took a bite from her pancake.


    "Nah, just some sidequesting, you know the usual shit."


    She raised an eyebrow at that but I didn''t bother explaining.


    "Well," Ash said, folding his arms, "If you still want to see Pikachu in action then we should hold a battle next time we meet."


    He grinned, "Of course you don''t stand a chance."


    "Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded firmly.


    "Looking forward to it," I grinned back.


    We finished our breakfast in silence, no one felt much like talking. After that I bid them farewell and took Ralts with me to find a place where we could try out our new moves.


    While I was checking out I asked the girl with blue hair behind the counter where I could train a bit, she gave me some directions that ultimately led to a quiet place far enough to not bother the people who lived in Oreburgh City.


    The moon hadn''t even fully disappeared yet and while I was walking through the silent city I stifled a yawn.


    We found a grassy battlefield with faded white lines that was a small distance away from the Pok¨¦mon Center.


    The entire place was built inside what seemed to be an abandoned building site, which was again one of the questionable design choices this world had.


    Ralts was ready to go apparently because she didn''t waste a moment. Once we arrived she hopped down from my shoulders and tried out her first new move.


    She landed in front of me and stood still for a second. Her eyes began glowing red and it looked very similar to a demon or something, then a laser shot out of the red horn thingy she had.


    The laser beam was not just one color but an entire LSD trip worth of colors. The multicolored beam shot into a half built wall and tore it into pieces.


    {Smug} Ralts smiled at me looking very...well smug.


    "So, that''s Psybeam," I said out loud, taken aback by the weirdness of the attack. "A fucking LSD laser."


    Ralts nodded happily, apparently liking the comparison.


    "Awesome," I knelt down to pet her on the head. "Seems like we''re making huge progress today."


    The new move was definitely a nice addition to Ralts'' moveset. Psybeam was a stronger version of Confusion in the games, while still keeping the same 10% chance to inflict the confusion status effect.


    Nothing really special.


    But in real life it was much better.


    The laser was faster than normal Confusion and even reached further.


    It was one concentrated beam that didn''t take too long to charge yet it was still powerful enough to shatter rocks.


    Psybeam was a perfect snipe attack, the range was big but the beam only lasted around 2 seconds and the point of impact was pretty narrow thus it had to be a clean hit to do damage.


    Disarming Voice and Confusion both were more effective at close range with their smaller reach but Psybeam was a good mixup for keeping a bigger distance.


    Sure, at the end of the day it was another Blaster class move (which makes this one her third) but it made the total sum of her moveset more versatile.


    The Psybeam could force our opponents to approach Ralts and play more aggressively, combine that with Teleport and we could use Psybeam to camp our enemies.


    "Ralts, try to fire a Psybeam while jumping."


    Ralts complied and tried to jump, she did a big hop and her eyes began to glow red. However the effect shattered not a full second later.


    She tried to do the same thing while walking but again it was not working, the moment Ralts moved the attack was canceled.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I frowned at that, it was a minor disappointment that she was rendered immobile for a second before she could fire the move.


    Psybeam was very similar to Confusion in that way.


    My current theory was that both attacks were basically the same attack; Shooting Psychic energy but the way the energy was distributed was different.


    Confusion spread it across a large area and fired in bursts while Psybeam concentrated all the energy into a long reaching, narrow beam.


    This did raise the question where the Psychic energy came from, did Ralts convert something else into Psychic energy or did she draw it from an invisible source?


    Or maybe this world had no things like conservation of energy and it was just ¡®made¡¯.


    "Well, still pretty good." I knelt down and offered Ralts a high five.


    She jumped up and hit my hand with her own tiny hand.


    "Now, let''s try to test the second move, Teleport."


    Ralts nodded and closed her eyes, before she could start however I stopped her. "Not yet."


    {Confusion} Ralts stared at me.


    I opened my backpack and took out two plastic bottles filled with water.


    "Let''s try to test multiple things this time okay?" I proposed with a smile.


    Ralts cocked her head to the side, "Ralts?"


    "Sit down."


    She sat down.


    I sat down behind her with my back to her.


    A question was asked in Pok¨¦speak, still Ralts didn''t move.


    "Just testing out some theories," I made sure I felt reassured. "Now, try to teleport the both of us as far as you can, okay?"


    {Attempt}


    I felt a vague pull in my guts that was very similar to sitting in a rollercoaster that was about to do a drop.


    The feeling began to build up, it wasn''t a nasty or uncomfortable one but it definitely felt alien. I felt the tug pull tighter and somehow I knew the teleport was about to happen.


    The bottle I held in my left hand was tossed up in the air while the bottle in my right hand was clutched in my sweaty hand.


    Teleporting was a scary thing after all. There was so much that could go wrong.


    Distorted teleports were not unheard of in this world, Pok¨¦mon appearing inside objects, spread throughout time or straight up disappearing after an attempted teleport.


    Of course this only happened when a Pok¨¦mon tried to teleport through a Teleport jammer, but still. What if the air inside my lungs wouldn''t be teleported with me?


    Before I could think up more horror scenarios a bright flash blinded me.


    And as if it were magic, suddenly we were somewhere else.


    I was sitting in the same position as before and beside the flash and the change of scenery, nothing indicated we had teleported.


    In front of me the bottle I had thrown up fell down and landed in front of me in the grass.


    I opened both bottles and emptied them of the water.


    The fact that I had gone from a building site to a forest clearing was the only sign that the teleport had actually happened.


    As I saw the water drain on the soil I couldn''t help but to grin widely.


    Ralts'' teleport had done so much more than proving she could teleport.


    First, she showed that she could teleport large distances.


    Second, she was not limited by line of sight.


    Third, she could teleport other people with her and said people don''t have to be in her field of view, seeing how I explicitly placed myself behind her during the teleport.


    Fourth, she could teleport objects; the water bottle I had tossed up was not physically connected to me yet it came along.


    The final conclusion was that she could teleport liquids.


    I turned around to congratulate Ralts, only to find her sleeping on the lustrous grass, her thumb tucked in her mouth.


    "Huh, seems like we might need to practice that to reduce the strain." I smiled at her.


    Ralts kept sleeping peacefully.


    <hr>


    "Hello Professor Rowan," I said as I walked through the big slide doors. Ralts walked beside me, her eyes going all over the place.


    The professor sat with his back towards us behind his desk, he turned around and gave me a curt nod.


    He wasn''t wearing his lab coat, instead he wore a blue vest and gray pants.


    "Hello Dust, glad you could make it so fast," He offered me a second chair to sit on. It was notoriously less comfy than the one he sat on but after a long day of carrying a sleeping Pok¨¦mon I had no puff left to complain.


    "Hey, you know it. If I want to, I''m pretty fast." I smirked, "Though most of the time I don''t."


    Ralts hopped onto my lap as I sat down, making herself comfy.


    The desk was made of metal and was lit by a lightbar placed above it, a pc monitor was placed against the wall. The professor moved his keyboard to the side and threw a half eaten apple into the trash bin underneath the desk.


    "How was your day so far?" Professor Rowan asked politely.


    "Ugh, walking. Lots of it." I groaned, "Though this new Pok¨¦mon should totally be worth it."


    "I hope it is for the both of you." Professor Rowan sighed.


    He turned around and took a stack of papers and handed them to me.


    "What''s this?" I asked as I skimmed through them, quickly reading the titles and bold letters.


    "Before we can transfer ownership I need you to sign this," he explained and he handed me a black pen.


    I put down the papers on the desk and began reading it.


    Turns out, it was a lot of legal bullshit that all came down on: The Sinnoh league is not responsible for any future shit that might occur.


    Of course I signed it.


    "Why the paperwork though?" I asked as Professor Rowan took the papers back.


    Professor Rowan looked me in the eyes. "The safety of this Pok¨¦mon is a big concern for the League. They want the reassurance that this Pok¨¦mon isn''t being sold to the blackmarket."


    "Why?" I blinked, "I never signed anything before, nor did anyone else I know."


    "You are familiar with Hunter J right?" Professor Rowan asked.


    "Yup."


    The Professor let out a deep sigh, "It''s really unfortunate but this Pok¨¦mon and her mother had both been her targets."


    "Is there something special about her?" I wondered, "Not that I can''t deal with it but it would be good to know."


    It would be useful to know if my new Pok¨¦mon was a hot target with a price above her head.


    "Let me correct myself," Professor Rowan said, "The mother was the original target but Hunter J took them both despite only the mother being a valuable Pok¨¦mon."


    I raised an eyebrow, "Did she have a rare coloration?"


    "Yes, how''d you know?" Professor Rowan asked.


    I coughed, "Well, it''s the only reason I could come up with for why the daughter Pok¨¦mon wouldn''t be worth anything while the mother was."


    He nodded, "You are right. The strange color made her a very valuable target for Hunter J yet she chose to kidnap both Pok¨¦mon. Luckily, at the same time the League organized an assault on her and they managed to destroy half of her fleet and managed to rescue the captive Pok¨¦mon."


    "Let me guess the mother died somehow? Collateral damage?"


    "Indeed," he cast his eyes down, "Not everyone survived the battle."


    "That really sucks¡­but at least she survived," I said, not sure what to say in moments like these.


    "I can agree with that," Professor Rowan said, "This left the League with a lot of Pok¨¦mon they freed. Most were released back into the wild but this Pok¨¦mon in particular was too young and inexperienced to live on her own."


    Also, it would be stupid to let a Pok¨¦mon who just lost her mother alone, that was just asking for trouble.


    "And that''s why they sent her to you?" I guessed.


    "Yes, for some reason they thought I''d be a good fit to take care of her, the papers you signed are proof that the Pok¨¦mon is now with you and not back in the hands of a shady figure.¡±


    Aah, so basically the League wanted to make sure that the Pok¨¦mon they just saved didn''t end up in trouble again.


    "That''s a pretty tragic backstory," I admitted, "But are you sure I''m the right person for this? Wouldn''t battling be the last thing she needs?"


    The professor shook his head. "She needs a partner, someone to attach to. Pok¨¦mon trainers tend to develop those bonds through hardships and adventures."


    He pointed at Ralts. "And seeing how much your Ralts likes you I can''t say that I doubt my own decision."


    Ralts happily cuddled against me.


    The professor continued, "I''m sure you are smart enough to figure out what is necessary."


    "I can definitely try," I offered.


    "Great." He nodded and a small smile made itself known. "Now we got that out of the way, time to meet your new team member."


    He rose from his seat and gestured to me to follow him. Ralts grudgingly got off my lap and we followed the professor through a narrow hallway.


    As we walked the professor began to explain. "She isn''t used to humans so I kept her in the back of the building to keep the visitors away from her."


    The hallway had concrete white walls with blue pipes running along the side of it, as if they were the veins of this building.


    We passed by multiple doors, some of them were open and led to a specialized room for whatever the professor did in his free time.


    At the end of the hallway he opened a wooden door and I was met with a big spacious room.


    The room had one big open window that allowed the golden light from the descending sun to shine through and cast the entire room in an orange glow.


    This part of the building must have been the windmill part of this wacky building because the entire room was a big cylinder with a wooden staircase leading up to a second floor.


    In the middle of the room there was a big blanket spread out on the floor with colorful pillows on top of it.


    There were various magazines, books and other random stuff meant for entertainment placed around the blanket.


    As I entered the room big red eyes immediately focused on mine. The gaze was strong and too intense for the supposedly young Pok¨¦mon.


    Professor Rowan and Ralts waited in the doorway when I entered the room, allowing me to have my moment.


    I knelt down in front of the Pok¨¦mon and smiled. "Sup, my name is Dust. I''m going to be your Pok¨¦mon trainer, you''re cool with that?"


    The Pok¨¦mon in question was small, she stood on two black paws and had a blue upper body. Her fur turned to black around her neck.


    She had red eyes that were surrounded by a black, almost mask-like, shape and there were two black appendages that came out on either side of her head.


    Her eyes didn''t waver as I introduced myself.


    "Don''t ever think you can replace my mother," A cold voice replied.


    I blinked.


    "Dafuq?"


    "Something wrong?" Professor Rowan asked.


    "You guys didn''t hear anything."


    "No¡­?"


    "Aahh," I muttered. "Just heard a weird beeping noise."


    I turned my eyes back to Riolu who kept glaring at me.


    Fate, what the hell?


    End of Arc 2: Journey

 37 The Third Pawn

    Ralts considered herself a simple Pok¨¦mon, not too complicated.


    She loved her trainer, learning new stuff. She enjoyed listening to the radio and traveling with her trainer. She loved the taste of the potato chips, she loved the look in the eyes of her opponent when she did something unexpected and she really loved being praised by her trainer.


    There were, of course, things she didn''t like; losing, Team Galactic, rain and she really disliked Paul.


    Today another thing was added to the list of things she didn''t like.


    The blue Pok¨¦mon, her supposedly new team member, was definitely on the dislike list.


    Her trainer stared at Riolu who kept glaring back.


    On the outside, everything seemed normal, besides Riolu being very unkind. But she could sense the emotions they felt.


    Her trainer was shaken, shocked and she felt an underlying emotion that was a mix of disappointment and confusion.


    The emotions of the Riolu were very one dimensional in that sense, just a combination of distrust, fear, and confusion.


    She silently kept watching as her trainer continued talking as if nothing had happened.


    "So, I hope we can become friends," her trainer smiled.


    The emotions he felt, however, told her something different; he himself was scared. No, scared was not the right word.


    Strained. Yet he kept smiling.


    She knew that her trainer did that a lot, forcing himself to smile. He thought she didn''t notice and in the beginning, she didn''t but the more time she spent with him the more she began to recognize the fake feelings he tried to create.


    His emotions were like an entire milkshake, first you had the flavors on the surface. Then you had the second level of emotions that sometimes conflicted and finally you had the emotions that reflected onto the layers above it.


    She didn''t mention it though, she just smiled back like she always did.


    "I doubt I can be friends with someone like you," The Riolu said coldly. "But it''s not like there''s anywhere else I can go."


    Dust kept smiling, though the feeling of disappointment rose.


    Ralts had the urge to kick Riolu, yet she resisted it.


    She was aware of the fact that she would have future team members and she was okay with it...to some extent.


    But she really doubted that the Riolu would be a useful addition.


    Ralts watched with patience as more words were exchanged between the new Pok¨¦mon and her trainer, it was almost as if¡­


    No, that was so unfair.


    For some reason, her trainer understood Riolu!


    This was blasphemy!


    To anyone watching the scene in front of her would seem just like a person guessing what the Pok¨¦mon meant based on facial expressions and body language but the way her trainer responded was just too fluid, just too on point.


    That would explain the surprised emotion!


    It seemed that Riolu was not even aware that her trainer could understand her Pok¨¦speak...THIS WAS UNFAIR!


    Ralts had tried to achieve telepathy for years, maybe even millennia and this random Pok¨¦mon they just managed to do it without any effort.


    Ralts silently cursed this ''Fate'' person her trainer always kept talking about.


    "It seems like I have no other place to go," Riolu muttered, disappointed, she got up from her pillow. Her trainer received a red and white Pok¨¦ball, just like hers, from the professor.


    "So do you prefer to stay inside your Pok¨¦ball or outside?" the blue haired boy asked.


    The Riolu shrugged with a lack of interest.


    "Well, outside it is," Dust said as he pocketed the Pok¨¦ball. "I prefer it to keep my Pok¨¦mon close and free."


    Riolu didn''t answer.


    "Well, this is Ralts," Her trainer pointed at her.


    Ralts gave Riolu a cold stare.


    Riolu shrugged and folded her paws in front of her, clearly not impressed. What Riolu didn¡¯t know was that she could pierce through her cold demeanor without any effort, inside the Riolu didn''t feel nearly as confident as she wanted everyone to believe she was.


    Her trainer raised an eyebrow at Ralts and a wave of guilt crushed over her. She had promised to give the second Pok¨¦mon a chance after all.


    Of course, that was before she knew the second Pok¨¦mon would be like this.


    "Anyway, we''re gonna crash at a Pok¨¦mon Center for the night. You''re coming?" Her trainer asked.


    Riolu nodded. "Not like I have a choice, again."


    "Well Professor," Dust turned to the old man, "Thanks for the opportunity and I''ll try everything I can to make this work."


    To her surprise, he was genuine this time.


    Professor Rowan nodded and gave Riolu one last piece of advice. "Be sure to keep close to Dust, okay? Although he may not look like it, he is actually a good trainer."


    Her trainer rolled his eyes but didn''t say anything.


    Again, Riolu didn''t answer.


    They left the laboratory, Ralts made sure to claim a spot on her trainer''s shoulders before they left.


    Riolu trailed behind them, keeping a good distance away from them.


    She kept her head down as she walked.


    Her trainer noticed it and stopped to turn around.


    "You want me to carry you?" He offered. "The Pok¨¦mon Center is nearby but I don''t really mind carrying you."


    "Of course not," she replied with a sneer, "I can walk for myself."


    "Sure¡­"


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Her trainer glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. Nobody was, the streets were mostly empty besides a couple that sat near a fountain.


    "You are aware that I can understand you right?" Dust said, sounding more serious.


    "So?" Riolu replied, "Is that supposed to make me feel happy?"


    Dust shrugged, "Dunno, I am just curious if this is your doing? Rowan didn''t understand you."


    Riolu shot a glare at him, "You think I would do something like that?"


    "Well, weird shit," Her trainer muttered. "Though that mystery can be solved tomorrow."


    Ralts agreed, the sun was dipping underneath the horizon and that meant it was bedtime. Unless it was catching bad guys time, that always has priority.


    "Right now I think we should give you two something to eat and get someplace to sleep, don''t you agree?"


    Ralts tried to tell her trainer ''yes'' but her telepathy converted it to {satisfaction}


    Though not optimal, it did pass the message through.


    "What do you think?" Dust asked the new Pok¨¦mon.


    Riolu shrugged. "I don''t care, just do something already."


    "Okay, then onwards we go!"


    Dust turned around and began to walk towards the Pok¨¦mon Center and Riolu followed but she made sure that she kept a meter distance between them.


    A wave of curiosity came from behind them and Ralts turned her head to see what it was about.


    Riolu was watching her trainer with an intense gaze, suddenly her eyes flashed blue and an almost smoke-like effect surrounded her eyes, but it was really faint and almost unnoticeable to anyone that wasn''t paying attention.


    Riolu''s eyes turned normal again and her mouth dropped.


    Ralts cocked her head and studied the new wave of emotions that came from the blue Pok¨¦mon.


    There was confusion and shock, followed by disgust, concern, and horror and again that was followed up by pity and distrust.


    It was such an odd mixed bag of emotions that Ralts wondered what Riolu had seen with her special power.


    The emotions of the Riolu slowly turned back to normal as she trailed behind the two, leaving their trainer unaware of what had just transpired.


    Ralts decided that she had to ask Riolu what she had seen, though later when their trainer would be sleeping.


    They reached the Pok¨¦mon Center without any conversation, everyone was apparently stuck in their own thoughts.


    Ralts kept a careful eye on both her companions, there wasn''t much going on with Riolu, she just felt sad and angry with a mix of curiosity thrown in from time to time.


    Her trainer though¡­ he was worrying right now, thinking about the problems the new Pok¨¦mon brought, beyond that layer he was thinking about other things, stressing and contemplating.


    It concerned Ralts that the new Pok¨¦mon brought more trouble than she had expected.


    She did realize that adjusting would take some time but this was a whole new level of hostility.


    It was bothersome, yet her trainer insisted on keeping Riolu. Why couldn''t it be a Pok¨¦mon without any problems?


    Once they arrived at the Pok¨¦mon Center her trainer claimed a nice room for the night.


    It was a small room with a big bed in the middle. There was an open window that overlooked the town and allowed fresh air to breeze through.


    Ralts immediately jumped towards the bed and claimed her own spot, eagerly waiting for the meal her trainer would make.


    "I''m gonna make something to eat, you want to watch some TV while you wait?" Dust kindly asked Riolu.


    "No," her cold reply came.


    "Want to play a game?"


    "No."


    Her trainer sighed, "Anything else you want to do?"


    "I''ll just sit here." Riolu grabbed one of the two white pillows and put it down in the corner.


    She sat down and began...meditating?


    Well, that would be her loss.


    She gestured to her trainer for the Pok¨¦dex and her trainer absentmindedly gave it.


    She opened it and navigated towards the radio. A random station was chosen and she began to listen.


    Meanwhile, Dust began to make salad, nothing really fancy but when she was handed a bowl she eagerly took it.


    Of course, she picked out the tomatoes first so she could eat them last.


    Her trainer knelt down in front of Riolu with a bowl, "You like salad?"


    "Do I have a choice?" She opened one eye.


    He shrugged, "I can order some pizza if you want, or anything else really."


    Despite her previous complaints, Riolu accepted the bowl and wordlessly began to eat.


    Dust gave Riolu a contemplating look before eating himself. He sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, though he wasn''t sleeping. His emotions revealed that he was thinking.


    "Hey Riolu," Dust asked suddenly.


    He got up and moved towards the edge of the bed closest to Riolu.


    "What?" Riolu asked, opening both her eyes.


    "What do you think about a name?" Dust smiled gently.


    "A name?" Riolu asked perplexedly.


    "Well, something personal, a name that is yours." Dust mused, "Would you like one?"


    Ralts stared aghast at the scene unfolding in front of her.


    "You have something you want to be called?"


    Ralts tried to figure out what he was thinking but his emotions didn''t give a clue, only that he felt confident but that wasn''t really indicating anything.


    The feeling most likely indicated he was planning something but what?


    "I guess that sounds nice," Riolu said hesitantly.


    "Awesome," Dust nodded, "You got a name in mind?"


    Ralts would be interested in the shift from distrust to confusion and curiosity that was surfacing in his mindscape, but she had her own emotions she had to deal with.


    Riolu shook her head, "No, I don''t really have an idea for my name."


    "How about...Fay?" Dust offered, "What do you think of it?"


    The black-blue Pok¨¦mon considered the idea for a few seconds and after a rather painful silence, she gave a curt nod.


    "I could work with that," she said carefully, "Fay, doesn''t sound too bad."


    Ralts couldn''t take it any longer.


    She tapped her trainer on the back.


    He turned around and Ralts sent a glare at him.


    "How could you!" She tried to say but the language barrier caused only more confusion on Dust''s face.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked, stupefied.


    Ralts closed her eyes and tried to send the message telepathically."


    {Jealousy}


    Was she jealous?


    Of course not!


    Still, how could her trainer betray her like that?


    "You want a name too?" He finally asked, slowly as if thinking it through before saying it.


    {YES!} Ralts tried to send her bursting thoughts through, of course, she wants a special, hers only, given by him, unique and awesome name.


    Why wouldn''t she?


    It was a heresy that Riolu got a name first.


    "Huh," Dust said dryly, "Honestly I always thought that Gardevoir sounds pretty cool but if you insist."


    Ralts eagerly nodded.


    "Okay, then, I''ll give you one," Dust said and Ralts released a sigh of relief.


    With big eyes she faced her trainer, waiting for her own special name.


    Her trainer avoided looking at her, instead, his eyes flew through the room, almost as if he was looking for something


    (Dust)


    Fuck FUCK FUCK FUCK.


    What to name her?


    Why does it feel like I''m dealing with a timebomb?


    My eyes shot through the room, scraping it for the barest scraps of inspiration.


    I only thought it was a good idea to give Riolu a name to distance her current self from the past self and to start a new future, all that shiz.


    Honestly, I had no idea what to name Ralts.


    I looked out of the window, having found no inspiration inside the room.


    A full moon shone in the night sky, breaking through the dark clouds like a beacon from heaven.


    "Luna!" I said.


    (Ralts)


    Ralts gasped.


    A name!


    "You like it?" Dust asked cautiously.


    Instead of nodding she chose the easier route and lunged forward to give her trainer a big hug.


    She loved the name Dust had given her.


    And it was such a wise one too, she was sure it had a lot of meaning and he picked the name himself.


    Ralts...no from now on it would be Luna.


    Luna loved the name.


    And Luna loved her trainer, more than anything in the world.


    She remembered that fateful day she met him and how he rescued her from that hellhole. The despair she felt, the hopelessness.


    That was the same day she promised herself that she would stay by his side and always be there for him.


    She owed it to him. As she hugged her trainer she shot a look at the Riolu who was now apparently named Fay.


    Now she only had to find a way to get rid of her.

 38 Broken Lifelight

    Arc 3: Red like Roses


    In the end, the name Fay was ironic in all the wrong ways.


    It derived from the word faith, which again derives from fate.I thought I could maybe change her fate, try to do something right.


    The sentiment might have been arrogant, but I''m only human. But as Fate proved to me time and time again, we can''t have nice things in life.


    I discovered that again the first morning I ever spent with both my new Pok¨¦mon.


    "Alright, I think we''re far enough to not bother people," I spoke out loud.


    The Riolu who I had only named Fay yesterday sat down on a boulder with a clear lack of interest, she did that a lot.


    The Ralts, who I had named Luna after carefully thinking it over, waited in front of me, patiently and with an expectant smile.


    She had managed not to pass out this time after teleporting which was a whole level up of her powers. Of course, we had crossed a smaller distance but this time we had the additional Riolu to teleport with us.


    The limits of Luna''s teleport had to be tested, for science!


    Also, since Teleport is OP, if we could manage to make Luna push the limits, that could help us survive in this world


    "So Fay," I turned to face her, "Do you want to battle?"


    She raised an eyebrow, "I have a choice?"


    "Of course, it''s not like I''m gonna force someone. If you don''t want to fight you just hang around."


    "No. I want to learn how to fight as well," Fay decided to my surprise. "Though I don''t have any prior experience."


    I raised an eyebrow, this was a rather sudden shift in behavior and it was pretty concerning.


    It was easy to guess her motivation and said motivation was really concerning. Still, at least it was something.


    I was honest when I told her that she had a choice.


    Of course, I had hoped that she would say yes but besides that, I''m still a human. Perhaps a bit sociopathic or pragmatic, but I believe in freedom of choice. I still stood with my point that Fay needed a psychiatrist instead of a trainer, but if she wanted to fight, then I wouldn¡¯t complain.


    "Okay," I finally said, "If you are part of my team I want you to know that I have my own fighting style."


    {Determination} Luna nodded seriously.


    "So?" Fay said arrogantly.


    "Well, my training might be a bit unorthodox."


    Rather than telling her about it, I decided to show her my way of teaching instead. I turned to Luna who had taken the liberty to sit down on the grass.


    "Ready to learn, Luna? I sat down in front of her and opened my backpack.


    Luna''s eyes widened as she saw what I took out of my backpack.


    Cueing the Zelda soundtrack in my mind I revealed a puzzle.


    Or better yet, a 3d puzzle.


    I bought it in Jubilife City in a tourist shop. It was a cardboard remake of the Global Trade Station which was a hotspot for tourists because of its amazing architecture, something about the building being able to resist a level 9 Earthquake on the Groudon scale.


    The puzzle itself was not that sturdy, it was made of cardboard pieces that fitted into a 3d frame you had to set up.


    "Here''s a puzzle Luna," her eyes gleamed with excitement and she grabbed one of the pieces but before she could place it I interrupted her.


    "Do it without using your hands." I finally added.


    {Question?} a telepathic message came through.


    From the corner of my eyes, I saw Fay being interested, though she tried to pretend she wasn''t.


    "I want you to teleport the pieces into place."


    I grabbed one of the pieces and placed it against the frame.


    The pieces were pretty big, probably because this was meant for kids and it wasn''t a full-scale model. There was no Lego in this world, otherwise, I would use that.


    "It may sound hard but I know it''s possible," I lied, "I have full trust you can do it, right?"


    Luna nodded eagerly and a puzzle piece began to glow.


    It appeared atop of the framework and began falling, but before it could hit the grass, it disappeared again.


    This time it appeared closer to the previously placed puzzle piece, brushing against it before that attempt failed too.


    Luna narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, almost as if she was willing the piece to fit.


    Considering that Teleport is a will based move and not a physical one it makes some sense.


    It did require some research in the future, for example, did she move the particles that made up the original object or did she move the whole thing into a different dimension and then pull it out somewhere else? If said dimension was smaller than this dimension then it would certainly be usable as a teleporting tool, like the Nether in Minecraft, giving off the illusion of teleporting.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    And if you''re thinking that alternate dimensions are bullshit? Have you ever read the Pok¨¦dex?


    I am like 99,9% sure they exist and that some Pok¨¦mon could access them and not only Legendaries.


    The existence of Teleport jammers heavily implied that someone in this world had already researched it. I wanted to know more about teleporting as a whole, but after someone had used Teleport jammers to turn Pok¨¦mon into psychic teleportation bombs, they decided that the information and details about the research were a classified secret that only special people could access.


    So now I had to start from scratch.


    The piece flashed white and reappeared on the cardboard frame, this time it neatly fitted the bump on the first piece, making a perfect connection.


    I grinned, "Awesome, keep this up, Luna."


    She smiled at me and I got up. A third piece already tumbled off the frame; this would at least keep her busy a good hour.


    I turned to Fay who sat on the boulder, still not looking convinced.


    "So, what''s the point of her solving a puzzle?" Fay said coldly, "Seems really useless."


    A smug smile crept on my face, "Simple, I want Luna to have fine control over the position she teleports things into or away from, you could call it hand eye coordination but without the hand part."


    Fay raised an eyebrow, effectively stealing my shtick and looking annoyed at the same time.


    "Imagine her being able to teleport incoming projectiles out of her way, teleporting the soil underneath her opponent''s feet away, teleporting a wall in front of her to block an attack."


    "Why don''t you have her do that instead?" She pointed out, it was still weird to talk to a Pok¨¦mon. Especially since I was bigger, yet she talked like she was an adult and actually scolded me.


    She stood on her two back paws like a human, which made me think of her as a child, which she was, but the way she talked was not at all childish.


    It was rather disturbing, though that word has gotten meaningless in this world.


    "Because I want her to understand the move fully before moving to new territories," I explained.


    Fay scowled, "I don''t want that. I need to get stronger faster."


    "Oh, and why is that?" I knelt down so I met her on eye level.


    Fay looked away. She wasn''t really subtle about it.


    "Let me guess," I said, "You want to kill Hunter J." The red eyes surrounded by the black mask widened with shock.


    "H-how?" She muttered.


    I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, honestly, it wasn''t that much of a stretch.


    But the problem remained, how to deal with this stuff?


    I let out a sigh, "You know that it''s a stupid idea right? Revenge won''t solve anything."


    It felt lame even to my own ears, I had heard it so many times in movies and books but saying it for real...no it doesn''t even sound remotely true.


    Fay''s eyes narrowed, her voice dropped."I will kill Hunter J."


    How should I control this conversation? Logical arguments or moral arguments?


    Counseling was really not my forte, especially since I had the urge to freak out myself. Luckily I had the skill to keep moving and pretend everything was alright, but Fay didn''t.


    Was it weird that I wanted to tell the little Pok¨¦mon that she could suck it and that I had lost my entire world? I really wasn¡¯t fit for this job.


    I rubbed my temples, I really don''t want to mess this up but this shit was way above my level. How do I explain that killing someone isn''t alright? Was I supposed to make her cope with her parents'' loss or to get over it?


    "Look I get it, Hunter J''s a bitch but you have to realize that killing someone like her isn''t a walk in the park," I let a brief silence set in before continuing, "She''s an A class threat, you know what that means?"


    Fay shook her head.


    "She has multiple regions trying to hunt her down already and they even failed to do more than just driving her away. Hunter J protects herself with a massive fleet that can turn invisible." I decided to turn the conversation, "It isn''t that I don''t want Hunter J dead, myself." I actually cared very little about her. But she was a problem, and I preferred if someone else but me dealt with it.


    "But you shouldn''t waste your time and effort chasing a¡­" I was about to say dream but that would be a bit morbid, "Vendetta that''s likely to get you killed."


    She folded her paws in front of her chest, "Then so be it." Her eyes flared a bit blue, "So are you going to teach me something? The old man told me that''s what you do. So teach me how to get stronger."


    Fay stared at me with an expecting look, like I was some wizard that could make her level up instantly.


    "Is that all you want?" I asked.


    "There''s nothing else left," Fay muttered, her eyes down and her posture faltered.


    "You could make something new."


    She scoffed indignantly. "No, I''m going to kill Hunter J, you can either help me get stronger or I''ll find another trainer."


    I sighed, it seemed like I had to play the long game and try to change her view.


    I really don''t want Fay to become a murderer, especially with how young she was. It wasn''t illegal per se, almost every person and non legendary Pok¨¦mon that creates or perpetuates a B or above level threat had a kill order, but even if it was legal, I wouldn''t let my own Pokemon become murderers.


    Wow, I already started considering Fay as my own.


    I leveled at Fay, "You know what, I''ll help you get stronger and maybe you''ll learn that there''s more to life." I gave her a smile, "Remember, you''re not alone."


    "I will keep that in mind," She clearly lied, not that I could do anything with that right now. "Now, can we move on with the real part?"


    Behind us, the tower of pieces collapsed.


    When I looked around Ra...Luna shot me an apologetic smile and gave me a thumbs up.


    "Don''t worry about it," I reassured her, "You''ll get the hang of it."


    She nodded and waved her hand, a few pieces teleported into places but an equal amount of pieces fell to the ground.


    I turned back to Fay.


    "Okay, before we start I need to know one thing." I began, "And it''s about aura."


    She tilted her head, "What''s about it?"


    "I want to know why we can talk like this." I said, "It is important, not only for your future but also mine."


    Was this my secret power? Aura?


    Honestly, it was a little bit underwhelming, Aura was not that powerful, especially not in a world like this where gods roam the land and can blow off mountain tops.


    "I don''t know," Fay said, "I already told you yesterday."


    "It''s either you who does this, perhaps subconsciously or it could be me who''s doing it somehow or it could be a third party."


    "A third party?" Fay asked skeptically.


    "Story for later, but do you have any clue? Maybe I have a weird aura power?" I theorized, after all, I was the summoned hero.


    Fay raised an eyebrow. "I am pretty sure you don''t."


    "Oh, and why do you think that?"


    She scoffed, "Have you ever seen your own aura?"


    "What''s wrong with my aura?"


    No answer came, instead she avoided looking me in the eyes.


    "What''s wrong with my aura?" I asked again, this time more urging.


    "It''s broken," Fay nodded, "Your aura is the worst I''ve ever seen."


    I felt a pit in my stomach.


    "I''ve seen trees with better aura," Fay continued relentlessly, "Yours is like someone took it and tried to shred it to parts. Put it into a meat grinder or tore it into two pieces. "


    She shook her head, "Maybe the lack of a healthy aura is the reason you can communicate with me."


    I stayed silent.


    Fay slammed down the final nail in the coffin. "You, by all rights, should be dead."

 39 Crash Course

    The bullet tore through the wood and splintered it, a second loud bang came from the tree bark as it snapped from the impact.


    More bullets penetrated the tree and it was pretty damn satisfying.


    And I didn''t have to worry about running out of ammunition because the golden and silver gun had unlimited ammunition.


    Okay, not really unlimited, but as long as I charged it with electricity every so often, it shouldn''t be a problem. I was not sure how the gun converted energy into bullets since that shouldn''t be possible but impossible had become a joke in this world.


    The fact that the bullets disappear once they hit a target made it very hard to figure it out.


    Not that I really cared right now.


    Instead, I was just focusing on how good it felt to fire them into the trees.


    My aim was a bit off but shooting with two guns was way harder than portrayed in the movies, the recoil and the blinding flash were not helping either.


    Still, it was something to distract me and help me calm down my anger.


    Because finding out that the one OP power in this world was not available to me?


    That sucks. Guns don''t.


    And yeah I might not be a John Wick yet but I will be...one day.


    The main problem was that Pok¨¦mon were mostly unaffected by firearms, still, it was my way of coping with the lack of any real offensive or defensive power.


    Guess I just have to make my Pok¨¦mon more broken to fill in that spot, since whoever brought me to this world couldn''t even give me a basic superpower and instead just shredded my Aura which might as well have killed me in the process.


    I kept firing for a solid 10 minutes before deciding that I no longer felt the need to set something on fire and returned to my Pok¨¦mon.


    Luna was just placing her final piece on the construction and turned to me with a wide grin.


    The miniaturized building was now complete with every piece neatly fitting in the right place, it wasn''t really impressive until you considered that she did it without touching a single piece and within 2 hours.


    Fay had taken it upon herself to meditate and wait until I came back, she lazily opened one eye and asked, "Are you done?"


    {Concern?} The green-haired telepath asked.


    "Nah, I''m fine," I told Luna, "Don''t worry, just blowing off some steam."


    She gave me a skeptical look even though I was this time completely honest with her. Shooting a gun is fun and very therapeutic and yes, I do realize that it wasn''t a healthy way of dealing with shit.


    "You''ve been gone for an hour," Fay said, annoyed.


    I gave her an annoyed look, my best one if you ask me. "Hearing you should be dead is kind of a bummer to hear, you know?"


    She shrugged. "Had to break it to you somehow, can we now work on my training?"


    "Ralts!" Luna cried out and Fay scowled in return.


    "Just saying," Fay nonchalantly said, "he promised to help me."


    I ignored the squabble they had and took out my Pok¨¦dex, "You know what this is?"


    Fay jumped off the rock and took a step closer to study it.


    "No."


    Luna abandoned her puzzle and walked towards us, probably curious herself.


    "It''s a Pok¨¦dex,¡± I explained, ¡°it can be used to analyze a Pok¨¦mon''s move and see what they can do.¡± It could also be used for a lot of other stuff but the original intended design for a Pok¨¦dex was to simply analyze a Pok¨¦mon.


    "So this device can see what techniques I already know?" Fay wondered with curiosity.


    "Not exactly," I admitted, "Broadly, it can, but it doesn''t store individual variations on already existing techniques."


    Luna''s sand attacks were not visible in her profile which kind of makes sense but is still a big limitation, what if a Pok¨¦mon invents a new move? How will it ever be recorded into the Pok¨¦dex if it only categorizes existing moves?


    On the flip side, how would anyone ever know that a move is a new move when it could also be another technique that is applied to an already existing move?


    You get the point, there are some glaring flaws in the move system.


    "Okay, this might tickle," I announced as I pointed the Pok¨¦dex at the blue Riolu.


    Fay for her part didn''t giggle once, she just kept staring at the Pok¨¦dex with a face that was a mix of impatience and annoyance.


    "Riolu, the Emanation Pok¨¦mon. When sad or scared, Riolu''s Aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies," Pok¨¦dex Lady shared some of her infinite wisdom with us.


    I wanted to debate against that statement and point out that Pok¨¦mon are more powerful in general when they feel cornered, but meh.


    I went to the move pool page and the mechanical voice began to speak. "This Riolu, currently nicknamed Fay, has the special ability Inner Focus. Currently, the known moves are: Counter, Metal Claw and Quick Attack. This Riolu is female and is very hosti-" I tapped the button and stared at Fay who had a pondering look on her face.


    "That''s weird," She said out loud, "I only used Metal Claw and that was during the Hunter J raid," she had a dark look on her face and I suspected that she didn''t use her claws to polish her nails. "But Counter and Quick Attack? I¡¯ve never used those two."


    I shrugged, "Weird shit, something about move potential? Those two attacks should come around whenever it''s convenient."


    "No!" She said, "I don''t have time for that."


    Oh yeah, her quest for vengeance, can''t forget that my small Riolu has sworn vengeance and wants to become fucking Batman but without a no-killing rule.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Well, you could try running and see if Quick Attack comes out," I offered.


    I made myself comfortable on the boulder and Luna sat down next to me, intensely staring at Fay with a look I would almost describe as creepy.


    "You think that could work?" Fay asked excitedly.


    {Doubt} Luna conversed.


    Fay scowled, "And what do you know about it?"


    "Ralts," Ralts said with a smug smile.


    I, again, decided to end this discussion and gave Fay a studying look. "Maybe we should try a blindfold. Train your Aura sight and accuracy."


    Fay looked visibly shaken by that. "A-a blindfold?" She muttered. "Are you crazy?!"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I don''t trust either one of you." She said, narrowing her eyes. "So that''s a no go."


    "Ralt," Luna said, sounding very innocent.


    Fay glared at Luna, "What did you say?"


    It was clearly a rhetorical question but I had no idea what Luna had just said since she didn''t bother to share it telepathically.


    "Ralts," Luna repeated. She hopped down from the boulder and took a step towards Riolu.


    "Then come and GET IT!!!" Fay roared and she retracted her left arm.


    And with that, Pok¨¦-hell broke loose.


    Like she was the Wolverine, three silver claws, though not as long, appeared on the end of both her paws where normally the nails would be. They were glowing and had a color that was between silver and white.


    With a scream, she punched her arm forward as if to punch her.


    It was a sloppy move, first because Metal Claw wasn''t really a punching move in the first place but more a slash move, second because it was clear that Fay had never actually battled before.


    The white telepathic Pok¨¦mon made a short hop and screamed down to launch herself a small distance away from Fay.


    Fay was outside the range of Disarming Voice but the sound was still very loud and disorienting to someone who has never been exposed to it before.


    Fay stumbled back, and she was very vulnerable at that moment, Ralts, however, didn''t attack.


    Instead she just patiently waited for Fay to regain her senses.


    Fay shook her head a few times and focused on Luna again who smiled at her. "RaRalts."


    "You watch your mouth!" Fay yelled and she again lunged towards Luna.


    As Fay lunged towards Luna, the psychic simply twisted her body out of Fay''s path, her fist glowed white as Fay flew past.


    The way it happened was almost comical, the punch connected with Fay''s side and all her previous momentum was canceled. She was launched towards the ground and bounced 2 times before coming to a stop.


    The punch wasn''t that hard or strong since Luna didn''t even combine it with Disarming Voice but it still managed to put Fay to a stop.


    Fay got up with a backwards roll, increasing the distance between herself and Luna.


    I thought she was going to try something else but instead, she again activated Metal Claw and charged towards Luna with fury in her eyes.


    Luna grinned as Fay stormed towards her, unconcerning and even mocking.


    One second before Fay would hit Luna with her claws, Fay managed to surprise me. The Aura Pok¨¦mon turned around her axis at the last moment and swiped left of her.


    Luna, who had done the same thing at the same time, had a brief look of surprise on her face.


    The shining claws met the shining fist and for a second both attacks stopped cold.


    But Fate wasn''t with the Riolu today, Luna''s Mega Punch had priority apparently because she again managed to punch Fay away.


    And you might wonder what I was doing?


    Well, I was just watching them fight it out.


    If I were a better person or Pok¨¦mon trainer, I might have interfered but getting between these two right now was not something I wanted to deal with.


    Besides cowardice, I had several other good reasons.


    Luna wasn''t even going all out on Fay and stuck to waiting for Fay to do something. I wasn¡¯t sure what it was, but I trusted Luna to know what she was doing.


    I could also make some claims about Fay gaining battle experience this way or her learning to deal with loss.


    In the end, I just stuck to watching, though I was making mental notes.


    Metal Claw for example, could it work on Fay''s foot as well or was it limited to her hands? Did it enhance the strength in her arms as well or only reinforce her nails?


    Was it a forcefield or a super-strength power?


    It was a pretty standard Brute type move, meaning it relied on melee battle style but it seemed decent enough, especially if she could learn how to properly use two claws instead of using one at a time whenever she attacked.


    Fay got back on her feet again, and with a scream, she lunged towards Luna, this time leaping through the air with her claws retracted.


    It was a good mix up but Luna was faster yet again.


    A purple ray met Fay''s path and she lost all her momentum, she fell to the ground with a painful sounding thud.


    Fay spit out some saliva and glared at Luna. "Stop mocking me and fight!"


    Luna accepted the challenge, she screamed and launched herself up in the air.


    It confused the hell out of Fay who had never seen the Meteor Smash.


    A fist began to glow as Luna fell down and Fay''s eyes widened with shock. Luna screamed as she came down, her eyes were narrowed and for once she genuinely looked upset about something.


    It must have been terrifying for Fay, she covered herself with her arms and closed her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable attack.


    However, a moment before the attack would connect, Fay began to glow.


    A translucent layer covered her entire body, colors weaved in and out of the forcefield, not that Fay could see it.


    She had her eyes shut and awaited the shining meteor.


    Luna''s fist struck Fay from above but instead of shattering the energy that covered her and hitting Fay she was stopped by it.


    Fay''s body shone even brighter and with a flash, Luna was flung away from Fay as if hit by an invisible punch, Luna let out a cry while she was launched.


    The energy around Fay quickly faded away after that and Fay opened her eyes, confusion written all over her face.


    She glanced between her paws, probably wondering what the fuck just happened.


    And this was my cue to look like a responsible trainer.


    "Well," I said out loud. "It seems that you have learned a new move. Just as I planned."


    Luna got up to her feet and brushed off the dirt that had gotten onto her when she had been blasted away. She smiled sheepishly at me, then turned to Fay and gave her a smug smile that screamed: Told you so.


    Fay stared aghast at Luna, then at me, and then back to me and then back at Luna.


    "You two planned this?" She asked hesitantly.


    I didn''t plan shit and I wondered if Luna had planned this far ahead.


    I had told her about my theory that Pok¨¦mon performed better under stress but only once, did she remember that or was she looking for a fight anyway?


    Well, time to wing it and pretend I knew what I was doing all along.


    "Of course," I said, "It''s not my preferred method but I thought this would work."


    Fay''s eyes shot towards Luna who confirmed my lie with a cheeky nod. {Confident}


    Fay turned to face me. This time she didn''t look to be annoyed with me, instead, there was something that came dangerously close to respect.


    Luna gave me a secret wink from behind her back before walking towards me.


    "So, that was Counter I assume?" Fay asked.


    I nodded, "Not Quick Attack but still-"


    "Every technique counts." Fay finished for me, She bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."


    "No problem.¡±


    If Luna is my Pok¨¦mon and it was her plan, then we share the credit because of association right?


    I was about to say something but I was interrupted again, this time not by my Pok¨¦mon.


    "The DiScavenger program has found something that might be interesting, sir." Pok¨¦dex Lady suddenly announced.


    I raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"


    "A C level threat in Seawave City, Johto, has escalated into a B level threat."


    "Is there a Legendary involved?" I asked.


    "No," Oracle answered.


    I was about to tell her that I''m not interested but Pok¨¦dex lady wasn''t done talking yet.


    "But a giant Pok¨¦mon has been spotted."

 40 Bleed the Water Red

    DiScavenger was a program I had written on the laptop I bought in Jubilife City.


    It had taken some time to build my own web scraper but once I had figured out how this world''s internet worked, it became easy.


    The program would search for major news websites and message boards for certain keywords.


    After finding anything useful the code would cross-reference it with other sites to determine its relevance.


    It was fairly simple at first but then the entire list had to be filtered by Oracle who was advanced enough to determine what was garbage.


    The Pok¨¦dex was programmed to send trainers important information in case of an emergency, it was fairly easy to change the source Oracle pulled all the messages from into a list generated by the code I had written.


    Originally, Oracle would just notify me if something important was happening nearby, for example, a dangerous Pok¨¦mon. Now, she filtered websites from all over the world, looking for something that might be interesting for me.


    I didn''t even need to learn the entirety of Oracle''s code, instead, I changed some variables and that did the job.


    Sadly, she couldn''t access classified information from the League databases, which could''ve helped me know more than was available to the public. This meant that rumors were also taken into the equation.


    The list of keywords for searching news articles was quite long and depressing.


    It contained the names of persons, Legendary Pok¨¦mon, and places.


    Keeping track of the plotlines in this world was a nightmare, especially because there was no definite plot I could follow and keep track of.


    Nope, potential futures and past threats from the game, the anime and whatever piece of media Pok¨¦mon had produced had to be considered as something that could ruin my day.


    And those were only the things I knew about, this world also had its own problems I knew nothing about; Celebi''s Forest, Snatchers, meteors going through dimensional rifts and people stuck in the bodies of Pok¨¦mon; this world had enough bullshit of its own.


    And I''m not even getting paid for protecting the world from devastation.


    Although I was not really protecting anything, I was more keeping track so I know which places I should definitely avoid.


    For example, this morning there was a certain activist group in Unova holding a building hostage and demanding people to free their Pok¨¦mon even though Team Plasma shouldn''t be around.


    So here I was, like some kind of superhero keeping track of all the threats in this world.


    Although I had no real idea how to actually deal with them if they were to become a real problem, I would probably find a way to give someone more capable than I am the information and flee as soon as possible.


    Still, the fact that the DiScavenger program had found something Oracle deemed important enough to notify me was concerning.


    "Are you sure you want to watch?" I asked both my companions.


    {Yes} Luna said, leaning against me as if we were about to watch a movie.


    "I''m not easy to scare." Fay said like I was challenging her.


    It was getting a bit crowded inside the tent and I promised myself to buy a bigger tent once I reached Jubilife City.


    Sitting outside was out of the question because the sun would make the screen glare.


    I tapped the space bar on the keyboard and the live video began to play.


    It was from the Johto Today website and they were live at the scene in Seawave City. The sound of the helicopter blades blared through the speakers and I turned down the volume.


    The video was shot from a helicopter and a woman was trying to give commentary but she was barely audible.


    Seawave City was a big city with big skyscrapers sprouting from the street with white beaches and fancy looking palm trees.


    Or I assumed that Seawave City would like that because right now it was a battlefield.


    I don''t know what you call a group of Gyarados, a swarm? A school? Another appropriate name would be a bloodbath.


    I couldn''t see how many Gyarados there were but from the helicopter, it looked like a can of worms had been released into the city and it was unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.


    The entire shore of the city was flooded with murky, brown and slightly reddish water which allowed the Gyarados to literally swim through the streets, the water flooded at least a good mile into the city, drowning everything in its path.


    Most skyscrapers that were too close to the sea had collapsed, either by the waves that continuously slammed into them or by the Hyper Beams the Gyarados were firing.


    Entire city blocks were leveled, other parts were visibly brought to the ground by seismic attacks.


    Gyarados was a very scary Pok¨¦mon on its own but with an entire swarm of them, they were a nightmare.


    Whirlpools and tsunamis rose from the sea and crashed into the parts of the city that were not destroyed yet.


    Among the destruction, there were small islands created by toppled skyscrapers and buildings that hadn''t collapsed yet.


    The Gyarados were rampaging through the city but not without any resistance.


    People and Pok¨¦mon were fighting back, or at least they tried to.


    Pok¨¦mon trainers had gathered on the small islands and were firing ranged attacks at the hostile Gyarados with their Pok¨¦mon.


    Lances of light, lasers and psychic waves met the Gyarados and caused a lot of them to go under.


    People flying on bird Pok¨¦monm circled around them and tried to draw the Gyarados away from the vulnerable parts of the city, all the while they had to dodge the Hyper Beams that were thrown at them from all directions.


    Bigger water Pok¨¦mon moved people and other Pok¨¦mon around to safer areas, evacuating those in need of help.


    One would say it was amazing to see Pok¨¦mon and humans working together, but that would be a lie.


    Because the people and Pok¨¦mon who tried to stop the rampage were losing.


    There was no knight in shining armor who magically wished the monsters away or a protagonist who changed the tide with heroism.


    The camera angle didn''t provide me with a lot of details but the overall picture was grim.


    For every violent Gyarados the resisting forces managed to take down, two more rose from the waters to take its place like a Hydra.


    Strategy wise the Gyarados should''ve been at a disadvantage because they were attacking from the sea.


    But the people and Pok¨¦mon defending the city were clearly no match, they were scattered everywhere and the constant barrage of waves allowed the Gyarados to swim through the city and slither through the streets.


    There seemed to be no coherent plan on either side, the Gyarados were bent on causing havoc and the defenders were trying to take down as many Gyarados as they could.


    If I were in charge I would collapse a few skyscrapers to block off the streets that weren''t flooded yet and create a kill zone. But I devised this plan from the safety of my tent, down there, I don¡¯t know what I could have done.


    The situation in Seawave City was definitely no joke or a children''s show.


    The people and Pok¨¦mon who tried to fight back were actually dying, and not in a heroic way either.


    Tidal waves tore through the hasty defense lines people had managed to set up. The water was not clean seawater but instead, it was filled with glass, cars and big pieces of concrete that had been torn off the buildings and turned the seawater into a meat grinder for whoever got swallowed by it.


    Mangled bodies, both Pok¨¦mon and human, floated on the water, coloring it red.


    Some Pok¨¦mon survived the initial wave but that didn''t mean they were safe yet. There were water Pok¨¦mon like Tentacruel and Slowpoke who tried to rescue the ones that had fallen into the water.


    Being in the water was risky, even for water Pok¨¦mon, the tidal waves constantly tried to slam them into other objects and buildings, turning them into a red splash on the wall.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    People and Pok¨¦mon in the sky weren''t safe either.


    Friendly fire was off and people who tried to get close to the Gyarados in the water risked being hit by their own allies.


    Buildings and huge skyscrapers collapsed around them and buried anyone who was unfortunate to be underneath it, and whenever a Pok¨¦mon or trainer fell into the water, they were consumed by it. Rain and thunder made flying a hell and the weather could change any second.


    The helicopter allowed me to see multiple city blocks that had different weather systems, one was entirely frozen in ice with a blizzard in the sky while not even a block away there was a sandstorm razing through the streets.


    "Where is this?" Fay asked, her eyes practically glued to the screen.


    "Johto," I answered.


    Luna held my right arm tight but she too kept watching.


    This was the first B level threat since I arrived in this world, excluding the ones that already existed and hadn''t been dealt with.


    I had heard and read about them, city-level threats that were rare and only happened periodically.


    You had of course smaller B level threats like the Snatchers had been but they were barely rated a B because they tended to create bigger problems that on their own could develop into a B level threat.


    Hunter J, for example, was only an A level threat because she pisses off Legendaries on a regular basis, not because of her firepower.


    But the situation in Seawave City was the first direct B level threat I had seen, yet I kept watching. I am a human after all and I could not look away from a train wreck.


    I considered briefly if I should let my Pok¨¦mon see this.


    Luna was mostly unfazed by it, she watched the video with more morbid curiosity but she didn''t seem to be afraid. Yeah she kept hugging my arm but I suspected that the video was an excuse and not the reason.


    Fay herself was horrified by the situation in Johto, her eyes were wide and she was holding onto a pillow.


    But maybe this could be something Fay needed, she wanted to kill Hunter J, maybe seeing the chaos a B level threat caused might put some perspective into that.


    Still, there was one thing missing.


    Oracle had marked this event as important because there was a giant Pok¨¦mon.


    No matter how bad the situation in Seawave City seemed to be, situations like these were nothing out of the ordinary in the world of Pok¨¦mon.


    As if the cameraman had heard my thoughts he changed the angle of the camera and panned out.


    This time it showed the battle closer to the seashore.


    "It''s still unknown who or what caused the Gyarados to become this angry," the reporter cried out, "There has been no official response from the Johto League yet, besides raising the threat level and-"


    The helicopter swayed and the woman screamed, underneath the helicopter a huge tidal wave had formed and headed towards the city and in the process almost swept the helicopter out of the air.


    The helicopter stabilized and the woman tried to continue as if nothing had happened, "But it''s clear that the situation is grim."


    Talking about grim, the camera angle changed again and this time it focused on a much bigger Gyarados.


    It had the size of a small skyscraper and it swam through the shoreline as if it was a big earthworm, slithering around torn down buildings or at times, it even swam straight through them, seemingly unhurt by the falling debris.


    The Gyarados in question was 4 times bigger than a normal one and was glowing faintly red.


    The giant Gyarados was angry, that much was clear. It lashed out with its entire body, sending tidal waves everywhere and tearing through everything on its path.


    The Gyarados itself also had a weird weather effect surrounding him, a red sky was visible above him and made it look like the creature came from the depths of Tartarus.


    "Impossible," I muttered, "What a joke."


    The Gyarados opened its mouth and a huge laser tore through the skyline and it would have blown apart a pocket of survivors, if it hadn¡¯t been blocked by a light barrier that appeared in its path and shot the laser back.


    This angered Gyarados even more.


    A constant barrage of attacks surrounded the giant creature and it was clear that the most firepower available to the defenders had been put into stopping the big Gyarados.


    People sitting on the backs of flying Pok¨¦mon swarmed around the creature, dragons and birds alike. Even a few Ghost Pok¨¦mon floated in the air and tried to attack the Gyarados.


    The fact that it was huge made it easier to hit but on the flip side, it was surrounded by water which the giant used to block attacks and move around quickly.


    Gyarados was hit by the reflected Hyper Beam and went under and for a brief moment, it looked like it was down for good.


    Then it flew straight up, like a Venus flytrap it snapped close upon an unfortunate Pok¨¦mon trainer on a Skarmory. The giant swallowed both of them.


    The people flying around it began attacking again.


    The camera swayed and panned in on a certain individual. It was a blue-haired woman riding on top of a Dragonite, her hair bound in a ponytail and swaying in the wind.


    She and the Dragonite flew around the Gyarados and targeted the eyes with long-ranged attacks.


    The Gyarados seemed to hate her more than the others because it lunged for the pair, its entire body flying out of the water as if it was made of paper instead of flesh and bones.


    She didn''t hesitate and dropped straight down with her Dragonite, narrowly avoiding the huge jaw, before pulling up and continuing their attack.


    "News update," the female reporter shrieked from behind the camera.


    She was cut off by a loud bang.


    And when I say loud I mean ear-shattering.


    The camera panned out and again focused on the city as a whole.


    All the previous weather effects had disappeared and now all the clouds above the city were turning black. Suddenly the city was covered in a thick, black blanket that blocked most of the sunlight.


    Lightning arced through the sky everywhere and the black clouds in the city began to swirl around each other in a tornado-like fashion. All the clouds and lightning seem to connect above the giant serpent.


    Lightning coiled around it in the air and over the water, skipping over the surface but strangely not getting absorbed by it.


    I thought that it was Gyarados'' doing but the giant itself was also surprised by this new development.


    The swirling tornado in the sky began to form into a wind funnel and all the water in the city began to swirl too, as if the entire city had become the center of a huge tornado.


    The clouds in the middle of the vortex parted and the light shone through, forming an almost angelic beam from the sky.


    In the middle of the beam, a large creature was revealed, it descended down from above the clouds and slowly hovered down to fly above the giant Pok¨¦mon.


    It was white and big, definitely big. The creature didn''t look like anything I''ve ever seen on my earth, the closest thing would be a dinosaur.


    It folded its two big white wings outward, like an angel displaying her wings and managed to keep hovering in the air.


    Lightning kept flashing through the air and rain disturbed the sight yet it was pretty clear who had arrived.


    I couldn''t make out the expression but the body language revealed one thing; it was pissed.


    The electricity that had gathered from all over the city started to make its way towards the flying dragon and gathered around the white wings.


    "What is that?" Fay asked.


    "Lugia," I answered, my own eyes practically glued to the screen.


    Gyarados didn''t like the newcomer and opened its mouth, a multicolored beam the size of a skyscraper shot out of its mouth towards the flying Legendary.


    Lugia slammed its wings forward and all the electricity around it shot towards Gyarados.


    The electricity transformed into something comparable to a spear as it left Lugia''s wings and headed towards the giant serpent.


    The Hyper Beam didn''t even delay the attack, the spear ripped through it like it was made of paper, Gyarados didn''t even have the chance to look surprised.


    The spear hit it in the head and flew straight through it with a loud crackling sound.


    It exploded into a red mist that could''ve been blood but I suspected it was something entirely different.


    The giant stopped moving and dropped dead in the water.


    A silence followed like the figurative calm before the storm. The hostile, smaller Gyarados had stopped their rampage and stared at the sky. People and Pok¨¦mon alike were captivated by the looming Legendary that hovered above the city.


    Lugia surveyed the flooded city underneath it without moving from the spot.


    Now that the fighting had stopped, the damage was visible. The skin of the city was ripped open and the wounds were finally able to be seen. Parts of the city had frozen and were covered while other parts were on fire. The roads that weren''t flooded had cracks in them, visibly displaying parts of the city that had sunken into the ground due to seismic attacks. The areas that had been flooded looked like they were part of the sea with islands sticking out made of buildings and piled up rubbish.


    Lugia raised its head upwards towards the sky and let out a howl that roared over the city like a tidal wave of sound.


    The water in the city began to stir, though it wasn''t the Gyarados'' doing this time. Everywhere water began to retreat to the original shoreline, taking cars, street lamps and mangled bodies with it.


    The Gyarados who had been fighting were dragged into the water with whirlpools that began to form around them. They tried to flee the retreating tidal wave but failed.


    The tidal wave reached the height of Lugia and swept over the city and took everything with it, revealing the dry ruins of the city underneath it.


    Some buildings had come out unscratched, a gas station seemed to be totally intact. Other buildings, like a city mall, were completely torn apart.


    The tidal waves were harmful to the Gyarados but left the humans and Pok¨¦mon unharmed, creating gaps wherever needed to keep them out of harm''s way.


    The sea finally returned to the original shoreline and Lugia let out a second cry.


    The water in the sea began to twist and formed a whirlpool the size of a football field. Lugia dove forward and flew towards the whirlpool; ignoring the city underneath it. And then it was gone.


    The woman behind the camera managed to find her voice after a full 10 seconds of silence.


    "A-and it seems that Lugia has left the scene," She finally spoke.


    I stopped the video and closed the laptop, deciding that I had seen everything I needed.


    A more detailed report would be released later probably with more information, though I was already glad I had seen Lugia in action.


    "What is Lugia?" Fay asked incredulously when she realized the video ended.


    {Who?} Luna asked.


    "A Legendary Pok¨¦mon," I answered with awe, "Guardian of the seas, if I''m correct."


    Lugia was the first Legendary I had seen in action and my mind was still processing what I had just witnessed.


    I began to understand why some people in this world thought of them as gods.


    They weren''t like the lvl 50 ones in the game that a 10 year old could catch.


    True, my sample size was small but from what I''ve gathered Legendary Pok¨¦mon were truly godlike power-wise.


    It shouldn''t have amazed me like that but it did and Lugia was only the tip of the Legendary iceberg. Lugia hadn''t even battled, only swatted aside the annoying fly that was Gyarados.


    And that was only Lugia, what about the other Legendaries?


    I read that Victini had destroyed an entire country long ago, I had disregarded it as a myth; I had seen the anime after all.


    But it might have been true.


    Legendaries in this world were nothing like the ones in the games or anime.


    And one of them had brought me here in this world.


    It was concerning if Legendary Pok¨¦mon were this strong then what could be the reason they needed me? An unpowered human from earth?


    What was Fate''s gameplan?

 41 Ninja

    "So try from the feet," I urged.


    Fay rolled her eyes but she complied nonetheless. She closed her eyes to focus and steadied her breathing.


    She had her two paws crossed in front of her chest like a pharaoh lying in a tomb.


    Shining white claws manifested from thin air. They were short but looked really sharp, I hadn''t dared to touch them because I saw her leaving deep scratches with her claws in solid stone.


    The metal claws weren''t real metal which was a small relief, it would be hella creepy to find out that the small Riolu had Adamantium blades in her arms.


    What her metal claws were made of still remained a mystery, could it be solidified energy or a hard light construct?


    Whatever it was, activating them and keeping them up wasn''t really energy expensive and could be used without worrying about draining Fay.


    Metal Claw was relatively simple which meant I had to find ways to break it. Sadly, after a lot of trial and error, we concluded that Fay could not adjust the size of her claws.


    "Ugh, it''s not working.'' Fay muttered tiredly.


    "Keep trying please," I insisted.


    {Yes} Luna sent through telepathically, trying to help.


    She was drinking apple juice through a straw while sitting on a big boulder. Red eyes were focused on Riolu.


    Around us a strong wind swept through the grass and the howling created a mysterious song.


    A stone structure that looked like a pillar with holes in it stood on the top of the hill. The wind flowed through the holes creating a hollow-sounding song.


    It stood defiantly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grass plains with no one except us to listen to its song.


    I had decided to take a different route to Jubilife City, mostly because I don''t want to see the same trees again on my way back, as a result I came across this weird-music making rock.


    I thought the strange pillar already looked neat but the song also had a function, supposedly.


    According to the text scratched into the pillar, it was put there by an Aura Guardian long ago. The song would keep out a ghost Pok¨¦mon who, ''Swallowed the land.'' whatever that''s supposed to mean.


    We settled down here for multiple reasons.


    Fay felt this place was infused with positive Aura and I theorized it might improve my own broken Aura.


    I don''t know how Aura works and it was only a faint hope. Perhaps it was like a phone in need of charging or maybe my Aura''s condition was set in stone. This world''s findings on Aura were again classified by the League which was starting to form an annoying pattern.


    The second reason for coming here was the ghost Pok¨¦mon.


    I would love to see it, assuming, of course, it actually exists.


    And no, I''m not crazy. Ghost Pok¨¦mon are actually smart and could be argued with and I was like 99% sure that whatever Pok¨¦mon supposedly haunted these lands was to some extent passive, of course, that was assuming it was even real.


    There had been no-kill orders in this area so meeting it would be safe to some degree and perhaps I could convince it to join me, after all, Ghost Pok¨¦mon were pretty lonely.


    So far though, no Pok¨¦mon had made themselves known. Perhaps said Pok¨¦mon was long gone or maybe it only appeared after sunset. We still had a few hours of sunlight to burn so that might have been the case.


    Fay gasped and I brought my attention to the small Riolu again.


    She was covered in sweat. Training today had been exhausting but she insisted on keeping going, even after I said she had done enough for today.


    Luna had also trained a lot, although not physically but mentally and eventually she passed out from the mental drain.


    Because, as it turns out, trying to teleport a boulder from Oreburgh City to this place could make a psychic pass out.


    She didn''t have enough energy to teleport it back but personally, I wasn''t too worried about that. Roark could probably do with one boulder less.


    Fay opened her eyes and witnessed three glowing claws sticking out of her feet. She hesitantly moved around, testing her balance with visible awe on her face.


    Honestly, it had been a wild guess if she could do it from her feet and not only from her hands but my curiosity bore fruit.


    She experimentally kicked the air in front of her, it was definitely cute, but I resisted the urge to hug the small Pok¨¦mon, she wouldn''t appreciate it anyway.


    "So it does work," I mused.


    Luna and I watched how Fay managed to walk with 2 extra sets of claws.


    The ones at her feet dug into the earth and I theorized that if she ran fast enough she could probably cut the grass.


    Now I finally knew what Metal Claw could and couldn''t do I began to think up potential strategies and attack patterns.


    Most people saw Metal Claw as just another attack in the move pool but I wanted it to become something more.


    Yeah, of course I was waiting for the Aura Pok¨¦mon to actually manipulate Aura but that doesn''t mean other attacks should be abandoned in pursuit of stronger attacks.


    For example, Metal Claw was a quick move that had a weird property which I discovered only after a few spars between Luna and Fay.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Metal Claw could stunlock an opponent for a brief moment which allowed Fay to do a second follow up attack, but if she put more force into the Metal Claw the properties changed and it could be used as a ''get out of my face'' attack which knocked her opponent away from her instead of keeping them in place.


    It was a subtle detail that even Fay didn''t notice until I pointed it out.


    Having gathered all the data I began to think about how Fay should fight.


    All her spars with Luna the psychic had to be held back and refrained from using more power full combos.


    Though that was not to say Fay was weak, her Metal Claw did leave an impact on Luna.


    "Fay," I said, "I think I figured it out."


    "You did?" Fay asked hopefully with a slight hint of desperation in her voice.


    After she had seen the power Lugia displayed she had become more determined to get stronger.


    But seeing Lugia''s power also made Fay realize that she had a long way to go and she became disappointed with herself, believing she was weak and she would never complete her life goal of killing Hunter J.


    This put me in this awkward position of either supporting Fay and telling her that with enough training and friendship magic she could murder Hunter J, if only she believes in herself.


    Or I could tell her that it was unlikely that she could ever kill Hunter J and that she should stop obsessing over it and face reality.


    I considered myself a rationalist but telling Fay the odds might put her into a depression and maybe she''ll project the anger aimed at Hunter J towards me, the messenger.


    There was no obvious ''right'' answer, or atleast one I could see. I was not at all qualified for raising a child, let alone a Pok¨¦mon with the mindset of a traumatized child with an obsessive coping mechanism.


    In the end I decided to be a supportive person and told her shiz like: we figure it out together. It made me feel like I was a liar so that was at least familiar territory.


    Although I really do want to help Fay, just not with a suicide quest.


    Fay took a step towards me as I leaped from the big boulder. I opened my backpack and took out my laptop.


    The grass was really comfy so I sat down and took the laptop in my lap.


    Luna snuggled beside me, eating away at a bag of chips, she offered me the bag and I took out a handful, making sure I didn''t spill on the keyboard.


    Fay sat down on my right, Luna offered her the bag as well but Fay politely refused.


    {Tasty} The white psychic shrugged.


    "Okay," I began, "So first remember that this is our current strategy and that along with your development your fighting style will change."


    Fay nodded, "Yes, the measure of intelligence is the ability to change, you said."


    I blinked, I didn''t remember saying that specific quote, I said a lot of bullshit but Fay apparently remembered it.


    "Fay, I personally think that a rush down- close combat fighting style would fit you."


    "A what?" Fay asked, perplexed.


    {Brute, Mover} Luna supplied.


    "Like a ninja," I tried to explain.


    "What is a ninja?" Fay asked.


    Ralts dropped her bag of chips and stood straight, she kicked the air in front of her and did a pretty ninja-like kick.


    She sat down and gave us a smug smile and took a chip out of the pouch.


    Seeing Fay''s incredulous stare, Luna obviously failed to convey the definition of a ninja.


    I sighed, "You should focus on being a quick hitter, getting close to an opponent. Be right in their face and weave through their defenses. Play aggressive and keep up the pace, force them into making stupid decisions."


    I pointed at Luna, "She plays very defensive, baits out an attack and punishes it accordingly with an entire combo once she finds an opening."


    Luna grinned evilly.


    "You should be the opposite of that, play aggressive but don''t commit to any risky moves, instead try to stack up damage and dodge incoming attacks."


    Multiple examples came up in my mind, X-23 from the X-Men, Ty Lee from Avatar or Sheik from Smash.


    Going up close would force a lot of opponent''s to rely on physical combat and Fay''s Counter was a perfect...well counter for physical attacks.


    "That actually does sound really good." Fay nodded reluctantly.


    I smiled, "So I think we should look into martial arts, or to be precise ninjutsu."


    "What?" Fay asked again.


    "It''s a martial art based on dancing around your opponent and wearing them down with quick jabs and attacks."


    I opened a tab on my laptop and a website popped up. "I found an online course for learning ninjutsu, it''s designed for humans but I think you could use it to form a basis."


    It was made by a Gym leader in Galar, dunno the name but apparently she was quite famous for mastering multiple martial arts. The course had cost me quite a penny but it would definitely be worth it.


    Finding this course had taken me quite some time and I was definitely proud of myself.


    Fay turned her head to me and gave me a slight bow, "Thank you for doing this."


    Progress!


    "No problem," I smiled, "Just remember that you''re not alone in this world."


    "I will."


    <hr>


    The stars in the sky were shining brighter than ever, there was basically zero light pollution around here and I made an attempt to count the stars.


    I had discovered a while ago that this world and my own did not share the same constellations which made me wonder, why was it that way?


    Was it Pok¨¦mon influence or was, unknowingly, a million of years into the future or past which caused this place to have different constellations?


    The chilly wind played a howling song that made me feel like I was in Hyrule and not in Sinnoh. The sound was quiet and sorrowful. The stars blinked happily in the sky, no land swallowing Pok¨¦mon had made itself known yet.


    Honestly I wasn''t expecting too much anyway.


    It was a pretty good spot to chill anyway, as magical as this world could get. The boulder wasn''t too bad to sit on either.


    Luna sat besides me, leaning against me and yawning though she tried to fight it.


    I took another sip from my drink.


    Still no magical monsters.


    Fay was quietly sleeping in the tent. She had gotten too tired from the training all day and fell asleep directly after dinner.


    "You want to know something fun?" I asked.


    {What?} Luna yawned while sending the message.


    "Today I''m officially a month in this world." I announced loudly..


    "Ralts?" She asked, she closed her eyes and I presumed she began trying to count the days.


    I patiently waited for her to finish but to my surprise she began snoring after 10 seconds. She fell over and I caught her with my hand before she could fall to the ground.


    I put her on my lap and she curled up to a ball, she tugged a thumb in her mouth and a sheepish smile formed on her face.


    Patting her on the head I took another sip from the bottle.


    It tasted absolutely disgusting, too bitter and not enough substance but for some reason people still drink it.


    I had never done alcohol in my old world despite being legally allowed to. I was just not that interested and considered it a waste of money.


    But right now I could use some distractions.


    I felt fuzzy inside but I was not sure if it was due to alcohol going through my system, the hypnotizing song that was being spread by the wind or just plain old tiredness.


    I figured that I deserved to be drunk tonight, after all I had survived an entire month in this world, starting from zero with only a Ralts.


    Staying alive was definitely not as easy as it had seemed to be, for some reason I got into a lot of trouble without even trying.


    Knowing Fate I would keep getting into trouble so I should at least try everything before my luck runs out.


    I spit out the drink, it still tasted like garbage.


    Then I took another sip.


    No Pok¨¦mon made themselves known that night. Only a horrible headache in the morning.

 42 Losing Game

    The girl stared at me and I was unsure if she was angry. If she was, then I wanted to file a complaint and tell her to suck it up.


    The Metapod who stood behind her trainer was looking afraid, like it didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near us.


    Fay narrowed her eyes, probably to study the weird pod-like creature, but despite her small size, Fay could look pretty scary.


    From the top of my head, Luna grinned down at the Metapod, smiling the same way a shark would smile upon smelling his prey.


    Luna made a subtle choking gesture and Metapod''s eyes widened. "Pod!" it muttered as it cowered behind the black-haired girl.


    "No!." she said resolutely.


    Flo shut the door with a slam.


    I thought it was rather dramatic, the ''no'' she had given me was enough of an answer.


    Luna giggled while Fay stared at the closed door, her eyes wide with surprise.


    "What was that?" She asked not 10 seconds later.


    {Sore loser!} Luna answered.


    "I battled her once and won, I thought her Metapod would be a nice training for you but apparently they don''t feel like battling."


    "Do you know that Metapod are very weak?" Fay pointed out.


    "I know but her Metapod has a crazy strong skin, like surviving a nuke level of strong skin."


    "What is a nuke?" Fay wondered, "Also, how''d you win?"


    I could slap myself, obviously Fay wouldn''t know what a nuclear bomb was. Not only had she lived near a mountain but this world also had never gotten into developing nuclear weapons. It was one of those subtle weird differences between my old universe and this one. They did discover nuclear energy but never bothered to weaponize it. Probably because the people in this world had Legendaries who would kill you if you upset the balance in life too much.


    "Metapod required a special strategy."


    Luna wrapped her own hands around her neck and made a choking expression, she smiled at Fay. "Ralts."


    "You two drowned her?" She asked incredulously.


    {Yes}


    "Yup, and apparently Flo still holds a grudge which means I have to look for someone else to battle."


    There was no use in training endlessly without gaining battle experience and unfortunately, my Ralts was a hard counter for the Riolu which meant that Fay hardly ever learned from the sparring matches except how to take hits.


    The newly acquired Quick Attack was a small boost but Luna''s teleportation and other attacks with more range made it really hard for Fay to find an opening. It was a real Achilles'' heel for Fay, any opponent that was smart enough to camp her out before she could find an opening would have a massive advantage.


    Fay really needs a Blaster type of attack, sadly there were no new moves popping up.


    I scanned the plaza to see if I saw someone who might be a traveling Pok¨¦mon trainer as well. Riley Town was a really small place but it was close to Jubilife City so there might be some traveling trainers here.


    Where the hell were my rivals when I needed them?


    I saw someone sitting at a table, drinking from a water bottle. He was wearing a belt with multiple Pok¨¦balls so I assumed he was a trainer as well.


    He looked to be around 40 years old, had a wild beard and groovy short hair.


    He wore a casual black shirt with a big v-neck and he had a big tattoo on his left arm of a Pok¨¦mon I didn''t recognize. I don''t claim to be good at reading people but with one glance I could see he was an experienced Pok¨¦mon trainer.


    I approached him with confidence, "Sup, my name''s Dust. Wanna battle?"


    Without even batting me an eye he said. "No point in beating a rookie."


    "2 vs 2, 100 Pok¨¦dollars for the winner." I replied.


    The guy stereotypically raised his sunglasses, a smug grin crept up his face. "You''re sure you can beat me?"


    "Why? Too scared?" I egged him on.


    He sighed out loud and lowered his water bottle. "Fine, let''s battle."


    I was not the only one who could read humans, Fay too expressed her concerns.


    "Are you stupid? You do see how strong he is?"


    "I do," I answered, "That''s why I want to battle him, see how well my tactics fare against more experienced trainers. Sadly, most people don''t want to fight a rookie like me, but if you put money on the line..." I shrugged, "100 Pok¨¦dollars is an expense I can afford and I think you two will benefit more from this guy than from beating wild Starly in the forest."


    "So you expect me to lose?" Fay asked, sounding quite annoyed.


    "I expect you to learn from this match," I countered, effectively derailing her doubts. "I think you can learn a whole lot more from this match than from someone on your level."


    "Besides," I lowered Luna from my head, "I want to see how power interaction works against high-level Pok¨¦mon."


    Luna gave me a menacing smile.


    "Just so you know," The guy said when we came closer to the spot he chose to battle, "I placed in the top 32 in the Hoenn League two years ago."


    Honestly, that meant nothing to me.


    For all I know, the Hoenn League¡¯s competition was a big joke two years ago. It wasn''t uncommon for big major events to be canceled because of nearby B level threats that required strong trainers to help out.


    The stare I gave him must have indicated that his achievements were worthless to me because he gave me an annoyed look.


    He introduced himself as Nathen and had a last name I couldn''t pronounce.


    We exchanged data between our Pok¨¦dexes to make sure the bet was legal. All the while Nathen grinned, muttering to himself about foolish young trainers.


    We decided to hold our battle on a concrete battlefield, reserved for battling. White lines were drawn on the ground to divide it into two segments.


    Nathen took one of the six Pok¨¦balls attached to his belt and threw it up in the air.


    With a flash a big Pok¨¦mon appeared, it was vaguely humanoid but calling it human was a stretch. It had two big hands and wore something that looked like a skirt or something.


    It definitely looked terrifying in my opinion.


    I decided it was a ''he''.


    The creature in question slammed his two hands together, the strike of palm against palm caused a small shockwave.


    "A Hariyama," I thought out loud. Perfect.


    Fay gave an unimpressed look, though there was a slight hint of fear.


    Luna was mostly stoic, almost as if she had no interest in him.


    "Definitely a Brute," I told my Pok¨¦mon, "Perhaps a Shaker too, he might be strong enough to wreck the ground."


    The Hariyama looked strong but appearances can be deceiving.


    "Are you backing down kid?" Nathen asked with mock concern.


    "Fay, want to give it a try?" I asked.


    The blue Riolu swallowed.


    It was a small test on my part, to see if she was willing to fight a hopeless battle. I knew that Luna would do it in a heartbeat but Fay? She was still an unknown quantity.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    If she couldn''t muster up to fight a battle like this then the chances were high she might give up on her goal to kill Hunter J, if not; well at least she would get some battle experience.


    "I can take him," Fay muttered softly, almost inaudible.


    She stepped onto the battlefield and closed her eyes for a second, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.


    "You can go first." Nathen offered smugly.


    "Fay, see if you can hurt him."


    Without any warning Fay shot forward, her body glowed white for a second and she was gone. Only to appear in front of Hariyama.


    Fay swiped with her left claw which was followed by a quick jab with her right claw, and then she used Quick Attack again but this time to get away from Hariyama.


    The bulky Pok¨¦mon didn''t even flinch, not that I expected it to. The first strike wasn''t meant to harm anyway, only to gauge the effectiveness of Metal Claw. If it did make Hariyama flinch or knock it back then we would know which combos and strategies worked.


    And apparently, this Hariyama has a high resistance.


    "Such a weak attack?" Nathen said, "Hariyama, show them real power with Thunder Punch!"


    Hariyama raised his left arm up in the air, electricity began to crackle around its length, gathered around his arm, and concentrated into a small orb. After that, he slammed it into the ground and he shattered the concrete.


    It should have grounded the electricity but instead, the punch rocked up the ground, stirring it loose.


    Pieces of the ground broke loose and flew up in the air with electricity arcing between the bigger pieces.


    In my mind I identified it as a Shaker attack with electric properties.


    The ground ripped open and the path of destruction sped towards Fay.


    She narrowed her eyes and lowered herself, just as the ground underneath her stirred loose she jumped up. She dodged the debris but not the electric aftershock.


    She let out a small whimper.


    "Kick it back!" I yelled.


    Fay recovered from the literal shock and spun around in the air. A set of silver claws appeared around her left feet and she kicked a piece of concrete out of the air.


    It was launched towards Hariyama and caught him by surprise. He was hit square in the face and he stumbled backward.


    Upon contact the stone splintered but the damage had been done.


    Fay followed the high-velocity concrete in its wake and again used Quick Attack to gain more speed.


    The Quick Attack was canceled once she was close enough and instead she used the momentum to launch herself towards Hariyama''s face.


    It was a nasty move.


    Shining claws tore through the eyes and although it wouldn''t do any lasting damage it still must have hurt like a bitch.


    Not only did it hurt like hell, but the shining attack also blinded the large Pok¨¦mon for a second.


    Nasty and definitely exploitable.


    Fay unleashed a short flurry of swipes and kicks, every single one of them placed so it could lead into a follow-up attack, there was no hesitation on Fay''s face, only cold calculation.


    "Use Wake-Up Slap!" Nathen yelled after managing to get a grip on the situation.


    Hariyama obeyed immediately, despite still being unable to see.


    He raised his two arms.


    "Behind him." I countered.


    Fay dropped and used Quick Attack to run between his two legs.


    Just in time, the two hands clapped together and a dry bang followed.


    Again Hariyama had used a multiple hit move. A sound wave followed the initial strike and I could feel the air violently being moved by the hit.


    The sheer power in his arms was monstrous, something Fay should definitely avoid getting hit by.


    "Behind you," Nathen shouted.


    It was good to see that Hariyama followed the habit most Pok¨¦mon attacks seemed to have, which is that they only hit in front of them. Even Shaker moves that terraformed the battlefield seemed to depend on line of sight.


    A weird habit that was definitely a big weak spot.


    Fay had already continued her attacks without a pause.


    Hariyama turned around and swung his arm.


    "Counter."


    Fay braced herself and an energy field flashed to life and covered the blue Pok¨¦mon.


    Hariyama''s arm met the forcefield and Fay let out an angry cry.


    It must have helped because Hariyama was knocked backward by an invisible force.


    He managed to land on his two feet, a small distance away.


    Hariyama glared at Fay and he was breathing heavily, though he didn''t seem to be seriously hurt.


    Fay must have smelled victory because she charged at Hariyama, her fist raised.


    {Mind clouded.} Luna said and I was briefly shaken by her presence which I had completely forgotten.


    She was right though, one look at Fay, and I saw that her expression had changed from calculated grim into a furious snarl.


    One look at Nathen''s face and I knew it was a mistake.


    "Stay back..." I tried to warn her but Fay ignored me, either too caught up in the battle or simply not caring enough.


    "Finish her," Nathen said with a smug smile. "Do Wake-Up Slap."


    Fay had enough presence of mind to use Quick Attack. She slid between his two legs and a Metal Claw scraped against his left leg.


    Claws dug into the concrete and Fay skidded to a stop behind Hariyama.


    But Hariyama wasn''t stupid, he had seen the trick before after all.


    He spun around on one foot and clapped his hands together.


    Fay''s expression changed to shock as the mistake became clear and the impending doom loomed over her.


    "Counter!" I yelled and this time Fay did listen.


    A rainbow-colored shield covered her body and just in time.


    Except, it didn''t help her.


    The two big hands slammed together with Fay caught between. The Counter made the Hariyama¡¯s hand slow for a second. Then it passed straight through the aura. It shattered like it was made of glass.


    Fay let out a cry.


    And then it was over.


    I recalled Fay with the Pok¨¦ball, "You did well, now Luna''s going to finish it."


    She did hold out against Hariyama and this battle already did teach me a lot.


    For example, Counter can be broken, despite it always working in the games. Wake-Up Slap was a physical move so it should''ve been blocked but real world logic decided it shouldn''t.


    Another discovery was that Fay wasn''t as reliable as I thought, or hoped.


    I didn''t mind the loss but figuring out Fay''s emotions might get the better of her during a fight, that was definitely a loss.


    Welp, problem for later. More data had to be gathered.


    Without needing to tell Luna she stepped onto the battlefield. She lazily kicked away a small pebble and shot me a confident smile.


    "Seriously?" Nathen asked, "A Ralts?"


    Hariyama changed his pose and challenged the small psychic. Both trainer and Pok¨¦mon were not convinced by Luna''s looks.


    A mistake on their part, Luna was nothing like Fay.


    Not only had she a type advantage, but she was also more powerful both in raw power and in versatility.


    "Okay Luna, teleport Hariyama!"


    Nothing happened, Luna narrowed her eyes and stared intensely at Hariyama. He growled but was not teleported.


    "Was something supposed to happen?" Nathen wondered.


    Luna turned to me and shook her head.


    Despite what Nathen thought, Luna was actually trying to teleport Hariyama but there seemed to be a kink in the teleport cable.


    And like that we just learned that ,indeed, high-level Pok¨¦mon can''t be teleported, or at least not without consent.


    Luna could teleport Fay without effort but apparently, something prevented Hariyama from getting teleported.


    Luna shrugged and a laser shot towards Hariyama. It hit him in the face and a purple Confusion ray followed the Psybeam.


    Hariyama tanked the first hit but dodged the second wave with a short hop to the left.


    "Use Force Palm," Nathen called out.


    To my surprise, Hariyama began to run towards Luna, every step made the ground shake. His hands glowed white and eagerly reached out for Luna.


    "Behind him," I said and Luna disappeared just as Hariyama reached her.


    She appeared behind Hariyama with a smug smile.


    Hariyama stopped his charge and turned around, clearly annoyed by the teleport that had saved Luna from his attack.


    "Now, Heaven''s Gate!" I commanded.


    Luna grinned maliciously and her eyes flared red.


    Underneath Hariyama, a pattern began to glow. A white circle flashed to life, completely surrounding him. Weird symbols surrounded the inner circle and a bigger symbol that looked very similar to a Triforce appeared in the middle of the circle.


    "Ha?" The big Pok¨¦mon muttered surprised.


    Luna raised her hands as if casting a spell.


    Hariyama disappeared.


    Nathen blinked.


    Hariyama reappeared high up in the sky.


    If he had any moves to break his fall he must have been too confused to use any of them because he dropped from the sky and I thought I heard him screaming.


    He crashed into the ground and the pavement that hadn''t been shattered yet did now underneath his weight.


    Dust stirred up and shot in all directions.


    When it all died down, the tiny Ralts walked towards his head and tapped it.


    He didn''t wake up.


    "What the fuck?" The older guy stared at the floored Pok¨¦mon.


    Yeah, what the fuck?


    I knew what had just happened but that it actually worked?


    In reality, Luna just teleported Hariyama up in the air. This time however she made it less obvious, using the shining emblem that had appeared as a distraction.


    The theory was simple; If Luna can''t teleport Pok¨¦mon because they''re too strong, then make a distraction so said Pok¨¦mon doesn''t realize Luna is basically teleporting them.


    The engraved emblem in the ground was fairly easy for Luna to create, just teleporting a certain amount of the ground away in the shape she wanted.


    Then teleport another small layer away; the teleport''s glowing effect makes it look like a magic circle has appeared. A simple magic trick.


    The stupid thing was that it worked.


    The conclusion of this test: Teleport is affected by the willpower and a simple diversion could bypass it.


    My current hypothesis was that Teleport¡¯s usage depended on multiple factors; size, distance, mass, and if it was organic or not. But now a new factor was added to the equation. Fucking willpower because that''s something that is a known force in the models we have of our reality .


    The only explanation that made some sense was Aura interference. Living things were harder to teleport so maybe the hormones affect the state of one''s Aura. Stronger Pok¨¦mon have stronger Aura and thus they are resistant by default unless they can''t track the source of the teleport.


    Whatever it was, this match had already taught me a whole lot.


    The following battle, one more thing was discovered.


    The trick to Teleport a stronger opponent took a lot out of Luna.


    Luna lost the second match almost immediately..


    Not that I cared, the science was done.

 43 Arrival

    ¡°So many humans,¡± Fay muttered with awe.


    People in Jubilife City were considerate enough to walk around the gazing Pok¨¦mon, otherwise, she would have bumped into a lot of people staring up at the sky like that.


    However, the people of this city were very kind.


    The fact that my Pok¨¦mon looked cute also did a lot to help that.


    Jubilife had not changed a lot, not that I expected it to.


    Okay, I kind of did expect this place to get wrecked because of a bullshit reason that was somehow my fault. But no, it still stood.


    There was one sign warning people not to look into a mirror too long in a certain street, no idea what that was about, something about a ghost maybe? But that was the only thing in this city that had really changed.


    Luna managed to be surprised by the city a second time, despite having seen it not that long ago.


    Big billboards were still advertising for the upcoming battle between Cynthia and some rando I¡¯ve never heard about.


    I still had the tickets but honestly, I couldn¡¯t care less about that.


    Dark clouds hung over the city as if a storm was coming, but strangely it wasn¡¯t raining yet so I figured we had some time to discover the city before we went to a Pok¨¦mon Center.


    At least it would give Fay a chance to see a real city for the first time in her life.


    Big buildings loomed over us like giants reaching for the sky while cars and people moved around them like small ants in a colony, every single one of them heading towards their own destination.


    It was quite entertaining to see her be that amazed, not that the city wasn¡¯t a sight to behold but after a few days of scouting the entire city, looking for a teleporting criminal, the landscape had begun to blend together.


    ¡°How many humans live in this city?¡± Fay asked without looking at me, instead, her gaze was locked on to a big statue.


    The statue itself was grand and beautiful. It depicted two Pok¨¦mon frozen in a battle. They seemed to be intertwined in their duel, neither of them having an advantage on the other.


    Underneath the bronze statue was written:


    Space and Time met once,


    Through them, we¡¯re all immortalized


    In smaller letters, it was written that the statue was gifted to the city by Clifford Industries.


    Ominous connections aside, Sinnoh really loves their Legendaries, despite the lack of evidence that they actually exist.


    Of course, I know they do and I planned on meeting them.


    The town the movie takes place in, Alamos Town, does exist. If my predictions were correct then shit would go down there after Ash gets his second Gym badge.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know,¡± I answered Fay¡¯s question, ¡°My guess would be around 400,000 but that¡¯s a wild guess.¡±


    Fay stared at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big city.¡± I shrugged.


    {Smelly} Luna muttered and saliva dripped down my face.


    I quickly placed Luna down and she stretched out.


    An invisible radar had suddenly activated and Luna pointed me into a random direction.


    Luna led the way and quickly we found a food stall that sold warm waffles.


    Big red eyes stared at me, Luna innocently pointed at the guy baking waffles.


    I could argue that we had dinner only an hour ago, but my stomach got the better of me. I bought three of them and went back to the statue.


    A nice green park surrounded it with a lot of places for people to relax, benches and picnic tables were placed all over the place.


    Most people had decided to stay inside, either because of the weather forecast or because of the time which led to this place looking a bit creepy.


    Only a handful of people had come outside, most of them seemed to be minding their own business anyway.


    We sat down at a wooden picnic table and I handed Luna her waffle.


    She attacked it immediately, devouring it like she had been starving for days.


    ¡°Here¡¯s yours.¡± I offered Fay one but she shook her head.


    ¡°Thank you, but I don''t need it,¡± She politely denied.


    She always refused extras and only accepted the bare minimum. It was saddening to see her refuse it but there was not a lot I could do about it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it you could give it to me.¡± A girl¡¯s voice suddenly whispered into my ear.


    I jumped from my seat and turned around, my eyes wide, and my heart racing.


    Fay skidded away from me like a cat, claws out and all.


    Luna just straight up disappeared.


    Behind us stood a purple-haired girl.


    ¡°Oh hi Chelsea,¡± I spat out.


    Chelsea was laughing out loud, a few people gave us curious glances which made it even worse.


    She wore a black shirt and a black skirt, underneath it she wore a pair of heavy boots.


    ¡°Yo- Your FACE!¡± She managed to say between her laughing streaks, ¡°That was amazing.¡±


    My glare only seemed to amuse her even more so I gave up on that and directed it at Luna.


    She had teleported back to her previous and resumed nabbing the waffle as if Chelsea hadn¡¯t scared the shit out of her.


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re the one with an emotion radar?¡± I deadpanned.


    Luna pointed towards her half-eaten waffle and gave me the big eyes again, {So tasty.}


    Fay¡¯s claws disappeared and she relaxed.


    ¡°Who is this individual? You seem to know her?¡±


    Chelsea stopped laughing and jumped over the backrest and sat down next to me, still grinning ear to ear.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Sup Chelsea, this is Fay,¡± I managed to say, trying to make it seem like I hadn¡¯t been that scared.


    I pointed at the blue Riolu, Fay still looked at Chelsea like she could explode any minute. I empathize with her, Chelsea was kinda intense.


    ¡°Fay, this is Chelsea, I stayed at her hospital and she is a fucking ninja.¡±


    Chelsea gave me a smug smile. ¡°Funny seeing you here. Honestly, I didn''t expect to see you in this city.¡±


    Luna gave Chelsea a wave and teleported the waffle Fay had refused into Chelsea¡¯s hand. The purple-haired girl grinned at Luna, ¡°Aaaww, thanks!¡±


    ¡°A ninja?¡± Fay perked up, ¡°Really?¡±


    I meant it as a joke but Fay was looking at Chelsea with renewed interest.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a ninja.¡± I sighed. ¡°She just loves sneaking and creeping around.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sneak around¡­¡± Chelsea mumbled, still chewing, ¡°You were simply not expecting me.¡±


    ¡°I want to learn it anyway,¡± Fay insisted, sitting on the table again.


    ¡°No seriously,¡± I glared at Chelsea, ¡°Where did you learn to sneak like that?¡±


    ¡°Simple,¡± Chelsea swallowed, ¡°Avoid making a sound and stay out of sight, really hard to do.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    I felt rather skeptical about it, Chelsea was simply way too good at it. Perhaps she could teach it to me, it would have been very useful when I went up against Crimson. Just have to make sure Fay doesn¡¯t catch wind of it otherwise she might get ideas about becoming a ninja assassin.


    ¡°Talking about sneaking,¡± Chelsea paused to take a bite, ¡°You shouldn''t be the one to speak, Mister ¡®I sneak around and shoot criminals¡¯, seems like you still haven¡¯t lost your violent tendencies since your stay.¡±


    I rolled my eyes.


    Chelsea grinned, ¡°Seriously, Crimson¡¯s entire Fibula got splintered, they had to cut him open twice to remove all the individual pieces of bone.¡±


    {Good for him} Luna said.


    She was beaming and the smile would have been creepy if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that syrup was all over her face.


    ¡°You did what?¡± Fay questioned.


    ¡°Crimson, a criminal who stole my shiz, I took it back and had to shoot him in the leg,¡± I quickly explained.


    ¡°So, do you actually understand Riolu or are you making educated guesses?¡± Chelsea glanced suspiciously at Fay. ¡°There had been no reports of a declining mental state, I might need to change that.¡±


    Deciding that the cat was out of the bag, I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can understand Fay, no idea why. Weird as hell.¡±


    And hey, I wasn¡¯t even lying.


    Chelsea tapped her chin thoughtfully, ¡°Mmm, shouldn¡¯t be out of the ordinary for you.¡± She accepted that rather quickly.


    ¡°Why do I only hear about it now?¡± Fay asked, annoyed, still taking a keen interest in my encounter with Crimson.


    ¡°First off, Crimson deserved that shot, he tried to shoot me first. Second,¡± I turned to Chelsea. ¡°How the fuck do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Hylla told me,¡± Chelsea waved it away, ¡°She allowed me to see the medical reports.¡±


    ¡°Huh, talking about information leaks.¡±


    Chelsea ignored my statement and went on. ¡°Hylla told me what you did, it caught us both by surprise. I mean who goes around to chase a teleporting criminal?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Crimson was a one-trick pony, besides, her Charizard and my Ralts helped as well.¡±


    Luna nodded. {Easy.}


    ¡°So. Hylla¡¯s still working on the Snatchers thingy?¡± I asked, trying to derail the conversation from the Crimson subject. Fay seemed to be interested and I definitely don¡¯t want to give her ideas.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Chelsea said, ¡°She has been put onto a different operation. Doesn¡¯t stop her from complaining about it.¡±


    Hylla hadn¡¯t called me which meant it had at least nothing to do with me for once.


    ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± I asked.


    Chelsea let out an annoyed sigh, ¡°A pack of canines moved in from Kanto, the special thing about them is that they have a taste for human flesh, really nasty, so Sinnoh wants them gone. Problem is, according to Hylla, Kanto is less than helpful regarding information.¡±


    I blinked, ¡°Seriously? Why have I never heard about that?¡±


    ¡°Duh,¡± Chelsea said, ¡°To prevent panic they try to keep it hush-hush, once people find out the Fangs are in town they freak out. So yeah, a nightmare case.¡± She said it like she was enjoying a true crime drama.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I said, again reevaluating my place in this universe. ¡°That sucks.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Chelsea took a final bite from her waffle. ¡°So besides Crimson, how¡¯s your journey going?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡± I admitted, ¡°I have two Pok¨¦mon and one Gym badge.¡±


    ¡°You beat Roark right?¡± Chelsea frowned, ¡°That means you¡¯re going to Gardenia next, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a challenge. After all, I managed to beat Roark with only Luna.¡±


    Luna nodded eagerly and slammed her two fists together. {Victory!}


    ¡°Well, it makes sense for you I guess.¡± Chelsea said, sounding a bit surprised but she was still trying to mask it.


    ¡°Yup,¡± I answered, ¡°Anyway, wanna battle?¡±


    Chelsea gave me a grin, ¡°impatient, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    I was. I wanted to test Fay¡¯s strength against someone around her level. Fay had taken her loss in the last battle badly, despite the obvious difference in experience.


    Also, I had a faint hope that Fay might befriend Chelsea¡¯s Pok¨¦mon and give her some sort of emotional anchor.


    Luna wasn¡¯t really friend material and Fay still treated me like an acquaintance at best.


    ¡°You still have Chimchar right?¡±


    Chelsea nodded, ¡°Yup, got three more new Pok¨¦mon who joined my team,¡±


    She eyed Luna, ¡°Your Ralts is still doing crazy stuff?¡±


    Luna gave Chelsea two thumbs up.


    I looked up, determining whether it was going to rain or not. The wind had picked up and the sun would set soon.


    ¡°We can have our battle right now?¡± I suggested.


    The park was pretty empty so we wouldn¡¯t be bothering any people.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    Chelsea threw up two Pok¨¦balls, they opened midair and two white streaks shot out of them.


    A small monkey landed on the table and did a flip, its tail was on fire and I was concerned that the wooden picnic table would catch fire but luckily it did not. Again, weird forces made sure that the laws of physics were conveniently ignored.


    A second creature appeared next to him, this one wasn¡¯t standing on the table but rather floating above it.


    The air grew colder.


    The creature in question was weird in all the wrong ways. It had a weirdly shaped purple body which had a thin layer of transparent purple smoke constantly covering it.


    ¡°You already know Chimchar,¡± Chelsea said with pride, ¡°but I present to you, Haunter, my newest addition. My other two Pok¨¦mon are still recovering from a fight so they¡¯ll have to do it for now.¡±


    Chimchar gave Chelsea a confident salute and smiled.


    The Haunter fixed its gaze on me. The ghost slowly floated towards me and saying I felt a bit freaked out by it was an understatement.


    Cold air surrounded it, or was it just my imagination?


    As I was staring into its eyes, images began to flash through my head, shapes and colors I had never seen.


    I saw a city, broken into pieces. I saw a light in the sky and I heard a voice talking to me.


    Then it was gone.


    A beam brushed past Haunter and it retreated. Like I was watching TV the visions stopped and I was left feeling slightly dazed.


    ¡°RaRalts!¡± Luna warned the Haunter, her eyes glowing red with anger.


    Haunter retreated and shot me a weird look, after that it grinned at me which looked pretty freaky.


    ¡°So you got a Haunter?¡± I deadpanned, still feeling a bit freaked out.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Chelsea muttered, ¡°He loves messing with strangers, he didn¡¯t shock you that much.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind it,¡± I said, quickly, ¡°I have never seen a Haunter before.¡±


    Chelsea nodded, ¡°I caught this one late at night, he spooked me really bad.¡±


    I gave the Haunter a good look.


    A fucking Ghost Pok¨¦mon, yeah this definitely doesn¡¯t fit a single physics model in my old universe.


    Considering I don¡¯t even have a Ghost Pok¨¦mon to experiment with I can only make educated guesses.


    My current theory was that Aura is basically the soul of a living being, through said soul Pok¨¦mon and some humans can do shiz like breaking the laws of physics.


    Pok¨¦mon obviously have stronger Aura than humans, or at least I think, perhaps it''s like in Undertale where a powerful soul can do bullshit things. Like persisting after death, maybe Ghost Pok¨¦mon are just lingering remains of one¡¯s Aura that was really determined to come back and reshape itself into a new body. After all, willpower was a real factor regarding Pok¨¦mon strength.


    Of course this was all a theory on my part, a ghost theory!


    ¡°You think you two can do one last battle for today?¡± I asked Luna and Fay.


    Luna gave me a smug smile, {Always.}


    Fay only gave me a silent nod.


    I was about to suggest moving when my eyes picked on something.


    ¡°Say Chelsea,¡± I asked, ¡°Do I have a tracker?¡±


    ¡°No¡­?¡± Chelsea said, she followed my line of sight.


    Not far away from us was a blond boy jogging on the path, he was wearing a blue tracksuit and counting out loud, ¡°1 and 2 and 3 and 1¡­¡±


    He was followed by a Piplup that ran after him.


    The fact that he was jogging outside, despite the dark clouds above us, was a sign of his determination, or madness.


    I immediately recognized him. His yellow hair really made him stand out.


    ¡°Perhaps we can do a three way battle?¡± I thought out loud, ¡°That should be interesting.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Chelsea asked, ¡°You know him.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s Barry, he also claimed the title of ¡®being my rival¡¯.¡±

 44. Free for All

    "Hey Barry!" I shouted.


    The boy with yellow hair stopped dead in his tracks and looked around to locate the sound. His eyes met mine and surprise passed his face before he raised his hand and waved at me, "Hey Dust!"


    He turned around to say something to his Piplup and then the pair jogged towards us.


    The way he jogged was almost mechanical, like he tried his best to copy a professional but had only seen one video.


    "It''s you!" He slowed his pace and stopped in front of the table, slightly winded.


    "Sup Barry," I greeted him.


    "Ralts," Luna greeted the pair.


    Haunter floated off the table and made a spin around the blue penguin that stood next to its trainer.


    Piplup gave the Haunter a suspicious glance. Haunter opened his mouth and a big tongue uncurled and licked him.


    "Piplup!" The Penguin screeched embarrassed, he didn''t seem to be actually hurt. I think that Haunter was just messing with him. Made me wonder why a ghost had a tongue in the first place?


    "Hello, great to see you two again," Barry said.


    Piplup''s cries gained his attention, he turned to look and saw the Haunter laughing at the pair.


    Barry''s eyes drew towards Chelsea who sat besides me, trying to look innocent.


    "You!" He pointed at her, "I could fine you for that."


    It was interesting to see how Barry immediately made the correlation between the creepy girl and the creepy ghost.


    Chelsea gave him a shit eating grin that was quickly copied by Haunter.


    I sighed, "Barry, meet Chelsea, Chelsea mee-"


    "Barry," Barry cut me off, "And I''m going to become the best trainer in the world."


    "Piplup." Piplup nodded.


    Luna giggled while Fay gave Barry a skeptical look.


    "Hello," Chelsea said, "And I really doubt you''re going to become the best trainer in the world."


    "Pffffttt," Barry scoffed, "Who''s gonna stand in my way?"


    "Me," I suggested and Luna nodded.


    "The world." Chelsea offered.


    Barry gave me a horrified look, "Aren''t you supposed to root for me?"


    I rolled my eyes, "Saying I hope you become the best is not compatible with my own dream of becoming the best."


    "What does being the best even mean?" Chelsea wondered, "I mean you can become the champion of Sinnoh but how''d you know if you''re the best in the world? Let alone ever?"


    "Either be the only human alive or capture every Pok¨¦mon in existence," I mused. "Gotta catch ''em all."


    "You two are weird," Barry judged. "What are you doing here anyway?"


    "I''m heading towards Floaroma Town."


    "And I," Chelsea smiled, "Am visiting a Pok¨¦mon anatomy exposition."


    Barry and I stared at Chelsea.


    "What?" She raised an eyebrow, "I''m not dreaming to be the best, I just want to see the world."


    "Well, I am here to train with Piplup, lots of strong trainers gather in Jubilife City."


    He quickly glanced around. "Though it''s kind of empty today."


    I pointed up at the dark clouds above us. "That''s the reason."


    Barry gazed up as if he hadn''t noticed it yet. "Well, that''s no reason to stop training."


    "I agree," I smiled, "So how about we do a battle, the three of us? You two just met, both of you want to be my rivals. Let¡¯s hit two Pidgeots with one bomb."


    "Uh," Chelsea tapped my shoulder, "You do realize tha-"


    "Is a great idea." Barry cut her off, "The pressure of a three way battle can be a valuable learning experience."


    "Great minds think alike," I agreed, "So you are up for it?"


    "Definitely!" Barry raised his fist and smiled.


    "We could have our battle over there," I pointed at the pond at the center of the park.


    The pond was deep and surrounded by grass. There were some trees and boulders that could provide cover. Whoever designed this park must have tried to imitate wild nature, seeing how that section was less organized.


    "Mmm, yes, I think that will be interesting."


    As we made our way towards the battlefield, I laid out the rules, "So, 1v1v1, last man standing, two rounds? That should give all our Pok¨¦mon the chance to play."


    "That''s a great idea." Barry said, sounding really excited.


    Chelsea quietly nodded.


    Because there were three of us we positioned ourselves into a rough triangle shape.


    Barry obviously took place next to the pond which would give Piplup more resources to work with.


    Chelsea stood between the path of oak trees, Chimchar who was in front of her looked nervous.


    I decided to take the big rock as my side. It had the size of a small car and if you narrowed your eyes a bit you could see a heart shape in it. Smaller boulders and rubble surrounded it which could be turned into projectiles if we were to claim this spot as ours.


    The wind had picked up and swept over the grass, it made ripples on the water''s surface. Dark clouds loomed over us and the temperature had dropped but adrenaline would keep us warm.


    I turned to my Pok¨¦mon who stood behind me, patiently awaiting orders.


    Kneeling down to meet my Pok¨¦mon eye-to-eye I spoke. "Okay, this battle will be a free for all, meaning the pace will be higher and it will be much harder than a standard 1v1.


    {Camp?} Luna suggested.


    I shook my head, "I suggest not camping, there''s a certain risk that Chelsea and Barry decide to work together and take us out first."


    "So we should play more aggressively?" Fay suggested.


    "Yes, but don''t commit to slow attacks, remember there''s two of them but that they are not on the same side. Try to keep two of them in line of sight at all times and use them as shield if possible."


    The wind was blowing harder. I swiped a hair lock out of my face.


    "Chimchar is weak to Piplup so expect some shenanigans there. Expect Piplup to use Shaker and Blaster moves, seeing how he can use the pond as a source."


    I glanced at Chimchar. "The monkey will most likely resort to using Blaster moves, mostly fire."


    "That''s all?" Fay asked.


    "Nope," I smiled and booped Luna on the nose. "Remember to have fun."


    She giggled.


    Fay gave me a weird look I couldn''t really place.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Anyway, Fay you''re going first, alright with that?" I asked her.


    She gave me a nod.


    Barry and Chelsea were done with their little team talk as well and Barry threw up a rock.


    As we had agreed, the moment the rock hit the ground 2 commands were shouted.


    "Piplup, retreat into the water!"


    "Chimchar, charge at Riolu with Flamethrower!"


    Like Piplup didn''t even care about the battle he retreated into the pond with a big splash.


    Chimchar gave Fay a nervous look, Fay returned it with a cold glare.


    Yeah, I doubt they''ll become good friends.


    Chimchar swallowed and opened his mouth, a small flame appeared; ready to grow at a moment''s notice. He ran towards Fay on all fours, and turned out to be surprisingly fast.


    "Chase after Piplup," I ordered.


    She paid the incoming threat no attention and turned left towards the pond, using a Quick Attack to move faster.


    Chimchar didn''t let Fay be, he chased after Fay without too much trouble.


    Fay patiently waited for Chimchar to catch up and once it was close enough claws appeared on her feet.


    The claws dug into the grass and she kicked it up. A lump of dirt shot up and she spun around. Like it was a football she kicked it towards Chimchar''s face.


    "Flame Charge!" Chelsea countered.


    Chimchar slammed his arms together in an X in front of his chest, flames erupted around his body. Red and yellow flames licked the monkey''s fur and lashed out violently.


    I raised an eyebrow, that was definitely something new.


    Chimchar met the newly created projectile head on and ran forwards, this time even faster.


    It successfully managed to prevent the earth from hitting him but it merely served as a distraction.


    Fay had followed up her initial attack with a big leap and landed behind her opponent. A claw was raised to strike him from behind when Barry messed up the plan.


    "Water Gun!" Barry cried out.


    Piplup shot out of the water and landed on the shore, still dripping wet. His beak opened.


    A torrent of water shot out his beak like a fire hydrant and sprayed towards Chimchar and Fay.


    "Dodge!" Chelsea yelled.


    "Fay, strike Chimchar once!" I said.


    Fay struck Chimchar and immediately jumped out of the water beam''s way and narrowly dodged the torrent. Metal Claw''s hit-stun prevented Chimchar from fleeing and it was caught in the beam and thrown across the field.


    "Now go for Piplup!" I said.


    "Shoot the ground in front of you!" Barry said.


    Piplup redirected his water beam to the ground in front of him. The water increased in force, instead of being absorbed by the soil it blended together and mud splashed towards Fay.


    It caught both of us by surprise.


    Mud got into her eyes and she was suddenly blinded.


    "Peck!" Barry followed up.


    The mud wave dispersed and Piplup shot out of it, his beak glowing.


    "Counter!" I said, trying to reverse the situation and get Fay into a better position.


    To my surprise Fay didn''t listen, she tried to jump to the left but the ground was too slippery and the mud still covered her eyes.


    She fell just as Piplup slammed into her with Peck.


    Fay was launched backwards, miraculously she managed to break her fall and landed on all fours.


    She swiped the mud out of her face and glared at Piplup.


    "Seriously?" I questioned Barry.


    He shot me a grin, "I hope you don''t mind me borrowing your strategy."


    I glared at him, "Oh, now it''s -"


    Without a warning a fireball was flung towards Piplup. The penguin managed to dodge it but by a hair only.


    Chimchar followed after the fireball and unleashed a fury of swipes.


    "Yeah, keep going!" Chelsea cheered.


    "Join the fight, " I urged Fay, "Use Blaster Protocol 1."


    For some reason both Chelsea and Barry thought I was the bigger threat because they called off their attacks at the same time and ordered both Pok¨¦mon to fire at Fay.


    Piplup switched to Bubble Beam and Chimchar switched to a continuous beam of fire, though it was narrow and the reach was small.


    Fay used a Quick Attack and dashed to the left of the pair, disappearing and reappearing with a flash.


    A reason people in this world weren''t using Quick Attack to move faster was the momentum it had, once the attack part was canceled the momentum would keep the user going, which would turn the user into a loose cannon ball that couldn''t change its trajectory.; leaving you very vulnerable.


    Or at least that what I figured out, another possible reason was that the people in this world were stupid and lazy.


    Fay''s claws dug into the dirt as her Quick Attack was halted, with only one claw in the ground she readjusted her angle without being stopped by her own speed. Instead it helped her set up a second Quick Attack.


    Just as Piplup and Chimchar pinpointed Fay''s new location she disappeared.


    She shot left and right, dodging the long ranged Blaster attacks while steadily getting closer.


    "Throw Chimchar into the water!" I cried out.


    Barry caught wind of Fay''s zigzagging pattern and he ordered Piplup to do a preemptive strike.


    However Fay did not appear after her last Quick Attack.


    A shadow caught the two combatants and they looked up.


    In slow motion an ¡®oh shit¡¯ expression formed on their faces.


    Fay twisted her body midair and she landed between the pair.Immediately she lashed out, multiple quick swipes and slashes were made before Chimchar exploded into flames.


    Fay leaped away and got out of reach.


    Chelsea ordered Chimchar to take out Piplup and one quick Flame Charge put an end to the battle between the pair.


    "Piplup!" Barry cried out as the penguin was thrown back. He crashed against the boulder and one look told all of us that Piplup was out.


    Barry recalled Piplup and groaned something, though he was clearly not as angry as he made it look like he was.


    The fight between Fay and Chimchar exploded again.


    This time Fay was at a disadvantage, she couldn''t get to Chimchar without burning herself in the flames. It was the reason why I had told her to knock out Chimchar first. Steel had a disadvantage against Fire after all.


    The Metal Claw attacks weren''t doing as much damage as I had hoped, Chimchar was high on adrenaline and ready to fight Fay.


    He should be standing on his last legs though the expression on his face told us he was ready to go down with a fight.


    Fay too, was running low on power, her attacks became sloppy and she had trouble dodging the Flame Charge.


    "Retreat to the big boulder." I told Fay.


    She complied and with a few leaps she stood atop of the rock.


    Her fur was dirty and the spikes on her palm had slight scorch marks.


    The rock would at least prevent Chimchar from spamming Flame Charge, seeing how it could only move in linear lines across the ground.


    "Ember!" Chelsea cried out, "Give everything you got!"


    Chelsea was literally bumping on her heels, she wasn''t the only one.


    Barry''s eyes were glued to the scene too, despite having lost already.


    "Let''s end it, Meteor Claw!" I told Fay.


    Fay leaped up in a diagonal arc, she reached a greater height with the use of a quick speed burst. When she had reached the climax of her climb and fell down. Her eyes went wide and the claws appeared on her hands, shining fiercely in the dark.


    "Diiieeee!" Fay yelled as she crashed down.


    The technique she was using was a direct copy from Luna''s Meteor Smash, although it was a bit more diagonal since Fay had to use Quick Attack to launch herself up instead of Disarming Voice.


    Just like Mega Punch, Metal Claw got stronger as it gained momentum.


    As Fay yelled, Chimchar opened his mouth and a beam of orange and yellow flames shot towards Fay.


    Fay clawed through the flames and with a scream she crashed down on Chimchar.


    Silver met orange and Fay landed behind Chimchar, the claws on her hands had faded away.


    Miraculously Chimchar still stood straight.


    I was about to ask if Fay could still fight when both Pok¨¦mon dropped to the ground at the same time.


    "Double knockout," I muttered.


    I looked at Chelsea who was also looking to be quite surprised with the outcome.


    "So it seems." Chelsea muttered.


    She pulled out a Pok¨¦ball and aimed it at Chimchar.


    The red beam pulled the monkey in and she glanced at her Pok¨¦ball with renewed wonder. She thanked him and put the Pok¨¦ball away.


    I doubted if an unconscious Pok¨¦mon could hear it from inside the Pok¨¦ball.


    I held Fay''s Pok¨¦ball and pressed the middle button. A flash later Fay disappeared.


    "You were awesome," I said, looking at the Pok¨¦ball, hoping it had some kind of voicemail function. "Right Luna?"


    "Raaalts." she said and I assumed it to be something encouraging.


    "Well, that was so awesome." Chelsea grinned as she approached us.


    "I don''t know," Barry scratched the back of his head, "I think this three way battle does not properly represent our skills."


    Chelsea raised an eyebrow at him.


    "Fine," he waved her off. "It was kind of fun."


    "By the way Barry." I looked at him, "Copying my strategy?"


    He turned slightly red. "Well, it seems like a good idea...you know¡­.I just thought the way you battled was pretty cool and smart."


    I sighed, "Well, guess I have to step up my game."


    Luna gave Barry a smug grin.


    "Don''t think you can hold up against Luna though."


    Haunter suddenly jumped out of Chelsea''s shadow and said its own name because why not.


    "Ready for round two?" Chelsea asked.


    "We are," Barry said and he threw down a Pok¨¦ball, having timed it perfectly for maximum effect.


    A bird appeared with a flash, colored in black and white.


    "Staravia!" It cried out triumphantly.


    "Round two sounds like a deal," I agreed.


    {Victory!}


    "Actually," A voice behind us spoke. "I was hoping I could speak to you, Dust Wildfire."


    I recognized the voice immediately, without turning around I asked Chelsea. "You are certain I don''t have a tracker?"


    She shot me a pained look, "Sucks to be you."


    "Good to see you too Chelsea," he said, sounding quite displeased. I turned around and met Looker''s tired face.


    "I''m kind of having a battle now," I protested.


    Looker sighed. "If I could I wouldn''t bother you but time is of the essence."


    "Yeah, it really sucks to be you," Chelsea repeated her previous observation.


    Looker gazed directly into my eyes.


    "I need your assistance Dust."

 45. Evil has Changed

    Saying Looker seemed tired was an understatement.


    Again, the investigator had red shot eyes and a beard was beginning to grow.


    His clothes were wrinkled but he still chose to wear his brown long coat. Within his left hand he held a closed black umbrella and in his other hand he held a steel briefcase.


    Overall he gave me the ''Sherlock gone rogue'' feeling.


    "You need my help?" I raised an eyebrow.


    Looker nodded, "I wish I could ask someone else but¡­"


    A painful silence followed. His eyes darted between Barry and Chelsea who remained silent, not to be respectful but to eavesdrop.


    "Could we have this conversation somewhere else?" Looker asked me.


    "Oh, don''t be bothered by me." Chelsea said, "Just pretend I''m not there."


    "Indeed mister," Barry added, "We are wasting time here we could have spent battling. So I am curious to see what this is about."


    Their presence didn''t really bother me, they gave me some sense of protection. It is not that I don''t trust Looker, I just don''t trust authorities.


    I was pretty sure that neither Barry nor Chelsea had any friends; whatever Looker had to say, they wouldn''t tell anyone.


    I had a gut feeling Looker was about to say something that would eventually fuck up my evening, he had to. Fate hadn''t pulled my leg for quite some time.


    "So¡­," I asked Looker, "What is it about?"


    The wind was getting colder and the sun had probably set behind the dark clouds.


    Looker gave the three of us an annoyed look. He muttered something to himself and finally heaved a deep sigh as if finally accepting the situation.


    "Are these your friends?" He asked me.


    "Yeah, sure," I said, they were fun to be around so I guess they qualify as friends.


    Again Looker gave the three of us a long stare.


    "Okay," he closed his eyes in resignation, "What I am about to tell you remains unspoken."


    "Wait, who are you anyway?" Barry cut him off.


    "My name is Looker, I''m from the International Police. I am already familiar with Dust and Chelsea but I haven''t met you before."


    "My name is Barry Shifter, I''m from Twinleaf town," He proudly said, then he gave me a glance and mouthed:  You know the police?


    "Yeah," I shrugged, "Crazy shit isn''t it?"


    "Back to topic," Looker coughed, "Can I trust you three to stay silent?"


    He must have been really desperate because he shot Chelsea a pleading look.


    "Fine." Chelsea groaned.


    "I won''t tell either." Barry nodded.


    "Sure," not like I had anyone to tell it anyway.


    Looker couldn''t detect any lies apparently because he started explaining. "There''s a laboratory at the Devon Corporation building in this city that is held hostage by an unknown group. The entire floor is unreachable, the elevators have been disabled and all the stairways are barricaded, this entire fiasco has been going on for 2 days."


    I blinked, "Call the police."


    "They surrounded the building and are already negotiating but they are keeping it silent to prevent panic," Looker said matter of factly.


    "You''re serious?" Barry asked, "Are you sure?"


    Looker nodded, "A few days ago they entered the building disguised as ordinary tourists and without a warning they took hold of the 23rd floor and barricaded it off."


    "Cool," I said, not particularly interested. "What does it have to do with me?"


    Looker grimaced, "I want your help with infiltrating the building before the police can manage that."


    "Why?"


    Looker gave us a sigh, "I have strong suspicions that the Sinnoh League has a mole that is potentially leaking information to an unknown benefactor."


    I raised an eyebrow, "Say what?"


    "Leaks, people and cases that are abandoned without a clear reason, files that go missing and orders that sometimes seem to disappear," Looker rattled on, "Something is being hidden by a few key components of the League and I am here to find out what it is."


    "Team Galactic," I said out loud.


    "You figured it out too?"


    "The first sign something was wrong was during the Team Rocket interrogation," I remarked. "One guy wanted to talk but got killed before he could, really mysterious and all, information got leaked and somehow someone knew who they needed to kill, blah blah blah, Team Galactic is the shared factor."


    Again, it was frightening to see how Team Galactic was worse than in the canon plot, they had an actual plan and were competent; a dreadful combination.


    I could see how they might actually succeed in reshaping the world, all the puzzle pieces were already in the world, someone just had to place them in the right shape.


    Not only was their plan to create a new world extremely short-sighted, but it was also dangerous. Meddling with Legendaries tends to get a lot of people killed, there''s no lack of examples in this world''s rich history.


    Involving the potentially most powerful Pok¨¦mon in existence, only to create an Infinity Gauntlet, now that''s a recipe for disaster.


    Evil has changed and not for the better it seems.


    "Yeah, I don''t follow you," Barry said.


    "Doesn''t matter, that''s not your case anyway," Looker told him. He turned to me "I only need your assistance."


    "And you want us to infiltrate the building?" Chelsea asked, sounding quite excited.


    "That''s only part of it," Looker answered, "And I might have mentioned this multiple times, but I only need Dust for this."


    Yay for being special.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Two reasons, one," he pointed at Luna, "Your Ralts knows Teleport which would allow you to get past the police and straight into the building."


    I couldn''t recall ever telling Looker Luna can Teleport, I had lied to the police when they asked how I took down Crimson, maybe he had read one of those reports full of lies.


    He was right though, Luna does know Teleport and if she could see her destination she could teleport to it.


    "Second, and this is the main reason I need ''your'' help and not someone else''s; you have a reputation."


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "You do?" Barry asked, sounding surprised.


    "He likes to break bones." Chelsea quipped. "His and others."


    Looker ignored the others and stared at me, "You stood up against criminals multiple times and somehow not only survived each encounter but also won every time."


    I did the mental math, multiple Team Rocket guys, and Crimson; guess I am doing great seeing how I am still standing and they''re not.


    Looker continued. "It wouldn''t be a stretch if you once again play justice and decide to help the hostages. Officially I''m only in Jubilife City to investigate a missing person so I can''t openly start something without warning the mole, but you¡­"


    "You want me to act as a decoy," I deadpanned.


    "Yes."


    Well, at least he was honest about it.


    "Meanwhile I can get in and find out what''s going on and foil our invisible enemy''s plan before they can do any real damage and before any evidence gets lost. How does that sound, Dust?"


    This should have been an easy question,


    I should''ve said no. That would be the wise thing to say.


    It''s not that I don''t care about the people, but if it''s not directly related or near to me, I¡¯m pretty good at creating some mental distance.


    No point in crying over the fact someone in the world dies because of an awful reason. Especially in this world.


    However, there was another side to this.


    In the Platinum games, there was a scripted event in which Professor Rowan gets assaulted by Team Galactic who want information.


    That scripted event happens in Jubilife City after the player beats Roark.


    There were dreadful similarities going on.


    Another question was whether I had an actual choice in the matter.


    This entire thing smells like Fate playing her games; there''s a reasonable chance shit will hit the fan if I say no. End of the world levels of shit.


    Doing this would give me access to more information about Team Galactic''s whereabouts, or so I told myself.


    I knelt down to face my little Ralts.


    She seemed to be a bit nervous as well, probably because of me.


    "What do you think about this?"


    {Yes} Luna gave me an intense gaze that could be called...determined? Ready for battle?


    There was one final equation of the dilemma that bothered me.


    I felt strangely excited beyond what I should¡¯ve felt, I knew it was just adrenaline but my heart was unaware of it.


    The thought of doing something dangerous was somehow really alluring to me.


    "One thing," I said as I got up, "I want something in return."


    "You''re not going to say yes because it''s ''right''?" Looker gave me a disappointed look.


    "You''re the one who is about to send an inexperienced Pok¨¦mon trainer into a hostage situation." I countered.


    "A Pok¨¦mon trainer who hospitalized several individuals and has shown to work well under stress." he corrected me, "But I do agree that a compromise is the least I can do. What do you want, money?"


    "No, I have enough of that," I padded the Pok¨¦ball in my pocket, "I want to have the six Pok¨¦balls limit removed from my account."


    I thought it was a good request to make but everyone gave me a confused look.


    "You do know you only have two Pok¨¦mon right?" Chelsea pointed out.


    "They can do that?!" Barry almost shouted it.


    "Yes, during a B level threat or above the Pok¨¦ball limit is temporarily suspended. Same for the League special forces and Pok¨¦mon Rangers, though they rarely use it."


    I turned to Chelsea. "And yes, I only have two Pok¨¦mon right now but in the future that will most likely change and I personally prefer to keep all my Pok¨¦mon close if possible."


    I meant it metaphorically but Luna gave my leg a big, warm, hug and smiled up at me.


    "An unusual request," Looker said, "But I guess it can not really hurt, considering I can personally vouch for you. That means you''re willing to help?"


    "Yup."


    "Wait, what about me?" Chelsea intervened, "Am I not invited?"


    I blinked. "You are 12."


    "13."


    "Congratulations, you''re 13, still a bad idea."


    "I need Dust because of his skill set." Looker told the purple-haired girl, "It''s not my habit to involve citizens."


    "I am a Pok¨¦mon trainer," Chelsea pointed out. "I can help."


    Haunter faded into existence in front of the stoic Looker.


    "Me too." Bary stepped forward, "I can help."


    Personally, I didn''t really mind if they would help.


    There''s strength in numbers and as long as they played ball and side kicked me. Though I was slightly worried about Chelsea, that was only because she was kinda young.


    But age doesn''t really matter once you have a Pok¨¦mon to your disposal.


    Looker probably came to the same conclusion because he gave in. "Fine, you two can tag along but keep in mind this is not a theme park ride."


    With those cheerful words, he turned around and beckoned us to follow him to the Devon Corp headquarters.


    Barry and Chelsea returned their Pok¨¦mon back into their Pok¨¦balls and I offered Luna to hop onto my back and she graciously took up that offer.


    As Looker led us through the city rain started to fall, a soft almost mist-like rain sprayed down the sky. It was swept around by the wind that had continued to grow fiercer.


    We walked in contemplating silence.


    It was very quiet in the city.


    The black clouds that loomed over the city created an eerie atmosphere which made people focus on getting to their destination and only that. No one was enjoying anything outside.


    Looker began explaining about the Devon Corp'' building.


    Apparently it was their headquarters for Sinnoh. It had multiple floors dedicated to every branch the Devon Corporation was involved with.


    Barry offhandedly mentioned that their main building in Hoenn was even bigger, he knew that because he had gotten a tour once.


    The official reason for the building being in lockdown was ''a containment breach causing a lethal agent to run wild in the building.''


    Why that is supposed to keep people from panicking was beyond me.


    After a short walk, we finally managed to reach the building.


    It was a big building obviously meant to impress people. It had big lights aimed at the front where the logo was proudly displayed.


    The building was sealed off with yellow tape, policemen had surrounded the building with cars and in the air one helicopter circled around the building.


    Instead of entering the Devon Corp'' building, he led us to the building next to it.


    It was less impressive and overall quite boring, being just one block of concrete with glass. The name written on the building implied it was some lawyers firm.


    Looker entered the building and we followed him. "I already prepared a perfect position."


    He walked past everyone inside as if he was already familiar with the layout. He led us into an elevator and selected the 30th floor.


    We exited the elevators and were met with an empty hallway.


    Looker guided us through it and opened a door that led to an empty office.


    Nothing fancy was going on, just a white desk with a chair and all the office supplies one would expect. But what the room lacked in style it made up for it with a great view of the landscape.


    You could see the streets deep below us and in front of the window was the city skyline with the Devon Corporation building right in the middle.


    "The 24th floor is right there," Looker pointed out of the window. I followed his line of sight. "You think she can teleport that?"


    {Yes.} Luna narrowed her eyes as she took in the distance.


    "She can," I told Looker.


    "Good this should be a breeze for you three." Looker opened his suitcase and took out 4 weird looking spheres and put them on the desk.


    They were the size of a hand grenade and had a redline on the metal surface that ran across it. A big metal button was in the middle of it.


    It vaguely resembled a Pok¨¦ball.


    "Oh," Chelsea grinned, "Hylla had one of those too, aren''t they from Kanto?"


    "And they are what?" Barry wisely asked.


    "Paralyzer gas." Looker answered, "They dispense a gas that temporarily paralyzes the body, quite effective for crowd control. Works quickly and disappears within a minute."


    I am definitely gonna keep one of them.


    He gave the three of us a serious look. "Again, I want to stress that I am not going to risk your lives. Just teleport these in and wait a minute and it should be zero risk."


    "It won''t affect the Pok¨¦mon," Chelsea said, holding the orb.


    "No, it won''t, so you might need to battle their Pok¨¦mon." He tossed me a bundle of tie wraps.


    "Child''s play if you ask me, mop up whatever remains standing and save the day, while you three are in the spotlight I''ll enter via the stairs and see if I can find out what they are doing."


    I doubted it would be that easy but I didn''t share my doubts. Instead, I just nodded along.


    It was clear that Looker felt very uncomfortable that he needed our help but that he also had no other options. I kind of felt bad for him.


    After repeating the instructions a few times,  just in case we were stupid, he pulled out his Rotom phone.


    "I''ll text you when to start, is that clear?"


    We nodded.


    "Well, good luck kids." And with those heroic words, he left, closing the door behind him.


    Barry and Chelsea began to talk in hushed tones while Luna paced in front of the window, subtly glancing in my direction.


    I told Chelsea and Barry to keep their Pok¨¦mon inside their Pok¨¦balls to make the teleport less draining for Luna.


    "Ewww, is that a knife?" Barry asked, his eyes wide and looking at the weapon like he had never seen a blade before.


    I nodded. "I expect the worst, better prepare myself."


    Again the knife gave me a vague feeling of calmness, was that weird?


    Meh, I like to think that this world requires a different mindset. I checked the gun to see if it still had enough charge.


    It did.


    "Let''s do this."

 46 Liars Lair

    It''s going to be easy.


    Just like the games I used to play, get in and take down the evil monsters, obtain the key item and save the day.


    I kept telling myself how easy it was going to be but as the clock on my Pok¨¦dex kept ticking my nerves tried to kill me.


    Because this was not like the games. I don''t have an HP bar and there was no respawn button. The consequences of my actions would last and even a simple attack like Tackle could kill me if I were unlucky enough.


    The only thing I could trust was my knife and gun.


    And of course, my loyal Ralts who kept giving me weird looks.


    It''s not that I didn¡¯t trust Chelsea or Barry but I would pick a knife over the magic of friendship every single day.


    Fay was still unconscious so there was no help there, and even if she wasn''t I wouldn''t be able to trust her during a life or death situation.


    Situations like this reminded me how much of an outcast I was in this world, after all, if I died now only a handful of people would remember me and even less would actually care.


    Not that it was a change from my old universe but dying here was a lot easier.


    But that was part of the reason I agreed to Looker''s request after all.


    Sure I had a lot of rational reasons to help but also an irrational and rather childish reason.


    The need to become a hero.


    I did promise Luna we would become legends in this world and I was still aiming to become one. The best trainer there ever was and ever would be.


    Was it wrong to want such a thing?


    "So," Chelsea said, clearly getting bored. "Are you going to kill someone? You''re holding the knife like you are planning to."


    I raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"


    "Why not?" Chelsea said sarcastically, "They''re probably going to get a kill order anyway, performing illegal Pok¨¦mon experiments is definitely punishable with death."


    It sounded like she wasn''t clear on the subject herself but was just laying out the facts, hoping someone else would point her in the right direction.


    "Again, seriously?"


    "It is," Barry cut in, "I read about it, after the disappearing island incident in Kanto the League agreed they don''t ever want a repeat of that."


    "Huh, never heard about that, what''s the full story?" Chelsea asked.


    "Well uh, I never read the full story, only the headline," Barry admitted, looking a bit embarrassed.


    "Anyway, let''s not try to kill someone regardless of legality," I told the two of them.


    Chelsea gave me a questioning look, like she hadn''t expected me to say that but Barry nodded in acceptance. "Because it''s wrong to kill," Barry said.


    "Not per se, if you have to choose between your own life and someone else''s you should do everything you can to keep yourself alive."


    "Got it, Captain." Chelsea gave me a salute.


    "But besides that, don''t kill. After all, those who kill should prepare to be killed."


    "You said that at the hospital too, what does that even mean?" Chelsea asked.


    Before I could explain my Pok¨¦dex gave off a ping sound. Pok¨¦dex Lady shared the message out loud.


    "In position, get ready to send in the gas, Looker."


    "Ready Luna?" I asked her for the umpteenth time.


    She gave me a smug smile and tossed one of the grenades up and down in her hand.


    "Are you two ready too?" I asked Chelsea and Barry.


    They gave me a nod.


    Barry had his Staravia on standby, ready to engage in battle. Same for Chelsea''s Haunter. Our three Pok¨¦mon together would make a powerful combination.


    All three had a Mover rating, one could teleport, one could fly and Haunter could phase through walls and floors.


    The Pok¨¦dex pinged again, and a simple message was displayed.


    Luna disappeared with a white flash.


    20 painful seconds later she appeared, no longer holding the two gas grenades.


    {Done.}


    Now it was hoping they were as good as Looker had promised.


    Through the window I couldn''t see anything but it was dark anyway so that was not a surprise.


    I clenched my weapons and waited a full minute in complete silence. All the while I considered possible scenarios in my head, things that could go wrong and things we might not account for.


    "90 seconds have passed." The mechanical voice said.


    "Welp, break a leg," I said as I pocketed the Pok¨¦dex.


    A weird pulling sensation came over me and I felt myself being moved without actually moving.


    Luna smiled and the world around us disappeared.


    Not even a full second later I stood in a dark room. We were standing in what seemed to be a small storage space.


    It was quite dark inside, the room was only lit by a pointless, glowing exit sign that hung above the only door in the room.


    Metal cabinets were placed with their backs to each other in the middle of the room, forming a long row.


    It was clear that this room was not the one we had seen from our window, as there were no windows here which meant that after Luna had teleported in she had searched for a secluded room to teleport back to later.


    Again, I can not praise my little Ralts enough. She must have sensed my gratitude because she gave me a hug.


    As she did I noticed that she was beginning to look a bit tired; it made some sense considering Teleport was one of the most exhausting moves she had.


    "Is someone nearby Luna?" I asked her.


    She closed her eyes and then shook her head.


    Chelsea and Barry released their Pok¨¦mon.


    They let out their generic Pok¨¦mon cries, Staravia tried to fly up, probably to be dramatic but realized that there was not quite enough space in the room and settled on the floor.


    Haunter floated behind Chelsea, as always a big grin present on his face.


    "Let''s explore, see if we can find someone," Chelsea said impatiently.


    "Yes, send in Haunter through the door."


    I meant for Barry to open the door to let the ghost through but Haunter phased through the wall. I forgot he could do that.


    Despite Luna saying there was no one close to us I wanted a second opinion, after all being overly cautious might save lives.


    Haunter''s head phased through the wall. "Haunter." It grinned as it pulled its head out of the solid door..


    "Seems like it really is safe."


    "Pfffft." Luna said she seemed to be offended by the need for a second opinion.


    We exited the room and were standing in a long hallway.


    Ever watched a horror movie and you saw something that for some reason really gave you the creeps, despite being fairly normal?


    There was in principle nothing off about this hallway.


    White lights were placed in the ceiling at regular intervals, white walls led deeper into the building with multiple T-splits that probably led to the far corners of this place.


    The walls were decorated with pieces of art, flowers and photos. They were evenly spaced from each other, probably meant to make this hallway look more appealing to visitors, yet the way they were spaced made it look artificial, like someone tried to calculate how to make this floor look as nice as possible. Considering the Devon Corporation had a lot of money to throw around it makes some sense they want to show their pride.


    The other side, opposite of us, was a glass wall that stretched out from one side of the hall to the other, giving me the idea we were on the outer edge of this floor.


    The atmosphere was heavy despite the bright fluorescent lights that purged the darkness from every corner.


    To finish it off, the storm outside had grown fiercer, rain slammed against the window creating a constant soft tapping noise. Lightning flashed through the sky at short intervals.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Anyone else think this place stinks?" I asked.


    "Yes."


    "Definitely."


    Having voiced my thoughts I began to look for a floor plan. There had to be one somewhere.


    Looker wanted us to look for hostages and Galactic guys so we could tie them up while they were still unconscious.


    The poisonous gas should have spread itself throughout the 24th floor, filling every possible space it could before dissipating.


    My eye found what I was looking for deeper into the hall to my left near a T-split. I walked towards it, trying to resist the urge to either sneak or to run.


    The floorplan was printed on a glass plate that was mounted onto the wall. Underneath it hung a red fire extinguisher, with a sign explaining how to use it.


    According to the floor plan, this entire building actually exists out of three buildings that from above seemed to be placed in a triangle formation with two in the front and one in the back.


    There was a small gap in the middle where the three squares met, probably for the elevator shaft.


    A ''you are here'' dot notified me that we were in the west-north building, right at the edge.


    I took a photo of the map with my Pok¨¦dex for later reference, though this place should be relatively easy to navigate considering one could walk in a straight line from one side of the building to the other without ever making a turn.


    "So, are we gonna work our way to the middle?" Barry asked out loud.


    His Staravia had taken flight and was flying behind him, keeping a sharp eye on the three of us.


    "Yes, the inner circle of these three wings," I pointed at the middle of the map, "That seems to be a good spot to search."


    I slightly relaxed my grip on my weapons and followed the hallway to the first split where the right turn would lead us deeper into the building.


    We turned around the corner.


    "Uh," Chelsea said as she followed after me. "This looks different."


    She was right.


    Whereas the previous hall had been in a pristine condition, this one was clearly not.


    Black scorch marks decorated the left wall and a big crack ran over the other wall and a large vine traveled through the entire hall, moving from wall to floor with no obvious point of origin.


    One of the ceiling lights was broken and the glass was lying shattered on the floor in a puddle of water.


    A door in the hallway was pulled out of the frame without concern for property damage. A quick glance taught me that it led to a washroom.


    "It seems that the people working here weren''t taken down peacefully." I finally concluded. I could picture how a battle had taken place in these narrow hallways..


    "You wouldn''t say," said Chelsea sarcastically. She kicked some glass to the side.


    "They battled." Barry said with disbelief.


    "It was a surprise attack," I pointed at the broken toilet door, "Someone tried to run away but failed."


    {Enemy incoming!} Luna warned me. Her eyes flashed red.


    She pointed in front of us to the crossroad, then adjusted her angle to point at the right wall.


    I immediately turned quiet and spun around, I put a finger over my lips and pointed at the end of the hall.


    Luckily everyone was smart enough to stay silent, even the Pok¨¦mon.


    I gestured at Barry and Chelsea and then drew a line across my throat and pointed at their Pok¨¦mon, silently begging them to understand me.


    They nodded and turned to their Pok¨¦mon, Chelsea softly whispered into Haunter''s ears while Barry managed to give Staravia a command without breaking the silence.


    I was trying to keep Luna out of the fight, she might need all her power later for a crucial teleport so better keep her at bay.


    {10} Luna said, still pointing in that direction.


    I stuck out ten fingers and showed them to my companions, every time Luna counted down I copied her.


    {9}


    {8}


    The number went down as our mysterious challenger approached.


    When she hit 2 I gestured for the two Pok¨¦mon to attack.


    Haunter dove and slid over the floor like a shadow, his body was phasing through the floor which somehow made him go faster.


    Staravia shot forward, her wings glowed white and she disappeared in a short flash.


    {0}


    A grey Pok¨¦mon with the body of a bodybuilder came around the corner.


    Staravia reappeared and slammed her two wings forwards into Machoke''s face. Haunter jumped out of the floor and held his two hands in front of him. Between his two hands, some kind of purple energy crackled and came to life.


    A dark sphere was summoned between his hands, he pushed it forwards and the Shadow Ball was fired at Machoke.


    Too surprised to even react, Machoke got taken down by a quick series of slashes and pecks. Haunter caught up with Staravia and licked Machoke in the face.


    It slumped against the wall and crashed down, unconscious and visibly wounded.


    Staravia and Haunter returned, looking quite proud of themselves.


    Chelsea managed to pet her Haunter. "Good boy!"


    I stared at the Machoke. "So Looker was right, their Pok¨¦mon might still possess a small threat, though they will be relatively easy to take down without someone to guide them."


    And as long as we had the numbers on our side.


    Luna began walking again and I followed.


    "So why do you think they attacked this place?" Barry wondered.


    "Can''t be money," I replied idly.


    I was still trying to figure out what Team Galactic was trying to achieve with this action.


    How does this relate to their goal to create a new world?


    The way this entire place was overtaken was quite smooth and they even managed to not ring any alarm bells with the League.


    They were not in a hurry to get out of this place either so it was not a simple theft.


    We reached another point where the halls split into 4 ways again.


    This time a woman was lying on the ground.


    She had short black hair and wore an armored vest, the kind you see special forces wear.


    A belt was slung over her shoulder with small metal cylinders attached to it that looked suspiciously similar to grenades.


    Around her hip she had a holster for Pok¨¦balls with one of the three slots being empty, instead, she was holding that Pok¨¦ball in her hand.


    "Tie her up," I told Barry. "She''s definitely not someone we want to walk around."


    Barry gulped and looked at the tie-wraps. "Me?"


    "Yes."


    He swallowed and nodded, meanwhile I aimed my gun at her, just to be safe.


    This woman was not a scientist but she didn''t look like a terrorist either, not that I would recognize one anyway. The most surprising thing was that she had no blue hair.


    For some strange reason, I expected Team Galactic to have blue hair, which would not only make them recognizable but also make them less human in my eyes.


    But this person didn''t look distinctly evil.


    It would make shooting her a lot harder.


    "You think she''s from Galactic?" Barry asked as he clumsily tried to tie the woman up.


    "Probably," Chelsea mused, she was looking at the woman like a child would study a spider with torn-off legs, "You should put her against the wall, otherwise she might choke on her vomit once she wakes up."


    "Wait," I said, "Take the grenades."


    "Heck no," Barry protested, looking at me like I was crazy. "What if they explode?"


    "That''s the idea." Chelsea cut in, though she kept a respectful distance from the woman.


    I handed Chelsea the knife and knelt down in front of the woman and studied the grenades.


    Instead of taking them off one by one I just lifted up the entire belt and swung it over my shoulder. They were heavier than I thought.


    "Here''s your knife, boss," Chelsea said as she gave it back.


    "Cool, now let''s find where the hostages are." The unconscious person was making me nervous, despite the fact that she was basically harmless.


    We went deeper into the building. Slowly it was beginning to feel like a maze, despite the simple layout it felt like we were spiraling into something sinister.


    We came across more unconscious people and signs of battle.


    Some of the people we found were in a position like they tried to fight the gas, or make a run for it; obviously, they all failed.


    It reminded me of scenes from Pompei, where everyone was frozen in their last moments. I reminded myself they were just sleeping.


    Seeing how they were all armed I concluded they were all part of Galactic. That meant that we still hadn''t found any of the hostages we were supposed to ''save''.


    Using Luna to find people was also a no go since she couldn''t differentiate between Pok¨¦mon and humans, let alone enemies and allies.


    We only found one more Pok¨¦mon which meant that they didn''t have any Pok¨¦mon guarding this place. That would make our job a little easier.


    After walking for a few more minutes we found an entire hallway was blocked off by a massive wall of tree roots that sprouted from the floors and walls and had gathered into one unpassable clusterfuck.


    Small metal packages were taped to the roots, they had no blinking lights nor were they making a beeping noise.


    Yet, I could make a guess what this was supposed to be.


    "Well, they didn''t spare any effort securing this place," Chelsea observed, stepping closer to study it.


    The sign on the wall signified it led to a stairway.


    "Look." Barry pointed at a nearby wall that was destroyed.


    The left wall was shattered. A gaping hole loomed like a jaw. Whatever could have created it must have been strong.


    Barry pointed at the floor.


    Black scrape marks were coming from the room and led deeper into the left hall, as if someone had pushed a heavy object over the floor.


    I stepped towards the gaping hole and ducked to not hit my head.


    From the inside, the room was really big.


    The room I was met with seemed to be your default laboratory, big luminescent lights revealed all kinds of futuristic-looking equipment and devices.


    A whiteboard was tossed over on the floor and one of the computer screens was smashed in.


    Despite the fact that this room was very big, one thing stood out, or better the lack of one thing.


    "See that." I pointed at the middle of the chamber.


    Multiple pipes and cables were going to that point but all of them were disconnected, leaving a blank space in the middle of this room.


    Yellow tape was taped in a square on the ground, warning people to be cautious with whatever had stood there.


    The scraping marks we found outside in the hall came from this spot.


    "They moved whatever stood here," Chelsea said.


    "Yes, but it didn''t fit through the door," I glanced at the door that was still undamaged and closed. "Instead they created a hole in the wall to shove it through."


    "Freaky as fuck," I muttered softly.


    "Try to figure out what it was." I ordered as I walked around, hoping to find an obvious hint.


    "About that," Chelsea tapped on my shoulder. "I found one of the hostages."


    She pointed at the corner where a large, fridge-like machine was placed against the wall.


    Lying next to it was a bald guy wearing a lab coat.


    He was lying face down and had his limbs spread like an eagle.


    "Tie him up," I told Chelsea without paying too much attention. "We can''t take any risks."


    Chelsea nodded and took a step towards him and grabbed his hand, presumably to tie him up. However, upon contact, she froze, putting her finger on his palm.


    Her purple eyes shot towards me.


    "Is he?" Barry began.


    "Yes, this one is dead." Chelsea replied, sounding not very bothered by it.


    I remembered what Chelsea had said about people choking on vomit, I really hoped that it wasn''t my fault.


    Chelsea must have guessed my train of thought because she shook her head. "No, his entire body is cold. Can''t be your fault."


    "Okay." I swallowed. "T-that''s cool."


    {Danger!} Luna suddenly cried. {4 Individuals}


    She glanced at the hall we came from.


    I pulled Luna up and ducked underneath one of the tables, almost smashing my head into a sharp wire that for some reason was tugged under the desk.


    Chelsea and Barry copied my action. Haunter managed to morph into Chelsea''s shadow as she stepped behind the metal fridge thing.


    The sound of footsteps came from the hallway, this time there were more of them.


    I readied my gun, though I was actually hoping they would just pass by us.


    They got closer and I shot the dead guy a look, wondering if we should''ve hidden him from view but then I realized that this person had been lying here for at least a day.


    Then I, again, realized that he was dead and my heart began beating louder.


    The footsteps kept coming closer as I held my breath and I began begging Arceus to have them turn around or something.


    And then they stopped in front of the hole.


    "They should be inside here."


    "Fine, let''s put an end to this already," a second voice answered.

 47. Suicide Tour

    The dead scientist we found brought both good news and bad news.


    Good news; considering he must have been killed meant I could kill Team Galactic grunts in return without feeling like they don''t deserve it or feel any guilt weighing down on my conscience. After all, the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed.


    A lovable quote that I really liked.


    It gave me some sense of sanity in this insane world.


    Not that it actually did something, people had been trying to kill me from day one, perhaps it was foolish to believe such a thing but a man gotta keep his morals straight, especially if you find yourself in a completely different world with no one to guide you except your own knowledge.


    Bad news: Team Galactic was actually killing people which meant they wouldn''t hesitate to attack me.


    They should have been knocked out and paralyzed but the voices in the hallway revealed that to be a lie too.


    Luna told me there were 4 individuals and I heard 2 voices which meant at least 2 of them were humans.


    This was to some extent a good thing.


    None of the unconscious people we had seen in this building so far possessed a firearm, they did have knives, tasers and grenades but no guns.


    It had puzzled me until I realized that the people in this world viewed guns in a different way than in my old universe; mainly, they suck in their opinion.


    That might be an exaggeration but my point still stands.


    Why train for hours, trying to improve your aim when a level 5 Ember can kill a person?


    The special forces Hylla worked with did use guns and rifles but they were professionals. Crimson did use guns but he did it because it was part of his style and he thought they were cool.


    Team Galactic was not going for style.


    "So, are we gonna kill them or what?" A third, younger voice, asked impatiently.


    They spoke loudly. They didn''t care about staying hidden apparently, considering they were the ones hunting us I could understand why.


    Chelsea pointed at my gun and then at the end of the room.


    I shook my head, attacking them would be foolish. First off they had us literally cornered in this laboratory and they outnumbered us.


    There were at least 3 people who had probably around 3 Pok¨¦mon each which would make around 9 Pok¨¦mon against 3 of ours.


    I pulled a grenade from the belt I had slung over my shoulder, it was detached quietly without making a sound.


    It was a big metal cylinder with thick ends on both sides with a metal pin jammed into the head which could be pulled out.


    As I pulled the grenade free I was met with a horrified look from Chelsea and Barry.


    With my other hand, I pulled Luna closer and I whispered in her ear. "Teleport this as far away from us as you can."


    Luna gave me a slight nod, probably stressed out herself.


    I pulled the metal pin loose and dropped the grenade.


    Before it could hit the floor it disappeared.


    Teleporting 3 humans and 2 Pok¨¦mon might be too exhausting for Luna in her current state but a small grenade?


    A bang was heard, it wasn''t that loud but the noise the grenade produced was definitely audible above the sound of rain.


    "What was that?!" The female voice cried out, shaken.


    A heavy voice replied, "They must have moved already."


    "Ugh, why are we the ones who have to do all the leg work?" The female voice complained.


    "Stop complaining," the same heavy voice grunted, "It''s almost over anyway, let''s find those brats so we can resume waiting."


    "Yes," A younger voice answered. "Let''s move already, I am getting bored."


    A monstrous growl sounded throughout the lab, allowing me to identify the last member of the party as a Pok¨¦mon.


    "Let''s go." The footsteps moved away from us and eventually they were too far to be heard. Silence returned.


    I still waited a full minute in case they suddenly turned around.


    They didn''t.


    "Well," I said as I got up, "That was tight." I managed to sound like I wasn''t fearing for my life, or at least I hope I did.


    "They were not knocked out," Barry sighed loudly, "I thought for a second I would die."


    "We should walk." I ignored Barry¡¯s comments, mainly because I agreed with him. I nodded in the direction the voices wandered off to. "They might realize it was a distraction."


    Both Chelsea and Barry agreed with it, I led them out of the laboratory through the gap and this time the white hallways were a welcome sight.


    At least we could avoid people in the halls and there was a minimal risk of getting cornered.


    "I think we should keep walking," Chelsea suggested when I suddenly stopped.


    I did agree with her but one point was nagging me.


    "How did they know where we were?" I asked out loud.


    Immediately after asking the question it struck me, I looked at the small security camera near the stairwell that was mounted into the ceiling, looking very innocent.


    "Psybeam!" I told Luna, she followed my line of sight and she immediately obeyed.


    Her eyes flared red and a rainbow-colored laser shot towards the camera and shattered the glass and metal like it was a visible force punching the metal device.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    It fell to the ground.


    I didn''t waste a second and turned to Chelsea, "Have Haunter search and deactivate the cameras on this floor."


    "What?"


    "Just do it."


    Barry released Staravia from her Pok¨¦ball, probably realizing that once Haunter was gone we would be down one Pok¨¦mon.


    Haunter jumped out of Chelsea''s shadow, his eternal grin still plastered onto his face.


    "Do as he said," Chelsea told him.


    The ghost gave her a curt nod and disappeared into the floor, gliding over it like a shark fin in water.


    "Explain." Chelsea demanded. She warily looked at the shattered camera.


    "First we have to get away from here." I led us out of that narrow corridor and back to one of the main halls, all the while checking with Luna to see if we kept our distance from our hunters.


    I pointed at one of the cameras that was shredded out of the wall and laid broken on the floor with three scratch marks left in its metal plating. "They knew exactly where we were, why is that?"


    The gleam in Chelsea''s eyes told me she understood it but her stubbornness didn''t allow her to admit it. The solution was so simple, it was stupid.


    "They could have heard us," Chelsea weakly offered. "Or have a Psychic like your Ralts with ultra sensory powers."


    {As if} Luna chuckled smugly.


    "They would assume we went in a direction if they heard us and not into a specific side room. Second, they were unable to determine our real-time location while we were very close. And when the grenade went off they thought they were wrong." I pointed out.


    "So?"


    "They got orders from someone else to check this place, someone who does know our location."


    It annoyed me to no end that I ignored the possibility that the cameras could be used against us. When Looker said they were unaware of what was going on inside I should have considered that option.


    Luna gave us new directions to keep us moving away from the Galactic guys we had encountered.


    We came across more people who had been paralyzed by the gas but this time we didn''t bother tying them up.


    "So are we leaving?" Barry asked. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He gave a shrug, "We thought the hostages were easy to save but now that seems out of reach, seeing how the gas grenades didn''t work properly."


    "We are not done yet," I grimaced, "We can still go on."


    We passed a vending machine, the front was smashed in and some items were missing.


    Haunter suddenly jumped out of the wall and faced Chelsea with a proud grin, she patted the purple creature on its head.


    "What do you mean with ''we can still go on''?" Barry asked hesitantly.


    I readjusted the grip on my knife, "Originally our plan was to get in and tie people up, that''s not going to happen but right now a new opportunity presented itself."


    I leveled a stare with Barry and Chelsea. "And that is taking down Team Galactic."


    Both of them stopped moving.


    "What?" I raised an eyebrow, "You two knew you were going into some deep shit when you agreed to help."


    "Yes, I still do." Chelsea said. "But not everyone''s sleepy right now, remember?"


    The sound of a thunderstrike boomed across the hallway, followed by a couple more. The storm outside had grown fiercer.


    "Most of them are still knocked out," I said confidently, "At least a majority. The ones who remain standing should be easy to take out."


    Was I exaggerating it?


    Maybe a little but I really hoped that Chelsea and Barry would stick around, there was a strength in numbers and I really could use all the help available.


    A golden opportunity has made itself known and I intended to reap it.


    My original plan to leave Team Galactic alone was based on their role in triggering the summoning of Dialga and Palkia.


    Back then I wasn''t sure if I was in either the game universe or not. But then I discovered that a certain place did exist.


    Alamos Town.


    The place exists, meaning that Team Galactic were no longer the only way I could meet the gods who might have summoned me.


    Now they were only a dangerous group of crazies that were willing to kill. I had no control over their actions nor did I know what their plan was anymore.


    They had become an uncertain factor that had to be removed from the equation.


    Of course, I couldn''t tell my friends about that, for all they knew I was someone without a past.


    "Ever heard of the phrase, ''the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing''?" I asked after a brief silence.


    "No," Barry gave me a thoughtful look, "But I think I understand what you mean."


    He clenched his fists. "If we don''t do everything we can we are just as guilty."


    Personally, I thought it was a bit exaggerated but it did work.


    "Hello! What part of: they are not asleep, do you not understand?" It didn¡¯t work for Chelsea.


    "It did work, the people in the halls proved this."


    "Uh huh, and where did those voices come from?"


    "A closed-off area," I pulled out my Pok¨¦dex and showed the map of the building. There was a blank spot in the middle of the map where the three wings of the building met.


    I had paid it no attention earlier but right now it seemed a lot more important.


    "There''s a panic room right here, in the middle of all three parts," I pointed out, "Some big buildings have these, especially rich companies like Devon Corp."


    Our gas grenade trick did work. They were powerful, powerful enough to put down everyone on this floor, even those who were in closed rooms.


    Yet, the Galactic grunts who were still alive had to come from somewhere. And the stairs and elevators were blocked.


    That left one option.


    This world had dealt with city level threats too many times, panic rooms were for that kind of stuff, though they obviously didn''t stand a minute against 2 Legendaries duking it out.


    It failed the people working in this building at least, or maybe they didn''t expect to ever use it.


    "Whatever is going on in this building, this room is in the center of it all, maybe it''s their command post or something which most likely accidentally helped them avoid the gas.¡±


    "An airtight room with internal air circulation would help." Barry offered.


    "Imagine if someone in that room had access to the cameras, he saw us and sent a few people who had been in the panic room out to get us. Doesn''t that fit perfectly? The exit of the room is close enough to the laboratory for the information of our location to remain relevant." It wasn''t the only possibility but it was a damn convenient option while trying to puzzle together the bigger picture.


    The time between when we entered the laboratory and Galactic showing up was small, meaning they were close like the panic room was.


    "Even so, we don''t know how many people are in the panic room. Nor can we battle them with only three Pok¨¦mon," Chelsea argued.


    I pointed at Haunter, "He can scout with minimal risk and she also has some cards left to play," I pointed at Luna. "We have more paralyzing grenades, if we play our cards correctly we can get one inside the panic room, essentially trapping them."


    "You really are sure of this panic room idea of yours huh?"


    {They are clustered.} Luna confirmed my theory.


    I shrugged, "It should be easy."


    Come on, couldn''t they see how important this might be?


    Sure it might not take down the entirety of Team Galactic but this would drag them into the public''s eye and stop this phase of their plan. There was a deadline ticking, one of the guys mentioned that ''it was almost over'' and I didn''t put it behind Galactic to make an escape with zero repercussions.


    Galactic was doing something which required time, my guess was that they were doing it inside the panic room too.


    I could not let them get away.


    Barry was convinced to stay anyway but Chelsea wasn''t. I feared that she might be only here to help the hostages who I suspected to be long dead.


    Now that was out of the picture I had to push her in the right direction, sadly she has common sense.


    "Come on Chelsea," Barry urged, "We can not let these terrorists get away with this!"


    I nodded and tapped with my knife against the wall to my left. "The panic room is very close, I led us in a circle around it and they can''t use the cameras anymore. They are blindsided, trapped."


    Chelsea''s eyes darted between the three of us, as if looking for a reason to say no.


    "Fine," Chelsea sighed. "But if we die I''ll come back as a ghost to haunt you all."


    "You won''t," I insisted, "Their numbers don''t matter when they''re cornered. They have no way of knowing where we are. The people sent to capture us are at the north wing, too far away to even matter."


    I gave her my best grin.


    "There''s no better time to strike than now."

 48. No Plan No Life

    No plan survives enemy contact.


    I was aware of that saying but actually never believed in it. It was proven wrong countless times throughout human history. There was an essence of truth to the saying of course, but just like Murphy''s law it doesn''t always apply.


    However this time Fate played her move first which at this point doesn''t really surprise me anymore. I mean if Arceus him/herself showed up and just blew shit up I would be like meh, that''s weird.


    An explosion rocked the building and everything in my vision began shaking.


    A loud zooming noise followed as I lost my grip on what was up and down. As if an earthquake had struck, I lost my balance.


    I wasn''t the only one, Chelsea let out a surprised cry and fell over but managed to catch her herself.


    Barry grabbed Staravia in a desperate attempt to find grip but the avian herself provided no grip at all and both fell down to the floor.


    Luna grabbed my leg and hugged it tightly, slightly panicked and red.


    Has someone set off an explosion? Was it an actual earthquake or some kind of meteor?


    I had never experienced an earthquake before so I had no frame of reference, thinking straight was also becoming harder as the violent shaking continued.


    But there was something wrong.


    A soft blue glow surrounded everything like a ghostly mist, the floor and the walls included. I had no idea where it came from, it was as if it just emerged from every surface.


    Everything was drained with the blue stuff that lingered like smoke. The blue glow hung in the air and slowly drifted around me towards the wall like a cloud.


    I waved my hand in front of my eye and an afterimage appeared, gleaming faintly in the light.


    The objects in the room were not vibrating, the paintings remained unmoving and all the trash that lingered on the floor stayed still as well. Yet the shaking continued.


    I dropped my knife and watched it clatter to the floor.


    It scared the shit out of Luna but once she realized that I was the one who dropped it she looked up at me and smiled. Not too bothered by the earthquake.


    The knife hit the floor and fell flat on its side, as I expected it did not clatter or slide at all after it hit the floor.


    It confirmed one thing; this strange earthquake phenomenon only affected things that were alive.


    Not that it gave me any more useful information, like was it all in our head or was this some kind of nausea inducing attack?


    As swiftly as the weird tremors came they disappeared, the blue glow merged with reality once again before fading from view.


    Chelsea dropped to her knees and puked.


    I awkwardly watched her empty her stomach. She finally managed to get a hold on her stomach and she got up. She waved her long purple hair out her face and she was not looking very happy.


    Not at all.


    "What the fuck?!" Chelsea spat, her throat dry and raw.


    "Earthquake?" Barry weakly offered. "Maybe someone activated the explosives in the stairwells?"


    I raised my eyebrow, "There was a blue glow, remember, it wasn''t a regular earthquake."


    "What blue glow?" Chelsea rubbed her eyes tiredly. When I didn''t reply and she noticed I was serious she shot me a concerned look. "You''re doing fine?"


    Something began vibrating suddenly and I dug my hand into my pocket.


    My hands gripped around the small object and I pulled out a shrunken Pok¨¦ball. It enlarged itself and without me doing anything it opened on its own.


    A beam shot out the Pok¨¦ball and flashed towards the floor and began to reshape itself into the shape of a small Riolu.


    "STAR!?" Staravia cried out, startled.


    Fay blinked and her tiny head moved from left to right, her expression was one of utter confusion and disorientation and ready to fight at a moment''s notice.


    Her eyes finally turned to me and Luna. With a cold, almost accusingly voice she said, "What''s going on?"


    "Oooh, she recovered," Chelsea knelt down next to Fay, "A fast healer, eh?"


    I doubted it was Fay''s healing power at work but Chelsea was right about Fay''s state. She was looking fine, no physical signs of battle and there was no tiredness in her eyes. If I didn¡¯t know better I¡¯d say she just got back from the Pok¨¦mon Center.


    "Explain," Fay said with an icy glare, as if I was the reason she was here. I was the reason but the glare was really unnecessary.


    "Ralts," Luna explained and it was amazing to see how condescending she could sound while only saying her own name.


    Fay''s eyes widened. "Seriously?"


    "What she said," I nodded, "so now it''s your time to explain what''s going on. How did you wake up and heal?"


    She shrugged and dropped her guard a little. "I felt a weird sensation wash over me and I absorbed energy. I think that healed me."


    The blue Aura bender didn''t seem to find that odd. She appeared to be rather unconcerned with it all. "I woke up and wanted to know what was going on."


    She finished, ¡°"And I can''t say I''m disappointed."


    "What is that even supposed to mean?" I frowned. "Not that it matters of course. Fay, could you please use your Aura sight?"


    "Aura sight?" Fay questioned before realizing what I meant. Her eyes shut for a second and then opened again, this time the red irises had turned blue.


    "Wow, I thought I was sensing something wrong but this?!"


    "This what?" I asked, tapping my feet against the ground to give her a sense of urgency. We weren''t taking a stroll in the park after all and this hallway was way too exposed for my liking.


    "There''s so much of it." Fay continued to speak in riddles.


    "Of what?"


    "Uh," Barry pointed at Fay. "What is she talking about?"


    "Aura." Fay clarified, "It''s everywhere in this building."


    Her eyes snapped to the wall, "It''s all drifting that way. Like a whirlpool, or a storm."


    That was all the information I needed.


    I turned to face Chelsea and Barry who were eagerly waiting for answers. "The quake wasn''t a natural one, it was caused by something in the panic room. I guess it''s Aura related."


    "Ugh, what in the world are they doing there?" Chelsea cursed.


    "I don''t know," I admitted, "But I have the feeling we need to act fast or we might be too late, whatever the hell that might be."


    The aura explosion came from inside the panic room, that much was clear and I feared whatever caused the quake might be worse than just some dizziness.


    There were no apparent signs of danger right now but that doesn''t mean a lot, what if it was creating tumors in my body? I wouldn''t even notice it before it was too late.


    Better not to think of such morbid possibilities.


    I heroically exclaimed, "Both Luna and Fay pointed out something was going on inside the panic room, we cannot let Galactic get away."


    Chelsea gave me a grim nod, she looked a bit tired and that Aura quake took a lot out of her, or maybe it just made her realize how late it was.


    "Okay, but how?" Barry asked.


    I grinned evilly. "Well, Luna only needs to see the room once to teleport in and Haunter can phase through walls."


    "Unless they''re reinforced," Chelsea idly mentioned. "You know with anti ghost stuff, or whatever they call it."


    I blinked, "say what?"


    "You know reinforced with that metal," Chelsea rubbed her head, "The stuff they have to prevent ghost Pok¨¦mon from phasing through walls."


    "That exists?!"


    "Duh."


    I had never heard of such a thing. Though I had heard about the anti-Teleport technology so it wouldn''t be too much of a stress to extend that field into the business of fending off ghost Pok¨¦mon.


    "Can you have Haunter check it?" Chelsea gestured towards Haunter to follow my order.


    "Oh and see if you can see something to open the door, a button or a lever." I added quickly.


    Haunter dove head first into the wall, leaving me unsure whether he had heard me or not.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I''ve never heard of ghost proof metal!" Barry finally said.


    "It does exist," Chelsea confidently smiled.


    "Anyway¡­we should start to plan ahead."


    "You already have a plan." Chelsea deadpanned.


    "Fine, let me share my amazing and brilliant plan," I shot her an annoyed look, "I think it''s rather simple."


    "I doubt it," Barry interjected.


    I ignored him too.


    "Scenario one, if Haunter can phase through the room and open the door we''ll have him open it for a split second. Long enough for Luna to see the room."


    Luna grinned and cradled one of the gas grenades in her hand like it was a precious belonging of hers.


    "And then you send in Luna with the gas grenade," Barry finished my train of thought, "After that we can enter without anyone stopping us."


    Luna¡¯s teleport was such a cheat.


    Haunter popped out of the wall and said with a smug smile, "Haunter!"


    "And?" I asked Chelsea, seeing how she was the best at interpreting the ghost''s expressions.


    "I think he can enter freely."


    "Cool and you found a way to open the door?"


    Haunter nodded and I felt a knot in my stomach disappear, at least that was one thing I no longer had to worry about.


    "It''s coming again!" Fay suddenly yelled, she knelt down and put her hands in front of her, taking a defensive stand.


    The message didn''t reach my 2 friends, not that it would have mattered.


    A second quake followed and once again a second layer of reality slipped into existence. The blue haze surrounded everything, glowing fiercer than before, this time almost closer to white than to blue.


    As I lost my balance, I tried to lean against the wall so I wouldn''t accidentally fall on my knife and stab myself.


    Chelsea somehow managed to find grip on her floating Haunter and used Haunter to remain balanced.


    My Pok¨¦mon were doing fine during the quake, Luna held onto my leg while Fay managed to remain standing like it wasn''t affecting her as much.


    As my entire vision became a blur, I could vaguely see all the blue haze slowly drifting away from me and into the wall.


    Like the last time, it only lasted for a few seconds before disappearing.


    I heaved a sigh of relief, the feeling of your entire world being put in a blender wasn''t one I recommended.


    "Let''s start the plan now," Barry was looking pale, "Before it happens again."


    A silent agreement followed and we moved as one group towards our goal, 4 Pok¨¦mon and 3 humans all determined to put an end to the weird.


    As we got closer the signs of battle increased; big cracks going on for meters, walls torn apart and at one point there were metal spikes protruding from the walls like a lame death trap.


    Finally we reached a long hallway that was looking a lot like all the others we had seen, still this was the one we were looking for.


    A door. Once again it looked like every other door, except there was no way to open it since the door handle was missing.


    I was getting more and more excited for some reason, like this door led to the final level of a game I had been playing for days.


    With my gun and knife in my hands I could almost feel a smile creeping up on my face, those feelings did disturb me but right now there were bigger issues than my mental state.


    A third, stronger quake could strike at every second. If we didn''t advance our own plans Team Galactic was allowed to keep going.


    Luna stopped in front of the closed door and just like we had agreed, we waited a little bit further away, ready to pick off anyone who tried to make a sudden escape.


    I sighed for a final time and then whispered. "Go."


    Haunter jumped through the wall.


    Not even a full second later the door opened. It slid to the right, revealing it wasn''t a regular door like I suspected but a sliding door with metal plating and tech underneath the wooden surface.


    A small gap was created and as it was opened Luna peered through it like a demon looking through rifts between dimensions to seek new victims. Her eyes flared red and a grin was on her face.


    The door closed not a second after the small gap was created, only long enough to let a shriek slip through.


    The item in Luna''s hand disappeared.


    And just like that we had attacked.


    Contrary to what I had imagined there were no horrified screams or gagging sounds, no shouting cries or suffocating people, only a dead silence.


    "Okay, turns out the room is soundproof," I tried to bring some levity.


    "You wouldn''t say," Chelsea shut down my attempt at humor.


    A minute passed and there was no indication that anything had happened. We waited an additional 30 seconds just to be safe.


    "I think we should go inside now," I said, feeling a bit anxious.


    "Y-eah, let''s do it." Barry swallowed.


    "Let''s teleport," I stopped the boy from walking into the room, "In case someone is looking at the door."


    It was a small distance for Luna to cross so it should be very light on her energy reserves.


    She nodded and again the world disappeared around me.


    When the world returned I immediately raised my gun in front of me.


    The clicking sound of a pistol''s safety switch being flipped followed, however it wasn''t mine.


    A rifle was aimed at my head.


    It was a big room with white tiles spanning from one end of the room to the other end, serving as a ceiling and as a light source.


    I saw metal walls with cables running over them like the roots of a tree. A second glance taught me that those cables were not only just running over the wall but also on the floor. Thick black cables and metallic pipes, all in various sizes clustered together, all leading towards the center of the room where two machines stood proudly as a centerpiece.


    For the amount of cables leading towards it, the machines were quite underwhelming.


    It was a mere metal cubicle device with a glass box on top of it, attached to the main box with various cables protruding from the glass box.


    Smaller devices supported the cables, things that I assumed to be extenders and circuit boards.


    "Don''t fucking move," a voice called out, though it was more of a shriek than a demand.


    With his back to the door stood a lean guy wearing a vest with a blue G on it, he had short shaved green hair and wore a gas mask that was half strapped to his face.


    I noticed one of the cabinets that was attached to the walls had been smashed in, it was an emergency kit and the sticker next to it suggested it was there for the emergency of a fire.


    Grenades and ammunition clips were strapped to his vest, making him the first person with an actual firearm in this building.


    The guy held a black rifle in his shaking hands and it was aimed at us.


    It was wrong of me to smile but honestly this guy was a pushover and terrified of us, that much was clear. In fact he was not even properly aiming at us. The weird machines stood between him and us which didn''t even give him a proper view of us. The floor was littered with all kinds of devices, laptops and other high tech shiz I didn''t recognize.


    Friendly fire was also a problem for him considering he wasn''t the only one in this room, his previous team mates lied unconscious on the floor, I counted at least 4 people who were sleeping, 2 of them wore lab coats as well but they were armed with what seemed to be grenades and stun guns.


    Two people who wore actual protective armor lay next to the door, one of them frozen in a desperate attempt to reach the blue button next to the door.


    Talking about his rifle, it disappeared in a white flash and landed next to Luna, followed by a second terrified shriek.


    No way in hell I let that guy go to monologue.


    There was this idea that all humans are able to shut down their empathy and at this moment I felt that it must be true, right now I felt no mercy for this dude.


    Before he could pull more shit I threw my knife at him with one big toss. I wasn''t really aiming but it alerted Chelsea and Barry that they could actually do something useful.


    The knife did hit him in the knee but with the handle, making him buckle over in pain.


    A white streak followed and Staravia was in his face, her wings slammed down on him and he was pushed against the door.


    He fell over and dropped to his knees.


    Staravia retreated but gave the guy a careful eye before it became overly clear he was unconscious.


    The guy dropped to the wall, his eyes rolled back and blood dripped out of his mouth; he was probably missing a tooth as well.


    And just like that victory was ours.


    We hadn''t just beaten Team Galactic, we had taken them down completely.


    Their command post was compromised and now ours. The three of us had taken hold of the iron fort that no one could enter from the outside. We could detect anyone who tried to approach the room, effectively turning the tables. The people outside that were still looking for us had no way of reaching us now.


    It wasn''t just a victory, it was a crushing defeat for Galactic.


    Before I could pat myself on the back some more Fay gasped. "It''s increasing again!"


    The two machines began shining brightly. Engines whirred to life and began to buzz. The air hummed with power and the light soon became too intense to look at. If I had to say anything, it looked like two mini-suns had formed inside the room.


    A quake followed and this time I didn''t even have the chance to steady myself. I fell to the floor but unlike before it was not because I lost my balance.


    It felt like the air was trying to squash me and push me down to the floor. And it wasn''t just my imagination.


    Even the floating Haunter was pressed against the floor, a loud screeching sound filled the room and the two machines began vibrating harder, bouncing in place as they struggled to contain their own power.


    The blue glow made itself visible once again.


    As I tried to gasp for air I could see the glowing clouds swirl around the two machines like a vortex. The light was consumed by the two mini-suns contained in the glass containers.


    My confused mind made the connection between being squashed by gravity and those two machines.


    With great effort I tried to lift my gun above my head, fighting the additional force of gravity.


    A shouting cry escaped my lungs and I managed to align my gun and shot through the glass at the nearest machine.


    It shattered with a loud explosion and for a brief second I could see what was inside the glass container.


    It wasn''t a miniature sun like I had thought.


    As the light increased a second later I could no longer make out the shape or color but that didn''t matter. I had seen what was inside one of the two cases.


    An egg.


    The light shone ten times brighter and a scream could be heard over the sound of total chaos.


    "Raaaallltts!"


    And the light disappeared.


    I breathed in the cold night air and my eyes shot open. Rain fell down on my face and this time it was really comforting.


    I was still lying on the ground, I felt wet grass tickle underneath me and above me was a dark starless sky.


    Something wrapped around my arm. I glanced around and saw Luna standing next to me, holding my arm and giving me a concerned look.


    "Good Teleport." I gave her a weak smile.


    I slowly got to my feet while I was still trying to get used to the darkness of the night. I blinked as I realized where I was.


    We had found ourselves in a small park in the middle of Jubilife City where a statue of Dialga and Palkia stood not far away from us.


    "Ugh," Barry puked and almost fell face first into his own vomit.


    My heart made a small skip when I saw that everyone was here, alive and only a bit disoriented.


    "Where are we?" Chelsea muttered while leaning on Haunter who helped her get to her feet.


    "You don''t recognize this?" I raised an eyebrow. Probably wasn''t the best time to say it but meh.


    "Oh," Chelsea said a second later as she too recognized this as the spot the three of us held our battle.


    "It''s still going," A voice behind me whispered in shock.


    We all turned around.


    Despite Barry and Chelsea''s lack of Pok¨¦speak they understood what she meant.


    A building not too far in the distance shone like a star was inside it, light slipped through the windows, making it look like a giant lighthouse.


    I saw a blue haze linger around the building, forming a large whirlpool that went through anything, yet the 24th floor was clearly the eye of the storm.


    Nothing could prepare me for what came next.


    An explosion of light followed and I had to shield my eyes so as not to get blinded.


    When I looked again the Devon Corporation building was gone.


    A spire of white-ghostly flames had taken its place, forming a large beam that stretched out to the heavens with smaller wisps of light flickering around it.


    Different shades of light weaved into and out of the pillar that had appeared in the middle of the city.


    The beam of light reached the clouds and even went through them.


    It was surreal in every way, like something from a movie or a game.


    But it was real.


    And the entire city could see it.

 49. The World Will Shine Again

    "The spire of light that appeared in Jubilife City¡¯s business district between 10 and 12 in the evening could be seen from all over Sinnoh and the strange phenomena was soon called: The Shine. The source of this anomaly is still unknown. Rumors say that some kind of Pok¨¦mon created it while other people claim that Rayquaza might have something to do with it. As of now, there''s an abundance of theories swarming the web and while we still are waiting for an official response from the League we have confirmation that Suicune moved from Johto to Sinnoh this morning."


    The news reporter that stood in front of the crater waited in silence and brushed a hairlock out of her face as she waited for the camera crew to get their shit together.


    The broadcast changed and a bad quality video started playing.


    There was a big blue surface and although the quality of the video was around the same one you have in UFO sightings, I could still make out it was water.


    A black streak shot over the screen and just like that the video was over. The video was rewinded and paused the moment the black streak was visible. It zoomed in again, lowering the quality of the video once again.


    If I really narrowed my eyes I could vaguely make out the shape of a Pok¨¦mon one might describe as Suicune.


    The newscast went back to the reporter in Jubilife City. "Is there a correlation between Suicune''s arrival and the Shine?" The question was asked in such a way, that anyone who hadn¡¯t thought that would think that now.


    She smiled. "Only time will tell. This was Lissa Thunders from Sinnoh. Now, back to you, George!"


    "Thank you, Lissa." A fat man with a fancy suit replied stoically, "Now we have some eyewitnesses..."


    "So," I tapped the spacebar and the video stopped playing. "Just like Looker predicted, they somehow manage to sweep the facts under the rug."


    Chelsea took a bite from her apple. "Isn''t that a bit too soon to say?"


    I glanced at the clock in the room, it was still 9 in the morning but I really doubted more information would be shared by the police.


    Right now their official statement was: fuck it, we don''t know what happened. Well not exactly but that was the gist of it.


    Some theories on the internet I read this morning did provide a link between a hostile takeover of the Devon Corp building and the Shine but those links were drowned out in the sea of theories swarming online.


    Although to be honest I myself was unsure of what had actually happened.


    What I did know was that there was an aura storm in the city that was invisible to the naked eye and two eggs that were being hatched at the eye of this storm, using two machines that most likely helped the eggs absorb the aura or had any other function related to it.


    Something went wrong, or maybe Galactic had planned it to end like this? Regardless, the end result remained the same. A big boom, an explosion of light and finally a spire of aura and everyone inside the building went poof.


    Most likely incinerated to death.


    Did I feel guilty?


    Not really, I wasn''t personally responsible for the Shine. Team Galactic was doing shady shit and they were experimenting with Pok¨¦mon eggs. It blew up, their death was in some kind of way inevitable.


    Seeing how I wasn''t the one pulling the trigger I was totally guilt-free, there was no need for guilt.


    Luna gave me a hug from the side and shot me a smile.


    {Justice.} She shared her own thoughts on the matter.


    Not feeling like eating anymore, I put the dish with pancakes away underneath my bed.


    "Everyone inside got killed," Barry said with a defeated tone.


    "So what? They deserved it," Chelsea shrugged. "Remember the dead guy we found? This is just karma."


    "Got to agree with her on this one," I said and gave Barry a serious look. "We did what we could, it would be unreasonable to expect more and start doubting ourselves."


    "I guess so," Barry mumbled.


    He shivered. "Just the thought that we could have died if we had stayed a little longer."


    "Mhfm," Chelsea tried to say something but discovered that eating and talking don''t go along very well. She swallowed and said, "That''s life."


    Very pragmatic of her, yesterday she sounded way more uncomfortable. But that counts for everyone I guess.


    Barry and Chelsea continued their breakfast while I silently checked different news sites and message boards online.


    Despite what the reporter had said, the Shine was not the only news in Sinnoh. World wide people have experienced the consequences of the aura explosion.


    "I think I should pack my stuff," Barry suddenly got up, "We don''t want to be late."


    He raced out of the room, leaving his plate on my bed.


    Chelsea had apparently nothing better to do because she watched as I cleaned up the room and put everything in my backpack.


    I stacked up all the plates and left them next to the door. I could leave them on the bed but I preferred to leave my room as clean as possible so I wouldn''t look like a jerk.


    When I was finally done I went to the Riolu meditating on her lonesome spot in the corner.


    "Ready to go Fay?" I asked.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She lazily opened one eye. "I suppose."


    With a heavy sigh she got up and a swift kick launched the pillow back onto the bed.


    "Are you coming too?" I rhetorically asked the girl who had done nothing to help me clean the room.


    She stifled a yawn. "Sure, I''ll leave my stuff in my room. Still have some business to do in Jubilife city."


    Luna teleported onto my head and pulled on a hairlock.


    "Yeah yeah, I''m going."


    We left the room and I found Barry waiting outside, backpack strapped to his back and an annoyed look on his face. "Come on, we''re running out of time."


    "It''s not like a date." I rolled my eyes. "Looker won''t die if we are a minute later."


    Barry and I checked out and we left the Pok¨¦mon Center.


    Chelsea took her Pok¨¦dex and opened a map.


    The sun was shining happily down on the city, leaving no trace of the storm that had transpired yesterday evening.


    People went on with their lives like normal, the Starly still managed to find food in the junk people threw away and people greeted each other like they always did.


    But there was something different.


    It was all so fake, like everyone pretended everything was bright.


    The Shine only destroyed one building yet people and Pok¨¦mon knew it was a mark of something bigger coming this way. The people in this world are aware of the fact that life is fragile and the world could end in a not so distant future.


    But compared to most other regions Sinnoh was relatively peaceful. It was common knowledge, Kanto has the organized crime and Galar had the giant Pok¨¦mon causing havoc. Both Johto and Hoenn are basically time bombs and nothing ever happens in Alola.


    Sinnoh doesn''t have a lot of history with big crises which are kind of ironic considering the Creation Trio.


    There are smaller threats in Sinnoh but never as bad in the other regions.


    And people instinctively knew that their fake sense of safety might not last forever.


    Or maybe I was reading into it too much, I love dramatics after all.


    "Yup, should be here." Chelsea stopped in front of a small bakery. Or atleast the sign said it was. It was built between two big office buildings that looked very expensive.


    "Never say Looker doesn''t have a sweet tooth."


    A wonderful smell met my nose and my stomach groaned.


    "And now I regret having breakfast."


    {Smelly.} Luna drooled and I put her down.


    "Nah ah, you just had pancakes," I scolded the little psychic.


    Luna tried to use her secret puppy eyes technique but it failed since I was too distracted.


    I crossed the street and entered the bakery.


    It was a pretty cozy bakery with a big counter displaying all kinds of sweets, ranging from cake to muffins and bread.


    A girl with red hair in a high ponytail greeted us with a cheeky smile. "Good morning, what can I do for you?"


    "They''re with me," a voice came from the right.


    Where the left side was just a normal shop the right side was designed like a brasserie, looking cozy as well with a big couch that ran from one side of the wall to the other with square tables that could be moved if one wanted to.


    Looker sat in the corner seat, holding a big mug filled with a black substance and a short baguette.


    He took a bite and gestured at us to sit down.


    Being anti-social as always, Fay took it upon herself to sit away from me while Luna sat in my lap.


    Chelsea sat next to me on the comfy couch while Barry was forced to take the chair.


    "Can I bring you something?" the girl asked, smiling so cutely it had to be contagious.


    "Black tea please," I answered.


    "Water," Barry replied impatiently.


    "Lemon soda," Chelsea grinned.


    "And you two?" She turned to my two Pok¨¦mon.


    Fay shook her head while Luna pointed at Barry,


    The girl smiled brightly, "I''ll bring it to you in a sec."


    She left and disappeared behind the counter.


    "Good morning Looker, had a good night''s rest?" I asked him with a sarcastic smile since it was clear he hadn''t slept at all. His hair was a mess and he smelled.


    "Good to see you three in one piece," Looker nodded, ignoring my snark.


    "Ah, did you worry?" Chelsea smiled.


    "I did, in fact," Looker said seriously. "When you didn''t react to my calls I was starting to worry."


    I opened the Pok¨¦dex and saw the messages Looker was referring to.


    Multiple messages had been waiting in my inbox and multiple missed calls.


    I had seen them yesterday evening after we had teleported out and all of them told me to abort the mission and teleport away.


    By accident we had done that but not because we knew it was dangerous, more because Luna knew shit was going down.


    The time stamps told me that something inside the building must have prevented the calls from actually reaching us, my guess it was the aura storm messing with electronics.


    The girl came back to our table holding a tray with all our drinks.


    She put it down and gave us once again a big smile. "If you need anything else you can just say it."


    "Just put it on my tab." Looker didn''t return the smile.


    I noticed it was very quiet inside the bakery, no one besides us was sitting in the lounge.


    Luna took her glass of water and started drinking from the blue straw that was included. To her delight, a small paper umbrella was clipped to the glass. Her eyes grew wider and she began drinking it with a smug smile.


    "So how did you actually know it was about to explode?" Barry asked as he took a sip from his umbrella-less glass.


    "An Absol showed up out of nowhere." Looker said like it was the most common thing in the world. As normal as rain.


    I blinked. "You''re kidding me."


    "No, an Absol did show up and started scaring the police officers that surrounded the building."


    He sighed, "That was enough reason for me to abort the mission."


    "Well we are all alive and still kicking," I grinned, "Did you find anything interesting?"


    Looker gave me a pained look. "Considering how all the evidence is literally missing, not a lot. I¡¯ll have to find the plot in the gaps left behind. I think we are really lucky that you atleast manage to find something."


    "I didn''t really figure out anything," I admitted.


    And it was true, I had no idea what the eggs contained and what Team Galactic wanted to do with them. Educated guesses? Yeah, but no hard facts. Everyone inside the building was supposedly killed but it didn''t feel like a victory to me. In the ashes of the Shine all there was left to claim was defeat.


    "You got more information than anyone else could get, including me." Looker gave me the tiniest smile. "I interrogated one of the grunts but he couldn''t tell me anything useful except that he would rather die than talk."


    "Eh, talk about irony." Chelsea quipped.


    "And have you recovered the eggs?" I asked Looker.


    He shook his head. "Not a shell left, either both got destroyed or we need to prepare ourselves for the next crisis."


    "Is it that bad?" Barry frowned.


    "The Shine," Looker air quoted, "has larger consequences, I fear. Absol all over the world have displayed concerning behavior and 4 confirmed Legendary class Pok¨¦mon have reacted to the events in Jubilife City. Including Groudon who has stirred in his sleep and the worst part,"


    He rubbed his eyes.


    "There''s no evidence leading towards Team Galactic considering everything has blown up."


    "Seems like you''ll be quite busy."


    "You don''t even know half of it." He said with a grim tone, "Now let''s pray that their plan failed and that the eggs are gone."


    I somehow doubted that.

 50. Battle of the Sky

    Jubilife Sky Tower, a Pok¨¦mon battlefield built on top of the highest skyscraper in the city, outfitted with a special force field surrounding the edges and the floor like it was an invisible box without a lid.


    The floor was  reinforced with deep steel that allowed for a quick paced battle, or that''s what the tour guide said.


    The view from atop the Sky Tower was truly amazing and really made you believe you''re on top of the world.


    The sun was starting her slow descent on the skyline, casting all the glass of the surrounding buildings into a shade of orange.


    Moments like these made me glad I wasn''t afraid of heights. Never had been and luckily that attribute carried over into my new body.


    To battle on top of the Sky Tower you had to pay an excessive amount of money or have some really good friends.


    Or an International Police agent who was feeling guilty. Or maybe it wasn''t guilt and he just wanted to reward us for our help.


    Either way, Looker offered us a chance to battle on top of this building when he heard Barry and I talking about continuing our free for all with Chelsea.


    I don''t know if he paid the full price, had some connections, or had a coupon for this place lying around somewhere.


    I didn''t ask, if he wanted to display his gratitude then that''s fine by me.


    So yeah, that''s how I ended up battling on top of the highest skyscraper in Jubilife City for no reason.


    And to be honest I could totally use a distraction from the possible doomsday clock Team Galactic was working on.


    Luckily I had my friends.


    "Go Staravia!" Barry threw up his Pok¨¦ball high in the sky and it exploded into a white flash on its way down. Staravia appeared with a proud cry and flapped her wide wings, creating a small gust of wind around her.


    Chelsea rolled her eyes at Barry''s dramatics. "Show off, Haunter take the stage."


    The shadow underneath Chelsea began to morph in size, extending into a long line before pulling free from the source.


    A circular shadow formed and Haunter floated up from the floor with a menacing smile.


    Luna shot me a questioning glance.


    "You''re not going to follow their idiocy, right?" Fay asked from my left.


    I grinned at both my Pok¨¦mon. If they get a dramatic entrance then I couldn''t let that go unchallenged.


    Luna answered my grin with a smile of her own and there was a silent agreement between us that could only be forged by a complete understanding of two similar minds.


    I made a V with my fingers and put it over my eyes like Lelouch. "Let''s put an end to this foolishness,¡± I boomed dramatically. ¡° Luna, get ready to claim our victory!"


    Was I getting too old for this?


    Well, who was gonna judge me for it? I am in an insane world. I can at least try to have some fun.


    In front of us, an emblem began to glow in the ground, a summoning circle with white light shining brightly at the gaps.


    Luna appeared in the center striking a dramatic pose, her arms stretched out to the side and her head high, like a cruel angel that deserved to be praised and worshiped.


    The glowing circle dissipated and Luna lowered her head, her eyes flared red and a grin made itself present on her face.


    "Ugh, I''m dealing with idiots," Fay muttered.


    "Ah, don''t worry, you get to make your own epic entrance as well." I faced the blue Riolu, trying to look as serious as possible.


    "What? Don''t be ridiculous!" She spat as her face turned slightly red, weird shit I know.


    "Seriously?" Chelsea asked, "She only teleported like what, 2 meters (6 feet)?"


    I shrugged. "Don''t try to out style me."


    "Let''s see if you can back that up!" Barry clenched his fist. "Staravia, Gust!"


    The bird increased the speed her wings were thrashing around and a strong wind gust swept over the battlefield.


    It was an interesting move, not on its own but the fact that Barry chose to start offensive this time while last time he immediately went on the defensive. Luna gritted her teeth and planted her feet/dress thing steadily on the ground.


    Haunter had more trouble with the wind gusts. The weird purple smoke that surrounded the ghost''s body kept drifting off his body and he had trouble staying afloat.


    "Sludge Bomb!"


    "Psybeam!"


    The multicolored beam sped towards Staravia who did something I could only describe as a barrel roll.


    The beam shot straight past the bird but a deep purple blob followed not a second later. It left a trail of poison acid behind on the ground as it was lunged.


    "Staravia, fly up!" Barry shouted.


    Staravia shot up in the sky with a strong swing of her two wings and narrowly dodged the poisonous projectile.


    I had waited for this moment.


    "Luna, Mega Punch Staravia!"


    Luna shot me a proud smile and clenched her fist.


    Then she disappeared.


    "Haunter, hit her with Shadow Claw." Chelsea grinned, apparently confident with her own plan.


    Luna reappeared with a white flash above the rising Staravia.


    With a big grin, she pummeled her shining fist straight into Staravia''s face.


    The bird got hit hard and gravity took hold of her once again and she was sent straight back to the ground.


    Underneath her Haunter flew up and I thought that he would strike Staravia on her way down but to my surprise, the ghost ignored the bird and phased straight through her. Haunter continued his rise up and Luna yelped in surprise as she realized that Haunter was coming for her.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He retracted his claws and purple energy crackled around his hands.


    Luna was too slow to react and Haunter struck her in the chest with a wide slash.


    Three slashes appeared midair and Luna let out a whimper.


    She too fell down, following Staravia.


    Staravia however managed to get back on her feet, metaphorically speaking because she was hovering in the air.


    "Air Cutter!" Barry shouted.


    "Split!" I countered.


    Luna and Haunter were both going down, though Haunter had full control over his descent while the Ralts was tumbling through the air, making for a good target.


    The tumbling Luna split into three copies, each having a different angle they were falling at.


    Two wind blades propelled out of Staravia''s wings, one headed towards Haunter who weaved around it, using his floaty body to move quicker while the other shot towards Luna and hit her in the chest.


    The Luna that was hit shimmered out of existence and another Luna was destroyed upon landing.


    But the real Luna managed to land without too much trouble which was an amazing fact on its own considering the bones would''ve snapped by any other creature that did obey the laws of physics.


    The psychic wasn''t immediately attacked upon landing which was a nice thing. Chelsea''s Haunter was still in pursuit of Staravia.


    "Sludge Bomb!" Chelsea ordered the Haunter.


    "Agility!" Barry countered, "Then do a Wing Attack!"


    The bird began to weave around Haunter''s constant barrage of Sludge Bombs with swift sudden bursts of speed.


    However unlike Fay''s Quick Attack she didn''t disappear and reappear, not unlike a teleport. Instead, she moved faster at random intervals.


    When the bird was close enough Staravia''s wings glowed white and suddenly she was in Haunter''s face. They slammed together.


    "Luna, hit Haunter with a Psybeam!"


    Luna fired a Psybeam at Haunter who was having a bad time trying to escape the barrage of wings slamming down on him. Haunter was forced to stay on the defensive and focus on the opponent in front of him.


    The laser shot towards Haunter and he only had enough time to look surprised before he was hit.


    His eyes rolled back and he became all wobbly, like he was having trouble keeping himself standing...floating?


    Barry noticed the Confusion status effect and immediately acted on it.


    "Now use Aerial Ace!"


    Staravia flew up and white energy began to surround her body. After deciding she had crossed enough vertical distance she sped towards the confused Haunter.


    Chelsea yelled something but Haunter didn''t move.


    The bird slammed into Haunter and the ghost was knocked away.


    "NO!" Chelsea frowned.


    "Yes!" Barry smiled.


    Haunter dropped to the ground, his eyes closed. The smoke effect that surrounded its body was no longer violently lashing out like it had been but was now dormant and barely even flickering.


    "Shit," Chelsea muttered, sounding more surprised than actually pissed.


    Chelsea pointed her Pok¨¦ball at Haunter and pressed the button.


    Light consumed Haunter and she gave the P¨®keball a small smile. "You did really well."


    Barry leveled his gaze with me. "And now it''s between you and me!"


    I answered him with only a smile.


    Luna smashed her fist together and sent a challenging look at Staravia.


    "You think you can win?" Fay asked and she sounded like she was worried I might actually lose.


    "Obviously," I said while making sure to keep my voice down so Barry wouldn''t hear me. "Remember, 1v1 battles are where I excel. Less chaos and more time to work out traps."


    Fay nodded silently.


    "Staravia, use Agility again!" Barry was looking very smug.


    The bird in question began to speed around the small psychic, never staying in one place too long and if she kept this up then it would inevitably lead to an opening for an attack.


    Staravia was too fast to be hit.


    "Confusion in front of you, Mover protocol 2," I countered calmly.


    How to deal with a fast moving target? Simple: bullet hell.


    Purple rays were thrown at random around Luna. Slowly moving away from her at a crippling pace that wouldn''t be able to hit a grandmother trying to cross the street.


    They were weak and slow but everywhere.


    Staravia retreated a bit farther away and hovered in the air, studying the field of purple rays Luna had created. Unknown to her was that those rays would probably not even hurt her that much.


    Staravia wasn''t moving from her position, instead, she chose to stay out of Confusion''s range.


    Perfect.


    "Heaven''s Gate into Meteor Smash!"


    "What!?" Barry''s expression was almost comical.


    A summoning circle was brought to life with glowing edges and a white symbol engraved in the middle.


    Staravia was suddenly teleported and moved to the center of the circle.


    While the bird was too surprised to act by the sudden teleportation Luna jumped up and opened her mouth.


    Soundwaves crashed down on the bird as Luna shot up into the air.


    Once she reached the maximum height she twisted her body and clenched her fist.


    "Get away!" Barry cried out but Disarming Voice''s hitstun still held Staravia in its grip. She was helpless as Luna descended with her meteor fist and a flash of pure energy flared up.


    When the light faded away, Luna stood victorious next to the unconscious bird, her arms folded in front of her chest and a smug smile on her face.


    "Well," I grinned. "Seems like we won."


    "Pffft," Chelsea scoffed, "You two teamed up on me."


    She jumped off the platform and walked towards me.


    "Nah ah, it was free for all, remember?"


    Barry recalled his Pok¨¦mon with a pout. "Dammit. This time I really thought I had you, like I figured out what your strategy is but I still lost."


    "Better luck next time," I offered him my hand and he shook it with a determined look in his eyes.


    "Oh, I will win next time," Barry challenged me.


    Luna ran towards me and I knelt down and spread my arms wide.


    She jumped into my arms and tried to melt into my chest with her super attack, squealing happily along the way.


    "That was pretty hardcore," I complimented her.


    It wasn''t perfect yet but we were still training and improving and in the end, a win is a win.


    "Well, it seems this is the moment we part," Chelsea said, sounding disappointed. Or maybe I was reading too much into it.


    "You make it sound like one of us is about to die."


    "Seeing how you attract trouble," Chelsea laughed.


    Seeing my glare only made her smirk more infuriating.


    Barry stretched his back lazily. "Man, this entire squabble with Team Galactic took way longer than I expected."


    "Squabble?" I raised an eyebrow, "You have somewhere to be?"


    "I do, I had a fight scheduled today but I had to call it off." Barry informed me. A silence fell before he continued. "Is it weird that I prefer helping you two and risking my life rather than just regular training?"


    "That''s just adrenaline, it''s fairly addictive."


    Both Chelsea and Barry looked at me like I said something crazy.


    "Ugh, you know how to kill the mood."


    "I think he was about to say something sappy about friendship and things that make life worth it." Chelsea shared with me.


    I blinked. "Wow."


    "Wow, indeed, you make saying goodbye really hard." Barry scratched his head.


    He was right. I suck at saying goodbye. It''s like Murphy''s law for me; if it can get awkward it will be awkward.


    "It was fun though, incinerating an entire building with aura," Chelsea said it in a way I wasn''t sure if she was being sarcastic or not.


    "Let''s hope nothing bad comes out of it," Barry spoke with a hopeful tone.


    "Nothing bad ever happens to me." I rolled my eyes.


    "Wow, mister positive." Chelsea deadpanned.


    I sighed, "Fine, how about this; we can only prepare ourselves and keep an eye out. Something something, friendship?"


    "That''s the best you can do?" Barry asked.


    There''s this illusion that time you spend having fun seems to move faster than normal. The illusion flips 180 degrees if you look back on the time and it will seem longer than it actually was.


    A weird thing.


    I was gonna miss Chelsea and Barry but right now I had other things to focus on.


    "Welp, time to go. Sayanora and shiz. See you all later."


    I turned around and my 2 Pok¨¦mon trailed behind me, Luna gave them a wave while Fay pretended they didn''t exist.


    I really suck at goodbyes.

 51. Plastic Memories

    "Dust!"


    Something sharp was pressed against my side like a blunt knife.


    I rolled around, still feeling very fuzzy and confused.


    "Dust, wake up now!" A voice hissed into my ear and the prodding continued.


    I opened my eyes and saw Fay standing over me. It was still very dark inside my tent. I couldn''t see much, only dark shapes. I resisted the urge to turn on the flashlight, even though I was tired I knew that might be a bad idea.


    "What?" I asked lazily, trying to shake off the feeling you get when you wake up in the middle of the night. My mouth felt dry, my body was limp and I could feel the bliss of sleep calling for me.


    "Finally!" Fay let out a sigh of relief. "You have to get up."


    I slowly sat up in my sleeping bag and rubbed in my eyes. "What''s wrong?"


    I was the kind of person that could sleep through a plane crash. Of course, that might be a consequence of staying up till 2 am in the night but old habits die hard.


    "Something is coming." Fay said mysteriously with a noticeable amount of dread in her voice. No, it wasn''t dread, she was sounding scared.


    {100 meters away from us.} A second voice shared telepathically with me.


    Probably Luna.


    As I tried to find out where I had put my knife I found the small psychic standing in front of the tent opening, staring off into the distance.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked as my hand gripped around the cold metal of a gun, not exactly what I was looking for but it would do.


    "Also, is it on its own?" I asked.


    {Can''t tell} Luna answered.


    "Fay, can you see something?" I turned to my second radar. "Use your aura sight."


    Her eyes turned from red to a soft glowing blue color. She gasped. "What?"


    "What-what?" I asked, feeling very annoyed and I had to resist the urge to fall asleep. It was as if something was actively trying to make me feel dizzy.


    Fay stuttered before finding the right words. "It''s like a wall of aura- wait no, it''s more like an emotion?" Her answer turned into a question I couldn''t answer.


    My mind immediately went into a state of dazed panic. What should I do?


    At least not turn on all the lights inside the tent like an idiot and start screaming. That was obvious but what could I do?


    Something of unknown quantity is coming towards us, was it a wild Pok¨¦mon? A person?


    I can''t plan if I don''t know what''s going on.


    {70 meters,} Luna shared.


    {60 me¡­} Midway through the sentence, she stopped. With my own eyes, I witnessed Luna dropping to the ground.


    Fay backed away from her.


    "It''s coming closer! What''s happening!?" She cried out.


    "Stttt." I pulled the Riolu closer to me and placed my hand over her mouth to prevent her from making even more noise.


    She kept struggling and I was forced to drop the gun and find a way to silence her quickly. Not knowing what to do I began to pet her soft fur in an effort to calm her down.


    Miraculously it worked, her heartbeat slowed down and she stopped struggling.


    "Don''t make a noise," I whispered into her ear.


    She silently nodded and I released her from my grip.


    "Big sister." I said, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.


    "What?" Fay asked.


    I shook my head. "How far is the wall?"


    "5 meters," Fay whispered.


    I took hold of my gun and aimed it at the tent opening, ready to shoot whatever came through.


    There were no sounds coming from outside, I could only hear two heartbeats and a strained breathing.


    My head began to spin and my already blurred vision began to get worse.


    I felt Fay''s muscles suddenly relax and she slumped in my arms.


    An extreme wave of tiredness crashed over me.


    My arms dropped and the darkness took hold.


    <hr>


    "Can you please let go of me?"


    I yawned and noticed I was holding some kind of plushy in my hand.


    Realizing I don''t have a plushie I opened my eyes to find out what the hell I was actually holding. Once I opened my eyes I was met with a pair of red eyes.


    Had Luna once again snuck into my bed? When I saw blue fur everything in my mind snapped into place.


    "Fay, what the fuck?"


    She attempted to wiggle herself out of my arms. I immediately released my hold on her and she broke free,


    "That''s what I wanted to ask as well!" Fay scowled at me. Her hard expression dropped when she took a second look at me.


    "Why are you holding a gun?" She pointed her black paw at my left hand.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I blinked and saw that I was holding the golden gun I had taken from Crimson in my hand. The safety switch was still on but it still freaked me out.


    Why was I holding it?


    Maybe I had reached out to it in my sleep but I had never done that before. To say that I woke up confused would be an understatement.


    Also, one person was missing.


    Ah, I already found Luna.


    She was standing at my feet, her fist clenched and red eyes narrowed.


    For some reason she wasn''t smiling, instead, she was glaring daggers at Fay.


    "What?" Fay answered her glare with one of her own.


    "Ralts!" She yelled with such intensity I didn''t know she was capable of putting so many emotions into one word, let alone her own name.


    A headache began to form.


    "Time out everyone," I made a T with my hands and both Pok¨¦mon turned to look at me, both looking very displeased.


    The very real possibility that they might turn their anger on me came up in my mind.


    "Something is wrong." I pointed out everything that was out of place.


    "Yes, how did I end up sleeping in your arms?" Fay asked accusingly.


    {How could you?}


    The same headache began to increase and I noticed my throat was very dry.


    "Why am I holding a gun?" I questioned. "That''s not normal."


    That made both Pok¨¦mon shut up.


    "Maybe you were trying to kill yourself in your sleep?" Fay offered.


    "Hahaha," I glared at her. I had a gut feeling there was more to it. I grabbed my Pok¨¦dex to see how late it was. However, when I opened the Pok¨¦dex I wasn''t met with the usual home menu. Instead, I was looking at the recording screen with a red blinking dot indicating it was still recording audio.


    "What the hell?" I stared at the screen.


    "What is wrong?" Fay asked, "If you''re looking for excus-"


    "No, look!" I showed Fay and Luna the Pok¨¦dex that was still recording.


    "It has been recording sound since 3:18 in the morning," I explained as I stopped the recording. It automatically began to save it to the internal hard drive. A red spinning Pok¨¦ball indicated that it was working on saving it. The loading time indicated that the file was quite big.


    "So?"


    "Oracle, did I use a keyword last night?" I spoke clearly out loud.


    "Yes," Pok¨¦dex lady spoke with a slight mechanical edge to her voice. "Keyword ''Big Sister'' was spoken at 3:19 this morning."


    "Keyword?" Fay questioned.


    "You are aware that the Pok¨¦dex can be used with voice commands right?"


    Fay nodded.


    "Well, keywords are codewords for performing certain actions. You can install a lot of commands, for example, if you want to call the police or make her erase all the data. It¡¯s useful if a trainer is for example running away from a swarm of Beedrill, or injured and can not use their device manually. Big Sister is the command I created that tells the Pok¨¦dex to start recording all sound but without giving off any sign of doing it. You know, if someone suddenly threatens me, I simply find a way to use the code word in a sentence and they wouldn''t even notice they''re being recorded."


    A new recording was started but I immediately canceled it.


    "See?"


    Fay stared at me like I was crazy.


    "What? It''s a dangerous world, prepare for anything."


    Luna grinned at Fay''s surprised look.


    "There''s a word for that, paranoia," Fay offered.


    {Not if someone''s out to get you} Luna said.


    I smiled brightly at my small psychic and offered her my high five. "She understands!"


    She met my high five with one of her own, visibly satisfied with the praise.


    I turned to the Pok¨¦dex and went to all the saved files.


    "So you said Big Sister in your sleep?" Fay turned to face away from me.


    "Let''s find out."


    I went to the recently created files and selected the 10 hour long audio file.


    With one quick tap, it began to play.


    I expected not too much out of it but to my surprise, I heard my own voice.


    A short conversation between Fay and I began to play, although calling it a conversation would be a stretch.


    I only said two things and heard a soft Ri which must have been Riolu''s Pok¨¦speak without the translation.


    Hearing your own voice in a recording was already weird as hell but this managed to trump that feeling by a wide margin because I don''t remember that I was even saying anything. Or woke up!


    It was interesting to see that Fay''s Pok¨¦speak didn''t translate through a recording but that wasn''t surprising or relevant.


    Bigger point was that something made past-me activate the recording mode and now current-me has no idea what made me do that.


    Fay stared at the Pok¨¦dex screen, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, or a Magikarp.


    To my relief, nothing else happened, instead it was a solid 10 hours of me doing nothing except breathing.


    I selected the option to view the entire recording as an audio trail. I was looking for significant spikes that would signify a change but nothing came out of it.


    Skipping to random intervals also proved to be fruitless which was good news. There were only the few words spoken at the beginning and then hours of just sleeping noises.


    I closed the Pok¨¦dex and stared at it, hoping it would reveal the secrets.


    "Okay, freaky," I muttered.


    "Luna, check if someone''s close with bad intentions." I asked her, just to be sure.


    Luna sat down next to me and leaned against me. {We are safe}


    "Fay, you seeing something?"


    "What?" She stiffened.


    "Aura sight." I clarified to her.


    "Oh." She nodded and her eyes flared blue for a second.


    She turned her small head around, scanning for something only she could see. The eye color changed back to red and she shook her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."


    Fay fixed her gaze on me. "What is going on?"


    "Fuck it, I don''t know." I threw up my hands.


    "You must know," Fay insisted. "You always know what''s going on."


    That was not true at all, no idea where she had picked up that idea.


    I rubbed my temple and closed my eyes, trying to visualize what must have happened.


    It should be relatively easy to know what I would think and do in certain situations.


    "When I woke up I was holding a gun, meaning I expected an attack and I used you as a radar to detect it."


    She nodded, "What else?"


    I kept trying to imagine my own thought process.


    Something was coming our way and I expected to either lose my memories or expected to be abducted. In both cases, the Pok¨¦dex would function as evidence, either for myself or for someone finding my stuff."


    That was the only conceivable reason for my actions, right?


    {Memory gone?} Luna asked curiously.


    "Yes, Pok¨¦mon can erase memories, heck Mewtwo can do it so it wouldn''t be too far off if other Pok¨¦mon can as well."


    "So you think we lost our memories." Fay slumped her shoulders.


    "Only from last night."


    I got up and opened the tent to see if something had transpired outside. The soft beams of sunlight slipped through the cracks in the tent. I was met with the same trees I had seen before going to bed, the same field and the same sky.


    "I think I can cross off ''abduction'' from the list."


    I looked around to see if I could find footprints or any other evidence of someone or something passing through but I found none.


    Not that it meant a lot since I had no idea where to look for clues anyway.


    I saw nothing that indicated anything happening outside here whatsoever.


    The only noticeable thing was the lack of wildlife sounds. It was very quiet.


    "Figured it out yet?" Fay asked behind me.


    Did I feel like panicking? Absolutely not.


    "I think a Pok¨¦mon with memory-erasing powers passed through, or was very close. We luckily haven''t been attacked."


    "So what happened?"


    "Again, I have no idea. I can only make guesses."


    The entire day I spent looking for clues and trying to remember anything that could help.


    I found nothing.


    It wasn''t until 2 days later that I heard the news about wild Pok¨¦mon disappearing in that forest.

 52. Happy Thoughts

    Trying to search the web for Pok¨¦mon powers related to sleep or memories brought me into a deep rabbit hole of weirdness and ugly stuff that no god or goddess should ever allow to exist.


    There was a news article about a Jigglypuff running around with a very powerful voice that could put almost anyone to sleep instantly.


    She had a tendency to prank whoever fell victim to her sleep-inducing songs which made her somewhat likable. She had a small fanbase that kept tracking her movement and the latest places she had gone to. According to the website she had been spotted in Goldenrod city not too long ago.


    For my meta-knowledge, it was interesting to see that the small pink ball of fluff still exists, like in the anime. That wasn''t the weird shit I was talking about.


    Haha, not even close.


    I read a news article about a Hypno and Drowzee in Kanto who created psychic waves that caused human children to sleepwalk and believe they were some kind of Pok¨¦mon. The pair had an extremely big range together which had turned into a small crisis situation.


    I personally thought that to be really terrifying.


    The rabbit hole continued even further.


    There was a castle in Galar called ¡®Sleeping Beauty''s Castle¡¯, the name was pretty self explanatory and it apparently drifted through the seas and popped up at random times and disappeared without a notice.


    The authorities in Galar don''t really care about it since it was too far off the mainland and people and Pok¨¦mon couldn''t realistically enter the castle without falling asleep anyway so they just accepted it as another thing that exists in Galar.


    Another weird thing I found on the web and in the ''past-threat-list'' was a guy who had the power to make Pok¨¦mon forget moves-yes I shit you not.


    Just like Sabrina who was known for being a psychic, this person was known for removing Pok¨¦mon moves with just once glance. Apparently, he made them forget the technique rather than removing the physical requirements to perform a move. Like, he could make a Pidgey forget how to fly by dabbling into muscle memory or something.


    He was called ¡®The Deleter¡¯ and had been very famous before he got arrested and thrown into some special prison hellhole.


    Something about criminal activities, regarding Legendary Pok¨¦mon.


    The most famous was the New Island incident in which an entire island in Kanto¡¯s shoreline disappeared overnight alongside everyone within a 20 kilometer radius swearing that said island had never existed in the first place.


    So, I guess that Mewtwo was hanging around somewhere in the world. Not the most comforting thought.


    As you can guess it was really hard to find out more about the weird encounter I might have had last night but couldn¡¯t remember a single thing about.


    There are too many possibilities when you have an X amount of Pok¨¦mon, all with different and overlapping, terrifying abilities.


    So, the entire internet didn''t provide me any answers regarding that mystery.


    Although I did find a small news article about a couple in Canalave City who claimed that their son was cursed by Darkrai.


    I had been wondering if that side quest from the Platinum games would exist in this weird universe.


    In the games, you had to do something with a Lunar Wing and Creselia. A neat side quest back in the days but now, it was a possibility and maybe even an opportunity.


    Though Canalave City was quite off the road and although I could travel there by boat and train, I preferred to keep close to Ash''s and the original game protagonist''s route.


    I did order the DiScavenger program to keep me updated about that couple and their son. I just hoped he wouldn''t die before I could start that side quest.


    "Hey," I suddenly said, "did you know that there''s a person in Kalos who literally is unable to sleep?"


    Fay lost her balance and fell down on her butt, luckily she fell on soft grass.


    She had been practicing her balance and she managed to stand on one paw for 30 minutes straight. Something about aura helps her find balance if she concentrates.


    It was very cute to see her fall and struggle back to her feet.


    "What?" Fay scowled.


    "I am reading this story about a guy-" I began.


    "I heard you the first time," she cut me off.


    "Ay," I nodded, "Well, isn''t that weird?"


    "I guess," she shot me a weird look. "You are still trying to figure it out?"


    I sighed, "There are just too many variables, I can''t figure out what happened and I feel like I should be able to do it."


    "Maybe it''s nothing, I mean nothing happened last night." Fay shrugged, "And neither I, nor Luna can find anything so we are safe for now."


    "Not an option," I rubbed my eyes that had gone dry from staring at the screen. I opened a document with possible explanations for what the fuck happened.


    I had managed to cross off most Legendaries from the list. Darkrai would have given me nightmares and the Lake Trio were also off that list because we were too far away from the lakes to be within their working range.


    Other Legendaries had either no powers related to sleep and amnesia, were asleep or simply had no business in Sinnoh whatsoever.


    The options that remained were not pleasant.


    Fay sighed, "Remember what I said about paranoia?" She said it without mirth.


    {She has a point.}


    I turned around and saw Luna standing behind me, holding a chess board in front of her, all the while giving me a cute smile.


    She tilted her head. {Let''s play.}


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I shook my head, "I can''t, I need to do more research."


    My eyes shot towards the laptop. "There''s so much going on right now, the Fang are terrorizing Lydic Town for example. I need to have a back-"


    The laptop disappeared with a white Flash.


    Luna sat down in front of me and placed the chess board between us on the grass.


    The box with chess pieces appeared next to us and she opened it. She took the white king and handed me all the black pieces. I didn''t really care, playing black is way cooler anyway.


    I was aware of what Luna was doing though, trying to put my mind off the mystery that kept nagging my mind and just wouldn''t let me be.


    Being a psychic she must have noticed that I was stressed about it.


    I already know that fuzzing about everything wrong in the world wasn''t healthy. I did it a lot and to come to the same realization that it''s broken, every single time, it''s kind of depressing.


    I closed my eyes, maybe I should put my mind to it. There''s nothing I could do realistically. And until new evidence popped up I might as well drop it, after all; shit was bound to come anyway.


    Smiled at Luna.


    "Fine, let''s play a game."


    Luna grinned at me and moved the king¡¯s pawn to the center.


    I answered by moving my knight forward, attacking the pawn.


    Fay gave me one last look before closing her eyes and continued training her balance.


    I kept playing with Luna the whole afternoon and it was fun.


    Well mostly.


    "God this game sucks!"


    "Ralts." She stuck out her tongue at me and hit the enter key on the keyboard.


    I shook my head, "This game is blasphemy to everything I know."


    Luna selected a Pidgey on the computer screen and I, once again, chose the Rapidash.


    Somehow this world had its own crappy version of Mario Kart but with Pok¨¦mon instead of the red plumber.


    And it was playable on a PC.


    Actually there were a lot of differences between my world''s Mario Kart and this one but the most frustrating part was that, somehow, Rainbow Road still managed to be in the game. It had a different name and design but a simple texture change doesn''t fool me. It was essentially the same.


    Arceus truly must be cruel.


    Also, Luna was kicking my ass in this stupid game for no reason at all.


    "You lost again?" Fay asked with a small smile.


    "Shut up." I rolled my eyes, "Unless you want to play you have no right to scold me."


    "I politely deny," Fay shook her head, "Though I am surprised that you''re losing so often."


    "Ugh, Rainbow Road, bad RNG, lag and a shitload of misinputs."


    Fay stared at me. "I don''t even understand a single word of what you just said."


    I smiled.


    Luna stuck out her tongue at me again.


    My eyes narrowed. "And why are you so good at this game? You don''t even have five fingers."


    A simple smile was the only answer I received.


    While I was shaking my head I patted Luna on the head.


    "Next time we''re doing no items, Fox only, Final Destination. You never beat me at that." I grinned evilly.


    Especially since that game doesn''t exist in this universe.


    "Screeeee!"


    A dark figure suddenly jumped out of the bushes and shot towards us.


    "Oh shit." I muttered as I straggled away from whatever it was.


    Fay suddenly jumped in front of me and readied her claws, taking a pose that allowed her to either go on the defensive or to lash out at a moment''s notice. Luna got up and turned her head to face the new threat.


    This all happened within a span of a second.


    My hand found a sheathed knife and I unsheathed it without looking or stabbing myself in the finger. I was ready to face anything at that moment, mentally ofcourse.


    You can imagine my surprise when I was only met with a small black-red bird creature.


    "A Taillow?" Fay muttered surprised as well and her stance relaxed a bit.


    "Don''t let your guard down," I said as I got up, my voice wasn¡¯t as steady as I wanted. "It might be an illusion or a trap."


    "N-no, this is it, there''s nothing else," Fay analyzed, actually sounding surprised.


    {Confirmed, it''s angry though.} Luna seconded Fay''s statement.


    The Taillow in question was actually very small too, smaller than the ones I had seen in the wild.


    "Tail!" It chirped out aggressively, which wasn''t very scary to be honest. Almost cute even.


    Fay turned one eye at me. "He says he''s going to kill you for what you did."


    I frowned. "You can extract that much information from only that?-Scratch that, ask him what the fuck he''s talking about."


    Taillow clumsily flapped his wings and flew towards us, reminding me of a Torpedo or something.


    A purple ray hit him before he even crossed half the distance and he was tossed back to the ground.


    With great effort the Taillow got back to his two feet. There was a pain present on his face that belonged to someone who had lost everything.


    With the most accusing gaze a bird could have it spat, "Low."


    I looked at Fay.


    "He claims you stole his father."


    I blinked, "I did what?"


    ''Taillow!" The bird turned his eyes on me, anger etched into his face.


    Fay frowned hard. "Are you stupid? That''s ridiculous."


    {Don''t you dare!} Luna''s eyes flared red and a beam hit him square in the face.


    He dropped and his eyes closed, all the energy in his body was suddenly gone.


    "Okay...is he dead? second question. What the fuck?"


    "He appears to be alive," Fay said darkly, "And I think I know what happened."


    She relaxed. "He''s stupid. His father was abducted 2 days ago and he thought it was you." She rolled her eyes. "Like I said, he was clearly out of his mind."


    {Obviously.} Luna sneered.


    "We''re moving now." I said suddenly.


    "Now?" Fay asked surprised, "Why?"


    I shook my head, I was not even going to bother asking why Fay was still so relaxed.


    {We''re leaving.} Luna shrugged, as if the fact I said so was enough of an explanation.


    "I''ll explain along the way. Leave the Taillow alone, he''ll live and keeping him around would bring more trouble than he''s worth."


    Both my Pok¨¦mon seemed to be really pleased by that.


    "Are we in danger?" Fay asked as I began packing my stuff.


    "I think I know what must have happened that night. We should be relatively safe but I''m not taking any chances. We''re heading towards the nearest Pok¨¦mon Center. Right now."


    Without needing any more persuasion Fay and Luna helped me pack my stuff.


    <hr>


    "Dust."


    My eyes snapped open and immediately, I searched for the gun with my left hand and immediately found it. I realized I was no longer camping in my tent and instead inside a building, so shooting blindly wouldn''t be the smartest thing.


    Fay was standing next to my bed, paws hanging in front of her belly in a timid manner.


    "Something wrong?" I asked her, mentally preparing myself for the worst option possible.


    Fay rapidly shook her head, "N-no-no, nothing at all."


    Phew, at least we won''t be having a battle royale inside a Pok¨¦mon Center.


    "Okay¡­" I let out a sigh, "Is there something I can do for you?"


    I really wanted to go back to sleep. Being awake sucks and I was having a trippy dream I wanted to return to.


    You know that feeling.


    "...Canisleephere..."


    I yawned, "Sorry, didn''t catch that."


    Fay avoided my gaze. "Can I sleep on your bed tonight? I am¡­"


    She whispered the last part, "a bit scared."


    I blinked. "Sure¡­"


    My eyes drifted towards Luna who was embracing a pillow in her sleep. I had skillfully managed to move her to the other bed while she was sleeping.


    "Just don''t drool on the bed." I replied sleepily.


    I closed my eyes and fell asleep while Fay was making herself comfortable somewhere on the bed.


    The last thing I heard was Fay whispering; "Thank you."

 53. Storm of Progress

    When people noticed Pok¨¦mon and humans began disappearing, I just smiled. Maybe it wasn''t the nicest thing to do but to think that we had escaped a potentially horrible fate was something worth cheering for.


    Nope, instead of dreading my Pok¨¦min getting snatched, I was happily chilling inside the Pok¨¦mon Center, waiting for the storm also known as ''the Snatchers'' to pass by.


    From what Hylla had told me I gathered that they acted like nomads, never staying in one place for long and always on the move. They simply snatched some Pok¨¦mon, wild or captured ones and left the area.


    They left no evidence and no witnesses.


    They were a mystery because no one knew how they did it and why they did their atrocious acts.


    Hylla theorized that they were gathering Pok¨¦mon for experiments, seeing how randomly the victims were chosen and I was inclined to believe her theory.


    The big question was how they did it.


    They were like a black hole of information. However, recent events cast a new light on their mystery and now I think I know how they did it.


    When I heard the recording, red flags and alarm bells went off in my mind. With the broken and scattered pieces of information I had I tried to structure a scenario in my head. The small Taillow was the final nail in the coffin of their mysteriousness.


    Looking back on it, the answer was stupidly easy and the only reason I didn''t realize it sooner was the abundance of possibilities.


    But I managed to narrow down the conclusion and finally figured out what happened that night.


    The Snatchers, they had to have access to a move or power that functioned like a big Shaker/area of effect move. Having a wide range, probably spherical, with the caster in the middle.


    Everyone inside the hypothetical dome would fall asleep and have their most recent memories erased.


    And when they wake up, they will move on with their day like nothing happened. A perfect strategy, especially if applied during night time. No one will break a sweat if they notice that they slept a bit longer than normal.


    It was an almost perfect crime.


    There was a gap in the timeline between someone actually going missing and people starting to notice it. The beauty of it all was that once they discovered it the Snatchers would be long gone.


    I was unsure if the hypothetical dome was created by a mechanical device or a Pok¨¦mon. It could be even multiple Pok¨¦mon, one boosting the other''s range with a Trump-like move.


    It was the only possibility that fits my reconstruction of the lost memories I have from that night and the missing Pok¨¦mon.


    The biggest mystery to me had been why Pok¨¦mon went missing in that area but we remained unaffected. But now it makes sense, we weren''t the targets.


    We just happened to be caught in their range, either while they were traveling or because they were snatching wildlife.


    It would explain why Fay could detect something weird, considering aura is life energy and sleep inducing Pok¨¦mon moves mess with a person''s entire body or mind.


    My theory had some assumptions and gaps but this was the best one I had so far and the only one that made some sense.


    Which brought me to my next dilemma.


    What to do with this information? Tattle to the police, the League? If someone had this information they could easily counter the Snatchers. Use Pok¨¦mon that are immune to sleep inducing powers or even better. Do a missile strike.


    However, Looker had told me he suspected the League in Sinnoh was to some extent compromised.


    If I were to share this information and it fell into the wrong hands, it would become worthless.


    I considered telling Hylla but she had been taken off the Snatchers case.


    In the end, I decided to do nothing and just chill. It wasn¡¯t my problem to fix it per se, and tattling might put a target on my back. Instead I did the reasonable thing and decided to wait a week and then continue my journey. Sure, the Snatchers were only one small group but I was not going to take any chances. Nope, not at all.


    Of course, I was not sitting still for a week.


    While Fay and Luna were sparring with each other, I was typing away on my laptop while wearing a gleeful smile.


    I had just gotten an email from a company in Unova named: The Dream Company.


    Despite what their name suggested the company was not that big but more like a family business.


    Perfect for what I needed.


    When I came to this world I noticed that a lot of things from my old universe don''t exist in this one, which made sense. It''s a whole new world after all.


    Naturally, I did what every sane person would do in my stead.


    I sold my ideas.


    Obviously, things weren''t that easy, being a nameless person without any funding, background or connections made things unnecessarily complicated.


    The most disappointing difference between my old world and this one was the lack of a developed entertainment industry.


    Sure there were monsters in this world that were slowly tearing away at society but that wasn''t too big of a difference from my old world. Only in this world Pok¨¦mon can be monsters too and the human monsters have more tools to work with.


    But what''s worse was the lack of things that made life worth it.


    Video games, anime, books and movies. All things that made life a bit more interesting, a bit more beautiful.


    Sure this world had its own attempts but they were nothing more than bad copies of what could''ve been. Pyramids to the Empire state building.


    Someone had to step in.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I started small by contacting some companies in other regions and offered them a few simple ideas that could bring in some money and prove my worth as an investment. By most, I couldn''t even get past the spam filter.


    I might have had more luck if I tried in Sinnoh and could show up for the interviews but I really want to avoid attention.


    Only a small business that was producing playing cards in Unova was willing to invent my ideas.


    I couldn''t start too big so I gave them a few simple concepts this world had never heard of.


    Simple board games like Monopoly and Risk and other simple things like Uno and Yahtzee.


    Easy to explain and to produce and most importantly, very simple. So simple I had no trouble remembering all the rules.


    Because it was a big risk for them they refused to pay for the ideas alone and instead we agreed on a contract that gave me a small percent of the profit they made from my ideas. From their perspective, it was a safe bet, if my ideas suck they wouldn''t lose too much money.


    From my perspective, it was straight-up gold.


    All I had to do was to send the game descriptions, rules and basic designs and they took care of everything else.


    It allowed me to stay anonymous as I could actually work with a pseudonym and no one in this world would be any wiser about my whereabouts.


    Who would think that "Blank" the genius game creator in Unova was actually a 17/18 year old from Sinnoh?


    As I read the mail in front of me I couldn''t help but grin widely.


    As it turned out, they just sold out their entire stock and the games I ¡®made¡¯ were a massive hit among families in Unova. They happily announced that they would soon be expanding my products to the other regions as well.


    Some people might claim that it was tasteless of me to make money from someone else''s work and ideas and normally I would wholeheartedly agree with that.


    But I found a perfect loophole for my moral compass.


    Seeing how I am the only person from my old universe in this world it made me automatically the ambassador of my own universe, despite no one knowing it.


    And as the sole representative of my world it was my job to spread my culture and if I happen to make some money off it, so be it.


    And now it was confirmed that my ideas could be very profitable. I really had to look into getting my own company.


    The problem was that I didn''t want to do any of the actual work that being a CEO required, especially since I still had my main quest of ''becoming the very best there ever was'' still going.


    And I want to stay as anonymous as possible, a bit harder than I thought it would be.


    Maybe Hylla could help me take over a company or something, she seemed to be familiar with the laws in this world or at least more than I was.


    I now had to find some competent game developers to recreate actual good games and it would be almost like home.


    I will drag this world into a new era, one way or the other.


    With a heavy sigh, I closed the laptop so I could give some attention to my Pok¨¦mon who definitely deserved some love.


    Luna stood proudly upon a small rock as if she was the queen of the hill. She kept firing ranged attacks at Fay who stood on the other side of the field.


    A rainbow colored beam was thrown towards Fay''s face but before it could hit the small Riolu she raised two shining claws in front of herself, forming a glowing X.


    The beam hit but the damage was absorbed by the claws and Fay was pushed back a little.


    Fay dropped her defense and shot towards Luna with a quick silver burst.


    Luna shot another Psybeam and once again Fay blocked it with Metal Claw.


    Deciding that the boulder was no longer an advantageous position, Luna jumped up and retracted her fist.


    Fay smiled and a weird energy field suddenly covered her body from head to toe.


    Luna came down on Fay and her fist touched Fay''s body, it didn¡¯t work. Luna shimmers out of existence a second after being hit.


    A soft tap on Fay''s left shoulder followed.


    Startled, Fay made a small jump and spun around and was met face to face with the real Luna who was grinning at her like a mad dog.


    "Raaaaltss!" A scream blew Fay away and the soundwaves sent her across the field.


    She landed on the ground and struggled back to her feet, sweat dripping from her head.


    "That was way too hard," Fay spat.


    "Ralts," Luna innocently offered.


    "Very good." I clapped my hands together.


    Both Pok¨¦mon snapped their heads towards me, clearly startled by the fact that I was no longer playing with the laptop.


    I crossed the white boundary line of the field and approached my two Pok¨¦mon.


    "Nice Counter bait," I complimented Fay, "It didn''t work out but Luna''s really tricky to pin down anyway."


    Fay smiled smugly at Luna.


    "And Luna, nice mixup of Meteor Smash and Teleport and Double team, very smart."


    Luna stuck out her tongue.


    I sat down between the two Pok¨¦mon and gestured to them to do the same.


    "However there are some improvements that can be made," I turned to Luna.


    "There''s no need to aim at the face all the time, her feet were unprotected the whole time and striking there would have limited her movement a whole lot. Especially considering she relies on ground movement for most of her attacks."


    I patted Luna on the head, "It''s a good thing to aim for the head but also consider that everyone and their dogs will too, thus it becomes a bit predictable."


    Luna nodded thoughtfully. {Noted, go for the knees too.}


    "What could I have done better?" Fay quickly asked.


    "Ummm," I put my hand on my chin, "You were blocking the Psybeam with your Metal Claw and that could''ve been done better."


    "What?" Fay blinked surprised.


    I drew a line in the sand with my finger and an arrow that pointed towards it.


    "If you block a hit head on, all the force of the attack will be absorbed by your body."


    Another arrow and line were drawn but this time the line was drawn diagonally, "If you deflect it at an angle the force won''t be fully absorbed by you but instead deflected away."


    "Wow," Fay muttered, ''That sounds so weird."


    I scratched my head, "I am not really good at explaining stuff. I myself don''t even understand all the details but-"


    "No, I get it," Fay reassured me, "Blocking takes more energy."


    I nodded, "Yeah, of course, dodging is also an option but you can''t dodge forever."


    Luna smiled brightly and hugged me from the side.


    "So, how''s the team attack coming along? Any progress with Zero Requiem?"


    Fay scowled, "No, Luna keeps getting her timing wrong."


    Luna narrowed her eyes in a glare. {You are too slow.}


    "I am not!" Fay cried out undignified.


    {Yes you are!}


    "I am not!"


    Feeling how I was getting into a fight that had the potential to become an infinite feedback loop I decided to cut it off with a quick distraction.


    "Wait, is that Zapdos I see up there?" I looked up at the sun.


    Both Pok¨¦mon stopped their fight and gazed up.


    "Aaah, it''s just the sun." I smiled, "Anyway, enough training for today don''t you think."


    "Actually I think I am getting very close to mastering Agility." Fay said, "I think I can keep going."


    {Need to improve my aim, go for knees,} Luna insisted. {More practice.}


    I raised an eyebrow. When did they get so competitive?


    Time to play my ultimate ace up my sleeve.


    "Welp, good luck girls, I am getting dinner." I put on the saddest expression. "Seems like I have to sit alone."


    {Training can wait!} Luna leaped towards me and held me tight like she might die if she stopped.


    Fay raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"


    I grinned, "Are you coming or not?"


    She let out a pained sigh. "Fine, I guess I was getting hungry anyway."


    The three of us went back inside the Pok¨¦mon Center.


    As we walked through the white hallway a voice called out to me.


    "Hey Dust!"


    A black-haired boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder ran towards us.


    "Sup?" I greeted him.


    "Don''t think I forgot," he grinned as his energetic eyes met mine, "You still owe me a battle."

 54. Player vs Player

    Ash smiled expectantly at me.


    "Now?" I asked when the silence became too long. "I was just about to eat, besides my Pok¨¦mon are a bit tired.¡±


    Ash turned red and laughed. "Ah, sorry. I was a bit too excited, wasn''t I?"


    "You know this individual?" Fay asked as she stared up at Luna.


    "Oh wow, a Riolu." Ash recognized my new companion and he knelt down to meet Fay on eye level. "Nice to meet you, my name is Ash Ketchum."


    "His Aura is very powerful," Fay said, ignoring Ash''s introduction.


    "Of course he has a powerful Aura," I murmured sarcastically, though I made sure no one heard it.


    "Ralts!" Luna greeted Ash, probably worried about the lack of attention she was getting.


    "Oh hey Ralts!" Ash smiled brightly at Luna. "Good to see you again!"


    "Pikawicka!" Pikachu happily wagged his lightning-shaped tail at Luna. Luna nodded back at the rodent.


    Ash got up and glanced around. He probably just realized we were blocking the hallway of the Pok¨¦mon Centrum. We both opted to move to the main lobby.


    "So, what are you doing here?" Ash asked.


    I shrugged. "I am traveling to Floaroma Town."


    Ash''s eyes widened, a grin spread across his face. "You too? Man the odds, Dawn has an upcoming Contest Battle there so¡­"


    He kept talking so I zoned him out.


    Of course, I already knew he was going to Floaroma town. I had planned it perfectly after all. Still, I pretended to be surprised.


    "Really, damn that''s a coincidence." I feigned surprise, "Talking about Dawn, where are your friends?"


    "Oh, we just arrived, Brock and Dawn are still checking in ."


    He scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to check out the battle arena and then I saw you and got distracted"


    I nodded. "Yes, that sounds like something you''d do."


    "Well, I am going to trai-"


    A loud growl erupted from his stomach.


    "I think I''m going to get something to eat first." Ash groaned.


    I smiled, "Well, you could join me and the girls. We''re about to get something ourselves anyway."


    "That sounds like a good plan, wait! Let me get Dawn and Brock."


    He turned around and went in a random direction, then he realized he was going the wrong direction and turned around. With an embarrassed look on his face, he made his way towards the lobby.


    "His Aura is so big and powerful," Fay whispered in awe.


    "You wouldn''t say," I said sarcastically. I was definitely not jealous, nah ah.


    "Come, let''s find something to eat."


    We left the hallway to find our food.


    The dinner area was very luxurious and gave off this air of peace and warmth.


    It was a very big square room but instead of having a normal ceiling, it had a glass ceiling with vines growing over the glass and creating a rustic nature feeling. Picnic tables were evenly spaced away from each other with colorful flowers planted into the ground. In the center of the room stood a majestic blossom tree that grew towards the glass ceiling.


    I went to the food table and picked something that looked like pasta. As I scooped it up onto my plate Luna went to the desert table and teleported a slice of chocolate cake onto her plate.


    I know I should probably say something about it being unhealthy but I had no idea if it was. Pok¨¦mon had a different metabolism from humans so maybe she could handle it. I dearly hoped there wasn¡¯t a chocolate and dogs situation for Luna.


    Luna hadn''t puked her stomach out so I assumed it was at least safe.


    Fay chose something I didn''t recognize and we picked an empty picnic table to sit down.


    A few minutes later Ash joined the table, holding his own plate, followed by Dawn and Brock.


    "Sup?"


    "Hi Dust, nice seeing you again!" Dawn greeted me with a small smile.


    "Same."


    Dawn''s eyes drifted towards the blue Riolu.


    "Oh is that a Riolu!?" Dawn stared at her, her eyes practically sparkling. "It looks so cute!¡§


    "Why does everyone say that?" Fay scowled at me.


    "Aawww," Dawn practically squealed, unaware of Fay¡¯s dry reply. "It sounds so cute."


    "Her name is Fay," I informed Dawn.


    She sat down and stared adoringly at Fay. "She really looks beautiful."


    Personally, I had no idea why she thought that but Fay seemed to take it in stride.


    "Hey, heard that?" Fay elbowed Luna with a grin.


    This of course diverted Dawn''s attention from Fay towards Luna. "And your Ralts is still looking lovely."


    Luna smiled at Dawn while elbowing Fay back.


    "You have 2 exotic Pok¨¦mon, Dust," Brock complimented, "Both are very rare in Sinnoh."


    "Rare?" I asked. "I know that Riolu are rare but Ralts?"


    "Yes," Brock put his hand on his chin, "I haven''t seen a wild Ralts before in Sinnoh now that I think about. It has something to do about the climate in Sinnoh being too cold for the Gardevoir evolutionary line. Or at least in the wild."


    Luna blushed a little.


    "Huh, weird." I muttered, "Anyway...how have you all been doing?"


    "Aaahh, you know," Ash answered, not at all bothered by the fact he was still chewing on his food. "Adventuring and training with my Pok¨¦mon."


    Ash patted his Pikachu who was eating¡­ ketchup?


    "By the way, I totally beat Roark too!"


    He bit his lip,


    "Although he was really tough to beat, he fought me way harder than he battled you."


    "I think you pissed him off," Dawn told me.


    "Sucks to be him," I rolled my eyes, "But interesting. You Dawn?"


    "Oh, Contest Battling, of course, I am preparing myself for the next one in Floaroma Town." She fixed her eyes on me, "Remember what I said last time about Contest Battles?"


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    I thought back. "Something about me having potential and being very good in them?"


    "I still think that you''d be really good at it," Dawn insisted. "You really should give it a chance, Dust. The way you fought Roark was really eye-catching."


    "What is a contest battle?" Fay asked me.


    I sighed. "Imagine a Pok¨¦mon battle but everything is focused around glamor and shit."


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Dawn shaking her head in a disappointed manner.


    "I can''t believe you," she muttered, then turned to face Fay. "Riolu, Contest Battles are like Pok¨¦mon battles but you get points for how you battle. If you perform a move perfectly or if it''s really eye-catching, or if you do something really outstanding. Instead of it merely being about who wins, it''s all about style and beauty instead."


    "Mmm, it sounds weird but also kind of interesting," Fay mused.


    "Yeah, she''s not impressed." I told Dawn, "My Riolu is trying to become an assassin anyway."


    And that''s how I single handedly managed to kill the conversation.


    I truly have mastered the arts of socializing.


    "So Dust, have you seen the Shine?" Brock asked after a long silence. "I heard it was visible from all over Sinnoh but we were asleep when it happened."


    "Yeah, I saw it, from very close up." I answered mysteriously.


    "Oh, did you see Rayquaza?!" Ash asked excitedly, "I heard it was Rayquaza who caused it."


    "It wasn''t Rayquaza," I answered.


    They waited for me to elaborate but when I didn''t they continued eating in silence.


    "So¡­" I finally asked, "Ash, wanna battle tomorrow morning?"


    Ash gave me a thumbs up.


    <hr>


    "Speech time!" I declared.


    "Why?" Fay deadpanned, "What''s so special about this battle anyway?"


    "This is Ash Ketchum we are going up against," I glanced at the boy in question who was talking to his Pok¨¦mon, loudly deciding who he was going to pick. "He''s a very good trainer, or at least I expect him to be."


    Ash had more Pok¨¦mon he could choose from and more experience, but in the end it came down to his Pikachu.


    {We will win.} Luna shrugged.


    "I don''t know," I shared my doubts. "It really depends on how powerful Pikachu is."


    Fay gave the Pikachu an unimpressed glance. "What''s so special about that rodent anyway?"


    "Don''t underestimate your opponent Fay."


    "Fine." She said unsatisfied.


    I decided to ignore it for now. "Okay, expect Pikachu to use Blaster, Brute and Mover attacks."


    {Noted.} Luna nodded thoughtfully.


    Pikachu is in a lot of ways very versatile, being quite fast but also being able to use long range attacks while also being able to engage in melee combat, a very threatening opponent who seems to have it all. The only thing Pikachu lacked were physical prowess but considering my own Pok¨¦mon were also no powerhouse it wasn''t too much of a disadvantage for him.


    "Hey Dust!" Ash yelled, "I am going with Aipom and Pikachu!"


    The monkey in question did a backflip and waved her hand like a tail at us.


    I got up and gave Ash my best smile. "I choose Fay and Luna."


    "Do you even have any other Pok¨¦mon?" Ash questioned.


    I grinned.


    Brock stood on the sidelines since he offered to be the referee.


    Dawn had spread out a blanket on the grass and had a bowl of popcorn in front of her. A blue penguin sat in her lap and a brown fluffy bipedal bunny-like creature sat next to Dawn, waving shyly at Pikachu, probably cheering him on in Pok¨¦mon language.


    "Fay you want to go first?"


    She nodded with a fiery passion in her eyes. "I will win."


    "Aipom I choose you first!" Ash pointed in front of him


    Aipom made a big leap and landed in front of Ash, smiling like always.


    "Ready you two?" Brock asked.


    "You bet." Ash challenged me.


    "I suppose."


    "Then start now!" Brock swung his arm down.


    "Metal Claw quick~" I yelled.


    "Aipom Swift!" Ash yelled at the same time.


    Fay disappeared in a flash while Aipom shot up in the air, using her tail to launch himself up.


    Mid-air the monkey spun around and her hand-like appendage on the tail glowed yellow. Golden projectiles in the shape of small stars were manifested out of thin air.


    Continuing the motion, Aipom continued her spin and the star-like projectiles shot toward the ground.


    Swift supposedly always hits, or so it does in the games.


    I was really curious to see how it works in real life.


    Fay reappeared out of her Quick attack, her claws tore through the ground as she prepared herself for a second Quick Attack to cross the other half of the field.


    The stars crashed down on Fay like a meteor shower. Despite only having just appeared she was hit straight in the face, like Aipom knew where she would reappear and had the precision of a sniper.


    Fay let out a small whimper.


    "Catch her landing!" I yelled.


    Fay nodded and used Quick Attack once again. Luckily Swift wasn''t as damaging as it looked but still, it would wear her down.


    How does Swift work? And more importantly, how can it be countered?


    Was some form of short-range combat precognition involved? Aipom had fired the Swift stars before Fay appeared out of her Quick Attack, there was no real way to determine where she would reappear.


    Were those stars bending space to always hit? No, unlikely. They traveled in a straight line towards Fay.


    Ash grinned, "Aipom, use Swift again on your way down. Keep her at a distance!"


    "Fay retreat with another Quick Attack, brace yourself!"


    Aipom fell down in a spinning motion, her tail magically lit up and a burst of stars shot towards Fay.


    Once again Fay was hit by the Swift the moment she got out of her Quick Attack.


    "Okay, I got it." I reassured Fay, finally having figured out how Swift functioned.


    Swift always hits because the move is aimed at an opponent''s future position, meaning it can''t be dodged since every attempt to dodge it will be part of the mechanic that predicts where to strike.


    It was a lot like Future Sight now I think about it. It did raise some questions about free will and other shit I wasn¡¯t willing to spend time thinking on right now.


    "Charge at Aipom now!"


    Fay grimaced and ran towards Aipom who safely landed back on her feet.


    "Swift!" Ash yelled, apparently believing he could keep Fay away with projectiles and having no issues with spamming moves.


    Aipom swung her tail and shimmering stars shot in a straight line towards Fay.


    Dodging would be useless, that left the other option.


    "Metal Claw in front of you, four swipes!" I countered.


    Fay kept running but a pair of shining claws appeared on her paws. Without slowing down she slashed the air in front of her. Striking with the left, then with her right paw.


    Every swipe caused the stars to be deflected away from Fay, making them nothing but a nuisance.


    Aipom took a step back in surprise. "Aipom!"


    "She broke through." Dawn gasped from the side lines.


    I shook my head, honestly it was just my inexperience with Swift that made it a roadblock. Now that I know how it works, I can work around its properties easily.


    "Doesn''t matter, Aipom, use Focus Punch!"


    Aipom steadied her stance and retraced her tail. The hand on her tail started to give off a faint blue glow, ready to strike once Fay was in range, and there was no doubt that Aipom''s tail had more range than Fay''s Metal Claw.


    "Spin attack!"


    Fay shot forward, using Quick Attack to give her extra momentum.


    Once she had gotten her momentum she canceled the blur of Quick Attack and instead dug one of her feet into the ground while her other feet scraped over the ground in a circular motion.


    Like the ground had turned into ice, Fay slid towards Aipom while spinning around her own axis.


    Once she was close enough she kicked her feet up and launched a barrage of dirt and sand towards Aipom''s face.


    For a brief moment Fay was in an almost ballerina-like position, one foot on the ground and the other airborne at a 60 degree angle.


    Aipom staggered backwards to avoid the sand and shut her eyes instinctively.


    And then Fay continued her spin like motion towards Aipom but this time sharp claws extended outwards and flaring with power.


    As she passed the briefly blinded Aipom, she scratched him while still spinning rapidly, going fast enough to leave silver streaks in the air.


    "Behind you, Mega Punch!" Ash cried out.


    "Now!" I grinned.


    Fay mirrored my grin.


    Without looking, Aipom turned around and her tail flowed towards Fay. There was no technique behind the move, just trying to get Fay off her and having the power to do so.


    The Pok¨¦mon in question stopped her spin and shielded herself.


    A translucent layer covered Fay''s body just as Aipom''s attack connected. The energy field stopped Aipom''s attack dead in its tracks, locking both of them in place for a brief second.


    Then Fay glowed fiercely and an invisible force tossed Aipom to the middle of the battlefield. The energy field surrounding Fay''s body dissipated and she chased after the monkey that was twirling through the air.


    "Aipom, use Swift!"


    "Quick Attack!"


    Before Aipom could even start the attack Fay crashed into her with overwhelming impact.


    Aipom fell down to earth and created a small crater in the process.


    Fay landed on her two feet and carefully eyed Aipom for any signs of danger.


    When it was clear that Aipom was out of it Brock raised his Arm. "Aipom is unable to battle."


    Ash stared at Aipom.


    "Come on, let''s go for round 2,." I smiled at Ash.


    "Pika!"


    Pikachu looked at me and small sparks of electricity jumped around his red cheeks.


    Ash wordlessly recalled Aipom. "Thank you for your efforts."


    To my surprise, Ash returned my smile with one of his own. "Don''t think this battle is over, now it''s Pikachu''s turn."


    "I can''t wait."

 55. Creature of the Volts

    Ash and I were having an epic stare down.


    The first one to look away would show weakness and would lose the staring contest. I had no idea why we were doing that but he started it and I wasn''t about to back down.


    "You and Fay are really good together, very impressive." Ash complimented me.


    "Thanks, you were also doing great, really had me in a pinch."


    "What can I say, I love battling."


    Dawn yawned from the sidelines, "Can you two continue already?"


    "Fine," Ash sighed as he shot me an apologetic shrug.


    "I suppose."


    Clearly, Dawn did not understand the true value of trash talking during a match.


    Ash looked away.


    I won. I won! I drew my gaze away from Ash and turned to look at Fay. "Can you still carry on?"


    "I can," Fay replied, she tried to sound strong but I doubted she could last much longer.


    "Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash pointed at the battlefield.


    Pikachu stepped forward onto the battlefield, walking on all fours, holding his tail high and his eyes fixed on Fay.


    Above us dark clouds gathered, the air buzzed with energy and I could feel the air grow static.


    "Fay stay in there." I said dryly, not entirely sure how to reply to the iconic line.


    "Go!" Brock shouted.


    "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"


    Pikachu ran towards Fay faster than any Pok¨¦mon we had battled before. It was as if lightning zipped across the ground.


    "Counter!"


    Fay put her hands in front of her body but before she could activate her Counter Pikachu slammed into her.


    Damn that rodent was fast. He had been too fast to even react to properly.


    "Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, determined to continue his attack.


    "Metal Claw!"


    Pikachu spun around in the air and his tail began to glow. He brought it down on Fay in a downward arc.


    Before it could hit her Fay slid underneath Pikachu and hit him in the back with a series of slashes.


    "Hit the ground!" Ash yelled. "Follow it up with an Electro Ball!"


    I saw Pikachu grit his teeth as Fay hit him. His tail kept glowing and he continued the downwards swing of the tail.


    His tail slammed down on the ground.


    The earth exploded, large chunks of solid rock were thrown up into the sky by the sheer force of his tail. Both Pikachu and Fay were launched alongside the shattered ground by the blast. I couldn''t help but let out a small curse.


    While it may seem like Pikachu''s attack had put both Pok¨¦mon on even footing, flung into the air, it was the opposite of true.


    Pikachu still had attacks that could be used in the air while Fay was practically helpless in this state. She had no ranged attacks and none of her moves could help her land or affect her own trajectory on the way down.


    She was very vulnerable.


    Quick Attack could only be used if Fay stood on solid ground while activating it, right now Fay couldn''t even defend herself properly.


    Pikachu twisted his body so he was facing Fay and revealed a large orb of lightning that had been generated on the tip of his tail.


    "Try to use Metal Claw to defend yourself!" I weakly offered a countermove while knowing it was futile.


    "Pika-chu!" he shouted as he launched the orb towards Fay. It crackled with energy as it traveled towards her.


    The sphere connected and Fay let out a cry as she was consumed by the lightning.


    Her entire body spasmed and I saw her eyes roll back.


    The flashes dissipated a second later.


    Everything Pikachu had blasted into the sky fell down, including the two Pok¨¦mon.


    Pikachu managed to land on all fours while earth rained down around him. Before Fay could hit the ground I recalled her, already seeing that she wasn''t going to battle anymore.


    She was consumed by the beam of the Pok¨¦ball just as she was about to hit the ground.


    I glanced at the Pok¨¦ball in my hand.


    Briefly I considered saying she shouldn''t have underestimated Pikachu but to be honest there was nothing Fay could have done better, based on the lack of moves she had she did everything she could.


    "Take a good nap, you deserve it." I shrunk the Pok¨¦ball and pocketed it.


    {Don''t worry.} Luna smiled at me, {I can win for you.}


    We shared a short nod before Luna stepped over the line and entered the battle.


    "Ready Ash?" I asked him.


    "You bet." He replied excitedly.


    "Okay Luna, this will be the day we waited for. Don''t hesitate and victory will be ours!"


    "Ralts!" Luna slammed her two hands together and sent a challenging look at Pikachu.


    "Pikachu, give it all you got!" Ash balled his fist, "Full force Volt Tackle!"


    And it seems that Ash wants to go all out from the start. Fine by me.


    Pikachu began to run towards Luna, first slowly but he became faster with every step.


    Electricity began to light up every step he took and he left behind a long trail of electricity. The lightning Pikachu generated began to sparkle around his body in big arcs, lashing out violently with big sparks striking near him while the creature kept picking up speed.


    I had seen it in the anime and in the Detective Pikachu movie and it was supposedly his strongest attack, or the strongest attack any Pikachu could learn and I was eager to see it with my own eyes.


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    And as it turns out, it wasn''t like in the anime at all.


    God was it a monstrous attack.


    Pikachu wasn''t just leaving behind a trail of lightning, he became lightning.


    An entire funnel of black clouds and huge flashing white arcs trailed behind Pikachu, engulfing the small Pok¨¦mon partly.


    It was like Pikachu was running away from a storm front, but he wasn¡¯t, he had become the literal eye of the storm.


    The size of the storm trailing behind Pikachu was nothing to scoff at. The storm clouds had big flashes of lightning shooting out of the storm funnel, striking all around Pikachu seemingly at random, making half of the battlefield too dangerous to teleport to and the air above a certain death sentence.


    Pikachu had become a literal storm that was charging towards us and I could tell with one glance that there would be no shelter for this storm.


    Yeah, I might have underestimated the situation a bit more than I thought.


    "Blockade," I told Luna.


    I had prepared a special counter plan for this single attack but it was rather resource intensive, not finished yet and definitely not safe.


    But it was the only way to escape Pikachu''s Volt Tackle, seeing there was no spot to teleport to except above and that would only result in Luna electrocuting herself immediately.


    How do you even fight a living storm front? Attack it head on? Pikachu was engulfed in lighting himself, it would be like trying to stop a charging train. There was nowhere to flee too.


    There was only one solution to stop an unstoppable force.


    Luna glanced back at me to give me a confident smile before turning to face the rampaging Pikachu.


    She pointed her finger at him. There was no fear on her face, despite the fact that he was very close to striking her.


    A second later the ground underneath Pikachu disappeared.


    A perfect square of ground had been teleported out of the ground and reappeared in front of Luna, forming a small but thick wall of earth to defend herself.


    Pikachu let out a surprised cry as gravity suddenly tried to pull him down. To my horror however, Pikachu didn''t fall, instead his momentum carried him over the hole and somehow managed to bridge the gap, walking on fucking lightning


    Next moment Pikachu slammed into a wall of earth and stone.


    It didn''t stop him.


    Pikachu kept running into the wall like he was running on top of a treadmill, his head butting into the wall.


    The storm behind Pikachu increased in intensity and electricity began to drill into the blockade.


    Cracks began to form and Luna took a hesitant step back.


    "Disarming Voice now!" I said, dismissing the last step of blockade, seeing how it simply wouldn''t hold up.


    Luna opened her mouth and unleashed a scream on the wall.


    It shattered under the force of soundwaves and electricity and for a brief moment, all the pieces were thrown towards Pikachu.


    The storm was stopped for a brief moment under the constant pressure of the scream.


    "Chu!"


    Pikachu broke through.


    A white flash followed and a spearhead of electricity tore into Luna.


    Before she could even let out a proper cry of pain, the entire storm behind Pikachu flowed forward like water released from a dam and submerged Luna into a sea of ash black clouds.


    It began to funnel around her and white flashes traveled through the inky black clouds.


    The entire storm dicharged all at one on Luna with a blinding flash.


    All the energy turned into a spire of blue lightning that shot up into the sky with Luna at the base of the beam.


    It was like the Shine had been in Jubilife City but a smaller version.


    A loud thunderous roar crashed into my ears and I physically faltered as I felt the shockwave rattle my bones.


    It lasted a total of three seconds before it completely disappeared, leaving no trace of the storm. All that was left was a deep crater with a small humanoid in the middle of it. Black scorched earth surrounded Luna, she was still smoking from the heat.


    I could only stare in surprise and pure shock.


    "Ash wins." Brock called out when neither I nor Ash spoke.


    Pikachu walked towards Luna and stared at her, he softly poked her cheek. "Pika?"


    I had no idea what to say.


    Ash must have seen the shock on my face.


    "Sorry," Ash muttered, looking at his feet. He began muttering apologies. "I think we got a bit too excited. When I saw your battle in Oreburgh City I assumed Ralts could take a Volt Tackle."


    I swallowed hard. "No, it''s cool."


    I didn''t expect to win, but this was vastly different from what I had imagined it to be. I had imagined a long battle in which Ash and I fought at our best, trying to counter each other at every turn.


    A true battle of the minds.


    But this was not a battle.


    This had been a one hit KO for Luna, an inevitable loss.


    A battle we had lost from the first move.


    "For what it''s worth," Ash looked me in the eyes and shot me a small smile. "Your Pok¨¦mon did really well. Don''t forget that Pikachu and I have been training for years and even competed in Leagues."


    "He is right you know," Brock offered, "Ash''s Pikachu is exceptionally strong, he had him for a very long time. Usually he holds back his strongest moves."


    I nodded, not feeling better about it in the slightest.


    Call it arrogance but I expected better from myself, it wasn''t a rational thought but still.


    "You are still a rookie trainer," Dawn offered.


    "Thanks Dawn," I said sarcastically. Although she was right, it wasn''t fun to hear it.


    "Yet Ash and Pikachu battled you at full strength," Dawn continued. "He thought you could take it, he may be dense but he does understand battling."


    "I''m not dense." Ash muttered, "But Dawn is right, I think you are already a great trainer. And I met a lot of people and Pok¨¦mon from all over the world. You battle on a whole other level, despite only having 2 very young Pok¨¦mon."


    "Pikachu." Pikachu stared up at me, he stood on 4 legs and held Luna on his back. He must have carried her out of the crater while Ash was still talking.


    Pikachu lowered his back and carefully put Luna down.


    I knelt down and cradled the small psychic in my arms, of course her heart was still beating. It would take a whole lot more to kill a Pok¨¦mon in battle but she had scared the shit out of me.


    "You''re right, Luna is weak."


    "That''s not what I am saying." Ash narrowed his eyes.


    "Fay is weak," I almost felt her Pok¨¦ball burning in my pocket. I let out a dry laugh.


    "I am weak! I mean, what did I think? I only started my journey and I don''t even know most Pok¨¦mon moves and strategies." I fixed my gaze on Ash. "But don''t think that will stop me."


    A promise had been made by me, to make Luna the strongest she could be.


    I felt worn out. Seeing such a crushing defeat made me feel empty, I had a mountain to climb that was far higher than I thought.


    "I won''t stop, nor will Fay or Luna. We will keep going, despite the fact that we are weak. No, because we are weak.¡± Without thinking about it the words kept coming. ¡°We cannot afford to stay still, we have to play harder and dirtier, smarter and meaner. I owe it to them to do everything in my power to help them. It''s a promise, don''t think I''ve been defeated Ash. This is just the start."


    Ash smiled.


    "You won the battle but I will win the war."


    "I''ll keep you to that," he answered.


    "Pika." Pikachu wagged his tail in excitement.


    I nodded sternly, not feeling happy but definitely feeling determined and motivated.


    "Let''s get you healed," I told Luna.


    We left the devastated battlefield behind.


    <hr>


    "Quite the speech." Fay didn''t look at me as she spoke, instead she was watching the sleeping Ralts.


    Luna needed, according to the nurse, a good night''s rest to recover. She had tried to stay awake after the nurse patched her up but her tiny body couldn''t handle the tiredness and she had crashed down.


    "You heard it?" I looked up from the laptop, surprised to see Fay start a conversation.


    "Every word."


    Now that made me feel awkward.


    "Look," I began, hoping I could explain my sudden emotional declaration but Fay cut me off.


    "Did you mean what you said?" Fay asked.


    Her eyes changed from red to blue.


    "Every word," I replied.


    Fay nodded and put her head down on the pillow, "I think Luna heard what you said too."


    Again I had no idea what to say.


    "Your speech must have done something right, her aura is stronger than before. It¡¯s almost overflowing from her body."


    I glanced at Luna, personally nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.


    ''My aura also increased in intensity, Fay revealed.


    "Well, that''s possible. I think Pok¨¦mon get stronger through hardships and the two of you did lose."


    Fay closed her eyes. "I think it''s because of you. Because of what you said."


    I sniffed. "Nah, as I said, high stress correlates to a Pok¨¦mon''s strength. I am pretty sure it''s something like that."


    "I don''t think it''s just the battle," Fay shared. "It''s not the experience alone that made her stronger, nor is it all the training. I think it''s because of you."


    I yawned, "Still don''t get it. I refuse to believe in friendship magic and all that kind of bullshit logic."


    Fay stayed silent for a long time and I had the feeling I said something wrong.


    "You might not believe in it, but others might," Fay said quietly.


    I stayed silent.

 56. Fire Starter

    Brock shook his head in disappointment while Ash and Dawn were giggling.


    "I can''t believe you." He said it as if he had witnessed the worst thing ever.


    I shrugged. "If she likes it."


    "It''s not healthy, you are not supposed to feed Ralts chips." Brock scolded me.


    "Potato chips, big difference," I corrected him, just to be petty. No idea if there was an actual difference.


    Luna continued eating her potato chips, pretending she wasn''t hearing the conversation but her small red eyes betrayed her as they darted between me and Brock.


    The hill we sat on was quite nice and I had to say it was the perfect spot for a picnic, the tree line that surrounded it cast enough shade for those who preferred the shadows yet it wasn''t covering the entirety of the hill which was quite nice for the sun lovers.


    "Ash, hand me my backpack," Brock commanded sternly.


    While trying to suppress his smile Ash leaned back to grab Brock''s large backpack and swung it towards him.


    Brock caught it and opened it with a confident smile. "Wait, I will show you what true cooking skills are!"


    "Don''t worry," Ash said, "My Pikachu eats ketchup, cheap onion flavored chips are not that weird compared to that."


    "Pika!" The yellow mouse happily cheered as he held onto a bottle with red liquid.


    "It''s not healthy." Brock muttered, "I''ve been trying to explain that for years."


    "Piplup loves soap," Dawn suddenly shared.


    That made everyone shut up.


    "Blue girl says what?" I blinked.


    "What?" Dawn shook her head before explaining. "Piplup used to eat soap, or tried to at least."


    "Wow, it seems like Dawn wins the game," Ash laughed.


    "Yeah, what the fuck."


    Brock coughed, "That does not excuse a bad diet. There are Pok¨¦blocks for every kind of Pok¨¦mon an-"


    "Hey, does Fay eat anything weird?" Dawn asked, interrupting Brock.


    I glanced at Fay who was playing with Turtwig and Pachirisu. Though saying she was playing was a stretch.


    She seemed to be terrified by their attempts to socialize with her. They wanted to play some form of tag with her but Fay was not nearly as enthusiastic. If it came to socializing Fay might be worse than me.


    It was very cute to see her struggle with other Pok¨¦mon around her age.


    "Nah," I said, "Fay never really complains about food nor does she really have a preference."


    {Danger!}


    I quickly turned around towards the trees or something.


    Luna suddenly spun around and stood straight.


    Without any warning, she fired a psybeam towards the tree line.


    To my surprise, I heard a male voice shout "Aaah!" ¡¯as the laser dissipated.


    In an instant I dove towards my backpack which held my weapons but once I heard the scream I stopped.


    It sounded vaguely familiar.


    Luna''s eyes narrowed and she started glaring at the bushes.


    The Pok¨¦mon stopped playing their game and looked up to see what the commotion was about.


    "That''s cheating!" A woman''s voice cried out undignified. Two people stepped out of the bushes, both wearing white uniforms with a big red R on it.


    The woman pointed her finger at me, accusingly. "And who are you to interfere with our plan?"


    Her hair was long and had a purple shade but unlike Chelsea''s or Hylla''s it was more on the red side.


    The guy next to her had blue hair that made a surprisingly good combo with his flashy green eyes. He was really pretty, in a super model way almost, but not quite.


    In front of the pair stood a catlike creature, standing on two legs.


    Dafuq?


    "Who the hell are you?" I countered.


    "No, don''t!" Ash cried out but it was too late.


    A grin formed on the woman''s face.


    "Listen, is that a voice I hear?"


    Ash gave me a defeated look.


    The blue haired man opened his mouth and spoke with pride. "It''s speaking to me loud and clear."


    "On the wind!"


    "Past the st-"


    Before he could finish his line Fay suddenly appeared in front of his face.


    Just in time, the guy took a step back, a silver flash followed and a blue hair strand fell down.


    Fay landed but her two claws didn''t disappear. She bowed her knees and readied herself for another swipe.


    "Fay don''t!" Ash cried out.


    "And why should I listen to you?" Fay shot a hostile look at Ash.


    Personally, I thought it was unwise of her to take her eyes off the opponent but it warmed my heart that she said that.


    "Ah, retreat!" the cat Pok¨¦mon cried out.


    "Fay, stand down!" I yelled.


    The three Team Rocket members turned around and dashed away, straight through the bushes, and to be honest they were surprisingly fast.


    Fay turned around to give me a questioning look. I for my part turned to Ash, "What the fuck Ash?"


    He scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed. "They''re Jessie and James, they''re from Team Rocket."


    I already knew that but why was no one stressing and panicking? Team Rocket was a known threat in this world.


    "No, like shit the R didn''t explain it."


    "Should I follow them?" Fay asked, sharpening her claws.


    "No," Both Ash and I said at the same time, despite Ash not being able to understand Fay, her tone of voice was telling enough.


    "Explain." I insisted.


    "Fine," Ash groaned. "They try to steal my Pikachu."


    The way he said it made it sound like it was nothing more than a casual Monday for him. "They have been trying to do that for years."


    "And you are so relaxed because?"


    He gave me a small chuckle, "Calm down Dust, it''s just a silly game they''re playing. Jessie and James always try to steal Pikachu."


    He looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to get it. I didn''t.


    "You really don''t have to worry about them," Brock reassured me. "The pair challenges Ash every now and then, they lay traps to catch Pikachu. Sometimes they succeed but mostly not. It''s a game between them, once they actually get Pikachu they usually let him slip away anyway."


    Dawn nodded, "It sounds weird, I get it, but after traveling with Ash and Brock for a while, I see they kind of don''t hurt anyone at all."


    "A game?" Fay asked.


    {Funny, I guess?} Luna thought out loud.


    Ash gave me a smile. "It is really fun sometimes and it helps me bond with my Pokemon and they always give me a free workout."


    I slowly nodded. "Okay, two grown-ups have been stealing your Pok¨¦mon since forever and you don''t give a damn because it''s all for shits and giggles. You are aware of how crazy this sounds?"


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "It is all part of the adventure," he replied confidently.


    "Talking about Pikachu, where is he?" Dawn interrupted us.


    Ash spun around and stared wide-eyed at the empty spot at the grass. "What!? But when?"


    He sighed and looked at me. He rolled his eyes. "Guess I''ll have to go look now, want to help Dust?"


    "I guess," I muttered, still feeling confused as heck.


    He smiled brightly. "Amazing, now let''s see if you can break my record!"


    <hr>


    Turns out finding the yellow mouse wasn''t that hard, nor was freeing him a big issue.


    We found Pikachu in a wooden cage that he could have broken out of if he only bumped his head hard enough but when we arrived he was just taking a nap.


    Ash had a short battle with Team Rocket and they fled once their Pok¨¦mon got knocked out, though I had to admit that their battling skill was certainly better than in the anime.


    From the look on their faces, they were definitely enjoying themselves, even as Ash finally swept the battle with a big Thunder.


    They even swore to come back while they fled the scene with a smoke bomb like they were some kind of comic book villain.


    It confused the hell out of me and left me wanting to know more.


    I waited until it was dark outside and made a video call.


    "Oh, it''s you," a woman''s voice came through the speaker.


    Red letters on the screen told me that a video call was not possible and that it was audio only.


    "Sup Hylla." I said as I plugged in my earphones.


    Hylla sighed.


    It was a deep sigh, not one of annoyance or tiredness but of resignation. "What do you need, Mister Wildfire?"


    I raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"


    Her voice was cold and without kindness.


    "You only call me when you need something, information or my assistance," Hylla continued with a flat tone.


    As she said that I felt myself flush. She was completely right about it and it made me feel like I was a bad person, not that I wasn''t one, but I tried to be better at least.


    I really only called her when I needed something, still I could at least try to defend myself.


    "Well, you could call me for once," I retorted, not willing to admit she had been right.


    "Cut to the chase Dust." She sounded really tired.


    Something was definitely not alright, normally Hylla loved to play with formalities and words and act all knowingly. Today she was the opposite, no cheeky smiles or grins.


    Driven by my guilt that I was indeed only calling her when I needed something I decided to ask her how she was doing, it was the least effort I could take.


    "What''s wrong Hylla? Something is off."


    She let out a long sigh, "It''s a rough night for me, thank you for asking." The last part was said sarcastically.


    I ignored it and continued the conversation. "Is it something with your work?"


    "You could say that yes," she replied with fake calmness.


    "You want to tell me about it?" I asked. People love telling others about their problems, misery loves company after all.


    "It is classified." Hylla answered.


    "Okay¡­"


    "But it''s not like you are going to tattle," Hylla continued, "Right?"


    "Duh," I gazed up at the starry night sky above me and stifled a yawn. "Come on, you can tell me."


    "Fine," she huffed, "Have you heard about the Fangs?"


    "Yeah, aren''t they a pack of dog Pok¨¦mon?"


    "Canine," Hylla corrected me, "I assume you know them, they''re labeled as a C level threat. You heard about them?"


    "Chelsea told me about them," I admitted.


    "Good," she sounded relieved. "So you know what they do?"


    I swallowed, "yeah, they eat humans right?"


    "Really a nasty bunch," Hylla murmured. "They strike in isolated communities, hold a feast and then move on towards their next target. Originally they came from Kanto but they moved to Sinnoh recently, and guess who was to deal with them?"


    She was starting to sound agitated.


    "You?" I guessed.


    "Yes, me!" Hylla spat, "It is my job to take out an entire pack of flesh-eating Pok¨¦mon; on my own!"


    She was definitely angry.


    "You''re not getting any help?" She had told me she mostly did the planning and scheming jobs for the League, maybe that had changed?


    "The League is not giving me any useful assistance, so now it''s up to me to solve this. Despite that, I still did manage to track them down and find a way to get rid of them."


    "Of course you did." I rolled my eyes. "So, you''re gonna battle them?"


    Hylla didn''t answer and I began to wonder if the audio had bugged out.


    "No." Hylla answered with a low voice, "I am not going to battle them."


    "Why not?"


    ¡°My Pok¨¦mon are good, but not that good. And the Fangs outnumber me. Fighting them would be a last resort for me.¡±


    I took the bait ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡±


    "This afternoon 6 people died in a traffic accident."


    I stayed silent but Hylla continued anyway.


    "I got access to their bodies and stored them in an empty warehouse near the main river, the Fangs already know the bodies are there."


    I could see where this story was going. "It''s a trap, isn''t it? You''re waiting for them to get inside."


    "Indeed, the smell of human bodies is irresistible for the Fang members, they''ll come. They can not resist their instinct."


    Hylla sounded disheartened instead of smug despite the fact that her plan sounded pretty solid.


    "What''s the problem?" I asked.


    "Ever seen a Pok¨¦mon burn to death?" Hylla suddenly asked.


    "What!?"


    "You haven''t, of course," Hylla whispered. Her voice cracked a little. "It''s very painful, did you know that? Their body goes into a battle mode which heightens their senses and defensive powers. However when they''re being burned it works against them, it allows them to feel more intense pain for a longer period of time."


    As Hylla kept talking I couldn''t help but listen, despite what she was saying.


    "Some say it''s the worst death a Pok¨¦mon can experience and right now the warehouse is set up to become unbreachable once the Fangs start their feast, once the fire rises they won''t be able to escape, I checked, none of their members is strong enough to penetrate the forcefield."


    "I still don''t get it," she must have heard the confusion in my voice. "Isn''t that what they kind of deserve?" It sounded like very basic karma to me.


    "You''ve never seen a Pok¨¦mon die in a fire," Hylla said with a broken voice. "It doesn''t matter who you were before or if you are a Pok¨¦mon or human. Once you realize there is no escape, everyone is equally horrified. The look in their eyes, it''s the same for everyone and then they try to scream and they all scream the same."


    I had no idea what to say, my original idea of it being justice was somewhat tarnished. What Hylla just said made me want to stop the call and hang up but at the same time, I couldn''t.


    "I have to light the fire." Hylla continued, her voice sounding dead. "It''s for the best of all of us, still, to bring such horror upon another being."


    I understood the dilemma immediately.


    It was a social dilemma; everyone wants the bad guy to get punished but no one wants to pull the trigger themselves.


    There is this widespread, yet not talked about idea in my old universe that some people don''t deserve the death sentence but something worse.


    I knew people who thought that myself but at the same time, none of those people wanted to do those horrific acts.


    A bit hypocritical, yet human nature at its finest.


    "I''m sorry." The words felt hollow. A star blinked above me. "It''s a cruel world."


    "Tonight I have to stay close to the fire, in case one of them somehow manages to escape. So you can understand why I feel a bit, ''unhinged''"


    "Yes, I''m sorry," I said, again my words fell empty. While I was here camping with 2 adorable Pok¨¦mon, Hylla was dealing with the rot in the world.


    After a painful silence, Hylla began talking again. "Anyway...now that''s off my chest, what did you want to talk about?"


    "Nothing," I replied.


    "Come on, you can tell me," Hylla urged me to go on with a sense of intensity in her voice. "While I''m waiting I need something to put my mind off the job."


    I sighed, "Well, if you insist. Today I encountered Team Rocket, but I am not sure what to think."


    "Again?" Hylla said surprised. "Well, what happened?"


    "Well, these guys introduced themselves as Jessie and James and their goal was to capture someone''s Pikachu. Just a Pikachu? Not even for ransom or anything."


    "Oh, these two, yeah. They are in Sinnoh." Hylla sounded somewhat amused. "You encountered them today?"


    "Yes, I was with this boy named Ash-"


    "Ketchum," she finished, "Yes I heard about them, they follow him and try to steal his Pikachu right?"


    "Correct, what the fuck is up with them?"


    I could almost hear the all-knowing smirk return. "Well, they are what the League labels as an F level threat."


    "F exists?" I was completely surprised, I had never read or heard about such a thing.


    "Indeed, there are 2 invisible threat levels that aren''t available to anyone outside the League, level X and F. The 2 you just met and their Meowth are officially labeled as an F level. Funny isn''t it?"


    "You''re kidding me right?"


    "Nope, they exist but are rarely ever mentioned publicly, that''s because the League has a policy to ignore most F level threats and either leave them to the locals or straight up deny their existence."


    She knew damn well that she wasn''t giving me any information.


    "Okay, I take the bait. What is an F level threat?"


    "Well, if you really want to know," Hylla answered with a slightly teasing tone, "F level threats are threats that are actually beneficial to the League, they aren''t given an official rating or mention. Instead, they are left alone. Though closely monitored, think about Team Skull and Team Mockery or the Masked Roserade."


    I had heard their names before, though they were never really dealt with. "How are they beneficial?"


    "Well, take the pair you met today, they are a bit silly wouldn''t you say? All their crimes are relatively small and they rarely ever have victims. Can you imagine how that reflects to the public?"


    "That a bunch of idiots are running around?"


    "Exactly!" Hylla agreed, "And despite all of that they get a lot of attention from the news. Isn''t that perfect for the League?"


    "Still not getting what you mean."


    "For some reason, they are content with very petty crimes that at the same time get a lot of news coverage, that''s the image the League wants people to have when they think about criminals. If the League wanted to they could get rid of them any moment they want and the people instinctively know that. Now compare that with the Fangs who are a pain to get rid of, who do you think the League wants the media to focus on?"


    "It''s all about PR and image," I concluded, "do they know that?"


    "It''s about keeping the people calm," Hylla retorted. "As for Jessie and James, I personally have no idea why they do what they do, but as long as they play ball they won''t be in big trouble."


    I was about to say something when Hylla suddenly hissed. "Oh shit, they arrived."


    "Okay, then I''ll end the call her-"


    "Actually," Hylla said just as I was about to press the button to end the call. "Could you please hang on a little bit longer¡­"


    "You need my help?" I was confused, it wasn''t like I would be anything besides a distraction.


    "Please, I don''t want to be alone right now."


    I could hear movement in the background and the sound of Hylla''s footsteps echoeing were audible.


    Was she for real? She sounded genuine.


    Did she really just ask me to listen in on her burning a group of Pok¨¦mon alive?


    I wanted to scream, tell her she was insane and that it was her problem, but I couldn''t.


    "It won''t last longer than 10 minutes," Hylla whispered, her voice shaking.


    "Alright, not a problem at all." I lied.


    The call went on and I just kept staring at the screen as Hylla did her job.


    I think she noticed that I muted her and enabled transcription mode, though she didn''t say anything about it.


    I didn''t get to hear the screams of pain and agony that night.


    Only in my dreams.

 57. Monster

    "Fay, use Metal Dance again, Luna use Gaia Shield to block it!"


    The blue Riolu nodded and turned to face her opponent, a small white psychic Pok¨¦mon who was watching her with laserfocus.


    Two pairs of red eyes glared at each other, both fighters were determined not to be outdone by the other.


    Fay ran towards Luna with a speed faster than before, she slightly glowed white as she ran but the light didn''t completely envelop her like Quick Attack does, instead it glowed faintly around her two feet and flickered with every step Fay took.


    Luna''s eyes glowed red as Fay got close enough to become a threat.


    Fay made a small jump upwards and spun around in the air while still keeping her momentum.


    Claws flashed to life on all her four limbs and in the process, she slashed at Luna using her feet. Before it could connect a big lump of earth appeared in its path.


    Deep scratch marks were left into the rock before it dropped to the ground as gravity finally caught up with the teleported objects.


    Fay landed and slashed in front of herself with her left hand, again making a spin as she always did.


    All the while, Agility was enhancing her speed and Fay''s swipes left glowing white streaks in front of her like ghostly after images.


    The attack was blocked again, this time by a big heap of sand that appeared in front of Luna just in time to block it. The dance continued and Fay was relentlessly bullying Luna''s defenses with quick swipes in front of her, giving Luna no other option than to keep her guard up.


    Agility allowed Metal Claw to be a little bit faster but only if Fay used it on her arms. Agility was a strange move like that.


    She had picked up Agility after our battle with Ash and with a little experimentation we figured out how it kind of functioned. It doesn''t make a Pok¨¦mon faster per se, which the name implied. Agility could make a Pok¨¦mon run faster but only while Agility was active, basically making it a temporary status effect that required active usage of the skill. Ash had shown how his Pikachu used the attack.


    The yellow mouse used Agility to quickly move around his opponent, shooting between positions with short bursts of enhanced speed.


    Ash thought it was simply making a Pok¨¦mon faster but I disagreed. Barry''s Staravia had used Agility in a similar way to Ash''s Pikachu but while being in the air Staravia didn''t flap her wings more often yet she moved across the battlefield with an impossible speed. Since Agility doesn''t require the user to move physically faster, (it took Pikachu the same amount of steps to cross a field with and without Agility) it involved something with either space warping or time manipulation.


    It could be some spatial positioning bullshit, like with one step being able to move you farther than you should but I suspected there was some time fuckery going on.


    I personally think that it changes the time an action takes, for example, if a step takes one second, Agility would reduce the time taken to half a second. Like a video being sped up.


    The extra speed was a nice addition to Fay''s moveset, seeing how easily it could be integrated into her quick fighting style. Fay managed to slash three times at Luna and this time the final strike hit Luna square in the face.


    Fay continued her Metal Dance, doubling down on the frontal assault.


    "Looking nice," Dawn complimented me.


    "Hmm..." I answered, not really paying attention to what she had been saying.


    "I bet it would do good in a contest," Dawn continued with a teasing tone.


    "It''s a tragedy I don''t do contest battles," I replied smugly.


    She was right though, Metal Dance looked very pretty and definitely had some ''cool'' factor to it.


    The attack was inspired by Marth''s Dancing Blade attack in Smash Bros. A move where the sword wielding character slashed in front of him multiple times within a second, usually stunlocking his opponents if it hit. Despite it being a very linear attack it had its uses, the most important one being pressure.


    Luna was noticeably getting slower, the rocks she teleported in for shielding herself at critical moments were missing their timing and those mistakes left her vulnerable during that time frame.


    It was truly a pain that she hadn''t learned a telekinetic type of move. Teleporting all the rocks around her was surely draining her energy and it required a lot of focus to predict the right time to teleport them.


    "Fay, try spacing your attacks a bit more," I shouted. "And Luna, there''s no reason to stay still while using the Gaia shield."


    Well, there was a reason, mainly it required a lot of focus but it was a roadblock I knew she could overcome with enough practice to familiarize herself with the rhythm of a battle.


    The place we were battling at gave Luna a small advantage, mainly all the rocks lying around that could be used to defend herself.


    "What''s this place called again?" I asked Dawn, just to give her the idea I was paying attention to what she was talking about.


    "Na''Al-gal Desert," Dawn said without faltering.


    "Yeah, still can''t pronounce that." I murmured, already imagining myself struggling with the words.


    The whatever-Dawn-called-it desert was one of the examples of how Pok¨¦mon fucked with the earth in unimaginable ways.


    According to Brock, this entire desolate wasteland was once a lustrous forest filled with life and all that stuff until Victine used V-create here some thousands of years ago and wrecked this place for reasons unknown.


    Pok¨¦mon continuously messed with the earth''s ecosystem which resulted in some weird climate anomalies, like a desert in the middle of Sinnoh.


    It was basically a big open stretch of sand that went on for a while. There were some valleys and hills but basically, sand all you can eat.


    If it wasn''t for the sweet western wind here, I would''ve died already.


    Deciding that both Pok¨¦mon had exhausted themselves enough I ended their practice battle.


    "Okay, final blow, Luna use-"


    Before I could finish my sentence I was cut off by the sound of the earth rumbling, a low sound that grew louder steadily. The earth began to shake.


    Fay and Luna both stopped and looked around with confusion written on their faces.


    The sound and quakes grew more frantic like something buried underneath the earth was slowly awakening


    Dawn yelped and she began to look at her arm in awe, seeing how it was vibrating, a mix of confusion and distress was carved onto her face.


    "Pika?" I heard from behind me.


    I turned around to see if Ash and Brock were somehow causing this but they seemed to be utterly confused as well.


    Brock held a frying pan in his hand, trying to make sure the food wouldn''t be ruined which was a very considerate action from him.


    Ash was just sitting next to Pikachu, equally surprised.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "L-L-Luna sense something?" I asked, trying to stop my voice from shaking.


    {Nothing special,} she returned telepathically, sounding more panicked than I had heard in a long time.


    "What in the world is that?" Fay yelled as she pointed at the empy earth between herself and Luna.


    I squinted my eyes to see if there was some invisible Pok¨¦mon hiding in sight but I saw nothing.


    The rumbling stopped a second later.


    Both Luna and Fay stepped away from that spot and quickly hurried towards me.


    Pachirisu and Piplup hid behind Dawn''s legs while Buneary bravely stood in front of her trainer, ready to fight with her fluffy ears that were dangling in front of her head like boxing gloves.


    The ground stirred up and a small heap of sand began to grow.


    Before I could even comprehend what was going on a small creature borrowed its way out of the sand like a mole.


    It was small, barely reaching my knees and had a red skin with a few patches of black thrown into it as well.


    The creature began to gaze around in confusion.


    I didn''t move, instead, I tried to understand what was going on.


    "Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pok¨¦mon. Larvitar generally hatches deep within the earth and takes a long time before coming to the surface" a mechanical voice came from my right, I quickly shot a look and saw Dawn had her Pok¨¦dex pointed at the creature.


    "Wow, this one has a weird color," Dawn mumbled surprised, "And it looks so cute!"


    The Larvitar in question turned to gaze at Dawn like it just noticed her. It climbed out of the hole and stared back at Dawn''s blue-grayish eyes in a cute fashion.


    The red skinned Larvitar made his way towards us with small wobbly steps.


    "Are you seeing his Aura?" Fay asked distressed, "It''s so-"


    Dawn took a step towards the Larvitar like one would approach a lost puppy.


    "Dawn no!" I cried out.


    Larvitar opened his maw wide and red fierce glowing embers revealed to the world. A burst of flames was launched out of his mouth. The beam of fire was easily ten times the size of itself.


    Dawn was about to get toasted but a hand pulled her out of reach just in time.


    Staring wide-eyed at the not-so-cute-anymore Larvitar the blue haired girl fell on her butt, unable to pull her terrified gaze away.


    Ash pulled Dawn up while Pikachu stood in front of the two in the classical Pikachu pose with electricity crackling around his red cheeks.


    "We are friendly!" Ash said while keeping a careful eye on the red demon. His voice was calm and clear. "We are not looking for trouble, just passing through."


    I cautiously took a few steps back, closer to our camp.


    "Look," Ash went on, his voice filled with conviction. "If there is something bothering you, why don''t you try to tell us and we''ll see if we can help?"


    "Prepare for a fight." I hissed at Luna and Fay.


    I myself thought that Ash had way too much trust in strangers, or Pok¨¦mon for that matter. Larvitar opened his mouth again.


    Without a concern for his comfort, I yanked Ash away by the shoulder and made him stumble, luckily he stumbled into the right direction and narrowly avoided the beam of fire.


    Pikachu leaped into action and managed to jump over the beam.


    Ash let out a cry of surprise as the air near him became hot.


    The boy from Pallet Town was not the only one who reacted, a beam of bubbles and a small but bright arc of lightning shot towards the small red Pok¨¦mon, both fired by Dawn''s Pok¨¦mon who had previously been cowering behind her legs.


    They struck and a small explosive blast followed, Pikachu fell down and his tail glowed white, he brought tail down on Larvitar who couldn''t escape his attack.


    The small Pok¨¦mon was drilled away by the multiple hits he was tanking and he left scraping marks over the dry soil as he was launched away,


    Pikachu bounced back and waited in front of us.


    A flash from behind us followed and Brock released his own Pok¨¦mon, an odd looking tree creature I recognized as a Sudowoodo. The pair ran towards us, ready to battle.


    "Is it dead?" I wondered as the small creature didn''t get up.


    Like Fate had heard me, the red Larvitar got to its feet. Dizzy at first but it managed to shake it off a second later.


    Yellow sparks began to trail around its body and its eyes started to glow in an electric blue color. It shot a glare at us and suddenly I felt less confident.


    "Heaven''s Gate up into the sky," I murmured.


    "What?!" Brock took a step back, "Larvitar can''t use Electric-type moves.¡±


    A fierce emblem began to glow underneath the Larvitar but the Pok¨¦mon in question paid no attention to it, instead it kept glaring at us while electricity was ramping up inside it.


    The symbol that signified Heaven''s Gate glowed brightly but nothing happened, it kept glowing for a few more seconds before fading away.


    {I can not teleport him,} Luna shot me a panicked look. {I can not sense his emotions either!}


    A burst of lightning suddenly emerged from Larvitar and it was headed towards us.


    The air crackled as lightning zipped through the air, there was no visible conductor or reason for how it should work, even in the world of Pok¨¦mon this was out of the ordinary..


    Larvitar was a Ground/Rock type, it could learn some other moves but not a single electric move.


    Bubbles were thrown into the thunder''s path but it zipped through it like a hot knife through butter.


    A boulder was teleported into its path too and managed to halt the spear of pure voltage for a few seconds before the defense was shattered underneath the pressure.


    I realized too late that we should''ve scattered instead of staying together and forming an easy target, although in that moment I doubted anything would have stopped it from picking us off one by one.


    Pikachu jumped into the thunder just before it was about to hit us and a flash followed. He let out a cry as the volts ran through his body and surrounded him in a shell of pure power and heat.


    However, Pikachu managed to pull through and did not only manage to absorb the power but he redirected it back towards Larvitar.


    The spear was countered and was returned to sender with even greater power.


    Pikachu dropped to the ground, his chest heaving and I could see that countering the thunder took a lot out of him.


    "Good job," Ash complimented him without taking his eyes off Larvitar.


    Lightning arced towards Larvitar and an explosion of blue and yellow erupted around it, the air hissed and cracked but despite all of that Larvitar didn''t even whimper.


    It simply stared at us while lightning uncharged onto it.


    If this were the video games it would''ve been immune to Electric-type attacks but in this world, it mattered a whole lot less. The strength and nature of an attack also came into play which rendered some Type match-ups completely meaningless.


    If Zapdos launches a Thunder against a ground Pok¨¦mon it would be fucked, regardless of what Type it has.


    And right now Larvitar was just shrugging off an attack that would obliterate rocks, tear through flesh and leave the earth scorched. But Larvitar was just standing there and doing nothing, like it was some kind of anime villain.


    The attack ended and the dust settled. A small crater was created around Larvitar and the earth had black scorch marks.


    Yet Larvitar came out of it fine, not even bothered in the slightest.


    "Fuck what is this thing?" I whispered, knowing fully that no one would answer.


    "Dust, we are not alone." Fay suddenly shared with me.


    {I am sensing it too!} Luna replied and both Pok¨¦mon started looking at Larvitar, or rather the spot above it.


    Larvitar opened his mouth and his eyes started to glow again.


    A snapping sound followed but it wasn''t made by Larvitar.


    Suddenly a dart was pinned into its head.


    The dart was surrounded by a soft blue glow, Larvitar attempted to look up to see what just happened but midway through its action its eyes shut closed and the body turned limp.


    Behind it a woman appeared, seemingly coming out of nowhere.


    Semi-long hair in the color blue danced in front of her face, wavering in the wind. I couldn''t see her eyes, they were hidden underneath a pair of black shades that covered them and gave her an air of mystique.


    She wore a long black coat that also wavered in the wind, underneath it she wore a tactical vest with all kinds of gadgets and weapons strapped to it in a weird but orderly fashion.


    She wore a long black skirt underneath it and she had a pair of military-grade boots on her feet.


    A small smile decorated her face as she held something that looked very similar to an assault rifle in her hand


    The woman brought her right hand to her ear and spoke with a low raspy voice, "The Second is recovered, you can disable the invisibility fields."


    Like a blanket was suddenly pulled away around us, reality began to ripple. A big dragon Pok¨¦mon flying behind the woman was revealed to our eyes.


    The air around us began to change and I felt my stomach drop.


    In the air, I saw several spacecraft that should only exist in movies and fiction hovering in the air above us.


    The smallest aircraft was only the size of a big truck while the biggest spacecraft that had to be the main ship had the size of three football fields in a row and floated in the middle of the swarm like the queen of a hive.


    I counted 11 ships flying in the air total but I couldn''t even start to count all the humans and Pok¨¦mon that flew in the air.


    Dozens of Pok¨¦mon, some with and some without riders surrounded us on all sides. I saw gigantic dragon Pok¨¦mon in the air but also smaller insect Pok¨¦mon. The bigger ones carried people who were armed with weapons and more Pok¨¦balls ready to launch towards us.


    "Hunter J!" Fay growled.


    The woman looked up and gazed at us like she hadn''t seen us.


    "Oh hello there, thanks for keeping this one busy," she shot us a small smile. "You saved me a lot of time so let me return the favor."


    She pulled the switch on her weapon. "I''ll promise to make this quick and painless."

 58. The World Ends With You

    The wind swept over the desert, gliding over it and creating soft rustling noises as sand scraped against sand, despite this I couldn¡¯t help but think it was surprisingly silent for what was unfolding in front of our eyes.


    There were so many people and Pok¨¦mon swarming us the sound around us should have been deafening.


    The soft zooming noise created by the aircrafts that hung in the air was barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.


    It was a mystery as to how they could stay airborne without the noise you''d expect to be produced from their powerful engines. This world''s technology was weird.


    The sound of wings beating was also barely noticeable and most of the hostile Pok¨¦mon that hovered in the air had small wings, only a few had big enough wings to stir up sand and make noise.


    I spotted lots of Metagross, Magnemite and Zubat that made up the majority of Hunter J¡¯s swarms. There were also some odd and exotic Pok¨¦mon in the crowd that I hadn''t seen before in Sinnoh and I had to admit that they looked very threatening. Metagross were supposed to be rare, so to have a dozen of them at your command said something about your influence.


    Men wearing armored uniforms watched from above, sternly and without shifting their gaze away from us even once.


    I had never seen this much fire power gathered in one place. Sure I met some exceptionally strong Pok¨¦mon but never this many. And I was never at their mercy.


    And in front of us stood the ringleader of this flying circus, the infamous Hunter J with the red Larvitar lying unconsciously at her feet.


    The way she stood there, with her blue hair faltering in the wind and wearing all black, I had to admit she looked sexy but in the dangerous-predator kind of way, the kind that made people say, ''don''t stick your dick in crazy¡¯.


    Right now I was too terrified to even appreciate her looks.


    A majestic Salamence hovered behind her and Hunter J''s finger had not left the trigger once.


    I saw Brock subtly reaching for a Pok¨¦ball. I wasn''t the only one who noticed. Ever so slightly, Hunter J shifted the aim of her weapon to the ex-Gym leader.


    "Ah, please don''t waste our time with that," she spoke in our direction but didn¡¯t directly address us..


    "What are you going to do with that Larvitar?" Ash asked angrily, his eyes burning with passion.


    Although admirable it was stupid to even be concerned about Larvitar while we were in a situation much worse.


    "Excuse me, but we haven''t met yet, who are you?" I asked the blue-haired woman. I was trying my hardest to make myself sound calm and not like I was almost pissing myself. Ash was going to get us killed a whole lot faster by making an enemy out of Hunter J instead of doing the smart thing and not yelling at the woman holding a gun.


    I could maybe talk our way out of this confrontation.


    "That is Hunter J," Fay growled while her small body was trembling, "She''s the one who killed her."


    The last part was choked out and I could hear the pain in her voice.


    "Mmm, you don''t know?" Hunter J mused, "Well, I am called Hunter J." She casually swung her rifle as she talked, "right now I have a mission and I can not afford any witnesses."


    While Ash was gritting his teeth, even his stubborn mind realized that right now was not the time to act. The other member of our party, Dawn, seemed to have frozen up, too terrified to move. Luckily her Pok¨¦mon had not and stood in front of her, ready to protect their trainer.


    Brock was mostly the same as Ash but he managed to hide his anger better.


    "She killed my mom!" Fay cried out suddenly, drawing all attention towards herself.


    Hunter J perked up and looked at Riolu with renewed interest.


    "Did your Pok¨¦mon say something?" She looked at me inquisitively.


    Fay took a step forward. "It was you!"


    "She''s saying nothing," I quickly lied, feeling like I could drop dead any second. With a sick feeling I realized that Fay was a loose cannon. I had to remove Fay from this situation. But how? Any wrong move on our side could be taken as a sign of hostility by Hunter J. Returning Fay could lead to more questions from Hunter J, or worse, she could see it as us preparing for battle and there was a possibility that Fay would flat out refuse to go back.


    One of the guys hovering in the air, he was riding on top of a black bird Pok¨¦mon, moved towards us to intervene but Hunter J waved him off, wordlessly ordering him to stay down.


    {You killed her mom.} A telepathic voice rang through my head; it was a voice I was familiar with.


    I felt my body getting cold and I had the urge to scream at Luna for being an idiot. But the gun, it was now subtly pointed at me.


    "Where did that come from?" Hunter J craned her neck to look around, before finally settling on my Ralts, the only psychic around. "A Telepath?" she wondered out loud.


    That moment my suspicions were proven to be true: Luna had just used Telepathy but this time she had broadcasted the message to everyone.


    "Did you hear that voice?" Dawn muttered, looking around.


    "You monster!" Fay ignored everything and continued her emotional rant, either not noticing Luna was kindly translating her words, or not caring.


    "What is she saying?" Hunter J stared at Riolu.


    "Luna don''t!" I hissed. Hunter J briefly flashed me a glare. Wordlessly she conveyed to me to shut up and let things play out. Regardless, it was too late.


    Luna translated without any concern. {She says that you killed her mother and now she calls you a monster.} With a quiet and cold tone she whispered into my mind. {Let Fay distract them all, we can escape in the chaos she creates.}


    I felt betrayed.


    My hands were shaking and this time it wasn''t because of fear but out of anger.


    Luna was not stupid, I made sure of that and she should know damn well not to translate what Fay was saying but she did it anyway; most likely already knowing how Fay and Hunter J would react.


    I cursed myself. And then again. And again. I couldn¡¯t do anything without invoking the ire of Hunter J. I was utterly powerless and I hated it.


    Why did I even dare to hope that things were normal and bright for once? My own starter Pok¨¦mon just betrayed me.


    "Ralts?" Luna''s eyes shot towards me and I saw she was confused by my reaction. {Don¡¯t you get it? I am ensuring our survival.}


    Oblivious to the weight of what Luna had just done Hunter J continued to talk with Fay.


    "Did I kill your mother?" She asked with sadistic glee, "Can you be more specific, please? I killed a lot of Pok¨¦mon."


    I stared at Luna, feeling dead inside like nothing even mattered anymore. The conversation continued but it felt like I was seeing the world through a foggy window, everything felt so distant and insignificant.


    Luna claimed to have our best interest in mind but I understood what was really going on.


    Luna tried to backstab Fay. Throw her to the wolves.


    "You know who!" Fay whimpered as she slowly took a step towards the blue-haired killer.


    "No, doesn''t ring a bell," Hunter J went on, no longer needing a translator. The despair and the anger on Fay''s face spoke more than a thousand words.


    "Probably a Lucario," Hunter J thought out loud without any empathy in her voice. There was only cold amusement. "Wait, was she one of those special colored ones?"


    "You don''t even deny it," Fay muttered with shock.


    The smile at Hunter J''s face replaced the need for words.


    "You don''t even care do you?"


    Luna kept shaking my leg and calling my name, sounding panicked but her words didn''t reach me. She was talking about how she had a plan. How it was a gamble, a calculated move, a bad move for the greater good. All of these things went right through me.


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    But I only felt awful.


    How could she? She was my first Pok¨¦mon in this world.


    Was I that pathetic?


    "I hate you!" Fay shouted.


    "No," Hunter J shrugged, "Doesn''t ring a bell."


    Shiny claws appeared on Fay''s paws and she lashed out at Hunter J with a horizontal swipe. With ease the woman took a step back, not even surprised by the sudden attack.


    I was about to take a step forward to intervene but Hunter J gave me a sharp look. The guys above her leveled their weapons at me.


    With skillful footwork she took a few more steps back, every step dodging another swipe that could tear through human flesh in an instant, all the while she was smiling widely.


    Fay leaped forward but again the hunter dodged it.


    As Fay landed she bowed through her knees and prepared for a second leap when a clicking sound followed.


    The barrel of Hunter J''s gun was pressed against Riolu''s head and the tiny Pok¨¦mon froze in horror.


    Despite never having seen her kind of rifle before I was almost 100% certain her shot would kill Fay.


    The expression on Hunter J''s face changed from playful to serious.


    "Now I remember," she spat. "She was the one who wouldn''t stop crying!"


    I expected Fay to explode in rage. To do something more reckless but instead she became limp. Something broke inside of Fay.


    She fell through her knees and stared down at the ground underneath her. Tears streamed down her face and an expression of utter defeat followed.


    "No..." she softly cried.


    Hunter J rotated a handle on her rifle and watched the crying Pok¨¦mon with a morbid curiosity.


    "Please don''t!" Ash called out, despite the weapons trained on him he moved forward a single careful step. "She''s still young."


    "Have you no heart?" Brock asked with a flat voice, staring at Hunter J.


    "Please...don''t kill her." I weakly offered, still feeling like shit.


    {What''s wrong?} Luna kept pulling my leg, {Talk to me! What is wrong? Hunter J will be distracted and we can escape!}


    "I''m so sorry," Fay whispered, defeated.


    I will never know what HunterJ would do next, or what Luna¡¯s next excuse for betraying Fay was or if Ash had a better plan.


    Without a warning the world exploded into chaos.


    A white flash appeared above us, followed by more flashes all over the place, each a flicker of light on the bright blue sky.


    Confused, distraught and still too caught up with my own emotions I looked around and saw people appear in the sky around us, but it was not in the same way as before with the invisibility that was pulled away from Hunter J¡¯s fleet.


    Instead, everyone appeared with a bright flash, like they were teleporting in from someplace.


    A visible wave of surprise and uneasiness went through Hunter J¡¯s troops as the tables were suddenly turned on them, no longer were they the only ones in the sky and they looked to be surrounded.


    Dragons appeared in the sky, gigantic birds spread their wings, insects crawled out of the ground, Pok¨¦mon on foot, all sorts of types and too many to see in one glance all popped into existence at once.


    An Onix flew out of the sand and hit one of Hunter J''s troops out of the air with a bite.


    A single command was yelled and echoed through the desert.


    "Attack!"


    "Shit!" Hunter J cursed loudly.


    War began around us and suddenly, everything was happening at once.


    Shining beams of fire tore through one of the aircrafts and cut through it like it was made out of paper. They were fired by a squad of Fire type Pok¨¦mon on the ground that seemed to be commanded by a person riding a Ponyta.


    The aircraft split in two and started to descend from the sky, metal pieces fell off the ship and crashed down, effectively making it rain hot fire on the Pok¨¦mon and humans underneath it.


    Arcs of lightning traveled through the air and zapped everything near it, a closer look revealed it to be a Raichu riding on the back of a Staraptor.


    Hunter J groaned and brought her hand to her ear and began to yell orders.


    "Begin extraction now! Leave behind the C squad as a decoy!"


    In the distance I saw a blond woman riding a weird dragon Pok¨¦mon I identified as a Dragonite. She shouted an order and the Dragonite aimed his head skywards and opened his mouth.


    Hunter J''s troops began to attack the pair but the woman riding the dragon orchestrated a hasty defense with the other Pok¨¦mon near her and forced Hunter J¡¯s troops to circle around the Dragonite.


    The entire desert was now a battlefield and it was frightening to see how fast the landscape had changed.


    Tidal waves and flame tornadoes razed through it and picked off their targets. Flashes and explosions shot through the sky and the earth rumbled and groaned.


    It was pure chaos.


    Suddenly a feeling of pain jolted through my entire body. I jumped in reflex and saw Pikachu staring at me, his cheeks glowing with power.


    "Eyes here Dust!" Ash scolded. "We need to get out of here, now!"


    Luna stopped shaking my legs and took a step back, she rubbed the tears out of her red eyes,


    More explosions went off in the background and our surroundings cracked like the world was ending. Maybe it was.


    Gold coloured streaks shot across the sky, hitting people and Pok¨¦mon. Screams and howls mixed with the sand of the desert that started to become littered with the signs of violence and war.


    "We need to get out of here, NOW!" Brock yelled.


    Hunter J stood with her back towards us, shouting orders into a device. Apparently, we were no longer her top priority.


    I blinked a few times and I felt the surreal feeling disappear, I had to do something. Everything else, including my feelings, could wait.


    A fresh shot of adrenaline entered my body and I felt myself become more awake and alive then I had felt for a week.


    "We need to teleport out of here," I murmured before turning to face Luna. "Can you teleport us out of here?"


    It was only a matter of time before we would be dragged into this mess as well.


    {I-I-I am s-orry.} Luna stuttered the words emotionally.


    "Not now," I grimaced. "Teleport, yes or no?"


    Something dropped from the sky and landed near us. It was a small purple Pok¨¦mon with fleshy wings.


    Or what was left of it rather, the Zubat had gaping holes in its wings and its entire body was scorched black.


    Despite all of that it was still moving, the wings were flapping in a desperate attempt to regain flight.


    Without any warning, a Haunter jumped out of its shadow and licked its face before disappearing again.


    The Zubat stopped moving.


    {I can''t!} Luna answered after taking a very deep breath to calm herself. {Something is blocking me.}


    Hunter J turned to face us, or so I thought but instead, she straight up ignored us and knelt down in front of the red Larvitar and scooped it up with one hand.


    A whirlpool formed above the ground and seemed to be heading our direction but the Salamence fired a fireball at it and the whirlpool dissolved.


    A red-colored liquid rained from the sky and I saw someone fall off his Pok¨¦mon and hit the ground like a ragdoll.


    This really is happening. What the fuck?! How can this be happening?


    I turned to focus my attention on the situation at hand.


    "Okay, all Pok¨¦mon form a circle around us," I yelled at the Pok¨¦mon present.


    The girl riding her Dragonite was done charging up her attack. She pointed up and a small burning ball of fire shot was launched into the sky where it began to grow in size.


    Eventually, it reached the top of its climb and the orb descended, flames licked away at the edges and everything near it was instantly scorched.


    It left a trail of smoke as it traveled down and it shot straight through the biggest airship like a meteor from space.


    Remarkably it remained airborne, force fields surrounding the ship flickered to life but the glow was faint and if I had to guess almost broken.


    Other long-ranged attacks were fired at it, black orbs and wind blades smashed through it and the shields vanished.


    The ship began to get wrecked as every attack cut into its engines and walls.


    A final boulder was flung at it and managed to send it down to earth.


    "Pika!" Pikachu cried out.


    A man riding a Rhyhorn let out a war cry as they charged towards us, no- towards Hunter J who stood with her back towards him.


    He had green hair and looked very young. I estimated him to be around 20 years old or so.


    Hunter J turned around and pulled the trigger on her gun, holding it with one hand while pressing the Larvitar against her chest with the other.


    Bullets sprayed the man and hit him in the chest, a fireball followed and both of them crashed into a boulder where the man imploded brutally.


    "Well, I am taking my leave now," Hunter J said without any concern in her voice while the main ship crashed down in the background.


    She aimed her gun at us once again as she stepped onto Salemence''s wings without even looking at her Pok¨¦mon.


    "Goodbye," she smiled.


    "Pikachu!" Ash cried. "Use-"


    Hunter J pulled the trigger.


    The sound of a machine gun being fired followed and I closed my eyes, wondering if this was how it was going to end.


    No impact followed.


    I opened my eyes and saw the metal bullets were frozen mid-flight and hung motionless in the air, only a meter away from my face.


    "I found civilians here!" A female voice shouted, miraculously managing to make her voice rise above the sound of battle. I felt something grab me from behind.


    A black guy wearing a bandana was riding an Arcanine and came to a stop next to me. He briefly looked at me, or rather at something above me.


    "Get them to safety."


    "Will do!" The same female voice answered from above me, "Hold on tight!"


    Luna grasped onto my leg last minute as I felt myself getting lifted into the air. In a panic, I gazed up and I saw I was in the grip of a Tropius who was flying me away from the battlefield.


    A girl with long brown hair smiled down at me from atop her Tropius'' back.


    Ash, Brock and Dawn were also being carried away but not by a Tropius instead they were in the grasp of an Alakazam who levitated all three of them and their Pok¨¦mon in the air.


    Underneath me, I saw the guy with the bandana jump off his Pok¨¦mon''s back and began to throw more Pok¨¦balls in the air.


    He was trying to reach Hunter J but a Metagross was blocking his path.


    "Aaahh, what''s going on!" Dawn screeched while she was being held by an invisible force.


    "Don''t worry," The girl shouted as she flew higher into the air, narrowly avoiding attacks that seemed to come from all directions, "You are being rescued and brought to safety!"


    She was speaking with a slight accent that I couldn''t really place.


    The girl kept smiling, even as an explosion almost blew her out of the saddle.


    "Who are you people?!" Ash shouted.


    The ground underneath me was getting farther away every second and I felt like puking my stomach out.


    "Unova, Kanto and Sinnoh proudly present to you, the Hero Unit for Nationwide Threats." The words were spoken with pride and confidence. It was accompanied by a smile.


    "FAY!" I cried out as the blue Riolu was still sitting in the middle of a warzone, all on her own and she was getting further away with every passing second.


    The girl kept smiling brightly, completely blind to life.


    "Welcome to The Hunt!"

 59. The Outside of Madness

    Chapter: 59


    The Outside of Madness


    <hr>


    The girl on top of the Tropius dragged me further away from Fay while I was being carried in its paws. Its grip on me was firm, I could barely move. Though as lightning, flames and rocks were flung through the sky around us, that might have been a good thing.


    Luna held onto my body, her eyes red and tears trailed down from her eyes.


    Things were going horribly awry. She stabbed Fay in the back when she was vulnerable. She probably thought she was really clever, but she wasn¡¯t. And I had not prepared myself for this situation in the slightest.


    Like a set of domino stones, everything fell apart and now Fay was all alone in the middle of a battlefield.


    Luna was smart, I had trained her to think for herself, hoping it would lead to better battle skills and a better relationship between us that went beyond Luna just obeying my orders.


    Instead, it resulted in stupid jealousy.


    Luna could sense my emotions and thoughts about her and without a doubt, I knew she was horrified.


    I was mad at her, but mostly disappointed, I could not truly be angry at her. I knew I had made some critical mistakes but beyond everything, she was still very young but that didn¡¯t change the situation.


    Ash and his friends were caught within a telekinetic force field created by an Alakazam that trailed behind theTropius. All their Pokemon were safely inside the forcefield but not Fay, she was not here.


    A Crobat rose into the sky and stopped when it was flying next to the girl. The girl shouted an order at Alakazam.


    The yellow psychic glanced at the Crobat and made a gesture with his hand. The bat was flung away by an invisible force and fell down.


    Looking ahead, it wouldn¡¯t be the last problem Alakazam had to deal with.


    We couldn''t fly in a straight line out of the battlefield, the battling forces were at each other''s throat in every conceivable way.


    Waves tore through the desert sand and washed away anything standing in its path while cannons mounted to the sides of the floating ships finally began to fire back, shooting strange colored laser blasts..


    The girl was forced to zigzag her way through a 3-dimensional maze of war and chaos.


    She had claimed to be part of the Hero Unit for Nationwide Threats, which was conveniently an acronym for Hunt.


    I had heard about them on the news but it was only a brief mention of a joint strike force between Sinnoh, Kanto and Unova that was created to take down Hunter J.


    "My Riolu," I yelled, straining my neck to look up at Tropius¡¯ rider. "She''s still down there!" I had tried to recall her with the beam of her Pok¨¦ball but she was too far.


    The girl grimaced, "Don''t worry we''ll get you to-"


    Tropius suddenly swung to the left and a flaming boulder the size of a car shot past me, it would have killed me if it weren''t for Tropius'' timely intervention.


    "Everything is going to be alright!" The girl smiled again but an underlying tone of annoyance was present in her voice.


    "Where''s Fay?!" Ash cried out from below me.


    He was suspended motionless in the air, caught by an invisible telekinetic bubble that surrounded alakazam.


    The girl riding Tropius made a U-turn as a tornado of blue ice spikes blocked the way.


    "She is still down there!" I cried out.


    "No way!" he yelled.


    That moment I made up my mind. The realization I was actually going to do this gave me a frigid moment of clarity. I put my hands to my mouth and screamed the words that would most likely get me killed. "I am going to get her!"


    I could not let it end this way, Fay had given me so much; company and trust. She had jumped to my defense when I needed her and I had worked so hard to forge the bonds we had created.


    I could not give her up like that. She was trapped down there, caught in a crossfire and I''ll be damned if I left her like that.


    I expected a response like; ¡®You are crazy!¡¯ or ¡®It is too dangerous!¡¯ but to my surprise, Ash gave me an understanding nod.


    "Okay, you got a plan?" he asked.


    I nodded and turned to face Luna, "Listen, I know what you did."


    Luna gave me a horrified look and started crying again. She almost lost her grip but I pulled her tighter. "You fucked up hard, if you ever want to fix this you better stop crying and listen, got it?"


    She hastily nodded. {Yes Yes Yes, I am sorry!}


    "We are going to save Fay and you are going to help me," I commanded.


    {Yes Yes, I''ll help.} her voice rang through my head, clear as crystal.


    Having scolded Luna I turned to Ash. "Ash, let Pikachu hit Tropius with a weak electric attack!"


    "You''re going down there?" he shouted.


    I nodded with resolve, it was clear that the girl riding Tropius had no interest in listening to me which was completely understandable, she needed to save as many people as possible and going down there again would put everyone at risk. Was it nice what I was about to do to her? Not really, but sometimes you have to do the wrong things for the right reasons.


    "Good luck!" Ash yelled with a crazed smile.


    Guess he must be loving these kinds of high tension, life-or-death situations.


    Pikachu managed to turn around in Alakazam''s grasp and faced us. Electricity sparked around his cheeks.


    "Sorry for this," I yelled at the girl above me.


    Alakazam''s eyes widened as he realized what we were about to do and Pikachu was suddenly jerked up.


    Too late.


    A jolt of lightning sizzled through the air towards Tropius and hit it in the flank.


    His entire body jolted as electricity ran through it. I too felt a small electric shock and above me, I heard the girl let out a surprised shriek.


    Tropius released his grip on me as his body spasmed and suddenly I was falling.


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    Wind met my face and tried to tear the flesh off my face and I was sure that the winds would have succeeded if it wasn''t for the fact that the ground would turn me into a red splash before that could happen.


    Games made it look so easy but skydiving in real life is not remotely similar to the games and having any straight thoughts was hard.


    I felt myself start to tilt over as the upper half of my body weighed more because I was holding a Ralts tight to my chest. If I started to tumble in the middle of the air it would all be over, I had enough presence of mind to know that.


    I kicked the air behind me in a desperate attempt to rebalance myself while falling. Fear shot through every corner in my body, but it wasn''t like a horror kind of fear, it was the kind of fear you feel when you knew a small mistake might fuck everything up.


    That moment I regretted everything, this was not at all like the simulations.


    An explosion went off a few meters to my left and nearly blew me out of the sky. Meanwhile, the ground was getting closer and oh Arceus it was coming closer quickly. Moments like this made me wish Luna could teleport people and Pokemon while moving, it would make shit a whole lot easier.


    Instead, I had to do it the hard way.


    "LUNA DISARMING VOICE UNDERNEATH US, GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!"


    It was a shouting cry of defiance and despair. My voice was hoarse from everything.


    Maybe, this part of the plan of getting Fay back could have used more¡­plan but I had gambled everything on this crucial factor.


    Without hesitation, Luna opened her mouth wide and unleashed a hellish cry. Sound waves shot down and for a second I was afraid I had gambled wrong.


    Luna''s Disarming Voice did not reach the ground.


    This wasn''t the end of the story however, her weaponized cry increased in size and intensity, the entire funnel of pure sound became 4 times bigger in length than I had ever seen before.


    It was a scream of defiance, the refusal to die and to fail.


    A sudden force slammed into me and every semblance of balance was lost. The hellish sound was everywhere and I was forced to shut my eyes tight.


    I was thrown into another direction by an unseen force. I braced my entire body as a physical shock shot through it. A flaring pain followed and my world view tumbled.


    To my relief I was once again on the ground. I gritted my teeth as I felt the impact setting my nerves on fire.


    My eyes opened and I was rolling through the sand, helplessly. Every time my right shoulder hit the ground the pain surged through my body.


    I finally came to a halt and a dizziness washed over me, with great reluctance I refused the comfort that blacking out would bring and got to my feet.


    Luna was standing on her own, a few steps away and looking like she was about to puke her stomach out.


    Still, we had done it. We managed to land without a parachute or anything. Only the faint hope that Disarming Voice''s repulsion would slow us down enough to safely crash. The theory that Pokemon get stronger if they are scared, everything had hinged on that.


    Luna could not have been more terrified at that moment.


    It was about to become worse though. The situation in the air was hectic, on the ground it was far worse. We were back in hell.


    "Good job," I said, my voice cracking. "Now let''s find Fay."


    Luna gave me a curt nod and I scooped her up with my right arm and pushed her against my body.


    The second part; finding Fay, required no strategy or thinking.


    Any of that would be useless on this battlefield where most Pokemon and people were better armed than we were.


    No, pick your battles and choose what battles to avoid.


    With the vague direction of where Fay was I began to run, or the best I could do since my legs were numb and felt weird, like they were no longer mine.


    I ran past an Onix and Blastoise duking it out.


    A purple needle was flung towards me but I kept running anyway. It passed behind me.


    Thoughts repeated themself over and over in my head. ''This is madness, the world is ending.''


    I pushed them all away, I couldn''t afford to do anything besides staying on the move.


    Having experienced Shellshock first hand I now knew how dangerous it could be.


    Never had I felt this desperate and determined at the same time. My body kept running like it was the only thing I knew how to do.


    I had always been very good at running.


    A huge Gyarados burst out of the sand behind me and slithered towards me, a furious snarl plastered onto its face.


    It was stopped by a girl with green hair, she shouted something and a Gengar lashed out at Gyarados'' eyes.


    The girl shot me a curious glance.


    She seemed familiar.


    I kept running away, and had to keep moving.


    With a disturbing crack, a guy to my left got his skull crushed in the jaws of a Houndoom.


    Was he one of Hunter J''s men or was he with the Hunt? I couldn''t tell so I kept going forward.


    I heard gunshots and screams.


    Luna suddenly shot a purple laser at something to my left, I didn''t bother to look.


    My feet hit something soft and I quickly gazed down, it was the soft tail of a white-colored Ninetales. It stared at me with sad eyes. A second glance told me there was a gaping hole in its chest.


    Somehow, it was still breathing.


    Was I supposed to do something?


    What could I do?


    I left it, knowing that at this moment I could only run and pray.


    A blue figure caught my eyes and my heart started beating again. There she was, still kneeling in the red sand and staring off into nothingness, surrounded by the world yet lost in her own.


    Battles above her raged but by a miracle, she was still unharmed. It was as if Fate was looking out for her.


    Maybe she was too small to be noticed, maybe everyone around her was too busy to bother.


    I ran towards her and luckily no one stopped me this time.


    Above me two people riding on dragon Pokemon were chasing each other; Hunter J and the girl riding the Dragonite.


    They had created a power vacuum around them, like these two were the most important pieces on the board and no one was allowed to get close.


    "Fay!" I cried out as I stumbled my way towards her.


    Luna hopped out of my arms and shot a telepathic cry towards the blue Riolu.


    {Fay!}


    Fay stared up in surprise as if she had just noticed a battle was going on, yet she didn''t get up.


    I knelt down in front of Fay, realizing how vulnerable I was but not wanting to leave her alone here.


    {I''ll try to handle the defense.} Luna said from behind me.


    "Fay, we are here!"


    She stared at me like I was a ghost. "W-What are you doing here? It''s too dangerous for you to be here." Her voice sounded broken and dry, like she had been crying.


    "I came to get you," I was getting impatient. I wanted things to return to the way they had been, without all the chaos of an all-out war.


    "You shouldn''t." Fay muttered as she cast her eyes down, "There''s nothing left. Hunter J-"


    An explosion shook the earth and at the same time, a tear dropped down from Fay''s face. "I can''t do it, I can''t kill her. I didn''t even come close, she was toying with me."


    She turned her red eyes to me, they were wet and filled with tears, "I failed her and you came back here as well, so I even failed you."


    A meteor shot down from the sky in the background and another ship was dragged down to earth.


    "I just can¡¯t do anything,¡± Fay whispered.


    God damnit, now it was the worst time to have an emotional self-reflection. Still, I had to get her out of here, not only because she was my Pokemon but also because I literally needed her battle skills to escape this madness.


    I scoffed. "Wrong, you''re my Riolu. The one I adopted and picked up in Sandgem Town." I breathed in and continued. "You are a pain to deal with but you are my Pokemon, an awesome ninja, the one who managed to beat Ash''s Aipom."


    The words flowed out of my mouth on autopilot, a combination of stress and fear forming the patterns to create a coherent sentence. "You did not fail to kill Hunter J because she doesn''t matter and she shouldn''t define your worth, your mother cared for you until the end, I came back for you."


    As I kept talking I felt that my time was running out and had to wrap this up quickly.


    "The world doesn''t end today, I need you by my side now and in the future. Don''t be stupid and just get up, we''re leaving this shit hole and I need you by my side."


    Fay stared at me.


    "Please?" I added.


    "Y-y-you mean what you said?" Fay stuttered.


    "Of course I do, now get up and let''s get out of here," I offered her my hand and she took it.


    As I helped her to her feet she shot me a smile. "Thank you."


    I gave her a curt nod.


    Fay stared at me with a gaze I couldn''t place while I watched the battlefield in front of us.


    Luna stood awkwardly to my left, clearly wanting to say something but not finding the courage to do so.


    The world was still going to hell.


    I was still in a world I didn''t belong to without any explanation.


    My shoulder still hurt.


    Yet I allowed myself to smile.

 60. The Virus in the Data

    It''s weird how having someone by your side can change your entire perspective, even if their presence doesn''t add anything at all.


    But having Fay and Luna by my side once again made me feel better. Luna had fucked shiz up bad and we have to talk about it later but for now, it was almost a perfect picture, just the three of us against the world.


    Fay was looking at me with respect, something I didn''t know I wanted until I received it. Knowing I had earned it really made me feel better.


    Even as Pok¨¦mon were fighting each other in the air and on the ground around us, even as red blood rained from the sky, I could not help but smile.


    If I were any other person I would probably say the moral of this all was: friends can do anything.


    Personally, I thought it would be very naive to say such a thing, considering all the people and Pok¨¦mon I saw die today must have had people they loved or were loved by.


    It always annoyed me how loving someone grants their wishes and can save people.


    Staring at the remains of the guy that had dropped dead from the sky, I did not make any illusions.


    I was not special and this world is a dangerous place.


    War continued around me and I began looking for a way to escape this battle zone.


    We were kind of in the eye of a storm, fights were going on all around us except in the middle of the battlefield, which had been the main stage for the girl riding her Dragonite and Hunter J who stood upon the back of a Salamence, wielding a gun with one hand and holding the red Larvitar with her other, she was somehow able to hold her balance.


    "You!" A voice shouted from behind me.


    I turned around and was met with the sight of a girl striding towards me, her face contorted into an expression of anger and despite being in the middle of a warzone, her eyes remained fixed on me.


    I estimated her to be around 19 years old or so, could be younger or older, it was really hard to say.


    She had long hair that draped down from her shoulder, it had a deep green color that made a fearsome combination with her intense purple eyes.


    Huh, I already thought I recognized her.


    She wore a stylish red dress that was just casual enough to give someone the impression she didn''t think about her looks. Underneath it, she wore black stockings and something very similar to sneakers.


    She was dressed right for a desert but not for a battle.


    "Me," I said, not at all impressed.


    I had my Pok¨¦mon by my side. What could she do? Well, a lot actually but it''s the irrational thought that counts.


    "What are you?" She asked the question with a demanding voice.


    A jagged ice shard shot towards us, escaping from somewhere to our left where a blizzard was raging, because you know, fuck physics.


    Luna''s eyes glowed but before she could do anything the girl raised her arm at the ice spike.


    It stopped mid-air like it was frozen in time, it floated in the air for a few seconds, completely motionless before it suddenly dropped to the ground into the sand.


    The most impressive thing was that she wasn''t even looking at the ice spike.


    "What are you?" I retorted.


    Fay shot the girl a curious look while Luna glared at her.


    "Do you know what you just did?" she asked angrily.


    I blinked. "No, again what the fuck is going on?"


    She stared at me for a long second before narrowing her eyes, "Are you a Pok¨¦mon? A Legendary, a Zorua?"


    "Not the time to play a fucking guessing game," I wanted to shout but I managed to put all my frustration into tapping my feet.


    We were really lucky that no one had taken an interest in us but how long would that last?


    "No, I am a human," I groaned, frustrated.


    A Gengar appeared behind the girl, floating in the hot air using supernatural forces and staring at me like I was a big candy. "Gar?"


    "He is the one!" She told the Gengar.


    "Who are they?" Fay asked cautiously like I should know the name of every rando we meet.


    "Not, who are they," I muttered. "But what do they want?"


    Above us, a flaming laser came out of Dragonite''s mouth and spat at Salamence who dodged it. The laser-cut through the ground and a series of explosions followed.


    "Are you with Hunter J?!" The girl asked with a tone that told me saying yes would not be advised.


    "No, of course not."


    She nodded and turned around to face Gengar. "Use Nightmare."


    The Gengar smiled at me even brighter.


    {Danger!} Luna cried out, a tad too late. Gengar sped towards me, floating over the ground and it was surprisingly fast for something that looked like it shouldn''t weigh more than a balloon.


    Its body was a vast mass of purple smoke surrounding something that could be purple flesh or fur. Its entire body looked like something that physically distorted reality. Deep red eyes glowed menacingly and an impossible grin filled half of its face.


    And right now it flew towards me, his claws glowing.


    Fay shot forward, intending to meet the purple ghost head-on, claws were revealed and she spun in the air, ready to meet Gengar head-on with a spinning high kick.


    A rainbow-colored beam followed behind Fay, fired by Luna.


    Gengar dove into the ground and narrowly avoided Fay''s attack.


    The girl with the green hair gave me an annoyed look, like I was the biggest obstacle in this battlefield, her priorities were seriously messed up.


    Gengar shot up and was hit by the Confusion ray that caught it hopping out of the ground.


    As if Gengar stood on an invisible platform, it stumbled backward a little more stunned by surprise than actually being damaged.


    "Fay, use Metal Dance, Luna apply pressure!" I shouted.


    I really wished I had my knife or gun, sadly they were both not here with me, you know, the moment I really could use them.


    In the distance a loud crack sounded and echoed over the battle zone, somehow being louder than everything else.


    It was the sound of the earth shattering.


    Far in the distance the earth began to move, a fissure formed and one plate began to rise over the other, forming a deadly slope.


    A wave of sand stirred up and was headed towards the battlefield.


    The girl, however, kept focusing on the fight.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Gengar, use Sucker Punch!" The girl shouted while staring at me with an intense gaze. The determination in her eyes told me she was going to finish this battle, no matter the cost. Normally it would be an admirable trait but to continue our battle in the middle of a battlezone? That was madness.


    Could I attack here? Probably not physically, the telekinetic powers she had displayed earlier could most likely also be used on me.


    She might also possess more powers I hadn''t seen yet, seeing who I was dealing with.


    Why was she even attacking me? Wasn''t she with the Hunt? The supposed heroes?


    From the corner, I saw the massive wave of sand coming closer towards us. I noticed Pok¨¦mon moved out of the way utilizing different kinds of moves, some dug themselves into the sand to take shelter while others flew up, trying to fly above the sandstorm.


    I even saw barriers of light pop up around some Pok¨¦mon that had no means of escape, the ones that had no protection and were too stunned by surprise seemed to be part of Hunter J''s swarm that had once been a formidable force.


    Most of her Pok¨¦mon that had been battling seconds prior to the storm arriving, now they were suddenly faced with a landslide.


    Helplessly, they were all swatted aside by sand that slid down a gigantic slope that some kind of Pok¨¦mon move must have created.


    As they were drowned in the sand most disappeared and when the wave passed any survivors were picked off by the Pok¨¦mon that had taken shelter.


    And now, the wave was heading straight towards us.


    Above us the battle rose to greater heights, each one of the two trying to outmaneuver the other and in the process, they were safe from the sandstorm.


    But I wasn''t. The wave was moving at a relatively slow speed but the size of the entire disaster made up for it and there was no doubt it would bury all of us without a problem, and yet the girl had no problem with fighting me.


    Maybe it was because her telekinetic powers could shield her.


    A challenging smirk told me all I needed to know.


    Fay and Luna weaved around Gengar''s attacks, both playing into each other''s strengths. Fay kept up the front attack, furiously swiping her claws while Luna kept Gengar from making any real move besides diving into the ground.


    Both my Pok¨¦mon were getting more tired and Gengar was clearly playing for the long game, trying to conserve its energy while Fay and Luna exhausted themselves.


    The look on the girl''s face challenged me, ''What are you gonna do about the sandstorm?''


    I had to escape this deathtrap somehow.


    Time to gamble.


    "Luna, Fay, retreat!" I shouted, "Use Sandstorm!"


    Fay shot towards Gengar and dug her claws into its purple skin but in the process Gengar slammed down its fist on her head.


    She took the hit in stride, determined to keep Gengar off balance.


    It gave Luna a small opening.


    She opened her mouth and several Confusion rays and Disarming Voice beams were scattered around in all directions. They bounced off the sand and carried the dusty haze that had been created even further up in the sky until it became an all consuming blur of yellow.


    I had to shut my eyes to protect them from all the sand, I clenched my teeth in an effort not to inhale the yellow clouds and did what I do best.


    Blinded, I turned around and ran.


    Behind me I heard a pair of footsteps trail behind me; that should be Luna and Fay. They could see through the sandstorm with their own abilities.


    Unless the girl could also detect my location without eyesight, I was in the clear, but for how long?


    After running blindly for 10 seconds, I stumbled into something hard and I opened my eyes.


    I was met with the sight of a big purple-black colored snake gazing down on me.


    A Seviper


    {We''re here!} Luna''s voice echoed in my head.


    Fay appeared next to me, out of breath and covered in sand and dust.


    She still stood in front of me, claws out and ready to fight the Seviper although I doubted she would win in her current state.


    Luna joined her 2 seconds later, physically in a better condition but exhausted nonetheless, behind her she had left an entire part of the zone covered in a thick blanket of sand that lingered through the air.


    That hopefully stopped Gengar from following us.


    However, the next problem was already on its way.


    The sound of a trillion tiny sand grains grinding against one another at high velocity became louder every second and it wasn''t that much different than the sound you hear on the beach when waves crash into the sand but I knew with every fiber in my being that this would be nothing like a beach.


    I estimated I had only about 10 seconds, give or take before it reached us.


    Seviper gazed down at me and I feared I just got a whole new problem to add to the growing pile but to my surprise it simply turned around and slithered away from me, disinterested.


    Maybe not everyone was against me.


    {Sand!} Luna screamed, sounding quite terrified as she pointed towards the wave, apparently she had been so caught up in the brief but fierce battle against Gengar that she had not noticed it yet.


    The wave, well, it was quite something. Terrifying and overwhelming, one might even say. It was like I was looking at the maws of a huge monster that was slowly closing in on me. And it would tear me to pieces with a million tiny teeth until all my flesh was stripped from my bones.


    "Luna, use Disarming Voice in front of us!"


    Luna''s eyes flashed red like they usually did when she was getting pumped up for an attack but the glow immediately faded away after it had appeared.


    Luna gave me a horrified look and I felt my body turn cold. {I can''t! Too tired!}


    Just as she said that her shoulders slumped in disappointment, her eyes glowed again but this time they didn''t even reach a faint glow before fading away.


    "Shit," I said, too shocked to even react.


    Luna''s Disarming Voice was the only attack in our collective move pool strong enough to break up a part of the wave and provide some minimal protection. It wasn''t her fault really, she just hit her limit at the most inconvenient time possible.


    I gulped, "Fuck I am out of ideas." I admitted, strangely feeling at peace as the wave crashed closer.


    Only 40 more meters.


    A memory popped up, a fact about how people could be found in the desert with sand in their lungs. No idea what that trivia was about, but the thought scared me.


    "Not yet!" Fay cried out as she watched the wave come closer. Her paws began to glow suddenly and ghostly blue flames surrounded them, flickering brightly. "We can''t die here."


    The flames increased in intensity and her eyes became surrounded with them too. They were not like normal flames, obviously besides the blue color, they seemed to be completely different and more violent than actual flames.


    Not that it mattered how it looked because only a second remained before the sandstorm would have reached us.


    The grinding noise was everywhere and it became completely dark around us, like someone had just made the sun disappear.


    However, there was a light in the darkness; Fay, she was glowing, her entire body was consumed by the ethereal flames.


    Standing in the middle of it all stood my small Riolu, somehow shielding us. A weird blue glowing bubble had appeared around us like a shield with Fay at the center of it. The walls of the sphere were transparent and had blue shades of colors weaving into and out of the surface of the shield like it was made of water.


    Sand washed over the shield at high speed, scraping against it like sandpaper. It was darker than night time.


    I couldn''t help but gasp.


    She had finally unlocked her aura.


    The ghostly flames that seemed to come from Fay''s body were drawn into the shield, probably keeping it up.


    Maintaining the shield was obviously draining Fay, her small body trembled as Aura leaked from her body into the shield.


    The sound was deafening. There seemed to be no end to the flood of grains.


    After what seemed to be an eternity, the wave finally passed and bright sunlight suddenly shone through the shield again.


    Once again, I could see the desert.


    Around us the battle had dissipated, mostly, only a few more skirmishes continued but no longer on a big scale like before. Most battles had stopped the moment the wave had passed and the majority of Hunter J''s forces had been buried underneath the weight of the desert.


    Fay turned around and gave me a small shaky smile.


    The terror had passed and the damage was done, but we had come out alive, somehow.


    Others were not so lucky.


    I bit my own tongue as I realized the entire sand storm had been planned, the co-ordinated evacuation, the lack of surprise on the girl''s face when the storm had appeared and the toll it had taken on Hunter J''s forces that had been washed away in the meat grinder of sand.


    Without a warning, Fay dropped to the ground, too exhausted to move, yet a proud smile was on her face.


    I stumbled towards her but a big purple blob popped up in front of me, the big smile ever-present on its face.


    "Gengar!" it said.


    My eyes shot to my left where Luna had been standing a second ago, she was absent now.


    I turned to look behind me and found her lying on the ground, motionless and a weird purple smoke surrounded her body.


    "Hypnosis!" A voice shouted.


    I tried to look away from Gengar but it was suddenly right in front of my eyes.


    We made eye contact and suddenly I began to feel very dizzy. My legs became weak like they were made out of jelly and I lost my balance.


    My vision began lagging behind and my world began to spin around my head. My thoughts became a jumbled mess and it became harder to think.


    A girl with green hair walked into my vision.


    I had seen her before, right?


    Then why was she looking at me that way?


    Her voice began to echo through my head and it had a weird pitch, like someone slowed it down.


    She began talking to the air in front of her. "Sabrina here, time to pull everyone back and send in the Zapdos bomb, that should keep Hunter J down for a long time."


    She gave me a small smile. "And someone tell Blink to add 1 person and 2 Pok¨¦mon to the teleport, they are in a 5 meter radius of me, awaiting confirmation."


    Sabrina knelt down in front of me. "Now let''s see what makes you so special."


    Darkness took hold of me.


    <hr>


    "And do you still think this is a game? Some kind of lucid hallucination?"


    A voice was talking to me, echoing through the endless darkness.


    Where was I?


    "You do realize things won''t stay this easy?"


    A bright light burned my eyes away.


    End of Arc 3: Red Like Roses

 61. Less than Worthless

    Interlude:


    Luna knew she was smart. This conclusion wasn''t her being arrogant but rather a simple fact and not acknowledging such a feat would be stupid.


    She was not the smartest however, he was, but she believed herself to come very close to it.


    Okay, not really close but closer than everybody else.


    It was with this mindset that the psychic moved the pawn in front of her queen to the middle, aiming to claim the center.


    The 4 squares in the middle of the board were the most important ones, being in control of those four meant that the other player had to work around your pieces.


    Luna loved being in the middle, she always had been in the center of his world.


    Dust moved his own black pawn two spaces forward, mirroring her and from that moment she was no longer the only one in the center.


    <hr>


    Luna watched Riolu, now named Fay, sleep in the corner of the room, lying on a small pile of pillows her trainer had given.


    Somehow it irked her, she was truly glad that she was the only one who was allowed to sleep on his bed, but the total lack of appreciation on Fay''s side just annoyed her.


    It had been a nice offer but Fay seemed to be determined to suffer in solitude, cast away in the corner like some wild Pok¨¦mon.


    If the story would simply end with that then there would have been no problem but no, of course, her trainer had to feel bad about Fay''s attitude. Despite what he tried to make-believe, every failed attempt to socialize with Fay that had been shot down made him feel bad about himself.


    They could just leave her there if they were quiet enough and could probably abandon her in the Pok¨¦mon Center and be gone before dawn.


    But he was against it.


    That moment Luna realized that things would change, the moments where there were only two of them would be gone, a relic of the past. Things would never be the way they were before.


    Luna knew that this could not continue.


    <hr>


    The game of chess advanced, the white knight jumped over her own line of white pawns to defend her valuable pawn in the center. He did not seem to be surprised by it, it was a fairly standard move after all.


    After some consideration, he moved the pawn in front of his king forward only one square in order to assist his own center pawn.


    More pieces were moved and two battlefronts were formed, Luna''s white shining knights against his black knights.


    Nothing of great importance happened for a while until Dust moved a pawn forward. The pawn that previously had been supporting his center pawn. Now the one in the middle had been left defenseless, ready to be slaughtered.


    An opportunity arose.


    <hr>


    An opportunity, perhaps.


    Luna was better than Fay in combat, she was so much more than her. If she really wanted to, Fay couldn''t even scratch Luna with those weird shiny claws.


    Especially if Luna applied the strategy Dust called: ''Camping''.


    Fay was inferior in the art of battle in almost every imaginable way, there was no technique behind her attacks, no thoughts or strategy.


    Only the anger and sadness channeled into her desire to land a hit.


    Luna felt slightly bad for her, but not a lot.


    Like how one would feel if a forest fire killed the Pok¨¦mon who always bullied you but he took the secret to where his secret berry stash was with him into the fire.


    Such a waste.


    But Luna would not lose to Fay, never! Like he had said Luna was not just a Ralts, she would be his unbeatable knight.


    She would remain her master''s number 1.


    <hr>


    An unexpected development! When Dust moved the supporting pawn away and left his center pawn defenseless she had missed a small detail. The bishop that had been blocked by the pawn was no longer trapped by the pawn she had just slain.


    The situation around the center escalated, unwilling to cut her losses, Luna doubled down on it and sent more forces to claim center stage.


    Dust didn''t mind escalating the situation, which was odd for him since he always played so carefully, never willing to even give up on an unimportant piece.


    The escalation continued and unfolded into an all out war.


    Pieces on both sides fell, mostly unimportant pieces that could be missed, pawns, knights and bishops, all sacrificial to their goal.


    Still, it was a bloodbath.


    <hr>


    She was hugging him!


    Oh, why does it feel so good? If only this video could last forever.


    Her heart was having a meltdown as she was holding onto his arm.


    Sadly he was not paying a lot of attention to her, instead, his eyes were glued to the screen.


    A broadcast was playing, something about Gyarados in Seawave City causing trouble. The water in the video had turned red from all the blood and in the middle of it all was the ringleader, a gigantic Gyarados that towered over everything.


    Luna was not afraid though, as long as she and her trainer were alright, the world could burn for her part.


    <hr>


    Dust suddenly castled his king and rook, swapping the two pieces and completely changing the course of the game.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The target she had been focusing on was gone, hidden away in a corner with a rook in its stead.


    <hr>


    Looker laid out his plans in a way where Dust would be the most important part of it all, of course, he would be, he was just cool like that.


    "What do you think about this?" Her trainer asked her.


    She felt a bit tired and although the idea of stopping evil with her trainer was appealing to her, it was soon going to be sleepy time.


    But a major factor was at play here.


    Fay, the enemy, was out. She had battled and lost consciousness because she was simply too weak to win a fight against Chimchar. Something she had done with ease.


    She and Dust were alone again, this was her chance. It would be just like that time with Crimson, just the two of them.


    And if Luna agreed to expose her trainer to danger he would need her, she could save him.


    Like in one of those tales or legends about shining white princesses saving their loved ones. And those stories always ended with a-


    Luna eagerly nodded, this was her chance. The enemy was nowhere in sight and victory was within her grasp.


    <hr>


    Things were not going well, suddenly his queen razed across the board and began attacking out of nowhere.


    This can not continue.


    <hr>


    Terrified, Luna watched her trainer hug Fay while he was sleeping. True, Fay had been acting a lot nicer but this was straight-up breaking all the unwritten rules. This was a declaration of war!


    Except it wasn''t really one.


    The audio file revealed sinister events that had plagued them, events she could not even remember.


    She had failed, she knew that much.


    <hr>


    Dust smiled at her, a ruthless smile that remained on his face as his queen slaughtered her forces. He kept placing her in a check, forcing her to defend her king while he slowly but surely began to pick off the smaller pieces.


    She managed to advance her own pieces as well but not nearly as much as she wanted.


    "Don''t worry about it." He smiled as he saw her stressed expression. "There''s not a lot you could have done there, it was a nasty move but hey, it''s just a game right?"


    Dust moved his queen once again but this time he attacked not only the king but also the rook, putting her in a so-called fork.


    With great reluctance she moved her king out of the way and watched as the black queen took the white rook and removed it from the game.


    She had to think up something fast!


    <hr>


    With wide eyes Luna saw Pikachu break through her defense with an explosion of electricity.


    Lightning zipped through her body and her world became a blur.


    A yellow flash too bright to comprehend knocked the lights out.


    Once again she was powerless to do the right thing. And it was all her own fault, Fay had fought and won which was actually a nice surprise. For some reason Fay acted a lot friendlier, almost nice and if it wasn''t for the fact that Fay tried to hog Dust''s attention she would almost call her a friend but not now.


    She had failed where Fay hadn''t, she had beaten Aipom while Luna failed to fight Pikachu.


    Fay had even scratched Pikachu while Luna didn''t even last a full 30 seconds.


    Fay made her look bad.


    <hr>


    Luna placed her queen in his queen''s path, challenging him to trade pieces. It would get rid of both pieces but Luna would finally be free of that little pest of a black queen that caused her lines and strategies to crumble.


    It was a very bold move to trade pieces but she had enough of his queen.


    Luna''s patience was over, she snapped.


    <hr>


    Anger, so much hatred, Luna could almost taste it.


    The Riolu glared at Hunter J with such intensity it was almost deadly. They had been surrounded on all sides, Dust was weaponless and he was being threatened by this blue haired human.


    She held no sympathy for them, Hunter J merely thought it was amusing to see their reactions, a twisted little game to kill her boredom.


    Luna had to do something.


    Then an idea struck her.


    "That''s Hunter J! She''s the one who killed her!" Fay cried out with anger.


    If Luna had to teleport one Pokemon less it would allow her to cover a greater distance, not a whole lot but every small step would be a blessing. Fay might even entertain Hunter J long enough and maybe it would even leave her satisfied enough to not give them a chase.


    Fay was at her breaking point, intense emotions washed over her and they were like an Electrode ready to explode with only the right trigger.


    If Luna added the right amount of fuel to the fire they could use it to make their great escape.


    It would be like eating two Pidgeys with one stone, saving her trainer and getting rid of Fay.


    <hr>


    An unknown feeling washed over Luna, reluctance.


    She started to like Fay, a little bit, but still. Their squabbles had been fun and the constant competition between the two was actually good for a lot of laughs and good times.


    Fay was like an annoying rock that kept cutting your hand but you kept around because it had such a cool color.


    However a sacrifice had to be made and it was a price she was willing to pay, Fay wouldn''t be missed for too long anyway, probably.


    At least she would have him all for herself again.


    Luna translated what Fay just said to those that did not understand Pok¨¦speak.


    It was the right trigger to blow up the emotional bomb inside of Fay.


    <hr>


    Both queens fell and Luna soon realized she had overlooked the importance of her own queen. Her defenses crumbled as she could no longer move around as much without a queen defending all her pieces.


    This had turned straight into a nightmare.


    <hr>


    Big mistake, big mistake!


    ''No, don''t look at me like that! Don''t think that! I am so sorry!''


    She truly was sorry.


    While Luna dropped from the sky, back into the nightmare of a desert underneath her, she wasn''t scared for her life. Sure, there were things she would miss but in the end, it was nothing more than an inevitable outcome.


    No, she was terrified to lose the little faith her trainer had in her.


    She had to succeed, right now!


    ''Sorry!''


    Somewhere in this mess, they would find Fay, they would rescue her and things would go back to normal, hopefully.


    ''Just don''t be mad at me.'' Luna screamed.


    <hr>


    One by one all her pieces were slain, at a heavy cost but a cost he could afford to pay.


    <hr>


    "He''s somewhere in here."


    "I know," Luna replied with a deep sigh.


    The small room they had woken up in was locked airtight, probably a prison or something.


    A bad prison with food, a bed and a tv and a Gibble plush but still a prison considering Dust was not here.


    How had she even gotten here?


    Fay hit the door once again with her claws and made deep dents in the surface of the metal. The door didn''t budge, however.


    Luna could feel many other entities around her, through the walls and through the ground. It felt like she was inside a human building but she had no idea where they actually were.


    She felt a lot of happiness and relief, some were grieving and others were frustrated but the overall mood seemed to be bright. Yet this gave no clue to what was going on and more importantly, the whereabouts of Dust.


    This was beyond desirable.


    She could sense him, in a vague and faint way like he was dreaming. His personal signature was the only thing that made him actually stand out.


    Was he okay? She couldn''t tell.


    Luna felt less than worthless again.


    This can not continue.


    Her trainer had told her to always have a backup plan, an ace in the hole.


    Luna had her own trump card, the one she hadn''t used yet. Instead, she opted to keep it a secret.


    She always thought herself to be very smart, he would never expect this and he would love her again!


    No longer would she be the useless Ralts.


    <hr>


    Luna smiled and moved the unnoticed pawn forward to the last row of the board, far behind his and her own lines. It had been moving forward in the background, getting further ahead while the conflict between black and white ravaged the board.


    And now the pawn had reached the other side.


    She promoted the pawn to a queen.

 62. When They Cry

    It was the same day as always.


    The small Riolu held the big blue apple in her hand like it was something to be treasured.


    It vaguely resembled a regular red apple in shape but it tasted nothing like that. She took a bite and savored the rich aroma that exploded in her mouth.


    A seemingly impossible combination of sweet and freshness lingered on her tongue with some more subtle nuances the Riolu couldn''t point out, but knew were there.


    Her eyes were closed as she took another bite, her tail happily wagging behind her in joy.


    "Where did you find this?" Riolu asked once she had finished the Bitter Apple and nothing was left of it, except for some juices dripping down her mouth.


    The Lucario who sat in front of her on the grass smiled secretly. "Not going to tell you, sweety."


    Riolu pouted.


    Her mom giggled upon seeing the cute pout and pulled Riolu closer to her. Riolu squealed with happiness and began playing with Lucario''s soft fur, rubbing her paws against it in a playful manner.


    Lucario burst out laughing, "H-h-Hey c-c-ut it!"


    With a swift move, Riolu was suddenly no longer in her mom''s embrace, instead, she had been thrown up into the air.


    Riolu could not quite suppress a surprised shout.


    A second later she landed perfectly in her mom''s arms. The small Riolu gazed up at the red mischievous eyes and gulped. The next second, she was dropped to the ground.


    Leaves rustled as she hit the ground and her fall was softened by the lustrous grass.


    "Only I have the permission to tickle." Her mom looked down on her with a smirk.


    Riolu squealed while her mom grinned.


    The two Pok¨¦mon began to play together underneath the light of the descending sun. It was like a perfect picture of pure happiness. The two of them, both living their lives in the Pinwheel Forest. Far away from their homes in Sinnoh, yet at that moment perfectly content with everything.


    The sun dipped underneath the horizon and slowly the orange skies shifted into a deep blue color.


    With tired eyes, Riolu put her head on her mom''s lap while she watched the endless ocean of stars above her, untouched by the eons of life on Earth, blissfully shining down on them.


    The wind blew over the treetops, a cold and chilling breeze but it wasn''t uncomfortable.


    Their species originated from Sinnoh where they used to live on mountains, Unova''s breeze was nothing compared to that. It was a warm, embracing one.


    Above the lights flickered in the canvas of the night sky.


    "So many of them," Riolu said with awe. "I can''t even count them."


    "Maybe if you did you might fall asleep," Her mom scolded her, but it was followed by a playful wink.


    "I don''t wanna." She resisted the urge to yawn but it was getting difficult not to.


    She decided to play her ultimate card, "Bedtime story first!"


    "It''s quite late." Her mom didn''t give in.


    "About the stars," Riolu kept negotiating. "Please¡­?"


    With big eyes, she gazed up at her mom.


    "Fine," Her mom rolled her eyes. "You want to hear about the stars?"


    "Yup."


    "Well," Lucario stuck out her tongue, "I heard they are gigantic balls of plasma, held up in the sky by their own immense gravity, or at least that''s what I heard humans call them."


    Riolu gave her mom a deadpan stare. "Seriously?"


    Her mom shrugged, "You wanted a story, sweety."


    "A real story!"


    Her mom sighed, "Fine, I suppose the human view doesn''t really leave a lot to the imagination." She paused for a second, "I could tell you the story my mother always told me,"


    Riolu happily nodded and nestled herself in a comfortable position.


    "Yes, that already sounds a lot better."


    "Well, according to my mother, your grandmother, the stars are remnants."


    Lucario began petting Riolu''s head. "The remnants of a world, no, a universe filled with light, that''s why we can still see them even though they are miles away. That light travels through empty space for years, just to reach us."


    "Light?" Riolu asked skeptically.


    Her mom hummed. "Yes indeed, aura but in its purest form, imagine a universe made of pure life. A paradise if you want to call it. A place with only happiness. Can you imagine that?"


    Riolu closed her eyes and visualized a place where everything was perfect; the sun would always shine obviously which meant she never had to sleep. There would be no mean humans and she would be able to play with her mom and dad all day.


    It sounded perfect.


    "Now imagine that one day, the universe decides to end it all with a big explosion. Everything shatters into small fragments."


    The picture in Riolu¡¯s mind shattered, it became darker and closer to reality.


    "Why?" She opened her eyes. "Why would the universe do such a thing? If everything was perfect..."


    Her mom smiled and closed Riolu''s eyes, it wouldn''t be helpful if the bedtime story kept her up all night.


    "Of course it has to end, all things do. A perfect world should end too."


    "It shouldn''t." Riolu protested. She didn''t want this to end.


    "Yet the universe chose to. Knowing that their end would give birth to a new beginning. Don''t you think that''s even more beautiful? Thanks to their choice, we exist and we have an entire night sky to look at, because of their choice."


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    "This world sucks," Riolu muttered. "There are so many wrong things."


    "I used to think that too," Lucario admitted, "However as the seasons came and went, I learned that this world is perfect." She petted Riolu, "It gave me you. And it gave you me, it''s worth the end of eternal happiness. I don''t care about the losses, not anymore."


    Riolu yawned, "But-"


    "No buts," Her mom cut her off, "You wanted a story, here you go. A nice and fitting story."


    "But it sucks. The ending is so..."


    Her mom smiled at Riolu''s loss for words. "That''s life, perfect in its imperfection. Of course, the ending is bitter. The stars only shine in the dark after all."


    "I still don''t get it."


    "One day you will," her mom declared, "But for now, it''s bedtime."


    Lucario waved her paw over Riolu''s eyes. A soft blue flame surrounded her paw.


    Riolu fell asleep a second later.


    <hr>


    Riolu blinked when she saw her mom holding a Bitter Apple.


    "Morning sleepy." Her mom greeted her. "Had a nice rest?"


    Drool dripped out of the corner of Riolu''s mouth, she quickly closed it but her mom had spotted it.


    "See something you like?" Lucario said with a knowing smile. "It''s only one hug."


    "Where do you keep getting them?" She moved forward and embraced her mom. Yellow fur brushed against blue as the pair shared a brief moment of intimacy.


    "That''s a mommy secret." Lucario laughed and flipped the Bitter Apple at Riolu. "And it costs so many hugs you''ll never be able to pay for it."


    Riolu ignored her mom''s joke when she saw that her mom would be eating nothing, "But what are you going to eat?"


    "Don''t worry about me sweety, you are the one who still needs to grow."


    With a slightly guilty conscience, she began eating the apple while her mom watched her with a proud smile.


    "So, what are we going to do today?" Riolu asked once she had finished her bitter apple.


    "What do you want to do?" Lucario countered, the same she asked every day.


    Riolu shrugged, "I want to play with my friends at the cliff."


    A short look of disappointment crossed her mom''s face before it turned back to the serene smile she always wore. "Sweety, I already told you it''s too dangerous, what if you fall?"


    "But all the other Pok¨¦mon play there!" Riolu protested.


    "That''s no reason to do the same," Her mom shrugged, "Maybe there''s another Pok¨¦mon who wants to play with you, one less¡­suicidal."


    "But what if they call me a coward?" Riolu felt a fright overcome her heart.


    "Then you tell me and I''ll beat th-" Lucario saw Riolu''s big shocked eyes. "...them at a friendly game of tag."


    Both Pok¨¦mon let out a sigh of relief. Crisis averted.


    "You shouldn''t care what others call you," Her mom encouraged her. "You are my hero."


    "How am I a hero?"


    Lucario enclosed Riolu in a deep embrace. "By just being you."


    "T-that doesn''t make any sense." Riolu struggled to breathe.


    "Nope, it''s a fact." Lucario released the small Pok¨¦mon. "Now, how about we go to the lake together. We might even spot Suicune!"


    Riolu rolled her eyes. "We never spot Suicune."


    "We might today."


    "You always say that."


    Her mom shot her a playful wink.


    <hr>


    Today was another day.


    Riolu sneaked through the forest, darkness was falling yet she was careful not to step onto a branch that might alert others of her presence. If her mom figured out she had been playing at the cliff with Swadloon, she would be in big trouble.


    With grace she jumped through the bushes, approaching the den they had claimed as their home. She made sure she would arrive from the lakeside of the forest, that way her mom wouldn''t suspect a thing.


    It was this caution, or maybe it was sheer luck, that alerted her of another presence.


    "Hahaha!" A cruel laugh came from the den. The laugh sounded sharp, wrong even. ¡°There you are again."


    The laughter chilled Riolu''s bones to the core.


    It wasn''t her mother''s voice.


    She peeked through a small opening between the bushes and peered into the clearing.


    Her breath hitched. She saw her mom lying on her back. Her yellow fur had been stained an ugly red and one eye was swollen shut.


    Riolu suddenly found she couldn''t breathe.


    "I told you," A woman with blue hair began to talk to one of her companions. "Bitter Apples are irresistible to the Lucario species."


    The stranger was not alone, other humans and mean-looking Pok¨¦mon were present.


    The woman with the blue hair knelt down in front of her mother, her back exposed to Riolu. "I had expected more from you, but seeing how you came back every time, it seems I was wrong."


    She sounded amused. "I''m disappointed, that''s all I can call it. Luckily there''s some big money for shiny Pok¨¦mon like you so at least there''s that."


    Lucario glared at the woman but then, from the corner of her eyes, she spotted Riolu lurking in the bushes. Her eyes shot open.


    Riolu¡¯s mind went blank for a second. The expression on her mom''s face told her to run. An almost hardwired part of her brain understood that much, the expression of pure despair.


    It scared Riolu, so she took a few steps back.


    Crack!


    A branch snapped underneath Riolu''s feet and she let out a yelp.


    "Ooh?" The woman said with surprise. She turned around and their eyes met. Or, what would have been eyes.


    Black glasses obfuscated her eyes and only showed a pale skin and thin line for a mouth.


    "Seems like we have a sneaky spectator with us here, Key, why don''t you take a look?"


    It wasn''t until that moment that Riolu learned the true meaning of despair. The expression on her mom''s face was forever captured in her mind.


    But the disappointment on her face when they dragged her to the blue-haired woman, was even worse.


    <hr>


    It was another day.


    The world was clouded by confusion, an endless blur that clouded her mind and turned her entire world into a vague afterimage and made her unable to think straight.


    An overload of senses caused her mind to go blank, on top of that a weird blue glow covered everything she saw.


    There was so much going on right now, smoke and ash covered the ground like a blanket, screams, and cries filled the air and hot scrap metal burned underneath her feet.


    Above her the starless night sky, an inky black abyss, was looming over her. She was back on the ground at least.


    Riolu had to find her mother, she knew that much.


    On auto-pilot, she struggled her way through the smoking ruins. What had happened was still unclear to her, all she knew was that the ship suddenly stopped flying. Why? No idea.


    Riolu gazed up at the orange sky, smoke, and orange embers weaved into the sunset where a certain blue-haired huntress was riding on the back of a Salamence.


    "Dear¡­" A dry voice croaked.


    Her eyes darted around the devastation that surrounded her. She perked her ears, trying to find where the voice came from.


    To the left.


    She turned her head around, and gasped. Her blood went rigid.


    A big metal rod protruded from her mom''s stomach. The cage she had been in had collapsed when the ship crashed.


    The metal bars had bent inward and an unfortunate sharp spike pinned her mom to the ground. It kept her pinned down, any slight movement would tear the wound wide open.


    Red liquid spread over the soil and her mom''s breathing was painfully jagged. Every breath was raspy, dark liquid pooled around the wound.


    Riolu couldn''t think.


    What was she supposed to do?


    Her entire body felt like it wasn''t hers, she couldn''t move even if she wanted to. Yet if she could move, what could she have done?


    She felt useless.


    A wet substance began to form in the corners of her eyes and she began to tear up.


    A shaky voice attempted to say something. The stark realization it was her mother''s dawned on her.


    Lucario was running out of breath as blood began to leave her body. She tried to move but she was stuck, suspended like a puppet on strings and unable to move her own body.


    She managed to heave out a few words despite that.


    "Please¡­ don''t¡­ cry."


    Riolu didn''t, although she wanted it so badly.


    When Lucario''s eyes closed for the final time a serene smile was on her face like she knew a secret no one else knew.


    Riolu held back the tears and stared up at the sky where the blue-haired monster was flying around on the back of a Dragon Pok¨¦mon.


    That moment, she promised herself that she would not cry.


    But that woman, that monster, she would cry.

 63. Why are we here?

    Arc 4: Serial Experiments


    Sometimes, I have to remind myself that I''m not in my old world anymore.


    In the early morning when a dream is still fresh in my mind and I''m not fully awake, I still expect to wake up in my own bed in a normal world in a normal life.


    It usually doesn''t take long to remember that I ended up in the world of Pok¨¦mon. By unknown means, I got here but the story doesn''t really end there. Of course, I cannot get an easy life when transporting to another world.


    Unlike what the anime and games portrayed the world to be, this place was dangerous, far more dangerous than one would think a world with cute monsters could be.


    Gods in the oceans and skies, monsters in human skin and threats that belong in a horror novel.


    Just the realization that I ended up in a supposed fictional world sometimes really haunts me in the early morning.


    I know that it''s technically possible with both the many-worlds multiverse theory and the regular multiverse theory, but knowing that something can happen doesn''t mean it won''t be a big surprise when it actually does happen.


    I opened my eyes, trying to find out where I was. My head still felt fuzzy and traveling the world (well Sinnoh mostly) meant you often woke up at weird places.


    Then it all came back to me.


    An army in the sky, Sabrina, Fay''s attempt to kill Hunter J and Luna''s attempt to get rid of Fay. A drop from the sky and a lot of panic.


    A pained groan followed and I aborted my attempts to get up, feeling mentally exhausted.


    That had been such a mess, I was just training my two Pok¨¦mon and suddenly a red Larvitar pops up. Shit escalated and soon I ended up in an all-out war between 2 groups.


    My shoulder!


    I got up and shook my right shoulder that had hit the ground when I crashed into the ground.


    With great care and fear of possible suffering, I shook it.


    You can imagine the relief I felt when no pain came. I studied it and it wasn''t blue and bruised like I expected it to be, instead, I was met with a plain looking arm, no scars or anything.


    Thank Fate for her small miracles


    No longer burdened with the possibility of my arm being broken, I studied the room I was in.


    I was lying on a comfy, yet plain looking bed with pure white sheets and a pillow still smelling like it had been washed.


    A steel bed frame was mounted to a gray wall that was made of a smooth substance but had a rather cold feel to it. The gray paint on the wall sat between the color gray and green which resulted in the wall having the color of vomit, or at least in my eyes.


    I was inside a small cubic room with a rather Spartan feel to it.


    There was nothing really noteworthy in the room, nothing that gave it a cozy feeling. A metal cabinet was placed against the wall with a metal bench next to it. A pale lightbulb that hung from a wire in the ceiling lit the room in a surprisingly bright glow. No windows, no air vents, and no clock.


    A black heavy-looking door blocked my way out, there were no cameras to be seen but that does not mean anything.


    I checked my body. I was wearing a white shirt and shorts that almost reached my knees. Those weren''t mine, did someone dress me in those?


    Probably, and the discovery didn''t ease my mind at all.


    There was however nothing that indicated I had been physically harmed; at least that was something nice for a change.


    With reluctance, I got out of bed, wobbly at first but finding my balance after a short struggle. The dizziness I felt before left my body as my bare feet touched the cold floor and an unexplainable shiver ran across my body.


    I checked under my bed for monsters but only found some junk underneath it, empty water bottles and plastic remains of junk food.


    Now I was certain there were no monsters underneath my bed (because they do exist in this world) I made my way towards the metal cabinet, that was my next objective.


    My hands twisted around the black knobs and I tried both pulling them and twisting them but it didn''t budge.


    I didn''t see a keyhole either and I had the feeling rust might have made this cabinet forever locked to the world.


    I hit it and it remained closed. Not like I really expected anything.


    With great care, I moved to the black door that I hadn''t checked out yet.


    It looked like the door I imagined would be fit for a prison, it only had a gap for the food tray and an inmate number.


    An iron keyhole made it clear how it was supposed to be opened but I had no key nor did I have any lockpicking skills. Or anything to lock pick with for that matter.


    "Thanks, Fate," I mumbled, just to hear my own voice again.


    Like my prayers had been heard, something good finally happened.


    Two figures appeared out of thin air and landed onto my bed.


    "Dust!"


    {I finally found you!}


    A black-blue, almost dog-like creature stood on my bed and suddenly smiled brightly, a short moment of relief washed over her face before she managed to calm herself.


    "Are you okay?" she asked with a semi-formal tone, her voice sounded a bit hoarse, like she had been sick. Knowing the condition I last saw Fay in, it was not too much of a surprise.


    However, the second figure made my mouth drop.


    An elegant white humanoid with intense red eyes stared back at me. Two red horns poked out of her green hair and it looked like she wore something that looked very close to a tutu.


    Her eyes were focused on mine, an almost scary look that neared insanity, yet at the same time her entire appearance gave off a feeling of cuteness.


    Not like how a puppy could be cute, but more like anime girl levels of cuteness.


    I blinked. "Luna?"


    Immediately after that, I wanted to slap myself, who else could it be? Still, it was a very confusing and overwhelming sight.


    {I''m sorry,} Kirlia leaped forward and apparently her long legs could launch her pretty far. Before I could fully realize what was going on, she filled my entire vision and grabbed onto my chest like a spider, legs wrapped around my torso and two arms wrapped around my neck.


    Kirlia laid her head down on my shoulder with a happy giggle.


    {I promise I''ll do better! From now on, I will never disappoint you ever again.} A telepathic voice sounded through my head, much like it was one of my own thoughts. Yet the mind voice sounded different and not only different to my own mind voice but also different from what Luna had sounded before


    While Luna''s telepathic voice was more like a child, this voice sounded more mature, not like an adult or something but closer to a teenager. It was really hard to place considering it was literally all in my head.


    "Luna..." I stuttered in surprise. She was no longer a Ralts.


    Luna leveled her eyes with mine and added with a small voice. {Please?}


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    She had evolved. Yes, a blind person could tell me that, yet my mind kept repeating and going over the thought like a broken cassette recorder.


    It just seemed unnatural to me. It was probably just me, but seeing Luna suddenly changing from a Ralts to Kirlia was really fucking weird. Like seeing your cat suddenly turn into a dog or something. It was weird and my mind was still playing catch up with reality.


    This was still Luna, just bigger and having cute horns and being completely different.


    She had evolved from Ralts to Kirlia, most likely while I was unconscious.


    I had wanted to see Luna evolve myself, and wanted to be there when the big event happened. Maybe it was a childish desire of mine but I felt how I imagined a parent would feel when missing out on your kid''s graduation. I couldn''t really place my jealousy but it was there.


    {I did it for you!} Luna gave me a shocked look when she sensed my distress. {So I could be stronger, more beautiful, more useful!"


    I patted her on the head, "Don''t worry. I''m just glad for you, it took a while but congratulations."


    Luna must have sensed my sincerity because she started to beam at me.


    I knelt down and disentangled the newly evolved Luna from my body.


    "However we can''t celebrate now, instead we should look for a way out."


    "I agree." Fay hopped off my bed and walked towards me with a small smile. "Although I truly am glad you are not dead."


    "Same here!" I stretched my not-dead body, "Well, at least we are together. Next topic, does anyone know what the hell is going on?"


    Both Pok¨¦mon gave me looks that said no.


    "Okay, how did you two get here?" I went to my next question.


    "We woke up inside a room very similar to this," Fay explained.


    {We too were imprisoned.} Luna added.


    "We had a TV," Fay scowled.


    "But not a bed," Luna argued.


    They had a TV, talking about favoritism. "Okay, I assume you two have no clue where we are."


    {I could only find you by sensing your emotions.} Luna admitted. {My teleport has gotten stronger, or it feels like it.}


    I nodded. "Okay Luna, how many people are nearby?"


    {I can''t begin to count them all.} Luna groaned, annoyed. {Something is interfering with my powers.}


    Okay, guns blazing or Solid Snaking my way out of this mess was out of the question.


    "Luna, can''t you teleport us out of here?" I asked.


    Again she shook her horned head, {Teleporting far away feels wrong. Something is definitely messing with me.} A shiver ran over my body. The way she said it, I didn¡¯t know how I knew, but my guts told me that teleporting too far would be a grave mistake.


    "Ugh, and teleporting through the door? You think you could manage that?" I asked hopefully. "You teleported to me without seeing this room, maybe evolving buffed your Teleport."


    {Still no,} She closed her eyes. {I could only locate you and teleport to you, I''m sorry.}


    The last part was telepathically mumbled.


    I patted her on the head, still felt good. "Nah, don''t worry about it."


    Of course I did worry but no reason to share my doubts, right?


    I looked around the room. There was nothing I could realistically use as a weapon, unless suffocating someone with a pillow was a fool-proof way to deal with being outnumbered.


    Welp, improvisation it is.


    "Fay," I pointed at the heavy black door. "Use Metal Dance on the door."


    "Doesn''t work," Fay immediately killed my hopes, "I can make dents in the door but it doesn''t break."


    They couldn''t, damn that was weird. Guess the door is made of enforced metal or something bullshity.


    I gave the door a good look, then slammed myself on the forehead. Why hadn''t I thought about the keyhole?


    "Luna, peek through the keyhole and teleport us to the other side." I sighed.


    "Wait, we could have done that?" Fay''s eyes widened.


    I nodded bitterly, "Yup, line of sight remember."


    Luna stepped towards the door with grace and jumped up to glare through the keyhole. A quick glance was all she needed.


    Her eyes flashed white and my old friend nausea made a quick visit and kicked me in the guts.


    After the feeling disappeared, I suddenly found myself in an empty hallway.


    Bleak gray walls stretched out on both my left and right side with a pale light shining from above, illuminated by the glowing ceiling tiles. On my left side, more black doors decorated the hallway, all evenly spaced with nothing to distinguish between them except for the big numbers drawn on them with white paint.


    No guards, no resources. Just an empty hallway with Riolu and Kirlia.


    The floor was cold but clean, yet this entire place felt weird and off.


    Without any real reason, I headed left and followed the hallway, passing through more black doors with ominous numbers written on them until I finally reached a door that was numberless.


    I heard people talking on the other side.


    I heard at least 2 different voices, a male and a female. The sounds were vague but I heard they were talking to each other without a concern in the world.


    {I sense three beings.} Luna told me. I contemplated this new information. Of course, Luna could not detect Pok¨¦mon that were inside their Pok¨¦balls but still, I assumed the two talking were humans based on their ability to speak, so that left one mystery factor.


    There was no visible lock on the door and I felt I could push it open with just a touch.


    I knelt down to meet my two Pok¨¦mon on eye level. Fay was looking nervous while Luna was eagerly smiling at the door.


    With a quick gesture, I urged them to move closer and I whispered my orders.


    "Okay, I am going to try something, cover me with the usual V-formation and get ready to intervene."


    "You''re going in there?!" Fay hissed.


    It was not like there were a lot of other options. If I went the other direction I would inevitably run into someone else and 3 against 3 with the surprise on my side sounded a whole lot better to me than aimlessly wandering these hallways until something found me..


    I got up and faced the door. I took a deep breath, ''Just another Monday.''


    Deciding to go all out, I kicked the door open.


    In hindsight, it was a bad idea because it hurt my bare feet. Deciding I was already heels deep into this mess I charged into the room, not wanting to waste the surprise and took it all in with one quick glance.


    A red-haired guy sat on a wooden chair with his back to me. Opposite of him sat a black-haired girl, a brown oval shaped table was placed between them.


    Against the wall there was a kitchen counter with a sink, microwave and furnace with various drawers and cupboards. The entire layout of the room made it look like a small kitchen but a really old one. The kind you see at your grandma''s house with everything looking like it hadn''t been used in years.


    The 2 people had been playing a card game, the guy held a couple of colored cards with numbers in his hand and I oddly recognized it as a card game from my old world which I had brought over.


    The girl let out a cry and dropped her cards on the table in panic.


    She tried getting up and backing away from me at the same time, causing her to stumble and hit her knee against the underside of the table.


    My eyes caught sight of something shiny lying in the sink, a knife.


    With 2 quick steps, I reached out for it and with another step, I stood behind the guy who hadn''t gotten over the surprise yet.


    He tried backing away but the table got in his way and he too hit his knee. With a swift move, I placed the knife against his throat, almost cutting him in the process by accident. He froze as the silver blade slightly pressed against his flesh and for a moment a silence filled the room.


    My breathing was heavy and adrenaline surged through my body. My hand was shaking and I was worried I might either drop the knife or kill the guy by accident.


    Luna and Fay followed and took to my sides, claws out and eyes glowing. "Where the fuck am I?" I growled, hoping to sound intimidating but after saying it I immediately knew it wasn''t what I intended it to sound.


    I felt more like a crazed out drunkard or a mugger than an actual trained professional and everyone who saw me could tell.


    "Hey hey!" The guy cried out as he dropped his cards and slowly raised his arms up. "Easy does it, we''re all friends here. No need to point the pointy thing at me."


    He swallowed and shot me a nervous smile without moving his head too much. "You are safe here." He reassured me with such confidence that you would almost forget he was my hostage. "You must be very confused."


    I was.


    "But everything can be perfectly explained if only-"


    {In the corner!} Luna cried out.


    My eyes shot towards the corner Luna pointed at. Next to the door was a white creature that, now I looked at it, was not a stack of white towels but a 9-tailed fox.


    It yawned as it got up, its eyes lazily looking around the room in confusion. Icy blue eyes met mine and they went wide.


    Oh shit.


    The knife in my hand suddenly disappeared in a flurry of white snow. One second I was holding a knife, next second I was holding a pile of soft ice in my hand and the knife was nowhere to be seen.


    "Snowflake, calm down!" The guy commanded the white fox like it was a dog. "This is perfectly normal-"


    A white blur shot towards me.


    Purple and blue met its path but Fay was rammed to the side like she weighed nothing more than paper.


    Luna''s Confusion didn''t even seem to do anything as the white Nintetales stormed through it. A cloudy tail glowed silver and Luna too was slammed to the side.


    Next second it felt like a truck slammed into me. I fell on my back as the Alolan Nintetales landed on top of me with its entire weight.


    Its blue eyes stared down on me and it bared its fangs. A cold chill ran over my body as I saw a blood red tongue licking the teeth right in front of my eyes.


    Welp, this is it. I just really hope it''ll be quick.


    I shut my eyes, not wanting to see my own impending demise.


    You can imagine my surprise when a wet tongue scraped over my face and started licking me.


    I fearfully opened my eyes and was met with the sight of the white Nintetales staring down at me with an almost wolf-like smile.


    Its chest was heaving and its tails were happily sprawled out over my entire body.


    The red-haired guy shot me a pained look before turning to face the girl while I was being crushed by the weight of an all too happy Nintetales.


    "Go get the commander and tell him he''s awake. Also, don''t tell Sabrina yet otherwise she''s going to be annoying again. It is too early to deal with her bullshit."


    The girl yelped as the attention was suddenly placed on her before she stormed through the door.


    The guy silently groaned while rubbing his throat.


    "This is the last time I am going to guard the sickbay."

 64. Legends of Tomorrow

    Icy blue eyes watched me with an almost childlike glee. The jaw of the white fox hung wide open, revealing a scary row of white fangs. It silently sat on my body with its 9 tails draping over my body.


    I had the idea that it wasn''t about to move anytime soon, the happy smile made it clear the nine-tailed fox was perfectly content with the situation.


    "So this is Snowflake," the guy with red hair explained as he crouched down next to me on the floor. "Don''t mind her, she''s not going to harm you, and neither am I. My name''s Caleb by the way, your name was Dusk right?"


    "Dust," I corrected him, not feeling completely at ease but Caleb''s calm demeanor definitely helped me relax despite the fact that I could not freely move my body.


    Caleb had long hair with a deep red color. It was long but not girly long. A green-colored hair band kept it from falling over his face.


    A sheepish smile was present on his face, telling me he was also not really comfortable with everything. He had brown colored eyes and he looked quite handsome, he couldn''t be older than 20. He wore a big black t-shirt with sweatpants and black heavy boots.


    "Nice meeting you Dust," Caleb smiled sincerely. "Though next time please don''t point a knife at my throat please?"


    Damn this guy was good at this game. If I were anyone else I would have been crushed by guilt, however knowing I made a mistake and admitting it are two wholly different things.


    "I woke up in a random room without my stuff, locked up and the last thing I could remember was being attacked by a girl out of nowhere. You can understand my confusion, I hope?" I said with a mocking voice.


    "Haha" Caleb scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, that does put things in a different light. I am sorry about that, though it can all be explained."


    Fay appeared next to me, glaring daggers at Snowflake. The fox ignored Fay completely and kept looking down at me with that dumb smile of hers.


    "He is speaking the truth about being sorry," Fay told me, apparently now being able to detect lies.


    "So what is going on?" I asked, refusing to apologize for threatening his life.


    "Well, the Commander should be arriving any minute, he can probably answer your questions better than I can."


    "Can''t you answer them now?" I subtly tried to move my body but Snowflake''s weight made it impossible to move even an inch.


    "Yeah I could but-"


    "Okay, where are we?" I asked abruptly.


    "I am actually not allowed to tell you everything," Caleb finished his sentence. "Nothing serious, just some official stuff."


    "So we are in Sinnoh?" I asked hopefully.


    Caleb shot me a disappointed look for even trying.


    "Kanto?"


    Nothing.


    "Unova?" I tried.


    His mouth stayed closed.


    "So we are at sea," I finally said.


    Caleb winced and I knew I was right. This person couldn''t lie if his life depended on it.


    "Can we talk about anything else?" He weakly offered.


    "Sure, why am I here?" I went to my next question.


    Caleb brightened up, apparently glad to talk about something else. "Oh, well the short version is that you and your Pok¨¦mon needed medical care and we were so kind as to provide you with a place to recover."


    "And the long version?" I asked skeptically.


    "Uh, Sabrina, that girl that knocked you out? She messed up hard." Caleb said with a harsh tone but quickly added. "But there''s nothing for you to worry about."


    {I don''t like that girl,} Luna shared with me, {I can almost feel her nearby. She just feels so odd.}


    "I agree," Fay nodded curtly, she had taken the liberty to sit next to my head on the floor because why not.


    "So I am with the Hunt?"


    Caleb eyed me with a grin. "Oh, so you recognized us? That''s good! Yes, we are the Hunt and right now you''re at our base."


    "Next question, what is the Hunt?" I asked and his smile dropped. I knew the basics but more information is always helpful.


    "Aww, I thought you knew us."


    "Nope, but a girl riding a Tropius said something about it," I clarified. "So what''s it?"


    "Well, the Hunt, which I am part of." He pointed at himself with pride. "Are a group of Pok¨¦mon trainers and Pok¨¦mon. We are a big deal you know? The first-ever specialized team for B and A level threats. We are like heroes, man."


    "Huh, so the supposed heroes knocked me out? Yeah I can see how Sabrina fucked up. But why would you put me in a cell?"


    "You weren''t locked up." He protested weakly.


    "When you can''t escape most people would call that-"


    "Okay, I get it!" He raised his arm. "You see we don''t actually have a sickbay yet so we just put you in one of the available rooms, didn''t think you¡¯d freak out the moment you woke up. We just thought: ¡®Hey, he will probably just wait for someone to check up on him¡¯ but that wasn''t the case."


    "You could at least give me my backpack and Pok¨¦mon," I weakly countered.


    Caleb gave me a stare. "You had 2 firearms in your backpack. Would you give someone who just recovered from a deadly battle access to a gun?"


    I groaned in my mind. Did they go through my stuff? I quickly went over everything that could put me in a bad spot.


    "Well, what about my Pok¨¦mon?"


    Caleb glanced at Luna, "We would have put you all together if it wasn''t for Ralts causing trouble and freaking out the moment she got healed."


    "Pfffftt." Luna spat dismissively which was a very good counter-argument.


    "Okay, I get your reasoning, but that''s a very good excuse to put me in a creepy as hell looking room without an explanation, a way out or anything at all."


    "You are being sarcastic aren''t you?"


    "You genius."


    I felt a wet strong liquid over my face and realized that saliva dripped on it. It felt weird, I never had a dog but I imagined it would feel like this, a combination of both disgusting and oddly nice feelings.


    Both Fay and Luna sent a glare at Snowflake who seemed to be very happy, not that she had shown any other emotion so far.


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    "Can you please get the Ninetales off my chest?" I cried out.


    Snowflake''s tails began happily wagging around my body and the fox began barking out a few cheerful sounds like a dog. Both Luna and Fay got to their feet and backed away from Snowflake with a freaked-out expression on their faces, somewhere between shock and confusion.


    "Yeah, about that," Caleb grimaced. "I actually can''t get her off your chest, that''s another reason why we need the Commander here, he might convince her. Unless you want me to kill her but that might be even more troublesome."


    "Something is seriously wrong with this Ninetales." Fay hissed as her claws sprung from her hands.


    {Get away from her!} Luna sent me a message telepathically, skipping the part where I literally couldn''t move.


    "Easy easy!" Caleb got up and glanced nervously at my two Pok¨¦mon like they were two timebombs waiting to explode. "There''s no need to be distressed, Snowflake is harmless."


    "What is going on here?" A powerful new voice arose.


    Through one of the heavy black doors, a big muscled guy stepped into the room.


    All the eyes, except Snowflake''s, turned to face him.


    When he entered the room I just knew he was the guy in charge of this circus.


    True to his title he was big and well-muscled, like he spent a lot of his free time in a gym. He had a tanned skin color and blond hair that was shaven short. Gray eyes pierced into the room with a thick eyebrow above them, making it look like he was looking to yell at someone. He wore a tight green shirt that was really good at showing off his well-trained body. Underneath it, he had cargo shorts and the same kind of boots Caleb wore and around his waist he had a black belt with six Pok¨¦balls clipped to his side.


    He had a strong voice and walked with big strides, he looked like everything I imagined a commander would look like.


    The Commander gazed into the room with a judgemental look. His eyes landed on me and I had the feeling this guy wouldn''t be nearly as easy-going as Caleb had been.


    Luna and Fay stepped closer to me.


    "Steel!" Caleb hastily tried to make it look like he was not at all in a state of panic. "The patient, Dust, is awake."


    He said it like the guy couldn''t see that for himself, or maybe he just wanted to look like he was doing his duty.


    "Why is he on the floor and why is Snowflake sitting on him?"


    I had been wondering the same thing for the last 5 minutes.


    Caleb was beginning to look nervous. "That''s actually a funny story with a lot of confusion and misunderstanding but it''s all fixed, well mostly, Snowflake doesn''t want to move."


    I noticed how he didn''t mention me coming into the room and holding him hostage. I was okay with that. Caleb subtly shot me a pleading look, guess he really doesn''t want to look bad in front of his boss.


    "Yeah, lots of confusion." I repeated what Caleb had said. "Still got a lot of questions but can you please move the freaking Ninetales of my chest?"


    The last part was a bit more aggressive than intended but I had an itch forming on my face and I really wanted to scratch it and wipe it clean.


    "Snowflake move!" the Commander said with a demanding tone.


    The Ninetales in question made a whiny noise and gave the Commander a sad look. Puppy eyes, ears low and all her tails limp. It was so cute I had the urge to give the sad fox a big hug and drown myself in her soft fur.


    "Now."


    Snowflake remained seated and resorted to shooting the Commander a glare, this time showing off her fangs. A low growl followed.


    The Commander shook his head, like he was disappointed and let out a sigh. "Just for now, you can see him later if you want but I need him for now."


    Wait?! Do I get a say in this?


    "Yip." Ninetales happily barked and she lowered her head to gaze down at me. For a final time she licked my face before jumping off my chest and charging out of the room like her business here was done.


    Not weird at all.


    A big hand was stretched out to me to offer a grip and I took it. With a mighty jank I was pulled to my feet by the Commander.


    "Sorry about that. I can reassure you that normally doesn''t happen." He shot me an apologetic look. "I don''t know what has gotten over her. She''s been like that since she saw you in the Na''Al-gal Desert"


    "Uh, yeah weird shiz, happens a lot to me." I muttered, "But thanks anyway."


    "See, everything is fine.'''' Caleb smiled. "Well, I should go and check on the weapo-"


    "No, stay." The Commander didn''t even look at him while he said that.


    Instead, his gaze remained on me, not so subtly studying me.


    "In hindsight, that can wait. I''ll stay here." Caleb didn''t seem to be happy about the situation but unable to speak up about it. I could understand his feelings, this guy was intimidating as heck.


    "My name is Eric Steel," he shook my hand and almost crushed my bones in the process. "I am the one in charge of this place."


    "Sup," I replied and pointed at my two Pok¨¦mon. "The blue one is Fay, and she''s Luna. But I assume you already know my name."


    "I do indeed, Mister Wildfire and I can imagine you have a lot of questions about everything and I am sure you might be able to answer a few of our own."


    "Yup, where am I? Why am I here, what do you want from me and when can I go?" I asked rapidly, not feeling merciful at all. After all, I had a lot of victim cards I could play.


    He gave me a long look before giving me a sympathetic nod. "Why don''t we sit down so I can explain the situation we find ourselves in." He pointed at the chair Caleb had sat on before I entered the room.


    His cards were still scattered all over the floor. They were Uno cards and it looked like he had been piling up draw 2 and draw 4 cards. It was the first time I had seen any of my products with my own eyes but it was nice to see them and that they sold well.


    I sat down on the chair and Eric took the other chair which left Caleb without one. The redhead uneasily leaned against the counter.


    "So does anyone want a drink or something?" He meekly offered as he tried to lean against the kitchen counter but discovered that it was too low to lean against.


    "A Galar''s Bitter for me," Eric said without giving Caleb even a look.


    "Can I get some water please?" Fay turned her red eyes to me. "I am feeling quite thirsty."


    {I need some coffee.} Luna said before teleporting onto my head.


    She was bigger than she was before but not to the point she couldn''t sit on my head. I took her off anyway because having a Kirlia sitting on your head would make me look a whole lot less serious in front of the Commander.


    Luna shot me a knowing smile as she realized my reasoning.


    Fay joined her on the table with a quick jump.


    "Can I have some tea please?" I asked as Caleb opened a cabinet that was actually a fridge on the inside. "Also water and coffee for my Pok¨¦mon please."


    No one thought it was weird, Caleb acknowledged my order and took out a plastic water bottle from the fridge. He tossed it in my direction and I caught it with one hand.


    I handed Fay the water bottle, meanwhile Caleb placed a green glass bottle in front of the commander.


    To me, it looked like it was just beer but a Wooloo picture had been plastered in front of it.


    "So Dust, let me start answering your questions with a statement first."


    Eric leaned forward. "Hereby I officially apologize for all the unfortunate events that have happened to you and the Hunt is willing to compensate for your discomfort."


    I blinked. "Say what?"


    Caleb began to boil water in a black, old looking kettle. The sound was slowly getting louder and in the process more annoying, Caleb kept looking at the kettle like his gaze could heat it up faster. Silently drowning in embarrassment.


    "What part is so surprising?" The Commander asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.


    "Everything," I lied.


    "What do you know about the Hunt?" Commander asked.


    "Not a lot, most of it from what I heard on the news."


    He sighed, "Caleb do you have the introduction video ready?"


    "Uh no, told you we are still working footage of Hunter J''s battle, I heard they are working overtime to make it more family-friendly."


    "Ugh, never liked the entire idea anyway, way too complicated." Eric commented before turning to me. "Okay, let me try to explain our situation real quick. Right now you are at the headquarters of the Hunt which is short for Hero Unit for Nationwide Threats. We are a special team that exists out of the best Pok¨¦mon and Pok¨¦mon trainers in the world. Follow me so far?"


    "Yup."


    "It''s one of the most important projects to date but we are not like the Rangers or League special forces." There was a sense of pride in his voice, "The Hunt is a collaboration between Kanto, Sinnoh and Unova with all three regions working together to fund and support the project. But of course, there have been collaborations in the past but none like this, can you guess why?"


    "More firepower?" I asked, although it was a rhetorical question. He was right about the Leagues working together in the past, especially during S level threats considering those affected almost all regions.


    "This time it is all in the eye of the public." The Commander explained. "Before missions were kept in the dark, now it will be completely the opposite. Now the spotlight is on the Hunt, a collaboration between three Leagues to create a team of heroes that can deal with problems no region can deal with on their own. To be short, we are supposed to be a beacon of hope for the people."


    "Pretty cool right?" Caleb grinned.


    "It kind of does sound cool," I admitted. The world of Pok¨¦mon does really have a problem with B and A level threats that can easily kill thousands within a day. Even simple natural disasters were more common than they should be. And although such numbers were a mere statistic compared to the total amount of the population it was still a dark part of reality people lived with.


    "There''s a lot of PR involved in all of this, more than ever before and despite only three regions being involved the entire world is watching us. Next time the Scorchers burn down a city we are the ones that should intervene. There''s a lot of time, money and effort put into the hunt to make it as big and appealing as possible."


    The Commander groaned. "You can imagine the disaster if word got out about one of our own, attacking a civilian during our first mission. And not just one of our own but Sabrina, the famous Psychic."


    He shook his head.


    "That is a PR nightmare waiting to happen."

 65. The Worst Girl Who Ever Lived

    There is this theory, or philosophy if you want to call it, in this world called Divine Entropy. The basic idea is that the world is slowly but surely heading towards an inevitable end and every day that passes, we get closer to the end of both Pok¨¦mon and human life. The idea came from the observation that S level threats keep popping up, threats that generally can easily kill billions one way or another, thus proving that the world is destined to end. It wasn¡¯t a matter of if but when.Every time we don''t go extinct is just a fight won in an endless war against the inevitable.


    Despite the name, scientists didn''t really believe a higher being was causing it but rather a force of nature. Like how time always moves forward the universe in a state of constant decay.


    It sounds like a stretch until you realize that the world of Pok¨¦mon has dealt with near extinction-level threats in the past. Things like: The Ultimate Weapon killing 50% of the population, Groudon and Kyogre drowning and burning the world and the sheer amount of past civilizations that have fallen due to Pok¨¦mon-related incidents.


    Reading that would almost make you believe some malevolent goddess is trying to annihilate everyone. The fact that humans are still standing comes from our large numbers, Legendaries intervening during critical moments and a bunch of luck.


    People that support the Divine Entropy theory have called out the fact that the amount of S level threats have drastically increased in the last few decades.


    Near apocalyptic threats used to occur every thousands of years or so but there had been multiple within the last 2 decades alone. Some claim that the countdown is getting closer to zero while others just say that ''There''s more data available nowadays''.


    Personally, I am a pessimist and I already thought the world was going to end someday in my old universe. Maybe a solar flare or a deadly virus and there was always the issue that idiots had access to nuclear weapons. But even if those things didn''t happen, just plain old climate change could be the one to wipe humanity off the Earth.


    Coming to the world of Pok¨¦mon doesn''t change that, sure they have no nukes and climate change is less of a problem but the technology was so weird that they could make weapons that could do some freaky shit. And of course there were always beings like Arceus or Jirachi that could end it all with a snap.


    Fun stuff!


    I did the same thing as I always did and just carried on with my day.


    I looked at the Commander of the Hunt. He looked very much like someone who¡¯d I would call a commander. Big, threatening but also having a charismatic aura.


    The Hunt, apparently, was a group formed to deal with B and A level threats but not just deal with them like they normally would. No, the Hunt was supposedly also a big PR deal. They would be what the Champions of each region represented: power, hope and something to look up to.


    And getting attacked by their psychic was a very big deal.


    It wasn''t a big deal for me but only on a personal level. For them, it was a problem because¡­ well, the dude was about to explain it, but before he could, Caleb interrupted the conversation by loudly placing a mug with boiled water in front of me and he offered me a variety of tea flavors.


    A coffee that was made by spilling water over the shit that was inside instant coffee, was placed in front of Luna.


    "Sugar?" he asked Luna awkwardly.


    The Kirlia looked up at the iron can filled to the brim with sugar cubes that Caleb was holding. For some reason, they had been put in a can instead of something more reasonable.


    Caleb stuck out the can towards Luna and I saw 6 cubes of sugar dissipate into her tiny cup of instant coffee.


    I raised an eyebrow at her but she only blushed and looked at the wall, suddenly taking interest in the brown paint and making no attempts to explain her choice.


    "Keep talking," Caleb offered. "I''ll just lean against the microwave, it''s like I''m not even here."


    True to Caleb''s words the Commander ignored Caleb completely. He turned to me instead.


    "I did a quick background check on you, Wildfire, just to get your name and the phone numbers of your relatives. To my surprise, I found you have recommendations from both Agent Looker from the International Police and from Consulting Specialist Shiner of the Sinnoh League."


    The second name confused me until I recalled that Shiner was Hylla and Chelsea''s last name.


    "Just to be certain, you are a human right?" He suddenly asked.


    Caleb began making choking noises while I gave the Commander my best ''What the fuck do you think?'' face.


    He nodded thoughtfully. "That''s what I thought, yet one of our members, the one who attacked you, was convinced that you are not a human. Normally such idiotic suggestions would be discarded as lunacy."


    Luna perked up, then she realized we weren''t talking about her and she returned to looking around the room.


    "But the claim has been made by the famous Sabrina, are you familiar with her?"


    "Not really," I lied. Weird psychic girl, possible Team Rocket conspirator according to the manga and a traumatized girl with weird psychic powers according to the anime. She can possibly turn me into a doll, I really hope it doesn''t come to that. Dolls are fucking creepy.


    Every single one of them.


    "It''s just some stuff I read about her online but nothing more than rumors." I said, "She''s a psychic right?"


    Just as I finished my sentence an explosive bang followed. The door I had come through was slammed open and hit the wall. My Pok¨¦mon and Caleb let out a surprised yelp while I just groaned, realizing that even a normal conversation was too much to ask from Fate.


    The Commander''s hand went to his belt but stopped just as he was about to push a button.


    In the doorway stood a purple-blue haired girl glaring daggers at me.


    "Talking about the devil," I muttered while at the same time I subtly gestured to Luna and Fay to do nothing and just wait.


    "YOU!"


    D¨¦j¨¤ vu¡­ Why does this feel so familiar?


    Sabrina wore the same red dress I saw her wearing last time, looking quite pretty and now I could admire it without bombs falling from the sky.


    Deep purple eyes met mine.


    It seemed Sabrina had taken a page out of my book by slamming the door open. The way she stood there would make for a good movie poster with her back to the illuminated hallway and her eyes faintly glowing purple.


    I would be scared if it was not for the fact that her boss had not just told me she had fucked up hard and if she was going to fuck up even more, than I was cool with that because that would make me look better in the long run.


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    Sabrina stepped into the room with big strides, her strangely colored hair wavering behind her and fizzling with the same purple psychic energy.


    Caleb froze in his tracks and gave the girl a wary look. The Commander got up from his seat but did not move to intervene as Sabrina stopped in front of me.


    I twisted the chair so I could look up at her glare without having to turn my head around.


    "You are hiding something." Sabrina hissed angrily. The psychic energy manifested itself into purple flames that surrounded her eyes.


    Time to test a theory of mine.


    I looked her in the eyes. "Everyone has secrets, tell me something new."


    Meanwhile, I began visualizing and thinking about all kinds of stuff in my head. Gory stuff, inappropriate things and other thoughts that would even give the most stone-hearted person a shiver or frown.


    Sabrina didn''t and I couldn''t help but smirk. Suspicions confirmed.


    Sabrina can not read my mind.


    "And why are you smiling?" Sabrina snapped, not quite shouting but definitely not calm.


    "Just thought of something funny." I said while cursing myself for openly smiling. "You were the one that attacked me."


    Sabrina turned to look at the Commander. "See that!?" She pointed her finger at me. "He''s hiding something, look at that smile! You know he is holding something back."


    "Even if he was," The Commander said calmly. "That gives you no excuse to barge in here, besides, you''re acting ridiculous now, Sabrina."


    The girl in question growled silently in her own anger. Eventually, she narrowed her eyes on me. I sat comfortably in the chair.


    "Don''t think I won''t see through your lies Dust." Sabrina glared.


    This was getting annoying, I wonder if there was a broken wire inside her that made her repeat herself.


    "What are you looking for?" I stared back at her. "A confession?"


    Sabrina''s eyes widened but I kept talking. "Not saying that I am but just imagine it, then what? Why would it bother you? I haven''t met you before so what about me angers you?"


    "Your entire existence! You are not supposed to be here, I can see you with my eyes but besides that you don''t exist." Sabrina spat.


    I blinked. "Say what?"


    "As you know Sabrina is a psychic." Caleb coughed. "She can read minds and other wacky stuff."


    Sabrina shot a glare at him.


    "Another one of her psychic powers, a very rare one even among psychics, is the ability to see parts of the future. The itchy point here is that she can not read your thoughts, nor did she see you in her visions for the attack on Hunter J, though the battle ended roughly the same so your impact was very minimal. Still, she''s pissed at you for being a general blindspot." Caleb managed to remain calm underneath Sabrina¡¯s glare.


    People told me before that my existence annoyed them, it was something I was rather skilled at but to actually have empirical evidence to back that up is a completely new thing.


    But the bigger reveal was that Sabrina can see the future, he did actually say that right? If it was true then she''s fucking OP. How would that even work? Does it calculate a future based on all the data available, maybe possible outcomes or did she get her knowledge from somewhere else?


    Theoretically seeing the future could be possible. Pierre-Simon Laplace theorized that a hypothetical being that knows the position and momentum of every molecule in the universe and has unlimited calculating power would be able to see the future as if it were the present. Simple math. Maybe Sabrina could do that? I had so many questions I wanted to ask her. However, I had to focus on the important stuff going on right now, mainly me being a total blindspot to Sabrina.


    That is a huge ace up my sleeve and I could see how that would make someone uncomfortable.


    "It''s not just that, he clearly is not normal. Eric, you''ve seen his stuff? He had the guns of a known criminal and an entire notebook filled with weird coded messages."


    I winced. Did they manage to decode it? I didn''t use a cipher that was known to this world and even if they could decipher the notebook it would be an incoherent mess of words and numbers that would only make sense to me¡­ I hope.


    "That''s still not enough evidence for all the trouble you caused!" The Commander stepped towards Sabrina. "You are once again the only one causing a scene but while you''re here, why don''t you apologize for attacking him so we can continue discussing compensation!?"


    Shit, the Commander looked like he was about to snap. He spoke with a harsh voice. Also, it was clear that Sabrina didn¡¯t command the same respect as her game or anime counterparts. That or the Commander, who was named Eric, did not give a flying fuck at all.


    "I refuse." Sabrina folded her arms in front of her chest. "You know something fishy is going on."


    This really seemed to piss him off, he stepped closer to Sabrina until he loomed over her. "For all I care he''s plotting to summon Reshiram. It''s none of your business. Remember why you¡¯re here. Now offer a formal apology and stop acting like a child!"


    "She is rather childish." Fay commented, forgetting the part where she was one herself.


    Sabrina glared at me but extended her left hand anyway. A reluctant one at best, at worst she was trying to crush all thee bones in my hand. Her mouth was a thin line as she murmured something that could be interpreted as an apology.


    Holy Arceus, why did it feel like Sabrina was some 9 year old kid that was forced to apologize by the teacher? Being the nice person I am, I accepted the hand with a smug smile, even as her nails dug into my flesh I gave her my best grin.


    "See, we are all friends here." Caleb chuckled at Sabrina''s visible anger.


    "Fuck off," Sabrina spat at Caleb.


    "Great, now there''s an official apology and Sabrina has shown to be sincerely regretting her mistakes." The Commander continued, turning a blind eye to their squabbles. The girl looking at me did not seem to regret anything.


    It was kind of disappointing to see her acting this immaturely, I expected her to be cooler, especially after the cool shit I read about her on a message board online. I really hoped she was only acting this childish because of me and that she usually doesn''t act like a total ass. Damn, that saying about never meeting your heroes is true, or should it be villians in Sabrina''s case? Never meet a waifu?


    "The Hunt is willing to pay 20 Thousand-"


    "Hold up!" I interrupted him. "You''re giving me money?"


    "Uh yes?" The Commander seemed to be surprised by my confusion. "It''s more than you would get at court. Consider it our way of compensating for the unjust treatment and as an offer to leave it all behind you.


    So basically,hush money.


    Then I realized the number he had called. 20,000.


    That''s a lot, but at the same time, it wasn''t. To be honest I rather get something like a Pok¨¦mon or an important key item but until now all my rewards have been a bit lackluster. Sure, I can''t expect people to give away Pok¨¦mon like they were gift cards. I realize it kind of does sound like some annoying rich brat to whom money was not valuable. I didn''t really need it right now, or at least not in the quantities the Hunt was willing to provide me.


    A plan came into my mind.


    "You know what?" I said, "I don''t need any compensation. You can keep the money. I won''t make a big deal out of this entire turn of events."


    Sabrina raised her eyebrow at me, unable to hide her curiosity. I turned to face everyone with a serious look on my face.


    "Mistakes have been made."


    Caleb coughed.


    "But to be honest, I am just glad to be safe and you all did help me get out of the Hunter J situation alive. The entire idea of the Hunt sounds really awesome to me and I actually can''t wait to see how it will play out. So just give me my shiz back and some actual clothes and we''re cool."


    {Seriously?!} Luna asked, sounding offended, {After all they did to us? To you?}


    "That''s quite generous of you Wildfire," The Commander gave me an appreciating nod, "Not a lot of people would say no to that much money."


    "According to Sabrina, I am not like most people." I noted dryly.


    "Haha!" Caleb laughed, "He got you there."


    If looks could kill, Sabrina would be a serial killer.


    I patted the Kirlia on her head while carefully making sure to send her the feeling of smugness and confidence. True, I said no to a lot of money but I gained much more. Good relations with what might become a key player in this world''s future. Having a favor can sometimes be more useful than anything money can buy and Sabrina''s behavior even made me look like a more generous person.


    It was like the Commander said, a public image can be really important.


    "Although if possible, could I get a tour of the base? I know it''s kind of secret but I would really love to see how the Hunt works and all."


    Actually, that was not a lie, I really was interested in how they did everything. Even from a personal standpoint, it would be just hardcore to see a military base with my own eyes.


    "Sure we can give you a tour," The Commander replied. "Besides our location, there is not much to be kept a secret and a tour is the least we could provide. Sabrina?"


    Sabrina looked up.


    "You are going to guide him, he''ll have to wait at least half a day for Blink to send him back so you might as well help him kill time. See it as your punishment if you will."


    Sabrina glared at me. "Don''t think this changes anything. I''ll keep watching you."


    I could not resist saying it, "Kinda hot."


    Caleb gave me two thumbs up from behind her back.


    If looks could kill Sabrina would have been on a killstreak.


    The Commander let out a deep sigh.


    I just smirked at her.

 66. Unlasting

    "Are you done yet?" Sabrina called through the heavy wooden door, sounding very impatient.


    "Yup." I answered as I opened the door. I was met with the sight of my favorite human psychic. Also the only human psychic I know, but that''s beside the point.


    The girl in question was impatiently banging her palm against the vomit green concrete wall, trying to express her impatience without making it too obvious.


    "And how do I look?" I asked with a shit-eating smile.


    "Don''t flatter yourself." Sabrina didn''t look amused which only added to my amusement.


    I myself thought I was looking cool as heck, being dressed up in the new clothes I received from the Commander. I wore a black hoodie that had the logo of the Hunt printed on it. The logo was rather simple, just the word ''Hunt'' spelled out with a big font with a metallic texture added to it and as a finishing touch, it had a silver arrow strike behind the letters.


    Apparently, it was some unshipped Hunt merchandise and I had to admit it looked really cool, not over the top and edgy but at the same time, it had some weight to it, making it not look childish.


    I got blue jeans too and awesome sneakers that were extra sturdy and had a cool red and black color scheme going on.


    I swung my backpack over my shoulder and followed Sabrina through the long hallway that could have been copied straight out of Alcatraz. Not that I''ve seen it but this is how I imagined a prison would look like, long gloomy corridors and no windows whatsoever.


    "Where are your Pok¨¦mon?" Sabrina asked without slowing down.


    "Uuhhmm, I left them with Caleb for some group therapy, so we could have some privacy. Besides, your boss said it was okay."


    Sabrina stopped. "Group therapy?"


    I shrugged. "There were some complications during the Hunter J situation, mainly Luna trying to get rid of Fay and Fay trying to kill Hunter J herself."


    "You are joking right?" Sabrina asked incredulously.


    "Wish I was."


    "And you left the two together, alone?"


    "Caleb''s there to babysit them." I said unsurely.


    "You are the worst trainer I''ve ever met." Sabrina shook her head.


    She was only half right. True, I had no idea how to deal with Luna''s betrayal and Fay''s failure. I could talk big but in the end, I had no real idea what made them tick and how I could make them act more nicely and feel happier.


    I never knew, to be honest, just winging that kind of shiz has always been my strategy and I was about to do it again. However, there was logic behind my ideas.


    Luna and Fay had to talk it out together one day, so why not now? Luna would not kill Fay but Fay might get angry at her once she revealed her schemes.


    "If I were to be present, there would be the chance that my Pok¨¦mon only pretend to be cool with each other, now they have only each other to figure it out with." I explained. "There''s not much I can do unless both find a compromise first."


    "And what if they can''t?" Sabrina countered.


    "Then I''ll just take the one that comes out alive."


    Sabrina gave me a horrified look.


    "That was a joke," I sighed, "You should try them too."


    "I do know what jokes are," Sabrina glared, something she does a lot. "Yours just aren''t funny."


    She refused to look at me after that. Without using her hands she opened the door in front of her and I followed after her into another empty room. This one looked like it was once a dining room. It had plastic white tables scattered all over the room. Looks like the previous occupants just dropped dead while setting up a fake meal.


    "This place is lit." I murmured as I scraped my finger over one of the tables, only to find my fingertip covered with dust.


    "Fuck off."


    "So," I rolled my eyes. "Is there a reason you hate me? Is it just me being a blind spot or something else?"


    She hesitated a short moment before answering. "I don''t like not understanding things."


    "We all have that." I laughed. Fuck, I still don''t know how I got into this world or why I am even here. "But that''s no reason to be an ass about it."


    "We all have that?!" Sabrina asked, suddenly the lights in the room started flickering. She gazed at me and I saw the purple flames around her eyes. She returned in full force, "WE ALL HAVE THAT?!!!"


    The furniture began shaking, seemingly on its own. A weird buzzing sound filled the room and I could feel the temperature drop. Sabrina eyed me with a venomous glare. "My entire life I dealt with the unknown and just when I feel like my life is finally getting on track and I get my first chance to use my powers to do something useful,¡± the glass on the counter shattered. "And then you come in and somehow everything gets worse! Suddenly I am the one who messed up!"


    She was shouting at me but she didn''t sound angry anymore, just more desperate and sad. "Did you know that our losses increased just by you being there?! Hunter J was supposed to die but instead, we only have the vague hopes that the Zapdos bomb killed her."


    I cast my eyes down, unable to say something snappy or to make a counter-argument. I did not feel guilty per se but I felt bad for Sabrina.


    A silence followed and the things in the room stopped shaking, the lights went back to normal and a comforting warmth flooded back into my body.


    She said with a small voice, her eyes avoiding mine, "I just want to know why it all went wrong."


    "I''m sorry, but mind you that I did not ask for any of this, I don''t know why I am a blindspot either, in fact, there''s so much I don''t understand yet but I am sorry that it caused you so much trouble."


    Sabrina let out a deep sigh and calmed herself down, the glow dissipated as she closed her eyes.


    She didn''t accept my apology, nor did she refuse mine. Instead, she began talking with a calmer voice. "Let''s continue, you wanted a tour right?"


    Without waiting for a response she opened one of the big sliding doors and urged me to follow.


    "This did not happen." She added as she stepped through the door.


    "Sure?" I said while feeling confused and at the same time relieved.


    Pretending like she did not have an emotional breakdown a few seconds ago Sabrina began talking. "Well, I do happen to know quite a lot about the Hunt and this base. I was of course one of the founding members."


    Without using her hands she opened a door in front of her but this time it did not lead to another hallway. Instead, I found myself on a long metal walkway that hung suspended in the air. Metal cables prevented it from falling to the ground and an extra set of cables prevented it from swinging. The path was narrow, barely wide enough for 2 people. Underneath us, it was a madhouse.


    A gigantic, almost hangar-like room was underneath us, stretching out for a good while with gigantic trapdoors and big ceiling lights hanging in the air. The same concrete walls I had seen before made up the massive walls that surrounded the room in a desperate attempt to cage the that took place.


    I saw people underneath me working on strange transportation devices, ranging from vehicles to helicopters to actual planes. Big and small Pok¨¦mon walked around underneath us, all in different shapes and sizes. Actually, Pok¨¦mon were just everywhere and in all shapes and kinds as well.


    I saw a big Gyarados casually slithering through the room, carrying a full fridge in its tail, but I also spotted smaller Pok¨¦mon like Roselia and Alcremie down there.


    The people below were all dressed up differently, some wore just casual clothes while others were partly covered in protective body armor, like they were ready to get into a brawl. I saw people playing with their Pok¨¦mon, some were grooming them or feeding them by hand while others seemed to be content with just watching the Pok¨¦mon.


    Saying it was chaos down there would be an understatement, there was no way to see which Pok¨¦mon belonged to who or what anyone was doing.


    I saw two guys working on what looked like some sort of helicopter, while not even a full step away a guy was playing fetch with his Furfrou.


    This room was big enough to store a cruise ship and even have space to spare, yet it looked crowded.


    "I know it looks like a big mess down there." Sabrina looked down with a distasteful gaze. "But the artificial living areas for the Pok¨¦mon are not done yet so they stay in the main hall for the time being."


    "That''s a lot of Pok¨¦mon." I commented.


    "Indeed, all the members of the Hunt have their 6 Pok¨¦ball limit removed."


    The people underneath us didn''t seem to either notice or care about us. Some humans and Pok¨¦mon gave a quick wave or greeting but most just ignored me. I idly noticed that none of the greetings were directed at Sabrina. Some noticed her but just continued with their duties, whatever they may have been.


    Guess she was not that popular around here.


    "It''s my power," Sabrina stared down. "It scares them, either subconsciously or consciously but they stay away from me. They don''t voice their thoughts or fears but I can read it in their eyes even without using my psychic powers."


    I stayed silent, trying to come up with a response that was a bit more meaningful than ¡®that sucks¡¯.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Well, have you tried talking with them? I know first hand that you can not expect others to start a conversation."


    "Doesn''t work," Sabrina sighed. "Either they see me as some kind of freak or as a higher-up they can''t talk to. Also, I don''t think I should take advice from you, seeing how you only have 3 phone numbers saved in your Pok¨¦dex."


    I pretended not to see her smirk by looking at a girl walking around with two swords strapped to her back. For some reason swords are more effective to Pok¨¦mon than a bullet, not sure why. It does look badass though.


    "So you actually went through my stuff, eh? They did invent this thing called privacy, you know?"


    Sabrina gave me an innocent looking shrug. "I had to dig out your backpack from underneath the sand. After that, I had to make sure everything inside was still in one piece."


    She gave me a menacing smile. "I think that someone''s possessions can tell a lot about someone, for example, you keep your Pok¨¦mon''s Pok¨¦balls inside your backpack instead of your pocket."


    I groaned. "That says nothing about me, they stay outside of them anyway so unless I am battling they might as well be kept away safely."


    And there was this fear that I might lose their Pok¨¦balls like I always manage to lose my pen in class, not that I told Sabrina. Maybe I really should look into getting a belt as well, maybe one that could holster a knife as well, preferably hidden.


    "I also found 2 guns, one gold, one silver, they previously belonged to Crimson, the infamous bank robber."


    "Crimson switched targets and accidentally met me, the weapons just exchanged ownership once I got him into custody.¡± Damn, don''t I sound badass. "They are very shiny."


    "But the most curious thing I found," Sabrina continued, unaffected by my explanation, "A notebook full of weird lines and slashes¡­and poetry?" Sabrina raised her eyebrow at me.


    I gave her my biggest shit grin. "I just love poetry."


    That was not a lie and it was a good distraction for whoever found the notebook.


    Seeing how remembering details from the entire Pok¨¦mon multiverse was getting a lot harder than I had thought, I decided on writing them down. I started with a cipher that only uses the forward slash, backslash and a straight vertical line. Using a combination of those three would give you the route to traverse an imaginary tree that had letters at the end of each branch, with the more commonly used letters closer to the roots of the tree.


    It was a funny code I had once found in a book as a child and for some reason, it stuck with me. After that, I threw in some internet slang and only used keywords so even when it was decoded it would only make sense to me. To anyone else, it would look like the scribbles of a madman.


    It was more meant as a quick refresher than anything else. I really need a better way to get my knowledge recorded in such a way no one else will ever be able to figure it out. If only there was a Pok¨¦mon that could function like a voice recorder.


    "Seriously, what does the code mean?" Sabrina narrowed her eyes, "Why go through such lengths to hide something?"


    And she was back at being scary.


    "They are my personal notes," I haphazardly tried to find a good answer while talking. "My diary if you will call it. Secret techniques I worked out using scientific findings."


    I really became good at bullshitting I noticed, I always have been but the circumstances in this world forced me to be even better at it. It was actually a very good alibi now I think about it, considering I was actually doing research, just without all the official protocols that made it valid and legitimate.


    Feeling somewhat cocky I smiled. "You do know that I''m going to become the best Pok¨¦mon trainer in the world right? Knowledge is power and making sure only I can access my own knowledge is just good riddance, right?"


    Sabrina stared at me for a long time, trying to detect lies.


    Apparently, she could not find any because she frowned and said, "You are quite arrogant."


    I shrugged.


    A blond girl feeding an orange Dragonite spotted us on the catwalk. We locked eyes for a brief second. Unlike most, she didn¡¯t avert her eyes from Sabrina.


    The girl quickly mounted the dragon and with a few flaps, the pair flew towards us.


    Briefly, a look of displeasure crossed Sabrina''s face before the girl came to a stop in front of us.


    I recognized her as the one who fought Hunter J and her Salamence during the battle. That had been an impressive feat, seeing how chaotic the entire battlefield had been. As she came closer I got the chance to get a good look at her. She had ash-blond hair tied in a high ponytail and black eyes. The most noticeable thing was the black cape she wore on her back, next I noticed the belt she wore across her chest. The black belt had multiple knives strapped to it, every single one of them kept in a small sheath but clearly they could be drawn within a second. Underneath it, she wore what seemed to be a regular short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants.


    "Dust, meet Alexandria Strike," Sabrina said. "Alexandria, meet Dust Wildfire."


    "Sup." I greeted the newcomer with a wave. "Cool cape."


    She ignored me completely and instead turned to face Sabrina. "Is this a new recruit?"


    "No, he is a guest." Sabrina answered with a cold voice. "Now could you please tell me where Blink is?"


    "No time for small talk today?" Alexandria pouted mockingly. "You''re never getting friends if you keep acting that way."


    Sabrina didn''t even blink. "I asked for Blink, not your advice."


    "Fine, he is at the weapon depot" Alexandria shook her head in disappointment, "Well see you later."


    The girl riding the Dragonite flew away and disappeared into the crowd


    underneath us.


    "Soooo," I started. "That was a thing." I felt like I had seen something I shouldn¡¯t and it was quite awkward.


    "Come, we are leaving." Sabrina began walking and an invisible force gave me a shove.


    I followed her and we were met with another black door. I opened it and we left the hall behind and were once again back in the concrete maze that made up like 80% of the base.


    "Alexandria Strike, eh? Sparkling personality." I mused, "What''s up with her?"


    Sabrina didn''t look at me as she answered. "She was the Indigo league finalist 2 years ago, she managed to beat the Elite Four only to lose against the current Champion Lance. It made her pissed off so she took the second best thing that could get her fame and joined the Hunt."


    "I see you don''t like her."


    It was just good to know I was not the only one on Sabrina''s shitlist.


    "I just can''t stand people like her,'' Sabrina murmured, "The ones who get everything and expect even more."


    "No shit, no one likes them."


    "Well apparently people do-" Sabrina stopped dead in her tracks, "Oh shit we''re going the wrong way."


    Sabrina turned around and I saw her eyes were glowing purple. "Blink isn''t at the weapon depot, he''s in the library. That fucking bitch lied."


    Remembering how scary Sabrina could look when she became angry, I quickly diverted her attention with a question. "Well, this hall looks like any other, no wonder we could get lost here. What is this place even?"


    "It used to be an old Rangers outpost," Sabrina dragged me into another random direction, hopefully the right one this time.


    "What happened to the Rangers?"


    Sabrina shrugged. "Nothing tragic like you would expect. there was just not a lot of use for a Ranger base in the middle of the sea so it eventually got closed down and abandoned. And now we moved in here, the perfect spot to cover all three regions. Aaahh, I found it!"


    We were walking through a big and dark storage room that had big metal shelves with weird machinery on it. "We are still renovating this place. Expect this place to be vastly different next time you see it."


    I nodded. "Cool beans, now quick question. Are we underwater or on an island?"


    If we were to be underwater I might need to start worrying about drowning.


    "Of course not," Sabrina rolled her eyes like an underwater base was the stupidest idea she had ever heard. "This place is constructed on the top of big pillars so it stays above sea level, they thought it would help against sea storms but it kind of doesn''t, thus we have anti-teleport fields and force fields that cover the entire base.


    I thought back to what Luna had told me about being unable to teleport home, now that I heard about the fields that covered the base, it kind of made sense.


    "And we are here." Sabrina stopped in front of a wooden door that looked different from the others. I had noticed that this hallway was more modern looking with a fresh layer of paint and less trash on the floor. The door I was looking at right now was beautifully decorated, mythical scenes were carved into the wood and intriguing patterns ran over the length of the entire door.


    Sabrina expectantly moved to the side. "Behold."


    She did her thing again and the door opened on its own and I entered the room. I was looking at a big cozy-looking room that had big wooden bookshelves placed against the wall. I saw multiple stacks of books that reached the ceiling with sticky notes on them that divided them into different categories. Multiple wooden desks were placed in the


    middle of the room and a crystal chandelier hung in the air.


    It was like I just walked into a library from 2 centuries ago, old looking scrolls were drawn out one of the tables. A big map of the world was displayed on the left wall like a piece of art. Talking about art, paintings and photos of people and Pok¨¦mon hung on the wall, some looking like they had been made by Michelangelo himself while others were more modern looking and seemed to be taken with a photo camera.


    It was not all old and outdated, however. A projector hung next to the crystal chandelier and multiple computers were placed on the desks with all kinds of techy stuff lying on the table.


    "Impressive, isn''t it?" Sabrina smiled when she followed behind me.


    "It''s a shame that the research team isn''t present right now. But at least Blink is here."


    I glanced around the room and saw a big pink Pok¨¦mon standing in the corner.


    The creature was big and bulky, its tail was almost half its size and looked to be some kind of weird shell.


    "Meet Blink." Sabrina said.


    "Blink is a Slowking." I stated to see if I was dreaming.


    The Slowking did not even look up as I got closer to him, instead, he kept looking in front of him, seemingly staring at a wall.


    "Blink is the strongest teleporter in the world, excluding Legendaries, of course, Blink can move entire armies across regions within a second."


    While Sabrina talked I gave the Slowking a good look, it still had not moved nor even blinked.


    "He is one of the key players in the Hunt, we have more teleporters but Blink is undoubtedly the strongest."


    I stared into Blink''s eyes, it was like nothing was going on there. Like his body was there but the lights weren''t on.


    "You are sure he is the world''s strongest teleporter?" I waved my hand in front of his face. "Because to me, and this is only an opinion, he looks like he is..."


    "...retarded?" Sabrina offered when I didn''t say anything.


    I snapped my fingers in front of his face a few times but I got no reaction.


    "Mentally challenged." I said.


    Sabrina gave me a small smile, "He might look like that but he''s actually really smart."


    "Well, isn''t that some weird shit."


    "But he can teleport you to wherever you need to go, just tell him the address."


    "You are sure that works?" I asked suspiciously, "Because I seriously doubt the lights are on, maybe he glitched?"


    "Just do it already."


    "Fine, Rosefort Forest, it''s near Floaroma Town in Sinnoh. Please don''t teleport me into a lake...please?" I looked at Sabrina. "That''s all?"


    She nodded. "Yes, 8 hours and 43 minutes from now you''ll be teleported back, make sure your Pok¨¦mon are near you or they might miss the teleport and you''ll have to wait a whole other day for them."


    I gulped, "Wait 8 hours?"


    "Yes," Sabrina smiled. "Blink''s biggest drawback is the amount of time it takes to teleport people and Pok¨¦mon, it can take him from an hour to an entire week, depending on the quantity and distance."


    "You are kidding, right? An entire day?" I stared at Slowking, "That makes him basically useless during a crisis."


    "It does," Sabrina admitted. "That''s where I come in. I can predict the location and time of future threats and give the orders ahead of time."


    She looked very proud of herself as she said that. "As long as I get a vision the Hunt can preemptively intervene. Of course, we also use other methods such as the International Police Database and the Absol system but most B and A level threats don''t hang around long enough to organize a counter-attack."


    "That''s clever," I thought out loud, "On your own the two of you are useless but together you can form a deadly force."


    "Did you just call me useless?" Sabrina fixed her dark blue eyes on me.


    A sudden knock at the door followed.


    Sabrina turned to face the door with confusion. I too was confused.


    A second knock followed and the door began to change color. Slowly a white layer began to cover the wood. Slowly but surely the door began to turn blue until the entire thing was frozen solid.


    A third knock followed and this time the door shattered with a loud bang. The pieces fell to the ground where they either broke off into smaller fragments or slid away. There was nothing left of the door. A white fox stepped through the ruined doorway.


    "Yip." A high pitched bark followed.


    Next, a white Pok¨¦mon shot towards me.

 67. Broken Goddess

    The white fox flew towards me and I am not talking in a metaphorical way but it literally flew over the ground. A flurry of snow shot towards me like a miniature snowstorm with Snowflake at its center, her paws not even touching the ground as she crossed the distance.


    Before Snowflake could reach me she was stopped cold in her tracks and yes, pun intended.


    The Ninetales hung in the air in front of me, frozen in the same position she was in before. She was held in the air by an invisible force, it looked like a video that had been paused.


    "Wow," I said in awe. "Damn that''s a cool party trick."


    "Party trick," Sabrina muttered, sounding slightly winded. Her eyes remained fixed on the Ninetales as she kept her hand raised at Snowflake.


    Snowflake whined as she kept trying to escape from Sabrina''s grasp but couldn''t move more than a muscle. Ultimately, Snowflake retorted to giving me a sad look, something that should be illegal seeing how cute it was; all the big snowy fox wanted was to hug me, her gaze told me that much.


    "I think she''s just happy to see me." I told Sabrina.


    "She just broke down an entire door in her excitement to reach you, imagine if she accidentally broke a bone in your body because she was too excited." Sabrina spoke calmly before turning to face Snowflake.


    "Now Snowflake, when I release you, promise to approach him calmly, okay?"


    Snowflake gave Sabrina an excited bark as an answer.


    I kept watching the scene with great interest, wondering what was about to transpire.


    "She likes you," Sabrina told me after she had Snowflake''s agreement.


    "Wow," I blinked, "How did you notice, are you some kind of psychic?"


    Sabrina smiled menacingly and a second later Snowflake dropped to the ground, released from the psychic''s hold.


    A grin stretched out on Snowflake''s face and I saw her muscles tense to prepare for another leap. Knowing that Snowflake hits like a truck, I acted fast and did the first thing that came to mind.


    I took a quick step towards the Alolan Ninetales and petted her on the head.


    The effect was immediately visible. Snowflake melted underneath my hand, she pressed her head against my palm as I petted her surprisingly soft fur.


    The fox happily wagged her nine tails and a satisfied smile was drawn on her face.


    I read somewhere that petting animals releases a hormone in your brain called dopamine, if I''m correct it''s the same hormone that makes you enjoy things like food, compliments and sex, also it''s fairly addictive.


    Right now, I felt like I could keep petting Snowflake all day without ever needing to worry about silly things like food, water or sleep. I had the idea that Snowflake felt the same.


    "Hhmm, Interesting." Sabrina watched me with big eyes. "You really are an anomaly."


    "What?" I raised an eyebrow, "You never figured out you can pet her instead of using telekinesis?"


    "Yes," Sabrina approached the white Ninetales slowly. "Except she doesn''t act like this with anyone else."


    She stretched her palm out towards Snowflake.


    Snowflake zipped away from Sabrina like well¡­ a fox and hid behind my back despite the obvious size difference.


    "See that?" Sabrina looked at Snowflake. "She doesn''t act this lovey-dovey with anyone, most of the time she just ignores others."


    Snowflake softly nudged her head against my hand and looked at me with her big cute icy blue eyes.


    I continued the holy duty known as petting the fox while at the same time trying to figure out what Sabrina was talking about.


    "Since she saw you in the desert, she has been acting more lively than ever."


    "Wait, she was the one with a hole in her chest?" I asked incredulously. My memories of the battle were a chaotic blend of violence and sounds, but I do recall seeing a Pok¨¦mon with a gaping hole. I gazed down at Snowflake. She looked physically fine, her fur did not even look dirty.


    Sabrina nodded. "Yes, she had a hole in her chest this time, though she has since recovered and she''s been ecstatic about your arrival."


    "Huh, weird shit," I mused. "So whose Pok¨¦mon is she? I mean she''s named Snowflake right?"


    Wild Pok¨¦mon don''t name themselves very often, it can happen but it is very rare because they don''t feel the need to do that by nature.


    "Actually she does not have an owner and we don''t know why she is named Snowflake."


    I stopped petting Snowflake, "What?"


    Sabrina knelt down, purple flames flickered to life around her eyes.


    "There are two things that make Snowflake very special, even amongst her own kind. First off, Snowflake is mute."


    Snowflake barked excitedly and she began licking my hand.


    "Duh."


    Sabrina shook her head, "No you don''t get it. She can not speak the human languages but she also doesn''t have the ability to speak to other Pok¨¦mon. All the sounds she makes are completely meaningless."


    "Nine!" Snowflake wrapped two of her fluffy tails around my arm and brought it into the position to pet her head, I automatically began petting her head but with less enthusiasm.


    "And there''s nothing going on in her mind either, trust me I tried."


    Sabrina sounded like she pitied her. "She does not have complex thoughts like other Pok¨¦mon do, only the simplest things like emotions and basic desires."


    I stared at Snowflake who relished in the pleasure of being petted.


    The Ninetales species is known to be really wise and smart. Would that be stereotyping? I guess in some sense she isn''t too far off from a normal dog. It kind of made me feel sad, knowing how awesome it is to be fully sentient and to express my thoughts.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "For example, she is really happy to be petted by you," Sabrina said. "Right now that''s all I can find inside her."


    "Wow," I muttered.


    "So you can imagine my surprise when a blindspot suddenly becomes the obsession of the local anomaly." Sabrina''s eyes stopped glowing. "I mean, when we found her there, she had no memories to be found, the only thing we recovered from her shattered mind was what she called herself: Snowflake."


    "That...sucks." I couldn''t help but feel that this was some convention for tragic people and Pok¨¦mon. We had the girl with powers that ruined her life, the Ninetales that can not talk and the man out of time and universe. Somewhere in this all there was a joke only Fate could see.


    "Well it wasn''t me, I would never name an ice Ninetales Snowflake, sounds kinda dumb to me."


    "I agree," Sabrina frowned, "It would be like naming a Ghost Pok¨¦mon Spooky."


    We stayed silent for a few seconds, contemplating the current turn of events. Only Snowflake''s happy panting stopped the silence from becoming unbearable.


    "You said there was a second thing that made her special?" I got tired from standing up and decided to sit down on the floor.


    Snowflake dropped down to the floor as well, her jaw was slightly hinged open and she closed her eyes while I decided to rub my hand along the length of her back.


    Sabrina decided to sit on the floor as well and flicked a strand of hair that fell in front of her eyes out of the way. "Want to drink something first? Talking this much makes me feel thirsty."


    A bottle of soda appeared in her hand and she opened it.


    "Uhm, think you can get me some Muesli with yogurt? You guys have that?"


    "Certainly," Sabrina smirked before closing her eyes to concentrate.


    A cup of yogurt appeared before me on the floor with a white bowl next to it, already being filled with Muesli.


    As I took the first bite I realized I hadn¡¯t eaten anything in a while. My stomach churned. I steadily kept chewing.


    "Doesn''t she want something?" I asked, pointing at Snowflake''s head.


    "No, she isn''t hungry." Sabrina said, her voice having a certain edge to it, like she was telling a riddle.


    "Yip," Ninetales said, her eyes lazily closing.


    "In fact, she doesn''t even need to eat," Sabrina continued sinisterly.


    "What? How?"


    There are Pok¨¦mon who don''t need to eat, mostly Ghost Pok¨¦mon but there are few more exceptions. The Pok¨¦mon that don''t need to eat food probably get their energy from somewhere else, photosynthesis, energy from other planes of existence or even emotions.


    Not sure how that works, it shouldn''t be physically possible to eat emotions since they are just hormones but bullshit like that was the norm in this world.


    "So does she consume life energy?" I asked, "Broken dreams or anything else creepy and abstract?"


    Sabrina stared incredulously at me, like I said something outrageous. "What?! No of course not, that would be stupid. No, if she doesn''t eat anything she''ll die from starvation eventually, I think."


    Now it was my turn to stare at her like she was the one who was crazy. She obviously was, but hey, we are all crazy down here.


    "What do you know about the Ninetales species? Especially the Aloan variant?¡±


    I wrenched my mental gears but I had never played Sun and Moon nor had I bothered to watch the anime that far.


    "Uh, something about wizards, ancient powers in the tails and something involving ice?" I guessed.


    "True, those are rumors but another well-known fact is that Ninetales can get incredibly old, some Ninetales can even get older than 1000 years."


    "Oh that thing," I mused, "Yes, older Ninetales are more intelligent. They can speak and all that shizzle, though they often die before they can age that far up right?¡± I patted Snowflake on the nose, it felt good. "So how does that relate to this one?"


    Sabrina gave me a smirk. "This one is immortal."


    I watched for any signs of her making a joke for the first time but she was dead serious.


    "You are serious aren''t you?"


    "Yes, completely serious. I could literally rip her heart out right now and she''ll regenerate. Any damage inflicted will simply be reversed within time. Not just physical damage, Snowflake can survive and shrug off even fatal attacks like Destiny Bond without a hassle, she''s even known to survive Celebi''s Forest."


    "Nineee." Snowflake nudged me again to start stroking her fur.


    ''How?" I muttered confused.


    Legendary Pok¨¦mon were believed to be immortal as well but those are Legendaries, a whole other class on their own.


    Sabrina shrugged, "We don''t know, somehow she''s able to restore her physical state to perfection, without any exceptions. It''s what makes her a big anomaly, despite clearly not being a legendary Pok¨¦mon she appears to be practically immortal and the number of moves she has even suggests she is older than 1000 years."


    She narrowed her eyes, "See the picture now? Why do you seem suspicious in my eyes?"


    I nodded.


    "So what is your explanation for this, Dust?"


    "Well, Fate is playing her games," I grimaced. "Somehow this cutesy here likes me, I have no idea why and it seems that Snowflake can not answer that question either."


    Sabrina stared at me but this time I was completely honest.


    A sudden smile spread out on Sabrina''s lips.


    "Well, want to help me find out?" She asked with a sweet voice.


    "Sure...?"


    Why does it feel like I just activated a trap card?


    Sabrina opened her hand and a red and white Pok¨¦ball appeared on her palm. She playfully balanced the Pok¨¦ball on the tip of her fingers, I suspected she was using her telekinetic powers to keep it still.


    "They say a person''s true nature shows through during a battle," Sabrina''s dark-blue eyes were fixed on the Pok¨¦ball, "How about we hold a battle and show me what makes you tick, Dust?"


    Was she for real?


    I chuckled.


    Sabrina raised an eyebrow at me, "What are you laughing about? Are you truly that arrogant?"


    "Nope," I stopped chuckling. "However, I have to decline your challenge."


    "What? But why!?" Sabrina''s demeanor changed. Her arrogance dropped, "Surely you want to battle against me right? You do know that I am a Gymleader, right?"


    I firmly shook my head. "You didn¡¯t think I would actually accept your challenge right? I am not stupid, you are an experienced Gym leader and a Psychic so actually beating you would not be realistic at all, and even more important. I have this feeling you won''t be holding back a lot and since my Pok¨¦mon will take the brunt of your frustration. I believe it would be stupid to say yes."


    "Nineee." Ninetales barked randomly.


    Sabrina threw her hands up. "You are impossible!"


    She groaned something I couldn''t quite make out, but it sounded a lot like a curse to me.


    A black translucent figure with a smokey body appeared behind Sabrina suddenly, slowly shifting into existence. It did not seem to lock eyes with her at all, she remained motionless as Gengar whispered something in her ear.


    The creature shot me a final grin before fading away into nothingness.


    At the same time, an evil smile appeared on Sabrina''s face.


    "Fine, I''ll do you one better, you are probably aware that I am a Gym Leader in Kanto. However, even though I am with the Hunt right now, I still have the right and privilege to hand out badges."


    Sabrina smiled as a shiny Marsh Badge appeared in her hand. "Let''s make it a Gym Battle, I''ll even promise I won''t use Gengar."


    The Gym Badge? It was worthless. A Kanto badge only gives you privileges in Kanto, not in Sinnoh. At best it would just give you bragging rights and why would I want something that had only imaginary value?


    Because it was shiny and cool and definitely something to hold over Chelsea''s and Barry''s head.


    "And if you beat me I''ll even teach your Kirlia a neat trick," Sabrina tilted her head, "Being a Psychic I can definitely teach her one very quick."


    I did not give her an answer, I wanted to say no but I felt drawn to her offer.


    "If you want even more convincing arguments," Sabrina pointed her thumb behind her. "Blink is starting to get annoyed by our presence."


    She pointed at the Slowking that stood in the corner. To be honest, I had totally forgotten about the pink Pok¨¦mon.


    I stared at it and at that moment two soulless eyes stared back at me.


    Blink had not even moved an inch but the pupils of his eyes were now fixed at me.


    A cold shiver ran over my body.


    "So what do you say?"


    Blink kept staring, not blinking or moving. Just silently watching.


    I swallowed, "Sure, let''s do that."


    Sabrina smirked evilly.

 68. Queen Meanie

    I slowly moved Snowflake''s head from my lap and got up from the floor.


    Snowflake got back onto her feet and with an almost impossible grace, she waited next to me, her nine tails curling behind her.


    Sabrina did something weird, she got up without using her hands or knees, instead, she was pulled up by an invisible force. Kind of dramatic, if you ask me.


    "Well, let''s go get your Pok¨¦mon so the battle can begin," Sabrina said with a playful smile that was definitely not creepy, nope, not creepy at all.


    "Weird shit, eh?" I turned to Snowflake.


    "Yip," Snowflake barked happily, probably not really caring or understanding what I said.


    I grinned. "Bitches be trippin, right?"


    "Yip yip!" Ninetales said, sounding even more excited than before. I even saw her wag her tails around like she was a dog.


    I patted her on the head because damn was petting a Ninetales therapeutic.


    "You are such a moron." Sabrina rolled her eyes.


    "Snowflake, bark if you don''t think I am a moron."


    "Nine!"


    "See," I smiled at Sabrina, "Two votes against one, isn''t democracy such a beautiful thing."


    "Just come already." Sabrina groaned loudly and I felt a push from behind.


    I followed behind Sabrina as she navigated her way through the frozen bits of door that were scattered outside the doorway.


    As I kicked a piece of ice out of the way I immediately regretted it, my toe hurt like hell and the ice turned out to be a lot heavier than I thought.


    Once we were back in the maze, Sabrina guided me towards where Fay''s and Luna''s group therapy was being held. All the while, Snowflake trailed behind me, being a lot more quiet than I thought she could be for such a big creature.


    "So your Psychic powers?" I was getting bored from these similar looking hallways. "How do they work?"


    "I don''t know, no one does," Sabrina answered curtly.


    "No, I mean what can you do? What are your limits? I saw you display Telekinesis and Precognition."


    "I can do a variety of things actually," Sabrina could not help it as a proud smile briefly passed over her face. "Of course, I am a rather powerful precog."


    "How does it work?" I asked, my interest piqued, "Do you see the future? Possibilities or only small glimpses?"


    "Well, first off, there are multiple forms of precognition."


    "Multiple forms?"


    "Of course, not every precog is the same, you know? There are a lot of nuances but there are two main categories, one of which is combat precognition, it is an ability most Pok¨¦mon have in a minor form."


    "Wait they do?" I frowned, "I know that several Pok¨¦mon can see the future but most of them?"


    "Oh yes, although it''s really minor, it allows them to react faster than they should. It''s how Pok¨¦mon can dodge a move like Quick Attack, though some people call it their sixth sense or even worse: gut feeling. Seeing how little research is done on precognition, it''s hard to argue against it."


    "Huh, well look at that."


    "There are different degrees of combat precognition, ranging from dodging unseeable attacks to Future Sight and Lock On. That''s the first category, the second form of precognition is more commonly referred to as visions which are more reserved for higher class psychics such as myself."


    "Looks like you did quite some research." I complimented her, "So you are a vision precog?"


    Sabrina waited for a short moment before giving me an answer. "I had to do some research if I did not want to go insane. Not being able to tell if you are seeing the future or the present. Not even understanding the things you see, why you see them and if they are actually going to happen or if they are only a mere possibility."


    Sabrina shook her head. "Saying my childhood was ruined would be an understatement. But if you really want to know Dust, I had 7 different forms of precognition."


    The tone of her voice told me she did not want to talk about it anymore. We continued to walk in complete silence.


    Eventually, we stopped in front of a glass sliding door that led to a more modern looking hallway.


    I recognized it as the therapy hallway.


    Without much fuzz, we found the door. Sabrina moved to the side and I entered first, Snowflake immediately tagged behind me.


    The room I found myself in was not too descriptive, just a big empty room with big translucent lights stuck to the ceiling. The entire floor was covered in a soft foam-like substance and the walls had ominous-looking scratch marks digging into the concrete.


    "Dust!"


    {Dust!}


    Two Pok¨¦mon ran towards me. I knelt down and the Pok¨¦mon were embraced in my two arms. I hugged both my Pok¨¦mon because they were really awesome to hug.


    It was still weird to feel Luna being bigger than before but I could get used to it.


    "So?" I asked after both of my Pok¨¦mon stepped back.


    Fay shot Luna the stinky eye. "Luna tried to kill me."


    {Eliminate,} Luna took a sudden interest in the floor. {And I''m sorry.}


    Fay''s gaze softened, "But we reached an agreement and I think we got a better understanding of each other and I like to think we can start anew."


    Wow, that was quite generous. Damn, why does my Riolu sound more mature than I do? Not that the bar was high but still.


    {Indeed,} Luna nodded, {All is forgotten.}


    "Not yet," I tapped Luna on the head, "I still have to punish you."


    {What?} Luna''s eyes widened, {But I made up for it, just like you said.}


    I was curious about what had transpired between the two but I decided to let it rest.


    "That may be, but although Fay has forgiven you, that does not mean you get a free out of jail card, right, Fay?"


    "I guess so," Fay muttered, avoiding Luna''s betrayed look.


    "Like I said from the beginning," Caleb stretched his arms and stopped next to me, "We are all friends here."


    The redhead leaned closer to me and whispered into my ear, "Your 2 Pok¨¦mon are completely psycho."


    I nodded grimly, "I know."


    "Nine!" Snowflake suddenly barked.


    "And you brought Snowflake too!" Caleb said, surprised.


    Ninetales randomly decided to proudly show off her fangs and curled her blood-red tongue around the pointy teeth.


    "You found her again?" Fay asked cautiously.


    "Actually the opposite." I chuckled, "She found me first."


    "About that," Sabrina turned to face Caleb., "The door of the library has been frozen shut and then shattered to pieces, please tell Steel about it."


    "Nope," Caleb took a step back, "It happened during your supervision, so it''s your duty."


    "No, I am giving him a tour right now," Sabrina said smugly.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    {What''s the deal with her?} Luna pointed at Snowflake, {I can not understand her.}


    "Well, Snowflake here is mute, immortal and a big cutesy right?"


    "Nine nine!"


    "Immortal?" Fay backed away.


    "So can you actually understand them or are you making a lot of educated guesses?" Caleb asked.


    "Yes," I answered both questions at the same time, you gotta love the efficiency.


    "Huh, that''s not even that weird considering everything." Caleb shrugged.


    Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "So many mysteries surround you, Dust."


    She doesn''t even know half of it, although to be fair, I could say the same about her as well. Seeing how weird her powers are.


    "Wait, go back to the immortal thing," Fay stared at Snowflake. "How?"


    I shrugged, "Dunno, I think she has either a Wolverine Super Healing or a very local time loop is surrounding her."


    Everyone stared at me like I said something weird.


    "Who is Wolverine?"


    "Time Loop?"


    "Nine?"


    "What are you talking about?" Sabrina asked sharply, "You know something about her that I don''t?"


    "Nope, but I have some theories," I patted Snowflake, "Either her healing ability is just supercharged, maybe a weird mutation, healing is not that rare among Pok¨¦mon. So what if hers is just extra strong?"


    "Hmm," Caleb put his finger against his chin, "If you word it like that she is not that special."


    "You said something about a local time loop?" Sabrina nudged.


    "Yeah, another possibility is that Snowflake does not actually heal herself but somehow managed to get her entire biology stuck in a time loop which makes it look like she is healing but in actuality she is just reversing time for herself every time she is hurt."


    "Ninnee." Snowflake barked.


    "For example, if she would be in a loop of 24 hours then it would mean that every 24 hours she will return to her original state."


    "If she were to be stuck in a time loop, wouldn''t she be unable to move?" Sabrina pointed out.


    "That''s why I said local time loop and biology. Maybe the time loop only encases her body, or to be precise only on a molecular level. It could even explain her shattered mental state. If she''s stuck in a loop then she wouldn''t be able to heal her mind. Maybe her name was a constant throughout the loop; it might explain some shit," I shrugged. "Don''t really know about it, I am not a neural scientist after all."


    "Huh," Caleb blinked, "That sounds actually very possible. And you just came up with that idea on the spot."


    "I am something of a scientist myself."


    I patted Luna on the head because she was starting to look desperate for attention.


    Sabrina tilted her head, "The more I watch you the bigger of a mystery you become."


    "Anyway," I got up and decided to put an end to Sabrina''s train of thought before she would become annoying again, "Look at me still talking while there''s a battle to be held."


    {A battle?} Luna''s eyes widened. {I want to show you how good I became!}


    "Actually, I am really curious to see my own strength as well. Who are we fighting?" The Riolu looked around for her opponent.


    "Well, fun surprise, it''s a Gym Battle," I announced. "You know what that means."


    {I do!} Luna gave me a serious look. {And we are fighting the psychic, aren''t we?}


    "You made it a Gym Battle?" Caleb gave Sabrina an amused smile. "Why?"


    "Because I want to." Sabrina huffed.


    Caleb gave me a pat on the shoulder and shook his head. "Well, prepare for a world of pain."


    "Is it that hard?" Riolu asked me, slight panic creeping into her voice.


    "Nah," I patted her on the head which made her cheeks redden. "I trust in you, Luna and the power of friendship..."


    That was a total lie, I was actually very nervous about it. I know next to nothing about Sabrina''s fighting style, the Pok¨¦mon she would choose and what strategies she would deploy.


    However, that does not mean my two Pok¨¦mon need to know that and especially not Sabrina. Act strong when you are weak and weak when you are strong, some Chinese general once said.


    He''s dead now but he had a good point.


    Luna gave me a reassuring smile. {Do not worry, I will win that badge for you.}


    I turned to Sabrina. "Actually, would you mind if I take an hour to prepare with my Pok¨¦mon?"


    Luna straightened her back. "She just evolved and Fay has been undergoing some changes and since this is a Gym Battle, I want to be perfectly prepared."


    "Certainly," Sabrina said, "I would not want you to claim it was an unfair battle afterwards." Both Caleb and Sabrina smiled mysteriously, some inside joke passed between them.


    "Yeah, creepy shit," I muttered.


    "Although I don''t think Snowflake will leave you alone." Sabrina pointed out.


    Snowflake rubbed her head against my leg. Luna shot the fox a not-so-subtle glare but Snowflake was too ignorant to see it, not that Luna could do anything to Snowflake.


    "I''ll be back in an hour," Sabrina said with a calm voice before turning around and leaving the room, still carrying that air of mystery around her.


    "Yeah, I still haven''t had breakfast," Caleb gave me an awkward smile, "So uh, don''t go rogue ''kay?"


    I nodded and realized that I could sneak around, there was just not much to find here. Maybe I could steal some staplers but this place was pretty damn empty. Also, stealing is bad. That was definitely the main reason.


    "Cya for the battle, would not want to miss that." He left the room and closed the door behind him.


    I swallowed, welp time to prep.


    "So what is the plan?" Fay asked.


    "First a speech," I grinned, "After all, we are about to get our second badge which will be completely worthless."


    Fay rolled her eyes but a small smile was visible.


    {Speech time!} Kirlia started doing a pirouette¡­ wait, since when does she do that?


    I shook my head and focused on the matter on hand. "Today''s battle is not about winning, never has been," I sat down crossed-legged on the soft mattress underneath me, Snowflake followed.


    "Today''s battle is about sending a message. Not just from me, Sabrina too is not going to play nice. However, I have my complete trust in you two."


    "I will try my hardest." Fay''s claws flashed to life.


    {Same,} Luna closed her eyes and stopped dancing. {I can not lose.}


    "Nine!"


    I took out my Pok¨¦dex, "I assume both of you have at least 1 new move, an hour will not be enough to master it but we might be able to squeeze in a few new tricks, hopefully, and we will have all our previous techniques to work with."


    With a button press, I started scanning both my Pok¨¦mon and I studied the move pool with a careful look.


    Yeah, this can work.


    <hr>


    The arena we found ourselves in was indoors and located inside a big room with steel walls on all sides. Blue pillars lifted the roof was at least 15 meters (49ft) high up so flying Pok¨¦mon wouldn''t be at an unfair disadvantage. There were official rules regarding the battlefield, especially at official tournaments but during Gym Battles, the Gym Leaders themselves are allowed to choose a battlefield.


    Luckily, Sabrina just chose for the plain old rocky battleground which was pretty neutral regarding the matchup, it wouldn''t give any type a huge advantage. Apparently, the members of the Hunt loved to battle among themselves every now and then.


    "Quick question," Sabrina smiled like she had already won. "How many Pok¨¦mon are you going to use?"


    Both she and I stood on a metal pedestal that allowed us to overlook


    the battlefield from a higher point of view. Caleb sat in the spectators'' booth, tapping away at his Pok¨¦dex and waiting for us to begin.


    "Uhm two Pok¨¦mon," I pointed at Luna and Fay who stood next to me on


    the raised platform. "Why?"


    Sabrina smirked. "Well, that means I''ll use three of my own."


    "Wait what?"


    "If you had 3 Pok¨¦mon I would have used 4, if you had 4 I would have used 5 and so on." Sabrina explained with a devious smirk, "You get the idea."


    "That''s hardly fair." I protested.


    Sabrina raised her arms in front of her wide smile, a victorious grin plastered onto her face and her eyes started to glow purple. Her voice echoed throughout the room and I suspected her powers were at work.


    "This is a Gym Battle Dust, this means we are fighting with my official rules. I am a psychic, this battle will hardly be fair. That''s the entire challenge, how do you act when the odds are stacked against you?"


    "Don''t you know?" Caleb shouted. "She is considered the toughest Gym Leader in Kanto, and not because her Pok¨¦mon are so strong. It''s because her fights are unfair."


    I blinked, this was a rather unexpected development.


    Most of the time it''s me cheating, not the other way around.


    "You seriously are going 3 against 2?" I asked.


    Sure, I had beaten Roark with only Luna but that was a Rock Type Gym, the dude''s banging rocks in his spare time.


    "Yes!" Sabrina fixed her gaze on me. "Show me how you deal with a grim future Dust, and maybe then I might understand you completely. This may not be my own Gym but all the usual rules apply."


    "And the usual rules mean whatever you want?"


    Her silence was enough of an answer.


    This time it was my turn to glare at her but I resisted the urge to call her out on the bullshit. Then I would be just playing into her hands. I gritted my teeth but stayed determined.


    Sabrina snapped her fingers and a purple Pok¨¦dex appeared in her hand. She opened it and started talking to it. "This is a Gym Battle between Sabrina Starless and the challenger Dust Wildfire with the usual ruleset in effect, only the Challenger is allowed to switch his Pok¨¦mon at any time and gets the first move."


    She pocketed the Pok¨¦dex in...actually I don''t know. I saw no pockets in her red dress but it still disappeared...weird shit.


    "Now you can''t back down." Sabrina sang. "Don''t worry I won''t go too hard on you."


    "She''s lying., Fay muttered.


    "No shit," I muttered before straightening my back. "Fine, I am a sore loser so you must understand that I will try my hardest."


    "Same." Fay muttered.


    {We can still win even with a disadvantage.}


    "Yip!"


    I tapped Snowflake on the nose. "You are not even fighting."


    Snowflake''s ears flattened and she did the puppy eyes thing again which was way too OP.


    "Unless," I turned to Sabrina, "What if I use Snow-"


    "Denied," Sabrina said immediately. "First, she is not your Pok¨¦mon and second, there wouldn''t be much of a challenge if you had her on your side."


    Well, it was worth a shot.


    I patted Snowflake on the head, "Sorry but Queen Meanie does not allow it, you can watch though."


    "Queen Meanie?" Sabrina quirked an eyebrow. "Did you just call me Queen Meanie?"


    She shook her head with disappointment. "Let''s see if you are all talk or if you have some spirit inside you!"


    Sabrina withdrew her hand and tossed a Pok¨¦ball towards the battlefield with a spin.


    A white flash revealed a pink feline Pok¨¦mon sitting on its hind legs.


    And with that, the battle began.

 69. Cheater

    Chapter 69


    Cheater


    <hr>


    Espeon.


    Of course Sabrina would send out a psychic Pok¨¦mon, I knew this Gym Battle would probably be psychic themed anyway which was kind of a pain in the arse, seeing how the Type matchup doesn''t favor me at all.


    The odds were not in my favor but then again if they were it would not be as satisfying to win.


    A familiar adrenaline rush flushed through my body and a smile made itself known on my face. It really does feel good to hold a battle with actual stakes again. My last defeat from Ash still made me feel sore and I was ready to give it my all. Sabrina made it personal, challenging my pride by blatantly cheating.


    Contrary to what one may believe, the battle had begun long before Sabrina released Espeon. It was a battle of minds, which is quite ironic seeing Sabrina was a psychic.


    She herself declared this was far more than just a battle and I''d like to agree. Sabrina was openly cheating and rigging the battle and now the question was, how would I react?


    Well, I had something prepared.


    I heaved a deep sigh and snapped my fingers. The sound rang out. I grinned at Sabrina and began speaking. "Through darkest nights and final lights, in diamond hearts and shattered cards."


    "What are you doing?" Sabrina scowled.


    I ignored her and continued the chant. "With a deathly heal and a sky of steel, I seal the deal!"


    My eyes started to glow all of a sudden. It was like two miniature stars snapped into existence, the same glow also extended to my hands like Aura, submerging them in the ghostly flames. It was really annoying but I resisted the urge to look away, despite the pale light almost blinding me.


    Sabrina took a step back, her eyes wide in shock and her mouth gaping.


    "W-What, what was that?"


    The glow vanished and I smirked. "Just a spell to make you second guess yourself."


    I snapped my fingers and a brief explosion of light was set off. "You''re not the only one with tricks."


    "B-but wh-why, but how?" Sabrina struggled to find her words,


    "I-impossible, but how?! You are not a psychic!"


    "Magic," I smiled at Sabrina, immediately afterwards I shouted. "Luna, Meteor Smash!"


    Luna teleported away from the pedestal and before Sabrina could realize what the fuck was happening she reappeared above Espeon.


    She did not scream, nothing announced her teleport except for the brief flash. With great momentum, Kirlia''s glowing fist pummeled into Espeon''s head and an explosion of dust and sand followed.


    I could not help but to smirk, being the challenger, Sabrina had granted me the right to attack first and since Sabrina said nothing about that rule being changed, I simply decided to use that rule to my advantage.


    Before Espeon could even recover Luna had started a combo, she graciously stood still near the crash site and sent several stacked Confusion rays towards Espeon who hadn''t moved yet.


    Sabrina stood still, frozen in shock, her mind unable to catch up with the recent turn of events, just like I had hoped.


    The pink feline tried to get up but a Disarming Voice from Luna launched it across the battlefield. However, despite her trainer still being frozen in shock it managed to catch its landing, Espeon''s nails dug into the ground as it came to a halt.


    "Mega Punch!"


    Luna charged towards Espeon, her fist clenched and shining fiercely.


    Espeon''s eyes glowed and I shouted at Luna to dodge.


    Just in time. Without a command being given Espeon decided to fire a multicolored laser in front of her. It was a desperate move and the laser missed Luna completely, even if she hadn''t dodged.


    "Espeon," Sabrina finally managed to get her shit together, "Use Hypnosis."


    At the same time the girl spoke her command she shot me a venomous glare, her lips curled up in a snarl.


    Espeon''s blue eyes began to glow faintly and I immediately ordered Luna to counter it.


    "Sand Attack."


    Luna screamed.


    The biggest problem with Hypnosis was its range which is basically one''s entire field of view. Combine that with a sedating effect it was a terrifying combination considering almost every Pok¨¦mon required to see their opponent to attack.


    So did Luna.


    Just as she fired a psychic scream she abruptly stopped moving. Her body slumped and her eyes remained fixed on Espeon''s blue ones.


    It didn''t matter though, before Espeon could inflict serious damage, the Disarming Voice stirred up sand plumes and they swept towards Espeon. With the line of sight broken, Luna regained her senses and prepared another Mega Punch since that was Luna''s best shot during this typing matchup.


    Espeon sneezed just before a fist blew into its face. A small shockwave followed from the impact and wind was stirred up into all directions.


    I silently pressed the button on Fay''s Pok¨¦ball and without exchanging any words between us, Fay withdrew into her Pok¨¦ball.


    "Espeon, use Psychic!" Sabrina yelled angrily.


    "Switch!" I yelled, "Luna get back!"


    I threw Fay''s Pok¨¦ball with a wide arc and it landed in front of Espeon.


    "Esp?" A brief expression of surprise passed the pink psychic''s face as the opponent it was fighting suddenly disappeared and there was no one to attack.


    Sabrina said I could switch Pok¨¦mon anytime I wanted and switching Luna the way I had done was totally legal with her ruleset. Normally doing so would be impractical, but if Sabrina said I could, I had to do it of course.


    Fay popped out of her Pok¨¦ball in front of the surprised Espeon. Before it could recover, Fay lunged forward and unleashed a fury of swipes and slashes. Every strike was placed so it could combo into the next swipe.


    Sabrina yelled an order but it was already over. Espeon dropped to the ground with a final cry, its eyes closed and the pink fur roughed up and dirty.


    A silence followed.


    Fay walked away from Espeon''s unconscious body and joined my side of the field, not looking tired or damaged in the slightest.


    The psychic stared aghast at the destruction that had taken place underneath us. Wordlessly, her eyes raised up to meet mine.


    Huh, I could actually see the friendship meter drop in front of my eyes. Still, I did not give in to her venomous glare. Instead, I smiled at her with defiance, "If your Gym is about cheating then you shouldn''t be surprised when someone outsmarts you."


    I did not mention I had already planned on cheating anyway, just in a less obvious way.


    A long stare down followed but I refused to look away even as her eyes started to glow creepily again. Trying to get Sabrina frustrated was part of the strategy after all.


    "Nine?" Ninetales barked something that sounded vaguely like a question.


    It managed to shake Sabrina out of her rage. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, she straightened her dress and finally looked at me again.


    "I see what you did," Sabrina said with a surprisingly calm voice. "You are trying to unbalance me and I have to admit you¡¯ve taken me by surprise."


    The way she talked and looked at me, it''s almost like she had taken a week to progress everything, numbed her emotions and drank a full cup of coffee.


    Then it struck me.


    "Calm Mind, eh?" I taunted, "Cool trick."


    "I won''t be taken by surprise a second time," Sabrina declared calmly.


    A Pok¨¦ball flew over towards Espeon and it vanished into the light. Sabrina waved her hand and a second Pok¨¦ball flew over towards the battlefield and deployed the next Pok¨¦mon.


    When I saw her next Pok¨¦mon I could not help but curse.


    Did I ever mention that clowns can be fucking scary? Maybe it''s just me but the entire idea of a painted smile freaks me out more than it should. The only clowns I can stand were Harley Quinn and the Joker. Mr. Mime was not on the list.


    Without giving any command, Mr. Mime slapped his two big hands together and generated a swelling orb between his two hands.


    The orb was released and launched towards Fay, crackling with energy. It hit her square on the chest and before Fay could even realize what was heading her way she fell on her butt.


    Sabrina wasn''t going to wait.


    Mr. Mime bowed his knees and retracted his fist that began surging with power. He leaped forward and accelerated until it looked like he held a lightning bolt in his fist.


    "Counter!" I yelled. already imagining the damage it would do to Mr. Mime.


    To my surprise, Mr. Mime shot straight past Fay and landed behind her.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The energy that crackled around his fist vanished, instead he reoriented himself and once again clapped his two overly large hands together.


    Another orb started to generate.


    "Fay, use Quick Attack to dodge it!"


    Mr. Mime canceled the orb and instead retreated his fist again, the same power that had been put into the orb now transferred to his fist.


    "Pullback!" I cried out as I saw Mr. Mime''s smile. Fay briefly appeared in front of him but quickly retreated.


    Fay patiently stood in front of the clowns, her claws pointed towards the ground.


    All the while, Sabrina had not even spoken a single word.


    "Telepathy," I grimaced, "She''s communicating with Mr. Mime telepathically."


    Of course she would, she was a psychic after all and it was her trademark battle style.


    Most of the time, Pok¨¦mon battles are a game of perfect information, theoretically both parties know what''s happening on the battlefield, what command his opponents give and the state of a Pok¨¦mon.


    Hypothetically, both players should be on equal terms with the only limit being their own knowledge of the moves being used, strategies they thought up and the Pok¨¦mon they could use.


    Of course in real battles, this isn''t always the case but most of the time it does work on some basic level.


    Knowing what your opponent is going to do allows you to counter it and vice versa.


    Right now, Sabrina dictated the flow of the battle with her little trick. I could only guess what her orders were while she could hear all mine.


    Of course two can play that game.


    "Fay, we''re going dark!" I yelled.


    "Seriously?" Fay sighed, "We are doing this?"


    I ignored the fact that she rolled her eyes and instead prepared my next order. "Fay whiff a Metal Claw!"


    A look of confusion crossed Sabrina''s face, she shot me a short glare before looking down at the main event.


    Fay zipped towards Mr. Mime in a Zigzag formation, using a combination of Quick Attack and Agility to adjust her speed.


    Mr. Mime took a defensive pose and carefully eyed the scenery in front of him, uncertainty was creeping into his stance. Fay suddenly appeared in front of the clown and slashed her claws down on him. The attack didn''t connect, instead it bounced off against an invisible barrier that had popped up.


    Mr. Mime grinned and stretched his hands out towards Fay.


    Too bad.


    Fay smiled with anticipation and made a spinning kick. Silver streaks were left in the air and Mr. Mime let out a silent scream.


    "What?" Sabrina softly whispered and spoke for the first time in a while.


    Whiffing, a technique in fighting games in which you pretend to miss an attack so you can bait your opponent into counter-attacking.


    Fay found her opening and lunged forward, two claws dug into Mr. Mime, shoving him backwards.


    "Nice, now use your new move!" I said, once again not giving Sabrina a single clue about my next attack.


    From her stressed expression, I could see she realized the same thing a second later.


    She must have ordered Mr. Mime to keep her distance because the clown did a few somersaults backwards to get away from Fay.


    Wrong guess, Fay jumped up and a small blue sphere appeared between her palms.


    "Take this!" Fay yelled as she released the small orb.


    It traveled towards him, flaring with energy that was all released once it hit Mr. Mime in a small explosion of sand and blue smoke.


    The clouds of dust and blue smoke parted, revealing a heavily damaged clown. "Mover into Blaster into Brute!" I countered.


    Fay gave me an understanding nod, of course she would, I made sure both my Pok¨¦mon understood the class system.


    Mr. Mime clawed to his feet while Sabrina clenched her fist.


    Multiple barriers appeared around Mr. Mime, hanging in the air like a shield, the only way you could see them was by the light that was reflected.


    Fay started with a mover type of attack. A combination of Agility and Quick Attack allowed her to dance around Mr. Mime''s fort of invisible shields. She kept zipping around it, following no apparent pattern. She appeared above Mr. Mime but landed onto a barrier, she hit it once and drew his attention upwards. Immediately after that she disengaged with Quick Attack and shot out of it behind him. She leaped into the air but didn''t disappear like before. Instead, she used her one and only Blaster type move.


    A small aura orb sizzled towards Mr. Mime, leaving a blue afterglow in the air, and slid between the gaps of his invisible fort and exploded. A shockwave of lingering dust clouded our vision once again.


    With the sound of shattering glass, the barriers disappeared.


    For the final phase, Fay switched to Brute and approached Mr. Mime with a melee attack.


    She charged straight towards Mr. Mime and with a spinning kick she hit him in the face. He was thrashed around the battlefield and came to a screeching halt, his body barely able to move.


    "Fay aggro him!" I yelled, keeping up the code.


    "Not yet!" Sabrina warned me. At the same time, Mr. Mime pulled himself up and disappeared with a flash.


    The clown appeared behind Fay and did some weird movements with his hands at an amazing speed. He tapped Fay on the shoulder who only had time to turn around.


    A purple smoke began to cover both Pok¨¦mon, their bodies encased in this weird dark purple smoke that lingered around them. Fay whimpered as the purple smoke hurt her.


    Mr. Mime was also in great pain but only wailed in pain.


    Once the smoke vanished, Mr. Mime sucker-punched Fay in the stomach with a glowing fist. She let out a cry as she was hurled away but instead of hitting the ground, she crashed into an invisible barrier.


    Her body slumped as she bounced off the barrier and hit the ground. She was no longer moving.


    "What the fuck?" I resisted the urge to kick the ugly clown in the face, instead, I recalled Fay, making myself a promise to heal her quickly.


    "Pain Split," Sabrina replied smugly.


    {That bitch!} Luna cursed, {Let me finish it for you!}


    "Go!" I said as I pocketed Fay''s Pok¨¦ball.


    Luna walked towards the battlefield, her eyes glowing with power.


    Mr. Mime lunged forward the moment Luna crossed the white line on the ground.


    "Screamer!" I simply said.


    Mr. Mime stopped dead in his tracks. He fearfully started to look around, confusion visible in his face but with an odd mix of horror.


    His body started to tremble and his eyes widened as if looking at a demon,


    "What?!" Sabrina cried out undignified when she saw her Pok¨¦mon had stopped fighting altogether.


    Kirlia slowly walked towards Mr. Mime, every step graceful and with purpose.


    Mr. Mime pressed his hands against his ears as if trying to keep out a sound only he could hear. He did not even give Luna a second look as she approached, his body was shaking and his expression frozen in an agonizing scream.


    "Come on, snap out of it!" Sabrina gritted her teeth, "She is right in front of you!"


    Mr. Mime ignored his trainer completely and kept his ears covered. He was curled up in a ball now, wordlessly screaming in agony.


    Luna gave him a disgusted look, her eyes glowing fiercely as she retracted her fist.


    {Pathethic.}


    Mr. Mime was swept away by the blow that followed, leaving a trail of shattered earth behind him.


    Welp, the circus is over.


    "WHAT WAS THAT!?" Sabrina''s voice boomed through the room. And someone is pissed.


    I shrugged. "A move I invented, now please, your next Pok¨¦mon."


    Sabrina widely shook her head, "No, I want to know what you just did!"


    "Already told you, new move." I insisted.


    The friendship meter went from red to black. Maybe I was taking this too seriously but hey, she started it.


    Sabrina reluctantly fished a Pok¨¦ball out of her dress and returned the creepy clown. With a snarl, she drew another Pok¨¦ball and threw it onto the battlefield.


    A spoon wielding creature popped out of the Pok¨¦ball.


    "Alakazam!" it announced violently.


    "Watch out Alakazam, she has a weird stunning move," Sabrina hissed. "And keep an eye out for the blue-haired boy, he is an uncertainty."


    "Luna Screamer!"


    "Detect!" Sabrina furiously yelled.


    Alakazam''s eyes started to glow at the same time Luna''s did.


    You can understand my loud groaning when Alakazam didn''t drop to the ground screaming his lungs out. Instead, he just stared at Luna with an intense gaze.


    Sabrina gasped, "You weaponized telepathy?! That''s how you took out Mr. Mime!"


    Oohhh fuck, she saw through our trick. Luna grimaced but did not falter, instead she just took a gracious stance and waited for my command.


    "Now I understand," Sabrina hissed, "But that won''t work anymore. Alakazam cut the telepathic link off!"


    "Kazam!" The yellow Pok¨¦mon obeyed.


    Welp, now that plan could be thrown out of the window, although this battle did help me see the flaws of our new move.


    It was a relatively simple technique, establishing a mental link with the target and screaming like a Banshee. It would be the mental equivalent of screaming into someone''s ear and since Kirlia didn''t use her vocal cords to do it she could theoretically keep it up as long as she wanted if it was not for the fact it drained energy like crazy.


    Sabrina grinned victoriously. "Now Alakazam use Telekinesis!"


    "Psybeam!"


    Alakazam stretched its left hand out towards Luna and she was lifted into the air, force-choke style. Her Psybeam shot into the roof as her balance suddenly shifted.


    "Kirlia!" She cried out in surprise.


    Without a verbal command, Alakazam slammed Luna into the ground. The sound of the earth shattering underneath her ringed in my ear.


    Before Luna could properly regain her senses after hitting the ground she was already lifted up into the air again,


    "Disarming Voice!" I cried out.


    Luna screeched but it completely missed.


    "Do it again." Sabrina said, "One more time and she should be out."


    I groaned and cursed as I tried to come up with something that would allow her to escape the Telekinesis.


    In my head, I combined attacks and techniques but there was no way Luna could escape her prison, unless...


    "Teleport," I said desperately.


    Luna winced and twisted her body but she didn''t disappear with the usual bright flash, Alakazam''s grasp extended to Luna''s teleport too.


    It was such a bullshit move. Telekinesis had a huge range, too big to get close but Luna could also not even use long ranged attacks because her aim was shit while she was being tossed around like a doll.


    Alakazam raised his hand higher and Luna started to rise again, Double Team wouldn''t work, Psybeam and Confusion won''t hit and Mega Punch couldn''t reach Alakazam and the new move Luna had obtained was also completely worthless in this situation.


    I sighed.


    Even Screamer doesn''t work anymore, in every conceivable way we were stuck.


    We were checkmated.


    {Let me go!} A girl''s voice shouted with despair.


    Luna''s eyes swelled and became red while her two red horns also started to glow as well.


    "Now!" Sabrina yelled impatiently.


    Alakazam trashed his hand downwards, ready for the finishing blow.


    A shouting cry accompanied the motion, Luna screamed from atop of her lungs. Both physically and mentally.


    The cry of despair.


    Around Alakazam the air began to ripple, like I was looking at the surface of the highway on a hot day. The air around him began to warp and fold like everything was just a mere illusion, and then all the shenanigans stopped.


    No longer was Alakazam standing on the shattered surface of the battlefield.


    He was surrounded by an endless field that stretched out to all sides, tall lustrous grass reached to his knees and a soft wind whistled a song around him as it swept over the grass.


    In the far distance behind Alakazam, I saw even more grassy hills despite the fact that I could clearly see he was still standing in the same room as I was.


    Alakazam suspiciously eyed its newly summoned surroundings while Luna still hung suspended in the air. Her eyes and horns were crackling with energy and I had to admit it was almost demonic-looking.


    "Alakazam?"


    Looking at Alakazam made my entire vision turn haywire, it was like seeing two versions of reality trying to exist in the same space. I saw distant hills but if I focused my eyes a little higher I saw Sabrina.


    And as quickly as the landscape had appeared it vanished. A new image surrounded Alakazam, a void so black it was impossible to see depth.


    Colorful clouds swirled around him, either far away or extremely small. Tiny specks of light filled the endless darkness like they were stars in a night sky.


    It took me a full second to realize what I was seeing; space. It looked like space.


    Alakazam''s eyes widened and it opened its mouth to scream but no sound came. Instead, he fell forward, a layer of ice creeping onto its yellow skin as its face plunged into the dry earth in front of him.


    Luna dropped too, an explosion of sand plumes stirred up and blinded me.


    I coughed and squinted my eyes, trying to pierce through the lingering dust.


    Once the clouds parted, the void or the grass hills were nowhere to be seen.


    I only saw two Pok¨¦mon lying on the ground.


    Neither got up.

 70. A Cold Heart

    "Here''s the door." Caleb scratched his head, "Well champ, just go in there and your Pok¨¦mon will be in top condition in no time."


    "You''re not coming?" I asked Caleb, uncertainty creeping in my voice.


    "No, Coldheart kind of scares me," He smiled with embarrassment, "Besides I need to run damage control to make sure the Hunt''s best psychic doesn''t go AWOL."


    Yeah, Sabrina did look kind of pissed. She had wordlessly handed me the Marsh badge and walked out on me, only stopping to retrieve Alakazam who was frozen like a popsicle.


    "Well, see you when you are done," He gave me a final pat on the back and left me on my own again.


    "You''re staying, right Snowflake?"


    "Yip!" Snowflake bounced on her hind legs as she barked her reply. Not sure what the idea behind that was but it was the same usual weird shit.


    I stared at the white door in front of me.


    It was a clean white door in an otherwise gloomy-looking hallway. Although the gloomy part came from the fact that this base had been abandoned for who knows how long. There were some decorations added to the hallway to make it look less gritty. A weird abstract painting hung on the wall and a flower pot rested on a colorful pillar. The flower, I didn''t recognize the species, seemed to be in a healthy state.


    A neat small sign was attached to the left of the door.


    Doctor A. Coldheart


    My door is always open, unless it''s not.


    I hesitantly knocked on the door. It doesn''t happen a lot that my Pok¨¦mon need healing, I mostly only visit Pok¨¦mon Centers so I don''t have to prepare my own food. My Pok¨¦mon only got a quick check-up at a Pok¨¦mon Center but every time they needed more than a quick check-up I couldn''t help but feel anxious.


    Apparently, the Hunt was still working on their own sickbay (The reason I woke up in a locked room) but Doctor Coldheart could apparently heal my Pok¨¦mon, despite his fucking creepy name.


    The door opened and I could not help but to take a step back in surprise. I may or may not have been zoning out that second.


    A woman with blue hair, the same shade as mine, stood in the door wearing a white doctor''s coat with casual clothes underneath. She had her hair in a weird ponytail/bun combination.


    Deep blue eyes stared into mine, only separated by her black glasses. I estimated her to be around 40, maybe older or younger, hard to tell.


    "Hello?"


    "Uh hi," I smiled brightly. "My 2 Pok¨¦mon need healing, can you please fix them?"


    "Sure, come in." The woman opened the door and I entered. She did not even bat an eye when Snowflake snuck in after me.


    I was met with a rather small room. Only one medical bed, a desk with a computer, a shelf with a lot of books and a lot of drawers made up the interior. A photo stood on her desk of what seemed to be her and 2 other people, one of the persons in the picture had his face crossed through with black marker lines.


    "My name is Anne Coldheart." She extended her hand out to me.


    "Sup, my name is Dust Wildfire," I shook her hand and noticed that even her nails were painted blue. Guess she really loves the color blue. "Cool last name."


    "Thanks," Coldheart said, her reply almost sounding like a question. She waited for me to elaborate, but I had nothing more to say. Awkward silence filled the room, finally, she pointed at a plastic chair and told me to take a seat.


    I sat down and she took place in her much more comfortable office chair. "You said your Pok¨¦mon needed healing?"


    "Uh yes," I fished out two Pok¨¦balls from my pocket and enlarged them with a single push of a button. I had no idea which one contained Fay and which one was Luna''s. It was a consistent problem, they just looked identical to me. I hadn¡¯t heard anyone else mention this problem. I guess I could label them, but drawing their names on them with a marker seemed a bit childish. Maybe I should just use them more.


    "I''m worried about them, they had quite a fight and I want to know if they are alright."


    Of course, they would be alright. Luna had endured more damage during our battle against Paul anyway, still, can''t wait to get my own 2 Pok¨¦mon back in shape and ready to join my fight. I absentmindedly began to pet Snowflake who sat down beside me, her almost cloud-like tails dancing in the air with satisfaction.


    Coldheart took the two Pok¨¦balls and aimed both of them at the medical bed. Two beams shot out of it and summoned two unconscious Pok¨¦mon lying onto the bed, their eyes shut but in a peaceful way, like they were just sleeping.


    The woman put the Pok¨¦balls down on her desk and summoned one of her own from one of the pockets in her doctor''s coat. She tossed it up with a small gesture and the red and white Pok¨¦ball exploded into light.


    A weird blob-like creature, vaguely looking like a Salamander with a huge tongue sticking out of its mouth appeared.


    Without wasting a second, it waddled over towards the bed and licked both Luna and Fay which was something that looked very disturbing, seeing how the tongue was bigger than Fay''s body. With the deed done it wordlessly returned into its Pok¨¦ball. This entire thing happened in the brief span of a few seconds, somehow I had the feeling the Lickitung held no love for the act of being awake.


    "They will be back in top condition within a few minutes," Doctor Coldheart reassured me with a comforting tone.


    I stared at Fay and saw the blue fur on her body was already repairing itself, the dirt and sand seemingly vanished while her fur returned to top condition. Man, Biokinesis is weird as hell.


    "So how is your arm, Dust?" The woman slumped back in her much more comfortable looking chair.


    "Alright?" I frowned. "Why''d you ask?"


    Coldheart shrugged. "Just a basic checkup, now if you''d please slowly copy my movement."


    She started to open and close her hand, slowly taking the time to make sure every finger was being used.


    I stared aghast at her but she wordlessly pressured me into doing it anyway. With a skeptical look, I effortlessly copied her movement.


    "So are you the one who healed my shoulder?"


    Coldheart stopped folding and opening her fist and smiled. "Indeed, you dropped from quite a height but luckily you only managed to dislocate your shoulder. Quite a miracle if you ask me."


    "It was nothing." I said, "But thanks for fixing my arm."


    The blue-haired doctor''s smile vanished. "I suggest you don''t pull a stunt like that ever again."


    "I''ll try, Doctor Coldheart." I smiled innocently at her, already knowing that I most likely won''t be able to hold that promise, seeing how I can''t move my ass without someone trying to kill me. Although that might also be partly my fault at times.


    She ignored me and instead proceeded to type something on her computer. Couldn''t see what because the screen was facing away from me.


    "Please call me Anne," Coldheart spoke matter of factly. She had finished whatever she was typing and turned to look at me, quickly adjusting her glasses. "So, Dust, how are you feeling?"


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It did not sound like she actually wanted to know but more like she was following some dumb protocol.


    "Good...why are you asking?"


    "I was just wondering that because you might be suicidal."


    She said it with the same tone I would use to explain the weather.


    I blinked, feeling kind of flabbergasted. "That''s dumb, why are you asking that anyway?"


    She shrugged. "Curiosity, I was wondering what would compel someone to jump from such a height to save their Pok¨¦mon, especially in the middle of a battlefield."


    "Well, love, the powers of friendship and so on," I scowled. "Please don''t make it sound like it was the most stupid thing I could have done."


    "But it was." She gave me a dry look that sat between slight amusement and morbid curiosity. "Jumping and hoping the recoil of a Disarming Voice will prevent you from splattering your body across the ground would be considered suicidal by most, thus I am asking the question, because that kind of behavior isn''t normal."


    "It was a do or die situation, not a whole lot of time to think about my options," I countered. "Besides, how would you know that?"


    "I did read Sabrina''s report before I attended your shoulder and it made me very curious."


    I narrowed my eyes. "Curious?"


    Coldheart nodded. "Yes, I even requested your other medical reports and found you had similar situations before, one in which you tried to dismantle a Team Rocket outpost by using a rock?"


    Good old times.


    "Yes I did, also, don''t you think that sounds a bit creepy? Tracing all my steps and progress?"


    Anne shook her head in a dismissive way. "Far from it, I was just making sure we were not bringing a terrorist or criminal underneath our roof, so to speak. my only concern here is safety, yours and everyone else''s."


    I raised my eyebrow at her. "You are a doctor, not some kind of bodyguard slash-detective-right?"


    "I am a doctor," Coldheart informed me, "Both in the medical field and in psychology. It is part of my job to make sure everyone in this place is healthy, physically and mentally."


    I suppressed the urge to groan loudly. Why the hell did she have to go full interrogation mode on me?


    "Well, I am feeling perfectly fine, both mentally and physically."


    "Are you sure?" Was it my imagination or was she smiling a little bit? "Because I read up on you and found you''ve been diagnosed with retrograde agnosia. Don''t you ever feel like talking about it with someone?"


    She annoyingly clicked with her pen. "I can imagine it must be quite disturbing to be so disconnected from your roots and previous identity."


    "No?"


    It''s not like I was in a world I had only imagined being fictional and knew nothing about it and had to survive starting from zero. Haha, that would be crazy.


    "Are you sure? Sometimes you only need someone to lend you an ear."


    Coldheart looked me in the eyes. "Because keeping everything to yourself can be quite depressing."


    "I manage. Besides, why are you so obsessed with my emotions? seems a bit unprofessional to me."


    "Does it sound so strange that I want to help someone who clearly needs it?" She sounded sincere but I had my doubts about her motives.


    "Ugh..." A weak voice came from my right.


    "Yip yip!" Ninetales ran towards the medical bed and jumped on top of it, her cloudy tails following behind her. After landing, she proceeded to give my Riolu a lick on the face.


    "Aaah!" Fay''s eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw was the sight of a happy Ninetales looking down on her.


    "Get away!" Fay rolled off the bed and ran towards me, she stopped in front of me with a panicked look on her face. She rubbed the saliva of her face with her paw. "Dust, that Ninetales is crazy!"


    "Relax," I pointed at Snowflake. "She''s just trying to be nice, she is just bad at showing it."


    Snowflake gave me a proud smile like she had single-handedly healed Fay.


    Luna opened her eyes next, she eyed the white Ninetales. {Nope!}


    Before the Ninetales could give Luna the same treatment she disappeared with a bright flash and teleported on top of my head. {I am back, Dust!}


    "I''m glad you both are alright." I smiled at them.


    Fay cast her eyes down, she placed her arms behind her back and with a small voice she spoke, "I''m sorry for losing like that."


    I rolled my eyes. "Yeah you totally should have seen that Painsplit coming, can''t believe you fell for that trick."


    The Riolu gave me a skeptical look. "You''re doing that thing again aren''t you? The sar-thing."


    {Sarcasm} Luna said, {Yes, he is being sarcastic. But we won, right?}


    "Yes we did, Alakazam fainted before you did, Luna, no idea why but it worked." I grinned, "Both of you were perfect today."


    I got up from the chair and offered the woman my hand. "Welp. Seems like you did a great job, my Pok¨¦mon are now fixed up so thanks."


    "No problem," Coldheart nodded. "But keep in mind what I just said, if you ever need help or someone to talk to."


    Okay, she was officially on the don''t-like list.


    "Seriously, what makes you think I need help?"


    Anne Coldheart politely coughed. "Dust, I may not be a psychic so I can not read your mind, in fact, Sabrina told me that there''s a huge chance no one can..."


    The doctor paused for a second. "But I pride myself in knowing how to read people and you, Dust..." She sharpened her eyes. "You have not answered a question in full honesty since you stepped into this room."


    Did I? I tried to retrace all the lies I had spoken, not big lies but definitely lies. It was kind of creepy seeing how good I had gotten at lying.


    "Well-"


    "Think about it Dust," Anne got up from her chair and opened the door for me. "I don''t mean to insult you but you do look like you really need therapy."


    I couldn''t come up with a quirky or fun reply.


    "Uh, sure thing." I finally managed to say as I stepped out of the room. The blue-haired doctor shot me one final look before slamming the door behind me. Snowflake almost got her tail caught but she made it just in time.


    "What was that about?" Fay stared perplexedly at the door.


    "I have no idea," I lied.


    {Weird woman,} Luna scoffed.


    I nodded and walked away from the room, not sure where I was going considering this entire place is designed to be a fucking maze.


    {So,} Luna finally asked from atop of my head. {Did you get the badge?}


    "Yes, I fucking did!" I grinned and retrieved the Marsh Badge from my pocket where I had put it so I could show it to Luna and Fay later.


    {Wow!} Luna jumped off my head and landed in front of me. With big eyes, she watched the Marsh Badge. {Can I please touch it?}


    "Ehh, yeah?"


    Luna took the Marsh Badge and held it up to the ceiling light like it was her most precious thing. She did a spin while holding the badge above her head. {So Shiny haha!}


    "I don''t get it." Fay stared aghast at Luna. "What''s so special about it? We can''t eat it nor sell it."


    "It''s evidence that we overcame a challenge, that we achieved something." I tried to explain.


    "I don''t know," Fay said unconvinced.


    {It shows we are superior!} Luna stopped her weird dance and tossed the badge back at me. I caught it with one hand and put it in my backpack.


    "Nine!" Snowflake spun around, I followed her line of sight and Queen Meanie stood behind us.


    I got up and stared at Sabrina, not really sure what to say.


    She coughed uncomfortably, "So uh, good to see your Pok¨¦mon are doing fine."


    {Not thanks to you.} Luna scoffed.


    "Be nice," Fay muttered.


    "Uh, yeah, Doctor Coldheart healed them with her weird Lickitung."


    Sabrina nodded and closed the distance between us, looking as awkward as I felt inside. She avoided my eyes and took an unnatural interest in the vomit-green wall.


    She coughed again but this time she met my eyes after it. She heaved a deep sigh and began speaking.


    "I know I may not have been the nicest person to you and during our battle I kind of overreacted. I tried to get you on the edge, it''s my Gym''s gimmick if you want to call it. I personally believe that someone''s true self shines through when they feel their most basic emotions."


    I nodded, "Sounds about right. "


    "It takes most people multiple tries to beat me, most of them first try to brute force it and only later they realize that doing that won''t work."


    "I can imagine that," I was wondering where she was going with this entire explanation.


    "Today you turned the tables on me, Dust," Sabrina admitted embarrassed. "You frustrate me to no end, you managed to make me lose my calm and overcame my tricks and in the process, I learned 2 things."


    "Nine?"


    "I realized that I can be wrong sometimes, that''s why I want to apologize for what happened in the desert and treating you unfairly, a sincere apology this time."


    "Apology accepted," I said, feeling really confused, this kind of came out of nowhere. Maybe mood swings are a psychic power.


    "Thanks," Sabrina had a small smile on her face, "This means more to me than you think."


    "So we agree that I am awesome?" I asked.


    "No, you are still annoying."


    Welp, being annoying was definitely one of my best skills, not useful skills but ''best'' skills.


    "However there was another thing I learned," Sabrina''s smile dropped.


    "If you truly are capable of using psychic powers while being a blindspot-"


    {Danger!} Luna screamed.


    The sound of a metal click followed, suddenly Sabrina was pressing something metallic and heavy against my head. Sabrina grimaced as she pulled back the safety switch on the gun with her thumb while slightly pressing the trigger with her index finger.


    Her hand was shaking and despite her efforts, she failed to hide the fact that she was on the edge of a mental breakdown. Her voice shook as she finally spoke again.


    "Then that means you are an S level Threat in the making, thus you should be eliminated and for that¡­ I am truly sorry."

 71. Liars Mask

    I sighed.


    Sometimes life can be very tiring, you know?


    One moment a girl apologizes and the next thing you know she is pointing a gun against your head.


    I watched Snowflake from the corner of my eyes, seeing if she would do something.


    To my disappointment, the white Ninetales was just watching the scene unfold with a child-like curiosity as if she was watching a movie. She clearly had no idea what was going on, otherwise she would surely intervene, right? On the other hand, maybe it was better if she just stayed there doing nothing, after all, there was no guarantee that she would do something smart if she acted at all.


    Sabrina''s hand was shaking, the same hand that was holding me at gunpoint.


    "Sabrina," I stuttered, my throat feeling dry, "You seem quite triggered."


    Upon hearing the code word my two Pok¨¦mon shot into action.


    Sand was flung in front of Sabrina''s eyes, seemingly out of nowhere.


    Instinctively Sabrina shut her eyes. The next logical step for her would be to pull the trigger but the girl had not the chance to act on it because Riolu leaped forward and slashed the gun out of her hands. It bounced against the wall and hit the ground. I proceeded to kick it away from me as far as possible. Just as I did that, a silver gun dropped out of the air in front of me, followed by a silver knife with the blade pointing down.


    I managed to grab both of them before they dropped to the ground and a second later I was armed, gun in my left hand and knife in my right.


    Sabrina was still blinded by the sand that was thrown into her eyes.


    That moment I realized how easy it would be for me to kill her right now. I could slash her open, shoot her or order any of my Pok¨¦mon to murder her. It was tempting but only in a ''what if way¡¯. It was very similar to how you always have this urge to jump off a high building or jump straight into traffic when these moments present themselves. You have no actual intentions of doing it yet the question keeps lingering in your head.


    I didn''t answer the call of the void though, I was pissed, yeah but that''s no reason to do something stupid.


    I kicked her straight in the chest and she fell backwards and hit the wall with her back.


    "Aaah!" Sabrina winced as she dropped through her knees, she frantically tried to rub her eyes clean. She was leaning against the wall to give her some semblance of balance, but it also gave me the perfect opportunity to hit her in the stomach with a second kick that looked cooler than it had any right to be, considering I had no idea of what I was doing except for the fact that kicking her would hurt my knuckles less.


    The kick knocked the wind out of her lungs and with a loud cry she crashed on the ground,


    Sabrina stopped struggling after that. It was like a switch inside her head was switched, instead of struggling she just lied down against the wall, her body slumped and her eyes cast down. She made no attempt to move.


    She was still alive, I saw her chest moving up and down. I assumed she was conscious, considering her eyes were open.


    I waited for her to pull my leg, to take me by surprise but she didn¡¯t move. Nothing happened.


    Finally the realization struck, I had defeated her.


    Adrenaline rushed through my body and my heart was beating like it was trying to escape my body. With a few deep breaths, I managed to calm myself down


    I hadn''t felt scared at all, it was kind of puzzling me. Maybe I was getting numb to people trying to kill me, or maybe it was just my disappointment.


    With my gun pointed at her head, I stood over her, Fay stood to my left while Luna stayed behind her in case she needed assistance.


    Sabrina didn''t meet my eyes as I knelt down in front of her. My weapon was still pointed in her direction but my finger wasn¡¯t on the trigger. Sabrina steadily refused to look at me. With a bitter voice she spoke; "If you''re gonna kill me, do it."


    I arched my eyebrows. "That''s all you have to say?"


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel¡­disappointed.


    She fixed her blue eyes on mine and I noticed she had blood leaking out of her mouth, not a lot but definitely painful. "What do you want me to say? I already apologized."


    "Nine?" Snowflake seemed really confused. I ignored it.


    I was kind of at a loss for words, I had expected her to be angrier but instead, I got this hollow shell of a response. She had stopped struggling which made it a lot harder for me to stay angry at her. I certainly was pissed, but getting mad at someone who was already down just made me feel awful. Still, I was justified in being pissed.


    "You are fucking stupid," I told Sabrina with a glare. "What the fuck were you thinking?"


    Sabrina did not answer me.


    There''s one thing I hate, stupidity. Not that I''m not stupid sometimes but when other people do it I just get so annoyed.


    "What was your plan? Walk up to the guy you suspect to be an S level threat with a fucking gun? In what kind of reality would that work? If you saw me wield magic, why would you think I can''t stop a bullet?!"


    It was stupidity in the extreme, there were so many other ways she could have done it. Snipers, landmines, poison or even just pretending to be my friend to figure out a potential weakness. Everything besides jumping me with a gun would have worked better.


    "It was an Aura infused bullet," Sabrina muttered defeated while looking at the ground. "And the gun was made of anti-Psychic steel."


    What is an Aura infused bullet? I wanted to ask but since I was holding her at gunpoint it wasn''t really the right moment to ask that. I eyed the gun that was now lying on the floor and I noticed the weird color. The metal had a strange gleam to it, probably the anti-Psychic steel that gave it the weird color.


    I shook my head, confusion, relief and other emotions blended into another. "I really did expect better from you, at least try to separate me from my Pok¨¦mon before trying to assassinate me. I expected you to snipe me or to poison me instead of doing this?! You couldn''t kill a baby with a plan this half-assed."


    "Y-You expected me to assassinate you?" Sabrina coughed painfully.


    "Duh, why''d you think I asked for an hour alone with my 2 Pok¨¦mon? Just to train?" I chuckled. "And you called it paranoia, " I said to Fay.


    Fay shrugged. "It seemed paranoia at the time, especially some of the scenarios you presented to us."


    I did cover quite a lot of scenarios, each with their special counter strategies and trigger words although most of them boiled down to Luna teleporting my weapons from the training room I had hidden them and Fay tanking whatever was going to hurt me. Pok¨¦mon have insane durability when compared to normal humans and Fay was fast enough to defend me when it came to most things, as long as she was prepared.


    Hmm, what to do? Sabrina had attacked me, although poorly but still. However, there was this one redeeming factor that I kind of baited her into doing it with my little display of ''magic¡¯.


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    Sabrina didn¡¯t like me, not much at all and not just because of my attitude. With her powers, she was a walking time bomb. After some consideration, and impatience, I considered it to be a better idea to set off the bomb at an early stage when I expect it, rather than to let it linger around in the background and bite me in the ass the moment I least expect it.


    I snapped my fingers twice, a magical blue spark flashed to life. Sabrina watched it with what seemed to be genuine distress. Why?


    "So, quick question. Why in hell''s name would having powers make me an S level threat?"


    This part had bothered me the most, considering the amount of humans that had an S level threat rating can be counted on one hand.


    Sabrina refused to answer and kept her mouth closed.


    "Please?" I added, slightly nonchalantly twisting the weapon in my hand. Not that I was going to shoot her but she does not have to know that.


    "You''re a blindspot," Sabrina said hesitantly. Her eyes alternated between my knife and my fingers. "The amount of damage a single rogue Psychic can do is catastrophic, I would know."


    "So?"


    Sabrina swallowed painfully. "The biggest weakness to a Psychic are other Psychics, with you being a blindspot there''s no telling how much damage you will cause."


    "So even if, what makes me an S level threat?"


    Not that I wasn''t flattered but the actual amount of human-S level threats are extremely small. Barely a few. I couldn¡¯t see how it really mattered? Even if there was someone walking around with huge Aura powers, a sniper shot should be able to take out any human.,


    Sabrina refused to answer at first but Luna''s eyes started to glow red suddenly, {Speak!}


    "Fine," Sabrina spat. "The Deleter was an A level threat, his only weakness was other Psychics. Now take someone with similar powers but without any of the downsides, that would make a true monster."


    Aah, the infamous Deleter. I had read a little about him online but not a lot was available about him. Only something about him taking a Legendary Pokemon hostage, apparently he had the power to literally remove the abilities of Legendary Pokemon. Not sure how, but this world had never been sane. However it made me understand Sabrina''s view a little better.


    It was still a rash action of her but somewhere in her twisted logic it makes sense. Even if there''s a small chance I''ll use my powers to do evil-bad guy things then it should still be taken as a certainty because of the massive damage I could cause. Although that wasn¡¯t exactly how math works, or logic. But at some level, it did make sense. If there was someone who could see the future and couldn¡¯t be predicted, there would be a huge loose end.


    Of course she overlooked one small step.


    "Huh, well let me clear that up for you. Luna do your thing."


    A bright glow began to illuminate the hallway, casting it into a soft blue hue. In front of Luna was a glowing symbol hovering in the air, three triangles interlocked into a bigger triangle seemingly appeared out of nowhere and lit up fiercely, like a divine symbol summoned by the gods.


    Sabrina gasped.


    "Ni?" Snowflake eyed the emblem with great interest. Her head tilted as if she was really thinking hard about how it could stay afloat.


    Sabrina watched it with fearful eyes. "What is that symbol?"


    I scoffed. "Just a distraction, Luna, show what''s really going on."


    {Do I need to?} Kirlia eyed the psychic suspiciously. {Why reveal our cards? Keep her guessing.}


    I sighed. "Because otherwise we might be in actual trouble, the kind that uses a gun the way it''s supposed to be used; from a distance."


    The last part was aimed at Sabrina.


    {Fine.}


    The symbol disappeared and the divine presence was replaced by a cloud of sand that dropped from the air. It landed on the floor into a small pile. The light disappeared and just like that the magic was gone.


    "See that?" I asked Sabrina. "Luna is just constantly teleporting sand, force it into a shape and then teleporting it away. For some reason teleported objects give off a soft glow once they pop up somewhere...get it now?"


    I¡¯d figured out pretty early that teleporting sand was one of the most energy-efficient things to use for summoning glowy symbols. The grains were small enough to barely drain energy and the glow effect a teleport gave off would overshadow what was really happening. It was a whole lot of pain to figure out the right amount to teleport, which formation and the rate but with enough trial and error I think I did a nice job of faking magic.


    Sabrina paled as she too realized what had been happening all the time. Just Luna teleporting sand and me pretending it''s magic.


    "No-no..." The girl groaned loudly. "You''re joking right?"


    I lowered my weapons. "Nope, you are just a fucking idiot for falling for my tricks."


    Aghast Sabrina kept staring at the pile of sand lying at her feet. "Bu-but I actually sensed psychic energy in the air. I know it! I felt power around you." Her eyes snapped towards Luna, she stabbed her finger in her direction. "It was your psychic energy I felt!"


    "It''s kind of ironic," Fay thought out loud. "Your own power fooled you."


    Sabrina''s eyes met mine. "And you predicted I would do this?"


    I shrugged."Just expected you to."


    Sabrina slumped even more, she buried her head in her hands and whined. "I can''t believe I did all of this."


    That wasn''t really true. I had baited her into attacking me, after all. If I want to clear myself from any suspicions of being from another world I had to do something extreme, Sabrina seemed just unhinged enough to actually fall for it.


    I put away my weapons and offered Sabrina my hand. "Now you were apologizing?"


    Sabrina looked suspiciously at my hand. "What?"


    "You were giving me a heartfelt apology, now I want an even bigger apology. After all, you tried to kill me."


    "You want me to apologize, after all this?!" Sabrina asked with an urging and surprised tone. Her voice sounded broken and desperate. It caused her to cough up some blood and spit it out, quite disgusting. "I tried to shoot you and all you want is an apology?!"


    Were those tears welling up in her eyes? It looked like it.


    "Oh shit, I''m such a horrible person." Sabrina muttered. She started choking and crying at the same time. Her head down and tears welling up in her eyes, she tried to hide it by rubbing it out of her eyes but she horribly failed at it.


    "Uh, I got to kick you really good," I said. "And from all the murder attempts yours was the worst one ever."


    I didn''t wait for her and instead just grabbed her hand myself and pulled her up. "Besides, now the world''s number 1 psychic is in my debt. There are worse things in life."


    "You''re going to blackmail me?" Sabrina finally asked when she had managed to stop crying, a little bit embarrassed and red.


    "No, of course not." I chided, "But you definitely owe me a big favor."


    "I''ll do anything," Sabrina said quickly, "I am willing to repay for my mistakes!"


    Sabrina was too important to ever end up in jail and with the current circumstances she could even get away without any charges considering she can claim to have acted with the world''s best interest in mind and even if I could file charges it would be useless for me to do such a thing. Besides, I didn¡¯t want people to seriously start looking into my backstory and ¡°powers¡±. I enjoyed flying under the radar too much.


    Things were way better this way, I got rid of both suspicions and a very powerful friend.


    "Though I am not the world''s strongest Psychic," Sabrina added darkly. "There are others out there. People who aren¡¯t worried about what their powers can do, that¡¯s why I was so afraid."


    "You are scared of the Deleter?" I mused as I proceeded to pick up the gun Sabrina had dropped.


    It looked a little bit like a revolver but with some modern touches to it. It had a dark gray color and it felt heavier than my own guns. I decided that this was my price for winning a duel. A gun with aura infused bullets, no idea what they do but this weapon was definitely a keeper.


    "No, not scared," Sabrina finally muttered "But if you had the same power as him while being a blindspot you would definitely be the world''s strongest Psychic."


    She arched her eyebrows as if she was suddenly thinking about something.


    "Well, it''s a shame I''m not actually a Psychic."


    "Don''t say that!" Sabrina almost shouted. "If you truly were that powerful I wouldn''t be the only one you had to worry about. Leagues all over the world and crime syndicates would want a piece of you."


    I blinked. "The hell would a crime syndicate want with me?"


    Sabrina folded her arms, blood dripped down on them but she didn''t seem to notice it, or care. "You could crash the world''s economy, create international incidents and so much more. I was terrified of you for a reason."


    "Eeh?"


    "You don''t understand how dangerous your power is," Sabrina insisted. "It''s illegal to use special abilities to influence the economy, things like precognition and Pay Day are detected by other Pok¨¦mon and Psychics. Most things with Psychics work that way. We all watch each other. Psychic powers have kept the world safe from most disasters and the only ones who trump Psychic powers are Legendary Pok¨¦mon."


    Talking about ''he''s too dangerous to be left alive.'' Sweat pearled down my face as I realized how troublesome the combination of psychic powers and being a blindspot could have been. There wasn¡¯t much information on the topic at all. If the security of the world truly depended on Psychics, the thought of how many lives I could ruin accidentally was terrifying.


    "Well, I learned something new today," I said with a cheerful tone. "Guess murder attempts are good for something."


    Sabrina cast her eyes down.


    "Come on," I continued with the same cheerful tone, knowing fully well that I was guilt tripping her. "Let''s get you to Doctor Coldheart, after all you still promised to teach my Luna a new trick."


    "Yip!" Snowflake barked happily.


    Fay and Luna followed, Luna keeping a watchful eye on Sabrina while Fay was mostly just lost in her own thoughts.


    Victory surely does feel sweet.

 72. Moved

    Thin lines were sketched out onto the white sheet of paper, short strokes formed a bigger picture together and finally created the image of a human with an impossibly wide grin. In his hand, he held a smaller human that was gazing up with a horrified look on her face, a combination of despair and resignation.


    The houses drawn in the background actually revealed that the grinning man was the size of a giant and that was ominously looming over the town full of humans. The monster watched the town underneath it with an almost childlike glee. It was one of many panels, but they all had the same eerie atmosphere.


    "Eeeii, that looks so scary." Fay winced as she looked at the drawing. "I can see all the teeth!"


    "It''s supposed to look frightening," I remarked.


    "Why don''t you draw something nice," Fay muttered.


    "Nice doesn''t sell," I said out loud before actually thinking it over. "Drama and conflict makes a story. Otherwise, there would be nothing to draw people in."


    "No one''s gonna read that." Fay defended her point. "Besides not to complain but I personally think the drawing quality is lacking."


    Oof, I might need a burn heal for this.


    "I know." I answered without much emotion. I can draw decently but not quite good enough to actually go professional. I took a few seconds to find the right words."This is not the finished product, those are just the drafts for the storyboard. Someone else will actually redraw them before they get published."


    "Mmm, I don''t think they''ll sell."


    I shrugged. "Welp, either way, I did my duty."


    Obviously, I hoped that the finished product would sell well, besides just satisfying my own ego it would also serve as a good introduction to a whole new genre of manga.


    For some reason most manga in this world were pretty much Pok¨¦mon centered traveling stories, a bit like the ''actual'' Pok¨¦mon manga from my own world.


    Producing an entire series myself was a bit too much work for one person but I had been told that the Dream Company could find someone else to transform it into something worth reading.


    Fay sighed and pressed her head against my arm. "It''s just so gruesome, with the teeth and blood."


    Maybe I should tell the publisher to put a not-for-kids rating on it. It would probably attract even more kids. Well, and more revenue.


    "Hmmm..." Snowflake stared at the drawing of a medieval-style village while making some kind of humming sound, which I didn''t even know she could do. She looked perplexed almost as if in a trance. Her eyes staring into nothingness as if reliving a lost memory.


    She finally pulled her gaze away and faced me. "Nineee?"


    "She''s still not saying anything." Fay mumbled when I turned to face her for a translation. Fay clarified. "Just random noise."


    I patted the white fluffy creature and she purred with happiness, all the previous emotions were washed away like sand in the wind.


    "Kiiirr!" A loud yell echoed through the room and was followed by a loud bang.


    Sand plumes stirred up around Luna, she retracted her fist and glared at the shattered rock in front of her. "Kirlia!"


    No idea what she was saying exactly but my guts told me she was cursing in Pok¨¦speak, seeing how Fay scowled at her.


    "Fine, try it with a smaller rock," Sabrina said, not at all impressed by Luna''s rage.


    Kirlia turned towards Sabrina with frustration. Her voice told me I was right about it. {It simply won''t move.}


    "Patience." Sabrina retorted with an impassive look on her face. The red dress wearing Psychic stared at the broken rock. Suddenly her eyes glowed with purple flames.


    The shards of the rock began to float up in the air around Luna, levitating at eye level, each piece slowly spinning and orbiting her like a miniature solar system.


    It was extremely fascinating to look at. I had seen it before, and this was the least surprising thing in this world, but it kept being something so cool to look at.


    "I know you can do it," Sabrina said. "Don''t let your emotions ruin your concentration."


    How long had we been here again? One hour? Two?


    It felt like the two had been trying to master this trick since forever. The floor of the arena was littered with rocks, most of them visibly damaged by Luna''s frustration. Yet for all her trying she had not been able to move anything with telekinetic powers.


    Sabrina was convinced she could teach Luna how to do it but I started to doubt that Luna had an affinity for it. I wasn''t even sure how telekinesis works, level-wise Kirlia shouldn''t be able to learn it at this stage but...well it''s telekinesis, the laws of physics are still a Work in Progress in this world.


    Did I want Luna to learn telekinesis? Hell yeah! Alakazam had shown first hand how extremely effective it could be and with telekinesis in Luna''s move pool the number of attack combinations she could pull off would increase drastically.


    Sadly there was no progress to speak of, despite all of that Sabrina kept pushing Luna to keep trying with the same stubbornness she had shown me before. She subtly kept glancing towards the tribune where I sat, probably worrying I wouldn''t be satisfied with the lack of results.


    For some reason, she still acted a little bit skittish, something I took a little sadistic amusement from. Luckily there were no visible signs Sabrina had received a kick to the head.


    Coldheart had been nice enough to patch up Sabrina without asking questions, although she shot me an amused look that suggested she knew something, but didn¡¯t ask any questions. Apparently, my kicking techniques suck because Coldheart managed to fix Sabrina without needing too much time or her weird Lickitung. I had been tempted to suggest Sabrina to take therapy (by God she could use some) but because I''m such a noble person, not because I was scared she would start nagging about my own mental state which is completely fine by the way, thanks for asking. Talking about being a noble person.


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    I put away the shiz I was working on and got up from my bench. My legs were still sleeping so I kicked the air to wake them up. Snowflake and Fay watched as I stepped onto the battlefield and approached Luna from behind.


    A rainbow-colored laser sniped a big heavy rock and caused sand around it to stir up. Three more rainbow beams followed like bursts from a shotgun. Frantic cracks appeared on the surface of the rock Luna had taken her anger out on.


    {It''s not working! Aaargh!} Luna fired a final beam and the rock shattered with a thunderous crack. {What good is this new form if I can not even move a damn rock!} Luna cried out.


    She turned around to face me as if she had just noticed my presence.


    The fragile Kirlia gazed down at the ground and began to speak telepathically. {I''m sorry...I don''t...I can''t do it.} Her eyes began to tear up, she tried to blink it away but failed horribly.


    Seeing this scene unfold in front of me shattered a small part of my heart.


    I wanted to tell her to drop it, that it wasn''t such a big deal but I had the feeling that Luna wouldn''t accept that and see it as a loss instead. She was just like that.


    "Are you really sure she can do this?" I turned to Sabrina.


    The girl nodded. "Absolutely, her power is strong enough and all the knowledge is there." A shrug followed. "It''s a mental block, maybe fear of failure or disbelief; Psychic powers require willpower and strong belief."


    Well, Luna wasn''t lacking determination¡­ hmm a problem presented itself.


    Luna can''t use telekinesis and telling her to drop it would leave her like this. For some reason, she really wanted to learn it and there isn''t much I could do to make Luna give up on her goals.


    Guess I''ll have to do something.


    "Say, Sabrina, the anti-teleport field is still in effect right?"


    "Uhm, yes?" Sabrina answered, confused.


    "Please do me a favor and don''t move in the next minute, and don''t use your power either."


    "Okay?" Sabrina arched her eyebrows but complied anyway.


    I knelt down in front of Luna. "You do realize I love you, even if you don''t learn telekinesis?"


    Luna gazed down at the ground. {I must learn it¡­.otherwise¡­}


    She didn''t finish the sentence. I sighed and decided to tap Luna on her head.


    "Don''t worry, I trust you can do it." I smiled.


    I got up and took a few steps backward and with the same sweet smile I just spoke to her I drew a silver gun.


    "5 seconds before I pull the trigger." I looked her dead in the eyes as I put the gun against my own temple. "5...4-"


    An invisible force jerked the gun out of my hand and violently threw it behind me where it landed on the dry soil with a clicking noise.


    Luna''s eyes glowed demonically and a scream followed. A telepathic voice screamed in my ears and made me involuntarily flinch. Luna jumped towards me and magically managed to tackle me to the floor despite not being that heavy.


    I landed on my back but it didn''t really hurt.


    Luna laid sprawled out on my chest, heavily breathing as if she had just run a marathon. Her body was shaking and her blood-red eyes were fixed on mine.


    {Don''t do something that stupid ever again!} She whispered yet still managed to sound threatening at the same time.


    I grinned up at her and pointed at the gun that was lying on the ground a few meters away. "Congratulations you used telekinesis, unless you interfered?" The last part was directed at Sabrina but she answered it with a glare, looking quite pale herself. "I didn''t."


    She managed to find the right words and like a volcano she exploded into a tirade. "You are literally the worst! Seriously, what''s wrong with you?!"


    I slowly got up, holding Luna in my arms like how I would hold a cat or dog. "I did what''s necessary."


    {Don''t scare me like that!} Luna glared. {It was not worth it.}


    "But you were sad and all, can''t let you be down around me." I patted her on the head. "Besides, it was not like I would actually shoot myself."


    The safety switch was on, so there was almost no risk. "Anyway, try levitating something."


    Luna tried to keep looking at me with anger but couldn''t hold out for long. She pulled her gaze away and stared at a small heart-shaped rock lying next to her. It began to flow up in the air like it was hanging from invisible strings.


    {It floats!} Luna said with awe.


    The heart-shaped rock started moving in the air, zigzagging and moving up and down. The movement was jerky and rough but it was movement. Luna could not suppress the urge to start giggling like a creepy yandere. Weird shit, I know.


    I felt something hit my knee, I looked down and saw a blue Riolu giving my leg a weak punch.


    "You are an idiot," Fay muttered. "I actually can''t believe you would come up with such a stupid plan."


    I opened my mouth to respond but Fay wasn''t done yet.


    "Actually, no, I can believe you would do something like that." She sighed and looked up at me with a sad look, "Sometimes I wonder why I even follow you."


    "Can no one appreciate how smart it was from me?" I protested.


    "Yip!" Snowflake said happily, she had apparently joined Fay.


    "Doesn''t count," Sabrina shook her head in disappointment. "Fuck I can not believe you just did that."


    I watched my cute Kirlia floating rocks in front of her, all the while laughing and smiling. I''d like to argue that it was worth it to see her happy like that.


    "I told you, there have been better attempts to take my life than yours."


    She seemed to be taken aback by that, after a second of opening and closing her mouth like a Magikarp. She finally stuttered. "Killing yourself does not count!"


    "It does," I said smugly. "Killing myself counts as self-defense."


    Huh, I had never seen a girl be confused, furious, and have a disappointed look on her face at the same time. Welp, it was kind of amusing to see, I wish I could snap a picture.


    "Urrgh! You are impossible!" Sabrina threw her hands up.


    "I''m possible," I replied.


    While we were having our discussions more shards began to float around us. Luna was playing with them, crashing them into each other midair or trying to make figurines out of the various pieces. It was pretty cool to see and even cooler to think about what else she could do with this newly found power.


    I let go of her and retrieved the silver gun from the ground. While I picked it up I suddenly had a moment of enlightenment because I finally found a cool name for it. I had been looking for a name for a while. I decided to call it Soulsilver, now I only had to think of a name for the golden gun but what name could I possibly come up with?


    As I was applauding my own sense of humor another question popped up in my head and I turned around to face the cute fluffy snowy fox.


    To experiment I waved my gun in front of her face but the white fox spared it not a single glance, instead, she kept gazing into my eyes, all the while having that stupid smile of hers.


    "Hey Sabrina, does Snowflake understand what guns are?"


    "No?" the girl frowned, "Why are you asking that all of the sudden?"


    "I suspected something like that," I replied. Snowflake had not acted up when Sabrina pointed a gun at me, instead, she kept being her useless self and just a few seconds ago she ignored the fact I pointed one at myself.


    "It is part of her mystery," Sabrina said, "She doesn''t seem to grasp the concept of firearms. However, she does get aggressive when a sword or knife is pointed at her."


    "Hmmm," I mused out loud, "Well isn''t that something."


    I put the gun away and booped Snowflake on the nose.


    "Ni!" Snowflake made a sound that came close to giggling, she relaxed and closed her eyes. Her mouth opened and her tongue tried to lick my hand.


    "Damn, that''s cute." A voice called from behind.


    My red-haired knight strolled over the battlefield, he gave Kirlia a curious look.


    "Did you teach her that?"


    "Something like that," Sabrina answered vaguely.


    "Anyway, Dust, the Commander wants to speak with you." Caleb suddenly said. "I was told to fetch you, apparently I am your babysitter."


    "What? Why?" Sabrina asked cautiously.


    Caleb shrugged. "Beats me, he just told me to bring him and his Pok¨¦mon, and said he had an offer for him."


    I raised an eyebrow.


    This was getting interesting.

 73. Hunting

    You know that feeling when you''re called to the principal''s office at school? When you find out that either a family member got in atastrophic event thaan accident or that you are in some deep shit?


    I experienced that feeling right now, despite not going to school anymore, not having any known relatives or family members around or having done anything wrong, despite all of this I still walked through the hallways with a lump in my throat.


    The fact that Caleb got lost also did not help me calm my nerves.


    "And I found it!" Caleb said relieved. "I knew I was going in the right direction." He pointed at the big steel, almost elevator-like doors at the end of the hallway.


    "Took you long enough," Fay said.


    Caleb stared at the Riolu. "Don''t know what you just said but you are definitely wrong."


    "Huh, I legit thought we would die before finding it."


    "Haha," Caleb didn''t laugh. "Why don''t you try to find your way in a base this big."


    "It isn''t my base," I retorted.


    Caleb gripped the metal bar that served as a door handle. It was the kind of door I would expect to be for a vault, not some office but again, things rarely make sense in the world of Pok¨¦mon.


    With a loud creak, the door opened and I was met with what looked to me like a first-class hotel suite.


    The room was shaped like a big solid square with the wall opposite of the entrance being replaced by a big curving window that stretched out from one end of the room to the other end, bending slightly outwards.


    The view was amazing. It showed a calm ocean that stretched out to the horizon with no land in sight, the reflection of the sun danced on top of the ocean¡¯s waves.


    In the middle of the room there was a big round wooden table with white office chairs arranged around it. A corner of the room was designed like a miniature victorian style library with ancient-looking books arranged in a craftily made cabinet.


    The other side of the room was arranged to look like something resembling a modern living room. A big L-shaped couch was placed against the wall with a TV placed on top of a small stand.


    However it wasn''t only the TV, an entire wall was dedicated to putting up as many screens as possible. They were mounted to the walls and were put in neat rows to give some semblance of order; although it was highly questionable why someone would need to use 12 monitors at the same time.


    Three of the monitors were on and displaying a feed but no sound came from them, so I guess they were muted.


    As I stepped into the room, followed by my two Pok¨¦mon and a snow-white fluffy stalker, I saw the TV screens were set to a news channel.


    One was set to Sinnoh Live and according to the subtitles there was a new trendy Pok¨¦mon fashion product that was totally the bomb or at least that''s what I could understand from it, seeing how excited the people talking on the broadcast were.


    The second screen featured the KantoTV channel, ¡®The most up to date news channel in all of Kanto¡¯ or so the title card said. It featured two people talking about rising crime numbers and whether the police were right in their accusations that the League didn''t provide enough help and resources. The League responded by claiming that the Police were escalating the status quo too much. Gym Leader Giovanni had promised to personally help with the matter, whatever that meant.


    Considering Kanto always has a crime wave going on it wasn''t really news but still interesting from an outsider''s perspective.


    The third screen was playing Johto News and had a red bar running under the broadcast that summarized the entire subject in a few sentences. An official statement was released that declared the Ninetales roaming the Ilex Forest a D-level threat and had received a Kill Order. The League advised people to avoid traveling through Ilex Forest alone until the threat had subsided. People who couldn''t avoid traveling through Ilex Forest were advised not to engage in a conversation with any blood-covered Ninetales they might come across.


    To me it sounded a bit comical and stupid for someone to actually think that to be a good idea but the body count suggested lots of stupid people live in Johto.


    "Glad you could make it in time." A voice came from my right.


    Saying I wasn''t startled would be an outright lie but it was a mystery to me how such a big guy like the Commander could move that quietly. Or maybe it was just me, seeing how everyone suddenly develops ninja skills around me.


    "Uh yes," Caleb swallowed and ruffled through his hair nervously, probably picking up on the sarcasm in the Commander''s voice. "We got lost on our way here."


    We? Caleb was the one who led the way, if someone was to blame it was him and only him.


    "Sure," The Commander said, not sounding at all convinced. "Try to learn the layout of this place."


    "Yes! It is on my to-do list!" Caleb smiled sheepishly, "Anyway I brought you our boy like you asked so uhm, I think I''m gonna check up on the next mission report and leave you two alone."


    "No, stay."


    "Or I''ll stay," Caleb said, his shoulders shrugging.


    Fay couldn''t resist the urge to chuckle, Caleb shot her a playful glare.


    "So Dust, what do you think of my office?" He turned to me and spoke with a heavy voice, perfect for a podcast if you ask me. The Commander, whose name I definitely haven''t forgotten, stretched his arms out to the side.


    Office? This place looks like an expensive apartment on top of a skyscraper reserved for billionaires and celebrities. There was even a freaking bed and kitchen!


    "Uh well, it looks official." I tried to find the right words for, ''this looks like a penthouse'' but accidentally made a pun.


    It created an awkward silence between us, the big guy looked at me like he expected me to elaborate but I had nothing else to say. I coughed. "So you wanted to see me?"


    "Yes, indeed. You got around an hour left before Blink teleports you back right?"


    I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right because it was starting to feel sleepy. "Around that time, yeah, Sabrina knows the exact timing, is that why you wanted to see me?''


    "Well no, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me, to satisfy my curiosity. It might sound strange but please humor me."


    "Sure?" Definitely does not sound like the question is gonna be loaded. Nope, not at all.


    The Commander nodded with satisfaction at me before looking back at the TV monitors mounted to the wall. He pointed at the news feed that was still going on about the killing spree in Ilex Forest. "9 deaths caused by a single Ninetales."


    "Yeah, a tragedy," I replied dryly.


    "Not that much in retrospect. Around a year ago a group in Hoenn tried to resurrect an ancient Pok¨¦mon from the depths of the Earth and ocean, believing it was some kind of God. If they had succeeded, the casualties among Pok¨¦mon and humans would be in the millions."


    I swallowed, I was not sure where he was going with this but I did catch the reference to Kyogre and Groudon.


    "6 years ago an experiment with a Pok¨¦mon went wrong, the Pok¨¦mon broke free and caused an entire island to disappear. The death toll to this day is a mystery since it''s impossible to investigate a place wiped from existence."


    He was talking about Mewtwo!


    I assumed he...or was it the female-voiced Mewtwo from the Genesect Movie? Whatever, Mewtwo apparently was still around somewhere in this world. A thrilling thought considering Mewtwo is pretty hardcore in my eyes. Assuming Mewtwo doesn''t kill people because...well killing people is bad.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "According to myths, Victini once reduced an entire Kingdom to ashes, although it''s a legend, there is evidence that it might have actually happened."


    "Isn''t that the tale of how the Nagasomething desert came to be?" I remarked.


    "Na''Al-gal desert," he corrected me, "Bones found in the desert suggest a catastrophic event that took place thousands of years ago. I can''t imagine how much damage a Legendary Pokemon could cause; we should be grateful that most Legendaries seem to care about other Pok¨¦mon and humanity."


    "True." I thought back to the Gyarados rampage in Seawave City. Lugia had shown up and got rid of the Gyarados with only one attack. How much damage would have been caused if Lugia had not shown up? Guess they kind of watch over us like gods in some way.


    "Now my question to you is simple; what species is the most dangerous of all?"


    Caleb let out a deep sigh, a sigh of boredom and familiarity.


    "Lugia, I think it is Lugia." Fay shared her thoughts while she was probably fangirling on the inside. For some reason, Fay thought that Lugia was the most hardcore Legendary out there. If Lugia could sign its name Fay would surely try to get it.


    "Is it the Gardevoir species that can create black holes?" The Commander suggested.


    {If only.} Luna sighed wishfully. {Then no one would be able to stop me.}


    Yeah, you definitely start sounding like a villain Luna.


    "Or is it the mythical Victini?" He continued.


    "You said what species right?" I asked for confirmation.


    "I did."


    "Then it''s simple," I smiled. "Simple, the answer is us; humans are the most dangerous species."


    "And he guessed it," Caleb said without much enthusiasm.


    "Care to elaborate?" The Commander said, already pretty much confirming I was right with the tone of his voice.


    "Well, just philosophically speaking but history points out that 90% of the time humans are the deciding factor in conflicts."


    Also, in every Pok¨¦mon game, it''s a team of humans trying to do the big bad. Even in the movies, it''s most of the time human actions that push Legendaries to act.


    I pointed at the newscast about the Ninetales. "The events in Ilex Forest all started with a human trainer. Same for whatever happened with Kyogre and Groudon. It''s like the butterfly effect but with mankind making the biggest ripples."


    "Butterfly effect?" The Commander raised his eyebrow.


    "Well, you know, small actions have consequences that resonate into the future and shiz." I tried to explain without referencing several movies and games. The skeptical looks told me that I didn''t manage to convey the theory that well.


    I shrugged. "Well, am I right or not?"


    The large guy nodded. "You indeed are. Thank you for answering the question, Dust."


    "Sure¡­"


    "He asks this to everyone, you do realize that?" Caleb groaned.


    "I always ask people that question before I make them the offer to join the Hunt," he said with a semi-amused tone. "I want it to be clear that we are not the rangers or police. We hunt monsters that can be either human or Pok¨¦mon."


    Pocket Monsters! Okay corny joke aside, did he just invite me to the Hunt? It definitely sounds like he just did.


    "What did you answer?" I asked Caleb.


    "Kyogre..." Caleb muttered defeated. "I mean, if it can flood the entire world then that Pok¨¦mon must surely be the most dangerous one."


    "Yip!" Snowflake nodded mysteriously for some reason.


    "So..." I turned to the Commander, "Not to be a bother but did you just invite me to the Hunt?"


    "Not exactly," The Commander smirked knowingly. "Looking at your two Pokemon, although powerful in their own way, I doubt they''ll be of much use on a real battlefield."


    Fay sulked a little bit but the guy wasn''t wrong. They were not heavy hitters, not like the ones I had seen attacking Hunter J. Well, not yet at least.


    "But although you might be unfit for a battlefield I believe you can still contribute to the Hunt in your own ways."


    "My own ways?"


    "You have your wits, your unusual style that makes you...different. I''ve been watching you and I must say that you dealt expertly with everything. From escaping your room to handling your ''problem'' with Sabrina." He paused when saying ''problem'' and I could feel the air quotes hanging in the air. "Add that to your history of dealing with criminals; it would be foolish not to see an opportunity in all of this. I even spoke with Doctor Coldheart about it, to evaluate your potential and she recommends you."


    Now, that does not sound good at all, anything Doctor Coldheart recommended was sure to be a trap.


    "So, I have a different option for you Dust. What do you say about becoming a special agent for the Hunt?"


    I blinked. "A what?"


    "Special agent, a division I am working on right now. Threats that are not big enough for the Hunt to pay attention to but big enough that normal trainers can not deal with them." He spoke with pride and conviction. "It would come with a nice paycheck and it would give you a lot of opportunities to travel the world. It even allows you to stay out of the spotlight if you want to."


    For a second, I did not know what to say. I got a job offer,my first one in this world. And not just a regular job offer but one with the Hunt; The heroes of tomorrow. It sounded great, except for a few things.


    "I refuse." I let out a deep sigh.


    The Commander raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"


    Another shrug from me followed. "Well, to be honest, I try to stay away from trouble, it usually finds me, but that doesn''t mean I like it. Besides, I made a promise to my Pokemon to become the best Pokemon trainer in the world."


    "You would still be able to do the Gym challenge, we can provide travel funds for any mission we would send you and you have the choice to decline."


    {We should refuse, too dangerous.} Luna advised me, her eyes glowing faintly. For once I totally agreed with her.


    "Thank you kindly for the offer but I refuse. Money isn''t worth the danger."


    "Says the person that chased an armed bank robber around the city," The Commander noted duly.


    "He made it personal," I groaned.


    "Well," Caleb smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. "You can always change your mind later right?"


    The last part was directed at the Commander.


    The Commander relaxed his stance and sighed. "Yes, I suppose that''s true. You can always take me up on the offer letter. A blindspot in our ranks would be invaluable."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," I answered. "It''s cool and all but right now I am just worried about beating the next Gym leader and enjoying Sinnoh."


    It would be cool to own a badge that allows me to ''borrow'' cars from people like in police movies but honestly, working was not worth the hassle. Besides, I already have a part-time job with the Dream Company. A far less dangerous job. And even without that, I had enough to worry about. Within a month or so Dialga and Palkia would duke it out in Alamos Town and I had no idea how to deal with those two yet.


    There was so much to be done right now and although the resources the Hunt offered were nice, I didn¡¯t want them looking over my shoulders. Or anyone for that matter.


    "Fine, I respect your decision." He said, clearly not happy with it, but he seemed to at least accept it. "Guess I''ll have to tell Coldheart that she can cancel all her planned out sessions with you."


    "Wait what?"


    <hr>


    "So, are you ready for the teleport?" Caleb grinned, "If not, Blink hasn''t failed once this month."


    "Wait, what do you mean with month?" I muttered surprised.


    "He''s lying," Fay smartly pointed out.


    "It''s completely safe," Sabrina reassured me while glaring daggers at Caleb.


    When I heard that Blink will be teleporting me within 8 hours I expected something flashy. Maybe a teleport platform or a cool countdown. Instead, I was just sitting on a makeshift bed waiting for me to teleport once the timer reaches 0.


    "Anyway, Dust." Sabrina suddenly said, "Remember when I mocked you for only having 3 phone numbers in your Pok¨¦dex?"


    "Yeah?" I said slowly, wondering why she was bringing that up all of the sudden. It wasn¡¯t something I was particularly proud of, though I could justify that traveling made it more difficult to build connections.


    Sabrina held her hands behind her back, nervously playing with her finger. "Well, I took the liberty to change it to 4." A painful silence followed before I understood what she was saying.


    "Wait, you added your own?"


    Sabrina nodded curtly. "I thought, maybe we can stay in contact?" Was that a blush forming on her cheeks? Either that or someone was transforming into a tomato on the spot.


    "Sure," I grinned menacingly.


    She saw my expression and frowned, "Just don''t send me anything weird."


    I blinked innocently. "You don''t mind it if I send you memes at 3 AM, right?"


    "What are memes?"


    My grin told her enough. She let out a deep sigh, "I am going to regret this aren''t I?"


    "Regret is a big word."


    "Well, I would add my own number," Caleb began, "But I don''t swing that way, sorry Dust."


    "Fuck off." Sabrina cursed.


    Luna and Fay thought it was pretty funny and giggled. The white Ninetales stared at Fay and Luna in confusion before deciding she wanted in on it and started to make a sound that closely resembled snickering.


    I petted Snowflake. "Don''t worry, I''ll be sure to call you as well, Snowflake."


    Snowflake seemed really happy with that news.


    "Why not take her with you?" Sabrina offered. "There''s nothing stopping her from joining you."


    "Well if she wants to." I grinned back before turning to face the white fox. "What do you say? Want to join me?"


    I didn''t expect an answer, considering she¡¯s unable to understand human speech. To my surprise, Snowflake stared deep into my eyes with a serious expression. Her eyes flashed blue and her jaw opened and the temperature in the room dropped to the point I was shivering. Snowflake''s tails were glowing fiercely all of the sudden and cast a soft blue glow.


    "Ninetales." Snowflake spoke slowly.


    "What?" Fay and Luna stared aghast at Snowflake.


    Whatever had come over Snowflake disappeared immediately after. She returned back to her old expression of dumb happiness and began licking my nose without a reason.


    "What happened?" I asked Fay cautiously, making sure to keep an eye on Snowflake in case she would trip again.


    "She just spoke..." Fay muttered.


    "What?" Sabrina asked, surprised, "What did she say?"


    {2 words,} Luna stared at Snowflake. {Not yet.}

 74. Blade of Light

    I stared up at the glowing orb in the sky. I had no idea how late it was exactly but it felt as if the sun should''ve been closer to the horizon. I had no idea where the Hunt''s main base was located but I was definitely experiencing some jetlag from the teleport, guess it should be called teleport-lag but that just doesn''t sound nearly as good.


    The sun shone down on the colorful trees in Rosefort Forest. Bird Pok¨¦mon flew through the skies above us and I saw various sorts of bug Pok¨¦mon crawling over fallen trees. Luckily none of them were particularly bothersome. I spotted a rather big Staraptor watching me carefully at first but when it became clear I wasn''t going to be a threat to its flock the bird left me alone.


    There was one thing annoying me, however.


    "You are not bothered by it?" I groaned loudly.


    "Why should I be bothered?" Fay sniffed the air, "Actually, I think it smells great."


    {Meh, kind of average.} Luna shared her opinion.


    I stared horrified at Fay.


    She stared me dead in the eyes. "Wait, you don''t like the smell of roses?"


    "It''s not that." I tried to argue, "Sometimes there''s just too much of something."


    The problem with Rosefort Forest was the ever-present scent of roses in the air, probably why this place is called the ''Rose''-fort Forest, not sure where the ''fort'' part comes in. Maybe this forest was a fort made of roses because I couldn''t walk a full minute without coming across a patch of roses. They were virtually everywhere. Growing on the ground, in the bushes and up the sides of the trees. If Floaroma Town is going to be like this I might actually skip it.


    "You''re just being pesky," Fay said accusingly.


    "Well, excuse me princess but being pesky is one of my best qualities," I countered.


    Fay stuck out her tongue at me.


    Luna rolled her eyes and sighed a bit too loudly. {Are we gonna do something already?}


    "Of course, let''s do some testing." I declared with a smile.


    "Testing?" The blue Riolu tilted her head.


    "Yup," I tapped Luna on her head and Fay on the nose. "You two have new moves and skills, I think it''s time to experiment a little and see what we can achieve, which might come in handy during our next tournament and Gym battle."


    Luna grinned sagely. {Yes, we are going to crush everyone!}


    "I guess it would be good to find the limits of our powers," Fay admitted.


    I clapped my hands together.


    "Alright, let''s find a clear space and the testing can begin." We headed North through the surprisingly dense forest. There was no distinct path for us to follow but I used the directions on my Pok¨¦dex to make sure we were heading in the general direction of Floaroma town.


    After an hour of not finding an open space, we ultimately settled on a hilltop that allowed us to train and set up camp without disturbing the local wildlife. After that was all done we could finally begin.I took out a coin from my pocket and flipped it.


    "Heads or tails?"


    "Tails." Fay shrugged.


    {Guess I''ll go with heads.}


    I moved away from my hand to reveal the outcome. ""Fay, you get to go first,"


    "Alright," she did some stretches in front of me as if she was about to do some heavy workout routine. While she was doing that I flipped open my Pok¨¦dex and scanned Fay to see if she had learned any new moves or if something else was new.


    Pok¨¦dex Lady''s voice came from the speaker. "Currently known moves are: Quick Attack, Counter, Metal Claw and Vacuum Wave.""Huh."


    "''Huh?" Fay repeated me.


    "That''s weird."


    {What is weird?} Luna asked while leaning over my shoulder, something she could do now if I sat down, still took some time to get used to. Luna must have sensed my feelings because she gave me a warm hug out of nowhere. It felt pretty good.


    "What is weird?" Fay narrowed her eyes at me, or so I thought until Luna stuck her tongue out at her from behind my shoulder...weird shiz, I know.


    "Uhm, you remember the shield thingy you did in the desert? With the sandstorm?"


    "What thingy?"


    I blinked. "You know, with the aura bubble that shielded us¡­"


    The blue Pok¨¦mon stared at me like she saw a ghost, then a light switch suddenly got flipped inside her head because she started to smile all of a sudden, very creepy seeing how she rarely ever smiled in the first place.


    "Wait, Aura shield? That was Aura!?" Fay excitedly asked.


    I assumed it was, considering it was blue and kind of trippy to look at. Seeing how Riolu''s are known Aura wielders, or at least their evolutionary form there were not a whole lot of other options.


    "Wasn''t it?" I frowned, wondering why she was so hyped up all of the sudden.


    "No, you are right. Now that I really think about it, the feeling that surged through my body at that moment was Aura!!" As Fay kept talking ghostly blue flames flickered to life around her eyes. The same flames extended towards her paws as well, surrounding them with an ethereal glow that made me feel trippy by just watching them.


    "Oh, wow!" Fay gasped and stared at her own hands. "I finally did it."


    "Did what?" I tried again.


    She looked at me with joy. "I finally unlocked my aura."


    Silence.


    "You hadn''t before?" "...No¡­" Fay said with awe. She waved her paw in front of her face, watching the afterimage left behind in the air with great fascination.


    "This is amazing."


    "Yeah¡­" I stuttered, kind of taken aback by Fay''s sudden excitement.


    "You don''t realize how special this is! My mom always told me this would happen one day!"


    "Wielding Aura?"


    Fay nodded. "Yes! Now I am finally becoming stronger!"


    She looked at me with such pride it was almost infectious, I started to beam too. "Well, that''s great for you." I still wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Aura exactly was. I assumed she already had it, with her being able to see it. But apparently not? There was information on Aura online, but there was a lot of conflicting material.


    Fay was excited about it though. Maybe it was a big thing among the Riolu species? Like some sort of transition from child to adult?


    "So, what does this mean? Can you now do Aura spheres?" I asked.


    Fay''s smile dropped. "Uh, actually I don''t know."


    {You don''t know?} Luna said skeptically.


    "Well," Fay looked down, all the previous excitement suddenly left her body. With a small voice, she explained. "My mom said she would teach me everything once it was unlocked."


    "Oh." It was all I could really say. "That sucks..."


    The moment I said that I realized how hollow that must have sounded to Fay. But what is one supposed to do when you hear such a thing?


    {Hug her.} Luna telepathically whispered into my ear.


    ''What?!'' I mouthed at Luna, wondering if she had a sudden heatstroke.


    {Do it!} She insisted, making sharp but subtle gestures with her hands.


    "That will be uncomfortable as heck!" I tried to tell Luna without waking Fay from her depression. I''d like to think I managed to get the message across because Luna pressed her hands against her sides and gave me a serious look.


    {She needs comforting.}


    Deciding there was no point in arguing I took a deep breath, knelt down in front of Fay like I was going to propose to her and without a warning, I pulled her into a hug.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Whaaa!" Fay cried out, surprised. "W-what are you doing!?"


    "I''m hugging you." I deadpanned as I gave Fay a little more space, "You look like you needed one."


    Fay''s cheeks turned into an interesting shade of red. "N-no I didn''t!"


    I gave her my best, you-broke-my-heart-look and said with a pout. "So you don''t like it?"


    "No, that''s not it! But but but..." Fay tried to come up with something but she was clearly at a loss for words. Seeing how silence counts as an agreement, I enveloped her once again in my embrace.


    "Testing! We should be testing!"


    {She does have a point.} Luna smirked at me.


    "Please let go of me."


    I let Fay go and she coughed a few times. "As I was saying, I''m not sure how Aura works."


    "Guess it lands on our shoulders to figure it out," I smiled.


    {Ooh, can you make the bone?}


    "Bonerush?" I pondered, "I''m not sure she can do that yet, assuming the control over her Aura is good enough to construct shapes other than spheres."


    "No, I can do it," Fay argued.


    Without waiting for my command she stretched out her paws in front of herself. The blue glow that had been fading away before flashed violently to life and began flickering around her paws like they were ghostly flames.


    "I''ve seen my mom do it once," Fay reassured me. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.


    She began moving her paws away from each other and to my surprise, a stretch of pure light was formed between them. As she moved the two paws away from each other the flickering light began to reshape itself into something thicker, something more solid than just Aura flames.


    I didn''t say anything, too afraid that I might make Fay lose concentration.


    The form between her paws was first nothing more then an illusion, a play of light. But as the shape became sharper and more refined it also became more present. It was as if it was slowly being drawn into reality and taking on the shape of a bone. Now that I think about it, the way she was shaping the bone reminded me a bit of Doctor Strange. It was about the size of Fay herself.


    When the Aura wielder finally opened her eyes she gasped. The glow of the bone lessened, although it was still glowing. Even without being an expert in Aura, I could say there was no more Aura being channeled into the structure. It had solidified into a shape.


    Fay held the bone in her left paw and looked at it like she had drawn Excalibur from the stone itself. Awe and relief were written over her face. She lightly swung the bone in the air, testing the balance of a blade when suddenly it shattered.


    Like it was made of glass it broke into a thousand glowing shards, some not bigger than a speck of dust while other pieces were about the size of a big coin. They floated in the air like puzzle pieces made of pure light before fading away into nothingness like leaves in the wind.


    "What?!" Fay stared at the vanishing light of her weapon in shock. "But I had it!"


    {Maybe you''re not strong enough?}


    "No, I had it right there!" she insisted angrily..


    "I think you might be a bit underleveled, I mean have you ever seen another Riolu use it?"


    "Well no but it looks so easy. I really thought I could do it."


    Personally, I think that drawing magical weapons out of nowhere should never be classified as easy in respect of those that couldn''t and were forced to do with guns and knives.


    "Mmm, well there''s still hope." I mused.


    "There is?"


    "Well, you did manage to shape your Aura, whatever that stuff may be, into the shape of a bone. That''s already useful if only as a fear tactic."


    "I suppose," the Riolu muttered, clearly disappointed with my answer.


    "Although, I think you could try to pay a little more attention to the process of shaping the bone."


    "What do you mean?"


    I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I don''t know how you do it but I had the idea you stopped reinforcing the bone after it had taken shape."


    Fay nodded. "Yes, that''s how it''s supposed to be done, you craft it out of your own Aura and then let go of it. That''s what my mom used to say."


    "I assume that the crafting part happened while your eyes were closed, am I right?"


    Another nod.


    "And right after you stopped reinforcing the structure it broke right?"


    {Splash.} Luna added some context.


    "Uhm, yeah?"


    "Well, what if you don''t stop reinforcing it?"


    "Huh?"


    I shrugged. "Try shaping the bone but just don''t let go of it. Might get us different results."


    "Mmm," Fay put her paw underneath her chin, "That sounds kind of wrong."


    "Why?"


    "You are supposed to let go of it," Fay stated.


    "But what if you don''t?" I asked. "Doesn''t hurt to try an alternative method right?"


    "Well, I guess."


    Fay stretched her hands out in front of herself and moved them away from each other. Once again a thin string of light was formed between them, this time significantly faster with the Aura flames directly feeding into the construct. The form grew thicker and turned into the shape of something resembling a bone.


    "So is it tiring?"


    "Not really," Fay said, "But it does feel like I''m draining my own source by reinforcing it."


    I nodded, trying to puzzle together how the exact process worked. It seemed as if the ''letting go'' part of the process was cutting off the Aura supply which, if my theories were correct, was constantly being refilled up to that point. I imagined it was like blowing up a balloon, but instead of just filling it you also have to shape it. Letting go would be tying the knot at the end.


    Maybe Aura is a bit like mana in those RPG games, or Chakra. Whatever it was, it looked hella exploitable.


    "Try to swing it around, but don''t let go of it...metaphorically speaking of course."


    Fay gave me a slight nod before carefully moving the glowing bone around. Slowly at first but when it didn''t shatter immediately she became more daring and made a wider arc with her makeshift sword.


    "It doesn''t shatter." It sounded like Fay herself couldn''t believe it either.


    I nodded. "Well try hitting something with it. Luna, please give me a nice boulder."


    {Boulder incoming!} Luna grinned and I took a few steps back. A second later a boulder the size of a small car had appeared with a bright flash.


    "Well, try hitting it," I said while taking another step back for my own safety.


    Fay jumped on top of the boulder with one mighty leap while still holding onto the bone with her left paw and pushing power into the bone.


    She raised the bone above her head like it was an ax and swung it down on the rock.


    The bone collapsed with the boulder and tore into it. A loud crack was heard as tiny fractures began to spread from the point of impact and spread out like a cobweb.


    She didn''t break the rock immediately but I was sure if she hit it a few more times it would shatter.


    "It doesn''t break," Fay muttered aghast.


    "Tada!" I smiled. "Not gonna say I told you so, but I am definitely thinking about it. However, now comes the real question."


    "What question?" Fay tilted her head. "What''s more to seek, we already have the...um jackpot?"


    "Tsk tsk," I shook my head, "I bet we can even take it further."


    "How?"


    "Well, how about you try to shape the bone into something else?"


    "...Something else? What could that possible even be?" Fay wondered.


    "Let me answer your question with another question, why do you shape it into the form of a bone?"


    "Because it''s the signature move!" Fay insisted, "It''s like tradition or something." She didn''t sound too sure herself. "But I guess I could try something else."


    She finally gave in after seeing my ''so what?'' stare.


    {Try adding sharper edges.} Luna suggested.


    "How do I make sharper edges?" Fay scowled at Kirlia.


    "How do you construct the shape of a bone?" I wondered out loud.


    "Well, I imagine it and my Aura does the rest."


    "Welp, try imagining a sword, just a simple one." After all, there isn''t too much of a difference between a bone and a sword, besides the form, material and usage. Actually, didn''t prehistoric humans stab each other with bones or is that just a cartoon movie trope?


    "Here goes nothing." Fay closed her eyes to focus.


    She held the Aura bone in front of her, she took a deep breath to focus.


    In front of our eyes, the bone began to reshape itself into a smoother form, the heart-shaped ends disappeared and made place for a much smoother joint with a cross at the midsection.


    It kind of looked like a Pok¨¦mon evolution with the bright lights making it hard to see what was actually going on. After 5 seconds Fay opened her eyes and stared at the object she held in her paws.


    Fay was no longer holding a bone, instead she was holding a stick with a pointy end and sharp edge on the shaft. The soft glow was ever-present. It looked like a medieval style, European sword, nothing fancy about it except for the fact that it seemed to be made out of pure light, yet Fay was holding it in her two paws.


    "Wow." With big eyes Fay watched the sword, which was kind of too big for her small size.


    Saying I was not excited myself would be a straight-up lie, this was huge!


    "Well, swing it, King Arthur!"


    "Who?"


    {Swing it already!} Luna yelled, clapping her two hands together in excitement.


    "Fine, here I come!" Fay raised the sword above her head and swung it in a downwards arc with a loud cry.


    The sword of light hit the boulder but the blade didn''t bounce off, instead it dug through the stone and the shaft disappeared almost completely into the stone before Fay could no longer push it any deeper.


    Saying it looked cool as fuck would¡¯ve been an understatement.


    "Well, that''s fucking awesome." I grinned.


    Fay smiled as well, the blade shattered into shards of light as Fay let go of it so she could rub some sweat off her forehead. "Y-yes this is awesome. Phew."


    "You''re okay?" She was looking exhausted.


    "I feel a bit tired." Fay admitted reluctantly, "I think that using Aura this way is draining my energy. I feel a bit dizzy."


    She jumped off the boulder and landed on her feet, she struggled to walk in a straight line towards me, as if she were drunk.


    I booped Fay on the nose. "Don''t worry, you did great. You can take a rest now."


    "Yes, a rest sounds nice," Fay replied with a dazed voice.


    She lay down on the grass and closed her eyes.


    {That''s fast.} Luna leaned over Fay''s face and waved her hand.


    {She''s already sleeping.}


    "Well, she deserved it."


    Man, was this hype. Fay''s potential just went from 0 to 10. After all, those who can adapt survive and her Aura is very versatile.


    {Now my turn.} Luna smiled happily.


    She walked towards the boulder and jumped on top of it, once she had done that she did a ballerina-like spin and faced me. {What would you have me do?}


    "Uhm," I quickly went to the notes I made in my Pok¨¦dex regarding Telekinesis. It was a powerful move but also a tricky one because the exact workings of it are different per Pok¨¦mon. Some can lift entire arenas up in the air while other species of Pok¨¦mon can barely move a leaf. Of course, Telekinesis is a very broad subject.


    Moving objects with the mind doesn''t really cover it in the world of Pok¨¦mon considering most Pok¨¦mon have a way of manipulating matter without using physical contact.


    I mean, even the most simple Magnemite can levitate itself, does that mean it counts as Telekinesis?


    I took a deep breath and rattled off the list; "We need to test range, Manton limit, weight, speed, energy management, pressure, reaction time, manifestation, cooldown, line of sight and the amount of control you have."


    Luna stared at me in awe.


    Yeah, we''re gonna be here for a while.

 75. Twilight of the Gods

    Chapter 75:


    Twilight of the Gods


    "So you''ll be participating as well?" Ash''s voice came through the speakers.


    "Duh, why wouldn''t I? I already signed up," I answered. "Knighthood sounds kinda fun for a change."


    "Well, then it seems we have to do a rematch." Ash must have been grinning, he sounded quite smug. "Assuming you''ll get through the preliminary rounds."


    "Are you underestimating my power?"


    "Pika!" A yellow mouse interrupted the call, I heard some struggling happening on the other side of the line. It sounded like Ash tried to push Pikachu away from his Pok¨¦dex but failed.


    "Uh, well Pikachu says he''s looking forward to rematch your Ralts." Ash finally said, which was followed by a cry from Pikachu.


    Luna rolled her eyes. {Tell him not to get too attached to his Pikachu.}


    "Yeah, Luna is also very excited about it, she can''t wait," I replied dryly. "Don''t expect to OHKO Luna this time."


    "OHKO?"


    "Nevermind,'' I shook my head. "Anyway, I expect to reach Eterna City pretty soon so I might actually catch you before Alamos Town."


    "Well, see you when I see you." Ash said, "Good luck!"


    "Yeah, see ya later." I ended the call with a single button press.


    "Wait," Fay blinked confused when she saw I had ended the call. "I thought we were doing the Gym Challenge?"


    "We are."


    "Then what''s this entire festival about? Since when is that part of the Gym challenge?" Fay sounded like she honestly didn''t understand the concept.


    {Tsk, simple side questing.} Luna explained.


    "Exactly!" I knelt down and offered Luna a fist bump, she did a gracious pirouette and hit my fist with one of her own. "Like Luna said, yes we are doing the Gym Challenge but we can also have fun along the way, besides, a little extra challenge won''t hurt right?"


    "But what if we fail?" Fay asked hesitantly. "Won''t our opponents have much more experience?"


    I shrugged. "Then we''ll lose but it doesn''t hurt to try something new. Worst case scenario we go home with more experience."


    {We''ll win,} Luna said dismissively. {Our trainer will make sure of that.}


    Sure, put all the pressure on me, although it was my duty as a trainer I guess.


    I knelt down and smiled. "Don''t you worry, the Sinnoh Knights Festival is not only about battling, it''s also about having fun."


    "I guess," Fay muttered. She shook her head and a passionate look crossed her face as she looked up at me. "But you must help me get stronger! I do not want to fail in front of an audience."


    "Of course my Padawan," I patted Riolu on the head.


    "Eh?" Fay muttered while trying to avoid my eyes, very cute.


    The Sinnoh Knights Festival is an annual festival held in Alamos Town every year. The point of the festival is to celebrate the rich history of Sinnoh, something this region has surprisingly lots of. During the Festival, there would be history-themed plays, food, music, more food, and a lot of games which were probably based on the legends in Sinnoh.


    During that week there was also a Pok¨¦mon tournament in which trainers fought for the title of being the Sinnoh Knight. A historical title that was once bestowed upon a legendary knight long, long ago, probably around the time Sinnoh was formed. Nowadays, it''s a title granted to the winner of the tournament at the end of each year as a reward. For an entire year, that person can call himself the ''Sinnoh Knight''. Pretty neat if you ask me.


    The tournament isn''t purely just trainer battles though, there are supposed to be other challenges as well but I couldn''t find online what the other challenges are supposed to be. Now all of that sounds pretty cool and chill, nothing too extraordinary, until you take a good look at the town where the festival takes place.


    Alamos Town. AKA, the town where the Rise of Darkrai movie takes place. The same town where Dialga and Palkia decide to tear apart space and time in an attempt to off each other. According to my calculations or well... assumptions, Ash should arrive at the start of the week-long festival which hopefully kickstarts the events of the movie. I wasn''t exactly sure why there was a festival, seeing how there wasn''t one in the movies but it''s probably something about this world being more detailed than the kid''s anime.


    Somewhere in all of this was a joke Fate could laugh at; for example, the flier that advertised the festival said there would be a ''surprise appearance''. It would be a ¡°Legendary¡¯ event that would be remembered for generations to come. Dialga, Palkia and Darkrai showing up during a festival to celebrate the legends of Sinnoh is just pitch black irony.


    Of course, all of this was based on the assumption that the anime timeline was a reliable source of information. I hope it was, otherwise I would be fucked, not that I wasn''t screwed right now but I would be slightly more screwed.


    "Well, I guess it will be fun." Fay smiled up at me.


    "Yup."


    I hadn''t found the courage to tell my two Pok¨¦mon everything I knew about the festival, especially the part about 2 legendaries coming by to wreck shit. Maybe it was the fear that they might not want to go or maybe it''s just really hard to steer a conversation towards a death battle between two gods. They just assumed it was a fun festival.


    Well, I have a few weeks to prepare anyway and there was this upcoming Gym battle with Gardenia that was also still on my schedule. I told myself I would reveal it later.


    The sky above us was colored in a warm shade of orange and red, reserved for summer evenings. Long shadows were drawn out from the trees and gave them a mysterious and almost magical glow created by the sun rays. A warm breeze caused the leaves to sway, completing the perfect picture of an autumn forest, despite it not even being close to Fall.


    "Okay, decision time, do we camp one more night outside, or are we gonna make a run for Floaroma Town?" I looked at my watch, "We might make it before dark but dinner will have to wait."


    {We can camp outside another night.} Luna decided, {I feel a bit tired from training.}


    Well, Telekinesis was draining Luna''s internal battery.


    Fay shrugged. "Both options are fine by me."


    I concluded, "Alright, camping it is."


    There was nothing for me to do in Floaroma Town, except maybe making some calls and getting more supplies. Floaroma Town wasn''t that interesting to me, there wasn''t a whole lot going on in that place except the flower business that was blooming, pun intended. Ash had just left Floaroma Town so there was no point in hurrying. I quickly checked the map before putting away the Pok¨¦dex in my backpack.


    "Let''s look for a place to set up camp." I yawned and stretched at the same time.


    Luna nodded and we continued our way through the forest underneath the orange painted sky. After a minute of walking Fay suddenly spoke up. "Dust, I feel something weird."


    "Good weird or bad weird?" I asked cautiously. There''s a big difference between the two.


    Fay closed her eyes to focus, she pushed her palms forward and her paw started to glow faintly with the blue flames flickering to life.


    She surprised me by suddenly spinning to her left side and pointing in that direction. Her eyes snapped open, "There''s an aura hotspot!"


    She pointed in the western direction of Rosefort forest. Coincidentally that direction looked a bit more ominous than every other direction. It was hard to place what exactly made me feel that way, maybe it was the tree line being denser or the way that sunlight somehow didn¡¯t reach through the canopy, making it look a bit creepy in my eyes. Although it could also just be long shadows caused by the descending sun that made it look like that.


    "You sure?"


    Fay nodded. "As sure as I can be."


    Luna gave Fay a skeptical look. {I sense nothing.}


    "I am definitely sure, 100 percent!" Fay insisted. "I feel a strong, positive, Aura coming from there."


    "From the creepy murder forest," I asked, just in case.


    "Yes, can we check it out?" Fay turned to me, and she seemed completely oblivious to my skepticism. "Please, maybe it might be a clue to fixing your Aura?"


    "That would be nice," I admitted out loud, "You know what? Fuck it, I''m bored let''s check it out."


    I hoped that Fay might have been able to fix my shattered Aura but when she said that she could not even touch my Aura, let alone heal it, I couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed. To be honest, I had no idea what Aura even was or what it meant to have a broken Aura but I wanted it healed ASAP. It might not hinder me much in my day to day life, but I still would rather be a person with regular aura, even if only to not look like a zombie to other Aura wielders.


    Fay led the way, pushing through the bushes and through the dense forest. The sun started to touch the horizon behind us.


    It only took a few steps to actually find what we were looking for. While I was distracted by the annoying smell of roses Fay pushed through a couple of berry bushes. She suddenly came to a halt. "This is it."


    {What is this?} Luna peered ahead, not understanding what Fay was looking at.


    In front of us was a big clearing in the forest with a strange stone structure in the center of it. The structure looked awfully familiar. It was made of gray brickstone and formed a large building with slanted roof and entrance in the front. The entire perimeter was surrounded by styleful iron fencing and had a little yard in the front of the strange building. One end of the building ended in a thin tower that rose above the treeline, although it was not that tall. Flowers had spread on all the walls and around the fence, a thick layer of flora buried the building like a green blanket with colorful flowers weaving in and out of the network of roots making the entire place look like it had been abandoned for years.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "What is this place?" Fay asked, her eyes drawn to the building.


    "It''s a church," I muttered, a bit surprised. Apparently, there was a church in the middle of Rosefort forest. It had an early medieval European design, something I had never seen in this world before.


    "There''s a lot of Aura coming from here," Fay took a step towards the clearing. "But I''ve never seen a building like this."


    {It''s a church,} Luna said dismissively, {Eh, what is a church?}


    Oh boy, how do I explain this to two Pok¨¦mon who have lived their entire lives in a forest?


    "Well, people come to a church to exercise their beliefs, get married, die, and do their prayers."


    "Prayers?" Fay tilted her head.


    {Get married?} Luna squealed.


    "Well yeah," I ignored Luna''s red face. "People talk to their god of choice, their ancestors, or whatever they feel like. Although it''s a one-way communication line."


    "I want to pray!" Fay loudly announced, "This place. It brings me closer to her, I can feel it."


    Luna gave me an intense look for no reason.


    "Please Dust, can we go inside?" Fay asked, her eyes big and her tail happily wagging like a dog. How could I say no?


    "Sure," I shrugged, inspecting the strange church, "But you do realize that you won''t be able to speak to the ones you seek?"


    Didn''t want to be rash but it would be worse if Fay somehow gets the false hope of talking to her mom and finds out they don''t appear like some hologram ghost, that would break her heart and I didn''t want that to happen. "It''s more personal preference, no proof it works."


    Is there even an afterlife in this universe? People in this world still couldn''t say.


    Yes, there are ghost Pok¨¦mon but are those really the souls of the dead or just souls in a different form? There was still a lively debate whether the afterlife was real among scientists and the question still wasn''t answered.


    Religion wasn''t a big part of the Pok¨¦mon universe and although lots of people view Legendary Pok¨¦mon as gods there aren''t many active religious groups. It used to be different, seeing the amount of shrines and temples that are being found but nowadays science and social media caused people to see Pok¨¦mon as more down to earth creatures.


    "I really want it." Fay closed her eyes and let out a sigh of resignation, "I know I won''t see her but I feel like this is the right thing to do."


    "Okay, then let''s see if the door is actually open."


    The gate that led to the church wasn''t too fancy. Just a black colored fence that had marks of rust on the edges. With a simple push, I opened the gate and a loud creaking sound echoed throughout the yard.


    "It looks like this place hasn''t been visited much," I said while I studied the courtyard.


    Stone statues of Pok¨¦mon decorated the courtyard, forming a big circle of pedestals. Miniature sized versions of Legendary Pok¨¦mon were placed on top of them but I couldn''t be sure all of them represented Legendaries because most of them were partly destroyed or straight up missing. Now all that remained were statues I recognized as a big flying snake, a deer-like creature, a weird cat-looking Pok¨¦mon, and a bird with lightning rods as wings.


    I stopped in front of the big wooden front door, half expecting it to be rotten and decaying like the rest of this building but to my surprise, I found it in pristine condition. The door was made of dark Oakwood and had metal strips running across it to provide more resistance. Two iron knobs had a bronze-colored chain wrapped around them with a lock holding both ends together.


    "Should we knock?" I asked no one in particular as I was about to break in.


    "I can break the chains," Fay offered.


    "That won¡¯t be necessary," a feminine voice came from behind us. Startled, I spun around and was met with the face of a girl that somehow, like everyone in this world, had managed to sneak up on me. Luckily it wasn''t just me this time, Fay and Luna also did an almost comical spin in surprise.


    Standing on the pathway that led to the door was a girl that looked like she had fallen from Heaven, and that is not a cheap pick up line. She had a pale, almost angelic face with yellow-golden colored eyes. She had long white flowing hair that almost seemed to shine in the light of the descending sun. Her face had something ageless about it, making it really hard to guess her age but if I had to pick an age I would say 20. She wore something I can only describe as a stylish white Kimono, like people in Japan used to wear. It had to be that or she was just wearing bathrobes. She had a basket filled with food tucked underneath her right arm; she was looking at me with a confused look.


    Her appearance reminded me a bit of that girl from Nier Automata, though I couldn''t recall who exactly.


    "Uhm, can I help you?" The girl asked with a surprisingly gentle voice.


    When my Pok¨¦mon and I kept staring at her she arched an eyebrow and asked in a more pressing way. "Is something wrong?"


    I blinked, and then did it again before finding my voice. "Uh, hi."


    You know that feeling when you try to pull something sneaky and someone catches you in the act and they just stare at you?I really felt like that right now.


    "Hello?" The girl gave me a look that demanded answers.


    What to say, what to say? Telling her I wasn''t about to break in would surely reinforce any suspicions she already had. Maybe try telling the truth?


    "Uhm, my Riolu wishes to pray inside. Are you by any chance, the priest, or cleric or something else?" I asked, dropping to silence at the end of the sentence.


    The girl giggled, amused. "My name is Aurum, I am the shrine maiden."


    Ah yeah, because this church definitely looks like a shrine, I''ve seen shrines and they usually don''t look like a church, although I guess she might be right, after all a different world has different rules.


    "If you could please move out of the way I can open the door." A small smirk made itself known on her lips. "With a key, not violence."


    We did as she said and she fished a bronze, old looking key from her basket and she slid it inside the iron padlock.


    "She''s so pretty," Fay mumbled softly.


    "Stay cautious," I whispered, although Fay was right.


    "Her Aura, it''s very good-natured," Fay drew her gaze away from the girl, "This entire place is drenched in positive Aura."


    Well, holy places in this world often had that effect. My guess is that it''s just the presence of Legendary Pok¨¦mon that causes those places to be infused with said energy.


    The girl was finally done with unraveling the keychain and the iron shackles fell to the ground. With a soft push of the strange woman, the doors opened inwards.


    "Come on in," She offered with a sleek smile as she knelt down to grab the basket and headed inside.


    I followed her inside of the shrine that definitely looked like a church.


    The inside was impressive and unimpressive at the same time, it was very simplistic in design with simple wooden benches aligned in rows facing towards a stage where someone could hold a speech. All the way in the back of the building there was some kind of altar, almost hidden away. Light shone through the dusty windows, casting rays that were distinctly visible because of all the dust that was flying around.


    "There it is," Fay awed at the altar that didn''t look that special to me. "Do you mind if I give it a try?"


    I petted her on the head. "Go ahead."


    And with those words, Fay disappeared.


    Luna watched Fay walk away and started fidgeting with her weird dress, her red eyes filled with concern.


    "Something wrong?" I asked.


    Luna gave me a wary look, {Do you mind if I join Fay?}


    "You''re serious, aren''t you?" I looked at my Kirlia. She seemed to be struggling with something, I could see that but I had no idea what.


    {Nothing too big,} Luna tried to reassure me, {Things in the past. Fay might not be crazy at all.}


    "You can go as well." I smiled, "Good luck."


    {You sure?}


    I rolled my eyes, "Why wouldn''t I? Now go join Fay."


    {Thanks} Luna gave my leg a quick hug before making her way to Fay, leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.


    The girl had disappeared to some backroom to put away the food supplies, probably that or she was doing some satanic ritual; it was a possibility.


    Being alone and not feeling like standing anymore, I decided to sit down on one of the wooden benches.


    I rested my arm on the back and sat in silence, not feeling like doing anything but sitting and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere inside this place and closing my eyes.


    A minute had passed this way when I heard someone sitting down next to me.


    I opened my eyes, expecting to see Fay or Luna, instead, I saw the white-haired girl sitting down on the same bench as I, although on the other side, keeping a respectful distance.


    "You don''t feel like praying?" The girl asked, not accusingly but more like a genuine concern.


    "Nah, I''m fine."


    "Oh¡­ okay," the girl seemed to be surprised by my answer, "If you feel like praying, you can take your time."


    "I doubt it will work." I couldn''t help but run my mouth.


    Well, Arceus is most likely still asleep and that is assuming Arceus is actually as powerful as the myths said it was. Following the pattern other Legendary follow, Arceus must be one heck off a nightmare to fight and definitely wouldn''t fall to an Ultra Ball.


    "You don''t believe in something bigger?" The girl pressed with a playful expression. What¡¯s up with this girl?!


    "Are you trying to convert me or something?" I smirked.


    "Not at all," The girl hastily replied with a guilty expression, "I am just curious about your opinion, I assume you believe only in material science?"


    "Not exactly," I watched the carvings on the wall. If you used your imagination you could see the outline of a Pok¨¦mon in the ?enter with thin lines coming from it. "You could say Fate and I have a rough relationship."


    "Fate and you?" The girl frowned, "You are starting to sound stranger every second."


    "You are the shrine maid right?" I asked. "Does that mean you believe in the Creator Pok¨¦mon?"


    The girl nodded, "Obviously, yes. Although I''d like the name ''Alpha'' a bit more than the Creator Pok¨¦mon."


    Yeah, people still hadn''t figured out Arceus'' name. Must be hard considering it had gone to sleep the moment the universe was created or at least if the lore holds true.


    Apparently, my thinking face must have looked like I didn''t believe her because she started to explain. "I know most people call the creation story a myth but I know there is more to it." She spoke with confidence and passion, there was no doubt she truly believed in Arceus.


    "Well, I do believe there''s more to it, the Alpha most likely does exist but I''m not sure I should pray to it."


    "What? but why?" Genuine shock washed over her. I sighed, how do you explain nihilism without offending someone?


    "Look, if I were to have superpowers, like being able to fly and save people, would you call me a God?"


    She shook her head, "No, you would just be you but with more power."


    "Exactly, multiply this a hundred times. I believe this being exists," named Arceus, "but I still believe that our mysterious creator can make mistakes and fuck up."


    Arceus most likely brought me to this world and not a single one of my questions had been answered or explained. I had to start from zero and could have died a dozen times along the way. I made no illusions, whatever it was that brought me to this world had left me on my own. It made me feel bitter, more than I''d like to admit but just the thought of having something or someone watch over me without reacting or helping really pissed me off. Of course, maybe I am just a sore loser with too much hope and dreams. Eh, who cares.


    Either Fate does look after me and I don''t notice or she does not exist, either way, I get to feel miserable so in the end, it doesn''t matter.


    The white-haired girl nodded as if deep in thought. "I think I understand your viewpoint. Thanks for sharing it."


    She gave me a serene smile.


    "You''re not offended?"


    "Of course not, it is my duty to help people and I''d like to think this talk made your heart feel a bit less heavy."


    She stood up and bowed, "Thank you for letting me understand you, I hope this conversation might lighten your heart a little."


    Holy shit, she was right. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my heart. Talking to someone about my position in this world, although in a roundabout way, it felt good to talk.


    "When times are hard people come to this church for comfort," The girl folded her hands together.


    "It''s kind of empty here." I noticed.


    "People will come when it''s tough and the earth shakes, seeing where the world is heading I have a feeling more people will seek out this place."


    "You can see the future?" Not impossible, just unlikely.


    The girl chuckled a little and fixed her golden eyes on me. "The future is clouded in mysteries but even a blind person can see the pattern."


    "What pattern?"


    Her voice echoed throughout the empty church as she spoke; "The world is changing faster than ever, Legendary Pok¨¦mon that were once lost in history and myths now appear before us once again. Pok¨¦mon that have been locked up for eons are set free from their prisons. It won''t be long before the Alpha will return as well."


    Something was off about the way she spoke, I didn''t realize what it was until much later when I realized I had never seen a person talk about the future with such certainty.


    She shook her head, a sad look crossing her face. "More Legendary Pok¨¦mon than ever roam the Earth free and unbound, waiting for the finale like pieces on a board."


    As she spoke, the temperature seemed to drop. "It''s just like in the Legends and myths, a storm is coming. The Twilight of the Gods is upon us."


    She smiled at me, a surprisingly dark and scary smile.


    Fate, tell me why are all the pretty girls I meet crazy?

 76. Black Bird

    Chapter 76:


    Black Bird


    "You know, I kind of regret not having a Frankenstein switch," I admitted out loud.


    "What''s a Frankenstein switch?" Fay asked.


    "Well, Frankenstein was a dude who stitched dead people together-"


    "Ew, why would you want such a thing?"


    I rolled my eyes, "If you let me finish. He built an unnecessary big machine with a big switch that could be flipped."


    To demonstrate I made an exaggerated pulling motion with my hands, "I think a really big switch really adds to the atmosphere."


    I got a few stares from people around the park, especially when I made the clicking noise with my mouth but I didn''t care about them.


    Big obvious switches rule.


    Fay shook her head, "You''re serious aren''t you?"


    "Yeah, but now we gotta do it with this." I pointed at the screen of my laptop.


    A big Pok¨¦ball colored button was displayed on the screen that said: ''Publish!'' with the exclamation mark included. It was nice of them to send me a personal launch button but I would have preferred something more physical, of course, that was just me nitpicking but hey, it''s a big day for me.


    "Well, does anyone wanna press the button?" I asked my two Pok¨¦mon, a bit more dramatic than I should''ve been.


    Without wasting a second Luna''s hand lunged towards the enter key on the keyboard and pressed it.


    {Phew.} Luna rubbed her forehead as if she had just run a Marathon, {Pressed it.}


    Both Fay and I stared at Luna.


    She shrugged casually, {I like buttons.}


    "I was actually expecting both of you to say no so I could press it myself while looking like a social person," I admitted with a deadpan glare. "But apparently someone wanted to press it first."


    {Too late,} Luna smiled jokingly. {I pressed it first.}


    She hopped off the bench and did a victory dance in the form of a pirouette in front of us on the stone pavement, for some reason she really likes doing pirouettes. Maybe it has to do something with the Kirlia evolution line.


    "Uh, why does the screen still say loading?" Fay pointed at the partly green bar on the screen.


    "Well, it''s going to be published across multiple platforms, guess it''ll take some time."


    I rapidly pressed the F5 key on the keyboard, a nervous thing I did that didn''t add anything at all but I''d like to think that the bar was going slightly faster than before.


    10 seconds later the green bar was finally finished and we watched the loading bar disappear with anticipation.


    Of course, we can''t have nice things in life. A new, longer, loading bar had taken place on the screen.


    "What?!" Fay''s gaze was locked on the screen, "But it was done and all filled up!"


    I sighed, "Get used to it, loading bars always lead to more loading bars."


    The percentage underneath the bar read; 0.05% Finished.


    "It''s a scam!" Fay said as if a knife was stabbed in her back, "Why would someone do that?"


    "It''s a cruel world." I patted Riolu on the head. "Guess we''ll be sitting here for a while."


    The view honestly wasn''t that bad, just a big park with lots of flower beds all over the place because Floaroma Town liked flowers, who would have guessed it?


    We had made ourselves comfortable on the benches that were placed around a big fountain in the shape of a hexagon. On top of the fountain stood a statue that portrayed a bipedal small reindeer-like creature. It stood viciously on top of the fountain like it was watching over a big landscape. A brave smirk present on its face.


    It was obviously meant to reference Shaymin, the symbology was kind of too obvious with the way water came from his body and watered the fertile earth surrounding the fountain.


    According to the local legends, Floaroma Town was once a dead place that could not sustain life. It''s not entirely clear how it got that way, maybe a war or some volcanic event. Either way, a woman prayed and Shaymin appeared and did some magic shiz and poof, the entire place is now covered in flowers. People still plant flowers to this day to show their gratitude, or so the tale goes but I suspect that the money made by exporting flowers also might have something to do with it.


    The sun shone down harshly upon this place and I was starting to feel a bit sweaty.


    A few benches away I saw a brown-haired woman watching a child play with a weird plant-like Pok¨¦mon that looked like an anthropomorphic beetroot/garlic creature. I recognized it as a Steenee, the fruit Pok¨¦mon. I hadn''t seen it before in Sinnoh so that was a first.


    The Steenee was chasing the boy in a playful game of tag, never losing balance despite how the laws of physics should have it fall over with ease.


    I suddenly got a brilliant idea as I saw the woman, who I now assumed to be the mother, take a bite off something that looked like a yellow Pikachu shaped ice cream.


    Although kinda weird she was onto something brilliant.


    I checked the loading bar and saw it had moved to 4%, still freaking slow for my taste. Deciding that I was bored I moved my laptop from my lap and put it on the bench and jumped to my feet.


    "Okay, I have a brilliant idea!" I announced.


    "You can make the loading bar move faster?" Fay perked up,


    {You invented a new technique?} Luna pressed her two hands together.


    "Even better!" I smirked, "Who wants ice cream?"


    Luna gave me a serious looking nod. {That is a brilliant idea.}


    "Ice cream?" Fay tilted her head. "I don''t understand."


    Huh, that''s weird. "You don''t know what ice cream is?"


    Fay shrugged, her face showing that she did not understand the weight of the matter. "Should I?"


    I thought I had shared one with her before, but apparently, I did not, which is a shame and a mistake that had to be corrected right now.


    {You should definitely try one!} Luna insisted. {They are like candy but without the sweetness.}


    "That doesn''t sound like candy at all, it sounds like poison!"


    "I''ll buy you one!" I promised Fay, "It''s my duty as a human being, if you two watch my laptop I''ll get some."


    Luna made a cute bow, {I''ll defend it with my life.}


    "Seriously what is ice cream?" Fay said, still looking a bit lost.


    "Luna will explain," I booped Fay on the nose which made her act all embarrassed. "Now I''ll be back in a minute."


    I left the two girls with the loading screen and followed down the path that led away from the fountain. I had seen a guy with an ice cream stall on our way up the hill.


    The entire park was very peaceful and a beacon of prosperity and chillness. Everyone was just doing their thing, people smiled and waved at each other and did nice things like picnicking or just lying on the grass and enjoying the weather.


    Without much trouble, I found the ice cream stand and requested 3 of the most popular ice creams. The guy gave me 3 blue shaped flowers on a stick, the air around it was so cold it looked as if smoke was coming from it. Taking two in my left hand and one in my right, I hurried back before they would melt.


    Midway on my way back, I heard a loud screech coming from the top of the hill. A bright flash followed and could be seen above the treeline before it subsided and everything went quiet again.


    A few people stared in surprise at the sudden light show but when it became clear the show was over people returned to their own business as if this was nothing out of the ordinary.


    ''That came from the fountain,'' I thought as I silently wondered why Fate could not even let me enjoy my ice cream


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I took a deep breath and ran up the stairs that led towards the fountain, skipping 4 steps at a time while still holding onto my ice cream.


    Within 15 seconds I had managed to get all the way back up the hill and the fountain came in view.


    Expecting to see something very bad, a lump got into my throat but I paid it no attention. I set foot on the stone pavement and the lump disappeared when I saw my two Pok¨¦mon standing on the bench next to the laptop, all still intact and alive. I slowed my pace and gazed around to check my surroundings.


    Although my first glance showed me nothing bad had happened, something did happen here.


    A black bird-like Pok¨¦mon lay spread out on the ground in front of the fountain, faint lingering smoke seemed to emerge from its body and the air around me felt static. The woman that had been sitting on the bench was now standing a few meters away from the crashed bird, on the face was a look I could only describe as slight worry or a minor inconvenience.


    Behind her legs were the kid and the garlic-like Pok¨¦mon, both shivering in what I assumed was shock. They hid behind her like that would make them invisible.


    A yellow creature stood in front of the black Pok¨¦mon, its body low to the ground like a cat ready to jump on a moment''s notice. The Pok¨¦mon in question had yellow fur and beady black eyes with hedgehog-like needles around the tail and neck.


    Yo, that''s a Jolteon, I also hadn''t seen that Pok¨¦mon before. Jolteon was carefully watching the mysterious black bird, so I wisely made the deduction that Jolteon was probably the cause of the bird''s current state.


    "Dust!"


    {Dust!}


    Fay and Luna spotted me suddenly and they ran towards me.


    "That Swellow, it suddenly attacked us," Fay tried to explain while trying to catch her breath.


    {We protected the laptop!} Luna spoke with pride, {The enemy didn''t scratch it even once!}


    "Don''t worry kiddo," The woman with the Jolteon said, she gave the bird a final glance before giving me a kind smile. "Everything is alright."


    I stared at the scenery in front of me with confusion. "What the hell happened here?"


    The woman pointed at the Swellow that was lying on its stomach. I could smell the stench of burnt chicken in the air, now I had a vague idea where it came from. "That Swellow appeared out of nowhere and was assaulting your Pok¨¦mon while you were away."


    "Jolteon!" Jolteon said with a cheerful tone, bopping its head in a satisfied way.


    As if she understood the electric Pok¨¦mon the woman nodded, "Zapper and I interfered and zapped it.''


    Zapper, that''s the worst name I''ve heard so far, it made Snowflake almost sound good in comparison.


    "Steenee!" The small Pok¨¦mon happily cheered.


    The boy that couldn''t be much older than 8 or so stepped away from the woman with a grin. "My mommy is the best! She took down the bird with a zap!"


    To demonstrate he slammed his fist into his palm while making an explosive sound with his mouth. "Boom, the black bird fell from the sky!"


    "Hehe," The now-confirmed mother ruffled through the kid''s hair with a modest chuckle. "It wasn''t such a big feat. That Swellow must have been a wild Pok¨¦mon."


    "That is the one we encountered all the way back," Fay coughed, "You know, in the forest?"


    I thought back and remembered that I had indeed been attacked by a Taillow before. That had been more than a week ago, did this thing somehow follow me and evolve ever since that moment? They all looked very similar to me, but apparently it was one and the same.


    "You''re a Pok¨¦mon trainer right?" The woman pointed at my Pok¨¦mon, "Just a quick tip but try to teach them more offensive moves."


    "What?"


    The mother pressed her hands against her hips and leaned over as if she was about to scold me like some kindergartner, "Your Pok¨¦mon didn''t fight back at all and only used defensive moves."


    "We were defending the laptop..." Fay muttered, embarrassed.


    {Just as you said,} Luna seconded Fay, {It didn''t even get close.}


    I chuckled as I slowly realized it.


    I received an understanding look from the woman, "Aah, you know this one."


    "Not really," I answered, "Remember the disappearing Pok¨¦mon in Jubilife Forest some time ago?"


    "I heard something about that on the news."


    "Well, I happened to stay in that forest at the same time and now it''s convinced I snatched his father, kinda weird."


    "Oh, well that sucks," The woman gave me a sympathetic nod. "It is not the strangest thing I''ve heard you know, I once met a sailor who was like a magnet to Magikarp, had them jumping out of the water if he came within 2 meters of an ocean or lake."


    We talked a little and I had to admit it was nice to have a conversation with a normal person.


    She chuckled, "Anyway, I guess you could leave it here or-"


    Whatever she was about to say, she didn''t finish her sentence. The bird suddenly moved, it cocked its head up and looked at me, a hateful glare pierced through its eyes and into my heart. It was about to lunge towards me but then it noticed the abundance of eyes trained on him and it squeaked in terror. It must have done the math and realized it was outnumbered because it flew straight up in the air with a few flaps of its wings to disappear behind the clouds, vanishing like a cheap ninja knock off.


    One moment the swallow was lying on the ground, and the next moment it was gone.


    We all looked up at the clouds, a bit amazed it could disappear just like that.


    "Guess it got away safely," I murmured, hoping someone would think it was funny.


    No one did.


    "Well, I think we can consider that problem solved." The woman stated dryly, "You think you''ll be okay on your own?"


    {Pffft,} Luna dismissed, {He has me.}


    "Hey! Don''t forget about me." Fay elbowed Kirlia.


    "Yeah, no problem. Thanks for helping me out, weird shit like that happens to me a lot so I''ve grown used to it."


    "Swear word!" the little boy pointed his finger at me, the little Steenee next to him gave me a dramatic shocked face.


    "Well, I''ll be off," The woman rolled her eyes, "Mark, say goodbye!"


    "Goodbye, blue boy!"


    I gave them a small wave as the pair headed towards the park''s exit.


    When they were gone and I noticed that we were now alone again I let out a deep sigh. "So that was a thing."


    {Don''t worry,} Luna clenched her fist, {If that Swellow comes back we''ll teach it a lesson.}


    "Y-yeah!" Fay agreed, "We were slightly handicapped by the laptop. It won''t happen again."


    I doubt that the bird would ever manage to get close, seeing how it lacked a rational brain to figure out the math behind 2 vs 1, evolved or not that Swellow is stupid as heck.


    "So I brought ice cream." It had already started to melt a little and blue drops of water rolled down the wooden stick.


    Luna took hers with a grin plastered onto her face and sat down on the edge of the bench, her legs dangling over the edge.


    I handed a stick to Fay as well and sat down on the bench. Fay joined me on the other side and cautiously wrapped her mouth around the blue ice cream, her canine teeth digging into the soft blue surface.


    After a few seconds of silence, Fay spoke up.


    "It tastes weird, kind of salty but sweet as well."


    "And?"


    Fay rolled her eyes, "I guess I could get used to this."


    {Yup.} Luna smiled.


    While taking a small bite from mine and noticing it indeed tasted a bit salty but not in a bad way, I placed the laptop back on my lap and together we watched the bar slowly turn green, the percentage slowly increasing every second.


    By the time it reached 99% we had long finished our treat and the entire park had become a bit quiet, probably due to it being dinner time. Downtown would probably be booming with filled restaurants right now.


    Ping!


    "It''s done!" Fay announced as if we had not been staring at the green bar for the last 30 minutes.


    The bar faded away into the white background.


    "Ladies and gentlemen," I spoke loudly, despite only having an audience of two female Pok¨¦mon. "This is the moment we all have been waiting for."


    The screen flashed white for a split second, an instant later it loaded a webpage.


    It was a sleek designed website with a minimalistic style to it, in the middle of the page was a big square icon with colorful blocks inside it. Underneath it stood in black bold letters.


    Tetris


    I grinned sagely as I read the description.


    Welcome to Tetris, the newest game following the popular "Unworldly" series created by the mysterious developer "Blank" in collaboration with The Dream Company. How far can you get in this game?


    There was some more gibberish underneath it, shiz that the person who was working at marketing thought would sound cool but I was more than satisfied by seeing my pseudonym in the description.


    "And here it starts," I said melodramatically, "A new era of gaming."


    Sure, it was Tetris, a retro game from my old universe. But despite all of that it still holds up pretty well in a world like this where game developers couldn''t think outside the box if they were pushed out of it. Personally, I''m not a big Tetris player but it''s about the idea, the concept and marketing. Also, it''s one of the most sold games ever, only behind GTA and Minecraft.


    The price of the game could have been a lot higher but it only costs 1 Pok¨¦dollar, almost nothing. It was available on almost every platform as a downloadable game, even on Pok¨¦techs, you know, those smart watches Pok¨¦mon Trainers wear.


    You might be wondering why the Dream Company would agree to such a low price. The answer is simple. Tetris is nothing more but an advertisement to get other game developers and investors interested in the company''s potential.


    Making shiz takes money, especially games and although the technology in this world makes it a lot easier, it still takes a lot of time and skill.


    Skill I don''t have.


    Putting together Tetris was already quite a big task even though I knew almost exactly what to make. I had outsourced the music and regulations to the Dream Company while making the baseline game myself, seeing how the graphics in Tetris aren''t too difficult to copy.


    The end product was a copy of Tetris that was around 80% the same as the original.


    A small budget game, some would call it. Because I did most of it myself it was a very beneficial experiment for the Dream Company to give me a shot.


    If it doesn''t work nothing''s lost but if it does blow up and generates enough interest we could get a lot more money for future projects which means that I would be able to actually make some modern games.


    Immensely satisfied with myself, I copied the link to the download page and sent it to Sabrina, no idea if she liked it but it would definitely annoy her¡­ hopefully.


    I also sent the link to a few other people I knew, just to see what they thought of it. Of course, I didn''t mention that I made the game but rather that I had been following the creator online.


    After that, I proceeded to make a post on some online forum with my official ''Blank'' account where I announced the game and challenged people to beat my highscore. Something relatively easy to accomplish but I guess it would let someone feel good about themselves.


    My Pok¨¦dex began buzzing, just as the Pok¨¦dex lady announced that someone was video calling me.


    "Eh, who''s she?" Fay asked curiously as I brought the video caller up on the laptop screen.


    "That''s Hylla," I explained, looking at the person on the other side of the screen dead in the eyes.


    Hylla sat in a non-descriptive room, she wore a black tank top and had her purple hair tied in a ponytail and she appeared to be sitting on a bed or something. I saw her munching on something just before the video called stopped lagging, probably some food.


    "Hello Dust," She replied calmly, "How are you doing?"


    "Fine?" I asked a bit cautiously. I recognized the tone of her voice and it didn''t promise me anything good. I might be a bit too suspicious but I had to be.


    Fate doesn''t do freebies.


    "Good," She nodded, as if she had ever worried about it. "Hey, remember that favor you owe me?"


    "Yes?" I replied, feeling like I wasn''t going to like this at all.


    She smiled brightly. "Great, because I need your help to investigate something for me. It''s in Eterna Forest so it shouldn''t be too much hassle for you."


    A smirk curled up on her lips.


    "Ever heard of the Red Orphanage?"

 77. The Man Behind the Slaughter

    Chapter 77:


    The Man Behind The Slaughter


    Go into the woods, she said.


    It will be fun, she said.


    Just investigating a suspicious orphanage in the middle of nowhere, it will be fun, she said.


    Okay, Hylla never said it would be fun but she implied it by making it my business and misrepresenting it as something fun and exciting, like uncovering a mystery. No one told me it was going to end up like this¡­


    Of course, it wasn''t really Hylla''s fault but I have to blame someone and I felt like mixing up my scapegoat for the day.


    It sounded quite easy but of course, I should know when something involves a name like "The Red Orphanage" it would be a mess. It all sounded very simple and straightforward.


    "You''re in Floaroma Town right?" Hylla inquired. She said it like she already knew the answer.


    "Yeah, how''d you know?" I asked automatically, then realized how stupid that question was.


    "Don''t insult me," Hylla scoffed arrogantly. I noticed that she had not actually answered the question. Not that I needed an answer, after all, I came from a universe where every big tech company knows what you had for breakfast, it wouldn''t be too hard for someone like Hylla to figure out my location, but it still irked me but for personal reasons.


    "Anyway, the Red Orphanage, I need you to visit it in my stead," The purple-haired sociopath gestured at the hotel-like room around her.


    "I am also busy," I lied and gestured at my two Pok¨¦mon who sat beside me on the bench.


    A Pidgey settled down on the fountain in the park. It accidentally slipped on the wet stone and fell in the water. It got up and with a shocked face, it flew away. Pretty funny if you ask me.


    "No, you''re not," Hylla replied.


    "Pssttt," Fay whispered, "What is this about?"


    "Dunno," I shrugged, "That''s what Hylla''s about to explain right now¡­" I subtly invited Hylla to start stating her business.


    As if she had prepared herself she began to explain in her own usual way of speaking, meaning that she spoke fast and fired words from her mouth like a machine gun. I idly wondered if she would be good at rapping before focusing my attention on the stuff that mattered right now.


    "Remember the connection I found between Crimson and the Snatchers? Crimson stole TMs and sold them to an unknown party while the Snatchers snatched random Pok¨¦mon that held no value on their own."


    I tried to think back to what she had said, "Yeah, you suspect an unknown party was conducting illegal experiments on Pok¨¦mon, right?"


    Hylla nodded eagerly. "Well between assignments, I studied all the available data regarding this matter and surprise surprise, I found a lead."


    {I bet it''s the Red Orphanage.} Luna stared intensely at the screen like it was a matter of life or death.


    "The Red Orphanage?" I tried, "Something named that morbid can''t be good."


    "Hmm," Hylla paused and her purple eyes seemed to dim, as if she was deep in thought. "Now that you mention it, the name is quite conspicuous."


    She mused over that new discovery for a couple more seconds. Had she really not considered the strangeness of that name before?


    "Anyway," the purple-haired girl finally continued, "I did more research. This time I tried to find more about the Snatchers because they were the only real lead I had, sadly there''s next to nothing available on them except for the trail of disappearances they leave behind."


    I briefly considered if I should share my own theory with her. The theory that they had a Pok¨¦mon with amnestic abilities that could cover a large area. Ultimately I didn''t, it was based on too much guesswork and I did not feel like presenting some half-assed conspiracy theory to Hylla, even if she was doing the same thing but she was a bit more legitimate because of her affiliation with the Sinnoh League.


    "So I tracked the disappearances, put them into a datasheet and checked the presumed dates of arrivals at various locations. A lot of Pok¨¦mon disappeared when they were near."


    A dark look crossed Hylla''s face for a short moment, a feeling of sadness and resignation coloured her eyes before she returned to her explanation. "I managed to make a map."


    She tapped a key on her keyboard and an image opened up on the left side of the screen. A miniaturized map of Sinnoh appeared. It was pretty basic in design, only featuring the bigger cities and geological landmarks.


    "The Snatchers work outside Sinnoh too but I could not get any hard numbers from the other regions so this will have to do."


    Another keypress and the map of Sinnoh on my screen disappeared, the image was now buried underneath a sea of red lines that were drawn across the map like someone''s son got his hands on the red crayons and tried to scribble something.


    "The red line is the presumed travel pattern," she explained.


    "Well, they love backtracking," I said while trying to follow the red line with my eyes but it was incredibly hard because it didn''t just travel from point A to B but visited every other letter in the alphabet as well. The red line even left the map at some points, only to reappear somewhere else on the map border. That must have been their visits to the other regions.


    "They do indeed cross some places more than once but do you notice something?" Hylla challenged me.


    I didn''t see anything outstanding due to the fact that I couldn''t see anything in this mess of lines and dead ends. I assumed however that Hylla must have found something either close to or in Eterna Forest otherwise she would not have brought it up.


    "Many lines converge in Eterna Forest," I eventually realized..


    Hylla triumphantly snapped her fingers, I noticed she had even purple nail polish. Probably because it is her favorite color. With a cheshire grin, she spoke, "Exactly, it''s their most visited place, yet there have been no reports of wild Pok¨¦mon disappearing in the area. Almost as if they don''t want to draw attention to this place."


    "That is suspicious," I admitted. Desperately I tried to wrack my brain to find what other reasons they would have to not abduct Pok¨¦mon in Eterna Forest. I could find none. "They must have either a base or a drop point there."


    "That''s what I thought, but there aren''t a lot of structures in Eterna Forest that can house captured Pok¨¦mon, the only reasonable place I found was an abandoned mansion in the Northern parts but since it''s an infamous and well monitored D level threat I can''t imagine it being used for such nefarious purposes. So I looked into the other buildings and I found¡ª)"


    "The Red Orphanage," I finished the sentence.


    Hylla leaned closer to the screen. "There is no information available on that place, no photos or names. Only the names of the owners are registered with the League and they have been dead for more than a decade so unless ghosts pay the electricity bills..."


    "Okay, I get it!" I quickly said, raising my hands.


    A woman who strolled through the park gave me a weird look as if she pitied me, although to be honest, I pitied myself as well.


    "So, the final question, Why me?" I stared at Hylla dead in the eyes. I get it that I owe her a favor but aren''t there any more qualified people to do this?


    Hylla must have prepared for this question because she didn''t hesitate a second. She stuck out one finger, "One, you owe me. Second, I requested that place to be investigated but someone in the chain is tampering and withholding my requests. You know what this means right?"


    Hylla tapped her finger on her left wrist. "If I don''t act fast, that place might be gone before I can bring it up to the higher-ups."


    "Someone is sabotaging you?"


    Hylla shrugged, "I asked the higher-ups personally but they say they never got my request."


    "That''s fucked up."


    "That''s why I need you to investigate it," She smiled warmly, yet it felt as if this smile was not as genuine as Hylla made me want to think it was. "If there''s someone I trust to figure out what''s going on it''s you." She idly rolled her eyes, "It''s not even that hard."


    Of course, Hylla could not have known what would happen, as I said it doesn''t seem too troublesome.


    See what the heck the Red Orphanage is and either unveil the mysteries surrounding it or find enough evidence for the league to take official action.


    It would be fun, she said.


    She lied, it was not fun at all.


    <hr>


    The beam of my flashlight danced over the sand path, the circle of light that came from the black heavy device crawled around on the ground, swinging from left to right and back. Not out of necessity but out of boredom.


    I could still see pretty decently without a flashlight, courtesy to the full moon in the sky above me and the long Spring evenings. The sun had just disappeared underneath the horizon and the color of the night sky was stuck somewhere between blue and dark gray. A few stars were already visible in the sky but they barely stood out as anything more than a white spot on an infinite canvas. The air felt heavy and warm but in a sweaty and moist way, the not-so-nice way. There was no wind blowing through the leaves, instead, there was dead silence, the only sounds came from my own footsteps and Fay''s. Luna barely made a sound as she walked, probably something with her body being so ballerina-like.


    I stifled a yawn and quickly checked the time on my Pok¨¦dex. To my surprise, it was only 11:14 in the evening. I had thought that it was way later but you easily lose track of such things when trying to find a creepy spot in the middle of the forest around midnight.


    Damn, if I only had a camera I could become one of those weird vloggers from my universe, now I only had to find a corpse.


    "You''re thinking of something weird," Fay said accusingly.


    "Nhaaa," I tried to defend myself.


    "Yes you do," Fay insisted, "You always have that look on your face when you think about weird stuff."


    {You kind of do.} Luna looked back with a cute grin.


    I shrugged, "Well, I have to do something to stay awake."


    It wasn''t like I had never stayed up this late before but I had never wandered around in the woods in this unholy hour. Only cozy inside in my bed, reading a book or playing games on my handheld DS and Gameboy.


    "It''s quite peaceful here," Fay sniffed the air, "and I like the scent the trees give off here.''


    I sniffed the air myself but didn''t quite catch the same feeling as Fay did, in fact I didn''t smell anything out of the ordinary wood smell you find in every forest.


    {I don''t like it here, it''s too silent.} Luna said without looking at us. Instead she continued marching forward through the forest, her slender legs allowed her to avoid most of the rubbish lying on the ground. Her eyes and the two horns on the side of her head were also glowing in a faint red color, very demon-like.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Her head turned from left to right, checking for unseen danger that might be ahead of us.


    {Clear.} Luna said, indicating that nothing threatening was close to us, or at least what she perceived to be dangerous.


    Fay and I kept trailing behind Luna, me still playing with the beam of my flashlight and Fay seemingly lost in her own thoughts.


    We were not really close to the orphanage yet so I deemed it safe to light our path, after all, I am a squishy human and if I tripped over a tree root I could still snap my neck. Not likely but I kept my eyes on the ground anyway.


    "This silence," Fay suddenly said, breaking the silence ironically at the same time. "It reminds me of that time I was running away with my mom fro-"


    {Danger!} Luna screamed in our heads.


    Like I had practiced I gripped the frame of the gun in my backpack and drew it with one swift motion, pointing it straight ahead of me and into the darkness.


    Suspecting I might need to draw it quickly this evening, I had put it in one of the side pockets of my backpack that was meant for bidons and other drinks but practice taught me it also functions decently as a good gun holster. The only drawback was the fact that everyone could see I was carrying a gun around but I was alone in the forest so it didn''t matter that much.


    Or rather, I was alone.


    Something shot out of the darkness just as I had drawn the silver fire arm.


    A blue glowing bubble flashed into existence around us and not a second too late. I heard the metallic click of something hitting the sphere of Aura that surrounded us.


    I shone the flashlight at the ground and saw three long silver blades lying on the forest soil.


    Fay was calmly pressing more of her aura into the shield. Her paws formed a ghostly blue chain that connected with the bubble surrounding us, feeding a constant source of Aura into it.


    {There!} Luna pointed at my left. Her eyes practically shining with power.


    The beam of the flashlight followed Luna''s direction and I aimed it at a couple of tree barks that were made visible by the light, a flash of yellow caught my sight and I adjusted the beam to have a wider range, sacrificing a bit of brightness in return.


    The circle of light landed on a grotesque creature that was flying amongst the trees.


    It was big, the size of an expensive car and had big translucent wings flapping behind it that made an eerie low zooming noise. The creature had a yellow body that was covered with black stripes and split into three parts with six limbs protruding from its middle. Two of its arms were monstrous blades that gleamed in the beam of my flashlight and reflected it towards the trees around it. A big stinger protruded from its lower body like some wicked needle. Two big beady eyes stared back at me and the noise that came from its wings increased in volume.


    The monster looked like a big wasp but a monstrous version, something you would expect from a Lovecraft story. When the beam of the flashlight landed on the big blades I saw it was stained red and leaking the liquid down onto the ground..


    I recognized it as a Beedril but this one was much larger than any I had seen before, at least twice the size of a normal one.


    "What a surprise." The Beedril spoke with a male voice, or so I thought until someone else stepped into the beam.


    Luckily it looked to be just a normal human, although normal was a stretch. He wore a black tactical suit that had extra padding around the joints and shoulders. His suit was entirely black except for the red ''R'' that was painted on his chest. A belt was vertically swung across his chest on which I saw a lot of different sized knives strapped to it like some morbid necklace.


    His face was something that a girl would probably describe as really pretty. He had almond-shaped black eyes and a well-chiseled chin and mouth that were perfectly symmetrical. He had dirty blond hair that was long and spiked, a bit like one of those rock stars from the ''80s. Makeup was added across his face, it had to be because his left eye was surrounded by a red streak that crossed his face.


    Immediately, I decided that this figure was up to no good.


    I cautiously studied the guy as he strolled towards the blue Aura shield, flanked by the creepily oversized Beedrill. As he came closer and I got a good look at him I saw his dirty blond hair had red highlights, a second look revealed that he was coated in a red liquid, dripping it as he walked.


    The guy walked casually and wore a tired smile on his face while his black eyes reflected emotions that no person should feel while being caked in blood. He took notice of the gun in my hand but it did not make him stop.


    My heart was beating in my ears like a set of drums but somehow I found myself able to think rationally despite the fear I felt lingering in my heart.


    {This guy is wrong!} Luna warned me telepathically, {Do not trust him!}


    Ooh Luna, when did you become this smart?


    "You are not one of them, are you?" His voice was smooth, like butter or syrup but it had a poisonous edge to it.


    He stopped in front of the glowing shield, his face was distorted by the Aura flowing over the surface of the bubble but somehow I could make out his smile.


    The guy was in range to be shot, the only thing I had to do was to have Fay drop the shield.


    "Who are you?" I asked him, making myself sound more certain than I actually felt.


    A twisted smile curled up even farther on his cheeks. "My name is none of your concern, now what is your name?"


    "Funny, same as yours," I said after a thoughtful second, "now don''t take a step closer or I will shoot you."


    He couldn''t get any closer, but my mind was still fearing he would shatter Fay''s shield or step through it. Something that logically, shouldn¡¯t happen.


    The newcomer stared at the Aura shield with a curious gaze. "Mmm, no, you are indeed not one of them," the guy concluded, giving me a good look of his own.


    "Who are they?" I asked with fear.


    The mysterious person chuckled lightly but his eyes did not laugh. He continued to walk past the shield while I kept the gun trained on him. Eventually, he turned his back on me but the Beedril placed itself in my line of fire.


    Slowly but surely, the pair strolled away from us and were consumed by the darkness of the trees until they were out of sight.


    I waited a full minute, holding my breath and kept my finger on the trigger before I finally asked. "I-is he gone?"


    {Yes, he is out of my range.} Luna sighed and I saw her body relax. I choked out a sigh of relief.


    My throat felt dry, my arms felt limb and my legs felt shaky. Yet I managed to suppress it all and forced it out of my mind.


    I steeled my nerves and forced out a laugh, "Well, isn''t that something?"


    "Fuck!" Fay dropped through her knees and the blue shield disappeared.


    She gasped for air. "I thought we were so gone!"


    Luna walked over towards Fay and patted her on the head. {He''s gone now, nothing to fear.}


    "Indeed," I said grimly, my throat still feeling sore. "He was heading towards Floaroma Town, I think it''s unlikely he''ll try again now that the element of surprise is gone."


    "Who was that?" Fay turned to me with an expecting look.


    "No clue here," I admitted.


    Fay gave me a weird look, as if she had expected me to know that guy.


    I coughed uncomfortably. "Come on, we should continue." I patted Fay on the head.


    "I think we should go back," Fay inhaled sharply, "I just have a bad feeling about this."


    I was inclined to say the same thing and just call it a day. The meeting I just had was not fun at all and had quite shaken me. Yet something pressed me to move forward.


    Something was wrong with the Red Orphanage, the guy I just met only reinforced my suspicions. Saying I had to know what it was would be an exaggeration, I just knew that if I did not go now I would allow something even worse to happen.


    I gritted my teeth as I realized I had once again entered one of Fate''s twisted games.


    "Look, the guy we just met was heading that way," I pointed my flashlight East, "If we want to stay away from those two freaks we should head west, which happens to be the same direction as our destination."


    {You really think we should?} Luna asked me, giving me a calculating look.


    "Yes."


    {If you say so,} Luna spoke with a stern look. {Then I''ll follow you.}


    Fay gazed into the darkness and took a long and deep breath. "Guess I''ll follow too."


    "If you don''t want to, I can put you in your Pok¨¦ball." I offered. I could do it without Fay, I preferred to have her on my side but if she really didn''t want to.


    "No, I''ll stay out as well," Fay committed.


    I swallowed and managed to crack a smile. This time it was a genuine smile.


    <hr>


    It didn''t take long to find our destination. We kept marching forward, battle-ready and listening to every creek and sound that came from the forest.


    Despite our focused attention, it was awfully quiet but this time the silence was accompanied by the sound of my own heart beating.


    The first sign that we had found the Red Orphanage were the lights we saw in the distance. They were faint but definitely stood out in the darkness of the night. I shut down my flashlight and gestured to my two Pok¨¦mon to stay silent.


    I held my breath as we approached the lights that I could now make out as window light coming from a building. A few more steps and I felt the terrain underneath my feet change. I was now standing on a sandy road that carved a path through the treeline.


    I knelt down and studied the road. The full moon helped me to make out the deep trails that were left in the ground. They were big, dug deep and broad, like they were left behind by a truck.


    Between the two trails in the grass, there were patches of grass and other weeds growing, suggesting this road was used often enough to weed out all the plant life on the road except for the middle lane.


    The road was narrow and had multiple twists through it, to me it looked like someone had just picked a route and traversed it instead of following an official path.


    Idly I noticed that the road led towards the house that coincidentally shared the same coordinates as the Red Orphanage.


    I followed the trail and walked into a big open space that was exceptionally well hidden from sight by the trees.


    I was met with a small building that was not bigger than a small barn. I couldn''t make out the exact details but I had the idea that it was made of wood and built like a cabin with a slanted roof.


    Light shone through one of the boarded windows but it was dim and didn''t help my vision in any useful way. I could not even see where the light came from.


    An old sign with faded markings was nailed to a fence that surrounded the perimeter. The words were barely readable but I was very certain it read: Red Orphanage.


    Surrounding the cabin were big and wide open fields and other smaller barn-like structures, reminding me somewhat of a low budget summer camp. As I crossed the path that led towards the house, I could still not shake the feeling that something was wrong.


    There were no signs of life coming from this place, no sound. The only thing that indicated life was the faint light coming from inside the cabin.


    {No one seems to be near} Luna said, {No Pok¨¦mon or humans.}


    That''s odd, I noted, most of the time there would be at least wild Pok¨¦mon roaming inside Luna''s range. It was almost as if the forest was holding her breath with me.


    However, the fact that we were alone did grant me the privilege to use the flashlight. I pressed the metallic switch and with a smooth click, the flashlight sprung to life. The ghostly white beam swayed as I started to walk towards the cabin where the light came from, my eyes drawn to the tiny building.


    {Eeew, my leg is wet.} Luna suddenly complained.


    "Huh," I aimed the flashlight at Luna. The small Kirlia instinctively shielded her eyes from the bright light. I lowered the beam.


    Luna''s left leg was colored red.


    She stared down at her leg with a mild interest, {Ew}


    I scanned the ground and noticed a big pool of red liquid was spilled out over the grass like paint on a canvas.


    "Oh no," I muttered as my beam swept the area and crossed a human face lying on the ground. "Eek!" Fay jumped a little as she saw a pale human face staring back at us.


    She grabbed my left leg and I felt her shaking my body, I then realized that I was the one shaking. My breathing went haywire and I had trouble standing up.


    10 meters away from us was a person lying on his stomach, his body partly swallowed by the overgrown grass. A huge slash was visible on his back, running from his shoulder to his left side, his clothes had been torn open and a red liquid seeped from the open red wound into the grass.


    Luna walked over to him with a few steps. I noticed the man was dressed in something resembling a security guard uniform. Luna knelt down next to him and quickly jabbed him in the side.


    {It''s safe, he''s dead.}


    "Dust!" Fay pointed at something I earlier thought to be a normal rock. Hesitantly I drew the flashlight towards it.


    "Oh fucking gods..."


    A woman wearing a white lab coat was lying on the ground, curled up like a ball in the grass. A big red gaping hole was visible in her stomach, allowing the light to pass through the body.


    {Hmm,} Luna mused. {Something happened here.}


    No shit.


    The beam shook widely as I found more corpses lying around the perimeter. It looked like a massive sleepover except all the participants weren''t waking up. The smell of something very sickening crept in my nose and made me want to puke. All the bodies shared similar wounds, either wide slashes and cuts or gaping holes where their flesh should be.


    My stomach turned upside down. I felt an acid substance work itself up my throat and I threw up right in front of me. I emptied my stomach while desperately trying to find a way to deal with this horror I stumbled upon. My head was spinning and I felt a sense of numbness creep in.


    "This isn''t real, it''s just like a movie or a game," I tried to tell myself.


    A warm and gentle voice spoke in my mind all of the sudden. {Don''t worry, I am here with you.}


    I focused my attention on the white humanoid Pok¨¦mon in front of me.


    She smiled warmly at me and pointed at the cabin. {Look, we even found what you were looking for.}


    Luna walked towards the door of the cabin, stepping through the red liquid as the corpses did not seem to faze her at all. She swung the heavy wooden door open and the entire field bathed in the light coming from... from what exactly?


    Having found something new to focus on I slowly struggled towards the door, determined to figure out what the fuck was going on.


    In the back of the cabin, amidst all of the rush and broken furniture, there was a closet. The door was already open but instead of showing a wardrobe being behind it, there was a small cubical room with metal walls. Light came from a luminescent plate stuck in the ceiling of the small room. That must have been the source of the light I had seen.


    The same dreadful silence continued to stay present as my mind figured out what I was looking at.


    It''s an elevator.


    {See,} Luna smiled triumphantly, {You found it!}


    Dumbfounded, I stared at the random elevator in pure confusion. Was this truly the thing I was looking for, the source of Hylla''s mysteries? There was not even a second storey in this building.


    My mind was still dazed because I only saw the silver plate stuck to the wall after a minute.


    Slowly I read the words written on the sign.


    Welcome to:


    Galactic


    Test Facility A-2

 78. Deadman Wonderland

    Chapter 78:


    Deadman Wonderland


    I stared at the silver elevator like it was a ghost.


    It definitely gave off that uncanny feeling with its reflective walls and annoyingly bright ceiling light. It stood in stark contrast to the murky wooden surroundings.


    The inside of the cabin was a mess, there was no other way to describe it. Something that could once have been an information desk was now torn down as if someone brought down a chainsaw upon it. All of the furniture in the room had been displaced aggressively and was now lying on the ground as if a tornado had rampaged through the building. There were a few doors that probably led to a few back rooms but they could not be that big considering how small this place seemed to be from outside.


    I felt my throat sink as I thought about the carnage that waited for me outside. Mutilated bodies and pools of red liquid, left like trash. Somehow I felt safer inside this freaky cabin, maybe because of the corpses outside, yeah probably that. Just a few corpses, nothing too out of the ordinary.


    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Fay half-whispered, ¡°Call the police right?¡±


    Luna stared at the elevator, {I wonder where it leads.}


    Out of all of us, Luna seemed to be the most relaxed. She managed to maintain a calm posture, maybe she was the bravest of us all, or maybe she was just a sociopath.


    {There are only three buttons.} Luna contemplated.


    A square panel was put into the wall with two additional buttons that were added for closing and opening the doors.


    The lift doors were like a gaping mouth, inviting their prey to step inside and get swallowed into the monstrous pit. The pale moonlight outside glared down like it was a divine eye, judging me for something unknowable. The silent atmosphere did not make me feel any better.


    "So what are we going to do?" Fay asked again, demanding I made a decision.


    "I''m calling Hylla," I suddenly said. "She''ll be able to provide some insight."


    "Are you sure?" Fay scowled skeptically, "Wasn''t she the reason we got in this mess?"


    I ignored her excellent point and got my Pok¨¦dex and swiped a few times across the screen until the caller ID appeared on the screen, indicating I was about to engage in a video call.


    "Dust?" Hylla''s voice came through the speakers. The screen of the Pok¨¦dex was black with white letters saying: audio-only.


    "Hylla, you''re a fucking asshole!" I shouted into the mic out of nowhere. It felt good.


    "What?"


    "Sorry, had to get that out of my system," I apologized, though I did not recall my insult.


    "Again, what?" Hylla was starting to sound a bit distressed, "Is everything okay, are you passing me some kind of secret code?"


    "No, I mean yes but actually no." I tried to find the right words for: ''I found a couple of corpses outside''. "I am relatively safe right now."


    "Explain."


    I gave Hylla a quick rundown of the events that had transpired in the last hour. I told her everything, about the guy with the Beedrill, the torn down Orphanage, the dead bodies outside and the strange elevator I had found inside the cabin.


    Hylla stayed silent after I was done with my explanation, I thought she was contemplating this new information but then I heard the sound of Hylla packing her stuff. After 20 seconds she returned to the call.


    "You said they were cut and pierced right?" Hylla asked, sounding slightly winded.


    "Y-yeah." I shuddered as a shiver ran up my spine. "100% sure."


    "Well, at least that''s something, how are you feeling?"


    A dry laugh escaped my throat. "Amazing, never been better!"


    "Okay, your sarcasm is still working, that''s better than going into shock at least," The second part was mumbled but I could still hear it.


    "Dust, I am heading your way on my Charizard right now. Although it might take a couple of hours."


    I grimaced, "So can I go home or do you want me to take a nap here?"


    {Haha.} Luna chuckled.


    Hylla ignored my snap. "This might be a tough thing to ask but do you think you can keep going?"


    "You want me to go down the elevator?" I asked. "The elevator that''s surrounded with a fucking graveyard?"


    Hylla groaned, "This is a golden opportunity. The guy you just met most likely murdered everyone inside as well."


    "Oh great, the good news keeps coming!"


    I was being irrational but I just needed to lash out at someone. Also, Hylla was partly responsible for this nightmare-inducing evening so I felt I was in the right.


    "Focus Dust," Hylla said. Her voice sounded strained and I could hear the wind through the speaker. "Think about it, right now there''s no one to stop you from sniffing around and finding some clues."


    "Then just wait for the police." Fay crossed her arms.


    I told Hylla what Fay just said.


    "That sounds risky, there''s a chance that the police might have been compromised, just like in Jubilife City with the Shine, remember how far their investigation reached?"


    My eyes focused on the open elevator doors. They looked so alluring but not necessarily in a good way. More like an angler fish, I felt myself getting drawn to it, a part of me wanted to know the horrors that were most likely waiting for me down there.


    {I''ll follow you wherever you want.} Luna reassured me. The small Kirlia stood in front of the doors without the slightest sign of hesitation.


    ¡°Come on Dust, don¡¯t you want to know more as well?¡± Hylla coerced. ¡°Think about it, the guy you saw cleaned out that place. But he arrived only after I discovered it exists, someone must have leaked the location of the Orphanage, who''s to say this place won''t be gone before the end of tomorrow?.¡±


    "Fine, I''ll go down there," I spoke loudly, announcing it to everyone who could hear me. "I need to know what''s going on."


    "Thank you," Hylla said, relieved. "Try to find a computer or any archives. They are a valuable source of information. And remember, STAY cautious."


    Without wasting any more words, she ended the call abruptly. Seeing how she had been calling from Charizard''s back I could understand her position.


    I closed the Pok¨¦dex and faced my 2 Pok¨¦mon. "Are you two ready as well?"


    {Of course.} Luna nodded.


    "Ready as I''ll ever be." Fay swallowed but didn''t back down. She looked a bit shaken but she still held a fiery look in her eyes, telling me that she was determined to see this through.


    With surprising ease, I navigated through the rubbish lying on the floor and stepped into the elevator. My two Pok¨¦mon followed and a brief silence dawned on us when I pressed the -3 button.


    A red glow surrounded the button and the elevator started to move down.


    "Follow the white rabbit down the rabbit hole..." I spoke.


    As the elevator kept going down, a faint screeching came from below the elevator, like something metal was scraping against some machinery.


    The elevator kept going down for quite some time but eventually it stopped moving.


    The doors stayed closed but the button for opening the doors was glowing, indicating it had to be pressed. I was grateful for this design choice, it allowed me a few extra seconds to think.


    I heaved a dry cough, "Okay, we will assume everyone is dead but stay cautious anyway. Luna, you''re on support duty, Fay, you check the corpses with Aura to make sure they don''t start walking. Get it?"


    Two nods followed, no further words were spoken. I pressed the button and the doors slowly slid open.


    A narrow hallway with gray concrete walls was revealed. Fluorescent ceiling tiles flickered on and off without a clear pattern. Lying a meter away from the elevator door was a guy lying on the ground. His arms were stretched out and bloody, his hands reaching for the elevator but not quite making it there. Broken glass surrounded his body and cuts were visible all over his body. The ceiling light above him was raining electricity sparks on his body but that could not have been the cause of death as a pool of blood flew out of his body like a small lake.


    {Fay?} Luna broke the silence.


    "Uh, he is dead." Fay gulped.


    I swallowed and knelt down, trying to see anything that might be helpful in my quest for answers. I didn''t find anything, he wore a lab coat but since all his possessions were stained red I did not dare to touch him.


    Not wanting to stay with mister dead-person any longer I moved past his body and into the hallway, the doors stayed open behind us meaning that if we had to make a quick retreat we would not have to wait for the doors.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The hallway was not wide by any means, nor was it well decorated. Bare concrete walls stretched out on either side like the interior of a nuclear bunker. A black sign with white letters was put against the wall above the corpse.


    I gave it a quick look, trying to ignore everything surrounding it.


    Floor -3: Advanced Research:


    Block A: Dinner Hall, Living cells.


    Block B: Lab 1, Lab 2.


    Block C: Lab 3, Lab 4, Lab 5,


    Block D: Communication


    Block E: Doctor Redburn''s Office.


    All the arrows pointed in the same direction, telling me to follow the path directly in front of us.


    "Okay, let''s try to find Redburn''s office, the guy sounds important so he might have something useful for us." I knelt down and put the flashlight and gun away. I retrieved the knife and got up to my feet.


    I did a few experimental swings. The familiar weight of the knife felt good in my hands, like a distant old friend. I would normally use a gun but being in a small enclosed space like this I didn''t want to risk bullets to ricochet. Besides, guns are for humans and I had the twisted gut feeling that we wouldn''t encounter anything human down here... Unless the dead start walking, then I''d surely switch back to shooting.


    {Dust, this place,} Luna frowned, {It''s messing with my psychic powers.}


    I scratched the back, "Are you saying-"


    {Yes, Teleporting here would spell my doom.} Luna said without so much as catching her breath.


    "Oi," I muttered, "The good news just keeps coming."


    "Can we please move?" Fay interrupted and pointed at the dead guy in front of the elevator. "Or have this conversation anywhere else?"


    I nodded and gestured to Fay to take the lead. With cautious steps, Fay moved in front of our little group and we proceeded to march down the hallway. Luckily, we did not have to wait very long before finding something useful.


    The hallway ended in a big room with automatic sliding doors half-opened. They slid open when we came close enough with a soft hiss. In front of us was something that looked close to a diner area.


    Smooth white walls formed a big octagon with big automatic doors on 4 sides of the room, excluding the one we came through.


    The stench hit me first.


    A disgusting smell I had never sensed before this day and never had wished to smell again was lingering in the room like a thick invisible blanket.


    Fay¡¯s face contorted in disgust, her features narrowed but she managed to maintain a relatively level-headed composure, ¡°The good news is that they are definitely dead.¡±


    {Hurray,} Luna sarcastically chirped.


    Square benches were placed in 4 rows parallel to each other like a highschool cafeteria. They were all white and in a pristine condition except for the fresh new splashes of red that decorated the place.


    I slowly made my way through the rows of seats and tables, careful not to step on anything resembling a human body. Meanwhile, Luna strode over the tables like they were a catwalk, jumping with grace over the occasional red smear or body.


    I quickly noticed that a lot of them were dressed in either traditional lab coats, casual-ish clothes or straight up wearing something awfully similar to military-looking gear.


    There was a distinctive lack of Pok¨¦balls. Instead, the people wearing the defensive combat gear seemed to be using sci-fi looking firearms and other offensive equipment like collapsible batons and tasers. Not normal firearms or knives, something that really stood out to me.


    Luna briefly paused when one of the, what I assumed to be, guards laid sprawled on the table with big slashes running across her body.


    I immediately looked away and focused on the fluorescent ceiling tiles as if they were on fire. With great effort, I managed to get my breathing back in control.


    Luna wiggled one of the sci-fi weapons free from the woman¡¯s hand and held it in her hands. It looked kind of silly to be honest. More like a water gun or a cheap off-brand Star Wars blaster with neon yellow capsules fitting into the back compartment.


    Luna aimed the gun at the nearest target and closed one eye as if to steady her aim.


    ¡°No Luna don-¡±


    She pulled the trigger with her other hand.


    A bolt of yellow shot out of the device and impacted the corpse, only to disappear into the body. It didn¡¯t phase through it, instead, it looked like it broke into smaller arcs of yellow flashes before being completely absorbed, making a fizzling sound in the process. The smell of ozone followed soon after.


    {Electricity,} Luna said, sounding quite proud of herself, {This thing does not shoot normal bullets.}


    ¡°I think I recognize it,¡± Fay paled, more than before, ¡°Those kinds of weapons were used by some of Hunter J¡¯s men. They are used to stun Pok¨¦mon instead of killing them.¡±


    She inhaled deeply. ¡°Now can you please drop the gun, it¡¯s still covered in blood and it''s frankly disgusting.¡±


    Luna dropped the weapon with comical ease. {Just had to see what it does, right? Dust?}


    I shivered, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s continue please? Right now.¡±


    At the back of this spacious room, there was a big counter with all kinds of plates on them and some grill pits in the back. This was most likely where the food would be served.


    Whatever had happened here, it had not been during dinner time, seeing how I couldn''t find any food outside of the vending machine despite this place clearly being a dinner hall.


    We walked past all the red paint and reached a pair of automatic doors. Another black sign with white letters instructed us to follow the hallway to reach lab 3, lab 4 and Doctor Redburn''s office. A white sheet of paper had been pinned next to the sign with some rules regarding the dinner area. There wasn''t anything out of the ordinary written on it, almost as if this was just a normal workplace and not some secret hideout.


    I stepped forward and the doors slid open, revealing a long white hallway with bright fluorescent ceiling lights. Leaving the horrible dinner area behind me, I strode into the hallway, hoping that we could find some more clues regarding this entire place.


    A dreadful silence hung in the air as we walked.


    We came across one more body on our way. Again it looked like a guard with his weird equipment. He lay against the wall, a small pool of blood was growing underneath him.


    We didn¡¯t say a word as we walked around him.


    In front of us, the hallway extended into a crossroad.


    "You guys hear that?" Fay suddenly stopped walking.


    "Hear what?" I stopped.


    "That!"


    I wanted to argue that I didn''t hear a single thing but then I started to hear a soft moaning noise. It started as a low rumble of sounds, stretched out like a grown man was slowly crying. Once I heard it the sound became louder and undeniably closer.


    {Something is nearby!} Luna scanned at the walls but she seemed to be clueless. Frustrated, she shook her head, "Something here is messing with my senses."


    "It''s there!" Fay said, her eyes shining blue. She pointed at the end of the hallway where it split off into three directions. She pointed at the hallway that broke off into the left area. "It is coming from that side."


    The wailing was getting closer and I felt my heart tighten. I wish it sounded like some kind of zombie or anything recognizable but all I heard was the scrambled noise of something that seemed to be crying, like a reverse Banshee.


    I was starting to feel a bit lightheaded from that noise, breathing felt like an exercise on its own at that moment.


    It echoed through the halls and through my body.


    I glanced back but there was nowhere to hide. Fay and Luna took position in front of me. Claws out and horns glowing with power.


    As sudden as the sound came it disappeared. A dead silence followed before that too got interrupted by the sound of...of what, exactly? It sounded like footsteps but wet, if that makes any sense at all.


    "There it is." Fay hissed.


    A small blob waddled into the crossroad.


    It was small and light purple, not much larger than a stray cat. The thing looked like some weird blob of semi-translucent substance with two stubs that served as arms. Two black dots and a thin line were all the facial features the thing had.


    "A Ditto?" I softly whispered.


    The purple blob had no feet or clear appendages, yet it moved over the ground like it was actually taking small steps.


    "What''s that?" Fay asked, perplexed.


    {It''s purple.} Luna explained.


    The Ditto perked up and gazed around, alerted by Fay''s question. It turned its eyes to us finally and looked straight at us.


    "Di?" It questioned, cutely swinging its purple stubs.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that my heart was hammering inside my chest I would say that it looked obscenely cute. Its black innocent eyes stared at me with some kind of child-like curiosity.


    That''s when it started to glow. A light came from inside its body and all the purple cells lit up like a tree at Christmas times. The white form started to move and morphed into something else.


    When the glow faded away I was looking at a human figure.


    He had blue hair and eyes and pale skin that was almost vampire-like. He wore a black jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans. An amused smile ran across his lips and his cold dead eyes stared at us.


    {What the fuck?} Luna took a step back. Fear sounding through her telepathic voice.


    "H-h-he just looks like..." Fay stuttered.


    "Me," I muttered, freaking out.


    Fake me opened his mouth and a low sound came from it. It didn''t sound like anything human, instead, it was a weird twisted wailing noise that should not come from a human mouth.


    It was all garbled and wrong. A spear of acid punctuated me from inside and burrowed its way up my throat.


    "S-Step back!" Fay warned the creature. A long blue spear formed between her paws. "I-I will use this!"


    Fake me closed his mouth and stared at the ghostly spear Fay held. It made a shrugging motion and turned away from us and faced the right hallway.


    "Oh fucking god." Another wave of acid tried to work itself up from my stomach.


    The backside of fake me, the Ditto, or whatever it was, was left open, like a person that had been cut in two pieces, I could see the insides of fake me. A purple liquid dripped off the fleshy walls that made up my insides like it was blood. It was all unreal, like watching a picture from my biology book come to life. There were no bones or organs.


    He was fucking hollow inside.


    With slow steps he started to walk away from us, like a zombie, continuously making that weird garbled sound.


    I waited for a long time until the moaning sound was completely gone.


    He walked extremely slowly and the sound echoed throughout the halls like a devil''s symphony.


    When I finally deemed it safe I started walking again, my pace faster and more hurried than before.


    "Hold up!" Fay cried out, trying to keep up with me. "What the fuck was that?"


    "It didn''t attack us," I did not look Fay in the eyes but I did slow my pace. "We can assume it''s neutral to some extent, meaning we don''t have to think about it any longer."


    {What is this place?} Luna asked, her voice more distressed than ever before.


    "What do you think," I growled, "It''s a testing facility. They perform experiments on Pok¨¦mon."


    "They do what?!" Fay''s eyes widened.


    I turned around and looked her dead in the eyes. "Don''t you realize what a testing facility is?"


    "I do," Fay muttered half-heartedly, "They test stuff like technology and medicine."


    I shook my head. "Fay, this is not a ''normal facility'', whatever they do down here is as illegal as can be."


    {It''s disgusting.} Luna fiddled with her arms, no longer her own composed self.


    "Y-you mean, this entire place-"


    How could she be this oblivious?


    ¡°You see all those dead guards here?¡± I asked, ¡°All of them show either piercing wounds or big wide cuts on their bodies, combine that with the fact that the elevator doors at the exit of this building were left open and the guy in the forest was walking away from this place, what can you deduce?¡±


    Maybe I was a bit too harsh on her but I just had to unwind some of the tension building up inside me.


    ¡°That he killed all of them,¡± Fay replied coldly.


    ¡°Yes, but why didn¡¯t the guards stop him?¡± I raised an eyebrow, ¡°Sure he might be good but numbers also matter.¡±


    {So he and his Beedril just stabbed people down here,} Luna said dismissively, {It''s not that hard.}


    She was right. Theoretically, it was kind of easy to kill a lot of people.


    Pok¨¦mon have terrific abilities on their own but even without Pok¨¦mon, it was not impossible to put a whole lot of people down. Infecting the air with some kind of drug, or poisoning the water supply. However, those are all very strategic ways to kill a lot of people. The people here had all shown similar signs of being impaled or cut open.


    ¡°Maybe the guards were just bad at their job.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that, the more likely scenario however made me wish they just sucked.


    I bit my lip as I explained what was waiting for us down here.


    ¡°The people at the Red Orphanage above us were meant to keep people out, the guards down here," I pointed at the weird equipment the dead guard wore. "They are here to keep something from getting out."

 79. We Know The Devil

    Chapter 79:


    We Know The Devil


    The sound of metal scraping against something rang through the building. The sound itself was not loud per se but somehow it felt as if it was traveling far further than it should. It only lasted for a second, yet it managed to make me hold my breath.


    I guessed that it came from above us, meaning it was something on either the -2 or -1 floor. Definitely something I wanted to avoid.


    "We should continue our search and get out of here as quickly as possible," I said. "I need answers if I ever want to sleep again."


    {I agree, let''s get this over with.} Luna shook her head. {That thing was just so...}


    "Wrong."


    The Ditto monster. I had never seen a Ditto before, only read about them on some scientific website and heard about them on a few message boards.


    They popped up all over Kanto somewhat before the ''Missing Island'' incident. People suspected they had something to do with it but since no one knew exactly what happened anyway, it was really hard to make some working theories. A few were studied by Professor Oak according to the official Kanto League statement and they were deemed safe enough to be released into the wild.


    Dittos can copy humans which had been a roadblock at first, but when people found out that a Ditto''s eyes would always stay the same, everybody let out a sigh of relief.


    Except the Ditto I had met had managed to copy my eyes¡­in exchange for losing its insides.


    Not wanting to meet that thing again, I continued to follow the path that would lead me to Doctor Redburn''s office.


    More splits and doors met our way but nothing of significance. I noted however that the bodies appeared less frequently, a small mercy. Maybe they tried to run towards the exit when the Team Rocket assassin came.


    Then I started to hear banging noises.


    A loud repeated thumping noise came from ahead of us. The sound of something impatiently hitting a table or a wall with force. It repeated itself at irregular intervals.


    When we found a sign saying: Labratoria 4, it became even louder and somehow sounded more aggressive. I eyed my two Pok¨¦mon but they seemed to be doing a little better than just then. That Ditto most likely prepared them for the horrors they might see.


    It did for me. This little escapade was a far cry from the fun raid of the Galactic Fortress in the games. There were no monsters in those games, just cute little Pok¨¦mon. No serial murders, just a few grunts that did not even know what they were doing. No twisted experiments, okay maybe those were in the games but I didn''t get to see any of that in the games.


    "Pretty sure they''re coming from behind this door." Fay pointed at the steel door that was bolted into the wall on our right side. It had the same basic design as the other sliding doors in this facility but the glass parts had been replaced by steel plates that blocked our view of whatever was inside. A thick cross ran across both doors like it was the door of a vault, doubly securing what was inside. A white panel was stuck on the wall next to the door, telling me with green letters on a display that it required a keycard to open it.


    The loud thumping noise continued and the door shook in its hinges, though it steadily withstood it.


    "Something is inside," Fay remarked.


    No shit, the banging on the door was not a dead give away. As if responding to Fay''s voice the banging increased, becoming louder and more frequent. Oddly there were no growls or voices coming from inside, only banging, as if the pounding on the door was the only thing it could do.


    "Haha, let''s not open that door," I laughed dryly.


    Whatever was behind that door, I did not want to see it. Not that we could open it but still.


    We silently continued walking down the corridor and the banging noises slowly started to fade into the background, becoming a rhythmic thumping that blended with the sounds of electric buzzing and machine whirring underneath the floor.


    We passed a few empty storage closets that had been left open. They held nothing of value, mostly just food supplies and medical equipment.


    I did find a map of this facility in one of them but it was stuck to the wall for some unknown reason. As I couldn''t take it with me, I took a picture of it instead.


    This facility was apparently shaped like an octagon with 4 main hallways going into each direction like veins on a leaf, each one branching off into smaller ones and those again into their own sections.


    It taught me that this place was a lot bigger than I had imagined it could be. According to the map, we had been walking in a straight line. We started at the elevator that was on one side of the octagon and our destination, Doctor Redburn''s office, was on the other side of the building.


    The map lacked key info like escape routes, what all the separate rooms were and how big the building was in meters but at least it was something. It did make me wonder how they even made this place in the middle of a forest, that would be a logistical nightmare, right?


    Although with the right combination of Pok¨¦mon abilities I guess it could be done, after all the Egyptians built the pyramids without a fucking wheel.


    We continued on our way.


    Deeper down the hallway the lights above our heads started flickering and a big black burn mark was etched into the white wall. Glass shards were scattered all over the floor like a window had been broken. Except there was no window. I gazed up and saw that one of the ceiling light tiles was missing. The gap in the ceiling looked ominous and the space between was just big enough for something to crawl through.


    "Well, it''s different from all the slashed and pierced bodies," I remarked somewhat optimistically. We had not encountered a single disturbing dead body in the last few minutes. True, we were walking at a snail''s pace but after that weird-ass Ditto, I was all for being safe and careful.


    Luna fiddled with her hands while Fay studied the black scorch mark.


    "This is new," Fay said as she put her paw against the mark. "It''s still warm."


    "Seems to me like someone used a Fire-type move," I scratched my hair. The scorch marks gave me an uneasy feeling yet it fueled my desire to figure out what this place was exactly. If only because the alternative, not knowing, might give me more nightmares.


    I just had to know what Galactic was doing.


    The dread I had initially felt was slowly turning into irritation. I was slowly getting used to this place being one big hellhole. Not sure if getting used to seeing dead bodies is a good thing but my stomach was happy with it. I felt more or less irritated about the fact that I still had not found anything useful.


    {Let''s move on.} Luna said. She turned away from the scorch marks with disdain in her face. {We should not linger too much.}


    Content with my own observations, I started moving towards the door at the end of the hallway.


    The door was sleek and simple in design, just a regular door you might expect at your local dentist. The sign above the door read:


    Doctor Redburn


    A metal scanner device was attached to the wall but it seemed to be broken. The screen was smashed in and the wires were sticking out of it like someone had forcefully hit it with a brick.


    Fay gave me a questioning look when I didn''t open the door immediately.


    I gestured at her to do her thing but it resulted in getting even more confused expressions.


    "Scan?" I hissed.


    She gasped when she understood what I was getting at. Her eyes flashed blue and she stared at the door. Her head slowly moved from left to right before she gave me a nod, "No one''s inside."


    Somehow I felt a bit disappointed by that.


    I kicked the door open. Fay and Luna went in first and I trailed behind them.


    The room was wide and reminded me of a meeting room. A big oval-shaped desk was in the middle of the room. Despite the table''s size, there was only one chair. A rather comfortable looking chair. A computer screen was placed in front of the chair but that was about it.


    Against the wall were metal shelves filled with case files, seemingly arranged in alphabetical order, starting with something named: A2-AnimatedGod and ending in XX5-ZMoves.


    Most of the files started with the label A2 but some of them had different labels.


    There was another metal shelf but unlike the others, it wasn''t filled with files. Instead, a lone flower in a vase and a faded picture in a bronze frame decorated it.


    On the other side of the room stood one of those devices that could make cold water. A large painting was on the wall above it.


    The painting was wide in width like one of those panorama wallpapers you see at a museum. I walked past the large table and stared at the painting. What I was looking at was a piece of art. Not only just in the literal sense, but the painting looked like it could have been made by Michelangelo or Da Vinci. Two Pok¨¦mon were painted in Renaissance style on the canvas, one colored steel white with blue and the other Pok¨¦mon colored gray with shades of pink thrown in.


    They were locked in a standoff, the blue one standing on the ground and the pink Pok¨¦mon flying in the skies.


    They say that the purpose of art is to convey an emotion, if that''s true then this piece certainly did its part. A blind fury was in their eyes like they were ready to tear each other to pieces. I could almost feel the rage they felt myself. Their hatred practically seeped through the canvas and threatened to burn a hole through it.


    The two of them were standing in red-colored city ruins with torn down skyscrapers setting off against the blood-red sky. A shiver ran over my spine, the abstract realism was haunting.


    There was this painting in my own world, a painting of Cronus devouring his son which coincidentally is also the name of the painting. It was a disturbing piece of art that a lot of people called one of the most terrifying paintings made by man.


    The painting right in front of me gave off that same feeling, a state of madness was in the eyes of the two Pok¨¦mon and it seemed to eat away at the viewer.


    I drew my gaze away from the painting and headed towards the computer screen. Luna jumped onto the oval desk and studied her surroundings, meanwhile Fay stared up at the metal shelves.


    The computer screen cast a soft white glow on the wall behind it. I approached it and noticed that it was one of those weird computers that didn''t exist in my own universe. I was sure Apple or some other company imagined this to be the future of their product. The terminal was mainly composed out of a computer monitor that was stuck to the table. The monitor looked like it was made from some kind of black glass instead of plastic.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Why was the screen still on?


    I looked around but found nothing resembling a body, or maybe even any signs of someone entering this place recently. I found none, this place looked devoid of life yet the computer was still left on for some reason.


    I sat down and a few taps later the reason became clear. Although the first glance showed just the background, a simple stylistic cursive ''G'' on a blue background, a second look showed one of the icons on the icons on the screen was bumping up and down, indicating that an application was still active.


    Curious, I was about to click on it but there was no mouse. I tapped the screen and surprisingly it got the job done. The application opened and a window enlarged in front of my eyes.


    It wasn''t a special window per se, pretty mundane even but it was good enough for me because right in front of me was an archive of all the files stored on this PC.


    Bingo.


    {You found it?} Luna tilted her head.


    "Yup," I mumbled while I dropped my backpack and searched through it. "Some idiot left it open. Guess it''s up to me to take it."


    From the depths of my backpack, I retrieved a shining black cube that honestly just looked like one solid cube of black plastic. I slid one of the panels on the sides open and pulled out a black cable. I plugged it into the computer screen and a message on the screen notified me a new drive was available.


    With a small amount of regret, I went back to the main directory and selected every sub-archive with a few clicks. I dragged them over towards my own hard drive and it started copying the files.


    I released a sigh of relief I did not know I had been holding. For some reason I felt like I could finally relax, I couldn''t but my brain was convinced of that. Maybe I was just a bit emotionally tired.


    I just had to copy the entire hard drive and I could call it a day. Of course, I would make a second copy for my own keepings, after all, it was my own backup drive that previously contained a backup of all the unfinished products I was working on but for obvious reasons I had to wipe it clean.


    My eyes darted over the room, expecting a monster to pop up but it just stayed peaceful. Fay was studying the picture on top of the shelf and Luna was trying to get water from the dispenser but for some reason it was malfunctioning.


    This place looked relatively safe. I cut myself some slack and allowed myself to relax a little.


    A bit bored, I decided to take a sneak peek and see what secrets Redburn''s PC held. I plopped down on the chair and casually put the knife on the table, still keeping it within my reach if I needed to slash something.


    I experimentally opened a few directories to see what would catch my eye.


    An error message popped up when I tried to access a server this PC was linked to. It told me there was no wireless connection down here and I had to enter a password to use the cable.


    I entered a few words that could function as a password but all of them failed as expected.


    "Not working?" Fay asked from my right.


    I tried to open the web browser but it led me to the same error message. "I can''t access the external server which might be important. It seems like everything down here is run locally. Or well, used to at least."


    Maybe if I was a hacker I could access it but my hacking skills were a bit lackluster if not completely non-existent. Though I did manage to convince everyone at school I was a hacker, fun times.


    With a tired sigh, I gave up on accessing the external server and instead I tried to look through the files stored on this PC.


    Most of it was a mess, Redburn had never heard of categorizing apparently because nothing except the bare minimum was organized.


    I opened a random file that was a long list containing the names and personal info of the people working here which was useful but in the same directory were a few music files containing horrible jazz music. Another file later and I was reading about unknown powers in Alto Mare that reanimated the corpses of deceased Pok¨¦mon.


    I returned to the main directory and used one of the built-in features to sort all the files on ''Usefulness''. Not sure what it actually meant but it sounded, well, useful.


    A document was suddenly placed on top of the list. It was named: ''Introduction letter to the A2 Facility''.


    One of the sub-tabs informed it that the user of his PC made this file.


    "Well, isn''t this useful?" I chuckled at my own joke, not that it was funny but I could use a laugh down here. Fay shot me a weird look but I waved it off.


    I opened the file.


    <hr>


    Dear Colleagues and Partners.


    Throughout our world''s history, mankind has been aware of Pok¨¦mon that are not normal. Pok¨¦mon with abilities that are beyond regular Pok¨¦mon powers and possess traits that defy all known limits. Pok¨¦mon so powerful some believed them to be gods or atleast mythical in nature.


    But when you start thinking about those so-called ''''gods'''', what do we know about them? Where do they come from and what makes them so special? What are their motives and a more important question we ask ourselves, how can we guarantee they won''t turn on us? How much


    longer can we have blind faith in those ''''gods'''' to do the right thing and who will stop them when they won''t?


    The International League has strictly forbidden any research regarding these questions and actively prosecutes the ones that do. Calling it a safety hazard but are we not in danger right now? Anyone that has seen the ruins of the Orre region can say without a doubt that there are real threats freely moving around in our world, unconstrained and free to do as they please.


    But I personally believe that the age of darkness for mankind is over.


    People in the shadows are working on ways to free us and lead humanity down a path in which we don''t have to fear the unknown. A new world without gods.


    To do this we must use our biggest strength, something Pok¨¦mon have always lacked: Creativity and innovation.


    The main purpose of the A2 facility is to find a way to kill or capture a Legendary Pok¨¦mon, find a way to utilize its power for the fate of mankind and expose the true nature of those false gods. To do this we will pursue any lead, do anything we can and cross boundaries mankind has never before.


    Because make no illusions, to kill a god we need a devil.


    If you''re reading this it means that you understand the nature of our problem and are one of us now.


    I welcome you to our ranks.


    Doctor Charles Redburn, A2 Site Director


    <hr>


    "Hahahaha," I muttered, "That''s some bullshit."


    "What does it say?" Fay shook my shoulder.


    I scratched my head. "Well, it tells me that everyone down here is batshit crazy." The amount of flaws and assumptions in that introduction letter was staggering. Makes me wonder how anyone would ever think this place is not messed up.


    "Also great news," I said, "They were looking for a way to kill or capture a Legendary."


    "What, why would they do that!?" Fay sounded like her favorite pop star just got dragged through the mud.


    "Paranoia," I replied, ¡°although this entire letter feels like a shitty excuse from Cyrus to justify omnicide."


    "OMNICIDE!?"


    I sighed, "Yeah, that''s basically his plan."


    Shaking my head I went to the second file on the recently opened list. It was a directory named: residentiary.


    I opened the archive and an enormous list of files washed over the monitor, drowning it in information.


    I started at the top. The files all had weird names but they were somewhat more organized.


    <hr>


    -Subject001 (Terminated)


    -Subject001-Appendix


    -Subject002 (Terminated)


    -Subject002-Appendix


    -Subject003 (Terminated)


    -Subject003-Appendix


    ...


    <hr>


    This kept going for a long while, every single entry ending with the word ''Terminated'' whatever the hell that was. No, I had an idea what it could be but I did not want to believe it.


    The subject part of the title was midway through the list replaced by the word ''project'' as if that would make it less creepy.


    As the list came to an end, they were given names besides their number, a little extra information that wasn''t really clarifying anything. What did those names even mean?


    <hr>


    ...


    -Project106 Imperfect Imposter


    -Project 107 Truthful Mimikyu (Terminated)


    -Project 107 Truthful Mimikyu-Appendix


    -Project 108 Inside-out Dusclops


    -Project 109 Dream Chainer


    -Project 110 Infinite Snorlax (Terminated)


    -Project 110 Infinite Snorlax Appendix


    ...


    <hr>


    The list went on like this for a couple more entries. More terminated than not but a couple were still around.


    One entry caught my eye.


    Project Z


    It was the final entry on the list and for some reason, I felt drawn to it. I quickly checked how the data transfer was going and quickly checked the time. 11:45 in the evening.


    Deciding I had nothing better to do I opened the file that caught my interest, not entirely sure what about it made me choose it.


    A large document opened up.


    <hr>


    Project Z


    Synopsis:


    Project Z, like many others of its species, is known for the ability to physically change its appearance by creating acoustic and visual illusions to imitate other Pok¨¦mon or humans but whereas the baseline (Z) is only able to create a non-physical illusion, Project Z has gained the ability to not only change its appearance to mimic other Pok¨¦mon but to physically alter its own biology and reconstruct it until Project Z perfectly resembles the copied Pok¨¦mon''s physical state and appearance. The alterations are not perception-based as Project Z can perform physical actions that the baseline (Z) is unable to do (flight, aquatic respiration, enhanced endurance etc). DNA taken when transformed will also be an identical match to the copied Pok¨¦mon.


    Although Project is capable of constantly reconstructing its body there doesn''t seem to be a demand for extra nutrition. Substances kept in Project Z''s body do not endanger Project Z when transforming and will be ejected just as the Pok¨¦mon it is copying would do. If Project Z is physically incapable of doing this feat due to missing organs or other physical limitations it will be ejected once Project Z transforms into a Pok¨¦mon that meets the requirements.


    Project Z has the remarkable ability to reproduce human speech despite no known human DNA being implemented. Its ability to produce human speech remains consistent throughout its transformation even if the copied Pok¨¦mon''s biology prohibits human speech.


    It''s unknown where this ability came from or how it functions.


    (See document: ProjectZ-biology for more details.)


    Creation:


    Project Z has been created by infusing modified DNA from the Pok¨¦mon commonly referred to as Mew into a regular (Z) Pok¨¦mon egg. (see document: Fakebirth for further reference).


    Upon birth, Z appeared to be a regular Pok¨¦mon with no special abilities and was quickly disregarded as a failure and Command attempted to terminate it by flooding the room as protocol states.


    Project Z instinctively transformed into a Magikarp and managed to survive the attempt to drown it, hereby revealing its abilities.


    Further testing is recommended.


    PS: If Project Z can copy any Pok¨¦mon, does this mean Legendaries as well? If so, we struck gold.


    Addendum: New studies revealed that Project Z is unable to use Pok¨¦mon moves other than the ones it currently possesses. This maintains consistency throughout its transformation. Project Z is still able to use its own moveset even when the transformed Pok¨¦mon has no affinity for said moves, be it by typing or physical hindrances.


    This quirk was not brought to light earlier due to Project Z refusing to cooperate. The usage of TMs is advised.


    Addendum 2: Project Z is unable to learn any TM moves excluding the ones its baseline form would learn. Foreign moves taught while in transformation do simply not function.


    PS: Personally I don''t get why this one got our hopes up, just a failure like the others.


    Addendum 3: Project Z has been brought into close contact with the Legendary Pok¨¦mon commonly referred to as Lugia (see document: SeaDragon for further reference)


    During a mission in Seawave City Project Z was able to maintain direct visual contact with the target for a period of 12 seconds. Previous theories regarding its ability suggest that seeing a Legendary class Pok¨¦mon would trigger a transformation but Project Z failed to transform into a Lugia.


    The chance that Project Z can copy a Legendary class Pok¨¦mon is slim.


    Addendum 4: Project Z attempted to escape the facility with the help of Doctor Lyndis Flash. Both were quickly recovered by armed guards, the personnel helping Project Z got terminated in the process. Project Z has been equipped with an electrical collar to prevent it from transforming outside tests and has been properly chipped.


    A muzzle was later added after staff complained about verbal assault but was removed when Project Z''s abilities rendered it useless.


    Addendum 5: Further testing with Project Z has been put on hold due to excessive hostility.


    Addendum 6: Project Z has been brought into contact with ''The Second.'' (see document: PerfectPok¨¦monProject) and was forced into copying it. Project Z successfully managed to copy The Second''s body structure and appearance but further study revealed that Project Z failed to copy any of the special abilities that made the Second different from the baseline Larvitar.


    Addendum 7: After repeated failures, the Council deemed Project Z a failure and further study as a ''waste of resources''. Any research regarding Z has been put on hold.


    Project Z is to be terminated at the earliest convenience.


    <hr>


    The file ended there. I double-checked the date next to the final Addendum. That date was today.


    Just as I read that final line the computer screen suddenly went black.


    "What?" I asked out loud. I jumped up from the chair and stared at the black screen, expecting it to be some kind of prank.


    A whooshing sound moved through the room and I could almost physically feel something moving. A presence that pressed upon reality and crashed into it like a wave.


    My heart stalled.


    The lights went out a second later.

 80. In Cold Blood

    Chapter 80:


    In Cold Blood


    <hr>


    Okay, the lights just went off. No biggie, maybe there''s a power outage in this creepy underground murder facility. I mean, there''s a small chance of that happening, right? Surely, this does not mean something bad is going to happen¡­ right?


    I felt something touch my shoulder.


    While my heart made a giant leap, I twirled around and slashed whatever was behind me. My eyes still closed from shock, not that I would have been able to see anything in this overwhelming darkness.


    My knife didn''t connect with something solid, but I heard something scream right in front of me. It wasn''t a human scream, or at least not something I think humans should be capable of making because it sounded like the vocal cords were being shredded during the scream.


    The lights flickered back to life, first chaotically like a machine gun being fired. Then they stopped flickering and the light returned to normal. No, it was not normal, the light was dimmer than before, giving off this creepy closed warehouse vibe.


    Once I could see, I took a few steps back, knife out and adrenaline pumping.


    "Dust?!" Fay called out from somewhere on my left.


    I didn''t pay a lot of attention to her, I saw her looking a bit confused but not nearly as distressed as I felt I was.


    {What''s that?}


    Just as Luna spoke, my eyes caught something purple lying on the desk.


    It looked like some kind of humanoid doll wrapped in a sick-purple colored cloth but calling it humanoid was a stretch. It had a big, disproportionate, head with three stubs sticking out of it and something extended from the back of its head like a tail. Red eyes stared up at the ceiling and a ragged hole hung open like a mouth stuck in an endless scream.


    A big gash divided its belly into two and it revealed a seemingly depthless black void.


    "What the fuck," I muttered while my eyes were fixed on this ''thing''.


    "T-that''s a Banette." Fay muttered, perplexed. "How did it get here?"


    Good question.


    The puppet was lying on the table, its eyes staring up at the ceiling yet its entire body limp, like a discarded toy.


    Before we could investigate the matter any further a voice began blaring through the intercom.


    "An Emergency Situation is in effect. Containment breaches have been detected in sector s4, a4, s4-b and [ERROR], level 5 protocol is in effect. All non-combat personnel are to seek shelter immediately and await further instructions."


    "Well," I said sarcastically, "isn''t that neat."


    "What''s happening? Why are the lights suddenly so dim?" Fay gazed around as if this room would hold more answers.


    {Bad news.} Luna concluded.


    "Well, we might have one or more likely multiple ''experiments'' rampaging through this facility, much like that one." I pointed my knife at the Banette that was lying on the oval-shaped table, or so I wanted but insteadI pointed at air. I blinked and realized it was gone.


    Fay stared at the empty space. "Uhm, wasn''t there just a..."


    I nodded, feeling an uneasy feeling built up in my guts. "Yeah."


    {I don''t sense anything nearby.} Luna cautiously jumped onto the table to check out the spot the doll-like Pok¨¦mon had disappeared from.


    I had only taken my eyes off that thing for a split second.


    "Dust, I think I''m scared." Fay shakingly admitted.


    I chuckled weakly, "Haha, nothing to be afraid of dear, just pretend that didn''t happen."


    That''s my plan of action at least.


    The black box was still plugged into the monitor. I turned the PC back on but unlike before the screen was now showing me a login screen. The blue glow cast by the monitor gave off an eerie shine.


    I grimaced. The power outage had booted the pc back into the login menu. "Well, fuck let''s hope I got all the good stuff."


    {Are we going now?} The Kirlia turned to me with a questioning look on her face.


    "Definitely, I see no reason to stick around any longer, especially with freaky monsters on the loose."


    We moved to the beginning of the room and I was ready to open the door when I realized how that might be a bad idea.


    "Fay, please open the door," I commanded Fay while waiting at a safe distance.


    "Actually, I think you should do it Luna," Fay argued, a bit timid, staring at the closed door.


    {Fine.} Luna rolled her eyes. She strode forward and managed to open the door with a simple kick.


    In front of us was the familiar white hallway, the light as dim outside the room as inside. The hallway led into other non descript hallways, it felt like this hallway could go on forever..


    While leaving the room, I made sure to shut the door behind me.


    According to the map it should be super easy to reach the elevator, just keep walking in a straight line. Back from where we came from. Couldn¡¯t be more straightforward, literally.


    Then why did I feel so anxious?


    Shivers ran up my spine. It felt as if the temperature had dropped at least 10 degrees. Our steps echoed through the halls while we walked. Fay nervously fiddled with her claws while Luna took the lead, appearing to be fearless as ever. We passed through the hallway with the broken glass and missing ceiling tile, the lights were flickering more rapidly than before in this area and electric sparks rained down from the ceiling but besides that nothing had changed there.


    There was however one major difference.


    The bolted steel door that had saeled the entrance to lab 4 was shredded. The door was completely torn down to pieces as if it was nothing more than mere paper. The parts of the door that were still intact revealed that the door was made up of at least 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) of thick steel. Yellow, black and red wires sprouted from the door, few of them had even sparks coming off them.


    I shivered.


    The cold, which I had first chalked up to my body feeling tired, was now more present and chilled my fingers.


    Low hanging fog drifted out of the room and they made Luna fold her arms around herself to ward off the cold.


    The smell hit me first, a smell I had grown far too familiar with the last few hours.


    I stared into the room.


    Behind the door was something that appeared to be a regular lab with medical equipment stacked onto different tables. Some of it lying on the floor like someone had tossed it over.


    I breathed in and out, trying not to freak out. It''s just like one of those horror games I always loved to play.


    Inside the lab, everything was coated in a thin layer of fine white and blue that spread out over the walls and furniture like a festering mold. It was on everything, even on the ceiling lights which caused the entire scene to look as if someone put a blue filter on the room. Icy spikes dangled from the ceiling but also protruded from the ground which was also covered in a layer of ice. A few of the spikes had red stains on them.


    The pale light coming from the ceiling made it look like a twisted Winter wonderland. I experimentally stuck my hand through the door and felt immediately all the muscles in my hand tighten up as the cold air bit into the flesh of my bare hand.


    I pulled it back immediately.


    The ice crystals extended towards the door but didn''t reach past it, as if the cold was trying to stay inside the room. A metal sign hanging on the wall was frozen solid but I managed to make out a string of words through the thick layer of ice.


    Project 96: Eternal Queen


    "Nope," I said. "Not going in there."


    {Does this mean that whatever was inside here is now out here?}


    "Containment breach, remember." Fuck, this thing must have been strong. It ripped through solid metal.


    I studied the door for clues. What caught my attention were the wires emerging from the door.


    The electric wires had been incorporated into the door¡¯s inner mechanisms. I assumed they must have been live before they were shredded to pieces. Maybe the electric currents would stop the monster kept inside from escaping?


    If that''s the case, then it must have broken through while the lights were out.


    While I was clattering my teeth, I tried to piece the dots together. The electricity running through the door was a big one, mostly because it was a common technique used to keep Ghost Pok¨¦mon from phasing through. That means that there''s a big chance a Ghost-type Pok¨¦mon was inside. But where did the ice and nagging cold come from?


    The frozen sign read: Eternal Queen, suggesting it was most likely female.


    "Did this thing make the knocking sound when we came through on our way to Redburn''s office?" Fay asked.


    Luna shivered and her telepathic voice was shaky from the cold. {Y-yes, wha-t else could it be?}


    The puzzle pieces began falling in place and started to form a picture that I did not like one bit.


    "Arceus please let me be wrong." I murmured at the ceiling.


    Who am I kidding? Arceus is not down here, nor is it on Earth. We are on our own.


    "What do you think it is?"


    "Not a clue," I lied while rubbing my arms over my chest to warm myself. "However, we can assume it to have a lot of strength and has an AOE. That''s all."


    Luna narrowed her eyes at me for a long second but didn''t say anything. I smiled insincerely at her before turning my back upon her and commanding Fay to take the lead again. "Come on, before we get hypothermia." I urged Fay.


    Fay, who was not at all bothered by the biting cold, gave the frozen room one final look before turning her back on it.


    We continued on our way.


    Fay uneasily gazed around and coughed a few times before finally mustering up the courage to talk. "So let me get this straight: In this underground facility humans tried to find a way to beat a Legendary Pok¨¦mon by performing experiments on Pok¨¦mon."


    {Sounds correct.} Luna said matter-of-factly.


    "But then a guy comes around and kills everyone?"


    "So far so good." I raised an eyebrow, wondering what the point she was trying to make was.


    The Riolu stopped her steps and stared at me. She extended her paws and said. "I can''t be the only one who thinks it''s quite ironic?"


    "Oh yeah, the people down here had it coming," I pointed at a body that was slumped against the wall. She wore one of those lab coats making me believe to be one of the scientists working down here. "Scan please."


    "She is dead," Fay replied automatically, only taking a second to verify it. "But is this not exactly what they deserve?" She took a deep breath. "I mean if they are willing to go this far it''s only fair to be killed like this."


    {Got to agree with you on that one.} Luna shrugged.


    "No, it''s not fair," I shook my head. Meanwhile, I was wracking my brains, wondering how I could explain to my 2 Pok¨¦mon there''s no upside to the macabre slaughter that took place. "We can not judge the dead simply because we don''t know everything yet, maybe they were forced or more likely tricked. They should be put on trial and face justice, not get slaughtered down here like cattle."


    Was it hypocritical of me to say that? Was it hypocritical to agree with Fay? Maybe I was only acting this way because they were the same species as I. Or maybe I am just trying to justify my own ideology. Fay shrugged but did not provide me with a counter-argument, leaving me to ponder over the matter on my own.


    Why does it feel like I am slowly going crazy down here? Maybe it was all those white corridors that looked the same and gave off this claustrophobic feeling. Maybe it''s the fact that this has been the closest I''ve been to death in my entire life.


    Just like one of those horror games I used to play, if I can do that I can beat this.


    A silent voice whispered into my thoughts: Except you''ve never finished a horror game in your life. You would rather watch other people play it.


    Then how much chance do I have of surviving this?


    "Dust, stop."


    I mean, I play for the lore and artistic experience. Not because I want to torture myself with anxiety.


    "Dust I hear something."


    So that''s what I''m doing here. I just extracted the useful information and I am about to rush to the finish line so I can investigate it. Or rather, have someone else do the hard work.


    {Dust!} A sharp voice pierced through my train of thoughts.


    I blinked. "Wh-"


    Before I could finish my sentence Luna''s telepathically voice hissed. {Be quiet!}


    I didn''t move a muscle. My eyes ferociously scanned the surroundings, looking for an opponent or obstacle to overcome. I was back at the crosspoint where I had met that monstrous Ditto, oh the fun memories all came back. The way its entire back was sliced open was like one of those dummies from biology class where you could take out the plastic organs. Even better was that the Ditto had worn my face.


    Luckily, there was no Ditto this time.


    Instead, there was a red streak on the floor coming from our destination. The bloody trail was about a meter wide and came from the corridor north of us where a small pool of blood had gathered.


    From that point, it stretched into our direction but turned left at the crossroad. Like a river of crimson red blood it paved a path across the linoleum floor. It was thick and messy, splattering everywhere, it almost looked like someone had been dragging a body over the floor like they do in those old horror movies.


    A lump formed in my throat and was begging to be puked out, despite me knowing there was nothing left to puke out anymore. Yet the sick feeling still lingered.


    "You hear that?" Fay whispered cautiously.


    Hear what? I was about to ask what Fay was hearing when I started to hear it too.


    A soft humming noise.


    It came from the right hallway, where the blood trail led. An entrancing melody was hummed and echoed through the hallways. It sounded to me like a sweet lullaby or something of that kind. The song was beautiful in a creepy, wrong way, as if the pitch had been slowed down to the point it was no longer sweet but bitter. Like someone had combined the song of a Siren with the weeping of a Banshee. It definitely sounded female to me.


    I nodded at Fay, "Yup, hear that too."


    My body remained frozen for a few long seconds. I expected the sound to head towards us but it did not. Nothing happened, the humming continued from the right hall but nothing came out of it.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    What was making that sound?


    I silently edged closer to the corner, every step sounded deafening to me but I could not stand the curiosity. Channeling every ninja skill I had I managed to drop through my knees while the humming continued in the background.


    Something was humming and it sounded vaguely human.


    If I wanted I could take a quick peek around the corner, satisfy my own curiosity and make a plan. My heart was hammering in my chest and my breathing was off pace as could be. With great effort, I managed to calm both of them down.


    Silently, I retrieved the Pok¨¦dex from my backpack. My fingers swiped over the screen while I leaned against the wall. My legs were already hurting from sitting this way.


    An application opened on the Pok¨¦dex and I tilted the device in a 90 degrees angle. I slowly moved the top of the Pok¨¦dex over the corner. The reflection of my own face was replaced by the view of a blurry hallway. I held my breath and watched the second screen of my Pok¨¦dex as it was filming around the corner like a makeshift mirror.


    The images on the screen were blurry at first. A white landscape with odd red spots thrown into the picture. A red line moved from the bottom of the screen towards the center where it extended into a glitchy mess of pixels.


    My hands became sweaty and I feared the Pok¨¦dex would slip out of my hand, yet I did not dare to wipe my hand clean. After a few tries, the camera managed to focus and the quality drastically increased, revealing that the white landscape was actually another white corridor that ended in a t-split. The red dots were now bloody smears that were all over the place, on the ceiling walls and most of it on the floor, creating a path that led towards the real monster.


    It stood with its back towards us and was facing the wall. The thing was floating above the floor and lacked visible legs.


    Its main body was resembling a dress but only barely. A big spherical shape served as its heads where two horns protruded from. It had no real arms, or not human-like. Two appendages extended from its head and waved around like arms.


    Despite the fact I could not see its front, I knew what it was. The ice, the gender, the electric wiring through the door and the knocking noise. Sometimes I hate being right.


    Froslass.


    There was no doubt about it, the shape perfectly matched what it should look like.


    It...no ''she'' was staring at the wall, softly humming to herself.


    I adjusted the angle of my Pok¨¦dex to get a better view. When I saw what she was gazing at I almost let it drop to the floor.


    For a fearful second, I forgot how to breathe.


    She had put them in a row, all lined up against a wall that was originally white as snow but was now colored red. Half a dozen people, wearing guard uniforms or lab coats, were put in a sitting position with their back against the wall and their bodies slumped. Their wounds were left open and on display but besides the stabbing wounds I had grown used to, they had terrible patches of skin covered by ice with other parts of their bodies that seemed to be completely missing, withered away by the frostbite.


    A thin layer of ice covered the dead bodies, freezing their stares into a terrifying piece of art. All the while Froslass was staring at it like she was admiring the Mona Lisa, humming that creepy lullaby. Her hands were dripping a moist red liquid onto the floor.


    I''m not gonna freak out, I''m not gonna freak out and I am definitely not going to freak out!


    It''s a Froslass meaning she was a Ghost/Ice type, evolves from a female Snorunt and she is only standing over the frozen corpses with blood dripping down her dress.


    Nothing to worry about! Both Luna and Fay can take her on, probably, most likely, why wouldn''t they? Sure, Luna can''t use Teleport but that''s alright because there is nothing to worry about. This Froslass is just another Pok¨¦mon to battle and catch!


    I was about to shout my orders to engage in battle when my sense of self-preservation kicked in and forced me to reconsider everything.


    ''Hasty decisions lead to nowhere.'' The same silent voice in my head whispered.


    I briefly closed my eyes.


    This Pok¨¦mon just escaped from her cell where she was experimented on, this means that there is something about her that makes her special.


    Something Galactic considered useful to stop a Legendary, or at least try. She is not a normal Froslass. That''s a given. For all I know she has the same healing ability as Snowflake. If that''s the case then battling should be my last resort.


    No, this Froslass is an unknown factor, meaning I should avoid conflict if possible. Could we maybe sneak around her while she was busy with her art project? She was humming rather loudly.


    I pulled the Pok¨¦dex back and opened the Pok¨¦dex app. I scrolled towards the page that contained information about Froslass.


    Red-bold letters warned me that this Pok¨¦mon is extremely dangerous if approached carelessly. Thanks for telling me shit Pok¨¦dex.


    I skimmed through the Pok¨¦dex information, hoping to find some useful weaknesses we could exploit.


    Multiple entries made me stop.


    -"It''s said that on nights of terrible blizzards, it comes down to human settlements. If you hear it knocking at your door, do not open it!"


    -"It spits out cold air of nearly ?60 degrees Fahrenheit to freeze its quarry. It brings frozen prey back to its lair and neatly lines them up."


    -"The soul of a woman lost on a snowy mountain possessed an icicle, becoming this Pok¨¦mon. The food it most relishes is the souls of men."


    Perplexed, I stared at the words on the screen.


    I felt like laughing really hard. Who the fuck thought this kind of bullshit is appropriate for a fucking children''s game? Did Nintendo actually green-light this stuff? This shit is not normal!


    It had to be some kind of cruel joke, yet the letters on my screen did not change.


    Finding nothing else of importance I closed the Pok¨¦dex and put it back on camera mode, slid it over the edge and kept watching the Froslass.


    She was still doing her own fucked up thing, staring at the row of corpses like a child in a candy store.


    A loud screech suddenly ran through the building. I had heard it before, when I rode down the elevator and when I was headed towards Redburn''s office. Despite having heard it before the sound still managed to insert a healthy dose of anxiety into my veins. It was a shrill sound that tore through everything. It stopped as abruptly as it came.


    So did the humming.


    "Fros?" A voice came from the right hallway. On the bottom display, I saw Froslass spin around, confusion written on her face. I could finally see her face, or the mask that was her face. She was almost cute but the entire covered in blood thing really fucked up the entire image. There was no warmth in her eyes, only a cold cheerful glee.


    She gazed around and I had the feeling she was trying to locate where the sound came from. Her head finally fixated on the left corridor. Froslass shot the line of corpses a final endearing look before she headed down the left corridor and floated out of view. Most likely chasing after the noise.


    I waited 10 seconds to make sure she did not suddenly turn around before facing my Pok¨¦mon. My hands were coated in cold sweat as I retrieved two Pok¨¦balls from my backpack. "Good news girls, pancakes!"


    "Heh?"


    {What?}


    My two Pok¨¦mon were sucked in by the red beam before they could even process what happened. I gripped the two balls and ran across the hallway, straight ahead. As I crossed the other two corridors I caught a full glimpse of the scene left in the right corridor.


    I refused to process what I saw.


    When I was finally far away from that¡­abomination...I slowed down and bowed over, trying to stop myself from sounding like a trainwreck. With little effort, I tossed up both Pok¨¦balls and watched them open up midair.


    Two beams grew out of them and changed into a mad looking Kirlia and a confused Riolu.


    Before any of the two could speak I said: "Some things are better left unseen and unspoken. My word is final."


    I put away their Pok¨¦balls and turned around, refusing to meet their gazes. I could still hear them argue though.


    "Heh what, what did you see?!" Fay barked angrily.


    Luna stayed silent.


    "Seriously, you can''t just do that!"


    {I think he means it.} Luna interrupted Fay''s tirade.


    "Come on, we are not children!" Fay countered proudly.


    {You should trust him, he has not let us down before right?} Luna spoke softly.


    Silence.


    "I guess." Fay ultimately muttered, defeated, "Well, let''s hurry if it''s that bad."


    Fay took the lead again and began walking ahead of me, hopefully ready to react to anything that might come our way.


    Luna matched her pace with mine and began walking beside me. I avoided looking at her anyway. Not that it stopped her from talking.


    {I am sorry you feel that way.}


    After having said her piece she speeded up to walk next to Fay. They began discussing in hushed voices. I couldn''t really figure out what their conversation was about because Luna was using Pok¨¦speak for once and Fay was barely audible from where I was.


    Not that I was really trying, instead I was focusing on something that could distract me.


    I wonder how Chelsea and Barry are doing, they are probably safely tucked in bed. Lucky bastards. Maybe that makes me better than them? Now I can hold this entire event over their heads and brag about it. Maybe I can exaggerate some details...is there even anything to exaggerate?


    I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.


    When the hallway came to an end we should''ve reached the dinner area, the one we had passed through before but a shut door blocked our way.


    It was similar to the other metal reinforced door I had seen but this one looked a bit sleeker in design, more like the doors of a scientific elevator rather than a vault door.


    I studied it for a few seconds before saying, "Well, shit."


    What previously had been a regular automatic sliding door was now a metal reinforced blast door, effectively blocking our way.


    How did this even get here? Did it slide out of the roof or walls? If so, then this is some really high-tech stuff.


    A panel on the door was flashing some text at me.


    "Level 2 card required." I spoke out loud. "Guess this is part of the containment breach protocol."


    There were other ways to access the elevator but all of them had me backtracking and possibly coming across that creepy Froslass again.


    "Well, are you gonna hack it?" Fay asked dead serious, as if I could do something like that.


    I shook my head. What to do, what to do? My eyes landed on a dead guard lying crumpled in the corner, a giant hole in his tight.


    I wouldn''t sink this low...right?


    Haha, fuck it. Of course I would.


    "Luna," I asked with a sweet voice, "Could you please search the dead guard for a keycard."


    "Eeew, you''re not gonna do that right?" Fay backed away from Luna.


    {See no reason why not.} Luna rationally said, {He is dead anyway, it''s not like he will need it.}


    Phew, at least she was willing to get her hands dirty. Literally.


    Without a care in the world, Luna searched for the keycard, ultimately she found it and proudly presented it to me. {Tada!}


    With a stern face, I took the white card. It was a rather simple card, nothing too flashy about it. In fact, it was so ordinary I wondered if it would even work.


    I swiped it through the slot and the text started blinking green.


    Accepted.


    With an audible hiss, the mechanical parts of the door started moving and the door slid open, one part moving towards the roof while the other part sunk into the floor. In front of us, the dinner area was revealed. Nothing had changed really.


    Fay took a step into the room and I followed after her.


    Bang!


    A yellow flash streaked past me and hit Fay in her side. She whimpered and dropped through her knees. I dropped to my knees, heart racing once again. Before I could do anything Luna fired an LSD laser beam across the room.


    A man was standing on top of the white tables.


    What?! I was briefly to surprised to react.


    I didn''t expect to find other people down here, or at least not still alive. Seeing one was almost a breath of fresh air, reminding me there was more than this underground maze of fucked up shit. The dream was short-lived when my mind caught up with the situation and saw the weapon he was holding in his hands. It was one of the weapons the guards had been carrying around, very similar to a rifle but not quite it.


    The guy holding the weapon was barely a human. He had black-short wavy hair that was sticking out in all directions. Narrow bloodshot eyes were looking into mine. He had hollow cheeks and a sharp nose that made him look like an addict. His white lab coat was shredded at the bottom and black scorch marks decorated his brown pants. With shaking hands, he aimed the weapon at us.


    This guy was a wreck, a shell of a man. He was tall and thin, much taller than I was. His height was exaggerated even more by the fact that he was standing on the dinner table.


    "Die monsters!" He shrieked with a high note, saliva spitting out of his mouth as he spoke.


    His finger coiled around the trigger just as a colorful beam hit him in the chest. An ear-deafening shot rang through the dining area and I winced.


    Luckily the bullet missed and the yellow streak hit the ceiling to our left.


    With wide eyes, I witnessed the man getting hit in the chest by Luna''s beam and doing a backflip. A painful crunching sound followed when he fell on his back and broke through one of the benches.


    Fay''s claws flashed to life and she took a defensive pose in front of me while I was still dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.


    Could it get any crazier?


    Yes, yes it could.


    While Luna approached the guy he got to his feet and unsteadily pointed his weapon at us, all the while leaking blood from his mouth and forehead.


    "You won''t take me alive!" He looked at Luna as if she was Lucifer himself. There was no acting involved, he was genuinely terrified of Luna.


    Still, he was wielding a weapon and that meant he was just another obstacle to overcome.


    "Shields up!" I shouted as my brains kicked into action.


    Somewhere inside I really needed this, just a regular human. I could beat the shit out of that.


    A blue glowing orb surrounded Fay and I.


    Through the Aura streams, I saw Luna''s two eyes glowing. Like a ballet dancer, she stood her ground. The man yelled something at her but Luna did not react.


    He pulled the trigger just as one of the tables dislodged itself from the ground and floated in front of Luna. The metallic clanks tore through my ears as he kept firing at Luna, despite the table clearly blocking all the bullets. His shoulders shook as the weapon''s recoil was clearly too much for his fragile figure. A stray bullet hit a lamp that was directly above us but the glass harmlessly slid off our safe aura Bubble.


    When his rain of bullets finally stopped both shields were dropped.


    "No! No NO!" He shouted, frankly yanking at his weapon''s magazine. He pulled the trigger but a dry click notified him it was either out or had locked up. "I won''t let them take me alive, can''t have them take me alive. They must not get me!"


    Luna smiled menacingly and I feared she was about to rip his head off.


    "Wait!" I called to her, "He might be useful."


    I had no idea who this person was but it was the first, and only person left alive in this facility. He had a lot of questions to answer.


    {I''ll go easy.} Luna grinned back at me.


    The crazed person took this brief moment of distraction to throw his rifle at Luna. He could not even hit Luna, it fell to the ground only 2 meters away from him with a thud.


    A new wave of fear crossed his face.


    Why does this feel so satisfying?


    He crawled away from his previous table and towards the next row. Luna chased after him, deliberately taking the time. One of the bodies blocked the table but he carelessly shoved it aside.


    When there were no more tables to crawl over and the wall and locked blast doors came in sight he turned around to look at Luna''s menacing smile.


    "Nonononononono." He muttered to himself, slowly backing away from the glaring Kirlia. "I can not die, not yet."


    Okay, this guy is nuts. I concluded that much, I wondered how much useful information he could actually give. I wondered if he was even seeing the same reality we did.


    "GET AWAY!" The guy shouted, frantically waving his hands as if that would scare off Luna.


    When Luna took another step towards him he suddenly put his bloody hand in the pockets of his lab coat. From it, he withdrew a shiny, red and white Pok¨¦ball.


    "Get back!" another desperate cry.


    Luna narrowed her eyes, eyeing the Pok¨¦ball in that guy''s hands. I ground my teeth, if he really had a Pok¨¦mon he could turn the tide. Of course, he might be bluffing.


    Luna took another step.


    His arm unfolded and he tossed the Pok¨¦ball. With a bright flash it broke open and the light reformed itself until it had taken the shape of a small fox-like creature.


    The Pok¨¦mon in question was small, not larger than a stray dog or cat. It had pointy black ears, like a fox, and just like a fox, it had a small muzzle with small, pointy fangs. It had a rough black fur that was colored red around its neck. A puffy black tail curled up behind the creature.


    Red-colored eyes fixed on us.


    "Attack Project Z!" Crazy guy shrieked, "Attack them!"


    The Zorua in question gazed back at him with a confused look. When it turned I could see a metallic collar around that was attached to its neck, "What? No!"


    It spoke. Well, just when you think things can''t get more insane they do.


    A sharp buzzing noise sounded through the room and yellow sparks lit up Zorua''s collar. It whimpered in pain, its eyes shut and teeth clenched. When the electricity faded away it aimed its blue eyes back at the guy. "Well fuck you too!" it spat.


    The Zorua had a weird voice, it was definitely female but her voice had a low pitch, like she had to suppress a permanent cough.


    {Attack?} Luna asked, this time not taking her eyes off the target.


    "No," I said, processing the new information, "Break Zorua''s collar."


    Wasting not a single second, she lunged towards the Zorua and the scientist.


    Her fist glowed white-hot and before anyone could fathom what had just happened she slammed it into the Zorua.


    The dark type was flung across the room and smashed into the wall behind them. Zorua hit the wall and dropped through the ground in an almost comedic fashion. A metal click sounded later, "Well well well." Project Z got back on four paws and shook her body like a dog shaking off water. Pieces of scrap metal dropped off her. "Wouldn''t you look at that?"


    {And now?} Luna asked hesitantly.


    "Stand back," I ordered.


    Zorua took a few shaky steps before fixing her eyes on the dude that had summoned her. "Oh, I''ve waited long for this."


    With frantic movements, the guy backed away from Zorua who was looking pissed as hell. "Don''t you dare you monster!" He shouted.


    His eyes shot across the room but there was nowhere to go, he was closed in between two walls and 2 Pok¨¦mon.


    "Monster?" Zorua tilted her head, "Me? I am shocked you think of me that way, Charles." Zorua shook her head as if she was disappointed, "You know all the fun times we used to have." Her voice changed in pitch again, getting higher. "The time you tried to burn me alive, oh, or that one time you wanted to see how long I could survive without food. Hahaha, wasn''t that fun?"


    "Get away, monster!" The guy, I assumed now to be named Charles, screamed. "You can not hurt me!"


    "Oh wow, I just forgot to remember the time you shot Lyn? Wasn''t that hysterical!" Project Z hissed the last part out. It was followed by a painful chuckle that was forced out of her throat.


    Charles backed away even more, terrified beyond belief.


    "Oh now I recognize him," Fay said out loud in a tone that was almost comically out of place. "He''s the guy from the photo I saw in that office!"


    Charles Redburn? That made some sense.


    So this was the guy in charge of this facility? He didn''t look like much, only a crazed madman.


    Luna did not move to step in, instead she backed away from the pair, allowing Project Z to move in even further.


    "Nothing to say, eh?" The Zorua chirped. "Typical. Well, let''s do an experiment. For old times sake shall we?" She spoke with a fake cheery voice.


    "You can''t do this to me, you monster."


    Project''s Z mouth curled up into a snarl. "You are the only real monster down here. You and your group of psychos. Alas! Our final experiment. The taste of revenge. Can we scientifically prove what it tastes like?"


    "Should we step in?" Fay asked me but I shook my head. Not sure why but a part of me was drawn to the scene in front of me. "Just be on guard."


    "WELL CAN YOU!?" Project Z growled when Charles could only stare at the little fox-like creature.


    Charles shook his head.


    "Then we must try," Project Z''s voice lowered, "For science right? I want to know what revenge tastes like."


    As she said that her body began to glow a faint white color that almost hurt to look at, it was as if she was evolving. Her shape began to expand and grow and the light became brighter and forced me to blink.


    When I opened my eyes again the Zorua was gone.


    A big new Pok¨¦mon had taken her place. It was almost too big for the room but nearly managed to squeeze itself in. It gazed down on Redburn like a giant would look upon an ant.


    "Psst, want to hear something funny?" The newly appeared Pok¨¦mon spoke with a deep female voice. "I bet there are a lot of Pok¨¦mon on the other side that would love to take a bit of you as well."


    A cruel smile curled up around her face. "Let''s not keep them waiting."


    She opened her enormous jaw wide and a terrifying set of teeth were revealed.


    Then Charles Redburn was no more.


    There was no blood, no remains.


    Nothing to indicate he ever existed except the smile on Project Z''s face.

 81. We Are All Mad Here

    Chapter 81:


    We Are All Mad Here


    The Gyarados filled the entire room with its body, smashing through furniture and tables as its body curled around the room, following the wall. It barely fitted inside and it could only raise its head slightly before bumping its head.


    It should¡¯ve been impossible to squeeze in a Pok¨¦mon this big into the dining area but whatever. There was one right now. Fucking huge and I was pretty sure that one Body Slam would be the end of not only me but also most likely everything inside this underground place. Not that Gyarados had a lot of room to move though. It even had crushed a few of the corpses lying around when it transformed, unfortunate collateral damage.


    It was somewhat uncanny to see a Gyarados appear out of nowhere. However, It wasn''t Gyarados, it was Project Z. The genetically modified Zorua that could shapeshift.


    My mind was like a flashlight, flickering on and off, only to process what just happened in small increments.


    No, I knew what had happened, I just refused to think about it. Of course, my mind doesn¡¯t work that way and I kept thinking about the guy being eaten in front of me.


    In the end, it was Project Z who got me out of that state. She began quietly talking to herself.


    ¡°Well, news flash: revenge tastes fucking awful.¡±


    She was still facing away from us. Project Z began making choking noises, as if trying to puke out the Site Director. ¡°Ugh, what are humans made of damnit! This does not taste sweet at all!¡±


    Ever noticed how scary a big sea serpent is up close? Let me tell you, they are freakishly big, so any teeth they have are also freakishly big.


    Luna had withdrawn back to my side and gave me a questioning look. {Was that part of the plan?}


    Well, no it wasn¡¯t. I thought it would¡¯ve been funny to see that Charles guy squirm, after all, he was the one who was behind this hellhole but I didn¡¯t expect Project Z to actually go through with it.


    This was not my fault, right? How could I have known Project Z would turn this violent?


    Despite all of this, a silent voice whispered back; but you did know, you just wanted to sacrifice Redburn for Project Z¡¯s good grace.


    It wasn¡¯t a stupid choice, Redburn was clearly insane and dragging someone across an underground facility just in the hopes he might provide some answers seemed a little difficult. Especially with the escaped Pok¨¦mon roaming around.


    Project Z was done making choking noises which was a weird thing to hear from a fully grown Gyarados. I nervously fiddled with the knife in my hand, wondering if I should¡¯ve taken out the gun with Aura infused bullets I had ¡®borrowed¡¯ from Sabrina.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope she is friendly,¡± I murmured to Fay and Luna.


    As if Project Z heard me she tilted her enormous head around and gazed down at us. She cracked a smile.


    You know, the anime really makes those sea monsters look underwhelming. Up close, or closer than I ever was, I could see a set of razor-sharp teeth bent inwards, there was even blood on them.


    "Well," She coughed for the final time. Her voice lowered in pitch until it became a scary hiss, "I think I still have room for dessert."


    Fuck it! I could already see where this was going and I was not liking it at all.


    Plan A, befriending the Zorua failed. Plan B it was.


    I shouted my commands. "Luna, Psybeam her face! Fay, buffer a Counter!"


    "Wha-" Before Project Z could finish her sentence Luna fired a rainbow-colored beam from her head and it blasted towards Gyarados'' head which was quite a big target.


    Project Z got hit in the face and shouted something which was muffled by the second laser striking her in the face as well.


    Gyarados'' body began trembling as the Pok¨¦mon was squirming in pain. Normally that would be a good thing but considering I was in close proximity to her it had to stop immediately.


    "Luna, Spear of Judgement!" I pointed at Project Z.


    The continuous assault with lasers stopped for a brief second and Project Z was allowed to breathe.


    Luna stood in front of the sea serpent with her arms outstretched. Shattered wood and metal began twirling around her, all the rubbish started to spin around her like leaves dancing on the wind.


    "Oh you fuck-" Project Z stared at the telekinetic storm that had formed around the small Kirlia. Again she was interrupted by Luna who turned around, exposing her back for a split second before she unleashed a hellish scream and was launched towards Project Z''s face followed by the storm that had formed around her.


    Her fist gleamed with power and Luna spearheaded across the room.


    "Eeeeee!" Gyarados squirmed when she saw the massive attack coming her way. She responded by glowing herself. The serpent''s body glowed a heavenly white, not too dissimilar from Luna''s own fist. The shape of her body transformed into something much smaller. A second later a black-red fox Pok¨¦mon appeared mid-air.


    Gravity took hold of her and she dropped through the ground just as Luna''s attack spearheaded through where she had just been.


    The Zorua narrowly avoided the attack. A jagged sheet of metal flew over her head and missed her by a hair. Above her Luna''s momentum dissipated. All the stuff that had been caught in her telekinetic web shot forward without its wielder and hit the wall on the opposite side of the room with such force that some pieces got stuck in it. I heard multiple loud bangs and shattering noises as the ceiling was ripped open by Luna''s attack and revealed a path of destruction.


    The Destroyer landed a few meters behind Zorua. Her fist no longer glowing, yet a look of anger still present on her face. She was breathing heavily and was slightly slumped over, exhausted from the attack. Nonetheless, she glared at the now much smaller Project Z with fierce determination.


    Zorua wasn''t in good shape either. The small Pok¨¦mon was taking short abrupt breaths as if she was an asthma patient.


    "Holy..." Project Z coughed, "Fuck, that could have killed me!" She said it like she was accusing me. "Can''t take a joke, can you?"


    {A joke?} Luna''s expression completely changed, she tilted her head in confusion.


    "Yeah duh!" Project Z spat at Luna before turning around to face me and Fay. "Call off your psychotic Pok¨¦mon, please!"


    "You were joking?" I said flatly, "You were not about to eat us?"


    "What?" Zorua looked genuinely shocked, "Of course not, why would I eat you after helping me? What are you, stupid?"


    "She appears to speak the truth," Fay cautiously said, then quickly added. "About the eating thing! Not the stupid thing."


    "Yes I am speaking the truth, damnit. Didn''t even let me finish." Project Z murmured annoyed.


    "I saw you eat a guy in front of me," I replied. "What did you think I would think?"


    {Are we still fighting?} Luna asked.


    "I dunno," Project Z''s voice lowered, "Maybe let me finish my sentence?!"


    "I thought you would fucking eat us as well," I shot back. Was it really that hard for Project Z to understand? Great, now I just realized I was in a serious conversation with an escaped experiment. God, what has my life come to?


    "YOU ATE SOMEONE!" I cried out, distressed.


    Both Fay and Luna seemed pretty relaxed about it. Was I the only one who thought that was fucked up?


    "Mmm, you appear to be repeating yourself," Project Z said in the same flat tone I used before. "What do you want me to do? Apologize to him?"


    "He is dead now," Fay said, looking at the spot Redburn got eaten. "I guess there''s nothing to do about that."


    "Well," The Zorua cast her red eyes down, "I do feel sorry, he tasted like garbage..."


    I facepalmed. I felt tired and wanted to go home.


    {Are we gonna fight her?} Luna asked again.


    "No, just no." I shook my head. The image of the Gyarados'' jaws closing in on Doctor Redburn was still frozen in my eyes. "Let''s just keep going."


    "You guys are leaving?" Project Z asked, her tone back to serious.


    "Yup," I muttered a few curses. "This has been a fucking nightmare." Luna kicked a shattered chair out of the way and joined my side.


    "I hate to break it to you three but the elevator," Zorua pointed to one of her legs in the south-entrance direction. "It''s dead."


    "Dead?"


    She nodded smugly, or as smug as a Zorua could look which turns out, was pretty smug. "Part of Protocol level 5 is disabling all elevators. Good luck with that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fay narrowed her eyes.


    I sighed. ¡°She means we are stuck down here, unless¡­¡±


    {Unless?} Luna fearfully asked.


    ¡°You are looking at A2¡¯s best escapist. I might know a way out and I could always use a meatshield.¡± Project Z smiled at me. ¡°So, how about we team up?¡±


    ¡°Meat shield?¡± I repeated.


    Project Z shrugged dismissively, ¡°Buffer, tag-along, cannon fodder or whatever you want to call it. I already planned on escaping but I fear I lack the sufficient skills to make it on my own. An alliance would be beneficial for everyone.¡±


    ¡°You just devoured a guy, who says you won¡¯t do the same thing to us?¡± Fay rightfully asked.


    ¡°Charles was a dick,¡± Zorua growled her response, immediately after being creepy her voice returned to a jovial tone. ¡°But you three seem alright, well that one looks psychotic but besides that, I lack a clear motive, knowing humans taste like plastic anyway.¡±


    {What does she mean by psychotic?} Luna looked up at me, her eyes adorably shining. I knelt and patted her on the head. ¡°Nothing to worry about."


    There was quite a bit to worry about. First off, we were still stuck down here. Second, I just saw someone get eaten alive and apparently I taste like plastic. My tired mind could not even decide which of the three was the worst.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t try anything,¡± I said after carefully weighing my odds.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Project Z dramatically said. The shit-eating grin on her face told me she took a lot of joy in my misery.


    Talking about misery.


    When both Project Z and I stopped talking, I was starting to hear something.


    A humming noise was coming from the northern entrance, the one I had come through. We all immediately became silent which made the sound all the more scarier. A creepy lullaby flowed into the room, soft and barely audible at first, but it grew and kept on growing until that hollow song echoed against all the walls.


    Seriously fate?


    There she was, the demon herself. She stood in the door opening. Floating above the floor, dripping blood on the linoleum. Her weird dress wavered on a non-existent wind while her eyes pierced across the room from behind her cold mask.


    Nobody moved.


    Maybe, I thought, she was blind and couldn¡¯t see us if we did not move. A fragile hope I clung to. She was so fucking creepy, she literally made the temperature in the room drop to chilling cold.


    As her eyes methodically scanned the room her expression remained unchanged. Corpses, shattered ceiling tiles, smashed through tables. She watched everything with a child-like yet flat curiosity.


    That was until her eyes finally fell on me. The Froslass did not even spare the Pok¨¦mon a second glance but once her eyes connected to me they didn¡¯t move on.


    An eager smile split her mouth in two. With a soft, sweet voice she said, ¡°Fros.¡±


    Fay paled and her mouth curled up into a grimace.


    Luna narrowed her eyes and fixed them on Froslass, every muscle in her body tensing.


    Project Z stared aghast at Froslass, more fearful than I thought someone who ate a human should have the right to look.


    I was apparently the only one left in the dark. Froslass kept looking at me and I was still none the wiser.


    ¡°Well,¡± my voice croaked. ¡°What did she say?¡±


    It was Project Z who spoke first, ¡°Well, we have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°Bad news.¡± Being a pessimist I always wanted to hear the bad news first, just to be over with it.


    ¡°Wel, Froslass over there says she wants to add your frozen corpse to her collection, probably swallow your soul if you believe in that stuff.¡±


    {I won¡¯t let that happen.} Luna clenched her fist.


    ¡°What¡¯s the good news?¡± I asked while shivering.


    ¡°Good news, you are going to be the pinnacle of her collection, the icing on the cake as she puts it.¡±


    ¡°How the hell is that good news?¡± I murmured back, not daring to take my eyes off Froslass.


    ¡°Silver lining,¡± Zorua kept staring at Froslass as well, ¡°At least you won¡¯t be an ordinary icicle.¡±


    As I gazed back into Froslass¡¯ eyes, I could see immediately what Project Z was talking about. She was giving me a lustful look but not in a sexual way. Her gaze said: I would love to see you with your guts open. Definitely the wrong lustful look and all the more creepy because I had seen what she did to those frozen victims.


    I swallowed, ¡°How about no?¡±


    Froslass reacted immediately. She drew her two weird hand things together in front of her and an orb was summoned between them. It had an ice blue color but seemed to be made entirely out of light energy.


    ¡°NO YOU WON¡¯T!!!¡± A voice screamed. Fay suddenly appeared high above Froslass. Her eyes were basically fire pits of Aura flames. She screamed while she brought down a meter-long glowing blade of Aura.


    Froslass slid backward just in time, narrowingly avoiding the sword and instead the glowing blue blade cut deep into the floor.


    ¡°You should get her out of there," Zorua said abruptly, "you really should not fight that Froslass."


    "What do you suggest we do then?" I snapped back.


    "Run."


    You know how people in movies always have this dramatic stare down when someone tells them to run? Not me. Once Project Z uttered the word I just bolted, fueled by the adrenaline and the desire to not become an icicle. I hastily shouted an order for Fay to retreat while running towards the west entrance. All the exits except the one we had come through were blocked by heavy blast doors.


    Fay''s sword disappeared into tiny fragments that flew off into thin air. She lashed out with her claws but she had not managed to land a single hit since entering into battle. The blue Riolu looked back at us and then started to disappear into the familiar haze of Quick Attack. A few seconds later she had crossed the entire room and reappeared behind me just when I slid the plastic keycard down the panel.


    Froslass, no longer kept busy by Fay, turned her cold eyes back on me. The blast doors in front of me slipped open with a mechanical hiss.


    Froslass narrowed her eyes when the doors started to open. At an agonizing pace, one part slid into the ground and one disappeared into the ceiling. The Zorua leaped through the small gap first. Thanks to her small size she managed to squirm her way through before anyone else.


    "Luna, keep blasting her!" Immediately after giving that command, I stepped through the door and frantically started looking for a way to shut the door again.


    "Here!" Fay and Project Z pointed to a small panel with an LCD screen that was built into the wall.


    While I was figuring out how those shitty panels worked, Luna began firing attacks at the approaching Froslass. Lasers, purple rings and disjointed pieces of scrap that Luna managed to grasp with her telekinesis. Tables, chairs and glass. Everything was flung her way.


    It did not matter much. Froslass floated on, tanking every projectile thrown her way without even being remotely fazed. Her eyes remained fixed on me as she stormed straight through a Disarming Voice.


    I finally found an icon that looked like 2 doors shutting. I pressed it. My keycard was required. I slid it down and the familiar hissing sound returned. At a snail''s pace, the doors started to emerge.


    With one swift move, I stepped through, swung my arm around Luna and jumped back through the narrow gap in the middle.


    I dropped Luna and turned around to face the doors again.


    As I saw Froslass'' 2 big cute eyes, two thoughts ran across my mind.


    One: She kind of does look cute, sucks she''s a total bitch.The second thought was: Holy shit get that thing away from me.


    The monster was not even a full meter away from my face. I could hear her breathing through her mask. Froslass'' two weird arms had wrenched themselves between the two closing blast doors and forced them to stay open, seemingly using her own strength to hold back the massive steel doors..


    She leaned over in an attempt to move through. "Slas!" she spoke.


    Luna fired a Disarming Voice but it had no effect. We all stumbled backward as Froslass had almost squirmed her body through the narrow gap. Luna fired more attacks but it failed to harm her. The doors were making a creaking noise as their pistons tried to force them shut but Froslass'' absurd strength blocked them.


    A bright glow came from underneath me. I briefly gazed down and saw Zorua was shifting again. Her shape began to grow in length until she became bigger than Luna.


    The glow dissipated, Project Z had once again changed forms. She was much bigger now, almost reaching my chest. The newly formed Pok¨¦mon stood on two long red legs, her lower body was somewhat like a reversed turn-up with white petals acting much like a hoopskirt. She had grown long green leaves like hair that came from her head with a crown-shaped flower on top of it. Her face had changed from fox like to a spherical one with big red eyes and eyelashes, hidden by a ruff.


    It took me a few seconds to recognize what she had exactly turned into. It was a Tsareena, the fruit Pok¨¦mon from Gen 7, the final evolution of Steenee.


    While I was distracted I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I stopped breathing.


    The hand was ice cold. It felt like my blood had been replaced by cooling ice water. I turned around and saw Froslass''. Just as I was about to scream bloody murder, the newly transformed Tsareena jumped towards the door. Mid-air she stuck out her legs and hit Froslass square in the chest with both her legs. For a split second, they were both locked in that position.


    "Find your own human," Project Z growled. She pushed away from Froslass with an explosive kick.


    Froslass was blown out of the gap she had forced and back into the dining area where she skidded over the floor through glass and blood. Not that it seemed to harm her much, she casually got up.


    I spared Froslass a final glance and our eyes met. Despite the newly created distance, I still felt terrified. I could almost feel her hand still lingering on my shoulder.


    The doors snapped close behind her with a loud screeching sound. They locked together with an explosive snap that was so loud it made me flinch. Blinking green text on the panel read that it was successfully locked.


    Thick layers of metal separated us from the Froslass. An eerie silence fell over us, including the newly transformed Project Z. We began catching our breath and stared at the blast doors.


    Bam!


    The door shook.


    Like we were part of one big hive mind, we took a step away from the door.


    Bam!


    The door shook once more. More bangs followed but it did not look like the door was about to break. The metallic sound droned through the white hallways, following an interval of circa 3 seconds.


    The knocking continued like the Pok¨¦mon on the other side did not care. She kept relentlessly thumping on the door.


    "Nobody''s home!" Project Z''s low voice screamed. "And even if we were, you wouldn''t be invited!"


    The knocking stopped all of a sudden and the silence returned.


    "Did that work?" Fay asked, flabbergasted.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    The knocking returned right away, faster and more violently. This time more furious than ever, I could literally feel the ground underneath my feet shake.


    "Um, let''s not stick around." I coughed.


    Project Z transformed back to her usual form, a small Zorua. "Yeah, let''s get a move on before she realizes how doors function."


    She began heading into the blood-stained hallway, not looking back if we were actually following her.


    I shrugged. Somehow seeing Redburn eaten alive was no longer my worst experience down here.


    The three of us started to follow Project Z. No one was talking about the bloody trails on the ground indicating Froslass had been moving bodies around. We took turns and twisted throughout the white hallways.


    {Phew,} Luna said when the banging sound became more distant. {We got you out alive.}


    "Yup," I said absently. I was trying to keep track of where we were going, the directions.


    Project Z seemed nonsensical to me but at least we were moving forward. Project Z took another turn. The ceiling above us changed from the regular tiles to long pipes running across it. Some of them were small and not wider than a football while other pipes could easily fit a small child.


    If my mental map was somewhat correct, we should''ve been somewhere on the edge of this complex.


    We came across 2 more empty laboratories. One dubbed: Project 106 Imperfect Imposter and the other was named: Project 120 Crying Puppet.


    It wasn''t hard to guess who those cells belonged to.


    Project Z hardly batted them an eye, in fact, Project Z did not seem to care about anything. Even when we passed a row of frozen bodies that had been lined up against the wall.


    When I saw it I immediately recalled my 2 Pok¨¦mon back to their Pok¨¦balls before they could see the true horror. I carefully eyed the frozen corpses, ready to stab them if necessary.


    The Zorua stopped and raised an eyebrow, "Why''d you recall them?"


    I silently pointed at the corpses, all stuck in a horrified motion yet I could almost believe they were asleep.


    This time there were only 5 of them. Somehow blood had managed to get on the pipes that ran across the ceiling.


    "What about them?" Project Z stared.


    "You don''t think that''s horrifying?" I said.


    "Oh bloody bastard!" Project Z gasped and made a small leap back, "That truly is horrifying." Project Z shook her head like that could erase the pained memories. "Look at that, they''re not even placed in order."


    "Order?" I asked monotonously.


    "Yeah," Project Z nodded. "They''re not even lined up from size or age or anything. Just random, my OCD is killing me."


    When I saw the grin the Zorua was trying to hide I just felt sick.


    "Seriously, what''s wrong with you?"


    "Lots of things." Project Z said cheerfully, ¡°But you¡¯re the one talking to me so the same could be said about you.¡±


    "Urgh, keep walking."


    "Yes sir!"


    Once they were out of my view, I released both Fay and Luna from their Pok¨¦balls. Luckily, they did not ask any questions.


    After 2 more turns we finally reached a white door. Project Z stopped in front of it. Uncharacteristically she wore a serious expression for once. "I need to retrieve something really quick, one minute."


    We were standing in a long hallway with a lot of doors, all of them equal in design with the only difference being the number designated to them. It kinda reminds me of a corridor in a cruise ship, minus the dead body lying across the hall.


    With a simple push the door numbered 2545 opened and we were met with a small cabin. I peered inside and saw an empty bunker bed frame and closed closet. There was a sink to my right with a relatively clean mirror above it. There was not much to the room, it was really small, only 2 meters (6,5 feet) by 4 meters (13 feet) big.


    There were no personal belongings, just the bare necessities. It was almost a prison cell with no windows and only lit by a simple lamp on the ceiling.


    Project Z managed to work her way up the bunk bed with some effort. She stared up at the ceiling and transformed. An Aipom took her place.


    Using her hand-tail the purple monkey pushed one of the ceiling plates up and shoved it aside. She stuck her hand up in the darkness and felt around before finally finding what she was looking for.


    "Catch!" The purple Aipom suddenly said.


    By a miracle, I managed not to cut myself while catching a heavy object. When I took a good look at it I noticed it was a book. It had a green hardcover but besides that was very simple in design. A white, empty sticker was plastered in the middle and with blue ink was written ¡®Lyndis'' diary¡¯.


    Project Z transformed back into a Zorua and jumped off the bed. I was about to open it when Project Z called. "It''s mine, just hold onto it for me please."


    ¡°Sure?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve led us around for a notebook?¡± Fay asked. ¡°You said we needed a guide and you needed our help.¡±


    ¡°You do need a guide and I do need your help,¡± Project Z said dismissively, ¡°This is just mine. Now we can head for the exit which will be quite harder to reach. Wanna know why?¡±


    A teasing smile crept up on Zorua¡¯s face.


    ¡°I am not gonna like this, am I?¡± I paled.


    ¡°The exit to the surface is on the highest floor,¡± Project Z walked past us. ¡°Trust me, we are gonna have a blast.¡±

 82. Dont Feed the Dark

    Chapter 82:


    Don''t Feed The Dark


    <hr>


    Our way out was on the first floor. Considering we were on the lowest floor, it meant we had to cross two floors to actually reach it. Two more floors of this bullshit.


    With a careless smile on her face, Project Z guided us across the white hallways. Though I saw how she subtly checked around each corner before moving, indicating that she was not as careless as she wanted us to believe.


    "So..." Zorua began when we reached blood-stained hallway numero twenty. "You guys know my name is Project Z, but I don''t know yours. Care to share?"


    "Dust." I pointed at myself, then at Riolu and then Kirlia, "Fay and Luna."


    "Okay, so next question," Project Z continued, "What would convince someone like you to spend your night here? You don''t look like you really work here. Got stuck on a ''bring your son to work day?''"


    "Haha, no I work for the Sinnoh League." That was a lie. But seeing how Hylla did work for the League and I was helping her I might as well work for the League. And it would allow me to skip explaining.


    "You''re lying." Project Z narrowed her eyes and stopped walking, "I am 90% sure you wouldn''t be walking around with a knife if you were officially representing the League. Besides, you look way too young."


    Not sure how I felt about the things she said, she was right though.


    "Fine, I owed someone a favor and said someone works for the League, yada yada. I found this building surrounded by corpses and went in to gather some intel."


    "You found a building surrounded by corpses and you went in?" Project Z raised her eyebrow, "So, how has that been working out for you?"


    "Fuck off."


    Project Z giggled and continued walking.


    There wasn''t a lot more going on down on the -3 floor. Or atleast, where we were. The Zorua led us through this maze of doors and corridors, following an invisible path that made sense only to her. She did reassure me that the path we were taking would allow us to avoid most of the creatures on the lower floor. Project Z did not know exactly what and who breached their containment so we opted to just go for safety.


    We found the stairs that led to -2 relatively fast. However, that hope quickly died down when we saw the actual stairs.


    The stairwell was blocked off by a set of heavy blast doors twice the size of the ones in the dining area. That was not the real problem.


    A thick wall of blue ice covered the blast doors from bottom to ceiling. I experimentally knocked on it and when I felt the hard cold I determined it was actually ice. The corridors were not warm per se but they were definitely above freezing point, yet a 50 centimeter (1,76 feet) thick shell of ice separated us from the metal doors. The ice felt like regular ice and did emanate cold wisps of air but there was no water dripping down from it even though a small puddle should have formed by now.


    I slipped my finger across it and noticed that there was a thin layer of water present.


    "Fay, try hitting it with an Aura knife, please." I knelt down and pointed at a spot down in the corner where the ice was only 20 centimeters (0,65 feet) thick.


    Fay pulled her paws together and did her magic thing where she managed to reshape blue light into something closely resembling a dagger.


    With a shrug she plunged it forward, holding it with both her paws and putting all her weight into it. Despite all of this, her knife harmlessly bounced away and dissolved into blue Aura particles.


    There was not even a scratch.


    "Eh? That shouldn''t happen," Fay murmured apologetically.


    I nodded and got back to my feet. "Well, shit this should be impossible."


    The realization that I used the word, impossible, while being an anomaly myself and stuck inside an underground laboratory with more anomalies, hit me later. But still, the ice was strange. Normally Fay should at least be able to make some cracks in the ice but this was, as it turns out, not regular ice.


    I''m not a scientist but I am pretty sure that ice shouldn''t act like this. It shouldn''t look that blue, show actual signs of melting and definitely show some cracks after Fay''s Aura blade. Well, at least it confirmed my suspicions of Froslass not being a normal Pok¨¦mon besides her just being freaky as hell.


    "Hmm," Project Z hummed. She slightly brushed her red paw against the wall of ice before quickly retracting it. "Let''s hope that psycho queen didn''t seal the other stairwells. Otherwise, we might need to go for plan E?"


    {Psycho Queen?}


    "What''s plan E?" I asked, again not liking the tone of Project Z''s voice.


    "Oh, plan E is more fun, wanna try?" When she saw my annoyed face, the Zorua finally decided to explain it but not without a deep sigh, "Somewhere on this floor they keep an Electrode that explodes backwards in time. If we can trigger an explosion we could maybe escape but that plan has a lot of ifs and would have us escape the past version of this complex. Not our best option."


    I couldn''t tell if Project Z was bullshitting or if she was honest. At this point, Jesus could show up and I would only be mildly confused.


    Luckily, we did not have to look for that Electrode. The stairway on the North-West wing was only 5 minutes away and clear of ice. The stairway was still guarded by a set of heavy doors but my keycard quickly put an end to them. The screen flashed green and with hissing and groaning, the doors creaked open. The sound echoed throughout the complex and I was scared it would attract the Froslass but there was nothing to do about that. Luckily, there was no humming to be heard. With a slightly better feeling in my stomach, I turned to face the stairs.


    They were built into a concrete tunnel that led straight up. Big rectangular tiles of concrete that slightly pointed forward formed a gray staircase. The staircase was as simple as stairs could be, remarkably stainless as well.


    Zorua had already climbed up the first set of stairs. "Come on, they''re just regular stairs. Nothing to be afraid of. Unless you want me to hold your hand?"


    I shrugged and followed after Project Z. Fay trailed after me and Luna had already scouted ahead and was poking a dead guard who somehow found his demise on the stairs. The guard had a big hole ripped through his chest but luckily my fear of the undead had spread to Luna as well. She eyed the corpse suspiciously, ready for it to get up. Can''t be too sure.


    I had the foresight to close the door behind me which I thought to be pretty smart. However, I did not have the foresight to check for any light sources inside this stairwell.


    Turns out, there weren''t any.


    We were consumed all of the sudden in a thick blanket of darkness. I couldn''t see a single thing and wasn''t even sure if my eyes were open or closed or if that did even matter.


    I managed to remain calm but I heard a feminine voice cry out: "I can''t see!"


    It came from somewhere from my left, immediately after I felt something very soft brush past my leg.


    Two sources of light suddenly illuminated the room. Fay''s eyes and paws began radiating a soft blue hue that tore apart the veil of darkness.


    A second pair of eyes joined Fay in driving the shadows away. Luna''s eyes glowed a demonic red that although we''re not very effective at lighting up the room, did manage to make me feel at ease.


    {Tada!} Luna proudly exclaimed. {There''s light.}


    "Amazing," I heard Project Z grasp. "You two are almost as good as a flashlight. Keep it going!"


    "Well, you''re not doing anything," Fay fired back.


    Project Z''s comment did get me thinking though. I had stuffed my flashlight in one of the side pockets, assuming it would become useful down the line. With a little effort, I managed to get hold of it and with my thumb, I hit the switch.


    A pale light immediately lit up the stairwell.


    With the doors shut behind our backs, the atmosphere in the room drastically changed. It felt wrong, the air felt dirty and smelled. The concrete walls made me feel claustrophobic and despite my flashlight, I couldn''t light the entire stairwell because of the angle the stairs led up. Everything just felt freaking ominous. Of course, I was getting numb to that shit so I just shrugged and started heading up the stairs.


    We were walking in silence with only the beam of my light as guidance, not that my two Pok¨¦mon really needed the light because for them the stairs were relatively big but for me they were really small and I feared that a misstep could trip me and break my neck.


    I was quietly wondering why there were no lights in this stairwell but I quickly discovered that there were lights, they just weren''t on for some reason. When I turned around the corner and saw the light of the LCD screen, I could not help but appreciate the light source.


    The screen was attached to a panel that could open a set of heavy blast doors. A metallic sign above the door signified this was the -2 floor.


    "We don''t need to be on this floor right?" Project Z asked when I had stopped moving and started staring at the door.


    "I know, but we should take a quick peek anyway," I told her. From my experience of playing horror games, I knew that missing out on information could mean death later on. Not sure if that is true in this world as well but I could at least take a quick peek.


    I moved the keycard down the panel and the text on the screen started blinking. The doors slid open rather smoothly this time.


    Going through the doors was a whole other story.


    The pale beam of my flashlight shone upon a white substance that barred our way. A wall of tightly woven threads covered the entrance. A mess of wires that were so vast no light came through.


    "Huh," I said, not sure if I was feeling surprised or not. "This looks like-"


    "Aaah fuck I am stuck!" cursed the small Zorua from below me. I aimed the light at her and saw that she had tried to touch the silky substance that covered the wires.


    She was yanking her arm back and forth but couldn''t get rid of it. A snarl was upon her face when her pulling became more aggressive which caused her paw to get stuck even more.


    "Don''t transform!" I warned her while I knelt down next to the black fox Pok¨¦mon.


    With unsteady hands, I tried to direct the beam of light on her paws while I readied my knife with my other hand. Project Z looked up and her eyes widened. "Hol-"


    Before she could complain I brought down the knife and started slicing away at the silk that was stuck to her paws. Not wanting to waste any time doing this, I put all my strength in it which was necessary because cutting through this stuff felt like trying to tear through solid gum. It got stuck to the broad side of the knife but didn''t stick luckily.


    10 seconds later, Project Z was free again. She explosively jumped away from the web covered entrance. She released a sigh and mumbled something about thinking she was about to die.


    "Well, what did we learn?" I asked with a jovial tone.


    "Fuck off."


    I grinned, enjoying the brief illusion of a normal conversation before I realized the situation we found ourselves in.


    With a groan, I stared at the wall of cobweb blocking our way. "Anyone got a lighter?" I wasn''t sure if it would burn but if it did then that might actually be worse. I had no idea how far this web reached but my gut feeling said that I wouldn''t be able to cut through this mess anytime soon.


    "I have the feeling Fate doesn''t want me to pass," I murmured.


    {Damnit Fate.} The Kirlia sighed from behind me.


    A scream suddenly tore through the hallway and I froze, the beam halted midair and for a second I did not dare to move. I think I even stopped breathing at that moment.


    The sound was loud and screechy at the same time. I recognized it as the one I had heard multiple times before but this time it was louder.


    The sound came from above us, the -1 floor.


    Great.


    It quickly faded away again but I was shaken by it. Whatever creature could make that sound, I did not want to meet it.


    However, we still had to go up the stairs¡­


    I waited for a full minute to make sure nothing unexpected would come our way. When the eerie silence had finally returned I released a sigh of relief.


    "Project Z, you know what that is?"


    She hesitantly admitted, "I don''t, but I think I don''t want to know either."


    "It sounds big," Fay murmured.


    With visible displeasure on my face, I turned around and ascended up the stairs. When we reached floor -1 the stairs no longer went up. Instead, the stairwell extended towards a set of heavy blast doors.


    "So what are we actually looking for? I turned the beam on Project Z. "Just in case."


    "There''s an emergency exit that leads up to the surface." She smiled knowingly. "It''s rarely used. I am sure it will lead us straight outta here."


    I shone the light at the door. The same green panel I had seen on all the other doors told me it required a keycard.


    The doors opened with loud groaning and hissing that was so loud it actually almost scared me.


    A black room greeted me. The lights weren''t working on the other side of the doors either.. As I stepped through the door, I shone my light around. My flashlight first landed on a hospital bed. It was just a plain simple hospital bed like you always see in hospitals with wheels underneath them. It was empty.


    I stepped into the room fully, my feet landed on a simple gray tiled floor.


    Smack.


    While my light was still on the hospital bed I was starting to hear weird noises from somewhere in the room. It started as a short slurping noise like someone drinking through a plastic straw.


    As I stayed silent and didn''t move the sound became more intense and frequent. It started to sound like gurgling instead. Like wet meat being twisted and molded.


    It was rather hard to see in this dark room but I somehow managed to make out the shape of something lurking in the corner of the room.


    I aimed my light at it.


    The beam of light revealed that this stairwell apparently led to a sickbay or medical wing. I saw rows of hospital beds placed in rows with medical equipment such as heart monitors standing next to some of the beds. The walls had a dirty cream color that looked like they could use a wash.


    A weird smell hung in the air, the combination of bleach and something sickly sweet that made my nostrils feel disgusted. I could not exactly determine how big the room was, not that it really mattered.


    My beam had landed on a yellow Pok¨¦mon that had been lurking in the corner. It was as big as a small car and had a vaguely spherical shape, a bit like a pear. It was a rather disgusting Pok¨¦mon. The body seemed to exist out of a large sickly yellow body with eyes on it. The top of its spherical body was open, like a teacup with a green leaf-like appendage functioning as a lid. Something was stuck in its cup-like body, something red extended out of the gaping hole.


    "Oh fuck," there was that acid feeling again. The feeling of bile working its way up my throat like a spider, even though there was nothing left in my stomach.


    An arm was sticking out of Victreebel''s mouth.


    It was slowly moving up and down like Victreebel was still munching on it. The beam of the flashlight pierced through the darkness of the room and shone directly into Victreebel''s eyes. It seemed to agitate the creature because it suddenly began to twist its body and started to make loud moaning noises. Its eyes stared savagely while it was trying to reach me but it seemed stuck in the corner.


    The moaning turned into a hungry yearning growl that repeated itself, the sound was a weird combination of a dog barking and a sick person growling. It desperately tried to move but it lacked any appendages.


    It still freaked me out and I took a step back. Something cold brushed past my arm. It was one of the hospital beds.


    The Victreebel started to gurgle as well, on top of the growling. Like a violent zombie it jerked its body towards me as if trying to reach me by sheer willpower.


    A second gurgling followed, this one coming from behind me. I turned around and caught another Victreebel in the ring of light. This one was sitting on a hospital bed 3 rows away from me. It was smaller than the previous one I had seen, around the size of a big pumpkin. The Victreebel was rooted on top of a red torn blanket that was shrouded over a long humanoid figure lying on the bed. Thick green roots had wormed their way through the blanket.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    This Victreebel started to growl and jerk as well, trying to reach me but utterly stuck in place.


    A third growl joined, then a fourth. Soon I was surrounded by growling noises that came from all sides.


    Everywhere I aimed my flashlight I saw a Victreebel. All in different sizes but still feasting on the bodies that were all over the room. Some had consumed them in their big jaws while the smaller ones had spread over their bodies like fungus. A symphony of growls and defiant screams erupted wherever I shone my light. It was so loud and horrifying it made me freeze up. For a moment I could only just stare at the fucked up scene that played out around me while the munching sound was slowly drilling a way through my brain. My heart was banging on my chest like it was trying to get out, not that I would blame it.


    "There are so many," Fay cried out, her eyes glowed, signifying that she was using Aura sight.


    {Dust what do we do?}


    "Nothing." Project Z hissed, her voice breaking through the loud screaming, despite the fact that Project Z was not shouting herself I could still hear her voice crystal clear. Like we were in a quiet room instead of here.


    I idly thought back to a line I had read in Project Z''s file. A muzzle was later added after staff complaining about verbal assault but was removed when Project Z''s abilities rendered it useless.


    Guess always being audible must be one of her abilities. Hearing her voice somehow put me at ease. It forced the noise out of the room and pushed it in the background. It was still there but less present. It helped me focus.


    A green fleshy vine started moving all of the sudden. I saw it from the corner of my eyes. It rose up in the air like a tentacle but before anything could happen I slashed at it with my knife.


    The top part of the vine fell off and green juices were sprayed onto the floor. The bottom part was quickly retracted back into the darkness.


    I heard one of the Victreebel hiss in pain, other vines I saw lying on the ground all quickly retreated like they all belonged to the same Pok¨¦mon.


    "Oh Helix, if I was a Japanese schoolgirl this would have ended way worse." I cursed more profanities I shouldn¡¯t be saying near my Pok¨¦mon.


    "Focus," Project Z once again cut through the chorus of sound, "This is Project 115, Copy Garden, do not attack it or get eaten by it. Just turn off your flashlight and wait for it to calm down."


    "You want me to turn off the flashlight?!" I stared at the tentacles that were already creeping from underneath the hospital beds like snakes.


    "Yes, turn off the flashlight¡­" She repeated herself. "Don''t worry, it will be fine."


    I flipped the switch with my thumb.


    The darkness returned immediately, painting the room into vague shapes of black and gray.


    With the disappearance of light, the growling also subsidized. Not immediately but decently fast. First, the growls started to sound confused. Then they pacified into moaning before turning back to a soft munching sound that could easily be discarded as background noises. I waited for a sudden attack but nothing came.


    "What is this thing?" I whispered.


    "Copy Garden," I heard Project Z whisper. "Not sure how but it''s a modified Victreebel that can copy itself and form a hive mind with its copies."


    Talking about fucking freaky and impossible. But sure, fine, I am willing to accept that I am standing in a room filled with self-replicating flesh-eating swamp.


    "Luckily they can''t move so we can just walk our way out of here."


    "Yeah except that I can''t see where I''m going." I did not want to go even close to one of those Victreebels let alone trip and fall into one because I can''t see shit.


    "Okay, plan Z," Project Z said.


    "What is Plan Z?" I asked before suddenly feeling something wrap around my thighs. Before I could even scream something soft and tickly wrapped around my mouth.


    "It''s me!" Project Z whispered.


    "Wow!" I heard Fay mumble but I couldn''t see anything.


    "What are you?" I couldn''t help wondering about that, last time I checked Zorua couldn''t ensnare me in her grip.


    "I think people refer to this Pok¨¦mon as Jellicent." She whispered. While she was talking I was lifted from the floor. I felt myself becoming weightless, combined with not being able to see anything it was a very confusing and terrifying experience. Project Z continued speaking "I can see in the dark and maneuver around those pesky little weeds. Heck, I could stomp them and they won''t even see it coming."


    "Don''t," I muttered. It was rather hard to talk like this. "Let''s get out of this place asap. You did take Luna and Fay with you right?"


    "Who?"


    Before I could panic, Project Z quickly hissed. "Kidding, just kidding. I am joking, they are right here."


    {Correct.} I heard Luna speak Telepathically.


    "Not funny." Fay groaned.


    Around us dark shapes passed by. Hospital beds, hordes of Victreebel slowly festering around the room and strange dark lines that crawled over the floor, probably vines but they seemed to be passive for now.


    As my eyes grew more used to the darkness, I could see a lot of bodies lying on hospital beds, a few of the ones that hadn''t been infested with flesh-eating Pok¨¦mon yet did have the cuts and slashes marks all over them. Maybe they survived the initial attack by that assassin and were brought here to recover? Whatever their plan was, it ended in disaster.


    "Fun fact," The Jellicent murmured, she was sounding a bit winded, "Project Copy Garden consumes other Pok¨¦mon, or humans and uses that energy to create more of itself."


    I blinked, not that I could see anything. I guess Project Z saw my horrified expression because she quickly added. "Okay, not fun but hey, a fact is a fact."


    ''Just be quiet'', I wanted to say but I rather heard Project Z talking then the sounds of Victreebels gurgling up their prey and since both Luna and Fay weren''t very talkative at the moment I couldn''t be picky.


    Just as I was growing used to the darkness and being dragged around my eyes were suddenly assaulted by an overwhelming combination of bright colors. Like a vampire, I tried to force my eyes shut and twist away from the literally blinding light.


    The soft arms that had ensured me suddenly released me from their grip and I hit the floor which was quite painful. While I laid there on the floors with my eyes shut I realized I had to open my eyes eventually.


    Reluctantly I did and while I was trying to blink away the confusion I noticed I was surrounded by vague blurs. A pink balloon-like thing suddenly shifted into a black smudge. A blue and a white smudge were leaning over me.


    I rubbed the confusion away and saw a Kirlia gazing down at me with a stern look. {No time for napping.}


    Fuck that, I felt like I could take a nap right here and now. However, the rational part of my brain took over sadly and I climbed to my feet still feeling dizzy.


    A pale ceiling light shone down harshly on my eyes, white stainless walls stretched out in three directions around me. Yup, I was back in the maze.


    "I told you I got this." A smug-looking Zorua was grinning at me. "And you doubted me."


    "Yeah yeah, you''re a lifesaver," I said with a slightly sarcastic tone. She really had been helpful but there was no point in feeding her ego.


    We were standing next to a set of slide doors. There were no windows but white metal plates instead but it didn''t look enforced or anything. Just regular sliding doors you might actually see in a hospital.


    A metal sign above the doors read:


    Medical Wing


    A small poster had some standard rules written on them and a hand sanitizer was attached to the wall. A sensory bar was located above the doors, probably to open them automatically.


    There were still crunching noises coming from the other side, the doors did nothing to filter them.


    I sighed and stared at the doors. "Well, that was fun."


    "No, it wasn''t," Fay said.


    "Sarcasm."


    "Be quiet," She retorted.


    "Nah ah-."


    "Sssttt!" the Riolu put her paw in front of her mouth, quickly silencing everyone.


    I didn''t hear anything, well except the usual gurgling sounds coming from next door. The Zorua gave Fay a weird look and started to twist her pointy ears around.


    "Wait, don''t tell me..."


    {I heard nothing.} Luna tilted her head while gazing at Fay.


    "No, I am pretty sure I hear something," Fay closed her eyes, "It''s just hard to hear with all that nois-"


    "It''s her!" Project Z abruptly cried out.


    I was about to ask who''s ''her'' when I realized there was only one ''her'' to speak of in this building. Still, the Zorua answered. "That Froslass!"


    With almost comedic timing the doors slid open in front of us.


    And just like that, my heart stopped.


    The growls increased tenfold as our lights shone into the medical wing. Rows of beds and flesh-eating Pok¨¦mon were revealed with a demonic figure standing in the middle of the path.


    A smile grew underneath her mask the moment our eyes met.


    Fuck.


    I heard Luna fire a Disarming Voice but it did nothing to Froslass. She kept smiling and reached out her arm.


    Something tugged at my leg. I gazed down and saw Fay mouth the word run.


    We did.


    I grabbed Luna with my arm, seeing how she was the slowest of all the Pok¨¦mon, and turned around. Fay and Project Z chased after me, following a random hallway without any idea where we were going.


    The sound of humming chased after us, growing louder every step yet the tone of the song didn''t change its pace. I didn''t look back, I wasn''t sure if I could keep running if I saw how close she actually was. I was dripping cold sweat and my breath created clouds of mist, it was that cold.


    While we ran I was trying to come up with a way to stop the Froslass but her humming really made it hard to think straight, that and the fact I was running out of breath, something that did not seem to affect Froslass at all.


    I had to stop and form a plan, running forever was clearly not going to work. I came to a halt near a hallway that split off into two directions. One of them had a metal blast door shielding the entrance to something.


    "Door!" Project Z cried out. "Give me the card." She suddenly leaped up and snatched the keycard out of my hands. Something that actually made me jump and almost stop dead in my tracks. With the keycard in her mouth, she dashed between my legs and headed for the doors, revealing that she was surprisingly fast.


    With no other option, I made a sharp turn left and followed after Project Z. Sure the doors might not stop Froslass but at least they would give me some respite, or at least I hoped they would.


    The doors were already opened by Project Z. She was shouting at us to go faster and as if I wasn''t on edge enough, the doors were starting to close.


    A big slash was cleaved into the wall on my right side like something big sliced through the concrete. I focused my attention on the closing doors in front of me.


    With a final sprint, I managed to jump through the closing gap and landed on the floor. I dropped Luna and turned around to watch my back.


    Fay was staring at the closing door, only a relatively small crack remained. Through the gap, I could see Froslass floating towards us for a split second. Then the doors shut with a loud snap.


    In painful silence, I waited for something bad to happen. I counted 10 seconds before I heard the first bang.


    It was soon followed by more slams, it sounded like something much bigger than the Froslass was hitting the door. The floor vibrated with every hit and I was worried that she would get through by doing just that.


    Okay, time to move on.


    I turned around and readied myself to bolt when I came face to face with another set of doors. But those doors were not blast doors. A small button next to the door read up and another one read down.


    "You''re kidding right?" I cursed out loud as I stepped forward and repeatedly started to press the two buttons in a desperate attempt to open the doors.


    "I think we are boxed in." Project Z said. "The elevator doesn''t work during a lockdown."


    "Oh really?" I groaned and kicked the elevator doors. "Well, Sherlock, what do you suppose we do?"


    The banging sound continued relentlessly in the background like a butcher''s knife coming down on a chopping block. A dead clock ticking down.


    We were like mice trapped between two doors, one leading to certain frozen dead and another one wouldn''t even open and as if to mock us even more: a dead guard was lying slumped over in the corner, ew.


    He was still grasping for his gun, even in death. A big large cut tore through his protective gear and left a bloody streak across his chest that left red splashes along the wall for some reason.


    Great.


    "What do we do?!" Fay panicked, she turned to face me. "You must know a solution!"


    How was I supposed to know what to do?


    Another slam, was it me or did it look like the doors were slightly bent inwards?


    {I guess this means we have to fight.} Luna sighed as she stretched her arms. She was beginning to look tired and I doubted she would be useful considering the lack of space.


    Then it struck me. I slapped myself for being stupid.


    "What?" Fay looked at me. "You have that look in your eyes."


    I ignored her and knelt down to lean against the wall. I put down the backpack and delved through it.


    "What look?" Project Z asked. "He''s doing nothing."


    A black box landed on my lap, I fished out the Pok¨¦dex immediately after.


    ''Please work.'' I thought while I connected the two and flipped the Pok¨¦dex open. A window popped up notifying me new data was available.


    Another slam on the door, yeah there was definitely a big dent in the door.


    My hands were sweaty but I managed to navigate through all the files I had copied from Redburn''s PC. Not everything was copied properly because of the power outage but I hoped the thing I was looking for was.


    I held my breath as I scrolled through the list of copied documents. Then I found it. - Project 96 Eternal Queen.


    This file should hold all the information regarding that crazy Froslass right? I mean these guys had her trapped, they should know what her weakness is, if not I was fucked.


    "Oooo!" Project Z murmured. "You had this with you the entire time?"


    "Whatever you are doing, do it faster!" Fay whispered while her gaze was locked on the doors.


    I am not sure how Froslass did it but there were actually cracks in the metal. Yeah, cracks in solid steel.


    "Here goes nothing," I said while tapping the button to open her file.


    I was immediately greeted with a big block of text.


    <hr>


    Project Eternal Queen


    Synopsis:


    Project Eternal Queen''s appearance is similar to others of its species. No physical abnormalities have been found in Project Eternal Queen''s biology but an autopsy will be required if Project Eternal Queen gets terminated or dies due to other circumstances for future study.


    Despite being a Ghost/Ice Type Pok¨¦mon Project Eternal Queen primarily uses ice-based attacks.


    Project Eternal Queen displays advanced abilities that appear in some cases similar to known Pok¨¦mon Ice-type moves but ignore the "Pok¨¦mon Type" system and display properties that defy all known information regarding Pok¨¦mon. Those advanced abilities manifest in:


    The ability to generate and construct ice in its near vicinity (7 meters in all directions) Project Eternal Queen requires no external water source to draw from. Studied samples reveal that the ice consists of ''pure water'' containing no minerals normally found in surface and subterranean water sources. It is unknown whether Project Queen generates the water or if it is drawing from an unseen source.


    Ice generated by Project Eternal Queen appears to be indestructible at the moment. Ice generated will always maintain a consistent -25¡ãSC even when exposed to higher temperatures. Samples have been able to resist 56 000 units of force and 40000¡ãVC (A modified Thunder Shock was applied). Although appearing to be indestructible it is still affected by gravity.


    At the moment only Project Eternal Queen is able to destroy its own ice constructs by either using physical force or ''willing'' it back into liquid.


    Note: Ice generated by Project Eternal Queen might be able to hold a Legendary class Pok¨¦mon captive. Further study required.


    <hr>


    A crunching sound tore through the small room. My eyes snapped towards the door. A diagonal gap had been made like a knife slashed through it. A thin line of light was visible through it.


    She was literally cutting through the door like this was the Shining. Except I couldn''t even tell how she was doing that.


    "Dust?!" Fay cried out.


    I ignored her and continued reading hoping to find something, anything that could be used against her.


    <hr>


    Enhanced physical and resistance and strength. Although not indestructible, Project Eternal Queen is able to resist the majority of Pok¨¦mon attacks. Studies revealed a 95% decrease in damage taken by Project Eternal Queen regardless of type. This counts for both physical attacks and non-physical moves. Her strength has not been measured yet but appears to change depending on Project Eternal Queen''s emotional state.


    <hr>


    Well, that explains why she can tear literally through the door.


    Fuck, I needed something useful, not how she could kill me.


    <hr>


    The Ability to consume frozen victims and use their¡­. (No further study regarding this subject is allowed until we can safely control and/or work with Project Eternal Queen. Project Eternal Queen is not allowed to be in the vicinity of a human/Pok¨¦mon corpse without oversight again.)


    PS: If given enough corpses she might be able to take down Suicune right?


    (See document:ProjectEternalQueen-Cryo Abilities for more details)


    Creation:


    Project Eternal Queen was found in its un-evolved state (Snorunt) near Mount Silver and brought to the A2 facility as a ''disposable'' resource. Upon waking up and seeing the deceased subjects it was familiar with Project Eternal Queen spontaneously evolved while the ''extraction'' process (See document: Extra-Ability for further reference) was still going.


    After evolving, Project Eternal Queen lost consciousness.


    4 abilities were missing from the extraction process which are theorized to be the cause of Project Eternal Queen''s anomalous prowess.


    The missing abilities are:


    Queenly Majesty


    Refrigerate


    Wonder Guard


    Dauntless Shield


    <hr>


    I peeked over the screen of my Pok¨¦dex. Froslass was chopping away at the door in an almost machine-like fashion. There was no anger or aggression in her eyes, only a steady smile and an endearing look.


    With a powerful chop, a large piece of metal was ripped off the door and fell inside the room. Fay and Luna were firing attacks but they did not even seem to harm Froslass.


    "Scroll down!" Project Z hissed into my ear.


    I did.


    <hr>


    Addendum:


    Attempts at communicating with Project Eternal Queen through human speech have been unsuccessful so far. It is unknown if this is due to the language barrier or disinterest from Project Eternal Queen. Future attempts at communication have been planned.


    Addendum 2:


    Second attempt at communication with Project Eternal Queen has been conducted with the assistance of an onsite Psychic Pok¨¦mon with the ''Telepathy'' ability (See document: Project 103 LonelyExeggcute(Terminated) for further reference.)


    After 2 failed attempts at communicating the Project Manager managed to trigger a response from Project Eternal Queen.


    Initial response was in acoustic Pok¨¦mon language and telepathy was required to translate the message.


    Through external communication, it became known Project Eternal Queen was asking where it was.


    Project Manager replied by stating the goals of the A2 facility and the plans for Project Eternal Queen, believing that his honesty would advance his attempts of recruiting Project Eternal Queen.


    Project Eternal Queen showed displeasure upon hearing its purpose and became agitated. It requested to be released back into the wild.


    Project Manager denied this request and asked if he could provide Project Eternal Queen with something else to obtain her cooperation.


    Project Eternal Queen gave a final response before ending the conversation.


    Addendum 4:


    All future attempts at communicating with Project Eternal Queen have been suspended indefinitely after the death of the previous Project Manager. After careful examination of the audio transcription, Command removed everything from timestamp 0:50 and all copies are to be erased.


    Project Eternal Queen has been reclassified as a Hyper Intelligence. No further attempts at recruiting are to be made.


    Addendum 5:


    Project Eternal Queen escaped containment and came into contact with Project 80 Dead Magnemite. It quickly terminated the aforementioned Pok¨¦mon which caused a local electromagnetic pulse. It decimated the guards and reached sector 2-b before the EMP effects faded away. Guards took her down afterwards and Project Eternal Queen has been moved to a new laboratory with active electric wiring.


    Personnel within the hearing range of Project Eternal Queen are no longer allowed to make ice puns.


    <hr>


    My eyes widened. There it was, her weakness. I wanted to laugh out loud for not realizing it earlier. Before I could, however, a shriek tore through the room.


    Ice cubes formed in my stomach as I saw Froslass shred the bottom of the blast doors. A hole had been created, large enough for a certain ice queen to pass through.


    She floated through the gap, her weird dress floating on a non-existent wind. Behind her was a bloody red trail on the ground that divided the hall we came from into two.


    Fay and Luna backed away from the Froslass. Project Z froze up like a deer caught in headlights yet, Project Eternal Queen did not seem to give them a second thought.


    I slowly got to my feet, I grasped the shaft of my knife without taking my eyes off her. If it really came to it I could stab myself before she could freeze me over.


    Froslass simply smiled, dead as ever. That was when my eyes caught sight of something.


    For a split second, my eyes drifted towards the thing that she was hiding behind her. A smirk passed Froslass'' face as she noticed it. "Fros."


    With her free hand, she picked it up...no not it, him. With her weird arm-like appendage she was holding a corpse by the neck. He was dressed in a white lab coat and wore stark blue jeans. He had no visible wounds on his body except for his head. You see, his head was frozen and not just coated in a thin layer of ice. No, a solid massive sphere of ice surrounded its head like a fishbowl.


    With a quick gesture, she dropped it towards me. His head hit the ground with a dunk while his body made a snapping sound, possibly because something in the spinal cord broke.


    "Fros...slash!" A surprisingly warm voice came from the ice demon. An expecting smile was visible underneath her mask as we both gazed down at the corpse she had brought along.


    "Well?" My dry voice croaked. I was only 2 meters away from Froslass, a nagging cold was biting inside my lungs and my bones began to feel heavy. Staying upright was becoming troublesome.


    No one spoke. Froslass patiently waited...for something.


    "What did she say?" I asked again.


    It was the Zorua that spoke up. With a surprisingly deep voice, she said. "Froslass says she understands you don''t want to leave your Pok¨¦mon alone so that''s why she brought you a replacement. So you can be hers without feeling bad."


    "Fros." Froslass nodded eagerly, almost proud. She pointed at the corpse.


    The frozen head tilted over to the left, revealing that the ice was not stainless.


    Instead, there was a smile carved into the ice.

 83. Bleeding Smile

    Chapter 83:


    Bleeding Smile


    <hr>


    During my life I had my fair share of crappy gifts, one time I even got duct tape for Christmas. Most of the time I just pretend to be happy with it, not only because I did not want to hurt feelings but also because I never really know what I want anyway. I''m difficult like that.


    Still, I never thought a corpse would make its way onto the list of shitty gifts, yet Froslass acted like it was the best gift ever.


    Her eyes, concealed behind her mask, looked as if she genuinely expected me to cry out in happiness. To make matters worse this was supposedly my replacement so she could freeze me and have that corpse take my role in this twisted world. To twist the knife even deeper a smiley was carved onto its head.


    I don''t know what came over me but I just burst out laughing. Maybe it was the cold, or the stress and tiredness. This all just seemed so ridiculous. I felt sick, and wronged and wanted to freak out.


    {Dust?} A small voice asked.


    Froslass narrowed her eyes at me. The smile disappeared.


    Here I was, boxed in between a locked elevator and an ice demon who might or not have a deadly romance planned for us. I was so close to the exit with key information regarding Team Galactic, this was a desperate situation, nothing funny about it.


    I bellowed over as my laughing started to hurt my stomach. I took a few steps back, feeling lightheaded and sick. My feet stepped into a red liquid. I gazed back and saw the dead guard lying slumped over.


    And just like that I was slapped in the face by reality. The dizzy feeling dissipated as my mind began to feel more clear. I kept laughing though but now I felt like I knew I was not doing it to release stress. I had to buy time so I could find something.


    Luna picked up on it first, of course she did. That emotion sense thing was really useful. She narrowed her eyes at me but I didn''t say anything.


    "Did he snap?" I heard Project Z ask. I still had my eyes cast down and was laughing my lungs out.


    "He can''t," Fay shakily answered from behind me, "He won''t do that to us."


    She was right, I had to bring us back to the surface. For tomorrow''s sake.


    My eyes found the thing I was looking for. Before the Froslass could realize what I was doing I fell over next to the dead guard. Without looking I grasped the thing he was holding in his hands. Somehow the guard was still holding onto it but with a quick jank I managed to pull his weapon free. I spun around while at the same time bringing his assault rifle to my shoulder. It was actually really heavy and was not at all built like a rifle I had ever seen before, however it looked simple enough.


    I aimed it at Froslass in one quick movement, making sure the visor perfectly lined up with the spot between her eyes. I had never fired a weapon this size in real life before but I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. My fingers wrapped around the trigger like I was merely pointing my finger at her. My breathing steadied, my breathing steadied and I felt perfectly calm.


    Gotta love adrenaline.


    Froslass could only gape in shock at the turn of events.


    ''Arceus, don''t screw me over please.'' I pulled the trigger.


    3 yellow bursts blinded the room. The weapon shook with every shot. Fizzling sounds crackled through the air, it felt as if the air was being charged with electricity and for a brief period it was.


    My aim was off because of the unexpected recoil but most of the jolts did hit her.


    Froslass did not make a sound as she was repeatedly struck, she kept maintaining eye contact with me as her body coiled in pain. Her eyes showed hurt and confusion, the stark combination made my skin scrawl.


    I stopped pulling the trigger but I kept my weapon ready.


    A dead silence filled the room. Froslass gave me one final look of pain before her eyes rolled up. She stopped floating and unceremoniously dropped to the floor and landed next to the frozen body she had brought along. Her eyes were closed and at that moment I couldn''t even say if she was dead or alive. That was until a soft snoring noise came from her body. It almost sounded like a winter wind, weird but somehow I felt at ease knowing I did not kill her.


    When it became clear Froslass wouldn''t make a sudden move I let out a sigh of relief. I spun on my heels and faced the three Pok¨¦mon who were looking at me with aghast looks. With what must have looked like a mad grin I spoke. "Well, you could say that was super effective."


    Get it? My Pok¨¦mon were looking stupefied. Luna ultimately gave me a hesitant hug on the leg.


    {We did it!}


    A small smile was visible on Kirlia''s face. It was a strained smile, we were not out of the facility yet but I felt like we were getting closer. A sense of finality dawned on us.


    "How did you...but¡­" Fay was stammering and ultimately she decided to shut her mouth.


    "Meh," Project Z recovered rather quickly and had a sly smile on her face. "You really could have done a one liner like I did."


    I disagree, doing such a thing would be stupid, not only would it tip off the Froslass and give her the time to counteract me, it would also make me look incredibly stupid if I failed.


    Project Z lowered her voice. "You could have said so many cool things, like; Project Eternal Queen, freeze and don''t move!"


    The unconscious Froslass stirred in her sleep.


    "Eep!" The Zorua stared at Froslass with wide eyes. Luna cautiously walked over to Froslass and knelt down next to her, watching the ice Pok¨¦mon with a weird gaze.


    I ignored them and knelt down next to my backpack that was still lying on the ground, so was my Pok¨¦dex which I had carelessly dropped when Froslass came through the door. I picked it up and saw Froslass'' file was still open. I closed it and tapped a few buttons on the Pok¨¦dex before putting it back inside my backpack.


    "She just¡­" Project Z struggled to find her words.


    I dropped the rifle, which I decided to keep, down my backpack, making sure the butt of the rifle stuck out so I could quickly reach for it if I needed it.


    The backpack was slung over my shoulder. I decided to hold onto the knife, not sure why but it gave me a good feeling. Overall I was feeling a bit more optimistic.


    With a smile I turned towards the Pok¨¦mon, "Let''s move before the queen wakes up."


    "You''re not gonna kill her!" Project Z asked perplexed.


    I frowned while looking at the strange snoring Froslass. An odd sense of tranquility washed over me.


    She looked so cute and peaceful it would almost make you forget that she wants to turn me into an ice statue for all of eternity.


    "There''s no point in killing her, one she is defenseless which means it will be a war crime or something," though that was a rule in my old word, I think at least it was, but there was no point in telling her that. "Two we know what can stop her so we won''t be taken by surprise again."


    I pointed at the rifle on my back. "And third, I am not a murderer."


    No more words were wasted on the subject. Yet I kept thinking about the Froslass. I could still feel her gaze on me even though her eyes were shut. The expression on her face made me feel like she was accusing me. It made me wonder if there had been a peaceful option, she tried to compromise in her twisted way. But this is the real world, peace isn''t always available.


    With a final sigh I turned to Zorua and told her to lead the way. She gave me a skeptical look before shrugging and jumping through the gap in the metal doors.


    Fay and Luna followed them while I gave the Froslass one more look.


    I duck down and dodged a sharp jagged piece of metal that was in the way Project Z called out. "We are really getting close."


    A big cut was carved into the wall above the Zorua. It ran across the length of the hallway like someone dragged a large butcher knife along the wall. Ominous as shit, I know.


    As we walked Fay was fiddling with her paws. After a frustrated look she finally opened her mouth and said. "How did you do that!"


    "Do what?" I asked innocently. Pretending not to understand her because...well I was getting rather tired of it all.


    "How could you beat Froslass while none of us even harmed it?" Fay muttered in defeat. "I tried everything and I could not even land a scratch."


    I was tempted to say something along the lines of ''I am just that awesome'' but now was not the time for Fay to become unsure of herself.


    "It isn''t your fault," I quickly patted Riolu on the head. "Project Eternal Queen was literally built to be indestructible, her only weakness was electricity which none of you could wield."


    As Luna had demonstrated in the dinner area, the weapons here shot electricity based bullets. I had assumed the rifle that the dead guard had would be similar, or more like hoped.


    "Remember how her room had electric wiring running through the door? That should have tipped us off but it slipped my mind, only when I read her file I realized it. If someone''s to blame it''s me."


    "No it''s not!" Fay protested.


    {No,] Luna interrupted me. {Fate''s just a bitch!}


    I am so proud of my team. A grin came up on my face.


    "Very sappy," a sarcastic voice interrupted us, it was Project Z ofcourse. "I can almost feel the juice dripping off the atmosphere."


    Before I could even mouth a response I was interrupted by a sudden horrendous scream. I stopped moving as the sound roared through the hallway, sounding suspiciously close. The scream could only be described as monstrous and lasted for a couple seconds before a dreadful silence fell all over us.


    Ahead of us the white stainless hallways split off into three directions. Well I say stainless but one of them had a big splash of red paint thrown onto the wall and two people wearing lab coats lying underneath it. That hallway ended with two big sliding doors.


    "Say Project Z," my voice was high pitched for some reason, "Our exit doesn''t happen to be that way." I pointed at the bloody hallway.


    "Hahaha, imagine if that would be the case." She chuckled back, looking quite horrified herself. "But it''s the only exit."


    "Anyone thinks this is a stupid idea?"


    Fay raised her paw, no one else did.


    I sighed and began walking towards the door, every step painful and my heart beating like hell, still I wore a strained smile on my face, after all I wouldn''t want my Pok¨¦mon to chicken out.


    When I came close enough the door automatically opened up in front of me with a smooth hiss. It startled me briefly.


    A thick darkness was again revealed, the lights in the hallway showed that it led to something looking like an office or something but the light didn''t reach farther than a few meters before the darkness became too thick to penetrate.


    "Everyone, get ready for battle." I muttered while I put away the knife and retrieved the flashlight. The beam flashed to light and pierced through the darkness beyond the doors.


    The scream had come from this direction, I had recognized it as the one that I had heard multiple times while being down here, louder each time I came closer and knowing Fate I would most likely run into it.


    "I sense something inside," Fay warned.


    {Same.} Luna murmured, {Can''t get a grip on what it is though.}


    "Project Z, got any ideas what it might be?" I asked.


    The black furred fox Pok¨¦mon shook her head.


    Great.


    "Well, nowhere left to go but into the darkness I guess. Fay, make sure to keep your Aura sense open."


    She nodded and went in first while I followed directly after her, making sure the beam of the flashlight was trained on her.


    As soon as I stepped through the door I noticed the difference in the atmosphere. The air felt rusty and heavy, like I was walking through a mine or abandoned factory.


    The door didn''t close behind us, allowing a little extra light to be shone in the room.


    The beam revealed I was in neither of those, instead I was looking at a couple of office chairs, control desks and big windows. Big switches and circuit boards were stored on big metal cabinets. On the desk were computers and even more buttons and switches.


    "This must be the control room," I said out loud. "You think the exit is somewhere in here?"


    "Of course not," She replied with a cheerful tone that sounded awfully fake. She darted underneath me and jumped onto the desk, not even bothered by the fact she was stepping on a switch or something. Zorua pointed out of the big window placed in front of the control room.


    I pointed my flashlight out of the window.


    Underneath us was another, bigger, room. It was almost as if I was looking down from the top seats of a theater.


    I saw rows of seats placed in an oval shape, placed alongside a descending staircase that was not too dissimilar from an actual theater but they did not seem to be very stylish, rather they were simplistic in nature and design. My beam extended further down the room and saw that the seats faced towards a wide black painted stage. The flashlight didn''t reach much further but I could make out vague shapes in the darkness. Something was kneeling on the stage, hunched over with its back toward us. It silently bobbed back and forth, whatever it was. The creature was surrounded by large shapes. I did not recognize them or the creature.


    When I saw it I immediately pulled my beam off it. Luckily it did not seem to notice or care about the beam.


    "The backstage." Zorua whispered. "There is our exit."


    I paled, "Good one. Now seriously, where is our exit?"


    "Wasn''t joking." Project Z growled. "Behind that stage is a backroom that has a vent with a ladder going to the surface."


    "So what now?" Fay nervously gazed out of the window. "You want us to attack it or¡­"


    "Can we sneak past it?" I asked Project Z.


    "Again, I don''t know what this creature is, so I am in the dark as well." A small chuckle followed. "Hehe, dark."


    "We''ll try sneaking past it, if not just try to make a dash for it." I was not comfortable with this idea at all but I was kind of at my own end.


    I put the knife away and switched it for my newly acquired rifle. Hopefully it would be as effective as it was with the Froslass but a gut feeling made me doubt that sliver of hope.


    With some tape I fixed the flashlight to the rifle, it did unbalance it a little but at the moment I did not want to risk being blind in the dark. My eyes were somewhat adjusting but I couldn''t see more than a meter ahead of me without flash light.


    A black door on the left side of the current room seemed to lead us down into that room. I waited for anyone to complain, to call it a bullshit plan or chicken out but in the end nobody protested.


    With a sigh of resignation I pulled it open. It creaked loudly and my heart dropped for a second.


    Nothing happened.


    I opened it wider, this time it didn''t make a sound.


    A metal catwalk hung suspended in the air held up by thick bars of steel that protruded from the wall. Only a set of thin iron bars prevented me from tumbling down. My footsteps were making rhythmic clangs, each sounding ear shattering to my nerve wracked ears. The ambience was making even the smallest sound feel like an earthquake.


    I could even hear Project Z''s furred paws touch the metal underneath her feet.


    A metal staircase descended downwards running alongside the wall like a grim shadow. I slightly aimed the beam of the flashlight towards the mainstage to check if that ''thing'' was still in its place.


    It was, I could make out more details. It was taller than I thought, definitely not human sized. Its head, assuming that triangular shape was his head, was stuffing its face into something. Muffled moaning noises came from his direction, like flesh being mauled. It gave me the idea it was eating. Then it struck me what those smaller shapes near the creature were. Human bodies.


    I heaved in a deep sigh. ''Almost out of this hellhole.''


    Without startling the creature I drifted the flashlight away and focused on getting down the stairs trying not to make noise.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The moaning became louder as I descended down the stairs, first it was like a background noise but when my feet came in contact with solid ground it had swelled to a chompy eating sound, loud enough to overshadow my own footsteps, not sure if that was a good thing or not.


    I gazed around. We were in a corner, a set of doors was to our right and the left wall led deeper down the rows of seats, towards the main stage.


    "What is that?" Fay whispered from my right.


    {It''s hungry.} Luna calmly answered. {I can sense that much.}


    No shit. I gazed towards the main stage.


    I could see it had humanoid legs and was roughly shaped like a human, though in a very broad sense. It still had its back turned towards us and I suspected it couldn''t hear very well.


    "Lead the way." I whispered towards Project Z.


    She gulped but moved forward, hesitantly walking past the rows of empty seats. I deduced that this must have been some sort of lecture room. The monster kept making noises as we drew closer to the main stage.


    I took small steps, one foot in front of the other while I kept the flashlight beam aimed ahead of us but made sure that the light didn''t touch the monster. I could barely hear another sound besides the moaning and my own heartbeat.


    Suddenly the monster began making a choking noise, its body began to stir and twitch, as if he was in pain or something. We all stopped walking and I dimmed the brightness of my flashlight.


    It stood upright and dropped the thing it was holding between its arms, no not arms. The creature had no arms, instead it had two huge blade-like appendages. When it stood up I could see I had severely underestimated the size of this thing. It was tall, much taller than a human. Maybe twice even. It had stalky long legs and an insect-like head. It stood on its hind legs, stretching out into one big monstrous shape. In the faint light coming from the control room I could see a triangular shaped head that reminded me a lot of those old alien movies. It had a wide gaping mouth that it pointed up at the ceiling, slowly widening its jaw to an impossible length.


    Looking at it felt like seeing a ''what is this Pok¨¦mon'' trivia question, except more twisted and impossible.


    When its jaw had stretched out far enough it unleashed a hellish shriek. The ground began vibrating, the air rumbled and dust fell down from the ceiling. An almost physical wave of air tore through the chamber, every muscle in my body tensed and a sick feeling of sickness came over me while my eardrums were assaulted on all sides.


    The scream quickly faded away and the feeling of sickness was replaced by a sense of extreme dread. The creature in the shadows shifted its head towards us with a dry clicking noise.


    Without thinking I aimed the gun, and by extension my flashlight, onto its head.


    The first thought that crossed my mind was abstract horror. It had no eyes, only empty sockets. Its impossible big mouth was only held together by a few narrow strings of deep red flesh but besides that its face was a weird skull with only a thin layer of skin.


    When I saw its hands, or long scythes that had replaced its hands, I understood what I was looking at.


    A Kabutops. A monstrous bastardized version of that fossil Pok¨¦mon at least. It''s mouth was covered with blood, the same went for its two massive scythes, each one bigger than I was.


    I couldn''t move. My mind was terrified, I could not move. I know I should but my body refused to work.


    This thing was so big. Much bigger than a normal Kabutops would be. A pile of mangled corpses laid down his feet, not just human corpses, I saw the bodies of different Pok¨¦mon as well. All put together into a throne of gore.


    I could not pull my gaze away. I knew I should move but fear took over me.


    My flashlight suddenly began to flicker, that probably saved my life. The monster appeared and disappeared with each flicker, everytime it came a little closer. I don''t know what caused my flashlight to go haywire but it managed to distract me long enough to regain my senses and pull my gaze away. When it stopped flickering and the beam became steady again I saw a silver gleam above my head. Instinctively I duck to the right, underneath a row of seats. A high pitched whistling noise was followed by a loud clang. The view in front of me was replaced by my own reflection.


    I gazed up and saw one of the massive scythes had pierced the ground right in front of face. The second scythe was already in motion as I registered the first one. I ducked my head just in time as the blade tore through the air above me. I swear I felt my hair being moved by the wind.


    "Fucking fight!" I screamed from the bottom of my lungs. The monstrous Kabutops opened his mouth wide and howled a high pitched scream of its own which almost peeled the flesh of my skin.


    It took a step forward, causing tremors as he did.


    My Pok¨¦mon sprung into action. Luna fired a Psybeam while I saw Fay disappear into a quick attack. I had no idea where Project Z was. She had apparently enough presence of mind to hide like a coward.


    The Kabutops created an ear shattering crunching noise. It slashed in front of itself and tore through a section of seats like they were made of butter.


    Luna managed to jump out of the initial slash but was hit in the head by the top end of a chair that was blown away by Kabutops'' powerful slash.


    The Kirlia stumbled for a second and Kabutops raised its gigantic scythe overhead.


    Fay suddenly smashed into Kabutops'' leg and slashed away at it with her shining claws.


    It did not do much damage but the gigantic monster got distracted and peeled its gaze away from the unbalanced Kirlia and faced Fay.


    The monster answered by lowering its gaping head and it tried to snatch Fay up with its wide jaw.


    Fay leaped back just as the jaws snapped close. A LSD colored laser hit it in the face and another scream was unleashed by Kabutops.


    It angrily kicked Fay aside and charged blindly towards Luna, every step an earthquake in its own right. Before it could however I had aimed my rifle on the monster and pulled the trigger.


    All of the sudden the dark room was suddenly lit by multiple bright flashes.


    The air fizzled and crackled as I unloaded charge after charge on the beast. All my anger and frustrations into pulling the trigger and keeping it on the monster. Years of playing fps games finally paid off as I successfully managed to land most of the shots.


    Between the violent flashes of blue and yellow I saw the Kabutops struggle underneath my constant barrage of fire. It had collapsed and was now lying on the ground with the cut up furniture.


    I didn''t let go of the trigger. With sick satisfaction I simply watched the giant monster crumble.


    However its spastic movements became less frantic every second that passed.


    The smile on my face turned into horrified shock when it slowly moved its scythe in front of its body and started deflecting all my shots.


    No deflecting was the wrong word. Every shot of electricity that came in connection with its two scythes completely disappeared. It didn''t get absorbed or traveled down its blade. It straight up got erased from existence.


    Between shots it had managed to shield its body and now it slowly rose to its feet. I adjusted my aim accordingly but the monster moved its scythe again to block it.


    I snarled and bit my lip as my weapon had become useless. I stopped shooting it as a sense of dread came over me.


    Purple rays were shot across the room but Kabutops swung his scythe towards them and dispelled the psychic energy, erasing it like waves destroying a message left in sand.


    Kabutops rose to its full length again and screamed.


    It moved its body into a different position and without a warning it shot towards me with an explosive burst of speed.


    I realized I should totally run when the monster was already in my face, ripping through the interior of the room like it was made of mere cardboard. Its gigantic jaw opened right in front of me.


    Without even thinking about it I hit him with the butt of the rifle, bringing it down onto its lower jaw like it was an actual dagger.


    A painful wail followed as I felt the rifle hit something soft and fleshy.


    I pulled it out and tried to get over a row of seats as I saw one of its blades swing my way.


    My heart sagged as I immediately realized I could not move fast enough to get outside its range.


    The blade swung down but was intercepted by a second, much smaller, blade.


    Fay stood on top of a torn down chair holding a flaming sword above her head. She was holding off the scythe with all her efforts. Sweat was dripping down her face but despite her tiredness she still held a furious expression.


    "I won''t let you hurt him!" The Riolu spat.


    It was like witnessing a David vs Goliath scene, an Arthurian legend played right in front of me. The ghostly blue flames were burning more voraciously than ever before. Casting the entire room in a soft blue haze.


    The monster screamed and took a step towards Fay, its empty eye sockets somehow managed to contain so much rage.


    It pressed on and with a loud scream it broke through Fay''s Aura sword, turning it into a mess of glowing blue shards.


    Fay''s eyes widened. The scythe continued its descent and ripped down on Fay. She managed to roll to the side but was caught in her back by the edge of the Kabutops'' blade.


    "Aaaah!" A painful shriek chilled the room. The Riolu fell to the ground and let out a continuous wail. I aimed my light over her and saw that she was struggling to get up.


    Red liquid seeped down her back and colored her blue fur in a deep red color. She forced her mouth closed and tried to get up but her legs were shaking too much. She fell over and revealed a deep gash running over her back where the Kabutops had hit her.


    ''Impossible.'' I thought blankly as I stared at the blood seeping out. That should not be happening.


    "Recall her!" A voice hissed. I looked down and saw a small purple rat hiding underneath a seat. "She''s going to bleed to death!"


    That shouldn''t be possible. Pok¨¦mon almost never sustain lethal damage during a fight, their weird powers made sure of that. Only when damaged badly or caught by surprise, besides that they don''t really receive any real damage to their bodies.


    Yet reality said no and a red pattern was spreading across her back.


    Luna had picked up the fight with Kabutops and was throwing chairs across the room which only served to annoy Kabutops as it literally cut its way towards Luna.


    With cold sweat on my hands I grabbed Fay? Pok¨¦ball and pointed it at her.


    "No!" Fay protested. "I can still fight."


    I pressed the button and a beam of light sped towards the bleeding Riolu. It engulfed her completely and I could see her horrified expression on her face before the light sucked her in.


    Across the room the Kabutops had singled in on Luna. She was firing rays and lasers but each one was deflected by its scythes.


    It opened its bloody mouth and lurched forward like it tried to swallow up Kirlia. She stumbled out of the way just in time.


    A fake version of her had appeared but the monster ignored them completely and focused on the real Luna like it could not even see the fake ones.


    I pulled the trigger on my gun. I completely missed my target and hit the wall.


    Kabutops turned its empty skeletal head towards me. With an almost impossible calm I adjusted my shot and pulled again.


    My aim was true but Kabutops had learned from its last encounter and used its massive scythes as shields again and every shot was dispelled.


    "We need to head for the exit." The small Ratata was still audible, even as I kept firing at Kabutops. It was slowly moving its bottom body behind its scythes like it was preparing for a sprint.


    "I know," I groaned back. "Can you turn into something that can fly me?"


    I spotted Luna running towards me, making a wide arc around the room in order to avoid my fire. I kept hitting the monster with electric bullet''s and even though they didn''t seem to harm it they managed to pin it down and my rifle didn''t seem to require a reload.


    A source of light swelled up next to me, from the corner of my eyes I could see a small rodent grow in size and shape until it became bigger than me.


    Luna had finally reached me and without waiting I yelled. "Get up!"


    I felt tiny arms wrap around my back. As the ballerina Pokemon jumped onto my back and latched onto me, the Kabutops hurled a scream and I saw its leg bend inwards.


    I let go of the trigger and looked left. A big avian bird with brown talons had taken its place. There was no time to admire it, or her considering it was still the Zorua, just in the form of a Pidgeot.


    I jumped onto her back, trying to find some semblance of grip while still holding onto the gun for my dear life. Slippery feathers provided absolutely no grip and I was forced to swing my arms and legs around the bird''s body,


    This was all while the bird was trying to take off. It was hastily flapping its huge brown colored wings, clearly struggling to lift herself off the ground.


    Project Z managed to do it against all odds and with a sudden swoop she flew straight up, generating a shockwave in the process.


    Underneath us the monster slashed through the air, only a mere second away from us. Its skeletal head looked up and screamed towards us.


    I was about to yell at Project Z to fly higher when I almost hit my head against the ceiling of the room.


    Panicked, I gazed down and saw that the Kabutops couldn''t reach us despite his monstrous size. It noticed the same thing and started howling and screaming at us while it was blindly slashing above its head, thrashing around like a blender that came to life.


    "What is that thing?" I muttered horrified.


    {Don''t know,} Luna said from behind me. {Please just leave.}


    Pidgeot began flying towards the mainstage where our supposed exit was but the monster kept following us from the ground.


    When we flew above the big stage at the end of the room it jumped onto which caused a minor earthquake. Project Z swooped up before it could catch us out of the air.


    "Well what are you waiting for?" An exhausted voice came from the Pidgeot, "Shoot it and kill that thing. It can''t block the three of us."


    The angle the Pidgeot provided was amazing, it allowed us to attack the lengthy monster from above where it couldn''t even reach us. If we inflict enough damage we might be able to put it down.


    I took a deep breath. I was so done with this place and for the first time I felt no qualms about killing a living being. I am not a murderer but that thing, I was willing to make an exception for it. After all, it was barely alive.


    I moved the muzzle of my rifle over the bird''s shoulders and checked the crosshair for a brief second.


    "Go to hell."


    I pulled the trigger.


    Both Luna and I unleashed fire upon it. Lasers, electricity and Psychic powers weaved together into a beam of pure light that shone down on the monster. Dark-red-ish energy came from the bird I was riding and shot down on the Kabutops, combining into the beam and feeding it even more power.


    Like a vampire it crumpled under the light, its legs gave away and it fell to the ground. The blades tried to cover its body but the combined power was too much and passed through every gap in its defense, pinning it to the ground while the room bathed in the light.


    It howled and shuddered and for a second it looked as if its leg was burned by the glowing blade of light.


    A mad grin spread over my lips, it was a glorious sight. A light in the dark.


    I kept pressing the trigger, not caring I was holding it down so hard it was starting to hurt. We were literally burning away through its legs like a laser from god.


    Then the worst thing that could happen happened. My gun stopped working.


    A panic spread over me as I repeatedly pulled the trigger but I got nothing, only dry clicks.


    "Nononono." I started to yell, not sure if I felt angry or just straight up horrified. All I knew was that I wanted to unleash a scream of my own.


    The beam of light faded in power, as if my rifle was the conductor; both attacks fell apart into two separated attacks that no longer had the supreme firepower they once held.


    I kept pulling the trigger but nothing happened.


    A victorious growl came from underneath us, I gazed down and saw Kabutops had maneuvered its blade up and blocked the incoming attacks with much ease. It bend through it legs, almost as if preparing for a-


    "Dive!" I screamed.


    Like a cricket Kabutops suddenly launched itself up, generating a loud crackle as it ripped through the air on a crash course towards us. Its scythes flashing silver in the dark.


    Pidgeot glowed a fierce white and next second nothing was keeping me in the air.


    Gravity took over and I suddenly fell face first back to the ground. I twisted my arms in the split second I perceived that I would land on my face.


    The next moment I hit the ground and a horrible wave of pain set my nerves on fire. Up was down and the entire room was pitch black yet filled with stars.


    I bit my tongue and felt something tasting like metal inside my mouth. Apparently I had landed on my arms and knees by sheer luck. Or atleast, those parts seemed to hurt the most. Every bone in my body protested as I tried to move but I refused to scream.


    I swallowed the metal tasting liquid and tried to let the adrenaline take over.


    My eyes were open and the stars had faded. I couldn¡¯t see shit. My gun with the flashlight was lying next to me, still intact. I slowly got up and reached for it.


    It felt as if my arm was made of wood and I was bending it too far. I continued regardless and managed to slip my hand around the barrel.


    Finally being able to see, I swung my flashlight around, I found Luna lying somewhere to my left. She wasn''t moving, I assumed, no, only hoped she was just unconscious. Project Z was nowhere to be seen of course. I really wanted to yell at her for dropping me like that.


    I sluggishly recalled Luna using her Pok¨¦ball. I tugged it away and moved the beam around.


    The short drop had taken me to the stage.


    I was cold, confused and fucked out of my mind. The beam of the flashlight kept moving and they landed on a large blade that showed my own reflection.


    Wondering where it came from I shone it up and saw a monstrous creature attached to the blade.


    It raised the cleaver and in that moment I felt so small compared to this monster.


    I could only stare up at the behemoth towering over me, my mouth wide and my mind blank. Perplexedly I wondered if this was Fate''s plan all along. A long cruel joke that ended with her main hero dying in a dark pit, all alone.


    If it wasn''t me I would have thought it was kind of ironic.


    There was just so much more I wanted to do, I wanted to know how this world came to be. How will it end and the most important question. Why me?


    Then a strange sensation came over me, I felt something warm and soft wrap around my middle. With a sudden force I was pulled back.


    A metallic clang was followed by the sound of wood splintering. The blade had forced it way through the stage and obliterated the spot I just sat.


    The warm hands that pulled me away again pulled me closer. I was surrounded on all sides by this warm and soft feeling like I was being embraced. I gazed up and saw I was ensnared into a hug by a mask wearing Pok¨¦mon. A warm smile was on her face and 2 eyes stared at me with such warmth I felt my heart melt.


    "Fros." She whispered into my ears.


    I couldn''t move, even if I wanted to. The surprising warm hug was all encompassing and in that moment it felt endless.


    If only I could close my eyes and just slip away.


    A monstrous scream interrupted that moment of serenity. The eyes behind the mask shot up and narrowed into a glare. The warm hug faded away, the arms unwound and I was released.


    For some reason it felt way too quick.


    Froslass moved in front of me, floating over the stage like it was made of ice. She looked back and I saw she had that smile on her face...the same smile as before but it felt different. It looked as if she was somehow happier.


    How did she even get here? My mind still felt fuzzy.


    "Froslass." The masked creature said, giving me a final look before turning away to face the monster.


    It was towering over her, despite that she did not falter or show fear in any way. Kabutops moved its head down to snatch her up but she plunged her arm forward and shoved it off the stage with an almost explosive force.


    In the dark I saw the silver gleam of its blades. Froslass chased after it just as a crescent shaped doom sliced horizontally towards her. A pillar of ice spurted from the ground and stopped the blade dead in its tracks. It hit the ice but bounced off. A hateful growl followed and was answered by a furious snarl from Froslass. They began attacking each other in a deadly dance of blades and shields. At that moment I felt like I was witnessing a fight between two gods.


    It went all too fast for me, I heard the sounds of battle and saw flashes of silver and blue meet in the dark but I couldn''t understand anything of it. It was as my mind was moving through a pool of glue.


    I couldn''t take my eyes off the spectacle anyway, it was so entrancing.


    "We can escape now," A Zorua appeared next to me. She was hissing and had one eye focused on the battle.


    "Shouldn''t we¡­" I tried to look for the right words but I couldn''t find them. My thoughts felt sluggish.


    "Do what?" Project Z asked. "We are out of our league here, let''s move it. You promised to help me escape!"


    Did I?


    I wasn''t sure but I did know that I had to get out of here. I don''t want to die here, not like this. I ignored all the pain in my body and got up. There was a door in the wall at the end of the stage. Only a couple meters away. A sign above the worn door read: Employees only.


    Zorua opened the door, she turned into an Aipom to reach the doorknob before turning back. She was urging me to move faster.


    A yellow old looking lightbulb burned inside the room, I could see boxes and crates inside it alongside a fire extinguisher and a green painted ladder that was barely a ladder, more like metal bars attached to the wall then a ladder.


    I struggled my way towards the door, my body was hurting like hell but I had to keep going. I just focused on moving one foot in front of the other, ignoring the sounds of battling behind me.


    The realization that I looked more like an automaton than a human in that moment crossed my mind, despite the soreness I made it to the door.


    It was a small room, barely a storage closet. My gaze went up and I saw no ceiling, only a ladder that stretched out into the darkness.


    "Come on, let''s go!" Project Z urged.


    I was about to start climbing when a shouting cry stopped me. I turned around and looked back at the stage.


    The battle had ended.


    Kabutops had blue marks of frostbite rotting out over its body and was noticeably in pain. It was making raspy breaths that sounded like it could die any moment.


    The entire room was littered with random structures of ice. Amidst the torn open floor and shredded seats was a Froslass lying on the floor. Her mask was cracked, a thin line was spreading over it like it was made of glass. Blood flowed down her face from underneath her mask.


    She was pinned to the floor, one scythe had pierced her main body and created a red gaping wound. The other blade was raised up in the air, midway down for a final descent to the head.


    Time seemed to slow down, her eyes met mine. Blood covered and beaten badly yet she still managed to look like it was the happiest moment in her life. She mouthed a single word before returning to that smile, blood leaking out of her mouth as she kept smiling.


    Then, I saw nothing. Ice began to crystallize the thin air in front of me, I stepped back and witnessed a white layer of ice barricade the entrance, spreading out like a pool of ink across a 2d dimensional surface.


    Dazed, I hit it with my fist, only to confirm that it was very cold and didn''t even budge the frozen barricade. I couldn''t see through the ice, it was almost pure white.


    I stared in silence at the wall. Confused, scared and worried. I heard Project Z talk but I didn''t say anything, just kept staring.


    I couldn''t see what happened but when I heard a deafening crack followed by a loud splash I felt a knot in my stomach twist and turn.


    Without saying a word I slung the gun over my shoulder and turned to face the ladder.


    I began climbing.

 84. Until Dawn

    Chapter 84:


    Until Dawn


    <hr>


    Climbing up the vent to the surface was one of the easiest things I ever did. My body was on auto-pilot and my mind was just...blank.


    I wasn''t thinking of anything, I just moved up the ladder. Wrapping my fingers around the cold metal, pulling myself up and letting go of it. Over and over in a seemingly endless cycle.


    My arms felt heavy and tingly and I was tempted to just drop myself but I kept moving.


    Project Z was holding onto me, using the backpack as a seat.


    Sweat made my hands slippery so I clutched the bars with all my strength which hurt even more.


    It was completely dark up there, the light from the room below us could only reach so far and was now only a mere spot in the darkness below.


    One hand over the other; I continued.


    And then the ladder stopped.


    "We''re there!" Zorua excitedly exclaimed. "Hold on, I''ll open the lock."


    I felt the Pokemon above me move, I heard a dry clicking noise followed by a loud metal screech. Paws pushed into my head like someone was forcefully rubbing me.


    Suddenly a pale light shone into the manhole. I gazed up and felt a breath of fresh air in my face. I saw a metal door that was shaped like a vault wide open above me.


    Project Z jumped off my shoulders and I climbed out of the hole. My hands felt moist grass. Petrichor was almost overwhelming my senses.


    I stood up and blinked. Blinked again and again, slowly the realization that it was over dawned on me. I was no longer down in that horrible maze, no more monsters.


    "Are...are those¡­" I looked down and saw the black fox Pok¨¦mon staring straight up at the sky, her mouth agape.


    I followed her gaze. Dark tree tops loomed above but only at the edge of my vision.


    A star filled sky shone brightly above our heads. Thousands of tiny specks of lights twinkled down on us.


    "Are those stars?" Project Z didn''t take her gaze away from the sky. Neither did I. It was a beautiful sight, after all, there were no clouds and it wasn''t even that cold.


    "I''ve been to the surface before." Project Z spoke. "But there were no stars in the sky."


    "Light pollution." I muttered automatically.


    "What?" Project Z snapped her focus on me.


    "The stars only shine when it''s dark enough." I calmly answered.


    We were in the middle of nowhere again, no big cities that would ruin the view. No loud noises, just this beautiful sight that made me wish I could just stand there for all eternity.


    Of course we can''t have nice things in life, reality caught up with me and I was painfully dragged back.


    I heard a loud barking coming from behind me, it sounded like a dog.


    We were standing in what seemed to be a large grove of trees. The moon was bright enough to see quite well in the dark.


    Red eyes were looking at me from the treeline. Without flinching I drew a golden gun and had it loaded and pointed at the beast hiding in the bushes


    It emerged from the shadows, a big dog like Pok¨¦monn with horns curling up behind its head like a satyr.


    I was about to pull the trigger when I realized a human was standing next to the Houndom. It was a bald guy wearing clothes I recognized as a police uniform.


    It was hard to say who was shocked the most but the police dude reacted faster. He opened his mouth and loudly shouted. "We got a live one!"


    Multiple shouts came from somewhere I couldn''t see and answered his call. The replies sounded like gibberish to me. My sluggish mind considered if I should shoot him or not.


    Before I could, more people and Pok¨¦mon came into view. Staring at me, some of them were confused as well while others were looking like they were ready to tear me apart.


    One of the newcomers was holding a bright light that almost blinded me when I looked at it. I heard surprised and shocked mumbles which melted together into one confusing blur of background noise.


    The Zorua cautiously took shelter behind my legs.


    "Dust?" A person from behind the light called out to me. They took a step forward and I was met with a familiar face.


    Purple eyes scanned over me, her purple hair danced in the wind. There was way too much purple in my opinion. I shook my head and focused my attention.


    "Hylla?" I blinked.


    "Stand back." the purple haired lady didn''t immediately reply. Instead she began talking to the people I couldn''t see. She appeared to be shouting orders. The light dimmed and most of the people dispersed, back to do whatever they did.


    A thin line broadened into a smile as I finally put all the dots together. "Wait Hylla?"


    She was done with telling people to fuck off and approached me cautiously, her eyes fixed on me like I could explode any moment. "Dust, what kind of plushy did you receive in Sunbright Town?"


    I frowned, wondering what she was talking about. After cranking my mind about it I answered the question nonetheless. "A Pidgey plush. It had a camera hidden inside it."


    My smile disappeared. That was not fun at all.


    A grin appeared on Hylla''s face though. Her posture relaxed and she approached me, revealing her Luxray had been charging up an attack behind her. It sizzled away but the blue lion''s eyes never strayed away from me.


    Hylla suddenly embraced me and for a second I was just too confused to process what was going on. I subtly stuffed away the gun as she hugged me.


    The hug was alright, not gonna lie but I was too confused to feel comfortable. Hylla pulled back and let out a sigh of relief.


    She was dressed in a jacket with a black shirt under it. Her blue jeans had red stains on them, like she had been wading through blood.


    "I thought you were stuck down there," as Hylla spoke she created tiny clouds of condensation in the air. She shivered and pressed her arms against her body. "I was already setting up an operation to retrieve you." A knowing grin appeared on her face, "Of course I should have known you would escape on your own."


    Well this was awkward.


    I felt like I should be mad at Hylla for sending me down there as a favor. It was her fault I ended up in that hell hole. Yet at the same time I felt too tired to be mad. Screaming felt like too much trouble and I was afraid I would break down if I did..


    However a smaller voice in my conscience argued that no matter my reasoning, it was me who went down there. I knew it wouldn''t be good, despite that I made the decision to do it even though I could have easily refused it.


    Why did I go down there? There was nothing for ''me'' to gain.


    I yawned and looked at the girl in front of me.


    She genuinely looked relieved to see me. I decided to put being mad on hold.


    With a bigger effort then I''d like to admit I smiled. "I was stressing for a second but you know, I''m like Houdini when it comes to escaping death."


    "Houdini?" Hylla arched her eyebrows. "Wait, how did you even get here? The elevators are jammed."


    I stepped to the side and pointed at the hatch I came through. It was really easy to miss, especially in the dark grass in which it was buried like some evil well.


    "That also leads into the facility," I said, "There''s a ladder that goes to the first floor."


    A grim expression spread over my face as I thought about what happened. I was still not sure about it but I felt that thinking about it would make it worse. I turned my gaze away from the hatch. "You shouldn''t go down there."


    "Explain." Hylla challenged.


    "Not now," I murmured. I definitely did not want to talk about what happened in that lecture room. "My Pok¨¦mon need healing, and I might need a checkup as well."


    I moved my sleeve and showed her my arm. "I think I am supposed to have feelings in my arm but it is just numb."


    And covered with blood apparently. My eyes widened when I noticed multiple wooden splinters had nestled themselves into my arm. Weird how I never notice that kind of stuff. Well at least it explained why I had so much trouble using that arm.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Hylla''s eyes widened. "You come with me right now!"


    She pulled me by my other arm. Project Z darted after me, following in silence. Hylla gave me a questioning look.


    "My new Pok¨¦mon, long story." I shrugged.


    Hylla gave me a skeptic look but I just stared at her with a blank expression which convinced her to drop the subject.


    The Zorua in question raised an eyebrow but I ignored her as well.


    Hylla led me back to the main part of the Red Orphanage where it had all started. We passed a shitload of humans and Pok¨¦mon. Some of the humans present looked like they were some kind SWAT team with even bigger Pok¨¦mon accompanying them. One of them even had a real rifle which I wanted to touch but Hylla pulled me away before I could. White blankets were put over the corpses that previously were all over the place but now had been put in a neat row like some weird sleepover.


    Some sort of camp was set up with big spotlights aimed at the lodge holding the elevator.


    We passed a woman with raven black hair and an ugly scar on her hand. Hylla told her quickly about the manhole that led into the facility and told her to guard it. I thought it sounded like a sex joke in the making but I was too tired to speak up.


    After that Hylla brought me to a big tent which had multiple medical beds set up, they reminded me of the hospital wing with the Copy Garden Victreebel. There was even a deadly guard lying on one of the tables which made me involuntarily flinch.


    Things went pretty smooth from there. I was ordered to sit down and hand over my Pok¨¦balls. I warned them about Fay''s condition which resulted in a horrified look from the doctor and everyone in hearing range.


    I explained there was a huge Kabutops that managed to cut through all her defenses. That one gave me more horrified looks and more questions but the doctor, a guy who didn''t look to be older than 30, told them to leave me alone and get back to business.


    My Pok¨¦balls were taken from me, Fay was apparently injured so badly they had to treat her at the Pok¨¦mon Center, Luna was alright though, she just needed regular healing.


    They somehow transported them away using computers before I could even protest. Hylla pinched my shoulder and I looked up.


    She smiled and said they would be alright. It was a bit clich¨¦ because I knew they would be alright but I felt so defenseless without them.


    Then it was my turn. I asked for morphine or something but the doctor said I was already high as a Talonflame which was not true at all, I was fairly sure I was not even a meter above the ground.


    The doctor first removed the splinters in my arm which was indeed surprisingly painless. He cleaned the wound with alcohol and bandaged it. After that he looked me over and asked me how I got injured.


    I told them I fell which got a chuckle out of Hylla but that turned into a grimace when I added; from 10 meters (32 feet) high.


    Not sure if it was 10 meters but I like round numbers and it certainly felt like a drop of 10 meters.


    The doctor used a weird device that was similar to the thing people at airports used to check for metal except with this one provided a live view of my bones.


    I thought it was pretty dope and thought that this kind of technology would give doctors in my old world wet dreams but the doctor only looked grim.


    "It appears you fractured multiple bones," he paused as I moved said broken arm without any effort. "But somehow they have all healed at an astounding speed."


    I frowned. Did I break something? I did remember a horrible pain when I hit the floor but it had all dissipated when...


    A needle was put in my arm, causing me to wince. I really hate needles, always have and I hated it more when I couldn''t get a warning. The doctor gave me an apologetic smile and pushed the needle in even deeper. Red liquid was pumped up and he withdrew the needle. He gave me a piece of cotton and told me to press it against that spot which made it feel tingly.


    The doctor transferred the blood into a small vial which he proceeded to shake. After 10 seconds he stopped and my blood began to emit a blue glow.


    "Mmm, a large concentration of Aura residue in your blood."


    "What?"


    "Like I thought, you were healed by a Pok¨¦mon," he shared nonchalantly. "Physically you are fine, a night''s sleep should bring you back to peak condition."


    "Your Riolu doesn''t know any healing moves right?" Hylla curiously asked.


    I shook my head. "It wasn''t Fay who healed me."


    A pang of guilt shot over me, a knot in my stomach twisted. Zorua stared at me, wide eyed but didn''t say anything, indicating she had made the connection as well.


    I cast my eyes down, not sure what to do except feeling bad.


    The doctor spoke to Hylla, giving her some advice which reminded me Hylla was technically a doctor as well. Hylla nodded respectfully and they seemed to have reached an agreement.


    The doctor handed me a sheet of paper with a string of numbers printed on it.


    "You might physically be fine, a bit high on Aura but that will fade away quickly."


    "Then what is this for?" I was confused.


    He pointed at my head. "I don''t know how you are doing mentally, that''s outside of my expertise but this person should be able to help you further."


    I looked down at the sheet of paper and recognized the string of numbers as a phone number. I nodded and made a promise to call it tomorrow.


    Hylla pulled me out of the tent. Project Z followed of course, we were back at the Red Orphanage and I had hoped things would settle down but me being there was still a big deal. People looked at me with weird looks, I didn''t say anything about it and the people just kept staring, some less subtle than others.


    It made me feel uncomfortable anyway.


    One of the people who was initially staring approached us. It was a young guy with short snow-white hair and black eyes. He wore a protective vest and had a gun holstered on his belt.


    A Crobat sat perched on his shoulder, wings folded around its body like a vampire. He shot me a quick look before returning to Hylla. "We breached the elevator shaft, Miss Shiner."


    His voice was a bit shaky from the cold.


    Hylla opened her mouth to speak but I was faster. "If you see a giant Kabutops, don''t engage it. Use long ranged attacks to pin it down and keep damaging it constantly."


    The guy turned his black eyes on me. "There''s a giant Kabutops down there!?"


    "Some of the experiments down there breached containment," I went on. "They are not like normal Pok¨¦mon."


    "Seriously?" He asked incredulously. I somehow had the idea this guy was pretty new to the job. Watching him squirm was kinda fun.


    "Oh yeah, there''s a Victreebel on the second floor''s medical wing. If you kill it the Victreebel will duplicate itself, like a Hydra."


    "What is a Hydra?" Hylla narrowed her eyes.


    I shook my head as I realized my error. Before Hylla could ask more questions I knelt down and opened my backpack. "Almost forgot."


    The black box was still plugged into my Pok¨¦dex. The screen shared it had successfully copied the files. I detached the Pok¨¦dex and put it back in my backpack while I got up, still holding the black box.


    "Is that?" Hylla stared at it..


    I nodded and tossed it at her, she almost dropped it once she caught it. "A power outage occurred while copying the files but most of it should be on there.


    "What is that?" the white haired guy asked.


    Hylla''s eyes glazed with an almost childlike glee. She managed to regain her composure however and turned to face the new guy. "Tell the Vanguard team to stay on standby. Get someone to go over the contents of this drive. If they did experiment with Pok¨¦mon down there, we should know what to expect."


    The guy gave her an almost relieved nod. He was about to turn around but gave me a quick smile before he did.


    "Damn, that Kabutops sounds like a nightmare. I¡¯m glad you went in first, we owe you one." His smile broadened. "Thanks a lot!"


    I didn''t catch his name as Hylla hurried me away, her eyes stuck on the black box like it was a christmas present.


    She brought me to a small green bird Pok¨¦mon that was, well, not exactly sure what it was doing besides staring at a tree bark for no apparent reason.


    Hylla stopped dragging me and smiled at me. "Don''t worry, we''ll fix this mess."


    "I doubt that."


    She rolled her eyes. "Have a little faith. You gave us the perfect start for this operation." Her eyes drifted towards the Red Orphanage, "We''ll put a stop to this nightmare. Meanwhile, you should get some rest."


    "Are you in charge?" I asked her, first making sure no one but that weird Natu was in our near vicinity.


    Hylla grunted. "Against my will, yeah."


    "Huh?"


    "The League is conducting an internal investigation into the possibility of moles," she rolled her eyes. "They appointed me to oversee this place and protect it until they can sort things out, but considering there are also unknown Pok¨¦mon down there that might escape, time is of the essence."


    "You don''t sound very happy with that." I noted.


    "Duh," Hylla gave me a dark look. "This is above my paygrade! I should be investigating things, not be dumb muscles!"


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.


    I was scared she was going to shout again but she managed to calm herself. "You know," she said almost inaudible, "It''s weird how things always unravel around you, don''t you think?"


    "Unravel?" I frowned.


    "Nothing," she shook her head with a smile. "Anyway, I''m sending you to a Pok¨¦mon Center so you can get some sleep and see your Pok¨¦mon."


    "You need help?"


    Hylla smiled. "You need sleep more than I need your help."


    Before I could say anything the world around me blurred. I saw the tiny green bird''s eyes swirl and pulse with power. Project Z held onto my leg with her paws at the last second before I was pulled through the fabric of space.


    The world twisted until I was no longer outside, the wind disappeared abruptly and was replaced by a gentle room temperature.


    I was standing in what appeared to be a standard Pok¨¦mon Center lobby. Red furniture, a long desk and tv screens all over the walls. Yup, I was teleported.


    "What the fuck?" I heard a female voice cry out.


    It was the Zorua. She frantically started looking around. Her eyes wide and mouth wide. "Did we just get teleported?"


    "Yeah."


    "Dust Wildfire." a woman from behind the desk called out to me. "I was told you would arrive soon."


    "Where are we?" I asked immediately.


    "Floaroma Town," She knitted her eyebrows. "Do you feel alright?"


    She didn''t give me the time to answer. She started going through her stuff and retrieved a key. "Room 15, it''s upstairs. Don''t worry, your Pok¨¦mon will be brought to you in the morning."


    I took it and started heading down the hall towards the stairs. Project Z followed after me.


    Soft lights luminated the halls, we passed multiple closed doors.


    "Why did you say I was your Pok¨¦mon?" Project Z asked all of the sudden.


    I reached for the railing. "Well, I thought you would prefer some sleep before being questioned, after all it is your first taste of freedom."


    "Mmm," Project Z contemplated. "Yeah I suppose I would prefer a small break."


    We came to a stop in front of a wooden door with the number 15 on it. As I put the key inside the hole a grin spread out on Project Z''s face. "Already inviting me to your room? Isn''t it a bit early?"


    I didn''t look at her as I replied. "Sure, if you want to sleep in the hall¡­"


    "No, I''ll shut up," Project Z quickly said but with a lower voice she added. "For now."


    I opened the door, dropped my stuff without any care and watched the bed waiting for me in the corner of the room.


    The digital clock in the corner of the room read 3:10 in the morning.


    I handed Project Z a pillow, she refused it and hopped onto the bed instead. Deciding I was too tired to play games I just shoved her to the edge of the bed and crawled under the blankets, not even bothering to take off my clothes.


    The Zorua muttered something incoherently but curled up anyway, like how a dog would sleep.


    Deciding I was officially done with today I shut my eyes, trying to fall asleep.


    But I couldn''t fall asleep. The moment it became quiet in my head my mind started drifting towards the scenes I had witnessed down in Red Orphanage. I tried to distract myself by counting sheep and thinking about anything except that but my mind kept going in cycle.


    I always had thought that the world was boring and could use a bit more magic. Now I got that magic, I was transported to another world.


    For the first time I truly regretted being in this world.


    I''m not gonna lie. That night I cried myself to sleep.


    End of Arc 4: Serial Experiments

 85. Church of the Broken God

    Chapter 85:


    Church of the Broken God


    <hr>


    The Hunter¡¯s boots left a deep print in the tall grass, bending every twig and straw underneath it. Yet they slowly bend back in place the moment he stepped away. It wasn''t something supernatural that caused this, rather it was the thick foliage that had overgrown so much it became a struggle to get through, as if nature was physically rejecting them.


    "Cut!" He called out.


    A flash followed, a motion too quick to follow with the naked eye cut the tall grass and vines like a laser. A path was created in front of him, wide enough for him to comfortably pass through.


    Sliced leaves and straws rained down slowly and revealed a Pok¨¦mon that had been hiding in the grass. It was a Spearow. The bird shrieked a displeased cry before disappearing between the shadows of the trees.


    The Shiftry in front of the group, the one who had cut up the path, gave it a wary look, watching the bird Pok¨¦mon until it was out of sight.


    Everyone knew that most Spearow live in a flock and although a single Spearow was pathetically weak, a flock could spell your doom. It was not something he wouldn''t be able to weather but it would draw unwanted attention.


    "Are we getting close?" The Hunter grunted.


    "Certainly," the bald man croaked from behind him. His face wrinkled with excitement, revealing layers of unhealthy skin that looked like he had baby fat in all the wrong places. Like a shriveled up baby.


    Personally, he didn''t like the old man at all. He was weird but not in a funny way but in a creepy way. With his white doctor''s cloth and filthy mustache and his insistence on being called ''Doctor.''


    He just kept calling him Old Man, that¡¯s all he was after all. Well, an old man with powerful friends.


    More people followed the old man like a pack of newborn Zigzagoon. They too looked incredibly stupid, wearing clothes unfit for a deep forest with the burning hot sun, dragging along equipment that was doing nothing but slowing them down and adding dead weight.


    "Keep going," the old man said. Slime flung out of his throat as he spoke.


    The old man kept moving forward, one sickly limb in front of the other, every step looking like it could be the last.


    ''This person should be in a hospital, getting help,'' he thought but didn''t speak up.


    His Shiftry cut a way through the weeds and grass with persistence. Despite that, it felt like they were not making progress.


    The old man looked down at the device in his hands. It was vaguely shaped like a Pok¨¦dex but had a lot more wires and circuit boards sticking out of it. That and it was making an annoying sound.


    Tick¡­...tick¡­...tick¡­


    A dry monotonous sound that was somehow very familiar. It reminded him of a clock yet the rhythm threw him off.


    Tick¡­...tick¡­...tick¡­


    What were they even looking for? Normally he would not care but the heat, constant struggle through the tall grass and his less than useful companions made him feel like the thing they''re after better be great.


    Of course, it wouldn''t matter to him, he would get his end of the deal anyway.


    "Right there." The old man pointed towards the West.


    "Cut!"


    The wall of grass was thrown up in the air as his Shiftry decimated it to little pieces. He expected to find a new layer of this foliage nightmare but to his surprise, he was met with a small clearing.


    He stepped out of the grass and into the clearing. The air here felt different somehow, more free. The atmosphere was more relaxed. The Hunter¡¯s professional mask he had grown used to wearing dropped and for a short second he felt like his 10 year old self. A young child wanting nothing but to explore the world with his Seedot. Uncover mysteries and make a name for himself.


    The sight in front of him could have been taken straight out of a fairy tale. It seemed unreal, yet there it was.


    In the middle of the grove of trees stood a brick building. Stone walls and pillars rose out of the ground like the teeth of a mighty dragon. Bricks weaved together to form a structure he never expected to find in the middle of this forest.


    "Right where he said it would be." The old man dragged him out of his child-like fascination and reminded him he was in fact no longer that child who would marvel at this sight.


    His mouth curled up in a thin line as he took in his surroundings.


    A black fence surrounded the perimeter, extending in front of the main structure; forming a small garden. On the outer edge of the structure was something akin to a tower reaching for the skies. It rose above the treeline which was a miracle on its own considering the miserable state of this structure.


    "Inside," the old man''s voice croaked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.


    He ordered Shiftry to be cautious as he moved along the length of the fence, hoping to find an entrance. Vines had wrapped themselves along the black metal and grew in abundance. The paint on the rails had begun to flake and unpeel themselves, they must have been baked in the sun for decades on end.


    He found the entrance he was looking for in the form of a majestic looking gate. As expected, it was located in front of the entrance of this mysterious structure.


    As he strode around, the silence became more noticeable. No buzzing bug Pok¨¦mon, no wind rustling through the grass. Even the sound of his own footsteps became inaudible, they simply got swallowed by this place.


    His sense of tranquility was interrupted by the piercing screech when he opened the gate. The fence gate cried with every subtle movement as if the metalwork was being torn apart with force. The sound repeated itself when his companions struggled through the gate as well.


    He shut his eyes as each screech seemed to distance him from that peaceful feeling.


    The gate shut itself with a loud clang and he opened his eyes again.


    A stone path broke through the overgrown garden and snaked towards a set of stairs. Weeds had grown between each stone, separating them like bricks in a wall.


    A circle of pedestals stood in the courtyard, all of them evenly spaced away from each other. Most of the pillars broke midway and were left ruined but a few of the pedestals that were still intact had statues placed on top of them. Marble versions of strange Pok¨¦mon stood proudly, basking in the light of the sun, gleaming and basking in the awe of any would-be visitor.


    One of the statues caught his eyes, it was one he recognized. A 4 legged Pok¨¦mon with a long flowing mane and twirls spinning around its body like ribbons.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "That''s Suicune," he said out loud, not sure why but the silence was getting to him. "We once tried to catch it but that damn beast is faster than light."


    A painful memory flashed through his mind. It had all happened so fast.


    The Lady¡¯s idea had been simple, contaminating the water to attract the beast. Pumping a high voltage shock into the river and using mechanically produced soundwaves to keep Suicune from escaping.


    It was brilliant, being a water type and surrounded by water would have caused massive damage, even to a Legendary. That was until they discovered that pure water does not conduct electricity. Something about no minerals and metals being present inside the water. That quirk made their entire plan useless and they paid a hefty price for that discovery.


    He shook himself free from that awful memory and stared back at the Suicune statue. It stood there, almost as if it was mocking him. Why did that memory come to him, now? This place felt strange. Almost dreamlike.


    What was it doing here?


    "What is this place?"


    The people that had been following him cluelessly up till now had suddenly sprung to life and begun taking pictures and notes of the statues, excitedly talking among themselves.


    The old man replied with an eerie smile. "This is the Holy Shrine, dedicated to the Alpha." he dropped a dramatic pause. "The Holy One."


    Immediately after that, he laughed out loud. The laugh sounded like his lungs were clinging onto their last breath. He swore he saw red liquid being coughed out.


    "The Holy One?" the Hunter interrupted, not amused.


    The old man regained his composure. "Yes, horribly primitive if you ask me, but something of worth is here."


    Tick¡­...tick¡­...tick¡­


    He followed the old man as they followed the path towards a small staircase. In front of them were the remains of a door, scorched black at the edges and barely more than a piece of dry wood with metal strips on it.


    He gazed down and noticed a rusty chain lying on the ground. It looked as if it had been exposed to rain for a long time. The silver gleam of metal had long gone and was now replaced by a thick layer of red rust.


    The old man shoved the door out of its hinges and proceeded through the entrance. One of the four walls had collapsed in on itself. All the windows were smashed in and a part of the roof had fallen down. He was looking at a ruin.


    "What happened to this shrine?" He absentmindedly wondered.


    "A fire," the old man didn''t look up from his device, "70 years ago, burned really fiercely, or so I heard."


    "A fire, really?" He studied one of the walls closer and saw black scorch marks all over the walls. "What started it?"


    A maniacal grin was plastered on The old man''s face. "Giratina cultist, can you imagine?" If the old man was hoping for an answer then he sure didn''t wait for it. He moved on regardless. "Burned it to the ground and erased it from the map. The story goes that the cult still exists."


    "Do they?" he replied with a monotonous voice, not willing to play this sick man''s game. Although he was mildly curious about it all.


    Tick¡­...tick¡­...tick¡­


    "Maybe these lunatics still exist, wouldn''t surprise me,¡± he let out a dry chuckle, "but their god most certainly does not. Galactic found nothing so far that indicates its existence. Most likely just the people of yore were afraid of many things, sometimes they turn these fears into gods."


    Even if their God did exist, he wouldn''t be scared of it. He knew some people saw Legendary Pok¨¦mon as Gods but he knew they could bleed.


    He had witnessed it himself and if it bleeds, it can be killed.


    Despite his practical view on Legendaries, he had to admit there was this sense of holiness coming from this place. It was something he couldn''t explain with words. It was the kind of thing you had to experience to know.


    The old man moved his weird device around like it was some sort of GPS. His people from outside had entered the ruin as well and began scouring the place, making notes and photos.


    "A building that appears to have collapsed¡­"


    "Building style dates back to the pre-industrialization era..."


    "Subjects inside experience a sense of tranquility, possible hallucinogens being transmitted¡­"


    They were all muttering words and phrases that sounded like gibberish to him. He felt out of place like he was an outsider looking in, which in a sense he was. He just had to guard these people and then, hopefully, would never have to see them again.


    Unless the Lady felt like punishing him again.


    In an attempt to make a conversation, he approached the old man. His Shiftry shadowed him like he was trained to do.


    "So," he coughed, "what is that device you have there?"


    "It detects Black Aura." The old man pursed his lips as the ticking sounds didn''t change.


    The Hunter raised his eyebrow. "Black Aura? I have heard of Aura but what on Earth is black Aura?"


    The old man smirked and looked at him, for what he realized was the first time. The look on the old man¡¯s face was cold. "That''s none of your business."


    His shriveled arm folded over each other, his mouth twisted into a snarl.


    Tick tick tick tick


    The device began ticking at a rapid pace. Dry clicks filled the room. Wordlessly, the old man pointed the device towards the nearby wall.


    The ticking noise became even louder.


    His eyes snapped towards the wall. Some sort of altar was built against it, hidden from sight due to the fallen ceiling covering it.


    Filled with curiosity, he ordered his Shiftry to use Strength.


    His Pok¨¦mon approached the debris, looking it over before leaning against it. Its hand connected with the wall. A sudden surge of power raced through its muscles and with a loud cry all the stones, tiles and wooden planks were shoved out of the way.


    "Perfect," the old man whispered in awe.


    Now free from debris, they could see the wall that had been hidden from the world for far too long.


    A scene was drawn onto the white marble wall. It was sketched into the smooth stone with utmost care and great skill yet the image revealed was something he expected an ancient civilization to produce because it was rather simple in design.


    Some sort of front view of a Pok¨¦mon that appeared to be bipedal. It did not resemble any Pok¨¦mon he had ever seen before. It had a long neck and weird horns on top of its head. Some sort of ring surrounded the Pok¨¦mon like it was standing in front of a rising sun. Spikes protruding from the ring, showing it was actually not a Sun but something else.


    He was not really into art but he had to admit the artist was rather skilled, putting some kind of majestic aura into the drawn Pok¨¦mon.


    "The creator," the old man scoffed. "Bunch of lunatics, don''t you think?"


    He didn''t think whoever had drawn this was a lunatic. The drawing, there was something about it that made it feel¡­ too real.


    Black scorch marks crept up from below, forming a black smudge that covered the lower half of the creature''s legs. It was like someone tried to burn off the image, despite that, the burn marks somehow fit perfectly into the existing work, making the creature look like a monster ravaging in the destruction.


    A question razed through his mind: is this the creator, or the destroyer?


    Before he could ponder over it any longer his train of thought was interrupted by a loud crack. The image shattered into tiny pieces as one of the old man''s people began tearing away at the wall with a crowbar.


    He wanted to protest, not even sure why but the image had already disappeared. The wall started to break off into smaller pieces, revealing the wall was not as solid as it appeared to be.


    With another loud crack, the ticking noise became even louder.


    A hollowed out space was revealed behind the shattered image. Dust swarmed out of it in droves and he had to cough.


    Ticktickticktick


    The sound had dissolved into a buzz of clicking. One of The old man''s followers shone light in the hole and a big red-colored stone glistened back, practically gleaming in the beam of the flashlight.


    It was transparent like amber, surprisingly smooth looking and was around the size of a child.


    "What is that?" he coughed. Dust was slipping into his lungs as the cloud still hadn''t settled.


    The old man did not reply. He switched his device off and moved a few chunks of marble out of the way, showing the stone piece in its full glory.


    The plumes of dust had faded away and he could see clearly, the thing, inside but he was still not sure what it was. The object gave off a weird pulsing feeling like it was beating heart. Looking at it was strange, it felt as if this object was some sort of paradox.


    Two of the old man assistants waded through the rubbish, carrying a large metal suitcase, easily the size of a coffin. It was covered in enforced metal and had extra protective seals around the corner. It looked as if it could withstand a bomb blast.


    "Ready for transportation, Doctor Charon," a young man with a lab coat called out. A button on the side of the box was pressed and with a mechanical hiss, the coffin opened, revealing an empty space with protective foam on the edges.


    The Doctor smiled approvingly. "Perfect."


    The Hunter groaned.


    On the side of the coffin was written in black-bold letters:


    XX5 Facility


    Subdivision of Galactic


    <hr>


    A/N I deadass forgot to update on this site. I am sorry!


    -CaptainMoonShine-

 86. 358/1 Days

    Chapter 86


    358/1 Days


    <hr>


    Day 1:


    Not sure why I even decided to write this. It''s not as if she would know and I have already experienced everything I write down myself. This is stupid.


    Day 8:


    Okay, my therapist is a mind reader apparently. Did not even need to see the empty pages of this notebook but somehow she knew I didn''t write in this stupid thing. I guess now I''ll have to do that anyway.


    Apparently, it is supposed to help me, somehow. I guess I''ll just start with the basics even though it is stupid since I will be the only one reading this.


    My name is Lyndis Flash and when writing this I am a 26-year-old girl, no friends and still single.


    This should be enough information for now, Guess I''ll drabble in here if I feel like it.


    Day 9:


    Ugh, it is 5 AM in the morning as I write this but I just can''t sleep. Every time I close my eyes with the intention of falling asleep I just wake up after 10 minutes of falling into this half-sleep state.


    My body feels tired and my head is spinning but I can''t fall asleep for some reason. And if I do I just wake up with cold sweat.


    Tonight I think I will just try watching the stars until I fall asleep, maybe that will help me.


    Maybe I should ask my therapist, but on the other hand, I don''t want more labels attached to my name. Keeping my head down is already a struggle, no need to add fuel to the fire.


    Day 10:


    Funny thought, I would rather spend 6 hours scouring the internet on how to fall asleep then talk to my therapist about it. Makes you wonder.


    Also, the stars were lovely but it was too cold outside. I would use the telescope but the view from my apartment is just too bad.


    Day 15:


    Random question, why does the League even have to psychologically evaluate people? It is a waste of time and money. Maybe it is to prevent someone who is a complete idiot from working with technology that can destroy a whole region. Still, even though that sounds like a solid reason, why did they pick me? I am quite certain that I am not homicidal and my research is not even that special. Regardless, now I am obliged to visit my therapist every week for an evaluation.


    That''s time I could be spending on furthering my studies.


    Working for the League is just frustrating sometimes, all the secrecy and protocols but it''s the only way I''ll ever get the chance to work for someone of importance like Oak.


    Day 16:


    I had that dream again. The memories of the dream fade away as the day goes on but I know I had this dream multiple times before. Maybe I should have someone take a look at it but I heard the process involves Gengar which¡­ well I wouldn''t trust a Pok¨¦mon inside my head.


    Instead of spending the morning trying to fall asleep, I just went out to the park. It''s very cold outside but I managed to see some constellations this morning. The Knight was visible this morning which, according to some pseudo science, means that a change will come in your life.


    Day 17:


    Okay, I decided to write down the dream the moment I woke up so I don''t forget it later.


    So in the dream, I am back at my childhood home. I am sitting at the table and drawing Shady with crayons. Shady herself is sleeping in the corner of the room with a few half-eaten berries lying next to her while my parents are arguing on the couch. Just as I am done with the drawing, the lights inside the house go out. I look outside the window and see the sky darken all of the sudden. A huge wave forms outside of the city and crashes towards the shore, maybe twice the size of a skyscraper. It storms towards our house, I try to turn around and to warn everyone but when I look again everyone is gone. My Umbreon is gone, my parents are gone. The sound of thunder ripping through the air fills the room and I look outside. Behind the wave I can see the mythical Lugia flying above the ocean, its eyes glowing.


    I don''t understand why I would dream about this. It can''t be a forgotten memory because I was asleep when it happened. Maybe I should go outside and take a walk today, might as well enjoy the weather and the city while everyone is still asleep.


    Day 20:


    So I keep coming back to this notebook, not sure why but writing in it does help me feel a bit calmer, it also does make me feel a bit childish but hey, my therapist commands me.


    Though this notebook is still stupid, yes I am talking about you.


    Day 21:


    Reading back I think I know why I keep writing in this stupid notebook but it is not like I have anyone else to talk with. My colleagues have avoided me ever since I started working here.


    I had hoped that coming to Sinnoh would have been a fresh start but nope, the internet is a thing and the rumors keep following me and once someone forms an opinion you are stuck with it, no matter what you do.


    Besides my supervisor, no one ever talks to me at the center unless it is absolutely necessary. And I swear I can see disgust in their eyes every time they walk past me in the dinner area. Like everything is my fault.


    Just great.


    My therapist advised me to go out and have some fun, I tried to do so but the stories of going to a bar and being picked up by a handsome guy are not true at all. I just sat there and got drunk until the bar closed.


    Even had two guys who were asking for a Pok¨¦mon battle. I first thought they were flirting with me but they actually wanted a Pok¨¦mon battle with me. They thought I was writing down strategies in my notebook instead of research, They were quite disappointed when I revealed I did not have a Pok¨¦mon.


    When the bar closed I just spent the evening on a bench while gazing at the stars until I felt tired enough to go home and cry.


    Day 24:


    So I tried drinking multiple brands of tea to help me sleep but they don''t work at all. I just wasted a lot of money.


    Meditation ain''t working for me either. I feel calm for about 30 seconds and then my toes start to itch.


    The only thing that seems to work is staying up long enough so my body will tire itself out. Which happens around 4 in the morning which leaves me with 3 hours of sleep.


    Day 26:


    Alcohol does help, as long as I drink enough I won''t wake up once during the night. The only downside is the massive headache in the morning but atleast I get some rest.


    Not making much progress in my study because of all the procedures I have to follow, now I just spent most of my time crunching numbers and digging through old archives and files until the League finally approves my request.


    My boss actually had to ask what I was actually looking for with my research. I swear, I need hand puppets or something to explain it to that manchild.


    Day 32:


    Finally got access to the files I requested. I know I haven''t been writing here a lot lately but honestly, there was not much to write about. Quite a boring week with me waiting for League approval. It sucks to wake up with a headache every morning but hey, it beats not sleeping at all.


    Today I actually did receive it and they sent the files I requested which was about time. Though when I actually skimmed through them I discovered that they were not nearly what I was hoping for. Most of the research the League did is incomplete, shit quality and outdated but there was some useful stuff in there.


    I do wonder why they would go to such lengths to keep it a secret. It is not like the information is that special or dangerous.


    Day 36:


    My therapist brought an Emolga to the session this time. She asked me to take care of it even though she knows damn well I don''t do well with Pok¨¦mon. When I reluctantly tried to pet it the little shit actually gave me an electric shock.


    I told her to find someone else and left the room.


    Day 37:


    Okay, I know it is not healthy to drink this much but I really need every single hour of sleep while I can, especially now since my entire career depends on this case. If I fail now it might take years before I''ll get another shot at it.


    When I am done with this project I''ll stop drinking, and no, that is not an excuse. I actually need it to show up at work without looking like a wreck.


    To make it even better, I''m on my period right now, so I''ve been feeling awful for the past few days for multiple reasons. Just my luck.


    Day 40:


    Question: It''s a well-known fact that Pok¨¦mon have a lot more Aura than humans but what about people with psychic powers? How is their Aura level? Similar to a Pok¨¦mon or higher? Maybe it''s high Aura levels that allow a person to use Psychic abilities. Same for other people with weird abilities like Aura guardians for example.


    Why has no one bothered to question that?


    If their Aura really is higher than the average person then this news could be huge. People could be tested to see if they have Psychic or other supernatural abilities. Then they could be provided with the help they need. And a lot of collateral damage would be prevented from people discovering their ¡°gifts¡±.


    Although, while I am writing this sentence I just realized how hard it would be to actually verify this theory. Finding enough people with anomalous abilities that are willing to help would be a struggle but then you also have to add a control group.


    Besides that there is also the question, if they have higher Aura levels, is that because of their abilities or did they get the abilities because of the Aura? Which comes first?


    Just a random thought.


    Day 50:


    Feel good today, so good that I even picked up this notebook to write again. I should actually write in this on a daily basis but work takes up all my time lately.


    Making some real progress now that I finally went through all the data.


    The weather has been awful the past few days, a lot of rain and storms. Times like these make me feel good about not being a traveling Pok¨¦mon trainer. While I am sitting inside with a cup of hot tea, they struggle against the forces of nature. The bus stop is right outside my apartment which is a small blessing.


    I am even growing numb to the headaches! And I know that booze is not the solution to my problem but it is working damn well.


    Day 52:


    I woke up today on my desk and got caught by my supervisor who usually opens the building in the morning. He told me to go home and get some rest. Of course I refused, I was so close with my study but that asshole sent me home anyway. I was about to take my research with me but he told me to leave my work and take a day off.


    So here I am, bored and not knowing what to do. The bottle of wine is looking at me from the kitchen and I am not sure I can resist the temptation.


    Day 53:


    It is all over the news. Groudon stirred in his sleep and caused a volcano eruption in Hoenn. The damage done by this Legendary Pok¨¦mon is relatively small with only nearby cities being affected which is a huge blessing.


    He was found deep below Mt. Pyre and a group of lunatics tried to wake up the beast, thinking it was their savior. As if that wasn''t bad enough, two fault lines connect underneath Groudon''s resting place. If he had stirred twice he would have destroyed 85% of Hoenn.


    A trainer who happened to be in the area luckily stopped the beast from waking up completely but to realize we were this close to annihilation. It terrifies me.


    What is even more absurd is that a bunch of weirdos found the Legendary before the League could by only using a bunch of ancient artifacts and riddles.


    The League claims it is all under control but a terrifying thought keeps looping through my mind while I keep watching the news.


    How many more of those Legendaries are out there?


    Day 57:


    I called in sick today¡­ again. The dream I''ve had for the past few months has changed. No longer am I in my childhood home, instead I am falling down a volcano. The heat of the magma on the bottom, I swear it felt so real. As I am falling the magma underneath me boils and begins to rise, revealing a huge creature that slowly rises from the lake.


    When I woke up, I was bathing in sweat. I immediately checked the news to see if there was an update on the situation but it seemed the world had already moved on. "It was mostly handled" by the Hoenn League and nobody seems to care about it anymore.


    The question is, why does it bother me?


    I don''t understand, there is nothing to be done about it and the situation is over, every rational part of my mind agrees but the moment I sit still or try to sleep my thoughts drift back to that monster hiding underneath the earth''s crust.


    I called my therapist this morning, expecting her to use that disappointed voice of hers but surprisingly she was very understanding. She did use that condescending tone when she said, "with your condition" but that could also just be me. On the flipside, she did advise me to focus on my work to keep the matter off my mind which might be the most useful advice she has given me so far.


    My research is important, now more than ever.


    Day 58:


    I feel a little bit better today. I am still terrified by the knowledge that my life could be ended at a moment''s notice but with the right amount of booze and work I can push it out of my mind.


    The sky outside still looks gray, like it is about to rain for a long time.


    Day 64:


    I am so close with my research. I finished up all the drafts and testing models, now I only have to wait for the Aura print, if that gives me a negative result then I will know for certain my theories are correct. I do not dare to think I am right, scared that it might influence the outcome of the test but I truly do hope I am.


    If everything works out, this will change the way we see the world.


    Day 65:


    My hands are shaking. I can not believe this, even as I am writing this down it still feels like I am in a fever dream but the results do not lie.


    I used multiple methods to verify it, to prove myself wrong but my theory still stands. Legendary Pok¨¦mon do not have Aura. Instead, they have some sort of variation of it, a stronger version that dispels normal Aura.


    I am almost done with finishing up my scientific journal and plan to send them to the League this evening. I haven''t been this excited since, well... ever.


    I think I''ll treat myself to a deluxe cupcake today.


    Day 66:


    The response came quicker than I thought. This morning the League sent a response in which they want me to explain my findings in person.


    I look like a mess. How on earth am I going to attend a scientific symposium in which all the attention is on me? I am absolutely not a public speaker and I have almost no time to prepare something.


    I called my therapist but her advice was mainly ''you got it girl'' which was not useful at all.


    I really hope this works out fine.


    Now if you excuse me dear diary, I have a plane to catch.


    Day 67:


    I feel like dying right now. Just jump over the edge and don''t look back.


    How on earth did I manage to fuck things up so hard? I mean, I had the entire script written on the plane but the moment I stepped onto the stage I could no longer understand my own handwriting. I even stuttered for the first few seconds as I saw the entire room fill up with people who had their eyes on me.


    However, I did manage to pull through, using the bullet points behind me as guidance.


    When people started asking questions I actually felt like I had the situation under control.


    I talked about how this new revelation could affect our current technology, how we could develop more accurate satellites and track down unknown Legendary Pok¨¦mon before other dangerous groups could and secure them.


    Everything was under control until one person came with a question I didn''t want to answer.


    "If we can gain control of this ''new'' Aura and use it to track down Legendary Pok¨¦mon. How can you be sure this technology doesn''t fall in the wrong hands?"


    My answer was short. "We can''t."


    The tension in the room exploded.


    Day 68:


    Today the letter came in.


    It was a long letter with a lot of official terms and expensive words but it all boiled down to a "cease and desist"


    Fuck, I can''t actually believe it, they funded this research and now they want me to erase it. Pretend it does not exist and wipe it under the rug. Why?


    Because it''s too dangerous! Because nefarious groups might use this technology to find Legendary Pok¨¦mon and harm them, because they rather have no one knowing what Legendary Pok¨¦mon are than everyone knowing it.


    This is just top-level bullshit.


    Damnit, I don''t want to burn all my work but the League made their point very clear.


    Either stop or we will force you to stop.


    Ugh, why do things always end up this way?


    Day 69:


    Fuck.


    Day 70:


    I didn''t go to work today. I wouldn''t be able to ignore their looks, their faces and their rumors. I just want to sleep so that''s what I am going to do.


    My therapist keeps calling me but I just muted her, I really don''t feel like talking to anyone.


    Day 72:


    Got a weird email today. The person who had sent it was actually someone I had seen during my symposium. I didn''t pay him much mind that day but he was the sender of that email. I think his name was Redburn or something.


    The email in itself was an enigma as well. I nearly deleted it before opening it but boredom and a drunken mind made me open it instead.


    The contents were straight forward. He introduced himself as a ''representative of a private research facility'' and said he was very interested in my research.


    I of course first thought this was a joke, some kind of mock mail one of my colleagues sent but then he started talking about logistics and requirements. The kind of things my co-workers can''t even properly spell.


    The point is, this research facility is as illegal as it gets and to join I have to cut off all contact with the outside world to maintain secrecy which is not a problem for me at all.


    Doing so would allow me to work on my research and more, unrestrained by laws and ethics. The point is- why does he care about my work so much? I feel like there is more behind this.


    I should inform the League.


    I really should.


    But a part of me feels like they don''t deserve it. I know it''s wrong to think that way but the thought doesn''t leave my mind.


    For now I just keep the email inside my inbox. I truly don''t know what to do with this.


    Day 73:


    The stars are cold and distant tonight. Uncaring about the world in a beautiful way. They''re not even shining anymore. Just specks of colored dust on the sky.


    Day 74:


    I just feel tired today, I kind of don''t want to deal with all this shit but the League is practically forcing me. I tried to reach out, to find another way but they refuse to respond to any of my messages.


    My supervisor doesn''t care and threatens to fire me if I don''t comply.


    I just want to do my job, carry on with my life but I can''t burn away all my work. At this point it is practically my child.


    Today I am packing my stuff and following the instructions sent to me by Redburn. Maybe I am making a rash decision, either out of desperation or adrenaline but I just want a new start. No old baggage and do some actual science.


    I have no idea where I am going but I do know that this place will be isolated. I can''t take too many of my belongings but I guess I will take this diary with me.


    I don''t even know why I am taking this notebook with me but going without it feels wrong.


    Day 80:


    Alcohol is not allowed down here. I don''t feel like writing at all, despite so much happening. I think I might relapse.


    Day 90:


    So, while I am now officially a criminal there are two things I regret. Not being able to drink and not seeing the stars at night.


    Day 95:


    Not much time to write today. My life has been busy lately and I don''t think I am supposed to leave written evidence of what is going down here but it is my diary, no one knows I have one and if it ever gets discovered then the secret''s out anyway.


    It is actually almost surreal, how I became part of this conspiracy. Part of a mad group looking for a way to capture a Legendary Pok¨¦mon. Although calling them mad would make me the blackest kettle.


    The A2 facility is so big, I still haven''t even explored the entire floor and there are two more to go! Although I am not allowed to go everywhere without permission. They even have guards which originally I thought was fucking crazy but makes a bit more sense now I know what kind of monsters they keep down here.


    Most of what I know are rumors but if even a small percentage is true then I should be glad we have those guards.


    Regarding my research, I have actually managed to make hardware compatible with detecting this special Aura Legendary class Pok¨¦mon. It''s a bit chunky still but it is more than I could have ever done under the League''s watch. The equipment they have down here is top-notch which made me question who pays for all of this.


    I asked the person in charge, Charles Redburn, and he told me that a lot of different groups have a lot of interest in the work done down here. I asked who those groups were but he told me that somethings better remain a secret.


    This does make me worry. I know that we merely want to capture a Legendary to prevent an S level event but the people who are pumping money into this. What are their goals?


    Day 100:


    Damn, there''s so much going on down here that I didn''t know. For example, we perform experiments on Pok¨¦mon.


    I haven''t seen it myself but I heard the people on the hallway talk, they, of course, refuse to talk with me about their work and the files on the experiments are rather scarce. Not sure why they would bother with more secrecy but I did get my hands on some files anyway. And the Pok¨¦mon down here, well they are a whole new level.


    Yes, I realize experimenting on Pok¨¦mon sounds messed up but honestly it is not that bad. They are taken care of a lot better than they would be in the wild and it is not much different from breeding them, just with a few extra steps and the things we learn from them is just mind-blowing and can revolutionize everything we know. Although, sadly most focus is on finding a ''strong'' Pok¨¦mon rather than finding out why they are stronger but it isn''t my department so I can''t really be vocal about it.


    It does make me wonder though, where do they get the Pok¨¦mon from?


    Day 102:


    So apparently this entire place was an abandoned salt mine. Not sure what to do with this information.


    Day 109:


    The nightmares, they haven''t gotten any better. The dreams became an intangible mess of memories and feelings that I can not begin to describe. I just know that I wake up bathing in sweat at 4 in the morning.


    No one down here really cares how I look, which is a blessing in disguise. As long as I keep getting results I can just sleep in if I need to and take regular breaks whenever I feel like it. Of course, I can''t go to the surface or drink some good stuff but this place has left me with a lot more free time. I even picked up a few books, although I can not seem to focus on them anymore.


    Everytime I try my mind keeps asking questions I rather not want to answer.


    Day 130:


    The days move fast, yet so slow. Looking back, the days passed by in a blink of an eye. There is honestly not much to do here except working on science. I haven''t managed to build any meaningful connections here but at least the people here treat me neutrally. And I can do here what I always wanted to do, my job.


    Then why do I feel so hollow?


    Day 139:


    There are rumors in the hallways, people talk with each other in hushed tones about Project 107, also known as Truthful Mimikyu. Apparently a team down here took it upon themselves to find out what is hidden underneath the cloth.


    Personally I think it is horribly childish to ponder about such trivial things but I can''t help but to be curious myself.


    Day 145:


    Word is that they figured out what a Mimikyu truly is. I heard two guards on the hallway talk about it but when I asked what a Mimikyu really looks like they just shrugged and said they only knew the rumors the secret was discovered, not exactly what the secret was.


    Day 146:


    Okay so whatever was underneath the cloth of a Mimikyu, I won''t get to know it. Everyone involved with the experiment has transferred and left without even saying a word. Curious with what they found I asked Redburn, the person in charge of this facility. I told him that the results might be significant for my own research which was a bold lie but it''s not like there isn''t a whole lot more to do down here.


    He took the bait but sadly he could not provide me with any juicy details, all he could share with me was that whatever was underneath a Mimikyu''s cloth had been designated a ''memetic hazard'' and the findings have been erased for everyone''s safety.


    I swear they keep making up these terms to sound more interesting.


    Day 150:


    I woke up today with tears in my eyes. I have no idea why but I feel like I am missing something.


    Day 159:


    Today Redburn came to my lab with a request. Apparently he wants me to take on a side project and work with one of the Pok¨¦mon kept down here. Something called Project 125: Z.


    I was surprised by this offer and asked him why on earth he would approach me, I mean I already have my own work. Sure I am not making as much progress with my work as I want but it does keep me busy enough.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Redburn told me that 6 others had quit working with Project 125 and that the board was desperately looking for someone else that could get Project 125 to work.


    Not sure why he thought I would be a good fit considering, well, my trouble with Pok¨¦mon in the past. I initially wanted to refuse but he handed me the files related to Project 125 anyway, telling me to take a look at it before making my decision.


    Guess I''ll have something to do during the sleepless hours tonight.


    Day 160:


    Project 125, nah let''s just say Project Z. Much easier to write. I read through the files which made me raise an eyebrow multiple times. Apparently Project Z is a Zorua which has been genetically modified to contain parts of Mew''s DNA, something with junk DNA scanning, pretty wild stuff already.


    For some reason it resulted into a shape-shifting Zorua that can make solid illusions.


    There is little known about Project Z because the Pok¨¦mon in question refuses to cooperate. The man in charge before me tried multiple, unethical methods to get it to work along but none of them worked.


    Actually the last Project Manager left a note on the file saying "fuck this shit, I''m out."


    This managed to make me smile, something I rarely do these days.


    Day 162:


    I decided to take Project Z as a side project. Although I am still scared of...well dealing with my fears hasn''t gotten any better down here but at this point, I am just looking for something to break the slur of everyday life down here. Something that can keep me entertained, for a lack of better words.


    I asked Redburn about the conditions I will work in and he told me that they couldn''t be safer. I am not sure how honest he is with me but hey, what''s the worst that can happen?


    Redburn also told me that if I could prove my worth with Project Z he could give me some extra privileges.


    The real question is; what makes Project Z so hard to deal with?


    Day 170:


    Today I saw Project Z for the first time. They gave me a keycard to its containment cell and I am officially registered as the one responsible for Project Z.


    The Pok¨¦mon in question was kept inside a rather small cell with reinforced glass walls on all sides. This was the first Pok¨¦mon I had seen in months so I was a bit nervous.


    I was expecting to see a big monster that would kill me the instant I laid my eyes on it but instead I was met with a small Zorua staring at me from the other side of the glass.


    ''What''s so scary about her?'' I wondered. That was until she opened her jaws and started to speak with a raspy female voice, a human voice.


    "Oh you must be the new intern," A smirk was visible on the Zorua''s face, "I would like a coffee please, no sugar. Now please, hush-hush."


    I could only stare at the Pok¨¦mon who was grinning at me through the glass.


    Day 171:


    Okay, it is official. Project Z is insane. She has not said a single word.


    Day 172:


    I must be patient, today I think I will just try to talk with Project Z. Harming or threatening her will not work, those things have already been tried so I must try to be different.


    So, patience it is, if I just try to outlast that damn Zorua I bet I can get some results.


    Day 180:


    I still have made no progress with Project Z. She has refused to talk with me ever since the first day and only grins at me through the glass whenever I enter the room. No matter what I do, she just stares back at me with a challenging grin. Redburn provided me with some options to get her to talk, such as electric shocks and simulated starvation but I like to think I haven''t sunken that deep.


    Still, now I finally understand why the guys before me quit.


    My sleeping schedule is getting worse as well. I don''t know if these two are related.


    Day 181:


    Every time I leave the room Project Z just smiles at me and I know that the damn Pok¨¦mon is smart enough to realize the significance of her silence.


    Day 190:


    I can''t stop thinking about Project Z. I am not afraid of her like I would be with a regular Pok¨¦mon, I am just frustrated. Why does she treat me like a nuisance? Like everyone else in my life, she is simply toying with me and I hate it. I came so close to pressing the button this morning. It would deliver a painful shock, the thought of doing that actually felt so good it scared me.


    While my hands were shaking Project Z was just grinning at me and although she hasn''t spoken yet, I know she was challenging me to push the button.


    Day 191:


    This can not continue. I need to figure her out, it is just like a puzzle.


    Day 192:


    Pain doesn''t work, previous tapes have shown her in various life or death situations yet after being brought back to health she just resumes her behavior. How do I get Project Z to take me seriously?


    My other projects are suffering from this as well. I was told to read through a file about space radiation but my mind kept thinking of that damned Zorua.


    Day 193:


    Today while I was eating lunch alone in the dinner area I got an idea. An idea so crazy it made me wonder if I had finally lost it.


    The point is, I am fed up with not being taken seriously. Just being pushed around like I am part of the furniture. And at this point in my life I am pretty much sure I can not sink any deeper.


    Wish me luck dear diary.


    Day 194:


    This morning I went to Project Z''s cell where, as usual, she was grinning at me like she was looking at a big joke. This time I didn''t waste hours asking pointless questions.


    Instead I simply locked the door behind me and opened the door to Project Z''s cell.


    The confusion and shock on Zorua''s face were honestly enough to make me scream from excitement. However, I didn''t show it. Instead I moved in closer to Project Z who was still too shocked to react.


    I sat down in front of her and put down the mug of coffee I had brought along on the ground.


    Zorua began blinking profusely, the grin wiped off her face. She actually backed off, as if she was afraid of me. Oh, that moment I wanted to laugh like some evil scientist.


    However, I managed to maintain my calmness and just sat there, looking my demon straight into her eyes.


    After a long minute, she had finally managed to understand the situation. The Zorua sat down in front of me and looked at the cup of coffee I brought along.


    "No sugar," I said.


    She eyed it suspiciously, probably suspecting it to be poisoned but it wasn''t. Eventually, she reached out to the cup but before she could I lifted it from the ground and began sipping from the coffee.


    It actually tasted awful, I don''t really get what people see in coffee.


    I gave Zorua a pitiful look, "If you want your own, you actually have to ask for it."


    A long silence followed and the adrenaline began fading away. I actually realized how crazy it was. Project Z could kill me without even moving a muscle. There were a thousand reasons why this was insane but at the same time, it felt so good!


    Just seeing the confusion on Zorua''s face was worth it.


    The Zorua looked me back in the eyes and for a moment I thought those would be the last thing I''d see. However she didn''t kill me, instead she just smiled at me. It wasn''t the same smile as before, it was somehow more genuine which I know, sounds crazy but it truly was a genuine smile.


    "Fair enough human," Project Z spoke with a low voice, "I guess I can grace you with my lovely voice."


    "Well, so you can talk." I said dryly as if I wasn''t having a mental breakdown last week. "My name is Lyndis Flash, I am your new Project Manager. I hope you will cooperate with me?"


    "Ugh fine," Project Z sighed reluctantly, though the same smile was on her face. "Guess this game was growing boring after all."


    She fixed her eyes back on me, "Next time, bring me tea."


    That day I left the cell with a grin on my face.


    Day 195:


    Oh god, I can''t believe I''ve actually done that. I must be crazy! I was talking to a Pok¨¦mon that had all the reasons and powers to kill me. Oh what has my life come to.


    Day 196:


    I brought tea this morning and entered Project Z''s cell again where she was waiting for me, this time without that eerie grin.


    I put down the tea and started talking, asking questions and trying to understand the little Pok¨¦mon. I didn''t start with the big things, instead I just took some measurements so I could build a frame of reference. Something the people before me didn''t even manage to do.


    Meanwhile I was making notes, not only about her physical state but also about Project Z''s psyche which was, well, a mess.


    According to the files Project Z has never been in contact with other Pok¨¦mon and only knows the humans down here, maybe that''s related to her mastery of the human speech. Project Z asked me multiple questions, almost all of them are nonsensical in nature, as if she doesn''t really care about the actual answers but just tries to start a conversation.


    For example, she asked about the weather outside. And my opinion on the color blue. I first thought she was just messing with me but now I start to doubt that.


    She insulted me a few times but none of them hit me really hard. There was one interesting part of our conversation worth writing down though, it went something like this.


    "So, you mind if I call you Project Z?" I had asked, "Project 125 is quite mouthful."


    Project Z answered with a smile. "Nope, do you mind if I call you Lyn, Lyndis is quite a mouthful."


    "Why Lyn?" I replied.


    The smile on Project Z''s face grew darker. "Maybe because I think it sounds cute, or maybe calling you by another name will give me leverage."


    "Which of the two is it?" I asked


    The Zorua shrugged innocently, "Does it even matter?"


    I''m not sure what to make of that. I guess she is right, the answer really doesn''t matter. It won''t affect my work or anything. Speaking of work, I didn''t get to see her transform. I asked if she could do that but she refused. Saying something along the lines of, "A true magician never reveals her cards."


    Personally I think she doesn''t trust me enough to show it, maybe she feels shy about it, or maybe it is something entirely else. Whatever the reason was, I didn''t press on. I didn''t want to throw away all the progress I made.


    Day 197:


    I asked Project Z why she spent the first three weeks staring at me. Her reply was simple.


    Her explanation was very...well shockingly sad.


    Apparently the people before me, well they were not nice people. According to Project Z, smiling at them was the only power she had over them. So she did just that.


    It actually makes me feel like I am the bad guy here.


    Day 200:


    My nights are slowly getting better. I don''t wake up covered in sweat anymore but I still have trouble with getting enough hours of sleep.


    I did manage to advance my research regarding this new Aura which has been dubbed Black Aura. Turns out, Black Aura is undetectable to almost every conventional technology, not only that but it is highly resistant to Pok¨¦mon effects as well, up to 98%. No wonder why most precogs fail at seeing Legendaries, their powers can not simply grasp a Legendary.


    I made some edits to Project Z''s files regarding her mental state and her anti-social behavior but it got scrapped. Not sure who''s in charge of reviewing my work but Redburn shared me in an email that I should refrain from adding "unnecessary information"


    Which is ridiculous! Project Z''s psyche is a key component of the puzzle. It''s already a known fact that emotional states can influence a Pok¨¦mon''s growth and abilities. Besides that, she is clearly smarter than most Pok¨¦mon, not quite a Hyper-Intelligence but smart enough to actually be taken more seriously.


    Day 201:


    I spend most mornings with Project Z, I usually bring along breakfast for the both of us. Apparently Project Z''s stomach can digest human food of all kinds, not sure why or how but it''s at least one discovery I made.


    For now I am still trying to figure out what makes her tick and hey, when she isn''t trying to be as offensive as possible she is quite good company. Or maybe I am just starving for attention. Makes you think.


    Day 205:


    I got an email from Redburn, he was asking me if I could speed up the studies I am performing on Project Z which, to be honest, have been a bit lacking but only because I am studying what Project Z looks like and acts like in her normal state. Because there is only one we can not really have a control group, thus I have to create detailed reports so I can compare her future state with her previous state once we start actually making some progress.


    Day 207:


    Today I asked Project Z why she refused to transform. Her answer was short. "Because that''s what they want."


    "Who are they?"


    "The people who created me," she replied, "The ones you work for, they want to use my powers."


    "They wouldn''t," I tried to defend. "We just try to understand how Pok¨¦mon function, what makes them special, how their powers interact with the world and how this can help us prevent the next S level threat from happening."


    Project Z scoffed, "You''re smarter than that, Lyn."


    I actually didn''t spend too much time with Zorua after that conversation. The words, I can''t stop thinking about them. Maybe I should focus a bit on my other projects today.


    Day 209:


    I think I mapped out most of the information regarding this Black Aura. I still don''t understand how it is generated or why it works the way it does but I think I figured out most of the properties it has.


    The most significant property is maybe the fact that Black Aura ignores the type match up with a rough 89%. This goes only for absorbing damage and is stacked above the additional resistance. However this statistics is brought down to a meek 10% when faced with a second Black Aura.


    This does explain where the saying: ''Only a Legendary can beat a Legendary'' comes from.


    Of course I do realize that my sample group is rather small but I am convinced this trait is shared amongst all Legendary class Pok¨¦mon.


    Day 210:


    "So, you must be getting bored in this empty cell." I told Project Z.


    She shook her head, "Nah, I just love counting the ceiling tiles, I can do it all day."


    It was rather hard to tell if she was sarcastic or not. I tried to play it safely. "And that doesn''t bother you?"


    "Oh it does," she nodded. "Some of the tiles are cut off by the ceiling and I am not sure if I should count them as complete tiles or not."


    I smiled. "Okay, phew, I was worried you were getting agitated and I might need to change something but it is good to know you got it all figured out."


    "Noooo!" Project Z''s eyes widened. "I am bored out of my mind!"


    And she took the bait.


    "Well, I could maybe arrange something but you have to give me something in return." I smiled. "After all, I need results. So why don''t you help me and I''ll help you."


    Project Z narrowed her eyes, "What do you suggest?"


    "Your illusion powers," I replied while trying to keep myself from smiling. "My boss wants to know more about them and he keeps bugging me about it."


    Project Z avoided my eyes as she answered. "I''ll think about it."


    Day 212:


    This day Project Z finally agreed to help, in exchange she wanted better accommodations. I had already planned on arranging that but it''s good to have her think it was a conscious choice on her part. That will make it easier to cooperate after all.


    "Fine, what do you want to see?"


    "Well you can create illusions right?" I asked while I was placing down all my equipment inside the cell.


    "Pffftt," Zorua laughed eerily. "I am much more than an illusion."


    "Well, show me," I answered, starting to feel annoyed by Project Z. "What makes you special?"


    "Name a Pok¨¦mon."


    "Sneasel." I said without thinking. Then before I could retract my suggestions the room was filled with a sudden glow.


    Then, the Zorua was replaced by a Sneasel.


    I stared and I hate to admit it but at that moment my mind shut off. On autopilot, I slowly approached the Sneasel, sticking out my hand towards their ears to scratch them like I used to.


    "Come on, touch them." I heard Project Z''s voice. It took me a second to realize I was conducting an experiment and not some childhood nostalgia.


    I swallowed the bitter feeling and reached out towards the lengthy ear. Expecting the illusion to dissipate but my hands touched soft fur instead.


    Day 213:


    Project Z doesn''t create illusions. It looks like she is actually the real deal. How? HOW?!


    I haven''t gone back to her cell yet, even though I should and hold up my end of the bargain. I am not sure what shook me more, the fact that a Zorua can transform or that I''ve seen a Sneasel again.


    My dreams certainly didn''t get any better.


    Day 215:


    "So, you have some emotional attachment to this form?" Sneasel asked.


    "Nothing you need to know." I replied flatly while trying to measure her body temperature.


    "Oh, spicy!" Project Z cheered, "So, was it your first Pok¨¦mon? Or did you ever get attacked by one?"


    "I would rather not want to answer that question," I said again. "Also, I do realize you can take any form you want. Stop bullying me and change into something that is not a Sneasel."


    "Killjoy," Project Z muttered as she changed into a Wigglytuff.


    Day 217:


    I just dropped off a few books inside Project Z''s cell for her to read. When Project Z laughed and told me she was illiterate. She kept laughing for 4 minutes straight. To annoy her back I decided to spend the entire day teaching how to read.


    I actually fell asleep while I was teaching her. Luckily she only thought it was funny but fuck was I embarrassed. Hope my colleagues don''t find out or they will definitely declare me insane.


    Day 218:


    I didn''t have any nightmares that night. I wonder if the events of yesterday have something to do with it. I hope not.


    Day 220:


    She atleast can not transform into a form that''s bigger than the room she is in. That does explain why she hasn''t escaped yet.


    I asked her why she hadn''t tried to escape. I am not sure if her answer was truthful, seeing how Project Z tells lies on a regular basis but I can''t help but to feel sad about it.


    We both got to this place for different reasons but we both stay for the same.


    "There''s nothing waiting for me outside."


    Day 224:


    Ever tried studying a shape shifting creature? It''s hard. Just imagine trying to figure out a puzzle that changes its outline every few minutes.


    Day 227:


    I asked Project Z something I had been wondering about for a long time.


    "Do you dream?"


    To my surprise Project Z gave me a sad nod. "Just this night I had a nightmare."


    I had a nightmare as well. Nothing too special but it was interesting to see what a creature such as Project Z would dream about, considering her very limited experience with the world.


    "What was your nightmare about?" I asked. I already had my pen ready. Truly, it feels like Project Z could be the bridge we needed to figure out the essential difference between Pok¨¦mon and mankind.


    "I was walking outside my cell," Project Z spoke. "One of the Pok¨¦mon kept down here broke out of its containment and was on a murder spree. There was blood on the walls and corpses littered the floor."


    "That sounds horrible."


    "You haven''t even heard the worst part of it."


    "What is the worst part?" I asked.


    "All those corpses and I wasn''t even hungry!" A smile spread out on her face and she burst out cackling.


    I couldn''t help it. I laughed with her.


    Day 235:


    I brought Project Z, a plush Pikachu today. I wonder why we even have one of these down here.


    Day 249:


    I''ve been getting amazing results with Project Z. Not only does she confirm the long running theory that one''s Aura is tied to their special abilities. She is also a great source of information regarding Pok¨¦mon biology.


    I actually managed to build up quite the file regarding Project Z and her abilities. I am still unsure how she actually does all her tricks but I think I understand most of the rules regarding her abilities. I hope Redburn will be pleased with the results¡­ and even if he''s not, I had a blast making it.


    Day 251:


    While I was eating lunch in the dinner area a man sat down opposite of me. This is highly unusual because I''ve been eating alone since I got here.


    "So, why does a girl like you sit alone?" He had asked with what I assumed must have been a charming smile but honestly it left me cold.


    "Eating and looking over my notes, what do you want?" As I said that I came to the realization that I haven''t had a conversion with another human for a long time.


    I shook my head, trying to get my gears to work. "Sorry, I''ve been talking to Project Z for a long time, excuse my bad habits."


    He smiled as he took a bite from his potato. "No problem. Your name is Lyndis right?"


    I nodded. "Yours is?"


    "Soren." He gave me a confident grin. "So you''re the one who works with the talking Zorua."


    "Yes, what of it?" I raised my eyebrow. I remember wondering if he was here to scrutinize my close relation with Project Z. If he was then he could piss off. I had gained more results with her than anyone else.


    "Relax." Soren pushed his hands up in mock surrender. "I was just wondering if you could help me."


    "Help?"


    "With Project 96." He said.


    "96? Isn''t that Fate Cleaver?"


    It was a bit messy to remember which was which, considering they all had cryptic names and numbers.


    Soren shook his head. "No, that''s 86, I am talking about the Eternal Queen."


    "Huh?"


    "You don''t know about her?" He frowned. "I thought everyone knew by now."


    I frowned, knowing I was out of the loop. "What''s to know?"


    "Nothing important," he shrugged, "Point is, I need a translator and since Project Z can talk to both humans and Pok¨¦mon."


    It took me a while to realize what he was getting at. "You want to borrow Project Z?"


    "If you could."


    "No," I said, probably more harshly than I intended because Soren looked like I had gone crazy. I brushed my hair out of my face and took a deep breath. "Project Z gets agitated very easily by others. Letting her close to Project Eternal Queen might undo all the progress I made."


    This was a horrible lie. The truth was, I didn''t want to share her. I was the one who got her out of her shell. She was mine.


    "I can help you," I quickly added, "But Project Z is off limits."


    Day 252:


    Since when did I consider a Pok¨¦mon mine? Am I truly going crazy down here? Have I forgotten my fears?


    I just don''t know anymore.


    I can''t deny it. I am starting to feel attached to Project Z, beyond just curiosity.


    Day 253:


    Soren gave me Project Eternal Queen''s files which were surprising to say the least. We sat together during dinner again, strategizing on how he could get his Froslass to work along. I told him how I got Project Z to work with me, he didn''t believe it at first but when my expression didn''t falter his eyes widened.


    "Damn, you must be one heck of a scary person," he whispered.


    It was nice to not sit alone.


    Day 254:


    So, during my session with Project Z I told her about Soren. Big mistake, I shouldn''t have given that damn Zorua romance novels.


    "It''s okay Lyn, when a sleep-deprived woman and a man love each ot-"


    I left her immediately, her cackling followed after me.


    Day 255:


    Redburn wants me to find out if and under which conditions Project Z would be able to copy a Legendary Pok¨¦mon he didn''t seem to be interested in the other results I got.


    Prick.


    Day 256:


    Today I asked Soren what Redburn''s deal is. Wondering if maybe he heard any interesting rumors. According to him he lost his daughter to a power outage caused by Zapdos. The bird caused an EMP while fighting Articuno.


    It sounds like just a rumor to be but if it''s the truth then it does explain his obsession with Legendary Pok¨¦mon and taking them down.


    Day 270:


    It is my birthday. Somehow Soren figured out behind my back and got one of the staff to make a cake. It even had those little cute candles on it. We ate it together in the dinner area, he profusely apologized for not bringing a gift. Not realizing that being present was enough of a gift. It really does feel good to just chat with him. The interactions made me feel like a real human being for once.


    It was past 9 in the evening and everyone else had left the dinner area. Soren suddenly cut off two more pieces of cake and handed me one.


    "I''m stuffed," I smiled politely.


    "Not for you," he winked. "But for your other friend, now go bring her piece."


    My cheeks flustered as I turned around and headed towards Project Z''s cell.


    Day 272:


    I did some digging. My last conversation regarding Soren made me think about Redburn. I left my old life behind to work for him but what do I really know about him?


    I think I''ll try looking into the logistics of the A2 facility.


    Day 273:


    Couldn''t sleep this evening so I thought, ''why not write down what I found already in my diary. It might even serve as evidence at some point.¡¯ Okay, who am I kidding, I just need something that can help me put my mind at ease during the late hours.


    Anyway, A2 is not a private research facility. It is actually part of something refered to as Galactic which I previously thought was just a shallow umbrella company. Turns out, it''s not. I thought the A2 was the head of Galactic''s operation but I think that was a lie.


    We are not in control. I am not in control, the strings just changed.


    Still, with the League I knew at least what they wanted. Or I thought I did, I guess. Point is, I don''t know who Redburn works for or what Galactic truly is.


    What are the goals of Galactic?


    Day 277:


    Project Z cannot turn into a Legendary class Pok¨¦mon. Not even Mew. I don''t know why she can''t transform. Maybe she''ll have to see one in order to know how to transform but I doubt that will work, considering the genetic code might literally be missing.


    Anyway, it is what I told Redburn to stop him from bugging me.


    Day 280:


    "Project Red Chain." Soren sat down and put down a stack of papers on the table. "Look at this."


    I made sure no one was peeking before gazing over his files. They described some sort of ancient ritual, something occult involving gemstones and lakes.


    At first glance it looked like it was ripped straight out of a fantasy book except for the fact that the files went into deep detail, describing every part of the ritual and process like it was a scientific paper.


    "It''s a ritual to trap space and time."


    "Where did you get it?"


    "Redburn''s personal server," Soren grinned.


    "What!?" I hissed.


    "Not important," he waved off, "Instead, look at the Project number."


    "Project 372." I said, "How, the highest number we have is 125 and that is Project Z."


    Soren''s eyes darkened as he drew a red circle around a sentence.


    Collaboration between XX5 and Final Destination


    "There was never just one," I whispered.


    As expected, I couldn''t sleep that night.


    Day 284:


    Soren made the promise to look into the matter. Until then he still had his business with Project Eternal Queen. We conducted an alternative plan to start communicating with his Froslass.


    Our new plan is actually almost the same as Soren''s old plan but instead of using my Project Z we opted to use Project 103, an Exeggcute existing out of only one egg. Not sure why Redburn still kept this pitiful mismatched Pok¨¦mon but it had the Telepathy ability. I requested access to it and got it, it took a few bribes but I got access to it and the Exeggcute was already on the edge so it is not like anyone will miss it. Soren''s face lit up as I told him of my plan. He had already given up and accepted that he wouldn''t be able to find her secrets; Seeing his smile made it worth all the fuss.


    Day 285:


    I wonder how Soren''s communication attempt went. I didn''t see him this morning.


    On the flip side, I made more discoveries with Project Z. For example, her digestive systems can theoretically erase things out of existence. If she eats something in one form and transforms into a much smaller form, all the food inside her stomach will become non-existent until she resumes a bigger form.


    Not sure what to do with this information but Project Z thought it was hilarious.


    Day 286:


    I still haven''t seen Soren. I am getting worried.


    Day 287:


    I knocked on his door for the first time, wondering if maybe he was just too busy to have lunch with me.


    He didn''t open the door. I am afraid something is wrong.


    Day 290:


    Soren got transferred.


    That''s how the story goes but I don''t believe any of it. There was no reason for him to suddenly leave and even if there was, he would have said goodbye.


    What''s going on?


    Day 291:


    I forced my way into his room, hoping to find clues. Instead, I found all his belongings, everything was still there. If he had left he would surely pack some clothes right?


    I tried seeing Project Eternal Queen, hoping she could shed some light on his disappearance but she is locked away and is no longer allowed to come into contact with anyone.


    Did someone make him disappear?


    No one appears to know it. They are lying, they must be.


    Day 292:


    I just miss the feeling of fresh air running through my mind. Never thought I''d say it but I really miss my shitty apartment. I atleast knew what was going on. Now, I feel trapped.


    At least I still have Project Z.


    Day 293:


    Why am I crying right now?


    Day 301:


    I found Project Z this morning with burn marks on her fur. She was badly damaged and could barely stand.


    Redburn was watching the Zorua from behind the glass. Holding the remote that activated all the security measures inside Project Z''s cells.


    I still find it hard to believe that I actually pulled the remote out of his hands but at that moment I didn''t care.


    "What are you doing?!" I cried out as I deactivated the remote.


    "I am just trying something," Redburn answered absentmindedly. "I thought that maybe Project Z needed more motivation."


    He pointed at various pictures he had taped to the glass. Pictures and photos of Legendary Pok¨¦mon, all with their image facing the cell.


    "I got no results," he went on with a dead tone.


    I exploded.


    "Out!"


    "Now calm-"


    "Out!" I insisted as I balled my fist. "This is not science, this is straight up torture."


    "Let me expl-"


    "NOW!"


    He left with an uncaring and slightly confused expression on his face.


    When he was out of sight I entered Project Z''s cell and for a moment emotion took over. I hugged her closely.


    That was the first time I heard Project Z cry.


    Day 310:


    I don''t think I want to be here anymore. I know I made a choice but I regret it. Project Z does help me forget my problems for a short time but reality catches up the moment I leave her cell.


    Day 321:


    I don''t feel like writing anymore.


    I don''t feel like doing anything anymore.


    Focusing on any of my tasks is hard. I just wanna lay down and close my eyes. Maybe see the stars again.


    Day 329:


    Project Eternal Queen escaped today but she was stopped by the guards. I could hear the gun fire from within Project Z''s cell.


    The Queen''s escape is the most interesting thing to happen this week. I wish I could have seen it but I was more worried about Project Z''s safety.


    Day 345:


    There is a big event coming up. I was told to pack my stuff and to get Project Z ready.


    Redburn said it was time for me to meet the man behind the screens.


    I feel like it might be a trap but I can''t see any reason why he would want me dead. On the other hand, I still don''t know where Soren went.


    It is a change of scenery I guess. It will be the first time Project Z will get to the surface. Maybe that will get some excitement out of her.


    Day 346:


    More experiments, apparently. I am still packing my stuff. We are going to the surface to test something regarding Legendary Pok¨¦mon. Redburn wants Project Z to see a Legendary with her own eyes, he theorized that might unlock her shape shifting skills.


    I don''t think it will do anything. I just wonder how Redburn will be able to summon a Legendary. Even with my tracking devices it will be hard to find them, considering they move.


    Day 348:


    So Soren was right. There are more remote facilities. This expedition is not just for us, it is to perform multiple tests by other facilities as well. I can''t deny that I am curious what the others are testing but I feel like it won''t be good.


    I wanted to know but Redburn said that their research was none of my business.


    I think he is pissed. I don''t know, he doesn''t look like himself anymore but like a shallow ghost.


    Sometimes I really wonder how I got into this mess. More importantly, how to get out of this mess.


    We are leaving in a few hours


    I still have so much to pack and decide what not to pack. I heard that we are going to Seawave City. A big city on the coast of Hoenn. Brings back quite the memories but I fear I won''t have time for nostalgia, considering the people I am with.


    I think I''ll bring this notebook with me. Maybe it will bring me some luck.


    Day 349:


    Okay a quick update before we get started. I met the man behind all of this! Never would I have guessed that Cyrus, the billionaire philanthropist, is the founder of Galactic.


    He didn''t speak to me directly but I heard multiple rumors about what is going down today. Apparently the others think they may have found a way to attract a Legendary. The Escalation Theory.


    They also brought along big containers filled with Pok¨¦balls. I wonder what they are going to do with them.


    Also, Cyrus'' speech. I think I should add it here if I ever want to present this as evidence.


    It began with a question, "What do you see in Legendary Pok¨¦mon?" Of course it was a rhetorical question.


    "Everytime I think of the Legendaries flying through the sky or swimming in the ocean I feel disgusted. They represent everything I hate, suppression, a barrier we can not pass. A dead future." His eyes skidded across the room. "I believe in humanity''s potential but when I see legendary Pok¨¦mon, I see our end. They are something we can never hope to achieve. A skill barrier, no matter how great we or our Pok¨¦mon are. They can never be like them. We are purely at their mercy."


    He took a deep breath before continuing. "We call them Pok¨¦mon but they are not, it is simply our way of coping with beings we can not reason with, understand or ever hope to cross. We can only hope they do the right thing and hope that one day they won''t turn on us."


    He closed his eyes. "That''s why I despise them, they represent the end of us."


    I don''t know if he''s right but I know one thing. He is scared. I saw it in his eyes, he is afraid and people who are scared can be pushed to do horrible things.


    I just hope Project Z will stay safe.


    Day 350:


    We are monsters.


    Day 353:


    I don''t know what to write. I can''t get the imagery out of my head. The bodies, the ruins and just the sheer magnitude of what we unleashed onto the city. Nothing can justify our goals.


    It''s just like all those years ago, when I lost everything to that tsunami. Except now, I am the one responsible.


    I don''t know, I don''t know. I just don''t know it anymore.


    I know one thing. The A2 facility is not safe! It is not a safe haven, I can''t believe how I fell for all their lies.


    Free research?


    Trying to make a new god?


    We are monsters making more monsters.


    Day 354:


    I was so tempted to take a couple extra sleeping pills so I wouldn''t wake up but in the end I couldn''t put myself to do it.


    I think I know why.


    It is Project Z. She is still here.


    Day 355:


    I am gathering resources and evidence, trying to upload as much as I can onto a hard drive. This entire place is built like a maze but maybe if I just get lucky enough I can get out of here and expose the secrets of Galactic before it is too late.


    Before I do that however there''s still one thing I can''t leave behind.


    Day 356:


    Can you believe it? I searched the damn entire day for a Pok¨¦ball but couldn''t find a single one down here. I could try to use one of my own designs but they are unstable and meant to hold entirely different creatures.


    Day 357:


    I informed Project Z of my plan, she is in. I hope this will work. Honestly I wouldn''t care if it didn''t weren''t it for the fact I have a young Zorua with me. I know I screwed up badly and I don''t deserve a second chance. The things I have done and created, I regret.


    The only thing I don''t regret is meeting Project Z.


    If there is a true god, I hope she does spare Zorua at least.


    Day 358:


    Today is the day.


    I''ll leave this diary inside here, in case I don''t make it this will be my suicide note.


    If you found this it means that our escape failed but you found your freedom at last. Maybe my contingency plans worked, maybe other factors caused you to find your freedom.


    So, it is a bit weird to write a note but it isn''t too dissimilar from writing another diary entry in the end, only it will be a future day.


    I''m at a bit of a loss here. Never been good at this so I just keep it short so I don''t screw it up like everything else and yes, that was a joke.


    Project Z, thanks for everything you gave me and I am sorry for everything I couldn''t give. There is only one thing I can give you right now and that is my advice.


    Project Z, don''t try to go through life alone like I did. Learn from my mistakes and find others you feel comfortable with. Life, ironically, is just too short.


    -Lyn

 87. Awakening

    Arc 5: Gods Among Us


    Chapter 87:


    Awakening


    <hr>


    "Why?"


    My voice echoed through the endless white void I found myself in. Despite the seeming lack of any dimensions I could hear a female voice coming from somewhere above me.


    "Who says there has to be a reason? Have you ever considered you are just an accident? An afterthought or just a bad joke?"


    "You''re insane," I whispered in disbelief.


    "That''s funny, you keep calling everyone and the world insane." The voice chuckled. "You''ve seen nothing yet."


    <hr>


    With an explosive gasp I woke up. My eyes shot open and I drew in a sharp breath.


    For a short moment I had no idea where I was. I was lying on a soft surface. A pillow drenched in sweat pressed against my head and it felt like it was suffocating me.


    It felt like I woke up from a nightmare even though I couldn''t even remember what I was dreaming about. I was sweaty and hyperventilating.


    Then it all came back to me: Hylla''s request, the man covered in blood, the abandoned orphanage. Memories moved in front of my eyes like pictures and I shivered; bodies, blood, monsters and a cold smile.


    "Oh fuck," I croaked.


    Yeah, I like waking up with a few positive words.


    "Dust!" A young voice called out. Before I could get up I felt a weight move over my chest, pinning me down. "Say something!"


    A blue furred Riolu was in front of my face. Her eyes wide and her voice way too loud for in the morning.


    "You''re heavy," I muttered when I noticed that I couldn''t move. "Get off please."


    "Oh." The Riolu looked down, noticed she was crushing my chest and flustered. "Oops, so-"


    {My turn!} Another voice interrupted Fay. This time it was a telepathic one. A white Kirlia moved in front of Fay and bowed over me, effectively adding weight and making my situation worse. {Dust, we made it!} The Kirlia giggled ecstatically. {We are all alive and fixed.}


    She moved down and gave me a hug, rubbing her head with horns against my chest which would have been cute if she and Fay weren''t currently crushing my chest with their combined weight.


    "Hey," A raspy voice came from my left. I moved my head a little and saw a small fox looking down on me with a smug grin. She clearly saw I was stuck, yet she didn''t reach out to help me. "Did you know that a Munchlax is about 100 kilo (231.5 lbs)?"


    "Oh sure." I answered with a sigh. "I didn''t plan on leaving my bed anyway."


    Finally seeing the problem Fay moved off my chest. Still blushing, she said. "Luna, you are crushing him."


    That wasn''t really true, Luna weighed far less than Fay but still, it was rather annoying.


    {No I''m not.} Luna interrupted her frantic hugging. {He is bedridden, he needs hugs.}


    Thinking this was an interesting scene to watch unfold, I said nothing.


    "You are the one pinning him down," Fay answered with a scowl.


    "She''s saying you are fat." The Zorua joined the conversation with a sly grin.


    Luna''s eyes snapped towards Project Z with a glare that honestly would make me feel like pissing myself. Project Z hesitantly took a small step back, genuine worry on her face.


    "Luna please move," I hesitantly tried with a smile, making sure to send some positive vibes her way.


    Luna pouted like a child told it was bedtime.


    I argued. "You can always hug me later."


    Luna happily nodded and moved off my chest to sit down next to Fay. Before anyone could change their mind I quickly sat up right, placing my back against the wooden frames of the bed.


    "Morning." Fay coughed awkwardly while I took in my surroundings.


    "Yeah morning too."


    I was lying in a bed, my sheets were messy, not only because of Luna and Fay but also because I tend to twist a lot in my sleep. Sunlight shone through an open window along with a cool breeze. The sun was already high up in the sky, shining upon a colorful town.


    The furniture in the room was pretty standard, a desk was placed in the corner with a monitor up on the wall. My backpack was lying on the floor even though there was a closet and a nightstand not even two steps away from the bed. A door led to a bathroom while another led to the main hall.


    The air was clean and fresh, the atmosphere of the entire room was overall positive and calming, so clearly it wasn¡¯t my own room.


    I was in a Pok¨¦mon Center.


    Sometimes I am just amazed how insane this fact is, I can just casually say I am in the world of Pok¨¦mon.


    A cold hand clenched my heart as other, less pleasant, thoughts dawned on me.


    I am in the world of Pok¨¦mon. No one told me why I was here, ripped away from my old life, no tutorial and no guide. Not even an explanation.


    I am not saying that my life was great before but at least it made sense. I was born, did work and eventually died. Here, things were not that easy. People and Pok¨¦mon die but I wasn''t born here. And worse, apparently some Pok¨¦mon and people don¡¯t even die properly but turn into ghosts.


    This world was strange.


    Why? The burning question that loomed in the back of my mind. Why?


    {Dust!} Luna interrupted my train of thought by forcefully pushing herselves into my vision.


    "What?" I asked, confused and possibly sounding a bit more on edge then I should.


    {Don''t forget you have me and Fay.} Luna took a step back and smiled at me. {No need to panic, you have us.}


    I was still wearing the clothes I wore yesterday, I smelled and felt dirty. However, my heart did warm a little when I saw Luna smiling reassuringly at me.


    "Yeah, you are right," I muttered. "No point in worrying."


    {Exactly!}


    I looked at the clock. It was 11 in the morning. That at least explained why the sun was already shining so bright.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I got out of my bed with shaky legs, feeling a bit dazed from the night. My Pok¨¦mon were watching me from the top of the bed.


    I quickly flipped the Pok¨¦dex open. Multiple missed calls and messages greeted me, though none of them were from Hylla so I decided to put it off for now. Most of them were related to the launch of Tetris anyway.


    "How did you two get here actually?" I asked while I was going through the drawers in the room. I was trying to find a towel so I could take a shower.


    "The woman healed our wounds and then she brought us to your room," Fay explained. "Something about special orders."


    "I guess that would be Hylla''s doing."


    {You spoke with her?} Luna asked curiously.


    I nodded. "Yeah, in fact. I wonder how her clean up operation is going."


    I opened the door to the bathroom and found a set of towels hung up against a rack on the wall. Yeah, I should have realized that the towels would be in the bathroom but my brain still felt a bit sluggish, as if I¡¯d just woken up from a fever dream.


    "I''m gonna take a quick shower." I said. "You girls can find the breakfast hall on your own?"


    Fay nodded. "Already found it. Should we take something for you?"


    "Coffee, I feel like drinking coffee," I said before closing the door behind me and stepping into the hot shower.


    <hr>


    I sat down on the bed again, making sure the blanket was straightened out before crashing down again.


    "Already tired?" Fay asked with a hint of a smile.


    "Ugh, being awake is a task on its own."


    A floating mug of coffee passed overhead. I reached out to grab it and made an effort to sit up straight.


    I took a sip. It didn''t taste that good but it did help me feel a little bit more awake. Still, not wanting to do anything I reached out for the tv remote and turned it on.


    Automatically it jumped to Sinnoh Live.


    "Hey, I recognize that place!" Project Z called out.


    Of course she did because the news channel was talking about the Red Orphanage. The footage was filmed from above, showing a collection of half ruined buildings that decorated the landscape. Multiple people and Pok¨¦mon were gathered there and it almost looked like an anthill.


    A deep male voice accompanied the broadcast although I couldn''t see who was speaking. "This secret facility has been cleared out right now and an extensive operation has been underway although there has not been an official statement from the Sinnoh League or the organization responsible for this bloodbath. We are still very much in the dark about what exactly has transpired here but one thing is sure. Nothing good will come from this."


    I sighed and shut off the tv.


    "So, what now?" Project Z asked. "You wanna go back, ask that woman for more details?"


    "Well, I assume she''ll call me. There''s no way I''ll even entertain the thought of going even near that cursed building."


    Saying I had a bad experience doesn''t quite cover it.


    "What about you?" I looked at Project Z. "What are your plans?"


    "My plans?" Project Z''s voice raised in pitch. "What do you mean by my plans?"


    I shrugged. "Well, you are free now, remember? So, what are you gonna do now?"


    "Oww." Project Z''s expression soured and her gaze dropped down. "You are right. I finally have my freedom now. At last."


    "So, what are you gonna do with it?" I asked again. "I am pretty sure the League would be interested in your experience inside the A2 facility."


    "I bet they would," Project Z muttered sarcastically.


    "Maybe live in the wild?" I suggested.


    Project Z didn''t answer.


    {Dust, don''t-}


    "Or, you could come with us," I said, my voice slightly louder.


    Project Z looked at me with a perplexed expression. "Say what?!"


    "You could come with us." I repeated myself. "I''m looking for a third Pok¨¦mon and I feel like you really could fill in that spot."


    "Me, your third Pok¨¦mon?" The Zorua said with a mocking tone.


    "Hey, it is just a suggestion," I shrugged, already knowing how the conversation would end. "But if you have no plans for the future you might as well stick around."


    "And I will become your Pok¨¦mon?"


    I scowled. "Saying ''your'' Pok¨¦mon really sounds wrong to me. Maybe see it more as a partner? A team member?"


    "Partner sounds much cooler," Project Z''s eyes were looking everywhere except at me. "But why would I wanna go with you?"


    I grinned. "Give me a reason why you shouldn''t go with me?"


    "You are clearly not a stable person." A smug smile was plastered onto her face.


    "So are you." I smiled back. "Next argument."


    "I ate a man!"


    I blinked once, didn''t really think she would pull this card. "Well, surprisingly that isn''t the worst I''ve seen so far. Besides that, I know you wouldn''t kill me."


    "Why is that?"


    My smile widened. I felt like doing something impulsive this morning. "I taste like plastic, remember?"


    Apparently my smile was infectious because Project Z mirrored my grin. "Fair enough."


    She raised her head as if she was royalty. "I guess I could grace you with my presence."


    {Dust!} Luna interrupted the conversation. The expression on the ballerina''s face was something I''d like to call mild fury. {Do we get a say in this?}


    "Leave me out of this please." Fay scowled.


    {Do I get a say in this?} Luna repeated.


    Being smart, I didn''t argue with her. Instead I just pulled Luna closer and embraced Kirlia in my arms. "No need to grow jealous, Luna."


    {I''m not jealous.} Luna half heartedly stuttered.


    "Definitely jealous," Fay coughed.


    {No I am not.}


    I held the Kirlia in front of me and put on something I hoped was a convincing smile. "You know that you will always be my first Pok¨¦mon."


    {Your main right?}


    "Yup."


    Luna sighed. {Fine, I guess we''ll just have to live with a reality in which I have to share you.}


    It was a weird way to phrase it but I think she got the point. "Exactly!"


    Sometimes it feels like I was running a kindergarten instead of a Pok¨¦mon team.


    "Question," Project Z coughed, looking at me and Luna with a weird look. "Is there a reason why all your Pok¨¦mon are females?"


    I frowned. "You know, now you mention it. That is weird. I mean, the odds are pretty low."


    My eyes darted over Project Z, Luna and Fay. When it was just Luna and Fay the odds were pretty much 1/4. But now it feels like Fate is straight up fucking with me.


    "Interesting." Project Z said, her voice having a certain edge to it. "Very interesting."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "Nothing." Project Z said, feigning innocence. "Just something to keep in mind."


    Making a deep sigh, I decided to just let the crazy fox be crazy. Instead I went through my stuff, looking for a spare Pok¨¦ball.


    Luckily I still had a few in my backpack. I drew the typical red-and-white Pok¨¦ball and turned to face Project Z.


    "Ready?" I asked.


    "Oh yes, take me please." Project Z answered with the biggest grin possible.


    "I don''t get the joke." Our innocent Fay looked around, waiting for an explanation. Of course none was given.


    Before Project Z could make me regret it even more I pressed the button on the Pok¨¦ball. The light sucked the small Zorua in and the light began blinking.


    She didn''t escape, which was a small relief. A small part of me was still prepared for the scenario in which she escapes and says ''prank'' or something else stupid.


    "Wow, so this is what silence feels like," Fay cracked a joke.


    {Could get used to it.} Luna muttered.


    The Pok¨¦ball in my hand stirred and the Pok¨¦ball broke open. A light shot out of it and materialized into a Zorua.


    "Wow," she muttered perplexedly, "that was weird."


    "You can stay outside the Pok¨¦ball," I said while pocketing it away, trying to keep it away from Luna''s and Fay''s.


    "I think I prefer to stay outside my Pok¨¦ball. Yeah, being locked up isn¡¯t my jam." Project Z nodded to herself. "Anyway, now we are partners, what''s next?"


    A heavy thud on the door followed that question. I looked at the door, wondering if someone had accidentally thrown a hammer against my door. A second bang followed.


    "I guess that''s next." I muttered with surprise. "Fay, Luna."


    "One person," Fay answered with her eyes closed.


    "Luna, get ready to teleport us all in case of an emergency."


    Another thud.


    I retrieved the gun I had hidden under my pillow, it was the silver one I got from Crimson. With slow and steady steps I walked towards the door.


    Hiding the weapon behind my back I unlocked the door with my free hand and pulled it open, expecting the worst.


    Instead of finding a monster on the other side I was met with a familiar face.


    Long purple hair, deep purple eyes and a smirk. Yup, it was Hylla.


    "Hi." Hylla greeted me. Her stark eyes were dazed and her hair was messy. She still had blood on her shoes. I gazed into the hallway and saw a red trail of footsteps.


    She looked like shit to me, her eyes were unnaturally red and when she spoke her voice was hoarse.


    "Good morning Dust."

 88. Containment Breach

    Chapter 88:


    Containment Breach


    <hr>


    "So how''d you sleep?" Hylla asked.


    Seeing her familiar face again I sighed and opened the door wider and lowered the gun behind my back.


    The purple-haired girl raised an eyebrow when she spotted the silver gleam of the gun. "Y-you were about to shoot me?"


    I stared at the gun I had not so subtly hid behind my back. The fact that it was shining silver didn''t really help at all. Hylla''s eyes fixed on the gun with an almost lost look. She did look rather tired.


    "No," I tried, "I just thought¡­"


    "Thought what?" Hylla sighed, sounding more tired than shocked at the fact I almost shot her. "You thought that maybe one of the experiments escaped the facility and traveled through the forest and proceeded to knock on your door?"


    "Paranoia." Fay coughed from inside the room.


    "Well, thanks to you I''ve experienced a very traumatic event," I sarcastically replied. "You can''t fault me for being a bit paranoid."


    Hylla answered my glare with my smirk, "Nice try guilt-tripping me but we both know you have a tendency to throw yourself at danger." She brushed her hair aside. "If I didn''t ask you to go in, you would have done it anyway. Right?"


    I stared into Hylla''s eyes and was met with an unwavering certainty. There wasn''t a triumphant tone to her voice, instead she acted like she had merely stated a well known fact which made it even worse.


    My fist balded as I had the urge to hit her in the face, or hit the wall or scream at her.


    It''s not like I''m a violent person, far from it but I do get frustrated at times, and that frustration needs an outlet. I mostly kept it inside. However I could already imagine how good it would feel to lash out.


    The only reason I didn''t do that was because she was right and I knew it. Lashing out would only further prove her point. So, instead of doing that, I tried to calm myself down. Trying to think logically which made it all the more clear that the way I''ve been living the past months was not healthy and it was partly my fault.


    The point is; I don''t really know how to deal with this issue myself. There is a difference between knowing you have a problem and knowing how to fix it. Something I struggled with before.


    I do know that punching Hylla or the wall won''t help. No matter how tempting it is...Maybe I should call that number the doctor had given me last night.


    "You know, I suggest doing something nice and just relaxing for the next couple of days." Hylla shared with me a small smile. "That should keep the memories out of your head.''


    "I''m not that traumatized." I frowned.


    "Then let''s keep it that way," Without asking she stepped into the room, leaving a trail of red blood steps on the floor.


    I really hoped that whoever cleaned this room later didn''t think I was some serial killer. Hylla either didn''t notice or didn''t care about the footprints she left behind. The trail went all the way to my bed where she stopped right in front of Luna and Fay.


    "Glad they are alright."


    She knelt down in front of the two and started staring at them with an intense gaze. This continued for 10 seconds in complete silence which made me wonder if she had lost it.


    Fay visibly became uncomfortable under her leering gaze but didn''t break the silence. Luna just stared back, not really caring that much about Hylla''s stare.


    "The Riolu is named Fay," I eventually said when it became a bit too weird. "And as you may have noticed, Luna evolved."


    "Kirlia." Luna nodded.


    "Yeah I noticed." Hylla got up from her spot. "I am just really glad they made it out alive."


    {Of course we made it out alive.} Luna scoffed indignantly.


    Hylla gave the Kirlia a serious nod as if she understood Luna before turning to face Fay. "And you really should be glad your trainer was smart enough to put you back in your Pok¨¦ball."


    Fay nodded back, a bit awkwardly and didn''t bother to say anything. It hadn¡¯t been my idea really, rather Project Z''s but I didn''t bother to share that small detail.


    "So¡­how is the Red Orphanage situation going?" I asked when Hylla''s stillness became a bit too much. Around half a day had passed, in my eyes enough time for the League to gather more intel.


    "You''ve seen the news?" Hylla asked. It sounded like a question but she didn''t wait for a response. "The league is trying to maintain a professional image."


    "What do you mean by ''maintain''?" I narrowed my eyes. "Aren''t the Leagues professionals?"


    Hylla shook her head, "We are still human Dust." Something in her voice broke, "The truth of the matter is that we have no idea how to deal with this shit. There isn''t really a textbook to follow when it comes to the things we find down there."


    "Just lock the place up," Fay thought out loud.


    "What would you suggest we do?" Hylla asked me, she sounded genuinely curious..


    "Uhm, recontain everything down there and find out which of them can safely reintegrate into society or the wild. That sounds like a start."


    "Good plan!" Hylla sarcastically cheered. "The only problem is step 1, containing every Pok¨¦mon down there." Hylla sat down on the bed with a deep sigh she sunk into the covers. Just looking at her tired eyes made me feel miserable.


    "You can''t contain the Pok¨¦mon inside?" I asked.


    "The team we sent in this evening didn''t come back." Hylla swallowed. "The rescue team went in but cut contact after 5 minutes."


    Goosebumps chilled my skin. "What?!"


    Hylla shrugged.


    "I thought they were trained and armed to deal with that kind of thing."


    "They were trained to deal with normal rogue Pok¨¦mon." I swear Hylla''s eyes blurred. "But they weren''t prepared to deal with the things down in A2."


    "But you had the files with information and layout. They should have helped you with breaching that place."


    "I thought that as well." Hylla snapped. "That''s why I tried to clear out the building in the first place but things didn''t exactly work out, did they?"


    "What happened?"


    "Oh, you know. Most of the experiments escaped their cells after you left." Hylla''s eyes were like two blazing storms of anger, luckily they weren¡¯t directed at me. "Despite that the League wanted to know what else was on the director''s PC." she heaved a dry laugh. "Not that they''ll find it out now, the entire place became a giant deathtrap and the League changed their orders."


    Despite me standing next to her she began speaking louder. I let her, I didn''t feel like stopping her from venting. Somehow her complaints made me feel a little better which, I do know, is a horrible thing to think but I was just really glad I made it out before shit hits the fan. I was also really glad I wasn''t in Hylla''s position.


    I gave her a sympathetic nod, "The League still wants to break into that place?"


    "No, now it is the opposite. None of the experiments are to escape. Right now all the entrances are just sealed up while we wait for a more permanent solution."


    Behind Hylla''s back I saw Project Z''s eyes widening. She was sending me a shocked expression and was miming something I couldn''t make out.


    "Permanent solutions," I said. "You don''t mean-"


    "Yes, a kill order has been issued for every single Pok¨¦mon inside. A Victini Bomb will be detonated soon to make sure nothing escapes." Hylla rubbed her eyes and grimaced.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "What, that''s crazy!" I hissed. "There are innocent Pok¨¦mon inside, victims. Not all of them deserve to be blown to ashes."


    Froslass and Project Z both saved my life, they couldn''t be the only reasonable Pok¨¦mon down there and that Ditto, surely it doesn''t deserve death. My heart clenched as I thought of the possibility.


    "Dust," Hylla looked me in the eyes. "You are incredibly lucky to make it out alive in the first place because some of the things down there could have killed you with a single look.


    "You are joking." I looked past Hylla at the Zorua, wondering what she thought. Project Z did something I would consider a shrug.


    "There is a Dusclops wandering the facility that causes instant death the moment you look at it." Hylla took a sharp breath. "And as if that isn''t enough, Galactic also keeps multiple man-made diseases down there. The League doesn''t want this place to become a second Celebi''s Forest so we go for plan B, kill everything."


    I looked for a sign of a smirk, a playful glance in her eyes. Anything that would tell me it was a joke, a big lie. I found nothing.


    "So, yeah. I hope you slept well because I didn''t," she yawned and stared at the bloody footprints on my floor like it was the first time she noticed them.


    "Well fuck," I said, "I thought my life sucks, guess you take the crown now."


    I didn''t actually believe that but it atleast got a laugh out of Hylla. "Oh yes. I kind of want to trade right now. You feel up to taking my job?"


    "No way in hell." I shook my head. "Sorry, but I''m not going near that place ever again."


    "Hehe," Hylla slumped backwards, her long purple hair spreading out over the blanket. "Luckily I''m no longer in charge after tonight''s fiasco."


    "You got replaced?" Or rather, demoted.


    "Yes, actually, talking about jobs. The League has already offered you a job but I took the liberty to turn it down for you." Her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Trust me, you don''t want to work for the League right now. Besides, I think you''ve had enough adventure for now."


    "Certainly."


    "Great." Hylla closed her eyes and laid still for a good 10 seconds. It was bright outside and the lights were still on inside my room. It was basically noon. Guess Hylla hadn''t had the time to settle down yet.


    "For what it''s worth, I do feel bad for sending you in there. You shouldn''t have seen all of that."


    "It''s fine." I said, this time meaning it. "I thought it was a small favor, didn''t expect it to escalate that quickly."


    I sat down next to Hylla, getting tired of standing on my feet and my bed did look rather soft.


    Hylla hummed agreeingly when she noticed my weight on the bed. Before I knew it Luna had moved from one side of the bed to mine and nestled herself in my arms like a newborn baby.


    Project Z turned to face Fay and gave her puppy eyes.


    "No." Fay coldly replied.


    I idly began playing with Luna''s two horns while humming the melody of a song. I somehow felt very much at peace with myself, the urge to kick and scream was still there but it had subsided.


    Maybe it was Luna lying in my arms. Maybe it was our conversation. Whatever it was, it made me feel much better


    I closed my eyes and for a short moment I could almost believe that things would become better and that I passed the biggest hurdle. Make myself believe I was just chilling with Luna while the wind blew through my hair.


    No more blood. No more mysteries. No more monsters.


    Just peace.


    <hr>


    It was the sound of a camera lens shutting that made me stir from my sleep.


    What happened?


    Oh shit, I fell asleep. My eyes focused and I began scanning the room for the girl whom I had fallen asleep beside. I didn''t have to search long. The girl was sitting on the desk resting her feet on the chair, looking at her phone.


    "Oh please, you can keep sleeping if you want." Hylla said without looking up. "You looked so peaceful. I decided to let you keep sleeping." A smile curled up on her lips.


    She raised what I thought was her phone, but was actually a photo. It was a picture of me sleeping with all my three Pok¨¦mon curled up against me. Hylla waved the photo like the ink was still drying before tossing it onto the bed at my feet.


    "You should keep it," Hylla said.


    "I was just tired." I groaned as I subtly tried to shift my body. Trying to keep my Pok¨¦mon asleep. Which didn''t work out.


    "Uh?" Fay''s eyes opened.


    "Kir?" Luna softly whispered and stirred.


    Fay''s eyes drifted up and she saw me. She flustered and almost explosively jumped off the bed. The sudden movement woke up Project Z. She started to move as well.


    "Morning already?" The Zorua muttered with a raspy breath. "Someone bring me a cup of coffee."


    I grimaced as my eyes drifted towards Hylla. Knowing she definitely must have heard Project Z''s speech.


    To my surprise, Hylla''s face remained impassive. She raised an eyebrow when my eyes passed hers. "What, thought I didn''t know?"


    I remained silent. Fay watched the staredown from the corner of the room, nervously fiddling with her claws.


    "Know what?" I tried to play it cool.


    "That the Zorua can talk." Hylla rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I knew that from the start."


    Project Z chose the best moment to talk.


    "Uhm, what is going on?" She focused her red eyes on me. When I didn''t answer she took the time to look around. Her gaze stopped when she saw Hylla sitting on the desk. The gears began turning in her head.


    "Uhm, Zo-Zorua?" She nervously spoke. Trying and failing to look inconspicuous.


    "That''s just sad." I muttered.


    "Indeed, the Skitty''s out of the bag." Hylla informed Project Z.


    "Oh well, I tried." Project Z sighed before a grin etched itself onto her face. "Look away Dust, we can''t leave any witnesses."


    Hylla''s hand shot towards her pockets.


    "She''s messing with you!" I quickly got up, throwing Luna off me and raising my hands towards her. "She is harmless."


    Hylla scowled, took a second look at the Zorua who was grinning with a mad smile.


    "That...that was an incredibly stupid thing to say." Hylla warned, her eyes no longer smiling.


    "I know!" Project Z cried out, her voice rising in pitch. "But you know the poor boy can''t help it!"


    Hylla stared at Project Z. Her eyes were just mesmerized by the sheer absurdity of the situation. Then Project Z started to laugh out loud, her tiny body producing mad cackles.


    Hylla turned to face me with a disappointed look. "Why are your Pok¨¦mon like this?"


    "Hey!" Fay protested loudly. Hylla''s gaze shifted to the blue Riolu and she shrunk back to her corner.


    {What is going on?} A now awakened Kirlia asked while Project Z continued to throw her laughing fit.


    I shrugged, "Dunno, they come to me."


    Hylla shook her head.


    Project Z managed to pick herself together again. She stopped laughing and smiling altogether in fact. Something that looked rather creepy "Okay, how did you know I can talk? Did Dust tell you?"


    {Hylla knows now?} Luna tilted her head. {What did I miss?}


    "Project Z spilled the beans." Fay hissed, "now stay silent. I don''t wanna miss this."


    A small smirk appeared on Hylla''s lips. "Actually Dust tried to hide it."


    She fixed her purple eyes on me. "You really thought I wouldn''t notice it if one entry on the specimen list would go missing."


    I shrugged again. "There were like a hundred of them. Surely one of them wouldn''t be missed."


    "Hold on!" Project Z said. "When did he delete my entry?"


    "Yesterday after our battle with Froslass," I said, "I copied and delivered all the files but deleted yours."


    Project Z looked at me, her eyes showing no trace of humor or jokes. With a low voice, barely above a whisper she muttered. "Why?"


    "Well, after getting to know you a bit better I thought you deserve your freedom, so I deleted all the files containing information about you. So you''d be completely free, no strings and past to hold you back." I smiled, thinking it had been a pretty nice thing to do. "Of course I didn''t expect you to join me later."


    "Tear-jerking." Hylla dryly commented. "But you forgot to wipe the logs on the drive as well. Really messy Dust. I retrieved her files within a minute."


    "In my defense, I was exhausted and had been running away from a very hostile ice queen." I bit my lips in annoyance because Hylla had seen through my bluff. "So, what now?"


    "Well, I already told you that the League doesn''t want a single experiment to reach the surface."


    Project Z''s body stiffened.


    "However," Hylla continued, "After seeing the ''escaped'' specimen for myself I decided against it." A playful glint flashed in Hylla''s eyes. "I took the liberty to wipe the files clean from the records, considering I do owe you a favor." Hylla winked at me.


    "Well, thank you." I gave her a grateful nod. "You had me stressing for a second."


    "Yeah, your face when the Zorua talked was on its own worth it." Hylla grinned. "Though I really do hope you know what you are doing."


    I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.


    "Yeah, I''ll manage." I reassured Hylla.


    "Now because a talking Zorua is quite rare in Sinnoh, I retrieved some documents." She tossed a letter onto the bed. "It''s a report from a breeder in Unova who will swear that this Zorua had been raised there. That way no one will be able to connect her with the Red Orphanage."


    I read the documents, seeing a lot of words and terms I didn''t understand and have never heard of. I only knew that whatever Hylla had done was illegal as shit.


    "How?"


    Hylla shrugged. "I have connections, anyway, now I returned the favor I really should go."


    "Already?" Project Z scowled.


    "Affirmative," Hylla reluctantly got off the desk. "I still have a lot of work ahead of me. The people behind the Red Orphanage still walk free."


    "If you need help-"


    "I won''t bother you next time." Hylla suddenly engulfed me in a hug. It was so unexpected that I definitely let out an eep.


    "I think you should stay out of trouble for now." She whispered into my ear.


    As she said that I thought of the Sinnoh Knight festival I had planned to visit. The looming threat of Dialga and Palkia ripping space and time apart. Somehow I doubted I could stay out of trouble for too long. Fate wouldn''t have it that way.


    "I''ll try." I groaned, my chest crushed.


    "Liar," Hylla muttered as she released me. Then her eyes turned cheery again. "Well, see you around?"


    She turned to the door, leaving behind a trail of rust-red footprints on the floor.


    I waited until her footsteps were out of earshot. Still, a bit surprised from my rude awakening I gazed around the room.


    Red footsteps were everywhere.


    Wonder how I am going to explain this.


    {DUST!}


    The Kirlia was standing on top of the bed. Her skin was slightly colored red but not because she was flustered. Her gaze was murderous.


    {Can someone tell me what the fuck happened!?}

 89. Lazy Afternoons

    Chapter 89:


    Lazy Afternoons


    <hr>


    "Okay, hold still for a second." I pointed the Pok¨¦dex at the small Zorua.


    To my surprise she actually complied.


    The red light scanned Project Z and the screen on my Pok¨¦dex flashed white. A detailed description of Project Z''s moveset and weight appeared. Strangely enough, some details were marked as "unidentifiable", probably because she was a custom-made Pok¨¦mon. For example, the Pok¨¦dex couldn''t register her ability which should be Transform if I were correct. It did however know that Project Z was a Dark-type. Not the most useful information.


    "Okay, now could you please transform into a Pidgey?"


    "Yes sir!" Project Z exclaimed dramatically before turning into a white glowing orb.


    I scanned Project Z again, now in Pidgey form. Strangely the Pok¨¦dex gave me the same results and insisted that the creature in front of me was a Zorua.


    "Well, this is weird."


    "What''s so weird?" Project Z turned back and hopped over to me.


    I showed her the analysis the Pok¨¦dex made.


    "I don''t see it." She shook her head.


    "Well, your stats didn''t change after you changed forms which, if you were to be a genetic copy you should get different results." I tried to explain.


    "Oh, that." Project Z rolled her eyes, "that is becaus-"


    "That is because her Aura doesn''t change," Fay said to no one in particular.


    "Say that again?" I turned around to look at Fay.


    "Say what?" She looked up from the chessboard.


    "What did you say about Aura?" I raised an eyebrow. Project Z''s ears perked up.


    "Eh, uhm. Well, I noticed that her Aura doesn''t change with her form." Fay said slowly, "Maybe that''s because her Aura is in her heart."


    "Mmm, wait," I opened my backpack and took out a notebook. I flipped through all the pages, trying to find my own theories regarding Pok¨¦mon.


    "Fay, what if a Pok¨¦mon''s power comes from their Aura?"


    {Wasn''t that already established?} Luna didn''t bother to look up from the game of chess with Fay.


    "No, I mean what if the physical body of a Pok¨¦mon is nothing more than a vessel. A genetic machine but the Aura is the source that makes it special; the fuel that allows the body to bend the laws of physics?"


    I might have started to yell in my excitement. Luckily the few people left in the park didn''t seem to care.


    "Well," Fay looked a little bit lost, "My mom always says that a Pok¨¦mon''s power comes from their heart."


    "Oh wow," Project Z interrupted, her voice drained with fake awe. "I bet your mom was a professor in pseudo science!"


    "No," Fay scowled, "My mom was my mom."


    Wow, Project Z''s sarcasm wasn''t very effective. It seemed that Fay genuinely thought the Zorua was making a joke. Cute.


    Although, Fay''s mom might have a point. Project Z, for example, doesn''t gain any new abilities when she transforms. We tried but her move pool and health remain the same. I had her transform into a Charizard but when she did she could neither fly nor spit flames.


    That doesn''t make a lot of sense if she were to be a genetic copy.


    Maybe a Pok¨¦mon''s power truly does come from their heart, or more specific Aura.


    Food for thought.


    Fay''s eyes drew back to the chessboard. "HEY! You teleported 2 pieces! The king was definitely more to the left."


    {It''s called Castling.} The Kirlia said with a sweet smile.


    "That''s not right!" Fay exclaimed loudly like Luna had wounded her pride. "The rook was all the way over there and now it''s not."


    {It''s called Castling with extra steps!} Luna insisted.


    "Dust, Luna is cheating!" Fay called out.


    {You have conclusive evidence?} Luna challenged Fay.


    "I wouldn''t take that from her." Project Z had moved from her previous spot and was whispering into Fay''s ear. "You''re not gonna let her get away with that right?"


    I rolled my eyes. A deep part of me however was glad this minor issue was my biggest problem at the moment.


    The sky was colored a beautiful orange and the sun was close to the horizon. Most people at the park were minding their own business. It was almost surreal to realize that only 24 hours had passed since I was here. So much had happened, yet here I was. One more Pok¨¦mon by my side this time but besides that, it was as if nothing had happened.


    It felt weird.


    "I demand you take the pieces back to their original position!" Fay narrowed her eyes at Luna.


    I smiled and decided to intervene. "Project Z, stop trying to provoke Fay. Fay, in a fight cheating is a viable option both for you and your opponent. Luna, stop cheating. She is your friend and cheating is just not cool."


    {Fine.} Luna muttered with a defeated sigh. Multiple white pieces rearranged themselves on the board without Luna even touching them.


    Project Z strolled back to me. "So, who would win; Luna or Fay?"


    "Luna would most likely win, but if Fay got emotional enough she might get the upper hand," I replied without even hesitating.


    "Now back to research."


    "What, you''re a scientist now?" Project Z scowled.


    "Nah, I just like to know shiz, besides, figuring out what you can and can''t do might save our lives in the future."


    "You remind me of her." Project Z suddenly said. "It''s almost uncanny/"


    "Who''s her?"


    The Zorua didn''t immediately answer. It sounded like this person was important. Not sure if being ''similar'' to ''her'' was good news or bad news.


    "I knew someone who was just like you," Project Z''s eyes darkened. "Curious but also very paranoid."


    Behind me, I could hear Fay faintly mutter. ''¡±Bet he''s now going to say; ''it''s not paranoia when someone is after you.''"


    Luna snickered.


    I stayed silent. Traitors.


    Whatever Project Z was about to say was cut off. Like an illusion shattering, the tension dissipated and Project Z smiled again.


    "Anyway, we were talking about my potential?"


    I felt like I should probably ask more about this ''her'' person but Project Z''s attitude seemed to have done a 180. It sounded like something she wanted to talk about. I however didn''t have the guts to approach such a sensitive subject.


    "Well," I raised the Pok¨¦dex again, "According to the Pok¨¦dex you possess the moves Night Daze, Scratch and Bite."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    That was...well weird. Just like her genes, Project Z''s move pool was a mess. According to Pok¨¦dex lady Project Z shouldn''t even be able to use Bite.


    It would require some work to figure out a viable fighting style for Z.


    "Of course you also have your own gimmick of transforming."


    Zorua nodded thoughtfully. "So will I be a valuable member of the team?"


    "Depends," I said with a serious expression. "Can you cook?"


    Project Z stuck her tongue out at me.


    I laughed out loud. Not being able to keep my face straight. It wasn''t long before Project Z joined in.


    <hr>


    The golden sky above us almost seemed to glow.


    We were sitting on a wooden bench that was strategically placed so it overlooked the lower parts of Floaroma Town. It was a beautiful sight since there weren''t any skyscrapers or high buildings that blocked the view. There wasn''t much I could say about Floaroma Town besides it being a colorful town with even more colorful flowers planted everywhere.


    In the distance, I could see the vague shape of Eterna City. Far away yet still close to us. Somewhat North, further away than Eterna City beyond the orange sky was Alamos Town.


    The place where Dialga and Palkia were waiting for me.


    However, all of that would have to wait because we had something even more important on our hands.


    "Oh, this feels so good," Project Z moaned, "Thank you so much for giving this to me."


    "Stop making this sound so weird." I groaned. I took a bite of my own ice cream.


    This time they were shaped like a blue Magikarp instead of a Pikachu. Not sure why.


    "Seriously though, how can frozen water taste so good?" The Zorua took another bite. Her canines were digging into the ice. But she didn''t seem to suffer from it. It hurts to look at it.


    "It tastes like sugar," Project Z remarked, "but also like salt? Weird combination but I dig it."


    "Because it is ice cream," Fay said. "It''s made of stuff with more stuff."


    {Tasty.} Was all Luna could muster for a response. It was a marvel to see how Luna had fallen in love with her treat. Not that it didn''t taste super good.


    Not sure what made the food in this world so different from mine. There were still the basic flavors but somehow food here seemed richer and deeper in taste. I bet something microwaved in this universe could make Gordon Ramsay cry in joy.


    Or maybe it was just my imagination.


    "So," Fay had finished hers first. I''d like to think it was because of her typing. "Is this going to be a tradition? Eating ice cream and looking at the sunset?"


    "It should be," Project Z insisted.


    {Agreed.} Luna shared her opinion.


    "No," I suddenly said.


    "What, why not?" Fay looked hurt.


    "Because this is something special," I quickly said. I pointed the half-eaten ice cream at the descending sun like it was a sword.


    "Is it a special ice cream?" Fay halfheartedly guessed.


    I shook my head, realizing they missed the point, "I mean, this moment we are sharing together. You don''t realize how special this is."


    I stared at the sun rays that slipped past the edges of my ice, "We made it out alive, we have a new team member. We are all together. That is something very special."


    Maybe I was feeling a bit emotional but I felt that I had to share these words.


    "Days like these should be kept special right? Otherwise, none of them would be memorable. I suggest we do this again when we have something to celebrate.


    "Sure, if it means more food I''m in." Project Z smiled.


    "It does sound rather nice," Fay thoughtfully said, "A special moment for us."


    {Yeah.} Luna''s reply was short but she added a big-eyed nod which was really cute.


    I grinned, "Well, that''s a promise."


    With those inspiring words, I tossed the wooden stick into the trash bin.


    The sun shone its last rays across the horizon and I was ready to watch it disappear completely when a loud yell suddenly interrupted the peace.


    "Oh excuse me," A woman''s voice came from behind,


    I turned around.


    The same woman I had seen yesterday stood there. The one that got rid of the random Swallow that showed up.


    "Oh hi." I greeted her.


    She wore a green sundress today with a straw hat that tied her long blonde hair.


    Behind her legs were two smaller beings hiding, pretending that the woman''s legs could hide them.


    It was the smaller kid who''s name I forgot and that little beetroot with legs; Steenee.


    "Your name was Dusk right?" She tilted her head.


    "Eh close enough. Your name was?"


    "I''m Lisa," The woman named Lisa introduced herself. "This is Mark, say hi Mark."


    "Hi Mark." The small child copied with an excited tone.


    "Sup." I greeted the child.


    "And this is Melon." The woman pointed at the Steenee that was in turn hiding behind the child.


    "Steenee."


    I waited for Lisa to tell me it was a joke, that the Steenee wasn''t actually named Melon but in the end, I could only conclude it was a real name.


    Weird shit.


    Steenee seemed to like it though.


    "Uh, interesting name. So, you want to sit here?"


    "Oh, no! It''s not that." Lisa reassured me. "Actually, I had a small question."


    I knitted my eyebrows, wondering what this no longer stranger could want from me.


    "It''s just that Mark here," she pointed at the little child, "would like to pet your Zorua."


    "Eh?"


    I blinked. "Say what?"


    Lisa smiled and pointed at Mark to talk.


    "Please?" Mark put on big eyes.


    I raised an eyebrow at Project Z. I didn''t consider her cute per se, maybe that''s because I know her personality. Also, I hadn''t really had the time to admire her cuteness, something with a crazy Froslass chasing us.


    I took a good look at Project Z.


    She looked really fluffy. That''s all I could really say about it. Her dark-gray fur wasn''t shiny but had a bit of a dull color. Still, now I was looking at her. I really wanted to hug her but people were watching.


    Another odd thing I noted was Project Z''s eye color, which wasn''t blue like they should be. They instead were red.


    "You want to be petted?" I asked.


    I expected Project Z to protest but to my surprise, she actually seemed to consider it.


    "Ah sure, gotta keep the small ones happy." Project Z said.


    Lisa''s eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her lips. "She talks."


    "Yeah, the trick is to stop her from doing that." I grinned back.


    Project Z jumped off the bench and carefully approached the little one. Steenee trailed after the child, again looking scared as hell but still curious.


    Mark knelt down and patted Project Z, not even caring that it could talk.


    "Thank you," Lisa said. "It really is a pain to calm him down after he gets excited."


    "No problem." I looked at Project Z, still expecting her to violently lash out but nope, she behaved like an angel. "Glad to help."


    Luna¡¯s eyes focused on Zorua and the kid, studying them intensely. {Hmm, she seemed to genuinely enjoy the interactions with the young human.}


    "So...what is Zorua''s name?" Lisa asked. "If I remember correctly that one is named Fay and the other one Luna."


    Great, my name was the only one she got wrong.


    "The Zorua''s name is p¡­" I started but swallowed the last part of the sentence.


    "P?" Lisa frowned. "Who names their Pok¨¦mon P?"


    First off, she had no right to complain about such things. Second, I actually wanted to say Project Z but then remembered that such a name would be very suspicious.


    "Sorry, got distracted, her name is," I racked my brains for an alibi. Not sure why I was so stressed all of the sudden. "Uhm, Midna. Yup, that''s her name."


    Fay scowled at me but didn''t say anything.


    "Midna?" Lisa said skeptically.


    "Yup," I said. I glanced past Lisa to see if Project Z had heard it. She did. For a short second her gaze was murderous. Then it turned back to being cheery because you know, kids.


    I decided to double down.


    "Yeah, she is new but her name is Midna, pretty fitting name don''t you think."


    {She doesn''t seem to like it.} Luna shared with an amused chuckle.


    Lisa clapped her hands together, "That''s an adorable name!"


    Sure, and a very original name as well. Luckily they had nothing like the Legend of Zelda here.


    Fay quietly chuckled at Project Z''s subtle mock anger glances she was trying to shoot.


    Behind us, the sun disappeared behind the horizon and I felt the temperature drop all of the sudden.


    A rather cool wind brushed past my arm and caused me to shiver.


    "Mark, the sun''s down. You know what this means." Lisa called out to Mark.


    "Buuuttt moooom!" Mark tried.


    "Steeeneee!" The beetroot Pok¨¦mon copied.


    "Nope." Lisa folded her arms.


    A sly grin appeared on Project Z''s face.


    "Buuuttt Dussst."


    "No."


    Seeing this scene unfold in front of me made me glad I didn''t have parents who could send me to bed. Then I remembered I actually had them but...well switching universes.


    "Maybe you can see Midna tomorrow again," Lisa suggested, giving me a backwards glance.


    I didn''t have any concrete plans for tomorrow so I shrugged. Still had to get some stuff before I would continue my journey. Might as well make this kid''s day.


    "Actually," I said, an idea forming in my mind. "Lisa, you''re a Pok¨¦mon trainer as well."


    "I retired." The blonde woman answered with a faint smile. "Why?"


    I shared a look with Project Z. She answered with a shrug.


    "I was actually hoping you wanted to battle me. Midna is new and I kind of want to get some practice done before facing the Eterna Gym."


    Lisa seemed to ponder that question for a second. Then with a sigh, she smiled. "You know what, sure kiddo. I''ll humor you."


    "Great," I smiled. Glad to have found a low-level trainer to practice against.


    "Then I''ll see you tomorrow here, how about 4 in the afternoon?" Lisa offered.


    "Sure, works for me," I said.


    "Mark, say goodbye to Dusk."


    "BYE Dust! Bye Zorua!"


    "Steenee!"


    The duo, no, trio left the park, the kid excitedly waving back at the Zorua.


    When they were finally out of earshot Project Z turned to look at me, her red eyes thunderous.


    "So, Midna, eh?"

 90. Switching Techniques

    Chapter 90:


    Switching Techniques


    <hr>


    "A 3 vs 3," Lisa said. "Sounds fair right?"


    "Sure, that would mean all my Pok¨¦mon could get a workout."


    Lisa was wearing a hoodie this time with a knee-long dress and bare legs underneath. Around her waist hung a Pok¨¦ball belt.


    Mark was fucking off somewhere in the grass with Steenee. No idea why but it allowed me some peace of mind. That kid had the attention span of a toddler.


    "Could you give me some space please?" I asked Lisa, "Need to have a quick team talk first."


    She nodded. "Yes, I''ll leave you alone. Don''t run away though."


    I rolled my eyes before turning around, hearing Lisa behind me calling out to her child.


    "Okay." I knelt down in front of my Pok¨¦mon who were looking at me with anticipation, "Midna, you mind going first?"


    It still felt weird to say Midna instead of Project Z. However, Pro¡­Midna seemed to be going with it very easily. After overcoming the initial mock anger she was quick to adjust to it.


    We didn''t really have a lot of time to talk about it though, the upcoming battle had us training all evening and morning.


    Giving Project Z a new name didn''t make her any less of an annoyance.


    "Sure Captain." Zorua answered with a bright smile. However, that smile quickly faded. With a low raspy tone she asked, "Wait, are you sending the weakest Pok¨¦mon first!?"


    "No, I''m not."


    I totally was. Old habits die hard I guess. In the Pok¨¦mon games it was a valid strategy. Maybe it was a dick move in the real world though? Never considered that option although there was also another option.


    "You''re just being difficult for the sake of being difficult aren''t you?"


    The big grin that was her response told me enough.


    "To be truthful, Midna is the weakest out of us three," Fay said thoughtfully.


    "Nah, I am pretty sure I can beat you." Midna countered.


    "No, I doubt it," Fay answered with a smug smile.


    This seemed to annoy Midna. Fay flashed her claws to prove her point; a proud look present on her face.


    Midna scowled. A dark look crossed her face. "Fine, I bet I could take on Dust at least."


    Luna''s eyes flared red. {If you even think of doing that I-}


    "Chill Luna," I interrupted the small psychic. "Midna is just nervous for her upcoming fight."


    "No I''m not." Midna huffed undignified. After saying that the small fox Pok¨¦mon started to avoid my eyes.


    With a small voice, she added. "I just don''t like pain."


    She kept avoiding my eyes. It was pretty clear she was putting up a tough act to calm herself down.


    "If you don''t want to fight you can just sit this one out. I won''t think less of you or treat you differently."


    A random thought crossed my mind. Down in A2 while we were fighting the Kabutops she had been hiding herself, only stepping in at the last second when things were dire. Zorua¡¯s were known for their timid and coward nature, right?


    While I silently questioned my own theory, Fay was trying to help Midna.


    "Don''t worry. It doesn''t hurt and the moment it does our trainer will pull us out of the fight. Right Dust?"


    I nodded.


    "I know," Midna rolled her eyes. "I just want you to know that if I am going to lose it was because Dust''s strategy sucks."


    Fay frowned. "That''s not a nice thing to say."


    {Anyway, what is the plan?} Luna fixed her eyes on me. There was a certain edge to her look, an almost frightening dedication carved on her face. I decided that I must have been imaginary.


    "Actually, there''s no plan," I admitted.


    "No plan?" Fay asked, surprised.


    "Suicide charge?" Midna suggested with a smirk.


    "Luna explain it for me please."


    A smile crossed Kirlia''s face. {It is simple, our trainer wants us to have fun, learn and experiment with new moves.}


    "Exactly."


    {However,} Luna placed her hands on her hips. {This does not mean you can slack off, I want a victory and nothing less.}


    Fay nodded determined, a serious look on her face.


    Midna shot me a look that said; she is crazy. I agreed with her.


    "Are you ready, Dusk?" Lisa''s voice came from behind me.


    She still got my name wrong. I turned around and saw the woman standing behind me.


    With a proud smile she grinned at me. It was a nice smile to see, a careless smile that promised fun instead of doom.


    "I was waiting for you kiddo." She twirled three Pok¨¦balls around her fingers. Playfully showing them off.


    "Here''s a tip, keep the Pok¨¦mon you''re going to use a secret until the battle begins. Now, I am at an advantage."


    "What do you mean?" Midna asked.


    I sighed. "She is saying that she could hard counter my entire team because she knows who I will pick."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    It was something I did realize, the point is; I like having my Pok¨¦mon outside of their Pok¨¦balls. Though I should probably keep them inside when I''m visiting a tournament or Gym. Or maybe just keep Luna out. Food for thought.


    Maybe Lisa would prove to be a bigger challenge than I thought. Not that it mattered because I was here just to have some fun.


    Damn, that felt good. No pressure for once.


    I pocketed the three Pok¨¦balls and gestured for my Pok¨¦mon to get ready. Lisa tilted her head as if pondering over something.


    I noticed that the Beetroot with legs, named Melon, was sitting in the grass along with the boy.


    The battlefield was nothing too significant. The only thing that stood out to me were the flower beds planted on the corners. The lines drawn across the ground still looked new which showed that the people of Floaroma town really cared about their parks.


    Lisa walked over to the other side of the field, a smirk visible on her face. Meanwhile, I tried to organize my thoughts. It had been some time since I had just a casual battle, however, it would do me good to train some more. Especially with the gym battle on the horizon.


    The sun was high up in the sky, beaming down relentlessly like a silent spectator.


    "Ready Lisa?" I asked excitedly, already feeling the rush of adrenaline kicking in.


    "Definitely," Lisa answered.


    "Go Roxy!" She threw a red and white Pok¨¦ball up in the sky. It exploded into a flash and soon a red bipedal creature landed on the battlefield.


    It was an insect but the size and rough shape of a human, covered with a red exoskeleton that padded some parts of its body. It had big wasp-like wings but didn''t have stingers, instead two big claws made up its hands.


    "Scizor." The creature spoke.


    "Midna, I choose you." I said dryly. Meanwhile, I was already considering my options.


    Fay and Luna were both way better choices than Midna, but I didn¡¯t want to switch now. I guess I just had to eat up the missed opportunity and just have to trust Midna will do her job.


    Midna stepped forward, her first steps were hesitant. She stared at the white line as if it was something out of this world.


    "You can do it!" Mark was cheering from the sideline. He was joined by Melon who was just bouncing around with an excited expression.


    "You''re cheering for the wrong team." Lisa shook her head.


    At least Midna had one fanboy.


    With a brave smile, Project Z stepped onto the field.


    "So what?" she asked with a sarcastic voice, "Do I beat that red bug into submission?"


    "Go!" Lisa yelled.


    Immediately the look on Midna sharpened. Just in time.


    "Body slam!" I yelled out.


    The look of confusion on Lisa''s face was priceless.


    "She is a Zorua," Lisa said out loud as Midna was already running across the battlefield. Her small legs made her relatively slow, it was something worth noting. Something we could work on in the future.


    "She is a special Zorua." I corrected Lisa.


    A determined smile appeared on Midna''s face as she leaped up in the air when she had almost crossed the field.


    Scizor didn''t seem to know what to do as Lisa was too surprised to react.


    Midna''s body began to glow and within a split second, it exploded into something much bigger.


    Gravity took hold of Midna''s body again, however she was no longer just a small Zorua.


    A large blue sea dragon clashed against the ground with its entire body. Right on top of Scizor.


    "Move!" Lisa cried out.


    With a last-ditch effort, Scizor dove out of the way.


    The ground cracked and chunks of dirt and stone were thrown across the battlefield. The Gyarados roared as she landed with impact and Scizor was blown away by a big chunk of concrete. Her body glowed white again and she transformed back into a regular Zorua.


    Deciding I shouldn''t allow Lisa to recover I ordered my next attack.


    "Night Daze!"


    An aura of dark-purple energy began to spiral around Midna. Then the same energy crashed down into the ground and rolled outwards like a shockwave.


    A cry of pain came from Scizor and she (I decided Roxy sounded like a girl''s name) fell down,  painfully struggling under Midna''s weird energy connection.


    "Again!" I yelled.


    Midna followed my order with a smile.


    "Go up Roxy!" Lisa yelled.


    The two wings behind Scizor''s back opened fully and with a leap she jumped up a meter in the air where she continued to hover.


    The wave of purple energy passed harmlessly underneath her.


    Midna sneered, "Come down here coward!"


    Lisa smirked at me. "Nice trick, how''d you do that?"


    I shrugged innocently. "Magic, illusions. Who knows?"


    She nodded. "Well, here''s a trick of our own. Roxy X scissors!"


    Scizor nodded curtly before turning to gaze at Midna again. The weird claws began to glow a bright green and the wings on her back began to move faster.


    Without a warning Scizor shot towards Midna, streaking past her and leaving a glowing trail in the air.


    It didn''t seem like a hit to me but Midna was tossed into the air.


    Scizor turned around, ignoring all conventional laws of acceleration and flashed towards Midna, flying so fast the Zorua couldn''t even recover. Midna cried out as she was again tossed up.


    "Scratch!" I yelled, hoping Midna could maybe force Scizor off her but she didn''t even have the time to strike as a third hit tossed her up in the air again.


    Damn, that Scizor was fast as hell.


    "Midna, transform into a Gravler!" I cried out.


    Scizor turned around to go for another strike when Midna''s body started to glow. It burst forward but before it could strike again the glow dissipated.


    A much, much larger boulder-like creature had taken her place and crashed to the ground. Scizor was caught underneath the Gravler and felt the full might of a boulder coming down.


    The ground cracked underneath Midna''s feet and a small crater had formed.


    Scizor crawled out from underneath Midna''s new body, looking heavily damaged by just the sheer weight.


    She wasn''t harmed physically per se, but I could see that the crash had done some real damage.


    It couldn''t have been the type matchup. Normally Rock-type moves would be super effective but Midna''s attacks, besides her own, didn''t carry any mystical properties.


    On the other hand, it wasn''t hard to imagine Scizor being a glass cannon. Super fast and light but also super easy to take out.


    I grinned, a plan already started to form in my head.


    Of course that all shattered when Lisa aimed her Pok¨¦ball at Scizor and suddenly recalled her.


    The insectoid turned into pure energy and was sucked into the red device. Lisa thoughtfully pocketed the Pok¨¦ball and retrieved another one.


    "What?"


    Lisa smirked. "Something wrong Dusk?"


    "Dust, and yes, why did you recall Scizor?"


    Lisa''s eyes practically glimmered. "Simple kiddo. Roxy was low on health and it seemed that you figured out the strategy. No reason to keep her fighting a losing battle."


    "That''s cheating!" Midna cried out.


    "Nope." Lisa twirled around the second Pok¨¦mon in her palm. "It is a valid strategy to switch out Pok¨¦mon during a battle. Unless they''re knocked out it''s allowed."


    I frowned. "No one I battled did that."


    Well. Actually I had used that strategy against Sabrina. However, in my defense I was fighting with one Pok¨¦mon less than she had.


    Lisa shrugged. "It''s considered bad sportsmanship. Doesn''t mean it''s forbidden. I didn''t want to go all out but it seems you are better than I thought."


    "Thanks," I muttered softly.


    A smirk curled up as threw up her second Pok¨¦mon.


    The Pok¨¦ball opened mid-air and a yellow furred creature jumped in its place. Excitedly bumping on 4 legs. Electricity sparkled around its white ruff where it cracked up to its pointy long ears.


    "Watch carefully Dust, maybe I can teach you a thing or two."


    "Sure," I answered skeptically.


    Lisa didn''t wait any longer.


    "Go Sparky!" Lisa yelled, "Thunder!"


    "Dodge!"


    Too late. Lightning was faster.


    A beam of concentrated yellow electricity shot over the field and before Midna could react she was hit directly in the face.


    There was no scream or cry. Only the smell of ozone and the blinding flash.


    When the light faded and I could see Midna again my heart was bumping against my chest.


    Unsurprisingly, she was out.

 91. Eyes on the Price

    Chapter 91:


    Eyes on the Price


    <hr>


    Midna was out of the battle, that much was clear.


    I bit my tongue, quite annoyed by this sudden shift in tactic I had to make. I didn''t expect Zorua to completely sweep Lisa''s team but I expected her to outlast her first opponent.


    Technically, she probably would have won the first battle if Lisa didn''t switch out Scizor and brought in Jolteon.


    I was down one Pok¨¦mon while Lisa had all three, though one of them was severely damaged. It was a bit unusual for me to fight like this. Most of the time it was just beating the other Pok¨¦mon until it was out, rinse and repeat. Simple.


    However, it seems Lisa didn''t want to play it that way which was¡­ actually really surprising.


    Is this how other people feel when I start using unusual tactics?


    Whatever, I couldn''t let Lisa beat me. Not now, I had to reclaim my honor!


    "Go Mom!" Mark yelled from the sideline, pumping up his little fist in the air. Guess he switched sides after Midna was knocked out.


    "Fay, take the lead!" I shouted after recalling Midna back to her Pok¨¦ball.


    Before Fay even stepped foot on the field, I called out my order. "Vacuum Wave!"


    A blue orb sped towards Jolteon, stirring up dust as it traveled.


    Jolteon hopped to the side, avoiding the initial blow. Of course, Fay was already on the move and had crossed the distance between the two quite fast.


    A shining claw lashed down upon Jolteon, again the yellow Pok¨¦mon dodged it, barely in time.


    Fay''s second hit however did connect.


    "Thunder Shock!" Lisa countered, capitalizing on Fay¡¯s proximity to Jolteon.


    "Get out!"


    With a grimace, Fay pulled out.


    Jolteon''s body began to light up, like a tree on Christmas, except instead of small lights dangerous electric currents were enveloping its body, basically acting as a shield and spikes at the same time.


    "Blaster move!" I said, trying to figure out what Lisa would do next.


    A sphere began to appear between Fay''s hands. I saw Lisa already opening her mouth to counter it.


    "Disappear!" I cried out at the same time as Lisa shouted "Thunder!"


    Fay''s eyes widened. Instead of launching the orb, she threw it down to the ground where it exploded, generating a shockwave of blue smoke and sand.


    A beam of pure lightning tore through the smoke like it was butter. Lightning curved in an impossible direction, a shock probably strong enough to knock out Fay in one hit. It certainly looked like that.


    However, when the lightning faded, Fay was nowhere to be seen. She had luckily vanished just in time.


    Jolteon warily began to look around but the smoke generated by Fay''s Vacuum wave had spread out over the field, being propelled even further by Jolteon''s previous attack.


    I actually had no idea where Fay was. Though, knowing her she was behind the enemy.


    God, I felt proud of my little assassin.


    "Okay, finish it using Meteor claw!"


    Lisa scowled. "Zap the ground around you."


    That should¡¯ve been impossible but of course, the laws of physics mean nothing in this world.


    Yellow lightning started to move from Jolteon''s body and was traveling over the ground like it was made of metal. The ground lit up and the air started to smell of ozone. Jolteon was basically a generator at this point and the heat also worked as a good counter against the concealing smoke.


    Sadly, it didn''t work.


    Fay appeared high above in the air from behind Jolteon''s back. Too high up to be affected by the electric field covering the ground. Fay twisted her body and then descended downwards.


    "Behind you!" Mark, unnecessarily shouted.


    Lisa cried out her own counter. However, her expression told me she knew Jolteon was too slow.


    Fay streaked past Jolteon, moving so fast her claws left silver streaks in the air.


    Jolteon was knocked away and the electric field immediately disappeared. Before Jolteon could recover from the shock, Fay chased after Jolteon, slamming into it and knocking it even further away.


    I grinned. Lisa didn''t. However, her eyes did have that sparkle, the same as when sh-.


    "Come back Jolteon!" Lisa shouted, pointing a Pok¨¦ball at the field.


    Fay groaned in frustration as her opponent disappeared.


    "Amazing Dusk," Lisa smiled. "You fight unlike anyone I''ve seen before."


    "Thanks, can say the same thing about you." I replied, giving her a cheeky smile. "Though, that switching is annoying as hell." I may have sounded a bit more annoyed than I tried to show because Lisa''s smile widened.


    "Well, that''s the point.¡± Lisa tapped her finger lightly against the Pok¨¦ball she was holding. ¡°I don''t understand why you don''t do that more?"


    "Because it''s annoying to keep track of."


    "It''s a valid strategy." Lisa shrugged as she threw up a Pok¨¦ball.


    A familiar red Pok¨¦mon appeared. "Roxy! Use Hyper Beam." Lisa''s grin wasn''t very promising.


    "Move!" I waved at Fay.


    I wondered how a Scizor was going to use a Hyper Beam. Most Pok¨¦mon I had seen execute the move shot a plasma beam from their mouth but two Pok¨¦mon could execute the same move in a different way, thus resulting in different usages.


    Scizor steadied herself and raised her two claws and moved them in front of her body like she was going to protect herself.


    They began to glow and then I finally understood what was going to happen.


    "Smoke Bomb!"


    Fay launched a Vacuum Wave into the ground and a wave of concealing blue mist stirred up. Scizor sprung into action and moved both her claws and aimed them at Fay like they were cannon blasters.


    Two beams of energy shot out of her hands like thick lasers. Cutting through the smoke, dissipating it rather quickly.


    Realising Fay couldn''t hide much longer, I decided to do what Lisa told me.


    "Fay come back!" I returned her using her own Pok¨¦mon, something I didn''t do often and the act felt very disorienting to me. My muscle memory failed me here.


    The beam that came out of the Pok¨¦ball didn¡¯t struggle nearly as much and sucked her in.


    I expected Lisa to switch as well but to my surprise, she stayed with Scizor. Well, that would make things easier.


    "Luna, it''s your turn," I said, maintaining eye contact with Lisa. She still hadn''t switched.


    Luna stepped onto the battlefield with surprising grace, like a ballerina she stood there.


    "Hyper Beam!"


    "Heaven''s Gate!" I countered.


    A glowing intricate symbol blazed underneath Scizor, making the bug Pok¨¦mon stumble in surprise. Luna''s eye flared with psychic energy. Lisa opened her mouth but before she could do anything Scizor disappeared from her spot.


    With a bright flash, she reappeared, high up in the sky, a flabbergasted expression present on the bug¡¯s face.


    Lisa was quick to recover. "Hyper Beam, aim it down!"


    Two laser-like beams tore into the concrete, raining down like a blessing from the Death Star,


    ."Shield yourself!" I yelled as Scizor''s beam drew dangerously close to Luna.


    The psychic nodded and waved her hands. Part of the pavement that had previously been shattered drew towards Luna who kept it over her head like it was a shield.


    It wasn''t necessary though, both beams didn''t touch her as Roxy was having trouble aiming while also being dropped from the sky.


    I thought that was about it when I noticed that those laser beams also slowed down her fall, a secondary objective apparently.


    Of course, Luna didn''t wait for Scizor to safely land. After Scizor stopped firing the two Hyperbeams Luna countered with a beam of her own.


    A beam of concentrated physic energy sniped Scizor just as she was about to land. It hit her right in the chest cavity.


    The humanoid insect stumbled for a second. Losing balance while Luna was glaring at her which, from our opponent''s expression, must have been scary as hell.


    Scizor fell to the floor, eyes closed. She didn''t get up.


    "Nice," I whispered. Luna grinned savagely back at me before fixing her eyes on Lisa again.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Alright Dust, that''s one down." Lisa said, "two more to go, right?"


    "No, Jolteon was already damaged before you switched her out." I cut her off.


    Lisa nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, he is. That''s important to remember Dusk, a Pok¨¦mon that isn''t knocked out still matters in a battle. Even the ones that haven''t shown up yet."


    It sounded pretty deep, however she completely ruined the moment by looking away directly after that and turning to her own child and shouting, "Heard that Mark? Remember to make notes!"


    I personally didn''t think Mark was really paying attention to the deep details, he and his little beetroot with legs were more amazed by the wild explosions and the spectacle our battle created. In fact, our fight had drawn more eyes while we were watching eachother.


    Other trainers were also watching, taking notes and cheering me or Lisa on.


    Lisa realized the same thing. She shrugged and turned to face me. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the show rolling. Sparky, come out!"


    "Jolteon!" The Eevee-lution cried out, looking in a better state than I had hoped he would''ve been


    "Luna, think you can still fight?"


    We shared a smile.


    "Sparky, watch out for glowing emblems on the floor, she can teleport you with those." Lisa accusingly pointed her finger at Kirlia who in turn was now doing her best to look innocent.


    Lisa was wrong of course, the emblem did not teleport. However Sparky was now wary of any potential teleports which made it much harder for Luna to teleport Jolteon, if not straight-up impossible. Weird shit.


    Guess the same trick won''t work twice. Luckily, I''m pretty sure I figured out Jolteon''s Archetype. Just as I thought the moment Sparky came out of his Pok¨¦ball he began generating power, even without his trainer''s command. Must have been practiced that way.


    Before Jolteon could unleash a thunder I yelled.


    "Psybeam!"


    Jolteon tried to jump hop to the right but Luna caught him. The lightning faded away, though it didn''t look like Sparky was out of the fight just yet.


    He growled, clearly frustrated by Luna''s attack. Luna answered it with a smile, noticing that Jolteon had no desire to get closer.


    Like I had thought. Lisa''s Jolteon was a long-range fighter. Or at least he was trained that way.


    I expected Lisa to switch out Jolteon for her final Pok¨¦mon but she didn''t.


    "Jolteon, go all out!"


    Jolteon went berserk, there was no other way to describe it.


    Lisa smiled evilly. ¡°A final plan for when we¡¯re low. An all out attack!¡±


    Electricity sparked around Jolteon¡¯s body in huge yellow waves that were being ejected towards Luna.


    Unlike before where Jolteon strategically kept his distance he now decided to suddenly draw closer and charge at her. It was an attack very similar to Volt Tackle.


    She jumped out of the way just in time but Jolteon didn''t stop the charge.


    "Luna Disarming Voice!"


    Jolteon didn''t hit Luna with his stampede but the electric energy that surrounded it still lashed out at her. Luna ignored the pain and opened her mouth wide.


    A funnel of sound crashed into Jolteon''s side. A shockwave was generated as lightning and sound clashed. Luna won the interaction and Jolteon was blown away and crashed into the ground.


    "Bite!" Lisa countered when wide purple rays traveled towards Jolteon.


    I had no idea what she was thinking. A bite wouldn''t do anything right?


    To prove my point the Confusion hit Jolteon, making it stumble. A dazed look was on his face and he was frantically gazing around like he was on a bad trip.


    Luna didn''t waste her chance and kept firing Psybeams and Confusions towards Jolteon. It was clear that the Jolteon was at a severe disadvantage. It managed to hit Luna once with a lucky shot of straying thunder but besides that Jolteon was as good as dead.


    After all, firing those Thunders must have taken a lot out of it.


    Or so I thought.


    Just when it looked like Jolteon wouldn''t stay conscious any longer Lisa shouted: "Last Resort!"


    Last Resort? I thought the other attack had been the last resort! How much fucking health does this rodent have?


    Jolteon''s body became surrounded by a gold-colored aura, yellow orbs were drawn from apparently nowhere and sucked into the aura that had suddenly generated. It wasn''t like lightning but just pure golden light.


    "Shield up!" I cried out.


    Luna created a small barricade, using her telekinetic powers to move the rubble into something akin to a small wall, though calling it a wall was an exaggeration.


    With a loud cry from Jolteon, the aura began to reshape itself into something that looked like a star.


    Luna watched with wide eyes as this massive projectile sped her way.


    I hoped the barricade would hold but to my surprise, it phased straight through it like it wasn''t even there. Luna''s eyes widened and she dove to the side.


    The star-like projectile homed in on her like it was a tactical missile and just like a tactical missile it hit her and proceeded to explode into tiny little stars that shot outwards like a nail-bomb.


    Luna released a cry as she was tossed up high in the sky.


    "Again!" Lisa cried out. Another one? That¡¯s not a true last resort!


    "Hit him!" I cried out. "Quick!"


    Luna twisted her body and shot a huge Confusion towards her. The purple circles descended down upon the Jolteon that had, once again, summoned that weird aura.


    It should have taken out the Jolteon. He was already low on power and on health but for some reason, he didn''t even falter. He was physically harmed but still stood his ground.


    Like before, the energy surrounding Jolteon''s body collapsed in on itself and it formed a giant star.


    Luna managed to land on her feet and send a funnel of sound towards Jolteon in an attempt to block the strange star.


    Like it didn''t even exist, the star phased through it and hit Luna.


    She didn''t get up this time.


    Jolteon stared vicariously at Luna''s unmoving body before he himself also began to stumble. Finally, he dropped to the ground, leaving two unconscious Pok¨¦?on on the field.


    "They both are out!" Mark said, astonished.


    "Your final Pok¨¦mon," Lisa politely requested.


    How long had Jolteon been standing on his final legs? Unless of course Lisa lied about Jolteon being low and returned him only to set me up. And then she did it again by gloating about her ¡°last resort¡±, which wasn¡¯t a last resort at all.


    "How many badges do you have?" I bitterly asked, not at all happy I got baited into fighting a trainer this powerful.


    Lisa shrugged with feigned innocence, "Around 5 or 7. I was quite good at getting on my opponent''s nerves."


    No shit, why didn''t she bother to tell me that beforehand. I would have adjusted my strategies. Ugh, it is annoying when other people use my strategies.


    Deciding I couldn''t let Lisa win this after she made this personal, I grabbed Fay''s Pok¨¦ball and aimed it at the field.


    "That will make it even better when I win," I said, taunting her with an uncaring smile.


    "See, you are learning." She threw up her Pok¨¦ball. The beam summoned mid-air into something resembling a turkey.


    It was relatively small which would normally be good news. Bigger opponents tend to have more health. Bad news, it had wings. Even worse news: Skarmory were considered competitive Pok¨¦mon and a wall that would basically wear its opponents down.


    Fay was a ground fighter.


    Seeing Lisa''s smirk I was pretty sure she knew it as well.


    So that was her trump card? Trying to take Luna out of the fight so Skarmory could outrange my close combat fighter.


    I resisted the urge to smile, instead of keeping a fake serious expression as I began formulating a plan to bring it down, with luck I would be able to even out the playing field.


    Tsk, it was a nice try of hers. Of course, I had a trump card of my own.


    The Riolu appeared on the field, looking slightly worn down but overall her condition appeared to be good enough to go another round.


    I said without raising my voice, "Fay, final the battle. If you¡¯re out, we lose."


    Fay narrowed her eyes, immediately noticing Skarmory''s wings. Her eyes narrowed. "Curses!"


    Skarmory started glowing with the ominous purple glow that you could see during twilight. It seemed to expand in girth and size. However it was abruptly cut off as Fay send her Vacuum Wave across the field. Skarmory jumped out of the way and it brushed past the bird.


    "Let''s try that again." I suggested.


    As long as Skarmory wouldn''t fly up it was basically a sitting duck.


    "Becky, fly up!" Lisa pointed high up at the sky. I briefly questioned who Becky was, before I found my brains again and realized it was the name of the stupid bird¡­the bird that was about to fly. Logic dictates that Skarmory shouldn''t be able to fly.


    Skarmory doesn¡¯t care about logic and began to flap its wings and managed to fly higher, not at all bothered by having metal wings.


    The metal chicken rose high above Fay and cast an ominous shadow on the ground.


    "Fay Vacuum Wave," I commanded, "let''s see how it reacts to that."


    Fay launched the orb from her palms but Skarmory dodged it without too much trouble, gliding through the air with surprising ease and agility.


    "Sand Attack!" Lisa said.


    I tried to hide my smirk. Becky began to stir up a small storm underneath itself, its relatively small wings managed to stir up a small cloud of sand which proceeded to drown out the battlefield.


    "Stranger protocol," I countered.


    "Brave Bird!" Lisa shouted.


    As I thought, all her Pok¨¦mon share the same pattern. Catch my Pok¨¦mon in an AOE or force them into a position and then they launch a devastating attack which normally would be way too risky.


    Skarmory flew up even higher up to the sky, its wings began to gleam with power. Midway through it suddenly began to descend, freefalling almost. Fire appeared around its body like a meteor.


    Then it disappeared into the haze of the sand storm.


    A loud screech was heard and a bright flash shone through the misty yellow clouds. Two seconds later, the Skarmory flew up again, this time not looking as good as before. Its wings were frantically spasming.


    The dust evaporated and revealed Fay was still standing, her eyes surrounded by the blue Aura flames.


    "Chase it!" I cried out. Fay nodded and disappeared in a blur.


    She reappeared higher up in the sky, not far above the ground but still close enough to hit the still climbing Skarmory with her claws.


    Skarmory maneuvered itself a little higher, just out of Fay''s reach. A smile spread out on Fay''s face. A blinding light began to gather between Fay''s palms. Within seconds the blue light reconstructed itself, growing longer and shaping itself into something closely resembling a spear or lance. Using the precious extra meter it granted her, she stabbed skyward with her new weapon and managed to hit Skarmory right in the belly.


    Both Pok¨¦mon began to drop from the sky. Skarmory frantically tried to start flying again but Fay was already upon it when the metal bird dropped down on the battlefield.


    The weapon she had just wielded disappeared into tiny blue shards. Her feet were buried into Becky''s beak as she descended. It generated a small explosion.


    Fay managed to land a safe distance away from Skarmory and came to a stop.


    "Skarmory, Iron Defence!" Lisa cried out.


    I anxiously waited for Skarmory to get up, would it be that easy? I had thought multiple times Scizor and Jolteon were out, only for them to have more tricks up their sleeve.


    I counted the seconds in my head. And finally when it didn''t get up again I released a sigh of relief.


    So it truly had been a Glass Canon bet on Lisa¡¯s side.


    "Slash?" Lisa suggested, hopefully begging Skarmory to get up.


    "Wait for it," I ordered Fay, who I saw preparing a second strike. Harming an unconscious Pok¨¦mon might do permanent damage.


    Skarmory weakly stirred however, after trying and failing to move its wings the bird finally closed its eyes and its posture relaxed.


    A red beam sucked in Becky and I felt a weight moving from my shoulders.


    "Guess you win," Lisa muttered with mock anger.


    <hr>


    "Here are your Pok¨¦mon. All healed up." The boy behind the counter gave me a look that made me feel bad for asking for his help.


    Still, he worked at a Pok¨¦mon Center, not my fault.


    I took the three Pok¨¦balls and miniaturized them before putting them away.


    Next to me, Lisa took her own three Pok¨¦balls from the counter.


    She gave them a vague smile before putting them away as well. We left the counter and returned to the main lobby where I found Mark and that Steenee of his were impatiently trying to molest the vending machine.


    "Mom!" Mark pointed at the vending machine. "Can I please get the Mystery chocolate egg?"


    "You just had an ice cream." Lisa protested.


    "Steenee?" The little beetroot chimed in, putting up an adorable face. Could it even digest chocolate without dying like a dog?


    "Fine." Lisa groaned as she retrieved some cash from her pockets. "You want something as well, Dust? It''s on me."


    The scene was strangely endearing. It made me miss my own childhood and parents. With a knot in my stomach, I shook my head. "Nah, thanks."


    Lisa shrugged and inserted a few coins into the machine. "Well, you put up a good fight, kid."


    "You too," I said awkwardly, "You have an unusual battle style."


    "Can say the same about you, what the heck was that with that teleport emblem? That body slam from the Zorua? The spear?"


    "Trade secret," I coughed uncomfortably.


    Lisa handed Mark a chocolate egg.


    "Well, I wish you luck with your journey," she smiled at me. "But don''t forget to take a small break every now and then."


    Without looking at me she tossed me a chocolate egg, a second one she retrieved from the vending machine.


    "Your reward for winning."

 92. Seeker

    Chapter 92:


    Seeker


    <hr>


    The black blur shot between the trees. It wove into the treeline almost like a shadow and was basically impossible to track with naked eyes. I had no idea where the black blur would move now. It slid over and across objects like it had barely any weight.


    The trees in this part of Eterna Forest were close to each other and the branches above our head entangled together into a network of intertwining leaves. It was rather dark here, the sun had trouble reaching to the bottom of this dense forest, making the black blur even harder to follow.


    We were a bit off the path to avoid the Red Orphanage, which was currently blocked off for obvious reasons. A little detour wasn''t really unwanted since I needed some extra time to train, and it did give me some much-needed privacy for testing out Midna''s abilities.


    So that was what I had been doing for the last couple days; just relaxing and training with my Pok¨¦mon.


    Talking about training.


    "Now!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the trees before being consumed by the darkness.


    The black blur suddenly changed its trajectory and began to head into a certain direction; towards a target.


    One of the trees had an ''X'' carved into the bark at my eye level. This particular tree was wider than the others. I''m sure some other nerd could tell you what kind of tree it was but I just knew it was ''very big'' and thus something to destroy.


    The black blur shot towards the trees, blinking into view at irregular intervals. That was until the shadow suddenly morphed into a glowing orb of light. Its momentum didn''t stop however and it flew through the air while it grew to a much bigger size in a split second.


    A roar followed as the glow dissipated. A large dragon-like reptile soared through the air in a straight line towards the marked tree.


    The creature didn''t even need to touch the ground as its previous momentum had already flung it forward enough. It opened its mouth that was protected by two huge crescent-shaped blades. The reptile stuck out its head and unleashed a screech as it flashed a row of long and pointy teeth. Jaw wide open.


    A loud crash followed, the sound of wood splintering and trees rustling. Instinctively I closed my eyes as an almost physical shockwave traveled through my body.


    Hesitantly I opened my eyes and witnessed the scenery around me. Adrenaline was pumping through my body, that''s how excited I was.


    I looked ahead of me.


    The tree marked with the X still stood proudly in its place. Not a scratch on it. The younger saplings that were growing behind the fat tree however weren''t so lucky.


    The ground was torn open like a jagged monster''s jaw. Small bushes and plant life were uprooted by a trail left in the ground.


    "Did I hit it?" I heard a groan come from behind a couple of bushes that weren''t completely wrecked. It was distinctly female. The large reptile emerged from the bushes, standing upright and towering over me. It was standing on two legs and looked a bit like my world''s salamanders did. Except it had scales that looked suspiciously like golden armour and even more dragon-like.


    I stared back at the Haxorus, better known as Midna. The shapeshifting Zorua.


    With a serious look on my face, I arched an eyebrow and pretended to think over the question. "Well, you did manage to wipe out a few bushes, guess that''s a plus. Next time I need a lawnmower I''ll be sure to call you."


    Midna stared at the destruction around her. Then her eyes drifted towards her original mark which was still standing. The red eyes that were looking down on me winced for a tiny fraction before they steeled themself.


    "I am pretty sure I could hit you." She growled, challenging me.


    After spending some time with Midna I wasn''t that impressed with it. Most of her jokes were similar and pretty rude. Maybe it was her way of dealing with others. Though I learned that usually Midna was trying to get a rise out of me.


    Thus I was not impressed. Neither was someone else.


    The splinters that got scattered all over the ground by the impact began to flow towards each other, as if they were magnetic and formed into something reminiscent of a big floating spike.


    From across the clearing, I saw two piercing red eyes from the shadows.


    Luna had been sparring with Fay but now she was looking at Midna with a rather creepy expression.


    Fay for her part looked more bored and annoyed by the distraction, compared to Luna''s almost feral look.


    Technically Luna was out of earshot. However, the floating spear gave me the impression she had heard Midna''s threat and took it a bit too seriously.


    Midna let out an eep, transformed into a smaller fox-like creature and stared at the spear with something with fear in her eyes.


    "Damnit, can''t just take a joke, can you?" Midna snapped back with venom in her voice. Her voice was shaky and it sounded like she was trying to sound more threatening than she was.


    "Relax Luna," I chided the small psychic. "Midna''s just making a bad joke. She wouldn''t hit me right?" I turned to look at Midna.


    She quickly shook her head and stared at Luna. "Chill, I am not gonna hurt your precious. Besides, I like him." Somehow her voice reached Luna which made the makeshift spear stiffen midair and eventually it slowly descended like it was never even there.


    Fay said something I couldn''t hear but it made the psychic laugh and she visibly loosened up. Fay took that as an opening and lunged towards her sparring partner. Holding a glowing blue halberd above her head.


    Glad those two were doing their own thing, I turned to face the most recent addition of my team. It was always a bit of a struggle to deal with the shape shifter''s antics and Luna''s overreacting tends to make things even worse.


    Said shapeshifter quirked her eyebrows and with a raspy voice, she whispered. "I''m not gonna hit you." she paused. "Unless you are into that kind of stuff?" A mad grin spread out on the fox¡¯s face..


    I tilted my head, wondering in silence why my Pok¨¦mon were like this. It couldn''t be me. Right?


    "How''d you even know that kind of stuff exists?"


    With a mirthful smile, the Zorua looked up at the lush green roof above us. "Well, I didn''t spend all my days in A2 being experimented on. Lyn used to bring me books, mostly romance."


    Ah, the illustrious Lyn person. I didn''t know much about Midna''s previous friend/ex-escapee. I just knew that Midna''s twisted sense of humor was her fault somehow.


    Trying not to get sidetracked I coughed and pointed at the marked tree.


    "Anyway. Poor choice of literature aside. What went wrong when you tried hitting the tree? Your path lined up perfectly with the target."


    "The tree moved out of the way?" Zorua tried with a hopeful smile.


    When I didn''t respond she let out a sigh. "It''s just that I can''t stop myself from panicking."


    "But you transform all the time. What''s different about doing it while moving?"


    To demonstrate Midna changed from a Zorua into a small purple rat-like creature. "This form is much smaller, faster and weighs a whole less."


    It was weird to hear Midna''s voice come from a small Ratata. Despite all the weird shit I''ve already seen, stuff like this still manages to surprise me.


    Midna''s form began to shift again, this time it grew larger until she was looming over me again. Now she was back at being a Haxorus.


    "And now I am much heavier, my eyes are higher and I have a large tail that''s getting in my way." She groaned as she moved her tail over the ground, half dragging it. "Normally it wouldn''t be such a big of a deal but doing it while transforming?"


    She shuddered, a movement that caused the death of another unfortunate flower as her tail was swishing around with no regard for plant life. "I cannot see while I am transforming, my center of gravity shifts as well so keeping my balance straight is easier said than done."


    I clicked my tongue, pondering over this revelation. I really needed Midna to be able to transform while moving. If she couldn''t do that, it would leave her defense open. Stolen story; please report.


    The fact that Midna''s moves remained the same is something very useful if applied correctly.


    Sure, she couldn''t use a Pok¨¦mon''s specific power while being transformed but their physical powers were copied perfectly. Things like weight, speed, natural strength and of course the extra body parts.


    My idea was pretty simple. If Midna transforms into a Ratata and uses agility in that form she would be much faster than if she''d do the same thing as a Munchlax because she was much smaller and built for speed. Also, her hitbox would be much smaller so she¡¯d be less likely to be interrupted while building up speed.


    That part was nailed down. The problem was transforming and utilizing another form without Midna screwing it up. Theoretically, her momentum could be carried over between forms. A Shapeshifter in motion stays in motion, or at least that is unless Midna panics.


    "Okay, so you panic. That''s the root of the problem." I tried to think of ways people in my old world used to deal with panic attacks.


    "Okay, let''s mix up the exercise." I suddenly had a possible solution. "Okay, how about this. Why don''t you take a walk and try to grow more accustomed to transforming."


    Midna scowled at me like she was disappointed. "Seriously, you suggest I walk it off?"


    "Yes. Except while walking you''ll have to change your form every 30 seconds and you''re not allowed to stop moving. Try to transform without slowing down."


    "That sounds stu-" Midna stopped mid-sentence. "Actually, it doesn''t sound half bad."


    "I mean, my other idea involved you running around with a blindfold." I grinned.


    "No, this sounds like a perfect plan." The Zorua quickly changed her form. She transformed into a Cubone and turned around. She disappeared into the foliage but not before turning herself into a pair of glowing blades. She, they? It pushed away a few branches and disappeared from sight.


    I swear I heard her mutter something about crazy humans before disappearing.


    Satisfied that Midna was going to do well, my gaze drifted towards the marked tree.


    The fact that it was still standing irked me for some reason. It felt as if it was taunting me. Deciding to make a practice out of it I withdrew a silver gun from my backpack and aimed it at the tree. In one fluid motion the barrel aligned with the X. Without waiting any further I squeezed the trigger.


    My breath hitched.


    A burst of loud flashes followed. The gun shook with every shot. The explosions rang in my ears. Still, I kept firing away.


    From the corner of my eyes, I saw Luna and Fay giving me worried looks. I ignored them and kept squeezing the trigger, focusing all my attention on that damn tree that was still standing.


    I wasn''t even aiming properly. Not really, I was just holding the trigger and savoring the smell of fizzling electricity. Most of the shots missed to my annoyance. Still, the ones that did hit exploded against the bark ripping it open and exposing young wood underneath it. It felt amazing.


    Only when the gun gave off a dry clicking noise and stopped firing did I notice that I was breathing loudly. Like I had run an entire marathon. My fingers felt numb and were starting to look white. The muscles in my hand tensed when I released my tight hold on the weapon.


    {You okay?} I heard Luna''s telepathic voice in my head. Without looking her way I responded with a short yes. This satisfied the two and they continued their spar.


    With stiff legs and arms, I made my way towards the tree. The red X was no longer visible. All the bark around it had been blasted away. Deep holes were left in the wood but no bullets were found. While I was still trying to catch my breath I promised myself silently to recharge it as soon as possible.


    I put my hand against the ruined bark and noticed it still felt warm.


    In the past week, I tried to improve my aim with my ''borrowed'' gun. I had picked up multiple weapons in the past months. A couple of knives varying in sizes. I had the 2 guns from Crimson, another weird anti-psychic gun from Sabrina and a rifle that shot electric bursts from A2. Slowly but surely I was becoming a walking arsenal of weapons. None of which I was skilled with. I''m not even sure why I kept carrying them around but the thought of being weaponless started to scare me. Not that they really could do anything against a pissed off Pok¨¦mon but collecting them did start to become something of a habit.


    I wasn''t even a big fan of weapons. I mean, if I found a sword I would definitely pick it up and keep it but besides that most weapons used to leave me cold.


    With a twisted feeling in my gut, I lowered my back against the ruined tree. Uncaring about the mess I made and sat down. I took a deep sigh and looked at the leaves overhead.


    I had the faint sensation that I was supposed to say or do something, but I couldn¡¯t place it exactly. I decided that it probably wasn¡¯t important after all.


    With nothing in my hands, I started to feel agitated so I opened my backpack and retrieved my sleek black laptop.


    While my Pok¨¦mon were doing their own shit I might as well get some work done.


    I logged in and entered the password necessary to decrypt all the files stored on the drive. Most of the stuff were just projects I was working on. Nowadays most of the projects I was working on were outsourced by the Dream Company to other smaller teams so they could publish more of my works. You would think this would give me more time but surprisingly it took me even more time. I had to draw up the main premise, write down the principles, describe the game mechanics and art style. And after that I still had to provide a lot of material to the creative teams. Describing the game isn¡¯t exactly the same as making it apparently.


    Still, in the end I hope it will be worth it. I would kill someone to play some relaxing Minecraft right now.


    However, that wasn''t the thing I was looking for right now.


    I glanced over the top of the screen. Quickly making sure everyone was still there. Fay and Luna had taken their fight to another level and started to fight each other with sticks they had picked up. I saw a big red-colored bird sweeping over the treetops. It turned into an Eevee and began its descent. That was until our eyes crossed and Midna crashed uncontrollably to the ground as she lost focus. Yikes, I might need to work on that.


    Deciding nothing was amiss I focused my attention on the screen again. I shuffled through some of the files until I had found the folder I was looking for.


    A list of names was displayed on the screen.


    Honestly, the list was a mess. This was because the PC crashed before I could copy everything. Some of the files were corrupted, having images and text missing or wiped.


    Not sure why, I guess this world didn''t use the same binary and systems as my earth had. Either way, it was inconvenient; especially when the files I managed to copy had such interesting names.


    <hr>


    ¡­


    -FD00 A Dead Future


    -FD00 The Butterfree Effect.


    -XX5 Parasect Plague


    -A2 Ability Absorber


    ¡­


    <hr>


    There were a lot of files. Most of them were just gibberish to me but some of them contained information I didn''t know yet. Right now I was searching for information regarding Aura and the secrets this unknown substance held.


    Despite its presence in all living things people, and Pok¨¦mon knew surprisingly little about the stuff that allowed Pok¨¦mon and humans to break the laws of nature.


    I had already made peace with the fact I wouldn''t be able to wield Aura like Ash could in that Pok¨¦mon movie. I was okay with being just a human. I was not okay with knowing my Aura was broken.


    Fay made it sound like it was deliberately done but why whom and why?


    I was brought to this world by someone or something. I need to know what my purpose was in this world. I need to know what is waiting for me.


    At first, I thought there was no plan. Recent discoveries made me reconsider it. There were just too many coincidences for me to be just a ''mistake''. The way I met Luna. The same day I stumbled across a Team Rocket Mission. The same week I was attacked and not even a full month later I encountered Sinnoh''s most infamous bank robber. The same bank robber that has ties to Galactic, which I ran into not long after. Again I stumbled upon another plot, this time a big Aura explosion happens. After that I ran into Hunter J who was tracing a Pok¨¦mon, said Hunter also had connections with Galactic. A weird sequence of events that ended with me entering that damn underground research facility; again related to Galactic.


    True, it is possible this is all a massive coincidence but the odds of all this happening were insanely low. No, something was messing with me. Looking back it feels like I am following an invisible path someone else laid out for me. Like I had a goal and I was slowly moving towards it.


    Hylla mentioned that things seemed to unravel around me. I thought nothing of it until I looked back. But what if there was more to it?


    There had to be more to it right? My existence in this world couldn''t be meaningless.


    Just the idea alone scared me. It made me feel anxious. Like I was being caged and watched. I wanted to know, I had to know.


    A warm breeze swept through the clearing.


    With renewed energy I began driving through the cryptic files. Hoping to find something, anything, that could tell me why I was here.


    I knew that Galactic was researching everything related to Palkia and Dialga but Most the files were cryptic or corrupted files I couldn''t read. A few did attract my attention.


    I found documents that describe an experiment done regarding Z moves. I knew they were some weird dance thingy from the Sun and Moon games but since I never played those two my knowledge on them was a bit behind. I thought it had something to do with Aura but according to the research I found there was something else at play; Energy that was released from Wormholes.


    I am not making this shit up!


    First I wanted to try it myself, knowing it could give me an edge in a battle. That was until I read the phrase; Subject was pulled through a rift in space by an unknown Pok¨¦mon


    I found a short hypothesis on Black Aura. I think it was actually written by Midna''s ex-friend. Maybe my Aura was a variant of that? I knew my Aura somehow rendered precogs useless, Sabrina told me. However the report on Black Aura didn''t mention anything about broken Aura.


    I was starting to lose hope when I didn''t find any other clues. Just more cryptic stuff that made me wonder about the state of this insane world.


    I was just reading a file that described in great detail how Victini Bombs were manufactured, when a message popped up on the edge of the screen. Someone was calling me: Caller ID UNKNOWN


    Confused but not thinking much of it I clicked the pop up and started the video call.


    To my surprise I came face to face with my favorite purple haired maniac.


    "Hylla?" I asked, slightly taken by surprise. "Why are you calling me from this number?"


    Normal people would probably say shiz like: Hello, or something else, however, Hylla is not a normal person, And yes, that coming from me is a hypocrite.


    "Hi Dust," Hylla rolled her eyes. "I wanted to speak with you but I thought you wouldn''t be in the mood to talk." I wasn''t in the mood to talk. "So I used another number, hope you don''t mind." Hylla looked quite proud of herself.


    I was not amused. "Hylla, it''s been only a week. Don''t tell me you already need my help."


    "What if I just wanted to know if you were doing alright?" Hylla raised her eyebrow. She made it sound like a joke but I had the feeling she took it more personally.


    "So you just want to have a chat?" I asked, skeptically. "No trouble?"


    "Haha, this time it''s not you who is in trouble." Hylla said mysteriously.


    "What do you mean?"


    I saw Fay and Luna had stopped their battle. They started to send worried looks in my direction again.


    "Well, can you put Kanto TV on right now?" Hylla asked. "There are some troubles in Kanto you might be interested in."

 93. Declaration of War

    Chapter 93:


    Declaration of War


    <hr>


    "What''s in Kanto?" I frowned. My hand was already typing the necessary keyword to redirect me to Kanto TV''s website but I was hesitant to press the enter key.


    My trouble sense was going off and despite Hylla telling me it wasn''t me who was in trouble, I still felt anxious. Somehow I knew it would affect me. I know how Fate plays her cards. Just because I hadn''t run into trouble this week doesn''t mean that I am in the clear.


    Or was I just being paranoid? No, Fate was definitely out to get me.


    "Dust?" Hylla''s voice rang through the speaker, she sounded worried.


    "Why did you call me?" I asked warily. Last time she contacted me, it didn''t end well.


    "I got new information that might interest you," Hylla stated. "Information that''s related to A2. However," she gave me a doubtful look. "On second thought I also realize you deserve some rest."


    "What are you playing at?" I narrow my eyes.


    Hylla studied mine.


    "You still blame me for your experience down in A2." Her gaze softened. "And you still haven''t called a professional counselor as you promised."


    Shit, how did she know? "I don''t need a psychiatrist." I managed to say it without blinking. "Besides, why do you care?"


    "I do care about your well-being," I highly doubted that. "However I also know you can''t just stay out of trouble."


    I wanted to say that it wasn''t my fault and that trouble kept coming for me but that would be a lie. I did tend to take a bit more risks.


    "Don''t tell me otherwise." Hylla''s gaze sharpened again. "From what I know, you went from one life and death situation to the other with only little breaks between. That is not exactly normal."


    "You were the one who put me into that situation in the first place," I pointed out.


    "I did it out of necessity. Maybe that was on me, but what about all the rest? Instead of slowing down after that, you continued to look for danger. I did a little digging and I know that you are actively looking for problems to throw yourself at." Why did she have to bring that up now?


    "That''s no-" I tried but Hylla cut me off.


    "First the entire thing with attacking a Team Rocket outpost with a rock and a wild Ralts. You could have walked away but you didn''t. Next, you get robbed and your first reaction is not to go to the police or ask for help. Instead, you decide to have a wild chase scene across the city. And just when it looks like you are about to slow down you jump straight into a hostage situation."


    Hylla paused and took a deep breath, giving me the chance to say something.


    I didn''t know what to say.


    I was at a loss for words. I already knew I was¡­ well a bit more reckless than normal humans should be but hey, I was fucking magiced to another world. Not just any world, an insane world filled with super-powered monsters and humans.


    It''s funny you keep calling everyone and the world insane. The voice sounded so amused. Like I was telling them a joke. A cruel joke.


    I frowned, wait? Where did that thought come from? A sudden sense of dread washed over me. The feeling you get when you know something is horribly wrong. But what was it?


    "From the look on your face, I see you realize it as well." Hylla''s voice interrupted my thoughts. For a brief second forgot the webcam was turned on. I quickly forced my expression to be neutral and stared at it. In the corner of my screen I saw Hylla swipe a hair lock out of her face. Her deep purple-colored eyes fixated on me. It felt as if she would reach out of the scream to tear out my heart.


    Dammit she was intense.


    Luna, who had been sparring with Fay, stopped mid-fight and gave me a worried look. I shook my head and urged her to keep doing her own thing.


    "You keep heading into dangerous situations, every time you''ll find an excuse to justify it. Whatever you think. It''s not healthy. You are actively looking for danger."


    "Tsk." I groaned. I tried to come up with a smart-ass response. But I came up empty yet again and I knew why. The answer was simple. Hylla was right and it annoyed me. But more, it worried me.


    My thoughts drifted back towards my final moments in A2. The sound of the scythe coming down on Froslass, her last words.


    That could have been me. It should have been me. Logically, I should have been dead 10 times over.


    Then why do I keep risking my life?


    My head started to hurt. Why? As if I don''t have enough questions to answer already.


    "Why do you care?" I asked, my voice low. I had to keep myself from getting too emotional. Otherwise it would needlessly distress Luna and Fay. "Why''d you call me up just to tell me that I am¡­"


    "Self destructive." Hylla offered.


    I didn''t feel self destructive. Though I don''t know how I would know if that were to be the case.


    "Yes, why?"


    A small kind smile appeared. Her gaze softened.


    "Well for starters, I don''t want to see you on the news because you died trying to do something heroic."


    "That''s it? You just want to help?"


    "Yes," Hylla said resolutely. "Is it that surprising to you?"


    Was that a trick question? Of course, it could be likely. From what I know Hylla always plays a game to win.


    But what could she possibly gain?


    Like she could read my thoughts, Hylla rolled her eyes dismissively.


    "Dust, I suggest you call that number the doctor gave you. I really think it would do you well to talk to someone."


    I ignored her remark.


    "So, can I assume you lied about something happening in Kanto?"


    "Oh no, there is a B-level threat in Viridian City and it does concern you, however, I also noticed you still haven''t talked to anyone about what really went down in A2."


    "It doesn''t matter." I said. "I went in, encountered some weird shit and left. Nothing happened."


    It wasn''t like I had been chased by a murderous queen. It wasn''t like I had seen a human being gobbled up alive. Nope, nothing bad ever happened.


    "Besides, that place went up in ashes anyway. Now, can we please move on?"


    "If you promise to call a professional counselor," Hylla said without faltering. "Otherwise I won''t give you the information you desire."


    Ugh, really. I get she wants to help me, or pretends to at least but seriously, this is starting to become a serious pain in the ass. Couldn''t she just let me be?


    However, I did want to know whatever it was she thought I would deem important.


    "Fine," I let out a defeated sigh. I needed to know what Hylla figured out. She was my only source within the League, my inside man. I didn¡¯t really trust her a lot, but I trusted her a whole lot more than anyone else I knew in this world, not that I knew many people to begin with.


    I didn¡¯t had that many allies. I should avoid alienating the sparse few I had.


    Even though she gambled with your life twice? An annoying voice in my head whispered.


    I ignored it and forced myself to smile. "Now, show me what you got."


    "You promise to seek professional help?" She asked.


    "Yeah yeah," I didn''t promise I would do it soon. "Now, what''s the thing that might be important to me?"


    "Do you like monsters?" Hylla asked mysteriously.


    "Monsters?"


    "Switch to Kanto TV." Hylla said. "Then you''ll see what I meant when I said you might not want to get involved with this."


    I hit the enter key.


    A viewer''s discretion appeared on the screen immediately. Of course, I clicked it away and watched a loading wheel turn a couple times before disappearing altogether.


    I was met with a choppy low resolution overhead view shot from a plane. Just as I took in the sight I realized Hylla said Viridian City.


    If my memories weren''t betraying me then Viridian City is the place where you fight Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket.


    I hadn¡¯t spent much time thinking about Kantol. It was kinda far away and doing its own thing mostly. They probably also didn¡¯t think much about us, now I thought about it.


    Like the broadcast was waiting for my realization, it finally pulled through and the quality improved. Now the screen was no longer a mess of pixels and I could make out special details.


    While the game version of Viridian City was barely six buildings, the real world version was an actual city. And when I say city I mean a sprawling metropolis, a big city with skyscrapers with districts and small ants that imagined themselves to be people.


    From the bird¡¯s eye view Viridian cityscape looked like a shining cesspool of humanity, corralling together in the center to form a futuristic looking skyline that vaguely reminded me of a row of teeth.


    Viridian City wasn''t big the same way Jubilife City was. Jubilife was a city with hundred towers reaching for the sky, all equally beautiful and part of a bigger picture. Viridian was the opposite. It had tall buildings but the architecture was all over the place.


    Some of the buildings were made of simple brickstone and looked like they were supposed to be demolished two decades ago. Then you had buildings that were made of bright steel and glass; the pinnacle of prosperity.


    Viridian was like a jigsaw puzzle with no harmony in the design.


    Another big difference between Jubilife City and Viridian City were the black plumes of smoke that rose from the city and weaved into the orange sky.


    Though it wasn''t the usual smog that rose from the city. The plumes were heavy and thick and seem to originate from multiple spots in the city. Several city blocks were on fire, each looking on the camera like a small smouldering piece of coal.


    "What am I looking at?" I realized the audio was turned off.


    "Wait for it," Hylla spoke with a concerned look.


    A lightning beam suddenly struck somewhere in the city. No, not somewhere, it was from where the smoke was the thickest.


    I raised the volume. Immediately I heard a reporter talk. The constant drone of a chopper blade confirmed the footage was shot from a helicopter.


    "There''s still no official response from the Kanto League. Evacuations are still ongoing as we speak."


    Ever seen one of those big monster movies? The ones in which a giant Godzila appears in the middle of a city and tramples everything, yu know what I''m talking about: Toppling buildings, cars on fire and ruined streets.


    It was close to the scene I was watching right now. There was only one difference.


    The giant monster was nowhere to be seen.


    The camera footage was shaky and black wispy smoke blurred the lens. Despite this a bright yellow path could be seen carved into the city like a hot knife had cut through buildings, stores and streets. Fires were everywhere, apartments had been charred black. The foundation of the streets looked like it had straight-up molten into black puddles at certain spots.


    "Holy fuck." I muttered with both awe and abstract horror. The scene looked like something from a comic book or a fantasy game. But to see it in real life; It was like God drew with his finger through Viridian City. A burning hot finger mind you.


    "What caused this, a Legendary?"


    "Just one Pok¨¦mon," Hylla said sinisterly, there was some sort of excitement in her voice. "And it''s not even Legendary class, though I am not sure what to call it."


    The chopper from which the crew filmed began to slowly descend back to the city. It stayed away from the end of the burning trail where the air was sizzling with local thunderstorms.


    "See the collateral damage?" Hylla asked.


    I barely noticed her voice. Instead, my attention was on the city.


    Black plumes were coming from multiple spots in this mismatched city. The biggest source appeared to be somewhere close to one particular tall building.


    "You see that skyscraper, the one shaped like a screwdriver?'' Hylla asked. I didn''t see how it looked like a screwdriver to her. Despite this, I knew which building she meant.


    It was built close to the center of the city in the middle of a once busy shopping avenue. It must have been the crown jewel of Viridian City. Of course, now it was collapsing in on itself.


    "What about it?"


    I could see people on the top of the skyscraper. Some were taking off with Pok¨¦mon that could fly but not all of them could get away as another part of the floor collapsed inwards.


    "That''s the Viridian Casino, one of the biggest Casinos in the world." Hylla sounded amused.


    The feed shifted and cut to a scene closer to the ground. The square around the Viridian Casino was scorched black, like a massive bomb painted everything in one color. I could vaguely make out some human outlines on the ground, like someone spray painted the place black but somebody got in the way. At the center it was one black smudge. The surrounding buildings had suffered damage as well but it looked like the casino had taken the brunt of it.


    "Around 20 minutes ago, 3 Pok¨¦balls were dropped off on this spot by an unidentified person." Hylla sounded like she was reading something to me out loud. "10 minutes later the Pok¨¦balls opened-"


    "Wait, three fully evolved Pok¨¦mon?" I repeated, wondering what the hell this could mean. Dropping off a Pok¨¦ball is something akin to leaving a ticking time bomb. Does this mean this was a targeted attack? No, of course it has to be a targeted attack.


    The camera shifted again. It showed a group of humans wearing protective gear. They appeared to be discussing something but I had no idea what. From the looks of it, they were getting impatient. While they were traversing the torn-open shopping street they were accompanied by a weird turtle like Pok¨¦mon that was walking on four legs. The Pok¨¦mon unhinged its squared jaw and began blasting a torrent of water at the fires that had littered the road.


    The turtle thing was also carrying some weird device the size of a refrigerator. I didn''t recognize what it was.


    "Three Pok¨¦balls. One opened directly after the man left. It released an Electrode."


    "Ai." I muttered, already seeing where this was going.


    "It caused an explosion thrice as powerful as normal. Directly after that the other 2 Pok¨¦balls were opened. One of the three Pok¨¦balls was destroyed by the initial blast. The other Pok¨¦ball did manage to survive and released an unknown Pok¨¦mon."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "How can it be unknown?"


    The video feed cut again. This time it showed a group of humans that had set up camp on a rooftop.


    They had laptops and other broadcasting technology laid out, protected by a large tent. A girl was intensely staring down at the city underneath her. Her dark purple hair was tied in a ponytail. She was fumbling with a remote-sized device in her hands, occasionally she turned around to bark instructions at her colleagues. She wore a red dress which really looked out of place.


    "That''s-"


    "Sabrina," I said automatically. "I met her, a really nice girl, to die for."


    Hylla didn''t reply.


    "So the Hunt is involved, eh? They''re not doing a great job of it." Considering multiple sections of the city were on fire. It did explain why the camera coverage was so great and extensive. They did mention something about PR to me. T


    "I disagree, I think they are dealing wonderfully with the situation."


    On the screen, Sabrina suddenly turned around to face one of the guys on the rooftop. She shouted something, looking quite agitated. The tech guys started to relay the message.


    "So, what is this Pok¨¦mon, a Fire Type I assume?" If I had to guess it looked like Moltress had visited the city, but the fire damage was too focused. If it had been Moltress, half the city would at least be on fire.


    "That''s the general consensus. It''s been going at this for almost half an hour."


    Was that long? I had no idea how long these kinds of situations usually lasted.


    From somewhere underneath Sabrina a bright flare thingy shot up into the sky. It crashed a few blocks away and clouded that area with a blue-ish fog.


    When the fog faded away, the cameraman zoomed in. It looked like it was a normal city street with run down apartments and stores. Now the sidewalk was obliterated and one of the buildings had been cut in half, like a laser had cut through it.


    It was creepy to see how fast and easily the building was destroyed. Pok¨¦mon truly are terrifying and whatever had done that, it wasn¡¯t done just yet.


    The fog was pushed away by a second shockwave. A ring of fire spread from one of the collapsed buildings and the rubble began to stir.


    A fiery explosion erupted from under a fallen roof and the blocks of concrete were disintegrated by the flames. How hot the fire had to be in order to cut through concrete I did not know, it must have been insanely hot though because the air began to become distorted.


    Actually, that did explain all the collateral damage. This thing was not just burning the city, it was melting away the foundations with its sheer presence.


    "Ew, from under what stone did that come from?" A husky voice said from my shoulder.


    I managed not to jump. Instead I managed to calmly turn my head to see a small orange bird perched on my shoulder. It barely weighed anything.


    I considered telling Midna that this was a private call but then I was reminded that Hylla had said this was somehow related to A2 and that Midna kinda deserved to know.


    And she was right, the thing displayed on the screen was indeed a freakish creature.


    In the middle of the raging flames stood a creature the size of a small horse. It looked like a black Doberman but it had huge horns.


    A Houndoom was the first thing that came to mind but I immediately rejected that. The creatures from which the flames spread was close to a Houndoom but it looked different. It was taller, had some sort of weird external rib cage and his nerves glowed red. Also its entire body was shrouded in fire. However, while the top of its body looked like it came from the depths of Tartarus its lower body looked the complete opposite. Instead of strong muscled legs and claws, it had 4 stocky legs that looked withered and frail. Its claws were too long and apart from each other. Its legs bent at the wrong angle. It looked like the frail legs had trouble sustaining its own weight.


    "It looks like a Houndoom but¡­" I began. I wanted to say Mega Evolved but this world did not have Megas. I checked but no one had ever witnessed a Mega Evolution. Of course, there were those weird drawings in ancient temples but no concrete evidence.


    Like a third evolution state?" I finished. "Though the legs are all wrong."


    I looked at Midna to see if she knew anything but the bird was completely silent.


    Hylla was silent and I had the idea she was judging my response.


    "We''re lucky with that at least. Those misshapen legs are the reason the casualties are so low."


    Low? Wasn''t half of the city on fire?


    The people and Pok¨¦mon that had gathered around the Houndoom quickly backed away. As the Houndoom managed to get up people seemed to be shouting orders. People on bird Pok¨¦mon flew up while others tried to find shelter behind barriers or other coverage. Just in time too. A shockwave of flames generated from the Houndoom and blasted debris across the street, cutting through concrete, plastic and steel with ease.


    With shaky legs, the Houndoom moved further down the street. The Pok¨¦mon in the air shot projectiles and laser beams but the heat of the flames incinerated it on impact. Nobody got hit but its flame covered body bled fire molt everything near it into a dreg.


    Pok¨¦mon fired back but all their shots were either vaporized or missed, hitting the grounds and buildings around him.


    "Have they tried water-type attacks?" I didn''t see any water types on the battlefield. They were present but were scattered over the city, apparently tasked with putting out fires.


    "That won''t work." Hylla said, "In fact, directly attacking it is discouraged. It has more weird abilities."


    She mentioned that now. I thought the people down there had a severe Stormtrooper aim syndrome. None of them really hit their target which was basically a slow moving ball of fire.


    A girl with blonde hair riding a Dragonite crashed into the building next to the Houndoom. She rammed straight through it and appeared on the other side without a scratch. I could practically feel the smirk radiating off her face as the tower crumpled on top of the Houndoom, again burying it under rubble.


    Purple smoke began to exude from under the rubble and the pile began to colour orange.


    A Snow-white Ninetales materialized and ran towards the pile that had now begun to stir. Of course, I recognized that cute fluff of snow, though she looked a lot less cute now. Dust and ash streaked her pale white fur. Red blood was smeared on it as well, though I wasn''t sure it was hers or someone else''s.


    Everywhere her paws touched the ground an ice crystal emerged and spread out. As she approached the rubble, she covered it with a layer of ice as well which actually seemed to work and kept the beast trapped. Especially since Snowflake sat on top of the hill, keeping it frozen.


    "So you know how your Zorua has mixed abilities?" Hylla asked me.


    "She does?" Midna asked, feigning surprise. I ignored her.


    "Yes, let me guess. This Mutant thing has it too? It already looks really fucked up."


    "Well from what has been observed it has above average endurance and strength." I was inclined to believe that after seeing it get up after having a building collapse on it. "It has the same typing as a normal Houndoom but it also seems to have a Ghost-like ability."


    "Destiny Bond, or at least some variation of it," I guessed, "That''s why it hasn''t been killed yet, and why no one is daring to hit it, that¡¯s also why it also has purple stuff around it." It was a guess, but


    Of course, the question was: where did this beast come from? Wait, I could guess that too.


    "Let me guess it has escaped from A2."


    "You''re right about the Destiny Bond thing. Any attacks that hit it are directly returned to the attacker." Hylla didn''t confirm my second statement.


    The turtle Pok¨¦mon with the refrigerator on its back had finally arrived too and the people present removed the straps that held it in place and placed it down. More Pok¨¦mon carrying the same type of equipment just at the same time.


    The pile of rocks shuddered and the ice cracked. A spire of flames rose into the air and Snowflake literally got torched. The people up in the sky were relaying orders at the people below. They were linking the devices that were brought together. The water Pok¨¦mon that were present were tasked with putting out fires.


    Snowflake emerged from the flames, sporting severe burn marks and missing a tail, but I already saw some weird magic repairing all the damages, as if a clock was rewinding.


    "That''s-"


    "Snowflake, I know her."


    I heard Hylla softly mutter something about taking the fun out of explaining.


    The fox yipped at the Houndoom who managed to literally burn himself free. In typical dog fashion, the Houndoom barked back, baring its fangs. Its eyes were glowing a fierce red.


    The two Pok¨¦mon stared at each other down. A misty haze spread from Ninetales'' tails. At the same time, the flames surrounding Houndoom gathered around him. More barks were exchanged, maybe they had a lengthy discussion but I had the idea they weren''t exchanging pleasantries.


    The two canines baring fangs at each other was like something from a western movie. It seemed that whatever Houndoom''s original plan had been was thrown right out of the window. That was not so good for little Snowflake.


    Besides a type disadvantage, Snowflake was not only up against a half mega but also had been modified. (I kept running into these, I ought to find a better name for them.)


    Snowflake was most likely older and had her weird time-loop thing going on but she also had only 2 brain cells. For Viridian City''s sake, I hoped she could outlast Houndoom.


    If I had been calling the shots I would have expandable Pok¨¦mon wear down Houndoom and then have him dropped from the sky or something. If that didn''t work, nuke the shit out of it.


    The people around Snowflake didn''t seem to care about her predicament and kept working on their machines. The Pok¨¦mon on standby seemed to be cheering on the white fox. The airborne trainers joined in on the excitement as well. Even the cameraman dared to come closer. Snowflake opened her mouth and barked loudly. Spears of ice materialized around her. They shot towards Houndoom. Most of them were hit out of the air by tendrils of fire but one hit home and crashed into Houndoom''s chest. Houndoom didn''t whimper or flinch but a bloody mark appeared on Snowflake''s fur.


    "So that''s the Destiny Bond thing. Weird."


    "Well the data you recovered from A2 did say it was possible to mix and modify abilities but to see it in progress, it''s terrific."


    I had sadly seen a lot of that in progress. Eternal Queen, the freaky Kabutops. This thing in Viridian City fits right in.


    Instead of waiting to recover, Snowflake shot forward. A second later she appeared, her jaw locked around Houndoom''s neck. Her teeth were glowing and a feral look was in her eyes.


    Houndoom roared and twisted, trying to shake Snowflake off. He generated an explosion and Snowflake was tossed away. She crashed against a lamp post which¡­ ouch must not have felt good.


    With shaky legs, Snowflake got up. Bleeding heavily from the gashes that had magically appeared in her neck. She whined sadly as the pain burned.


    Despite this, she got up.


    I wanted to yell at the screen. Tell Snowflake to target the legs, to not head straight for the neck. Instead, Snowflake did the exact same thing. This time she didn''t even get close as a fireball tossed her away prematurely.


    Was it me or was the fire getting fiercer?


    Snowflake got up, looking charred and damaged but the wounds in her neck however had already disappeared. She narrowed her eyes as if thinking really hard. She charged and Houndoom unhinged its jaw. Snowflake abruptly stopped mid-charge. As fire heated up inside Houndoom''s belly she slammed her paws into the pavement. Ice crystallized underneath them and spread towards Houndoom. The dog looked down in surprise. The ice had reached his paw and a spike shot up from the ground straight through its misshapen feet.


    He howled in pain and tried to move but his leg was nailed to the ground.


    A whine escaped from Snowflake as she fell. One of her paws was completely soaked with red blood. A Tropius swept down and picked up the fox before she could get up again.


    The Houndoom roared and shot a fireball up into the sky. However before it could reach the pair a blue screen flashed to life. Absorbing the hit.


    The panel had a light blue hue and reached up into the sky, higher than even the highest building in the city. It looked like a¡­ forcefield!


    2 more of those things flashed to life around Houndoom, covering the entire city block like a giant prison.


    The force fields erupted from the ground, each had one of the refrigerator things backing it in the corner. I let out a small gasp as I realized what the plan had been.


    Not to kill it, but to pin it down long enough for the people to set up force fields. Those force fields were the same one used during big tournaments and Gym battles, though they usually were smaller. They protected the spectators from whatever battle was going on.


    My respect for the Hunt grew as I realized the full extent of their plan.


    The machines that generated the forcefield must have been deployed at 3 different spots in the city and slowly moved toward the target''s location, all the while the ground troops kept the focus off them and the airborne fighters pinned the Houndoom down with rubble and relayed its position.


    Setting up a forcefield in the middle of a city must have been a pain to coordinate. The machinery involved with the process was very delicate and took up a lot of space.


    The Houndoom had freed itself from Snowflake''s spike and rammed it against the barrier. It held strong, not even flickering. It turned and charged at a different barrier but was met with the same result.


    "Isn''t this the same strategy you used?" I asked Hylla.


    "She did what?" Midna asked.


    "Yes, though this is a much higher and stronger force field. Must be using an enormous amount of power." Hylla didn''t sound too happy about them using her plan.


    The girl riding the Dragonite appeared on screen. Her cape wavered in the wind as did her long blonde hair. Her Dragonite was carrying a metal orb-like thing in its paws. I didn''t recognize what it was.


    The Houndoom kept pounding against the walls, breathing fire that had cut through buildings before. Now, it was harmlessly absorbed by the light blue walls.


    The girl on the Dragonite flew straight up at a 90-degree angle, parallel to the glowing wall. Once she had reached the top she flew over it, dropping the small orb right inside the cage.


    It dropped down at a slow pace. It took a while.


    Houndoom only had the chance to give a surprised look before a shockwave erupted from the orb. A split second later, the entire forcefield bathed in light.


    It wasn''t just fire, more like a pillar of pure destructive light, only contained by the 3 shields. It beamed straight up into the sky past the clouds and blended with the red sky.


    I could feel the sheer power through the screen and boy, if those screens weren''t placed there I had the suspicion Viridian would have been wiped off the map.


    The light stayed for only 5 seconds before it subsided like a candle going out.


    When the light faded away there was no sign of the monster. Nothing had remained, not even the ground he stood on. Instead, a perfectly triangle-shaped crater stood in its place.


    There was nothing left.


    The battle had ended.


    "Holy fuck." Midna spoke with awe. "Where do we get one of those?"


    "They''re not for sale."


    "So what just happened?" I asked after a full minute of silence.


    The Hunt seemed to be done and began with clean up operations. I spotted the Commander walking around, shadowed by a Bulbesaur. It was an odd image, but he seemed to be doing fine commanding people around. The girl on the Dragonite struck a victory pose which stuck out as odd to me but the camera seemed to love it.


    "Well this surprisingly has a lot to do with A2." I miniaturized the broadcast and turned on the video call feed.


    A2, a gift that keeps giving.


    "So, I assume that blowing that place to hell was not enough? How does it relate to all of this?"


    Viridian City and the Red Orphanage were miles away from each other.


    "Remember the guy you met on your way to A2?"


    I nodded. He had been covered in blood, a huge Beedril and was fucking horrifying. Not someone you easily forget.


    "Well, the sketch you provided us gave me some clear idea who you ran into. His name is Redhand. Tell me Dust, have you ever heard of the Team Rocket Executives?"


    I had heard of them. They were like mini-bosses in the games. Just higher-ranked henchmen, cannon fodder to the protagonist''s journey. I hadn''t heard of them before in this world though.


    In the next minute, I learned that they weren''t at all like in the games. They sounded a whole lot worse. They aren''t leaders but more like assassins. Very dangerous and skilled. They were the ones Team Rocket sent to weed out rival organizations and gangs. They mostly operated from the shadows so even the League didn''t know how many there were but Hylla thought there were between 3 and 10 Executives.


    The reason they weren''t enemy number one was that they purely focused on other criminals and for this reason the Kanto League looked the other way when they were around.


    Messed up as hell, I know. And just my luck to run into one of them, though he did leave me alone. He said I wasn¡¯t one of them and then just left me.


    "Okay, so what did Galactic do to have an Executive sent after them?" And murder everyone.


    I felt the Zorua stiffen on my shoulder. "The Mew DNA," Midna whispered into my ear.


    "The what?" Then I recalled that one simple line from Midna''s file. About how they did something with her egg and Mew DNA. It never specified where they got it. Now I had some clue about the origins.


    "Your Zorua is right.¡± Hylla confirmed. ¡°You¡¯re already familiar with the legend of Mew, good. Allegedly one of Team Rocket''s vaults held Mew''s DNA. Whether it¡¯s the real deal or a synthesised copy or maybe even mutated Ditto DNA, Galactic stole it for their own purposes and Team Rocket strikes back in retaliation."


    A typical gang war, except both parties were multi-million organizations that tried to rule the world from the shadows. In a twisted way it made sense.


    "And how does it tie in with Viridian City getting lit on fire?"


    I had a theory. I just need to know what Hylla knows and which parts of canon were real.


    "Well, the true reason is classified." Hylla had a smug-ass smile on her face.


    "But you will tell me anyway?" I replied with what I hoped was my most charming smiles. Access to classified information was the prime reason I was friends with Hylla.


    "Well, you''re really not supposed to know this but seeing how you are already involved. Might as well know the full story. Remember the tall screwdriver building?"


    "What about it?"


    "Fun fact- it is, was, one of the world''s biggest Casinos. Lesser known fact is that it''s also an important Team Rocket HQ. I think it''s very obvious what''s going on here."


    Why was I not surprised? I knew Giovanni was the Gym leader of Viridian. Might as well have a secret Casino hideout.


    Still, this does explain why a random monster rampaged through the city.


    This was Team Rocket''s home turf. Galactic just sent out their murder experiment to burn the city down. This might have been the world''s biggest ''fuck you'' I had ever seen.


    "So Galactic did it to piss on Team Rocket." Considering Cyrus wants to be a God himself it does seem like something a megalomaniac would do.


    "Still that leaves a few questions, 1 where did that Houndoom come from and what is wrong wi-"


    "Ssshht." Hylla shushed suddenly me. "Look, they''re talking."


    I opened the broadcast again.


    A man was holding some kind of press conference. A small stage was built outside an official League Gym. Reporters were already asking questions.


    I turned up the volume.


    The man was neatly dressed in a black suit. His hair was cut short and slicked backward. He had a sharp jaw and black eyes that were surprisingly bright and filled with life. Next to him sat a Persian. Leisurely licking its own paw.


    "-And we are extremely grateful towards the heroes of the Hunt who not only managed to put down the savage monster that tried to attack our home but also managed to save thousands of civilian lives with their warning to evacuate hours prior to the attack."


    He nodded towards one of the officials.


    "Their psychic and brave heroes saved the day," this guy really sounded passionate. "And I will personally see to it that they are properly rewarded."


    His eyes darkened.


    "Now I also have a message to those who cowardly attacked our proud city."


    The people in the crowd murmured.


    "Because make no mistake," he addressed the crowd. "This was a targeted attack. A group of cowards is working from the shadows but I, no, we know you are out there."


    His gaze was focused on the camera, as if he was trying to burn it with his eyes.


    "The Kanto League doesn''t want me to share this with the public but after today," he gestured at the city around him. "I think everyone deserves to know."


    "I think I recognize him, didn''t he appear in a magazine once?" Midna thought out loud. I too, had a very strong theory about who this was.


    "No, nono," Hylla muttered in distress. "He isn''t allowed to spread that information yet."


    "This attack was orchestrated by a terrorist organization known as Galactic. We don''t know alot about them but we do know that they are willing to destroy the foundation of everything we built to achieve their goals."


    As if immensely disappointed, the man shook his head, "Today they went too far."


    There was a certain edge to their voice. Like he said one thing but meant something else differently.


    "You don''t just attack my city and get away with it."


    "No, he can''t do that," Hylla muttered.


    "You attacked my city, now I, Giovanni, Gymleader of Viridian City, declare war on Galactic and I promise I will not stop before all of them are put to justice."


    The crowd exploded with questions, shouts. The officials standing near him also didn''t seem to be sure what to do.


    "That''s it." With a curt nod, he left the stage, ignoring all the questions that were fired at him.


    I still understood what he meant. Team Rocket declared war on Galactic.

 94. Isekai Sickness

    The world of Pok¨¦mon is sometimes just so fucking random. Or maybe that''s just the state of the world in general and I never really noticed.


    I was just washing the dishes on the shore of some random riverbed when out of nowhere, bubbles began to appear on the water''s surface.


    As one would expect from someone who has gotten used to living in the world of Pok¨¦mon, I screamed and reached out for any of my long range weapons¨Crealized none of them were in reach¨Cpicked up a kitchen knife, and scrambled away from the water.


    I waited in dreadful silence.


    From the water emerged a¡­ weird hybrid of a blue seal and a cat; it was sporting a stupid-looking smile. It saw the knife and stared at it, quizzically confused.


    "Vaporeon?" It asked.


    I stared at the Vaporeon with what must have been the stupidest look ever. My heart was still banging against my ribcage and my fingers were starting to whiten from clenching the knife so tightly.


    Vaporeon tilted its head, opened its mouth and spurted out a small burst of water that landed in front of my feet; it had similar vibes to how a dog would piss against a lamppost.


    The creature let out a high chattering noise and dove under again.


    It left me there, looking at the water and not sure what to think.


    I might have overreacted.


    "Well, you sure showed him not to mess with us," came Midna''s sarcastic remark from behind me.


    {Don''t worry, I''ll get him next time for you.}


    I turned around to see a Vaporeon and Kirlia standing behind me, looking expectantly.


    I kicked some sand towards the Vaporeon, causing her to sneeze and turn back into a Zorua.


    "Fuck off," I groaned while relaxing my grip on the knife. I sighed and turned back to face the dishes, they were now all dirty again.


    Great, now I had to redo all of them.


    "Hhhaaa!" Fay jumped out of the bushes, wielding a glowing blue spear. She skidded to a halt when she noticed there was no one to attack.


    "Uhm, I thought we were under attack," Fay said after making sure the leaves she sliced through stayed dead.


    "False alarm, our captain just got scared by his own shadow," Midna spoke.


    "Yeah false alarm, I freaked out," I admitted, feeling a little bit angry and embarrassed. "It won''t happen again," I grumbled.


    Damnit, these are the moments you just wish everyone around you would die from embarrassment.


    "...Okay?" Fay hesitantly mumbled.


    I sat down and continued my work on the now dirty dishes. Hoping I could sweep my ''freak out'' under the rug. Of course we can''t have nice things in life.


    Luna sat down next to me and started helping me with the dishes, drying them as I cleaned.


    {Are you feeling alright?}


    "Yes." I simply said.


    Her eyes flared up red all of a sudden. {That''s a lie.}


    I paused. "Okay, that''s fucking creepy. Please don''t do that again."


    "Uhm-" Fay interrupted. "I have trouble reading your aura but I am pretty certain you''re not feeling alright."


    Gosh, you think?


    "You look like shit," Midna added sympathetically.


    "I just got jumpscared, can you all drop it please?"


    I was met with two glares that said ''no'', Midna just looked disinterested.


    On one hand, it was kinda cute Fay and Luna wanted to talk, on the other hand I really didn''t feel like talking about my feelings and shit.


    When the two glares didn''t stop I let out a deep sigh. "Look, there''s no need to worry about me. I''m just trying to figure some things out."


    {It''s just like Hylla said.} Luna turned to Fay suddenly.


    Wait, what?


    "Yes, she does have a point." Fay agreed solemnly.


    Luna turned to look me straight in the eyes. {You never talk to anyone about your own problems or feelings, or you just lie about it.}


    Well, that''s one way to start a conversation. Didn''t expect to fall into it trap like this. Were they just waiting to spring the subject onto me.


    "You two were listening in on our conversation!" I subtly tried to change the subject.


    "She told us." Fay pointed at Midna.


    "Only because it''s true," Midna defended herself.


    "Look, I am doing great." I retorted.


    "We did notice it before Midna told us," Fay said. "I mean you''re obviously keeping secrets but recently it feels like you keep everything to yourself."


    {Point remains,} Luna interjected. {You need to talk more about your own feelings.}


    "And what if I don''t want to?"


    Since when did I become the subject of this conversation?


    I was beginning to feel a bit annoyed. Yeah, sure they might mean it well and shiz but come on, I''m not going to dump my entire background story with these 3 Pok¨¦mon who hadn''t even mentally matured yet. Besides, I never really understood the aspect of talking about your feelings like they did in movies. Feels kinda weird and dumb.


    Also it felt like I just got scolded.


    I tried to focus on scrubbing the plates clean but even that effort was ruined. Luna telekinetically moved the remaining dishes into the water and cleaned all of them in one go. Making me wonder why the fuck I was even washing the dishes if Luna could have done it in 5 seconds.


    {Talk.} Luna said.


    "You wouldn''t like it." I don''t even like it.


    {Talk.} Luna repeated.


    "Fine!" I threw up my hands, wondering how to get over this as quickly as possible. "Fine if you want to hear some issues, here we go!" My voice was definitely not dripping with sarcasm.


    Without sparing a single breath I pointed at Luna. "Your obsessiveness freaks me out and I am worried how far you are willing to go to get whatever you want!"


    I turned to Fay. "I constantly worry whether I am doing a terrible job of raising you and that I am majorly fucking that up,"


    "Do me!" Midna was already looking at me expectantly.


    I frowned. "And you, I don''t even know what to think of you. Half of the time I still wonder if you would choke me in my sleep and the other half of the time I don''t even care enough that you might."


    I finally stopped to take a breath. None of my Pok¨¦mon spoke up.


    Considering I was on a roll I might just finish it.


    "And I don''t even know anything about myself, why am I here and what the hell am I supposed to be doing? I don''t know shit and I just struggle my way forward blindly, hoping to find anything of meaning."


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After saying that I felt good for a short moment. A very brief moment of just pure adrenaline, and then, I felt horrible for what I just said and admitted.


    Of course, I didn''t show that, nor did I take back my words. Instead, I picked up the plates in complete silence. Wondering how much my team would still trust me after that nice talk. At least I could say ''I told you so''.


    I turned my back to the lake and prepared to collect our stuff when Midna started cackling. That on its own is enough to draw anyone''s attention.


    With a sigh, I turned around. "What?"


    "Oh well," Midna said cheerfully, her voice several pitches higher. "If you''re not into choking you just should have said so."


    I''d like to think that I was ad rem enough to come up with a quick snary comment or reaction but Midna left me gaping like a Magikarp.


    "That''s all you have to say?" I finally managed.


    Midna shrugged. "I don''t know you that well either, but I like to think we can both learn to trust each other, the fact you don''t immediately trust me means you at least have some common sense, glad to hear that." The Zorua ended her sentence with a wink.


    "Actually, I think you are doing a great job," Fay cut in. She avoided looking me in the eyes. "I mean, I am happy to be with you, even when things get a little bit weird." The last part was directed at Midna.


    I genuinely doubted I was actually doing a good job of raising Fay.


    Rowan''s instructions were to keep her from further harm and offer stability. Like any good parent would, I dragged her into an assault on Galactic, through a confrontation with the killer of her mom and into an underground murder facility.


    Parenting 101.


    "It wasn''t that bad." Fay quickly added, "I was in danger maybe a few times but I felt right doing it." she paused. "Like I was meant to be at your side and guarding you."


    What she said didn''t make any sense. Still, I couldn''t help but crack a smile. That just made my conscience feel a little better.


    "I am really happy Fate crossed our paths as well."


    A short silence fell as the awkwardness crept in again, courtesy of Luna fiddling with her non-existent fingers.


    When she noticed that I was waiting for her response she finally spoke.


    {I don''t want you to be afraid of me.}


    "I''m not afraid." I approached Luna, "I am just worried for your own sake."


    She turned to face me. {I''ll try to be more...less, obsessive. It''s just¡­I care about you.}


    I reached forward to capture Luna in a tight hug. I didn''t say anything but I''d like to think that she could have read my feelings and that alone would''ve been worth more than a thousand words.


    "Awkward..." Midna sang.


    I released Luna from my hug to flip her finger but Midna leaped into my embrace before I could.


    "My turn," she said with a sly smile.


    "No fair." Fay cried out as she joined in on the hug.


    I would be lying if I said it didn''t feel good.


    "Wow, who would have guessed that talking would make you feel better." Midna rolled her eyes after untangling herself from the hug. "Better than to go all emo."


    {Absolutely.} Luna chimed in. {We won''t think any less of you, or at least I won''t.}


    "I don''t know," I stretched out, "I really appreciate all the thoughts but my entire existence is kind of a problem. I doubt you can help me with that."


    "But we can at least try," Fay mumbled. ''If you can''t talk to us, at least talk to any humans."


    "What about the number purple gave you?"


    "Yeah I called it, but I don''t trust my therapist."


    I couldn''t exactly talk about my existential inter-dimension hopper crisis without being put on everybody''s watch list. I did call the therapist''s number but immediately hung up after realizing that I didn''t want people to know I was an alien from another dimension.


    By calling the number I fulfilled my promise to Hylla. She never said anything about actually having to speak and go into sessions.


    {So, talk to us then,} Luna urged, {if your problems are weighing you down you should share the burden.}


    I grimaced. "What if my problems involve the end of the world scenarios and horrible revelations?"


    {Yes!}


    I wonder if Luna had even listened to what I said, or what I was implying. I studied their expressions.


    They genuinely wanted to help me, that was clear but the stuff I knew was really fucking awful. However, I guess it would be a dick move to not give them a little trust.


    Of course, I won''t share everything. Just a little bit. Just enough to make myself and my Pok¨¦mon feel a little bit better.


    "Fine, if you really want to know, let''s go sit somewhere more comfortable."


    <hr>


    After putting away my stuff and double-checking with Fay and Luna that no one was listening in, I removed the batteries from my laptop and Pok¨¦dex just to be safe. No one was allowed to hear what I was about to say.


    I finally sat down in some cool-looking meadow, my Pok¨¦mon followed and waited in silence.


    The forest was quiet around us, as if it was holding its breath, I certainly was.


    A sudden wave of panic washed over me.


    What if they don''t believe me? What if they lose faith or think I am some kind of crazy person? Wasn''t there some guy burned for claiming the sun didn''t rotate around the earth?


    And here I was, about to claim to be from a world without Pok¨¦mon, like a parasitic alien.


    No!


    I shouldn''t think like that. My Pok¨¦mon had faith in me. They promised to listen, I shouldn''t be doubting them.


    I opened my mouth. Then closed it before finally finding the words I needed.


    With a deep sigh I began.


    "Okay, imagine a world just like ours. It has cities, deserts, mountains and forests. It''s a planet named Earth and looks almost identical to this world. Everything this world has is the same except for one thing."


    They were listening alright.


    "Pok¨¦mon."


    Confused reactions from all three of them.


    "There still are humans, over 7 billion of them to be precise, and there are creatures similar to Pok¨¦mon but without any trace of sentience or powers. Just dumb critters who don''t even hold a candle to humanity''s presence. Still following?"


    Three nods indulged me to go on.


    "In this world, Pok¨¦mon have never existed. Humans are the only ones to shape history without anyone as their partner. Humans are the absolute predators but also completely alone in their world; now imagine there''s a random person. 18 years old, pretty average loner. Doesn''t know what to do with himself, doesn''t enjoy the mundane world and considers offing himself."


    For entertainment purposes, I made a gun gesture with my hand. Midna was eyeing me suspiciously. Probably guessing the ending beforehand.


    Too bad, I wanted to tell and finish this story.


    It felt good.


    "Now, this person goes to sleep one night, it''s a night like every other, but when he wakes up in the morning he isn''t in his own bed. He is not even in his own body."


    "Despite this, he gets up and sees a Pok¨¦mon hiding in a tree. From that point on he realizes he isn''t in his own world. He is alone in a different world without family, friends, no money or identity and no idea how he got there or if he ever can get back."


    I left it on that ominous note and waited for their reaction.


    Fay was the first one to react. "Wait, what happened to him? Does he ever find out how he got there?"


    Midna whispered something in Fay''s ear, causing her eyes to go wide. She looked at me again and turned red in embarrassment. "Oh."


    Luna seemed puzzled by the revelation. The Kirlia was looking at me with a gaze I couldn''t read.


    Finally she spoke. {You are really from another world} She looked at the trees surrounding us with wary eyes, maybe expecting them to disappear at any moment.


    "Yes." I curtly answered. "And considering I have no control over it, the unnerving reality is that I might wake up in a completely different world again, or a different creature. For all I know I could be the flesh puppet of some sick child God."


    The look of pity Luna gave me was something that made me want to cry. Being alone in a whole new world was something not a whole lot of people could relate to or understand the implications it had.


    {I finally know for sure,} Luna smiled brightly as she edged closer to me. {You are like a fabled Knight, coming out of nowhere to save us!}


    "Uhm what?"


    {The first time we met you saved me, coming from another world! It is just like the tales of old!}


    I don''t know what fairy tales she was referring to. As far as I knew the prince from Snow White didn''t come from another dimension. It seemed that Luna was missing the point anyway. I''d like to think I knew myself well enough to know I was not a knight in shining armour.


    "Well, I can imagine that being true. It does make sense for a hero to get into as much trouble as you do." Fay joined in on the theory.


    "But I am not a hero!" I exclaimed, "that''s the point I''m trying to make. I don''t know why I am here and if I even have a purpose. Should I live out my life unnoticed or will that result in the world violently ending? Nobody told me anything and if I do the wrong thing I might fuck shit up horribly."


    I think I must have looked a little crazy to any onlookers.


    "Pfft," Midna laughed all of a sudden. It looked like she was about to cry from laughing to hard. "If you truly are the hero that has to save the world, we are definitely screwed. I mean, haha, look at your arms. You couldn''t even strangle someone in their sleep."


    "You''re gonna say something nice as a follow up right?"


    "Ahah, no." She abruptly stopped laughing.


    "So that''s all you have to say? After hearing I came from another world?"


    "Meh," Midna looked at Luna and Fay. "Unlike these two I was created by some scientist meddling with DNA in the hopes of creating a monster. I am mildly surprised but it doesn''t change anything for us."


    "It changes everything for me."


    Again Midna replied with a meh. "You might be a hero, you might not be one. Either way, you don''t know what you do and just dick around with us."


    "Dick around?" Fay questioned but Midna quelled her.


    "If we feel like it, we tackle some Galactic plans along the way, or save some people. I''m up for adventure, but if not, we just continue to survive, simple as that."


    Luna nodded. {You are my hero regardless of Fate and you can always rely on us for answers, when you come up short.} Her eyes glowed pink. {I''ll watch your back.}


    "Y-yes!" Fay stood on her feet. "You''re not alone like the boy from your story. And if you can''t find answers I''ll do it for you. If you can''t be a hero I''ll be one!"


    A glowing blue aura transformed into the shape of a bone, held between her two paws. "This I swear upon my honor."


    I didn''t get my eyes wet, I swear.


    I caught all three of them in a tight hug before they could react.


    "Damnit, you three know how to lift my spirit."


    "Thank you." I whispered.


    I still had no clue what to do, why I was here. For all I know Cyrus was building a Godzilla in his basement and was Fate planning to fuck me from over again.


    At that moment I just felt glad to have someone else know about the weight I was carrying. It made me feel a little bit less alone, a bit more in control. A bit less lonely.


    The world could end tomorrow for all I know, but I have three cute Pok¨¦mon, so who gives a shit?

 95. Suicide Tourism

    Chapter 95


    Suicide Tourism


    <hr>


    ¡°Okay, I am calling a team meeting!¡± I suddenly called out.


    I was completely ignored.


    Fay and Midna continued their duel. The Riolu was dashing in erratic patterns around a Milotic, avoiding the grand sweeping tails by either jumping over it or ducking underneath it; much to Midna¡¯s annoyance.


    I thought Fay was doing a pretty sick job at it; considering how sometimes she dodged the tail just by an inch.


    Every time the tail missed and struck the ground, it hit with such tremendous force that it caused a loud explosion of dust every time it hit. Sadly her tail didn¡¯t start to glow, maybe that¡¯ll happen later.


    Luna was doing her own shiz, not even sure what she was doing. She just sat down cross-legged. Looking like she was trying to burn a hole into the sky. Maybe she was.


    I coughed and repeated myself, ¡°team meeting.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Fay stopped moving and turned around.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Midna¡¯s tail lashed out at the distracted Riolu. Before the tail collided, however, Fay¡¯s fur became enveloped by a multicolour glow.


    The hit connected, but a supernatural force returned all the built-up energy. An invisible hand slapped Midna back and was propelled backwards with a bright flash. She skidded against a tree where her appearance turned back into a Zorua.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Fay cried out triumphantly. She then noticed Midna¡¯s whimpering form.


    ¡°Aah, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Fay hurried over to the pile of fluff, a concerned look present on the RIolu¡¯s face.


    ¡°By the gods, I think I broke a bone!¡± Midna cried dramatically.


    Fay turned around to give me a worried look. ¡°Dust, you have a band-aid?¡±


    What would a band-aid do? Besides that, I didn¡¯t have any potions. Now that I think about it, I should buy some first aid stuff when I reach Eterna City. It was expensive but I had money to spare.


    Fay was still looking at me, as if expecting me to heal her magically with just my voice.


    ¡°Fay, you might want to take a step away from her.¡± I calmly advised her.


    ¡°Wh-¡±


    Midna¡¯s form glowed white and changed shape. The Zorua was replaced by a Tsareena. Before Fay could close her mouth Midna gave her an explosive kick.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Midna called loudly.


    The hit wasn¡¯t that hard, which meant that Fay barely took any damage and that Midna needed to work on her kick techniques.


    Fay got up, looking more annoyed than injured. ¡°Seriously! I thought I had hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Pffft,¡± Midna¡¯s form shrank, ¡°that¡¯s hilarious, you hurting me?¡±


    ¡°You do know you are the weakest member of the team right?¡±


    Midna shut up.


    {Correct.} Luna chimed in, making Midna look more miserable than before.


    Deciding to spare her, I coughed again. ¡°Team Meeting.¡±


    This got their attention.


    ¡°What do you want to discuss?¡± Fay asked, dropping her issue with Midna.


    ¡°Well,¡± I smiled. ¡°Since you asked so kindly. Remember what I told you about Alamos Town?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Fay said.


    {I do.} Luna nodded.


    ¡°No,¡± Midna said, taking pleasure in being weird again.


    ¡°We get to be knights!¡± Fay explained to Midna.


    {And there¡¯s food.} Luna excitedly shared, blushing heavily.


    Midna¡¯s ears moved. ¡°Well, that explains nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, there is this annual Sinnoh Knight Festival in Alamos Town I want to go to after beating Gardenia¡¯s Gym.¡±


    Yeah. it wasn¡¯t ¡®if¡¯ but ¡®when¡¯ I beat her Gym. I figured that after all the mayhem I went through, one tree hugger wouldn¡¯t give me too much trouble.


    ¡°Sounds fun?¡± Midna said hesitantly. ¡°But what¡¯s a festival?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you not k- oh yeah, well you like playing games, standing in line and having food?¡±


    The Zorua nodded.


    ¡°Well then, you will like this Festival as well.¡± I smiled devilishly. ¡°Also, there will be a theme for the entire event, a tournament for the title of Knight and a local destruction of space, time and possibly reality.¡±


    ¡°A what!?¡± Fay jumped up.


    A tree twig snapped behind Luna¡¯s back. Her eyes flared and I thought she would perk up as well but she managed to remain calm, though through great effort.


    {There will be what?} Luna tried to keep her telepathic voice steady.


    ¡°A theme.¡± I pretended not to understand. ¡°Knights and fairy tales, or something. I think. Whatever.¡± I shrugged.


    {You said a local destruction of space-time!}


    I faked being surprised. ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s the thing I wanted to talk about. Two Legendaries are going to have a pissing contest during the festival and their fight will shred the structure of space and time surrounding that place. Oh, and there will be fireworks, did I mention that?¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Man, I love dropping bombs like that.


    ¡°Hold on, legendary class Pok¨¦mon?¡± Midna asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Fay sighed in awe. Midna gave her a dirty look.


    {No, not cool!} Luna scowled. {They¡¯re dangerous.} The Kirlia turned to look at me. {Dust, you cannot go there. It won¡¯t be safe!}


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a decent chance it will all end up fine.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    I tapped my head. ¡°I told you that I just know random stuff about this world. Well, the Legendaries will be a Deus Ex Machina and everything will be fine.¡± Most likely.


    {Too risky.} Luna decided. {We can¡¯t trust everything to fix itself.}


    ¡°Maybe you should warn the police, or the League?¡± Fay offered.


    I had considered dropping an anonymous hint to the League so they could deal with it but I realized that most likely wouldn¡¯t work. In the movie their pissing contest wasn¡¯t caused by anything happening in our realm, thus the League can¡¯t really prevent it from happening.


    Unless things play out differently they would only be cannon fodder and disturb the original timeline of events.


    Wait.


    I groaned and clutched my head in my hands.


    Of course. Things always play out differently right? So far nothing has gone according to either script or plan. No reason to assume that everything would happen just like in the movie. Hell, in the movie there¡¯s not even a Festival.


    God freaking dammit.


    {Something wrong?} Luna asked.


    ¡°I just realized something stupid, I might have overlooked something important.¡±


    ¡°Wow, the sky is blue today!¡± Midna snarked. ¡°What else is new?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the sky blue already?¡± Fay naively questioned before shaking her head.


    ¡°No, look, maybe I am completely wrong and the Legendaries won¡¯t show up at all. Or they will show up and cause more damage.¡± I paused to think. "I assumed that going to Alamos would be safe if I just stuck to what the visions told me but when has anything ever gone according to plan?"


    {Escaping the hospital?} Luna offered.


    "That wasn''t planned, or at least not by me."


    "What about-" Fay made a face. "Never mind, that explosion wasn''t planned."


    Midna frowned. "Hold on, you still haven''t told us which ones will make an appearance!¡±


    {That doesn''t matter!} Luna faced Midna, an almost angry-looking expression on her. {Legendary Pok¨¦mon means danger. We should avoid them.}


    "Hold on, maybe the Legendaries will be friendly," Fay suggested. "It would be¡­ wrong to assume that they''re evil..."


    She must have seen the incredulous looks on her teammate''s faces because she turned to me for help. "Right Dust?"


    I considered the question. "Fay is right that you shouldn''t judge someone without knowing the full story." Luna gave me an exasperated look. "Although there are Legendaries I would love to ride and give free hugs, these two aren''t on that list."


    Fay sulked while Luna smiled triumphantly.


    "So, which ones will be present?" Midna asked again.


    I shrugged. "Just Dialga and Palkia, the Pok¨¦mon responsible for space and time."


    Fay looked awed while the other two gave me the are-you-crazy look.


    "You are definitely fucking with me," Midna slowly muttered.


    I grimaced. "I know right, scary coincidence, eh?"


    "Coincidence?" Midna scowled. "I was literally designed to take these two on a fight, and you casually walk into my life telling me I''m about to encounter them very soon?"


    Technically, Midna wasn''t designed to specifically counter those two. She was more akin to a prototype scale model, made to see what would happen if you combine DNA. Unless she knows something I don''t.


    "I already told you, Fate is definitely screwing with us, you''ll get used to it."


    {See, reason to stay out of this.} Luna folded her arms.


    "But we faced other problems and came out on top." Fay halfheartedly tried.


    {Those were either humans or Pok¨¦mon like us we could kill if necessary.} She let out a reluctant grimace. {None of us can match a Legendary.}


    Hold on! That''s why Luna was okay with all the shiz we came across until now? Because she was convinced she could kill any threat¡­ Damn. I really need to take some time to spend with her alone. She was growing much faster than I had anticipated, not that I planned much.


    I rubbed my eyes, that would be a problem for later.


    "I bet I can take on a Legendary," Midna proudly claimed. "I was born for that!"


    {Regardless, if these space and time Pok¨¦mon are that dangerous, why bother meddling?}


    "Because¡­ we would miss the festival," Fay muttered.


    "Well, I could decide not to go," I said, the Kirlia nodded eagerly. "But not going could have disastrous consequences."


    Fay opened her mouth but I gestured to her to wait.


    "For one, the butterfly effect may have altered the chain of events and for all I know, me taking a shit may cause the entire town to die."


    Midna chuckled.


    "So reason one is responsibility. Second reason is that they are the gods of space and time. And there''s a chance they know how I got here."


    Luna looked uncomfortable. {If they brought you here, wouldn''t they be able to take you away?}


    "Yes. I don''t desire that outcome per se, but it would be useful to know if they could."


    And if they could, maybe I could strike up a deal and ask for some items to be sent back and forth between universes. A letter to my parents would be required, oh and maybe a hard drive filled with books, games and the entire content of wikipedia, or something.


    Besides that, just knowing who fucked up and got me here would be a blessing.


    "As for the third reason, that''s simple. I feel like being able to watch Dialga and Palkia fight would be a sight to die for."


    "I agree," Midna said, much to the dismay of Luna.


    "So, those are my thoughts on the matter. I don''t want you all to go in without knowing the full story since we are a team and all. I think we should put it to a vote." Nobody spoke up, which I took as an agreement.


    "So, the choice is between suicide tourism which would be totally not safe but hella cool or stay the hell away and do the reasonable thing."


    "I''m in," Midna smirked. "What''s the point of freedom if you spent your time hiding?"


    Luna scoffed. {What good is freedom if you are dead?}


    "Actually, I really want to go to the festival." Fay hesitated. "I like the idea of seeing a Legendary as well and in your vision everything ended up fine." Fay shrugged.


    "Kirlia," Luna said accusingly. No idea what it meant but Midna whistled, clearly impressed.


    Fay''s expression remained neutral. "I can protect Dust if things go wrong."


    {I vote against this proposal,} Luna sneered. {Unlike you two I don''t think about myself and instead consider the bigger picture. We just agreed to protect Dust and now we decide to go to a dangerous event.} Luna paused, talking telepathically must have cost a lot of energy. She was out of breath. {Taking down criminals is fun, same for monsters. But we can not match a single Legendary, let alone two legendaries.} Luna folded her hands and stayed silent. I guess if she had a mic she would drop it.


    Three pairs of eyes pointed towards me. All red, kinda scary.


    "I vote," I gave Luna an apologetic look. "To go, despite the fact it''s dangerous, I think the pros outweigh the cons. Besides, If I don''t go, it will keep bugging me." I sighed, half happy, half scared. However, my fear was concealed by my excitement.


    {Amazing.} Luna spat. {And here I thought we would be reasonable about the future.}


    "We were reasonable, we talked about it and we voted." I argued.


    "Someone is just pissed she lost." Midna teased, nibbing Luna in the side.


    {AAARGH} Luna looked like she was struggling to find her words. {Fine, let''s all have fun!}


    She teleported away, effectively closing the discussion.


    "...Okay?" Fay looked confused.


    Midna didn''t seem to be bothered at all.


    I myself was split. Luna did have a point but if she was right or not could only be determined in hindsight.


    I would need to re-evaluate my plans for the festival. I can''t really rely on Ash performing a miracle, I would have to look into that. I wasn''t planning on flying blindly either.


    Another thing I had to do was to sit down with Luna and try to reconnect. She was starting to act like she hit puberty or something similar.


    Guess I''ll have to take it one step at a time with this.


    Also, I''m pretty sure there is something that Luna wasn''t telling me. She was acting pretty big but right before she teleported I saw her expression.


    Luna looked truly terrified.

 96. Pathways

    Chapter 96


    Pathways


    <hr>


    "No, seriously. It is an actual sport. Two people just punch each other and then they have to play chess until someone''s lights go out or someone gets checkmated. Crazy shit."


    "The people of your reality are truly insane." Midna cackled, "This world has monsters but I am starting to think that yours might be more fucked up."


    "Well, we didn''t have space lizards and thunderbirds to stop us from fucking shit up," I laughed. Ironically, I couldn''t really say which universe was better off. This world wasn''t tormented by climate change but in exchange every so often people here would create doomsday devices. Maybe every world with humans is insane by default. Food for thought. My meal of philosophical meandering was interrupted by Fay.


    "But you seem like a good person," Fay said, her voice almost inaudible.


    It caught me really off-guard and I almost walked into a garbage bin. Fay turned red. "I mean¡­ you are great, so, your reality can''t be that messed up."


    Man, that''s not what I expected to hear. I smiled regardless. "I am by no means a great person and just because I look like a good person to you doesn''t mean my world is."


    Fay looked down. Was that a bit too pessimistic? I think she was disappointed with my answer but I couldn''t see her expression. I knelt down to pat her on the head which made her blush again. That trick always worked.


    "Okay team, remember to keep your mouths shut from now on. No more talking about the future or alternate realities in public." No matter what reality one finds themself in, talking about the future is a sure way of getting into trouble.


    "You got it boss." Midna gave me a mock salute, while Fay simply nodded.


    Luna remained silent.


    I had been carrying her on my shoulders, something I hadn''t done in a long time but she loved it before she evolved. I hadn''t done it ever since she evolved. I''d like to think it was because a Kirlia was heavier than a Ralts but it was mostly because I simply didn''t pay her much individual attention compared to before. Midna and Fay had their own problems which left little time for my dear starter. I felt slightly guilty about it and offered her a ride like the good ol'' days.


    Luna didn''t bother to answer. Instead, she was just staring at the horizon. If she was trying to glare a hole into the sky, it might''ve just worked. At least she was determined enough.


    We continued our journey in silence.


    So far, Eterna City didn''t feel like a city. Neither did it feel real; this entire place felt almost dream-like but not in a cozy way. More in a fever dream-ish way. The buildings all looked extremely similar; they all shared the same warm color scheme, style and had the same flower pots hanging from the balconies. Together they formed an extremely eerie-looking labyrinth of repeating streets, sweet smelling flowers and the warm early morning air only added to this weird atmosphere.


    I had to double-check the street signs to make sure we didn''t pass by the same street again.


    I stifled a yawn as I reluctantly took out my Pok¨¦dex. "Oracle, directions to the nearest Pok¨¦center please."


    "Information unavailable." The robotic female voice replied.


    "Wha- why?"


    "Unstable connection."


    Midna gave me a curious look. Luna sighed.


    "You''re saying there''s no Wi-Fi?" I asked, perplexed. "Even Eterna Forest has a connection."


    "Correct." The Pok¨¦dex sounded awfully smug.


    I put it away and groaned.


    There weren''t many other trainers on the road who I could bother and this place was designed like a labyrinth without an exit. Maybe some mentally disturbed person was trying to design a Eterna¡¯s Greatest Hits tour and its hits included everything in the town.


    "Okay, I got something better. Midna, please turn into a Pidgey and look for a Pok¨¦center, or Gym; or just anything that''s not this." I wiggled my finger at yet another cul-de-sac.


    The Zorua gave me an incredulous look. "Wait, why did no one think of this before?!"


    "I was just enjoying the scenery," Fay smiled sheepishly.


    "And I am just stupid."


    Luna continued her silence.


    The Zorua''s body began to glow and reshaped itself into a small bird. She flew up, over the houses and flew in a circle before coming down again.


    "Yes," she turned back. "We are idiots."


    <hr>


    With the help of Midna''s directions¨Cwhich included going back one street and taking a different turn¨Cwe finally arrived at the heart of the town and finally this dazzling place opened up to us.


    We found a huge plaza at the center, a small isle of life in this otherwise dull and drowsy place. There were all kinds of small stores that were still preparing for the day while the sunlight slipped over the slanted roofs surrounding it on all sides. Two restaurants were serving breakfast for the trainers that had just arrived.


    At the center there was a big field of grass reserved for trainer battles.


    No one was battling. There were lots of Pok¨¦mon and a few people but they were all sunbathing and relaxing


    On the other side of the plaza stood a large modern complex that looked out of touch with the rest of Eterna¡¯s timeless architecture. It looked like a warehouse but instead of standardized bricks and safe colours this building had big spacious window panels and oddly shaped support walls. The Pok¨¦mon Center logo stood proudly on the front and I was drawn to it like a moth to light.


    The inside was just as clean and stylish as the outside which made the place look even more deserted than it normally would.


    Not much was going on. I checked in, took the room key and asked for a map. The lady told me a little tourist shop at the plaza sold maps.


    I briefly considered dropping my stuff at my room but decided against it because I planned on a shopping spree after beating the Gym.


    I first went out to buy a map in the tourist shop since the GPS still refused to function properly.


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    "Seriously, what''s up with the net here? It''s really bad," I complained loudly.


    The man behind the counter grinned as a ridiculous amount of money exchanged hands. "It''s the Eterna History Museum. Lots of artifacts in there messin'' with the atmosphere." He waved his hand in the air.


    I was ready to disregard him as just a person who was drunk at work but suddenly Fay gasped, her eyes flashed a bright blue. She mumbled to herself, ¡°Aaah, so that''s it.¡±


    "And no one is bothered by this?" I asked the man.


    "Well if you need something just use a computer or anything else with a cable." He handed me the map. "And sellin'' maps to visitors is a nice side-hustle."


    The fat man saw my dirty glare and let out a bellowing laugh. "Can I also offer you an ''I LOVE ETERNA'' T-shirt?"


    I didn''t buy the T-shirt.


    <hr>


    "You look silly with a map," Midna remarked.


    "Ugh, I feel silly," I answered while holding the map like I was Bilbo Baggins going on a big journey, instead of trying to grind the local Gym.


    "Anyway, we should be getting closer to it. You know the deal."


    I took 2 Pok¨¦balls from my belt and recalled Fay and Midna.


    Luna didn''t bat an eye. "You''re still in?"


    The Psychic nodded but didn''t grace me with her voice.


    With the map, I managed to navigate myself to the Gym.


    The building wasn''t what I expected it to be. Roark''s Gym was basically a big boring building moduled loosely after a construction site, maybe because of his type, but Gardenia''s was a giant greenhouse.


    I wasn''t well versed with plant stuff but even I recognize beauty when it''s in front of me.


    The building was a majestic helical structure that had various vines and colorful flowers growing up the support beams, covering the building like a green blanket. I wasn''t even sure if the roof could be closed because freaking palm trees stuck out of it. Through the glass I saw small critters moving around, having the time of their lives.


    There were no other trainers nearby. I moved to the doors, expecting them to open automatically but nothing happened. I waved my hand over the scanner but nothing changed.


    A document was sealed in plastic and plastered against the door. I assumed it to be some random League bullshit but decided to take the time to read it.


    <hr>


    Official Sinnoh Pok¨¦mon League Gym Leader Absence


    [date here]


    The Gym leader of the [...Gym name here...] is currently not present, and/or able to conduct Official Gym Challenges due to a ...Murder Mansion ..If this Gym remains inactive for over...10... days...Kyle you take over. Don''t touch my stuff... and the League will take steps to prepare a transfer of position.


    Signed: Gardenia btw. If this letter still remains after 10 days call a ghost expert plz.


    <hr>


    I blinked.


    "The fuck."


    Luna let out a long, audible sigh. I agreed with her.


    I threw up two Pok¨¦balls and watched both of them open mid-air to eject out a Zorua and Riolu. Both of them took immediate defensive stances but devolved into confusion pretty quick.


    "Uhm, where''s our opponent?" Fay pondered. She dropped her defense.


    Midna shrugged and yawned.


    "Guys, the Gym is closed." I tapped the letter. "We''ll have to wait for Gardenia to return or die."


    "Well, that sucks, can''t we beat up this Kyle dude?" Midna asked after reading the thing for herself.


    "This feels very..." Fay was struggling to find her words. "Sucky."


    I agreed. I wanted to deal with this before committing to anything else. I hadn''t considered the Gym being closed.


    "What now?" Midna looked at me.


    I briefly considered visiting the Great Plateau to find Gardenia but immediately scrapped it.


    My journey to Eterna City had purposefully avoided the Mansion mentioned by Gardenia''s letter. That place had been designated as a C-level threat on the Pok¨¦dex, mainly because of ghost Pok¨¦mon fucking with that place. After Froslass I didn''t feel like hanging with ghosts anymore.


    "Uh, well. I am stumped. Guess we''ll have to wait some more." A chorus of groans told me nobody liked that idea.


    "Dust?" A voice called from behind.


    I looked up at the sky, wondering why people always see me before I see them.


    I spun around and saw a familiar pair of eyes crossing mine. Mmm, purple eyes, that meant either Hylla, Chelsea, or...


    "Good morning Sabrina," I smiled, "How lovely to see you again."


    It was fun to see her again, traveling a lot makes you appreciate the familiar faces more.


    Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I see you still haven''t managed to get yourself killed."


    {Not because of a lack of trying.} Luna grumbled.


    Sabrina frowned. "You two have trouble?"


    Midna coughed loudly.


    "You could say that. By the way," I pointed at Midna. "This is Midna, she can talk but that doesn''t mean you should pay her any attention."


    "Most Pok¨¦mon can talk." Sabrina said with a deadpan look.


    "Ignore that, anyway. How are you doing? Still working on your anger management?" I meant it as a joke but Sabrina''s face grew darker and she made a fist.


    One of Gardenia''s hanging ivies suddenly snapped and fell to the ground below her.


    The sudden display of power made my hand twitch for a weapon. However, I restrained myself, reminding myself that Sabrina was an ally. After all, she only tried to kill me once.


    "That''s a no?" My genius mind tried.


    "Ugh." The psychic glared at no one in particular. "You have no idea how many people are trying to get on my nerves."


    Oh good, she wasn¡¯t pissed at me. Violence wasn¡¯t needed. Still, I didn''t have any idea what was up but I could just try being nice.


    "Have you tried smiling more?"


    Sabrina didn''t even crack a smile. "I see you are still the same annoying person."


    "Just for you queen meanie." I smiled even brighter.


    She rolled her eyes again but I swear she was trying to hide a smile.


    "So..." She awkwardly tried to start a conversation. She wasn''t good at it.


    Neither was I, but seeing her struggle with it was funny to watch.


    "How have you been?"


    Midna and Fay were whispering to each other. I couldn''t see Luna''s expression. Because talking with a Kirlia on my shoulders felt silly, so I lowered her from my back. She didn''t say anything but spent her time looking at Sabrina with an odd expression.


    "I am doing great, been traveling through the woods, trying new kinds of diets and got stuck inside an underground experiment lab. Pretty fun so far."


    Sabrina nodded thoughtfully. "I saw your name being mentioned on that file. Red Orphanage or something. It sounded pretty rough."


    Damn, she already knew. There goes my cheap moment of shock. "Yup."


    "I thought of coming to visit but you know," she grimaced. "New problems keep popping up."


    "You know what you need?" I asked. "You need to take some time to chill."


    Sabrina scoffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. "I could say the same about you."


    Midna whispered something into Fay''s ears. Fay chuckled and said, "She says that you are literally repeating our advice to her."


    Well, it''s not stealing if it''s helping others, probably. Besides, seeing Sabrina brightened up my mood. Annoying her is definitely at the top of my favorite-things list.


    "When was the last time you just sat down and closed your eyes for the hell of it?" I asked.


    Sabrina tried to come up with a reply but her frustration told me enough. "Look, I would love to frolic around all day but I am actually here for business."


    I tapped the letter. "If you have any business with Gardenia you''ll have to get in line."


    Sabrina''s eyes widened. She walked right past me and stared at the letter. Between pursed lips she spat: "That fucking bitch."


    "Pretty sure Gardenia didn''t do it on purpose."


    "Not her," Sabrina said dismissively. "Curse her, I am behind."


    "Behind who?"


    "Not your bu..." She suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were going over me like she never noticed me before. She spun around, her long hair flowed in the air before she stopped when our faces were nearly pressing against each other.


    Normally, that would be good but in this scenario I felt uncomfortable underneath her scrutiny.


    Even Fay and Midna backed away.


    "No, you will be perfect." Sabrina smiled. "Dust, do you want to go to the museum with me?"

 97. Psychic Psycho

    Chapter 97:


    Psychic Psycho


    Things that sound too good to be true often are. The chance of winning the lottery is smaller than the chance of being murdered; the shady website saying you won the newest iPhone is either a virus or a scam and the cute girl offering you a date to the museum is actually walking you into a trap.


    "Okay," I said. "But before we go, what''s being stolen and what''s in it for me?"


    Sabrina''s eyes widened. She instinctively leaned away, as if she expected me to explode.


    "What? Something is going to be stolen," I smiled smugly. "That''s what you were about to say right?"


    "...but how?" The psychic girl muttered perplexedly.


    I saw how much my reply caught her off-guard but pretended not to notice. I was curious how long I could keep up the act. "Eh," I shrugged. "I don''t know how it will be stolen but I suspect via some form of teleportation."


    Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think something is going to be stolen?"


    "You were just about to tell me, "I mustered the dirtiest smile I could and said, "don''t you know? I''m a psychic."


    Sabrina was experiencing multiple emotions at once and it was actually pretty fun to see. If one could throw rage, confusion, shock and even more anger into a blender; it would come close to Sabrina''s current emotional state.


    Fay silently shook her head and gave me a disappointed look. Midna looked like she needed a bowl of popcorn and Luna was just, well giving me the cold shoulder.


    Sabrina gave me one more glare before closing her eyes, muttering something obscene while her stance relaxed.


    When she opened them again, they briefly flashed a bright purple before fading back into regular, non-shining purple eyes.


    I wondered if she quickly used Calm Mind on herself. If so, unfair! That''s cheating.


    "You know I don''t need psychic powers to hit you?" Sabrina said calmly, a vacant smile present on her face.


    "Meh, maybe I''m into that kind of stuff. You really wanna risk that?"


    Midna almost exploded behind Fay but with great effort, she managed to hold it.


    Sabrina just shook her head, even refusing to get flustered. "I literally forgot how annoying you can be. Besides that, I know you aren''t a psychic. I''m not falling for that twice."


    I chuckled once before finally deciding to act a little more serious.


    "Okay, fine I''ll explain. But first, can we sit down somewhere? My psychic senses are telling me this will be a long story."


    Looking back on that, my prediction was spot on.


    <hr>


    While buying breakfast for the squad, which Sabrina agreed to pay for, she started talking about her ex-career as a stage performer. It was actually kind of unexpected and I kind of didn''t know why she was even telling me something that personal, but like a good friend, I just listened without interrupting. Seemed like she needed to unload some energy anyway.


    Basically she missed performing (which I didn''t even know she used to do in the first place) but she felt that keeping the regions safe was her true calling and thus she stopped her career as both an active Gym leader and as an actress.


    Because I had no idea how to respond to that, I tried to subtly shift the conversation into something I could talk about.


    "Hey, that¡¯s so true. By the way, I saw you on TV. You looked pretty cool during the entire mutant Houndoom shitshow."


    Sabrina smiled sheepishly. "Oh yes. That was one nasty Pok¨¦mon. Thanks to my accurate precognition and organization skills we didn''t suffer any civilian casualties."


    I was pretty sure people had died during the initial appearance but didn''t bother to point it out.


    Sabrina offered some change to the barista without even looking. In turn, the barista didn¡¯t seem awfully surprised. Probably doesn¡¯t get paid enough to


    "Got any lead on what the deal was with that Houndoom?"


    Sabrina''s gaze darkened. "Not much, we do know an organization named Galactic is behind both its rogue transformation and the attack on Viridian. For now, it''s not really our job to do the investigating part. We rely on people like you to do that, we just clean up the trash." I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a complement or not, but from the look of her face I could see she wasn¡¯t happy with it.


    "Your coffee, ma''am." The barista nervously handed Sabrina three cardboard cups. 2 Long Macchiatos with foamed milk and 1 special Moo Moo Milk-shake. She smiled sweetly at the man before returning to the subject.


    We took a seat at one of the many empty tables.


    Midna and Fay shared a chair and milkshake. Luna sat down on her chair and spent her time glaring at Sabrina who didn''t even notice it. Just your standard Monday morning.


    We both took a few sips and enjoyed the smell of caffeine. Sabrina looked like she was experiencing heaven. Since we both had almost the same drink, I figured that it must have been the 5 sugar cubes she added that made it so good.


    Sabrina¡¯s eyes shot open and she gave me a startled look, clearly showing that she had totally forgotten that I was sitting there.


    I took a calm sip, not saying anything but looking her dead in the eyes.


    "So, you''re going to tell me how you knew about the heist?" Sabrina awkwardly tried to start the conversation again.


    Considering it allowed me to play coy, I put up my best detective face. "Look, you didn''t make it that hard for me to guess. First, you show up looking for Gardenia, when she isn''t around you immediately ask me if I want to go on a date to the museum."


    "It could be anything," Sabrina muttered half-heartedly.


    "You''re a clairvoyant and seeing how you weren''t in a rush to get Gardenia it could only mean it still has to happen."


    Sabrina bit her lip.


    "That raises the question. What could happen at a museum? Maybe a terrorist attack but then, why not pick the Sinnoh National Museum instead of this backwater town? Two other things came to mind. Option one; someone is going to invoke a Legendary Pok¨¦mon through the use of a ritual or artifact but if that were the case you wouldn''t just show up alone. There¡¯s only one other possibility that is often associated with museums but not important enough to involve the big guns. Meaning; Theft." Besides, I know how museums work. I''ve seen way too many heist movies. Museums are like loot boxes for thieves.


    Sabrina looked at me like I just suggested the earth was flat.


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    "Elementary, dear Sabrina," I added, feeling pretty good about myself.


    "You are so damn annoying." Sabrina said. She then lowered her head. "But you are right indeed. This afternoon an invaluable artifact will be stolen, unless I intervene. And I don''t think it''s a coincidence we met today."


    "I agree." Fate''s up to something again. She definitely planned for me running into Sabrina, the timing was just too perfect.


    "Okay, stop me if this sounds crazy but hear me out, have you considered, you know, calling the police?"


    "The person stealing the artifact works for Team Rocket. The police won''t even be a nuisance to them, that''s why I hoped to recruit Gardenia but since she is off playing with ghosts you''ll make a good second choice." Sabrina smiled at me very kindly.


    I opened my mouth to say something but Sabrina gestured to me to keep my mouth shut. I complied and instead just took a sip of coffee with way too much milk.


    "But seriously, I could really use your help. The Hunt can not openly interfere with Team Rocket because of Kanto politics." This begged for so many more questions and little things I was interested in, but again she gestured to keep my mouth shut.


    "However I can not let my mortal enemy-"


    "You have a mortal enemy?" I couldn''t help myself.


    The psychic blushed. "We crossed paths before but she always manages to slip past me. But with today''s heist maybe I can finally beat her."


    A picture was slowly starting to form in my head. Seems like this wasn''t at all about justice, but instead something personal.


    Also, Team Rocket. I had no freaking clue what they could want from the muse-


    Damn. I think I just realized what they were after.


    They had their city just torched to the ground and they were already out again?


    "What''s being stolen?" I asked.


    Sabrina showed me a picture on her phone. The image quality was really bad but I could see there was a small, shiny white orb sitting on a pedestal.


    "The Adamant Orb," Sabrina clarified.


    I sighed. Yup, the in-game item that could be given to Dialga to have their attacks boosted. Somehow it popping up shouldn''t have surprised me. The real question is, why does Team Rocket want it? To Galactic it might be a useful artifact because they are insane.


    It felt as if I was missing something.


    "But what can Team Rocket do with that?"


    A little known fact- Stolen art isn''t as valuable as people think it is. Mainly because it can''t be sold legally and even if it was sold it would be worthless to the new owner since a stolen piece of art can''t be displayed without getting caught red-handed. It¡¯s usually sold at a loss, though if you have no money it¡¯s a lot. But Team Rocket didn¡¯t need this kind of money, it¡¯s a lot of trouble for something not all that valuable.


    "Money?" Sabrina shrugged. "It could be anything with them." She didn¡¯t seem to be interested about their motives at all.


    "Well, it does look shiny," I admitted. "If we manage to stop the thief, do I get to keep it?"


    Sabrina gave me an incredulous look. Then she saw my grin.


    "You are a moron," she complained loudly.


    Midna scoffed but didn''t say anything. Sabrina ignored her scoff, she folded her hands over her chest and gave me a weird look. "But you are an incredibly useful one. And seeing how you managed to track down Crimson within a week this should be a breeze."


    Oh yeah, I totally forgot I did that. That was awesome.


    "I have my moments," I admitted.


    "So, are you willing to help me defend a national treasure from a heinous thief?"


    Sabrina extended her arm out, offering me to take her hand.


    {No!} The hand was slapped away by an angry-looking Kirlia on her chair. {No fucking way.} Her voice rang into my head, from Sabrina''s expression I could see she heard it too.


    I sighed and turned to look her in the eyes.


    "Luna, I haven''t even said yes."


    {But you were going to!} Luna said accusingly. She got on top of the table to meet me at eye level.


    "Uhm," Sabrina awkwardly tried to get a word in but was silenced by a flying croissant. She caught it before it hit her but it was fun to see, weren''t it for those big red Kirlia eyes piercing into mine.


    Sabrina didn''t make any effort to free me from Luna''s stare. She gave me a shrug that roughly translated to, ''well you are on your own now''.


    "So you can talk," I replied, trying my best to keep my inner emotions neutral.


    {I tried to make it clear to you by not talking but for some reason, your human brains can''t understand.} Luna looked like she wanted to say something else but she was reminded of Sabrina''s presence.


    "If it''s about the thing, we voted on it and I already told you that you don''t have to go. I can send you over to Chelsea if it b-"


    {That''s not the point!} Luna yelled again. Why did she have to yell? I was literally not even 10 centimeters away from her. Her yelling felt like a tiny glass shard crashing into my mind. Fuck, it was psychic conversation, there was no way I could not hear her!


    It didn''t look like Luna was about to stop anytime soon.


    {It''s always something small. Sleep here for a week, get our stuff back, check out this building but it always ends up the same. You find yourself in danger.} She heaved a deep sigh. {You know you were going to say yes!}


    "Maybe Dust is trying to do the right thi-" Fay tried to butt in but was interrupted as psychic energy began fizzling around Luna. Luna looked absolutely pissed.


    A weird feeling in my stomach started to pulse.


    Then all of a sudden, a wave of purple energy exploded from Kirlia''s horns. Shattering the pavement as it tore through multiple tables and chairs. Fay and Midna were launched up in the air before they could react. The people sitting at tables around us looked up startled and slowly backed away or reached for their own Pok¨¦balls.


    Fay managed to twist her body while falling and landed on both her legs. Her paws were fuming with  blue aura in the rough shape of several daggers.


    Unlike Luna Fay was the very definition of calm.


    Midna took the easy way out and turned into a Pidgey to stay airborne. Not even bothering to get involved.


    {It''s your fault!} Luna shouted at the Riolu. {You and your talks of heroism! You ever think about how it''ll get him killed?}


    Another crash of energy headed towards Fay. This time dragging along wooden splinters and sharp bricks.


    {I bet you don''t!}


    Luckily, what I had done right was to train Fay. She didn''t move from her position but instead transformed the aura daggers into a big flat shield just as the purple energy flew towards her.


    Without breaking a sweat she held the newly made obstacle in front of herself. Claws dug into the concrete to provide more backup.


    Bricks, stone and other rubbish flew past Fay like a miniature storm. They didn''t hit her, instead they bounced off the improvised shield or flew around it.


    Luna''s aim was a bit off.


    "Me? I''m the one in the wrong?" Fay removed the shield calmly. "It looks like you have a sense of humor after all."


    Luna gasped. The air around me began to feel static. Like how the atmosphere unloaded before a lightning strike.


    Everything began shaking.


    It was like an earthquake hit.


    The bricks that made up the ground underneath us, the tables previously not destroyed and even the liquid from my drink. All of it pulled itself free from gravity and began to lift itself up as if pulled by invisible strings.


    The static energy began to charge up, almost reaching a boiling point. Automatically my hand reached out to the nearest weapon, a knife.


    Luna''s eyes were burning with energy. It looked almost demonic.


    "That''s enough." Another female voice broke through the noise. It was Sabrina''s.


    Sabrina slowly stood up from her seat and gave the surrounding mess an annoyed look. Luna glared at Sabrina. The static energy in the air began to twist. The two psychics had a staring contest. An invisible battle between the two followed.


    Luna was fuming with anger. Sabrina managed to look bored. And whatever Sabrina was doing, it was working!


    I could almost see Luna''s hold over the surrounding objects diminish, usurped by Sabrina''s superior strength.


    Everything around us slowly returned to the ground in a controlled manner. The ravaged pavement all fell back into place, though still looking like an improvised jigsaw puzzle, but back on the ground still.


    Slowly the air unloaded until the silence returned.


    Finally when it looked like Luna''s powers were completely subdued, Luna finally calmed down a little. I had the idea that she herself was also surprised by her outburst. A red flush of shame colored the psychic.


    "Are you done?" Sabrina asked Luna. ¡°Out of everyone, Psychics should know best not to let their emotions control them.¡±


    The Kirlia in question appeared to contemplate that question for a second. She stared at her surroundings before finally turning around to look me in the eyes.


    A short silence followed before she finally answered.


    {If you want to stop that stupid heist, fine, but go do it without me and just see how far you''ll get.}


    Before I could respond she teleported away, leaving me completely stunned.


    Sabrina wisely decided to keep her mouth shut, as did Fay.


    It was Midna who was the first to respond.


    With a jovial tone she said, "Just wow, teenagers these days."


    No one laughed.