ã€ŠPokemon: Gambling on Darknessã€‹


 New Moon: Part I

    Owen''s eyes fluttered open to the caress of the noon sun, its warmth absorbed by the blue blanket beneath him. The meadow spread out in a sea of green, with the gentle rustle of pine trees providing a soothing soundtrack to his surroundings.

    He¡¯d fallen asleep, after finishing the light snack he¡¯d brought with him.  Just some packaged crackers and a small can of ginger ale, the former¡¯s crumbs still on the front of his shirt.  He shook them off, only to realize the rest of his belongings weren¡¯t there.  He looked toward the trees to see his bike wasn¡¯t there, either.

    Damnit, damnit damnit!

    His head furiously swiveled around to see if the culprit was still trying to get away with it, but there was no one.  He reached for his pockets, only to feel his cell phone and wallet, were still there, maybe something else he¡¯d forgotten too.

    Another glance would reveal that the walkway into the park wasn¡¯t there either.  He looked towards the blanket again to notice even the soda can and cracker bag were gone, nowhere to be seen.

    The hell they want those for?  You¡¯re gonna take my bike, but throw out my trash?  Little shits.  Screw you.

    Attempting to regain his composure, Owen looked around the large meadow which unfolded like a living canvas, a riot of red, yellow, blue, and white flowers swaying in a delicate dance. The vibrant hues painted a kaleidoscope on the green canvas of the grass.  Lacking were the sounds of urban life, or the chain link fence bordering the park¡¯s tranquility.

    Were all those flowers here when I got here?

    Owen was fixated on them for a moment before getting up to stretch.  He¡¯d felt rested, better than he¡¯d felt in a while.  After shaking the blanket out, he folded it up to carry.   It was going to take over an hour to walk home, that¡¯s for sure.

    He reached for his phone, used the unlock code, and to his shock there was no service.

    Really?  I hate you guys.  Swear I¡¯m switching one of these days.  Everyone else gets service in the boonies and I can¡¯t even get the internet in a park in the city!

    He had entered with the trees on his left, so it made sense to trace them backward. As Owen walked, he began to doubt if the path he remembered had truly existed on his way in. He continued, his steps carrying him until a sense of unease settled in.  Having now taken three, maybe four times as long as it had to enter the park, there was still no sight of a road. On one side, the meadow stretched endlessly, while on the other, tall pine trees stood sentinel.

    The field of flowers seemed to extend indefinitely, and an eerie stillness enveloped the surroundings. Suddenly, shadows darted across the ground, too large to be birds, yet absent of the deafening screech of a plane. However, as Owen gazed upward, there was nothing in the sky, not so much as a solitary cloud.

    A subtle, low humming began, resembling a song too indistinct to decipher. The humming intensified, and Owen could almost discern the repeated word, ¡°baby,¡± punctuating every few syllables.

    ¡°Flabebe Flabebe¡±

    Owen''s eyes drifted toward the colorful flowers he¡¯d mostly ignored up until this point. He pinched himself, half-expecting to wake up from what felt like a trippy dream. The tickle of the long grass against his ankles did little to ease his growing sense of bewilderment.

    The humming got louder.

    ¡°Flabebe Flabebe¡±

    He carefully inched towards the nearest circle of red flowers.  They were moving.  In an instant they all turned towards Owen, and said their names again, cheerfully waving.

    THUD!

    He fell backwards, that was going to smart.  Better the ass, than the head, but still.  The flowers all looked at him in shock, concern even.  One of them laughed, only to be hit lightly by its neighbor.  Confusion flooded his face.

    This isn¡¯t real.  Pok¨¦mon?  Okay, okay.  It¡¯s just a trippy dream, whatever.

    A stinging sensation came from his hand, which had done little to catch his fall.  He saw blood, dirt, and bits of bark from the tree root, on top of the scrape.

    His attention turned back to the Pok¨¦mon, who were talking amongst themselves, too low to hear over the hum of the other groups.  They turned back to him, and the closest one bounced on over.  It looked up at him and smiled.

    ¡°Flabebe!¡±  The apparent Pok¨¦mon exclaimed before shaking its little flower crown above the hand he¡¯d been holding.  The little golden dust flittered down, shining under the clear sky.  The stinging stopped, and the blood was gone.  The little one bounced back to its circle, before turning around, looking proud of itself.

    ¡°Uhh¡­thank you!¡±  Owen still wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but might as well play along.  The fairy Pok¨¦mon smiled back at him.

    ¡°Do you know where I¡­we are?¡±  He asked, taking a moment to be mindful.

    The group looked amongst themselves and then all shrugged in uncanny unison.

    ¡°How about¡­ do you know where I can find houses?  You know, the things people live in?¡±

    This time, the one who had laughed earlier lit up with its mouth wide open, and started bouncing, before pointing straight behind Owen, and into the forest.  The others seemed to frown at this suggestion, before turning back to face Owen.

    A high-pitched hum with a tinge of concern came out of the one who had healed his hand, but ultimately it had pointed in the same direction as well.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be careful then.  It can¡¯t be that bad, right?¡±  Wanting to get somewhere with a roof before dark, he waved goodbye to the field of flowery fairies, who returned the gesture before resuming their singing or chanting, or whatever it had been.

    So, that was weird, but any minute I¡¯ll probably wake up anyways.  Right back on the blanket in the park, no one really would steal a bike in broad daylight, surrounded by people?  That¡¯s more unrealistic than the Pok¨¦mon!  Laughing at his inner monologue did little to subside the mental tug of war as to whether this was a dream or a new reality.

    The crunching of pine needles mixed with leaves from the underbrush followed him as he slowly trekked through the tightly packed forest.  Every step had been methodical as the gnarled roots penetrated what felt like every inch of dirt underfoot.  The air carried the earthy aroma of damp moss, and the distant chatter of hidden creatures filled the surroundings.

    His pace had gradually slowed as he searched for signs of civilization or anything for that matter.  Owen paused, taking a moment to survey the area.  However, there was no clearing or river in sight. The landscape resembled an endless wooden labyrinth in every direction, and his feet were beginning to ache.

    As the sun dipped lower in the sky, the forest transformed. Shadows grew longer, and the fading sunlight escaped all but the thinnest of trees. Owen continued his trek, the forest now cloaked in the eerie glow of approaching dusk.

    The crinkling from either side had been getting to him too.  Every time he looked, nothing was there, but it just kept happening.  The cold bite of the wind against his cheek derailed this train of thought.  That must be it, just the leaves rustling in the breeze.  That, or some stupid squirrels.

    The scent of smoke forced him to focus on sniffing the air, only to feel a bit nostalgic.  He was sure it was a campfire, not even letting the thought of a forest fire cross his mind.  After looking around for a few moments, there was a small trail of smoke to be found coming from deeper in the woods.  He rushed toward the source, in the remnants of daylight that still could permeate its way in front of him.

    Finally!  They¡¯ll be able to tell me where I am, and I can get home, or at least somewhere with light and a roof.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    This is what he¡¯d been hoping for all afternoon, a way back to civilization, a way to¡­

    A Log cabin.

    ¡°Hello?!  Anybody there?¡±  He shouted, almost immediately regretting it.

    I don¡¯t know anyone here.  Why the hell would I do that?

    The cabin stood in solitude, its weathered facade telling tales of years gone by. Vines embraced the wooden walls, and patches of moss clung to the roof. The broken windows revealed glimpses of the interior, scattered debris and the remnants of a once-cozy abode had been tossed, shoved without a care. Surrounded still by trees, their overgrown branches cast elongated shadows that stretched out from the cabin like ghostly fingers, dancing in the dim light from the embers that came from within.

    Owen crept around to what might have been the front of the cabin, what should have been the front of the cabin, to find it was in shambles.  It hadn¡¯t fallen down.

    It had been smashed to hell.

    He froze to scan the immediate area, noticing a large gap in the trees.  They were pushed aside, without a care.  The broken and splintered trunks splayed out without rhyme or reason, leaving a trail behind, that thankfully showed no signs of whatever made it had stuck around.

    His attention returned to the house; the smoke now diminished, but up close, it carried a genuinely sweet aroma. He cautiously approached the side of the wreckage, peering inside to identify the source. A pile of sticks lay on the concrete floor, some of their ends still releasing a faint haze.

    Yet, there was no sign of anyone nearby. Torn carpet and odd items had been cast aside, forming a disarrayed heap against the remaining walls of the room.  Owen¡¯s eyes turned towards the doorframes, leading into rooms that otherwise still looked intact.  As he approached the sticks, he picked one up and found himself engulfed in a pleasant, albeit subtle, aroma reminiscent of...cinnamon?

    EEP!

    A shrill gasp echoed from one of the adjacent rooms, accompanied by the unmistakable crash of boxes tumbling over.

    Shit, am I doing this?  I shouldn¡¯t even be here, not with how this place looks.  What if whatever did that is still inside?  No.  No, it can¡¯t be.  Those trees were shoved aside.  No way it even fit through a door frame.

    He approached the door in the faint final glow of dusk, peering at what seemed to be moving next to the mess of stuff that must have just fallen.

    A small yellow and orange creature was on its side with its eyes closed and whimpering.  Some dark lump had been covering the center of its body, and spilling onto the floor.  Owen knelt down to realize it was a green scarf.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±  He said in a near whisper.  Almost as fearful as the creature himself, but he mustered up as much for the weeping animal.

    The little creature momentarily calmed down, and slowly opened one eye, only to shut it immediately, returning to its earlier shivering.

    He reached out to gently pat the orange part of the creature, knowing it probably wasn¡¯t the best idea.

    I¡¯m so going to get bitten, aren¡¯t I?

    But no such strike came.  Instead, he pat the small creature and started to feel very warm himself.  Too warm in fact, as it took a moment to register just how warm his hand was becoming.

    ¡°AHHHH!¡±

    Owen recoiled his hand as the little creature jumped away to the corner of the room.  Groaning, and clutching his hand, he kept his eyes on the creature who now had begun to stand up, eyes glistening with its own tears, before taking a tiny, hesitant step forward.

    CRASH

    CRACKLE

    BOOM

    Man and creature jumped out of their skin before the little yellow thing darted right into Owen¡¯s chest.

    The burning hot creature was back in his hands!  He dropped it into his lap, but the little one pushed its head into him.  It really was more yellow than orange as he could barely see now.  It was at this point it dawned on him that the creature in his lap was none other than a Fennekin, which would explain why the orange fur had burned him.

    More Pok¨¦mon?

    They barely had time to recover before a flash lit up the ruins of the cabin once again.  The deafening roars that followed sent Owen into the room the fox had just lept from, as it held onto him for dear life.  Another boom came, this one much quieter than before.  And another.  The sound was getting closer, not farther.  And it wasn¡¯t preceded by any flash.  Owen started to shiver now too, knowing that unless the laws of physics were being violated, something worse was headed their way.

    The little yellow furball suddenly perked up, and lept out of his arms, leaving Owen to fall backward from the surprise.  It was running towards the pile of sticks, and returned with one in mouth, plopping it down next to Owen in the side room.  It started going back for the next, at which point he clamored to his feet.  Owen made his way over to the sticks, and gathered the remainder in his hands, causing the little one to jolt in surprise.  The little yellow fox had felt brave enough to lunge at his leg, only to sink its teeth into the bottom of his pants leg, and be dragged along behind.

    I¡¯ll be damned if we¡¯re caught by whatever that is over a few sticks of cinnamon.

    Owen set the sticks down in a pile next to the rest, and his would-be yellow assailant fumbled onto its backside on the carpet, before scrambling back to its feet.  The Pok¨¦mon noticed the full pile of sticks on the floor and looked up at Owen with a newfound wonder in its eyes.  He closed the door, shutting the last remnants of light out of what was perhaps the only room in the house with a roof and all four walls still intact.

    The rhythmic sound had subsided for now, but that did little to ease the anxious thought that it could return at any time.

    ¡°Feeennnn¡±

    The room regained a dim orange glow from the little Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ears.   Owen could at least see his hands in from of his face, before returning his gaze to the yellow fox.  It no longer seemed to be straining itself, but the glow remained as it dove into the pile of sticks, demolishing one in but a second.  Another stick followed its way to the Pok¨¦mon¡¯s belly before it turned towards Owen, the all but strange human to itself, and a tinge of guilt hit the previously lone Pok¨¦mon.  It looked at the pile of sticks and picked up one before dropping it in Owen¡¯s lap.

    ¡°Uhhh¡­ thanks?¡±  He replied, not knowing what he was going to do with it.  He hadn¡¯t eaten since noon time, but sticks?  He was hungry sure, but not that desperate.  Not yet anyway.

    The little yellow fox did nothing but stare up at him expectantly, before finally nudging its nose forward.  All the while, refusing to turn its attention elsewhere.

    ¡°What, you want me to right now?¡±  Owen protested, to the little fur ball¡¯s momentary confusion.  The fire-type Pok¨¦mon then jumped up and took the stick back, holding it by one end as smoke started coming out the opposite end, before returning the stick right back to Owen¡¯s lap.  Fennekin had resumed its expectant pose, now sure the person it deemed strange could finally share its favorite snack.

    Owen picked up the now warm and fragrant stick, pretending to analyze it as the sweet smell started to convince him that it might not be the worst thing he¡¯d done all day.  Wanting to lose the feeling of being stared at like a test subject, he decided to close his eyes and make a big crunch taking a good third of the stick off at once.  It wasn¡¯t bad.  He expected something chewy and moist, but it had been dry and sweet even easy to chew!

    The now excited little fox cheered as he scarfed the rest of it down easily.  Maybe the human wasn¡¯t such a weird thing to it after all.  The yellow Pok¨¦mon returned to the pile and clumsily managed to grab two sticks this time.  It gently, yet instantly roasted them both before depositing one into Owen¡¯s lap again.

    After finishing their next round of tasty treats, Owen looked down at the little glutton and laughed, seeing the bits of bark all over the side of its formerly white muzzle.   The little fox looked up at him and laughed as it saw the same little crumbs on the side of his lips as well.

    ¡°Fenekin kin kin¡± One could hardly believe this was the same whimpering mess from several moments ago.

    And that¡¯s when it returned.  The thumping was louder than ever.  One pound, then another followed by a short break.  One more pound, another crept closer and closer.  The orange lights of the little fox¡¯s ears dimmed as it began to whimper once again.

    A great flash of light preceded the sundering of the wall behind them.  Something had come crashing through with the force of a train, demolishing all remaining furniture in the tattered former home.  All of which flew to the side like toys in the advance of the terrible creature.  An awful pain struck Owen¡¯s back as he was flung in the direction of the door, forcing it open as his body flew through the air, only stopping when he hit the remainder of the wall on the opposite side.

    He struggled to keep his eyes open, fixated on where the direction of force came from, but it was too heavy a task.  He reached to prop himself up off of the floor only to collapse.  The last thing he felt was something small escaping his pocket from the side he¡¯d landed on, before losing the struggle to stay awake.

    The tall creature had finally stopped.  Its awful gaze scanned the rubble for anything worthy of its ire, as it let out a roar that shattered any remaining glass.

    ¡°TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR¡±

    The little fire fox had tumbled and rolled along with the chaos before coming to a stop next to the human it had only just been laughing with.  Trembling, it turned towards him, pushing its little yellow nubs into his chest frantically.  There was no response.  Fennekin turned its little frame towards the giant invader, its green scales just barely visible thanks to the orange flickering of the fox Pok¨¦mon¡¯s ears.  The enraged titan¡¯s shadow grew larger as something welled up inside of the little Fennekin.

    The air around it was getting much, much warmer as the fox was ready to unleash its full might upon the invader.  A pair of large fireballs launched directly at the towering rock type, leaving a large cloud of smoke following their explosion against the Tyranitar¡¯s shoulders.  Fennekin stood in awe at how much bigger that was than any other attack it had ever mustered.

    The orange glow started to retreat from the room as the fire type was sure that must have been enough to drive off the invader.  The smoke clouds cleared as the air crackled, a string of yellow lights focused on a single point, halfway up the towering figure.  A fist cut right through the smoke, charged with electricity, poised to end the fox¡¯s feeble resistance in an instant.  Its little yellow leg retreated, bumping into a round object, causing the fox to recoil again.  Truly with nowhere to go, all it could do now was duck.

    A bright blue light erupted from the ball behind Fennekin, materializing a large shape directly between it and the attacking green monster.  A shockwave of force threw the little fox straight into Owen¡¯s unconscious body, the wave even managed to stagger their foe out of its own thunder punch, it fizzling away with a crackle of energy.

    A mixture of golden and red light lasered in on the tyrant beast, directly centered upon its terrible frame.  Unperturbed, the armored Pok¨¦mon¡¯s fists began to glow again.  This time, one had been blazing red, and the other an icy blue.

 New Moon: Part II

    Owen opened his eyes to the blurry sight of a dark room. He found himself on a soft bed, with rails on either side. He was startled by the sudden loud hum of a machine, only for his left arm to be squeezed tightly. Turning caused a series of sharp pains in his abdomen, causing him to lie back down, and stare up at the ceiling defeated.

    It was then he noticed two rings of light on the ceiling. Something was on his feet, something warm. A twinge of anxiety shot through his heart as he wondered what kind of machine would be on his feet, only to see a black mass of fur.

    ¡°Brrrruhhhh¡±

    The black cat-like thing stirred, chirping at the sudden movements that had awoken it from its slumber. Two crimson eyes zeroed in on Owen¡¯s face, before the thing slowly crept forward, stepping on his chest exactly where the pain had just been, causing Owen to jolt upwards again. Startled by this, the creature deigned to put its paws on the bed, before falling over in the crook of his arm, with its back to his side. The golden glow of the circle on its head shone right at Owen as the creature tilted its head back.

    ¡°Brrrrruuuhhh¡±

    Another short little trill came from the Pok¨¦mon before it rested its head on his arm, but not for long. The door slowly opened as finally, the first human he¡¯d seen in a day came through the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn on the lights, for a moment. We¡¯ve been worried about you.¡± Came a gentle voice. The flash made him blink momentarily, before turning to greet the pink-haired nurse with a nod, not wanting to move the rest of his body just yet.

    A little yellow fuzz ball flew into the room just seconds after the nurse, and jumped clean over the bed, smacking itself on the wall before falling into a heap with its oversized green scarf.

    ¡°Kin.¡±

    The little fox didn¡¯t waste a beat before jumping up on the bed and nudging Owen¡¯s cheek, mewling the entire time.

    ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± The nurse asked him calmly.

    Owen took a moment to retrace the previous day in his mind, wondering what exactly had happened. The last thing he remembered was eating those strange sticks, before a sharp pain. He shook his head in dejection.

    ¡°No, just the cabin¡­we were attacked? What¡­what the hell happened?¡±

    She gave an approving nod, having already been briefed before his arrival.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t I start with the good news? Neither you nor your Pok¨¦mon are hurt badly. You seem to have taken the worst of it, but by the time we arrived, it seems your Umbreon had even used what must have been its Wish on you. You¡¯re going to be sore for a while, but otherwise, you should make a full recovery.¡± She said with a hint of enthusiasm.

    A smidgen of relief washed over him, but the looming thought of what the bad news could be already bothered him more than he could stand. This really was no dream. It wouldn¡¯t feel so real, there wouldn¡¯t be consequences, and it would have ended when he blacked out.

    ¡°Wait, my WHAT?¡± He exclaimed, never having met this Umbreon before in his life. He assumed it lived at the hospital, like some sort of therapy animal. But something tugged at the back of his mind as if the Pok¨¦mon wasn¡¯t all that alien to him.

    ¡°Your Umbreon, right there with you. If he¡¯s being too affectionate, I could go get his ball for you?¡±

    Owen was sure he had never caught a Pok¨¦mon in his life. His life¡­ the life he had been living, the one where he had a mortgage on a small ranch house, a nice easy job at the county building, and a cat. One that he¡¯d have to get a family member to feed for a day or two now.

    ¡°Right, no I don¡¯t need that, but could you tell me what city we¡¯re in?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, this is Shalour City, you¡¯re safe now. Which brings me to the other matter. You were hit by a rampaging Mega Pok¨¦mon. Tyranitar of all things! We don¡¯t know exactly what happened, just that something knocked it out of its evolved state before the rangers arrived and took it away.¡± She said, starting to appear worried now.

    ¡°Tyranitar huh? No wonder I feel like hell. That cabin¡­it was smashed to pieces, what was it doing out there?¡± He started to wonder, before being cut off by the now angry-looking nurse.

    ¡°What were you doing out there?!¡± Her protest shook both Umbreon and Fennekin out of their lull next to Owen¡¯s side, as they both stood at attention.

    ¡°Your Pok¨¦mon can handle themselves, but apparently you can¡¯t!¡± She paused for a moment after the scolding to regain her composure.

    ¡°Only experienced teams go after rogue megas, but it seems like you¡¯re telling me you just haven¡¯t been paying attention to the news?¡± She let out with an exasperated sigh.

    His face scrunched up before any protest could leave his mouth. He hadn¡¯t gone looking for trouble, this was all new to him. He didn¡¯t know where his home was from here, or how to respond without telling her the truth. Who would even believe the truth?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, rogue megas? I thought you had to have a trainer for mega evolution.¡± He asked, with only his knowledge of the games, and some of the anime to go by.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been causing trouble across the region for the past few years, surely you¡¯ve seen some of that by now? The computer says you¡¯ve come from the Unova region, Mr. Ashford, but it¡¯s been covered on all platforms.¡±

    Fennekin reached a paw over to swat at Umbreon¡¯s tail, its little nubs barely even tickling the larger Pok¨¦mon¡¯s fur. In response, it tilted its head back, shaking playfully along the way, before turning to swat at the little fox in return. Owen winced as they both pressed into his chest again.

    ¡°Could you two, not do that?¡± He requested, and Fennekin obediently moved to his feet, as it lowered its head in guilt. Umbreon just stared blankly back at him, before deciding it was time to lick itself, starting with its paws.

    The nurse reached behind the doorway and picked up a bag from which she pulled what looked like his former shirt, stained in blood and ripped to pieces. He gulped at the sight of it, unable to form any kind of query before she started to speak to him softly.

    ¡°Forgive me for being crass, but this was yours.¡± She said, before throwing the rag into the trash bin, along with the gloves she used to handle it.

    ¡°I imagine you looked quite the same before the wish took effect. Just remember to be extra nice to him.¡± She said softly, as they both turned to the Moonlight Pok¨¦mon, who was now licking his own butt. Owen tried to form a chuckle before realizing it would hurt too much, as the nurse returned a smile.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s enough for now. Why don¡¯t you get back to resting, and the rangers can figure out the rest of what happened later? Oh, and I¡¯ll have someone bring you some drinks and something to eat in a minute. Fennekin¡¯s already eaten, but Umbreon wouldn¡¯t leave your side for anything.¡± She turned to leave and left the door slightly ajar. The inquisitive little fox scuttled back up to his side, looking up as if to say it had helped as well.

    ¡°So this is it, huh? I¡¯m either crazy or lucky, or both.¡± He said, excitement driving him through the pain of leaning forward to look at both Pok¨¦mon sharing the hospital bed. He ran one hand each through the soft fur on the tops of their heads, down the back of their necks, to gently pat the top of their backs. Fennekin yipped proudly, while Umbreon just started to purr.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Wait, the Unova region? That place was modeled after my home¡­ Fishy. Maybe this isn¡¯t another world, but our world got zapped by some black hole shit, or CERN finally bent reality? If that¡¯s the case, I should see if I still have a home. Make sure Doodle¡¯s fed. No, I¡¯ll have to call Mom and see if she could feed him if that¡¯s the case.

    After a few moments of peace with his two new friends, Owen¡¯s attention went to the doorway again, to find a Gardevoir entering the room with a tray. On it were a few juice boxes, a couple of pieces of buttered toast, and a shiny square blue bowl with bits of what looked like cat food. She held the bowl in front of Umbreon before leading him to the edge of the bed and returned to place the remainder of the items on the bed tray, before slowly pushing it in front of Owen. Finally, she placed a little black rectangle on his tray, which he recognized as his cell phone.

    ¡°Gardevoir, garde devoir, voir.¡± She looked a little flustered after whatever she had said, before turning to leave the room.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± He called out, as Gardevoir slowly turned around to give him a graceful bow before leaving the room.

    As he unlocked the phone, it appeared everything was the same, until he got a closer look. The former Firefox logo was now a Ninetales around a globe, what looked like the chrome logo was now cyan, pink, and white with an eyeball in the center. The rest of the apps had slightly changed too. His eyes drifted to the top of the screen, to notice service!

    ¡°Finally!¡± He went to his contacts, to find all the original names he had in there were still listed.

    Speed dial 2: Dad

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, the number you have called is no longer in service.¡±

    Speed dial 3: Mom

    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, the number you have called¡±

    He didn¡¯t let it finish before moving on to the next one.

    Speed dial 6: Corbin (Boss)

    ¡°We¡¯re¡±

    Frustrated with being unable to make any calls, he checked out the internet instead. Recommendations popped up for more websites looking reminiscent of ones he was familiar with. The former YouTube logo was the same shade of pink and cyan as the former chrome button. He clicked it, to see on the front page videos of battles against gym leaders, elite four members, and the like. There were cooking channels for people and Pok¨¦mon, along with science channels and crazy conspiracies, he probably only knew were fake from his knowledge of the franchise in his world.

    Some things never change I guess.

    He decided to spend the next hour sitting back, drifting in and out of consciousness, only cracking an eye when Umbreon aimlessly wandered about.

    The door opened again, this time the nurse had returned, with a plain shirt, and several papers.

    ¡°When you think you¡¯re up to moving around, here¡¯s the address of the ranger station, and a new shirt you can keep.¡± She gave him a reassuring smile.

    ¡°Oh, uh, what happened to my phone? Everything¡¯s all different. I mean, I have service again, so that¡¯s nice, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Gardevoir didn¡¯t explain it to you? Well, that¡¯s not like her."

    ¡°What do you mean, all she did was say her name to me, before blushing and running off.¡± Owen retorted. The nurse pouted while putting her hands on her hips.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t even use telepathy? Ugh, that girl sometimes fawns over some patients, but she really didn¡¯t say a thing?¡± She sighed before pressing her index finger and thumb into the bridge of her nose.

    ¡°I had our porygon get it up to standard for you. It¡¯s no rotom phone, but you should be able to use everything again. Honestly, how long did you go without updating? Didn¡¯t it bother you not being able to use anything but the camera?¡± She said, once again exasperated with Owen, wondering just how out of touch one person can be. Especially one with such a competent Pok¨¦mon.

    She took his phone into her hands before explaining the remaining apps that Owen couldn¡¯t associate with ones from his old world. The last one having a large B logo in blue and black.

    ¡°Right here, you¡¯re¡­oh wow. 198 wins and no losses? Forgive me for snooping, but all with only just one Pok¨¦mon, too?¡± She handed the phone back, trying to maintain some semblance of propriety. He stared at the rather bright screen, the blue interface showing a long record of him, with facial ID next to each entry. He scrolled through to see his face getting younger in real-time, all the way back to the first entry some eight years prior.

    Owen A. vs Kiera V.

    Eevee // Ghastly

    Victory --- Defeat

    I¡­don¡¯t remember any of this. I don¡¯t remember how I got into that field of flabebe, or even owning a Pok¨¦mon. He thought to himself as he looked down at the indifferent Umbreon, its head resting up against his thighs.

    He remembered everything he¡¯d done. Yesterday, the day before, all of it. The past eight years! And yet there was physical evidence in front of his face contradicting everything he thought he knew.

    Maybe I shouldn¡¯t press people too hard about it. Something¡¯s screwy with how those pictures of me even exist in there, but if I go against it, they¡¯ll probably keep me here.

    The humming of the fluorescent lights in the room seemed to intensify greatly in the silence, giving way to a headache he¡¯d been trying not to focus on. Umbreon turned around abruptly and started kneading his chest, before laying its head down to purr. It hurt for only a moment, before the consistent vibration seemed to echo throughout his chest, doing wonders to soothe the pain and causing a sigh of relief to come from Owen before slinking down into the bed.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I undo you here, give me just a moment.¡± The nurse told him in advance before moving to his opposite side to remove the cuff on his upper arm, after which she lowered the rails on the side of the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also need to watch him walk here before I let you all leave here.¡± She said with a jovial, yet accusatory tone to Umbreon who was seemingly content to remain here all day.

    <hr>

    Last Night

    ¡°Make it stop, Make it Stop!¡± The little yellow fox cried out after being thrown once again, straight back into the chest of the human. She cracked one eye open to see many glowing bits in front of her. Several golden rings came into focus around the black mass that formed in front of her. Further back, orbs of red and blue started to form.

    It¡¯s back again and now there¡¯s more! The human didn¡¯t stand a chance! RUN, LEGS, RUN!

    But she couldn¡¯t stand. All she could do now was wait for the inevitable. The two orbs connected with the center of the golden rings. A horrible set of smashes came one after the other, and the golden rings zoomed out of view, followed by the sound of something hitting the wall on the other side of the room. The little fox winced as she shut her eyes tight once more.

    A whizzing whirling whistle came from the other side of the room, at the same instant as a triumphant roar came from their assailant, one that was cut short in a grunt of pain. Fennekin opened her eyes again to see the golden rings were still standing, and that they had a pair of glowing red eyes in front of them. The new Pok¨¦mon readied its stance before firing off a purple glowing ring, unleashing the same sound from before.

    It didn¡¯t seem to faze their foe the second time, who was now charging a large blue orb in between its two hands. Once the orb was large enough, the green thing fired its attack at the golden rings. Only for the golden rings to jump to the side, and pull in blue light of its own. The orb grew to the same size as the one that had been fired seconds ago before it took off faster than an Arcanine!

    Get him, Goldie!

    To say the following sounds were an assault on the little fox¡¯s ears would be an understatement. The carnal crashing of wood, glass, and stone hide wrought havoc on their surroundings. Only after several seconds of crashing getting farther and farther away did she finally decide to open her eyes to see two glowing red lights right in her face, that were getting closer.

    The golden rings with red eyes were now licking her forehead.

    ¡°Hey, hey, cut it out! I¡¯m not a kid anymore!¡± She protested, to no response. He kept licking until his tongue found a scarf, at which point he stopped to groom himself instead.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a good Pok¨¦mon, right? Right? That¡¯s why you saved me? Um, us?¡± She asked the golden rings, who seemed more concerned with his own grooming now.

    ¡°What kind of Pok¨¦mon are you?¡± The little fox was getting antsy. Why wouldn¡¯t he respond to her? She looked over and saw one of those human ball things. She had one once, and it finally dawned on her that¡¯s what she had bumped into moments again.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re his partner, aren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you worried about him?¡± She said as she turned her head towards the unconscious human. The golden rings looked up, before slowly plotting over, and pawing at the human¡¯s chest. It let out a series of mews, growing in volume, each sounding like a cry of loneliness.

    Moments in silence passed between them before a pair of small shooting stars flew overhead, confusing the small fox. She¡¯d never seen a star up close before, and they were really¡­quite small actually. In an instant she felt her strength return, she felt better than she¡¯d ever felt before!

    ¡°So you do understand me! But we need help! Only humans know how to heal humans! I think¡­¡± She said to the new acquaintance, to once again, no response. The golden rings then lay flat as they scooched up under the arm of the still-unconscious human, the glow finally fading into its black fur.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t any time to sleep! Fine! I¡¯ll go get the humans then!¡± She said as she slinked off, looking behind at where the green thing had once stood, hoping not to see it again.

    ¡°Brrrrrr¡± A noise came from the wreckage, and she darted back to see if the stubborn Pok¨¦mon was finally ready to talk.

    ¡°I¡¯m really going now! You¡¯ll keep the human safe, right?¡± She said, waiting for any kind of response that never came. Finally, her shaking legs carried her out of the wreckage and on the way to¡­something. She hadn¡¯t seen humans in quite a while and wasn¡¯t sure where they could be, but the noise had to get the attention of one nearby. It sounded like one of those metal boxes crashing, but worse.

 New Moon: Part III

    The double sliding glass doors open to the cool afternoon shade cast by the towering Pok¨¦mon Center. The scent of flowers adorning every curb mixed with the salty air brought in by the coastal breeze contrasted the filtered air inside. Fennekin kept pace with Owen¡¯s stride as he started up the cobble path towards the ranger station. Umbreon had already escaped his view.

    A not-so-distant screech took Owen¡¯s attention toward the trees, over the large grey walls that adorned the pathway. He struggled to get up, lacking the arm strength yet, as Fennekin head butt his feet, sending him up and over the wall. A small purple thing was there, a Rattata, and it was backed up against a tree, staring towards the direction of the Pok¨¦mon center. None else but Umbreon was opposite the small Pok¨¦mon, head lowered, and butt high up the air and wiggling.

    ¡°Hey, you stop that! You don¡¯t know where it¡¯s been!¡± Owen shouted out to his Pok¨¦mon, a thought that still seemed alien to him. This caught Umbreon off guard long enough for the little rat Pok¨¦mon to scurry away.

    ¡°Alright, you know what mister? How about this?¡± He bent over to pick the black cat-dog up, only to be met with no resistance. It happily tucked its legs in while looking up before outward. Owen sat down on the wall before jumping the short distance remaining back to the ground. The jolt hurt his chest again, but it faded away with Umbreon¡¯s quiet purr. Fennekin let out an exasperated sigh as it looked up at Owen holding the less than dignified Pok¨¦mon in his arms. He returned the gesture, without thinking too hard about the difference between the two lives he was now responsible for.

    Umbreon was content to stay in his arms, with little struggle save for the desire to try to jump out of his arms when the lone motor vehicle they had seen that day had casually coasted down past them. Thankfully a firm hand was enough to assure him of his safety before they finally made it to the ranger station. It was one of only a few strikingly modern-looking buildings in the seaside town, resembling a police station from Owen¡¯s former world.

    Two women dressed in red and black came through the doors, one of which sent a casual nod Owen¡¯s way which he returned, before entering behind them. Upon entering, two more individuals dressed all the same came over as if expecting his arrival.

    ¡°Hey, I remember you, good to see you¡¯re out and about!¡± Came from a young man, looking to be the same age as Owen, give or take a few years. Beside him stood a slightly older woman, with a rather nasty-looking scar on her forearm. Dumbfounded for but a second, Owen¡¯s mouth opened as soon as he realized why the young man would remember him.

    ¡°You must be the ones who found me, then? Thanks for that, I don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened if you hadn¡¯t.¡± He said, gently patting Umbreon¡¯s backside. The Pok¨¦mon turned its gaze forward before letting out a short little trill.

    ¡°Sure did, though it was your Fennekin who helped us narrow down where the crashing came from.¡±

    ¡°Fenn-e-kin!¡± The little yellow fox had stopped to rest on its haunches only to pipe up proudly, with forepaws across its chest. The female ranger motioned to come over and sit at one of the tables they had in the lobby before they continued.

    ¡°While we¡¯re happy you¡¯re alright, what were you doing out there?¡± She asked curtly.

    This was it, and Owen still wasn¡¯t mentally prepared as to what he could say. The whole truth would surely land him in a mental ward, but any lie too elaborate would be too hard to keep track of.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be. I was relaxing in a park on my way home. When I woke up, I was in a field.¡± She looked up at him periodically while writing on a notepad on the table.

    ¡°I asked some Pok¨¦mon for directions, and well, that¡¯s where I met Fennekin, I think we both just wanted a roof over our heads.¡± The woman nodded nonchalantly as she finished writing. Her eyes skimmed over what she had written down before scrunching up.

    ¡°So, you got lost on your way home?¡± She asked with more than a hint of surprise. This prompted her to open her own device up, which looked more like a tablet in size, as she tapped through it efficiently.

    ¡°Yeah, I was on my bike. Which, right that got stolen too.¡± Fennekin had been intently watching the woman, seemingly enamored with her long red hair.

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ it says here, you live in Nimbasa, and you¡¯re telling me that you were there yesterday afternoon?¡± She stared into his face, looking for his every reaction. Hearing Nimbasa be referred to as his hometown was odd, even after reading it himself.

    The ranger looked to her partner, and whispered something to him, to which he walked over to the computer near the desk.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m even more sure that I didn¡¯t go over the ocean yesterday.¡± Owen felt more confident by adding something true to his statement. The ranger¡¯s face scrunched, before returning to face him again. The young man rejoined them at the table.

    ¡°No travel records outside of Unova, Mam. Think it¡¯s another teleportation incident?¡± She raised her scarred arm to her face, before letting out a sigh.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate to be sure. See if they¡¯ll send someone to his house too. And you, Mr. Ashford, do you know anyone around here we can contact? ¡°She turned to face Owen again. He shook his head dejectedly.

    The doors opened again, this time a young blonde woman with an absurdly long ponytail came through. She stopped to look at the front desk, only to have her attention pulled over to the table where everyone had been sitting.

    ¡°Here for your Grandfather¡¯s request?¡± The male ranger piped up to greet the new arrival, before motioning her into another room. As they walked on by, she took a glance in Owen¡¯s direction before a slight gasp came over her when she saw the two Pok¨¦mon that had been beside him, prompting her to stop in her tracks.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that got hurt, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m so sorry about that.¡± She offered, bowing profusely.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you set off that Pok¨¦mon against us, um¡­¡± he trailed off, realizing just who it was that was standing in front of him.

    ¡°Well, no, but my Pok¨¦mon and I are supposed to be the ones keeping everyone safe around here. I¡¯m the gym leader after all. Korrina¡¯s the name!¡±

    She offered up a hand, to which Owen shook gently, still sore from earlier. The mental whiplash of meeting the first named character from a game in front of him didn¡¯t help his sense of unease either.

    ¡°I¡¯m Owen, and well, I don¡¯t really know how I got here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good. If we can help you, I¡¯d be more than happy to!¡± She offered up before continuing.

    ¡°You see, my grandfather and I are supposed to make sure mega stones don¡¯t end up in the wrong hands in the first place. So, it really is our fault you got hurt.¡± She said dejectedly. The ranger started tapping her pen impatiently, yet her respect for the leader kept her from speaking up.

    ¡°But you¡¯re lucky to have a few great Pok¨¦mon by your side, huh?¡± She said, looking at the two again. Fennekin jumped up off of the seat, while Umbreon had apparently started to doze off in Owen¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Yeah, although, this one isn¡¯t really mine. We just kind of became friends. I guess?¡± He said, looking in the direction of the little yellow fox who retreated momentarily before yipping again.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t caught it yet? It¡¯s practically attached to you! Well, here, why don¡¯t you take one of mine?¡± The gym leader offered up an empty pok¨¦ball while eagerly smiling. Owen noticed a bit of dirt on her cheek, before chuckling and taking up the offer.

    ¡°You ready then?¡± He turned toward Fennekin who slowly stepped forward, eyes widened, before nodding confidently. Her eyes closed right before he pressed the ball gently against her forehead, and it opened up.

    Nothing happened. Everyone just stared for a moment before Fennekin opened its eyes. The little fox pushed one of its little front paws into the button repeatedly in frustration before slamming its head back into the button one more time.

    ¡°Kin.¡± Fennekin blurted out with a sigh, before slumping over on the bench.

    ¡°Huh, well that can only mean one thing.¡± Korrina was the first to break the silence.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd. There¡¯s only 3 missing Pok¨¦mon around here right now, and Fennekin sure ain¡¯t one of them.¡± The ranger lady added.

    ¡°You think Professor Sycamore would know?¡± Korrina turned to the ranger, confused as anyone else.

    ¡°He¡¯d be the one to know if anyone did. Well, this just keeps getting weirder.¡± The ranger returned.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take you there, then? You¡¯ll be safe with my Pok¨¦mon, especially Lucario.¡± Korrina offered to Owen.

    Wondering how he kept getting strung along, Owen closed his eyes for a moment, focusing only on Umbreon. Everything was going too fast, and he didn¡¯t even know where the hell home was. But for some reason, with his eyes closed, he could imagine he was there. He was petting his black cat, Doodle, just relaxing in the afternoon after work. No imaginary characters or creatures, just a normal quiet day. The low rumble of purring lulled him out of his imagination and back to the present.

    ¡°Brrruhhhh?¡± Umbreon trilled as it looked up at Owen, before head-butting his chin gently. It felt nostalgic, enough to calm him down to answer the life-changing questions. Home would have to wait for now.

    ¡°Alright. I really don¡¯t know my way around here, so that¡¯d be a big help. I also don¡¯t have like, any stuff.¡± He confessed to the enthusiastic gym leader.

    ¡°That much won¡¯t be a problem!¡± She spouted confidently.

    I guess it would be easy for a Gym leader to get anything like that, huh?

    Korrina and the male ranger disappear into the other room after she gives Owen an enthusiastic nod. The remaining ranger goes over the rest of his information and gets his new number to keep him updated on any leads they might get. Fennekin wandered over to the window and stared outside for the remainder of their time in the station before Korrina returned with the ranger, and motioned for Owen to come with her.

    <hr>

    The little fox looked up at the great big¡­thing. The humans seemed to call this a castle. She¡¯d heard that word before. Many times actually. Apparently, they were everywhere. Or was this one really famous? She didn¡¯t know. All she was sure of right now was that she didn¡¯t like all this sand they were walking on or the water that was on either side of them, but she kept moving along.

    The Large stone Lucario was another new sight for her. The little fox wondered when anyone found the time to make something so big, and why would they do so. She had seen statues before, but this one was different.

    It felt alive.

    Did it get up and fight like a real Lucario could? That would be the strongest thing she¡¯d ever seen. Even stronger than the green thing from the other night.

    Before she knew it, the humans had gone all the way down a hallway, to which she ran after them, and skidded right past the silly human and the girl with long hair. They had come to another large room with a big arena in it! She had only seen a few before, but she knew what all the white paint meant.

    The humans kept talking about items and other things that she only vaguely paid attention to. A twinge of guilt kept gnawing at her mind as she thought about the arena.

    ¡°Will you watch him for me? Korrina says we can have some of the items the gym keeps as prizes for trainers.¡± Fennekin quickly shook off her own worries to respond as the golden rings, or rather Umbreon as she learned he was called, was set down in front of her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± She yipped confidently, not that humans ever understood her. Though, he seemed to guess her intent better than most, as he wore a smile that gave a sense of trust. The two humans walked off to another room. The pair of Pokemon shared completely blank stares.

    Umbreon finally made the first move, which was to lie down and start licking his side. All Fennekin could do was squint at the weird Pok¨¦mon. She wondered if powerful Pok¨¦mon were just like this if they were good. It was better than being attacked, but not normal. Not like so many other Pok¨¦mon she¡¯d known, ones she had to trust to survive. But they were all only about as strong as her. Maybe a little more so.

    ¡°Do you do¡­anything else besides that and beating up bad guys?¡± She asked him to no avail.

    Fennekin started pacing, wondering how long this torture would keep up. She was going to go mental if she didn¡¯t have someone who could talk back.

    ¡°UMBREON!¡± She shouted at him, tired of the silence every time she tried. It wasn¡¯t that loud, but it was loud for her, and it was enough to get his attention.

    He started padding slowly over to her, before circling around her. The black and gold Pok¨¦mon started sniffing the air before going straight to her butt. The surprise sent Fennekin jumping more than 5 times her height!

    ¡°What is wrong with you? You don¡¯t just go and sniff people¡¯s butts! That¡¯s bad! You hear me? Bad.¡± She protested back at him. Umbreon merely looked back, though it seemed for the first time she could read some kind of emotion from his face. He looked just a little sad, maybe?

    ¡°Bad.¡± He said sheepishly.

    ¡°Yes, bad! Sniff someone¡¯s face, not their backside! Wait...you finally spoke.¡± Her anger had melted into relief at the realization that he had finally responded to her.

    ¡°Spoke?¡± The larger Pok¨¦mon in front of her tilted his head to the side.

    ¡°Yeah, that thing you do with your mouth where the sound comes out? Talking!¡± Her tone now taking a turn towards sassy with the Pok¨¦mon. Surely he knew what this was, he was an evolved Pok¨¦mon, one that apparently was good at winning, too.

    ¡°Bad Spoke¡± He repeated.

    ¡°No, Speak good. Talking is good. Sniffing butts is bad.¡± She repeated now, in disbelief at what she was starting to piece together.

    ¡°Good Speak Bad¡± Umbreon continued, until a bright blue flash came their way. Umbreon¡¯s sharp senses had him dodge immediately before his eyes and rings started glowing bright like the night before.

    ¡°What the hell are you?!¡± A guttural growl came from across the large arena. It was a Lucario, just like the statue, but smaller. A lot smaller, and his eyes were closed.

    ¡°What, hey what was that for? He¡¯s not doing anything wrong! Well, okay maybe he is, but nothing worth attacking over!¡± The fox defended Umbreon, who was tensing up. The little fox recognized this was what he looked like when he was about to make the purple ring.

    ¡°No, bad! No attacking!¡± She scolded him while getting in front of Umbreon who tilted his head once again before repeating her words.

    ¡°Then why does he reek of darkness?¡± The Lucario growled once again.

    ¡°I mean, he is a dark type, and like really strong! He beat a Tyranitar that looked weird and big! But he¡¯s also, um¡­ sheltered I guess? I don¡¯t really get it but I don¡¯t think he knows a lot of words.¡± The fox scrambled to de-escalate both Pok¨¦mon, neither of which she could take in a fight. She knew what Umbreon could do, and she knew the stories of Lucario.

    Upon hearing this Lucario lowered his guard and opened his eyes. He¡¯d heard about the events of the other night and was piecing together who these visitors were in his head now. His master had been quite upset after the video call she received, telling her what happened.

    ¡°It would seem I was in error.¡± He lowered his head and knelt in apology. Fennekin sighed in relief as Umbreon¡¯s intense narrow red eyes went back to their resting state, before slowly approaching the blue Pok¨¦mon.

    Lucario had risen again but sensed no hostility from the approaching Pok¨¦mon. Its dingy black aura was almost sickening to him, but as far as emotions go, he only felt one, and it was intense. Curiosity. It was so intense that he hadn¡¯t thought to defend himself, as he too was curious now as to what the Pok¨¦mon in front of him would do.

    Up close, his empathic senses told him that this dark Pok¨¦mon was no enemy, but the strong dark aura it emitted still unnerved him so.

    Umbreon circled around and stuck his nose to Lucario¡¯s backside all the same as he had done with Fennekin before Lucario jumped forward out of embarrassment. Yet, he could not bring himself to be angry. For all the pitch-black energy around this dark type, its innocence felt warm up close, nearly enough to counteract the darkness.

    ¡°Sniffing butts is bad I said! Sniff his face if you want to say hello!¡± Fennekin added, her suspicions now all but confirmed as to how sheltered Umbreon had been.

    ¡°Butts bad¡± Umbreon repeated playfully. Lucario had to double-take at what he was seeing in front of him. He too was now wondering why such a powerful seeming Pok¨¦mon was so very much like a child.

    Fennekin explained the details of the previous day to Lucario, filling in blanks he had from hearing a secondhand account. He apologized all the same as his master had for the same reason.

    Umbreon lay on the ground, contently watching and listening to the two speak, batting his tail arrhythmically against the floor.

    The Humans would come back not long after before the one with long hair announced her surprise that Lucario had come out to talk to them. Fennekin watched as her new human picked Umbreon back up, who seemed to be happy to be held.

    The girl with the long hair showed them all to a long hallway with many rooms, and opened the door to one, revealing a small space with a bed, and an open door to a little room inside the room. Lucario and his master bade them good night as Fennekin followed along. Finally, she would spend a night under a real roof again, and best of all, they had food!

 New Moon: Part IV

    Another night in another unfamiliar place left Owen restless, he hardly ever traveled abroad, and when he did, it was something he¡¯d been looking forward to. Even then, it was still hard to get sleep in a hotel with kids overhead or trains passing through the night, the loud rumble on the tracks enough to wake most people up.

    The room in the castle had been better than all of that, its surprisingly modern accommodations betrayed the historic-looking front. After getting ready for the day, the trio had walked down the hall to an open kitchen to meet a disheveled Korrina sitting half-awake in front of a mess of finished plates with her Pok¨¦mon.

    She motioned for them to have whatever they wanted, as Owen realized they were going to have to make it. Korrina left while he was in the middle of preparing, and the trio had stuffed their faces full of content.

    She would return after they had finished, looking more like the person they had met yesterday, and not the zombified mess from moments prior. After putting everything away, they all set out towards Lumiose City.

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice not to have to go through the desert, so we¡¯re going to go south of it along the river.¡± Korrina proclaimed their travel plans to Owen.

    ¡°Alright, and you¡¯re sure this isn¡¯t a bother?¡± He asked her, still unsure about receiving such generous treatment from someone viewed as a local official.

    ¡°In a way, it¡¯s part of my job, I told you that. Besides, Gramps is always happy to man the gym for a while when I go out, and I wanted to see the gym leader in Lumiose City anyway!¡± She gave a confident smile back, if she was put out, she sure was good at hiding it. Lucario mimicked her bravado to Fennekin, who was more amused by the fact that her scarf had been wiping away her own footprints behind her.

    Umbreon ran in front of them, looking back every few seconds to keep in line. He didn¡¯t know where they were going, he just seemed like he wanted to be upfront. After a few minutes, the happy moonlight Pok¨¦mon ended up kicking sand up all over the place, before finally stopping to take care of business, causing everyone to wait for him.

    The stone walls of the gatehouse that kept the city divided from the surrounding forest were considerably more imposing than Owen thought they were in the games. What was even more shocking to him was the fact that there were multiple people staffing it, one of the rangers from the previous day was standing alongside a uniformed officer with a Furfrou by her side. They greeted the leader, and Owen in turn before Korrina handed something off to the officer.

    The Furfrou came over towards Umbreon, sniffing the air along the way, before it finally reached his face. Upon further inspection, it snubbed its nose up in the air and walked away as if it had been insulted. Fennekin simply looked at Lucario as they shared an exasperated sigh.

    Not long after making it through the checkpoint, they arrived at the river¡¯s edge on the far end of a beach that must have led out to the ocean. It led into a small grassy coastline, which was all that kept the river from being sandwiched between a dense forest to the north and the imposing mountains to the south. A dirt path had been worn down the center of the coast, barely a person¡¯s width across.

    ¡°We¡¯re going through there?¡± Owen asked. He still wasn¡¯t sure why almost no one used any vehicles here, yet. Yet another thing he missed from home, but at least it was an excuse to stay in shape.

    ¡°Well, yeah, how else are we going to get to Lumiose City in a few days?¡± Korrina responded as if she had done this a hundred times before. ¡°Lucario will keep us safe, he even knows what¡¯s around us if he concentrates. I won¡¯t let you get hurt again, okay?¡± The aura Pok¨¦mon nodded as Owen turned his way, before closing his eyes. The black bits below his ears started hovering for a moment, before returning to their resting state.

    ¡°See? Nothing will catch us by surprise!¡± She said with a confident laugh. The blue jackal waited until both of them had turned around to give a small sigh of relief. Something had been bothering him, and only Fennekin noticed his small gesture as she had been watching from behind.

    ¡°Alright, yeah let¡¯s do this.¡± He responded, feeling more confident in reminder that he wasn¡¯t just traveling with anyone, but someone who was trusted even more so than a mayor from where he was from.

    While they were talking, Umbreon decided to fall over onto Owen¡¯s feet. With a sigh, Owen bent over to pick his companion up, like the previous day.

    ¡°I swear you¡¯re getting heavier.¡± He blurted out loud, as they resumed their trek.

    ¡°You could just return him if he¡¯s tired, you know,¡± Korrina stated bluntly.

    Owen hadn¡¯t thought of that since the nurse suggested it the other day. He reached for the pocket on the side of the new bag he¡¯d been given and met one of the only two balls stowed away. He thought it oddly convenient that it had been an ultra-ball, sharing the color scheme of the Pok¨¦mon it was supposed to be home to.

    ¡°Alright, buddy, why don¡¯t you try to rest in here, then?¡± He said as the ball grew in his hand. The feeling should have been alien to him, yet it had somehow felt reflexive. A red light enveloped the lazy creature in his arms, as its weight simply disappeared from Owen¡¯s arms. He held onto the ball and stared at it for a few moments. He didn¡¯t know why, but it gave him a dreadful sense of unease seeing the Pok¨¦mon disappear like that.

    At the same moment, Lucario felt as if a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. Suddenly the world was less fuzzy to him.

    The winding path took them upstream, treating them to a colorful array of lilies and multicolored grass sprouting up from the bottom of the river. A small party of blue frogs were throwing little bubbles at each other, and seemingly laughing. Fennekin eyed them with hesitation, preferring to look elsewhere while they played their game. Owen¡¯s spirits however were lifted, seeing yet another Pok¨¦mon brought to life before his eyes for the first time.

    The sun was now high in the center of the sky above, and Owen found his new clothes starting to stick in the heat.

    Maybe long sleeves weren¡¯t the best idea.

    He looked over to see his escort not in the least bit phased, she seemed to be enjoying what to her must be a leisurely stroll. And her Pok¨¦mon showed no signs of slowing down, either.

    Fennekin on the other hand, was not nearly so used to a marathon, as much as she was a sprinter. Owen felt a bump into the back of his leg, and as he turned around, she put both of her little front paws on his pants legs, a sign that he was able to interpret well enough that the fox was ready for a break. He almost immediately regretted his decision to hold her when he started to feel even warmer with the fire type in his hands but decided to shrug it off. She wasn¡¯t nearly as heavy as Umbreon, and for that he was thankful.

    The river curved out from the base of the mountains, finally making way for an expanding field of waving tall grass. The wind coming from the break in the mountains to the south was a much welcome break from the sun reflecting off of the bright brown mountainside.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we stop here? It¡¯s a pretty nice place for lunch!¡± Korrina proposed, before taking off her own pack. She let out another Pok¨¦mon of her own, a purple-looking weasel. That must be Mienshao, he thought.

    Owen sighed in relief but was promptly interrupted by an explosion of blue light from his side. Umbreon had let itself out somehow and jumped to tackle him down to the ground where it brushed its head against his own.

    ¡°Well, looks like somebody¡¯s all better now.¡± The gym leader chuckled at the sight of the two of them. Fennekin was less amused, having fallen upside down onto the grass, before biting into Owen¡¯s sleeve. He barely noticed it, if it weren¡¯t for his arm being slightly heavier to raise. He gave her a reassuring pat before they all set up ready for some lunch.

    Owen laid out the familiar blue blanket, one of the few keepsakes he had from home, much to Umbreon¡¯s delight. The black cat Pok¨¦mon immediately started kneading into the blanket, purring all the while. Owen smiled as he began to space out looking at the wholesome sight.

    What if¡­ no, he was at home? Just strange, the little guy acts all the same.

    ¡°Hey, Earth to Owen, you gonna eat or what?¡± Korrina drove him out of his funk before passing a sandwich in front of his face.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done that before, Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± She asked, with a mouth full.

    ¡°Do what?¡± He asked, unwrapping his own lunch.

    ¡°Alright, you know what? After lunch, we should have a practice battle. You get to have some one-on-one coaching from a gym leader!¡± She spouted, confidently after almost choking down her food.

    ¡°And, no matter what happens, you¡¯ll have to sign my book, too.¡± Korrina added.

    ¡°Your book?¡± he asked, wondering what he was getting into this time.

    ¡°Right here, I have everyone I battle leave their mark somehow. This is the second one, though. The first one is at home since it¡¯s all filled up.¡± She pulled a rather large and messy book from her backpack. Owen squinted a little bit when he saw what looked like crumbs falling out of it as she pulled it over.

    Fennekin and Umbreon devoured what food had been handed their way, a stark contrast to Lucario and Mienshao who ate dignified with their legs crossed, seemingly to appreciate every chew mindfully.

    Shortly after, Lucario sprang up to attention, his gaze fixated on the sky to the south, which caught the attention of everyone present, save for Umbreon. A blue and red blur raced across the sky, and was gone before they could blink.

    ¡°Wow, I think that was Salamence!¡± Korrina proclaimed to Owen¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°You could make that out while it was going that fast?¡± He asked in awe.

    ¡°Well, not really, but there¡¯s one that likes to hang around the center near here. So that must be it.¡±

    So there are more things here¡­just like this route, too. It¡¯s small, but it definitely wasn¡¯t there in those old games. Hang on a second, why does everyone here speak English? Shouldn¡¯t it be French?¡± With that, he¡¯d had enough wondering about the world again. It already didn¡¯t make sense, and Owen didn¡¯t need it to make less sense.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Well, enough about that, I think you¡¯re ready to work off a little bit of lunch, aren¡¯t you?¡± She posited about man and Pok¨¦mon. Owen got to his feet, and Umbreon walked alongside him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick Mienshao here, and we¡¯ll give you the first move! Lucario, how about you ref for us, just in case?¡± The purple weasel fluttered its long arm-like things out before assuming its stance.

    Owen¡¯s anxiety rose as he stared the gym leader down. He was unsure what to tell Umbreon, not knowing any of its moves. He hadn¡¯t known if they were supposed to take turns or if it would be more like the anime, and kind of hoped it would be the latter.

    ¡°You ready for a bit of practice, bud?¡± He asked as he looked down to have 2 red eyes greet him curiously. Fennekin began to fidget behind the pair, eyeing Umbreon intently.

    Lucario took his place off to the side and held his arms up in the air. He looked toward both sides, before shouting as he brought them down.

    What do I do? Dark moves aren¡¯t going to work very well, oh what else would an Umbreon have? Right, that¡¯s it!

    ¡°Use confuse ray!¡± He ordered his Pok¨¦mon, who started to walk forward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it, Mienshao!¡± The purple Pok¨¦mon put its arms in front of its eyes, as it waited for the eventual flash, only for none to come. Umbreon darted over to Mienshao at a brisk pace.

    ¡°Mienshao, use detect¡± She ordered, but again, Mienshao found no such strike coming its way. Umbreon had stopped short and was now sniffing its opponent. Mienshao yipped at it, only to receive a playful nuzzle.

    ¡°Huh, it looks like he really doesn¡¯t want to battle right now.¡± Korrina stated with a bit of confusion. Fennekin had enough of watching this and ran up to his side.

    ¡°Fennekin, kin! Ki nenefe.¡± She spouted at the black cat before pushing her head into his side, guiding him away from their sparring opponent. Fennekin yapped at Umbreon once more, and he eventually lost interest and began grooming himself on the blanket once more.

    ¡°Fennek nik!¡± She had jumped in front of Owen, eyes glinting with passion. The little fox was ready to go in Umbreon¡¯s stead. That much was easy for him to decipher.

    ¡°I guess not. It alright with you if Fennekin fights instead?¡± Owen asked Korrina.

    ¡°Fine by us, but I¡¯m really surprised, you know? You haven¡¯t even captured her, but she¡¯s willing to fight for you. That¡¯s pretty rare. I knew you were someone trustworthy.¡± She said with a giggle.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s reset the battle, then!¡± She shouted. A mere moment later, Lucario repeated the same gestures, and they were ready to go.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started with Flame Charge!¡± He commanded.

    The yellow fox lept into action, coated in a red and orange glow. She took off like a rocket, aimed right for their opponent, who stood still as a statue. It was going to be a direct hit! Yet the moment it looked like Fennekin would connect, Mienshao had disappeared. It reappeared in another blink of an eye, exactly where it had been standing.

    The purple Pok¨¦mon turned to face Fennekin, and waved its arms at her, in taunt.

    Damn, okay I wonder if she knows anything else yet.

    ¡°How about, ember this time!¡± He proposed. Their opponent still hadn¡¯t readied an attack, but it was most definitely studying the fox¡¯s every move.

    Fennekin¡¯s ears lit up bright, causing even the air to shimmer as she charged two twin fireballs.

    ¡°Alright, use detect again, Mienshao!¡± Korrina ordered.

    The twin orbs set off one after another, making contact with Mienshao, or so it seemed. A cloud of smoke petered out from where they impacted, revealing their intended target standing exactly the same as it had been.

    ¡°We¡¯re returning fire now, Owen, so get ready!¡±

    ¡°Use swift!¡±

    Shoot, if that works like I think it does, we¡­wait that could work!

    ¡°Put up a light screen!¡± He asked of Fennekin, who apparently knew what that was, as she stood her ground, growling in concentration. A large mirrored surface started to materialize out of nothing in front of the fox Pok¨¦mon, blocking most of the flying yellow stars, but shattering almost as quickly as it came. A solitary projectile sent Fennekin tumbling backwards, before she got back up, ready for more.

    ¡°Not bad! But are you sure you¡¯re ready to use that move?¡±

    I thought it was supposed to last longer, but I guess Fennekin really doesn¡¯t start using psychic powers until they evolve.

    Fennekin proudly slapped one of her little yellow nubs against her chest, happy with how much she had done so far.

    ¡°Alright, well, then you¡¯re ready for more!¡± Korrina exclaimed as Mienshao resumed its calm stance.

    ¡°Force Palm!¡±

    Their opponent started to run forward, as Fennekin hunkered down, ready to react.

    ¡°Jump up, and use Fire Spin!¡± Owen commanded. The little fox tried to deliver on the request, flames starting to materialize on her sides. Her lofty jump nearly cleared the incoming attack, before a sharp pain hit her hind leg, sending her spiraling backward towards Owen. The little embers dissipated in the wind as Owen caught the little fox, as he too got sent flat on his ass. The little yellow Pok¨¦mon looked up at him and sighed before pressing its head into his chest.

    Lucario looked over to Korrina and nodded in her direction.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s probably good enough for now.¡± She admitted, on her way over to the two of them.

    ¡°Here, why don¡¯t you have this?¡± She offered up a little purple spray bottle to the tiny fox, spritzing a little in the air above its leg. Fennekin winced, before melting into Owen¡¯s arms for a moment. She turned around and gave her signature pose of confidence once again to the gym leader, presumably this time as thanks.

    ¡°Really makes you wonder though. She didn¡¯t hesitate at all to follow your orders. She almost dodged our serious attack too!¡± Korrina smiled as she looked down at Fennekin, only for them to be interrupted by Lucario. He pointed in the direction of where Umbreon had been, frantically.

    The black and gold Pok¨¦mon was nowhere to be found. Fennekin was the first to jump away from the group, darting off in a straight line.

    She must have got his scent. I guess? No time to think about that, just move! Owen thought. He hadn¡¯t known it long, but the idea of losing this Pok¨¦mon made him unreasonably upset. He kept up with Fennekin as best he could, but the little fox was considerably faster than him, zooming farther out of sight toward the trees. Korrina caught up to him, as Lucario passed them both to join Fennekin¡¯s pursuit.

    <hr>

    ¡°Help me!!!!!!¡± A stranger¡¯s voice screamed out in terror in the distance. Fennekin forced her little nubs to carry her faster towards the source of the sound, while she heard another grunting noise come up from behind.

    ¡°I can see them over there!¡± Lucario proclaimed to the little fox.

    ¡°Just please take it easy on him, he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s doing, I swear.¡± Fennekin pleaded with the larger Pok¨¦mon, who grunted in return.

    The two came across the sight of a small bird pinned to the ground, as the familiar black Pok¨¦mon adorned with golden rings had been playfully batting at it, all the while spouting words like utter nonsense.

    ¡°Bad, bad!¡± Umbreon repeated cheerfully before the rustling caught its attention.

    ¡°Yes that is very bad, now STOP IT RIGHT NOW!¡± Fennekin shouted as she darted the rest of the way over. The orange and grey bird had already broken free during the lapse in their companion¡¯s concentration, to which Lucario made his way over.

    ¡°When I say bad that means DON¡¯T DO IT!¡± Fennekin shouted at Umbreon, who was shuffling backward, visibly upset by the verbal lashing he was receiving.

    ¡°You¡­you know that thing?¡± The bird asked the jackal Pok¨¦mon, who hesitantly nodded.

    ¡°He tried to eat me!¡±

    ¡°Clearly he was unsuccessful.¡± Lucario shrugged, as he looked the little bird over.

    ¡°You appear unharmed, however stressed you may be.¡± He stated matter of fact.

    ¡°Well, I never!¡± The fletchling flapped off in a huff, looking back multiple times as he disappeared into the trees.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Fennekin looked over to Lucario, fearing what might have happened.

    ¡°He was fine. Knowing what this one¡¯s capable of, there''s no way that guy would have been able to fly away if your friend had used any moves on it.¡± Lucario looked over at the dejected black cat.

    Lucario felt a light sting in the back of his neck, not from any attack, but a strong intent coming from the top of the mountains, which prompted him to turn his gaze upwards immediately.

    The humans arrived at this time, to notice the Pok¨¦mon were all staring up at something white on the ridge above. Lucario and the white Pok¨¦mon stared each other down for a moment before it plodded forward. Two blue lights materialized on either side of Lucario, forming bone shapes in either of his hands.

    The white Pok¨¦mon halted its advance momentarily, before jumping down to a lower rock. Again, and again, until it was meeting them eye to eye.

    The Pok¨¦mon had a dark grey face, with a solitary horn protruding from one side. Fennekin had never seen this Pok¨¦mon before, and it sure looked scary to her. Umbreon had shaken off its earlier hesitance, to stare down the newcomer, their red eyes locking each other in an intense showdown.

    Oh, I hope this isn¡¯t going to be another fight, this guy looks like bad news. The fox thought to herself.

    The newcomer had approached Umbreon, face to face now until Umbreon broke their staring contest to sniff the white Pok¨¦mon¡¯s backside. Fennekin¡¯s head sunk abruptly as she wondered when this bad habit was going to end, only to return her gaze to find the white Pok¨¦mon repeating the gesture to Umbreon!

    ¡°Great, now we have two freaks.¡± She blurted out loud, to the first laugh she¡¯d heard from Lucario so far. He was apparently amused by the fact that this intruder, whom he¡¯d pegged as hostile was acting like nothing more than a curious child as well.

    She looked over to see the humans cautiously watching the whole situation. The longer she watched, the more their expressions seemed to change to amusement, as they approached. Apparently, this white Pok¨¦mon was called Absol, they said. This Absol had even started grooming Umbreon now, who was happy to receive the attention.

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to say hello, or are you just as dense as he is?¡± Fennekin asked, almost immediately regretting her decision as the Pok¨¦mon came over to her, staring straight down. She was beginning to reconsider if this Pok¨¦mon was actually friendly.

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t a good idea to provoke it. That was a really menacing stare. She thought.

    After a few more intense seconds, the large white Pok¨¦mon pressed its head against hers as well. This was the second time this week an unwanted tongue had met her head, and she¡¯d have protested if it weren¡¯t for the lingering fear of the Pok¨¦mon in front of her. Umbreon had at least come from a pok¨¦ball, so at the time she assumed he was better behaved, but this thing? She had no idea what it was going to do.

    Resigned to her fate, she let the grooming continue as the humans spouted nonsense about how cute it was, or how strange this Pok¨¦mon was being so friendly. That¡¯s when she felt a light tug.

    Her scarf was coming undone! With that, the white Pok¨¦mon had darted off, leaving them all dumbfounded momentarily.

    Lucario was the first to shake off his surprise, followed by Umbreon. They both took off towards the fleeing Absol, all the while Umbreon spouted his favorite word at the thief. Their short chase led them to the edge of the river, which Absol had cleanly jumped in one singular motion.

    Lucario thought about it but was unsure of even his own ability to make such a jump, as Fennekin arrived behind them, humans in tow.

    She watched as Umbreon began to glow, wiggle its raised rear end, and jump high up into the air! She had forgotten that above anything else, he was still a great battler.

    Yet, for all its height, the jump lacked in distance and as a splash was heard, the black mass of fur sank under the water.

    ¡°Oh no, I don¡¯t think he can swim!¡± She shouted at Lucario, who gasped before deciding to jump in after it.

    Fennekin looked up at the humans who seemed like they wanted to go in after it but hesitated.

    Could they not swim either? She pondered. Must be all that fake fur they put on.

    The surface of the water shook, erupting a shape much larger than she had been expecting! Two long necks started poking their way out, belonging to some kind of blue Pok¨¦mon. As it continued to surface, she could see a grey shell on its back. Lucario had been the one she¡¯d been staring at, and Umbreon was on the other.

    Both of them had been panting for air on top of the grey shells, but they looked okay.

    The two surprisingly large Pok¨¦mon came over to the water¡¯s edge, looking over at the humans.

    ¡°Hello, little ones, are you lost?¡± The larger of the two asked in a most soothing voice, one that felt as if it were singing a gentle lullaby.

    ¡°Not really, but we¡¯ve been walking for a long time!¡± Fennekin blurted out.

    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you come on all the same, if you¡¯re heading inland.¡± The other spoke in a deeper voice, one that still made her feel comfortable before the thought hit her. Her scarf! It was gone! It was really gone! Her favorite gift that she had treasured for years, was now lost to a silent, unassuming thief.

    Fennekin marched on up towards the grey shell, before slumping down to close her eyes. She heard the humans say some things she didn¡¯t really care to listen to right now. She felt movement behind her, along with a now familiar scent, that did little to comfort her. A hand reached out to pat her side, as the little fox tried to hold in a small gasp.

    ¡°Bruuhh¡± Verbal nonsense came from the other side in the form of a grunt, followed by the rhythmic purring of the fuzzy body that rested against her own.

    Fennekin tried to hold back her tears, to no avail as they drifted down the gentle stream on the backs of watery giants.

 New Moon: Part V

    The many water Pok¨¦mon made way for the pair of Lapras, seemingly with pleasure as they watched the group atop their backs.  Owen gently held on to both Umbreon and Fennekin as they lay back to back on the grey shell.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t catch him in time.¡±  Korrina offered up alongside Lucario while putting away her other pok¨¦ball.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess it was the last thing I was expecting.  Wouldn¡¯t a wild Pok¨¦mon normally just attack?¡±   Owen asked.

    ¡°Nah, wild Pok¨¦mon will usually jump at the chance to snag things, especially food, though that wasn¡¯t the case now.¡±  Lucario grunted in agreement with its trainer.

    Owen returned his gaze to the north side of the river, wondering if he would get a glimpse of their thief, but any chance of that was shot down by just how dense the forest was.  It was a solid wall of green mixed with sounds and chirps unknown to him, only barely audible over the flowing stream.  A few bird Pok¨¦mon flew rather close overhead, chirping as they flew by. The friendly Lapras pair started blowing bubbles that drifted off in the wind.

    Owen spotted a glint up ahead in the water.  As they drifted closer, it was revealed to be a bridge of ice over the water!  One that seemed to be partially melting.  The pair of Lapras stopped to shoot blue beams out of their mouths, startling both Umbreon and Fennekin.  Owen and Korrina ducked their heads with the Lapras, as they slowly drifted under the recently repaired ice bridge.  The slight chill felt refreshing as they passed underneath.

    Their free ferry ride continued on towards a break in the trees, a mystical archway adorned by flowers along with tiny glistening lights sparkling in the afternoon glow.  The pair of Lapras slowly approached the shore and craned their necks around to watch their passengers disembark.

    ¡°Thank you so much for carrying us this far!¡±  Korrina and her Pok¨¦mon bowed to the Lapras, as Owen followed suit.  Umbreon was happy to jump off, to roll around in the grass, while Fennekin finished wiping her eyes out.  The little fox turned around with a brave face on, as Owen picked her up and off of their benefactor¡¯s shell.

    ¡°And thank you for getting him out of the water, too.¡±  Owen gestured towards Umbreon as he looked at the Lapras who happily cried out back to him, almost sounding like the start of a lullaby.  The group watched as the two blue Pok¨¦mon started further down the river, their necks bobbing in motion as they gathered speed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get to our first stop before dark thanks to them.¡±  Korrina turned to Owen.  ¡°You see, this path was made by fairy Pok¨¦mon that sometimes help out at the center around here.¡±

    Owen looked up in wonder at the rows of decorated branches that formed archways in front of them.  He could have mistaken it for a Christmas-themed amusement park with multicolored sparkling lights.

    Lucario trailed behind the group, keen to watch over all the members involved, feeling a bit humiliated that his senses had failed him before.  He would rely more on his regular senses while paired up with this peculiar Umbreon.

    Owen was content to enjoy the natural beauty, as several Pok¨¦mon meandered in and out of sight.  A pair of happy Bulbasaur greeted them briefly, as Umbreon ran circles around Owen and Korrina.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing like this at home.¡±  He mused aloud.

    ¡°Oh, I kind of forgot that you¡¯re from the city.  Well, I¡¯m glad you like it!  I¡¯ve been through here loads of times before.¡±  Korrina offered in return.

    It didn¡¯t take long to come to a clearing, however.  The light of day returned all too quickly at the end of the path, causing everyone to wince if only briefly.  It was a rather normal dirt road, wide enough for cars to get through.  The wind howled as it rushed through the hollowed-out pathway.  Farther ahead the group could see a familiar red roof.  This Pok¨¦mon center looked much more like the traditional ones from the games to Owen.

    I guess they can¡¯t afford to get fancy out in the middle of nowhere.

    The group approached the center, and as the doors opened, Umbreon recoiled in shock and ran behind Owen who turned around to look at the Pok¨¦mon who was blinking up at him.

    ¡°What?  It¡¯s a door.  You¡¯ve been through them before.¡±  He scolded the black cat who looked over again, and back up at Owen.  With a sigh, he picked up his Pok¨¦mon, and carried it on through the door, after the others who had gone on ahead.

    On the inside, they were greeted by the nurse and her Wigglytuff.  There were a few other trainers in here, one of whom was standing by his Pangoro near a bench.  The man had short red hair and was wearing a jacket.  The other was a young girl, holding a little purple thing that might have been a Noibat, sitting on a bench with a few drinks on the table next to them.

    Umbreon ran on over to the latter pair and looked up at them expectantly.  The girl looked at Owen first, who smiled, and then pat Umbreon on his head, before scratching under his chin, much to the moonlight Pok¨¦mon¡¯s delight.  Still, Umbreon had taken an interest in the little bat Pok¨¦mon, eyeing it with childlike wonder.  Owen made his way over, while Fennekin trailed Korrina to the front desk.

    ¡°Hi, hope he¡¯s not a bother¡± Owen offered to the stranger.  ¡°Umbreon¡¯s well, really curious.¡±

    ¡°Oh, not at all, we¡¯re just waiting for my Quilladin to come out.  He got a little roughed up, so it¡¯ll be a while, they said.¡±  She said, seemingly not worried about her Pok¨¦mon.  ¡°But it was worth it to get this little cutie here!¡±  She looked down at the bat Pok¨¦mon in her lap who let out a very strange screech with a smile.  Whatever noise Owen expected it to make, it surely wasn¡¯t that.

    ¡°So you just caught it then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we tried to go into a cave, but there were a bunch of Pok¨¦mon fighting in there.  He was kind of caught up in all of it though.¡±  She said with a warm smile.  Korrina had made her way over while the two had been chatting, having handed her Pok¨¦mon off along with Fennekin to the nurse.

    ¡°What¡¯s this about a lot of Pok¨¦mon fighting?¡±  She inquired, having overheard the end of their conversation.

    ¡°Oh, I was just telling this um¡­ actually what¡¯s your name?¡±  The girl asked as she turned her attention back.  Umbreon was now eye level with Noibat, presumably inspecting it to see if it indeed, had fur.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m Owen, sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°No worries, oh yeah, I was telling him about this cave up the road, and it¡¯s not too far out of the way. There were a bunch of Pok¨¦mon that I don¡¯t really know too well fighting in there.¡±  She paused a moment as she looked up and then back down at Noibat and Umbreon.  ¡°Oh, I think some of them were grey and shiny.¡±

    ¡°Grey and shiny in a cave¡­ that¡¯s got to be Aron or maybe even Lairon.¡±  Korrina assumed.  ¡°Do you remember any others?¡±  She asked the girl.

    ¡°Um¡­  Not really.  It¡¯s a shame too, I wish I could have got one of them.¡±  The girl in front of them pouted, before looking back up.  ¡°Wait, haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡±  Korrina responded to the little girl, which caught Owen off guard.

    That¡¯s strange.  Normally she¡¯s happy to announce her position.

    A pink flash came from the adjoining room, grabbing their attention moments before Lucario and Fennekin came out alongside Wigglytuff, who had been holding a ball that Owen assumed had been Mienshao¡¯s.

    ¡°It was nice chatting with you!¡±  Korrina waved to the girl before looking at Owen, who bent over to pick up Umbreon.  The gym leader pulled him along after he had done so, over to their returning Pok¨¦mon, leaving a rather dumbfounded girl on the bench with her cute little companion.

    Korrina had already made arrangements for them to have a room upstairs, and she quickly brought the party there.  It was nice, perhaps not as spacious as the castle that was the Shalour city gym, but still looked like a modern hotel from Owen¡¯s old world, stacked with two large beds, a television, multiple chairs, and a doorway to a bathroom.  Once all of their Pok¨¦mon were inside, Korrina locked the door behind them.

    Fennekin hopped up on one of the beds and promptly slumped down into its soft embrace.  Umbreon jumped right after the little fox, crashing any attempt at peace she would be having at that moment.  Lucario stood in the corner, near the door with his eyes closed, as his black sensors began to float again as Owen had seen before.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°So, what was all that about?¡±  He asked the Gym Leader, wondering why they had been so hasty to get up into the room.

    ¡°Keep it down.¡±  She whispered as she turned towards Owen.  ¡°You remember that guy downstairs with the Pangoro?  I think I¡¯ve seen his face before.¡±

    ¡°Bad news?¡±  He inquired.

    ¡°I think so, but I¡¯m not sure.  Either way, Lucario¡¯s going to watch for us.¡±  She whispered back.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t want her to¡­okay.¡±  He thought aloud.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t like sneaking around, but Gramps was really adamant about not causing a scene if I wasn¡¯t sure.  Sorry, you really shouldn¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±  She turned away and started going through her own phone on the other side of the room.

    Not sure about what?

    The rest of the afternoon seemed to drag on as Lucario stood still as if he himself were a statue.  Not even the slightest of grunts came from him as he patiently waited for whatever it was to happen.  Owen wondered how long he could keep this up, but the jackal Pok¨¦mon showed no sign of fatigue whatsoever.

    Korrina helped herself to some of the amenities of the room and called Owen over to do the same.  He made sure to get water for his Pok¨¦mon first, watching Umbreon clumsily lap up from one of the dishes with a smile.  The aura Pok¨¦mon broke his concentration for a minute, pointing down and out of the room, presumably toward the room their suspect had secured, before returning to his silent watch.

    Noticing she still hadn¡¯t moved from the bed, Owen took the little fox Pok¨¦mon over to the window side of the room, having found a brush in one of the drawers.  After setting her down, he offered the red brush up to the yellow Pok¨¦mon, who was staring at him reluctantly from atop the table.

    She nodded.

    Owen carefully smoothed out the bits of fur that had been messed up or matted, trying his best not to get burnt by her ears.  It was nearly as cathartic to him as it must have been to her, being one of the few mundane things he¡¯s had the time to do since his arrival in this world.  And yet, he could feel a pair of jealous red eyes on him, as Umbreon had hopped from one bed to the other.

    It reminded him of when he used to live with his parents.  Doodle had been the second cat they owned, a tuxedo just like their first.  And when one received a good brushing, the other was always there, ready and waiting for pampering.  That was until only Doodle was left.  Owen took him when he moved, knowing his parents were a bit too old to be taking care of cat litter on their own.  Why couldn¡¯t he remember the other cat¡¯s name?  Before he could ruminate on the thought, another question brought him back to the present.

    ¡°Hey Fenn, did you¡­ do you have a name?¡±  He asked the little fox as he pulled back the brush, to push any stray hairs into the garbage.  She looked him dead in the eye for a solid moment before nodding slowly.

    ¡°Can you tell me somehow?¡±  He asked of the Pok¨¦mon in front of him, who looked around for a moment.  After scanning the room, she shook her head.

    ¡°But you would if you could?¡±  This received a more earnest nod from the little fox.

    ¡°What about your scarf¡­¡± he started, unsure of where he was going with this.  Fennekin lit up at the mention of it, all the same.  ¡°Do you want a new one?¡±  He asked, only for her to instantly refute the notion with a violent shake of the head.

    ¡°That important, huh?¡±

    Fennekin nodded with determination.

    At the same time, Umbreon had been pushing its way over the edge of the bed and onto the armrest in an attempt to get on the table as well.  Fennekin gave a sigh before making room for the larger Pok¨¦mon, before returning her gaze to Owen, who smirked as he started brushing Umbreon.

    The Moonlight Pok¨¦mon absolutely loved this, almost too much.  His excitement inevitably made it hard to brush his head, as the Pok¨¦mon kept tilting his head back to watch the brush he was so infatuated with.

    ¡°What about you big guy?¡±  He looked at the black cat who stared right back at him for a moment before it got impatient and demanded more of idle brush.  Umbreon didn¡¯t ever seem to even respond to his words, and Owen wasn¡¯t sure if this felt more normal than a living being that could understand everything you are saying, yet unable to speak the language back.

    WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRTTTTTTTT

    The high-pitched screech pierced the air causing everyone to flinch.  Not a moment later an azure flash tore through the evening sky, followed by a thunderous crash that shook the foundations of the building, knocking over one of the lamps in the room and causing it to shatter on the floor.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHHH¡±

    ¡°HEEEEEELP¡±

    A cacophony of screams came from the hallway, prompting Lucario to erupt out of the door and into action.  Korrina released her other Pok¨¦mon, before quickly turning around.

    ¡°I¡¯m going where those came from, you go down to the nurse and  ---------¡° Owen¡¯s ears were still ringing, but he could make out most of what she was saying before both Korrina and Mienshao left to support Lucario.

    He looked back at his two Pok¨¦mon who were also recovering from the unexpected ear blast, reassuring them to come along.  The little fox had shaken it off, now awaiting orders, as Umbreon was trying to dig under the bed, to no avail.   Still, the two managed to usher him out the door together into the dark hallway, kept alight only by dim red lights on the sides of the wall now.  Another trainer was clutching their Eevee as they ran down ahead of Owen and his team.

    There was just enough light coming in from the front windows to keep the front lobby visible, as many frantic people and Pok¨¦mon were rushing out the doors.  Amongst the chaos were several trainers demanding their Pok¨¦mon back from the nurse, including the girl from before.  Owen hurried over to the desk, drawing the attention of the nurse.

    ¡°You!  You¡¯re okay, where¡¯s leader Korrina?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s upstairs, she ran toward the crash as soon as it happened.¡±  He responded hastily.  The nurse nodded her head in acknowledgement, before looking down at both Fennekin and Umbreon.

    ¡°Do you think you could help me get this door open?  The Pok¨¦mon that were getting longer treatment are trapped in there with Wigglytuff!¡±  She asked with desperation.

    ¡°We can try.¡±  Owen hurried over to the door, looking to see what was on the other side of the tall glass slit, but there was nothing.  It had been black, not even the faint glow of the emergency lights could be seen through the window.  He carefully prodded one finger toward the handle, covered by his long sleeve.

    Cold.

    That¡¯s a good sign.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to try to get through the door, so get away from the other side!¡±  He shouted as best as he could.

    He hunkered down to Fennekin¡¯s level to ask, ¡°What else you got besides what we used today?  Anything that would work on the door, that isn¡¯t fire?¡±  He whispered to the little fox, who looked up at him in thought for just a second before she gave a confident yip.  The orange tip of her tail began to glow, a shining light that traveled down to the base, before engulfing the whole tail in metallic sheen.

    That¡¯s great, real great, actually.

    He took a step back before Fennekin jumped in the air, slashing the door, dead center!

    BOOM!

    Her tail carved through the thick wood before the little fox landed gracefully.

    The result was¡­

    A rather disappointingly small gash.  The little fox¡¯s ears slumped after looking up at her work.

    Shit.  No, no we can work with this.

    ¡°Okay, Fenn use Howl and then next time aim for that side!¡±  He pointed to the right side of the door, opposite the handle.

    ¡°Arooooooooo!¡±  Came a rather adorable noise that was probably embarrassing for the both of them, preceding another attempt at slashing the door.  Surely this time would work, it had to.  For the sake of the Pok¨¦mon trapped on the other side.

    Splinters rained down from the door as a few gasps were heard from the small crowd behind him.  Fennekin landed again, looking up at more disappointment.  That Iron Tail was stronger, so much was plain to see, but the door just didn¡¯t give.  It was incredibly thick, which would have been a good thing under most other circumstances.

    Suddenly multiple blue lights surrounded Fennekin, they circled the fox before converging into a ball above her head, and flew backward, straight past Owen¡¯s legs toward Umbreon.  The Pok¨¦mon who had, up until now been watching their struggle with a mixture of curiosity and awe.  One could only guess he wanted to join in on what appeared to be some sort of game as his larger black tail became covered all the same as Fennekin¡¯s had seconds prior.

    Fennekin jumped out of the way just in time for the black cat to come crashing down with nothing short of an iron club of a tail, smashing the door, along with whatever had been stuck opposite as well.  Everyone backed up and winced as the sound of metal buckling and breaking mixed with the crashing of glass and wood before them.  Everyone except, of course, the culprit who poked up out of the rubble with nary a scratch on him.

    ¡°Bree Bree!¡±  Umbreon spouted as he jumped back towards Fennekin.

    ¡°Fennek  kin!  Fen  Fenne.¡±

    What¡¯s all that about?  Wait, never mind, it¡¯s open!  The lights!

    BOOM!

    Another crash sounded off, just like when Fennekin hit the door the first time, though Owen could tell this time it was farther away.

    But before he could act, the other trainers rushed on in through the dim hallway, as the nurse chased after them. It was now clear that whatever was blocking the door, had fallen through the ceiling.  The group was gathered around another door this time, with the nurse at the front.

    Oh, not this shit again.

    But thankfully this time, the door opened, and a pink Pok¨¦mon with green eyes had been on the other side.  The nurse gasped before rushing into the room.  There were multiple Pok¨¦mon on the inside, including a green ball-shaped Pok¨¦mon, but many others as well.  The nurse finished handing out the Pok¨¦mon to their trainers, who left the way they came, only one of whom thanked Owen for his help in getting to their partners.  He looked over to the nurse, noticing two had been left, a small brown bird and a little yellow lizard.

    ¡°Here, could you take him?¡±  The nurse handed off the little lizard to Owen, who looked up at him with its big blue eyes.  ¡°I¡¯ll take this one since she¡¯s still not fully recovered yet.  Let¡¯s go, Wigglytuff.¡±

    BOOM!

    Dust and debris fell from the remnants of the ceiling as the ground shook again, but they were almost in the clear.  The lobby was now empty, eerily silent as they arrived with the injured Pok¨¦mon in tow.  Everyone was outside on the road, looking up at the roof, as Owen joined them with the nurse and Wigglytuff.  Orbs could be seen flying out of the center, seemingly at nothing at first.  Owen followed their trajectory, up into the darkness opposite the fading light of dusk.  He followed them until passing over the crimson crescent moon, as it moved across the sky.

    Oh shit¡­  That¡¯s no moon.

 Chapter 6: New Moon: Part VI

    A large grey orb flew towards the flying figure in the sky. It missed, the intended target dodging with ease. Owen¡¯s heart raced as he scanned the sky, searching desperately for the vanished dragon.

    A split second later, blue flames cascaded down on the Pok¨¦mon Center¡¯s rear, licking at the structure before spreading outward. Searing heat. Screams. The acrid scent of burning wood filled the air as Owen stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat. The crowd broke apart, scattering like startled Murkrow.

    The assault paused, and for a moment, everything was eerily still. The only movement was the wavering shimmer of a green barrier, flickering before vanishing into the wind. Then¡ªtwo blue orbs streaked from the smoldering building. The blue-and-red dragon vanished once more, moving too fast for the eye to follow. But this time, the orbs didn¡¯t simply shoot past. They twisted violently in midair, curving and spiraling like hunting predators. With each turn, they picked up speed, flickering brighter and brighter¡ªuntil they flashed in unison. A loud roar sounded out as the miniature explosions lit up the dusky sky.

    ¡°Wiggly¡± Came a worried cry from Owen¡¯s side. He looked over to the nurse¡¯s Pok¨¦mon who couldn¡¯t seem to take her eyes off the sky. Her little pink nubs curled up as the fairy Pok¨¦mon stepped forward, glowing pink as a small orb formed above her head, growing larger. Larger and larger until it shot off into the same place the blue orbs had collided previously.

    A louder roar pierced the air as the figure plummeted, crashing just outside the Pok¨¦mon Center. A few cheers could be heard from the crowd behind them. The nurse raised a hand to her mouth as she watched on, unable to call her Pok¨¦mon back.

    ¡°Wigglytuff, wiggly wiggly?¡± the fairy Pok¨¦mon asked, stepping closer to the fallen dragon. The Salamence¡¯s crimson eyes locked onto Wigglytuff, burning like twin embers in the dim light. A low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat. Wigglytuff didn¡¯t flinch, but her puffed fur quivered ever so slightly in the breeze.

    The dragon¡¯s roar still echoed in Owen¡¯s ears when he felt movement in his hands. The little yellow lizard suddenly wriggled free, letting out a startled squeak before dashing toward the forest. Umbreon¡¯s ears perked¡ªthen, with a flick of his tail, he gave playful chase. Owen exchanged a look with Fennekin before taking off after them, his heart still hammering from the battle moments before.

    Helioptile didn¡¯t make it far, before stopping in front of a pair of oval-shaped blobs that were a bit hard to make out in the dim light. They exchanged chirps as the little yellow guy cried out to the two Pok¨¦mon in front of them. Umbreon stepped up to the two Pok¨¦mon, and his golden glow revealed the white and blue fur of the Pok¨¦mon in front of them to be a pair of Azumarill, before attempting to lick the closest one¡¯s face. But the Pok¨¦mon brushed him aside to follow in full stride after Helioptile who was returning to what was left of the Pok¨¦mon center.

    Owen glanced at Fennekin, who had trotted along beside him with a tired huff. He muttered, ¡°We don¡¯t get a break, do we?¡± Fennekin¡¯s ears flicked, her tail drooping.

    Fennekin sighed, as Owen dragged Umbreon away from a bundle of sparkling lights farther into the forest.

    I swear you¡¯re getting heavier every day.

    Arriving just behind the trio of Pok¨¦mon they had been trailing, Owen skidded to a stop, panting. Salamence hovered just above the ground, resembling a fighter jet more than a living being. Then¡ªa blast of blue fire erupted from its jaws, slamming straight into Wigglytuff.

    Wigglytuff moved on, unflinching, cutting straight through all of the flames directly in front of it, meeting the dragon face-to-face, before the embers finally sputtered out and fizzled away.

    ¡®Wigglytuff,¡¯ she said, her voice calm as the dragon started hovering backward. At that moment, the two aqua rabbit Pok¨¦mon sent a pair of bubblebeams toward Salamence. Wigglytuff tried to close the distance, but the large dragon rapidly gained altitude, dodging both beams with ease. And with a whirr, it took off like a rocket, a loud bang following its departure.

    The air hung heavy with the scent of smoke and the hum of adrenaline. Wigglytuff returned to her partner, her pink fur singed in places. She pressed her head gently into the nurse¡¯s apron, the soft touch a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them. Two large streams of water shot at the back of the building in short bursts, in attempt to quiet the remaining blaze.

    ¡°Hey!!!!!! Anyone there???¡± Came a shout from the center lobby, pulling them all out of their reverie. Owen looked at the nurse and nodded as they both ran back into the lobby. The voice sounded off again, coming from the lower hallway of rooms, behind a bit of debris. A large black and white bear Pok¨¦mon was holding the wall up. Owen blinked.

    ¡°A talking Pok¨¦mon?¡± Owen accidentally blurted out.

    ¡°No, you idiot, over here!¡± a voice snapped from behind the Pangoro.

    ¡°Right.¡± He responded, mentally kicking himself for letting that thought escape.

    ¡°Here, he¡¯s hurt, but I can¡¯t get him through and help Pangoro at the same time.¡± As Owen approached, he saw the same red-haired man from earlier, propping himself up against the wall alongside his Pok¨¦mon. On the ground was a boy, clutching his ratatta close to his chest.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna push harder for a minute, and you gotta get him out of there when we do.¡± The man said as the slanted wall straightened out somewhat, Owen ducked under and took the boy¡¯s arm over his shoulder.

    ¡°My leg hurts¡± He looked up at the nurse who took his other arm as they walked him out towards the lobby, before setting him up in a chair, to go back and check on the man and his Pangoro.

    ¡°Shit.¡± Came an exhausted gasp in the hallway. The man had made his way out a ways, before a red flash of light came, recalling his Pok¨¦mon as the wall collapsed in its absence with a series of loud crashes.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably not good. All we could do, though.¡± He said to the Nurse. ¡°Thanks¡± He offered up his hand, making it hard not to notice the sleeves on his jacket were now torn. Owen offered up his own in return, while doing a very poor job of hiding his bewilderment. This was the same man he had spent the past few hours suspecting of foul play, and he had just helped rescue someone.

    ¡°Owen.¡± He gave an understanding nod to the red-haired man in front of him.

    ¡°Tristan¡± Was all the Pangoro¡¯s trainer offered in return, before looking at the uncomfortably long handshake.

    ¡°Sheesh, take a picture or something will ya?¡± He turned to leave, letting his Panda Pok¨¦mon back out of its ball. ¡°I¡¯m going outside, not sticking around for this place to fall down more.¡±

    Owen firmly held the boy¡¯s arm, feeling the slight tremor in his muscles. Step by step, they moved toward the exit, where cooler air and worried faces awaited. Umbreon and Fennekin trudged behind, their usual energy dulled.

    More Pok¨¦mon had joined the Azumarill''s efforts at fighting the dwindling fire. The team peered around the corner to see the hole in the side of the wall, along with the mangled steel and wood bits that had fallen to the side. Korrina appeared around the back, with Lucario and Mienshao at her side.

    Another young teen was groaning in pain on the ground against the wall. Lucario sped on past them all to the front, as Korrina came over, pat Owen on the shoulder, and simply nodded. She took a moment to catch her breath before Lucario came back with the nurse, who sat down next to the boy to check him over.

    ¡°You look like hell.¡± He blurted out, noticing the scrapes on her arms.

    ¡°Gee, thanks. But really? I¡¯m fine. Mienshao wouldn¡¯t let me get hurt for real.¡± The purple weasel nodded before they shared a nervous chuckle. Umbreon ran a circle in excitement, before falling over, looking up expectantly. ¡°And you must have kept watch over him! Good boy!¡± Korrina bent over to pat his head, causing his rings to glow brighter in delight.

    Minutes turned into hours as the sun finished setting. A small crowd gathered around Fennekin''s glowing, warm satellites for ears. Umbreon was play-pouncing with the Eevee from before. Korrina and Nurse Joy had made their way around the crowd, handing out salvaged supplies and checking everyone over. Wigglytuff stayed with the little Pidgey on the bench, steadily soothing it with intermittent pink pulses.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    A pair of yellow lights shone through the darkness on the road, revealing the bus they were attached to. Its arrival was promptly followed by a pair of large trucks, out of which a Blastoise and Golem jumped, along with some people in reflective jackets.

    The remaining crowd started working their way over to the bus, recalling most of their Pok¨¦mon with them, to Umbreon¡¯s disappointment. The little boy¡¯s Eevee excitedly yapped at Umbreon before disappearing into a flash of red. The moonlight Pok¨¦mon looked around for the Eevee briefly before giving up and slumping down.

    ¡°Tired, aren¡¯t ya? Me too, buddy. Me too.¡± Owen recalled Umbreon to its ball, before turning to the little yellow fox with a gentle smile. ¡°Thanks, Fenn. You were pretty great.¡± Her eyes could have been sparkling as she jumped up into his arms, ready to be carried over to the bus. Owen stopped on his way over to check in with Korrina, who had been busy talking with the officer and ranger.

    ¡°I heard what you did downstairs while we were fighting it off, even after I told you to get your butt outside after you found the nurse!¡± She punched his shoulder lightly in jest. ¡°So, thank you.¡± Lucario pressed his paw to his chest and grunted with a nod as he stared at Owen. He looked a little roughed up, some of his blue fur had been singed, but if it bothered him, he didn¡¯t show any sign of it as always.

    Owen leaned in closer to whisper, ¡°Oh right, that guy you were wary of? He got a kid out of there who¡¯d been hurt. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s your man.¡± Korrina was briefly surprised, as she glanced over. Korrina¡¯s brows shot up for just a second before her shoulders relaxed. The man with the red hair and torn jacket was casually moseying his way onto the bus, looking as tired as everyone else.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you get on the bus with everyone else, I¡¯m gonna be right behind you in one of the trucks.¡± She turned him around and started pushing Owen towards the bus, to Fennekin¡¯s protest as well.

    ¡°Okay, okay. So, see you when we get there?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t. I¡¯ll make sure you guys get to the center, but I¡¯ve got to go to the station afterward. That Salamence is still on the loose, along with whoever set it off.¡± She said with a grave look drowning out her bravado.

    Owen caught himself dozing off several times on the long bus ride to Lumiose City. There was little to see besides trees out the windows. The steady hum of the engine blurred into the background noise, drowned out by the chatty passengers. Each passing tree out the window blends into the next. Owen¡¯s head dipped forward, jerking up at the last second¡ªthen again, slower this time. His eyelids sagged, heavier with each blink.

    Fennekin curled tightly in Owen¡¯s lap, her ears twitching at every jostle of the cramped bus. Bodies pressed together in the narrow seats, voices murmuring in exhaustion. She saw something that made her yip in excitement, poking at Owen¡¯s chest, preventing him from drifting off again. He looked out the window to see the top of a spire that shone like a beacon amidst the angular dark shadows in the night. An array of lights started popping up one row at a time, dotting the horizon with a sight more familiar to Owen than any other he¡¯d seen so far in this world.

    The streets were busy, though with few cars. Most everyone was walking around, making way for the bus as it slowly navigated toward the city¡¯s towering Pokecenter. The exhausted passengers were greeted warmly by a handful of people in various uniforms, as they made their way through the large revolving glass doors in the main lobby.

    A roped-off piano? Owen smirked, shaking his head as he walked past. Some things never changed. It was then he noticed the cafeteria up ahead. It separated the junction that seemed to divide the building''s interior. One half hosted a hospital and the other a Hotel with a polished wooden floor. Umbreon¡¯s ball shook and enlarged itself on Owen¡¯s waste before the little gremlin made his way back out on his own. The moonlight Pok¨¦mon shook itself off before a great big stretch before he sniffed the air inquisitively. Umbreon¡¯s nose led it on over to something large and hairy. The Pangoro from before.

    ¡°You again?¡± Tristan said with a sigh. His partner, however, bent over and pat Umbreon gently before returning to its stoic pose, eliciting a happy cry from the black cat.

    A small group of uniformed officials stepped up in front of the crowd.

    ¡°We can take you all in, but we''ll need you all to double up so we have enough room.¡± One of them announced.

    ¡°You two come over this way.¡± Said one of the closer staff members to Owen and Tristan, who opened his mouth as if to protest, but let out a loud groan instead, before wordlessly following along.

    <hr>

    ¡°Why do humans make these things so complicated?¡± Fennekin voiced her thoughts out loud, wondering why the displeased human didn¡¯t say anything more.

    ¡°Rest more important.¡± The large bear said in a deep voice.

    Fennekin followed along as they made their way down a hallway. The tired trainers trudged along to what should be the end of their eventful night. This sure was a big place for humans, one that she hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. She had almost forgotten humans had many ways to take care of each other like this.

    Their room was much bigger than any other place they had stayed. It even had smaller beds for Pok¨¦mon! That didn¡¯t stop Umbreon from skipping along and onto one of the beds for humans anyway. He sure did love kneading his paws into soft things.

    How come he never learned to talk if he¡¯s so spoiled? The little fox thought to herself. Pok¨¦mon that spent so much time in human houses usually learned how to speak faster. Too tired to care anymore about that, it was time to collapse into the large and soft pink pillow held inside a basket she set her sights on. A flash lit up the room and yet another Pok¨¦mon joined them. This one had a darker body and wasn¡¯t much bigger than herself. The canine Pok¨¦mon shook itself off with a satisfied look on its face. One that quickly faded as soon as the Pok¨¦mon realized it would be having company.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The Pokemon asked with a great amount of sass. Her sharp eyes looked around for her trainer, who just shrugged before taking the remaining bed. Fennekin hadn¡¯t been paying attention to what he said to Owen, but she was sure it wasn¡¯t really important. Humans never say anything important when they¡¯re tired, anyway.

    ¡°I¡¯m-¡± Fennekin piped up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± And was promptly interrupted.

    ¡°Manners.¡± The bear gave the smaller Dark Pok¨¦mon a stern look.

    ¡°Fine.¡± The Orange and black Pok¨¦mon sighed. ¡°I¡¯m Houndour, don¡¯t have a stupid nickname. Do you?¡± She asked, staring at Fennekin as if she would rather die than be here right now.

    ¡°None that I¡¯d tell you.¡± Fennekin spat back while sticking her tongue out.

    ¡°Oh, see big guy?¡± She turned around to Pangoro like a child who wanted to get out of chores. Before anyone else could say anything, Umbreon walked up to Houndour and started sniffing her face. ¡°Wait, hold up, who are you?¡± The hellpup asked, her tone pacified and curious now.

    The moonlight Pok¨¦mon stared her down intensely with his shining red eyes for but a brief moment, one that in contrast, seemed to last an eternity for the fire and dark type.

    Umbreon inched slightly closer.

    ¡°No butts!¡± He spouted out confidently with a joyous jump that utterly soured whatever image the Pok¨¦mon in front of him had seconds prior.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he has a name, but that¡¯s Umbreon, yup! He¡¯s strong enough to blow up a weird large Tyranitar!¡± Fennekin bragged to her apathetic audience. If tumbleweeds could roll indoors, they certainly would be here.

    The large bear gave an apologetic nod. The hellpup however, turned around to go and sulk in one of the beds in the corner. Umbreon continued to spout utter nonsense of word soup. He sure was picking up on things that she¡¯d been saying often. Fennekin wondered if he knew what any of those words meant yet, or if he was just trying them out for the sake of it.

    He finally gave up his rant and took to staring Fennekin down as well. She looked at his dopey expression, wondering what was going on inside his head, before receiving a gentle head-butt. Umbreon then decided to go back up onto the bed with Owen as the last light went out in the room. The bear continued to stand in the corner. Fennekin wondered how he was going to sleep like that before a loud noise startled her. He was already snoring. Weirdo. Still, she might as well try to enjoy the bed that was practically calling her name.

    As Fennekin drifted off, images flickered in her mind¡ªblurry shapes of grey and white, shifting with unsettling familiarity. Green and brown melted into the haze, the colors swirling like memories just out of reach. Somewhere in the darkness, something loomed. A familiar presence, and a whisper just beyond understanding.

    Infuriatingly so, as the harder she tried in vain to focus on their image, the more easily they escaped her imagination. A different blob stood out from the rest, a taller red one that flew past many a blur of scenery, stopping here and there. She looked down to see her scarf was back on her where it belonged, and that¡¯s when everything came into focus. The warm sun was beating down on the quaint dirt road in the middle of nowhere. She happily followed the legs in the pair of white sneakers to her side, as if she¡¯d done so hundreds of times before.

    Fennekin looked up past the skirt and bag, a beaming smile on her face as the figure looked back down at her.

    It looked like the girl was smiling.

    It looked like a nice person was smiling.

    It looked like the black mass where a face should be was smiling.

    ¡°-in--, c--e on! W- d¡ªt w--- -o be ---e f-- --- ----t --m b-----!¡±

    The little yellow fox retreated in horror, yet that didn¡¯t seem to put any distance between her and the figure. She tried to close her eyes, but the image haunted the inside of her eyelids as well. Finally, she fell down, farther and farther as her heart flew up her chest. There was no more ground, no nothing. Just a static void, numb and prickly was all that was left.

    She was the first to wake, demanding a scan of the surroundings. The bed, the humans, the standing bear, and the dumb dog. All there. Except Umbreon.

    Where did he¡­

    A strange yet familiar sensation hit the back of her head, causing her to jump and turn around. The glowing rings she¡¯d become familiar with these past few days were right there, once again. And once again he started licking her forehead. She didn¡¯t protest. The little fox just decided to breathe in, and back out as the rampant thumping in her chest slowed down.

    ¡°Thanks, Goldie¡­¡± She mumbled under her breath. She''d have a quiet moment to compose herself before the others eventually woke up.

    They all followed the humans down to the place with the tables from last night, and boy was it filled up in the morning! It felt like an eternity before they finally got to sit down with food of their own.

    Later on in the morning, they left the Center and watched the humans say goodbye. She didn¡¯t mind the other human or the bear, but that dog sure was annoying. One minute she was rude, one minute she was nice. What was wrong with her? Come to think of it, the bear made a big deal about Houndour introducing herself, and he never did either!

    Cheapskate, she thought to herself.