AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello, everyone! It's been a long wait, but it's finally here!

A few things before we get started:

1) This story takes place after the events of my first Pokémon series, "A Valiant Voice." There will be references to this story, so I recommend you read it before diving into this one.

2) This story will be contained in one fan fiction rather than breaking it up into separate arcs like I did with "A Valiant Voice."

3) I'm not going to include every episode of the XY series; some episodes are purely filler and have little to no impact on the plot. I'm only writing about episodes that are important to the plot in whatever way, shape, or form I deem fit.

Happy reading!

The sky was gray and cloudy- the colors of loneliness. There was a run-down factory perched next to a hill. Leftover smoke from its glory days steadily streamed from the chimneys. A Minccino trotted along the side of the factory, curiously sniffing the walls. It arrived at a broken window, and it hoisted itself onto the sill and slipped into the building. A few moments later, it jumped out and ran away from the factory, heading up the hill. At the top of the hill, Minccino scurried up and sat on a shoulder.

Two people, one boy and one girl, crouched next to a small, dead tree, suspiciously eyeing the factory below. The boy had long, tea-green hair kept back in a low ponytail and gray-blue eyes. He wore a suit of silverish-white armor, covering his chest, arms, legs, and feet. Underneath his armor, he wore a golden locket with green engravings on it. He turned to the girl next to him, who kept her eyes fixed on the factory.

"Are they in there?" the girl said, slightly leaning her head towards the Minccino.

Minccino nodded. "Yup. A whole lot of them."

"Perfect."

"Are you ready for this, Rylee?" the boy said.

The girl finally focused on the boy. Her brown hair was curled and almost reached the middle of her back. She flicked her side bangs away from her face, fully revealing her unique eyes: emerald green with a ring of purple around the pupils and flecks of purple dotted across the irises. She wore a silverish-white chestplate, like the boy, that covered her torso and arms, and black pants made of flexible material, similar to yoga pants. Her armored boots came up to her shins. The back of the boots were black, and the front and shoe part were silverish-white. A golden locket with purple engravings rested around her neck and was exposed, and a long sash made of metallic feathers cascaded down from her left hip to her ankle.

Rylee stared ahead with a blank expression. "When have I ever not been? I hope you're not starting to lose faith in me, N."

N rolled his eyes. "Just checking to make sure. Now, let's do this."

The two rose to their feet and Rylee thrust out her hands. Two smooth platforms made of Protect formed in front of her and N. They shared another look, nodded, and jumped onto the platforms. They zoomed down the hill silently, weaving around large rocks and dead tree stumps.

"Couldn't we have used other methods of transportation?" Minccino cried as she clung to Rylee's Protect platform. "You know, walking like normal people?!"

"Who wants to be normal?" N chuckled, hopping over a large log.

Rylee took in a deep breath as the wind whipped her face. The cool air would've chilled her bones, but the adrenaline pumping through her acted as a fuzzy coat. As they reached the factory doors, they could see the large padlock at the center of the overlapping chains laid over them. N jumped off his platform, switching into a run, and Rylee extended her hand towards it. The platform flew to her. The Protect carrying her bubbled. Minccino jumped away and landed on N's shoulder, wrapping her tail underneath his arm to prevent herself from falling off. Rylee leaped from her platform as both hers and N's morphed together into a sword. With a grunt, Rylee swung the sword into the door. The padlock and chains snapped, and the doors exploded. The old wood blew into pieces from the impact and its many years, and debris flew everywhere. N and Rylee ran into the building. A group of men and women were hunched over a table, and they all looked up and glared at the two. They all wore black clothing with ski masks scrunched on the tops of their heads.

"Intruders!" the man at the head of the table said. "Get them!"

They charged. Rylee shot her hands out, enveloping her and N in a dome of Protect. Those who were first in formation crashed right into the barrier. Rylee grunted and thrusted her arms down, and the Protect shoved those people back. Many fell to the ground, others knocked into their buddies. The man who ordered the attack widened his eyes.

Rylee heard a battle cry coming from her right. She turned to see a man lunge towards her with a crowbar. As he swung at her head, Rylee ducked and swept her legs under his, causing him to fall hard on his back and release his crowbar. Rylee caught the crowbar and chucked it at another who charged at her. The spiraling crowbar hit his hand and he dropped his weapon. As he shook his hand to ease the pain, Rylee shoved her foot into his back. He stumbled and slammed into a woman who crept up behind N. A man had N in a headlock, but N drove his elbow into the man's stomach. The man yelped an "OOF" and doubled over, giving N the perfect chance to smash his knee into the man's face. The man's head snapped back, and he crumpled to the ground with his nose already beginning to bruise and bleed.

A collection of cries sounded, and Rylee and N turned to see another swarm of black-shrouded people charge at them.

"Honedge!" N cried, raising his hand. "Iron Head!"

"Doublade!" Rylee cried, raising her hand.

Two PokéBalls opened simultaneously, and two Royal Sword Pokémon, Aegislash, appeared and retreated quickly to their owners. As they descended into their hands, they glowed blue, the sign of evolution, and when the light subsided, the Aegislash had regressed into Honedge and Doublade. N grabbed the handle of his Honedge. As its blade shined with the desired move, N slammed it into the ground, causing a tremor in the ground so great that many thugs lost their balance and fell to the ground. Rylee summoned small balls of Protect and swung each of Doublade's swords into them with rapid fire. The balls formed into cuffs on impact, and they wrapped around the wrists of the thugs.

"Keep attacking!" the same man ordered. Rylee quickly scanned the area, just in time to see him slip through a back door as another wave of his thugs advanced.

"N, keep them busy!" Rylee said. "Zoroark, it's your time to shine."

Minccino grinned mischievously as a group of thugs surrounded her. "It's about time!" She glowed purple, and her silhouette grew. The color faded, revealing Zoroark's true form. She smirked at the sweat forming on the thugs' brows. She lifted her fist with a cry as dark power enveloped it, and she slammed it down. Night Daze burst from around her, and the thugs flew back. Zoroark turned to Rylee and shot her a thumbs up. Rylee returned the gesture and headed towards the door. She shoved her foot into it and it burst open, revealing a long hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was a faint light, and she saw the man disappear around the corner. Rylee sprinted down the hall and towards the light. She reached the end, which was another dimly lit room.

Rylee's ears perked when she heard a low grunt. She gasped and turned as a large fist hurtled towards her face. She swerved her head out of the way. A thug threw another punch, and Rylee took a quick step back. As the thug stumbled from the force of his attack, Rylee struck the back of his neck with the quick precision of her hand. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he slumped to the ground.

Something smacked against the small of Rylee's back, and she cried out as she fell to the ground. She rolled to her side as the boss of these group of thugs stood over her, smacking a lead pipe against his hand like a teacher getting ready to reprimand a student with a ruler.

"It's the end of the line for you." he said, and he slashed the lead pipe down.

Rylee rolled out of the way as the lead pipe hit the ground with a shrill clang. The man growled in frustration and brought the pipe back again.

"Aegislash!" Rylee cried. She formed a Heal Pulse in her hands and pressed it against her chest.

Doublade flew towards Rylee as it glowed light blue, evolving into Aegislash. As the man slashed the pipe down, Aegislash jumped in the way, blocking the attack with its shield. The man grunted in confusion, and Aegislash pushed him back. The man lost his balance and fell to the ground. Rylee climbed to her feet and wielded herself with her partner. The man glared at Rylee.

"What was that again?" Rylee said, a dark glower on her face. "You obviously don't know who I am."

"Oh, but I do." the man said. "You and your little friend. Menaces to society."

"Done talking to yourself? Good." Rylee's eyes glowed purple, and handcuffs made of Protect wrapped around the man's wrists and ankles. He thrashed around, trying to free himself. "Save your energy for pleading your 'alibi'."

"You think you're so powerful, huh?" the man said. "You're just a spoiled, little brat! You're lucky these cuffs are on me, or else I'd break your neck and feed you to the wild Pokémon!"

"Threat all you want. They can't penetrate a heart of stone."

"My threats are nothing compared to what Lysandre has in store for you. You better watch your back if you know what's good for you!"

They heard shouts coming from the hallway, and soon, half a dozen police officers filed into the room. They seized the man and carried him away as he continued spitting his curses at Rylee. Rylee released Aegislash, and it floated in front of her. A hand rested on her shoulder, and Rylee met her eyes with N and Zoroark.

"You all right?" N said.

"Of course. I've faced worse than this." she said, her back turned to N. "Mission accomplished. Let's head back."

N nodded, concern fresh in his eyes. Rylee ignored it and walked away.

Rylee walked through the front door of her home, N and Zoroark right behind her.

"Welcome home!" Delilah Runyon cried as she emerged from the kitchen. She smiled brightly. "How was your mission? Oh, what am I saying? You probably aced it!"

N chuckled and hugged Delilah. "Yes, Mom. It worked out well."

"Wonderful! Now you have one more mission to take care of for today." Delilah shoved a bottle of soap and a rag into N's hands. "Doing the dishes."

N sighed and disappeared into the kitchen. Delilah embraced Rylee tightly. When she pulled away, she placed her hands on her shoulders.

"You know, Rylee-" Delilah said.

"Work was fine." Rylee interrupted. "Being a Pokémon Knight definitely has its perks. Who needs anger management when you can bash around a few baddies?"

Delilah chuckled lightly. "Very well. Dinner's ready if you're hungry." she said, raising her voice to direct her words to both Rylee and N. "Make sure you report, too. You know how serious your father is with these things."

"You know you don't have to remind us." N said, poking his head from the kitchen as he dried a plate. "We've been doing this for two years. The schedule's engraved in our brains by now."

"Oh, all right. You can't blame me for motherly instincts." Delilah said. She gave Rylee's shoulders another encouraging squeeze and headed to the backyard. Rylee could see her mother's Pokémon, Leavanny, in the garden. She watched Delilah and Leavanny greet each other warmly and work together to tend to the plants. Rylee went into the kitchen and helped N clean the dishes.

"Mom made pasta." N said, setting two bowls aside.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry. Maybe later." Rylee said, avoiding N's eyes.

N set the plate he was cleaning down and turned to Rylee. "Rylee... it's been two years... Maybe it's time you..."

"Time I do what?" Rylee faced N with a deep scowl, daring him to finish his sentence.

N looked a little surprised. "T-that's not what I meant..."

"Then what? What were you really wanting to say?"

N looked away from his sister's threatening eyes. "Nothing."

Rylee's anger calmed, and she let out a sigh and grabbed a cup to dry.

"Dad probably thought that training would distract you..."

"He was wrong." Rylee took a deep breath and set the damp cup and rag on the kitchen counter. "The only thing worse than having a broken heart is trying to bury the pain of it."

N placed a hand on Rylee's shoulder. "You don't have to say anymore. It's okay."

"I'm going to go report." she mumbled.

She stepped out from N's touch and headed outside. She closed the front door and walked to the end of the pathway. She lifted her thumbs and index finger into her mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle. After resting her hand back to her side, a Swanna flew down from the sky and landed in front of her. Rylee stroked the Pokémon's feathers and climbed onto its back. Swanna tilted its head back, uttering a cry, and flapped its wings, taking them both into the sky. Rylee watched the forest below, listening to the steady beating of Swanna's wings and feeling the night air blow her hair back.

"Something troubling you?" Swanna said.

Rylee chuckled bitterly and stared out into the horizon. "You already know."

Thanks to Swanna's speed, Rylee only had to deal with the uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. They had met with the ocean, and in the midst there was a small island, which was covered entirely with a large, skyscraping Headquarters that could probably be seen in space. Rylee hopped off of Swanna, giving her another stroke of gratitude before it flew towards the building. Rylee looked up at the building for a few moments before she took a deep breath and entered it. It seemed like noises from any section of the place carried to the rest of it. Conversations from both people and Pokémon carried into Rylee's ears. The entrance had large skylights lining the entire ceiling that absorbed the light of the stars. A large, white desk was at the end of the room, with a red-head secretary wearing a blue blazer, skirt, white button-up shirt, red heels, and black glasses typed away on a computer. She lifted her eyes and flashed Rylee a smile before returning to her work.

Rylee walked down the left-sided hallway, where she paused at a metal door. She pressed her hand against the center of the door and the contour of her hand shimmered. The door slid open, and Rylee started her walk down the stone hallway. The thump of her boots bounced around her, carrying down to the very end. She followed the sound of grunts and entered the largest room in the building: the training room. Dummies were placed every ten feet in the first section, and each was occupied with a young man or woman. Rylee continued walking down the center of the room, past the next section, which was filled with virtual reality training rooms, and into the last section- the sparring room. She walked in during a training session between two seasoned men. Many boys and girls, most around Rylee's age, watched the battle, mentally taking notes and cheering their side on. Among those spectators was a man with brown hair wearing a black suit, a light blue button-up shirt underneath, brown loafers, and a black tie. He turned around, revealing unique eyes that were identical to Rylee's, and greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Rylee." the man said, giving her a hug.

"Hey, Dad." Rylee said. "I just came to report."

Rylee's father, Brand Runyon, nodded. "Very well. You know, you and N have certainly come a long way since you first began training here. Many people dream of becoming Pokémon Knights in something as short as two years. Especially-"

"...As young as we are." Rylee said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You tell me this all the time, Dad."

"That just makes it all the more important for you to hear. You two are special."

"Every parent says that about their child."

Brand chuckled. "Very well then. Someday you'll understand what I mean. So, how have you been?"

Rylee shrugged. "Training is as memorable as the back of my hand. Why do you keep pairing me with someone who underestimates me? The next time one of my sparring partners tries to start with a purposefully sloppy right hook, I'm gonna-"

"No, Rylee. I mean how have you been?" Brand said, knitting his eyebrows.

Rylee paused and avoided his eyes. "Fine."

"You've always been a horrible liar." Brand placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Rylee bowed her head. Brand paused, trying to word himself carefully. "I... I'm truly sorry, Rylee."

"You don't have to keep apologizing."

"But what happened was my fault. I realized it, but I failed to recognize it..."

"Dad."

Brand studied Rylee while she kept her face to the ground. "Maybe... maybe your paths will cross again."

Rylee abruptly turned away, pulling herself away from her father's touch. "What does it matter?" she said, and she walked away. "He hates me, anyways."

Brand watched Rylee until she was out of sight. Brand sighed and focused his attention back to the sparring session.