(The next day)

Although I felt better when I woke up, with the wounds nearly closed, I still couldn't help but to feel uneasy. Nevertheless, when Nurse Joy came in to check on me, I did my best to keep a slight smile.

"Well, today we're going to see if your injuries have healed up enough, so just relax." I did my best to relax as she did the regular check-up that you expect from a doctor. I even got to sit up in bed for a while, but it wasn't for too long.

"So, am I able to get out of bed?"

"Well, seeing as your wounds are healed enough, you can, but I'd rather keep you here for another day just in case."

"I can do that." As she left the room, I finally got to look around at the room without having a sideways view. Although I wasn't in a Pokemon Center, as one would expect, I was in someone's house. The room I had been in was a normal guest room, with the next room over being a sort of guest living room. Just to pass the time, I switched the TV on, and the first thing that appeared was the news. They were talking about a story at present.

"In other news, we have unconfirmed reports of Shadow Pokemon in the wild. The police have been investigating these claims, but so far, there has been no evidence found by the police of their existence. The reports have also been confined to the island of Altomare, but there have been more unconfirmed reports of them in and around Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn. Now, for the weather..." I switched the TV off as I thought about what she had said. Shadow Pokemon? Unless if someone found the research data, there weren't supposed to be any around. Unless... Just then, that same girl walked into the room, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"You're feeling better?" Those eyes were almost intoxicating.

"Yeah... Better than usual after an injury, too." She cocked her head at this, probably not expecting that response.

"So... you've been injured before?"

"Yes, but not this bad." At this point, she seemed concerned.

"How did you get them? They don't look like any Pokemon's claws I've ever seen." I had to go with the same story as last time.

"I don't know. All I felt was sharp claws before I blacked out." I didn't notice it before, but now I felt that there was something in my mind other than myself. Before I could trace it, it disappeared. I just shook it off mentally and kept a straight face.

"Well, I'm glad you're getting better." She patted me before she got up to leave. "You have a nice day, okay?"

"Erm... you too." Before she closed the door, I could've sworn that she had winked at me. When I heard her footsteps go away, I reached under the bed for my sword. As I unsheathed it, I paid special attention to the sound. It still slid out smoothly, and when I looked at the silver blade, it still didn't have any marks on it. As I was about to slide it back in, I felt a presence near the window. It seemed like it was staying there, and when I looked, there was a very slight distortion in the air. I thought that something was spying on me, so I pointed the edge of the blade at the distortion and let loose with a lightning bolt. However, whatever had been there was gone when I let it out, so the bolt zoomed into the sky instead. I figured that since I wasn't able to do anything, I might as well practice lightly with my sword. I went through the graceful motions as the sun gradually set, and by then I was still energetic. I don't even know how I managed to sleep that night...

After another check-up by Nurse Joy, I was able to leave the house. Finally, some freedom! Although, I didn't really know what to do with the sword, since it would make me stick out like a sore thumb. Then I got an idea. The blade could be thrown like a boomerang, returning to me after its arc. Why not make the arc very wide? Or have it stop in the arc and wait for a time when I need it? It's worth a try. I went outside of the house, (thankfully, it was an alleyway) and threw the blade in the air. When I could barely see it, I focused on my link to it to have it stop and hang. It must have succeeded, because the little dot of where it had went wasn't moving at all. That's one problem solved, but now, on to another. I think I had been put into the city of Altomare, since the city streets were rivers, though I did not know what time I had been put in. I began to explore the streets, trying to remember the details of the city. Every once in a while, I spotted the same distortion in the air, but sometimes there appeared to be two of them spiraling around. I still couldn't figure out if they were just figments of my imagination or real...

(At sunset)

I had been walking since morning, pretty much memorizing the entire grid. Although I wasn't tired, I had to find a place to sleep because, coincidentally, I couldn't remember what house I had been in. I was walking underneath an arch garden and when I came out, there was a strange vibe coming from the wall over on my left. When I approached it, it seemed to ripple, and my hand phased through when I touched it. I remembered that there was a secret garden, so I went through. After walking for a few seconds, I came upon the very same secret garden. However, something resounded through the garden, and a red figure came falling down from the sky. I dodged just in time, and when the small dust cloud disappeared, I saw that it was a very badly beaten Latias. I looked up, and saw a shadowy figure come down as well. It seemed to be going too fast, however. I dived at the right time and caught the figure before it hit the Latias. I then engaged in a struggle with the shadow, who tried many times to slash its claws at my face, I always held them back. When I caught a moment's rest, I looked up to see a spinning sword come down out of the sky and towards me. At present, I was wrestling with the shadow when the sword cut through the figure with a white light. This repelled the figure far enough away to let me get a look at it. The figure's outline and size matched with a Latios, but it had been consumed with shadows. Right as I got a grip on my sword, the Shadow Latios let loose with a blast of a shadowy, more powerful Luster Purge at me. I raised my sword to defend, and the shadows from the waves went around me. As I slowly tilted the sword to point at the Latios, I could feel the power starting to increase as it became harder to move the sword. Adrenaline rushed through me as I finally pointed at the Latios, letting loose with a wicked bolt of lightning. The Latios was stunned, but not for long. I had to act quickly, so I focused on the sword as it glowed a very bright white light. When it was nearly blinding, I slashed at the Latios, cutting away the shadows. As I watched, the shadows dispelled, revealing the Latios. It had fallen asleep to recover from the fight, so it gently floated back down to the ground. My injuries started to hurt after the adrenaline went out of me, and I was just about to pass out. Using the last of my strength, I went over to the Latios and put the point of the sword on its head. A golden light shot from my sword and into the Latios, sweeping over it and healing every wound. It also served as a shield, so it couldn't be corrupted again. After the light had faded away, the last thing I remember was my sword clattering to the ground and the ground rising to meet me.