Compared to Pyrite and even Phenac, Agate Village was probably the only place in all of Orre where peace and tranquility truly thrived. Elder Trainers happily played with their Pokémon despite their age. Visiting younger Trainers competed in friendly Pokémon battles. A kindly man talked to his Taillow as he tended a small garden of Berries. Neither Phenac nor Pyrite ever looked this peaceful and serene.

As the Rumbler barreled full-speed towards the northwest corner of Orre, Rui observed that the surroundings were starting to become less and less sandy. Traces of grass and trees could be seen growing along the side of the road, and the normally-brutal heat was cooling down to more tolerable levels. Finally, the looming mountain ahead came into closer view, and Rui gasped in awe at the sight of Agate Village. A large waterfall running from the top of the peak poured down towards the foot of the hill and flowed into a river that descended through the mountain range, with various houses sitting around the cliffs.

"Well, we're here," Wes announced as he brought the vehicle to a stop. Rui nodded as she hopped out of the sidecar and wiped the stray sand out of her eyes, then reached down to pick up Plusle and put the small Pok mon on her shoulder.

The two of them looked out at the waterfall and the ardent life strewn around it. "It's beautiful," Rui said with a smile. "I never thought it'd look like this. I was expecting a bunch of sun-baked huts in the middle of nowhere."

"Are you coming?" Rui looked up to see Wes impatiently standing over her. "I didn't waste two days of my life to hear you gush."

"Sorry." Rui shrugged as she and Wes set off towards the town entrance.

As they approached, a pair of young Trainers stepped forward to block their access. "Hey! This is a private community!" one of them announced. "No outsiders!"

Rui stepped forward. "It's okay. I'm Rui Gordon, and I-"

"Didn't you hear me? No outsiders!"

"It's okay," the second guard spoke up as he gave his partner a note. "The Elder's expecting her. Let her pass."

"What?" The first guard looked at the note, which had a small photo of Rui paperclipped to it. "Oh. I'm sorry, ma'am. Didn't know it was you," he apologized upon recognizing her. "You can enter." Rui nodded and walked past the guards. As Wes followed, however, they suddenly cut him off. "But you, Rogue, have to stay out here," the guard continued.

Rui turned back and scowled. "He's with me. Let him through."

"Sorry, ma'am, but that's the rule," explained the guard. "We can't have creeps like him lurking about, not after what happened with those spies."

Wes looked insulted. "Who are you calling a creep?" he tersely asked. "And what spies?"

"It was about two weeks ago," the second guard explained. "We had some visitors come in, and they were asking about... certain things. However, they were later found to be saboteurs trying to destroy the village and were exiled. Since then, we've had to step up our job in keeping possible invaders out." He turned to Rui. "You, ma'am, were mentioned by the Elder as being okay to enter when you arrived, but no one else." He turned back to Wes. "I'm sorry, Rogue, but you can't enter."

Rui suddenly marched over to the guards and glared fiercely into their faces. "Let. Him. In," she threatened, her eyes almost ablaze with blue fire. But it was only a trick of the light... right? "Now! Or do I have to get the Elder involved?"

"Uh... um... well..." His throat dry, the guard glanced over to his partner, who only shrugged in response. "Okay, but he had better not try anything funny," he squeaked.

"He won't," Rui stated as she backed off.

Collecting his composure, the guard forced a smile. "The Elder's house is at the very top of the hill. Just follow the path," he announced. "Enjoy your visit." Wes had no comment as he passed by them, though he still shot them a glare.

As the two of them climbed the hill, Wes turned towards Rui with slight awe. "Since when did you start getting tough?" he asked.

"Dunno." Rui shrugged. "I was just getting so impatient that something went off in me."

Well, let's hope it doesn't go off again, Wes thought. He was now starting to feel that there was definitely more to this girl than what she appeared, and not just because of her eyes. And somehow, he felt a little... impressed. But let's not get that far ahead. he told himself.

A short time later, Wes and Rui finally reached the top of the hill, where a large, hollowed-out tree loomed over them and the entire village like a beacon. Rui knocked on the door. After a few seconds, it opened up to reveal an elderly woman. Despite her wisened appearence, she smiled like a little kid when Rui called out, "Grandma!"

"Rui! Oh, thank heavens!" The woman reached forward and pulled Rui into a big hug. "You took so long, we were afraid something terrible happened to you."

"Beluh! What's going on down there?" shouted another voice from upstairs.

"Eagun! It's Rui! She finally made it!"

"Rui?" After a moment, the man named Eagun came downstairs. He was definitely old, as evidenced by his long white hair, beard, and mustache, but his eyes still had a spark of life about them. He wore what looked like some kind of lavender robe. "Well, I'll be darned. You look great, Rui, and you've got a Pokémon, too," Eagun replied, giving Plusle a caring pat that it cooed happily over.

Rui smiled. "Well, Plusle's technically not mine," she explained. "I'm kinda doing a favor for someone."

"All the same, it's been so long. Last time I saw you, you were only yay high." The Elder held his hand to about his knee to emphasize. "I guess ten years'll do that to you."

"Ten years ago, you barely had a foot of beard," Beluh jokingly replied. She then turned to Wes and scowled. "And who're you?" she tensely asked. "You look like one of those shady guys we had in town a couple weeks ago."

Already sensing the tension, Rui stepped in. "His name's Wes, Grandma, and he helped me get here," she explained. "He's not as much a shining knight as I'd like, but he got me here and I'm grateful."

"So what held you up?" Eagun asked. "Sightseeing? I doubt there's much to see out here."

Rui sighed. "It's a long story..."


One long story later...

"And that's how we got here," Rui said as she finished recounting the events of the last two days to her grandparents. Eagun was silent as he processed the story in his head, but Wes and Beluh were already glaring at each other again.

"Wes, correct?" Beluh asked. "Well, I suppose I should thank you for the help, but don't think for a second that I trust you."

"I can assure you that I didn't harm her," the Rogue said in his defense.

"Well, what about the times she mentioned where you threatened to abandon her?" the Matron continued to press. "This is not a safe region, you know, and just the thought of you leaving my granddaughter dying alone in that desert gets me riled up."

"I don't have any obligation to anybody unless they're paying me," Wes retorted. "I won't mince words when I say that I did intend to leave her behind at Phenac where she would be safe, but she followed me and got herself in more trouble. It's her fault, not mine."

"Hmph!" Beluh crossed her arms. "It's all the same with you people, always so selfish and uncaring except where it directly concerns you."

"I'm a Rogue. Of course I'm a self-serving jerk."

"Enough, both of you," Eagun snapped, shutting them both up. The argument stopped, he turned to Rui. "What I want to know is why anybody would want to harm you?"

"It's because of my eyes. I don't know why, but I can see these weird Pokémon, and everybody's trying to kill me over it," Rui explained. "I've already been abducted three times in the past two days alone, and all I've learned is that I now have an aversion to burlap sacks."

"Well, what about these... weird Pokémon you were talking about?" the Elder asked again, sounding a little more concerned. "What did they look like when you saw them?"

Rui was about to answer when the door suddenly flew open. "Elder, we've got trouble!" shouted a villager as he ran into the house. "Outsiders have just breached the village! They're armed and are approaching the Relic Forest!"

Everybody turned in surprise. "What?! Who are they?" Eagun demanded.

"I don't know! They were all wearing weird suits and helmets, so I couldn't-"

"It's Cipher!" Wes realized. "They're on the move!"

"Cipher?! You mean those fiends who tried to harm my Rui?! Well, now it's personal!" Without warning, Eagun literally sprung out of his seat and ran for the front door with unexpected speed. "Out of my way! I'm going to teach these Cipher goons a lesson!" In a flash, he was gone.

Beluh shook her head and sighed. "Oh, that husband of mine!" she absently spoke. "He means well, but he never did learn how to think things through before acting." The elderly matriarch turned towards her granddaughter. "Rui, I'd appreciate it if you would go after him... just in case."

"Um... okay." A little unsure, Rui scooped up Plusle. "C'mon, Wes," she called out. "I could use some help." With a sigh, Wes followed her out the door, leaving Beluh alone.

The Matron just snorted in solitude. "Darn fool Rogue," she huffed. "I don't know what kind of mess Rui got herself into, but that boy's just gonna lead to a bigger one."


Outside, the tranquility of earlier had vanished, replaced by Cipher Peons holding rifles as they forced the civilians out onto the grassy paths. "Alright! Single file, let's go!" one of them shouted as he grabbed an old man that had collapsed on the ground. "You heard me, worm, move it!"

A younger boy ran up to the Peon. "Stop it already! He's old and weary!" he demanded. "You can't force him around like this."

"We didn't ask for your commentary," the Peon snapped back. "Now get back in line!" Scowling, the boy grabbed the man and slowly walked him back.

"Man, I hate this town," a nearby girl Peon griped. "After that lousy recon mission, I had hoped that I'd never have to come back. All those old people watching and glaring... creeps me out."

"Don't worry about it. Commander Skrub's on his way to the glade right now," came her partner's response. "Once he destroys it, we'll burn the village and then you won't have to think about it ever again."

As the two Peons bickered, Wes and Rui crept behind one of the houses to survey the situation. "Wes, we need to rescue them," Rui whispered. "We can't just let those Cipher goons push them around."

"Seriously, do you see their guns? Those things'll mow us down in seconds," Wes pointed out. "We'll need to distract them long enough to knock those things away."

As Wes said that, a bright flash suddenly went off from nearby, forcing him and Rui to cower back and cover their eyes. The Cipher Peons, being much closer to the flash, were almost knocked off their feet as what looked like a blur ran past them.

Rui was just barely able to spot the blur. "Wes, was that... Grandpa?!" she asked. "I think that was Grandpa behind that flash!"

"Well, he saved me the trouble of causing a distraction!" Wes released his Eons. "Ebony, cover her. Keep her safe. Ivory, Psybeam!" Ivory leapt out and fired a concentrated psychic blast behind the Peons and sent them falling into a heap on the ground from the recoil.

The boy Peon recovered and turned to address his attacker. "What the heck? Who's got the brass to attack Cipher?!"

"It's the one on the blacklist!" the girl Peon shouted as she saw Wes approaching with Ivory. "Take 'em out!" The boy Peon drew his rifle and they both opened fire.

"Ivory, Reflect!" Ivory summoned an energy field, which sent the bullets bouncing off harmlessly. After a couple seconds, the gunfire ceased as the Peons ran out of ammo, allowing Wes to leap out from the hill and tackle the boy to the ground. Ivory followed its master's lead by firing a Psybeam at the girl Peon. "Alright, GO!" Rui and Ebony dashed out of their hiding spot and followed Wes and Ivory down the hillside path and into a cave.

With their two captors incapacitated, the freed Agate citizens immediately reached for their Poké Balls and released their Pokémon. Several other Peons tried to go for their own weapons or Pokémon, but were quickly overwhelmed by the superior numbers and experience of the locals. Within minutes, every Peon was on the ground and surrendering.


As all this happened, another encounter was taking place in a small forest glade beneath their feet. Completely enclosed from the sides by the granite cliffs and covered by impenetrably-thick trees, the only way in or out was a small cavern that ran from Agate Village. It was here that a Peon with a distinctive blue scarf on his neck was busy setting up a small device near a stone pillar. "Perfect," he muttered. "Just set the timer and-"

"Who's intruding on this sacred glade?" The Peon stood up straight as the voiced echoed through the glade, and he turned to see Eagun staring fiercely at him. "I am Eagun of Agate. Whoever you are, you are not welcome here!"

The Peon laughed. "I am Skrub of Cipher, and we go wherever we please," he replied. "By order of Dr. Borugu, this Relic Stone is to be destroyed immediately."

Eagun's expression turned to rage. "Fiends! I'll run you out of town myself!"

"I wouldn't overdo it if I were you, gramps," Skrub calmly taunted. "You could pull something."

"Don't take me for a fool! I'll have you know that I was once one of the greatest Trainers in the world," announced Eagun as he drew a Poké Ball, "and now me and my lifelong friend will join forces in battle once more. Go, Pikachu!" With a toss, the Poké Ball opened, revealing the iconic yellow mouse Pokémon in a burst of electricity.

"Aw, geez, another one of these lousy rats," Skrub spat in contempt. "If I had a PokéDollar for every dumb kid who idolizes these worthless things, I wouldn't be licking the doctor's boots. Go, Hitmontop!" With a throw of his own Poké Ball, the Peon summoned the Fighting-type onto the stone-carved stage.

Eagun's faced turned almost as white as his beard as he saw Hitmontop impatiently wobble on its head, twitching with murderous anticipation. "That... that Aura!" he panicked. "You monsters! How could you have learned to recreate Shadow?!"

Skrub laughed. "Dr. Borugu is a genius. The power he gave our Pokémon is much greater than anything that rat of yours can throw at us."

"No! That's not real power! Pikachu, Flash!" The Pokémon nodded with a powerful squeak as it summoned a intense burst of light that forced Skrub to shield his eyes and nearly knocked Hitmontop off-balance. "Now Thunderbolt!" Pikachu launched a vicious burst of electricity from its body, snaking towards Hitmontop and striking it with a mighty KRA-KOOM! Though it wasn't enough to knock out Hitmontop, it definitely made the Fighting-type stagger.

As Hitmontop wobbled to rebalance itself on its head, Skrub growled, but held a contemptful smirk. "Well, I can't say thay wasn't impressive," he replied. "Hitmontop, Shadow Rush!" At once, the Fighting-type span in place, kicking up incredible wind before launching itself forward at Pikachu and utterly crushing it with enough velocity to send it smashing clear into a tree. Poor Pikachu didn't stand a chance as it fell to the ground, completely out cold. "But like I said..." Skrub laughed as he watched Eagun run to help his Pokémon. "Crusty old geezers like you should not overdo it."

"Well, then why don't you pick on someone in your own age demographic?" Skrub turned to see Wes calling out to him, with Rui nearby.

"Ah, good. The so-called heroes have arrived." Skrub taunted. "Maybe you'll be more entertaining. Hitmontop, Shadow Rush!"

Wes didn't need Rui to tell him the inevitable. "Ivory, Reflect!" The Psychic Eon summoned another energy-field. Unlike with the bullets, however, it wasn't able to stop Hitmontop from barreling through and smashing into Ivory, though it did cushion enough of the blow for Ivory to stay standing long enough to counter with a Psybeam.

"Now, Makuhita! Cover Ivory!" Wes threw out another Poké Ball to call out Makuhita. "Go for a Vital Throw!" However, Makuhita went into a Shadow Rush instead and threw itself onto Hitmontop with ferocious force. For a while, Hitmontop was spinning randomly, roaring as it tried to buck off its chubby yellow passenger.

Finally, Hitmontop spun itself towards the stone pillar and rammed Makuhita against it. Almost as soon as it made contact, the scene was suddenly bathed in a powerful green light that quickly faded. While everybody rubbed their eyes to clear the view, Hitmontop and Makuhita laid on the ground (both apparently having fallen over in the confusion). The Makuhita was the first on its feet as it began looking around, looking as though it had come out of a trance.

His eyes still stinging, Wes looked around the glade. "What... just happened?" he asked.

Rui rubbed her eyes to look. "Wes... it's gone..." she whispered as she gazed intently at the Makuhita.

"Gone?"

"All that Shadow in Makuhita..." Eagun suddenly spoke up. "I can't see it anymore." Rui looked up at her grandfather oddly. Wes only shrugged.

"Aw, cripes!" Skrub groaned as Hitmontop hopped back onto its head. "Well, too bad for you, 'cause my Shadow Pokémon is still... huh?" Another bright light, this one pure white, began to shine as Makuhita suddenly began to grow in size and girth. When the light faded, another Pokémon stood in its place, larger and built like a sumo-wrestler.

"Well, this just keeps getting better and better," Wes replied with a smile. "Maku... I mean, Hariyama... Vital Throw!" At once Hariyama rushed forward and stood over Hitmontop, arms akimbo. Hitmontop predictably charged into a spinning Shadow Rush and struck its opposing Fighting-type, but Hariyama stood strong as its increased mass absorbed the blow. It then lashed out with his arms and grabbed Hitmontop by its waist, spinning it once around before slamming the victim into the ground.

Seeing it unaware, Wes armed his Snag Gauntlet and threw a Poké Ball to snag the Hitmontop. What he didn't expect was Skrub leaping forward in front of the ball, blocking its flight with his body. Before Wes could throw another, Skrub kicked the ball back to its owner, smacking him across the face.

"Hey, don't be a thief!" Skrub taunted. "Anyway, I did my part, so it's on to the next job." He reached for a radio on his belt. "All Peons, retreat! Fall back to the rendezvous!" Before anybody could grab him, Hitmontop hopped up and span right into the group of heroes, forcing them to dodge as Skrub ran for the cavern. "Hope you don't mind guarding rubble, geezer!" he announced as he recalled his Pokémon and dashed out of sight.

A beeping noise then caught the attention of Wes, and he, Rui, and Eagun turned to see the device flashing. Before anybody could say anything, Hariyama took the object from the pillar and laid it flat on the ground, then belly-flopped onto it with every last pound it could summon. Wes, Rui, and Eagun instinctively ran to the cavern for cover with their Pokémon, expecting the inevitable blast. What came instead was a muffled BOOM! as the object detonated beneath Hariyama's body.

"Hariyama!" Rui screamed as she ran back towards the glade. "Are you... okay?" Her answer was a low, but victorious grunt as Hariyama slowly stood up again before her eyes. Though it looked unsteady and had nasty burns on its stomach and around him, it was alive and the pillar was unharmed.

"Well, I'll be darned," Eagun chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing he evolved when he did, or else the Relic Stone would've been a bunch of relic rocks."

Rui turned to Eagun. "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

"I'm fine, but Pikachu's feeling pretty insulted. He can't believe he lost to someone who essentially cheated." At his feet, the electric Pokémon growled bitterly. "It's okay, Pikachu. You fought with honor. In any case, I owe you kids one."

"Think nothing of it," Wes replied.


Thankfully, all the Peons had left Agate Village when Skrub sounded his order, so the return to Eagun's house was peaceful. Apart from the bullet-holes on a few walls and some small fires that had been put out, no one would've known that there had been a battle.

"Honestly, Grandpa, what were you thinking?" Rui lectured for was was the third time as she and Wes followed Eagun back up the hill to his house. "Charging into battle with hardly a second thought? You could've been killed."

"Sorry, dear, but I had a duty as Village Elder to uphold," Eagun defended. "That punk was going to destroy the Relic Stone."

"Why?" Wes spoke up. "I mean, why go through all that trouble to blow up a piece of rock?"

"A little out-of-the-loop, I see..." Eagun laughed. "Tell you what, kids... Before we get back to my place, I think we'll pay ol' Senilor a visit."

"Senilor?" Wes raised an eyebrow.

"A friend of mine. Senilor's definitely not the sharpest tool in town, but when it comes to the Relic Stone, he's the authority bar-none. He's just up the hill here." Eagun led the two up an incline, where a bald old man in a simple black suit sat outside quietly. A Wobbuffet stood by him, silently standing as upright as it could on its stubby feet.

"Ah, Beluh, perfect timing," the old man greeted in a shaky, somewhat unstable voice. "Those weird-suited goons really wrecked my back and I could use some of that herbal tea."

Eagun sheepishly blushed. "Ah, he he... later, Senilor," he replied. "Anyway, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. Wes, Rui, this is Senilor."

The redhead approached the old man and smiled. "Hello, Mr. Senilor."

"Ah, Torchic! So great to see you," Senilor replied with a smile.

Wes raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Torchic?"

"Senilor... well, he's old, maybe the oldest man in this village," Eagun whispered to Wes and Rui. "Just play along."

"Well... okay..." Rui forced a smile. "So, Mr. Senilor, are you okay?"

"Just dandy, though like I said, those whachamacallim goons threw my back out of whack. Anyway, how can I help you young'ns?"

"I figured that so long as these kids are here, they should learn a few things," Eagun explained.

"That's always good. Let me tell you, kids these days... they don't know how good they have it. Back in my day, we didn't have them newfangled Pok Balls. We had to keep our Pokémon in... what were they, apricots? ... No, Apricorns, I think. Anyway, we held our Pokémon in our apricots, 'cause that was the style at the time... I think..." Senilor scratched his head. "And we didn't compete for those Badges, no sirree. We played for bottlecaps... or was it soda pulleys? Yeah, soda pulleys. We sent out our Pokémon from their apricots and fought for soda pulleys."

Wes raised his arms in exasperation. "Okay, this guy's obviously a few dozen screws loose," he quietly admitted.

"Wes!" Rui snapped before turning back to the old man. "Mr. Senilor," she continued, "Grandpa says you know about the Relic Stone, right? I mean, it's okay if you've forgotten about it, but-"

"Me, forget something like that? Never!" Senilor suddenly blurted out with confidence. "The Relic Stone in the forest below is said to have been blessed by Celebi. When one approaches it, they can't help but remember their fondest, happiest memories. Too bad it only seems to work on Pokémon, 'cause there's a lot of memories I would love to revisit." The old man briefly looked as if he was wishing for something. "Anyway, the people who worshipped the Relic also crafted Time Flutes with which to conduct special rituals for their Pokémon. It's said that playing one in front of the Relic can summon Celebi from anywhere in time or space, and that just being around Celebi brings complete happiness and purity to even the darkest of hearts... or so they say."

Wes whistled in disbelief. "That's... pretty detailed, coming from you."

"I may forget a lot of things, but never this," Senilor proudly admitted. "So, Torchic... why so curious?"

Rui smiled. "Don't know yet," she semi-bluffed. "But we'll let you know when we do."

"Aw, that's a good Torchic. You'll grow to be a great Blaziken yet." Senilor complimented in his own way. "Though I'm not sure about that there Slowpoke standing with you."

Wes gritted his teeth. "Slowpoke...?" he nearly shouted in disbelief. Rui only laughed as the mental image of Wes wearing a dopey look on his face crossed her mind. Fortunately, the beeping of his P*DA distracted him from the teasing as he opened up the message device:

Wes, it's a disaster! We've received word that Team Snagem is attacking Mt. Battle, along with strange-suited men like those Miror B. had with him. I don't know if this concerns you personally, but please help!
~Duking

"Eagun!" Wes shouted. "What's the fastest route to Mt. Battle from here?"

"It's just to the northeast. You can't miss it."

"Good, because I've got a little reunion with some old pals to get to."


As Wes marched down the hill to his Rumbler, Rui dashed after him. "Wait up! I'm going with you!" she called out.

"Not this time."

"What about-"

"Shadow Pokémon? I think I'm familiar with how to spot them by now." Wes hopped on his bike and stopped to glare at Rui. "I got you here like you wanted, so there's no more reason for you to risk getting killed. Now do your grandpa a favor and stay here."

"But Wes, I-" Her voice was drowned out as Wes revved up the Rumbler. Mere seconds later, he was driving out of sight, leaving Rui once more standing in the dust. "So I guess that's it then, huh?" she muttered. "I'm just going to sit around while you're going to risk your neck."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rui saw a hoverscooter lying next to a house. "Not on my watch!" she declared as she ran up to the house, hopefully to barter with the bike's owner.