Gaming Guardian

by Sorre

Aaron Phantomweiss dies and is dragged into the Pokemon World by Arceus and the celestial dragons for their entertainment. In compensation, Aaron gains the powers of the Gamer, edited to suit the new world in which he finds himself. !Gamer, !Eventual OP, !Semi-Self Insert, !Reincarnation/Transmigration

10. Chapter 10

Preface

Congratulations to Zyxis Ouroboros ReArchtypist for guessing the third pokemon correctly. Weirdly enough, I've been getting a ton of requests for vulpix/ninetales-a. While I love the species, it probably won't feature in the story. If it does, it'll be much, much later. The Alolan variants are supposed to have adapted independently of the continental regions and I'm not sure I can justify injecting a foreign species that explicitly doesn't live anywhere near Kalos into the story. I could go for the typical "abused vulpix is thrown away" story, but that's pretty boring. I did insert a trainer who had one of the kommo-o line during the Connecting Cave segment, but it'd be hard to explain why someone would go out of their way to get a rare subtype of pokemon but be willing to throw it away.

On a side note, if one does enter the story, it'll be female (as most of its species are), and extremely depressed. She'll basically be Juvia Lockser from Fairy Tail since she's never seen the sun thanks to Snow Warning. Except, I think you know me well enough to know that I don't put much stock into over-sexualized comic relief. So she'd just be a super depressed vulpix and you'll all hate me.

Chapter 10: Noticed

After leaving the two scientists behind, Aaron made for the entrance as quickly as he could. Now that he had no concern for exploration or a giant kangaskhan to slap him around, he made it out of the cave in record time and set up camp near the edge of the woods, a short ways away from the ranger station. He could have found a bed at the station, that was partly why they existed, but he didn't think he could explain away his exhaustion with a few stories about the cave. That was just as well, he really didn't want to see anyone right now. That night, he dreamed…

The golbat kept coming. No matter how many shots he fired into its skull, no matter how many times he slashed into the beast's face, no matter where he aimed or what he did, the bat just kept coming. He grimaced as he felt those massive fangs sink into his flesh. Bones crunched. He kicked it away, the fluttering of wings drowning out his screams. Even when it went down, he was denied the taste of victory. Every beat of his heart sent a pulse of venom through his body...

Fable's pained scream drew his attention. The nameless Flare grunt had managed to land a single bullet. Fable stumbled. One bullet turned to two. Two to three. The scrafty caught up and only a wet crunch marked his passing...

Isis tried, but she could not outrun the houndoom forever. The mist of Haze ran out. The houndoom was stronger than it first appeared. A dark pulse almost clipped her wing. The houndoom gave up and released dark aura indiscriminately, filling the cave and keeping her from using Teleport, sealing the one technique that kept her alive…

"NO!" Aaron shouted as he bolted up from his sleeping bag, heart pounding and drenched in cold sweat. Visions of their deaths repeated through his mind seemingly without end.

He flinched as he felt a furry appendage grab his arm. "Boss? You good?" his partner asked, his usual sarcasm and sass replaced with concern. Beside him, he could see Isis' blank eyes staring at him with worry.

"I-It was just a dream," he muttered, as much to reassure himself as his friends. "Nothing went wrong. We won…"

"Master… if you need to talk, we could listen."

"Thanks, Isis," he said, reaching out to muss her crest half-heartedly. "It was nothing. Sorry for disturbing you guys."

After reassuring his pokemon, he tried to go back to sleep, but could not. He changed his clammy shirt for a dry one and made himself comfortable, but sleep eluded him. 'Arceus… you there?'

"I am, Aaron."

'Do you remember when I first started this journey?'

"It wasn't too long ago," he said with a chuckle.

'The… the Lewis family orchard… Those guys gave me my first real quest… the zubats excluded…'

"What about them?"

Aaron shuffled and turned his pillow. 'Clyde's pangoro killed the venomoth. It was just looking for food.'

"Yes, I remember. You spent the time asking me about my creations."

'I also asked you why I didn't receive Gamer's Mind.'

"You did. You came to a conclusion that satisfied you if I recall."

'I…'

"You are upset and frustrated, more at yourself than anyone else." Giratina cut in. "You thought that the greater emotional freedom granted by the lack of Gamer's Mind would help you grow. You know that empathy is vital for the creation of bonds between you and your pokemon. You are frustrated because you view yourself as weak because you feel you've suffered for nothing."

'Shut up, Giratina,' he snarled.

"Perhaps throwing his insecurities in his face was unwise, sister," Dialga rumbled.

"Maybe, but he needs this." Suddenly, Aaron felt his body go numb, as though he were dropped into the Arctic Ocean. He tried to take a breath, but his body would not obey. "Listen well, Aaron Phantomweiss. If you want to sit here bitching and moaning just because you killed a few people, I will end our game here and take your soul now," she hissed.

He could feel her icy claws rake across him on a metaphysical level. His body was fine, there was nothing wrong with it, but a chill that spread from his very soul filled him. 'W-What the hell, Giratina?' He tried to fight off her influence, but it was akin to a fish trying to swim up the Niagara.

After a moment of struggling that seemed like days, he felt the icy pressure lift. "Enough, sister," Palkia's deep voice flooded over him, "You have done enough."

Giratina scoffed but relented. "Death is a part of life, brat. Get over it."

'Easy for you to say,' he bit out bitterly, 'You're the goddess of death. It's a part of you.'

"To an ant, every mountain must look the same, huh?" she laughed mockingly. "I am not Death, that's our sister Yveltal. I am the goddess of souls, that encompasses both life and death. Both Xerneas and Yveltal answer to me."

'How is that supposed to help me?'

"Believe it or not, Aaron, sister is trying to help you in her own abrasive way. Life and death are two sides of the same coin, administered by the same goddess. You cannot have one without the other and your actions do not condemn you to us in any way." Palkia said, much more gently.

'So why? Why is murder wrong in every culture? Why are humans inherently bothered by the thought of taking a life?'

"It bothers you because you have yet to forgive yourself. You have yet to reconcile the warrior you are with the scholar you were," Dialga said, "In some ways, this is great news. When we chose an aura guardian to walk the earth once more, we did not want a puppet. We did not want someone whose identity would require our constant validation. We do not care about the lives you claimed, but that you are so bothered means the one you need forgiveness from is yourself."

"So no, we will not magically wish away your emotional troubles," Arceus said, "You must find your own validation."

'... thanks, everyone…'

Even after the end of his conversation with the primordials, he spent the night tossing and turning, too afraid of his own mind to allow himself to sleep. 'What does it mean to forgive myself…?' The way he figured it, he could either accept that he was a killer, or he could go insane. He would not delude himself or make excuses. Yes, he killed to protect those scientists, but when he asked himself whether he would have been as brutal had there been no hostages, he could not offer a conclusive response. 'It's them or us. I wasn't going to stay out of it and keeping enemies alive is stupid. I… I won't go against the laws of war, but I refuse to be sorry about deaths that occur in combat,' he resolved to himself.

For your bout of inner reflection and reconciliation, you have earned 2 WIS!

'.. thanks, overgrown lizards.' He drifted off into a more restful sleep, too addled to notice the pair of pulsing, crimson eyes glowing in the distance.

X

When morning came, Aaron shook off the weariness from his lack of sleep and greeted his pokemon cheerfully. After a light breakfast, he moved back down to the cave entrance and waited. Soon enough, he saw the two scientists emerge from the cave and place a simple ziplock bag of luminous moss on the cavern floor. After waiting for them to depart, he weighed the green substance in his hands. 'This should be… forty-five grams or so?'

Closing his eyes, he looked within himself and shoved every drop of aura into Agility. After twin stacks, he rushed towards fossil lab and made the journey in only an hour and a half. Putting on his mask, he made it to the fossil lab and dropped the bag of fossils at their doorstep. 'Contract fulfilled, I guess…'

Repeated use of Agility's second iteration has increased its level by 1!

'Huh, neat.' After a quick shower, and still hours before the two scientists could come back to report their findings, he moved down to the pokemart to deliver the moss.

William the pharmacist was there, tiredly rubbing his eyes and nursing a cup of coffee. "Yo," he called.

"Hey, I just got back. I got the goods if ya got the cash," Aaron said gruffly.

William snorted. "You can stop acting like a two-bit drug dealer. It's just moss."

"Lies, who knows what kind of sketchy chemicals you're planning on making with this stuff? Maybe you'll create the next big drug that'll send illicit trade skyrocketing. It would then force gangs to go to war for the limited resource while someone murders you in an attempt to steal the secret formula. The war will drive recruitment and the League will have to get involved. The League would be forced to use lethal force and diminish the trust people have in authority, leading to the collapse of society as we know it," he spat out as quickly as possible. Taking a deep breath, he brought out a premade tinfoil hat from behind his back and put it on with a flourish. Aaron then stared skeptically at William. "You won't bring about the collapse of society as we know it… will you?"

"..." The pharmacist stared at Aaron, then back to his coffee. "It's too early for your shit," he grumbled. "Just shut up and give me the moss…"

He fished the bag out of his pocket. Even in the bright fluorescent lighting, the green moss glowed a beautiful neon hue. "What's this stuff used in anyway? You're not secretly part of a drug cartel or anything, are you?"

He scoffed. "Yeah, right. Dealing in pokemon medicine illegally is basically a death wish. Sure, it's really more like a trial and a long prison sentence, but if the rangers 'accidentally' kill you during the bust, the League tends to look the other way. Anyway, the luminous moss is used to make a waterproof, non-toxic balm. It's popular among rock and fire type trainers that live near a lot of watery habitats, like here. It's not super expensive, but it's still a bit higher up on the price table because it's annoying to harvest and hard to cultivate."

Aaron nodded and handed it over, receiving the quest completion notice.

Quest Complete: Not a Rolling Stone

Details: "A rolling stone gathers no moss…" It's a good thing you've got no musical talent whatsoever then, eh? Gather some moss because music is your Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Objective: Gather 30 grams worth of luminous moss from the Glittering Cave.

Bonus Objective: Gather extra moss, reward for every 15 grams extra.

Rewards

- 1 hyper potion.

- 1 Herbal Elixir.

- 200 EXP.

Bonus Rewards

- 15 EXP per 15 grams collected.

- 10 credits per 15 grams collected.

"Alright, you got me a bit more than I needed so here's 10 credits and my special Herbal Elixir for your trouble." He handed over some pocket change and a vial of purple liquid.

"Lovely, I'm sure your mystery juice will go great with a shot of vodka," he snarked. "What is it anyway?"

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it. It's an Ambrette specialty. My grandmother used to make it when I was younger."

"Alright… what do you drink it for? Is it an antidote or something? That could be really useful."

"Bah, I can sell you antidotes just fine. No, grandma had me drink these every year on my birthday. It's supposed to make me smarter or something. I mean, I turned out great, right?" he said with a massive grin.

"Right… thanks…" 'I'm going to go ahead and assume this is one of those RPG things… God, it's weird when it happens in real life.' "While I'm here, can you get me two dozen or so potions? Or if you can, super potions?"

"Super potions are expensive you know. Seventy credits apiece isn't exactly cheap."

"Yeah, but they might save my pokemons' lives someday. Give me two dozen." He winced as his savings took a massive hit. '1680 credits… Good thing food in my inventory doesn't rot.' Aaron said goodbye and shuffled out of the mart with only 159 credits to his name. 'I feel like I just got out of a drug deal…' Behind him, while both men were not looking, potions and bottles levitated, only to rearrange themselves in strange patterns. With a soft giggle, the spectre followed him out.

X

Seeing how the two scientists wouldn't be back in town until the afternoon, Aaron dragged Sophie out of bed and carried her sleepy husk to the training fields. Surprisingly, after a glass of orange juice, she was much more compliant than usual. Her typical self would have rebelled at the idea of training, especially in the morning. She mumbled something about watching trainers battle the day before and released her three pokemon. She tried to sit down on the benches, but he dragged her to her feet.

"Come on, Soph, if you're going to make your pokemon work, you're going to join them."

She glared murderously but acquiesced when he gently pushed her towards her pokemon. "Alright, fine, you workout nut. What do I do?"

"If you were me, I'd have you spar against Yuengling, but I think the mienfoo might snap your neck on accident so let's not do that. Instead, you and Shiner are going to run laps. Well, Shiner's going to fly. The swablu line's main method of flight is by riding the air rather than actively flapping. That means they trade the speed and stamina of more aggressive fliers like pidgeot and talonflame in exchange for longer airtime and better control over air currents in general. Shiner needs to develop her wing muscles and you need to develop… everything." He ignored the indignant squawking and pressed on. "You're each going to do laps for as long as you can. If you slow down too much…" He trailed off but made a show of putting rubber bullets into his pistol.

"You're going to shoot us? You're cruel!"

"Rubber," he pointed out, "Besides, pain's a great motivator. I don't have unrealistic standards. Just don't slow down too much and give it your all. Jog at a reasonable pace and I won't have to shoot your backside," he said with a wicked grin. He tossed his own pokeballs, releasing Fable and Isis.

Yuengling and Fable eyed each other cautiously. Throughout the past few weeks, the two had become something like rivals. Despite his relative age, Fable was much better trained than Yuengling, faster, and had a better handle on his own abilities. Yuengling kept up because he had a type advantage. "Yuengling and Fable, you two are going to spar. No hold bars. We're in a pokemon center so we may as well make use of the free healing. Kick each others' asses half to death for all I care."

He then turned to the only two left: Corona the litleo and his faithful natu, Isis. "You two are going to play tag. Corona, you're going to try to catch Isis. Isis, you're only allowed to Teleport every ten seconds. This is meant to build up your species' naturally weak wing strength. When you evolve, I want you to immediately be able to use Air Slash." He turned his holo caster to the timer app and left them to it. Then, he marched himself to one corner of the training field, where he began his standard workout while keeping an eye on the rest.

After an hour and a single STR point, he called them for a small break and had them switch things up. This time, Isis was forbidden from moving outside of a circle drawn in the dirt. She would have to either jump in a limited space or block Corona's Embers using Peck. He was hoping she would figure out Confusion when she found out that Peck would be ineffective. Fable was sent to do more earth manipulation exercises and Yuengling took to running suicides to improve his speed. Finally, he gave Sophie some light exercises to do for her upper body and blindfolded Shiner. The swablu was taught to sense the changes in air pressure, just as he had with Isis.

By the time lunch rolled around, he thought they made decent progress. Isis managed to stop Corona's Ember a handful of times. Not long, only for a few seconds, but still enough for her to get out of the way. Corona's fire also felt a bit hotter. Fable was starting to make earth manipulation instinctual and Aaron was swearing up and down that Fable's ears looked more rigid, a sign of impending evolution. Yuengling was content to finally have a decent workout and Shiner had "watched" everyone's exercises while blindfolded, using the change in air pressure to guess at what was happening around her. She wasn't entirely successful, but she was on the right track.

X

"Why are we headed to the lab again?" Sophie asked as she cradled Corona in her arms. The flaming cub purred contentedly as she stroked the back of his ears.

"We're leaving tomorrow. Or at least, I planned to leave tomorrow. I wanted to see the amaura one more time," he said. 'And get the Aerodactylite.'

She stuck her tongue out. "They let me play with her while you were galavanting around some cave."

Aaron did a double take. "Really? They let you inside the enclosure?"

"Yeah! Apparently, all the immunizations and such have already been taken care of so as long as I helped out with cleaning the place, they let me take care of her for a day. They even let me bring my pokemon inside," she gushed.

'Huh… I wonder…'

When they entered the lab, Aaron saw the two scientists he had rescued speaking in hushed whispers with Vincent. Sophie, unaware of the circumstances, gave him a cheerful wave. "Dr. Grear, can I go see Aurora again?" she called.

"Sophie, back again I see. I'm sorry, but now isn't a good time," he started apologetically, only for the older man to stop him with a hand.

"Hold on, Vincent. You say this young lady has already met our prehistoric friend?"

"Yes, they get along quite well, really."

"And… you've confirmed that we've received the fossils… correct?"

The researcher's face turned grave. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss this in the open."

The two men and the flunky hustled into the back and after fifteen minutes of awkwardly standing around, they returned with a pokeball and a stone that reminded him a violet marble. Dr. Vincent Grear held out the pokeball to Sophie. "Young lady, due to some outstanding circumstances, we would like for you to take Aurora with you."

Aaron would have laughed at how solemn this all was, but the haunted look in the older gentleman's face stopped him. Next to him, Sophie gaped like a feeding wailord. "W-Wait what? You want me… to take… Aurora? Why? Weren't you going to study her?"

"Not to worry, my dear. We've taken all the biological samples we'll need. We even have some of her teeth from when she lost and replaced them, part of her natural growth cycle, I'm sure."

"But still, you wouldn't give a rare pokemon to just anyone, so why me?"

This time, the scientist Aaron met in the cave answered her. He wrung his hands nervously. "You see… when my intern and I were at the Glittering Cave, we were attacked by a criminal syndicate called Team Flare. We were saved though, by a rather intimidating fellow by the name of Lupin." He turned to Aaron. "At any rate, Lupin saved our lives and even returned the fossils, but at a price. He made me promise to gift Aurora to the first person she bonded to. It's really one big coincidence, really, how you happened to be visiting her while I was in the cave. If you hadn't visited the day before, I would even say it was planned."

Sophie shot Aaron a dangerous glare, the same glower that women instinctively mastered. It said, "We'll talk later and you will answer." "Yeah… a coincidence…"

"If I were to keep the amaura, she would just be a reminder of a time I'd rather forget. So, please take her." He then handed the violet orb towards Aaron. "I also heard from my colleague that you were asking about mega evolution. Take this. Perhaps it'll do you good."

He wanted to snatch it out of his hand and run out of the lab screaming "No takesies backsies," but controlled himself and played his part. "I have to ask as well. Are you sure? If I'm not mistaken, that should be a mega stone," he said with a practiced curious look.

"Yes, yes it is. For which species, I have no idea. This was another object that Lupin fellow made me swear to give away. In a way, he's right. Mega evolution can only be achieved by the power of bonds. As such, this belongs with a trainer who is actively searching for it, not in a lab."

"If you're sure… I mean, I won't give this back…" he trailed off.

"I'm quite sure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I have a few week's vacation days saved up." With that, the somber researcher shuffled his way back inside with a tired slump. The duo bid Vincent Grear a hasty goodbye and made their way outside.

You have obtained the Aerodactylite! You have gained 500 EXP! Your attributes have all risen by 2!

"Aaron…" Sophie began.

"Not here," he shushed her, "I'll explain as much as I can, but later."

X

"Talk," Sophie demanded with all the authority an angry sixteen-year-old girl could muster. She ended up looking like an angry puppy soaked in the bath too long, but he could tell she wasn't going to let this go. As soon as they got back to the pokemon center, she had dragged him to his room by his collar, ignoring the catcalls from trainers misinterpreting her actions for something more adult in nature.

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"You were there at the cave." A nod. "You saved them. Don't even deny it. You're Lupin."

He raised his hands defensively. "I wasn't going to."

"Good," she sniffed, "You also rigged things somehow so that I'll end up with Aurora and you'll get the mega stone." She gasped like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head. "You stole a mega stone from Viscount Shabboneau!"

"Shhh! Why don't you scream that a little louder? I don't think they heard you back in Camphrier."

"You're a thief!"

"Yes, but I didn't steal anything valuable."

"The mega stones aren't valuable?" she asked in the same tone mothers used to confront their children. Aaron had the distinct feeling of being chastised like a five-year-old.

"They are, but not to him. The stone has no monetary value and honestly, he had no idea what it even was!"

"And that makes it okay to steal a family heirloom?"

"No… but I told you how I got Isis, right?"

"Yes… you won her from the viscount. Don't tell me you stole her too, Aaron," she cried as she cradled her head in her hands.

"No, of course not! When I first went to ask for the flute, we had a battle and I won Isis by beating his bodyguard or somesuch!"

"Then what does she have to do with this?"

"You know she's blind." A nod. "Well, she was neglected because of it so…"

"You're making excuses," she accused.

"Okay," he sighed, "I am. But in my defense, he's hardly going to miss it."

"Why do you care about the mega stones so much? I mean, you need some kind of super bond with your pokemon, right? And do you even know which pokemon they respond to?"

"Mawile and aerodactyl," he said automatically. "The stone I got from the fat lard is a Mawilite. The one I just got is an Aerodactylite. I know that because I'm an aura guardian." 'And because I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of pokemon from the perspective of a video game protagonist, but semantics.' "Look, I know you're not happy about this, but I'm collecting the stones because they're an important part of my growth as an aura guardian."

"Aura guardians had mega evolutions?" she asked skeptically.

"No."

"Then you don't need them either."

"I don't mean that I'm going to go look for a mawile now," he snapped, "I mean that the stones themselves influence my growth."

"What are you? A pokemon?"

"I may as well be considering how I can use their moves," he drawled. "Back to the amaura, I didn't have any intention of getting you the little dinosaur. Honestly, I just made the guy promise to give the amaura to someone who bonded with it. It's entirely a coincidence that you just happened to get all buddy buddy with the thing while I was gone."

"And the Aerodactylite? Is that really what we're calling it? Because that's a mouthful…"

"You can call it meganite if you want. It's the same thing. And yeah, I did intend to collect the stone one way or another but come on, I didn't do it illegally."

"This time," she accused.

"I don't see you running off to return the amaura."

She cradled her new addition reflexively. "Her name is Aurora." Aaron shot her an unimpressed glare. She sighed, defeated. "Fine, but this doesn't make me accessory to your crimes."

He smiled, victorious. "No, no it doesn't. You're just really lucky."

"And you have to promise me. No. More. Stealing."

"I don't steal anything except mega stones," he said defensively. "If I really felt like it, I could leave a Teleport marker in my room, bust into a bank at night, shove all the money in my inventory, then use Teleport to appear back in my room as though nothing happened. I'm not a monster, Sophie."

"Banks have dark types that use a low-density dark pulse around the area specifically to prevent that kind of thing," she noted dryly.

"Fine, but my point is that I could do so much more than steal a few artifacts."

"Maybe, but saying you're not as bad as you could be is hardly a good argument!"

He crossed his arms defensively. "I have morals, okay? They may not be as snow white and squeaky clean as yours, but they exist."

"And I'm saying you need better standards," she huffed. "Promise me you're not going to steal anymore. The last thing I need is to be traveling with a kleptomaniac. By Arceus! My brother is a ranger! I'm obligated to help him arrest you!"

"I'm not going to win here, am I?" he nursed a throbbing headache. "I promise I that I'll only steal mega stones." Glower. "And that I'll only resort to theft as a final option."

She continued to stare at him, judging him, even as he stubbornly looked away. "That's the best I'm going to get?" Silence. "Fine, that'll do. For now…"

He knew that wouldn't be the end of it, but let out a relieved sigh anyway. "Thank you. Now, is there anything you wanted to do before leaving?"

"No…"

"Fine, if you want to sulk here, that's great. But at least let me meet Aurora."

Grudgingly, she tossed her ball on the floor. As it bounced back into her hand, a red glow filled the room. The little dinosaur was only about as high as his waist, but Aaron knew that she would grow to dwarf him in a mere few weeks. Months at most. She looked around the room curiously, her twin sails scattering the light to create a shimmering halo above her brow.

"You are beautiful," he breathed.

"Not as beautiful as me, I hope," came a giggling voice from beneath the bed.

"Eep!" Sophie squeaked in surprise and Aaron aimed a gun he hadn't been holding a moment ago.

"Hehehehe, relax, you silly children." A shadow expanded to cover the floor. From within the void, a disembodied head lifted into the air. The face was… attractive… in a distorted sense, normal enough to be easily recognizable as human, but with enough abnormalities to convince the viewer that something was very wrong. The dusky green head with her golden eyes and crimson irises peered at them with a coy smirk. "What? Speechless? Yes, I have that effect on people."

"I… You… What…"

"Aaron? You didn't get a new pokemon, did you?" Sophie asked shakily.

"No… I don't think so…?" He stared curiously at the misdreavus. "I think I'd remember picking up a ghost type."

The amaura felt it had enough of being ignored and let out a crooning wail before thumping her new trainer's foot.

"Ow! Aurora, why!" Sophie cried as she nursed her bruised toes. The chilly sauropod snorted in response before looking away in a huff.

Aaron massaged his head to dispel a growing a migraine. "Lovely, we've got two divas now…"

"Glad you understand, master," the misdreavus chortled as she knocked her head against an empty pokeball. "We'll talk later. I'm not fond of the light anyway."

"Okay… That was weird. On the plus side, we just have to deal with the cute dino now," Sophie grinned as she began scratching her new pokemon's sail.

Aurora preened at her ministrations. "Well of course. With a name like Aurora, I must be adorable."

The allure of seeing a new pokemon up close shriveled up and died like a jellyfish in the middle of the desert. "And… of course she's a spoiled little princess." He rolled his eyes. "Guess what, Sophie, your new dino is going to want to be pampered twenty-four seven."

She laughed and hugged the little pokemon to her chest. "I'm okay with that," she grinned gleefully. "How many people can say they have a fossil pokemon?"

"Don't worry, Aaron, I'll make sure she doesn't grow too spoiled," Shiner sniffed from atop her head.

Sophie began to scratch Aurora's neck, just behind the sails, and a curious rumble filled the room. It sounded like a cross between a purr and a more reptilian hiss, rhythmic and melodic but primal all the same.

"Is she purring, boss?"

"Looks like it, Fable. I didn't know that was possible… Pokemon are weird…" Shelving the strange biological function of a purring dinosaur for the moment, Aaron whipped out his pokedex and scanned the amaura.

Amaura: Amaura are pokemon restored from 100 million-year-old fossils. Their fossils are found only in the southwestern coast of Kalos, suggesting that the now temperate region was at one point a frozen tundra. It is theorized that their ancestors fled from warmer climates into tundra to escape predators, eventually developing an ice typing over the course of millions of years. They, along with lapras, stand as the only two known reptilian ice types, with the glaring exception of the Legendary Kyurem. Scientists have found that they are cold-blooded, but survive in icy climates thanks to certain proteins that optimize oxygen intake under cold temperatures. This pokemon is extremely rare and its social and psychological norms are shrouded in mystery.

Aaron let out a low whistle. "You're going to have your hands full, Soph. Congratulations though, you are now a pioneer in learning more about this new pokemon species."

"Lovely…" she brightened quickly, "at least I have my own personal translator."

He chuckled. And began packing his bags. "Maybe, but I recommend you try to understand her quickly. Hopefully, you'll be able to build a rapport with her soon because I refuse to stay in Shalour just to be your interpreter."

X

Xerosic and Lysandre were standing in front of a one-way glass looking at a thoroughly traumatized woman. Her bright orange suit had been replaced by a white hospital gown. She sat silently, staring listlessly at the one-way glass.

"Well, Xerosic? Just who is this 'Lupin' character?" Lysandre demanded.

"I… honestly do not know," he bit out. For a scholar who earnestly believed humanity's progress lay in the accumulation of knowledge, even that small admission was painful to say. "He first appeared on our radar when I was attempting to secure some funds for an independent project of mine. He got to my target first."

Lysandre's eyebrow lifted a fraction of an inch. "An independent project?" he asked.

"N-Nothing you'd be interested in, sir," he said guardedly, "it's just a bit of side work on robotics and human prosthetics."

His superior grunted his dismissal. "Go on."

"I don't think he intended to stop me intentionally. He just happened to be in Camphrier. I later found out that he was stealing a mega stone from the viscount."

"Yes…" Lysandre fiddled with his holo caster for a moment before the news article from Camphrier popped up. On it was a picture of the viscount, the statue, and the jewel that had been taken. "To think I didn't notice the fool had a stone…"

"Anyway, from that, I concluded that he was a master thief looking to collect the mega stones for one purpose or another. Perhaps he is trying to find one for his partner pokemon, or maybe he intends to sell to the highest bidder. I don't know."

"And what have you learned from her?" Lysandre's eyes flitted towards the despairing woman.

The corpulent doctor sighed in frustration. "Not much. As with the first time, he wore a mask. He showed superior strength and speed and a distinct lack of remorse for killing in battle. This tells me that he's likely a mercenary of some sort, possibly one that's fallen on harder times. That might explain the thievery. She couldn't even tell me what pokemon he used because the cavern was filled with mist! She just keeps babbling about haunting music!"

"..." The business mogul mulled over those words for a bit. "That is rather vexing… It does reinforce the idea that he is or was at one point a professional soldier. To take out multiple people and pokemon without revealing a single clue as to his capabilities… There are too many pokemon capable of using obscuring techniques. Mist, Smokescreen, and Haze all come to mind. I'm sure there are others. The music as well… have you tried to find out what she heard?"

"Yes, sir," he growled. "According to her, the song came from everywhere at once. At first, I thought it was Sing, but none of them fell asleep so I ruled that out. It clearly wasn't an offensive technique either so I dismissed the whismur line as well. My best bet is some sort of pokemon capable of moving quickly or using Teleport to create the illusion that there are more of them than in actuality. I thought of bird pokemon, but that doesn't help us. How many people have flying types?"

"Can you show her some sounds and have her identify them?"

"I tried that already. She just panics at anything resembling birdsong. I'd also like to point out that not all singing pokemon are birds. Gardevoir can sound like something similar as well."

Lysandre sighed and dreamed of the bottle of exclusive scotch hidden in the bottom drawer of his office. "Fine… what else can you tell me?"

"I did some digging. The fossils her team was sent to retrieve were returned back to the lab."

"So he wasn't after them then… Either he meant to stop Team Flare… or he thought fossils and mega stones were related. Scour our men. Make sure there are no moles, Xerosic. I won't take that chance."

"And if it happens again?"

"Then we can conclusively determine that he is our enemy… and get rid of him."

"Very well."

X

Three faces looked at one another through a video conference call. One was a dark-skinned young man with teased hair. Grant, the gym leader of Cyllage and de facto protector of the southwestern corner of Kalos, stared at his colleagues. The second was a woman, a major in the KFR assigned to the region. The final individual was an old man who shook his head sadly.

"Doctor Wilde," Grant began, "what can you tell me about the corpses in Glittering Cave?"

The old man stroke his beard and took a drink of water. "Nothing much," he said. "I conducted an autopsy as you asked, but nothing really valuable could be gleaned from the bodies. This Lupin fellow uses a blade and 9mm bullets, standard issue."

"That is unfortunate. Isn't there a way to track the bullets to the seller?"

The major spoke up. "There is. Each pack of bullets sold in Kalos has a serial number. However, the jury's still out on whether or not we can get anything out of them. It's not as though they don't get lost or sold on the black market."

Grant nodded. "Was there anything special about the bodies? What did the scientists say about the incident?"

"Only that Lupin is a capable combatant," the major said in clipped tones. "He was strong enough to hold back a scrafty using a combat knife for some time. We found the tip of the knife broken in its skull." There was a measure of respect from the stern woman. "Pity, anyone capable of doing something like that could be a great asset to the rangers."

"I see."

"Also, the witnesses confirmed that the dead men called themselves Team Flare. They were there to steal the fossils from the excavation, possibly in order to revive and sell the rare pokemon."

"So a matter of self-defense then."

"Do we kick this up to the powers that be?" the doctor asked.

"No… there's no reason to take this to the Elite Four quite yet," Grant murmured. "For now, let's mark him as a person of interest. He is wanted for questioning, but I'm not sure he can be called a national threat."

"Very well, Marquis. What of the pair that received the mega stone and amaura?"

"Coincidental… maybe… Let us observe them for now. There isn't any concrete evidence to bring them in for questioning."

"Understood."

X

That night, alone in his room save for his two teammates, Aaron let the misdreavus out of her ball. She looked around as the light faded before meeting his gaze. In the darkness, the dusky green of her skin blended perfectly with the shadows, leaving only a pair of crimson rubies surrounded by pools of gold to mark her presence.

"Hello, my new master. I suppose now is a better time to talk since that nuisance is no longer here," she sniffed.

"Sophie isn't a nuisance," he replied automatically.

"Oh? Who said anything about Sophie?"

Aaron breathed in, then out. "Okay, yeah, she can be a bit annoying, but no more than any other sixteen-year-old girl."

The misdreavus shrugged. "As you say, master."

"Right, now I'm sure you've got a great reason for suddenly showing up to be my pokemon, but introductions first. My name is Aaron Phantomweiss. The bunny is Fable and the bird is Isis. Questions?"

"Just one: Do I get a name too?" she said with a coy smile.

Aaron sighed. There was something about that smile that threw him off a bit. It promised pleasure and pain in equal measure. It screamed of mischief and anarchy while proclaiming the innocence of its wearer. He let out another tired sigh and flipped his pokedex.

Misdreavus: Misdreavus are notorious among ghost type trainers for being more akin to pests than true threats. They often mimic the sounds of crying women to unnerve their victims, seemingly for amusement. It was once thought that fear and other such emotions are a source of nourishment, but that theory has been debunked. Wild misdreavus live away from population centers and those in captivity have shown no negative symptoms from being deprived of fear. Phoebe, the Hoenn Elite, referred to fear as "candy," a treat to be had sparingly. While they are seen as pests, it should be noted that truly angering one is a very bad idea. Only one case of this exists, but in this case, a man tried to coax his sneasel to steal the crimson gems off the misdreavus. The reasons are unclear, but the outcome speaks for itself. His brother, who was in an entirely separate region, died under mysterious circumstances only three weeks later. His parents, cousins, and children soon followed. By the end of six months, he took his own life. How much responsibility can the misdreavus claim for this tragedy? How much of it was simple luck or paranoia reinforcing the victims' thoughts?

This misdreavus has the ability, Levitate, and knows the moves Destiny Bond, Imprison, Curse, Psywave, Spite, Astonish, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, and Hex.

"Don't touch the necklace. Got it," Aaron said dryly. "That is an impressive move list though."

"Indeed. Now do I get a name or not? I'd like on that captures my elegant majesty," she sniffed, flipping her hair in a move straight out of a shampoo commercial designed with Satan as the audience. Her ghostly hair seemed to float in a display that was both weirdly alluring and deeply uncomfortable. The pink highlights didn't help.

"Sure, but only after you tell me how you ended up here."

The ghost bobbed erratically in the air. "Okay, fine. You know, women don't like pushy men," she pouted. Seeing that she wasn't going to get a rise out of him, she started talking. "I first saw you at Maya's cave. I mean, sure, Maya crushed you, but do you have any idea how rare it is to find an aura guardian these days?"

Aaron chuckled sheepishly. "You saw that then… And yes, I'm the last aura guardian. There are humans with supernatural abilities like Sabrina in Kanto, but no one that has an intrinsic connection to aura like I do. Is that why you decided to follow me? Because I'm an aura guardian?"

She shrugged, or whatever was a floating head's equivalent. "Nope. I mean, that's cool and all, but that's just a part of it. No, what really impressed me was your fight with those orange people." Her perpetual smile grew by several molars, taking on a distinctly distorted appearance he wouldn't find amiss on the Joker. "You were so ruthless," she crowed, "The way you cut them down. Terrorized them. Their fear was scrumptious."

The room seemed to fill with an unearthly pressure at the misdreavus' delight. The sheer joy she expressed upon just thinking about the fear he caused unsettled him, but he steeled himself. "I didn't do it because I enjoyed their suffering," Aaron replied coldly. "The tactics I used were the best fit for minimizing danger to my own pokemon. That. Is. All. If you're expecting that to be a regular occurrence, you're going to be disappointed."

The ghostly witch looked completely unsurprised at that. "Oh, I know, master. In fact, I know you were greatly discomforted by causing so much unnecessary pain. I don't see what the problem was, but I heard. I saw you speak to the great goddess and how she chastised you. You, who can commune with the Distortion, there can be no one better fit to lead her high priestess."

Aaron was… baffled. 'Giratina? You have a priestess?'

"Don't ask me. I knew the whelp was watching, but I don't recall naming anyone a priest, never mind a high priestess," the chaos dragon gave the equivalent of a mental shrug.

"See! I knew it! You speak to her!" The excited misdreavus twirled around his head like a child on a sugar high. "Please, master, please let me join you!"

"Huh… so you're not schizophrenic, boss?" Fable remarked dryly. "Seriously though, I can't sense anything. Isis?"

The tiny bird pokemon shook her head. "I can feel his aura change slightly, but I don't feel anything divine about it. Perhaps it's a quirk of ghost types."

Aaron nodded. "Probably. Remember what I said about ghost type aura when I learned Night Shade. A ghost type's power comes from the Distortion World, the spiritual plane that mirrors this physical plane. Since Giratina is the only being there, it makes sense that ghosts are sensitive to her presence." He turned to the misdreavus. "Can you hear what she's saying?"

"Oh, no, of course not. Her voice is not for this lowly one to hear, master. By following you, I hope to one day be worthy of hearing it for myself. Her presence alone," she shivered in ecstasy, "it is like the greatest high, the most delicious meal, the most mind-blowing orgasm, and the peace of deep meditation all in one. Her aura washes over me, master."

"Please tell me that not every ghost will throw themselves at me like this…" he groaned. The more he spoke with her, the surer he became: There was something wrong with that misdreavus.

"Heh, this is kind of funny," Giratina chortled, "but no, not every ghost will treat you like this. In fact, some might take the opposite route and attack you for being able to speak with me despite not being a ghost. It might even be considered insulting to some. This one… she's just weird… It's very possible that other ghosts just won't care. It's not like I demand worship after all."

His palm met his face. "Lovely…" he muttered through his hand.

"On the bright side, Aaron, you can't possibly ask for a more loyal pokemon," Palkia pointed out.

'Loyal to who though?' he thought, 'I want to earn that loyalty as a trainer, not because the giant centipede with Tourette's won't stay out of my head.'

"Oh, just take her, Aaron. Who knows? If she actually manages to impress me, I might bless her for real," Giratina snorted, not entirely able to suppress her giggles.

'You really had nothing to do with this?'

"Nope, she really is just an odd one."

He reached out to grab the disembodied head. She felt solid yet not, something akin to mist that somehow conformed to his fingers. He'd have likened her to jello, but there was a firmness there that seemed otherworldly. "Look, fine. You can be my pokemon." He covered his ears to suppress the squeal. "With a few conditions: First, no terrorizing people without my permission. Second, try to get along with everyone we travel with. You don't have to be friends with Sophie, her pokemon, or even Fable and Isis, but I expect you to not kill each other. Third, You, Fable, and Isis are family. That means you look out for each other. Clear?" She nodded vigorously. Then, an idea struck him. It was an unholy plan, a wicked thing that crawled up from the depths of Cthulhu's buttcrack to haunt the realm of men, but the idea had taken root. "Finally," he spoke solemnly, "I have communed with the goddess. She demands that hymns be written about her greatness, to be sung on the nights with a full moon. She demands that the message of her benevolence be preached to every new pokemon you meet, to the accompaniment of a song, as befits her majesty. Do you agree to compose these hymns? Will you spread the words of the goddess to all?"

"Oh, you son of a bitch," Giratina groaned, but there was a measure of respect there, "nice one…"

"Hahahaha, he got you, sister," Palkia cackled.

Through creative use… possible abuse… of the trust of your new pokemon, you've gained 2 REP with Palkia. You've gained 1 REP with Arceus, Dialga, and Giratina. You've gained 1 WIS. Now don't make a habit of it.

He would have laughed with them had not a ghostly blur crashed against his chest. "Oh, yes, yes, master! I will spread her glorious name until even the dirt sings her praises!"

"Great," he stroked her phantasmal hair, "now I'm going to give you a name… How about Salem?"

"That sounds nice, master, suitably solemn for the high priestess," she nodded proudly.

"Don't get your hopes up, buddy," Fable chuckled, "for all we know, it could mean 'green snot.'"

The newly christened Salem blew him an impressive raspberry. "Master wouldn't do that. Would you, master?" She stared at him with the soulful eyes of an abused puppy.

"No, Salem's actually pretty cool name. Where I'm from, it's the name of a town where several witches were killed. Since then, it's been rumored to be haunted, a home for ghosts. It's appropriate that Giratina's high priestess acts as a refuge for ghosts, right?" he said, laughing nervously. 'Dead things shouldn't be that cute…'

"Of course! Salem I shall be."

"Great…" 'Huh… what my Reputation is with this one anyway?' He opened up his Reputation menu.

Reputation (Aaron)

- Fable: 27

- Isis: 23

- Salem: 34

- Arceus: 14

- Palkia: 15

- Dialga: 8

- Giratina: 11

- Sophie Castellan: 12

- Morgan Castellan: 2

Reputation (Lupin)

- Kalos Public: -10

- Ambrette Fossil Lab: 2

- Team Flare: -20

Congratulations! Your REP with an individual has reached 34 or higher. You are Adored by that person. Your CHA has risen by 1!

'Great… I've got a cultist to adore me… Wait til she finds out I can talk to all the celestials…'

X

Unsurprisingly, he didn't get much sleep the previous night. When she found out about her new master's familiarity with the "divine family" as she called them, her opinion of him rose by a whopping 18 REP. She was still in the "Adored" category, but he was almost afraid of what might happen if she became too affectionate.

The following morning, he introduced Salem properly to Sophie and her own team. He should have been surprised, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to feel that way when Salem burst into song praising the phantom goddess. She… wasn't the most popular pokemon, not that the quirky ghost cared much.

Only an hour later, Aaron and Sophie found themselves on the beaches of Route 8, staring longingly at the white sand and lapping waves. Initially, they had been looking forward to the trek to Cyllage, the beaches of the region were known for excellent weather, gentle waves, and warm water. Their hopes were cut short when they received alerts through their holo casters, warning all travelers away from the immediate coastline. This was the time of the year when algal blooms colored the ocean green. With the increase in marine flora, pokemon like clauncher and clawitzer also saw massive population booms. That in itself wouldn't be a problem, but the dragalge that used this opportunity as one big mating season crossed with feeding frenzy certainly was.

Dragalge poison was unique: While toxic to almost anything else, their poison was actually beneficial for skrelp, a mix of deterrent and nourishment all in one. Mature individuals of the species demonstrated their genetic superiority by filling localized waters with viscous ink-like poison clouds that advertised their eagerness. It was similar to bird pokemon making nests to impress potential mates… if the nests killed everything else around them.

This all meant that the beaches were closed, firstly to ensure that idiots wouldn't swim in them, and secondly to protect the town and surrounding ecosystem from arrogant trainers. A few years back, an overconfident trainer thought catching a full-grown dragalge would be great. To be sure, they were impressive pokemon when trained well, Drasna proved that a thousand times over, but inciting their wrath in the middle of the mating season was… unwise. Said trainer never made it ten steps out of the water before keeling over dead from such a complex cocktail of poisons that doctors gave up trying to identify them all less than halfway through. The dragalge collectively took vengeance for this disruption by launching salvos of Sludge Waves that traveled up the rivers, rendering the local water supply undrinkable for almost two months and ruining nearby farmland for miles around. That was two months even with an entire platoon of poison type specialists working to purify the area. Since then, Duke Siebold figured that the easiest way to make sure it never happened again was to just close off that half of Route 8 for the few weeks their ritual took.

Unfortunately for Aaron and Sophie, that meant they would have to trek through the forest, above the cliff. Still, the scenery overlooking the water was quite lovely and the breeze rustling through their hair was some slight compensation for the missed opportunity.

"The beach would have been so much nicer..." Sophie moaned while wiping the sweat from her brow. Three hours after leaving Ambrette, the two had climbed back up the cliff overlooking the coastal route.

"I get it, you wanted to swim, now hush."

"Don't give me that," she pouted. "We could have gone on an adventure, staryu, and starmie."

Aaron groaned into his palm. "Shiner, I'll pay you your weight in berries if you Sing your trainer to sleep right now."

Sophie's fluffy hat chirped. It sounded distinctly like a sniff. "I will not be bribed… no matter how bad her jokes are…"

"... twice your weight in berries?"

"Hey!" the girl in question cried in indignation. "Don't try to get my own pokemon to side with you!"

"Shhh, the adults are trying to negotiate your future."

"Shiner is not an adult."

"She's sure as hell more mature than you."

"You just have no sense of humor. Besides, I bet you were looking forward to the water as much as I was. Think about it, all those water pokemon… one of them's got to be unlucky enough to get caught by you."

"Shiner," he called as a delicious pink berry materialized in his hand.

The swablu took one look at the proffered treat and jabbed down with her beak, nipping her trainer's ear. "Ow! Shiner, you traitor!"

"All is fair in love and war. And I love these." The cloud-like bird caught the tossed berry in mid-air.

"She's snarking at me, isn't she?" Sophie grumbled.

"Where're our berries, boss?" Fable called from his shoulder.

Aaron sighed and withdrew more food for the pokemon. After tossing a berry each to Fable and Isis, he brought out a picnic blanket. He'd made the effort to call out Salem, but like Aurora, she just wasn't much of a fan of the sun. "Fine, we may as well take a break. Sophie, for the record, I would love a water type, but I'm not sure where I'd find one that fits me."

"What do you mean?" she asked after a gulp from her water bottle.

"I travel a lot, which means pokemon like sharpedo that are inhibited on land aren't very useful to me. I wouldn't mind having one, but it'll have to be using water manipulation on a constant basis to move its own body around." He brought out some cold sandwiches and tossed one towards her, chuckling at her fumbling catch. After setting out some food for their pokemon, he unwrapped his own sandwich and took a big bite of what amounted to pastrami in this world. Really, it was grumpig smoked and salted, but he quickly got over the thought of eating a psychic that was probably smarter than the average person.

Thinking of an idea, he picked up a rock. Then, after a moment's focus, tossed it behind him over a nearby bush. He took another big bite and muffled, "Teleport." A moment later, he sat at the other side of the bush.

"Wow… that's a little bright…" Sophie said.

Aaron looked over his MP and saw that it had decreased by fifty. "Yeah… it's kind of unfortunate. I've actually used the move maybe once in public, and even then as Lupin. It's too flashy for constant use and it's also rather costly… I can do it maybe sixteen times in quick succession?"

"Huh, still kinda cool," she admitted. "Was there a point to this or were you just showing off?"

She hastily ducked the same rock. In another flash, Aaron appeared behind her and continued to eat his sandwich like nothing happened. "One, I want to get used to the feeling of warping from place to place. Two, I'd like to be able to keep my focus even while doing so. Three, I think that if I do it enough, I'll have enough control to mute the flash."

"Huh… good luck with that. I'd appreciate it if you did this where I wasn't looking though."

"Fine," he said and vanished after the pebble. This time, he made sure to throw it to her side.

With his WIS at 49, he could regenerate about that much MP per minute. By the time their hour-long lunch was up, he had managed to Teleport over seventy times, leveling the skill. 'Still no change,' he sighed after looking over the skill description. "Say, Sophie," he called, "check this out."

She turned and flinched as something akin to a camera flash marked his spatial distortion. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, how bright was that?" he asked.

"Kinda like looking into a camera. It wasn't horrible, but still annoying. How are you improving so quickly?"

"Talent," he said smugly.

"And can this talent get us to the next city? Didn't think so."

"Whatever, you're just jealous," he huffed. "Alright, enough screwing around. Let's go."

X

It took them two more days to cross roughly halfway to Cyllage. According to the pokedex, they made decent time. If nothing else, the constant traveling was making Sophie fitter, not that she was unhealthy before, but trying to keep up with someone who had the Gamer would turn even a diabetic into a triathlete. Or, it'd kill them, but that was beside the point.

As the sun was setting, the two happened upon a homey, two-story cottage. "Tabard Roadside Inn," it read. The two glanced at each other and shrugged. The tents were nice, but sleeping on the floor got old quickly and neither was eager to camp out if they had any other option. The small lodge was coated in a dark brown lacquer that glistened welcomingly in the setting sun. It looked rather like the standard camping lodge, but Aaron noticed that the sign was missing the sigil of the KFR.

Upon stepping inside, they were greeted by an old man, hair long gone from his wrinkled head and back stooped low. "Greetings, travelers," he said jovially. "Here for a night?" The proprietor was a surprisingly energetic man for one so old.

"Yes, how much would a room for two be?" Sophie asked.

Meanwhile, Aaron looked around. The walls were dotted with pictures of the forest's wildlife. Two young men featured prominently, doing anything from fishing and hunting to simply enjoying the presence of their pokemon. 'Weird…' he thought, 'I don't see anyone around…'

"That'll be twenty credits per room," the old man said with a smile. "Each room has two beds so one room should suffice."

'And oddly cheap too…' Aaron added.

"Thank you, mister…"

"George Navarre, young missy, but you can call me George."

After introducing themselves to the owner, the two moved upstairs to the room he had assigned them. It was a quaint room, as the rest of the inn, with the bare minimum in accommodations. Aaron walked in first and noted that the bed was only a slight improvement from the semi-hard soil of the forest floor. "You sure you want to stay here?" he asked her.

"Yeah, why not?" she shrugged. "We can just put our sleeping bags on top of the beds. It still beats sleeping outside."

"It was only twenty credits."

"You get what you pay for."

"And no one else was around."

"The gym circuit began months ago for most people, Aaron. The newer trainers are probably around Cyllage or Shalour and the older trainers have faster ways of travel than walking. This is probably a slow season for George," she explained.

"Maybe…"

"You're getting paranoid. See? This is what happens when you decide to make a master thief alter ego," she placed her hands on her hips and stared accusingly.

He sighed, there was just no winning with her. "We're not having this conversation again. I already promised to only resort to theft when there is no other option, and even then, only to steal the mega stones."

"That's still wrong."

"Maybe, but I can live with it," he said dryly. He called out his pistol and walked over to her. "You know how to handle a gun?"

"Sorta? My brother is a captain, you know."

"Good," he held out the pistol. "Maybe you're right and there's no need to panic. That'd be great, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Keep it on you for a while. You can give it back when we leave."

She rolled her eyes. "You're even worse than Morgan. It's like having a second overprotective brother."

"Whatever. I'm going to go and get some last minute training in. You wanna come?"

She yawned. "Nah, I'm going to stay here, take a hot shower, and relax. You can leave some food though." Aaron nodded and brought out a calzone from his inventory, still as piping hot as when he'd first shoved it in. He then pulled out a small meat pie for Shiner, Yuengling, and Corona and a salad of leafy greens and beets for Aurora. "Arceus, I love your inventory."

He smiled. "Agreed, it's easily the most useful skill I have." He then brushed his hand against the butt of his pistol, leaving a marker that glowed briefly then faded. "Seriously, keep the pistol near you."

"Yes, dad~"

"Fable, Isis," he called. The bunny and bird hopped onto his shoulders. With a casual flick, he let out Salem who sank seamlessly into his shadow.

X

He strolled downstairs and struck up a conversation with the old innkeeper. "Say, George," he leaned on the counter. "How come there aren't any more trainers nearby?"

"Hoh? Eager for a battle, are we?" he chuckled good-naturedly. "I used to be like you. If I were twelve years younger, I'd show you what for, but these old bones don't move like they used to and my friends are all long gone."

That piqued his interest. "You were a trainer as well?"

"A trainer? No, sonny, I was one of the trainers. I was one half of the strongest tag team to ever come out of Geosenge," he said proudly. "Me and my brother both, really. He used a lot of ground types and I liked my grass types. Together, we were famous for being able to control the entire battlefield. I used Frenzy Plant before it even had a name!"

"That's awesome! Say, you wouldn't happen to know anywhere I can catch good grass types nearby, would you?"

"I do, sonny, but I don't recommend it now. Not in these woods and especially not at night."

"Why not?"

George leaned forward and whispered in hushed tones, as though afraid of some paranormal watcher. "This place is haunted," he shivered.

"Haunted? Like by gastly? I'd be okay with those too," Aaron mused. He took out his pokedex and began searching for common gastly locales. "Nope, they're usually not too common around here…"

George sighed and walked from behind his counter. He moved towards one of the photos Aaron had glossed over the first time. It was a photo of the inn itself, in much more pristine condition, with a family happily standing in front. He pointed out a man grinning like a loon with one hand wrapped around a rather attractive woman. "See this, son? This is me." He pointed towards a massive chesnaught, its horns gigantic and riddled with scars even a machamp would have been proud of. "That's Bruiser. He was my partner. My wife and I started this inn about thirty-two years ago for trainers like yourselves. Two years after that, Bruiser died of a mysterious illness." He shook his head sadly. "We tried everything. The forest was supposed to be good for Bruiser and the doctors just didn't know what was wrong. My wife followed soon after. But you know, despite it all, I was happy to raise my son here…"

"What happened?"

"He disappeared one day," George seemed to age another decade, the weight of his experience pressing down on him. "My brother," he pointed at another man sitting atop a mighty donphan, "he was a well-known hunter back in the day… He decided that he would help me find my son. Somehow, I lost him in the woods and never saw him again. You know, I was confident. I was a great grass type trainer and I used to think I could map a forest as well as any flying type, better even. Ever since I can't quite remember where all the trees are anymore. It's like they rearrange themselves every night…"

Aaron furrowed his brows in agitation. "Why are you still here then? Why not tell the rangers and close up shop?"

George let loose another sigh, even wearier than the last. "I tried, son. I tried. They couldn't find anything and when I thought about moving… I just couldn't bring myself to do it. My wife, Juliet, never wanted much. She and I just wanted to provide a resting place, a waypoint for the new trainers so we could see the next generation, maybe provide a bit of guidance here and there. No, how could I move away from my family?"

"I understand," he swallowed thickly. 'Say, Giratina?'

"Hmm?"

'Is this place really haunted?'

"Yes. I don't think this needs to be said, but go solve it." For the first time, Aaron felt none of the exhilaration of receiving a quest.

Quest: Lay Down Thy Burdens

Details: The forest is haunted. The souls of the restless are offensive to Giratina. Fix it.

Objectives

- Find out why the forest is haunted.

- Confront the source.

Bonus Objective

- Bring peace to George.

Rewards

- 100 EXP per soul put to rest.

- 2000 EXP for removing the source.

- Enchanted wood crafting material.

Bonus Reward

- 3 LUK for a selfless deed.

- 3 CHA for a selfless deed.

Failure

- Death, both yours and Sophie's

He sighed. There was no way he was going to reject the quest. If the forest was truly haunted, there was a good possibility that whatever was killing people off would come after them anyway. From a practical view, 2000 EXP was just too good to give up, never mind whatever the crafting material was. 'Then again… I should expect the difficulty to be just as bad as the reward is good.' He turned back to the old man. "George, is there anything else you can tell me about the forest? Like, do you know how the hauntings began or what the ghost could be?"

The man shook his head despondently. "No… All I know is that over the past thirty years, something close to seventy people have gone missing in this forest with no rhyme or reason. Everyone from the most skilled trainers to the idiot with a bug catching net… The rangers have all been forced to drop the case because something seems to push them off."

"I see… is that why the seaside route is so overused?"

He nodded. "Yes… the forest route used to be much more popular, but that was decades ago…"

"Thank you, George," he called as he turned his back.

He made to wander outside. "Didn't you hear me?" George called, "Where are you going?"

"To find out what's going on. Don't worry too much about me." With that, Aaron stepped out into the darkness and the darkness reached out in welcome.

Author's Note

I've mentioned it before, but I'm having a bit of trouble balancing the psychological changes someone like Aaron would go through. He's theorized about war, but never actually killed until now so there is no way for him to be entirely comfortable with it. On the other hand, I don't want this to be a super angsty fic. He told Arceus once that he was grateful for not having Gamer's Mind, but he now needs to come to terms with the downsides of having the full range of emotions normal to a human body. He does have his moments of weakness and as overpowered as he is (compared to normal civilians), he is also prone to moments of vulnerability.

Tell me what you think of Salem. She is adoringly devoted to Giratina for reasons unknown (yet). She styles herself as the high priestess and refers to anyone that isn't Aaron (Master) as though she were older. She is vain but seemingly plays that up as a facade to hide her true thoughts. She's a bit more complex of a character than either Fable and Isis, but I think that makes her more fun to write.

Now, it's no longer Xerosic. Lysandre and the League are both aware of his existence. How long can he stay a neutral party?

Also, no, Xerosic doesn't know that the lab did indeed have a mega stone. There was no reason for him to know.

Marquis is the rank of each of the gym leaders in Kalos in the Battle Chateau. I'm extending the noble peerage to cover more than just the ranking system at a country club.

As always, constructive feedback is appreciated. If you leave a review, especially if it's negative, please tell me what you like/dislike about the story specifically.

Pat reon dot com slash Sorre