Agh, you bleedin'...!

B-Bolt Leader, come in, this is Bolt Three. I've got a Sin on my tail, he's not budgin'. I'm circling back to rejoin formation, stay alert for-

AH! AAH! I'm hit! I'm hit, major damage to left wing! I'm losing altitude, my... shit, my ejector seat won't give! Does anyone copy?!

A-anyone?!

...p-please, God, I...

...i-if anyone can hear me, tell my mum I... I love...ghh...!

G-God save the King!

A dry wind blew through the barren knolls of the midlands, producing a ghastly, ambient song to break the seemingly endless silence that ruled these lands. Though dust drifted lazily along with the stale breeze, it seemed nothing else was soon to budge. However, the crunch of dirt and pebbles in the distance was quick to announce that, despite everything, the rocks on the ground were not alone in this wasteland.

Slowly but surely, the source of the sound that had entered the dried riverbed revealed itself as a small party of wagons bearing large structures, all of them varying in size and structure and surrounded by Pokemon looking around warily at their new surroundings. The pitch black sky above offered no comfort for the young Rockruff near the head of the caravan as she peered into the dark valley ahead, remaining close by her father as he led their fellow townsmon on.

"Where are we gonna go now?" the Rockruff asked. The hunched-over Lycanroc beside her looked down at her with his glowing red eyes, a sparkle of determination coursing through his face.

"Amethyst Town went this way yesterday fer the Tunnel. We're followin' them," he said in a deep, thick voice. His daughter blinked, unsure if she had heard that correctly.

"The Tunnel? I'm sorry, but are you mad? You said it yourself, the place is-" she began.

"I know what I said. But... see, times're changin', dear. These Isles aren't safe for the nomad towns anymore, and it's only a matter of time before the cities begin to fall. Salvation Township can't survive for much longer here," Lycanroc said. "The White Continent is safe; if all goes well, we'll stake a claim by the seaside and..."

He gave a bittersweet smile.

"...and your children won't have to know what these damned Isles were like."

Rockruff watching as his face filled with vigor, Lycanroc stopped and turned to address those following him. Salvation Township was modest at best for a nomad town, with just over three dozen Pokemon walking alongside the Mudsdale-drawn wagons they called home. The cramped two-story structures built on the wagons had begun to show their wear, though the Pokemon here were no less devoted to pitching in. Some carried heavy loads, some helped pull and tend to the wagons, others still limped along, unable to contribute due to some scarring injury. All of them stopped in their tracks as their leader took a breath.

"Hear my words. We are goin' to a place where death does not reign. We are goin' to a place where the skies shine blue and grass graces every field, where our children may run and play in peace without fear of the Darkness, the Behemoths, nor any other horror they have wrought. Let me tell you, Pokemon of Salvation Township, the stories you have heard of the White Continent are true, and you are soon to behold 'em with your own eyes! Through the Great Tunnel, our future awaits! Follow me, and we'll soon live not as survivors, but as Pokemon!"

A loud cheer echoed along the ravine's walls, and with newfound resolve the party continued forwards, the wagons creaking as they lurched on. Unfazed by her father's passionate words, however, Rockruff glanced up at Lycanroc worriedly.

"They won't let us through, Dad," she said. Lycanroc hesitated in his words.

"We'll figure something out, my love," he tried to reassure her. Giving him a long look, Rockruff turned her gaze to the dirt in front of her. He knew the truth as well as she did: the Pokemon at the other end were not welcoming. All they could do was pray for mercy.

Tearing her thoughts from this pessimistic outlook, Rockruff cast her eyes upon the black sky above. For as long as she could remember, that thick, seemingly endless canopy of pitch dark clouds had hung in the sky above her, and she knew from her father that none of her forefathers remembered it as being anything but. There were, of course, stories of a time where this Darkness was absent and the Dark Isles were a green and pleasant land, but the details were hazy at best, ludicrous at worst. There were even times Rockruff would toy with the idea that these legends were just that: legends. Was it really so far-fetched to say things had just always been this way?

She could only hope so.

As Rockruff considered this, she suddenly snapped out of her daze. Something was wrong. As her face scrunched up, she pinpointed the reason: the ground had begun to ever so slightly tremble before her paws. Cursing to herself, she took a glance back. Many of the Pokemon behind her wouldn't have been able to feel the disturbance, given they were not Rock or Ground-types, but much to Rockruff's horror, it wasn't her being paranoid; her father appeared to have noticed as well.

Kneeling down and placing a paw on the ground, Lycanroc's face fell as he looked back. By this point, the disturbance had escalated into noticeable quaking, and it seemed the townsmon had noticed. Confusion turned to panic as the earthquake reached a crescendo, and everyone's worst fears were realized as a loud, awful roar echoed from the south. The glow of Lycanroc's eyes seemed to falter for a moment as a massive shape appeared on the horizon from where the sound had come.

"Quaker..." he said breathlessly. His stupor didn't last long, as he tore his eyes from the creature and to his panicking town. "Board the wagons! Full speed ahead!"

Rockruff did not hesitate to bolt from her spot as she weaved around the scrambling Pokemon, her heart racing as another roar drowned out the screams around her. Scrambling through the door of one of the towering wagons, she kicked her few belongings into a secure spot before glancing out the window. The quaking seemed to have calmed, though this didn't last long, for as Rockruff watched, a massive fissure opened maybe a kilometer to the west, bringing about even more intense shaking and sending fire and magma high into the sky. As she marveled at the horrifying sight, Lycanroc jumped aboard before leaning out and barking some indistinct order. With a lurch that sent Rockruff tumbling into the wall, the wagons of Salvation Township sped forward at full speed.

Blinking stars out of her vision and staggering to her paws, Rockruff glanced out the window. Thankfully, it seemed none of the wagons had had any issue and were now following Lycanroc's own, speeding away from the figure now well visible on the horizon: a colossal Nidoking, its armor scarred and its face one of untold rage. Giving another roar, the Behemoth stomped its foot, bringing about another earthquake. Rockruff barely had enough to behold the thing before her father gave another frantic order and she was thrown to the side. Seeing magma erupting to the east, she deduced they'd just avoided plummeting into a fissure, though that didn't help her mood as she groaned and got up.

"Some warning'd be nice next time," she growled. Lycanroc muttered an apology as he stared out the window for a moment, then climbed up to the second floor, leaving Rockruff to watch as the Behemoth gave an enraged roar at the escaping town.

Salvation Township would be able to escape Quaker, it seemed, but at a cost. The wagons' metal wheels would need repairs, the damage to the structures such speed entailed would need to be addressed, and the Mudsdales would need to be given extra rations, at the very least. Wood and food were not exactly easy to come by, and if they ran short, then...

There was a single mystery dungeon in the area, as far as Rockruff knew. Thankfully, its anomalous properties ensured it still grew vegetation, though the Pokemon of this town were by no means dungeon-divers. Unless they were to catch up with Amethyst Town, there would be few who would volunteer to go in for the resources they needed. What if no one volunteered this time?

Trying her best to put these thoughts aside, Rockruff made for the dirty pile of rags she called her bed, curling up as she stared out the window behind them, the wagon rocking around her as the Behemoth continued trying to pursue them. As she laid there, Lycanroc peeked down from the ladder, looking at his daughter in pity. Though his duties called, he climbed down, squatting to nuzzle Rockruff's size.

"It's going to be alright, darling," he reassured her. Though Rockruff was a bit annoyed at the interruption, she felt lulled to calm by Lycanroc's words, finding comfort in his glowing red eyes as he sat there with her. Her father's comforting arm around her as he watched the window with her, she quietly repeated his words to herself, as if saying it enough would make it true.

"It's going to be alright. It's going to be alright... yeah..."

…

...urgh, where... I'm alive? Oh, Arceus, I'm blind!

Nope. You're just dead.

Gah! Who's there? Sh-show yourself!

I would if I could, and trust me, we'd be here all day if I stopped to explain that. Now-

Allow me. Apologies, human, he is not used to such interactions as this. Neither am I, for that matter.

What...?

In short, we are here to return you to the realm of the living.

I... wait, stop. I'm actually...?

Yep.

…

I understand this is very sudden for you, but please-

Yeah, no kidding.

Hey, don't get smart with us. Void's right there, we can always-

Brother. Enough. Please bear with us, human, this will not take long. All I wish is to ask you a simple question.

Um... s-sure.

If you were to lose everything you held dear, would you still fight in the name of the greater good?

What? What sorta question is that?

I mean... yes. Of course I would.

…

…

...very well.

I think that's everything. Let's send you back, then.

What?

With our weapons in hand...

And to the darkness a bane...

Rise for your nation...

And let her not die-

Wait!

A loud gasp echoed as the figure's eyes tore open, though this quickly devolved into dry coughing and wheezing as dust and unfamiliar dry air filled his lungs. Steadying his breathing, he panted and took a long look around. Much to his confusion, he found himself not in any familiar location, but inside some dry, claustrophobic cave. His brow furrowed in confusion; this didn't make sense. He was sure he hadn't been anywhere near a cave when he d-

Wait. When he'd what?

…

When he'd died.

"Wh... o-okay, this is..." he rasped, frowning as he dug through his memory. This was explainable, surely he'd just had a bit too much fun the other night. However, as he scoured his mind, his face fell as he realized just how bad it was. Apart from instincts, concepts, and some other useless things, nothing else sprung up.

In short, his memory wasn't about to be of much help anytime soon.

Perhaps that was why he felt... wrong? He couldn't put his finger on it, but something just didn't feel right about... well, anything. This was secondary to him, however, as all his focus was on the metaphorical wall he'd found in his memory.

"No... no, this can't be right. No, there's gotta be something. A name, surely I can remember my name?" he muttered to himself, turning his focus back into his mind. A minute of thinking passed before a distant memory seemed to reveal itself, only to try and fizzle out again. By that point, however, he'd managed to get enough information to fill in the blanks.

"L...? Lee... Lee. Okay, my name's Lee. Heh, still got that, at least," he nodded to himself. "Right, Lee, how did you... die?"

He knew for sure this had to be some sort of exaggeration, perhaps some fantasy, but as he skimmed over the single dim memory he could find, he wasn't as sure.

A flaming mechanical steed hurdling out of the sky. His horrified voice screaming for his mother, then a blessing to some king. The rocky ground, the fire, the pain... then blackness. A pair of voices, then this.

"Right, so I die horribly, get interviewed, and that's it. That's all I've got. Bloody great," Lee groaned to himself. Knowing at least this, he tried to push himself up, though his legs immediately failed him and he fell to the ground. Groaning, he looked back at his legs, squinting through the dark to try and see the cause.

"...wh-?! What the fock?!"

Furry, black hind legs were just barely visible through the darkness. Horrified, Lee kicked his leg. The leg he saw kicked as well, and what he felt from the kick confirmed his fears. There was no question, these alien limbs were his legs.

As his panic mounted, a bright blue glow started to shine from his... fur?! With light illuminating the cave now, he could behold what he had become in all its glory. His arms were much the same as his legs, only with a blue pelt, and a star-tipped tail whipped about frantically. Feeling at his face, Lee's eyes widened in recognition.

Glowing blue fur. A star-tipped tail. Rather large-feeling ears.

Against all conceivable explanation he could muster, Lee had become a Shinx.

"...

...wh... what the fock? What the fock?! No, th-this can't... I-I-this is a dream! I-I've snapped! This can't be real! This... oh, no, no, no, no..."

As Lee hyperventilated, whimpering out his woes and pressing against the wall with his strange limbs, something nagged at him. His inner voice of reason, he would call it, seemed to muster up some rationality and give the mental equivalent to a stern look.

'Stop. Just... stay calm, breathe. Panicking is not going to help you here... uh, Lee, right? Yes, Lee. Shinx or not, that does not change the fact that you are still alive.

You can sit here and cry or you can try and find help. Surely you can find someone who will understand. This cave has an entrance, no doubt, you had to have gotten in here somehow. Figure out how to walk and get out. Do it for Mum.

...see? Progress already, you know you have a mum!'

As he reassured himself of this, he slowly began to calm down, and before long the blinding glow his new fur coat had taken on fizzled out. After just lying there for a few minutes trying to comprehend the situation he was in, Lee gritted his teeth and rolled onto his belly. Putting his paws under him, he pushed himself up, then staggered a bit as he tried to find his balance. Before long, though, he steadied his new quadrupedal stance, glancing down at his paws as he chuckled a bit.

"Right, so far, so good. Now just fer walkin', easy enough. I hope," he muttered. Hesitating for a moment, he put one paw out in front of him, followed by the one behind it, then repeated this with the other side. Though only a single pace forward, Lee couldn't help but grin.

"Roight, that's one small step for man! Or, er, mon," he pondered, his ears drooping. "Ugh."

Grimacing, he tried again. Right front paw, right back paw, left front paw, left back paw. Right front, right back, left front, left back. Right, left. Right, le- wait, not that left-!

He fell forward with a yelp. With a groan of frustration, he started all over again, though he was sure he could make it. He hadn't seen or heard any Pokemon, so nothing much stood in his path, all he had to do was make his way to the surface. Maybe once he got some fresh air, he could consider his next move. The nearest city, perhaps, surely someone there would believe he wasn't a Shinx. With this basic plan in mind, Lee picked which was was up and began staggering that way, his spirits high.

What seemed like hours dragged by before Lee spotted something different ahead. An exit! Wiping his nose bloodied from one too many tumbles, he made his way forwards, closing his eyes as he ran out the exit in anticipation of sunlight...

But it never came.

Confused, Lee opened his eyes, only to stumble back as he let out a small gasp.

Dead. That was the only word that came to his mind as he beheld the wasteland before him. All he could see was kilometers of dirt and rock and nothing more; no trees, no grass, no Pokemon, no buildings, just... dead. Above him, black clouds hung motionless in the sky, occasionally producing a flash of lightning that illuminated the hills for Lee to behold. And behold them he did, standing there for a moment to just take in the surreal landscape.

The first question on most minds would likely ask what had happened, Lee guessed, yet that was not his main concern here. He wasn't about to last a day here, not unless some miracle graced him. He would have expected at least a patch of dead grass, but alas, it looked as if vegetation had never even existed here in the first place.

"Okay. No plants, that means no Pokemon. No Pokemon, that means no food," Lee noted. "Cock."

With this in mind, the Shinx cautiously began his trek down the slope below him, licking his dry lips thirstily. Remaining here wouldn't help his situation, he knew that much. He needed food and water, and his best option now was to go out and find any if he could.

As the ground leveled out below his paws, Lee happily noted he seemed to be getting walking down, so he finally took his eyes off his still-unfamiliar paws and looked ahead. When he did, though, a flash of lightning illuminated a strange anomaly on the horizon. Lee blinked confusedly as he peered into the distance.

"Wot...? Right, no, that was just a mountain, is all," he said to himself. "...then again, mountains don't move."

Another lightning strike in the distance only proved this statement, revealing the shape of a Nidoking in the distance. Staring as the monster's roar met his ears, he tried to comprehend this newest development among several. That couldn't be a Nidoking, could it? Lee was no Pokémologist, but he knew for sure those didn't typically grow to be the size of skyscrapers.

He didn't get far in his consideration, however, as he suddenly tripped. Yelling in anger at his accursed limbs, he made to get back up, only to find this particular fall hadn't been his fault. No, a deep trench nearly as wide as him was carved into the earth, and a quick look up revealed several more of these. They looked recent, too, perhaps a day or so old. Lee's ears stuck up as he recognized what these were: tracks.

"Yes! YES!" he whooped. "Someone had to've built whatever left these! Roight, okay, I've just gotta catch up with whatever left 'em. Which way, th-"

A horrible, enraged roar from the monster on the horizon met Lee's ears, earning a hard flinch from the Shinx.

"Yep, definitely away from that," he nodded, glad for once there wasn't much water in his system. With this decided, he turned and began walking along the tracks, giving the giant Nidoking behind him a paranoid look as he did.

This was a risky gamble, Lee knew, but it was all he had; his only other option was to lie down and wait for dehydration to catch up with him. Despite what other horrors he knew surely awaited him in this strange new land, he held his resolve all the same.

He was willing to take the risk.