The feeling of weightlessness left as quickly as it came.

"Agh! Shit!" I cursed, a throbbing pain shooting through my head as I landed on hard flooring. I had somehow found myself upside down during the teleportation and gravity deciding to rear its ugly head.

I felt my stomach twist and turn as I lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, realizing with sudden clarity what the brown paper bag was finally for.

I scrambled to my knees in urgency, fighting off the pain in my head.

I did not want to vomit on my nice clothes.

I made a note to thank Sneas—Dawn later for eating most of my sundae, and proceeded to vomit the contents of my stomach in the open paper bag. Apparently, teleportation sickness was a thing.

That jerk of a ranger didn't even bother to warn me!

I gasped for breath from my continued retching and observed my surroundings. I found myself in a similar room prior to being teleported. A carbon copy of the large regional map displayed on one of the walls of the room with varied prices noted for each destination.

I suppose I should at least be thankful that I seemed to have ended up in the right place, even if I could have done without the possible attempt to give me a concussion.

I looked towards my right to find a woman with long blue hair that reached to the small of her back. Her lone sapphire eye, the other hiding behind a bang of hair, gazed at me with amusement. She appeared to be around the same age as Mason and even wore a similar uniform.

Next to her was a red and yellow bipedal fox their height coming up to the woman's shoulders. The fox had a look of sadistic joy as she stared at my misfortune with a half-lidded gaze. I recognized the Pokémon as a Delphox.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." I groused out, still feeling a little sick. I turned my head back towards the bag just in case a bout of sickness cropped up again.

I felt a little spiteful towards the female ranger.

Not because she wasn't assisting me, but because she chose to stare at me like a piece of entertainment instead.

Being mocked wasn't something I took joy in.

I was far more used to being ignored and forgotten.

I heard a digitized over-exaggerated sound of a shutter being closed on a camera.

I looked back up in bewilderment to see that the woman actually had her Pokédex out, obscuring part of her face.

I narrowed my eyes at her.

She responded with a few more shutter sounds before she put the Pokédex down and away from her face with a contented grin.

I remembered I was still on my knees, hunched over a brown paper bag I was holding, a bit of saliva flowing down the side of my chin.

"I think I'll make this my background for a few weeks." I heard her mutter, purposefully loud enough for me to hear. She was still messing around on her phone when she said this.

I noticed the Delphox had taken out a lit branch and was using the flames to obscure their mouth, like a Japanese woman might do with an open paper fan to hide her smile.

I scrambled to my feet with a blush, using a clean part of the inside of the bag to wipe off the spittle.

I suppose I did ask for that...

"Ticket please, loverboy." The ranger teased, putting down her phone on the counter and holding out her hand expectantly.

"How many people watched that!?" I yelled out in exasperation.

I had noticed that a large number of people in Jubilife had recognized me. That was to be expected, since the tournament was held there. For me to be identified all the way out here, based off of the tournament, was another matter entirely.

"Oh, I saw your matches on Pikatube." She explained with a grin, her foxy starter giggling at me. "It's actually trending."

Pikatube? Trending?! I mean, I can't say I'm surprised that this world had a service like that…

Who would even post matches from a tournament like that?

"Did the news station upload it?"

"Nah, it was a third-party. Probably someone trying to get a slice of that ad revenue."

This ranger sounded surprisingly tech savvy.

"What do you need my ticket for anyway?" I asked, handing her the long paper.

"Gotta let Mason know you made it here safely." She began as she used a barcode scanner on the ticket. "Well, relatively safely."

I sweated when I heard that last comment.

"Does… does that happen often?"

"The puke thing or the teleported upside down thing?"

I assumed teleportation sickness was common if Mason had the decency to give me a bag for it.

"The teleporting."

She began humming and put a finger to her chin in thought. The Delphox gestured to the bag in my hand with her stick while her trainer was thinking. I made to hand it to the witch until I watched in wonder as she telekinetically grabbed the bag, a blue aura suffusing around it, and floated it behind the counter into a bin behind her.

Psychic powers were cool as hell!

"It's been a while since something like that happened with Grant. It's possible he's been drinking too much caffeine again. Stuff can really mess with a psychic's head." She said as she began to type something on the computer. "Usually the clients end up falling on their stomachs. I haven't seen someone be teleported upside down like that before…"

I heard a ding come from the computer and she handed me back my ticket. The woman gave me a bright closed eye smile.

"You're all set, Mr. Arkwright. Have a nice day!"

I blinked at this. I didn't expect this sudden cheeriness from her, especially because I had given her a spiteful comment when I first arrived.

Perhaps I had been a bit harsh…

"Sorry about that uh…" I awkwardly began, rubbing the back of my head. "um… rudeness I showed you earlier."

She looked confused for a moment before she waved off my apology.

"Nah, I would've done the same thing in your shoes. I'd have probably took it up a notch and gave the finger," She began with a smirk. "Can't exactly blame a girl for finding you entertaining. Especially when I'm stuck at this post all day with barely anyone stopping by." She finished with a tired stretch.

"What about all the disappearances?" I asked confused.

Didn't she still have ranger duties to attend to, aside from being stationed here? If she didn't get all that many clientele, then surely she could be doing other services for the league.

"Ugh, Mason told you about that?" She spat out, her expression morphing to one of annoyance. "Don't pay it too much mind. Mason is just a bit of a worrywart. Besides, the disappearances happen far too rarely for them to be connected at all."

"What about the fact that they were all visitors here?"

"Professor Rowan lives here. Of course we get a lot of visitors." She said with a roll of her eyes.

When you put it that way, she did have a point, them being connected was circumstantial at best.

Not to mention I'm sure there were a multitude of ways for someone to go missing in this world.

What a scary thought…

Still…

"You don't seem too worried about it." I kept my tone neutral.

She gave me a sigh, resting her body on the counter.

"Not like I can do much about it. Trainers going missing in any part of the world are the norm. It's hard being everywhere at once." She looked towards her Delphox with furrowed brows. "Even if you have a Pokémon who can teleport you around..."

I nodded my head.

Teleport seemed like an invaluable move to have in one's arsenal sure, and I was eager to get my hands on a Pokémon who could use it.

But it didn't grant you clairvoyance.

"Where's the big tournament winner headed anyway?" The Ranger asked me curiously.

Just like with Mason, this line of questioning was leading me somewhere.

I decided to play along if only to make up for my harshness earlier.

"I'm here to visit Rowan to pick up my Pokédex." I explained casually.

Her eyebrows rose in astonishment.

"You won a tournament like that and you're not even an officially licensed trainer?!" She exclaimed, pushing herself away from the counter in surprise.

"Amber is the one who did most of the work…" I sweated at her over exaggerated reaction.

"Please, there's no way that runt came up with that Howl tactic." She deadpanned.

I felt myself become curious at that statement.

Runt?

"Say, why don't I take you to Rowan's place?" She asked with a cordial smile. "It's about time I closed up the station. And I need to get to doing my patrol." She said with a smile.

I pushed that thought aside at her generous offer. Having someone who could lead me to the professor's lab would be nice. I was thinking I might have had to save the trip till next day considering it was almost evening.

"Are you sure?"

"Think of it as thanks for a good photo." She cheekily explained. She didn't even wait for an answer as she made her way around the counter after a few taps of the computer's keyboard.

I accepted her charity with a shrug.

Twinleaf Town is a very homely place.

It reminded me of the countryside where I was from, nature abundant with many trees and rolling hills littering the scenery. I could even see a huge lake in the distance whenever we would crest the top of one of the hills on the way to Rowan's place.

Dusk was at my side looking at the new environment we were at in wonder.

When I released Dusk from her ball after we stepped out of the station, the Ranger had given me a look I couldn't quite discern.

She made no comment on it however.

"Ah Rachel, Zulie, you must drop by for dinner. It has been so long since we last chatted." An old woman stopped us on our way to the lab. The elder had been harvesting some tomatoes from a garden outside her house when she spotted Rachel.

We had actually been stopped multiple times by the locals for miscellaneous reasons. Rachel, the Ranger, even had Zulie, her Delphox, help a small girl's young pet Shinx down from a tree with her telekinesis.

Rachel and her partner seemed to be pretty popular with the locals, beloved even.

It certainly made me feel out of place that she was leading me around, even if most people seemed to ignore me. They were probably used to finding Rachel escorting visitors to their town often I assumed.

Rachel gave a jovial laugh back to the woman.

"Maybe after our rounds," Rachel looked over towards me with a smirk. "Mr. Arkwright here could probably do with some food after visiting the good professor if you don't mind, Mrs. Connor."

I sweated a bit and took a step back in surprise at being addressed. She usually just ignored me when she was solving the local's problems.

"Oh really? Another up and coming trainer I presume?" The elderly woman said as if she already knew the answer. "Why it would be my pleasure, deary." The nice lady gave me a very bright closed eye smile.

"Ah, n-no, that's quite alright…" I softly spoke with a wave of my hands. "I plan to head to Lake Verity after I'm done picking up my Pokédex…"

I was actually hoping to stay in a hotel first. But now that Rachel had tried to pin me with an awkward dinner with strangers, maybe it was time to try out that new camping set I bought.

It was a good excuse in any case.

"Lake Verity is quite a dazzling place, deary. There is even said to be a legendary Pokémon that resides there." The elder said, nodding her head to my reason. "I could tell you more about it over dinner."

I scratched the back of my head in awkwardness.

I was aware such a being possibly resided near the lake. It was why I was going there in the first place.

I observed the lady's face to see her smile fall a fraction, most likely assuming I would decline her invitation anyway.

She looked very lonely.

Maybe there was some information she could give me that wouldn't have been given in the games…

"Sure, Mrs. Connor, thank you."

The elder's bright face lit up like a sea of fireworks. I had probably just made her day.

I smiled a little bit myself.

"Would spaghetti be alright, deary?"

"That sounds lovely, Mrs. Connor."

She gave me a nod and made to head inside her house.

"It should be ready in a couple hours, deary. Tell the Professor he's free to stop by as well."

"I will." I said with a nod of my head.

I heard the sound of the woman's front door close and turned to Rachel to see her smirking at me.

"A weakness for nice elderly people, huh? Didn't take you for the type." Rachel said in a whimsical tone.

I looked away with a blush and was greeted to the site of a smiling hyena.

"W-Wruff!" Dusk yipped at me with a wagging of her fluffy tail.

"Can we just get to the lab already?" I groaned, covering my face with my hand.

Rachel giggled in response and I was sure that overgrown fox was covering her own face with that damned flaming stick…

"Fine, fine." Rachel relented and turned away from me, leading the way.

I followed with a shake of my head.

I wasn't sure what this woman was playing at.

"Here we are."

We stood before a gate, a pathway beyond it leading to a very large building. The building was rotund in nature and was made out of either stone or metal. I couldn't really tell as it was decorated in a light blue tone.

Next to it was a gargantuan brick windmill, its rotary blades spinning lazily in the countryside breeze.

Acres upon acres of land stretched out from the stone walls barricading the compound.

The area itself was located a bit away from the town proper.

I heard a buzzing noise when Rachel pushed a button next to the gates. I noticed a speaker and camera placed above the button.

The camera looked between the two of us, a deep voice coming from the speaker.

"What can I do for you today, Ranger Rachel?"

Rachel put an arm around me and crushed me to her side in a one armed hug.

I sweated a bit and tried to gently pry myself from her impromptu embrace.

What was with everyone invading my bubble!?

"Just here to deliver you a package!" Rachel yelled out. She even had the audacity to give a peace sign to the camera like it would take a picture of the two of us.

I saw the camera swivel in my direction and stay on me for a few seconds.

"Yes, you must be Aster Arkwright. Looker told me to be expecting you." The voice of who I presumed to be Rowan spoke, judging by the deep tone.

It was subtle but, when Looker was mentioned, I felt Rachel's hand on my shoulder twitch.

A buzzing sound blared from the speakers, the gates slowly parting ways.

"I'll see you inside, young man."

With a click from the speakers, Rachel quickly let me go and began walking away.

"See ya around, Aster." Rachel bid farewell to me with a casual wave.

Rachel is a mysterious woman.

Her interactions with the locals had been nothing but favorable to her. As an outsider looking in, I could tell she was still keeping them all at an arm's distance. She always politely declined their invitations to thank her for her service, a cordial serviceable smile on her face the whole time.

Based off of those few interactions, she had been stationed here a while now. Most people even knew the name of her Delphox.

"Be careful, young one." I heard a velvety feminine voice echo inside my head.

I looked towards the Delphox to see she had lingered for a moment to stare into my eyes, the lines of her mouth hidden behind that aggravating stick once more.

Within those eyes I saw a pool of wisdom and ambiguity. The secrets and knowledge contained within the red orbs threatening to swallow me in a gout of flames. The strange aura the witch gave off sent a shiver down my spine, despite the pleasant sounding voice that had echoed inside my mind like a mother's lullaby.

Satisfied with whatever message the fox had tried to convey to me, Zullie went to follow her trainer.

Even when they were out of eye sight, I could still feel the witch's gaze prying into me.

"Grrr…"

I was broken out of my stupor when I felt something poke into the side of my leg. Looking down, I could see the worried visage of a scruffy hyena. Dusk appeared unperturbed, a telltale sign that the witch's message had only been for me.

Whether I found comfort that my adorable Dusk had been spared from those otherworldly feelings, I wasn't sure.

Nonetheless, I turned towards the dirt path that led to Rowan's laboratory.

"I suppose it's time we began our journey, Dusk."

A joyful howl was my only response.

Dusk and I were currently standing in a room with Professor Rowan that looked like a study of sorts, a desk with a computer and TV on it, along with a few technological doodads I didn't recognize. The place definitely looked lived in. I could even see a couple of wrappers for some sugary confection that I remember seeing in commercials.

Professor Rowan went over towards the desk and opened a drawer.

"How was the Teleport Station?" Rowan made small talk while he sifted through it.

From seeing him in person, his overall appearance reminded me of an aged Herdier, hardened gaze and all. Currently he was wearing his brown coat outfit from Platinum.

I noticed in the back of the room was a stand that held three Pokéballs, most likely the three starters for the Sinnoh Region.

"Nauseating."

He gave a huff at my answer.

"Looker didn't inform you to pick up some medicine before you left?"

"I think he had a lot on his plate at the time." I said with a hint of guilt.

That guy was dealing with an investigation, and my homelessness, all in one go in Jubilife. I can't exactly blame him for a small detail like that slipping his mind.

I survived the trip in any case.

"I see…" That was Professor Rowan's only response before he pulled out a familiar sleek-looking black device.

It looked like a carbon copy of the one Arthur had used to purchase the Dig TM.

"Looker informed me about your unfortunate situation. If you can't reach Looker, feel free to contact me about anything you might remember. I'll be sure to pass it along."

He walked over to me and unceremoniously gave me the expensive looking device with little fanfare.

Considering the weight this act should give in this world, with the freedom obtaining one symbolized felt oddly… anticlimactic.

"Do you know how to use one?" He asked me in a tone that insinuated he had asked that very question many, many times.

I pressed a button on the side to wake it from sleep mode and was greeted to the sight of my own face. It was the photo I had taken prior to the Doubles Tournament, my name written at the top along with a series of numbers on the bottom.

This is my trainer ID.

I'd be sure to memorize the numbers later.

I swiped the screen to find that it worked very similar to the smart devices from back home. It even had some apps already pre-installed like a camera app and web app.

Rowan waited patiently as I fiddled with the device.

"Can I give it voice commands?" I asked him curiously, still staring at the device in my hands.

"Go ahead and give it a try."

What should I ask it first?

"Uh… Pokédex… What's the entry for Mightyena?"

I was interested to find how detailed the entries for Pokémon were.

"Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon, It chases down prey in a pack of around ten. They defeat foes with perfectly coordinated teamwork. Its behavior arises from its living in packs in ancient times, and it will never disobey the commands of a skilled trainer. Aster, you currently own one of this Pokémon." A digitized robotic female voice spoke back.

So the Pokédex had already been updated with my current roster of Pokémon, huh? It even updated itself with new information based off the fact that Dusk had evolved only just this morning.

"What's the name of the Mightyena?" I asked it.

"There is currently no name given to this particular specimen." I received a rout response back.

"Rename the Mightyena to Dusk." I immediately commanded.

She wasn't just a specimen to me.

"Name updated successfully… Anything else?"

"What moves does she know?"

"Dusk's currently known moves are Bite, Howl, Sand-Attack, Growl, Tackle, Thunder Fang, and Snarl."

I raised an eyebrow at the mention of the last attack, and looked down towards Dusk, her chest puffing out in pride when she heard the Pokédex tell me what she obviously already knew.

We finally have a ranged attack at our disposal.

Normally, such a move wouldn't be good on a Mightyena, unless you only wanted it to be pure support, considering its special stat was hot garbage.

Didn't really have to worry about that here. In fact, having an option like that for combat was a boon if anything.

"I think I can figure it out, Professor Rowan." I said, putting the Pokédex away in the inner pocket of my scarlet jacket. "I'll be getting out of your hair now. Thanks for everything." I turned and made to head out of the lab.

"Just a moment, young man."

I immediately stopped in my tracks at the professor's low voice. Without meaning to, he always sounded quite intimidating.

I turned around, a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead.

"Uh… yes, sir?" I meekly asked the man.

He seemed to notice my discomfort when he coughed into his hand in an attempt to defuse the stifling aura that had filled the room at his authoritative tone.

"I noticed that… Dusk was it?" He stopped his answer to ask me that question.

I nodded my head, calming down at his attempts to soothe my worries.

"I noticed that Dusk had already evolved. It was my understanding that the Jubilife Tournament was only a day ago."

Did everyone watch that freakin' thing!?

"You watched that?" I was surprised since he didn't really seem the type to care about battling.

"Yes, I did." He began, gesturing to the TV on his desk. "I sometimes put this on when I'm in need of a bit of background noise. I happened to catch your intense match with that Zoroark." He finished explaining, turning to look at me. "If you don't mind me asking, when did Dusk evolve?" He repeated his earlier question.

"This morning." I succinctly answered.

"This morning!? I would have expected her to have at least evolved immediately after the fight!" The professor exclaimed in shock, a very different contrast from his usual stoic demeanor.

This sudden shift caught me off-guard and I looked down to my beloved hyena.

She tilted her head in confusion at the guffawing professor, not sure what he was going on about.

If the professor himself found the circumstances weird. Then was Dusk's evolution really that big of a deal?

"Is… is that bad?" I couldn't help the worry leaking from my voice.

He seemed to calm down at my anxious tone, crossing his arms in contemplation.

"Tell me. Did Looker ever inform you of what research I specialize in?"

Looker hadn't mentioned it, and I certainly didn't remember what it could have been.

It'd been a while since my last playthrough of Platinum and, even then, I don't really pay that much attention to the story within them.

"Not at all."

Rowan nodded his head as if he expected that answer.

"My research mainly focuses on the evolution of Pokémon. From the variety of different evolutionary methods, to the multitude of different lines a Pokemon can diverge to from a singular known species such as Snorunt and Ralts." He explained in a tone that couldn't be anything but practiced.

I read in-between the lines.

"You want to study Dusk then?" I questioned, Dusk letting out an endearing whine of confusion with a tilt of her head.

I wasn't sure I was at all comfortable with that idea. Rowan seemed like a nice guy and all, but I couldn't use my outside knowledge as a foothold to blindly trust a person based off of that information.

The only reason I had trusted Looker was because I owed him my life.

Even then, I still lied to him.

"Precisely, Dusk here should not have been anywhere near the point of evolution." Rowan gestured a hand towards the hyena in question. "Pokemon like Kricketune and Mightyena, who evolve at a very early stage in their life cycle, are prime samples for the baseline of our studies in the evolutionary field."

This is starting to get into territory that was going over my head… I understood the gist of it, but I couldn't be sure if any of the claims were entirely valid or not. Amber had given a similar diagnosis to Dusk's sudden evolution in any case. I was certain I could at least trust that fact.

Rowan's sudden interest was entirely valid when viewed in that lens.

"What would you exactly be doing to 'study' her." I made sure to do air quotes to show my discomfort about the whole affair.

"I'd be doing some basic tests like DNA, measurements, physicals, and consulting with colleagues on the matter. This is a very rare case, Mr. Arkwright, and could lead to a potential breakthrough if my hunch is correct."

"How long would your study take?"

I did have a gym circuit to worry about. I vaguely remember there being some conference held in the anime that happened at a certain time of the year.

"Around two to three weeks. That'd leave you around five months or so before the Lily of the Valley Conference."

I felt like, with my lesser knowledge of the world, I would need to begin my journey as soon as possible. I wasn't even going to get anything out of lending her to him.

Even if there was a potential breakthrough in the scientific field, it had nothing to do with me.

"I, of course, would compensate you handsomely for your time." Rowan interrupted my musings.

I narrowed my eyes a fraction.

This old man was pretty sharp if he could guess what I might have been thinking about.

Maybe I'm as easy to read like Amber says.

I checked my Pokédex quickly and opened a bank account app I had seen in my cursory glance from earlier.

I had about 500 dollars in my account.

With a monthly stipend, that was an easy amount to live off of for food and water, especially if I was going to be camping out most of the time.

The expensive part of being a trainer came with TMs, medicine, and Pokéballs.

TMs I could get away without using with clever usage of natural learnsets, and possible tutoring if I could figure out how that works.

Medicine wasn't just a one and done like it was in the games. They came in large sturdy plastic bottles that could be used multiple times. This was the one expense I was worried about paying. After talking with Amber during our training sessions, I learned that Pokémon had a pretty high recovery factor. I should only need to use the medicine for emergencies.

I was more concerned with catching more Pokémon. If I wanted a shot at winning the conference, then I would need a full team bare minimum. That would mean I would at least need five Pokéballs to catch the members that I wanted.

I had won one ball and had to sell the other to pick up all the essentials I would need to comfortably start my journey in the first place.

To accept his offer would mean I would be mostly spending on the endeavor of catching a Pokémon. This required finesse, time, and patience to achieve.

I hadn't even practiced my throwing arm…

Is that what I really wanted to be focusing on when I still needed to train Dusk in a satisfactory way? Having another member right now would only hamper my ability to teach.

Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone instead?

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer…" I started to say, Rowan already letting out a sigh at my supposed rejection. "For now…"

He looked surprised at my answer.

"Go on…" He said, taking a business-like stance.

I raised my index finger up.

"First, I would like to renegotiate the payment I would receive from money to a Pokémon."

His brows furrowed at my pitch.

"I'm afraid I can't give away any of the starters at the moment. Breeding has been slow, and I'm expecting a few newbie trainers coming by."

I expected an answer like that.

"I don't want one of the starters."

His confusion deepened at my words.

"You're a professor that probably gets a lot of interesting specimens sent to him for one reason or another right? Even just for research purposes?" I questioned with a neutral gaze.

I was met right back with a similar look from the aged man.

"I suppose I do…" He trailed off, waiting for me to explain further.

"I'd like to be given one you'd be capable of parting with." I gave my terms.

He looked out the window of the study, unsure of my demands.

"That might be doable…" The professor trailed off. "Why would you not let me study her now? I could easily write up a contract between the two of us." He turned to look at me with a discerning look.

"Honestly, I'm not really comfortable lending out my only Pokémon…"

It was the truth. She was my only means of defending myself in a world filled with supernatural creatures.

The professor seemed to agree to my logic when he nodded his head in understanding.

"Very well, I'll notify you when I receive a Pokémon I'd be willing to give you." He acquiesced to my demands.

I smiled at how smoothly this deal was shaping out.

"And if I catch another member of my team, I'll keep my end of the bargain and bring Dusk on by for study. You can keep your end at a later date in this case." I agreed to the deal. "Is that okay with you Dusk?" I looked down to see a bewildered hyena looking between the two of us.

"Raa?" She let out a questioning yip in reply.

"He'll basically give you a lot of pat downs like Amber did in the ice cream shop." I answered her.

It might have over-simplified the process, but it should hopefully let her make a decision based off of that.

I didn't want to force her into anything she wouldn't be comfortable with.

Dusk lowered her head for a moment in thought before perking up with a goofy smile on her face.

"Ruff!"

I heard the professor give a soft chuckle at the hyena's exuberance.

"I'll be sure to write up a contract and send it to your Pokédex for you to read over and sign at your leisure." Rowan explained with a rare smile.

"Sounds good, professor. See ya around." I made to turn around with a casual wave, stopping when I remembered something. "Oh, and Mrs. Connor wanted to know if you would join her for dinner tonight..." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly

He let out a full blown laugh at that.

"Tell her thanks for the offer, but I still have numerous reports I need to fill out." He began, calming himself down, a trace of a smile still on his face. "I'd be careful if I were you, Aster, she'll talk your ear off all night if you let her."

I sweated a bit at hearing this. I wasn't entirely surprised at this revelation.

"I-I'll keep that in mind."

I could hear Dusk softly cackling below me.

I let out a sigh.

I suppose it was time for that spaghetti I was promised…

For a lot of people, weather had a strong impact on how they felt during a given day.

For some, sunny weather literally brightened up a person's days and lifted their spirits. While, for others, a drizzling day was like a calming aria, the drops of rain pittering and pattering lulling them into a sense of blissful relaxation.

Typically, people who liked sunlit days despised rainy weather, the inverse also being the case.

There were even studies based off of these preconceptions in some branch of psychology that I was only vaguely aware of.

I was the kind of guy who took great pleasure in the calmness of cloudy days. Rain wasn't even a factor for me. The simple case of it being cloudy was enough to brighten my spirits as contradictory as it sounded.

However, after visiting Lake Verity, I could see the green grass on the other side.

It was the next day after visiting the professor of evolution. Mrs. Connor was charitable enough to even offer me her guest room after a particularly delightful dinner. Not sure when the next time I would be sleeping in a bed would be, I had accepted the proposal without a second thought.

The walk to the lake wasn't long at all. It had taken Dusk and I around half an hour or so to make it here. It was a popular destination, a dirt road and a series of signs leading us here without any issues.

I currently sat at the edge of the bank, a curious hyena sniffing around near some trees on the other side of the gigantic clearing we resided in. She had a goofy smile on her face as she marveled at the scenery around us.

It led me to believe she had grown up in the city all her life if her reactions were any indication.

I smiled as she put her head into a bush, her tail wagging all the while.

I turned my head towards the large body of water that stretched the length of at least an entire neighborhood block, the sun shining off of the liquid pool's surface, a sea of lustrous diamonds twinkling in my vision. Its brightness was almost enough to blind me.

It was a very romantic place.

I could see why Mrs. Connor had said she had gotten married here. One of the many stories she had told me about herself.

I sat up to stare at the edge of the lake, my own immaculate reflection staring back at me, a result of the lake being miraculously free of even a speck of impurity.

This was a wonder that would be hard to come by in my own world.

The purity of the lake almost looked heavenly in appearance. I was even reluctant to dip my own hand into the water's surface for a sip, afraid my rotten hands would contaminate such a unique marvel.

I instead took out a canteen I had purchased at the mart, and carefully lowered it into the water.

I almost expected a legendary Pokémon like Mesprit or Suicuine to come out of nowhere and chastise me for such a sin.

Alas, I was greeted to none and lifted the canteen to my parched lips. The liquid flowed down my throat so smoothly, it almost felt like I wasn't drinking anything at all. The only way I had known was the sublime taste of the water.

I wondered with morbid fascination, after tasting this proverbial holy water, if I would try and kill myself the moment I had a normal drink of water back in my own world…

It was just that ducking delicious.

I greedily filled my two canteens I had purchased, one for me and the other for Dusk.

I lazily sat back down and continued to gaze out at the luscious scenery, a half-lidded gaze on my face.

While this was all very beautiful, and I didn't regret coming here, it was all a waste of time in the end.

I hadn't seen hide or hair of a single legendary Pokémon telling me, in grandiose riddles, my purpose and destiny in this symbiotic world. There wasn't even an appearance by the Emotion Pokémon this lake was so famous for housing.

Mrs. Connor had told me about the legends of such a Pokémon's existence but, to her, they were just that, myths and legends. I couldn't really blame her, since my own searching turned up fruitless.

Honestly, part of me had filled up my two canteens in an attempt to bait it out of hiding.

I checked my Pokédex to see it was nearing noon.

I may as well get started on Dusk's training. If the gods of the Pokémon world didn't see fit to grace me with any knowledge, then there was no use wasting the rest of the day.

I was about to call over Dusk, wanting to go train farther away from the lake. I did not desire to disturb the tranquility and beauty of this beautiful environment.

I stopped when I heard the scuffing of boots on dirt.

I turned my head in curiosity.

My blood turned ice cold.

A tall man wearing a brown trench coat and matching hat stopped in his tracks when he noticed my gaze. His face had deepened pits near his cheeks that gave him a menacing look about him, the hair that was not fully obscured by his hat a pale blue. The most striking feature about him, however, was the gray lack luster eyes that stared back into my own.

I recognized the man as Cyrus.

The villain of the games and leader of Team Galactic.

I tried to keep the horror I felt off my face.

"Don't mind me." He spoke in a quiet tone, walking forward to the lake's edge. He kept a far enough space away that he wouldn't bother me. "I'm just here to take in the scenery."

I looked back towards the lake, a bead of sweat rolling down my face as I tried to ignore his very presence. I no longer felt brave enough to call out to Dusk. My muscles were coiled in such a way that I could spring away from the man at a moment's notice, my flight part of my instincts taking over the fight.

I tried my best to relax as much as I could.

It was like trying to keep your appetite at a dinner where you knew the people you were dining with were murderers.

His appearance here was uncannily similar to the games. I tried to remember what his purpose for even being here was, but I couldn't for the life of me recall what that might have been. I cursed myself for not paying closer attention to the storyline.

I chanced a cautious look at him with the water's relflection to see him staring out across the lake. His lusterless eyes peering far away, gazing at something I couldn't figure out.

This was a man who could easily rip me to shreds right now and no one would be any the wiser.

I let out a surprised shout when I felt a blob of mangy fur crash into me.

Dusk draped herself across my lap, energetically butting her head against my hand. She had done this several times before, so I knew that she wanted me to pet her.

She never hesitated to cash in on our 'contract'.

I began to slowly caress her, glancing to the lake's flawless surface out of the corner of my eye to see that Cyrus had started to observe us. For a moment, I swore I could see a faint spark in his eyes.

I did my best to ignore him, getting lost in the feeling of Dusk's silky fur. She let out a whine of appreciation when I gently scratched her behind the ear.

This act brought me a surprising amount of comfort.

"That's a loyal and cute Mightyena." I heard the dull tone of Cyrus ring out through the clearing.

I swiftly twisted my head to the side to see Cyrus's back already leaving the area.

His tone was just barely above a whisper, yet the way he spoke made it sound like the entire world was listening.

"You'd do well to protect her with your life."

The feeling of dread filled the area like a fog and left me feeling anxious.

What had prompted him to say that?

From what little I could tell, he seemed like the type of person who would prefer to keep to himself.

He didn't seem to show any real interest in me until Dusk had shown up…

My lost look must have been apparent if Dusk's whine of concern was evident. She nervously pawed at my stomach in an attempt to rouse me.

I pushed all those thoughts into the back of my mind, proceeding to take out a brush from my backpack.

I knew we were about to start training, but I really needed to calm my frayed nerves.

May as well be useful and take care of Dusk's frayed fur.

Dusk tilted her head in curiosity at the dully barbed object.

I gave her a nervous smile and began to brush her hair.

As I lost myself in the calmness of the repeated sweeping motions, a feeling in my gut told me that the man had spoken from experience.