Here's something I honestly didn't think I would get around to anytime soon. This is a remake of an old story I wrote a little under ten years ago. Back then it served as a companion piece to my then-current series. It also could serve as an early look at what would come into being with Operation GEAR, and it's under that context that I've decided to remake it. This version will follow a similar rough plot to the original, if you have read it, but will feature a number of fairly significant changes in order to make it act better as a prelude to the Operation GEAR stories. So for that reason, this remake is effectively the "fourth" part of the Operation GEAR trilogy, taking place before any of the other three. Though it contains references to both events taking place prior to and after this story, these references are merely to provide context. The story is itself fully stand-alone.

This will not deal with any particularly intense themes, though there will be bouts of intense violence and characters will die.

-:-

Operation GEAR: The Gardener of Gratitude

PROLOGUE

-:-

Sutter Chiaki, professor of history and archeology at the Rustboro School in its namesake city, was a man of simple tastes, wiling away the night working on a desk crammed with papers surrounded by those pleasures.. A cup of Komala Coffee, prepared black with the noticeable aroma of a strong roast. The soft, almost candle-like light of his antique desk lamp. His favorite old-fashioned dip pen and its accompanying inkwell. Indeed, his environment as he worked on his papers was exactly the way he preferred it, as if every stray scrap of paper had been purposefully laid out to aid the professor's work.

He put the finishing touches on the paper he was writing as a steady rainfall pelted the window behind his desk, providing some much-appreciated background noise. Once he was done, he quickly looked the document over and then placed it into the top drawer of his desk. His work for the night complete, he stood and walked over to a nearby rack, on which his coat and hat were hung.

It was at that point that the sound of his office's doorbell broke that peaceful quiet. A fateful chime that, far from Sutter's wildest imaginings, would prove to change history.

"It's open," he called out to the person on the other side of the door. "Come in."

Evidently, the person who walked in was not the one Sutter was expecting. He'd finished putting on his dark blue coat and had just set his black top hat over his messy white hair, but when he lay eyes on his visitor, he returned the hat to its hook and adjusted his glasses.

"Can I help you?" he asked, not trying to hide the suspicion in his voice. "Who are you?"

"I am merely someone who is interested in a bit of your past work, Mister Chiaki," the man replied. Every part of his face was hidden beneath a gray, cylindrical helmet, save for his mouth, and he stood with his hands planted firmly in the gold-lined pockets of his darker gray suit. "There are a few questions I would like to ask you."

"I must say I'm not sure what part of my work interests a man like you who visits dressed like a Dusknoir," Sutter said, "but I suppose I can make a moment for a few questions, if you're quick about them."

If Sutter was honest with himself, he just wanted the man to leave. His vaguely wraith-like garb and evasive response to a simple question about his identity left Sutter uncomfortable with his presence. But the school was also well secured, and Sutter's office was no exception. He calmly walked back to his desk, pretending that it was to retrieve a cloth and his coffee cup. Outside of the man's sight, he placed the cup back down on top of a small button, its weight more than enough to push the button down. He then turned around to address the strange visitor again.

"So what part of my work has brought you here tonight?" he asked while wiping his glasses with the cloth.

"Your work on finding the Golden City."

As soon as the man's answer hit his ears, Sutter paused. He put his glasses back on and lowered the volume of his voice. "Nothing but a legend. I'm only one of many men throughout history who have searched for it. There's nothing to be found."

"Now see, Mister Chiaki, lying is unbecoming for an academic like you." The man withdrew his hands and spread his arms wide. "I know you found it. I've studied the history of La Ciudad Dorada my entire life… I know when you came to the kingdom, you found the Golden City. And furthermore, I know you're the one who has the map to find it again."

"If I had found it," Sutter countered, "don't you think I would have publicized such a historic discovery?"

"I think you were aware of the incredible power that sleeps in that place," the man replied, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Let me guess, you were trying to keep it away from people who might misuse it? Noble, but misguided…"

"I think you've wasted enough of my time," Sutter shot back. He glanced down at his watch and sighed. "Please, take my advice and leave."

"You take my advice. Give me the map and I'll walk out of here without a complaint."

"I don't have your map."

"So you'll lie. Lie all the way to the very end… how unfortunate."

In a flash, the man's hand exited his pocket with a strange, clockwork Poké Ball firmly in his grasp. He swiftly opened it, freeing a Dragonite wearing a glowing collar from the sphere. As soon as she materialized, the beast bellowed and lunged toward Sutter.

"Horn Drill!" Dragonite's owner commanded.

Even though he was incredibly healthy and mobile for a man of his advanced age, the Dragonite was far too close and her lunge far too swift for him to have a hope of escape. The beast dove upon the man, driving her rotating horn into his chest as a searing pain shot through Sutter's body. The dragon's attack missed his heart, but had sunk deep into his chest before she wrenched it free with a gush of blood. He screamed as he fell back against his desk, a great volume of blood splashing onto the floor and across his clothes. The only thing he could manage was grab at his desk and drag a picture frame off it as his life ebbed away and his body crumpled limply to the ground.

At that exact moment, a bespectacled woman wearing a suit appeared in the doorway with several security guards. "Professor, we got the al-"

When she saw her boss bleeding out on the floor against his desk, Sutter's secretary shrieked. The guards pushed past her and surrounded his killer, wasting no time in deploying their own Pokémon to further close off his path to the exit.

Surveying the group facing him, the murderer grunted to himself. There were a pair of Growlithe and a Manectric, which he knew he could easily defeat with Dragonite, but one of the guards happened to have a Glalie. "Dealing with an Ice-type on top of the others… not worth it. I'll have to look for the map another time…"

Resigning himself to the failure of his mission, the man vaulted over Sutter's desk, knocking the lamp to the ground with a crash as bloodstained papers were strewn about. His Dragonite lifted herself into the air and fired a stream of bubbles from her mouth at the window, smashing it to pieces. The murderer then jumped onto her back as the guard's Glalie launched an Ice Beam at the duo, only for his mount to dive ahead of it and fly out into the rain before they could be stopped. Glalie gave chase and tried again to shoot them down, but his aim was off and the second Ice Beam sailed harmlessly off into the sky.

"How persistent," the man fumed as he prompted Dragonite to turn around and face Glalie. "Dragonite, Bubble Beam!"

The collar around Dragonite's neck glowed brighter as she drew in a deep breath, then exhaled another flood of bubbles. Drawing power from the driving rainfall, they buffeted Glalie with relentless force. By the time Glalie shook off the attack, the killer and his Dragonite had vanished into the storm.

Sutter's secretary, meanwhile, rushed to her boss's side as his life rapidly slipped away. "Professor…" she sobbed, tears running down her face. "Professor, why?"

"T-T…" It took every ounce of Sutter's remaining energy to speak. "Tell Matt… pr-protect… the b-box…"

That request proved to be the last words the great archeologist Sutter Chiaki would ever speak. The last thing he saw before he slipped from this life was the photograph he pulled from his desk - a picture of himself alongside a blond-haired boy with a face somewhat similar to his own.

-:-

"Ah!"

Several years later, the boy from Sutter's photograph - having since grown into a tall but very thin young man - snapped awake on the bed in his train cabin. He stared up at the ceiling as he caught his breath, and tried to focus on the rhythmic sounds of the train's wheels on the tracks as a way of calming himself.

Suddenly, the door of his cabin slid open, and he had no choice but to sit up.

"Matt, good morning!" the young woman who entered greeted him. Her red hair contrasted sharply with the green t-shirt she wore. Though her greeting was a cheerful one, her attitude changed when she saw how plainly troubled he looked. "What's wrong?"

"It would be nice to be able to go a week without dreaming of when I saw my grandfather lying in a pool of his own blood," Matt replied, brushing away the hair that hung over his right eye away for a moment. "That scene just… still haunts me. I think that's why I'm doing this. I need closure."

"Do you really think doing this is going to find who killed him?" Matt ignored Cassy's question, and as he walked past her, she understood not to pursue it. "Think you'll be able to finish what he started?"

"I don't know," he answered blandly. "That note sounds like a lot of things more important than a treasure hunt are going on."

"It sounded to me like finding the Golden City is key to all of it," Cassy suggested in response.

Without saying anything, Matt went to the hook on the wall where he had his coat and messenger bag hanging. He opened the bag and withdrew a piece of parchment, which he began to read from.

"To Matt Chiaki, greetings. My name is Fernando, eighth Count of the royal family of La Ciudad Dorada. I write to you as I am aware of your grandfather, Sutter Chiaki, and his fascinating work in our kingdom. This may be very late, but please accept my condolences on behalf of the entire royal family for his unfortunate death. His work is recognized even today in our land.

More to the point of why I have written to you with such urgency, our kingdom is facing a threat unlike anything we have faced any time in our recent history. You may not be able to fully understand right now, but our history is paramount to ensuring the continued security of our land. We must find the Golden City to ensure our survival, and that is why I am writing to you. I have researched Sutter's time in our kingdom, and I have come to understand that even though he did not find the Golden City, he obtained an item that is key to locating it. To be specific, a puzzle box. Since his death, I understand you have inherited much from him, and as his heir I am sure that includes the aforementioned puzzle box. Please, I request that you come to La Ciudad Dorada at your earliest convenience, and bring the box with you. Together, we must finish what your grandfather started. It is the only way we can ensure that La Ciudad Dorada survives."

By the time Matt finished reading the letter, Cassy had made her way to the cabin window and was looking out of it.

"I guess I can see your point," he said. He put the letter down and reached back into his bag, retrieving a golden cube with ornate patterns carved into each of its sides. Each design prominently featured seven dots, arranged into one of three patterns; one resembling the letter 'H', one a wide cross, and one a hexagonal shape. The box glittered in the light of the morning sun as Matt examined it. "My grandfather always told me that this puzzle box was extremely important to one of his most meaningful expeditions, but I never thought I'd be holding it in my hands and heading off to follow his footsteps like this."

"Matt, come here!" Cassy exclaimed. "Come over here and look at this!"

Matt followed Cassy's urging and joined her at the window after putting away the puzzle box. Not terribly far off they could see a city, its buildings constructed from stone and packed closely together. Numerous towers dotted the city's outer rim, and Matt and Cassy could see the same glowing blue lights on them that were on the train's locomotive. Those same lights could also be seen on top of some of the buildings in the city proper. However, it was the castle on the far end of the town that most commanded their attention. It was a huge, stark white palace that dominated its surroundings, its appearance enhanced by the intricate stained glass windows on it.

"So that's it…" Matt said in awe. "The kingdom of La Ciudad Dorada… it's even more impressive than I expected it would be. I see why my grandfather spoke so highly of this place…"

END of PROLOGUE