"Jonas is Barry's cousin," I repeated in disbelief. "How in Arceus' name are those two related? Yeah sure Barry can be arrogant and annoying at times, but he has never been a complete jerk!" The herd of Torterra nodded affirmatively at what I was saying. They must have met Barry before.

"Believe me," Dawn said, "I was just as surprised when I first found out. All I know is that boy is trouble, wherever he goes." Dawn continued to water and rake the soil on a few of the Turtwigs' shells. "Best advice I can give you about it: either stay neutral, or stay away. That is, if you can. Sounds like he's already got you in his sights."

I groaned at this, clipping a Torterra's tree a little more aggressively than necessary. "Wonderful," I said. "Can't wait to not be able to avoid this storm coming my way."

After a short, albeit slightly tense, period of silence, we finally finished tending to the Torterra herd. I tried my best not to get too attached to any of the Turtwig, knowing they had all been claimed by one upcoming trainer or another, but it was very difficult. Having finished the actual work part of tending to the herd, we simply played around with a few of the Turtwig while the Torterra supervised. After a very long game of Turt or Twig (in which the Turtwig would either bury themselves or a random stick in the ground while Dawn and I guessed which it was) I decided it was time for a short break from the games.

I sat a little bit off to the side, watching as the other Turtwig played a small game of tag. Occasionally one of the Torterra would 'accidentally' block a Turtwig from escaping whoever was it. It was quite a funny sight to behold. Each of the Torterra seemed to have their own personalities. It was so… human. I don't suppose I should have been surprised, even animals on Earth had personalities, but the ones Pokemon had were so much more comparable to those of humans that it was just… awesome.

Dawn came over and sat by me and we watched the same Torterra block the runner yet again. Dawn chuckled softly at the sight. "Kukui has always been a jokester," she said. I gave her a confused look, and she explained further. "Each of the Torterra which lead the herd are named after a different professor, usually based on their personalities. That one is named after Professor Kukui, from the Alola Region." Following the explanation I found myself chuckling as well. "Yeah," I said, "that personality definitely fits."

I took a look around at the other Torterra, trying to guess which professor each of the Torterra was named after. My eyes fell upon one whose eyes were wistfully watching the leaves of the trees sway in the wind. "Oak." Another Torterra seemed to be scolding some of the younger ones after they had started fighting, but after a moment pulled them into a hug with a pair of vines. "Magnolia." I kept at it, labeling an awkward one who was somewhat off on the sidelines as "Elm," another who seemed to be very social as "Sycamore," the one cheering the game on from the sidelines was "Birch," and one who seemed to be cheerily advising some of the Turtwig as "Juniper." However, there was one Torterra who I couldn't put to a professor.

Dawn, who had been staring at me with her mouth somewhat agape in shock, followed my gaze to the Pokemon I was watching. "As surprising as it was that you got all the other's correct, I highly doubt you'll get this one," she said with a little bit of smugness in her voice. I started thinking aloud, ignoring her teasing jab. "It's… odd, to say the least. Definitely some qualities of Magnolia, but it's like it's mixed with Sycamore… no that's not right. Kukui maybe? But I can't think of a professor who matches that personality." My thoughts caused Dawn to laugh a little.

"You're right about the mix," she said. "There's also a little bit of Oak in there, too. But she's definitely someone who you don't know. Her field of study is very… niche. She lives out on an artificial island and studies these things called Sync Stones."

"Ooohhhh, Professor Bellis of Pasio. Yeah I suppose that makes sense," I said, turning to her with a smirk on my face. The blue-haired girl stared blankly back at me before sighing in defeat. "You know," she said, "I'm not even surprised anymore."

"Twig!" I nearly jumped from my seat when the small voice surprised me. I looked down to my side to see a Turtwig laying next to me. It nuzzled against me and I put my arm over it and stroked its head, which led to it letting out a satisfied sigh. It felt so surreal, petting a Turtwig as if it were a small dog laying next to me, but there I was. "Twiiiiigggg." Looking closer at the small turtle, I noticed it had made itself a bed of twigs and was laying on that. "So," I said, "you like twigs, huh." I received a small nod and a "Twig" to answer my question. "Guess I'll call you Twiggy then, at least while you're here." I received another, more excited "Twig!" as Twiggy nuzzled closer to my leg.

Dawn walked over and sat next to me, with Twiggy between us. She looked at me with a smile, but I could tell there was something else. "I'm glad you made a friend," she started, "but you really shouldn't give nicknames to Pokemon that aren't yours. Especially if you know they're going to be another trainer's soon." Her lecture caused a wave of guilt to wash over me. "I hadn't even thought of that," I apologized. "I just felt a sort of… connection, I guess." I looked back to Twi— the Turtwig and gave it a sad smile. "Sorry little fella." It gave me a confused look, not quite knowing what was happening, before it layed its head back down and started to sleep.

At that, Dawn and I noticed the sun starting to set and decided we should probably head back to the lab.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.

The next day, Arceus must have been smiling upon me, as I was lucky enough to not have to interact with Jonas at all. He had been sending my glares and side-eyes all throughout the day, as if he were analyzing me for study. But, quite thankfully, he decided to leave me alone the whole day. Which allowed me to get used to the four classes we would be taking part in for the next two months.

As I expected, the Battle Class was, essentially, the bare basics of Pokemon battling, including type match-ups, move categories, and other beginner topics. I paid attention, but only enough to make sure I knew what was being talked about, then proceeded to ignore most of the class.

The Caretaking Class actually seemed to be both interesting and the most important of the classes I was to take. Essentially, we learned about basic biology for each type of Pokemon. Obviously the class didn't go over every Pokemon, but it will have covered enough to have a solid baseline of knowledge. We could look into specifics on our own time.

The Survival Class was probably the second most important class. At least in my mind. Mainly because it wasn't quite as interesting as learning about the myths revolving around fire-types dying if their flame goes out. However, it did have some very important things in the schedule, such as setting up a campsite, detecting signs of a Pokemon nest, and navigation.

The final class, the Cooking Class, was both self explanatory and surprisingly complex. Obviously, most of it boiled down (pun intended) to what you liked to eat and how you wanted things to taste, but there were many dishes that were notable 'survival dishes' which would be quick, easy, and nutritious, even with few ingredients.

All in all, excluding the Battle Class for the time being, I had my work cut out for me. Jonas left almost as soon as classes ended, despite the smirk he shot me before leaving, which made me think I was in for another confrontation. But no, he simply left, and I was not complaining.

On the walk back to the lab, I checked my email to see if the Professor had sent me anything yet. I saw one message from him which stated, quite simply, "Please report to my office immediately upon returning." I had a sense of dread wash over me as I walked the rest of the way, somewhat faster and more frantic than before. I wasn't quite sure what I was walking into, but something told me it wasn't going to be good.

I finally reached the lab and noticed a black sedan parked outside. That was my first indicator that something big was going on, because most people in this world did not use cars. It was something typically used by a) emergency responders, b) people in positions of power, or c) the mob. Which I only say half jokingly, considering I had seen pictures of Giovanni stepping out of a very tinted limousine.

My second indicator was that before I had even gotten into the lab, I heard the yelling. I couldn't quite make out what was being said, but some words, such as 'stranger' and 'procedure' came through very clearly (and loudly). They also clued me in to the fact that I was likely the main topic of the conversation, if you counted one-sided yelling as a conversation. Preparing myself for the worst, and trying (and failing) to put on a brave face, I walked into the lab.

And boy, I really should have seen this coming.

Standing there, just outside of the Professor's office were Rowan and another man. This man was roughly as tall as the Professor, with slick black hair which swept across his head from one side to the other. He wore a long brown trench coat, and was currently unloading an apparent bit of frustration on the older man. A true man of mystery, whose name I actually didn't know, but I did know him by a single word.

Looker.

The professor sighed during a small pause in Looker's rant and his eyes found mine. He said a few quiet words which I was too far away to hear. The detective's head immediately snapped around and his piercing brown eyes seemed to search through my very soul. I shifted my gaze to Rowan, who gestured for me to come over to them. I did so quickly, sparing a nervous glance around the lab and finding Dawn standing off to the side. She seemed to be nervous and somewhat scared, a feeling I could relate to, and I hadn't even heard what Looker was saying. She mouthed a silent 'Good luck' before I turned back to face Looker, now directly in front of me.

"Hello there, sir," I said. "Is there anything I can help yo—"

"Excuse me, young man, but we need to have a word," he demanded. A part of me was miffed about being cut off when I was trying to be nice, but that part quickly died hearing the ferocity of the agent's tone. "O-of course." I wanted to say more but decided it was best to just let him lead the narrative.

"Rowan, we'll be using your office. Please wait out here until I call you in," Looker explained, slightly impatiently. "You can at least follow that order, can't you?" I gulped silently at the obvious anger held in that question. The professor sighed and nodded silently and for the first time, I think it was out of genuine exhaustion. If I was just yelled at for who knows how long, I'd be happy for a break, even if it meant giving up my office for a while.

Looker nodded curtly and walked into the office, saying nothing and leaving the door open. Assuming he was expecting me to follow behind him, I did so, closing the door as I entered. I sat down in the same chair as when I had talked to Rowan the first time a few days ago, and couldn't help but notice the stark difference between the two encounters. Whereas the first had been quick and accepting, I could tell the whole purpose of this was for a very long interrogation, with every little detail being brought into question.

He pulled a notepad out from inside his jacket and set it down on the desk, along with a pen. "Well then, let's begin. My name is confidential. But you may call me, as all else do, Agent Looker. I am a member of the International Police, and I am here to test the validity of your claim that you are 'from another world.'" The verbal air quotes Looker made around that final phrase showed me just how much he currently believed that claim. He looked at me quickly, and upon seeing I wasn't going to question anything, he continued.

"Firstly, this discussion will be recorded and may be reviewed in the future by other members of the IP should it become relevant. Secondly, you are required to answer all questions truthfully. Failure to answer a question truthfully, or at all, will be considered perjury and you will be arrested." At this, he pulled out a Luxury Ball and released the Pokemon held within. After averting my eyes from the flash of light, a small cat-like figure was standing in the corner of the room. It was a dark blue, with white markings along its tail and ears. Both sets of its paws also covered with white fur, along with a tuft that wrapped around its neck like a scarf. Opening its eyes revealed two piercing green dots which scanned the room briefly. I knew from a glance that it was a Meowstic, and based on the patterns, it was a male. "Mreow," he said after bowing to Looker. He then focused his gaze on me and never shifted from that position.

"This Meowstic will serve as a psychic medium to determine whether you are telling the truth. Please acknowledge that this is for truth verification, and that the Pokemon will not be searching through your mind for any other reason without consent." I nodded dumbly at Looker then met the gaze of the psychic Pokemon. It was not blinking, scanning the surface of my mind for any dishonesty.

"Now, I will begin by asking you some simple questions for the record. What is your name?"

"Nathan Stahlherz."

"How old are you?"

"20"

"When were you born?"

"May 26th, 2001."

My eyes went wide as I realized that I didn't use this world's calendar to answer him. This clearly threw Looker off for a moment. He looked to the Meowstic, who simply nodded. He scribbled a note down on the notepad then asked me, "What would that date be on the Sinnoan Calendar?"

"May 26th, 898."

He hummed to himself and leaned back in his chair slightly. "Thank you. Now I will begin the actual questioning. So Mr. Stahlherz, why are you here?"

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Despite my trepidations, I felt the question was just too simple. As such, I gave him a simple response. "I don't know." A confirmation from the Meowstic and a scribble in the notepad later, the next question came. "Do you know what brought you here?" An obvious attempt to see whether I knew about a 'giant hole in space' that I found myself near. But, I had to remain truthful. "No, I don't." After a moment of hesitation, the Meowstic nodded his confirmation to Looker. Yet again a scribble. I figured that he was going to do that after every question now, so I stopped paying it any mind.

"Have you experienced any recent incidents of amnesia or other types of memory loss?" His tone during this question was almost bored, as if he knew the answer already, but still had to ask it for the sake of the record. "No. No I have not," I said with confidence. I can't lie, I took no small amount of satisfaction as his composure slowly started to crack at that answer. Almost frantically he looked to the cat in the corner, who just nodded his head. He leaned back in his chair for a moment again and collected his thoughts.

This was the calm before the storm.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up quickly, making me jump out of shock. I would have said something, some witty joke about him being a little too into it, but the glare he leveled at me shut me up fast. "Do you hold any ill will towards Sinnoh?!" he nearly yelled at me. I was taken aback. Did… did he think I was a terrorist?!

"N-no, of course not! Wha—"

"Do you plan to take any action to harm or injure people or property of the Sinnoh region?"

"No! Why wou—"

"Are you wanted in any region of the world?"

"Wanted? No, I—"

"Then WHO ARE YOU?"

That's when I heard it. The shattering of his facade was as obvious as a broken window, the desperation in his voice cutting my ears like shards of glass. I took a second to look, to really look, at the man before me.

And he looked broken.

My mind flashed to my memories of the man, from the games and the anime. His kind-hearted nature was shadowed by his fear of the unknown. His sense of humor was replaced with a sense of urgency. His investigative instinct was overwhelmed by desperate paranoia.

And what made it worse is I knew why.

Ultra Beasts.

And what made it even worse was what that meant for me.

Hello, dear reader!

Sorry for the late update, I had a very chaotic day and couldn't get around to upload the chapter until now.

Here's Looker! And he's… well, kinda a mess. But after everything that has happened to the poor man, I'm not surprised.

Please, please, tell me what you thought of the chapter! I like reading your reviews and hearing what you think of the story, and the characters, and even just my writing style. I actually ended up writing this because of a review where someone pointed out a lack of verification, which I had planned on including when I started, but forgot to include when I made an outline. I write a lot of this as I go, and sometimes when I think of things I want to include, I'm not always at my computer so I end up forgetting to add them, even when I really should. (Also please tell me if you see any typing/spelling/grammar issues)

Anyways, please favorite if you liked, follow if you want more (updates… roughly every Saturday) and review if you want! I can't promise I'll respond (sorry, I'm really bad at that), but it is appreciated even if I don't!

-TD2297