We're no less suspicious of those words and who they belong to now than we were before. The difference is we don't really have a choice but to listen to them this time. Beyond the weakened state we're in, Ri and I can both sense someone nearby—not just a vague lifeforce this time, but an intense presence. Even with what we felt before, it's unlike anything I would've expected from the duo we saw the previous night.

More importantly, it's too close! We don't have time to pick ourselves back up and take off before we hear the approaching clack of boots. Shadows grow and separate down the long passage. We stand with our back to the wall and brace for the worst.

With the pair facing us in the light, we can make out more of their features. The woman has honey brown hair pulled up in a neat bun, thick eyebrows, and deep blue eyes: The man has a yellow-gold, long, neat bowl-cut and amber eyes. Again, they wear matching, professional ensembles of blue and white. Seeing our defensive posture, they stop a couple meters away from us with sad, reassuring smiles.

My aura sensors tremble inquisitively as I try to get a better read on the pair. There's no mistaking that power we're feeling is definitely the woman's, but the longer I feel it and as strong as it is… it doesn't feel threatening. Against my reservations, it doesn't seem like they want to hurt us. If I hadn't been wrong before, I'd be more tempted to let my guard down.

As if knowing this, she suddenly sits on the ground, her gaze never leaving ours. The vulnerable action surprises me and I can only guess that she's trying to make herself look as least dangerous as possible. I don't know what sort of ability she has, but her build is so delicate that it's hard to think she's much of a fighter. Her partner, on the other hand, is another matter: He remains standing at her side with a much more careful expression.

"I didn't mean to scare you both… My name's Sheena," the woman begins after taking a deep breath. She nods to her companion, keeping her hands clasped together, "This is my husband, Kevin. We're the guardians of the ruins here. I felt something strange about the two of you when you arrived, so I've been hoping to meet you."

I gape at the ridiculousness of her confession. You're one to talk, lady! Something strange about us?! How would she feel if a cryptic, disembodied voice spoke in her head?

It's not like the explanation doesn't make sense though. It fits with the discussion we saw and mine and Ri's signatures would be noticeably different from most other Pokemon. We're probably not what she imagined either. Given that logic, I let myself relax a bit with a sigh.

Even so, it doesn't shake my discomfort, especially not as she continues to stare at the both of us, "A lot has happened lately: All of the disasters, the titans waking up, and then your visit. You both seem a lot stronger than you look, so you must be very special Riolu."

Ri gives her a hesitant nod. I'm not that compliant, momentarily forgetting about my barred speech with a to-the-point question, "What do you want?"

Even if she doesn't understand my words, she does catch the sharpness in my tone. "I don't know what you've been through," she presses, "but we really don't mean any harm. We're just looking for some answers."

The man interrupts before she can explain further. Although his face doesn't change, he's just as to the point as I am, "Sheena, they've been poisoned."

She blinks at the news, worry creasing her brow, and takes a second look at us. Confirming what he's said with her own eyes, she finally lets go of her own hands and crawls forward, "You're hurt that badly? We have some medicine back at the study: It isn't far! Kevin, help me carry them!"

I move around Ri before they come any closer, managing to summon a tiny, quivering Aura Sphere about the size of my own hand and aim it their way. While not very impressive, it's still enough to make them pause even as I'm hit with a sudden dizzy spell from the lingering toxins in my body. I know I'm probably being too aggressive, but we don't really need their help or know or if they can be trusted. It's barely been an hour since the last time we've been lied to!

Unless they attacked first, I wasn't planning on releasing the sphere. Nevertheless, I feel Ri touch the small of my back to pacify me. "Lira… I know you don't sense anything wrong about this either," he mumbles, "Let's trust them, at least for now. We need to get somewhere out of sight while we recover anyway."

Thinking it over, I relent. There's no telling when the goons that came after us will snap awake and give chase once again. Our safest bet would probably be to race to the town's Pokemon Center or find some hidden place in the wilderness to hole up in; however, that's if the group can hold themselves back enough to keep from making a scene. We don't know how desperate our escape might've made them and there's still the issue of sheer numbers.

He's also right that we can't feel anything wicked about the pair, even though it's not something that's always easy to tell. You can't really get a feel for someone's personality or intentions through aura: You can only guess based on the emotion, lifeforce, and raw power sensed instead—which is hard enough at our level. I still can't tell anything about the man, but I keep getting that powerful prodding from the woman, albeit less invasive this time. Now, it's less of an unfamiliar hand at my shoulder and more of a concerned voice calling to me from behind a shut door: An unknown, yet encouraging push for comfort.

When my Aura Sphere dissipates, the pair take that as a sign of acceptance. I bite my lower lip as Kevin plucks me up in a cradle while Sheena grabs Ri. His ears fidget back at the foreign hold, sharing in my embarrassment. We don't get the chance to speak out against it though as the two race off with us down the tunnels.

I'm worried as we end up travelling back up the steep cliffs, but we thankfully change direction to one of the large rock formations overlooking the town. There's a secret passage carved through a wide crevice and hidden by forest's expansive undergrowth. It leads to an iron stairwell that curls around the stone before diving underground.

While there's still evidence of the ruins, there's other, more modern architecture worked into the natural rock that reminds me more of a museum. Decorative wall-lights cling to either side of a set of metal, double-doors carved with mostly rectangular, horizontal patterns. Past them lies an open foyer with intricate marble tile. We pass a series of rooms and are set down as Kevin vanishes into one of them.

I hug myself tightly as I look around. The stonework alone is pretty, but the foyer has hardly any furniture. There's only two pieces: A kind of statue set in a notch in the far wall and a towering fixture of metal and dyed glass. Overall, it has a bulb shape, with several delicate pieces linking together the four orbs balanced between each other—like an artfully designed orrery that's easily three times our size.

Before Ri and I have the chance to inspect it closer, Kevin returns with two vials in his arms. I recognize them as an Antidote and a basic Potion. While not exactly the cure-all that most people would think, Antidotes can dispel general toxins, especially those in most Poison-type attacks if they haven't lingered for too long in the body. Potions can restore energy and help heal more mild injuries. They're standard in any trainers' equipment.

They start with the Antidote first, spraying Ri and I down. I squeeze my eyes shut as the cool mist jets across my face, my nose crinkling just before I let out twin sneezes while the remedy empties my airways. My skin tingles as it eats at the sticky poison that clings to my fur. We only get a second-long reprieve before the next spray is applied.

I hear Ri sputter next to me, probably catching some of it in his mouth. Modern medicine does wonders, but it isn't like a good, old-fashioned Oran berry. Besides, these specific types are suited best for primarily external wounds, so they aren't really made to suit anyone's taste. I'm glad, at least, that we don't have to take a shot form of either remedy.

I don't open my eyes until they've completely stopped spraying, looking over to see my partner wiping at his face. Seeing the pair of humans take a respective step back now that the task is done, I can't help but breathe a little easier. My head is already starting to clear up, so I don't think they would've gone so far as to replace what's in either vial with something else to trick us. As Sheena stares again at us with a hopeful gaze, I have to give up the last of my reservations, "Thank you…"

Her smile brightens, but her response doesn't quite match, "You should be fine with a little rest."

I twist my mouth into a frown. Now that I actually do have to talk with another human again, the communication barrier is frustrating. Overall, we can probably get by with gestures and changes in tone; however, we have as many questions for the pair as they seemingly have for us.

Picking up on this, Sheena places a gentle hand to her chest, "I have so much I want to ask… I'm sorry that I can't truly understand you. My ability lets me connect with the hearts of Pokemon, but it can't perfectly translate those emotions and desires into words, and those can be rejected."

Ri reminds me of the easiest solution, "Don't you have your journal with us?"

I do: I always keep it with me since there's no telling what'll be worthwhile to record on our explorations. Actually, it's already getting a little full from our past adventures and all of the research we've been doing, but there's still a few blank pages. I fetch the book along with a stick of graphite and tear one of them loose.

"You can write?" the woman straightens in surprise.

I nod, already kneeling on the floor to scribble my first question. The thing is, I don't really know where to begin. We've already had our introductions and she just explained a bit of how her power works—my two biggest concerns since they found us. Since they did heal us and we don't exactly seem trapped here, I can believe them that much. They said they wanted information, so I let them go first while I continue to get my thoughts in order.

'Ask away.'

"First, what happened to you both?" Kevin cuts in, squatting down to our level.

I wasn't expecting them to start with that, but the gravity in his expression doesn't relent. There's no point in hiding anything since we already know they're against Upsilon, so I go ahead and summarize the trap they laid out for us. The man reads over me, reminding me of the uncomfortable feeling of a teacher overlooking a student's work. Before I'm even done, both humans have their lips drawn into firm lines. I quickly think to add at the end, 'Who are they?'

"On the surface? An organization that's taken the lead in Pokemon research. They also gained a lot of positive attention for helping during the time paralysis incident two years ago and the natural disasters that've hit since."

"But they've always been shady," Sheena adds, "They always shift the blame, but Upsilon's been caught stealing and experimenting on various Pokemon. Some of their members are known, former agents of Teams Plasma and Dim Sun—two other criminal groups—as well."

That explains the distrust and how they'd be so hard to reject. That kind of mixed reputation could easily be set aside in a crisis, especially one as big as a global standstill. Even after what happened to us, especially since we don't actually have trainers, I don't see them getting chased out of town for it unless they revealed their true selves publicly. My eyes narrow: We'll need to watch out for them from here on. I hope the others don't have the same, bad luck of running into them that we did.

The woman sits beside us next, "More importantly, what are you two? I've seen other Riolu before, but none with signatures quite like yours. And you," as her stare drills into me in particular, I inwardly wince, "you're extremely different, to the point where you almost don't seem like a Pokemon at all."

I don't think she could be anymore on the mark… Maybe we can trust them, but what would be safe to tell them? How much would they believe to begin with? I definitely don't want to go into detail about how I used to be human with a couple of strangers, and talking about the isolated regions is probably out of the question.

Ri directs the pair's attention away from me to him, pulling his bandana aside to show off his Relic Fragment, "Ever seen something like this before?"

Based on the budding recognition that slowly floods into their eyes, I guess they have. Kevin gets up to quickly jog back the way we came and dive into a small office. We hear the loud rustle of papers follow and, soon enough, he returns flipping through an old book of his own. Finding whatever he was looking for, he shows the text to Sheena, "It's a match! Just like in the ruins…"

Her jaw goes slack before her mouth pulls back into a wide grin. She practically sparkles with fascination, the kind of look I've seen a thousand times over, "Then your team must have some connection with the Creation Trio! You've been investigating the disruptions in time-space too, haven't you?! Where are your trainers? I'd love go over everything I can with them!"

This one time, I think it's ok the reveal that secret. Ri and I turn to each other first in mute debate, then shake our heads in answer. Confusion, then disappointed understanding falls over the woman as we repeat the action. I tap a finger against my lips and, to my relief, the pair seems to agree to keep quiet about it.

Picking herself up from the floor, Sheena walks over to the large orrery, "Protecting this place isn't our only work. My husband and I also investigate changes in our world using this, the Time-Space Axis."

Shocked, I mimic her expression from only a moment ago. Ri and I scramble to get a closer look at the device, unable to believe the complete change in our luck to have been carried right to it! I thought we'd have to sneak through a wave of people or an insane amount of security before we'd ever get close!

I didn't think there would be someone else researching time's collapse either—not to this extent. It makes me wonder what happened to the two during the Planet's Paralysis, and wish that we had met them a lot sooner be it in the Dark Future or when we were collecting the Time Gears. There's no telling how much help they could've been. I can only assume the worst, given how Primal Dialga locked away all of the Celebi that served under him. Them and us included, that version of the legendary would've wanted to take out any threat to his frozen domain.

"Each of these spheres represents the dimensions ruled by Arceus and the Creation Trio, along with our own world. Using this, we can monitor them and estimate in what ways time-space may be distorted. Before, Dialga's, then Palkia's dimensions fluctuated chaotically with energy. Each have been stabilizing, but there's still evidence of growing damage to our world."

She points a finger to the dark green sphere resting in the base. While all of the orbs share a brighter core, surrounding it is what looks like a miniature thunderstorm. The core sparks in an erratic way and a dark energy hangs around it like a cloud of miasma. Next to that is a smaller, teal sphere that I can only assume is the Reverse World from the reflection of our own's state. I can't tell which is causing the damage to the other though…

It's easier to tell Dialga's and Palkia's sphere's apart by their blue and violet coloration. We haven't exactly been able to map them, so seeing a physical representation of the Hidden Land and Spatial Rift is jarring. It solidifies the unbelievable fact that we've been to both and the memories of those places aren't just shared fever dreams.

Kevin steps next to Ri and me. "Even though we've been carefully studying the past two year's events, we don't know how they started or what prevented the collapse of Dialga's or Palkia's dimensions. We assumed the Creation Trio had begun fighting one another for dominance and then returned to their stalemate," he looks at us, "but maybe you know something else. We're all on the same side here, and the more we know, the better equipped we'll be to handle whatever it is we're facing."

"If you can tell us anything, it would mean a lot," his wife adds, clasping her hands together a second time. I can feel her hope and desperation: I empathize with her, with working so hard to solve a mystery that means the end of everything if you can't.

Do we finally have some allies in this? Allies that can take some of the risks that have become terrifyingly regular for us? I don't know what happened with the Regirock here, but the fact that he'll work with them is a good sign. Even if we never have anything to do with them after Ri and I leave this place, knowing that someone will be keeping watch over this part of the world after we've gone back home would be a weight off our shoulders. In a way, we can think of it as part of our mission to prepare others for the coming disasters.

I turn to my partner first, "We should probably be careful with our words, but I have to admit that they can probably be a big help. If they know this much, they might could tell us where to focus our own investigation next."

"I think so too," he agrees, "