It's crazy that we're already at 20 chapters; it feels almost like it was just yesterday that I started writing Werewolves of Sinnoh. In the intervening time, this story has accumulated the following:

Words: 102,883

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I would highly encourage you all to check out Spirit Animals after this, but enjoy the chapter first.

Answer from the previous chapter: I would either be a Lucario (because he's badass) or anything that could fly (because flying is the best thing ever.)

Question for the next chapter: What's your favorite TV show?

CODY HARVARD, 19

After I had digested my full Galarian breakfast, I decided to head into the yard behind the house and practice some moves. While I didn't expect, let alone actually want, to get in a fight, I knew that there was a possibility of it, so it was best to be prepared.

Why am I worrying so much? I should feel safe here, shouldn't I?

I was safe in Lycan Hollow. I truly believed this with all of my heart, or at least most of it. But there was that residual doubt creeping in, that tiny seed of doubt that could quickly grow into a whole forest of doubt.

Think, think, think. What moves can Lycanroc use?

I wracked my brain for what felt like a long time, but I couldn't think of anything. During my transformations over the last five years, I hadn't once considered using any moves, as shocking as that may sound. It just hadn't been a priority.

In the end, I eventually gave up trying to remember and went back inside. I saw that Ilia, the innkeeper's wife, was reading a book in an armchair next to the fireplace, and that there was a small library of various types of books built into the wall.

"Oh, hello, Cody. Is there anything I can help you with? I just saw you go out into the yard, and I thought you were going to explore more."

"Yeah" I replied. "I was wondering if you have any books about what moves Lycanroc can use. As crazy as it might sound, I haven't actually used any before."

It was then that I realized what I'd just admitted. Not having used any moves despite being nineteen years old wouldn't make sense unless…

"Are you a were-Lycanroc, Cody? As in, you were bitten by one and infected?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to me as infected; I'm more than my condition. But yes, I am a lycanthrope."

"Sorry for asking," Ilia replied, sounding rather embarrassed. "I know it's not your fault; we should direct blame away from the victims and towards those werewolves of Sinnoh who remain on the prowl."

Uh…about that…

I wasn't sure if Ilia knew that I'd bitten Bella Fox. If she did know this, did that make her think of me any differently?

Luckily for me, Ilia didn't press any further on this topic. Instead, she went back to the question I'd originally asked her.

"Yes, there is a book of moves that a Lycanroc can use. It's more of an encyclopedia for every Pokemon, but it'd help you as well."

Ilia handed me a large forest green book from on top of the coffee table. "Any particular reason you want to practice?"

I shook my head, trying not to do so too quickly or look guilty. "It's just something to do," I said. "You know, while I wait for Jeremy to get home from school."

"You don't want to be all tuckered out when he comes back. That is, if you want to run around with him; I don't know how the kid has that much energy, but there you have it."

I thanked Ilia and took the book out to the yard. I thumbed (or rather, clawed) through the pages until I reached the back of the L section, just before the M section. The Pokemon species were mercifully listed in alphabetical order for my convenience. I also honed in on the Midnight Form section (I'd come to realize that I was always in the Midnight Form; no wonder I stood apart from the other villagers.)

Lycanroc, No. 745. It's invigorated by powerful opponents - the stronger, the better. A full-force headbutt from one of these Lycanroc can shatter boulders.

"Wow", I mouthed quietly. It seemed that if I managed to learn how to fight, I'd be ready for anything the world threw at me. But then, I realized something.

When I'd told Ilia earlier that I had never used any moves, that technically wasn't true. I had used my bite against Bella, with consequences that were probably devastating for her.

I didn't have any serious expectations that I'd speak to Bella again. Really, why would I even want to, when I had wronged her so egregiously? What would there be to say?

I really hope that doesn't happen. I just want to move on from that.

Anyway, in an effort to talk myself down from this line of thought, I read the list of moves that Lycanroc possessed in its arsenal. Most of them, I realized, would be more effective if I were able to practice them with a partner.

I was too shy to wander around the village for what might end up being hours in order to find someone to practice with, so instead my eyes wandered the book for a move that I knew could be used when I was alone.

Let's see…there's Sand Attack right there. I could try and kick up some sand, but that's not done by actually kicking, is it?

Sighing, I realized that as long as I stood here, I would get nowhere by trying to fight. Having someone to attack non-lethally would be a big help, but, for better or for worse, there didn't seem to be anyone around. Most of the village's residents were likely at school or work.

Besides being on the town council or whatever, what jobs do these villagers even have? That's what I'd like to know.

Nevertheless, I persisted in attempting to use Sand Attack. My efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, but it wasn't for lack of trying; by the end of an hour, I was soaked in sweat despite the chilly autumn air.

I guess I must have been making a lot of noise, probably grunting quite powerfully, because before I knew it, Ilia was stomping towards me, looking rather annoyed.

"You're being too loud, Cody. You honestly remind me of Jeremy."

Although I knew she wasn't happy with me, I couldn't help but chuckle just a little at that suggestion. Not because I necessarily thought it was true, but because it seemed so ridiculous that I could even be compared to Jeremy in this regard.

When Ilia frowned at me more intensely, I sighed, managing to prevent the chuckle from turning into all-out laughter.
"I'm sorry" I replied, and I really meant it. "I'll try to be quieter."

Ilia nodded. "That would be much appreciated. I'm still trying to read my book."

After the innkeeper's wife went back inside her house, I was left in the yard, trying to practice moves as quietly as possible. I didn't have any luck, though, and even though I didn't want to let my frustration show, it was most certainly present.

It took another hour or so before I finally made some progress. My frustration was increasing by the minute, and the urge to scream was getting more and more intense. This culminated with me kicking the cold, hard ground.

While this resulted in my stubbing my toe and my eyes watering in pain, I was able to see that a small cloud of sand had been kicked up from the ground.

It wasn't much, and it probably wouldn't have been very effective against a playful opponent, let alone one who actually intended to harm me. It was a pitifully small gain from two hours of effort, but it was a good start.

I sighed again, but this one was a sigh of relief. The hardest part was over. I'd managed to get off the ground, and now my goal was to keep this plane in the air; by which I meant, of course, to improve as much as possible.

ROYAL REDMOND, 25

Much of the conference that afternoon was a blur for me. I didn't pay too much attention to the actual issues being discussed; rather, my mind was occupied by something else.

That "something else", of course, was what Felipe had told me about his brother. The fact that he'd opened up to me like that really underscored the fact that he trusted me. After all, such a secret would be almost unthinkable to share with someone you weren't close with.

It's no wonder he took the last meeting so personally. After all, that's exactly what it was for him: Personal.

At some point, the time came for the voice vote on whatever issue was at hand. I shouted tepidly, simply because I didn't even know what we were voting on; that's how disconnected I was from the proceedings.

"Snap out of it, Royal" Felipe whispered to me after that vote. "You've got to pay more attention to the meeting!"

"After what you told me", I replied in a rather loud whisper, "paying attention to the meeting is very hard. It's not your fault, of course, but I'll pay more attention to the meeting from here on out."

"It's too late, Royal. The conference is already adjourning."

I looked up and realized that Felipe was right. All around us, diplomats were standing up from their seats and leaving the conference venue. Pretty soon, the two of us would be the only ones left, and then we'd be escorted out by the venue's guards.

"Fair enough" I said, letting out a deep breath. "Well, better luck next time, I guess."

As we walked out of the conference hall and into the cold afternoon air, I greatly hoped that I hadn't offended Felipe by mentioning that his spilling the beans about his brother had been the reason I'd been distracted during the URI conference. I'd tried to word my apology specifically so that it didn't blame my friend, but sometimes words just came out the wrong way.

We ended up sharing a taxi on the way back to the Hotel Minamar. The ride was rather quiet, simply because neither of us had anything to tell each other. All of our secrets were out in the open.

In comparison to Felipe, I'd led a pretty uneventful life up until I became a URI diplomat. My family was small, just me and my parents. I'd never been particularly athletic, but I'd involved myself in model URI meetings during high school and college, as though my whole youth was intended to prepare me for the real thing.

Speaking of my parents, I made a mental note to email them when I arrived back in the hotel room. It had been a few days since I'd done this, and, while my parents weren't exactly helicopter parents (especially given that I was an adult), they would no doubt be worried if I waited too much longer.

While in the cab, I didn't mention Felipe's secret. Rather, we talked about how nice it would be to head home tomorrow. Since Felipe was from Hoenn, he'd have a much longer flight than me. We'd keep in touch, though, not least because we'd likely end up meeting again not too far into the future.

We were in the middle of a debate over whether Sinnoh or Hoenn pizza was better when the taxi pulled up beside the hotel's entrance. This debate ground to a screeching halt when I saw it.

There was a jungle green car parked in the same spot it had been in the other day. Since I hadn't seen the license plate number the first time, I couldn't tell if it was the same car. Even so, I understood the implications instantly.

Team Falcon is back. No, they never left; they're still here!

While the car's hazard lights were still on, there was nobody inside. Perhaps the driver had gone inside to warm up a bit before heading back to wherever he lived. Or maybe…no, I didn't want to ponder any other scenarios.

"It must be Team Falcon," I blurted out. "They're stalking people."

Felipe gave me a confused look. "Team Falcon?"
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it. It's too upsetting."

As I got out of the cab, Felipe grabbed me by the jacket. He held me there, and he was quite strong, more so than I had anticipated.

"You're telling me", he said testily, "that even if I tell you about my deepest, darkest fears, secrets that I wouldn't share with anyone else outside my family, you're not going to tell me what Team Falcon is? I thought we trusted each other!"

I realized that he was right; he'd been honest with me, so he should expect reciprocity. I managed to force myself out of his grip, then turned around to face Felipe, somewhat angrily.

Trying not to raise my voice too much, I said, "Team Falcon is one of those human supremacist hate groups. I called the police the other day, and they told me that this jungle green car belonged to the group."

Felipe nodded, looking fearful. "It's certainly weird to see a Fula City license plate all the way up here."

"Quite" I responded. "I'm sorry I tried to withhold this information from you, but next time, please don't grab me like that, okay?"

"Noted" my friend responded. "I'm sorry I did that as well. I guess we should enjoy one last night in Coronet City, shouldn't we?"

I snorted. "Are you going to hit the bar or something?"

Felipe shook his head sadly, but rapidly. "What kind of question is that? You know that I can't do that, or, at least, that I shouldn't. Loose lips sink ships."

"You could drink in moderation. That way your lips won't be loose."

"It doesn't work that way, Royal. Since I rarely drink, I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. I can't have more than half a shot before I get a bit tipsy."

"If you say so. Plus you probably don't want to be hungover for the flight home. It is…how long, exactly?"

"About ten hours. It's going to suck, so we might as well enjoy being on the ground while it lasts."

I re-entered the hotel, and I realized something important. I hadn't bought tickets for Dakal on my flight back to Jubilife City, and that was a big problem. The thought of leaving the Spoink in my luggage, even if it were possible, didn't exactly leave a good taste in my mouth.

At the same time, there was no question that I would be taking him with me. Dakal had put his trust in me, and I wasn't going to abuse it, no matter what. I told myself this ten times a day.

Once back in the room, I found the Spoink kid where he'd been before, still watching cartoons. His eyes were glued to the TV screen, so I walked in front of it to block his view.

"Hey, you're blocking my view!" Dakal complained, but I seized the remote from the couch and shut the TV off.

"I'm sorry, kid, but I wanted to talk to you. Aren't you happy to see me after being alone all day?"

Dakal sighed. "Yes. But I'm not gonna forget that you wouldn't let me go to the meeting!"

I narrowed my eyes. "It's best not to have hard feelings, Dakal. Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies."

"Clever. Take you all day to come up with that line?"

"Look, Dakal, this is important. Have you ever been on an airplane before?"

The Spoink looked at me in a confused manner, as though airplanes were a foreign concept. "No?"

"Do you know what an airplane is?"

"Uh, yes. I'm not stupid!"

"I wasn't saying that. But it's important to know this, because we're going on a plane tomorrow. Flying back to Jubilife City."

"Jubilife City? Where's that?"

"About an hour away by plane. Southwestern Sinnoh. Are you telling me you don't know where that is?"

I inwardly sighed, hoping that I wouldn't have to give Dakal a geography lesson. There's a reason that I was a diplomat and not a teacher.

"I didn't. All I've known is Coronet City and the city I'm from. Didn't come here by plane, though."

"Where are you from, then?" I asked. It was an innocent enough question, but I feared that Dakal might find it offensive. After all, he'd been pretty evasive on previous occasions when I'd asked him about his background.

The Spoink kid took a deep, audible breath before replying. His eyes were wider than dessert plates one might use for Thanksgiving dinner.

"Fula City."

CODY HARVARD, 19

After I had practiced all I could, I'd still made precious little progress. Even so, I knew that everybody had to start somewhere, so I wouldn't beat myself up too hard over it.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I didn't feel as though I had the energy to walk around the village and look for something else to do, so I instead started reading a few books from the library. They were relatively interesting, but I wasn't quite as much of a reader as Ilia seemed to be.

Eventually Jeremy came home from school, and Gregory later came home from his job at the inn. We had dinner together in the dining alcove, and I realized that not only was Ilia an extremely welcoming Lycanroc lady, but she was also an incredible cook. (Don't tell my mother this, but Ilia put my mom's cooking skills to shame.)

It may be worth noting, by the way, that this meal was much more civilized than the ones I'd eaten at the Big House. We didn't use our claws to eat; rather, we used utensils that seemed to have been designed specifically to be gripped by Lycanroc claws. How ironic was it that a private residence had more formal table manners than the mayor's table?

"So you're in college, Cody?" Jeremy asked me in between bites of stir fry.

"Yes, I am in college" I responded matter-of-factly. Really, it was just something nineteen-year-olds did, so I didn't see how this was too notable. But Jeremy ate this news up; figuratively, of course.

"That's so cool!" the Rockruff kid exclaimed. "We don't have any colleges here!"

I shook my head. "Some parts of it are cool, yes, but there's also a lot of work involved. And there's a lot of pressure to be social, which I was never the best at."

I realized, perhaps too late, that this conversation wasn't going where I wanted it to. Sooner or later, I'd have to mention the loneliest five years of my life, and that might well lead me to the reason I was on the run from the authorities.

"As far as I know", Ilia said, "the fall semester at most universities in Sinnoh is still ongoing. Which makes me wonder: Why are you here instead of at home?"

I frowned; did Ilia not already know the answer to this question? And if she didn't, it was one I didn't exactly feel comfortable answering. Still, since she was otherwise quite kind, I didn't want to brush her off either.

"I think that's a bit personal. We all have our reasons for being here, don't we?"

The innkeeper's wife shrugged as her husband and son looked on. "Fair enough; sorry for asking."

After that, the meal passed more quietly. Soon enough, it was over, and I spent some more time reading before I returned to my bedroom.

If the rest of the house was cozy, this bedroom was far more so. The roof was slanted, meaning that if I sat up too quickly from bed, I might hit my head. Even so, it didn't feel claustrophobic at all. There was also a window with a view of the village and the starry sky.

Once I got into bed, I fell into a dreamless, blissful sleep almost immediately.

When I woke up, it was just starting to get light, somewhere between the stars fading away and the sun rising. I sat up in bed, taking care not to do so too quickly for the reason stated above.

Looking at the clock, it was about half past six in the morning. My stomach was growling; I was, to put it one way, hungry like the Lycanroc, just like that song by Durian Durian.

Anyway…when I entered the kitchen, Ilia was already there, cooking something that smelled heavenly. They must have been pancakes, which brought back memories of my messy first breakfast here with Mayor Lumine.

"Good morning, Cody," Ilia said sweetly as she turned around to face me. "How did you sleep?"

I smiled. "I slept pretty well. No dreams." I hoped that the way I said those last two words made it clear that this was a good thing.

"Great. Now, I know I'm making pancakes, but you won't get to eat them. At least, not right away."

I dropped to my knees. It would be a little childish of me to beg, but that's what my instinct was. Pancakes might as well have been manna from heaven in my mind, particularly the way Ilia seemed to be making them.

"Why not?" I complained, trying not to sound whiny, yet utterly failing at this.

"Because Mayor Lumine wants to talk to you. He's received news that he wants to share, and you're the one he wants to share it with. So he would like you to visit him at the Big House as soon as possible."

If Mayor Lumine made pancakes, they'd better be at least as amazing as Ilia's flapjacks smell. Because otherwise I'm going to feel cheated.

I wondered what the mayor could possibly want to tell me. If it was so important that I come to him before breakfast, it could hardly be good news, or so I thought. This only made me want to plead for the pancakes more, but I also knew that doing so wouldn't get me anywhere.

"Don't worry", Ilia told me, "we'll make sure to leave plenty of pancakes for you. But think of this as an honor; the mayor of Lycan Hollow is seeking an audience with you, when normally it'd be the other way around. Isn't that awesome?"

"I suppose," I sighed. "I'll see you later, I guess."

I left Ilia's home and began the walk through the village's "business district" on the way to the Big House. Not a single soul seemed to be roaming the village at this hour other than myself, so it was a pretty quiet trip to the edge of the lake.

When I arrived at the mayor's house, he was already there.

Unlike myself, Mayor Lumine did not look as though he'd had a good night's sleep. His eyes, normally bright blue like most other Lycanroc, were noticeably bloodshot. He wore a pained expression on his face.

"Hey, you okay, Mayor Lumine?" I asked him as I walked up.

"Honestly, you can just call me Eliot. That's my first name. I think we know each other well enough for that."

"Okay then, Eliot. What's wrong?"

Mayor Lumine (for that's how I would continue to know him) sighed. "That, on the other hand, is something I feel that we don't know each other well enough for. At least, not yet."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's okay" the mayor said, sighing far more deeply this time. "Suffice it to say that it was a restless night for me. Sometimes I wish I could destroy the part of my brain that produces dreams."

I knew better than to ask the mayor about his nightmare. Instead, I simply stayed silent.

"Enough about that," Mayor Lumine told me. "Let us go to the back porch; I didn't prepare a meal this time, but we can always sit there while I tell you the news."

"Good news, I hope?" I asked innocently. However, my hopes were dashed when the mayor shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Cody. I'll cut to the chase once we're alone."

"Uh, we're already alone now."

"Fair enough. I mean more alone, though. Let's just go to the other side of the house."

Once we were on the back porch, Mayor Lumine sighed yet again and looked me right between the eyes.

He could tell that I was dreading the inevitable. While I obviously couldn't see how my face must have appeared to the mayor, my eyes were wide open with fear.

"There are…tensions in this region between us and the other clan," the mayor said sheepishly. He spoke slowly, choosing every word carefully.

"What clan? Master Goldenheart's clan?" I asked, against my own better judgment. It was a dumb thing to say, since it had only been yesterday that the mayor had instructed me never to say that name to him again. Not unless he'd brought it up first.

Fortunately (?) for me, Mayor Lumine nodded.

"You already told me that, though," I said. "Didn't you already say that he was…what were those words you used again? Persona non grata?"

"I did," the mayor admitted. "But the tensions are worse than I let on. In fact, some members of the council say we should prepare for an attack."

I gasped. "An attack? But why would they attack us?"

The mayor shook his head. "I don't pretend to know the exact reason. Master Goldenheart's motivations seem to be a secret to everybody."

Eliot Lumine was a bad liar. The way he spoke suggested that he did know the reason, or at least that he had an idea, and simply wasn't going to tell me. But that didn't make much sense either, because then why would he have started this conversation?

"At some point", Mayor Lumine continued, "we're going to have war games out in the forest. It'll be necessary to be ready just in case the Illusionary decides to strike."

At that moment, all of my previous belief in Lycan Hollow as a safe haven was thrown out of the twentieth floor of a building. It splattered on the ground in a broken heap.

"War games?" I asked.

"Some would call them fun", the mayor said sadly, "but others would say they remind them too much of an actual war. Lycan Hollow and the Illusionary have fought minor skirmishes over territory before, but we've never had a full-on war between them. For now it's just a cold war, and let's hope it stays that way."

I got the sense that there was something else the mayor knew, something he wasn't telling me. While I didn't press him on this, I felt certain that he was withholding what might end up being key information. Was there more to the story?

There was another long silence. Both of us looked out at the frigid lake, watching the sun begin to rise. When it was time for the silence to end, Mayor Lumine was the one to break it.

"There's another thing I wanted to tell you, Cody. And before you ask, it's not good news. It's not bad news either, just something you ought to know."

"What is it?" I asked. In my mind, nothing could be worse than what the mayor had already told me, so I wasn't too worried. Yet.

"I am aware of your past, and that you ended up biting a fellow student at your university. I'm also aware that you escaped a burning courthouse in order to return to your new home."

"Uh, yes" I replied. "Have I been exonerated or something?"

"No. Don't get your hopes up" the mayor said gruffly. "The law in Sinnoh is not very sympathetic to the 'irresistible impulse' defense. No, there is still a manhunt active for you, and if you're not careful, you may end up in another jail cell."

"Awww, that sucks" I responded.

"Indeed it does. In fact, this is not so much of an exoneration as it is an exacerbation. But you can take it either way."

"What are you talking about? Are you threatening me?" I asked, almost indignantly. I just wanted Mayor Lumine to get to the damn point already.

"No, I'm not threatening you. I just want to warn you; that's not the same as a threat."

"Then get to the point! What's going on here?"

Mayor Lumine sighed yet again before answering my question in a grave tone.

"The one you wounded? Isabella Fox? You haven't seen the last of her."