[CONFIDENTIAL] From the files of Dr. Kaminko.

Item No. 001: Giratina

Publicly Released Information:

Giratina is a mythical being from the Legend of the Torn World. In the story, five thousand years ago, The Original One, Arceus, banished Giratina to the Distortion World forever for its evil deeds.

Confidential Information:

Giratina is real, though the Legend of the Torn World's veracity has been questioned. It has lost its original form and has attempted to return to the world and restore its body numerous times throughout history, usually with the help of agents.

Kaminko's Notes:

The Griseous Orb, apart from housing part of Giratina's power, has been used as a conduit to contact Giratina. The Pokémon Association has made numerous attempts to contact and communicate with the being, bartering with it in exchange for information about the Distortion World.

[END OF FILE]

Chapter Two: The Abyss of Despair

Location: Opelucid Gym, Opelucid City, Unova

Iris was polishing the statues near the gym's entrance, her eyes glazed over the small plaque with the names of the victorious challengers inscribed on them. But her focus wasn't on the task at hand at all. An envelope with an opened red seal was hanging from her pocket.

Finally, the long-awaited moment came as the gym's doors were opened with a great slam, the old, thick-bearded Drayden marching in, as impressive and intimidating as always.

"Iris!" he announced, Iris flinching even though Drayden didn't sound angry. "I came as soon as I got your message."

Iris sighed. "Thanks so much, Drayden," she said with a big smile. "I hate that I have to ask again, but-"

"Say no more!" Drayden said boisterously and crossed his arms. "I will gladly look over the gym for a bit longer. I see I still left it in good hands. The place is sparkling!"

Iris nodded, showing the envelope to Drayden. "Dr. Blaine wouldn't ask me to come meet him all the way to Kanto if this wasn't important. It has to be related to the Ultra Beasts."

Drayden nodded. "To help out a friend, you go wherever you need. I wouldn't expect anything less of you," he said proudly. "But how will you get to Kanto?"

"Uh, well, I was thinking of asking Skyla if there are any cargo planes going there," she said, ashamed that she hadn't given it too much thought. "From what I understand, those planes go every day but I might have missed today's-"

Drayden raised his hand. "Nonsense!" he practically shouted. "I will make a call and you will leave from Opelucid airport with my private plane! A mayor has to have some perks, you know."

Iris tried to protest, but Drayden had already taken out his phone and called the members of his staff, demanding his plane to be prepped for immediate takeoff. Smiling, Iris turned around to look at the gym and its ornate dragon statues, hoping to return as soon as possible.

~o~O~o~

Location: Gates of Celadon City, Kanto

One day later…

A white van with no visible markings, license plates or any identifying information stopped at a checkpoint near the entrance to Celadon City, Kanto's second-largest municipality. The guards and the civilian gatehouses had been recently removed, and instead, uniformed soldiers and about a dozen electric-type Pokémon like Electabuzz, Luxray and Magneton patrolled the area. Two soldiers had stopped the van, and were now questioning the driver, whose ID stated his name was Dr. Blaine.

"Blaine, that's right, I'm a gym leader in Kanto," said Blaine, the bald, mustached man with a gravelly voice in his late fifties, his eyes hidden by dark, tinted sunglasses. "Just picking up some supplies on my way home. Kind of a rough drive, the old girl has taken a beating," Blaine added with a chuckle, patting the door of his van through the window.

"Well, everything seems to be in order," said the soldier looking at Blaine's ID, a Magneton hovering around his head, surveying the van.

"You don't mind if we look inside, do you?" another, older soldier asked.

Blaine just waved his hand casually. The two soldiers stepped on opposite sides of the back of the van, hands on door handles and their other hands gripping their energy-based weapons. The Magneton was hovering nearby, its large eyes all focused on the doors.

Nodding at each other, the soldiers pulled the doors open and aimed their guns inside. But all they saw was a bunch of laboratory equipment, professor Elm sitting on a chair typing on a laptop, glancing at the soldiers and looking surprised.

"Um, can I help you boys?" he asked and adjusted his glasses, which almost slipped from his sweaty hands. "Or can I go back to working on my experiment?"

"Are you the only passenger here?" the older soldier asked Elm.

"S-sure am," Elm said and nodded.

The soldiers looked around. On opposite sides of the van, there were two soft seats for passengers, while the rest of the space was taken by counters, several pieces of expensive-looking lab equipment, piles and piles of paperwork as well as boxes, both opened and unopened.

Unable to find anything wrong, the soldiers checked Elm's ID as well before hopping out of the van and letting Blaine drive away.

Once they were satisfied they were far enough from the checkpoint, Blaine circled the van to a remote alley. Satisfied, he entered the back through a small door between the front seats, nodding at Elm.

"Um, all clear now!" Elm shouted.

Lyra emerged first from underneath the cushions of the bench, sighing in relief. Meanwhile, Elm and Blaine lifted a heavy box from on top of a larger one, which suddenly opened, Kris crawling out from underneath the folds of cardboard.

"Next time, you get this hiding place!" she told Lyra angrily, stretching her neck and shoulders.

"If you say so," Lyra said with a shrug, "but I mean logically, you fit in there much better, what with the-"

"If you make any more arm remarks-"

"Hey!" Blaine shouted. "I didn't bring you all the way over here to give me a migraine with your endless bickering! Either get a room or get focused on the issue at hand!"

Kris blushed. "That's not-"

"How are we to get a room if we can't even let anyone see us?" Lyra wondered, interrupting Kris.

Blaine sighed, and Elm stepped in to mediate the situation.

"We actually have a room set up - a whole loft apartment, actually, from the Pokémon Mansion. We will hide out there for a bit, then find something else. We have contacts all over Kanto to help us."

"With what?" Kris asked. "Why are there Holon Security goons all over the place? I thought they only secured the Ultra Wormhole in Lavender Town, what are they doing all the way over here?"

"Not just here," Blaine sighed. "Vermilion, Pewter, Saffron, Cerulean - everywhere! Just like the Aether Foundation, they've been recruiting anyone with two legs and two a-"

Blaine paused, looking away from Kris.

"Well, anyone capable of commanding a Pokémon and holding a gun who doesn't mind engaging in casual cruelty," he finished. "You know the type - people who don't mind harassing and assaulting innocents in the name of 'justice', people who have no other prospects so they only feel happy when they get a small crumb of power over others, with practically no training and-"

"That's quite enough, Blaine," Elm said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "The point is, err, they seem to be under orders of the Pokémon Association to keep people in check. Probably to cover up the fact that the Ultra Beasts are loose, but I think there's something more to it. I doubt the rank-and-file troops even know why they're here."

"And why are we here?" Lyra asked Blaine.

Blaine smiled. "To stop all that, of course," he chuckled. "We can discuss this more at the apartment now that everyone's here!"

And indeed, as they drove to the Pokémon Mansion and rode the elevator to the top floor, they saw that this was indeed the case. While Kris had been expecting some sort of dark, dingy basement as their hideout, what opened before their eyes was a two-story apartment with a loft, with plenty of comfy chairs and sofas, a large TV in one corner, a state-of-the-art kitchen and much more. There were several doors as well, hopefully opening to several bedrooms, as Kris did not want to share a room with everyone.

And everyone was indeed there. Before Kris got a better look at the apartment, she was instantly tackled into a hug by Iris. Getting Iris' large bush of hair out of her face, she was able to see the others waiting in the apartment as well: Wes, the tanned Orrean with dark blonde hair, and Hilda, the tall Unovan with long brown hair, standing slightly away from the others and looking coolly apathetic about the situation. While Hilda just nodded a greeting at Kris, Wes reached out for a hug, which Kris accepted as well after not knowing if she should shake hands or just smile and nod at him. Since the events at Lavender Town, Kris hadn't seen any of them, and once again, she wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Fortunately, Iris had that covered.

"Did you see this apartment?!" she said excitedly. "It's so amazing! So nice that you and I will be working together again! My gosh, let's hit the books and find a way to end this whole thing. We need to cover Ultra Beasts, the Aether Foundation, Kyurem, Holon Security-"

"Iris, breathe," Wes said with a smile, his Orre drawl quite audible. "And let her breathe."

Kris took a breath as Wes instructed, giving him a brief smile. It was hard to put into words how grateful she was that everyone had come - especially Hilda, seeing as Kris still didn't know what became of her best friend Hilbert, who disappeared during the Lavender Town incident.

From there, the group sat on the sofas around a large table near the TV, catching up and exchanging thoughts about what to do next. Professor Elm would occasionally get up, walk to the kitchen and bring the group drinks and snacks while prepping up dinner. Being a father, Elm knew his way around the kitchen, though he and his wife had separated years ago.

"What do we know, guys?!" Wes said for the third time during the evening, slapping his hands together, trying to get enthusiasm into the others. "Who are we up against? Who's the rogue's gallery, so to speak?"

"Well, Lusamine and the Aether Foundation are a pretty huge chunk of it," Lyra said. "They can drown us in money if they wanted a creative way to get rid of us. Really, we can expect anything from someone with Lusamine's resources."

"And they control EXO, which is still in operation," Blaine grunted in agreement. "Looks like since all of us quit, they've been putting a lot of resources into some sort of research. Cozmo was supplying me and Elm with some information for a while, but even that stopped recently."

"Dr. Kaminko's got all sorts of connections and tricks up his sleeve, so even if EXO wasn't backed up by the Aether Foundation, he'd be a formidable threat," Hilda said. "At the same time, though… we know the layout and their defenses. I'd say if we want to strike back against someone, we choose them!"

"I agree with that," Iris said, nodding feverishly. "But we don't know the location yet. Anybody we could focus our efforts on first?"

"Well, Holon Security is also working with 'em, and Lusamine has a lot of pull with them as well," Wes pondered. "They're too big for us to take down, but if we could figure out who's supplying them, maybe convince some of them to spy for us… I dunno, it could be a start, but it's a risk."

"We will have to take risks!" Blaine insisted. "That could be a start! I've been getting in touch with some people who could help us, actually. For example, Gladion is still in Kanto! If we help him rescue his sister from Lusamine, he and that Type:Null of his could really give us a boost! I even hear he has connections with this Alolan gang."

Blaine groaned, rubbing the stump where his missing arm used to be. Kris knew he had lost it due to the experiments he had done on Mewtwo during the Pokémon's creation. She wondered where that Pokémon was and if they could seek help from it.

"Really, we should assume the whole Pokémon Association and everyone working for them is against us," he continued. "Why, any of us here could be an Association spy with a Ditto mask on, so I'm expecting regular urine samples from all of you!"

Wes laughed nervously, but Kris doubted it was a joke.

"What about your buddy who works for them, that Gym Leader and talent scout guy?" Blaine continued, looking at Hilda. "Cheren or something?"

Hilda shook her head. "Haven't had a word with him since I stopped associating with EXO," she said quietly. "Really, I haven't had any real conversations with him in months. His career is more important than me."

Hilda turned to Wes. "You haven't heard of him either, have you?" she asked.

Wes looked at Hilda with wide eyes, as if the question wasn't very simple. "Uh, who me? No, no…"

"Okay, okay, we get some ideas, it's not all hopeless!" Iris said cheerfully.

"Well, I agree with the first part," Lyra said casually and turned to look at Kris. "So, what do you think should be our first move?"

Kris was almost like she was woken up in a trance. "Huh?" she asked Lyra.

Kris had heard her just fine. But she had no idea why everybody was now suddenly staring at her, looking at her for information or guidance. Kris knew that as much as she tried, she wasn't special. Hilda had much more experience, Iris was smarter, Lyra had more talent, Wes was more resourceful and then there was the vast extent of Pokémon knowledge that Blaine and Elm had. What exactly did she bring to the table?

But for whatever reason, everyone still looked at her for something to do. She had been the first one to quit EXO, having formulated a plan that allowed her to evade their capture - at the cost of an arm. She had been the first one to sign up for EXO as well, something she was still bitter to herself about.

What could she do? Kris' head was empty. She had heard every word the others had said, but none of it had sparked anything in Kris' mind.

"Kris, are you okay?" Iris asked gently, leaning closer to hold Kris' hand. "What are you thinking about?"

Nothing, Kris wanted to say.

"It's just… nice," Kris said, smiling and looking down. "I… okay, I will never admit to saying anything this cheesy in the future, but… I'm really happy all of you came here."

Everyone was pleased to hear that, but it still caused an awkward silence in the group. It lasted for a good while until Elm suddenly arrived to them wearing an apron and oven mitts, looking downright cheerful.

"Who wants hotpot?!" he exclaimed.

For the rest of the day, any sort of planning and preparation took a backseat as the group just enjoyed each other's company. After dinner, Blaine opened a bottle of Maractus liquor which nobody except for Hilda really wanted to drink. Wes had managed to find out how to operate the karaoke machine connected to the TV and soon he and Hilda were trying to outdo each other on how badly they could sing, Iris and Lyra laughing at them and egging them on. Blaine was pouring drinks for him and Elm, though Kris noticed Elm wasn't drinking, just politely listening to Blaine's ramblings.

Kris was happy, but before long, the atmosphere started to get to her somehow. She felt like she had to get out, and when she was confident no one was looking, she left the loft and took to the stairs to the rooftop. It was already dark, a cold wind hitting her face - it felt amazing. Celadon City opened up before her, the sounds of traffic and the people down below carrying into her ears. Having lived in a small town most of her life, Kris felt like she had been transported into another dimension.

With nothing else to do, Kris decided she should do some training. She had selected four Pokémon to go with, one of them having been returned from EXO and another given back to her by professor Elm, whose assistant had been looking after her - her Gardevoir.

She let three Pokémon out of their balls - Croc, her trusty Feraligatr; Shrew, her Sandshrew who, despite its unwillingness to evolve or battle, she still loved very much; and Gardevoir, who she had just received. She also had Froslass, but she didn't want to let her out of the ball as she would most likely bully Shrew. While Croc and Shrew just slept, Kris tried to train her Gardevoir, but was clearly rusty with her.

"Come on, Gardevoir!" Kris tried to encourage the Pokémon. "Use Moonblast on that crate!"

But the Gardevoir merely gave her the side-eye, acting coldly. She had always had trouble with headstrong Pokémon, but even Croc had listened to her eventually.

"I know it's been a while, but you got this!" Kris pleaded. "Do it for me, please?"

"That's not the language you hear trainers use," a soft voice suddenly said.

Kris almost fell down from the shock as she suddenly saw a familiar man standing ten meters from her: a tall young man, only a few years older than her. He had long, tea-green hair and was wearing casual clothes, even a baseball cap.

It was N, formerly the 'King' of Team Plasma.

"What are you doing here?" Kris asked warily, snapping at Croc and Shrew.

Both Pokémon got up, Croc exposing its teeth at N. While N had helped them out during the Lavender Town incident, helping foil the plans of his father Ghetsis, he had since disappeared, and as far as Kris knew, Team Plasma was still in operation.

"I've been keeping track of you since you arrived in the city," N said calmly. His voice was as unthreatening as it possibly could be - and that scared Kris.

"For a reason?" Kris asked. "If it's Hilda you want to continue stalking, she's inside ruining the concept of music!"

"Because of Holon Security, me and my friends could not leave Kanto since what happened in Lavender Town," N explained calmly. "This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was able to find out the truth of what happened to my father."

"Ghetsis?" Kris wondered. "Probably rotting in some cell, where he belongs. What is-"

"He's dead," N said calmly. "I remember making a deal with your friends at the time - he was to be taken alive."

Kris frowned. She hadn't heard of this, and Iris and the others, who had been the ones to take out Ghetsis due to Kris' injury at the time, hadn't said anything indicating this.

"I'm sorry," Kris said.

"You will be," N said, his voice getting deeper and deeper every time, though his expression remained serene. "What he planned to do was despicable, but father was right about you, and your friends as well. You're all pawns in their game, helping to make the world a worse place."

"What are you talking about?!" Kris snapped.

"I have not stopped striving for my ideal world," N explained. "A world where Pokémon can be free from the tyranny of humans. I have found the way, a way that will end the calamity between humans as well. But you and your friends stand in my way. And you murdered my father."

"We didn't-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" N shouted suddenly, but his voice quickly turned calm again. "I know the truth. He told me. He was good friends with my father, you know."

"Who?" Kris wondered.

"And he has shown me what I need to do to reach my goal," N continued on, never breaking his eye contact with Kris. "To get rid of you all."

"Gardevoir!" Kris ordered. "Use Psychic and throw this joker off the roof!"

But Gardevoir just glanced at N before turning away, completely disobeying Kris' orders.

"What?!" Kris snapped. "Gardevoir, I am your trainer! Use Psyshock then!"

"During our little chat, I read your Pokémon," N said, now looking at Gardevoir. "She is not content with you."

"Don't try to mess with my head!" Kris hissed.

"I am not," N stated plainly. "You know my abilities. And I know that your Gardevoir would be better off somewhere else. Do you agree with me?" he asked the Pokémon directly.

To Kris' shock and horror, her Gardevoir slowly nodded without even giving Kris a glance.

"Then would you like to join me for a while?" N offered. "No Poké Balls required, and you will be free to go once the work is done. I promise that the work I'm doing will benefit all Pokémon worldwide."

"He's lying!" Kris shouted at Gardevoir. "Attack him and I'll give you anything you want! Pokéblocks? Poffins? Macarons?!"

Instead, Gardevoir once again side-eyed Kris, who could see her eye glowing pale blue for a split second. The next second, Kris was thrown on her back several feet away, hitting the rooftop's railing. With the wind knocked out of her, Kris coughed and managed to somehow open her eyes, seeing a blurry vision of Gardevoir floating away from her and to N's side, while N casually walked towards Kris with his hands in his pockets.

"The lady has made her choice," N said. "But I don't know if this is enough of a warning for you. What do you think, Kris of New Bark Town?"

Kris grunted in pain as she tried to hoist herself up with one arm, letting out all the swear words she knew.

"I didn't think you'd just give up," N said.

What happened next was a blur. A blue glow surrounding him, N suddenly approached Kris extremely quickly. As he was about to close in, he extended his arm, a blue glow surrounding his hands as an invisible force pushed Kris over the edge of the railing. Before she knew it, Kris was tumbling towards the ground, feeling completely helpless as she went, briefly remembering the feeling of falling from a tree seven years ago.

But will Lyra be carrying me to the hospital this time?

~o~O~o~

Several hours later…

Iris, Lyra, Wes Hilda sat quietly in the previously festive lounge in their apartment, not touching their foods or drinks, all staring at nothing as they processed the events differently. Finally, the silence was broken as Blaine and professor Elm rushed in, panting all the way.

"She will have to stay in Saffron General!" Elm said, badly out of breath as he clutched his chest. "Only a few days, though. She…" Elm stopped to breathe a few times. "She hit a windowsill on the second floor, which slowed her fall. She was incredibly lucky, only minor damage."

"Thank Arceus!" Iris sighed.

"But that N is the spawn of someone else entirely," Hilda said venomously. "He did the same to me a few years back. I fell from the Nimbasa Ferris Wheel."

"What was he doing here?" Iris wondered out loud, looking around her as if she expected someone to know. "He wouldn't be with… with them, right? Team Plasma was totally against the Pokémon Association before."

"We can't discount anything," Blaine grunted. "I scoped out another hideout for us. We have to get out of here. We already wasted enough time here."

"But…" Wes said weakly. "I didn't have enough hotpot…"

"NOW!" Blaine shouted.

~o~O~o~

Location: Cerulean City, Kanto

The next day

With someone like Blaine calling the shots, there was little point in arguing. Instead of a luxurious apartment, the group had to settle in a dirty shack near the Viridian Forest. It was one of the many owned by Agatha, former Elite Four member who now worked against the Pokémon League. Blaine had gotten in touch with her, and she had helped transport the group there. It wasn't much, with two bedrooms with two small beds each. Iris and Lyra shared one of the beds quite uncomfortably, with Hilda snoring on the other one. Wes and Elm shared another room while Blaine slept on the sofa in the common room, shotgun in hand. The place was drafty, with no running water and infested with Weedle, so the group had to spend an hour after arriving to get them out. It had electricity, at least, so Elm was able to hook up his various computers and start doing research on various things.

The next morning, Iris had received a message that necessitated her immediate return to Unova. While the others were sad to see her go, Iris promised to get in touch with them as soon as possible. Wes was chosen to escort Iris to the airport, which was located east of Cerulean City. The region's other major airport had been completely taken over by Holon Security for the staging of their own operations.

Wes enjoyed the assignment, as he could chat with Iris the whole way alone. He didn't admit it, but he had been growing more and more attached to the girl, the breadth of her Pokémon knowledge and skills as a trainer continuing to impress him more and more. But in all of their interactions, Wes had a small shadow of doubt. Iris was nice to him, but then again, she was nice to everyone. She was almost childlike in the way she was open to everyone and everything, and it was the only thing about her that annoyed Wes to no end.

Still, the two were able to converse in a friendly way all the way to the bus station. For a while, the two stood quietly, watching the bus headed to the airport pull over next to them. Iris was about to grab her bag when Wes, winking and smiling at her, grabbed it instead and placed it in the bus' bag compartment instead. Iris rolled her eyes.

"The stuff I have to do to get around at the gym every day is way more strenuous than that," Iris pointed out. "I think I can handle my own bag."

"Well," Wes said with a shrug, "call me old-fashioned-"

"You're old-fashioned."

Wes frowned, while Iris giggled at his expression. "Okay, bad start," he admitted. "Trust me, I've known you long enough to know you don't need help. I just… want to do it. 'Cause… I might not see you for a while, so I want to do everything nice to you as I possibly can in this short time."

Iris smiled sympathetically. "I don't think we'll be separate for long," she said kindly. "I didn't want to say this in front of the others in case I'm wrong, but… I might know where EXO's base is."

Wes was stunned. "I could kiss you, Iris," he said, before his brain caught up with him. "Uhh, you know, the expression is… I just meant - that's incredible!"

Iris grinned. "Keep it to yourself for a bit," she said cheerfully. "I have a feeling that we're going to make real progress with this thing."

As Iris was reaching for her shoulder bag for her bus ticket, though, Wes' smile faded. He had to keep talking to her for a bit longer, as there was something on his mind.

"Do you really think we can win this?" he asked Iris quietly.

"We have to believe we can," Iris said, having repeated this phrase several times in the past day. "And our chances are high right now! If we can take down EXO, it weakens them a lot, and it will allow us to expose all the nasty things they've been doing. Like Navel Rock, for example."

Wes winced. "But…" he said uncertainly. "What then? They'll just hide the truth once again. Our enemy this time is not some gang of poorly dressed thugs, or even some powerful legendary Pokémon. It feels like we're fighting against the whole world."

Iris nodded in understanding as she prepared to get into the bus, all the other passengers having gone in already.

"I know how you feel," she said, "but you cannot give up. We were good enough to be considered by EXO-"

"And you're a Gym Leader," Wes said.

"And that," Iris added, without getting flustered. "If anyone can do it, we can. Just keep your spirits up!"

"Before, I always thought Kris had all the answers," Wes pondered. "But she just… left us there and got herself thrown off the roof. I'm not blaming her for that!" he shouted quickly when Iris frowned at her. "But she doesn't seem like she's… all there. Like something has happened inside her, changed her."

Iris nodded again, not smiling anymore. "I know," she said. "But we can't give her too much pressure. She'll come through, and we'll all do our part as well."

Both Iris and Wes were startled when the angry bus driver was honking, as Iris was still standing by the door, preventing it from closing. The two said their goodbyes, with Iris waving at Wes from the window. Wes smiled and waved back, standing still as he watched the bus go, looking at it until it turned around the block and wasn't visible anymore.

As the bus was out of sight, Wes sighed and checked his PokéGear. It was time to make an unpleasant call.

~o~O~o~

Location: Safe House, outskirts of Viridian City

Lyra was brushing the coat of her Sylveon, bored out of her mind as she sat on the old sofa in the dark, depressing wooden shack. Iris and Wes had left a few hours ago, leaving her with little to do and nobody to talk with. Sure, there were people around - but none of them paid her any mind. Blaine was going over a bunch of papers, muttering to himself as he sat by the kitchen table. Professor Elm was still on his computer, which was attached to a scanner that was doing something to Blaine's Arcanine, who was sitting still very obediently. Hilda was still snoring in one of the bedrooms, having taken the rest of Blaine's Maractus Liquor the night before.

Minutes turned into hours in a state of boredom, Lyra occasionally sighing theatratically to let the others know what she felt. She missed Kris, wondering when she could go see her. She wanted to ask her why she had just left in the middle of the night like that. Lyra assumed they were all having fun - so what was going on Kris' mind?

And could she be trusted with this?

"Say, prof," Lyra asked Elm, desperate for something to do. "What are you doing to Arcanine there?"

"Well, err, come and take a look," Elm offered, gesturing at Arcanine.

Lyra walked over to the Pokémon, immediately starting to rub its fur. Arcanine closed its eyes in contentment, but continued to sit still. Based on the gray in its mane, Arcanine must have been quite old, probably having been with Blaine for decades. Lyra had always admired the Pokémon, especially the one Blaine had, for its gracefulness and loyalty.

"Take a look at its claws, if you would," Elm said.

"But be careful!" Blaine warned from the kitchen table. "He doesn't like to be- oh."

Lyra had already made Arcanine shake with her without having to say a word, just offering her hand and making eye contact with the Pokémon. Lyra hoped it was easy for her to get along with Kris.

Lyra then inspected Arcanine's paw. It took a while, but Lyra finally noticed very small devices outfitted in all of Arcanine's claws.

"Before we, um, resigned from EXO, me and Blaine both managed to grab some essential files," Elm explained. "Among them were, um, blueprints of the Pokémon they created to kill Ultra Beasts, the one that Gladion uses."

"Type:Null," Blaine said quietly. "The 'Beast Killer'. He's gonna bring Type:Null over when he is able so we can get the full schematics, but we managed to apply some of that technology to Arcanine - and soon we'll give it to your Pokémon as well."

"We'll be running into the rest of the Ultra Beasts soon," Elm theorized. "It'll be good to have the upper hand when it comes to battle."

"Are we going to have to kill them?" Lyra asked quietly,

There was no answer for a bit. Blaine went back to his papers and Elm, not sure of the answer, gave Lyra a smile and went back to his research. After a few seconds, Blaine got a message to his PokéGear. Clearing his throat, Blaine looked at Lyra.

"I have an assignment for you, actually," he said.

"Finally!" Lyra exclaimed. "No offense, but you guys are not exactly party people."

"Um, I appreciate the 'no offense' this time," Elm said, adjusting his glasses.

"I got a message from Agatha," Blaine said. "Apparently, there are Aether Foundation workers doing something or other in Pewter City. It's a short trip from here, and since you have Braviary-"

"I'll do it!" Lyra said perkily and stood up. "Anything to get away from here!"

"We care about you very much as well," Elm muttered.

"Just take a look, try not to get into a battle this time!" Blaine warned Lyra as she withdrew Sylveon and began packing up her immediate belongings. "Try to find out what they're doing, report back to me if you succeed and then get back here!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Lyra said.

As Lyra left the house, Elm sighed and continued reading the text on his computer screen. Making sure Lyra was far enough and that Hilda was sleeping, Blaine walked over to Elm, looking over his shoulder. Elm pulled up a bunch of text documents and pictures, including photos of a vaguely middle-aged businesswoman.

"This was the woman you saw in Lavender Town during the incident?" Elm asked Blaine.

Blaine grunted, which Elm took to mean 'yes'. "She and Buzzwole almost killed me," he muttered. "It's Chairperson Sird from the 'Council of Pokémon-Human affairs'."

"Cozmo got a whole bunch of files from EXO's Dr. Kaminko," Elm said thoughtfully. "And according to this, Kaminko has a lot more. If we really could find their base, confront Kaminko and get him to go public with all these files…"

"So she's the one behind all of this, even above Lusamine and the rest," Blaine said.

"Yeah. According to this, she's the real head of the Pokémon Association's Inner Committee. Given the fact that she owns the majority share of Holon Security and has a stake in all the companies that worked with EXO, I'm not surprised."

"The Pokétch Company…" Blaine read. "Gray Matter Talent, Terra Construction, Silph Co. This stuff has some serious implications. By the way, did you read this yet?"

Blaine handed Elm a newspaper. Elm didn't have to look far to see the headline.

"'Galar Champion Leon missing for the fourth day in a row'", Elm read. "'Chairman Rose: It's just another Tuesday here'. Well, um, I did hear he's kind of a klutz-"

"Right after we hear about Diantha from Kalos being missing?" Blaine snapped. "I don't think so. Somebody has an interest in Champions going away."

"In that case," Elm said carefully, knowing what Blaine was going to respond, "wouldn't it be smart to contact the Legendary Pokémon Society?"

Blaine scoffed. The Legendary Pokémon Society had helped them out before, but Blaine doubted it would happen again. Their enemies were the Pokémon world's government, and most of the members of the LPS - a semi-secret organization dedicated to protecting legendary Pokémon from humans and vice versa - were Champions, Elite Four members and other VIPs. Blaine had never put much trust in them.

With no answer from Blaine, Elm shrugged and continued to shift through the data Cozmo had sent. There hadn't been a new email in a few days, which made Elm concerned. And he wasn't sure if looking at all this was dangerous or not, which is why he wanted to keep it between him and Blaine.

"Whoa!" Elm said suddenly. "Um, Blaine, take a look at this!"

Blaine grunted in annoyance at having to move, but still made it over to Elm again. Elm showed him a picture of Sird from some sort of event regarding her company, Galaxy Enterprises. Elm then scrolled to another, more low-res picture from decades ago regarding the nomination of Charles Goodshow as the Pokémon League Chairman.

Elm pointed out the crowd of dignitaries behind Goodshow. And indeed, a pale, lavender-haired businesswoman stood in the crowd. The picture was from about 50 years ago, but Sird didn't look any different from when Blaine had seen her in Lavender Town.

"Um… any theories?" Elm asked Blaine, who was transfixed on the picture.

"Yeah, one," Blaine said quietly. "Who else do we know who have extended their lifespan through some dark arts? Those Giratina-worshiping freaks of the Circle of the Torn World."

"And one of their founding members is still active," Elm said, the realization dawning on him as well. "But… no, way. That doesn't make sense."

"Why not?"

"Think about it, Blaine! They control the Aether Foundation and EXO. If Sird, the most powerful person in the world, really wants to resurrect Giratina or something, why would they also set up those organizations to fight against it and its minions?"

"I don't know," Blaine muttered.

"Well, if you are right," Elm said and pushed up his glasses, "then you have to try and get in touch with the LPS."

Blaine sighed, but had to admit, once again, that Elm was right here.

~o~O~o~

Location: Pewter City, Kanto

Having been taken there by the Aether Foundation employees, Leaf entered the building adjacent to the Pewter Museum of Science. The museum was closed, and that building had been unused for a while, but Leaf could still find the key in its familiar place in a flower pot by the door.

As Leaf unlocked the door and stepped in, she was overtaken by nostalgia. She remembered getting the job at the museum after working as an aide of Professor Oak's. She remembered the thrill of researching Pokémon fossils and making estimations of what the biology of extinct Pokémon would have been like. She loved her job so much she would move to this small building, only coming there to sleep and continuing her research after everyone had gone home. Later, she used it as a home when she and Kris' friends were searching for the Plates of Origin together with the Legendary Pokémon Society.

At the time, Leaf had no idea the direction her life would go in. Now, she was the head of EXO's Biology department, and had been separated from all her former friends. She looked at the kitchen, particularly at the spot where she had eaten together with Kris and Iris. It was hard to believe that was only about six months ago.

Nonetheless, Leaf soldiered on, picking up the papers she had come there to get. It wasn't crucial for her ongoing work, but it would be helpful. As she exited the building, however, there was something else that brought back memories: a black car was parked outside, a familiar red-haired boy with piercing gray eyes standing next to it, looking awkward.

"Silver," Leaf said, stepping closer to him but keeping a distance. "What are you-"

"I happened to be nearby, I came here to… because of nostalgia, I suppose," Silver said, looking at the museum instead of Leaf.

Leaf nodded. She remembered Silver coming there six months ago, telling that he had found his father, after the two of them had spent months traveling around Sinnoh, looking for clues about him.

And now he is here, Leaf thought, looking at the car.

"Is it true what I heard?" Silver asked, no time to be polite even to his oldest friend, as usual. "You're still working for EXO."

"What of it?" Leaf asked. "You worked for them, too. Or was it just an elaborate spy scheme you were working?"

"Leaf," Silver said, keeping his voice even while Leaf's tone became venomous. "What I… what we're trying to do, will help us all. The guy you're working for, Kaminko-"

"I've chosen my side," Leaf said harshly. "The guy you're working with - me and my friends risked our lives fighting for everything he stands for just four years ago!"

SIlver narrowed his eyes at Leaf. "He has-"

"Don't give me that 'he has changed' crap!" Leaf shouted. "Because we're friends, I will not report this to EXO. But don't let me catch you or him skulking around again."

Silver just glared at Leaf for a few seconds before turning around and opening the door of the car. As the door opened, Leaf briefly saw a glimpse of him - Giovanni, his pale, unnaturally smooth face and same piercing gray eyes as his son. Leaf could swear Giovanni was staring straight into her soul for a split second before the door closed again and the car drove off.

Though the encounter had soured her mood, Leaf knew she had another mission to accomplish. And based on the message she received to her PokéGear, she was about to complete it, heading to the Pewter City Pokémon Center.

In the Center, it didn't take long for Leaf to spot who she was after. A few kids from the neighborhood had gathered curiously to look at a brown-haired girl in overalls showing off her Typhlosion. Its flames burned brighter than most others of its species and its fur was impeccably groomed and shiny. The kids took turns petting the Typhlosion, with Lyra demonstrating how its flames actually didn't burn at all when the Typhlosion wasn't angry or frightened.

When Lyra withdrew the Typhlosion and said her goodbyes to the kids, Leaf decided to step in.

"Lyra," Leaf said, stepping in front of her.

Predictably, Lyra was startled, almost falling as she stumbled a few steps backward from the surprise.

"Leaf!" she gasped. "But… aren't you still… should I…?"

"Go on," Leaf said with a smile. "Say what you wanna say."

Lyra sighed. "I came here to check on why there were Aether Foundation goons about," she said, unable to come up with any excuse. "And I guess now I know why."

Leaf nodded. "And I came here for you," she said.

Lyra's eyes were all the way open in surprise. "M-me?"

"Since you were sent here, probably by either Kris or that paranoid kook, Blaine, I'm sure you know that something bad is going on," Leaf explained quickly. "But EXO can stop it. We just need our Operatives back."

Lyra looked confused. "Pretty sure your bosses are behind that 'bad' that's going on," she said suspiciously. "Did Lusamine send you here?"

Leaf shook her head. "I can't talk about it too much, but those Aether goons just provided me security and transportation," she said, making sure none of them were around. "Dr. Kaminko is planning a break away from them, and he's pooling up his resources to make EXO independent."

"What does he need us for, then?" Lyra wondered. "Last time, he wanted to turn us into obedient monsters!"

"It's different this time!" Leaf insisted. "We're on the same side here, or we should be! I stayed at EXO because the research I'm doing on the DNA Splicers is extremely important. If you join them, you can be a part of that, too. Don't you want to rescue Lusamine's daughter?"

Lyra frowned at Leaf. She wasn't exactly subtle about most things, but Lyra still wondered how Leaf had gotten that much information.

"I don't know," she said weakly, though the offer was sounding more and more tempting. "The others…"

"Lyra, you can't possibly put their trust into that bunch," Leaf said seriously. "Blaine and Elm may be geniuses, but they're also bitter and washed up members of the scientific community. Wes is a criminal and Hilda is unstable. And then there's Kris…"

"What do you know about her?!" Lyra snapped. "No matter what happens, she's my best friend!"

"That may be so, but I've known her for a while as well," Leaf said unrelentingly. "Ever since her first mission at EXO, she's been… weird. Something has gone wrong inside her, and if you continue to follow her on her path, she'll drag you down to something horrible. You need to think about your future!"

Lyra bit her lip. This was not what she expected this assignment to be like. But as much as she tried to think about all the bad things EXO and Dr. Kaminko had done… Leaf's words made too much sense to her.

"I'll need to get my Pokémon checked," Leaf told Lyra, briefly touching her shoulder. "I'll give you a few minutes. Make your decision."

~o~O~o~

Location: ?

Later that day...

In a large, dark warehouse, several people in brown, hooded cloaks had gathered around a large symbol drawn on the floor, knelt and mumbling as if they were praying. In the middle of the symbol, hanging a few feet in the air, was a cloud of purple smoke that kept constantly shifting state, occasional purple sparks emanating from it as the room was filled by an eerie, otherworldly noise.

This lasted for several minutes, but eventually, the smoke faded and the noise stopped. A lavender-haired woman in a fancy business suit emerged from the smoke, her eyes closed as she slowly floated to the ground.

When Sird had landed, one of the cloaked people, a short, bald, stocky man with thick glasses, removed his hood and rushed to her.

"Madam Sird!" he said, getting on his knees in front of the tall woman. "Is it really true? Did the ritual succeed?"

"I believe it did, Allen," Sird said to her henchman. "I think there is only one way to find out. The axe, please."

Allen nodded and rushed to receive an extremely sharp battle axe from another cloaked figure. Sird just crossed her arms and stared at Allen, who nervously raised the axe. When Sird nodded, Allen swung the axe directly at her.

But as the axe was supposed to make contact and split her head, it instead bounced away from Allen's hands and landed on the floor with a loud clatter, as if an invisible force field had repelled it away. Sird just stood there, unharmed, with a proud look on her face. Allen collapsed on his knees again.

"Truly remarkable, madam!" he said in a high-pitched voice. "The power of the Circle of the Torn World is now at your disposal."

"Yes, the last woman standing," Sird mused. "Until The Promised Day, I cannot be harmed in any way. I wouldn't want anyone to get any wrong ideas."

"Your invicibleness," a toadying voice from another cloaked figure came from elsewhere in the room. "Young master N has arrived."

Sird gracefully nodded at Allen and the rest of the cloaked cultists to leave as she prepared to receive N, who walked to her casually with his hands in his pockets.

"N, I heard you completed your task in Kanto!" Sird said. "Or, should I say, partially completed it."

"She was thrown off a rooftop and most likely severely injured," N said calmly. "I believe she got the message and will not meddle in our affairs."

"Yes, let us hope so," Sird said, scowling slightly. "Because I get the distinct feeling that I ordered you to get rid of her."

"Good that you didn't!" another voice shouted from the corner of the room.

Domino was lounging on two chairs, feet on the other, playing with a video game console. When N had arrived, Domino had been glaring at him.

"She is mine!" Domino shouted. "Boss, this hippie is not up for the task! Send me to Kanto and I won't leave a single house standing there until she is ours! And then… she will know the meaning of pain!"

Sird raised her hand. "That's quite enough," she said firmly, "but you may have a point. I don't want anything complicating the plan."

"What about him," N asked casually. "I don't have any desire to see those people live, but he asked us not to-"

"I will deal with that, and remember, I am the one in charge of this operation," Sird insisted. "N, I thank you for what you did, and I'm sending you on your next quest. Before that… Domino! Round up your troops and get them to Kanto! Stay on standby for any additional information. Don't make any moves until I say so, though!"

"Yeah, boss!" Domino said excitedly and jumped up from the chair, immediately grabbing the electric black tulip from her pocket. "I'm heading there straight away!"

As Domino rushed out of the room, Sird put her arm around N's shoulder and began guiding him to the adjacent room.

"I had great admiration for your father," Sird said smoothly, "and I want you to get your revenge on those people responsible for what happened to him. You have a great gift, young man. You should not waste it."

"Yes," N just said monotonously. "You don't have to doubt my commitment."

"Good," Sird said, smiling slightly, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "To that end, I will need your battleship and your troops. And most of all, I will need that extraordinary ability of yours. You see, we managed to get our hands on something before the government swooped in after the Lavender Town incident. And you are the right person to take charge of it."

Sird and N entered the adjacent room through heavy doors, arriving at an even bigger storage facility with the ceiling so high one would have to twist their neck all the way backwards to see.

And hanging in that ceiling, suspended and kept in place by hundreds of steel cables, was a large, monstrous Pokémon. It was dragon-like, with long arms and stubby legs, each with multiple large claws that were about a foot in length. Its body, mostly black, gray and icy blue, was covered partially in thick, ice-like armor and jagged spikes and it had two wings, one black and one icy blue, currently tied up with the most cables and restraints.

"Kyurem-Black," N said, simply nodding and not looking surprised at all. "I can hear its pain…"

"It's just a precaution," Sird said. "But it will be free very soon, and we want you to take it to Hoenn and… sow as much despair as you possibly can."

~o~O~o~

Location: EXO HQ, somewhere in Unova

Later that night

Lyra stood before the EXO administrator, the old, gray-haired and wrinkly but still very strong and authoritative-looking man in a lab coat, Dr. Kaminko, who was observing Lyra over his glasses as Lyra just stood still, awaiting for her command.

Leaf had taken Lyra to a teleport along with a bunch of Aether Foundation escorts, but fortunately, they had not joined them as they teleported to the base. While the trip to the teleport had taken hours, the transfer from Kanto to Unova was instantaneous. Next, Lyra had to wait for Kaminko to finish a meeting before she was brought to him, all alone. As Lyra stood in Kaminko's fancy office, in front of his mahogany desk, Lyra couldn't help but to think of the others, probably still waiting in that dark, smelly shack, wondering where Lyra had gone.

"I want to thank you for making the right choice," Kaminko said to Lyra finally as he had finished reviewing some papers in front of him. "You will be the first of our new group of warriors. There will be modifications made to you, no chips, and no extra training needed - we already know all about your abilities."

"Yes, sir," Lyra said quickly. "But I didn't do this to be a warrior."

Kaminko nodded slowly. "We have that under control as well," he said. "As Leaf may have told you, there has been a wind of change blowing at EXO. For the past month, we have been collecting as much assets as we could from other sources while making us independent from the Aether Foundation. We know that they're planning something with Kyurem and the Ultra Beasts, and we're going to fight back."

"The only thing I care about right now is making sure Lillie is safe," Lyra said.

"I was about to get to that," Kaminko continued. "That meeting I was just as in was to confirm our battle plan. Earlier today, we sent two people to escort President Lusamine to a conference in Orre. With her gone, our insiders at the Aether Foundation smuggled Lillie to a safe location. Meanwhile, Lusamine will be held as our hostage until we complete the final stage of our plan."

Lyra frowned. "Which is?"

Kaminko smiled. "We are going to destroy the entire Pokémon Association."