Bronze did not try any malasada, but he did feel a rather unpleasant sensation.

It was like the flowing of many waters, the drift of countless drops of liquid. The feeling was as fickle and untrustworthy as the raging seas, as terrible as a confluence of waves flowing toward a ravine, as stark and unquestioning as a flash flood.

And it was centered around the distant lighthouse, a tower on a basalt cliff by the north side of town, guarded by a narrow coomb and a old palisade from the Terramist Wars.

"Jake." Bronze nudged his friend, who was throughty occupied with his meal. "Something is going on at the lighthouse. Just come with me, I know it. Eat later."

"What do you mean, you feel something? Are you developing psychic powers, or what?"

"Jake! I'm serious! I've only felt this kind of energy back when..."

Bronze started sprinting.

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The sun had already set, burnished oranges and reds coloring the starry sky. A cold wind came from the western sea, saltwater splashing on the surf. The wind brought hope of adventure, and conquests, without the rumor of eastern invasions or hard winters. But the dark forces did not care for the clime or wind, and Bronze was determined to stop them in any land.

Bronze and Jake arrived at the cliff on the northern fusillade, climbing around the ancient stone wall of Old Logaria. The feeling of the raw primal energy being drawn from the earth was all too familiar, as the last time Bronze had felt this, it was in the Brimber Volcano as a new Red Orb was being made. This energy was different, however. Instead as being as hard and unmoving as the earth, the pulses of it were like the tides, and erratic waves crossing the immeasurable waters of the Sunset Sea.

Flashes of light emitted from the base of the lighthouse, blue as the clear tropical waters of the northern Rorian coasts. Jake couldn't seem to sense it, but after seeing more bursts of luminescence, he began to run just as quickly as Bronze.

After the two ascended through the cavern near the cave wall, the flat, grassy surface of the sheer cliff top and the lighthouse became visible, with a cluster of outbuildings further up into the dune-covered hills. Bronze could see many figures, and some sort of commotion in the waxing moonlight.

Bronze and Jake snuck closer, and hid behind some old wooden fences near the group. Another flash of light, coming from some stationary device in the cluster of people, revealed the fact that they were wearing the uniforms of Team Rocket. Bronze tuned his hearing on the voices coming from the rankers.

"Go back to your lighthouse, old man, step aside..."

"No! I will not let you do this! This power that you seek will only bring you to death!

"Step aside, I said! Or we will show you just how we treat those who oppose us! Our next rise shall not be impeded by any elderly relics of a forgotten age, long bereft of leadership! This is our hour! You will curse life and death before the end of your torture, and yet we could bat you away from this machine as a boot crushes a insect. Step aside!"

Bronze also noticed it was getting lighter. Not in a sense of increasing daylight, but more like the moon and stars were giving off more lumosity. In the ever-increasing brightness, Bronze saw about twelve Rocket grunts, with another man dressed in the same uniform as the Admin Henry, although this person did not have a respirator.

In front of the Rocket members, there was a device almost the exact same shape and size of the one in Brimber Volcano, and it was also the area in which the raw primal energy was the most intense. But in front of the device, blocking the leader from interacting with it, was an older man, his arms spread across the front, hair disheveled, bearing the jeers of the rankers.

Bronze assumed that this was the lighthouse keeper, or at least someone that lived in the tower. Bronze wanted to help him, but there was no way that even Bronze and Jake's forces combined could fight off that many grunts. Perhaps he could cause some kind of distraction, and destroy the machine? Wait...the machine!

Something was off. If Team Eclipse masquerading as Team Rocket had attempted to take control of Groudon, than this entire setup seemed far too familiar. The machine was the same, the tactics the same...but what were they after? What was different about it this time-

Oh.

Kyogre.

It was definitely brighter now. A cold, blue light shone down from the sky, and puzzlingly, the sea. It was almost as bright as the sunset, and a light rain was coming from the clouds. Surely, people in the town had to notice that something was wrong.

Bronze now could see a girl looking through the lighthouse door's window, although what exactly was happening, Bronze still could not be sure of. She was trying to get out, but Bronze saw that the lock was broken.

The admin sent out a massive, black Arbok, a rare breed. "Step aside, I command you! Can you not see my authority, old fool?"

"No! I will not be intimidated by a worthless worm, a base coward! It is you who will live to regret your actions here tonight!"

Giving up on his attempts at mere intimidation, the admin gave a sigh, and Arbok started dripping poison down its fangs, scorching the ground, killing the grass.

"Regret? Regret is something that I have long discarded. We will remove you, now. But before you die, you will feel..something other than pain. We have agents that will make you long for something so sweet as pain...in the meantime, Arbok, give this man some...finely tuned agony."

Bronze could not watch any longer. No, he would not stand idly by while a elderly man was tortured. He sent out his Pokémon, yelling his challenge to the admin.

"HEY! You missed someone, idiots! Come on, get me, you pair-o-pathetic peripatetics! Or can you only beat up old men?"

The admin turned at the shout, and gave Bronze an ugly look.

"You!" He hissed. "You're the brat that saw my brother Henry's operation fail! Guess you came back for more, eh? I will not dishonor you with secrets, seeing that you are least a worthy, persistent foe. I am Eclipse Admin Eric, and I will not have this mission be a failure because some child continued to mess in our affairs! Why don't you come, and fight me yourself? Or...are you too afraid of my Arbok? Look at those fangs! Look at that hide! Are you really any match for me, or even one of us?"

Bronze knew Eric was baiting him. If he charged, he would be immediately defeated, if not by the admin, by all the other grunts. Maybe Jake could surprise them? No, he wasn't strong enough...what could be done...

Eric chuckled. "I see! You are stalling for time so you can figure out a way to prevent the Blue Orb from reforming! I heard that my brother explained the specifics of the procedure to you...however, this old fool is blocking me from obtaining the Orb."

Sending out a Solrock, Eric continued to gloat. "Why do you two resist? Even the sky is brightening as the Primal Energy flows here! The very heavens declare that a great work is at hand! If you will not move, perhaps I can attend to the girl...oh, yes, I saw her. She believes that she can fight us, judging from her attempts to leave the lighthouse. Wisely, you broke the lock. However, it shouldn't prove much of a challenge for me to enter."

With a gasp of horror, the man stepped to the side, much to Eric's amusement. Seeing that the shimmering, glowing Blue Orb was complete, he grabbed it with both hands, his flesh glowing with the baleful blue glimmer. The sky was almost as bright as day now, and the rain was getting far stronger.

The people in the city would notice, wouldn't they? Someone would come, a trainer, a police officer, anybody...

Eric stood by the cliffside, the surf pounding beneath him. Titanic waves, glistening with the corpse-light of the stars, reached to extremes of over ten feet. Holding the Orb up as far as his arms could stretch, and Eric screwed his face with effort, and gave a mighty yell.

"Kyogre, come forth!"

A pulse emitted from the Orb, merging into the tempestuous seas. Thick clouds, dark as a broiling fume, covered the sky, and the whole land was darkened under their shadow.

Nothing happened for at least half a minute. Eric still held the Orb, deep in concentration, trying to prevent it from merging with his body and taking control of him. Then, Bronze thought he saw a dark, massive bulk slowly traveling under the illuminated waves, closer and closer. The shape roared, a distorted, foamy noise from under the waves, and then it burst out of the water, as a mounting wave strides onto land, the raiment of liquid about its body ranging in hues of shimmering azure to shadows of green and black.

It was the most massive whale Bronze could have imagined. Kyogre, Lord of Many Waters, most beloved and feared to the Hisuians of old, responsible for the disordering of the lands and seas three thousand years ago, as it contended with Groudon at the end of the Elder Days. It was one of the many fighters who had aided in the destruction of Grand Meteor Delta only a year and a half ago, a player in recent events. Now, this was its third awakening in the past twenty years.

As it entered the peak of it's jump, Kyogre opened its eyes, which was like the shining of undersea lanterns. The rain was becoming more and more intense, and moisture radiated off the hide of the ancient Pokémon. After touching down, Kyogre roared up at Eric, who was grinning maniacally and clutching the Blue Orb, hands trembling in excitement.

Eric concentrated into the Orbs shining depths, and Kyogre began to stop roaring, and begun float passively below. Recalling Arbok, Eric laughed. "It is ours! Ours! All ours! We have calmed it, as my brother Henry did not! We have succeeded...now for the capture!"

Pulling out a Master Ball, ensuring that Kyogre did not see it, Eric prepared for a precise shot. The grunts made a wall around their leader, preventing Bronze or Jake from acting. Eric was going to win.

What he did not expect, however, was a dark object the same size of a Poke Ball to hit him the the back of the head, and then landed into the wet earth with a thunk.

Eric bellowed in pain, dropped the Orb, and tumbled to the ground. Looking at the iron chunk now lying on the ground, Bronze looked in the direction it was thrown, and saw that the girl he had seen earlier had thrown it from a open window, high up on the lighthouse. It must have been a glancing hit, or Eric would likely have been killed instantly by the weight.

The Orb rolled over the loamy grass to the cliffside edge. One of the grunts leaped for it, but too late, as it plummeted into the waters below. Mid-fall, however, it began to slow, and gently curve it's decent toward Kyogre.

Eric got up, rubbing his sore and bleeding head, watched as the Orb floated into Kyogre's open maw.

Suddenly, a massive wave of energy knocked everyone off their feet, causing one grunt to fall into the sea below. Scrambling up, Bronze saw Kyogre glowing, and it had suddenly changed form. It was now twice as huge, with glowing markings and lines covering its body, and the aura of water in the ambient surroundings was so great that Bronze wondered whether it could be possible to swim through the air.

Bronze had read about this Pokémon's Primal Form before, but he hadn't imagined that it would be this incredible.

Eric knew that he had no control over the beast any longer. As he and some grunts peered over the edge, Kyogre looked up and began to form a glowing orb in front of it, undulating lines of energy increasing the potency of the oncoming attack.

Eric screamed, ordering a full retreat. "Back, back! It is going to use Origin Pulse, run!"

As the admin and grunts ran like hell, Kyogre blasted an unbelievable powerful energy beam. Bronze felt his hair crackle, stand on end, and ducked as a rush of static flew over his head. The side of the cliff was ruined, several grunts having been consumed in the energy, several flying far into the air, including Eric. The admin vanished out of sight, howling in rage as he flew.

Through the curtain of rain, Bronze swore he saw a figure, clutching to the talon of a flying Pokémon, vanish into the night.

The few grunts that were not caught in the blast ran as fast as they could away from the site. Unlike Groudon, Kyogre needed no appeal or persuasion to return to its slumber. Looking at Bronze, and Jake, who had just came out from behind the fence, it turned, swam under the waves, and still glowing with its primeval light. The beast disappeared down into the depths, under a sky that was now as dark as natural night, while the rain abruptly ceased.

The old man got up, and looked at the two boys. "I cannot say what you two just did was either valiant, foolhardy, or just plain dumb. I told them, once I saw them setting up the device, that they would dread the consequences of summoning the embodiment of the Sea that Arceus has created. I am glad that the danger has passed."

Sending out a Herdier, the old man has his Pokémon break down the door to the lighthouse. Immediately, a teenage girl ran outside, hugging what Bronze assumed was her grandfather.

"Grandpa! You should have let me fight them! My Garchomp could have beaten that Arbok any day, and twice on Sundays! Why didn't you let me help you? Just let me fight! I want to fight!"

"No, Tess! Your Pokémon are were no match for theirs! It was simply too dangerous! I will not risk jeopardizing you or the promise I made with your parents to keep you safe! You are simply far too reckless to stay secure, and your terrible judgement of risk and reward is just another factor that convinces me that you should not ever go beyond the bounds of this city!"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so 'reckless' if you would simply let me out of the house once and awhile! I haven't even been further north than the Great Forest, or further south than Brimber! Just let me out on a trip, for a while, by myself! Please?"

Bronze noticed that Jake was staring at Tess. Bronze rolled his eyes, knowing that Jake didn't have much experience talking to girls. To Bronze, most girls were actually very annoying, although he made it a point to be as polite as possible. But there was something different about this one, the way she carried herself, the way she articulated her words...

Seeing them, Tess stomped over to Bronze, gesturing at him. "You see, Grandpa? This boy has three Gym Badges! Three, right on his bag! He's been all over Roria, seeing things and actually meeting people! Why can't I go off on my own for a little while? He is clearly capable enough to take care of himself, seeing as he confronted those Team R-Eclipse thugs!"

Bronze felt a sudden need to interject. Perhaps it was his own comment about needing a third person on the journey coming up haunt him. Looking at the old man, he made his case.

"Sir, I think your granddaughter definitely seems capable of travelling on her own, or at least that it what she believes. But if you don't feel comfortable with that, we can definitely accompany her, being experienced trainers on a long-term quest. It would be safer to travel as a group, and another capable trainer in our party is something that me and my friend definitely want. I leave this up to you, by the way. Say, Tess, that's the name, right? Good throw."

Tess smiled. "It's all about the weight. If you throw that thing from a high enough window, and with enough torque, you can hit anything if you practice with it."

"Um...yeah. She can come with us. That would be...great." Jake muttered.

"Oh, he talks!" Tess exclaimed. "I was getting worried."

The old man was in deep thought. Whatever he said would have a lasting effect, and there was a good chance that this day had to come.

"So, it has come to this." The man whispered, before entering the lighthouse.

A bit later, he returned, with a single, nondescript box with the Logarian rune for 'heritage' emblazoned on the top, nachalach. A golden lock on the front was covered in a generous helping of dust, showing that it had not been opened anytime recently.

"Tessa Woodhall," The man began. "I present you with the family Z-Ring, along with the traditional Dragonium-Z that accompanies it. We are a family of Dragon-masters, and what hope I give you, I now keep none for myself. Use it well, as these are relics recovered from the ancient empire of Logaria, ere its terrible fall. Peace."

Handing the ring and crystal to Tess, she put on the ring in utter shock. "What...these were my mothers! I was only supposed to get them in your will...I...I...thank you, grandfather."

Now, Tess's grandfather addressed Bronze. "Judging by your noble attempt to save me, you seem like a very honorable and responsible young man that I would trust my granddaughter to be traveling with. No thug or half-life would ever attempt to do something so endangering to themself for the sake of another. You have the blessing of the Woodhall family. What hope I give you, I keep none for myself."

He turned back to Tess, tears in his eyes. "Granddaughter, I give you my permission and blessing to travel with these boys. However, you must obey a set of rules, and act only upon reasonable decisions. One, you are not to endanger yourself, unless absolutely necessary. Two, you are to stay in a hotel every night! Three, control your pride. A haughty spirit goes before a fall, as the Hisuians said. Four, do not boast about your ring. It is yours to keep, but it will desert you if you betray the love that you have bought it by. Five, honor the name of Arceus. The Original One is the Lord of All, do not be deceived by any other false god. And, be wary of night. It is a time of change, as this night is for you. You will stay here, I wish to talk with these boys before you go off..."

"I will! I will do everything you said!" Tess answered. "I...I will remember you on my travels."

With that, she went back into the lighthouse to gather her things.

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Bronze, along with Jake, took a seat in a awning-covered shack, just at the border of the dune-hills, starlight glinting. He was getting tired, but this girl joining his party was a development that gave him the strength to stay awake.

"So." The old man said, fire in his eyes. "I will let you know, if you mistreat Tess in anyway, so help me, Arceus Elyon, I will kill you and your other friend. Do you have anything else to say that might convince me to trust you more than I already do?"

Bronze, wordlessly taking his Pokedex out of his bag, displayed the best piece of evidence for his case.

The old man's eyes widened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Any Pokedex Holder was sure to be completely trustworthy, and a worthy companion. Who hadn't heard of Yellow the Healer, or Platinum Berlitz?

"Thank the Lord Arceus. What hope I give to you, I keep none for myself. A old saying in these parts. I will tell you a few things that you must know about Tess, and how you are to treat her..."

"When she was but a newborn, her parents followed a reckless calling into the Lost Isles, south of Alola. They wished to spend a time there, just a week...a vacation. That was all it was supposed to be..."

The man's voice broke. "They got caught in a storm. A bad one, typhoon. Slammed into a rock. Pokémon gone, fuel tank burst, nothing left. Instantly gone, like that. They had left little Tess with me...just for a time. Nothing to long, nothing to short. I still do not know what madness compelled them to leave their child for that, even for a week! That is what you get for following your passions. Don't end up like that, boy, you hear me? Don't end up dead on some island somewhere, your charred bones food for the Wingull. Don't let that happen to Tess, either, I won't lose her!"

"I kept her, it was in the will. My own wife had died three years before that, so Tess has lived with me, ever since. I watched her grow in this city, her life evolving with her Pokémon, and the city being repaired from the ravages of the battle. I fought in the Terramist Wars, just like most, and I praise Arceus every day that Tess didn't have to live through that. We beat the dogs back to the east, Tess grew, I grieved, wasting away in this lighthouse. She hardly had any female figures in her life, just old lady Kitoko down in the middling-quarter. She always was determined, always obsessed with battling. She even beat the Gym, just a month ago."

"I brought her around Roria, for a few times. I am afraid that I only increased her passion to wander. I am a fool. I thought I could keep her locked up in this city, like a animal, caged and suppressed. That time has to end...I am more thankful for you than I think you can comprehend. There are some good people in the world, some bad people, others in between, good people who do bad things. But it is very rare to find someone like you two, very good people, with flaws, yet still more wise than your age would warrant. I want to help you in whatever way possible. That is why I will do whatever you ask, just this once."

Bronze felt emotional, hearing the grief in the lighthouse keeper's voice. "Thank you, sir. There is something you could do for us..."

"I have read all the maps, but it isn't the same thing as actually living in the area. I've been to Rosecove a few times in my life, but not for very long. We need to get to Anthien City, it is the next stop on our journey. What must we do to get to Cragrock Mountain the quickest, or to traverse the forest?"

"That's it?" Tess's grandfather said. "Well, I'll tell you! This forest, the Taur-I-Melegryin, is the remnant of the primeval forests that once stretched from the Horn of Roria to the northern coasts. Still, it covers the continent up to the Aredian Deserts, you won't have much luck going through that way. If you want to get to Cragonos, or Gragrock, you will have to take Route 3124, go through the Guarded Plain, and then take a flight. You must stay safe. My granddaughter's life depends on it...oh, Jake? Is that your name?"

"Yes, uh, sir."

"Good. Bronze, if you catch him trying to get involved with my grandaughter, pummel him, wouldn't you?"

"I would be glad to, sir."