As Eleanor had hoped, Michael and Hugh made their way back to Floccesy Ranch in the morning without waiting for her to get out of bed. That meant that she and Rosa had plenty of time to wake up, eat breakfast, and get ready. While they were giving their Pokemon their own breakfast, the Center nurses took Krokorok from Eleanor, explaining that Michael had mentioned he would give her the full rundown at the ranch.
She felt a bit guilty about it, but Eleanor was more than happy to hand the Shadow Pokemon over to the professionals. Even after a good night of sleep, she was still somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of training it.
No. Not training 'it,' Eleanor had to remind herself as she took a sip of her coffee. Training her. Eleanor didn't know how purifying a Shadow Pokemon worked, but the thing that everyone said about Shadows was that the door to their heart was closed. She wasn't sure what that really meant, but she was sure that treating Krokorok as the emotionless machine that she appeared to be wouldn't be helpful in opening that metaphorical door. Despite that knowledge, she still hadn't been able to release the Shadow Pokemon yet, leaving her in her Ultraball overnight while the rest of Eleanor's Pokemon slept in her room with her.
It was about nine-thirty by the time that they had all finished eating and the nurses had returned Krokorok to Eleanor along with an envelope with 'portion size' written on the outside in flowing script. With nothing in town that they needed to do, Eleanor and Rosa immediately started heading for the gate that led to route twenty. Upon reaching the gate, Eleanor noticed that the gate seemed much newer than the one in Aspertia town. The other stark difference was that Leo wasn't behind the counter, which somehow felt a bit weird.
In direct contrast to Rosa's friend, the woman staffing the eastern Floccesy checkpoint was all business and briskly asked, "How long do you expect to be on the route?"
"Probably a few days," Eleanor said. "We're going to be heading for Virbank instead of coming back here." According to the Gazetteer, while Floccesy was mostly safe, Virbank was rarely troubled by either Plasma or Cipher, making it the better option to stay at while Rosa prepared for her next gym battle. The fact that the gym itself was in Virbank only made the decision to stay there more appealing.
The woman stiffly nodded and typed something into her computer before looking back up at Eleanor. "Good luck."
Even though she had been less than polite, Eleanor and Rosa thanked the gatekeeper before walking through the gate and starting to head north back to the ranch. Since they didn't want to keep Michael and Hugh waiting any longer than they already had, they ended up taking the same direct route that they had used the previous day. This time, Honor simply carried them up the ledges that had been a logistical issue with the grunts, making the walk go much smoother.
When Eleanor and Rosa reached the ranch, they saw that Michael and Hugh were waiting for them with all of their Pokemon out. While Hugh's Dewott and Patrat looked relaxed, their trainer didn't seem particularly patient. Near Michael were his Jolteon and Togetic along with the Rufflet and Crustle he'd snagged from the Plasma grunts. Finally, there was an Ursaring and a Dewgong, which were clearly the last two of Michael's team that Eleanor hadn't seen the previous day.
Eleanor's Aura Reader activated when she turned toward Michael's two Shadow Pokemon, which was mildly annoying given that it was wholly unnecessary. Then again, she decided that she would rather be occasionally annoyed than be ignorant the next time she came across a Shadow. She put that lovely thought out her mind when Michael waved, calling, "Good morning!"
The new arrivals replied in kind, with Rosa being much more enthusiastic for several reasons. Hugh only gave them a short nod before turning to Michael to ask, "Can I go look for a Riolu now?"
Eleanor raised an eyebrow at that. Even in her home of Sinnoh, the species' region of origin, they were fairly rare. "There's really Riolu here?"
"Yeah, I double-checked with the couple that lives here," Michael confirmed. "They said that there used to be more of them, but there's still a few of them around. That's probably why those Plasma members were here yesterday."
"Yeah, alright. Can I go now?" Hugh repeated with a bit less patience.
"Sure. Why don't you and Rosa go while I give Eleanor the rundown on Shadow Pokemon?"
"Shouldn't they learn about them too?" Eleanor protested.
Michael considered for a second. "Yeah, that makes sense. They might end up having one at some point too." Eleanor had mostly meant in case they needed to fight against one, but she didn't comment. She had mostly wanted to make sure that the mentees didn't go off on their own, which apparently wasn't something that Michael was concerned with. Hugh wasn't nearly as pleased with Michael's decision and groaned. Michael flashed him a smile and assured, "This won't take long and then we can all go looking for Riolu."
"That sounds great!" Rosa said, then softly asked Eleanor, "What's a Riolu?" Eleanor barely managed to stifle a laugh and told Rosa that she would show her a picture later.
"Well, let's get started right away then. Eleanor, can you send out all of your Pokemon? Including Krokorok," Michael added as an afterthought.
Eleanor nodded and released her normal team, followed by Krokorok a second later with a bit of trepidation. Devo and Patty seemingly shared her nerves and stared at the ground type suspiciously. On the other hand, Inno fearlessly approached the Pokemon that had badly hurt her and gave her a friendly greeting. Oddly, Krokorok appeared completely oblivious to the attention she was getting. She stared straight ahead, barely moving.
While she relaxed slightly when she saw that Krokorok wasn't going to abruptly go on a rampage, Eleanor must have still looked nervous since Michael said, "Don't worry, it's completely alright. In fact, the safest time to be around a Shadow is right after it's been snagged."
Michael's attempt at being reassuring failed completely and even Hugh stopped sulking to give his mentor his full attention. "You're saying they get more dangerous from here?"
"I won't beat around the bush here. Yes," Michael answered, his easy-going smile shifting to a much more serious expression. "Do you know what makes a Shadow Pokemon different from a regular Pokemon?"
"The doors to their hearts have been closed," Rosa answered automatically.
"Sure, but what does that mean?" Michael asked.
Eleanor tried to think back to the book that she'd started reading on the flight to Unova. Michael had told her not to bother finishing it, but she was sure that there had been something in there about the nature of Shadows. After a few seconds, she slowly answered, "They're emotionless and don't feel pain."
"That's right, but it would be more accurate to say that they don't feel anything. They won't stop fighting because they don't feel their injuries. They won't eat without being told because they don't get hungry. They won't interact with people or other Pokemon because they can't build emotional connections."
"That's awful," Rosa said in a hushed voice, but everyone clearly heard her since they'd been raptly listening to Michael.
Michael closed his eyes and nodded solemnly. "It is. And it's also why they're so valued as the perfect combatants. That's why it's so important that we snag them away from people that use them as tools. But to answer Hugh's question, that comes with a downside. The more time that a Shadow Pokemon spends with a caring trainer and good partners, the more their heart will start to open." He paused to give Rosa another nod, "But that means that they'll start to feel again, which is when they become dangerous."
"Why would that make them dangerous?" Hugh interjected.
Michael turned to look his mentee straight in the eyes. "You should know better than most how dangerous powerful emotions can be."
Rosa softly eeped and Eleanor's eyebrows shot up as her eyes darted toward Hugh, worried about how he would react. The boy stood perfectly still for several long seconds before giving Michael a curt nod, though his expression stayed completely neutral the entire time.
Michael returned the gesture before continuing. "Remember, up till now, these Pokemon haven't felt anything. That means that any feelings of camaraderie, being loved, and everything else is completely new and overwhelming. And when they get overwhelmed, they'll start to act erratically. The one good thing is that most of the time, you just need to call their names to snap them out of it since it'll make them re-center themselves."
"So they need nicknames?" Rosa asked.
Michael hesitated, then shook his head. "I misspoke. In my experience, a Shadow Pokemon won't answer to its nickname even if you give it one, so you need to call it by its species."
The trainers fell quiet and Eleanor took the opportunity to look at the Shadow Pokemon. All three had been completely still during the conversation, a fact that she could tell was starting to unnerve her and Hugh's Pokemon. On the other hand, Michael's Pokemon appeared to be completely at ease.
"Do any of you have any questions?" Michael asked, interrupting Eleanor's observations.
"What about their food?" Eleanor asked right away. The topic had already been skipped over a couple of times even though it was possibly the most essential aspect of taking care of them.
"Since they don't feel their own hunger or fullness, you have to be careful to only give them the exact amount of food they should be eating. I've found that Pokemon Centers are very helpful at figuring out what those amounts should be, so it's not that difficult, but it is something that you need to be sure to stay on top of."
"What about moves? What sort of attacks can they use?" Hugh asked next.
"At first, they can only use Shadow moves, but as their hearts start to open, they usually start to relearn other moves that they knew before becoming Shadows. As for what Shadow moves they can use, that can take some trial and error since regular Pokedexes can't scan them to find out what moves they know. Those guys yesterday were just telling them to attack, so they probably didn't know their own Pokemon's moves." Michael paused to hum thoughtfully. "Actually, I might see if the league is willing to add a list of Shadow moves to the Gazetteer so everyone knows what they're up against."
There were another few seconds of quiet before Rosa spoke up again. "How long does it take them to get better? You said that they get worse after being snagged, but how do we help them get back to normal?"
"Once the door to their heart has been opened enough, they're ready to be purified, and then they'll be completely back to normal. Back home, we could purify Pokemon at a shrine to Celebi or else the Purification Chamber at the lab. Last I heard, Professor Juniper has been working on one as well, but unless Eleanor has heard otherwise, I don't think it's done." Michael gave Eleanor a slightly hopeful look, but she had to shake her head; she hadn't heard anything since Bianca had mentioned it. Michael sighed wearily. "Without purification, a Pokemon will stay in a halfway state between normal and Shadow, and it'll be in almost constant agony."
"What? Should we even be trying to purify them right now then?" Eleanor protested. The last thing she wanted to do was be directly responsible for a Pokemon's suffering.
In lieu of a verbal response, Michael reached into his bag and reverently pulled out an ancient-looking wooden flute. "I've been saving this for six years now. It'll summon Celebi to purify a Pokemon but I was told that it would only work once. If it comes down to it, I'll use it to purify these three and any others that we might end up snagging. And hopefully, it will give Juniper whatever data she needs to finish the chamber."
Eleanor glanced at Rosa and found that her eyes were as wide as her own, sharing the astonishment that Michael was carrying an item that could summon a legendary Pokemon. She looked at Hugh as well, but from his nonplussed expression, Michael must have told him about the flute already. Either that or he was that hard to impress. At any rate, Hugh apparently took their stunned silence as a sign that they were done asking questions. "Can we go looking for a Riolu now? We could have been looking this entire time," he grumbled.
Michael's serious expression vanished as he returned the flute to his bag and chuckled. "I guess you're right. Let me just return a few of my Pokemon so we won't make too much noise and we can head out." Michael recalled all of his Pokemon except for Voy and Rufflet.
Eleanor followed his lead and returned all of her own Pokemon apart from Inno and Krokorok. As she reclipped their Pokeballs, she remembered Rosa's earlier question and pulled out her Pokedex as well. "This is what a Riolu looks like," Eleanor said as she tilted the screen toward Rosa once she'd found the Pokemon's entry.
"It's cute!" Rosa exclaimed with a smile. "Why do you think Michael thought it would be a good Pokemon for Hugh?"
Eleanor was about to suggest that Rosa ask him, but when she looked found that the boys were already about to enter the small forest at the north edge of the ranch. Without them to ask, Eleanor took her best guess. "Riolu and Lucario are known for being especially attuned to aura and emotions." As she spoke, Eleanor flipped to the next entry in the Pokedex to show Rosa the image of a Lucario as well. "To be honest, I'm not sure what that means though."
"Huh. Well, I guess we'll just need to find one and find out then!" Rosa said and moved to follow Michael and Hugh into the woods.
Rosa had only taken a few steps when the woman that they'd met the previous day leaned out of a window and called, "Be sure to come back for lunch!"
"Thank you! We will!" Rosa called back before looking back at Eleanor to speak in a normal tone. "We'd better catch up with them and let them know too." She started to jog after Michael and Hugh, but caught herself and halted before turning around to give Eleanor a look of chagrin.
Eleanor simply chuckled, glad that Rosa had remembered what she'd said about running off. "Thanks. And it's not a big deal either way. If it comes down to it, I can just call Michael to let him know."
"Oh, right. Well, then we can go look in a different part of the woods!" Rosa said easily, turning on her heel to change directions. Inno readily agreed with Rosa and padded forward to head into the woods, and Eleanor moved to follow them.
After only a few feet, Eleanor frowned and looked behind to find that Krokorok was still standing in the same position. Realizing that Michael had been literal when he said that they were completely dependent on commands, Eleanor called, "Come with us Krokorok." The Shadow Pokemon instantly moved and was standing right behind Eleanor within a second. While she couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved with Krokorok following them, Eleanor forced herself to relax and catch back up with Rosa and Inno, who had been waiting for her at the edge of the woods. Thankfully for Eleanor's nerves, Krokorok gave them a few feet of space without needing to be asked.
The four of them silently walked through the woods for about a minute before Rosa glanced back at Krokorok and asked, "So what are you going to name her? After she's purified that is."
Eleanor hummed thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure. It's difficult to come up with a nickname for a Pokemon when you don't know what they're actually like. Though that didn't stop you with Silk."
Rosa just smiled at the light tease. "Yeah, I guess, but it's still fun to think about!" She put her hand to her chin in a gesture that Eleanor had quickly become used to seeing. "How about Humility? Or Justice? Ooh, Kindness!" Eleanor thought all of Rosa's suggestions were good options, but no matter how many suggestions her mentee made, she wasn't able to settle on one yet.
They ended up wandering around the woods for several hours, though it didn't take long for them to get distracted from their original goal. After Rosa sent out Silk, the two of them had started scouring the forest for sticks and leaves that would be suitable for the Sewaddle's latest crafting project. Whenever they were busy with that, Eleanor checked on Krokorok and was glad to find that her fears about the Pokemon were quickly waning given how quiet and peaceful she had been during their walk. The only downside was that those fears were starting to be replaced with light paranoia about messing something up as she slowly realized exactly how dependent the Shadow Pokemon was going to be on her.
Eleanor tried to keep her attention on the hunt for Riolu but started to suspect that even if they had given the task their full attention, they still wouldn't have had any luck. It hadn't been immediately obvious with their limited vision because of the trees, but she eventually realized that there were even fewer Pokemon in the woods than there had been on route nineteen. She would be surprised if a Pokemon as rare as Riolu was still in the area when so many other Pokemon had clearly left. With no evidence that there really were any still around, she eventually made the decision to call off the search and called Michael to let him know about the lunch offer.
Eleanor and Rosa had surprisingly little difficulties finding their way back to the ranch, and at the Smiths' direction, they sat down at a picnic table that was surprisingly intact given the state of the rest of the ranch. The elderly couple brought sandwiches and drinks out of their house, turning Eleanor down when she offered to help. Feeling weird about sitting still while other people were working, Eleanor sent out the rest of her Pokemon to get them their lunch and Rosa followed her lead a few seconds later. Eleanor opened the envelope that she'd gotten from the nurses and found that Krokorok's recommended portions were the same size as Honor's which certainly made things easier.
The two of them were finishing getting their Pokemon food when Michael and Hugh emerged from the woods. Hugh looked even more annoyed than he had earlier in the morning, confirming Eleanor's guess that they hadn't found a Riolu since she'd called Michael. Despite his attitude, Hugh immediately retrieved a bag of Pokemon food from his bag and got to getting food out for his Dewott and Patrat, raising Eleanor's opinion of the boy. Michael started to do the same, though not before telling Eleanor and Rosa to start without them and calling a thank you to the Smiths' house which Rosa loudly echoed.
Eleanor and Rosa had made decent progress on their lunches by the time the boys finally joined them. As they sat down, Eleanor almost instinctively asked how their search went, but caught herself, thinking that it would be a sore spot for Hugh. The group silently ate for a few minutes until Rosa looked up from her plate toward Michael. Cautiously, she asked, "Is it really okay to battle with Shadow Pokemon? It feels wrong to make a Pokemon battle when they don't really have a say in it."
Michael slowly nodded in understanding and set his sandwich down. "The fastest way for any trainer to bond with their Pokemon is through battles. Unfortunately, that applies to Shadow Pokemon too. I wasn't sure about having them battle at first either, but I promise it's the best way to purify them. Every single Pokemon that I've purified was like night and day between what they were like as a Shadow and a regular Pokemon. But even those that didn't like battling after they'd been purified weren't upset about battling while they were a Shadow."
"Thanks," Rosa said with a light smile. "That makes me feel a lot better."
"Me too," Eleanor added. It wasn't something that Eleanor had given much thought to at that point, but hearing about Michael's experience was still reassuring.
Hugh had continued eating the entire time and abruptly stood as he finished scarfing down his second sandwich. "I'm going to go back to searching," he announced, though his words were slightly muffled by the food still in his mouth.
He was starting to step away from the picnic table, but stopped when Rosa asked, "Why do you want a Riolu so badly?"
"They're famously strong partners to have so one would definitely help me beat Plasma and find Purrloin," he replied as if the answer was obvious. "Plus, they can read auras, so I bet they're good against Shadow Pokemon too."
Rosa glanced at Eleanor before looking back at Hugh. "If they can read auras, does that mean they can read emotions too?" Eleanor instantly saw where Rosa was going and decided to take a large bite of her sandwich instead of answering.
Michael didn't share her reservations and nodded. "Yes, they're known for that as well."
"Any Riolu that are still in the area are probably scared of people and if they can read your emotions… then, well…" Rosa trailed off uncertainly.
Hugh scowled. "Are you saying that I can't find a Riolu because I'm too angry?!"
Rosa wilted in her seat so Eleanor quickly swallowed her food in order to answer in her place. "Even if she isn't, then I will." Hugh's glare turned from Rosa to Eleanor, but she maintained eye contact. She refused to be intimidated by a boy who had only been a trainer for a week and was bullying his friend.
"Of course I'm angry!" Hugh roared. "My sister's Pokemon was stolen and then I had to watch as my home turned into a warzone! You don't know what that's like!"
Despite her conviction, Eleanor found that she had no answer to that. Until they had blown up Lake Valor, Team Galactic had been fairly quiet in their machinations back in Sinnoh. They had been quickly dealt with after that major event, all before Eleanor had even become a trainer. In fact, Galactic had been so nondescript that one of their bases had been in her hometown and no one had been the wiser.
Eleanor was still trying to formulate a response when Michael spoke. "You're right. Eleanor is the only one here who doesn't know what that's like. But she's here now and she's helping. That should be more than enough."
Hugh quietly glowered for a few long seconds. When he finally opened his mouth, he'd returned to his usual tone as he declared, "This was a mistake. I should be getting stronger and fighting gyms, not hunting for a specific Pokemon." He turned away from Eleanor toward his mentor. "We should head straight for Virbank."
"Fine with me," Michael said with an indifferent shrug. Hugh nodded tightly and started stomping south with his Pokemon immediately moving to follow in his wake. Michael gave Eleanor and Rosa an apologetic smile as he stood. "I'll see you ladies later then." He didn't wait for a response and quickly returned all of his Pokemon except for Voy as he moved to catch up with his mentee.
Stunned by the sudden departure, Eleanor simply watched them go. She brought her attention back to Rosa instantly when the younger girl shuddered and quietly said, "That was awful."
"Are you alright?"
Rosa answered Eleanor's concern with a strained smile. "I'm fine. I just hope that Hugh gets better soon. I'd hoped that it would be good for him to get out in the region instead of being stuck at home, but I think he's actually gotten worse." Rosa sighed and picked up her sandwich to take a reluctant bite.
Eleanor reached behind Rosa to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before quietly returning to her own meal. A few seconds later, Eleanor noticed a vine out of the corner of her eye repeating the gesture and saw that Ivy had come over to reassure her trainer as well.
They stayed quiet until the door to the Smiths' house suddenly opened revealing the couple standing there with the man holding a covered tray. Eleanor expected them to comment on Hugh's outburst, but instead, the woman just said, "Oh, the boys left before dessert."
Rosa's spirits seemed to lift slightly from the mention of dessert, but she still looked glum. Thankful for the elderly couple's apparent hearing issues, Eleanor explained, "Something came up and they had to leave. They told us to thank you for the meal though."
The man nodded in understanding, then winked at his wife. "It looks like we'll just have to eat theirs." He set the tray down on the picnic table and lifted up the cover to reveal four ice cream cones.
The usual brightness in Rosa's eyes returned instantly at the sight. "I haven't had a Casteliacone in forever!"
The woman smiled at Rosa's clear excitement. "We filled our freezer with them a few years ago so we could bring them out for special occasions."
Eleanor thought that they looked like normal ice cream cones, so she didn't understand the hype until she was handed one and took a lick. It was by far the best ice cream she'd ever had and she had to stop herself from quickly devouring it. Rosa had been watching her and giggled. "They're super good, right?"
Eleanor's cone had vanished only a few minutes later, and to distract herself from the disappointment, she thanked the couple for lunch. The man smiled and said, "A few sandwiches and some ice cream are nothing compared to what you did dealing with those ruffians yesterday."
Eleanor returned his smile, but then faltered. "Why do you stay out here? I'm sure it would be a lot safer back in town."
The couple exchanged a knowing look and their smiles didn't waver for a moment. "There's still plenty of Pokemon here that need our help, and we can't abandon them."
The man nodded at his wife's words and added, "We can't live in fear. If everyone just rolled over for those awful people, they would keep gaining ground. These old bones don't have enough strength to fight back directly, but we can still hold our heads high and keep living."
Eleanor was trying to come up with a suitable response to the touching sentiment but Rosa beat her to it and leaped to her feet to hug the woman. She happily returned the hug and patted Rosa on the back, saying, "You keep your head up too dearie."
The hug lasted a few more seconds, then Rosa stepped away with a determined look in her eyes as she looked at Eleanor. "We should head to Virbank too."
Eleanor rose to her feet with a nod. She tried to help the couple gather the dishes, but the man stopped her with a smile. "We've got this. You two should get going."
Returning the smile, Eleanor turned toward her Pokemon and, after making sure that they had finished their meals, returned everyone except for Honor and Krokorok. A minute later, goodbyes had been completed and Eleanor and Rosa began making their way back to route twenty to continue the path to the next gym.
A/N: Thanks to Star (quarknova on this site) for betaing. Next up is Chapter 8: Lights, Camera, Action!