Chapter 8: Much-Needed Background

~Aeon Observatory~

After Growlithe volunteered to inspect the town's outskirts, Braviary took Team Radiance back to the guild. The flight proceeded in silence, save for the gentle whistling of wind beneath Braviary's wings. Tessa stared out toward Aeon Port and, beyond it, the Midnight Sea. The moon's bright-blue reflection rippled in the choppy waters. She directed her gaze up toward it. The full moon served as a beacon that glowed proudly in a hazy purple sky, accentuating the small, twinkling stars surrounding it.

'That's odd,' she thought. 'I could've sworn we had a quarter-moon the night before Shane and I got here. How could it turn full so quickly?' Tessa blinked and shook her head. After the day she had, the last thing she needed was to rile herself up thinking about the size of the moon. She pushed that thought out of her mind and instead turned to look at Shane. He was staring at her, but promptly turned away the moment their eyes lined up.

It seemed like Shane had something he wanted to say, but the silence persisted through Braviary's landing and subsequent guiding of Team Radiance back into the Observatory. The trio shuffled down to the main level. "Well, I suppose now y'all can check 'evening excitement' off yer 'rookie to-do list,'" Braviary said, attempting to bring some levity to the atmosphere. Based on the blank stares he got, it wasn't very effective. "I'm gonna retire fer the night. No more funny business from either of ya, got it? Done made me go and worry away a good three years off my lifespan..."

Team Radiance nodded in unison. Satisfied, Braviary descended to the veterans' quarters, leaving them to tread the empty hallway leading back to their room. They each sat down at their respective cushions, Tessa staring out the window and Shane studying the floor.

Finally, the silence broke. "I've really screwed this all up, haven't I?"

Tessa's ears twitched and she looked over her shoulder. Shane was batting the edge of his scarf with a forepaw. "I just want to do things differently here. To be better than my human self," Shane sighed. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I'm not exactly well-liked over in my human life."

'Gee… I wonder why,' Tessa sneered internally. Guilt immediately bubbled up inside her for such a thought. She bit her lower lip.

"It's not that I'm a bad person. At least… I don't think I am," Shane continued. "And it's not like my life sucks or anything. I have a place to live, food to eat, and a job that pays enough to keep me comfortable. I can't complain about that stuff. It's just…" He hung his head shamefully. "… I, uh, don't really have any friends in the human world."

Tessa felt conflicted. On the one hand, she was exhausted. It had been a trying day and, to cap it all off, she was just attacked. She really didn't feel like hearing a sob story from the Pokémon that had been the target of all her ire. But on the other hand, if she played the listening game then maybe, just maybe, Shane would finally cool down a bit, figuratively speaking.

"And I tried to, y'know, put myself out there," Shane continued, "It's just… things never clicked. I think… people didn't like me because I was pretty negative. Like, all the time." He looked up toward the ceiling. "But why shouldn't I be? The human world… I think it's an awful place. Humans aren't like Pokémon, you know."

"I kinda figured," Tessa scoffed, only to wince as Shane looked down guiltily.

"I… sorry…" he mumbled. "I didn't phrase that well. It's just… you guys here. You look after each other. You try to help one another out. That's what makes places like this guild so great." He pawed at his cushion. "But humans don't tend to work like that. Oh, sure, we have some good eggs who try to do nice things for others. But there are far more humans who are totally selfish… and look out only for themselves."

'You mean... like you've been doing since I've met you?' Tessa thought, biting her lower lip to stop herself from blurting that thought out.

Shane continued to avoid Tessa's gaze. "In fact, it's common for humans to stab one another in the back…"

"WHAT?" Tessa blurted out, eyes widened in terror.

Shane winced. "S-Sorry… sorry! I didn't mean that literally. I mean, like, betrayals and stuff," he squeaked. "Look, the point I was trying to make is that other humans always end up disappointing me back home. And I have such lousy luck. I can't put on a happy face as a human. So, nobody talks to me."

"But, you've been pretty upbeat here, all things considered," Tessa pointed out. In her mind, she added, 'A bit too upbeat if you ask me.'

"I know," Shane sighed. "Remember how I said Pokémon are fictional where I come from?"

'Oh gods, not this again,' Tessa groaned. She nodded in the hopes of moving the conversation along.

"Well, I use those fictional adventures as an escape. A way to temporarily shut out all the things I don't like about the human world. I can have as much fun as I want in my games. Even if it's not real, everything seems possible when I'm playing." He stood up and glanced at the wall. Shane could just make out a faint outline of his shadow in the glow of the moonlight. "… and then I actually woke up as a Pokémon," he whispered, slowly shaking his tails.

"I seem to recall you believing this was a dream," Tessa said.

"Well, yeah, that was the only way I could make sense of it at first," Shane conceded. "But once I realized this was legit…" He looked down again. "… I was determined to do things differently. I wanted Pokémon to like me. I thought if I acted cheerful and energetic… I could make friends. But, I totally mucked that up." He hung his head shamefully. "I guess I'm just a screw-up no matter what universe I'm in."

'Okay, either he's crafty enough to make a Zorua jealous or this is genuine,' Tessa thought. Her aura feelers bristled against her fur. 'I'm sensing something in a snapshot of his aura. And… it's upsetting. I guess he's telling the truth, then.' Her brow furrowed. 'Still... he didn't have to drag me through his crazy fantasies.'

"You know, you're not the only one with problems," Tessa spoke up, immediately wondering if there was a better way to phrase that. "I get it. Your whole 'stuck in another world and another body,' dilemma is pretty big. But it's not like all the Pokémon you've met lead perfect lives. We have issues too."

"… you're right," Shane sighed. "I guess I'm just being selfish."

'Yeah, you are,' Tessa thought, only to immediately wince. 'Stop it, Riolu. Mom taught you better than that,' she berated herself. "Sorry, that's not what I was going for. It's just… if you really want to do things differently here, you should, y'know, treat other Pokémon the way you'd want them to treat you."

Shane's stance slouched. "Was I really doing that bad of a job with the golden rule?"

"Uh..." Tessa poked her index digits together. "I don't know what you mean by golden rule. Besides, do you really want me to answer that?" But that was all the answer Shane needed. He sighed and made his way back to his cushion. "Y'know… if you're looking for a place to start, why not try apologizing to Null tomorrow?"

Shane shivered. "But… but I already did that," he whimpered.

"You didn't sound very sincere," Tessa chided. "Hey, look. Whether you apologize for real or not is up to you. But as your teammate I am strongly suggesting that it's in your best interest to at least try."

Shane hung his head in defeat. "I guess… you're right."

"Good," Tessa said. She watched Shane circle around his pillow and curl up into a ball. "We can talk more in the morning if you want, I guess. Good night." She lay down on her own pillow.

"… hey, Riolu?"

"Yeah?"

"You miss your parents a lot, don't you?"

Tessa sat back up, clutching at her scarf. "Y-Yeah."

"Is that why you keep going down to your mom's room? Because you're thinking about them?"

Tessa nodded. "Yes." She heard Shane whimper and sighed. "What is it now, Vulpix?"

A snowy white head popped up to look at her. "It's just… I haven't even thought about my family since I've gotten here… until now. Who knows how much time has passed in the human world for me? They could be worried out of their skulls for all I know." His ears drooped. "I guess I really am selfish."

Tessa scooched her pillow closer to Shane's. "No use beating yourself up over something you can't control." She flinched, thinking of her own parents.

"But… but what if I really am here by accident? What if I can never go back home?" Shane wondered. "My family will never know what happened to me. And the people at my job are gonna think that I died or something and then–"

"As I recall, a certain human-turned-Vulpix told me that he, and I quote, 'prefers not to dwell on the what-ifs,'" Tessa said. "Let's just take things one step at a time. Sleep now. Apologize to Null tomorrow if you're up to it. And then we'll go from there."

"Okay." Shane nodded. "Okay."

"Now, let's get some rest. It's been a long day"

They both laid down and lulled themselves off to sleep. The next morning came and, to neither member of Team Radiance's surprise, Braviary assigned them to a second day of sentry duty. After all, they still needed to prove they could do a competent job with that assignment. And, clearly, Braviary's harsh words stuck with Shane. He volunteered to man the log book and spent the morning diligently pacing back and forth between the sentry station's table and the Pokénector.

"Um, you don't have to stand up all the time, you know," Trapinch pointed out.

"If I lie down, I'm just going to lose focus and make another mistake," Shane replied, intently studying the Pokénector.

"Err…" Stella glanced down the hallway. "Tell you what. How about Trapinch and I go grab some snacks from Steenee? You can stay here with Null." That idea made Shane's fur bristle. His tails ducked between his legs and his ears flopped against his head. He whined softly. "Or… I guess you and Trapinch can go get snacks. And I'll just stay here with Null," Tessa sighed. Shane's expression brightened and he hastily departed the sentry room with Trapinch in tow.

'Guess he couldn't work up the courage after all,' Tessa thought.

Null swung his gaze to Tessa. "… something you… want to tell me?"

"Uh, listen." Tessa sat down in front of the Pokénector. "Braviary told me that Shane and I need to be held accountable for what we do as a team. So, um, I just want to, y'know, apologize. For my teammate. The… uh… the way you were treated yesterday wasn't very nice. And… um… Shane promised it's not going to happen again. So… uh…" Tessa's shoulders sagged. "I'm not doing a very good job at this, am I?"

"… I appreciate… the sentiment… and accept your apology…" Null muttered. He shook his head about.

Tessa sighed in relief. "Um, I don't suppose you would be willing to answer something for me, would you?

Null shrugged.

"Do you really not remember anything before the guild?" Null's shoulders sagged and Tessa's expression blanched. "Aha ha... never mind. Forget I asked."

"… it's fine..." Null sighed. "… not much to say. I woke up… in the infirmary. Soaking wet. Lot of pain. I was found... in Glyphic Falls... apparently. I've stayed here… ever since. But before that… nothing…"

"So, you were in pain?" Tessa parroted.

"… yes. I thought... it might be... from the falls. I was found… in one of the basins… according to Growlithe…" Null recalled. "But in reality... I think it's this helmet. It hurts." Null brushed the corners of his mask against the wall.

Tessa gulped. "Do you think you might've been a human, then?" She could not read Null's expression.

"… I don't know. That word seems… odd… to me…" Null responded. "… the first time… I heard it… was from listening... to Vulpix. It sounds… alien…"

Tessa figured Shane would get at least some relief from that answer. If Null didn't think he was human, then Shane's appearance here could still be significant in some way. At the same time, however, it didn't completely rule out the possibility of Null being human. 'Gah… if only I had some way to find things out for certain,' Tessa thought.

An idea quickly came to mind, and she asked, "Well, what kind of Pokémon are you? I've certainly never seen anything like you."

Null looked down. "… I don't know."

Tessa opened her mouth, but no words came out. In fact, she opened and closed her mouth several times, but couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"… I've spoken… with Magearna… Braviary… Guildmaster Metagross. They're all stumped too…" Null reported. "Though Magearna… did say… that my helmet… brought the Original One to mind."

"Original One?" Tessa parroted. She looked Null's helmet over, tilting her head in the process. "Um, I'm sorry, but I don't really think I see what you're talking about. Far be it for me to question Magearna, though."

Null started wheezing and Tessa quickly thought to move away from the current subject. "So, uh…" She scratched his forehead. "Did the guild give you that helmet to heal up some injury?"

"… Didn't you hear me? I said... I think this thing... is what's causing the pain."

"Oh." Tessa looked down guiltily. "If it hurts, then why are you wearing it?"

"… I don't know."

Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Then why not take it off?"

"… because I can't."

"What?" Tessa gasped. "How does that even work?"

Nulls eyes narrowed. "I. Don't. Know."

Tessa figured it was time to bring this conversation to a close. "O-Okay… th-thanks for answering my questions. S-Sorry if I bothered you."

Null grunted and repositioned himself on his cushion. Shortly afterward, Shane and Trapinch returned with the snacks. The remainder of the sentry session proceeded mostly in silence, save for the occasional outburst from Null. Shane was extremely relieved when the team's shift ended and they could proceed to dinner. After they finished and returned to their room, Tessa took the time to loop Shane into her conversation with Null.

"So, he's not a human then?"

"Well, I can't say that for certain," Tessa replied. "But from the way it sounded, he doesn't seem to think he is. Still… the fact that the Guildmaster knew you were a human but has absolutely no idea what Null is seems rather odd."

"Uh, isn't he a Pokémon by process of elimination?" Shane wondered.

"Can you identify his species? Because I sure can't," Tessa declared. "And Null doesn't know, either."

"Err, you've got me there," Shane conceded. "Maybe he got cursed by a Legendary or something?"

"I think that's a bit of a stretch," Tessa said. She flopped down onto her pillow. "Actually, I was thinking maybe we recruit him."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Y'know, ask Null to join Team Radiance."

Shane's ears tucked against his head. "No way. Nuh-uh. I'm sorry… but it's not gonna happen. That guy just scares the fur off me. Even if you say he's fine… I just don't feel safe around him. Besides, there are other 'mons in the guild. Why go right for him?"

"I just, I dunno, feel bad for him. His badge is bronze like ours, so he's still a newbie. But he's already been here for months," Tessa explained. "It sounds to me like sentry duty is all he's done since joining the guild."

"I don't blame the guy. If I looked like that, I probably wouldn't want to go out in public either," Shane muttered.

"But don't you see? How's he supposed to figure out anything about himself if he's cooped up here day in and day out? I think we should give him the chance to explore with us. Maybe it'll jog his memory," Tessa reasoned. "At the very least, I would think you should sympathize with him."

"What? Just because he has no idea why he's here either doesn't make us, like, share a special bond or anything," Shane dismissed. "You're just generalizing."

Tessa winced. "… ouch. Okay, it sounds bad when you phrase it that way. But I still think we should give him a chance." She looked over at Shane and gave a weak smile. "Treat others the way you want to be treated, right?"

Shane gnashed his teeth together. "That was a low blow," he grumbled. "But fine. Whatever. Do what you want. I guess we could use a muscle-head like him on the team for some heavy lifting. Or maybe he'll just scare all the enemy Pokémon off with his hideous–"

"Vulpix!" Tessa gave Shane an unamused look.

Shane raised his forepaws innocently. "I said you can recruit him, okay. But the second this decision goes south, I'm going to be singing 'I told you so' until your ears fall off."

Tessa opted to respond to that with an overly-cheerful grin that wouldn't look out of place on Shane. "Great! I'll ask him tomorrow, then."

But before Tessa got the opportunity to talk to Null at morning assembly, Togedemaru shoved Team Radiance aside.

"Hey, hey, hey. Guess what? It's your guys' lucky day! Because you're working with Magearna and me," she declared.

The duo exchanged confused looks. "Um, doing what, exactly?" Shane asked.

"Equipment testing, checks, and maintenance, of course. What else would we do?" Togedemaru giggled. Team Radiance gave her a pair of blank looks. She rolled her eyes. "Gee, try to contain your enthusiasm there, guys. Anyway, no more time for chit chat. There's science to be done. Off we go!" She extended her quills and nudged Team Radiance down the north hallway to Magearna's lab station. They found her hunched over her desk, examining a large map with a magnifying glass.

"Yoo-hoo, Mags! I brought the test dummi– oops, I mean I brought our assistants for today," Togedemaru sang while she pushed Team Radiance into the room.

Splendiferous! Magearna looked up from her map. The magnifying glass retracted into her arm. I was just going over the travel route for the guild's upcoming exploridition. But please, come in. Make yourselves at home. We've got plenty to attend to today.

A lightbulb went off in Shane's head. "Um, actually, Magearna. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

Certainly. My question-answering circuits are functionating at one hundred percent efficacy today, so you're in luck, Magearna replied. Togedemaru, why don't you get Riolu set up to beta test our Heavy Scarf?

"Of course." Togedemaru grabbed hold of Tessa's right arm. "Hope you've got good upper body strength. When we tried this out on Growlithe last week, the poor guy couldn't walk for two days." Tessa's eyes went wide and she shot her partner a pleading look. But Shane was already over by Magearna's desk, ignoring her.

"So, what's the deal with this place and Ho-Oh?" Shane asked. "It sounded like Ho-Oh's important around here. Y'know, cause of Rainbow Island. But then I saw a picture of these two big Pokémon and Tessa mentioned something about the sun and moon…"

Ah, you are referring to Solgaleo and Lunala, Magearna acknowledged. Local legends believe them to be physical personifestations of the sun and moon, respectively. She folded up her map and rifled through some pages in one of her desk draws. Magearna pulled out a smaller version of the picture Shane had seen in Tessa's mother's room and placed it on her desk.

"Yeah, that's definitely what I saw," Shane said. "What do the legends say exactly?"

Well, they're rather lengthy. But I can attempt to explainolate the key points, if you would like,Magearna offered.

Shane nodded. "That would help a lot, actually."

Very well then. Please stand by while I boot up my exposition mode. Magearna cleared her throat.

'Wait… exposition mode? Oh god, I've made a mistake. Take it back, Shane. Take it back!' Shane thought.

Exposition mode has loaded, Magearna announced. She pulled several more pages from one of the drawers in her desk.

Ahem… the early days of our world were marked by clashes between the three Super-Ancient Pokémon responsible for creating the land, the sea, and the sky. Their endless battles created a state of constant unrest in the world. Pokémon never knew peace, because their lives were filled with violent quakes, torrential rains, and vicious winds.

Shane's jaw stiffened. 'Hold up… Magearna dropped the funny words. Is that, like, part of her… programming? I don't even know what to think right now…'

During the conflicts, one sizeable chunk of land broke off of the Air Continent and drifted into the ocean. That land would become the Horizon Continent…

"Wait, WHAT? This continent's floating across the ocean?" Shane gasped. "Then how does Rainbow Island stay in the center of it?"

It's not adrift anymore, thanks to the Land Spirits, Magearna replied. But I am afraid that is an entirely separate story in it of itself. And my exposition mode is already down to eighty-five percent function. So, we must continue.

'Land Spirits? Didn't Tessa say something similar? Are they like… the Regi trio or something?' Shade quickly made a mental note to follow up on that tidbit later and resumed listening.

So, to summarize, things were bad. But a group of Pokémon banded together, and begged the Super-Ancient Pokémon to end their battles. To keep things simple, let's just say the trio agreed to cede control over the world's weather to a pair of weaker Legendary Pokémon.

"Lemme take a wild guess: Ho-Oh and Lugia?" Shane wondered.

Correct! Lugia monitored the weather from the depths of the sea, and Ho-Oh from high in the skies,Magearna elaborated. But Ho-Oh soon came to learn that part of her responsibilities included controlling the degree of sunlight and moonlight that each continent receives. If there is an imbalance, a continent experiences strange weather patterns that can cause Pokémon to go berserk.

"I don't suppose these imbalances could also create odd, dungeon-like environments that constantly shift their layouts in totally random ways?" Shane mused.

Magearna raised an eyebrow. Curious. I thought you said you hadn't heard of these legends?

"Eh, it just reminds me of something I saw in my human life," Shane said with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, what happened from there?"

The task proved too exhausting for Ho-Oh, Magearna said. Since Lugia stayed deep underwater, Pokémon brought their complaints solely to her. She tried retreating to the relatively-empty Horizon Continent to find peace and quiet. But in doing so, she accidentally increased the intensity of moonlight we received.

Shane grew worried. "Did something bad happen?"

Yes. A terrible storm befell the land. The likes of which hadn't been seen since the Super-Ancient Pokémon fought. Its rains proved so intense, it flooded the center of the continent, creating the Midnight Sea, Magearna said. Ho-Oh was caught up in the storm. And its ferocity nearly tore her to shreds. Magearna then produced a piece of paper and placed it on her desk. Shane glimpsed what looked like some sort of swirling vortex. He could faintly make out a pair of orange-yellow wings.

"What is this?"

An artist's depiction of what we believe happened to Ho-Oh. A portal appeared in the eye of the storm. And from it emerged two beasts, the likes of which Ho-Oh had never seen.

"So, other Legendary Pokémon then?"

Magearna shook her head. No. In Horizon, we explicitly refer to them as "beasts."

"You mean Entei, Raikou, and Suicune?" Shane asked. Magearna tilted her head. "Err… in the human world, there's, uh, a legend that ties them to Ho-Oh. And it calls Entei, Raikou, and Suicune 'beasts,' so…"

We think that whatever appeared from that portal was not of this world, Magearna declared.

Shane's eyes widened. 'You mean… like aliens?' He looked up at the ceiling. 'Cripes, I guess the truth really is out there. Where are Mulder and Scully when you need them?'

The beasts released an otherworldly energy and dissipated the storm in an instant. They had saved Ho-Oh's life, Magearna continued. But the beasts were unable to return from whence they came. And their bodies reacted poorly to our planet's atmosphere. Ho-Oh refused to let her saviors die in front of her. So, the legend goes that she transferred their spirits into two seals: the Dawn Hourglass and Dusk Hourglass. Magearna produced another page, showcasing two sparkling hourglasses: one a brilliant gold and the other a majestic purple. It is said a great, supernatural power dwells within each of them.

Shane titled his head. "But, what does that have to do with Solgaleo and Lunala?"

Exposition mode is at forty-five percent. I will address that issue now, Magearna acknowledged. See, while Ho-Oh had preserved the beasts' spirits, their bodies remained behind as empty, lifeless husks. Ho-Oh covered them in her Sacred Ash and set the bodies ablaze with Sacred Fire.

A brief image with two smoking towers of bright, rainbow fire flashed through Shane's vision. He shuddered and his fur stood on end.

From the ashes emerged two masses of cosmic energy. Both of which quickly mutated and grew. They transformed into a pair of Pokémon resembling the beasts that saved Ho-Oh.

"Solgaleo and Lunala?" Shane turned to look at the original picture. "They… do kind of look like a sun and a full moon, now that I think about it."

Correct. And that is because, thanks to Ho-Oh, these Pokémon gained control over the sun and moon. Solgaleo can manipulate how much sunlight shines on the world. And Lunala, in turn, controls how much moonlight we receive, Magearna explained.

"So basically, these two took over the whole 'balance of day and night' shindig in Ho-Oh's place, then?" Shane asked.

Magearna nodded. Yes. However, their lives are finite. Once every two centuries, Solgaleo and Lunala are reborn through Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire and Sacred Ash. If ever this cycle were imperiled, it's said that the Dawn Hourglass and Dusk Hourglass will ensure the balance between day and night remains in place.

Shane nodded slowly, taking Magearna's tale in. "Where do these two reside? In space?"

No. Supposedly, there's an island floating up in the heavens: Celestial Island, Magearna explained. But it is the great mystery of our continent. One that countless exploration teams have sought to solve… and failed.

'Okaaaaay then. Guess that's a bit of a touchy subject around these parts. Note to self: don't bring it up with anyone,' Shane thought.

Have I properly answered your questions? Magearna asked.

"Uh, actually, there's a couple more things…"

Magearna's body slumped over, causing Shane to stagger backwards in surprise. Moments later, her eyes flickered back on and she righted herself. Oh… drat. It would appear I ran out of energy for exposition mode. What were you saying?

"Err… I just had a few more questions for you," Shane said. "For one… aren't there two Ho-Oh's in this world? What happened to the oth– MWWWF!"

Magearna threw an arm up over Shane's mouth. She leaned over. Who told you about that?

"Mmffwoddy."

Magearna removed her arm, causing Shane to give a deep exhale. "Nobody," he repeated. "I, uh… thought I read something about it… in the story of the human who beat the Bittercold."

I am sorry. That information is highly classificated. Not even community leaders like Guildmaster Metagross are privency to it, Magearna stated.

"But you know about it," Shane pointed out.

It is not something I am at libertarian to discuss with you. I could offer you an apology cycle if that would help.

Shane's ears drooped. "Oh… okay. Forget I said anything."

But didn't you have more inquierations?

"Yeah." Shane's muzzle stiffened. "What the heck were you guys doing when Dark Matter attacked? Don't you think they could've used your help over in the Water Continent?'

Magearna looked down. We were utterly clueless, I'm afraid. Before that incidentiary, we had little-to-no contact with our fellow Pokémon beyond Horizon. Understand, human, the Air Continent is the nearest landmass other than small islands. And it is half a world away. Even Legendaries like Mew are incapable of teleporting such a vast distanography. One day we awoke to hear a booming voice claim all Pokémon would be turned to stone. Needless to say, we engaged in a massive panic cycle. The guild started evacateriazing as many Pokémon as we could find deep into the continent's underground caverns, she said. I stayed with the Guildmaster at the time to monitoriate the situation. Luckily it resolved itself. In the aftermath, I…

"Okay, okay, I think I've heard enough," Shane sighed, rubbing his head against his shoulder.

"Great!" Tessa's tired voice called from across the room. "Because I could really use someone tagging in here." Shane turned around to see his partner lying on her back on the floor, a bizarre gray scarf around her neck. Her fur was completely disheveled and her ears bent in directions that Shane never thought Riolu ears could go.

Togedemaru, I thought I told you to start her off easy, Magearna scolded.

Togedemaru laughed. "Oh, I totally did that. I put her on the easiest difficult setting we had!"

"Um, should I get Comfey?" Shane asked.

"No! Just come take a turn so I can have a break," Tessa harrumphed.

"Hey, Null, wait up a second!"

Tessa tailed Null out of the dining hall following dinner. Shane followed her, though he was quite disoriented from the day's work.

"… do you need something?" Null asked.

Tessa scratched at her head. "Actually, I was just, uh, wondering if, I dunno, you maybe wanted to join Team Radiance?"

Null stumbled, but quickly collected himself. He turned to fix his cold, gray eyes on Tessa. "… you want me… on your exploration team? Is this… a joke?"

"Trust me, I reacted the same way. She's totally serious," Shane said.

"You look like you could use some fresh air," Tessa exclaimed. "Have you ever done anything other than sentry duty?"

Null shook his head. "… I'm fine… being a sentry…"

"But you're not even an apprentice yet and you've been here for months," Tessa pointed out. Null simply shrugged and started turning away from Team Radiance. "Wouldn't you like to try and figure out more about who you are? Or why you're here?"

Null froze. "… look at me… Riolu. I'm not trying… to scare the other Pokémon… in Horizon…"

"It's useless fighting her over this, Null. If I've learned anything about my partner, she's as good at arguing as she is at battling," Shane deadpanned. "You'll never win."

Null let out a sigh. "… tell you what. I'll consider it. Just… give me a day or two… to think about it… okay?"

"You got it. Take as much time as you need," Tessa chirped. Null nodded and lumbered along the hallway. Tessa turned back to her partner. "See? That went way better than I expected. You've still got all your fur intact and everything."

Shane examined his pelt and fluttered his tails. "I suppose you're right. Maybe this is a sign… a sign that things are looking up for Team Radiance!" He puffed out his chest.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you're back to your usual uppity self, then."

The reason I decided to tie Ho-Oh into Solgaleo and Lunala is simply to poke fun at the initial rumors about Gen VII/Sun & Moon. Back in early 2016, all the rumor outlets were calling the games "Pokémon Project Rainbow." And Ho-Oh's the Rainbow Pokémon, so there you go.

Next time: Crazed Pokémon with ravenous appetites. Make sure to finish eating before you read!