{Present day, Pan's perspective}

I stood with Lopunny on the shore of Kala'e Bay. Nobody was around early in the morning. I steadied my breathing to match the lapping of the waves. "Okay, so Ilima said all Z-Moves are built off of my Pokémon's existing moves. Z-Crystals strengthen certain moves depending on the type of crystal. And a series of specific poses are required to bring out that power between me and my Pokémon. In the case of Normalium-Z, it'll power-up a Normal-type move. So I can use Lopunny's Dizzy Punch and turn it into…"

I remember the poses I read in a book from the library in Malie City. I crossed my arms first, and held it until my Normalium-Z began to glow on my Z-Ring. "Here we go!" I moved my arms to my sides in a semicircle arc, then pushed my hands out in front of me. Next, I stretched my arms out, with my left arm pointing upward and my right arm pointing downward. I finished by crossing my left arm across my forehead and my right hand in front of my chest.

When I finished the poses, the Z-Crystal shined bright. An aura briefly surrounded my body before being absorbed into the Z-Ring. Energy beams crossed from my Z-Ring to Lopunny. "Breakneck Blitz!" I shouted.

Lopunny dashed straight across the bay, cutting across the water. Waves parted on either side of her, exposing the sea bottom for a few seconds. She skidded to a halt on a mini island nearby, almost falling over from the sudden stop. But she gave herself a pleasing fist-bump.

My eyes grew wide. "Such power!" I watched the waves crash as the bay water settled violently back into place. Then I looked to my Z-Ring. "This is what real power feels like. Took a few tries, but now I've got another move I can pressure my opponents with. They will beg for mercy when they confront the might of Pan!"

{Appox. 9 years ago}

Z-Move training was much harder than I expected. Rowlet and I could execute our Revolver Dart Raid. But each time the move completed, I blacked out. Fortunately, it seemed my black-out durations were getting shorter with practice.

Once in a while, Oranguru would spend time to watch me performe Z-Moves. He kept pressuring me to use the Z-Crystal with Rowlet. Besides making the crystal glow, I couldn't complete a Z-Move with it. I even tried it with Ralts and Jangmo-o, but still nothing clicked.

"I don't think Oranguru really understands how Z-Moves work," I thought to myself in frustration when Oranguru left. "He isn't even a person."

I insistently kept to doing Z-Moves without the Z-Crystal. Finally, around a few weeks after Jangmo-o joined me, I successfully performed Revolver Dart Raid with Rowlet without blacking out. I fell on my butt, very disoriented. But I laughed, "Finally! My everything hurts, but finally!"

Rowlet, Ralts, and Jangmo-o ran up to me. [Let me take some of the burden next time,] Rowlet said first. [Do you know how you're using up all that energy?]

"Not really," I replied. "Nor do I want to change what works. I'm fine with taking one for the duo if I'm not the one doing the actual battling."

Ralts looked confused. [You are in pain, yet you are feeling happy. Why are these emotions present together? Is this what I'll feel when I do my own Z-Move?]

Jangmo-o wagged his tail. [Ooh, if that is what it'll feel like, I want to try next!]

I looked to Ralts. [I doubt it. But since you've mentioned it, let's try doing a Z-Move together…]

Ralts grew very excited and clasped her hands. [Ah! Yes…!]

I staggered to my feet and clutched my head. […tomorrow.]

She pouted, [Phoo. Not funny…]

The next day, I watched Ralts use her Synchronoise. A faint wave of energy pulsed from all sides of her head, like an EMP. But neither of us felt anything when it passed us, as Ralts explained.

[So I need to make this move stronger somehow, to the level of a Z-Move. Rowlet got his Razor Leaf turned into a Revolver Dart Raid. Besides wanting it to be stronger, he changed the function of the move into a shielding move. Maybe that's what I need to do with Synchronoise; turn it into something stronger and different.]

As Ralts nodded intently to everything I thought out loud, Zorua suddenly walked out of some bushes. He approached me nonchalantly and barked at me in a serious tone.

I sighed, "Okay, my telepathy isn't exactly 'on command', so I don't know what you're saying."

Ralts translated, [He says he has to watch you. Sensei's orders.]

I looked cross. "Why? What did I do wrong? And who's Sensei?"

She continued on Zorua's behalf. [Sensei is the name Oranguru prefers to be called. And Oranguru isn't having Zorua spy on you like last time. He ordered Zorua to watch you for…some sort of lesson.]

I waved my hand off. "Whatever. Watch whatever you want to see. Except for going in and out of the pool; gotta keep some level of decency private in the wilds. And please don't nibble my shoes again. These are my only pair."

And watched he did. Zorua kept an eye on me at nearly every chance he could take over the course of a week. From my Pokémon training, to my berry gathering, to my breaks, to even my other breaks. I had to scold him for the last part, but otherwise he watched my every move. I bet he even watched me sleep sometimes, as I woke up to his face in my face once.

But I ignored him and focused on Ralts. She wanted to do a Z-Move so badly, how could I say 'no' to someone who helped me out in return?

I suggested all kinds of ways for Ralts to rethink how she could execute her Synchronoise. We tried having the move compressed on one area, one specific spot, and on herself. Nothing changed. We tried mixing Synchronoise with the properties of her forgotten Confusion attack. Still nothing. We tried having her use the move after a chain of her other moves, to hopefully inspire something. But nothing changed.

After the seventh day of trying, Ralts and I sat together, salty as anything as we munched our bland berries for dinner at our camp.

"Nothing…" I grumbled, propping my head up with one hand as I ate with the other.

[Nothing…] Ralts grumbled in the same posture as me.

Rowlet and Jangmo-o shook their heads. [I'll never get a turn at this rate,] Jangmo-o muttered to Rowlet. [I don't think they're trying hard enough.]

[It takes a lot of effort to be in synch with each other,] he replied. [They're just missing…something as an incentive.]

Ralts turned to Rowlet in disgust. [I'm trying more than anything else in my life! I want to get stronger; isn't that incentive enough?]

I sighed, [Well, usually a battle worked for Rowlet and I…]

Zorua, attentive as ever, suddenly perked up. He came a few steps apart from me, and barked.

I raised an eyebrow. "You have an idea?"

He made a mischievous smile, then he glowed in a dark aura. His form changed, becoming more humanoid by the second. When he was completed, I nearly choked on my berry.

Zorua turned into me! Well, not quite 'me', but close. His size and frame matched me perfectly, and the details of the clothes were pretty close. But the skin was his black fur color, while the hair, clothes, and irises were red.

His grin, however, was distinctly Zorua's.

I bolted to my feet and inspected him head to toe. "Was this your assigned lesson?!"

He laughed. The voice sounded like me, but his laugh was rhythmically like Zorua's usual snickered laugh.

I never heard or saw myself laugh like that, which creeped me out. "S-stop that!"

Zorua gave one more hearty laugh, then looked like he was about to speak. But what came out wasn't any distinguishable words. It was like my voice and Zorua's natural voice got tangled in knots at the back of his throat. When he took a couple of seconds to cough, I felt a little better.

Zorua begrudgingly decided to talk with his usual bark-like sounds.

Ralts perked up a bit and translated, [He wants to battle you. Like a trainer.] Ralts stepped up next to me. [He thinks this might spark an idea for my Z-Move if the battle feels as much like the real thing as possible.]

I pondered for a second. "Alright, then. Jangmo-o, how about you be…"

Ralts cleared her throat. [I'm immune to his Dragon Tail, being part Fairy-type.]

"Okay, then Rowlet can be your opponent."

[Okay!] Rowlet flew over to the other end of our camp.

Zorua-Will followed him in an exaggerated way I casually walk. He positioned himself behind Rowlet, and looked like he can hardly contain his excitement.

Rowlet slowly turned back to look at Zorua-Will. When he turned to look back at me, he had a pale and uneasy expression. [This is too weeeeeeird!]

I assured him with an uneasy glance, then turned to Ralts, who repositioned in front of me. [Let's give them everything we got.]

Ralts looked determined. [Right!]

Zorua-Will barked a command to Rowlet, mimicking my stance when in a Pokémon battle.

Rowlet shivered, but executed a Peck attack.

[Ralts, use Teleport, then focus all your Synchronoise on Rowlet.]

Ralts timed her Teleport a bit sooner than Rowlet expected. The Grass Quill Pokemon halted midair and turned his head in all directions. He found Ralts off to the side, just as she sent off a Syncrhonoise. But the move harmlessly passed through him.

Zorua-Will had Rowlet do the same attack again.

[Try again!] I said.

Ralts continued to Teleport against each Peck attack directed at her. But when she unleashed her Synchronoise, it failed to do any damage each time.

[Darn, darn, darn!] Ralts stamped her feet.

Zorua-Will made a snide remark toward Ralts.

She simmered, [I am not 'spacing out'!]

I could feel her anger seep through her thoughts into my head. Granted, I already was getting ticked off by my lookalike. "Geez, I'm…he's annoying." [Ralts, change it up with Double Team.]

Ralts closed her eyes. In a couple of seconds, she made a dozen illusionary copies of herself. Zorua-Will commanded Rowlet to use Razor Leaf this time. This was very effective at wiping out the copies of the Feeling Pokémon. It also pressured her to rush her Synchronoise attack, and it failed to damage again. Through repetition, she got used to attacking under pressure from Razor Leaf, but she still couldn't get Synchronoise into a Z-Move.

She used her Growl attack as she fumed, [Come on! Something is wrong here.]

Rowlet swooped in for a Peck attack on Zorua-Will's cue.

Still wrapped in frustration, Ralts put up another Synchronoise attack. This whole time we trained, Ralts and I were very in-sync telepathic-wise. But in this moment, her sudden attack threw me off. As I flinched, Zorua-Will caught on to our moment of weakness and snipped a quick command to Rowlet. The Grass Quill Pokémon feinted his Peck attack, and turned it into Astonish. The attack landed a hit on Ralts' noggin, and she fell on her backside.

Zorua-Will made another remark as Ralts got to her feet.

[I'm 'feeling' angry!] She made a step forward, but tripped. She gritted her teeth as she propped herself up. [You don't get to tell me how I act!]

I clenched my fist, getting ticked off from Zorua's comments. "Knock it off! This is supposed to be a Pokemon battle. I won't allow you to tell her how she acts!"

Jangmo-o gulped. Rowlet flapped a little to the side, really uneasy with the tension. [Um, how about we…?]

Then, Zorua-Will made a 'come-at-me' gesture with his arms.

[That's it! I had it with you!] Ralts and I thought simultaneously. I one hand out in front of me, as she pointed at Zorua-Will. She also placed her other hand on her head, and unleashed another Synchronoise attack.

The Z-Crystal in my pocket glowed brightly in a light-purple hue. An energy aura spread from me to Ralts. My head felt extra tingly, and I reached up with my other hand in surprise. "What the….?"

Psychic energy spiked around Ralts. She yelled in a fit of rage, [Shatter your mind shut!] Then she unleashed the energy.

The energy surged at Zorua-Will in a concentrated blast. He flinched, and his eyes grew wide. Then he flew backward like a ragdoll until he slammed into a tree. He slumped to the ground, motionless.

I, and everyone else, gasped and rushed up to him.

His illusionary body of me rippled away as we approached him. Then his eyes flew open and he jumped to his feet. He glanced at himself for a second, then gave a lively bark.

[I'm so sorry!] Ralts exclaimed immediately. [I didn't know what I was thinking…]

But Zorua gave some happy barks to her.

The Feeling Pokémon froze. She looked down at herself, then jumped as high as she could into the air. [I did it. I did it!] She cheered and repeated to herself over and over.

I looked between Ralts and Zorua. [How are you not hurt?] I asked Zorua. [That…pretty sure that was a Z-Move.]

[He's Dark-type, remember?] Rowlet tapped my back in approval. [He's immune to Psychic-type attacks. He was just goading you two into making your Z-Move work.] He scowled at Zorua. [Though I and likely Oranguru don't approve of your methods…it did work.]

Zorua wagged his tail and gave a cheeky grin.

As this is all hitting me, I reached into my pocket. I pulled out the Z-Crystal, back to its usual translucent appearance. [This Z-Crystal…it glowed with the Z-Move this time. Don't know how effective it was but…] I huge smile spread on my face. [Got the dang thing to work!]

Ralts jumped and clung on my right shoulder. [Hee hee! Your emotional mix of satisfaction and exhaustion is intriguing. Be happy…like me! I did damage! Sort of…but I bet it would do damage on a non-Dark-type.]

I clutched the Z-Crystal in my hand. [I wonder what secrets this thing is hiding.]

{Present day, Will's perspective}

"What are you hiding, Alchimian Society?"

I trekked through the northwest mountains of Unova. Acting on the ex-Rocket grunt's information, there was supposed to be a huge building complex hiding at a high altitude. As with previous heists, I started by circling the outer area of my region of interest. Sometimes there were hidden Celeste grunts or Alchimian Society loyalists somewhat close to important areas, ever vigilant of the few people like me. Fortunately, I didn't spot anybody suspicious, and continued a spiral-like path into the mountains.

Twist Mountain was the first area I checked. It is the most iconic mountain of Unova, with mining facilities and popular trainer routes. But the inner caves of the mountain were too populated to hide anything, and there was nothing at the peak. So I moved on.

I looked at my map of Unova I got at a tourist shop earlier in the morning. "If Twist Mountain doesn't yield any hiding spots, perhaps there is something…off the map."

Area surveying was easy, thanks to my Kineti-Pack and my Unbound Rings. They provided horizontal maneuverability and vertical maneuverability respectively. However, they did cost a bit of my stamina per use. So I avoided using either too much, or I'd have to cut my search short.

I bounded my way into an unmapped area of northwest Unova. My leaps to get there were more like jumps on the moon, thanks to my Kineti-Pack. I approached another mountain that was visible from Icirrus City. Low-altitude storm clouds hugged the mountain's peak as they move in a swirling formation. "I guess that's a good reason most people avoid this mountain. Besides being off the unbeaten path. Let's see how harsh it is…"

I took a lunch break of berries from my island first. The Leppa Berries in particular helped to regain some of my lost stamina. Then I carefully walked in a circle up the mountain. Celeste Grunts could be on patrol, or heat-sensitive cameras or booby traps created and set by the Alchimian Society. If I got caught, I'd have to vanish from view, then retreat through a portal with my rings.

Fortunately, I only found two such cameras on my way toward the peak. They were embedded in natural rock, near the easiest climbing routes. This pleasantly confirmed I was heading in the right direction. They were easy to avoid for me, too, thanks to my rings and Kineti-Pack.

Unfortunately, I had to stop halfway up the mountain. For one, this area of Unova was colder than average, and at higher elevation, it felt that much worse. Another factor was the weather. Snow fell from the storm clouds, and the wind shaved off all my body heat. It also made it slightly harder to see, and that wouldn't be good for climbing or watching out for additional traps. The mountain terrain had a steep incline from this point on to the peak, practically vertical. This portion would require my Kineti-Pack, and thus a lot of my stamina.

And, on top of all these factors, I wasn't properly dressed. A sweater over a T-Shirt, blue-green jeans, and boots weren't enough. My teeth chattered uncontrollably as I rubbed myself for warmth. "Fuck the cold. Why did it have to be so cold for this one?" I stopped climbing and squinted upward. "Don't think I can make it up the rest of the way myself. Even with a decent amount of stamina left, there's no telling what kind of traps I might endure."

So I slowly walked back down the mountain, using my Kineti-Pack to safely and quickly hasten my descent. Near the bottom, I could see the sun positioned when it's about mid-afternoon in Unova. "That's going to have to be all for today. I'll see what gear and clothes I have among my supplies, but I don't recall having any winter gear." I sighed, "Might have to shoplift or con for clothes again."

I found a spot where I was sure nobody could see me. Then I opened a portal. "That ex-grunt seems to be right, but the base should be huge. And it better have the blueprints for those Dark Balls."