I was supposed to have fifty-three rounds for my revolver in total by now. But, me being a complete moron lost me half of that. I now only had twenty-six rounds in total. My dad would have given me a verbal berating unlike nothing else for such a horrific mistake. And my brother… well he definitely would have some choice words for that stunning performance report.

However, things weren't a complete loss…

Kira had sent us all home for the night. She insisted upon staying at the Guild with Ronin, and Lloyd let her. The Greninja came back with me and Scarlet, and had started reading a book on the couch. I didn't bother to ask what it was about. Mostly because I didn't want to interrupt him.

Scarlet kept close to me… though I could tell she was doing her own thing. She had frozen up during our conversation at the tavern and I was too… shy to prod. She clearly had a lot on her mind then.

The only good thing to come out of yesterday were the wrecked remains of this golden mask thing, and the sniper rifle. I had studied the thing… and was correct in my assessment that it was a damn Kar after all.

The weird masked thing supposedly had no ammo for it anywhere. Much to my displeasure.

Whenever I touched the damn thing… I swore I could hear a voice in my head other than mine. I didn't want to clean it, because that meant fucking touching it. So I put it beside my bed with the safety and everything still on. It felt less like a weapon to wield and more like a ticking time bomb.

Oh well… it was more freaky shit for me to figure out later.

I glanced at the levitating red sentient sword looking out the window to the bedroom. Moonlight flooded in from it. A question came back to me. "So… what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?" she responded without missing a beat, now turning to face me.

"I so much as mention where you're from, and peop- Pokémon everywhere recoil like I just killed someone. Why?"

"Arceus above…" she muttered. "Where to start… Alright, the fortress was the first building ever made in Etyth. Originally, it was built there hundreds of years ago because a long gone king wanted a defensible castle where his metal kin could thrive. I am now going to skip all the other boring bits because… it is useless information. The important part is that the current ruling king of that fortress, my father, allowed the fortress to be a staging ground for the settlers of Etyth who came from Olia and Vicol."

I nodded along. "So essentially… your father has influence because of his generosity, and as a result, you do as well because you're royalty?"

"Yes." She turned back to face the window. A frustrated sigh escapes her. "But another reason why is because of my sisters and mother…"

I chuckled as a sarcastic tone seeped out of me. "Mommy issues?"

"SHE IS NOTHING BUT AN ARCEUS-FORSAKEN TYRANT-" I tried to jump back at her outburst. Her ribbon wrapped around my arm before I could and pulled me close, she squeezed tightly. "There is nothing that makes me happier than the idea of that slag-ridden wench of an Aegislash getting melted down and molded into an anchor before getting tossed into the MUCKING OCEAN FOREVERMORE."

Lloyds voice broke in like a savior in my dreams. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh… no…" I said as I yanked my arm out of her grasp, I swear I could feel her glaring into my back. I spotted the Greninja's head up the stairs with his book in hand. "She's just… having a moment?"

"What does… that mean?" he asked as a confused expression washed across his face.

I worriedly glanced at her. "Hell if I know-"

"I am fine," the sword said in a tone far more calm then it should have been. The badge attached to her ribbon flashed a little in the moonlight. "I just don't talk about… it… very much."

Lloyd sighed wearily before I heard him leave. I didn't need to imagine the frustration of getting interrupted while you were doing something. Hopefully the guy has a quieter place that doesn't have us in it…

A yawn escaped me as I took off my equipment. I put the remainder of my revolver ammo in a secure pocket in my vest, still currently without it's kevlar. I had to get armor sooner or later. Things would be a lot harder for me without it, especially since I can only bleed so much before passing out.

I could feel Scarlet gazing weirdly at me despite my back being turned to her. I shook my head before taking my shirt off and lying in bed. It was comfortable, somehow, despite not even having a mattress. The air was neither hot or cold, I could sleep well with the blanket over me.

I closed my eyes and was prepared to sleep-

"Why do humans wear so much clothing?"

My eyes cracked open, seeing Scarlet staring at the pile of clothes and police equipment I neatly made beside my bed. "Because unlike you, it's easy for my body to be outside it's intended working temperatures… oh, and because it provides basic protection."

"Protection? Did not expect that… the only time you will see Pokémon in a lot of clothes is when they are rich and can afford it to be made to fit them specifically. It is entirely for looks with us." She backed away from the pile and started to look out the window again.

"What about armor?" I asked as I shifted my body to face her. "Is that something Pokémon use?"

She turned back to me. "Occasionally… though it is not widespread."

"Hard to make?"

"That is one reason…" She glanced at my clothing. "Hubris is another, some say that they do not need it. Some honestly do not. But others… probably would do better with it. Maybe that is why you humans are considered so powerful… you cannot afford to be prideful and spare yourself any room for failure when everything is out to get you."

I chuckled briefly as I eyed my revolver. "It's hard not to be when everyone doesn't know what you're capable of…"

"Just do not let it get to your head, human. I doubt it will last forever."

With a roll of my eyes, I laid back down. "You're starting to sound like my dad."

"Then he is a wise man." she retorted while going back to stargazing.

"Peh, well, I'll be sleeping now if you don't mind me."

I turned my body around to face the opposite wall from her. I closed my eyes and tried to take my mind off of everything around me. Things weren't the best, but they certainly could've been worse. Hell, if my brother was here he'd probably say things were actually rather amazing considering what it could have been.

He would be right… and I'd probably retort that I'm not an optimist. I always had a habit of wishing that things were better instead of being content. Peh, maybe that's why he liked the idea of being an officer so much. He would have gotten to actively participate in the betterment of society.

I could myself slowly starting to drift off, it wouldn't be long now. Would I dream when it finally came? Or would morning be the next thing I see? I didn't think about it too much, I hadn't cared at all…

What was I doing before I ended up here anyway? I still see those memories from before… the arrest of that guy and briefly talking to my dad… waking up in my apartment before getting called by my dad because he was worried… then waking up in the middle of the night and recovering the photo of my brother… and finally… me and my dad going out to the shooting range…

But they were full of holes… incomplete. I was missing something important, that being context. I neither knew the time, or the day. For all I know… it could have been my birthday- wait…

The idea of sleep seemed to back away into the corner of my mind. What day was it? It was summer because I was complaining about the damn heat. My birthday was in June… ugh… why can't I remember what day it was?

I remember being excited for my birthday in the memories before the gaps start showing up. But when they start showing up… everything goes to hell. I can't remember what I felt. Did all this happen around my birthday? Really? What kind of sick joke was this?

With my mood royally ruined, I flipped my pillow to the cool side and tried to drift off…

"So tell me, human, what sort of clothing do you have for your head-?"

Anger seeped into my voice. "Shut. Up. I'm trying to sleep."

"Oh, right. Forgot you fleshies needed to do that." she responded in a huff. I swear I heard her ribbon swish a little around me.

I could feel her staring at me despite not even facing her. Like a looming presence in the back of my mind. "Do you have anything better to do than stare at me while I sleep?"

"… I am not staring at you."

Something told me that this was going to be a long night…


The moon was gone, clouds covered the sky above. Not even a single twinkle of a star could be seen. I had approached a single campfire out in the middle of nowhere. Fin and Luson sat around it. It didn't take the bird long at all to figure out I was there.

"Arwin…" Fin began as he noticed my presence, his tone laced with a layer of fear buried in it. "We're… still-"

"I know. The operation was not a success, but we learned a few things in the end. I'm simply here to tell you of another oncoming opportunity." I stated in a neutral tone.

Luson chuckled. "Oh? And what may it be?"

"The day after tomorrow, Ace will be having a meeting with various other neighboring Guilds. Including one that is vehemently against Humanity. Assuming I sow some chaos into the mix… it should be easy for you to slip in and grab it."

"What sort of… 'chaos' are you talking about?" Fin asked.

A smirk grew on my face as I used my powers to make a human weapon float in front of them. Their faces morphed to one of understanding. The Zoroark laughed. "Pfft, where'd you get that thing?"

"There was more than one human that arrived that day. I got this from one of them." I put it back into a holster attached to the inner side of my carapace. "Do not forget anything that I have told you, and remember, I do not care about how many you have to kill to get to it."

I turned around to leave, but Fin's voice rang out. He stared into the fire. "What exactly did the human do, anyway? It was like he knew we were there…"

"He did know. Your ambush was successful, but he brought time itself back a few moments. The only thing remaining is his memory of it. You will have to land a decisive blow on him… or else he'll just do it again in the future. He does not have control over it yet unlike the Revenants. Speaking of which… I will assign two of them to help when it's needed. I expect this time to be a success."

Luson pointed a claw at me. "How do you know so much about the human's powers?"

"The phenomenon is something I have researched greatly." I explained. "These powers… are easily beaten when you know what their limits are."

Fin turned his head to face me. "But how?"

"Do whatever it takes to tire him out if you cannot take him out in one shot. And, if he is not careful… something else will happen to him if he shifts time back too much in a short span. I cannot answer why I know these things… Lycoris doesn't share it's secrets."

As I ended, I walked away from the light and back to the darkness of the forest. Disappearing from view as the rain above started to fall. The world around faded as my powers took me away, I had somewhere to stop briefly…


I slowly opened my eyes as the grogginess of the morning started to set in. It would seem I did not dream after all, or at least… I did not remember. I looked up to the ceiling before wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"Finally awake?"

"Barely," I groaned without missing a beat. I saw Scarlet out of the corner of my eye, she hadn't moved at all from her position by the window since last night. "Anything interesting happen?"

Scarlet levitated towards me. "Not a single thing."

"Were you that committed to just staying there all night?"

Scarlet waved her ribbon around as it lightly glowed green. "I required some of your lifeforce. I had to focus in order to get it without causing disturbance."

"What for? To sharpen your blade again?" I asked. So long as she didn't kill me, I did not really care what she did.

"I am a ghost," she stated nonchalantly. "We all require the essence of living things to survive. Typically, normal living things radiate enough that ghosts can gather more than enough to survive and thrive. The process of gathering it might be akin to… sleeping."

"And let me guess… if there isn't any lifeforce… you die."

Her blade rattled in its sheath. "Not right away… they start to go insane and it all eventually ends in death."

"Oh…" I trailed off with the image of Scarlet going insane becoming a new fear of mine.

I yawned before getting out of bed and reaching for my black shirt. I put it on without issue, before putting my still kevlar-less vest on right after. I snuck around my grey button-up sweater as I slowly made my way to the stairs down.

I could hear Scarlet right behind me, the slight fluttering of the red sentient sword's ribbon gave her away. The both of us had nothing to say as I walked to the kitchen. What would the combined pantry of a Gardevoir, a Greninja, and a Gallade have inside? I hesitated for a moment. Would it be rude if I looked without asking?

It would certainly be rude if I actually took something…

Something tapped me on my shoulder, I nearly jumped away. The only thing that stopped me was my tired body. I turned around, seeing Lloyd just standing like he was there the whole time. I glanced at him and the pantry.

He rolled his eyes. "You uh… eat cooked meat, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Then tell you what…" he trails off as he opens the pantry. Sounds of rustling come from inside as he brings something out. "I've got some dried meat. I'll give it to you on one condition."

I shrugged as he handed me a metal container, a smell came from it that made my mouth water. "Name it."

"I was going to go out hunting tonight. I want your help carrying my haul back, I'll even split up what we get from whatever I take down between us." The Greninja folds his arms after closing the pantry.

The smell of the meat reminded me of something familiar to me. And after opening the container, it was confirmed that the meat was jerky. I nodded at Lloyd's request without a second thought. "Yeah that sounds perfectly fine to me, heh."

"Great, I'll see you later then. I've got to get to the Guild to deal with some uh… team stuff." He trailed off as he walked over to the door. Before walking out, he turned to address me one last time. "Ruby will be back soon, just please do not go anywhere… uh, you've already dealt with enough of Luson right?"

I sighed wearily. "What about the Decidueye?"

"You stay especially away from him." He finished with anger bubbling in his voice. The door closed as he left me and Scarlet alone again. I glanced at the meat in the tin, already wondering how it'd taste…

Scarlet's voice tore me away. "What ticked him off?"

"Something about the Decidueye…" I trailed off, thinking about any possible connection. One loose end came to mind. "You remember Fin and Orik, right? From the note in the tank? We have names but no faces to put them to…"

Scarlet's blade rattled in its sheath. "Fin… I know him. Lloyd muttered that name after I told him about what had happened to us. So Fin must be Luson's partner, the Decidueye."

"Then who is Orik?"

"A question we will have to answer ourselves," she stated as she looked out a nearby window. "Our first mystery… besides finding your father."

I nodded along as I took a bite of a piece of the jerky. It was pretty damn good, a little salty… but I was expecting that. "Yeah… but I remember another name from just before you woke me up in the Guild…"

"And that name would be?" she asked while turning to face me.

I took a deep breath, it was like the name carried tangible weight. "Arwin."

"Arwin…" she trailed off as she turned back to the window. "Hmm, maybe they are connected. We will have to investigate them as soon as possible."

I nodded again. "Yeah, we gotta figure this shit out fast…"

"Any ideas on where to start?" she questioned.

"Where I first ended up here…" The memories came back to my mind about what happened not even a week ago. "Back in that damn clearing…"

She put her ribbon on the door handle. "Then let us go."

"What about Kira? She's gonna be back soon apparently." I reminded.

Her ribbon drifted off of it and back behind her. "Right…"

I went and sat down on a chair and started to eat the rest of the jerky. There wasn't much, but it'd be enough to keep me going for a while. It tasted good and went down easier than almost anything I could make…

Scarlet continued to look out the window like a sentry. Her unmoving metal body looked unnatural when compared to the fluid wagging of her ribbon. It was oddly mesmerizing. Alien even. I knew enough about most Pokémon and their powers already, but at the same time… I knew so little about the finer details.

The small things, like body language, or signs of aggression. It never set in just how truly alien this place is compared to my world… but now… I'm starting to get a grasp. Like I said at the beginning, I had to adapt to my situation and make the most of it. I could learn… but did I have the time?

Some things might be similar, like buildings, societal structure, morality… but I don't know what is different until it hits me in the face. And I better pray these changes aren't detrimental when they eventually come.

I'm surrounded by creatures that could easily kill me in my current state if they ever wanted to. I needed time to learn… that is what keeps a Human alive after all. Knowledge.

Scarlet made a metallic clicking noise before talking to me. "Kira is coming."

The front door suddenly opened as a tired Gardevoir strolled in. Her head was hung low with the purple bandanna wrapped around her left bicep stained with what looked to be tears. The badge being haphazardly attached to it. Her eyes were slightly red and puffy… guilt clawed at the back of my mind.

I wanted to wave, or smile at the least… but I couldn't muster it. I froze up as a sea of feelings swept through me. I avoided her gaze, my eyes now glued to the empty tin in my hand. She was psychic… I had to keep my emotions in check with her.

"Could you point us in the direction of where you initially found Mason? We wanted to go there to look around." Scarlet's voice broke through the tense silence with the subtlety of a nuclear bomb. Kira turned her head to face her.

What I initially expected was for the Gardevoir to explode on her. Instead, much to my relief, she sighed while taking the bag she had off her shoulder. "I can't give directions… but I can take you there in a bit."

"Thank you." Scarlet said as she floated back over to me.

Kira went upstairs, what for I didn't know. I looked back to Scarlet as I hissed at her quietly for almost causing disaster. "Do you not see Kira's condition? Why would you just abruptly ask something like that?"

"Because every second counts," Scarlet retorted. "Waiting 'till later would do nothing but waste precious time your father does not have."

I shrugged and sighed in defeat, before leaning back in my chair. She was right… even if a little blunt despite her edge.

I eagerly awaited for Kira to return.