Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
BGM: Funny Footsteps (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
"Bored…" Anya mumbled as she wandered around the home. She had just finished up a session of Animal Crossing, yet she found herself completely bored. She wandered around the house until she found herself in the living room.
Ooooh, maybe I can watch Spy Wars! She thought to herself, happily recalling that she loved to watch the show with her biological parents.
She turned on the TV with a grin… only to see her show had just ended. "Aww. I missed it…" Anya pouted as she shrugged and decided to channel surf.
"Mint me, candy girl!"
Click
"The truth is… I am Iron Man."
Click
"That's tempting, but this time, I'll have to pass."
"But why? You're always down to train!"
"Would you use your brain? Did you not see my wife? She can give birth any day now, I can't go!"
"But what does that have to do with you? The baby comes out of her, right?"
"Why do I have to explain this?! If I leave the planet now, then I'll never hear the end of it!"
"You mean she'd be mad? I didn't have to deal with that when Goten was born because I was dead!"
"I have no idea how you're still married… but in any case, Kakarot, I am staying here!"
"Booooring…"
Click
Anya blinked, seeing a woman in a yellow jumpsuit holding a Japanese woman hostage in front of a gang. "Ooooh, this looks interesting!"
"...Beatrix." However, the name was bleeped out, causing Anya to tilt her head but shrugged as the music caught her attention…
…Aaand then The Bride cut off Sophie's arm off.
"ACK!" Anya yelped, immediately changing the channel.
"OH MY GOSH! NEMO'S SWIMMING OUT TO SEA!"
"Nemo! What do you think you're doing?! You're gonna get stuck out there and I'm gonna have to get you before another fish does! Get back here! I said get back here now! STOP! You take one more move, mister…"
Anya tilted her head.
"D-don't you dare! If you put one fin on that boat… are you listening to me?! Don't touch the boa-"
Slap!
"NEMO!"
"He touched the butt!"
"You just paddle your little tail right back here, Nemo! That's right, you are in big trouble, you man! Do you hear me?! Big-"
A big scuba diver showed up.
"Eeep!" Anya yelped.
"...Big…"
"Nope!" Anya changed the channel again.
"My bro is dead. He's gone! But he's right there on my back… and here in my heart! He lives on as a part of me!"
"Hmm?" Anya looked on intently.
"If you're gonna dig, dig to the heavens! No matter what's in my way, I won't stop! Once i've dug through, it means that I've won!"
"You what…?! What are you talking about?!"
"Just who the hell do you think I am?! I'm Simon! I'm not my bro! I'M ME! SIMON THE DIGGER!"
Anya's eyes sparkled. "Whoa… so cool~!" She said as she put the remote down and happily started to watch.
End BGM
Back in the past…
BGM: Jubilife Village (Pokemon Legends Arceus)
"Mmm…" Kamado had his arms folded. "This is troubling. Ghetsis has captured Kleavor, we have no idea where they are… he still has that Darkrai which concerns me greatly."
"We have a backup." Qrow said, looking up to see Cresselia floating about, though she was pacing around in worry.
"True… but how long will Cresselia be helpful, I wonder?" Kamado said, tapping his arms. "Ah, forgive my ramblings. This Darkrai and Ghetsis business has me a bit on edge."
"I wouldn't sweat it. We're a bit uneasy about it too." Qrow said. That and we're dealing with Summer having a Spiritomb inside of her… don't think we need to mention that.
"By the way. Your friend, Summer… has she been feeling well lately? She's been acting a bit odd."
Crap! Qrow thought.
"She's just feeling homesick." Ozpin chimed in. "I'm sure you understand the feeling."
"Hmm! Yes, indeed. I know exactly how you feel. There are times where I feel a bit blue when I think about my home village! I know exactly what will make her feel better!" He said and walked off. "Beni! I need you to make something extraordinary for our friend, Summer! She's feeling homesick!"
"Homesick, you say? You want me to make the usual for when you're feeling a bit blue?"
"Correct!"
"Coming right up!"
"Nice save."
Ozpin chuckled. "We're already dealing with Ghetsis terrorizing Hisui. I doubt mentioning Spiritomb would help ease his fears."
"That's what I was thinking." Qrow agreed.
With Cynthia and Steven…
"Mmm… do you know anything about exorcism?" Cynthia asked.
"Aside from the typical "The power of Arceus compels you", I got nothing on how to properly do such a thing."
"Crud…" Cynthia rubbed her chin. "Unfortunately, we don't have any Ghost type trainers with us, because I've a feeling Fantina might know something."
"We technically do have a ghost." Steven pointed out.
"Mavis? I dunno, I don't think they had demons back in her day. Grimm, yes, but I'm not sure if ghosts were a thing."
"Good point… so what do we do? Wait until Summer's fully possessed with these wisps?"
"Honestly, we might have to wait for it to play out. Even then, that's dangerous…" Cynthia mumbled.
"I don't like our options… but what choice do we have?"
"Hmmm…" Cynthia turned to Volo who was examining the plates. "Volo, do you know?"
"Exorcism? Sorry, I don't have any items on hand for such a thing."
"Shoot… and I doubt Galactic has anything on them right now."
With Irida…
"Lord Kleavor… what have I done…" She mumbled to herself as Akari, Coco and Velvet were comforting her.
"So you're tellin' me that Ghetsis managed to Pokenap Kleavor?" Arezu asked.
"Yeah, it's… a mess." Palina nodded. "Poor girl's been like this for a while."
"Damn that Ghetsis… what the hell is he planning…" Arezu mumbled. "Aaaagh, now I'm worried about Lady Lilligant… and I was just starting out in my new hair salon business."
"Maybe you could bring Lilligant over here where she could be safer." Palina suggested.
"I could, but given how some people are wary of Pokemon, I'd rather not give them a heart attack…" She said. "Even if some of them are warming up to them. I'd rather not just walk in with a Pokemon towering over me, looking like a human and have everyone scream in horror."
Palina nodded. "Good point." She said and walked over to Irida.
"Sooo, Mars." Arezu looked to her. "You ever cut hair before?"
"Well, actually… the thought of being a hair stylist had intrigued me before." Mars admitted. "Unfortunately, I never got around to it. I've tried applying a couple of times as a side job, but… sadly, no one wants to hire people who used to work for Cyrus."
Arezu grimaced. "Yikes, some are not giving ya a chance?"
"Yeah, apparently the owners'll think it's "bad publicity" if I ever took up hair styling and I'll run them out of business. Hell, I thought I could build my own hair salon, but noooo… no one wants to willingly build a salon for a former eco-terrorist." Mars folded her arms with a grumble. "Yeah, we've gotten better publicity when we turned Galactic around and people warmed up to us, but some people are just… ugh…"
"Let me guess, stubborn middle aged folk?"
"Pretty much."
Arezu shook her head. "I'm sure a younger generation would love to help you out, Mars."
"I hope they do…"
"And you know what? Might as well give 'em a middle finger and do things your way. Get some Pokemon to build for ya, and I'm sure people will come flocking toward ya!"
"You think so?"
Arezu grinned. "I know so~! And hey, I'm sure your siblings will support you!"
"Oh, Jupiter and Saturn aren't my siblings, but we're close friends."
"Eh, to-may-to berry, to-mah-to berry." Arezu waved it off.
With Victor...
"Alright, let's take a look at these Pokemon here." He said, pulling out his Pokedex and aiming it at Spidops.
"Spidops, the Trap Pokemon and the evolved form of Tarountula. It clings to branches and ceilings using its threads and moves without a sound. It takes out its prey before the prey even notices it. Spidops covers its territory in tough, sticky threads to set up traps for intruders."
"Hey, look at that. You got a ninja spider!" Nora grinned. "...That'll make anyone's arachnophobia go wild."
"Yeah… but, I do like it." Ren said, nodding at his Spidops.
"Tinkatuff, the Hammer Pokemon and the evolved form of Tinkatink. This Pokémon will attack groups of Pawniard and Bisharp, gathering metal from them in order to create a large and sturdy hammer. These Pokémon make their homes in piles of scrap metal. They test the strength of each other's hammers by smashing them together."
"Told ya that they start hunting Steel Pokemon that bullied them."
"I can see why!" Nora said.
"Pawmo, the Mouse Pokemon and the evolved form of Pawmi. When its group is attacked, Pawmo is the first to leap into battle, defeating enemies with a fighting technique that utilizes electric shocks. Pawmo uses a unique fighting technique in which it uses its forepaws to strike foes and zap them with electricity from its paw pads simultaneously."
"Niiiice, you're a heck of a fighter!" Nora grinned.
"Mo Mo!" Pawmo said proudly.
"Sooooo… out of curiosity… you think you could scan Overqwil? I'm genuinely curious." Marnie said.
"I doubt it'll work because it's an ancient Pokemon but I can give it a try." Victor said, attempting to scan it.
"No such Pokemon data found."
"Just as I feared."
Marnie sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot."
"Perhaps I could help." Laventon walked over with a Magnemite behind him. "I've actually documented Overqwil." He said, handing Marnie his own Pokedex.
"Its lancelike spikes and savage temperament have earned it the nickname "sea fiend." It slurps up poison to nourish itself."
"...Shit, I'm gonna need a lot of poison." Marnie sweatdropped. "Okay, okay… maybe I can have Toxicroak's toxins help out… oooh, I'll probably need a lot of Poison Mushrooms too."
Gloria shuddered. "Poison Mushrooms… ugh, definitely not a fan…" She mumbled as Marnie patted her on the back.
"By the way, Professor Laventon. You seem to have a Magnemite with you."
"Oh, is that what this is called? I've seen some strange Pokemon enter the village recently. I didn't know they existed."
"Magnemite…"
"Who are these other Pokemon?" Marnie wondered as she saw a Magneton fly by along with a Magnezone. "Ah… the whole Magnemite line."
"There were also these weird shapes too." Laventon added.
"Hmm? You're an odd one…" Cyllene mused.
"Pooorygoooon!"
"What the devil are you?!" A villager exclaimed in horror.
"Porygon-2! 2!"
"You're… definitely a new one." A gatekeeper said.
"Puh-Puh-Puh-Puh-Poooory-guh-guh-guh-gon-Zeee!"
"Are you having a stroke? Perhaps we ought to get you in the infirmary."
"Not only that, but there were also-"
"Elgy! Elgy!"
"Behee… Yem Yem Behee!"
"I'm sorry, I don't speak whatever language that is." A man said with a sweatdrop.
"I'm guessing they came out of a time and space portal." Victor said.
"Probably." Laventon nodded. "They seem harmless though."
"Uh… guys? Where's Nora?" Gloria asked.
"You don't want to know." Ren said, pointing dead ahead.
"Alright, honey! Let's test out that hammer of yours!" Nora exclaimed.
"Tuff Tuff!" Magnhild nodded as the two of them swung their hammers at each other, clashing to their heart's content until Nora swung hard enough to shatter her Tinkatuff's hammer.
"Whoops! Sorry!" Nora sheepishly rubbed her head.
"Tuff Tuff." Her Tinkatuff waved it off and looked around, before spotting the Magnemite. "Tuuuuuuff!" Her eyes sparkled.
"Magne?!" Magnemite sweated nervously before floating away in a panic. "Magnemiiiiiiiiiite!"
"Tinka Tink Tuff~!" Magnhild chased after the Magnemite.
"Hey wait up!" Nora chased after her.
Ren sighed. "What am I gonna do with her?" He chuckled.
"That's me every time Gloria does something." Marnie snickered.
"Hey!" Gloria laughed, then they heard grumbling as they turned to see Jupiter and Saturn covered in scratches with a Glameow in their arms.
"Uh… you guys okay?" Victor asked.
"Don't ask…" Jupiter grumbled as they walked to a man nearby.
"Here, here's your Glameow."
"Ah! So this is the one with a springy tail, of course!" He smiled. "Hi cutie, very nice to meet-"
"Mrow!" Glameow clawed him.
"Ow! Little thing scratched me!"
"First time?" Saturn and Jupiter asked in unison as the Glameow curled up and took a cat nap.
"Gee… uh… thanks anyway."
Meanwhile, with Summer…
"Rosie… tell me you have something in your cosmic magic that can get this out of me…"
Rosalina sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have anything that counts as an… exorcism. Not once have I encountered it in space. I'm afraid this is beyond me."
Summer sighed. "Great…"
"I was afraid of that." Ruby sighed.
"However… I do have something for ailments." Rosalina said as she put her hand on Summer's forehead as a cosmic aura surrounded Summer. "This might not work for spiritual possession, but it should take your mind off things."
"Will it work?" Tai asked.
"On normal occasions, yes. Sickness, poison, burns, paralysis… whatever else you have that's not some sort of disability? This will be enough to leviate the pain and should naturally wear off. However, curses are a whole different beast entirely, and since I've never encountered any curses in my many centuries in space… this might not work entirely, but it should, shall we say… take a load off."
"Just like my own semblance!" Mavis smiled.
"Indeed." Rosalina pulled her hand away. "How do you feel?"
"I feel… great." She said.
"Good. This aura should last around for a day or two."
"I'm glad we found something to keep it off of her for a while." Zhang said. "However, I doubt this is the last time that lousy Spiritomb makes itself known."
"That's what I'm afraid of, but we'll figure something out." Ruby said with her family nodding.
"I hope so…" Summer nodded.
"Cynda…?"
Everyone turned to see a Cyndaquil approaching them. "Cyndaquil Quil!"
"A Cyndaquil?" Byleth wondered as Yang's Teddiursa hopped down and walked over to the Cyndaquil.
"Teddi Ted?"
"Cynda Cyn Cyn Quil Cynda!"
"Teddiursa Teddi…"
"What's up?" Yang asked as the Teddiursa turned around.
"Teddi Teddi-" Teddiursa made an oval shape with his arms. "Teddi Ted Ted-"
"A rainbow appeared in the sky and a Ho-Oh dropped Cyndaquil?" Ruby guessed.
"A dome in the shape of a teddy bear!" Dorothea said.
"A cloud that makes it rain bears?" Yang asked.
"A turtle shell!" Oran grinned.
"A bowl with chocolate icing?" Byleth and Bereto guessed together.
"A clam shell!" Luce chimed in.
"A dinner plate!" Maia said.
Teddiursa sweatdropped with a "You gotta be kidding me" expression as he wandered off, only to come back with paper and a feather pen as he started to draw a few pictures.
Said picture included a time-space rift opening up, including the massive dome-shaped portal. Another picture showed off Cyndaquil running away from a scary Plasma Grunt at the beach, along with the Magnemite, Porygon and Elgyem lines
"Teddi Teddi!"
"Ooooh, now I get it." Yang said as she knelt down and offered her hand. The Cyndaquil gently sniffed her hand before nuzzling against it. "Heh, ya know… I did promise Magnolia a Cyndaquil at that party in Sarasaland."
In the… future-past?
"I've heard of this rare Pokemon that I've always wanted to have, but I don't know if I can find one."
"What is it?" Yang asked.
"I want a Cyndaquil! They look so cute!"
Yang smiled. "Tell ya what. Whenever I run into one of those little things, I'll catch it for ya."
Magnolia's eyes sparkled. "You mean it?!"
"Of course!" Yang grinned as Magnolia happily hugged her, where Yang ruffled her hair between her fox ears.
Back in… present-past…?
"I don't remember that… was that when I was with Shantae?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, the fireworks were botherin' Magnolia so she stayed inside Daisy's castle. The fireworks were hurting her ears."
"Yeah… that'll do it." Ruby nodded.
"Speaking of catching Pokemon for others… I wonder what Whitley's up to?" Yang wondered.
"Excuse us!" A voice said as they turned to see Kamado and Beni approaching them.
"Captain Kamado?" Ruby asked. "What's up?"
"Summer, I hear that you are feeling a bit homesick!" Kamado said. "So, I asked Beni to whip up something special for you."
"Here we are. Oran Berry cakes with a dash of Tamato berry flavoring and some Potato Mochi casserole with some Medicinal leeks for flavoring!"
"O-oh!" Summer said, taking it as she smiled. "Thank you."
"I know what it's like to miss your home. This reminds me of my home village! I'm sure this will remind you of your home." Kamado said. "Enjoy it, Summer!" He walked away with a friendly wave with Beni.
Summer chuckled. "How sweet. I'm not actually homesick, but I appreciate the gesture."
End BGM
Meanwhile…
"Okay, target's in sight…" Whitley said through his scroll, peeking out from tall grass in the Cobalt Coastlands.
Willow, Kali, Ghira, Weiss and Blake were in position. "Okay… go!" He whispered as Blake and Kali jumped out of a tree and landed in front of a Stantler.
"Stant?!" Stantler yelped as it tried to run away.
"Ice Beam the ground!" Willow ordered as her Cryogonal unleashed Ice beam as Weiss helped out by stabbing the ground to create ice walls with the Cryogonal, trapping the Stantler as Ghira proceeded to grab it with rope, lassoing it up.
"Got it!" Ghira said as Stantler tried to get away.
"This is probably the least efficient way to snag a Stantler, but the last few ran away from us when we initiated battle." Whitley said, pulling out a Great Ball. "This is for you, Ling!" He threw the Great Ball, where it bounced off of the Stantler's head and captured it, where it went inside the ball. It bounced up, and then shot off a firework.
"We got it!" Weiss said.
Whitley picked it up. "Now then… how the heck do we evolve it into Wyrdeer?"
With Raven…
BGM: Field - Late Night (Pokemon Legends Arceus)
Raven landed on the ground in the Alabaster Icelands, turning back to normal as she looked around. "Okay… that Zoroark isn't here." She said to herself as she walked through the forest. Okay, there has to be something in here for Summer…
She heard something walk nearby. She turned around and quickly hid in some foliage, but to her surprise, it wasn't a Zoroark… but a Zorua. A Hisuian Zorua? Raven wondered as the Zorua searching for something.
"Woof?" Zorua looked up to see some berries on a tree. It wagged its tail excitedly and tried to get it, but it was too far away from it. The Zorua tried to ram into the tree, but it wasn't strong enough to make the berries shake off the tree. "Woof…" It looked down sadly.
Raven emerged out of hiding, gently taking a berry off of the tree and knelt down. "Here you go."
"Aroo?" The Zorua looked at her curiously as it walked over to the berry that Raven was holding. It sniffed the berry and then gently nibbled on it. Raven used her other hand to gently pet the Zorua. The Zorua lightly jumped, but nuzzled against her hand.
"Hungry little guy, aren't you?" Raven asked gently, then noticing the Zorua's paws, seeing they were purple in color. Instinctively, she touched its paws. She gasped, her eyes widening. "Frostbite?!" She said as she quickly picked the Zorua up and hugged it to warm it up.
The Zorua let out a surprised yelp, but realized she wasn't meaning any harm. It soon nuzzled against her chest, happily getting warm.
However, they both heard snarling as it looked to see the same Zoroark from before, glaring hard at Raven. "Roark! Zoro!" It barked.
The same Zoroark! Raven thought, gritting her teeth.
"Woof!" Zorua hopped out of Raven's arms. "Aroo woof woof!"
"Roark… Zoro Zor…"
"Woof!"
That's probably its child…
"Woof woof yip woof!"
Zoroark folded its arms, glaring at Raven when it looked up at her and motioned its head at an angle, telling her to get lost.
Raven nodded, opening up a portal. "Very well then. Have a good life, little guy." She said as she turned around and walked inside, closing it behind her.
"Found anything?" Qrow asked, fishing by a pond in the Coastlands.
"Not really… I keep thinking I'd find something to cure Summer's possession but a Zoroark keeps chasing me away. …By the way, what the heck are you-"
"I figured that, with my luck, I'd be able to get those Alpha Piplup for Rodin."
"...Any luck?"
"Well… that guy found me." He said, pointing toward an Alpha Empoleon wandering around, while also giving Qrow the occasional stink eye.
Raven sweatdropped. "Well… at least you found its final evolved form."
"Yeah, but Rodin wants Piplup, not Empoleon. Apparently, according to him, just giving him an Empoleon's cheating."
"...Huh. Okay then."
The next day…
BGM: Jubilife Village
N walked out of the hotel, stretching. "Mmm…" He yawned.
"Excuse me, sir!" A voice said as N turned around to see a train conductor. "I'm looking for Irida, is she anywhere nearby? I've heard the news that she unwittingly let Lord Kleavor get captured."
"Yeah, she's currently at Zisu's."
"Thank you." He said as he walked away.
"My pleasure." N walked away before stopping himself. "Wait a second… was that…?" He turned around. "...There's no way…"
A few minutes later, when everyone else is up…
"There you all are." Kamado approached them. "I just received word from Adaman that he needs your help in the Coronet Highlands."
"He does?" Jaune asked.
"Yes." Adaman nodded. "Turns out, our next Noble Pokemon is also having a bit of a frenzy."
"Who's the Pokemon?" Gloria asked.
"Electrode."
Everyone immediately went pale.
"Yeah, not exactly a walk in the park either." Adaman said. "Electrode gets agitated pretty easily, but with this frenzy thing going on-"
"Oh please, Adaman. I doubt it's anything to sneeze at!" A voice said as they turned to see a man approaching them.
"Hello Melli." Adaman said. "What brings you here?"
"I'm here because that Electrode is my responsibility, I am his warden after all. Only I can quell him... and not these scrawny ne'er-do-wells."
"Ne'er-do-wells?" Jupiter raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, he's lovely already." Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I see... very well, you may show them to Electrode's domain when you are ready." Kamado said and walked off.
"Come on now, Melli. Be nice. You don't have to be so pompous already." Adaman said.
"Who said anything about me being pompous? These people don't look like anything."
"They were the ones who helped out to quell Lady Lilligant." Adaman pointed out.
"Hmph! And yet, Arezu should have been the one to quell the fair lady. Honestly, she's the weakest of the Diamond Clan. Ho, and don't get me started on the weakest leader in the Pearl clan. She let that Kleavor get captured by this Ghetsis nobody. She's as useful as a sickly Magikarp on land. A Burmy could do a better job than her!"
"Alright, that's enough!" Adaman said. "Irida is going through something, so if we can do without your snarky commentary, that would be appreciated."
"Don't tell me you're defending her, Adaman. You can't stand her yourself."
"There is a time and a place for everything, Melli."
"Yes, a time and a place for everything indeed..." Melli nodded. "Very well, if you noodly armed losers think you can make it to Lord Electrode's domain, then prove yourselves." He walked off with a hum.
"...I only met him for two minutes and he's already annoying me." Jupiter said.
"I am so kicking him in the crotch when we see him again." Akari said.
"I'll join ye." Gloria nodded.
"I got his legs." Nora smirked.
"Now now, let's not break the man. He means well... he just has a funny way of showing it."
"If you are going to Electrode's domain..." A voice said as they saw the same train conductor and Irida approaching them. "Then you will need Sneasler's help to get there."
Cynthia and Steven's eyes widened. "Steven, is that who I think it is?"
"I'm trying to believe it!"
"Hmm, you three look familiar... including you." He said, referring to N.
Irida sighed, her eyes still blank. "Guys, this is Ingo. Like you guys, he came from his own era... but, he lost most of his memories."
"Who's Ingo?" Ruby asked.
"Only one of the most famous train conductors in Unova." Cynthia explained. "I've actually heard of him myself."
"As have I. Hoenn knows him rather well."
"...Then how come I haven't heard of him?" Gloria wondered.
"Must not be famous enough in Galar." Cynthia guessed.
"Mmm... this is not ringing a bell, unfortunately. But fret not, I'm confident my memories will return!" Ingo said as Adaman put his hand on Irida's shoulder.
"Irida, are you feeling okay?" Adaman asked with concern.
"...I appreciate your concern, Adaman, but... this is all my fault. If I hadn't brought Lord Kleavor-"
"Miss Irida, this is no fault of your own." Ingo reassured. "You said it yourself back at Zisu's. You were caught off guard and ambushed by Ghetsis, this was no fault of your own. You had no idea it would happen. This could have had happened to anyone."
"He's right. No need to beat yourself over it." Adaman said.
"Yeah, cheer up! We'll get Kleavor back in no time!" Coco smiled.
Irida sadly smiled. "Thanks..."
"Now then, I'm assuming everyone is here?" Ingo asked.
"Wait a second, where's Kira?" N asked.
"Yeeeeeah, she's being a bump on a log." Marnie said. "I tried to wake her up, but nothing happened. With Umber, you can wake him up easily, though he'll be a bit grouchy. Kira? Good luck trying to get her awake."
Ruby sweatdropped. "Soooo, she's somehow lazier than Umber."
"Pretty much..."
"Laziness runs in the fam-... wait, Qrow! Where is he?!"
"Camping out at near a lake in the Cobalt Coastlands. He's hoping his luck will give him six Alpha Piplup." Raven explained.
"Any luck?"
"An Alpha Empoleon."
Tai sweatdropped. "Close enough?"
"Well, this will make do. Now then, all aboard! We are heading for the Coronet Highlands!" Ingo declared. "Irida, I suggest you come along too. This might get your mind off things."
Irida solemnly nodded. "Okay..."
End BGM
Later, at the Coronet Highlands...
"Here we are, the cave that will take us to Sneasler. I must warn you, it's very dark and dangerous Pokemon live in here."
"Not a problem." Gloria immediately went into her Ampharos form. "I'll light the way forward!" She confidently walked into the cave.
"With that confidence, you might just as well scare away the Golbat with your light!"
Gloria immediately froze.
"Uh oh..." Marnie grimaced.
"Ah... shite..." Victor cursed under his breath.
"Wh-wha-what did you say?!"
"Golbat. Why do you-... oh, judging by your change of demeanor, I'd say you are terrified of the Zubat line." Ingo observed Gloria shaking like a leaf, as Ruby and Byleth instinctively went by her side. "Hmm, I do not fault you. Terrifying creatures, they are. Especially when Crobat is concerned."
Ingo walked forward. "I shall take the lead here, miss. You follow behind me closely. There are markers in the cave that will get us through safely anyway."
Inside the cave, Melli overheard the conversation. "So that young noodle armed wimp is afraid of the Zubat line?" He wondered aloud as he turned to see an Alpha Crobat minding its business.
Melli smirked, pulling out an Ultra Ball. "Time for some fun~" He smirked devilishly.
Meanwhile...
Volo walked into some shrubbery before he stopped.
"Were you followed?"
"No."
"Good." Ghetsis emerged from the shrubbery. "I'm assuming everyone is oblivious to our arrangement?"
"They don't even suspect a thing."
Ghetsis smirked. "Good. They should continue to remain oblivious as to how I'm always nearby."
"I have to say, you're still quite bold to do away with the bond between humans and Pokemon."
"I have my reasons. My era will fall on its knees when I rule with an iron fist."
"I see. And you will hold up your end of the bargain?"
"Yes. In time, we will open up the Distortion World and I will give you Giratina."
"Excellent." Volo chuckled. "However, there is a Pokemon that might be an issue."
"Yes, I am well aware of that Cresselia. Even I know that Cresselia is from my era, I could see her anger when she confronted me. See to it that you capture that Cresselia and hand her to me. But do it in secret."
Volo chuckled. "Will do."
Nearby, a certain robotic Delibird peeked his head behind a rock. "Deli..." It narrowed its eyes while Rodin was hidden behind a pillar.
"Hmm..."
Ibuki: Oh shoot, the plot thickens!
Mhm!
Ibuki: Also, Melli... if you think about what Ibuki thinks you are going to do to Gloria-chan, so help her...