AN: There's a death in this chapter. Just a heads-up.

Ray had been training for the past 20-ish hours, being left alone with his Carvanha in the Castelia Sewers, along with a variety of world-class items. He had actually caught a pokemon in there as well; a Sandile.

And after all of that training, he was finally going to get to meet Ratem.

Two adults covered in shiny black clothing from head to toe escorted him out of the stinky sewers. He walked into a shiny black car, and a driver in a shiny black suit drove him to a shiny black building.

They got out of the car, and Ray was escorted into an elevator, where one of the two adults with him pressed a button to go to 'Floor X'. The button had been invisible prior to being pressed. Ray waited nervously as the elevator played cheap songs sung by Lisia the pop star.

The elevator opened in a room full of people in shiny black suits, shiny black floor tiles, shiny black computers, and shiny black desks. Ray followed the two adults with him down the aisle, with the workers on either side typing away at their computers. At the end of the aisle, after an entire five minute walk at brisk pace, there was a shiny black door. The door's label read 'Da Boss'.

Ray stifled a laugh as they simply waited outside of the door. A few minutes later, the door opened, and out came Ratem.

Ratem smiled. "Ah, he passed the test?"

The two adults with Ray nodded once simultaneously. Then Ratem nodded, and the two adults turned around exactly 180 degrees and walked away.

"Follow me, Ray." Ray shrugged and followed the second strongest trainer in the world into the shiny black room.

It was essentially like the large workspace outside, except smaller. It also had a large window, which overlooked a road from seemingly a thousand floors above. Being a rural kid, Ray had never seen something like that.

"Ray. You are the sixth member to successfully pass the test. Congratulations!"

Ray raised an eyebrow. "So you were watching me in the sewers?"

Ratem smiled. "My men were. They were especially impressed by your ability to easily bond with your pokemon, apparently." Ratem was looking at his phone while speaking. The phone was large and shiny black. "Take a seat, Ray."

Ray complied and sat down on one of the shiny black chairs. "So... do I have a choice to work with you or not?"

Ratem frowned, and set his phone on his desk. He looked at Ray intently. "You do understand that you are one of the few people capable of saving this world from destruction?"

Ray sighed. It was something he had thought about for a long time. "I don't want to save the world or anything. I'm not the only... shifter, is it? There are others. They can save the world. I just want to go on a normal journey, become champion, and have fun..."

Ratem tapped his desk with his fingers. "I see. I'll train you to the best of my ability, as I'm sure Maggie told you. You can still participate in the pokemon league challenge tournament. In exchange for my tutoring, you need to help save the world. I'd say that's a sweet deal for you."

"But what if I die?"

Ratem grinned. "You think you can be champion and not have to worry about death? Kid, trainer journeys aren't just fun and games. Plus, don't worry. I can protect you out there, if you really want to guarantee your safety."

Ray gaped. "You're a shifter?"

"Yes. I'm the first shifter who 'passed the test'. Well, I didn't do the test, I just passed myself when I made this organization, but yeah."

Ray cracked his knuckles. "Well, I guess saving the world make me look cool, I guess. Plus I get your training. So, what's next?"

Ratem chuckled. "You changed your mind quickly. In a week or so, we're holding a meeting with all the shifters who passed the test. Until then, you can do what you want. Those two adults with you will do whatever you say. They're standing right next to the elevator. You can go outside, ask them to teleport you somewhere, whatever. Just be sure to check in here daily, alright?"

Ray raised an eyebrow, but he didn't complain. "Well... I guess I could go around filling up my team however I want, then."

Ratem nodded. "Well, see you tomorrow then. And please don't die, one of our shifters - this little boy with an orange cap - he died a few hours ago."

I looked around me the moment I finished teleporting. It was funny that I had gotten used to being suddenly teleported. We were in a conference room, with white walls, a manilla table that took up most of the floor space, and a dozen or so comfy chairs evenly spaced around said table.

There was also the Looker, who returned his Bronzong. There was also the boy I had tied with in Route 2.

"WHAT!" The Looker sqealed in a high pitched voice. Then he seemed to realize what he'd said, and turned red. He cleared his throat and dusted off his already spotless brown coat. "Why are there two boys here?"

I shrugged and looked at the other boy, who looked at me and shrugged. He didn't seem as terrified as I thought he should've been.

The Looker sighed. "I see," he said, and he released his Bronzong.

"What is it?" The Bronzong asked in a mechanical voice.

"Teleport the boy with the stupid orange cap back to where we were," the Looker said.

"Which one? They both have stupid caps," the Bronzong said. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't have a cap on.

The Looker rolled his eyes. "That's hair, Desmond. Hair."

The Bronzong looked at us two boys. "Ah, you're correct. My bad." And the Bronzong was about to teleport the boy away...

"No! I wanna stay!" the boy yelled.

The Looker frowned. "We're wasting time. We're in the International Police HQ. Little useless kids are not necessary."

The boy pouted, and pointed at me. "This kid tied with me in battle! And he gets to stay?"

I decided to just take a seat and wait for the drama to end. Bratty kids were really annoying.

The Looker took out a gun from his coat and shot the kid dead.

The Looker took out a gun from his coat and shot the kid dead. In front of my eyes!

I gaped as I watched blood seep out of the wound, and I saw the boy fall to the spotless ground, his eyes lifeless.

"Whoops. We'll need to get someone to clean that up. Bronzong, could you do the honors?"

The Bronzong nodded and floated out the door.

"What the f%$&!" I covered my mouth. I had never said a swear word out loud before.

The Looker sat down on the seat to my left. "Well. I would like to interro-"

"You're the International Police! Not a criminal gang!" I yelled, suddenly furious. I was surprised at my outburst. Did I want to die?

The Looker rested his hands on the table and sat straight. "The boy was a criminal."

My jaw dropped as I stared at the Looker. "You can't know that!"

The Looker smirked. "I'm the top officer of the International Police. I can know everything about someone just by looking at them. That kid found you in some route... then he battled you, in order to confirm that you owned an Ultra Beast... knowing you were special, he followed behind you. Once he knew you were going to be teleported, he ran into the pokemon center and got teleported as well." The Looker nodded. "He was an easy one to read."

My jaw dropped further. "W-W-What? He purposely tied me! So he... then he was watching from outside the pokemon center? Oh my god..."

The Looker flicker his wrist. "Well, that's all in the past. Oh look, our cleaners are here."

I saw two Venipede crawl across the ground to the dead body of the boy. The Looker returned the Bronzong as the two Venipede had lunch.

Their lunch was the dead body of the boy. I paled, feeling tears in my eyes. "This is cruel..."

The Looker sighed again. "Ah, this is why I hate dealing with children. Always unaware of practicality, logic, and rationality."

"So what do you want to do with me?" I asked.

The Looker smiled. "Yes, let's finally get down to business. So I'm going to interrogate you... well, once the Venipede are done. They are unfortunately a little noisy... okay, they're leaving. So I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to answer."

I nodded, feeling sick. The images of the dead body, the blood seeping out of the wound... they were stuck in my mind.

"Tell me everything that happened when the Ultra Wormhole appeared. What you were doing before, during, and after it. Tell me everything."

I told him everything, the words just flowing out of my mouth. My mind was elsewhere... no, my mind was empty. I had just seen my first death. And to me, it had been pointless.

The Looker nodded. "I see. That Ray kid... you said you later found out he went to Castelia City. He's a shifter alright."

I snapped back to reality. "A shifter?"

The Looker nodded, looking thoughtful. "Yes, a shifter. One of the rare humans who can survive in the Ultra Planet's atmosphere. Now do tell me everything that happened during your confrontation with the alien who was captured." I told him everything.

"Good, good. Thanks for your cooperation. Would you like a refreshment?"

I shook my head. The Looker nodded, and got up from his seat. "I'll go get myself some. You can sit here and wait."

I rested my head on the table as the Looker left the room. Then I remembered Ray when he had found out his parents died. His parents. I had just witnessed a stranger die. Moping around wasn't useful. Doing something was.

And I wanted to screw up the Looker and his happiness. Killing him wasn't good; I wanted to make his life miserable. Then I remembered that's still just revenge, and revenge was technically immoral.

The Looker came back in a few minutes later with a bottle of alcohol and a wine glass that reminded me of Tyson for some reason.

He sat down next to me again, and poured himself a drink.

"So. To be honest, you've already told me enough. I still want to thank you. Here at the International Police, we believe in absolute justice."

I gritted my teeth. "So you would just kill a boy in order to uphold that justice? What happened to jail? A fair trial?"

The Looker sighed, and took a sip of the golden liquid. "My skills are perfect. That boy was interested in the disruption of our world's balance by revealing the location of this base. Such intentions, among others, some of which I cannot say, were enough to warrant his murder. Now, no more talk on the boy. It's a dead subject."

I leaned back in my chair. "And you're sure I won't reveal this base's location?"

The Looker smirked as he took another sip. "You don't even know. But, even if you did, I have sensed a feeling of justice in you. You have commited a great wrong in the recent past, and that has drastically changed you."

"Can I leave now?"

"Actually... wait, I have to go to the bathroom."

I watched as the Looker left again. Then, without properly thinking through what I was going to do, I walked out of the room myself. I walked through the hallways, all perfectly polished, and I was surprised that I didn't see anyone. I continued walking, until I found a stairs that led above my position. There was a label next to it: 'RoRF'. I shrugged, and walked up the stairs.

I was in a forest. The trees above me had cut out all sunlight, but I could tell from the woody smell and the chirping Pidoves that I was out in the open.

I looked at my belt and made sure I had all three pokemon with me. My backpack was also on. That was all I needed, so I started running in a random direction. So much for an International Police HQ. A little boy like me had just escaped it like it was a cakewalk.

I hadn't realized it, but my body was actually getting more muscular. Whether it was my puberty, or my constant need to travel somewhere, or both, I was able to run through the uneven forest floor for an hour straight (well, I did jog some of the time). I stopped when I had reached a cliff, which overlooked more forest that spread into the horizon. I looked over the edge of the cliff to behold a bunch of gray jutting spikes.

"Now what?" I muttered, lost. I decided to release my three pokemon and see what they thought.

My Slowpoke was sleeping. Monotone simply floated where it was, staring at me creepily like it always did. And then there was Grime, who ran at me and started licking my face.

"I'm sorry for the defeat, my lord!" Grime apologized incessantly.

"No, you did fine," I said. "You did really well against that Nidoran."

Grime smiled, and got off me. She started sniffing the sleeping Slowpoke again.

I watched her for some time, then I realized something. Something important. I looked at Monotone, who was still staring at me.

"Monotone... you did great?" I said, unsure of how to console my starter.

"Trainer." That was all he said.

I looked up at the clear sky, trying to think of something good to say. "Monotone, I will not hold the loss against you," I said. "We will challenge the Striaton City Gym, and I will send you out first. No matter what. Deal?" I nodded, feeling confidant with what I had said.

"Trainer. I respect you."

Well, that was unexpected. "And I respect you?"

"AAAAAAACK!" A high pitched voice screamed. I watched as the Slowpoke suddenly woke up, Grime's jaws releasing themselves from the Slowpoke's back. I smiled. "Slowpoke. Your name is Aack."

"Trainer, why?"

"Because we need to get him Bitten to do anything. And when Bitten, he says 'AAAACK!'. So yeah, Aack. I'm creative."

"Gimme something tasty," said a blubbery voice. It was Aack.

I shrugged, and took an Oran Berry out of my backpack. "If you promise to be a good battling pokemon, I'll give you the berry."

Aack narrowed his already lidded eyes. Then he blew a Water Gun at me. Luckily, moves magically passed through humans. Otherwise, I would've fallen off the cliff and onto those spikes down below.

"Aack, I'm determined to get you to comply with me. We're going to spend the rest of this day in this forest - which could very well be anywhere in the world, for all I know - and get you to want to be a part of this family. Got it?"

Aack went back to sleep.

Looks like I had a herculean task ahead of me... again.

Chapter 14 MC/age/pokemon changes:

Ray gets a Sandile

Looker's Bronzong is nicknamed 'Desmond'.

The Viewpoint Character's Slowpoke is given the nickname 'Aack.'

The Baltoy Boy is killed, so he is no longer a main character.

.-.-.

Monotone - Peck, Growl, Acid, Venoshock

Grime - Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, Bite

Aack - Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun