Celestic Town was among the few settlements left that hadn't been attacked or whose townsfolk hadn't driven out the remaining trainers. Its roots that tie to Pokemon and Sinnoh's mythology were too deep. To prevent any unwanted visitors and keep the town peaceful, several trainers stood watch at both the West and East entrances.
One trainer keeping watch at the West entrance kept his low with his cap shading his face. His arms were at his side and his legs straightened out in the grass. He wore an orange long-sleeved shirt and black shorts.
Approaching the entrance was a familiar Unovan trainer, whose long brown hair flew back with the wind. Her footsteps grew louder as she came closer to the gate. The boy twitched and he looked up groggily. He jumped up before Hilda could get past him.
"What's your business here? Are you a trainer?" He asked, attempting to sound authoritative.
Hilda gave him a strange look. "Yes, I'm a trainer. Can I get through?"
The boy checked her from head to toe. "You don't look like you're from around here. Are you sure you're not some sort of spy?"
Hilda stood silent for a moment, then gave him another look, as if to ask if he were seriously asking her that. "If I were a spy, why would I tell you?"
"How should I know? It could be a plot to let our guard down!"
She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped herself. "Wait, what-?" A new voice had cut her off.
"That will be fine, Alex." An elderly woman walked up from behind the boy who was identified as Alex. He immediately stepped out of the way and allowed the woman to pass. "Please come with me, dear. I think I know why you are here."
Hilda watched her walk away toward the middle of the town. She looked then to Alex, who shrugged, then she decided to follow.
The Town Elder, as the old woman had been referred to as, led Hilda to the largest building within Celestic. She had explained how the situation had risen in Sinnoh from a sole Regice attack, and more recently Regirock as well. A new Senator in Sinnoh's government proposed the idea that Sinnoh should keep itself safe by expelling the trainers of the region and any other ties to Pokemon. Some cities had already made it a policy, such as Canalave and Veilstone, while cities that were too attached to Pokemon, like Celestic, had kept to their old ways. Even some Pokemon trainers had proven untrustworthy to other trainers.
"So please, I hope you could forgive us. Alex may sound like a fool at time but his heart is in the right place," The elder explained with a faint smile. Hilda gave a smile of her own.
"Oh it's no problem," she said. "But I find it strange that trainers would go against other trainers."
The Town Elder nodded slowly. "Yes, it is quite strange. Nobody knows why, I'm afraid."
"Well, it is why I was sent here. I'll do my best to bring things back to the way they were around here." Hilda said with enthusiasm. The elder gave her a look of approval and gratitude. "Just one more thing... when you saw me at the gate you told me that you think you know why I'm here. Did you know who I am, exactly?"
The elder laughed lightly. "Why yes, I did. A boy about your age arrived earlier today. We chatted for a good while and he told me so much about a girl that matched your description exactly. In fact, he is still here in town somewhere-"
As if on cue, the door opened slowly. One leg stepped in, then slowly the other. Inside the room stood a young man wearing a black and white cap, a white long-sleeved shirt, and tan pants. He also had long green hair.
Hilda's eyes widened in shock.
"...N?"
The boy smiled. "So you really are here, Hilda. I had heard that Unova had sent a trainer to investigate what has been going on here in Sinnoh."
Hilda nodded. "That's right, but I'm not having much luck so far. I was hoping you could help me figure this out."
N laughed lightly. "Of course I would."
Hilda's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" She paused and looked around herself thoughtfully. She looked back towards N. "But why are you here, exactly? Was it because you heard I was here, or...?"
"No, no," He smiled sheepishly for a moment, then took on a serious expression once again. "It's about the situation that Sinnoh is in. I heard that a suspicious new Senator had proposed a new idea that Pokemon and people should be separated... for the people's safety."
"That's what she had just told me," Hilda held out a hand, gesturing the older woman. "Why does it sound so familiar...?"
N shook his head. "I think you know why. That new Senator is my father."
Hilda's eyes grew big once again. "Y-You're sure? I thought he was held in prison because of what he did in Unova."
N nodded. "Unfortunately, I am. I do not know how he got out, but I doubt the Unovan government had simply let him go free."
"So w-what do we do? He's way ahead of us this time - being a trainer may as well be illegal at this point." Hilda had begun to shake slightly, yet still noticeable enough for N to see and walk over to her and comfort her. She dipped her head.
"You're going to be okay; we'll figure something out. No doubt there are other trainers out there who are fighting as well, not just within Celestic."
The elder nodded. "There is indeed power in numbers, children. Although..." Both Hilda and N were staring at her by this point, waiting for the elder to continue. "The government is working fast... there is no telling how soon this optional policy becomes a strict law. You will have to gather friends quickly." As she stood and began to walk out the door, she gave her final words of wisdom.
"You kids are young, but you have great power when partnered with your Pokemon. Never forget that, and you will succeed."
Hilda nodded. "Thank you, Town Elder."
The elder looked back with a gentle smile, that only lasted a second. "Anytime, dearie. But I fear that there is more to this than we know. This Ghetsis character may not be the only one you should watch out for."
The battle raged on. Luke had called out his Mightyena to aid Gallade while it fought against the menacing Regirock, which was having an easy time. Both of Luke's Pokemon began to show signs of fatigue.
"Grr... this isn't good," Luke muttered. "If this keeps up, we might really be done for-!"
"Okay, Regirock, that'll do!" A feminine voice called out. He turned his head just right of the stone figure to see the woman that had been watching from a buildingtop: Clarissa. She unlatched a strange-looking PokeBall from her belt and held it in front of her, then activated the return function which transformed the Rock-type into a bright red light that sucked itself inside the ball's button.
"Hey, wait a minute! Who are you?" Luke questioned angrily. "And what are you doing with Regirock?"
Clarissa smiled smugly. "I don't think that really matters right now, does it?" She switched the PokeBall that contained Regirock with a normal one and chucked it directly upward. The light this time was white and had materialized into a large orange dragon that hovered above her. Clarissa climbed onto its back calmly yet quickly and gave a parting "Buh-bye!"
Luke took a step in an attempt to give chase, but stopped himself as he realized the situation. His Pokemon were tired and were still no match for the Regirock, let alone the fact that the mysterious woman had other Pokemon as well. He turned to look at his sister.
"You okay, Luke?" Valerie asked.
"...Yeah. C'mon, we should get going." Luke returned his two loyal Pokemon and began to walk eastward.
"Where to, exactly?" She hesitated slightly before deciding to follow.
"I heard that Celestic Town is a place where trainers have been gathering. I'm not sure why, but I bet it has to do with some anti-trainer policy some areas are adopting," Luke explained without missing a step. "I don't really know much about it, since anything I know is from rumors that the doctors talked about while I was in the hospital and some side conversations I had heard at the park."
Valerie nodded. "It's true. Regice, and now this weird Regirock attack, aren't the only horrible things that Sinnoh is going through. I've heard that riots have broken out, too. It's the most talked about subject right now, and it could be any time before the government decides to make it official to ban Pokemon training."
Luke opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it and sighed. Little more was said between the two as they ventured out of Eterna City in hopes of reaching the safety of Celestic Town where fellow trainers would be found.
The boy in the red jacket had found himself just south of the charred Solaceon Town, entering the long abandoned tower. The sun had begun to set. He stared up at the structure a moment before going inside, with his Raichu still at his side.
"It'll be dark soon," The trainer finally said. "It might be best to find shelter here. Hopefully it's as abandoned as it looks."
The tower rose several stories, each filled with gravestones. He treaded slowly and carefully so as to not step on any of them. Every so often he or the Raichu would turn their head abruptly, as if they heard a sound. Both knew there was an eerie prescense in the tower, and knew that the other knew as well.
Once the pair climbed up the final staircase to the uppermost room, they noticed a figure standing in the center of the room facing away from them. The trainer paused when the staircase ended and examined the figure silently.
The figure was an unusually tall man: almost five inches past six feet. He wore what appeared to be a long thin robe and a strange violet-colored hat with an oval-shaped brim. What caught the trainer's eye even more were the three Ghost-types floating around the man: a Gastly, Duskull, and Misdreavus.
"I know you are there, trainer." The trainer's eyes widened in surprise. The man turned his head to see him, giving an amused smile. "Greetings."
The trainer, hesitantly at first, took a step forward and his Raichu followed. He walked up until he stood only a few feet away.
"What's your name, young man?"
He had taken his hands out of his pockets and locked eyes with the shady character. "My name's Alizarin. What would yours be?"
The man's smile continued to show. "I am Achak. Pleased to meet you."
The trainer, named Alizarin, returned a grin. "Same to you." He looked at each of the three Ghost-types floating joyously around Achak, and thought a moment. "What exactly is it you're doing here of all places?"
Achak chuckled. "I'm inclined to ask you the same thing."
Alizarin laughed as well. "Fair enough. I came into this place hoping to find shelter for the night... is that why you're here?"
"No, no. I simply wished to provide my company to the Pokemon that live here. I seem to have a way with Ghost-types like these you see here before you. The same goes for how they influence me. Something about them just feels so... natural to me."
The young trainer nodded. After a brief moment without talking, Achak glanced over to the windowless frame on his right. "Ah! I believe the moon will shine very soon. I must be going now, I'm afraid." Alizarin sidestepped to allow Achak to proceed to the staircase and, once at the edge of the uppermost step, he turned.
"By the way, Alizarin," Achak mused. "Why is it that you travel alone? These times are rough, especially for Pokemon trainers like yourself, you know."
Alizarin thought a moment. "I don't really know anyone else here in Sinnoh, so there's nobody to go to. And besides," he looked down at the Raichu by his side, whose grin was returned. "I have my Pokemon with me everywhere I go, and we help each other out. They're all I need."
The older man gave an empty stare for a minute, then closed his eyes as he lowered his head with an amused smile like the one he wore several minutes ago. "I like your answer. Pokemon and humans are meant to work together... sometimes I find myself wondering what let the people of Sinnoh forget that."
Alizarin nodded with a smile, and waved as Achak decided to leave the tower to the young trainer.
"Let's crash here for the night," Alizarin said. The Raichu nodded with a repeat of its name as its trainer set down a pack he had been carrying on his back and leaned against the circular wall that wrapped around the room. "We may just have to find some other trainers soon. This situation's getting too bad for us to be alone."