-April 7th, 2 AM, Crystal's POV (Human Girl)-

That Lucario is going to drive himself into the ground...

That is the thought that has circled throughout my head as we've walked, headed into our fifth hour of travel. Route 119's river flows quietly past us, the lazy, clear current reflecting the billions of stars that shine over our heads. Billy walks next to me, wrapped in a dark green jacket, shivering slightly in the cold. On the other side is Torterra, a long time friend, just as close to my heart as Torch the Blaziken, who's currently sleeping in her pokeball. The Continent Pokemon seems at ease with the weather, clear but chilly. I suppose he does have a camouflage blanket over his shell, but I doubt it would make a difference.

The target pokemon of my thoughts currently strives on slightly ahead of us. Luke's golden fur doesn't hide the bruising and burns around his chest and lower legs, and the shivering from the cold is easily visible. This had been going on for well over an hour now, the Lucario's injuries finally catching up to him despite the fight he puts on. His will is impressive, but enough is enough. I suddenly speed up, forcing myself infront of him, planting my feet. He stops as well, almost glaring at me.

"Luke… I know you want to get to Michael as soon as possible, but just stop. If you run yourself to exhaustion, what good will you be? Besides, none of us have slept. Let's make camp here and continue on for a full night tomorrow night. OK?" I ask, though my tone makes it clear that I'm not taking no for an answer. Even so, I highly doubt Luke will argue. After all Billy and I've done for him, the Lucario has respect for us.

Sure enough, he nods slightly. Taking a quick look around, he points in the direction of a couple of thick trees, whose many leafy branches have kept the ground dry and hard, rid of mud. Billy silently unloads our sleeping bags, unrolling them at the base of one of the trees. I see Luke stumble slightly as he drops against one of the trees, leaning against it and almost going to sleep immediately. Sighing slightly, I take the blanket Torterra was carrying and sling it over to the tired Lucario. He catches it in his lap, staring at it for a moment.

The nodes on the back of Luke's ears raise slightly as he speaks with Telepathy. "Thank you, Crystal." I just nod, giving him a sideways grin. I figure he doesn't want to keep the exchange long, he's probably embarrassed at appearing so weak. I understand that. Without another word, he lays back against the tree and closes his eyes.

I pull my sleeping bag over to my brother, getting in moments later. Turning my attention to Torterra, I whisper, "Will you stand guard for now, Torterra? We'll probably wake up around noon…" Torterra nods, opening his mouth slightly in what I know his his version of a smile. He lumbers a little ways away from the rest of us, and while he lays down and closes his eyes, I've no doubt he is wide awake. With him on duty, I turn my attention to the brother of mine sitting next to me.

"What do you think, Billy?"

Billy puts his chin on his fist, pondering the question. Finally, he sighs. "I think that despite everything we've ever done on our travels, this will easily outclass all of it, danger wise. The SSM is merciless and if they catch us you can bet your ass they will torture and kill us for helping their enemies…" He shakes his head slightly, staring at Luke, who has passed out against the other tree. "Damn, he must have been exhausted… To be honest, that's why I like doing things like this."

I blink, extremely confused. "What? You like risking your life because you feel tired afterwards?"

Billy shakes his head, momentarily having trouble keeping his laughter quiet. "No, no! I like doing things like this because you meet people that really make a difference. I mean, look at Luke. He takes care of over fifty pokemon's desires, requests, and problems, and he helps over 200 pokemon at an orphanage. He's a born leader, and here he is plowing himself into the dirt trying to help someone else. And Michael Tellings! The Gallade he's talked about too, Gale. Meeting people and pokemon like them make risking my life completely worth it. They're inspiring." Billy finishes, his eyes twinkling. I nod, understanding now.

"I get it. I agree with you. Nonetheless," I add, stifling a yawn, "We should talk more tomorrow, I'm wiped." Billy agrees, and without further ado, we drop like rocks.

-April 7th, 1:30 PM, Billy's POV (Human Boy)-

"Lunch is ready!"

I hear the words and turn my violet eyes away from my notebook to see a platter of sandwiches on our blanket nearby. I take a moment to wipe the ink off my Staraptor feather quill, before placing it in the book, marking my spot. Lurching to my feet, I stretch my arms, feeling a satisfying crack in my lower back. Having done this, I stride over and sit down next to Crystal, who is chowing down already. Luke joins us moments later.

"This tastes great. Thanks, Crystal." Luke says politely. I repeat the praise. My sister blushed, nodding happily. We continue our meal, finishing about twenty minutes later. After lunch, Crystal disposes of our trash, in a bin standing next to the entrance to Mauville City. She quickly comes back to our spot in the bushes, of which we hiked a couple of hours to get to after waking.

I speak up, having made sure everything was packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. "All right. I'm heading into Mauville to get some of the supplies that will be useful for Michael and Gale. You guys stay put, and I'll be back before dark. We can travel through Mauville at night when no one is around to see- Luke, what's wrong?" I add, as the Lucario jumps to his feet, stumbling slightly. His nodes raise to full height and a look, equal parts shock, confusion, utter disbelief, and happiness flare across both his face and Aura. After a moment, however, his face falls and he sits back down,his sensors once again subduing to gravity.

He shakes his head. "I-I'm sorry. I thought a friend… Never mind. He's not here." He trails off.

Crystal replies softly, albeit confused sounding. "Michael, you mean? But he can't be here. He wouldn't leave Gale and Celebi…" She stutters to a halt as Luke shakes his head, looking almost dejected.

"It wasn't Michael that I thought I sensed," Luke mutters. "It… I don't know. He's dead. It's not important. Anyway, I'm going to try to sleep a little longer. It sounds like we have a full night ahead of us." He adds. I can tell he's holding out, but I decide not to push it. Instead, I grab the two large duffle bags that I had the idea to bring with us, shoulder them and head out.

-Two Hours Later, Billy's POV (Human Boy)-

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemart!" A cheerful man says as I load the basket of supplies I was purchasing onto his checkout stand. "Find everything ok?"

I nod, grinning slightly. "Mostly, yes. However, I need a few of these as well," I state, handing the young man a short list.

He squints at the paper, and after a moment he frowns slightly. "I dunno… We have the items, yeah, but you need a permit for them. You got a license?" He asks, looking up at me once more.

I nod, pulling out my wallet. Flipping open the pack, I pull out a silver card with the words 'Pokemon Center Doctor' printed in bold, black writing. Below the words is a block of personal information detailing my degrees that led to my skills. The cashier smiles, taking the card and scanning it. After a few seconds, the PC dings, confirming my information. I retrieve my card from the cashier, stowing it into my wallet and returning the pack to my back pocket.

The cashier takes a moment to come out from behind his check stand. "If this list is everything, I'll grab the supplies from storage. Three of each, then?" He asks.

"Two," I correct him. "Thanks!" I add as he nods in recognition and heads through a door marked 'Storage - Employees Only.'

I lean against the checkout stand, double checking my cart to make sure I got everything I need. I'm half way through the fourth bag when the sun brightens considerably, perhaps coming out from behind a cloud. Regardless, it illuminates the shadow of a canine like head off to my left. I spin around, looking wildly to the front of the near empty store. The windows, clean as always, would have been where the shadow came from. However, as I gaze intently out of them, nothing appears. Whatever made the shadow vanished, and already I feel as though my mind's playing tricks on me.

"Paranoia… Already, that's nice. Talking to myself as well, oh joy…" I mutter distractedly. I hear the door to storage open and turn around, noting a few small boxes in the clerk's hands. Shaking my head, I return my smile to my face and pay for the supplies. The clerk, chipper per the norm, helped me load one of my duffle bags. All the items fit into one bag, by some miracle. As we part ways, I make a mental note to nominate the guy for the "Best Packer Ever" award.

If there is such a damn thing, and if I get out of this war with the SSM alive, that is. I think to myself. Sighing, I shoulder my packs and head out.

Mauville is fairly busy as I walk through town, keeping a casual but alert look on my face. No one seems eager to bother me, though, and eventually I'm out of the city and walking the short distance to our campsite on Route 119. It's only when I'm about twenty feet away that I realize Luke and Crystal aren't the only ones in the clearing.

Two men in their late twenties are standing in front of my friends, whom are tied to a tree via thick bonds. The thugs are clad in SSM style uniforms, and each have six pokemon out with them, three Houndoom and three Throh a piece, twelve in all.

I bite my tongue, preventing a rather loud curse from escaping my lips, and edge back through the underbrush. After I'd gone back a little ways, I tossed out three pokeballs. In triplet flashes of bright, white light, my friends appear: Medicham, Vaporeon, and Dragonair.

"All right, guys. Keep it down. Over there, Crystal and the Lucario, Luke, got captured by the Society of the Shattered Moon. Those pokemon with them are with the enemy. Dragonair, think you could go for a Thunder Wave? Then Medicham, you and Vaporeon can go in and defeat them." I explain. The three Pokemon nod, and I turn back, eager to watch them put our endless hours of training to the test once more.

Instead, I watch as a huge sphere of energy, colored white and purple, smashes into the dozen Pokemon, blowing a huge crater in the ground at my friend's feet. The ground shakes even back here and I would have fallen if Dragonair hadn't Wrapped me to keep me steady.

Wh-what… Thanks, Dragonair," I stutter. Dumbfounded, I stumble out of her embrace, gaining my footing and racing forward, my Pokemon on my heels. Luke and Crystal stare at me wide eyed.

"That wasn't us," I say in answer to their unasked question. Quickly, I grab a knife from one of the grunts currently unconscious nearby and slash through the ropes. Luke gets to his feet slowly, rubbing his wrists. I pull my sister to hers as well, giving her a quick hug.

Crystal takes a quick, deep breath. "We're fine, they didn't alert anyone of our location."

I was about to respond, but movement in the trees to our left caught my attention. I knew immediately by the way it acted that it didn't want to be seen. That it was spying. I point and shout "Vaporeon, use Hydro Pump!"

Acting on my orders without question, Vaporeon shoots a high pressured water spout at the unseen Pokemon. It scores a direct hit… No. It was being deflected by a move! My eyes widen. I could see the telltale signs of Bone Rush. Moments after Vaporeon stopped using her attack, a four foot tall being jumped from the trees, front flipping over our heads and landing crouched at the other side of the clearing.

The Pokemon turned around. At first glance, he appeared to be another Lucario like Luke, but instead of blue or gold fur, he was completely white. His spikes were gold with blue specks on the tips, and his eyes were sapphire. It took me a moment to realize that I've seen those eyes before. They were present on Michael Tellings in the few interviews he had done on TV. I stay silent, staring hard at this new character. It's Luke who breaks the silence a moment later.

"T-T-Tsuyoi!? WHAT THE HELL? You're supposed to be dead!" Luke shouts, wide eyed in shock. Tsuyoi just sighs.

"Hello to you too, brother. I suppose we've a lot to catch up on. Let's move locations first, though. The SSM might've been alerted before these two attacked. Come on."

Without another word, the white Lucario turns and runs into the forest. I was about to object, but Luke simply raced off in pursuit. Shaking my head, mystified, I return my friends to their pokeballs and went after them, Crystal on my heels.