The water was a path of stars. Lights shone above and below in Route 218's light. The time could hardly be called night, it was bright, bustling, and Alex was wide awake. When he was told to leave the house with his bag, he wondered if he was leaving for his Pokemon journey before morning, since he could hardly sleep. Nevermind the flaming trees that writhed as they burned, or the cries of Pokemon behind, everything he had waited for was coming.

Sis was with him, too. He couldn't see her face, it was too dark, though everything else was so bright. They rode Pokemon along the still water path, Alex atop her beloved Henriette behind. When they hit land in Jubilife, people melted out of the way as Sis led him through streets that cracked and shattered into nothing behind. The trail of starlight continued north outside the now-vanished city as they further strode over cliffs into a field of flowers twisting in the lights. They didn't stop, because he was in a hurry to start his journey, and as the flowers withered behind they passed windmills whose blades turned upwards and flew away, breaking the ground behind and leading it into the sky as well.

Not that it mattered. He was going to start his Pokemon journey in the morning. In fact, it could be starting right now! Everything became so bright that it was hard to see, and the only place unaffected was a forest of trees that were shaped like cages. He kept running by Sis' side, without caring for anything but her presence and his excitement, but he tripped when something suddenly appeared over his feet, binding him down. The roots of the trees themselves were bound around him as they grew into a cage with every joint chained to him in some way. Sis did not slow down or even look back, only kept walking on with her arms still by her side.

Why did they come here? Why was she leaving him here?

He fought and fought, but the roots held fast against his meager attempts at breaking them. Sis kept walking away into the black void, then stopped as she reached the very furthest Alex could see. She reached somewhere down, opening a rectangular space like it were a door, exposing a space of white light that blinded him. He heard a door close, and there was nothing any more.

As nothingness swathed him, he slowly felt the sensation of his sleeping bag around him return, as with the weight of his eyelids. He opened them to see the roof of his tent, with Julia the Gastly floating near him, looking concerned.

"Morning, Julia."

He reached out for the Gastly to lick his hand as he thought about the dream. Henriette hadn't appeared in it in a while. In the past few iterations, Sis hadn't had nearly as much presence, usually he'd be seeing some of his old friends, too. Events a few days ago had greatly affected him, obviously.

It was 3 a.m, according to his watch. A little earlier than he had planned to wake up, but it made do. The unusually awake boy poured over his notebook, after releasing his team from their balls for them to freshen up for the day ahead.

No one in the tent said anything amidst the cool morning air. They were going to Sinnoh's northernmost tip, Snowpoint City, a trip further than any Alex had ever made. To make it there, they would need ample food, winter clothing, knowledge of the coming weather and places they could take shelter. Going through his preparation was the only way he could really convince himself they had a chance of making it. First of all, they'd have to make it to and through Eterna City. The next obstacle would be the tunnels at Mount Coronet's base, which he estimated would take about a full day to navigate North. Then there would be Routes 216 and 217, which could take anywhere from five days to two weeks. He grasped a small locket around his neck, squeezing it every now and then. Sis' belongings helped in times like this.

Before he knew it, his Pokemon brought him his bags. Looking around him, everything but whatever he was holding had been packed up, leaving just the tent and his papers. His team stood before him, an air of determination from all of them. Checking inside the bags he didn't pack himself, everything was arranged just how he liked.

"You guys..." Alex was a little stunned, but smiled. Knowing that he had a team supporting him made everything feel better. They all called out in response. Quietly, of course, the others in their tents were sleeping. Figuring it was time to leave, he packed the last of his gear, taking in deep breaths of the forest's fresh air. He didn't know how long it would be till he would smell the scent of fresh, dew-speckled leaves again.

"One last look, and then we have to go."

Alex took in the view of tents in the camp, not sure what to feel. For the longest time it felt like a trap, but now that he was leaving for good he felt an urge to go back and huddle under a tent again, like he had every night. He shook it off, remembering also that with that came a terrible helplessness that taunted him whenever he felt safe. This was the only way. He had already made his decision.

Sis, I'm coming.

He turned about to find his Pokemon waiting behind, then recalled all but Ari. As usual, the Cottonee perched on his head, using his eyesight to look out for anything Alex would need to know.

The air lost some of its comfort as they stepped out of the vegetation into Route 105. Ari kept shifting around to feel the winds, trying to tell what was around them. Alex was thankful for that, he didn't dare look back himself. Thinking more about what lay ahead made running back under the trees more and more tempting, but a soft breeze at his back gently pushed him on. Save for footsteps there were no sounds on the way, and Alex had to concentrate quite hard to keep his thoughts in line.

As they reached the entrance gates, Alex got his mind back to the present around him. He'd chosen this early hour hoping to run into no resistance whatsoever. True enough, Eterna City's streets were empty, there'd be little reason for grunts to be about here anyway. As far as he knew, there was little of importance.

It was right then that he heard a large assortment of Pokemon cries. Instinctively he ducked and ran for the nearest building to hide, listening as carefully as he could. There was a smaller mass of footsteps near those cries, which meant that there were people. No, Rocket Grunts. This was no time to be optimistic. If all went well, he'd slip by them with no need to fight at all, though he could feel Henriette's unease from inside its ball. Ari's leaf movements focused, he was trying to gauge more of the air to see if they were safe.

Alex rushed from street to street, corner to corner, intent on getting to the east exit as fast as feasibly possible. From what he could recall of the city's layout, every route he could take would bring him by wherever the mass of Pokemon were. He briefly thought about turning back and coming back another time, but shook off the idea. Any later and the snow past Mount Coronet would be too harsh to get through, not to mention this could mean Team Rocket might be using Eterna City for more active operations, and would be filled with many, many more grunts from now on.

The only thing he could do was listen carefully and move slowly. He didn't dare ask Ari to slip around and scout, he'd be quickly added to whatever pile of Pokemon were captured there. As he peeked around a corner, there were unmistakably a group of Rocket Grunts, black attire and all poorly fitted on most of them as they scattered, fortunately in the opposite direction. They were all moving away from a large cage containing a wide array of Pokemon, cramped together and in what Alex could only describe as a sort of depressed chaos. A multitude of Pokemon were within, making half-hearted attempts at escape, despair evident in the ways they feebly tried to break their bars, if not how those behind simply lay about waiting for their fate.

Beyond this space further east would be a mess of streets that would eventually take Alex to Mount Coronet. It would be a while till he managed to get to the exit, and now that there were rockets prowling about there would be no room for error. Fortunately, he had a map scribbled down in his pocket, so he could try to memorize it as quickly as possible. With that in hand, he poked around the corner again to get his bearings. Right then, a purple ray came shooting towards him, leaving him only enough time to flinch.

"Damn it! Ari, get..."

No, there still weren't any Rocket Grunts around. What shot... whatever that was? A flash of light came from somewhere in the large cage, and again a purple ray shot towards him. Alex put his arms in front of him to shield himself, but the ray passed them and hit the locket behind. Instantly, it vanished. He looked about in growing panic. Did it drop? It was then that he realised the map he was holding was gone too, vanished into the air.

"Ari, stay with me."

Making sure there really was no one about, he ran to the cage, cotton puff atop his head. As he approached, he saw amidst the mass of broken Pokemon a small, orange, vulpine one with eyes that were unusually bright, compared with the rest.

"Kii!" As Alex approached, it called out, putting away the stick it was biting on. It took out a small locket and piece of paper from underneath it with its mouth, waving both of them to Alex.

"Fennekin, those are important to me. Could I have them back?" Alex bent down to look at the Fennekin, but it shook its head, cheerfully gesturing towards the door of the cage to the side.

Alex first thought about how he would snatch his belongings back from the thief. Julia could probably slip through the bars and hypnotise the Fennekin into sleep, then take back his things, but that might cause a panic within the cage. If he just took them back, the Fennekin would steal it again or take something else.

"Right. You have my hands tied. Be quiet, then." Alex went over to the door. It had a simple combination padlock on it, and the numbers were even still pressed down. The Fennekin followed him from inside, dangling the paper and locket, while the other pokemon looked on curiously. Alex pressed down on the lock and, as slowly as he could, removed it.

"You all should run while you can," Alex spoke, as he pulled open the door. "If you go west you might find some trainers you can help out–"

"HEY! WHO'S THERE?"

Just as Alex heard the voice behind him, the area erupted into chaos. The Pokemon inside seemed to have immediately regained their spirit, as they stampeded out and into the city. The cacophony of cries was useful to Alex, who in the confusion managed to get a good head start jogging to one of the eastern streets.

"Ari, don't let go of me and get stun spores ready! Rest of you, get ready to fight quickly!" Alarms starting ringing out around the city as he paced along a mass of Rattata, bringing grunts to the streets from their buildings.

"Stop right there–"

"Stun Spore!"

Alex kept his head low while Ari blew a cloud of yellow dust at the grunt in his way, bringing him to the ground. Commands were being shouted over a megaphone now and there were sounds of battle, hopefully the wild Pokemon would buy them enough time. He hoped the Pokemon knew the way out too, he never got to retrieve his map or locket.

"Golbat, grab him–"

"Thunderbolt!"

Alex thrust a Poke ball upwards, without actually letting it go. Henriette burst out, flying upwards with the momentum of its ball, then unleashed a bolt of electricity at the Golbat. Before the knocked out Golbat even hit the ground, Alex drew his arm back as he recalled the Starmie that was still in midair, securing the ball back on his belt just as Henriette was fully drawn back.

He'd have time to congratulate himself for pulling that off later. For now he was focused on jogging on despite the load he was carrying, knowing that any faster and he'd completely lose his ability to fight once he stopped. The buildings were changing from the taller ones that made up the center of the city to smaller, more spread-out complexes, so in just a bit he might make it to safety. No matter how much he wanted to sprint and obey the pounding in his chest, he kept constant, not slow but not as fast as he would have liked.

"Nee... !" His Cottonee flapped his leaves excitedly, sensing something.

"Almost there, Ari?" The noises were getting more distant. Just a bit more, and they would be out–"

"Not so fast, kid."

Alex stopped so suddenly that Ari had to help pull him back from falling over. Right in front of them was the eastern exit to Mount Coronet, and in his way were three figures in black. The two to the sides were about his own size, busy handling nets that had been used to capture many of the wild pokemon trying to escape. Between them, right in the middle of the road, was a woman taller than any of the trainers present. She gazed menacingly at Alex, smirking with lips he found a little distracting.

"So you must be the one who managed to sneak in the other day. Am I right? You're such a cute little thing, too..." She laughed, and Alex fought hard to ignore the chill in his stomach upon hearing it. He focused first on her gaze, then about her body, watching for when her hands would move to her balls... those on her belt, of course.

"Aww, looks like you're the quiet type. Checking me out, aren't you, you naughty thing?" She put her fingers to her lips, throwing off his focus for just a single moment. The next thing he knew was Ari slamming him to the ground and a whoosh of movement just over him.

"Drifblim, Shadow Ball!"

"Ari, Fairy Wind!" He rolled over and leapt up as fast as he could to see large balloon-like Pokemon being pushed away from him. His Cottonee's movements were a little haphazard, but he managed to counter the blow of the attack that hit with enough force. He fumbled for a second, but managed to draw the correct Poke Ball from his belt.

"Roy! Pursuit!" He threw the container upwards, letting loose a Murkrow that pecked ferociously at the Drifblim. What sounded like a burst of gas came from the Drifblim, shrieking as Roy found the worst spots to dig his talons into.

"Keep going! Take it down now!"

"Like hell you will! Tailwind!"

The Drifblim flapped what passed for its wings, and a stream of wind came down from its direction.

"How you going to run now, boy?" The Rocket woman laughed again, watching Alex as he stood frozen by his situation. "Thunderbolt!"

"Split up! Confuse it!" Roy and Ari both dove in opposite directions, and the Drifblim decided to take out the one more immediately dangerous. It loosed a blast of electricity towards the Murkrow with stunning speed, the wind behind it allowing the attack to hit almost instantly. The Murkrow, fried by the blast, fell out of the air in a panic.

"Roy, to me!" He held out the ball and managed to catch the Murkrow with the aim of his recall before the bird hit the ground, but it would still be a while before it could battle safely again. He'd pat himself on the back for that later if they made it out.

"Oh, now it's a fair fight again, huh? Thunderbo–"

"Ari, get behind! Peli, go!"

In a single movement, Alex returned the spent poke ball and drew out another. He threw it right in the projected path of the Thunderbolt, releasing his Gabite so that it would absorb the blast for the Cottonee, rapidly struggling against the air current. Sure enough, Peli leapt out right in time to block the attack, leaving both of them unharmed.

"Naughty boys like you need to be punished. Don't you know fighting two on one is cheating?"

"Dual Chop! Ari, keep trying!"

The woman didn't take being ignored very well. She was a Rocket Admin, and this was just some vagabond. Whatever, she thought. Let him focus on the battle he's going to lose anyway, as she fiddled with something in her pocket. His poor cotton ball was trying so hard to fight off the wind, too.

The Gabite managed to leap up and land two square hits on the Drifblim, but it merely flew up and prepared to loose another Shadow Ball. Henriette could finish it off in one attack, but there was no way it could take any attack in return, so he didn't dare send it in. Gabite could take one hit, but then that would be it, thought Alex as he silently urged on Ari, still flapping his leaves away as if in the throes of madness.

"Shadow Ball! Finish them off one by one!"

A shadowy blob formed between the Driflim's wings as the winds petered out. Just as it was ready to throw it, another gust of wind blew, this time at the Drifblim and forcing it out of balance.

"Stun Spore, Ari! Henriette, Ice Beam!" With the winds behind, the Cottonee rode forth and scattered paralytic powders onto the Drifbliim. Following that, the boy sent out his Starmie, who followed the Cottonee as it fired a cold, white ray. As it made contact with the shuddering Drifblim, it shrieked again before falling to the ground, limp and shivering.

"Well, looks like you have a smart Cottonee there. Can't wait to see how you cry when I tear apart its fluff in front of you." Alex tried his best to calm his breathing, to pay no attention to her words, waiting for the opportunity that must be lying ahead. He just had to wait until she tried to recall her Pokemon...

"Come back, Drifblim–"

"LET'S GO! ARI, STUN SPORE!"

With the winds at their back, they should be able to cover enough distance quickly enough, they had to. As the group ran, Ari leapt in front, preparing to cloud that woman in dust first."

"–go, Mamoswine! Ice Shard!"

A huge, hulking behemoth of a Pokemon materialised in front of the Admin. Before it made any sound, a small clump of ice formed and was thrown at Ari, hitting his front. His fluff and powders were frozen.

"Damn it! Ari, return–"

"Ice Shard!"

He had no time to do anything other recover the Cottonee thrashing about on the road. Before his other hand could even touch the other Poke ball he needed, his Gabite was already lying prone and still as bits of ice fell off him. It shouldn't be enough to take him out for more than a few hours, but this Mamoswine had already taken out two of his party.

"You look so precious when you're scared, little boy." The Admin gazed right into his widening grey eyes, savouring the fear in them. "You've got a fast Pokemon there, but you know I can hit you first." She reached into her pocket and slipped out a cyan capsule, holding it up high."

"An X Speed. Not being a fugitive has its advantages, doesn't it? Come on, I can't wait to see you all helpless. Mamoswine, take this and– WHAT?"

Alex saw her raise the capsule. If the Mamoswine caught it, all would be lost. Was there even a way to stop it? Henriette stood in front of him, steadfast in shielding him from whatever would come, when suddenly a burst of flame appeared around the Admin's hand. When it disappeared, the capsule was gone and the Admin in a panic.

"NOW! SURF IT DOWN!"

He hardly needed to give a command, Henriette acted the moment he opened his mouth. Drawing an orb of water from itself, the Starmie rode the water as it turned into a large wave that crashed into the Mamoswine and the Admin, pulling a terrible roar from the Pokemon and a scream from its trainer.

"NO! Earthquake, Earthquake–"

"Surf!"

From the vestiges of the first, a second wave formed and swamped the Mamoswine again, knocking it to the ground helpless. The last thing the Rocket Admin saw, coughing and spluttering was a Gastly gazing right into her before she could remember no more. Alex stood still a bit, before falling onto a knee to catch his breath after everything.

The young grunts around the Admin backed away, not wanting to be anywhere near the Starmie that had just knocked out their boss's ace Pokemon. Alex was left alone to take his time looting the unconscious Admin. First were her Poke Balls... he took all that contained her Pokemon, turned on the locks and tossed them as far as he could. That should stall her for a while. Henriette looked on as he checked the rest of her pockets, taking whatever useful tools he could. A few battle items, some medicine. All vital.

"Yes, Henriette, I'm done. We should leave. I have another map, don't worry." The Starmie understood and followed. He didn't talk about the locket for a reason, it knew.

The sun was rising on them. Alex motioned to hurry, and the group took off east to Mount Coronet. He'd remember to reward the team later, he thought, but for a now a bit more work had to be done before they could stop and rest. Now that they had a good start going, there was no sense in slowing down.

Somewhere behind him, something was following his trail, a stranger's treasure held tight.