As I run to the researcher's central room to warn of this dangerous intruder with a very powerful Dusknoir, my pokemon are all worn out, and require treatment soon. I whisper them to hang in there and I hope I can make it in time, as soon as I enter, I rush to Professor Juniper and warn her about the intruder on his way over right now. She quickly issue an emergency alert and signalling all the personnel to quickly move the operation team to a safe location as the intruder could be after some valuable research data or is sent to disrupt our findings.

More of the security guards with their pokemon arrive to guard each scientist and are keeping guard for the individual. Then, the doors come crashing down by an explosive blast as the Dusknoir appears. It springs to take out every one of the guards' pokemon in l one fell swoop with a shadowy sprint and tremendous dark power. I am hiding in the corner of the room, looking for the chance to get the jump on them but there is no hiding from this pair as Dusknoir telepathically moves me with Psychic and toss me to the front of the desk. The man approaches me and tells me to just submit as he does not want to get his hand dirty.

He pulls on my collar and demands me for the whereabouts of a trainer in my cohort. I refuse to tell him anything, he then slams his palm to my chest before tossing me to the ground. I struggle in pain, pushing his face and kicking him away but he quickly overpowers me. And he is done wasting time, as he is about to knock the daylights out of me, a familiar man elbow slams him away and a shadow sphere hits Dusknoir from nowhere. "Ruthless, hurting and breaking kids with no hesitation... How about fighting against me then?", the man is our leader, Professor Claymore and his pokemon reveals himself from the shadows, with white fur and a crescent horn on its head.

"Absol, let's round them up with Night Slash!", the calamity pokemon moves with hightened speed and lunges with a fierce attack before the entire room is illuminated with a blinding light, from a crystal like device in the intruder's hand; a window of escape as they are gone when the room is clear. I try to get up as Professor Juniper helps me up, worringly looking at me in such an injured state. I feel really exhausted and collaspe before I could ask or say anything.

I do not know how long I was out, but in my subcobscious, I really wish I was stronger, that way I could have prevented so many casualties. If this is all I could do at this point, I need to step up my engine and continue improving as soon as I can recover from this. I could remember that my pokemon were in bad shape, I need to get them to the pokemon center. I feel that my consciousness is slowly returning, I wake up in my room, looking fine in a patient gown. Seems to be a room in the pokemon center, I carefully get off from the bed and reach for the door as it automatically opens and Juniper is glad to see me walking alright, and takes me to see my pokemon, she tells me everyone is recovering steadily. My pokemon are all happy to see me and I am too. I thank the professor for taking care of them when I blacked out and Juniper says anything to see you and your team brimming with smiles.

I ask the professor about what happen to that mysterious man back at the lab. "That man, we are not sure of his identity or his affiliations so far. He seems to be a third party apart from those masked thieves causing trouble from time to time." Even so, I need to get stronger so the next time we have to fight, my team will be no pushover so I ask if we can move on visiting the Raizerjoule City. The decision was made just in the afternoon to postpone the challenge trip to Raizerjoule City till tomorrow. They need to pile up all the request, and tally up the missing count and formulate a plan to locate and ensure the safety of the missing people especially the trainers in our cohort.

"Right, that includes Rickson, Lisa and Kumi, wherever they are, I hope they are okay.", Juniper assures me that they will be okay and will let me know when they are found. Right now, there are only 13 of us left in our program and right now, we still need to press on our journey but the incident is still fresh and almost everyone are just as confused to what is happening and what future threats are coming; how and what to prepare for. I think I should take a stroll around town and see what I need for the trip, I do need to stock up on more supplies for the road to RaizerJoule City, but I think I have to come back later, seeing that everyone is flooding the marts, preparing for an apocalypse.

I wander around the route 1 with Oshawott and Snivy, battling some wild pokemon, and picking up some items. "Do a link takedown with Cut and Fury Cutter, Oshawott and Snivy defeat another wild Pokemon as it retreats to the grass. I then find another pokemon rustling in the bushes, "Oshawott, Razor Shell, and Snivy with Leaf Blade, go!" Both attacks strikes down the bush and the pokemon inside swiftly runs into the woods. "Chase after it, we ain't letting it off that easily!" As we pursue the fleeing pokemon, we can see that it is a small green pokemon that looks like a dragon, I am determined to catch a dragon type pokemon. Together with Oshawott and Snivy, we direct the dragon pokemon to a trap by cornering from three sides. We identify the pokemon is a dragon type pokemon, Axew, definitely a pokemon with potential, time to welcome it to the group, "Go, pokeball!"

"Stop right there!", a voice shouts to stop what I was doing right there, a figure leaps from the tree, swinging on a vine as I already toss the pokeball at an upward angle. My eyes are fixed on the pokeball as it curves towards the Axew, but got intercepted as the pokeball lands on someone's head. That causes the figure's grip on the vine loosen and crash right into me and onto the ground with a loud thud. The pokemon back away from the impact radius and my head is throbbing from that head on collision with whoever was playing monkey. I throw a fit, "Hey, watch it, you crashed into me and made me lose my... huh?", I stop as I realise the position I was in, I am actually just an inch away from the person who crash to me, whom I realise; is a girl in a cream colored clothing. "Oh, don't tell me...", I look around and I do not seem to have touch her inapproriately or accidentally which is good. "Now I should carefully and quickly get off before... she...", I turn to see that the girl is already flustered with a beet red blush and jabbing me in my gut before pushing me away with quite a force before calling me, "Pervert! You think you can just get away with touching me after trying to catch my pokemon, and hitting me with a pokeball!"

I exclaim, "All I did was just trying to catch a pokemon. How did it end up like this?", still wincing from the pain she inflicted me with that jab. She quickly compose herself before approaching me with a frown and demanding that I turn myself in before she calls Officer Jenny on me. I quickly stop and calm her while still in pain, explaining that it was a misapprehension and apologize for what had happened. "Please, you have to believe me, I did not mean for that to happen. Don't call the cops on me!"

The girl still with a hot temper, tries to cool down and realise that she is partially wrong for the surprise swing. "You are quick to apologize, I guess you are not a bad person. I am sorry too, I am also to blame for that.", She offers me a hand and I take it as I get up while still feeling that damage. She sweats as she may have overdid with that jab back there but I will live. Oshawott and Snivy assess that the area is safe before returning to me and checking I am okay. The same is for the Axew who reveals himself to be the girl's pokemon as he dives into the girl's violet hair which is as huge or bigger than a bird nest.

The girl is glad to see her Axew safe, "Axew, you are back, it's alright, this trainer had no ill intentions, and is a nice person." as she pets her Axew. She sees my pokemon and is amaze to see my pokemon so worry about me and if that is the case, she can only surmise that I am a good and benevolent trainer, "Are these your pokemon, they are so lovely and sweet, you must be a loving trainer to your pokemon." I nod as I answer, "Mhmm, it's okay you two, I'm fine. Just a little accident, that's all. Sorry I mistaken your Axew to be a wild Pokemon, Miss. I didn't catch your name."

She bows before introducing herself as Iris, a pokemon trainer. "I am Iris, nice to meet you!", she says with a smile. "Sorry about earlier, my name is William. I hope you are not hurt.", I replied.

I ask her if she is around here adventuring, Iris says yes, although she is not from around here. "Well, I am actually traveling around the new region, Yashin. I am just so excited to find new things to discover, don't you?", Iris ask me and I cannot help but share her enthusiasm, "I know right, it is just so cool. A new region, with new tales and pokemon to befriend, I cannot wait to see it all." I ask Iris if she wants to follow me back to Greenrise City and she cannot think of anywhere else to go for the meantime so she agrees. We talk while begin walking alongside my pokemon and Axew peeks out from her hair from time to time. She then just suddenly cannot resist the urge to hug both my Oshawott and Snivy, "Wow, your pokemon are just so cute and adorable", I am glad to hear her say that but maybe she could cool off with suddenly surprising my pokemon like that. "Oh sorry, but I just love meeting pokemon, especially when I see pokemon that I have met before alongside my friends. "Oh, you should tell me more about your adventures, and I can tell you mine too but I am only starting out as a new trainer though." We had a great time talking and we are almost back to Greenrise City.

I only just met Iris and I really enjoy her company and I think I know why, I really miss my travelling buddies. I miss having company so I just have to ask her, "Iris, I know this is sudden, but, would you please come with me? Together, on my journey in Yashin?", Iris can barely hide her blush from this sudden request as I await her answer.