"And on the 12th birthday, the Hero of Hisui was gifted with Lord Kleavor by Almighty Sinnoh," Pesselle wrapped up bandages and placed them back into a cabinet.

Celeste glanced at her. She was still in bed, suffering from a terrible headache and light sensitivity. But the story had a familiar warmth to it, almost as if grandma Caly herself was sharing it.

"Of course, first, the hero was gifted with Lord Wyrdeer, so that the Great Hisuian plains can be explored. But men and Pokemon can be evil. So Almighty Sinnoh assured the hero protection and defense through Kleavor," the nurse continued, "After all, the hero's ultimate quest was to defeat the Great Evil and bring peace back to Hisui. At times, violence is necessary to do so, but violence always breeds more violence. Nonetheless, Kleavor is a powerful being. It is a dual bug-rock- such a combination puts fear into the hearts of many foes."

"So Dewott is type-effective," Celeste muttered, "He must have been too weak then. Clearly I need to train him more."

Or, maybe, have a strategy in place? Froslass suggested, Those balls that you made worked. I think that it would be better for you to primarily use them and only battle as a last resort.

"The creature of ice is right," the nurse smiled, "Our Lords and Lady do not wish for more violence. Their ancestors had plenty in their time. They wish for peace. In fact, I will let you in on a little secret. In the end, the Hero of Hisui won, not by force, but by love."

"So I have to show I love Kleavor? Okay," Celeste wrinkled her nose.

Giving Him offerings is a good way, Froslass shrugged, You just have to get better at dodging him. You are kind of out of shape…

"Hey! I was sleepy and hungry!"

"Now, long ago, after mankind disappointed Almighty Sinnoh, He looked for those with the purest hearts to carry out His will. A simple Scyther was one day bouncing around the Grandtree Area. While Scythers are generally aggressive, he was much gentler and caught the attention of the higher being, who sent him on a journey to the Cobalt Coastlands. There, Scyther got to know the local Pokemon and the native people who lived there. He saw the damage that was done by the Great Evil-"

"What kind of damage?" Celeste asked innocently.

"A lot of damage. And much evil. Anyway, Scyther went to the Molten Arena, where He met with Arcenine, another Noble Pokemon that the Hero will be blessed with. Arcanine gave Him black augurite from the very core of the volcano. This allowed Scyther to evolve into Kleavor and become strong enough to help the Hero.

"After meeting the Hero, the two traveled across the Obsidian Fieldlands. There Kleavor slashed and hacked and faithfully defended the Hero. But, just like every other being, Lord Kleavor has His weaknesses. For one, the Hero needed to explore Hisui further but could not do so as it was impossible to tell where to go. There were no maps back then. Or fancy gadgets like the one that you have," the nurse paused, "Word spreads fast here. We all know that you have that device that maps out all of Hisui. But I will not press you further about it. Anyway, Lord Kleavor was defeated and the Hero learned an important lesson on hubris. While in the Crimson Wetlands, an evil servant of the Dark Lord attacked those journeying. This being was a large and powerful Hippowdon. Using just a single water-type move, she caused Lord Kleavor to faint. Then, while the Hero tried to escape, she used her powerful jaws to crush both the Hero and faithful Wyrdeer. Thankfully, Ursaluna, one of Almighty Sinnoh's Ride Pokemon, was able to bring the Hero back home. He helped very much, just like how your icy friend was able to rescue you. Almighty Sinnoh then blessed the Hero with the powerful Lilligant, to ensure that the evil Hippowdon cannot harm the Hero again."

"Wow, that's quite a story," Celeste whistled.

"Yes, but the point is that the Hero did not give up. And neither should you. Captain Cyllene can be a little intimidating, but she means well. You truly scared us. But I believe that this is a sign. If you can survive an attack like that, surely Almighty Sinnoh wants you here!"

"That's comforting… I guess," Celeste muttered.

"Well, don't tell me you're giving up," Pesselle frowned.

"No, it's just a lot of expectations. That's all."

"Whenever you feel better, you should apologize to Cyllene. Then head out to quell Lord Kleavor again. After telling her, of course."

Celeste thanked Pesselle for her help and the nurse left the room.

"Why should I apologize to Cyllene?" she grumbled to Froslass.

Probably because she's in charge and ultimately anything that goes wrong falls on her? Froslass shrugged.

"She overreacted. But fine," Celeste sighed and went back to sleep.


After two more days of resting, she left the clinic's bed and walked into the main atrium of the Galaxy Building. Most of her symptoms subsided and Anthe even visited her ro give her a new pair of glasses.

"These ones have a clear frame but I think they're much more fashionable than the red ones!" she said, giving Celeste the present.

"I miss having contacts," Celeste sighed.

"Contacts…?"

"Where I come from, we have small pieces of plastic that we put on our eyes to fix our vision. Or to change our eye color," she paused, noticing Anthe's confused expression, "Never mind. Thank you for the gift."

"Of course! Now, I do feel a bit awkward asking but… I hear so much about the world outside of the gates of Jubilife… I want to create new clothes. Most of my styles are based on nature, I don't know if you noticed. But I think that it would be interesting to create some outfits based on Pokemon. Have you ever heard of Hippopotas? Rei told me all about them, how they have such an interesting skin pattern! Oh, how I would love to see one. I'm sure that I can create amazing patterns based on its coloring."

Celeste glanced at Froslass, "I guess I can try finding one for you-"

Just then, Commander Kamado walked down the stairs. He greeted Anthe and glared at Celeste and Froslass.

"I see you're awake," he told her.

"Yeah, just bumped my head a little. I'm good to go back to the field," Celeste said, trying to brush off Kamado's scowl.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back? You basically just started, and it's strange how a complete stranger would so eagerly do the Corps' work…"

"Not really? You guys offered me shelter and food in exchange for working for you? I think that's a fair deal," Celeste frowned. What is this guy's problem?!

"Truth be told, Celeste, I expected you to already leave. Most newcomers do."

"Maybe because you're not very welcoming?" Celeste muttered under her breath but Kamado heard her.

"You come from who knows where for who knows what with that ice being. Hell, even your face looks different from ours. I must protect my people. Tell me, what are your intentions?"

Celeste glanced at Anthe, hoping that the clothier would defend her. Instead, the brunette woman turned to face a nearby Corps member and started a conversation.

"I don't have any," Celeste said firmly, "And don't worry. I plan on leaving as soon as I can. I miss my home and family."

"Do not take offense, Celeste. I wish for the Pokedex to be done more than anyone here. But it's a little strange that you showed up so suddenly."

"Well, that's how it happened, I don't know what to tell you," she shrugged. Why couldn't he just accept her as a gift from Arceus, like everyone else?

Look, we're going around, running tasks for the people of Jubilife, Froslass piped up, We do not wish to be enemies to you or to anyone else in the village. In fact, Celeste here caught a couple of Pokemon that might be very helpful for the villagers.

Kamado raised an eyebrow, "Speak again."

I'm just saying. We're trying our best. We won't make a mistake like that again. We will calm down the Noble Pokemon.

"You sound familiar," the man grumbled, then turned to Celeste, "Is the ice fiend telling the truth? You'll give my citizens Pokemon?"

"Yes, but they're going to help the people. For example, I overheard the farmers complaining that they can't water their crops. I have a Psyduck tha-"

"And what if these Pokemon attack them? They can destroy the village!"

"They won't destroy the village," Celeste grit her teeth, "I caught them. They're under my control. And they're very docile. Plus these people want Pokemon. Anthe literally just asked me to catch a Hippopota-"

"Do you even know what a Hippopotas is?" Kamado cackled, "You'd need to go to the Crimson Mirelands for one. Given how you couldn't handle yourself in the woods, do you think you should be allowed to go to the bog?"

Celeste was stunned. Where was all this attitude coming from? She met the man only briefly and she thought she made a good first impression.

"Yes," she said firmly, "After I quell Lord Kleavor, I will catch a Hippopotas for Anthe. And whatever other Pokemon the people of Jubilife want."

"Good luck, Celeste," Kamado scoffed and turned towards the staircase, "I do not expect you to survive much longer."

After he left, Celeste turned back to Froslass, "Wow, I definitely prefer Rowan over that guy."

Kind of weird how he'll happily throw you into danger when he obviously doesn't trust you… I'd stay wary of him, Froslass responded.

"I wouldn't let Commander Kamado get to you!" Anthe turned around and smiled at the two.

"He is a little intimidating, but he has his reasons," Bagin, a member of the Security Corps whom Anthe spoke with, said quietly, "He is very protective of us. And he has good reasons. Pokemon are dangerous creatures. I'm sure that over time you two will find some common ground!"

"Hopefully," Celeste responded quietly.

She heard a loud BANG from the room right next to Cyllene's office. She ran into the room- there Professor Laventon was sitting on the floor, rubbing his head.

"Oh hi, Celeste! Nice seeing you out of bed," he grinned widely.

"Everything okay here?"

"Yeah… I just got a little distracted and walked into my board. I realized that maybe I shouldn't have placed so many expectations on you. Rei and Akari will be here any moment. We can go over what went wrong together and decide the next steps."


Celeste appreciated their meeting. Rei brought some sweet and salty snacks while Akari prepared matcha. They listened carefully to Celeste's story of how she used food balls as a weapon.

"You know, we didn't think of that," Rei rubbed his chin, "And it sounds like it worked. Why didn't you just keep throwing those balls?"

"I thought that causing Kleavor to faint would work better. Plus catching Hi-"

"You can't catch a Lord or Lady," Akari piped up, "They are favored by Almighty Sinnoh. Maybe the issue is that your food balls weren't heavy enough?"

"Great point, Akari!" Lavdenton took a seaweed slice, "You know, I was fidgeting with a PokeBall the other day, trying to better get an understanding of how Pokemon can live within it. Perhaps there is some way to use them to capture the Holy Pokemon's favorite foods?"

Celeste thought for a moment. As a part of her major, she was planning on taking a course on the mechanics of PokeBalls. None of her freshman year classes went that in-depth on anything anyway, except for python and some math ones. Thermodynamics kind of went over how PokeBalls trap heat to stay at optimal temperatures for the Pokemon that is housed inside, maybe she can use that to keep the food intact?

"Unfortunately, after playing around with the ball, all I did was accidentally capture Rei," Laventon sighed.

"I didn't even feel anything when I was in it. It was like being dead, but alive," Rei shuddered.

"Can I see it?" Celeste asked.

Laventon gave her a PokeBall that was a little different than the acorn ones she was used to. She grabbed a nearby toolbox and began tinkering with it.

"Uh, what are you doing there?" Akari asked.

Relax, just give her some time, Froslass muttered and looked over her master's shoulder.

"There!" Celeste exclaimed, "Now this ball can capture food!"

How can you be certain?

"Because this is the secret to PokeBalls!" using a screwdriver, her master took out long and sticky, white gunk.

"What is that?" Akari gasped.

"DNA! If I had to guess, it's probably Rei's!"

Celeste, put that down. And go wash your hands. That's disgusting, Froslass wrinkled her nose.

"Wait, what? No, it's not in that form," Celeste rolled her eyes, "Do you remember when Aunt Celina had me isolate DNA from Rawst Berries? I had to put them in a bag and squish them, then add soap, salt, and water. After filtering the remaining mess and adding cold rubbing alcohol, you get DNA. Rawst Berries are made up of octoploid cells so you end up with a lot of it. I wonder how the PokeBall managed to get so many copies. Maybe it has a way to translate it? I wonder if that's what the acorn is for…"

"Hmm, interesting theory!" Laventon finally said, "I am actually not too sure how PokeBalls work either. But I do know that ancient humans used similar techniques as ours. Of course, theirs were much more primitive but technology can only improve over time."

"So, what can we do with this information? And can I have my DNA back?" Rei frowned.

"We can probably program the ball to align with the DNA of the favorite foods of the Lords and Ladies. Then stuff them so that they become heavy," Celeste suggested, "And I don't think I can get all the DNA out of the ball. It seems to be stuck. Sorry."

Wouldn't throwing the balls at the Pokemon just release their content? Froslass pointed out.

"Not if we somehow lock them after 'capturing' the foods," Laventon muttered, "I didn't know that you knew so much about PokeBalls."

"Oh, I don't," Celeste felt her ears turn red, "I just really like machines and building and tinkering. And PokeBalls are just machines in the end, really."

She did want to study engineering in college, Froslass announced proudly.

"Well, I'm sure that between your interest and my knowledge, we can figure something out," Laventon smiled reassuringly.


After a couple days of work, the team made thousands of balms for Celeste to throw. She headed for the eastern gate of the city, ready to face Kleavor again. Before she could head out, a familiar face greeted her at the entrance.

"My, the Galaxy Hall is a beautiful building, even from the outside," the brunette woman sighed.

"Hey Mai. What brings you here?" Celeste fixed her glasses.

"Heard about your little accident. Wanted to see how you're doing," the woman shrugged.

"Oh, I'm fine. Never been better."

"That's quite a scar on your face."

Celeste touched her forehead and frowned, "Thanks for mentioning it."

"Anyway, I had a little conversation with Lord Wyrdeer. He wanted to give you this plate," out of her bag, Mai took out a large, pink tablet. Celeste accepted and studied the plate carefully. There was an energy radiating from it.

It's the Mind Plate, Froslass pointed out.

"Very good!" Mai smiled, "It is a direct creation of Almighty Sinnoh Himself. After creating Time, Almighty Sinnoh formed a Grand Plate that encompassed all of the world's energy. In a moment of anger, He threw the Plate against Mt. Coronet. It broke down into smaller pieces which can empower different Pokemon. The Mind Plate, for example, holds psychic energy and could be used to make Lord Wyrdeer more powerful. Of course, Lord Wyrdeer isn't much of a battler Himself but if you use the plate, He will run much faster."

"Wow, thank you," Celeste put the plate away, "What an incredible gift."

"Don't sound too disappointed. He will aid you on your missions greatly. Now, go and kick Lord Kleavor's ass."


Celeste and Froslass rode Wyrdeer to the Grandtree Arena. This time, Irida was present.

"Lian told me about your little mishap," she said.

"Yeah… I'm more prepared now. I'm ready to face Lord Kleavor," Celeste responded confidently.

"Celeste, I am a leader of the Pearl Clan. I can't just allow an outsider to die. Not under my watch at least. What will my people think? What if Adaman uses this against me?"

"You worry too much about what he thinks," Celeste scoffed.

"N-no. You just don't understand. There's a huge liability in sending you to a sure death. I would be held responsible. I don't know why he trusts you so much anyway," Irida turned red, adding the last part under her breath.

"So you'd rather send Pearl Clan members to their guaranteed death? I said I'm ready to face Kleavor. So let me through."

"Prove it!" Irida narrowed her eyes, "Battle me! You may order the Pokemon you caught in your little PokeBalls but, by my side, I have a Pokemon as close to me as a sister!"

"Okay, bring it on," Celeste shrugged.

Irida walked into a little nearby shack and quickly walked out with a Glaceon. Celeste released Dewott.

"Use water pulse!" Celeste commanded.

Dewott let out a large stream of water. Glaceon braced for the impact.

"Glaceon! Quick attack!" Irida yelled.

The ice-type ran quickly, speeding up until it hit Dewott. Dewott fell back, giving Glaceon another moment to attack.

"Powder snow!" Irida added.

Glaceon released flakes of snow, which fell around Dewott. Dewott shivered from the cold but, ultimately, the move didn't seem to do much damage.

"Aqua tail!" Celeste shouted.

Dewott's tail turned a bright blue. The water-type ran up to Glaceon and hit it full strength, causing the Eeveelution to faint.

"Awesome!" Celeste grinned.

Irida looked at the ground.

"I guess that PokeBalls are a tool of choice. Not a way to disregard Pokemon," she said quietly.

"Yeah. A good trainer will know how to keep their Pokemon close. Whether or not they are in the ball," Celeste said, "Although, there isn't anything wrong with keeping Pokemon out of them."

"I owe you an apology, Celeste. Initially when I met you, I thought that you wanted to control Pokemon. Now I see that they are your partners; your equals," Irida admitted.

Froslass wasn't enough of a clue? Celeste thought, but accepted Irida's apology, "No worries. I get it. I'm new. You don't know me. Now, can I face Lord Kleavor again?"

"Yes. If you truly feel ready. I do not need anyone else dying on my watch. Let me heal your Pokemon first."

After healing Dewott, the party walked up to a ceremonial table right near the entrance. For a moment, no one said anything.

"Ah, there are my old glasses," Celeste broke the silence, seeing the red frames near a tree root.

Don't lose your new ones. I'm sure that Anthe won't want to give you any more free stuff, Froslass sighed.

"Oh mighty Kleavor… Lord of the Woods," Lian suddenly said loudly, annoyed that Celeste and Froslass were chatting, "Though thy ceremony is many moons away, I wish to give thy offerings of thy favorite foods. We offer our gratitude for thy workings between the heavens and the earth and we hope to see you reveal yourself."

"Pay attention, Celeste," Irida whispered, "Lord Kleavor is as fast as He is mighty."

You better be faster, Froslass muttered.

GRAAASHAAA!

The earth shook as Lord Kleavor jumped down from the heavens. Celeste and Froslass grabbed a handful of the balms and walked into the open arena. Streaks of gold surrounded the two; Lord Kleavor's body shone in the sun and Celeste prepared to throw the balms. Once again, the Pokemon roared and dug its ax-arms into the ground. Celeste threw a balm and Froslass threw another. Kleavor ran up to Celeste, raising its left arm. The girl jumped to the side and Froslass positioned herself behind the enraged Pokemon, ready to chuck balms at it.

She remembered Kleavor running into the wall of dirt during their last battle and fainting for a few seconds. She positioned herself in front of the great tree and stood. Kleavor noticed her, released another screech, and ran straight for her.

What the hell are you doing?! Froslass asked from behind the angry Lord.

Just trust me on this, Celeste thought, too tired to say anything out loud.

Celeste, move! Froslass yelled out.

Celeste held her stance. Many thoughts crossed her mind as Kleavor appeared closer and closer. She needed to get out at the right moment. She thought about the tiny Celestic Town and how badly she longed for it. She needs to finish Arceus's stupid quest to go back home.

Celeste! Froslass yelled out again.

How long has she been missing? Is time passing in Hisui at the same rate as in Sinnoh? Does her family even remember her? Do they care that she's gone? She thought about her conversations with her father. She always thought that she and Aunt Celina and her mom had a good relationship. But people can be cruel. And they can hide their evil well.

MOVE! Froslass's voice echoed throughout the forest.

Right before Kleavor could hit her, Celeste moved out of the way. The Pokemon hit the tree head first and immediately fell. Celeste exhaled sharply. She couldn't believe that her idea worked. From the top of the tree, a small, X-shaped Pokemon fell onto Kleavor's head. Right after it, right on the Lord's head, a beehive dropped. Angry Combees followed the beehive and stung Kleavor all over. Celeste threw a PokeBall to catch the Unown then released Dewott to help her and Froslass throw balms at the Kleavor.

Oh, Almighty Sinnoh, please help, Kleavor seemed to say. His voice was much calmer than before; it was pleasant and soothing. Combees continued attacking the Lord Pokemon and Celeste felt a bit guilty. Golden flakes flew off His body into the heavens, revealing His true body: a dull, mustard-colored shell with wooden armor. Combees still flew in from different directions, attacking the poor Lord.

"Drive them away," Celeste commanded Froslass.

Froslass let out a gust of snow- gentle enough for the attacked Lord, but strong enough to send a warning. The Combees flew away, probably to find their Vespiquen.

I am grateful, Almighty Sinnoh, Kleavor dropped to His knees, The lightning strike had driven me mad. I did not wish to behave so erratically.

"At least you're back to normal," Celeste told him, still not believing that her plan worked. She didn't even need to battle!

Thank you, stranger. I am freed from the Evil One.

"'The Evil One'? You mean Giratina?" Celeste frowned.

Kleavor winced, I would be careful throwing names around. But the One you speak of has displeased our Lord for millennia. He is guilty of many Evils, yes. I am sure that He also has something to do with your presence.

Celeste paled, "So it was Giratina who brought me here? Not Arceus?"

In the back, thunder roared. Dark, purple clouds seemed to brew a storm. Kleavor sighed.

Careful with the names! I do not know, but you are different. You are not from here. I would not be surprised if our Great Lord brought you here because of the Evil One.

"So what does He want me to do? Defeat the 'Evil One'?"

Only He knows. But I am thankful to you, hero. Please, accept my son.

Celeste frowned, "Accept your son? What the heck does that mean?"

The leaves on top of the tree rustled. Celeste and Froslass looked up. A mustard-brown Pokemon jumped down in front of them.

As the Great Hero of Sinnoh was aided in the past, I wish to help you as well, Kleavor said, My son is relatively young- only a century old. But his wisdom is immeasurable. He will surely assist you on your quest.

"Wow, 'only' a century old?" Celeste whistled and looked at the young Kleavor. He held out a lime colored tablet which she accepted.

This is the Insect Plate. Not only will it strengthen my son, but I strongly believe that it will be very useful in the ultimate showdown between good and evil, Kleavor Senior said. Then, without a warning, he turned around and ran off.

"That's one way to get out of child support," Celeste scoffed, still holding the plate.

No different than your dad, Kleavor Junior snapped.

"Woah, attitude little one," Celeste scowled.

I'm not 'little.' I am much older than you are, young lady, Kleavor folded his ax-arms. Behind Celeste, Froslass stifled her laughter.

We should get going, Froslass told her master, Remember, Cyllene wants you to update everyone on everything now.

"What happened?" a young voice asked.

Celeste, Froslass, and Kleavor turned around. Lian looked at her in awe while Iridia stared in shock.

"Lord Kleavor's been freed," Celeste announced, And apparently wants me to babysit his kid, she thought.

"A light erupted from His body!" Lian exclaimed, "Is he okay now?"

"He looked okay. What did you two talk about?" Irida grumbled.

"Uh… just Noble Pokemon stuff. He sent Kleavor Junior here to help me on my journey," Celeste gestured towards the bug-rock type, who stuck out his wooden tongue.

"Oh," Irida said, with a hint of jealousy, "The Noble Pokemon never talked to me."

"Because Lord Kleavor is AWESOME!" Lian's eyes shone, "And he knows that Celeste is here for a reason!"

"I suppose so," Irida sighed, "You know, I overheard your townspeople theorizing that you fell out of one of those time-space rifts… Lord Kleavor was driven to madness after being struck by lightning from those rifts."

"The lightning came from the rifts?"

"Wait," Celeste muttered, "Are you accusing me of something?"

"It's just a strange coincidence," Irida quickly said, "We believe that Almighty Sinnoh lives beyond these rifts. Thus these lightning might be His power!"

"Oh no… should we have even interfered?" Lian whispered.

Irida exhaled, "I don't know. On one hand, it could be Almighty Sinnoh. On the other… Generations of Lord Kleavor have been protecting our woods for ages. I don't know if I can believe that Almighty would allow the Lord to turn on us. Unless… unless the Great Evil got to Him too."

Suddenly, the air became cold.

"I hope that is not the case," Celeste said, "I was hoping to return home."

"Either way, I am grateful that you were able to handle this without involving the Diamond Clan, Celeste," Irida smiled meekly, "I apologize for speaking to you so rudely. As a token of my appreciation, I wish to give you a gift."

"Oh?"

Irida took out three pear-shaped berries from her bag. Celeste graciously accepted and put them away.

"We should get back to Jubilife; Cyllene has me report every single small detail now," Celeste said, "Plus, I'm craving some mochi."