Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I own my OCs.

AN: I hope you enjoy binge reading : D

Year 3, Age 9

Another prosperous year in Sinnoh has ended and another begins anew. The League's developments have been diligently carried out steadily, under Elite Lucian's guidance the region has undergone the biggest economic boom in decades. Champion Cynthia's decision to change the official trainer license age from 10 to 15 went over more smoothly than expected due to the events in recent years having brought attention to how dangerous journeys can be. A great deal of strides have been taken to ensure the region's safety and those that inhabit it.

Topaz though is elated. He has one more year left till he can become a Pokemon trainer. Alongside his best friend Jade they study and practice everything they can to be the best trainers they can be. They must savor their last moments as innocent children, unconnected to the dangerous world Volkner wishes to shield them from. All he can do is keep working to ensure they've got the best chance they've got.

~~Spring~~

Topaz Heart

Location:Sunyshore Gym Workshop.

I sat at the computer desk overlooking all the data relating to the Sunyshore solar panels with a pile of books right next to me. All of it necessary in order for me to make sense of all the complexities involved. I like to believe I'm smart for my age and I do well in school, but this is just a lot.

Before you ask, yes I know I am 9 years old and that this should be beyond me, but I come from a smart family understand? Anyway, basically Volkner was around this age when he started fiddling with electronics, so Volkner is honing my brain so I can get used to working on complex machines. If I manage to keep this up I could see myself tinkering away at a number of gadgets easily enough. I just have to be willing to put in the work. According to what I've read, electric type specialists tend to be quite smart, different from psychic types though there is a connection.

I don't know if you've noticed, but electric types seem to have a high affinity for psychic types moves, there's quite a lot who can for whatever reason use a large variety of them. The theory is that due to electricity constantly coursing their body it stimulates their brains allowing them to perform psychic feats more advanced than most other types. It's akin to how fairy types have a strong affinity with nature allowing them to use grass moves or how ice is just solid water explaining why water types can learn so many ice moves.

As mentioned before humans adapt to the Pokemon they surround themselves with and since we live with electric types (and get shocked frequently) our brains are a bit more stimulated than most. It was the case for Volkner at least and while I may not have received the full benefits, I'm no dummy.

I can't believe he figured all this out on his own though.

So far I've made good progress. I am beginning to understand what makes these solar panels tick, so eventually if something were to go wrong I could fix them. According to Volkner, once you start tinkering with one thing you start tinkering everything: Pokeballs, Pokedexes, poketches, even robots. Eventually in school I plan on taking a tinkering class to help hone my skills, but until then I'll keep going at it.

Or I would like to if I could figure this part out.

I got up to search one of the bookshelves for Volkner's notebooks. I read quite a bit, but I tend to not look too deeply into his notebooks. My tastes lie with mythos, history and science, not electronics, but I've begun to enjoy it more and more. I scanned the bookshelf till I stumbled upon an older notebook with a worn cover. Curious, I pulled it out to check the first page. Behind the book cover revealed the owner of this old journal: Vanna Heart.

"Mom's journal?" I held out the book as though it were some foreign object. It had been here all along? Most of my mother's possessions were taken in by grandparents and put into storage, my father's parents took his stuff back to Alola from what I remember. I'm guessing this is one of the few journals she never really bothered to take home.

Flipping to a random page I began to read:

.-continue to provide almost as many answers as they do new questions. It's evident that there's a specific energy within the Coronet range that allows specific Pokemon to evolve here. It seems to affect Pokemon with connections to the ground mostly, which makes sense. A mountain range helps Pokemon that live in a mountain range. However, the way this energy is generated is yet a mystery. It seems to become more powerful as you progress up the mountain, due to the appearance of more wild Probopass and Magnezone the further up you go. So presumably it has something to do with the peak. This however is further complicated by the fact the same phenomenon is true the deeper you go into the Coronet range. There are a number of possibilities that could cause this, but the primary two are thus. Either the energies are similar, and due to humans not traversing the higher and lower points nearly as frequently this energy is more abundant. Whether because humans have an in-built interference or they've taken materials that generate this energy, I do not know. The other potential explanation is that the peak has a different sort of energy than the underground. I bring this up due to how I found a few wild Scizor further up the mountain, but not nearly to the same degree of Probopass and Magnezone. Further investigation of whether other Pokemon with unique evolution conditions are affected as well further towards the peak should prove fruitful.

I read all the way to the bottom of the page, but that was it for this entry. I checked further pages for more and there were indeed quite a lot featuring her time studying Mount Coronet. I decided to read an entry that caught my eye:

To test a theory I have requested Rod to bring a Charjabug to Mount Coronet to train. Charjabug evolve by feeding off intense electrokinetic waves in the vicinity while undergoing intense labor. In rare instances it has been observed that several ally electric types, typically of their own line, would generate these waves for their fellows to evolve. Other methods involved traveling to specific locations where the waves needed were emitted by the minerals and rocks at the location.

After a quick training session with Charjabug they paused mid battle and began to gather an enormous amount of electrical energy into itself before triggering the evolution. While the energy obtained was more drastic than it would be in Alola I can only assume it was to speed up the process. The entirety of Mount Coronet emits these waves and the newly born Vikavolt seems to show no noticeable differences between those born in Alola.

While we have solved this mystery I have so many more caverns to traverse to satiate my curiosity. It is not a secret that Mount Coronet is a revered landmark of the Sinnoh region, splitting it directly in half, but there's so much more to it that must be uncovered. Unfortunately Rod has relayed to me that if we travel too deep underground we may become exceedingly lost due to its warped nature, but that simply spurs my curiosity. For now we will retreat to the surface in order to regroup, report back to Professor Rowan and hopefully acquire a suitably skilled guide for our next excursion into the Underground of Coronet.

The entry ended there and I released the breath I was not aware I was holding. The way she spoke with such direct and unadulterated thirst for knowledge was very reminiscent of how my mother spoke to everyone. She was not a woman to simply stop mid research without valid reasoning. I don't remember everything about her as I was too young and I thought I had more time, but she used to study under Professor Rowan until she graduated and became her own professor of sorts.

Judging by how ancient the journal was I can only guess this was possibly during her years working under Professor Rowan. My dad was mentioned too, so I guess he was helping her out with her research.

I've never asked my Sinnohan grandparents how they met and I doubt they'd be able to tell me much. From what I can gather mom was a private person which I can relate to a bit. My Alolan grandparents were all too happy to tell me about how my dad got a chance to work with Professor Rowan as a researcher along with my mother. He was a skilled enough trainer to help keep the researchers safe, while also learning about more advanced Pokemon studies.

Nonetheless, I kept reading entries in her journal completely forgetting about the task Volkner had assigned for me. I was immediately engrossed in the bevy of little discoveries she made over the years. I compared dates of her entries to scientific breakthroughs and quite a lot were close in relation.

Her entries here seemed to contribute to more trainers taking their Nosepass and Magneton to Mount Coronet to evolve as that was not exceedingly common knowledge. Others went to Mount Coronet to either catch or train steel and electric type Pokemon as it seemed they adapted well to the environment.

All of a sudden I felt I had so much to live up to. Familiar words rang through my mind, but they were too faint for me to recall what they were exactly so I pushed it out of my mind. I turned toward my computer screen at the data before me, gradually gathering my thoughts until I reached an epiphany.

My fingers moved on their own as I began connecting everything I knew about solar panels as well as the custom data Volkner has allowed me to look into before I came to a conclusion of my own: How to improve the electric feeding power plants.

These power plants are to deter electric types from feeding off power plants used for human use. They can drain electricity from these places as they please and they also act as excellent lightning rods so electric types love to flock to them during storms. They absorb the electricity via the various tesla coils around the power plant and depending on which one they go to the 'flavor' of the electricity changes.

The flow of charge can have alternate tastes, but to each their own. I may have thought of another type of electricity they could add which should have a different taste for those with unique palettes.

Having no idea if this would actually be fruitful I emailed the details to Volkner and reclined back into my chair.

I wonder if I created spicy electricity. Oooh what if it's red or green? I've never seen green electricity before.

Deciding I had done enough of that for one day, I took my mother's journal with me, ran over to a couch and began to binge read her explorations of the Underground of Mount Coronet. All the way into the night.

~Sunyshore Book Store~

"Thank you sir!" I bowed my head quickly to the bookshop clerk.

"My pleasure young lad. Anything for a lad so eager to learn. If only your friends were so willing to read as much as you."

I wouldn't call them my friends per say, sans Jade, but he only buys sketchbooks.

"Maybe one day! Anyway, got to go!" I ran out of the store with my new book Sinnoh Underground for Dummies vol 1. It's been a few days since I had found my mother's journal and fiddled with the solar panels. Unfortunately my mother had difficulty proceeding in her research due to the sheer danger of the Underground so they felt it was safest to leave, but I still had questions.

As for my solar panel plan, Volkner actually liked my idea and looked super proud when he was talking about it. Well, as proud as his face allows, but it still meant a lot! There were some parts he was going to fix up, but he said he expected a lot. A new electricity food resource went a bit above and beyond even that. Hopefully we can add it in soon, but until then my focus was solely on my new book.

The Sinnoh Underground fascinated me. An entire subterranean system the size of Sinnoh lurking under our feet fascinated me beyond words. While we can access it easily enough it does not follow the same laws as our world.

Distances are skewed, minerals can be planted and grow at phenomenal rates, entire sub-cultures living their lives, fossils from all over the world have been unearthed there. There was so much that I didn't understand and it just made me love it more!

I found myself in the rustic district of town. It was still too cold for the beach, but it was nice enough to peacefully sit outside. I found a table and bench by one of the shrines underneath a sakura blossom tree.

It was usually pretty isolated and very quiet, an ideal place for me. In the distance I could see a Regigigas and Heatran figurine I assume having been placed as an offering.

Regigigas and Heatran are often used as symbolism for the Underground as it's said that Regigigas moved the continents meanwhile Heatran is the embodiment of the Earth's molten core. I was curious if either had anything to do with the Underground's current condition, but hopefully the brush upon it in this volume as I began to read.

I stayed like that for a good while, eating up every word so I could use it for future reference. A lot of it pertained to trainers and how to get started on the underground and while this was a bit early for me to be reading, I had to admit it was satisfying to read nonetheless.

I've never swung a pickaxe before in my life, but I'm sure it can't be that hard. Surely it can't be so easy to make entire walls fall over little chinks in the wall. What if they found a fossil!? If it collapsed I'm definitely going back in with my Pokemon.

After reading for a good while without stopping I got the overwhelming need to stretch and grab a snack from a vending machine before continuing. My desire for fruit snacks prevailed over my ability to focus.

"Enjoying your book?"

I open my eyes to see a teenager with long blonde hair and a pitch black outfit greet me casually from across the table. In the background I spied a magnificent Milotic socializing with a gorgeous Roserade. After my brain processed what the heck was happening I managed to find my words.

"C-Cynthia?" I checked my surroundings just to make sure I was actually still by the shrine. After reading about distortions for so long I thought I had ended up in one, but it was still the same.

Yeesh, how hard did I zone out?

Despite my flustered state I managed to wave at Aphrodite the Milotic and Idun the Roserade respectively, Cynthia's companions. They gave a calm wave and tail flick back. "How long have you all been here exactly?"

Did I really not notice the champion, a walking rose and a giant sea serpent walk in… or in Aphrodite's case slither in?

She shrugged. "Oh, about an hour. I had some reports to look through and plans to make, so you needn't worry. You've not kept me from anything. I just figured I'd say hello, since I needed to talk to Volkner. He said you'd gone out, and I find you reading up on the Underground. I'd ask if you find it intriguing, but. Well, I did come flying in on Reginleif and you simply looked annoyed that the table had shook a bit."

I looked at the table and did notice it had shifted a bit, but I also remember scowling and moving over.

So this is why Volkner says I need a chaperone. Am I okay? How low does your awareness need to be for you to be committed? Questions for later.

"I vaguely remember ignoring that. Sorry," I sheepishly apologized. "Volkner says I run on my own terms when I've got a good book in my hands. I just keep reading till I get inspired. Guess he was not kidding at all."

She just laughed and waved her hand a bit. "You've nothing to worry about. I'd recommend waiting until you're at home to do something like that personally, but I'm not exactly in a position to judge. My family keeps telling me to try and sleep in my bed and not on my desk, but I have a habit of forgetting humans need sleep when I'm pouring over myths."

"Usually one of Volkner's Pokemon follows me around, but they were all busy so I decided to just head out on my own. I'm nearly 10 so soon I'll be able to do it all the time!... but next time I'll read with wary company."

She nodded, satisfied, before glancing at the book I was reading. "Oh! I have a fun idea. How would you like to come to the Underground with me? Nothing special, just the upper layers for now. You're clearly interested, so why not show you some of it along with where I spend… probably too much time."

Before she could say another word I was on the table, the book stashed back into my bag ready to depart. "I'm good to go!"

She smiled brightly. "Then come, day doesn't last forever!" She took my hand and walked over to a more deserted part of the city, bordering on not being in the city anymore. "No one should mind here. Reginleif?"
Her gargantuan Garchomp burst out, though with a bit of a smile. She gave a gentle rumbling before blasting into the ground, quickly making an angled tunnel as Cynthia looked to me. "So, would you like to go first or should I?"

"Wait, I thought Sunyshore City had its own Underground entrance?" I asked. "Is digging here really okay? Can we just dig anywhere?" This time I asked with excitement.

"No," she elaborated, "you can't just dig anywhere. However, I know you're not the biggest fan of people and I'd prefer to not be set on by loads of people at the moment. Reginleif is wonderful at filling holes back in and leaving little to no signs of it having ever been dug, and I made sure to ask her to dig in a place no one will mind. Besides," as a grin spread across her face, "Where's the fun in not having a little bit of adventure?"

Sounds fair game to me.

I peered down the hole. "Wow, she really is good at digging holes. How far did she- no nevermind, we can find out!" I took a cautious step in testing the incline before affirming it was safe and then jogged a few steps down before I called out to Cynthia. "It's dark!"

"You get used to it. For now though? First lesson," as she pulled out a lantern, "you always want one of these on you. Or someone who can make a light source. Or if you've got some gadget or really any way to make sure you can see where you're going."

She held the lantern up, illuminating the tunnel down. It sloped fairly gently, with various rocks having been pulverized on the way down. There was a faint blue light ahead though, and as we walked it got brighter. Soon enough we were in the tunnels themselves.

Taking the chance of the opportunity I decided to ask Cynthia a more personal question.

"So where were you before you came to Sunyshore? The League?"

She glanced over before smiling. "Simply spending some time with Caitlyn. She's aspirations of becoming part of the Unovan elite four, and she's quite close to that goal. She wanted to know if I had any tips I hadn't told her, given I'm a champion and all."

"Hey… isn't she a Frontier Brain? I thought they were already super strong. That's what the news says anyway."

I dunno much about the Frontier Brains, but this piques my interest.

"They are," she continued while making sure I kept my footing, "But she's a bit of a special case. She rarely actually fought herself, and felt it wasn't right for her to simply inherit a position. So especially after Helheim she wanted to prove herself in her own right. Not to mention getting a better grasp of her abilities. We journeyed together, talked and she eventually decided she'd like to be part of the elite four in Unova." A smile crossed her face. "But she's doing better now, and that's what's important."

I took a close look at Cynthia's face and her smile was a bit different than usual. As though she was thinking of very fond memories.

Is she… blushing?

"So you two are really close huh?"

She chuckled awkwardly. "I suppose we are, aren't we?"

Oh wow, is this what being smitten looks like? Jade would eat this up if he knew… so I'll keep it a secret. Plus, it's none of our business.

We continued down through the tunnels till we arrived at large steel supports. They were pretty big, with riveted steel supports holding them open and the occasional support beam up top. Otherwise, the ground was well worn and dusty. The walls had rocks poking out of them, some shining just a tad. The air was a bit staler down here than above, but you could still smell the sea and near the vents were wall sconces with sparking blue crystals glowing with an azure light.

As I was taking it all in, along with the huge Garchomp looking quite pleased with herself, Cynthia put a hardhat on my head. "Nearly forgot, but you should have that on."

I touched the hat and giggled with glee. "I'm a real miner!" I properly took in our surroundings before landing on the lights. "Are those lanterns illuminated with electric stones? What Pokemon are down here? Where should we go next? What do you plan on mining? Is it really as hard as they say? Where's your helmet?" I turned to Reginleif. "Thanks for the drill down Reginleif! You're fast in the sky and ground!"

She gave a pleased roar while Cynthia shook her head smiling. "You never run out of questions and I wouldn't have it any other way. The lanterns are electric stones. They're found deeper down, but we won't be going there today. Perhaps you can find them on your own though, there should be some on the levels you're allowed to go before going on your journey. We're going to stay in this general area, since it's far enough away from the communal entrance to have some interesting tidbits scattered about. I plan on mining… whatever catches our eyes, really. I highly doubt we'll come across anything like a fossil or evolutionary stone this high up, but I'm sure there'll be learning experiences. It can be quite hard, but you get better as you go. All sorts of Pokemon can be down here, but at this level you're gonna be hard pressed to find anything besides a Geodude, Zubat or Bronzor. Sometimes a Hippopotas too, but they show up more lower down. And as for where my hat is…" she gave a bit of an awkward chuckle. "You have it. I forget about it unless I'm going to be sitting in one spot for a while. I've faith in my team and myself to be able to handle the odd falling rock. But more importantly…" she smiled. "What are you hoping to find on this excursion?"

That's a good question. Frankly I'm just glad to be here, but… "I just want to enjoy the experience. And swinging a pickaxe! It can't be that hard right? An entire wall can't collapse after a little kid hitting it? Right?"

She hesitated slightly, moving her hand back and forth just a bit. "Aah, I'd say that maybe that's for later. After I show you how. Depending on how hard you hit it… yeah, a fair bit of wall can collapse. There's different types of pickaxe, different rocks to hit, different densities of dirt, and you of course always need to be gentle enough to not full on break what you're trying to find. And you'd be surprised what a little kid with a hard object can do." She glanced around, before her eyes zeroed in on one specific section of wall. That looked just like all the rest. "Perfect!"
Reginleif followed as we walked over to the wall she'd decided was special. "Can you tell me anything about this wall, Topaz?"

I took a step back to observe the entire corridor from end to end. Either my sight is going with my sense of awareness or I'm missing something. "I can tell you… it's a wall. But I am going to assume there's something there."

Books can only teach you so much before you have head out into the field and actually work things out.

She nodded before running her hand along a specific section of wall. A bit of dirt brushed away easily. "There's a bulge here, but more than that. You see how the dirt is looser here? That means something pushed it out of the way. Buried stones and ores grow in the Sinnoh underground, so that's a telltale sign. Others of the like are glinting if it's poking out from the wall, how worn the floor is, if when there's a lot of hard rocks there seems to be an abnormal pattern and so on. I can't go into it all, but seeing and understanding the differences is a major step forward in navigating the Underground."

"I see…" I placed my hand on the wall. I brushed my hand against it and I immediately found the differences between where the stones were and what was just a normal wall. I had totally missed it.

Maybe I should get glasses.

"Oh yeah," I turned to Cynthia. "I heard about these things called Secret Bases. Ya know like in spy movies. The book said they've got them in Hoenn too, but to create them you've got to use this move called Secret Power. Does that work here?"

She tilted her head a bit. "Yes, but the Sinnoh method is a bit different. We can't rely on our Pokemon partners for everything after all." And then she pulled out a drill the size of her head from her pack. "Now using this is when I like to have my hard hat on."

"Oooh, can I try?"

She quickly put it back in her pack. "No. Not what we're here for, and that's something you need a bunch more practice for. Besides, you wouldn't want to make a secret base where loads of people pass by would you? Isn't much of a secret then."

"True," I was tempted to ask her about her own Secret Base, but like she said, it's secret for a reason. "Do you find them often? There's this whole flag system and you gain perks when you steal them right?"

She sighed contentedly. "Yes, that's a whole thing. Me and Byron have been setting traps and getting into the other's base for a while now. It's quite fun." She gestured to a wall behind her. "And while there's a secret base there, there's a reason I don't go after newer miners. It's no fun if everyone's just taking your flag when you're still trying to find bases. But back to this wall." She pulled out a pickaxe, a smaller pickaxe and a hammer. "These are the primary tools you use. A pickaxe to venture deeper, the smaller one for more precise poking around and a hammer for less precise poking around. Of course there's plenty of other tools, but these are the main ones."

I nodded carefully overlooking the tools. They looked quite a bit different than the tools in the book, but it's not surprising that the champion and experienced miner would have only the best tools. I could tell they'd been used countless times, but they were no worse for wear even sporting ornate designs in the metal.

While I wanted to discuss more about Secret Bases, it was time to get back on track. "So, from what I understand once you find your mining spot you begin to work at it right? Right here," I pointed at a particularly thick cluster. "That's where you'd use a hammer, I think. Meanwhile over here," I moved my hand to a much lighter, softer rock. "Is where the pickaxe would be useful."

"Yes and no," she said, holding up the smaller pickaxe, "but you're not wrong. The softer rock is what you want to use the smaller pickaxe on. And the harder cluster would require the hammer if we intended to get through it. However, in clusters like this it's always worth carving them out before splitting them apart. Most of the time you'll find more rocks, but sometimes you find something more special. And I'd say that being gentler all the time and finding something some of the time is better than hammering away all the time and finding nothing."

She then went to chipping away around the cluster, along with the part of the wall she'd highlighted earlier. There was a glimmer in her eyes not unlike the glimmer that met them when she uncovered a small, slightly jagged yellow gem. She then quickly broke the cluster into fragments, finding nothing but a few flecks of ore which she put back in the wall with the dirt.

Then she turned to me excitedly. "Can you tell me what this is?"

It took only a glance for me to realize. "Topaz!" I leaned over to get a closer look. I had noticed that she placed some shards back in for them to regrow later which is also a smart habit I ought to remember, but this grabbed my attention.

"Lucky! My parents named me Topaz after my eyes! That's what my grandparents in Alola said anyway. I've always loved them because of it." I marvelled at the raw topaz for a few moments longer having never actually seen one outside of a museum.

She held it out for me to see. For something just taken out of a wall, it was pretty clean. Maybe that comes from being good at mining? Whatever, it was shimmering and had the occasional spark run across it. "Would you like to have it?"

"Can I?" I noticed it spark again. Can rocks feel my emotions now or is that just a coincidence?

"If you want it," she said warmly. "This is an excursion for your sake after all, it's only right that you should have a memento."

After I finished nodding vigorously and I think I jumped for joy a bit, but I calmed myself down to give her a resounding yes. She then gladly handed it over, leaving me to look at it while she rummaged for something in her pack.

Within the topaz gem I could see it spark every so often, the electricity of Sunyshore coursing through it. I figure it's due to the high concentration of electric types in the area that has affected even the Earth all the way down here which also explains the glowing rocks. It fit my aesthetic perfectly too.

Even though I wasn't a super strong trainer like Volkner and Cynthia was the super busy champion she still made time for me. It… it felt really nice. Volkner of course makes time for me too, but we're family. He's got no obligation and I get that, but it must've made things easier.

Cynthia and I aren't related yet she also stops by for a chat. She's a genuine person who wants to make the region a much better place, so she's got a lot on her shoulders. Yet here she is, happily mining away with me just to give me the experience. I may not act out like Jade in class, but I still want someone to pay attention to me sometimes.

My thoughts moved me before I could even realize and I was hugging Cynthia tightly. Water brushed against my cheek and I touched it in confusion thinking there must've been a leak somewhere. Indeed there was and it was straight from my eyes. I didn't know how or why this happened, but my chest was tight.

It pained me. I couldn't remember the last time I hugged someone, not even a Pokemon, it was a foreign feeling yet I needed it so badly. She looked down in surprise, but quickly hugged me back and just gently rubbed my back. "It's alright. I'm not going anywhere."

Whatever words I wanted to say couldn't escape my mouth. Instead my tears began to flow as free as a waterfall as I began to cry. Whatever emotional dam within me burst at this moment and I couldn't stop it. Memories flooded back to the day when my mother dragged me through the rain. The dizzy spells and confusion. The promises she made before she abandoned me alone at my grandparents' front door like I was an abandoned Rockruff. The sheer isolation and loneliness I felt until I could finally go back to school and meet Jade. All these years… it had become too much. And now Cynthia was just here, hugging me back. There was a soft noise from Reginleif as she patted my head a bit with one of her claws. More calming than you'd think.

"It's alright Topaz. You've been through a lot. You're strong. You have so much life to live ahead of you. I know it's hard right now, and it's been hard for a while. But I promise you there's a light waiting for you at the end." She put a hand on my head and smiled warmly. "And I'm certain that light is being shone in part by you."

Her words resonated with me more than anything I had ever heard before. She did not merely say this as comfort, but she stated it as though it was absolute fact. A guaranteed. The promise she made to me… it was different from my mother's. This one didn't give me any feelings of hesitation or anxiety. It was reassuring, calming. I could trust her words, guaranteed. Even from Reginleif I got a strange feeling of warmth as though I were sitting by a hearth warmed by a dragon's flame. I can't explain why it felt that way, but it did. I muffled my thanks to the both of them and just held on.

"Topaz, do you want to know something I've learned from everything that's happened recently? I knew it before, but I think it's important for you to know too."

I nodded silently.

She looked at me genuinely, holding me close. "Your family isn't something that anyone but you can define. And just because a family member isn't around doesn't mean they're gone, so long as you remember them. But you aren't alone. And you won't be. Volkner, Roland, everyone is there for you. But you have to be the one to decide they're family. You're like my little brother, and I want to make sure you're okay. So if you need to talk to me like this, or just need me to say hi, or a hug or anything? Let me know. I'll be there for you. And I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

I nodded again. I believe her. I believe in her and her words. That was enough for me. She just stayed there with me for a while, not letting go before I was ready. And ruffled my hair a bit. "You know, Volkner should have some tools around. Something you get used to as a miner is making your own tools and equipment with what you find. Your first thing you make could be something with that topaz."

I looked at the topaz curiously before an idea came to light. "I think I've already got an idea," I looked down demurely. "You two are good at this. I don't think I've ever vented like that before. Hope I didn't mess up your coat or anything."

She shook her head. "Not at all. And I have had quite a bit of practice. But just know? You're not alone. You won't be again. And soon? You're gonna meet a lifelong partner. I just hope they can keep a lookout for you when you zone out."

I sighed. "I'll work on that. Anyway, um, that was a good cry. Can we keep going or do you have to go now? It's cool if you do, I feel way better now."

"I can stay a while longer," she said gently, "it's still light aboveground. Not for too much longer, but you're safe here. Just tell me when you're ready."

"Got it!" I nodded happily at her and Reginleif. "Onward then!"

We spent some more time underground, Cynthia showing me some orbs and how weirdly shaped they can get. It was nice. Eventually though she walked me back up when the sun was setting, and when I looked back the hole Reginleif made was just some loose dirt. She took me home, some people looking at the Champion and why a kid was with her but she didn't care. She simply said hello and made sure I got home okay.

"Thanks again Cynthia, Reginleif. I feel… exponentially better. Today was a lot of fun!"

Reginleif gave a happy roar while Cynthia just ruffled my hair. "I'm glad you enjoyed that so much. Maybe when you're experienced with mining we could end up running into each other. Hopefully just not running away from a cave-in."

"Awww, that sounds like the best part!" I joked. "Trainers live for life threatening situations!"

She chuckled. "Not intentionally we usually don't, but you have a point. Enjoy your dinner Topaz. And go say hi to your family here."

"I will. You two get home safe! Thanks again for everything!" I gave Cynthia and Reginleif each a proper bow. They deserve that. "When I become a trainer I'll do Sinnoh proud! I promise you that!"

She smiled brightly. "I know you will." She gave me another quick hug before she hopped aboard Reginleif, the two waved and then were off into the sky with the wind whistling in their wake.

I watched them fly away a bit before heading inside. I walked in to see Volkner cooking his signature pasta and meatballs. Roland was sitting patiently at the table, Froberge was relaxing on the couch while Marsil was juggling the ingredients. All gave me a quick greeting which I returned in kind, but then they all began to look at me a bit differently.

"Hey Topaz, you were gone for a while. How ya been?" Volkner paused mid stir. "You look different… it suits you. What happened?"

I chuckled a bit to myself and gave him my sincerest smile. "I got a hug."

Volkner raised an eyebrow in confusion and surprise. "Oh? Good on ya? I assume you're hungry though, so wash your hands and sit at the table. Dinner is nearly done."

"Okay Uncle!" I ran off to the bathroom to wash my hands. I looked into the mirror good and proper. My expression truly was different. My eyes were brighter, illuminated. Cynthia had shone me the light and now I've got to follow it to be the best trainer I can be.

~~Summer~~

Volkner Beacon

Location: Sunyshore Silph Co. Building

I leaned against a wall checking my pokenav for the time. Past midnight. Sunyshore is a busy place, especially during the summer, but most people are at their homes relaxing or sleeping by now. Froberge was with me, lurking in the shadows adeptly, scanning our surroundings. I had elected to wear a hoodie tonight in order to somewhat conceal my identity, I basically have a mop of blonde hair on my head which anyone could recognize me with.

We had gotten reports from some concerned citizens of a suspicious individual scoping out the building. While usually I'd brush this off, there have been reports in other cities of tech company buildings being stolen from so if this was the same culprit I ought to stake it out. Somehow the thieves are able evade law enforcement each time and sometimes even overpower them so I had some of my fellow gym trainers with me on this one. We communicated via Zachery's, my right hand, Medicham and his telepathy. Trained especially for missions like this.

"Lux," Froberge caught my attention as his eyes began to glow even brighter. "Lux luxray!" I took out my night vision goggles to better see in the dark to see someone escaping with a bag with what I believe was a Lopunny along with them.

This is Volkner, the thief was already inside and is leaving through the rear window. They've got a Lopunny with them. Pursue!

I quickly placed a portable saddle onto Froberge and hopped on as he made his mad dash. Judging by how Froberge is acting there don't seem to be any allies of theirs closeby so they must've stolen from the building alone. In the distance I noticed them quickly jump out of the window and onto a nearby roof before dashing ahead.

There was no need to direct Froberge as he was right on their tails, with a great heave jumped onto the building to resume chase. In the distance they were making good headway, but I had complete faith in Froberge to catch up.

Unlike me the thief wasn't using any Pokemon to ride on, simply using their innate athleticism to jump from building to building with an deftness I would've expected from a gymnast. Froberge had their scent trail and could easily spot them atop the rooves. We had trained so he wouldn't be distracted by unnecessary targets so this was childplay's.

Froberge and I are pursuing on the rooftops. Keep up if you can.

There were a bevy of responses, but I was only focused on what was ahead of me. The thief and Lopunny had obviously done this many times before and Froberge wasn't exactly an expert on roof jumping, but he got the gist fairly quick. We were gaining on them due to his large strides and superior night sight, but the Lopunny turned around to fire at Ice Beam at us while we were in midair.

"Cut through with Night Slash!" Riding electric types often hindered them from their full capabilities as most electric moves emerge from the body and it would be difficult to maneuver ourselves in the air, so barreling through was a fine option. Froberge's paw became coated in darkness as he cleaved through the Ice Beam before landing on the roof. Lopunny and the trainer hadn't stayed to watch us fall, so we kept up our pursuit.

Judging by the direction they were going they weren't leaving by water and the only land route nearby is Route 222. I can work with this. I took out my pokenav and called the Sunyshore Ranger base conveniently located by Route 222.

"This is Leader Volkner, I'm chasing a thief and their Lopunny through Sunyshore City heading your way, I'm sending you my location. Track it, I'm right on their tail," I spoke into the nav holding onto Froberge as best I could with one hand. They understood I wasn't exactly in a convenient position and went in to move out. This may seem like a lot for a thief, but they stole from Silph. Team Rocket made that look easy a couple of years ago sure, but they've upped their security tremendously since then. Only a true professional could break in and out so expertly.

Eventually they ran out of roof to jump and came into the western mountainous area of the city. I finally got a good look at the thief: a woman. She was wearing a mask and dark blue clothing as camouflage in the night unfortunately, so that was everything discernable I could speak of.

She quickly sent out a Noctowl, but rather than fly on top of her, she instead elected to slide down the mountain alongside her Lopunny and Noctowl.

Smart. Flying through the air against an electric trainer wouldn't end well.

Froberge caught up and began hopping down the mountain on any steady platforms he could find. It wasn't necessarily a comfy ride, but we had trained for moments like these.

I reached towards my belt for a capsule I was hoping I wouldn't have to use, the advanced stun gun I had developed. It wasn't anything special in my opinion and I had no intention of making anymore, but it was useful for subduing targets. Unfortunately it has a cooldown so I have to make every shot count.

Essentially it shoots a lance of electricity at the opponent akin to a Thunder Wave in order to paralyze them, so it's shaped like a rifle though I can fire it with one hand. Albeit it'll be a challenge doing so while tactfully jumping down a moment, aiming at a moving target in the dark, but I was never one to shy away from challenges. When I had proper line of sight and a good idea where she would land next I pulled out my stun gun and shot where she would be going midjump. Unfortunately, Lopunny deflected it easily with a swift Ice Beam covering the mountain's surface in ice.

Shit.

Froberge landed uncomfortably slipping onto several unfavorable platforms sending us off course.

"Magnet Rise," I ordered and before Froberge plummeted down the mountain he used magnetic energy to allow himself to Levitate, before he began to dive down the mountain as well. In the distance I could see the thief swinging through the forest with her Pokemon in hot pursuit. I pulled out Marsil's Pokeball and began to speak to it. "Pursue the woman, Lopunny and Noctowl through the trees."

After relaying her orders I tossed the Pokeball into the forest in the general direction of where they were all going. After a few seconds the Pokeball rebounded back into my hand as always. You used to need to wear special gloves in order for it to return to your hand, but Silph Co figured out a way to make it rebound regardless. I even messed with a few Pokeballs to figure them out, complex tech.

Pokeballs are almost too convenient.

Froberge continued to soar through the sky, but it wasn't as effective at this distance from the ground. Pokemon using the move could levitate off the ground sure, but the higher you go from the ground the more difficult it becomes to move. He began to descend steadily till he could find proper footing and continue the chase. In the distance I could see several sparks flash through the sky.

It took a few more strides to get through the woods, but I managed to spot how the thief got through the forest so quickly. If there wasn't a nearby branch, she'd simply grab her Noctowl's legs and swing from them. Mixed with her never ending pool of energy, she was fast.

Unfortunately too fast, as she had escaped into a deep hole I can only assume leads to the Underground with her Pokemon. Another problem was the giant Tyranitar standing in our way. Marsil looked like she had been sucker punched in the face, but she simply wiped the dirt off her face and squared off. I leaped off Froberge who took on a battle stance as well, still able to fight.

A yawning sigh suddenly cut through the tension. Froberge barked at the shadows from where a young man, looking around 3 years older than me stepped into the moonlight. Though it was dark, I could more easily see his appearance. He had darker skin complexion akin to Topaz except he had grayish black hair, his face mostly hidden by the fedora on his head. What really weirded me out was how he was wearing Pancham pajamas with sneakers.

The man tilted his head and I could see the coal dust smeared across his face and his hazel brown eyes were far too relaxed, as though he'd just woken up. Upon closer inspection I noticed vertical scars over both of his eyes as well.

What am I looking at here?

I eyed the hole he stood in front of, but with a simple stomp the Tyranitar filled it up. It looked like a Sand Tomb to me, but the way it was so casually executed made me cautious.

The mystery man stretched, yawning again. I pulled out my league badge and showed it to him. The loss of the thief angered me, but this was the first time anyone has seen her accomplice. I had to make this count. "I am a member of the Sinnoh League. You just aided in the escape of a criminal, so you can either come quietly or resist. Same end result, but I'll let you choose."

He squinted at the badge before looking me over. "Aha! You're the Sunyshore Gym Leader. Sparky right?" He stroked his chin. "They say you're the strongest gym leader in the region. You could've been a member of the Elite Four, right? Come on and admit it, you couldn't be bothered. We lazy guys like to save our energy."

"I wish you could save me some time and tell me what the hell you think you're doing. How about that?" My hand was still firmly clenched around my stun gun. The man rubbed his chin once again before turning to the Tyranitar. "Hey buddy, think we should tell him what we're doing?"

The Tyranitar simply huffed, not deigning the question with a verbal answer he wouldn't even understand. "Sorry Sparky, you heard the big guy. That was absolutely a 'fuck off' huff huff."

Arceus is he annoying, but luckily Froberge had snuck into the shadows early in this conversation. Albeit I'm not sure if he was actually unnoticed by the actual dark type in front of us. Nonetheless he took his chance and attempted to leap upon the human, but he swiftly ducked and the Tyranitar took a big swing at Froberge. Seizing the chance he gave me I fired another shot straight at the guy, but a small Stone Edge shield protected him.

"Someone is hasty. Hey Leader, it's pretty late, are you sure you don't want to go to sleep in your bed rather than be unconscious in the middle of a field?" The man said fixing the hat on his head while I dashed forward swinging the stun gun right at his head. From out of nowhere he pulled out a cane and blocked my strike before it reached my head. "Someone's aggressive tonight."

I knew my Pokemon could handle the fight on their own, it was time for me to put in some work as well. The criminal pulled back his cane and swung at my face forcing me to dodge with one handed backflip. He continued the assault with several swings from his cane that I easily dodged before I grabbed his swinging arm and hit him in the stomach with the butt of my stun gun.

"Oof, that smarts. So you do know how to fight. That's good, makes this less boring," The man said as he rubbed his belly before we crossed weapons once more. I attempted a low kick, but he simply jumped up before going with a downward strike. In order to dodge I rolled out of the way pointing my gun at him.

Thinking I was going to shoot he immediately dodged to the left allowing me to tackle him to the ground. Unfortunately I underestimated his strength as he pulled my shirt and flipped me off him. Before I could recover he kicked me in the stomach causing me to roll away as he chased, but I pushed down the pain and kicked him in the shin causing him to trip up, falling into the dirt.

We each scrambled to our feet before a blast from the Pokemon battle caused us to recoil.

Marsil was assaulting Tyranitar with a Power Up Punch barrage, but he kept blocking with skillfully placed Stone Edges. Meanwhile Froberge would fire a Thunderbolt into his blind spots that he'd swipe away with a Sand Tomb shield. Tyranitar bit into Marsil's tails with a wicked Crunch and swung her straight into Froberge causing both of them to topple over.

Damn it, they are both skilled.

Before I could fully recover from the stray blast the criminal ran over and punched me in the face. Crashing into the ground, I rolled to regain my balance and pointed my stun gun at him. This time he didn't flinch as he came running, but this time it was for real. I fired and the lance of electricity was sent flying straight at him. Amazingly the man barely shifted his body in order to dodge the head on strike, but it still seemed to graze him as I saw him twitch when the lance scraped by his abdomen.

I couldn't falter as I ran up to swing the butt of my gun at his head. The man couldn't dodge this time but he managed to block the strike. Still went falling down. Before I could pursue I noticed the Tyranitar preparing to throw a rock at me. Unlike the trainer, I could not take any chances with that as I dove out of the way before turning to the trainer who had quickly recovered, dusting himself off.

"First I had to wake up for this and now my favorite pajamas are all messed up. This night sucks and now you've got me all awake now, jerk," The man tugged at his clothes observing all his new tears.

"Leader Volkner!" Running up to me was Zachery along with his Medicham and several rangers. "That's the culprit?"

"An accomplice, but we don't know his whole role here, be careful." I warned my crew as I watched the guy as his Tyranitar backed up into him. While he didn't look too visibly pained it's apparent that damage was done by Froberge and Marsil.

"Yeesh, more? I can only entertain so many people this late," The man complained. "Buddy, it's time split. This was fun Sparky, I can see why people say you're the best. Next time you wanna pick a fight, try earlier in the day."

"Who are you, asshole!?" I was beyond done with this shit, at the very least I could get a name.

The man actually considered it before replying. "We're Dispetto. Rulers of the Underground."

Before I could respond Tyranitar did a short hop that shook the ground using Earthquake. As we all attempted to avoid the cracks of ground energy rapidly approaching us Tyranitar created another exceedingly deep hole for the mystery man to jump into. Before he could escape he turned to me and gave a simple 'tata' wave and fled, hopping down the hole feet first with barely any jump. Tyranitar quickly followed once he was sure that all of us were too shaken to follow.

Damn ground type attacks.

Marsil recovered first and made his way to the hole, but somehow Tyrantitar had already managed to plug it all up. I made my way over to her and Froberge checked to see how they were doing.

"You two were amazing. Froberge, you've gotten way faster. Your skill with Magnet Rise has improved a lot lately," I complimented my Pokemon before taking out my pokenav searching for Lucian's number to call him. It didn't take long for him to respond.

I swear he doesn't sleep.

"Volkner? Is there a problem?"
"I'm trying to figure out if there is. The thief struck Sunyshore Silph Co. She has a Lopunny and Noctowl and an accomplice with a skilled Tyranitar."

"I see, but at the very least you were able to garner that. Anything else?"

"Yeah," I began to look at the moon. "What do our resources have on the group known as 'Dispetto?"

~~Autumn~~

Location: Deep within Route 222.

Grubbin patrolled the multicolored forest floor of Route 222. It was deep into fall and the scenery was a beautiful red, orange and yellow as far as the eye could see. There was a chill in the air that Grubbin wasn't especially fond of, but he had grown accustomed to it. Unfortunately he realized he'd have to go into hibernation soon as even he had difficulty finding food during the cold, snowy months that he experienced for the first time last winter.

After spending several weeks in the forest seeing Pokemon he had never seen before it had become clear that he was absolutely nowhere near Alola anymore. In fact according to the locals he was in a region named Sinnoh known for its cold climates and mountainous ranges. It did not particularly perturb him even an iota as there still seemed to be birds for him to fend off from his newfound fellow.

Despite the colder climate he easily toughed it out and quite literally grew thicker skin just to cope with it. It confused him why the other species were not as easily able to cope in the cold when he came from a tropical island. Other than that he was considered an oddity even here. For one thing he was the only Grubbin within the area and also his unique mindset pertained even now.

The Grubbin patrolled the route daily in search of threats and bugs in need of shaping up. He had actually managed to gain a bit of rapport with the local Wurmple and Burmy for fending off hungry Chatot and Staravia. He even volunteered to train them as his own personal militia. It was quite fulfilling although it was quite difficult, these Pokemon did not have the same level of fortitude as him and most preferred to live close to the electric types until they had evolved safely. Grubbin wasn't particularly fond of that idea, but everyone has their method and he won't deny it was effective and a familiar strategy of his former brethren in Alola.

"H-Help me!" A voice cried out in the distance garnering Grubbin's full attention.

I know that voice! I am coming, little one!

Grubbin dashed as fast as his little legs could carry him to a small clearing where a Burmy was cornered by a hungry looking Chatot.

If you want food, find a berry bush, flying rapscallion!

Grubbin locked on and fired a String Shot at the Chatot binding them in string. Before they could realize what was happening Grubbin's vicious Vice Grip connected restricting the little bird's movements.

In their panic they kept squawking trying to break out of his grip, but he refused to let go. "Let me go or I'll scream!" Chatot threatened, but Grubbin did not believe this was cause for concern. He was wrong.

"Fine, you asked for it! And I was like baby, baby, baby oooooooh, like baby, baby, baby noOoooO!"

Grubbin instantly recoiled in pain, forced to let go his enemy in fear of losing his mind. Even the little Burmy he saved was scared of the Chatot opening their mouth once again.

What has he been through to learn such cruel torture methods?

The Chatot opened his mouth once again, but this time Grubbin was ready. He shot a String Shot directly into Chatot's mouth silencing him. Rather than push this issue any further, the bird decided to cut their losses and flee before the weird bug did something else. Grubbin fired a few more String Shots, but the Chatot had flown away too quickly. He sighed and turned to his Burmy compatriot.

"Are you alright, citizen?"

"Citi-nevermind, I'm okay now. Thanks… but could you turn the other way quickly? I'm a bit… underdressed," Burmy pleaded. After looking properly Grubbin did notice that Burmy wasn't in any of the usual coats they wear, but there were leaves scattered about. As a respectful soldier he allowed the young maiden to adorn herself once again. Grubbin was not a soldier ruled by vices, he was respectful, honorable and diligent. Not lecherous.

"Okay, I'm all dressed now. Does it still look okay? I spent all day yesterday getting everything just right."

Grubbin could not salute so he merely clenched his pincers. "You look stunning, ma'am. Would you like me to escort you back to your home tree?"

"Um, sure thanks!" Burmy wasn't quite sure what to make of this bug Pokemon. They didn't look strong, yet they fought without fear. She wondered if that was out of bravery or recklessness, but mainly how he has survived for so long. Nonetheless, she accepted his offer and was safely delivered to her tree. As thanks she offered him some tree sap which he quickly devoured in order to heal his wounds from the super effective Chatter.

"Well I'll be on my way then as you seem to be alright now," Grubbin nodded as he began to make his way down the tree.

"Wait!" Burmy called, causing Grubbin to stop. "The Chatot mentioned before he tried to eat me that some Starly would be migrating over Route 222 soon and they'll be hungry. He said he wanted to eat me before they came by, that is until you got in his way."

Grubbin became uncharacteristically excited. Usually he has a permanent scowl on his face, but this was a war he refused to lose! "Do you know how many there will be?"

"Chatot said there wouldn't be too many as they are a younger flock, but I'll be hiding that day for sure. I don't wanna be involved with all of that!"

"No worries citizen, my militia and I will take care of it," Grubbin snapped his pincers once more. "It will be a true warzone, take care until the day of reckoning!"

Burmy, a little confused, decided to just heed his advice and thank him for helping anyway. Grubbin on the other hand made his way to his secret base. During his time in Sinnoh Grubbin has saved his fair share of bugs, but most would simply give him a treat before moving on with their simple lives. Three special bugs were not so simple, these were Grubbin's soldiers. His allies against evil, his militia!

It took a bit of crawling, but he finally arrived at their base of operations. A small clearing with fallen logs and a giant slightly electrically charged boulder. Lying in a dirt patch was a sand cloak male Burmy. Sleeping in the shade was a male Wurmple. Smelling some nearby flowers was a female Combee named Clover. Grubbin's militia. He snapped his pincers thrice to gather their attention. As soon as they heard them they all crawled or flew over swiftly to address their lieutenant.

"Sir!" They all saluted… the best they physically could.

"Attention bugs! We've received a new report of a few stray Starly that'll be coming to Route 222 in a few days. Those vicious ebon sky blockers will not stop till they have even every bug alive on the route! Not unless we stop them!"

Wurmple spoke up first. "Permission to speak, Sir!?"

"Permission granted, Corporal Wurmple."

"What would you have us do to prepare, Sir!?"

"Training! More training! We need to get back into it, bugs! We have to be ready to fend them off or innocent lives will be lost! We don't have much time, so don't try to learn anything too complex. Just work together as a unit and we'll beat their feathered ass back to whatever hell nest they fell out of! You all hearin' me!?"

"Sir yes sir!" They all shouted.

"I can't hear you!"

"SIR YES SIR!" They all shouted proper.

Grubbin nodded content with their ferocity.

"Good going maggots (a much more endearing term for bugs). Let's get to work."

They didn't have to work long as the Starly came the very next day, around the afternoon. The size of their flock was greatly exaggerated as there were only 3, one of whom was mostly looking for a nice trainer to settle with so they could stop hunting, while the others just wanted some food. No ill will amongst the three of them and honestly they preferred berries over bugs as food. If only our overeager fighting friends were aware of this information.

The Starly were flying low through the forest looking for food when Grubbin struck. Clover used her gust to blow all 3 Starly off course and before they could each right themselves, Burmy and Wurmple scored tackles on their targets while Grubbin nailed an excellent Vice Grip dragging his Starly to the forest floor.

They all took battle positions as the two airborne Starly began to recover somewhat while the grounded one quite dazed turned to Grubbin. "What is your damage? Why did you just attack us?"

Grubbin scoffed. "As if we need to explain our reasons to the enemy! Clover now!"

Clover flew in swiftly and launched an overwhelming Sweet Scent to daze all three bird Pokemon making flight more difficult and in turn easier targets. Burmy tackled one of the aerial Starly into the other sending all 3 into a disoriented pile. Wurmple let loose a bevy of Poison Stings to deal even more damage, causing at least one of them to be poisoned.

Furious, an overzealous Starly launched a Quick Attack straight for Grubbin. Burmy jumped in front shielding him with Protect causing the Starly to splatter against the shield awkwardly. Grubbin seized the moment to use Bug Bite on the poor bird before spitting him out.

Meanwhile another Starly had managed to tackle Clover out of the sky and before they could begin their Pluck assault a frantic Struggle Bug caught them off guard allowing Wurmple to cover her with an excellently timed Poison Sting tackle attack. Judging by their sickly expression, they had been inflicted with poison as well.

Two of the Starly were poisoned, one of which was injured by Grubbin's Bug Bite. They had no backup and were incredibly hungry. It was time to go.

"Retreat!" The Starly really wishing they had a trainer called out.

"Heck no, we can take them!" Said one foolish Starly, but after Grubbin gave them a furious scowl, they changed their mind and scrambled away in fear. The last one barely dodged another Poison Sting before following suit.

The Starly who truly wanted a trainer looked back at the proud Grubbin one last time. "When I get a trainer you'll be sorry, bug!"

"And if you dare come back here you'll be sorry! Wurmple, take aim. They are still in range," Grubbin threatened. Before Wurmple could take a shot the Starly realizing the danger they were in flew away even faster to the nearest ranger base where the nice humans would feed and take care of them.

As they watched the birds fly off Grubbin turned to his militia with a proud expression. "Mission accomplished!"

"Hoorah!" They all cheered. While this battle was unnecessary and totally avoidable as the Starly were just a few wingbeats away from finding an Oran berry bush, they all felt good about this win.

"Perfectly executed by everyone! It couldn't have gone any better than this, the fear in those birds' eyes soothed this old soul. We have protected our kin and secured the forest's safety without the need of a single electric type. Let us rejoice in this victory with a feast!"

"Sir yes sir!"

The militia bugs made their way over to the nearby Oran berry bush that the Starly had intended to go to and discussed future strategies they'd like to employ. Today was a good day for Lieutenant Grubbin.

~~Winter~~

Volkner Beacon

Location: The Lily League.

The Lily of the Valley, where the Sinnoh Pokemon League resides. After trainers with all 8 badges have traversed through the treacherous Victory Road could they find themselves at the Pokemon League, where the most powerful trainers of Sinnoh reside. Atop a waterfall lies the prestigious Sinnoh League, a renovated castle of a long ended monarchy. Surrounding it is a medieval town with cobblestone roads and ancient statues adorning its plaza. At the request of Cynthia she asked all of the renovators to uphold the city's olden roots while modernizing it enough to present day convenience. In other words, lots of plumbing needed to be installed.

Personally it was a bit too classic for my tastes. I'm an electric type gym leader in a city with solar panel walkways. My tastes are a bit more on the high end spectrum of technology, but it was impressive nonetheless. The League castle and major facilities are complete, now we have the main original colosseum and several smaller ones so we can have multiple matches going on at the same time.

The town itself isn't especially large, but the citizens have made themselves comfortable. The Pokemon center and mart are gigantic, but considering the amount of trainers that arrive here for the Sinnoh League or other tournaments we hold it's important to keep it well stocked and staffed. We don't have too many hotels or restaurants finished yet, but construction is going smoothly there.

The location is astonishingly beautiful as well, as I've seen several non trainers with their family walking around smelling the flowers or playing in the parks. It was safe as well as long as no one went too close to Victory Road, but luckily there were all sorts of trainers and rangers patrolling to ensure said safety.

In the distance there's Route 224, but it's relatively isolated, those without flying or surfing Pokemon don't think it's worth the trouble going over there. I personally quite like it.

I exhaled deeply. Once again I was staring outside a window waiting for a meeting to start, a progress report of everything we've accomplished for this year and what we want to do next. Lucian and Cynthia had yet to arrive, but all of the other Elites and Leaders were here already. Professor Rowan as usual sat at the opposite side of the table, but it was a lot rounder now. It was like the League's own Round Table.

Once again I sat next to an eager Flint, the fire specialist. He's changed over the years, still the same general personality, but he's way more… experienced. His Pokemon have improved immensely befitting his rank as a member of the Elite Four. Right now he was only rank 1, so he fought all the initial challengers, but he was steadily rising in power. In the Western League I know trainers can choose to fight the Elites in any order, but Flint refused to change it here. He's not strong enough yet and wants to get there soon.

Bertha was rank 2, ground type specialist, and still the most challenging Elite for me. I think she enjoys fighting me due to being able to negate most of my Pokemon's favorite moves.

Next was Lucian, the psychic specialist, but honestly he was getting pretty close to rank 4. I'm not sure how he can run a region and be so powerful, but I guess he makes time somewhere.

Last but not least was Summer, she was Cynthia's final opponent during the tournament to decide Sinnoh's champion. Unlike the others she doesn't use any particular type. She and her team have had a rough go of it, during her journey some of her Pokemon died protecting her thanks to Team Galactic. Even now she has a thing against explosive type moves, but she's extremely competent.

"It's been awhile Volkner, how's Topaz? He got his Pokemon yet?" Flint asked.

"Next spring he'll turn 10 and be able to choose his first. He hasn't told me what he wanted, but he's not all too picky. Any of the starters at the gym he said he'd be perfectly good with."

"You sure he doesn't want a fire type? I've got some starter Chimchar and Magby just dying for a trainer!"

"Heh. I'll be sure to let him know," I chuckled.

Flint stroked his chin a moment. "Nah, I think I'll just stop by Sunyshore real quick and convince him myself!"

"Really? From the guy who chose to train fire types because of his name?" I questioned.

"Hey you decided to use electric types because Thunderbolt won your first battle! You can't judge me!" He countered.

"I was going through a phase! I wanted to choose electric types, not have them foisted onto me like by my dad!" I rationalized.

"Sure buddy, I think I won this argument," He smirked. I was going to respond until we saw the door open revealing Cynthia and Lucian in their usual attire.

I honestly wonder if Cynthia has anything in her wardrobe besides long black coats or if Lucian has any casual clothes, but I digress.

We all stood up at the Champion's presence and once she sat down we all followed except Lucian, who as usual, would start us off once he had found the files he was searching for.

He clicked a button and the screen that had been installed recently lit up, and after a quick start up flair up came a list of what he'd planned. "Greetings all. Today, we have a fair number of things to discuss. First and foremost, we have our newest Gym Leader present for his first time. Please welcome Aaron, the Bug leader of Veilstone."

Aaron stood up and gave everyone a quick bow. He was still a kid, had short green hair underneath a straw hat. Befitting of a bug catcher, but now he was a bug leader. Several of us greeted him simply. Despite his age he didn't seem all that nervous, more proud to be here.

"Howdy do, Aaron! Welcome to the club!" Flint gave him his usual hale hearty hello. Myself on the other hand…

"Yo."

That's good enough for me.

Gardenia gave a warm smile. "I look forward to getting to know you!"

Aaron nodded eagerly. "It'll be a pleasure working with you. All of you! I am honored to be here!" From what I've heard he's pretty ambitious so this must be a dream come true.

Lucian gave him a nod before gesturing to the screen. "If you need anything clarified, feel free to ask. As for what we need to talk about today. The progress with Rangers, the railway, and of course Dispetto. Other smaller projects like the Pokeathlon are on the list as well. If anyone has any other topics that need bringing up, now would be the time to mention them."

Rowan cleared his throat roughly before beginning. Instinctively whatever we were planning on saying was gone. Professor Rowan is kind of intimidating, not gonna lie.

"My staff and I have been working tirelessly to make improvements to Pokedexes and Pokemon relocation services. Bebe of Hearthome has been of great service to us in ensuring each trainer's Pokemon is sent to a secure location once the carry limit has been met. The PC box system has been officially deemed inhumane and unethical meaning all Pokemon within them are being released into League or Ranger custody until their trainers have proof of suitable accommodations for their Pokemon. We also have plans to combine our dex with the Unova and Kalos' dexes, but that will take a bit longer. For now we are continuing to add features to make trainer lives more convenient and Pokemon lives better. That is all."

Professor Rowan took a sip of his water as if silently saying the rest of us could speak now. Cynthia silently nodded, thanking him, seemingly used to his intense nature. Apparently she's worked pretty closely with him in the past. I guess you need the mettle of a Champion to take him.

Fantina waved first with a grin to garner attention. "Hearthome has been progressing wonderfully, so I feel that's worth talking about." Lucian simply nodded and added it to the list, it showing up on screen as he typed it in.

Byron just leaned back in his chair. "If Sparky's anything like me, we gotta talk about the people coming in. It's great and all havin' loads of folk coming to Sinnoh, but it's getting kind of nutty. We gotta beef up reception a bit." He then glanced at me.

Guess that's my very subtle queue.

"The air and seaports have been receiving and delivering an even higher amount of goods especially during this Lumifrost season. The Grand Lake Hotel is packed, I even believe they are planning on expanding which I hope is a good thing as long as they stay away from the lake. No signs of smugglers so far, but we are still keeping a close eye for any illegal activity that might slip in." After my whole spiel I ceded the floor back to Lucian with a quick nod. He nodded back, added it to the list, and gazed across everyone until Flint raised his hand.

"Negotiations with the folks at the Battle Zone are going well. We've got some more jurisdiction there than before and the Frontier Brains are willing to cooperate with us. Stark Mountain is under closer surveillance just in case Galactic heads over there, but at the end of this league we can start sending out invitations to trainers to allow them entry into the Battle Frontier! Back to you, Lucy!" Flint excitedly finished his update before he gave Lucian back the spotlight though he adjusted his glasses exasperated upon hearing Flint's nickname for him. Lucian surveyed the table once more before he resumed.

"No other additions? Then let's begin."

He then gestured to Cynthia, the screen changing to a general map of Sinnoh. "So, as I'm sure you're all aware Rangers have now become a much more common sight in Sinnoh. We now have all Ranger bases in the main cities completed, as well as the towns such as Floaroma. Some other, smaller ones are being constructed as need be, but they've already had a huge impact. Pokemon are much calmer, and many have begun to head to Ranger bases to be treated, for food or other instances. Trainers as well have begun to learn what Rangers do, and classes on how they function are being added in schools. Bertha?"
The older woman gave a smile. "They won't let us teach the kiddies how to be a Ranger yet, but they're learning about what Rangers do now. Hopefully it should allow the next generation to be much kinder to our Pokemon friends, and open their eyes some more to the rest of the world." She looked to Aaron. "I take it you've been studying up on them yourself?"

Aaron nodded fervently before responding. "Of course ma'am! The rangers around where I live are about some of the nicest people I've ever met! I've taken to researching capture Stylers and how they work! It's all exceedingly interesting."

She gave a bright smile. "It is indeed! They've a lot to teach us all, but I shouldn't go on too long. Champion?"

Cynthia gave a small shake of her head, still smiling before she continued. "I've also talked with them about some Sinnoh children who are particularly interested in being a Ranger being allowed to study in Almia. They're currently debating it, but I hope soon it will open new avenues for us all."

She glanced towards Lucian, who clicked another button and the same map got an overlay with various lines connecting cities. Some were red, some were purple and others were orange.

"Next up, the railway. Planning out the construction has been slow going, but no slower than we expected. The lines you see are color coded, with red being the original track and not yet discovered if it'll work, the orange being in the process of making certain the track is safe and the purple being tracks that have been confirmed."

Looking over the list I noticed that the lines connecting Hearthome, Pastoria and Sunyshore had been confirmed. Snowpoint and Eterna's line was also purple as well as Canalave's to Jubilife's. The rest were more iffy which makes sense judging by all the areas that were marked 'Do not disturb'.

"This is the wildest railroad I have ever seen."

Cynthia just smiled. "Definitely, but it's more than worth it to make sure all those who live in this region are happy and able to get where they need to go. The help from the Rangers has been invaluable though, as well as Byron's extensive knowledge of the Underground. If need be, we are considering having sections be entirely underground."

He gave a loud laugh. "Arceus knows there's plenty of space! It'd only affect the first level in remote places anyway, so there's no problem. The weird distortions going on down there shouldn't affect it much either that high up."

"Hold on," Gardenia interjected hesitantly, "are we sure this is safe? There's a lot of Pokemon that travel underground… and you're factoring that in aren't you?"
Byron nodded, grinning. "'Course we are! They matter jus' as much as the Pokemon living aboveground."

Cynthia nodded before folding her hands, her face hardening. "Now. To the more pressing matter. Dispetto. Volkner, could you relay your information first?"

"I don't have much really. You all prolly know this by now, but for those that don't I encountered the elusive group Dispetto last summer. They stole prototype tech from Silph for new item capsules. The thief was a highly skilled woman with a Lopunny and Noctowl and the man was a capable fighter with a powerful Tyranitar. I didn't catch any notable names either nor could we pursue them. I haven't seen hide or hair from them since."

"Hmph," Wake grumbled, "so you've not had better luck. Some punk with a Sharpedo and some cronies tried to steal from Pastoria. Didn't catch his name, but he definitely caught some hands. I figure they're testing who they can mess with."

Lucian nodded. "That seems to be the case. One of our primary concerns was whether or not this group was working with Galactic. However, we have since gotten confirmation that this is not the case. Khione, if you would."

She nodded, pulling out a couple photos from her coat. "Galactic has attempted to make some inconspicuous bases above the Coronet range on the way to Snowpoint. Of course, they've been dealt with. However, one such attempt is where I found this." She laid the photos on the table, and they were pictures of what was a base being built. However all that was left was rubble and some very mutilated corpses.

I have seen a lot of graphic sights since I joined the League, but this was… a slaughter. Bodies impaled everywhere, blood splattered every way possible, Pokemon and humans nigh unrecognizable from their original appearances. The base itself was completely demolished, nothing save for a scant few walls and tiles were left. It was like the entire place was bombed… by rocks. There were a lot of boulders and spires about making me believe this was done by a rock type.

Tyranitar?

I looked around the room and Flint took it better than expected. I'm not privy to everything the Elite Four does, but it makes me curious about what he has seen. Otherwise, Aaron looked a bit shaken, but he swallowed his apprehension and regained his composure. The older members seemed to stomach it a bit better than the younger ones. I tried not to look too squeamish, but I can't say I kept looking.

"Someone was angry," Was all I felt I could say. "Any clue who did it? You think it was Tyranitar?"

Byron looked at the pictures more thoroughly. He had seen the aftermath of Helheim, so it makes sense he's handling this better. "Maybe, but I doubt it. That Tyranitar you made a report on seemed way too experienced. These rocks are less strategic, more just throwing a meteor storm at the place. Maybe some newer rock type or something."

Khione crossed her arms. "Now, I'm not unused to corpses. Not everyone can make it to Snowpoint, after all. However, the raw violence and hatred that this scene depicts shows that at the very least we needn't worry about them working with Galactic. That however raises more questions. Do they think they're doing the right thing? Are they stealing tech specifically to fight Galactic, or are they more interested in more typical gang activities and Galactic is encroaching on their turf?"

Bertha sighed. "It might well be the latter. I've had my Ace Trainers investigating other gangs, and they're being wiped out. Some have come to them begging for help even. So this Dispetto seems intent on making themselves the only underbelly of Sinnoh."

Aaron seemed eager to say something so Bertha nodded, allowing him to speak. "I read your report as well Volkner. You said the man mentioned Dispetto were the Rulers of the Underground? I've read the reports of different factions within the Underground fighting for dominance considering all the resources, money and mystery that can be found below ground. Do you think their motive is to monopolize it all for themselves?"

I hummed at the thought. "I'm not the expert on the Underground unfortunately, so I couldn't say, but it may be possible. Considering what they are stealing it's obvious they have particular goals beyond simply acquiring more money and turf. Most of the tech wasn't common knowledge."

Byron just leaned back in his chair and groaned. "If they're trying to rule the Underground, besides that being more stupid than brave? They ain't getting through my folk. It's too big to rule it, and there's no way you can control the whole thing. Even for us. If they mean the Underground like the dark side of Sinnoh, then they're gonna have to contend with Galactic. Best case scenario, the two wipe each other out and we don't have to lift a finger." He leaned forwards again, his usually jovial face cold and calculating for once. "But I don't think they'll be that nice. Lucian, you got any info on their usual Pokemon?"
He nodded, flipping a few pages over and reading down a list. "Primarily they seem to use mostly dark, ghost, rock and ground types. Of course they have outliers such as Lopunny and Noctowl with them as well, but at least they seem to be focusing on specific types rather than utilizing all of them."

"Rock, ground and dark makes sense, but they sound pretty dangerous if they got a whole lot of ghost types too under control. It's hard to put a pin on those guys," Flint chuckled awkwardly. A few chairs down I noticed Gardenia shift uncomfortably in her seat, far away from Fantina who looked completely unphased by the mention of a ghost army.

She simply smiled towards Gardenia, who shifted just a bit further from her. "No need to worry, ma cherie. If they intend to dance in the darkness, then our entourage is more than happy to show them the nightmare of their lives."

"U-uh, yeah," Gardenia stuttered while holding up two shaky thumbs up, "sure, you got it."

Fantina looked to Byron and Aaron. "I would gladly appreciate your help, young Aaron and big burly steely man." Byron couldn't help but give a loud laugh, dispelling a bit of tension in the room. "My ghosts are quite ghastly, but dark types are ever a thorn in their side. Your bugs would provide fantastique assistance. Meanwhile, steely man's compatriots are wonderful at shattering stone. You need not worry about the ground, it shall be enveloped in our shadow."

Aaron, looking a bit flustered by Fantina's way of speaking, replied hastily. "You can depend on me Miss Fantina!"

"Have any of these gang members revealed anything useful about the members of Dispetto? Galactic are our enemies, but we do not condone slaughterers and if they keep amassing the rule of the Sinnoh underbelly they'll become an even bigger problem we do not wish to waste useful resources on," Rowan inquired.

Lucian nodded. "As of yet, their members seem to mostly consist of a primary few at the top. I know at the least that the woman you pursued seems to be the second in command. The one with the Tyranitar Volkner fought is their leader, Cole Dust."

Flint leaned over onto the table in surprise. "That's his name? Cole Dust? Volkner didn't you mention he had coal dust smeared across his face?" And with that he broke out laughing. "Pffft hahaha! Do you think he changed his name to fit the whole underground theme or did his parents really like puns? Awww, this is gold. Thanks for the laughs, Lucy." Flint wiped a tear from his eye.

One of his eyes twitched just a tad. "Yes Flintbox, thank you for your input."

Flint physically cringed at that. "Lucian, come on now. Not that."

Wait. I remember him saying that Flint was short for something… Flintbox!? Did his parents hate him?

"Flintbox eh?"
"Don't you start too, Volkner!"

I looked away innocently. "Oh, I haven't started anything, just filing that little tidbit of info away for later."

Now that Lucian had the stage uncontested again, he continued. "Other notable members seem to be the smuggler who attempted to steal from Pastoria, an assassin, multiple battling focused members, a mentioned architect who apparently keeps their base running and an IT worker, Royce Decker. While no one has directly confirmed his working with them, they were stealing from a building in Jubilife that he was working at. He had gone in to work that day, but never clocked out. In addition, there are no signs of a corpse, Decker is well known to have wanted to leave his job due to being extremely done with the humans working there and Dispetto's targeting of high tech devices became much more common after this meeting. As such, it is safe to assume he has joined them."

He joined a violent gang in order to stop working in IT? I'm not sure I can blame him entirely.

"Their roster sounds… creative. He must be highly skilled as well if what they are stealing is any indication. Not just anyone could gather all this equipment together and make it work. Even I'm not sure what he plans on doing with it all."

Summer glanced over, looking distinctly concerned. "Are you sure that it couldn't be used as a weapon? Even if knowing how to build something like a laser cannon isn't a blueprint that's available, if they're going this deep into illegal things I doubt they care much about the no weapons law."

"That's a possibility I haven't ruled out, it's just that they also stole a lot of devices unrelated to violence and it's obvious their Pokemon are more than capable of inflicting vast amounts of destruction."

She grimaced. "Fair… Is there any way for you to track the tech? Some sort of signal coming from it?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately no, we attempted, but they must have some sort of signal blocker. Likely devised by their tech guy himself."

"I'll keep a lookout then, see if I find anything." she declared before looking back to Cynthia.

Cynthia looked deep in thought before she looked across the table. Even though she was one of the smallest there, in that moment? You couldn't ignore the pressure coming from her.

"So we have very little to go off of, and they don't seem to be an immediate threat in the same way that Galactic is. However, the fact they've stayed hidden is concerning. Last week I rode Reginleif across the region daily searching for any signs of unknown bases, sudden changes in the environment, the like. And we came up empty. So either they're entirely underground, have some sort of cloaking device or some other way of hiding where they are. This being the case, while Galactic should remain our primary concern. At the same time though, Dispetto should be right below them. Even if they currently oppose Galactic, we don't know why and we do know they're dangerous. As such, I would propose a general Code Brown as a way for anyone who does encounter them in any form to give a quick signal that they've encountered Dispetto."

Everyone nodded solemnly. Dispetto has obtained the League's ire, whether they wished for it or not. Cole Dust… they say the best trainers are the most eccentric. In Cynthia's case she's a lot more humble than you'd expect for a world renowned champion and has an intense love for archaeology. A polite, respectful person. Dust stood his ground against me, one of the strongest gym leaders in the world, without a single care. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit concerned about his lackadaisical nature and his Tyranitar's immense skill, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.

"Then we're in agreement?" Lucian stated. "I will relay this after the meeting. That should conclude talking about Dispetto until further notice, which I expect will come. We simply need more information about them before continuing."

After a short pause he nodded to Fantina, who smiled. "Well, now that we've pushed past the most difficult topic of the day, let us cleanse our palettes with my account of Hearthome. The progress of the cultural division is magnifiquement, though to be entirely transparente the Kalos section has progressed further simply due to moi."

Fantina, the ghost gym leader of Hearthome City and top coordinator. Few can say they are skilled on the battlefield and performance hall, but she has accomplished both. From what I know she's of Kalosian descent and used to live there for a bit where they have a love for Pokemon showcases and what not. She moved here quite a few years ago and became the Hearthome gym leader. She's eccentric and I'll admit a lot of her French is lost on me, but she knows so much about battles, contests and culture even I'm a bit amazed. Spend one day with her and you'll be exhausted, but also enlightened.

"We have also begun expanding the religious and mythological section of the city," she continued while gesturing to Cynthia, "In no small part due to our magnifiquement Champion here. The myths she uncovers are given their place to shine, and we await your books to find their home there."

Cynthia just smiled a bit. "I'm glad you think so highly of them. I'm still compiling everything, but they should be available soon enough."

Fantina grinned before spreading her arms dramatically. "Construction of various Contest halls has been completed, and more and more people from across the world have been ever more interested in them! Of course all the earnings from our shows goes directly to improving them and the region, but it brings a tear to my eye to see how far Hearthome has come."

There's a contest in Sunyshore City as well that I've seen lots of coordinators fawn over as there's a view of the ocean from the contest hall and sometimes they have their showcases by the beach. It's entertaining from afar, but not for me. Battling will always be my passion, though I appreciate coordinators and their ability to make so many combo moves.

Byron gave a wide grin. "I'm glad to see ya in such high spirits. But we gotta talk about accommodating more people. Canalave's packed and since the Helheim cemetery is close by, I wanna make sure anyone going there gets the peace they need. Sparky can only have it worse'n me, since Sunnyshore's all about tech and commerce and whatnot."

The Helheim cemetery… I don't want to see all the ghosts those anguished souls produce...

Cynthia nodded. "Of course. I will look into developing more places for people to stay and more airports for people to come in from. Wake, do you believe that Pastoria would make a good port for this?"

He shook his head. "Not a chance. Nobody'd want to go to the swamp, and even my brilliant songs wouldn't calm the Pokemon at the reserve if that many people were coming in and out of the place."

She nodded. "Aaron, do you believe Veilstone could support an airport?"

"There's ample space around, but I don't think there is all that much that'll attract tourists to it compared to Sunyshore or Hearthome."

Khione raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have the Department store, various scientific facilities and the main area in Sinnoh for gambling in Veilstone? Do people truly not come by that often?"

"It's not without things to do, it just may not be as interesting as other cities is what I mean. Maybe I am underestimating how many people stop by, sorry I haven't had a chance to look over all the data in time for this meeting. I don't shop much."

She shook her head. "That's quite alright, it may well be my own viewpoint affecting it. What my forebears wouldn't have given for something like Veilstone's Department store in Snowpoint. We manage, but it isn't exactly the simplest time for us."

Fantina meanwhile spun her hand with a flourish. "And you need not worry, we yet have room for an airport. And so we will take on the load so you needn't bear as much!"

Byron rolled his shoulder a bit. "Guess me an' my folk have another job lined up huh?"

I don't know how he enjoys doing so much, but whatever.

"Okay, next topic, Pokeathlon. How's that going? I've only watched a few matches, but I'm excited to see it come to Sinnoh," Gardenia asked.

Cynthia chuckled in delight at the question. "The Pokeathlon dome in Jubilife is complete, and already quite a lot of Pokeathletes are coming to participate. I've been considering establishing a Grand Trials circuit much like the Grand Festival for contests and, well, us for trainers for Pokeathletes. Does that sound reasonable?"

"I think it does! It'd be nice to have a dome in Eterna, since it could show the Rangers that we're not just gonna have Pokemon fight all the time for us," Gardenia cheered happily.

Bertha smiled. "I'm all for it. It's nice to see today's youth living alongside Pokemon in ways I could've only dreamed of."

Cynthia smiled before looking across everyone. "Before we leave however, I would like to bring something up. The concept of Vice Leaders."

Vice Leaders? I'm vaguely familiar with it in other regions. Sinnoh only has 8 gyms, but I know other regions have more in order to not overwork the leaders. I get challengers, but oftentimes my gym trainers take them out before I can fight, so this might decrease the amount of opponents I get. At the same time, I'm pretty damn tired from helping build a whole League.

"As Sinnoh has developed, the smaller towns such as Solaceon and Celestic have grown. Then you have Jubilife which is large already and occupies a very key section of the region. Floaroma is well established as well, and fairly large especially given the windmills. So I propose that we have Gym Leaders and Gyms established in those areas as well. Having them be more connected to the League and having a say in what happens is important, as well as the people in those places feeling that their opinions matter to the region as a whole. The only potential group who I can see decrying this is Highshire, but their population isn't nearly as large as the four mentioned cities and towns. Otherwise this would allow for more types to be represented in Sinnoh, trainers would have options in terms of which gym badges they gather and the truly driven ones can gather twelve badges rather than eight. This could get them out of the first round of preliminary rounds in the League tournament, as they've already proven their strength. What does everyone think of this method?"

Highshire is the small town they built around the Pokemon Mansion by Hearthome. It's basically where all the one percenters of Sinnoh live. Very… difficult people to be around.

"I'm all for it," Wake sang out, "the more the merrier!"

"Sounds good to me," I shrugged. "We need more people anyway considering how much we do already."

Lucian nodded. "I have no objections. Dispersing the workload and allowing more people to have a more direct voice would be wonderful."
"Then I'll work on making sure that gets done," she said smiling. "And with that, unless I've forgotten something that should be the end of this meeting?"
"It is indeed, Champion Cynthia."
"Then meeting adjourned!"

I got up to leave until I heard familiar heavy footsteps right behind me and the presence of a large figure towering over me. Why me?

"Yes, Byron?"

He clapped me on the back and nearly sent me sprawling. "Just wanted to say hi! How's Topaz doing, what're you up to, you doing alright?"

"I'm fine. Business as his usual. Topaz is studying hard to be the best trainer he can be."

He laughed. "Good to hear! You think he'd get along well with Roark? I hear the boy's fond of the Underground, the two have that in common. And Roark's plenty driven, it could be good for the both of 'em."

"He has been showing an interest for the past year or so now… Roark is training to be a rock specialist right?"

"Damn right he is! Doesn't wanna step on his old man's toes, and he wants to make sure people know 'im for him. I'm rootin' for the kid. He's crazy into fossils though, so I've been looking for those when I go to the Underground."

"It's been awhile since I've last seen him, but from what I remember he had a pretty brawny Cranidos, right?"

"Yup! They get along great. Both of 'em are hard headed enough to face most anything head on. He might not be all that confident in his skills yet, 'specially knowing what being a Leader means, but he's doing his best all the same. He's a kid to be proud of, just like Topaz."

I had to admit, I smiled there. Topaz has grown a lot over the years, has become a lot more confident and diligent starting in spring and he hasn't even gotten a Pokemon yet. "Thanks, Roark is pretty great too. Bet you'd be excited to see him at one of these meetings one day."

His eyes lit up. "That'd be great!" He ruffled my hair. "And come on by our place sometime, alright? Slate's been wondering how you're doing. He's down to make some of your favorites too, so ya can feel nice and comfy. Fondue and pizza potatoes. Just a good time with good friends and great food. Whaddya say?"

"Hmmm, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Byron. Sometime soon," I extended a hand.

He took it and gave it a hearty shake. "I'm looking forward to it. Maybe it can be a first hangout session for Topaz and Roark too."

He had a hearty grip, but I didn't flinch. "I'm sure they'd talk about the Underground for hours."

"And it'd warm my heart to see it."

I said my farewells to Byron and then Flint before making my way outside. It was chilly today, naturally since it was December. Soon it will be 4 years since Helheim, since I became a gym leader, since Topaz began to live with me. Soon he will become a trainer of his own right. There is still so much we need to do in Sinnoh, so many mysteries that need to be solved and criminals that need to be arrested. Knowing Topaz he'll want to be in the middle of it all to prove himself. I won't hold his hand, he wouldn't want me to, but I will guide him to become the best trainer he can be, so he can survive the coming storm. As long Team Galactic exists Sinnoh is in danger, but we'll be prepared. We have to be.

~~A New Spring~~

Location: Sunyshore Gym Resting Area

The sun rose high into the sky on a beautiful spring day. Cherry blossoms flew through the air, Starly and Chatot sang their beautiful songs and flowers blossomed along the coastside. From within the Sunyshore Gym a small Pokemon stirred from their slumber as the light shone in their eye. They slowly opened their eyes before rising to stretch, long before any of their fellow electric types had woken up.

Today was the day one of them would choose the trainer they would spend the rest of their lives with as partners. The Pokemon rubbed their eyes to stir out the sleepiness. They had heard good things from the gym trainers, so they were curious, but they doubted they'd want them as a Pokemon.

Something poked them in the back of their mind though. The Pokemon wasn't sure if it was from the strange dream they had or if it was something else entirely. Hope? They weren't exactly brimming with it. The Pokemon yawned and made their way to the water bowls. They could choose not to show up if they wanted, they didn't have to choose any trainer, but… they think they'll go out today to see who drops by.

~~Arc 1 - New World Order Fin~~

Author's Note

This chapter was over 50 pages! Congrats to those who read it to completion, this marks the end of Arc 1, essentially the Prologue. Initially it was only going to be one chapter, but we didn't feel comfortable sticking 3 years of regional development in one chapter.

From now it'll be more focused on Topaz and his pokemon team and training! Please leave a review and tell your friends! They really boost morale! Have a great day!

-I hope y'all are ready for the pace to pick up, since this is the last time you're gonna see time skip past that fast. Also we all love Grubbin in this house.-

Question: Who is your favorite champion? 7 brownie points if you can guess mine.