August 2nd, First Year

"Are you sure about this, dude?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't have sent you a message if I didn't think it were serious enough."

"What about the professor? Isn't he going to be worried sick about you what with that plague going on the mirelands?"

"He knows what I'm up to. I've got my pokémon. I'm not scared."

Rei knew it was just a flimsy lie to keep himself going. He carefully made his way down the grassy slope, one arm held at a distance to keep his balance. Behind him, Yuki slid down the slope on his butt. Only recently had the blonde-haired boy been cleared to go out into the field but only with a partner. The two boys surveyed the Obsidian Fieldlands before them, shielding their eyes as the sun emerged from a hole in the clouds.

"Good point," Yuki muttered. "Can't say I'm looking forward to running into an alpha. Not after last time."

Both of them flinched. Rei could remember the incident with the alpha Luxray clearly. Yuki throwing himself onto the battlefield. His leg in the beast's mouth. The horrible noise of the appendage snapping like a twig. Rei furiously shook his head and gave his best friend a good-natured push, attempting to dislodge the terrible memory from his mind. "Hey! Knock it off, man! That's the last thing I'm trying to think about right now."

"Just saying. Now that I'm up and about, it would be pretty cool to have a giant pokémon on my team."

"Of course, you'd find a titan of a pokémon fun. You'd think riding a rampaging Gyarados over Obsidian Falls would be a fun if Captain Zisu asked."

Yuki grinned. "Heck yeah, it'd be cool! Flying on the back of a huge, scary pokémon like Gyarados?" Yuki let out an excited huff, his eyes fixed on the waterfalls to the south. "To think, months ago, we didn't even have more than one on our teams."

"I guess that is true." Rei let his hands bump against his pokéball belt, feeling Tot's pokéball heat up at his touch. One finger tapped Otto's ball. The two pokémon emerged from their containers, gleefully climbing up his shoulders. He gave his partners scratches under their chins. "I would've never thought that pokémon could be nice to buddy up with." He turned to Yuki. "How's Buizel and Shinx, by the way?"

Yuki's pokémon had also broken free, running circles around their trainer as they volleyed attacks at one another. "They're good! They're as cool as always! Ain't that right, guys?" The two pokémon immediately stopped, yowled their agreements, and then went back to play-fighting.

It was a nice conversation to keep their minds off what their task at hand was. The farther they progressed down the mountain side, the more and more the pit of worry in Rei's gut began to increase. Ever since he'd found that bloody scrap of Emmet's coat in the river, he'd been tracking it to see where it led to. Adaman hadn't lent out any resources; the man was too focused on keeping his clan afloat. Warden Ingo wasn't entirely concerned with the man, hanging around his fellow warden in shoring up the camp walls. Akari was… Rei inwardly grimaced, his eyes narrowing with dislike. Akari was Akari.

He had instead sent a message asking if Yuki would be okay with helping him out on his little project. Secretly, Rei had been looking for something else to do that wasn't pokédex work. Sure, filling out pages for the professor was enlightening but only when the professor had finished the page so that Rei could read it in its entirety. Getting all the information that went into a page? Not so much fun. Was it morbid, following a trail of sparse blood spots and torn-up coat pieces? Absolutely. Would it make him feel useful for once? …Maybe.

The two boys stepped under the shade of a willow tree, Rei marking their positions with a splash of ink. They stood atop the Obsidian Falls, one thin dirt trail leading into The Heartwood where months ago, the noble, Lord Kleavor, had been working itself and the surrounding bug-type pokémon to near death.

The Heartwood was now more vibrant than ever. The late summer heat sank into Rei's uniform, making him sweaty and tired. The sound of chirping Kricketunes settled into the air. The plush grass was springy and damp beneath his shoes. If he looked hard at where the river dipped toward Tidewater Dam, he could still see the ravaged remains of sticky tree stumps and bare earth. He cast his eyes away.

"I thought I heard somethin' runnin' around in the hills."

Rei turned as a small shape ambled toward them. Warden Lian trudged through the dirt, his Goomy slithering after him as Warden Mai and her Munchlax followed not a pace behind. The two were laden with small, canvas pouches similar to the ones containing Lord Kleavor's balms. Rei suddenly felt three sizes too small.

"What're you two scouts doin' all the way out here?" Warden Lian demanded. He eyed the both of them, his bushy hair falling into his face. His small but loud voice held confusion and annoyance. "I didn't hear of no extra outgoin's recently." He turned to Warden Mai. "Did you?"

"I'm afraid I didn't." The older warden gave them both a stern look before it softened to one of mild concern. "Young Rei," she dipped her head towards him. She then turned to Yuki. "And company. Are you two lost?"

Rei withered like a flower under the hot sun. "Uh… I-uh-"

"What he means to say-" Yuki butted in, covering Rei with his frame- "is that we're not on an official expedition." After a moment, Yuki scrunched up his face. "Please don't tell Commander Kamado. It's important. We've been tracking a missing person all the way from the Crimson Mirelands. They're too busy to do it, so we're just… tying up loose ends."

Warden Mai blinked. "What a coincidence. We are also tracking a missing pokémon."

"She means Lord Wyrdeer," Lian finished up. "Won't come when called for. Last I saw, the Lord was walkin' around under The Heartwood with Lord Kleavor. The next day, it just up an' disappeared."

"Warden Lian, I thought the Pearl Clan didn't work with the Diamond Clan," Rei questioned innocently. "How come you're helping?"

Warden Lian opened his mouth but then immediately closed it, covering a good half of his face with his massive hat. "…That- that ain't none of your business, scout. I'm just- I'm helpin'. That's all. It's what a good person would do."

Warden Mai gave her fellow warden a peculiar look, smiled, and took a step onto the dirt path that arched higher into the forest. "Don't worry about it too much, boys. I requested his assistance, as Warden Lian is quite skillful at noticing changes in the forests. " After a moment, she asked, "Who went missing from The Diamond Heath for Adaman not to send a scouting party?"

"Emmet. Warden Ingo's twin brother," Rei supplied.

Lian stilled, coming only a few paces short of him. "Grandpa ain't got no twin." His eyes gleamed with mistrust and anger. "You aren't talkin' 'bout that Zoroark that keeps followin' him around impersonatin' him, are ya'?"

"No, no, no! I mean, I guess? Warden Ingo seems to be okay with him, whatever he is." Rei fiddled with his hands. "They're friendly. I'll admit, I don't really know Emmet, but he was just sort of taken from The Diamond Heath while the camp was being attacked by wild pokémon. I just want to find out what happened."

Yuki immediately covered for him. "Rei found scraps of his bloody coat in the river. Ingo is fine," he added upon Lian swelling with anger like a balloon. "He thinks it's suspicious that no body has been found yet, so we're investigating. The trail goes further down into the woods."

Warden Lian huffed. He wore an expression as though a guest had tracked mud into his tent on a humid day. "…I guess that's as good an explanation as any. You Galaxy folks just love stickin' your necks out, don't ya? Fine. I'll accept it." He then glared upward at the two boys, crossing his arms. "But! You two are venturin' into my neck o' the woods so I'll have to accompany ya'll. Just to make sure ya don't get lost or nothin'."

"This does sound rather interesting." Warden Mai ventured for the two boys to take the lead. "Lead the way. We'll watch your backs. And if either of you see a flash of white fur, let us know. Okay?"

Rei bowed gratefully. "Of course. Thank you, wardens."

It wasn't long before Lian had discovered a set of cloven footprints winding around an ash tree some distance into the woods. The hoofprints seemed to stop and start randomly. Warden Mai also bent to inspect the prints, making concerned commentary under her breath as she began to lead the group deeper in The Heartwood. They had only just arrived at the darker southern woods when Warden Mai threw out her arm to halt them. She made a gesture to be still, angling her head toward an open clearing in the trees. Rei's eyes widened.

The great noble's antlers came first, glittering gold in the weaning sunlight as it nosed its way between thin tree trunks. It stomped one hoof into the dirt and then another, having to hop forward to clear the underbrush. Atop it, her hands sunken into the noble's fur, was Jaku.

Rei's gaze shot to Warden Mai who looked both disturbed, curious, and awed. Under her breath, she muttered, "Lord Wyrdeer rarely lets anyone sit astride its back." She took a deep breath, and then entered the clearing. "My Lord?"

Both the noble and its jockey jumped. Jaku stared, horrified, at Mai and then at the rest of the group before hurriedly fixing her expression to mild curiosity.

"Warden Mai. Warden Lian." She then squinted at Rei and Yuki. "Boys?"

"Jaku." Mai's voice was low and oddly toned. "How strange to see you here in The Heartwood. And with Lord Wyrdeer. What are you doing out here if you don't mind my asking?"

Jaku blinked. "Uh…" She turned to Lord Wyrdeer and in a lower voice, uttered, "Can I tell them?" The great noble shook its head. Jaku cleared her throat. "Lord Wyrdeer says no. I can't tell you what I'm doing out here." The ranger carefully dismounted the pokémon, careful not to jostle a canvas bag strapped across their chest. "It's to do with Almighty Sinnoh. That's all I can say about the matter."

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Warden Mai's curious expression wore into thinly concealed anger. "Lord Wyrdeer shouldn't be ridden like a common Ponyta. As his warden, I've been searching for him. How long has this been going on for?"

"About a week or so, last time I checked," came Jaku's nonchalant response.

Rei felt his ears burning. How dare she talk so casually to Warden Mai like that! She's bound to be punished for sure!

"And I haven't been told about this, why?"

"Because Adaman doesn't know. I can't tell him either. All he knows is that I'm being directed by Almighty Sinnoh. Lord Wyrdeer is in on it. That's why he's letting me ride him around like-" she shot a cheeky glance at the big deer- "a common Ponyta."

With an angry huff, Wyrdeer nudged her hard only to come and stand beside Warden Mai. Lord Wyrdeer raised its head and stared pointedly at its warden, a strange scarlet aura washing over both of them. After a few moments, Warden Mai nodded. "I… see. Noble Wyrdeer has given me a sense of what you're doing."

"Really now?"

"Yeah," Lian piped up. "What'd it say?"

Warden Mai's expression was calm and collected. "You're here looking for an artifact and you need peace and quiet to locate it. Does that sound right?"

Jaku visibly relaxed and nodded. "Yup. That sounds about right. If you must know, Lord Wyrdeer was just helping me get back faster. I had to collect some supplies from Jubilife that'll be helpful for finding the damn thing."

"Language," Mai chided, her eyes shooting to Lian.

"Aw, don't even be like that!" Lian argued.

Warden Mai looked first to her noble and then to Jaku. "I also wish to ask- how did you manage to call upon Lord Wyrdeer for assistance? Was it through the Mind Plate?"

"… The what?"

Mai's eyebrow quirked up. "The Mind Plate? Lord Wyrdeer wished for me to send it to you on behalf of quelling its frenzy. I was under the impression that Young Akari and the merchant, Volo, had sworn to hand it to you the next you all met."

"That would explain it: I haven't seen Akari nor Volo in ages. I'll ask her about it when I see her next. She's still asleep back in the mirelands."

"No, she's not," Rei cut in. He flinched when everybody in the group turned to him. "Uh, I mean- she's awake now. She got the medicine to cure her paralysis. Volo was the one who brought the cure."

"Did he now?" It was now Warden Mai's turn to share a look with Lord Wyrdeer. Without a sound, Mai had mounted the noble, her hands wrapped around the pokémon's antlers. "You are carrying out a task from Almighty Sinnoh. I'll see to fetch it for you in the meantime." The woman muttered something angrily under her breath and with a half-hearted wave, both warden and noble were off into the trees.

Warden Lian was first to speak. "Well, I guess that's the end o' that! My work here is done!"

"But you didn't do anything," Yuki countered.

Warden Lian tipped his hat up smugly before also turning around and disappearing into the woods. His Goomy copied his expression, slowly slithering away after its partner.

"Well, that was weird," Rei commented.

"You're telling me," Yuki joked tersely.

"… So are you two just gonna sit around in the dark woods or something?"

Rei turned, almost forgetting that the older Diamond Clan ranger was still watching them. He felt the hairs along the back of his neck rise.

The ranger was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and while her pose made her seem smaller than she looked, the way she looked at them was akin to a Luxray sighting and stalking its prey through a solid wall. "Well? Are you gonna answer or are you gonna sit there like a sleepy Bidoof?"

"He's just tired is all," Yuki responded in his mental absence. Yuki didn't even seem to notice the woman's disposition, instead growing closer, his eyes gleaming at the numerous pokéballs at the woman's waist. "Hey! You got more pokémon! Can I see?"

"Not all of them, no. A few of them are busy." Jaku pushed herself off the tree. "What are you two doing out here?"

"It's a funny story. Well, not actually funny. Kind of creepy, really. See, Rei messaged me about Warden Ingo's brother going missing during an attack on the Diamond Clan camp a few days ago."

Rei did not miss the way the ranger's eyes pinpointed him, a sinister gleam kindling despite their bored expression.

"…And?"

"Well, Rei found a scrap of his coat and the trail leads into the woods. We wanna see what happened. Adaman couldn't send any people to help look, so it's just us."

Too much information, Yuki. You shouldn't have told her that. Rei paused. Why was that his first thought? He found himself looking directly into Jaku's gaze, surprised when the older ranger eventually looked away. I trust her… right?

"Well, you're both idiots. Do you at least have some pokémon with you?"

"I've still got Otto." Rei let his Sneasel out, the tiny pokémon seeming excited to see the woman. "I've also found another pokémon- he's special."

"I see."

Rei swallowed. "Did you happen to see Emmet around here? You two were constantly together from what Mai and Melli mentioned before we got here." That was a lie. A partial lie. Rei had been at camp when Warden Ingo and his brother had first arrived. He'd overheard the two highland wardens talking. Melli had mentioned something about Emmet absolutely hating Jaku. Despising her, almost. But why?

"You're not gonna like it, but yeah, I've seen him. He's… he's okay." Jaku rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Turns out, he was in fact a Zoroark. A damn good one, too. Nearly had me fooled until he slipped up in his disguise back in the mirelands. Right next to Ingo, too."

Rei started forward. "Seriously?" He felt stupid now. Emmet was a Zoroark? That's literally what everybody had been telling him! "Why did Ingo let him come in with him?"

"It wasn't his choice. The Zoroark got past me, the speedy little bastard. I was chasing them back to camp but somehow, the little creature found a way to capture other pokémon. I didn't want to battle in the camp, so I had to wait to act."

"You?" Rei thundered. "Emmet was kidnapped. How- you just yoinked him from the camp?"

Jaku shrugged. "I made a new friend that could fly. It was a spur-of-the-moment plan. But hey, it worked."

"So where's the Zoroark now?" Yuki asked.

"He's tied up at the moment. He's a bit too strong for his own good, so I have my own pokémon keeping an eye on him while I go out and do things. I can't tell whether he genuinely means Ingo harm. I plan on capturing him later, thus the supplies from Jubilife."

Rei found himself thoroughly impressed with the older ranger. Not only had she figured out the sly fox's illusion, but she had also managed to successfully detain the threat without Ingo even noticing! And she was going to catch it! Rei felt his chest quiver with awe. Someday, he wanted to be as fearless as the older ranger was. He wanted to be just as clever and quick and bold as Jaku was!

"How did you manage to catch a pokémon as vicious as a Zoroark?" Rei asked innocently.

"With rope. Lots and lots of rope. Took me a good few tries before he stopped ripping through them."

"But can't pokémon use moves to fend off captures?" Yuki protested. "Ooh! Can you show us the Zoroark? I've never seen one up close."

Jaku shook her head as if to say no. At that very moment, a loud yell ripped outward from the woods behind them. Jaku stilled, her head whipping around, her eyes glittering with malice and wrath. Instead of going for her pokémon, Rei noticed immediately that the ranger's hand instead went for the saber at her hip. When nothing came of the yell, Jaku shook her head. "You two head back to the Deertrack Heights camp. I'll take care of… whatever that's supposed to be."

"We'll come with you!" Rei wanted to prove himself. "Let us come! We've got pokémon too. We can help!"

"No. You two really shouldn't be out here in the first place," the ranger tried to persuade them.

"Nu-uh! No way you're gonna let us sit behind this time!" Without warning, Yuki hobbled off into the undergrowth, Rei quickly overpassing him in his excitement. Finally! He was gonna have a chance to prove himself capable. He'd never been much help in battles before.

He hopped over numerous fallen logs and torn-up ferns, ignoring Jaku's shouts to stop and wait. He followed the yells, recognizing them as the desperate cries of an adult man. Somebody was in trouble! Rei scrambled over the edge to a stone hollow and dropped evenly into the clearing, ducking under a large, mushroom-covered log and into a dark cave.

"Hello?" he called, sliding a pokéball into his hand. "Is anybody in- "

"Help me!"

Rei quickly scrambled deeper into the cave only to stop. There, just barely illuminated by a dwindling fire, concealed by a large beast-like pokémon, was Emmet. Rei took a step back.

The man was filthy and disheveled, his silver hair hanging around his dirt-streaked face. His clothes were torn apart and soaked with blood, mud, and bits of leaf mold as though he'd been drug back-and-forth through the mud. He wore no shoes. His wrists, knees, and ankles were tightly bound with sections of clean rope. Before Emmet was a wad of his torn-up jacket, wet with saliva that dripped from his mouth. The man's silver eyes were sunken into his face, but they shone with terror.

"Help me," the man whispered. "Get me out of here," he begged.

Rei withered away, especially when the large beast-pokémon got up onto its paws and snarled at him with beady black eyes and cruel, savage teeth. Emmet was a Zoroark… right? So why was he still keeping up the illusion-

A heavy hand came down on his shoulder. "I thought I told you to wait." Jaku's voice had dropped so low that Rei had to focus to hear her despite their proximity. The ranger yanked him back by the arm and thrust him toward the exit. "Leave, before his illusion wears on you."

"But- "

"Go." The ranger's voice was ice-cold, deep with malice but not toward the Zoroark. Toward him. She said nothing as she took a jerking step toward the man who howled the moment she neared him.

"Don't listen to her!" he screamed in anger. "I'm not a Zoroark! Help me!"

"That's enough out of you," Jaku snarled. She picked up the wad of fabric and forced his jaw open, effectively gagging him. She then used a new section of rope to tie over his mouth. Without another word, she seized Rei's arms and dragged him fully out of the cave.

The moment he was out in the cool, summer air, Rei gagged. "You said-"

"He's a Zoroark, Rei. He was just yelling because he heard us talking. Thanks for completely disregarding my directions and nearly being fooled into releasing him."

Rei glanced around, searching for Yuki but failing to find him. "Where's Yuki?"

"I told him to wait by the clearing. At least he can follow instructions." The ranger pinched the bridge of her nose. "I've half a mind to personally escort you back to the mirelands, but I really can't afford to do so."

"Why was he bound like that?"

"He's frantically trying to get back to Ingo, so I have to keep him locked up until he decides to cooperate." She levelled with him, her grip on his shoulder softer. "I don't like it, but it's necessary. Zoroarks are tricky things and I'd rather not leave that thing alone with Ingo anymore."

He looked past her, not wanting to make eye contact, instead sighting a cluster of dirty blond hair tucked under a leafy bush. A familiar outcrop of blond hair. Yuki. The boy was slumped over a tree root at the top of the stone hollow, limp and unconscious.

Jaku followed his line of sight, grimacing. "Clever little bastard. Alright. I've let this go on for too long."

"Let what go on? What did you do to Yuki?" He backed up, hands outstretched, forgetting about the pokéballs on his belt. Jaku made no attempt to pursue him, an amused smile creeping across her face. That lack of aggression alone terrified him.

Rei was alone with a pokémon wielder. He was clearly outmatched. It would be a six-to-three match considering the number of pokéballs on the woman's belt. No means of summoning Otto, Tot, or his new pokémon would get him out of this situation unscathed without either abandoning Yuki or directly jeopardizing his own safety. A grown woman capable of kidnapping and tying up a grown man stood before him. She had lied to him. "…You're not gonna hurt me, are you?" he croaked.

Jaku looked at him tiredly, not even bothering to feign being hurt by his suggestion. "Oh no. I'm not going to hurt you," the woman spoke slowly. "I'm gonna do something far worse than that." She reached under her shirt to grasp something, a loud clicking noise emanating from beneath her shirt. "Don't worry. You won't even notice a thing."

June 30th, First Year

Rei picked his way along the riverbank, careful to keep away from the spray as Otto followed him. His argument with Akari had left him with the sensation of bugs crawling beneath his skin. He could hear her calling after him, focusing instead on something shiny and red in the river. Upon closer inspection, it was just a pretty white and red speckled rock.