Here is chapter 2! Enjoy!

Koa continued through the cavern, trying to keep his mind off the Zubat he'd just caught. As soon as he got out of here, he was releasing it. As admirable as its persistence was Koa and Crobat was just not how he wanted to be remembered. Especially since... well it didn't matter. Zubat would just have to find another trainer.

Soon, he approached a tunnel ahead, which he examined carefully. The walls were smooth and somewhat uniform, with evenly spaced ridges. Probably made by an Onix.

"Alright Regirock, where are you..." He pulled out his camera and started walking. Even a glimpse would be something...

The cave wound in a series of tunnels and caverns and ledges and slopes. He took care to mark which routes he'd gone down, so he wouldn't get lost. For almost an hour, he explored with no trouble. As he walked, he kept his flashlight trained on the area in front of him. He saw a few wild pokemon, although only from a distance. He'd just emerged into another cavern when a cry of challenge broke the silence.

Koa looked across the cavern to see a small Machop glaring at him. It gave another roar, smashing its fists together in a challenge. Despite its demeanor, it didn't look particularly tough. With a small sigh, he slowly withdrew Zubat's Pokeball. It would be rude to turn down a challenge, but he really wasn't interested in battling alongside a pokemon he didn't want to keep. Still, the Machop had challenged him, and it was customary to accept.

"Go Zubat," he muttered.

Zubat emerged from the pokeball with a delighted shriek. He immediately faced the Machop and let out a battle cry. At the sight of the aerial foe, Machop grinned and slammed his fists together.

"Wing Attack?" Koa called. He had no idea what the Zubat's moves were, nor did he care. He just wanted to keep exploring.

Zubat shrieked and dived at Machop, his wings glowing. Before Machop could react, Zubat struck it with two solid blows. Baring his fangs, Zubat sank them into Machop. Machop cried out and shook itself free. It glared at Zubat, still defiant, although Koa could tell the blows had greatly weakened it. It leaped into the air, its leg glowing white. Zubat twisted sideways, barely dodging the attack. He delivered another Wing Attack, sending Machop smashing to the ground. Machop didn't get up again.

Koa returned Zubat with a sigh. Despite Zubat's triumph, he couldn't find it in himself to be impressed, not when Zubat had the type advantage. He was beginning to regret not going straight to Rowan's lab. Maybe if he had, he could have found a Shinx. Or at least gotten whatever surprise Rowan had for him. Maybe Rowan had a Shinx, just waiting for him... That would be something. Even so, the Zubat had battled well on its own. For a Zubat, at least. His heart was still set on a Starly though.

Scanning the cavern he'd ended up in, he realized it was a dead end. He sighed and turned back the way he'd come, then tried another tunnel. This one ended up opening into a much, much larger cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites filled the room, pools of water gathered between the spires.

A heavy rumbling noise drew his attention to a ledge on the far side of the room. He shined his flashlight towards it just in time to see a large shadow move away. Could that have been Regirock?

Sprinting in the direction he'd last seen it, he dodged stalagmites and began scaling the wall. A few moments later, he'd dragged himself onto the ledge. He started forwards, but his foot hit air where he expected solid ground. With a cry of shock, he tumbled forwards, rolling down a steep slope. The rough ground tore at his jacket and scraped his limbs. A few moments later, he smacked into something hard, coming to a stop. He let out a groan of pain, and lay still for a few moments, then slowly sat up.

"Ughh..." His entire body ached all over, but it didn't feel like anything had broken. He turned to see what he hit. His tumble had taken him just inside a small cavern. A round green boulder had stopped his fall. Green boulder? But that meant...

"Shoot!" He leaped to his feet just as the boulder seemingly came to life, two arms and two legs popping out, followed by a small brownish head. The Golem roared at him in annoyance.

A light emerged from his belt and coalesced into the form of Zubat. He shrieked at the Golem, who roared in return. The roar shook the tiny cavern, small rocks falling from the ceiling and rattling the ground.

"Zubat, get back!" he yelped. What was he thinking?

Golem tucked into a ball launched itself at Zubat, his body moving so fast it became a blur. It smashed into him hard, sending him flying into a wall. Zubat squeaked in pain and lay still. "Zubat!" Koa yelled. A golden orb of energy appeared in Golem's mouth and it fired it towards Zubat. Koa darted towards his fallen pokemon. At the last moment, he grabbed him and rolled out of the way as the orb exploded behind them. Cradling Zubat close, he stared down Golem. He needed to get out of here, fast. A few yards away, to his left, was another entrance. If he could distract Golem, he could escape through there.

Golem roared angrily, causing the room to shake. Koa grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it past Golem. For a brief second, it glanced away, towards where the rock landed. Koa bolted, sprinting by Golem and through the tunnel. He kept running, trying his best to remember the paths he took. For almost ten minutes straight, he kept running, until he was sure Golem wasn't following.

Finally, he stopped in another cavern, breathing heavily. Kneeling down, he set Zubat on the ground carefully and pulled a slightly squashed Oran berry out of his bag. Drop by drop, he carefully squeezed the juice into Zubat's mouth.

A few moments later, the Zubat began to flutter its wings. Koa smiled in relief, then gave him another Oran berry. Within a few minutes, he was looking completely restored. Koa opened a health checker app on his Poketch and scanned Zubat. A few seconds later, the results popped up. A sigh of relief escaped him. Zubat was fine.

"Phew," he murmured. His worry quickly morphed to annoyance. "No more challenging ridiculously strong pokemon," he chastised.

Zubat's only response as an apologetic trill.

Pulling out Zubat's pokeball and returning him, he shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he ignored the pitter-patter of his heart at how close Zubat had come to getting itself hurt. Silly bat! Why had he even come out of his pokeball like that?

Shaking his head, Koa stood up and dusted himself off as best he could. "Well, might as well look around," he muttered.

This cavern was large, even bigger than the first one he encountered. Tragically there was no sign of Regirock, although he'd come to suspect what he'd seen earlier had simply been another pokemon. He wandered slowly through the room, carefully checking the ground for tracks or signs of Regirock. He'd made his way almost halfway around the cavern when something caught his eye. Poking from behind a stalagmite, he spotted something pearly white.

Walking faster, he shined his flashlight on it. It resembled a piece of a large reptilian jaw bone, almost twice as big as his head. His eyes bulged. "A Jaw Fossil!" Grinning madly, he picked it up and stroked it almost reverently. It felt heavy, although still lighter than he expected based on its size.

Sure, he'd found plenty of fossils before, while out with his cousin or when he'd snuck into caves on his own. But he'd never found any complete enough for regeneration.

"I thought these were found in Kalos, not Sinnoh," he murmured to himself. Perhaps it belonged to some explorer? But if it did, how had they lost it? A few rather dark scenarios popped into his mind before he shook them off. Perhaps it was best not to look a gift fossil in the jaw... Smiling to himself at his joke, he carefully tucked the fossil into his backpack. If he could get to the museum in Oreburgh City, he could revive it into a Tyrunt.

"Sick!" he declared. His voice echoed through the cavern, bouncing back to him.

As the noise faded, he heard scratching and fluttering above him. Chills crept down his spine. A vague sense of dread filled him. His heart began to race as he slowly aimed his flashlight upwards. The beam illuminated the ceiling, revealing a writhing mass of blue fur — hundreds of Zubat and Golbat, clinging to the ceiling.

A nest.

Pinpricks of sinister light reflected in his flashlight beam as the eyes of several Golbat opened and turned on him. He took a step back and stumbled, his beam sweeping wildly across the ceiling. Loud screeching filled the room and the sound of hundreds of wingbeats echoed as they descended from their perches, and began swarming the cavern.

Their deafening cries rang in his ears, and they began to dive at him. One whizzed by him and scratched his jacket, tearing straight through the leather and cutting his skin. Another made a dive for his head. Koa ducked and it whizzed by just inches above him. He shuddered.

The Golbat coalesced into a large huddle, shrieking their displeasure. One dove at him again. Koa threw his hands up, narrowly avoiding being bitten in the face, though he paid for it when Golbat bit his shoulder instead. Flinching in pain, he batted it off. His heart pounded in his chest at the sight of the gash it left. A faint smear of red blood mingled with the red of his jacket.

Koa backed away, his heart pounding. These Golbat weren't playing friendly. They were out for blood, quite literally. His mind began to race and he cursed himself. Why had he come here? He'd trespassed and ignored the warnings. He could almost hear his cousin's voice, chiding him for his recklessness again. Would his journey amount to being gobbled up by a swarm of Golbat? No. He'd figure something out, somehow.

Light flashed and his Zubat appeared from its ball once again. He faced the swarm, chittering angrily. One Golbat, larger than the rest, flew forwards, shrieking angrily in return. The two seemed to engage in some kind of brief conversation. A tiny flicker of hope burned in Koa's chest.

Then it died as the Golbat dived at Zubat, its jaws wide open. It snatched Zubat out of the sky, tossing him to the ground. Zubat squeaked weakly and fluttered back into the air as the horde of Golbat began to draw in around them. Zubat opened his tiny jaws and let out an ear-splitting screech. The horde backed off slightly.

Zubat turned to him, chittering urgently, then took off towards a tunnel Koa hadn't noticed before. Koa bolted after his Zubat. He weaved through the tunnels, gasping for breath. Behind him, he could still hear the wingbeats of the colony. They weren't giving up as quickly as the Golem had. He ran faster, his chest tightening. His flashlight beam jumped erratically as he raced down the tunnel.

Behind him, he could still hear the furious cries of the Zubat and Golbat, their wingbeats like a roaring beast. Taking out Zubat's pokeball, he returned him, whispering a harried 'thank you' to the pokeball. He continued his blind run, his breath coming in panicked wheezes as his lungs burned. Moments later, a faint glow ahead. An exit, perhaps? He raced down the tunnel. The roar of the wingbeats behind him began to fade.

As he turned a corner, the light almost blinded him. Squinting, he kept going, bursting out of the cave and onto a steep forested slope. Half-sliding, half running, he hurtled down the hill. At the base, he crossed a thin dirt path and collapsed at the edge of the woods on the other side. His breaths came in ragged heaves, and his vision swam. He could feel his heart hammering rapidly in his chest, and he felt sick. Wearily, he peered across the road. The Golbat colony was gone.

With shaking hands, he released Zubat from his pokeball. Koa cradled the small bat pokemon gently. He could feel his tiny rapid heartbeat and his wearied breaths. Zubat didn't seem too badly injured; although the most concerning was a set of puncture marks caused by the Golbat's fangs. He needed a pokemon center. Although a Zubat would likely be immune to the dangerous toxins wild Golbat could carry, he still wanted to get the bite looked at.

"Foolish Zubat," he murmured. He scratched it gently between the ears. "Still, I owe you a thanks, I guess." He paused. "You saved me." Twice. He knew now Zubat had been the very one that saved him from the Mightyena some days ago.

Zubat flashed a lopsided grin and chittered, as if proud of himself.

Raising his head, Koa looked around.

To the south, just past the trees, he could see the shining expanse of Lake Verity. A sigh of relief escaped him. If that was Lake Verity, then that meant there was a Ranger outpost not far. He glanced at the sky. It was evening. He needed to get to the outpost quickly. If he got caught when it was dark out, with Zubat in this shape, it wouldn't be good at all. He adjusted Zubat in his arms until he seemed comfortable. After taking a moment to orient himself, he set off at a steady jog, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

The sun had started to set by the time he reached the outpost. Like all outposts, it consisted of a sturdy wall to keep out pokemon, and guards stationed at the rim to discourage flying pokemon. Inside was a small base for the guards, a couple of houses, and most importantly, a pokemon center. He raced through the outpost and burst inside.

"Nurse!" he shouted. "My pokemon needs help!" The nurse, an older woman with short-cropped gray hair, hurried towards him. Her Chansey trotted beside her, pushing a gurney, and she carefully took Zubat from him, setting him on Chansey's cart. "What happened to him?"

"We were attacked by a colony of Zubat and Golbat. And they bit him too."

The nurse nodded. "Wait here." She pushed his Zubat through a set of double doors. Koa started to follow, but the doors locked behind the nurse. With a sigh, he picked a chair near the doors and sat down.

The longer he waited, the more worried he grew. He pushed the worry down, deep into his mind. No point worrying now. Next time he'd be more prepared, that was all. The Golbat flock had been nothing more than an unexpected occurrence, and once he had a proper starter pokemon, wild pokemon wouldn't be a problem. Plus, he still had the Plan. With a full team of strong and diverse pokemon, he could go anywhere. His guilt dismissed, he reflected on his next steps.

The first stop was circumventing Lake Verity. From there he could travel to Route 201, which would lead him to Sandgem, which was only a half day's walk away. After he stopped in to see Professor Rowan, then he would make his way to Oreburgh and revive his fossil. Then he could train more and get back to his Plan. Although with the fossil, he would have to make some changes...

He was still lost in thought when the nurse came out sometime later. Chansey followed close behind, pushing a cart with Zubat on it, who seemed much perkier. "Your Zubat will be fine. Let him rest tonight, and try to avoid hard battles for a day or so."

Zubat chirped happily and fluttered onto Koa's head.

A grin spread across Koa's face, but he quickly let it fade. No, he had to stay focused. Zubat was simply his responsibility for now. That was all. He wouldn't train Zubat, and he didn't want to get attached. It wouldn't be fair to Zubat either.

"Thank you, Nurse..." He glanced at her nametag, "Nerene."

She gave a nod in response. "It looks like you were injured too. Didn't you see the guard stationed outside the entrance?" Her tone was annoyed, and Koa couldn't help but be reminded of Blake when he got mad at him for doing something dangerous. She had the same worried light in her eyes Blake did too.

Koa said nothing.

She sighed and beckoned him. "Get over here. No sense in healing your pokemon and letting you catch all manners of diseases." Nerene led him to a side room and helped bandage his deeper wounds, and had Chansey use her abilities to heal the less serious ones. "Alright, there," Nerene grumbled. "Now stay out of dangerous caves. Please," she added.

Koa mumbled a thanks and headed out of the pokemon center. It was too late to be out on the road, so he got a room at an inn and stayed the night. Zubat opted to spend the night in his pokeball, which was fine by Koa. Every time he looked at him, he felt a strange pang that made him uncomfortable.

The next morning, Koa awoke early. He had a lot of ground to cover to reach Route 201. Since he wouldn't be traveling by official routes for the first part of the journey, it would be harder. Fortunately, if he stuck to the lakefront, it wouldn't be too strenuous.

After traveling for a few hours along the lakefront, he reached the beginning of Route 201. He let out a sigh of relief. From here it would be easy. A long, packed dirt path wound through sparse woods ahead. He glanced at his Poketch. Almost noon. Which meant he could be in Sandgem by evening.

For the next couple of hours, he followed the path, enjoying the scenery. He saw quite a few wild pokemon, but none challenged him. So he distracted himself daydreaming about climbing Mt. Coronet, exploring all the caves, and catching legendary pokemon.

A loud screech erupted from the forest, jolting Koa from his thoughts of meeting Articuno. A moment later, a Galvantula burst from the woods, scuttling across the road. It turned around, firing an Electroweb towards the trees. The attack was swiftly countered by a white bone sailing through the air. It struck the Electroweb, breaking it apart.

"Get back here you lousy bug!" A man emerged from the woods, in hot pursuit of the Galvantula. A Marowak followed close behind him.

Koa took in the situation quickly. The Galvantula had stopped at the side of the road, eyeing the Marowak warily. It appeared battered, and its breathing was heavy. A rubber shackle dangled from one of its forelegs. Its pursuer wore dark camo clothing, rubber gloves and a net draped over his shoulder. Disgust welled up in Koa. A poacher.

The man froze when he saw Koa. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Koa saw panic flare in the poacher's gaze. Then it turned to disdain. "Scram, kid, this doesn't concern you."

The Galvantula backed away a few steps.

"Trap that thing!" Marowak gave a nod, then dove into the ground. A moment later, the Galvantula gave a cry of surprise as the ground underneath it collapsed, half burying it.

"Leave it alone!" Koa shouted. His fists clenched and his body tensed. Poachers were the worst kinds of criminals as far as he was concerned. They illegally captured pokemon using cruel and unfair methods, usually only to sell them for terrible purposes.

The poacher turned to Koa, scowling. "Marowak-"

Koa whipped out Zubat's pokeball, almost on instinct. "Zubat, attack!" he called, tossing his pokeball. Zubat was weak, and even though he had the flying advantage, he wouldn't stand a chance against the Marowak in a proper battle. But he didn't have much choice either. He couldn't just let the poacher get away.

Zubat appeared in a flash of light. He hardly finished emerging from the ball before letting out a blast of soundwaves. Supersonic. Marowak dropped its bone, covering its ears.

"Quick, use Supersonic again!"

Zubat opened its jaws and unleashed another series of powerful soundwaves. They struck the stunned Marowak full on. It staggered in circles, dazed and confused. The Galvantula took the opportunity to scramble free from the hole and disappear into the woods.

"Curse you, brat!" The poacher pulled out a pokeball and quickly returned Marowak. With his other hand, he withdrew a small object from his pocket. Koa hardly had time to register what had happened before the poacher hurled it towards the ground.

Bang!

Koa's ears rang. A dense cloud of gray smoke billowed forth, enveloping the area. He sucked in a mouthful and started coughing. Tears streamed from his eyes and his throat burned. Zubat squeaked and coughed as well, and he quickly returned him to his pokeball. As he did, the light of another pokeball flashed within the smoke. The sound of rapid retreating hoofbeats filled the air.

The smoke began to fade just in time for Koa to catch a distant glimpse of a... Zebstrika? Hot anger flooded him. Two Zebstrika in the space of days? In Sinnoh? It was far too unlikely. It had to be the rider who'd almost run him off the road on the way to Jubilife. His hands clenched into fists. Filthy criminals—

Taking a deep breath, he forced his frustrations aside. At least the poor Galvantula managed to escape. That's what mattered. Judging by its appearance, it had to have escaped from the poacher. They were common in Unova, but incredibly rare in Sinnoh, with only a few pockets of Galvantula colonies.

Shaking his head in disgust, he continued down the route. In the distance, he could catch the first glimpse of the buildings of Sandgem Town, which meant he only had another half-hour of traveling to go. As soon as he got to Sandgem, he vowed to report the poacher.

Hardly a minute passed before he felt a strange tingle down his spine. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He spun around, coming face to face with a Galvantula. His eyes widened. It had to be the very same one he'd saved only minutes earlier.

As he watched, it slowly approached him. Then, from the fur on its back, a tiny Joltik leaped off, landing in front of him. Koa gasped. Galvantula was probably Joltik's mother. Given how small Joltik were, it could have been hiding on Galvantula the whole time. The Joltik scurried forwards, its tiny blue eyes gleaming with determination. It chittered defiantly and took another step forwards.

"Oh boy..." Koa murmured. He recognized the look in its eyes. It wanted to come with him. He fought the urge to groan. The Plan was to get a Luxray, not a Joltik. As he stared into the Joltik's eyes, his heart began to soften. Despite its size, it displayed an unusual ferocity. Well, Joltik was still an electric type. And a Galvantula would be a strong addition to a team... "Are you saying you want to come with me?"

The Joltik nodded, its eyes gleaming.

"My dream is to become a great explorer." Koa turned and gestured to the far off hills of Mt. Coronet. "I'm going to climb that mountain one day, and reach the peak. They say it's cursed, that no one has been able to climb it in years. I want to reach the place called Spear Pillar. But even more than that, I want to raise a strong team and catch a legendary pokemon. But it won't be easy. Do you still want to come with me?"

The Joltik bounced up and down, tiny sparks leaping off its fur. Koa chucked at the display. "Alright then, I guess that settles it." He withdrew a pokeball from his bag and held it out to Joltik. It sprang forwards, tapping the button in the center. The usual red light emerged, drawing Joltik in. A moment later, the ball dinged.

Koa couldn't help but grin. He'd caught his first pokemon! His starter. Koa and Galvantula... There was certainly a nice ring to it.

The Galvantula, who until now, had waited quietly, gave him a nod of respect, then chittered fiercely. Protect my child.

"I'll look after him, I promise," Koa said.

It dipped its head in another bow. Then it turned and vanished back into the forest. He watched it go, then set his sights on the route ahead. The last leg of his journey flew by. As he walked, he contemplated potential nicknames for his new companion. Once he reached the gates of Sandgem, he paused to release Joltik.

Joltik churred happily and scurried up his leg and onto his shoulder. Koa patted it gently. "So what do you say, buddy? Want a nickname?"

Joltik gave a little hop in acknowledgment.

"Let's see..." Koa mused. "How about Jolt?"

Joltik immediately delivered a small shock to him.

"Guess that's a no," Koa gasped. After a long (and somewhat painful process), he settled on a name he thought the Joltik would like. "How about Hazard?"

The Joltik made a chittering noise and hopped off his shoulder, letting tiny sparks fly. Judging by its eyes, it seemed quite happy with the choice.

"Hazard it is then."

Koa returned him for the short walk through Sandgem to Rowan's lab. His mind was focused on only two things - reporting the poacher, and finding whatever Rowan had in store for him.

As Koa approached the lab, however, he saw a large crowd gathered around it. Several police officers were also roaming the grounds. Koa frowned. That was definitely not normal. He hurriedly pushed his way through the throngs of onlookers, ignoring their dirty looks. Near the entrance to the lab, he spotted Professor Rowan, talking to an officer.

"Professor Rowan!" he called.

The professor turned towards him, then waved him over. He said something to the officer, who nodded, shook his hand, then left. Koa raced up the path to the lab.

"Professor, what happened?" he searched the professor's face anxiously, trying to find any clue of what transpired. He looked even more cross than usual, and his gaze was dark.

"A robbery, I'm afraid. Come inside, I have to explain some things to you."

Koa clenched his fists and followed him inside. Rage bubbled in him as Rowan led him to the main room, which was empty, and sat down. First a poacher, now someone had robbed the professor?

"I have some bad news."

Koa turned to face Rowan, trying to prepare himself for the worst, although he had no idea what the 'worst' actually was.

"The people who broke in escaped with a great deal of valuable research and equipment. They also took some pokemon from the preserve." Rowan let out a long sigh before continuing. "I'm afraid that one of those pokemon was meant for you. Your cousin and I were going to give it to you as a gift for becoming a trainer. A-"

"I... I don't want to know what kind of pokemon it was," he said quietly. He trained his eyes on the floor, trying to ignore the slight moistness he felt in them. "When did they break in?" he asked stiffly.

"This morning."

His fists shook and his chest tightened. He felt like punching a wall. As it was, he settled for clenching his jaw. If he'd just come straight to the lab instead of going to that cave first...this was his fault— He pushed the thought away. The deed was done. Besides, he might never have found the Jaw fossil if he hadn't gone exploring. Or met Hazard.

Rowan continued. "I am sorry, Koamaru. I can offer you one of the pokemon I keep for young trainers starting their journey. Although I can't offer a Chimchar either..." his voice trailed off.

Koa shook his head numbly. Even though he would love a chance at one of the starters, they weren't part of his plan. Besides, he knew Rowan had a class graduating soon, and he didn't want to deprive him of the rare 'starter' pokemon. It took time to raise and prepare them to be companions.

"Well, there is little to be done now, except hope they find the crooks. I do have something else for you, however." Rowan stood up and strode to his office. Koa trailed behind, trying to bury his disappointment.

He watched as the Professor moved a picture of a Staraptor from the wall, revealing a hidden safe. Moving swiftly, he typed in a code and the safe clicked open. He retrieved a small object from within. Closing the safe, he turned around to face Koa. "Here you are, my boy. Your very own Pokedex."

Koa's eyes lit up, and he reverently took the device. It was a slim, rectangular device painted bright red and black. He flipped it open, revealing dual screens. "Wow..." he breathed. "Thank you!" He closed the device and carefully slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"I've also taken the liberty of registering your capture system personally," Professor Rowan continued. "So if you do choose to capture more than six pokemon, they will be sent to my preserve."

"Thank you," Koa said. At least there was one piece of good news. Even though he currently had no intention of trying to catch additional pokemon, it was comforting to know that if he changed his mind he would have someone he could trust to look after them.

Rowan cleared his throat. "Well, I expect you'll want to get back to your journey. Where are you headed next?"

Koa eagerly explained how he'd found the Jaw fossil, and planned to have it revived as soon as possible.

Rowan nodded sagely, his eyes twinkling as if remembering something fondly. "I was just like you in my younger days, you know. Full of energy. Well, you'd best be off then. If you're walking, it will take you at least two days to reach Jubilife."

Koa shook his head. "I think I'll take the bus to Jubilife, then walk to Oreburgh. There isn't anything I really want to catch on Route 202."

Rowan nodded thoughtfully but didn't say anything else. Koa bid him farewell, then hurried out of the lab. He made a quick stop at the Police Headquarters to report the poacher, then headed north, towards the bus stop.

"Hey, wait up!"

Koa frowned and glanced back to see a girl racing towards him. She stopped a few feet away, panting as she caught her breath. He groaned inwardly. Right now, all he wanted was to get on the road and get to Oreburgh.

"You just left the lab, right?" she asked.

Koa nodded. "Yeah... what do you want?" he asked suspiciously. He eyed her carefully. She looked close to his age, but he'd never seen her around the lab during his visits either, which meant she wasn't an assistant.

"I was wondering if you knew anything about the break-in. I'm investigating it, and I think it may be connected to a series of other robberies. Did Professor Rowan tell you anything?"

Koa shook his head. "No. Is that it? Because I kinda have a bus to catch..."

The girl frowned and sighed. "I'm an investigator. I'm trying to see if the recent crimes are in any way connected to Team Galactic's former members. Do you know anything else about what happened?"

Koa grimaced at the mere mention of the name again. Just thinking about them reminded him of the atrocities they'd committed, the way they'd destroyed the harmony between people and legendaries— He pushed the thoughts down. At least, they'd been thwarted before they could do real damage. Or at least, physical damage. Besides, those details weren't exactly public knowledge.

"I don't really know much, sorry," Koa said. "But... I think one of the pokemon taken was a Chimchar? That's all I know- oh actually there was something else." He quickly explained the Zebstrika he'd run into on the way to Jubilife, and then seeing the poacher on his way to the lab.

"Hm... thank you, that does help a little." She flicked out a card, handing it to him. "If you see anything else, call me." Without another word, she turned and jogged back towards the lab. Koa watched her go, then resumed his trek to the bus stop. The disappointment of missing out on the pokemon Rowan had for him still weighed heavily on his mind. To distract himself, he released Hazard from his pokeball.

"Alright buddy, let's see what you can do." He pulled out his Pokedex, scanning the Joltik.

Joltik, the Attaching Pokémon. They attach themselves to large-bodied Pokémon and absorb static electricity, which they store in an electric pouch. This Joltik is male and knows the moves Absorb, Electroweb, Bug Bite, String Shot. Its ability is Compound Eyes.

"Cool!" Absorb and Bug Bite would give him some offense, while String Shot and Electroweb could trip up opponents. Not bad.

Kneeling and holding out his hand, he let Hazard scurry up onto his shoulder. Just the sight of his new pokemon cheered him up. Soon, he would be in Oreburgh. And not long after that, he would have a real, honest to goodness Fossil pokemon on his team. In the distance, he saw the bus approaching. A grin spread across his face.

Tyrunt, here I come.

Hazard {M - Joltik}

Zubat

Another hiccup in Koa's Perfect Plan! Not only did he get stuck with a particular Zubat, but now a Joltik. Well at least its electric type, right? Surely everything else will go smoothly...

As always, thank you for reading and spending time on this fic! It means a lot to me. I read all the comments I get and I cherish them.