They were outside, it turned out. I was a little bothered that they hadn't tried to inform me, but not much.

"Melody, mega drain!" called Dawn.

Her roselia spun and pointed gracefully towards Lucas's turtwig. There was an awkward pause. I was confused, but then I realized that Dawn was trying to teach the roselia mega drain.

"What have you been telling her?" I asked, walking up behind her.

She jumped. "Oh – to pull energy from the opponent."

I spoke to the roselia directly. "You gotta reach out first. Put out a rope of energy at the opponent. It acts like a straw."

The roselia concentrated. Slowly, wisps of green energy wound their way through the air. Lucas's turtwig waited patiently for the arrival. When the tendrils connected, Melody directed energy back through the strands – a visible flow ran towards her. Turtwig seemed more uncomfortable than pained, but the roselia would get stronger.

"How'd you know?" Dawn said, startled.

I shrugged. "Just battled Gardenia. Can I talk to you guys?"

We picked the outdoor part of a café on the edge of town, next to the forest. The deck hung over the edge of the forest itself, meaning there were fewer directions for people to overhear anything from. I typed a poketch message to Looker under the table. We ordered food and began to talk.

"Is there something you need to say?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah." I coughed softly. "It's… When I was in Floaroma, a little girl came running, saying something about her daddy being locked in the Valley Windworks by a bunch of bad guys. It turned out it was a group called Team Galactic, with their leader Mars."

"Team Galactic?!" Dawn repeated suddenly.

"Yeah."

She and Lucas exchanged a knowing glance.

"Some of them were in Jubilife," Lucas said. "They called themselves grunts."

"We were passing through north Jubilife and found them trying to steal from Professor Rowan," said Dawn. "Laptop, pokemon, whatever he had."

I vaguely remembered Dawn dealing with something like this last time around. Lucas had been somewhere else.

"So what happened at the Windworks?" Dawn prompted.

"They were collecting energy for something big. I more or less kicked them out. There weren't many of them."

"Do you know anything else about them?"

I paused.

"They're criminals under the guise of an electric company," said someone behind Lucas. "I've been watching them for some time. International Police, call me Looker."

They'd seemed startled at first, and a little wary now. "Don't worry, I know him. We met in Jubilife a while back," I let them know.

Looker pulled up a chair beside me. "I see you're all acquainted with Galactic now. That'll make things easier. Essentially what they're aiming to do is create a new world using the myths of Dialga, Palkia, the lake trio and the Red Chain."

"But… They can't be serious?" Dawn said.

"They are very serious. And they have the capabilities to go very far with this myth."

"Would it work?" Lucas. "Would they actually make a new world?"

Looker and I glanced oh-so-inconspicuously at each other.

"It's not a sure thing. What is a sure thing," Looker added solemnly, "Is that they would leave a legacy of crime and destruction in their wake. More than the petty robbery you faced in Jubilife."

"So… Why are we being involved in this? Aren't there other trainers?" Dawn asked.

"My dear, you stepped into involvement the moment you crossed their paths in Jubilife," said Looker. "You have experienced their true nature firsthand, while others have not. And wouldn't you like to fight back? To stop them before they go too far?"

I twisted the tablecloth corner under the table's edge.

Lucas's eyes were shining now. Emotions did that – both the bad and the good, sadness and excitement and anticipation. I think he wanted to do this.

"Well… all right. Where do we start?"

In response to Dawn, Looker looked to me. "Evelyn had something she wanted to share."

Glancing around, I pulled off my poketch and flipped it to the voice record app. I played the recording of Jupiter's conversation, while Looker recorded the playback on his own device.

After listening, Looker leaned back. "The Adamant and Lustrous orbs… It makes sense that those would be connected. I don't see why I didn't notice the connection sooner…"

He was thinking of the theft of the orbs last time around. I remembered it vaguely, but not where or when exactly it was.

"By getting the orbs out of the way, we can slow them down," I said. "It's a start, at worst."

"Okay, can we start over," Dawn said, flustered, "because I lost her at 'Red Chain'."

"Oh," said Looker, somewhat surprised, "Yeah. Sorry. The Red Chain… You've heard of the lake trio, I assume?" Dawn nodded. "The Red Chain in its natural state is just the crystals of the trio. It allows them to control any pokemon, which they would use to force Dialga and Palkia to create a new world."

"Right now they're powering up to create a bomb," I said.

Dawn jumped, and Lucas looked alarmed. "What?"

"To use on a lake," I explained. "To lure one of the lake pokemon out, which lures out the rest. With the lake pokemon they'd be able to commence with the summoning of Dialga and Palkia, which they can't do with the Chain alone."

"Shouldn't we stop them from making the bomb first?" Dawn pointed out.

"That's the next step," Looker agreed, "but blocking them from attaining the Adamant and Lustrous orbs would mean they can't catch the lake trio."

"But the Red Chain is made of the trio…?" Dawn was confused.

"Not the artificial version," said Lucas. "Team Galactic makes their own Chain using the orbs, then they catch the trio, then they summon the duo."

"Good," Looker said, nodding, "You're catching on." (I beamed.) "I think they're held in… Is it Veilstone?"

"Hearthome, I think," I responded. Lucas nodded an affirmation. "Can you pull the 'I'm the IP' card on the museum?"

"Possibly. I'll get over there and let you guys know. Let's exchange poketch numbers for now," Looker said.

"Numbers? Poketches aren't phones," Dawn said.

I stiffened, realizing Looker's mistake. The text message app wasn't released until early October, and voice calls were in November. I still had both from the last time around, but these two…

"Oh, sorry. It's a secret upcoming app right now; it'll be released soon," Looker said. He was a member of the IP, he could get away with this kind of mistake. I envied him. "But we'll keep in touch. In the meantime, I'm glad you brought up bomb prevention, Dawn."

Looker pulled out a medium-sized backpack from under the table. It was packed full and looked like any normal trainer bag. "Full of IP pokemon," he said.

"They don't let you carry pokemon, and then they give you this?" I said incredulously.

Looker shrugged. "These aren't mine. And it's already a leap of faith that they've given me this, since they still don't really believe Galactic is too big of a concern. These are Unovan pokemon, called joltiks. They're about four inches long or smaller, and they feed on electricity. I'd like you three to get them into Galactic's Eterna Headquarters and find where the energy is stored. Leave these guys there."

"Wait, back up," said Dawn. "First of all, isn't that pokemon abuse? Second, they'd see us."

"We're essentially giving these joltiks a source of food that will last them a while," Looker said. "We're not bringing faster eaters because that would show up too obviously on Galactic's radar. We've already electrocommunicated to the joltiks what we plan on doing, and they did not show signs of objection. And you'll actually be going under the guise of rescuing the bike shop owner. He's being held there because he has a few pokemon with celestial connections. A clefairy or two. A solrock, I believe."

The waiter returned with our food. "Anything for you, sir?" he asked Looker. Looker declined, and the waiter went back inside.

"We could go tonight," Lucas said, "after we battle the gym."

"Our pokemon won't be in good shape," protested Dawn. "And we should probably get out of town as soon as we can after that. Let's go in the morning."

"Sooner the better," said Lucas, "Cause the bike shop owner is just waiting there."

"I still say it should be tomorrow," Dawn said. And it was decided.

Looker stood up to leave. "I leave these in your care. Leave the bag in your room when you leave. I'll let you know what's next after I look into the orbs."

He left us to lunch and the anticipation of what was to happen. I noticed but didn't understand the somewhat bothered look on Lucas's face.

I'd intended to watch Lucas's gym match after my pokemon healed, but Dawn challenged me to a battle instead. "You don't want to rest up before the match?" I asked.

She shrugged. "It'll be fine. I'll run them through healing. This'll be a warmup."

Usually a rookie mistake, I thought grimly. But I agreed to a three-round match.

She sent her roselia out first, and I sent Trust. I'd pick Promise to go up against Bree/Kenna, and Faith would fight Dawn's third pokemon.

"Oh, boo," she said with a slight pout. "Ready?"

"Yeah," I said. "You take the first move."

"Kay. Melody, stun spore!"

"Go ahead and flamethrow that."

It wasn't a long battle, though I tried to stretch it out so Trust might get some flame wheel practice in. Trust had the type advantage and the experience advantage.

"Good battle, Melody. Kenna, go!"

My stomach twisted a little. Bree was still a piplup, although probably borderline evolution. She came onto the field determinedly, boldly, without seeming to recognize me one bit.

Of course she doesn't, you dumbwad.

I licked my lips. "Promise, it's yours."

"Go!" yelled Dawn.

Go? I wondered.

Bree sprang forward with a peck attack, beak glowing white. Promise dodged it. Without waiting for a command from Dawn, Bree reversed directions and lunged at him again, catching him in the back.

"Watergun," I said. Promise turned and shot water at Bree, who was already gone. I'd forgotten how fast she was. And just like that, she'd nailed Promise in the stomach with peck.

"Bui!" he cried.

"Prom, sonic boom!"

He whipped his tail at the incoming piplup, hitting her square in the face. "Great! Again, and water punch!"

Besides Bree's initial wth-is-a-water-punch confusion, it wasn't too effective. I realized what was going on: Bree was so fast, Dawn was just letting her decide for herself for increased speed. And I did not remember this amount of speed from Bree, when I had her.

"Send her flying when she gets close," I told Promise.

He waited for her to approach with peck, then ducked under and shot her up with watergun. Chirping frantically, Bree floundered in the air and hit the ground bellyfirst.

"Shake it off, Kenna! Peck one more time!"

"Push her down," I said.

Promise waited, and jumped and shot her into the ground with watergun. Bree struggled to get out of the muddy crater.

And started glowing.

"Great job, Kenna!" Dawn called happily. Her piplup-turned-prinplup emerged from the glow and chirped proudly. "Go for it!"

Kenna swiped forward suddenly, knocking Promise away. Promise cried out, a pair of welts evident across his shoulders and chest. Metal claw, looked like.

"Water gun!"

"Cut through!"

Promise blasted Kenna with water, but the prinplup wielded her flippers in front of her like the bow of a boat, running right through it.

"Jump, and sonic boom!"

Promise jumped just before Kenna reached him, but Kenna jumped at the last minute. With a split-second metal claw, she slapped him downwards, slamming him into the ground. Promise tried to get up from the mud, but collapsed back down.

Oh. Shiz. That happened.

"Return," I said, stunned.

"Great job, Kenna! Return," Dawn called.

Nicely done, Kenna.

Though we were tied now, I still wasn't too concerned. Faith had her combos down pretty well. I threw her pokeball out, and she appeared over the field, grinning with her tongue out.

"Alan, go!"

"Faith–" Then I saw who Alan was, and my heart stopped beating for a bit, because holy literal hell.

"Odor sleuth!" Dawn yelled to the very, very familiar growlithe.

A wild blur of emotions – angerregretresentmentdismayheartbreak – swirled through me like a hurricane. I was literally going to go back for Owen tonight or tomorrow. It had been a day, a day, and within a day there was a second pokemon gone. Both to Dawn.

I wasn't focusing. Faith, confused at my reaction, was trying to duck and dodge Owen's – Alan's – bite attacks, but the odor sleuth was helping him. "Faith! Uh–" regretangerregretregretregret "Uh, hypnosis!"

"Dodge! Lunge in with bite!" Dawn called out confidently.

"Faith, dodge!"

I'd reacted too soon; Faith didn't know whether to dodge or attack. She settled for disappearing as a way of dodging, but Alan's odor sleuth counteracted the benefit of that. He snapped his jaw at thin air, then shook his head wildly. Faith reappeared, and Alan released her from his maw, panting happily. She fell to the ground.

"Alan, great job!" My old friend Owen turned and bounded into Dawn's arms.

I couldn't look away from the airy violet mass on the ground. At some point I came to my senses and recalled her. "Let's get you guys healed," I said.

"Hey." Dawn was walking up, Alan at her heels. "Great battle. I don't think we've ever fought like that before!"

"Yeah, same to you." I wondered if all her other challengers had really been worse than that. "I'm gonna get them healed."

Dawn recalled Alan. "I'll be there in a bit. See you soon."

"Where are you going?"

She turned her head over her shoulder. "Lucas is probably done. I'm going to catch up with him."

I watched her jog away, a sinking feeling in my chest.