September 30th, First Year

Glass clinked. Emmet warily eyed the spindly Kirlia milling around his feet as he sorted the glass bottles of poultices and herbs within the healer's hut in the Pearl Settlement. He knew who the small pokémon belonged to. With a chirp, Galvantula crawled onto his back and onto the table, a letter clamped in her twitching mandibles. Emmet sighed. Guess there's no avoiding these tracks then.

Letters usually meant bad news and receiving one from the girl- from Akari- only made Emmet a smidgen worried. He had… listened to what Akari had said about her indentured servitude to Arceus. Just the thought made him feel queasy. There were many reasons Emmet disliked legendary pokémon: they caused unspeakable damage when utilized on the Battle Subway, they caused many disasters when summoned into the human world, and most importantly, they always seemed to have a general disregard for human life.

Emmet could believe Akari's words- after all, Arceus had stolen his brother from him so callously and worse still, had left Emmet and his crew of depot agents with the cruel truth that they had failed Ingo in many ways that fated day long, long ago. With the bitter taste in his mouth knowing that Ingo had gone somewhere he couldn't follow. And the worst part? Allowing Celebi to bypass that truth and transport him to Hisui only so that Emmet could find out that Ingo barely remembered him or his past life in the first place.

But despite it all, Emmet couldn't help but distrust Akari. The girl knew something- something big. Something that she refused to talk about. Emmet liked secrets- liked having secrets all to himself- but others keeping secrets from him? Not so much. Legendary pokémon tended to prey upon weak, defenseless, and sometimes unnoticed children, but there was something in Akari's eyes that had unnerved him greatly when the jittery girl had suddenly confessed to her abhorrent crimes. He wasn't a social person, but Emmet always acted upon his gut instinct, and so maybe it wasn't a surprise when Emmet faltered when reaching for the girl's letter.

Dear Misters Ingo & Emmet,

I hope Pluto gets this letter to you guys. I have good news! Rei woke up from his poisoning! He's very weak, but he's coping fine. We talked about things and made up! A wild pokémon attacked the Sludge Encampment last night and sort of destroyed a lot of the camp, but everyone's okay. I'll just have to stay a bit longer to help with the cleanup. Would you be able to let Lady Irida know? Sorry…

Also, have you seen Jaku lately? One of her friends said that she's missing and injured. Apparently, she never stopped by the Diamond Encampment to get her wound checked. I've been looking for her so if you know where she is, please let me know! I think the attacks on us may start up again and maybe grouping with Jaku while she's here could grant me some kind of protection? I dunno.

Akari

"Verrry weird," Emmet hummed under his breath. He folded the letter and shoved it into his trouser pocket, tapping one shoe against the floor. He had a very hard time believing that Akari's victim- a child no less- would so easily forgive her- he wouldn't have. Instead, Emmet rose from his table and finished up his work, easily slipping out of the healer's hut to instead seek out his brother, sending off Akari's Kirlia with a letter advising the young teen to stay put and to wait for Ingo or Irida's correspondence. After all, Emmet wasn't the one driving the train. It didn't take long to find either of them, after all.

Emmet strolled up to the densely covered leader's hut, not bothering to knock on the door before walking in after sighting his brother's shoes resting by the doorframe. "Ingo?" he called impatiently. "Lady Irida?"

Glass clinked. "Emmet?" Ingo was by the door in a moment's notice, a cross scowl on his face. In a lower voice, he muttered, "You are supposed to knock before entering, Emmet. It is clan custom."

"I am Emmet. I know that but this can't wait, Ingo."

Ingo blinked. "...Come in, then."

"Who's at the entrance, Ingo?" Irida called.

"Emmet. It would appear he has something dire to share with me-"

"With both of you," Emmet hastily corrected his brother. He pushed past Ingo and pulled out the note, holding it out for Lady Irida to read. "You are the conductor of Akari at this moment. Please decide the best way to proceed upon these tracks."

Irida's eyes scanned over the loopy writing, her eyebrows raising as the words carried her on. "She's… forgiven? That fast?"

"Mm-hmm," Emmet responded, rocking back-and-forth on the balls of his feet. "Verrry strange, isn't it?"

Irida took another moment to finish out the letter, already pulling out a bundle of intricate paper to write her response. "I can't say Akari's letter doesn't surprise me, but I will allow her to stay and assist her people in repairing their camp if that is what she wishes. But as for Jaku…" Irida narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe that Adaman would so easily lose one of his Diamonds. His people are usually spread out along the mirelands. Somebody should've sighted her already." Irida then scowled. "But then, I also find it hard to believe that your friend would choose to go missing with an active chest wound that could turn fatal if left untreated. Neither of you have heard from or spotted your friend, have you?"

"No, I don't believe either of us have," Ingo affirmed. "At least, not after they departed from the icelands, but they do have pokémon with them."

"Ingo, I have to ask again." Emmet cleared his throat. "You… you don't remember who attacked you in the fieldlands, do you?"

Ingo swallowed, glancing away. "I don't recall the features of my attacker; only that they attacked at night and possessed some kind of pokémon."

"A pokémon wielder, then," Irida nodded slowly. "You were attacked near Ramanas Island, weren't you, Ingo?"

"I was. I never caught sight of my attacker nor what pokémon they used. Only that they were adamant about obscuring my vision. I have already questioned my pokémon," Ingo added upon sighting Emmet's eyes flicker toward his pokéball belt. "They saw nothing as well." In a lower tone, Ingo scoffed, "I can still feel the sand in my eyes. Ah, but we have also attempted to collect information from Miss Jaku who was also attacked in a semi-similar fashion. They were brutalized in their sleep after being … injured."

"Both at night," Emmet echoed. He remembered his conversation with Celebi, the legendary who had brought him there, but kept silent. "In both instances, it has to be somebody who has access to Jubilife Village and the Diamond Encampment. After all, they had to have known where you were going to, Ingo. Aaand, they would have had to know that Burr was being held in the infirmary and was already incapacitated… A Galaxy Team scout?" Emmet's own words made his mouth taste like poison. The only Galaxy Team scout who had a track record of being particularly malevolent was Akari. Akari who had been nearby when Burr was still in a coma. Akari who had been constantly close to Ingo before they had quelled Lady Lilligant.

"Perhaps…" Irida stood from her place at the fire, moving to survey the Pearl Settlement from her window at the front of the cabin. "Hmm. If both attacks were during the night, I don't think access or permission would've been necessary, but if I had to make a guess, I think it could be either a Galaxy Team member or maybe… no. That would just be silly."

"What is it, my lady?" Ingo asked.

"Please share," Emmet chimed in.

Irida shook her head. "I would say it may have been somebody from the Gingko Guild, but their pokémon are used primarily for labor and transportation. And none of them possess so many pokémon to pose a threat. At least, none that I know of."

Emmet blinked. In Akari's tale of events, she had mentioned a friend of hers. An older man who worked for the Gingko Guild; a man that Emmet hadn't met yet. And then Emmet remembered that on the night he had caught Burr's pokémon form in a pokéball, there had been somebody- a pokémon wielder- tracking her from the opposite side of the river. "I-Ingo?" Emmet's request was silent and cold. "May I borrow Parlor for a few moments?"

The psychic-type emerged from its pokéball as if having overheard the conversation, floating behind Emmet as the two exited the hut. Emmet used a spare piece of paper he had snagged from Pellervo's tent and wrote a hasty message. He then thrusted the letter at Parlor, the smile on his face tight and uncomfortable. "Find Burr and deliver this message to her. Bring back her response as soon as possible… Please."

Parlor took the letter, nodded, and then promptly disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Emmet to lean against the railing. Akari had drawn attention to the fact that Burr was mysteriously missing with detail that she hadn't visited the Diamond Encampment at all. If Parlor couldn't deliver the letter for any reason, then Emmet's intuition would be correct; that it was either Akari or her nameless Gingko Guild friend doing something in the mirelands. Could it have been Giratina? Possibly, but Emmet couldn't tie Giratina into the situation at all despite Celebi having been almost certain that the renegade pokémon had played some kind of role in the past.

It took an agonizingly long time for Parlor to return. So long that Emmet had been forced to retreat back inside, sitting beside Ingo as both he and Irida conversed about something that had to do with Sneasels as he tapped his finger incessantly against his forearm. The longer he waited, the more frustrated Emmet became. What could be taking her so long to respond? Burr's usually faster than this.

When Emmet had first enlisted Burr's help as his battle assistant, the woman had proven to be resourceful, adaptable, and most notably, quick on her feet. She could cross the entire subway in less than five minutes flat walking and could assist commuters and even warn off some of the ruder ones without so much as breaking face. No nonsense; straight to the point. Even with her chest wound, Emmet didn't doubt that Burr was probably fine; injured but certainly not dead, not with her protection stemming from Dialga.

Parlor reappeared next to Emmet. The pokémon was slightly disheveled, its golden fur singed and its eyes wide with fear. It wordlessly handed Emmet what looked to be a clump of hardened mud. Emmet began to read.

Emmet. Got attacked again- am fine. In the mirelands now. Trying to find help- infection. Accidentally burned your Alakazam. Break this tablet once you get it.

Jaku.

"What does it say?" Irida piped up.

Ingo, who had been reading the tablet over Emmet's shoulder, responded. "It would appear as though Miss Jaku has been attacked again." Ingo turned to his pokémon. "Parlor, did you see Miss Jaku? Or perhaps, did you manage to gain any information as to who exactly attacked her? Does she appear to be in any distress?" Alakazam hesitated before its eyes glowed scarlet, staring blankly at Ingo. "Hmm. It would appear as though Miss Jaku is operating at an acceptable status from what Parlor tells me," Ingo spoke after a while. "She still has her pokémon but from what it seems, they are all in a bad way. They seemed to be hiding in the swamps or at least, those were the feelings that Parlor was attuned to."

The whole situation left a bad taste in Emmet's mouth. Akari was gone. Burr was missing and hiding- very unlike the ranger to hide from anyone let alone anything. And the attacks could start up again at a moment's notice. Maybe next time, it would be Ingo. Emmet gritted his teeth. "Parlor, could you escort me to the mountains? Burr's camp?"

"You wish to check on them?" Ingo asked in disbelief. "In the mountains? But Miss Jaku no longer inhabits the mountains."

"But it could serve as her secret base of sorts," Irida chimed in. "If I had to hide from someone or something, I would pick a place that's secret and easily defendable and what better place than a secret cave built into the side of a cliff? It's certainly hard to find and even harder to get to without proper gear. Not to mention the fact that Jaku allegedly has a plethora of pokémon with her when most people have zero to one. By all accounts, your friend should be fine."

"Be that as it may, Lady Irida, it's odd that Miss Jaku wanted us to dispose of the tablet immediately upon receiving it. They are suffering from some kind of infection- that much was stated within the tablet." But even as Ingo spoke, he found himself holding out Parlor's pokéball for Emmet to take. "This is all too strange. But please, Emmet. Take Parlor if that's what you wish to do."

"Thank you." Emmet carefully clipped Parlor's pokéball to his belt. "As soon as I have found what I am looking for, I will return to this station immediately."

"And Emmet? If you find Jaku, bring her back here to the Pearl Encampment," Irida ordered. "Something strange is going on in the mirelands. Maybe your friend knows something we don't. Something that would be beneficial for the Pearl Clan to know. But why would they want us to break the tablet?"

"Maybe they didn't want to leave a set of tracks to be followed?" Emmet suggested.

"Ah, but that reminds me, Lady Irida. Perhaps it would be better to summon Lady Sneasler here to the settlement instead of taking a voyage? It would be best not to become too isolated lest the attacks begin again."

"That would be a good idea, yup," Emmet commented lowly. "Please do not decouple from the Pearl Settlement while I am away, Ingo. I will return as soon as possible."

Parlor held out its paw. Emmet accepted. In a flash, the two were standing near the mouth of the cave Burr had once called her sanctuary a long time ago. It was exactly as Emmet remembered it being. Forlorn. Abandoned. Dark. Parlor floated forward, holding up one spoon as it waited. Then, it shook its head.

"Not here then?" Parlor nodded "Grrreat. Just fantastic." Just as they were about to leave, a loud whine sounded in the clearing. A small white-and-red pokémon leapt out of the cave, its fur bristling as it stalked toward Emmet, its golden eyes smoldering as it stared first at Parlor and then at Emmet. A Zorua. A very odd Zorua.

"You!" The fox pokémon padded up to Emmet, its tail thrashing side-to-side. "You know my friend! Take me to her!" The strange Zorua then sniffed. "Please. I should be polite if I want your help."

Emmet didn't even question the request. With the Zorua having perched on Emmet's shoulder, Parlor once again teleported the three of them to a tiny spot in the middle of a dense wetland.

A warm wind rusted the tall grass, overshadowed by the cacophony of singing Croagunks. Dark clouds eddied overhead, thunder rumbling in the distance as sparse rain fell overhead. Emmet winced as brackish water rushed into his shoes and soiled his trousers. But he picked his way to the shore, eager to get his little mission done and over with. The sooner he found Burr, the sooner he could get to the bottom of things and then preferably retether with Ingo back in the icelands.

"And of course, you'd be hiding here! Doing nothing! Leeching off of the clan's resources before disappearing! Why did I think anything else?"

The voice that had split the calm silence was nasally and positively cracking with a hot fury. Not Burr's. Emmet had nearly averted his course simply to not have to talk to whoever the angry person was. But it had been the succeeding voice that had garnished his attention- Burr's voice, barely audible over the steadily hardening rain.

"I'm not… not hiding. I'm trying to- hnn- make it back t-to camp, you d-dense idiot." Burr's voice was low and strained, exhaustion lacing every syllable. Water sloshed. "How did you… you… how'd you even… find me? Why were you… out here? It's too f-far from camp for a storm."

"Your pokémon brought me here." Whoever was talking to Burr sounded disgusted with her as they spat the words out. "That horrible bird you brought with you- they brought me here. And of course, you got yourself into some kind of mess and now you're trying to have me dig you out of it. The whole clan really-"

"Shut your mouth, Shige. You don't know anything," Burr growled. Laced with venom, the ranger grunted something under their breath. The rain began to pour. Water sloshed.

"I know enough," Shige retorted. "You've been gone for months while the clan has been attacked and raided over and over again! Conveniently missing! You just disappear when the clan needs you the most but reappear the second you just happen to need help- got into a scrape you couldn't worm your way out of?"

Emmet snuck closer, hiding himself in a tall clump of reeds until he was sure he was close enough to see what was going on, Parlor floating behind him. Before the two of them stood a short man, his pale hair speckled with mud and his boyish face twisted with barely disguised rage. He stood brandishing a rusted saber at the person across from him.

That figure was Burr. The ranger was slumped pathetically against the trunk of a mangrove tree for support, her breaths coming out quick and shallow as she glared at the man across from her. One of her pokémon, an Eevee, bristled as it stood protectively in front of its trainers, its teeth bared. On its other side was the ranger's Luxray, electricity sparking from its mane. Blood stained the ranger's clothes.

And strangest of all, a small blue pokémon floated just behind Burr's head, its golden eyes filled with sadness as it watched the conflict continue. It gently cradled Burr's head with its small hands, its ribbon-like tail curled around the woman's neck. Emmet blinked. That's Azelf, isn't it?

"This is all your fault!" Shige yelled, stepping closer. "The moment you and your friends set foot here, all these calamities started happening! The nobles! The natural disasters! Hell, even Adaman thinks so! The whole clan is thinking about it too! How bad things have gotten since you showed up! We never should've taken you into the clan!" Shige hissed. "You've done nothing but leech off of us!"

Hurt clear as day shone in the woman's eyes before bewilderment and anger took its place. "I don't need to… hear this f-from you of all people," Burr grimaced. At each breath, the ranger grimaced, not taking her eyes off of the man across from her. She made no move to leave the tree, setting one calming hand on her Luxray. "If you won't help… you can- hnnm- you can leave- you can go. You don't want me near the c-clan, right? So just let me die… here." Burr's voice quieted, seemingly finished with the debate. "Solve your own issues… yourself. Or did you- you forgot- you can't- you can't even protect yourself from the pokémon, can you?"

The jab had been intended to prove the man wrong. To rub it into his face that the clans hadn't solved their own problems since the issues with the rift had begun. They couldn't. They had no choice but to depend on the fallers for assistance. But instead, it only served to incite the Diamond into storming forward, grabbing Burr by her hair and forcing her deeper into the mud, submerging her head entirely underwater.

Emmet immediately surged forward. Azelf blocked his way.

"Do Not Intrude. This Is Not Your Place To Act-"

Emmet shoved his way past, scoffing. Legendaries. He strode through the deep water and seized the scruff of the man's tunic, hauling him off and shoving him away toward the other side of the marsh. Burr resurfaced, spluttering as she hacked up water. "Keep your hands and feet to yourself," Emmet warned the man.

"And who the hell are you?" Shige demanded, trying to reach around Emmet. "Oh, you're one of those fallers, aren't you? You're with the amnesiac from the Pearl Clan! Tch! This isn't any of your business, outsider! Why don't you all go back to where you came from?"

"Don't you think we would if we c-could?" Burr hissed, clutching at her side. Rivulets of filthy water dripped down the ranger's face as she spat, "Get the hell out of here already, Shige. Before I start to lose my patience."

The pokéballs at Burr's waist wobbled and it was only then that Emmet realized that his fellow faller had had things under control until that very moment. Burr was very much armed with eight pokémon- more than even him. There had been nothing keeping the ranger's pokémon from attacking the man- or at least, nothing but their trainer's words.

"You're threatening me? Oh, Adaman will definitely be hearing about this!"

"T-tell him then. You think I'm scared of him? Of the Diamond Clan?" Burr then sneered, wiping the muck from her face. Her exhaustion was clear despite her false facade of bravado. "Of you? Get over yourself. You're n-nothing but a coward, Shige. Why don't you go and help the clan- actually do something instead of putting the blame on anybody you can think of. Unlike you, I'm actually trying to fix things."

"Fix things?" Shige scoffed. "By running off with your little friends and causing problems? It's no wonder you look like you got chewed up by some ravenous pokémon- you've got just about as much common sense as one!" Shige then met Emmet's glare with his own. "Why don't you tell your little friend here to beat it? Leave us to settle things in private." Shige drawled. "You wouldn't act so tough if he wouldn't have shown up."

A barely concealed threat. If you weren't here, I would've actually settled it. For good. Emmet grimaced. "Leave. Or I will make you." Parlor and Galvantula were immediately moving to bar the way, the strange Zorua joining in as it shifted into its grown form- a large and intimidating Zoroark with wispy white and blood-red fur. "You are not wanted here," Emmet growled. "Please depart from this station immediately and do not return."

"Fine! Cowards, the both of you! Fight without your stupid pokémon! We'll see how tough you are when you lose them!" In a huff, the man stormed off, leaving Emmet completely alone with Burr who was already beginning to deteriorate.

Burr let out a horrible rasping breath, clutching at the angry, reddish flesh along her neck and chest as she sank in the rising waters. Sweat and dirty rainwater dripped from her face. Mud stained her hair and clothes. She swallowed, beckoning for her pokémon, her distrustful gaze resting on Emmet as he approached.

"We meet again, pokémon ranger." There was an unintentional bite behind Emmet's words as if annoyed with the fact that the woman was slowly dying from infection. "Every time we meet, you are always injured in some way or another." Emmet reached forward but Burr immediately recoiled back.

"Don't touch me," she rasped, wincing from the sudden motion. "Hurts to move… Hurts to… breathe… Aren't you supposed to be in the icelands… with Ingo?"

"I am," Emmet conceded nonchalantly. He watched as Azelf moved to lay protectively over the woman's shoulders, its beady eyes trained on Emmet. "And you are supposed to be in the settlement with Adaman. Tell me what happened. How did you get into such a bad state of disrepair?"

Burr lifted up a torn, bloody pant leg revealing a set of horrible lacerations that crisscrossed her leg. "Got attacked during the night. Took too much damage- got warped here. I think I died? Infections don't… count." Burr stifled a wet-sounding cough, her breathing growing more and more labored. Weaker, even. "Or did you…. Did you even get the- got my thing- the tablet?"

"I received your warning from Parlor. That is why I am here. I also received a letter from Akari stating that the Diamond Encampment claims that you are missing."

Burr blinked. "That's a lie- Went through there to check on Rei. He's the- well, the only person who knows I was even there in the first place was Akanti-"

"That guy?" Emmet balked. "Did he-"

"We settled things," Burr immediately cut in, leaving no further room for discussion. "We're reluctant allies. But… we both- we were- I was attacked… while I was sleeping. And n-no, it wasn't Akanti. He fought off whatever came for us." Burr shut her eyes. "I never even saw who it was. He did. He must have."

"It is important that you remain alert and focused," Emmet chastised the woman. At least he now had a secondary destination to reach: finding Akanti and getting the information from Burr's attacker out of him. But Emmet slowed down and reached out to help Burr. To possibly pull her in so that he could properly assess her wounds which were swimming in dirty water- but he was stopped short by Azelf.

"You Are Interfering."

"I am trying to help," Emmet seethed.

"I know you are," Burr responded weakly instead, humming in a cracked, distorted way as her pokémon surrounded her. "...But you need to go back to Ingo. The attacker…. still loose. Might get you too. Akanti knows. You should… find him, maybe." Burr coughed. "Sorry… I'm just… so tired. I need to… probably going to die. Hah… hah. Dialga has their… work cut out. M' gonna take a nap."

"Stay awake, idiot," Emmet hissed. "You need to remain awake and alert."

At that, Burr laughed, quiet and slow but jolly. "...You try staying awake… bleeding out over here…"

"I have. Pulled. Numerous all-nighters. Back-to-back. You can remain awake for a few more minutes."

Burr then eyed Emmet, the fear and anger having been replaced with gratitude. Her eyes began to droop and the tremble that had been evident in her hands slowed to nothing as they splashed feebly in the water. "Too cold- too lazy… for that… rather just… go to sleep for… for a few hours. G'night… Emmet. See you in… the… morning."

"Leave Them Be. They Will Survive," Azelf cut in, not bothering to watch as Burr eventually keeled over, unable to stay conscious any longer. Her pokémon were quick to swaddle their trainer and pull her out of the water but not before growling angrily at Azelf as if betrayed by the legendary pokémon as well. "The Champion Of Time Is Only Temporarily Weakened. Any Wound They Receive Will Be Healed In Due Time."

"That is cruel and unusual punishment," Emmet argued. "Allow me to escort her back to Ingo and the Pearl Settlement-"

"You Have Already Done Enough Meddling. This Champion Is Under My Protection-"

"Some protection you are, letting your supposed human wither away without even trying to better assist them." Emmet stood. "You will not derail me. I came to bring Burr back to safety and get to the bottom of things. I have already charted my destination-"

"And That Is Not Your Job." Azelf floated dangerously close to Emmet's face, its beady eyes flashing with anger. "The Events That Will Conspire Here Are Already Set In Stone. Do Not Attempt To Change Them Any More Than You Already Have."

"I'm not going to listen to you."

"Then You Shall Learn And Suffer The Consequences."

"...What?"

Emmet had only a moment's notice to react before a blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky. He then saw the gem on Azelf's forehead begin to glow. Rain began to thunder into the clearing and so too did fog begin to creep in between the stalks of reeds.

"Not All Worlds Are Yours To Intrude Upon," Azelf condemned Emmet. "You Are Already Unwelcome Here, Not Meant To Reconcile With Your Twin. And Now You Meddle In The Affairs Of Time, Unable To Find A Proper Footing. Truly, There Was Never Any Need For You To Become Involved In This Disaster. And So, I Will Grant You Passage To A World You Have Seen Before."

Emmet immediately turned to search for Parlor. Whatever the legendary pokémon was alluding to, it would be anything but good to him. Galvantula hovered protectively in front of Emmet, electricity sparking from her fuzzy body as she prepared an X-Scissor to combat the angry psychic-type legendary. The move failed. Galvantula soared through an illusion of the psychic-type pokémon, crashing head-first into a tree.

And so Emmet did the only thing he could think of that would possibly protect him from Azelf's wrath. He struggled over toward Burr, the ranger's pokémon crowding around him to grant him protection as they snarled at Azelf. She can call off Azelf. She just needs to wake up. Emmet grasped at the woman's wrist and attempted to shake her awake, horror piercing through him when instead, Burr limply sagged in his grasp, already on the verge of death.

It did little to nothing. In the blink of an eye, Emmet found himself somewhere else. Somewhere dark and cold and quiet. And when he blinked open his eyes, he felt sand crowding around his body, pulling him deeper into the ground. He lifted his arms- his incredibly light arms- to try and pull himself free, freezing when two scaly appendages came into view. And when he eventually struggled free and crawled over to some water- to the bank of Lake Valor where a rift spun like a storm- he saw his own terrible reflection staring at him.

"I am… a Snivy."