Pokémon: A Hisuian adventure

by Lupingllogi111

The Hisui region is a harsh place, where only the strongest Pokémon can thrive. This is the tale of a Zorua that happens to be really interested in humans, to the point of trying to impersonate one of them! With an origin story impossible to tell, our hero will have to make up an excuse to cover where he comes from, which may be more difficult than what he had at first thought...

6. Chapter 6: A new task

"Sis, can I open my eyes already?"

"Wait! We're almost there!"

...

...

"Now! Open them!"

The young Zorua slowly opened his eyes, just to gasp in awe at the view.

The clear weather of the day left the beautiful sight of a completely frozen waterfall ahead of them. The river from which the water was supposed to fall was just as icy, reflecting the light that shone upon it and casting a rainbow color.

"Woah..."

"You like it? The view is so beautiful when there's not a snowstorm hitting this place."

"How did you find this? This is a long way out of the den!"

"Well, let's say I may sometimes sneak out to explore the land a bit... Don't tell that to our dad, or he'll kill me!"

"You sneak out? That's dangereous! What if someone attacks you?"

"Well, you just gotta fight back! Like this!" Saying that, she threw herself against her brother, making them roll over the snow.

She pinned him down with a triumphant smile. "Still think that I can get attacked?"

"Next time you could warn me!" He chuckled.

His sister helped him stand up as she took him to the shore of the frozen river. They both sat down, close to each other.

"I love spending time with you, sis."

"Me too, little bro."

"Promise me you'll always be with me."

"Always."

---

Knocks on the door interrupted Zoroark's sleep as he was forced to open his eyes and face another day.

"Ugh, I swear if that's Akari again..." He groaned.

"Good morning, Rei!"

Another groan. It was Akari. "You should hurry up to the commander's office before he decides to use you for sumo practice!"

Four groans were the answer.

"Good morning to you too, guys." Zoroark chuckled.

"I want to sleeeeeep..." Shinx whinned.

"Me toooo..." Cyndaquill added.

"I don't wanna wake up..." Eevee said, squeezing Zoroark's side tighter.

"Neither do I, but..." He groaned as he straightened himself, massaging his face and slightly combing his mane. "I don't want to make our Commander wait."

"Is someone scared~?" The normal type teasingly cooed as the ghost type walked to get his hat and scarf.

"Shut it, Eevee! You're as terrified of getting thrown again as much as I am!" He laughed.

"Alright, you got me there!"

Once they all were ready, they got out of their headquarters and were met face to face with Akari. "There you are!"

The girl waved at him as she saw him approach. "How was the night? Did you sleep alright?"

Rei gave her a smile as he nodded... before a yawn escaped him. Akari chuckled. "I can see you have indeed slept quite alright." She then looked at the yawning Pokémon on his shoulders. "You know, you just reminded me of something. Last night, I believe I saw someone coming back to the village, trying to be as sneaky as possible. I couldn't see who it was, and I was wondering if you heard or saw something out of the ordinary before you went to sleep?"

Rei internally screamed as his Pokémon looked at him in shock. Trying to keep calm, he shook his head. "You haven't?" The girl said, raising a brow. There was something in her face that Rei couldn't quite place, but he definitely didn't like it. She finally sighed. "That's a shame."

Shit. Shitshitshit! She knows, doesn't she? There's no way she doesn't! Did she see me while I was coming back? I knew I should have become invisible with an illusion!

Her voice snapped him back to reality. "Well, let's not dwaddle on it any longer. I'll believe you if you say you've seen nothing." She sighed. She clearly didn't like that answer. "Let's hurry to headquarters now."

The boy nodded. Come on, Rei, calm yourself! She may know that you went out of the village, but she can't know what you did! She wouldn't be talking like this if she saw you without your illusion!

...

Unless she's hiding it very well...

Before they could turn around, though, another voice interrupted. "Look who's being punctual! Finally realized you're wasting almighty Sinnoh's precious time by bowing to a sham?"

Startled, both human and Pokémon turned their heads towards the source of the voice. There were two humans in front of the headquarters, seemingly arguing.

There was a man and a woman, the man with blue, green and blonde hair wearing a blue robe with small markings and a necklace was opposite to a shorter, blonde haired woman with a shorter, pink and white uniform.

Rei and Eevee's eyes went wide. "That's the human we saw in the Icelands!" She exclaimed, to which Rei only nodded in amazement.

Despite their conversation, the two kept bickering with each other.

"There you go again! Insisting on your false image of almighty Sinnoh as a ruler of time!" The woman, Irida if Rei remember correctly, yelled. "My people follow the true almighty Sinnoh, the front of all creation and ruler of space!"

"HAH!" The other human laughed. "You could have all space there is, and still not know what to do with it!"

Irida raised her hands to her face, shocked. "Excuse me?! Are you really suggesting that you make better use of your time than we make of vast Hisui's space?"

"Better than some!" The man replied, raising a brow. "It's a miracle you showed up on time, mighty leader of the Pearl Clan! I worried you'd get in the pointlessly vast space you're so fond of and never show up."

Irida raised his chin, full of indignation. "Me, get lost? In almighty Sinnoh's great gift to the Pearl Clan? In our world's very basis? You wish!"

The man turned away from Irida. "I wish I hadn't let myself get dragged into arguing with you. Almighty Sinnoh forgive me, what a waste of time!"

He turned to look at the building. "I'm off to Commander Kamado's office!"

Irida followed suit. "I believe it was you who started this!"

Both of them walked inside the headquarters, and the village was enveloped in an almost eerie silence.

Rei turned to look at Akari, obviously confused as to what just happened. The girl simply sighed and shook her head. "You can feel the tension when those two show up..." She mumbled before tuning to look at him.

"You haven't met them, have you? The woman with the reverence for space is Irida, leader of the Pearl Clan. The man who was going on and on about time, Adaman, leads the Diamond Clan."

So that's the 'leader Irida' we heard that warden talk about... Rei thought to himself. Thank Arceus I never got caught back then...

"The Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan grudingly coexist with each other." Akari continued. "Apparently, things used to be less peaceful..." She said that sentence with a clear displeasure in her voice, something she quickly shook away.

"But the boss, I mean the commander, is waiting. We should save this conversation for after you report to him."

Rei warily nodded, heading for the entrance along with Akari. Shinx and Beautricia shared a not-so-quick hello, which Rei and Beauregard mirrored, a bit faster.

It was clear the electric type didn't like being separated from her.

Once inside and after Akari told him she'd wait for him outside, Rei navigated to the upper side of the building, where Irida and Adaman were apparently talking with Kamado. They didn't seem to hear him enter as the two leaders argued with the commander. "What do you intend to do about that Kleavor, Commander Kamado?! He may be descended from a warrior of almighty Sinnoh, but look at the mess he's causing! We can't sit back and let him rage on!" Adaman exclaimed, angrily.

Oh no. Please tell me that's another Kleavor they're talking about.

Kamado nodded authoritatively. "You do get right to the point, Adaman."

Adaman clicked his tongue. "Time wasted is lost."

The commander turned to look at him. "Well, tell me, what would you have us do? Kleavor is a precious lord of the Pearl Clan, is he not?"

The leader sighed as his head fell downwards. "That's the point. My clan can't intervene directly where a lord of the Pearl Clan is concerned. If I were to do something, our two clans might end up back at each other's throats, just like we used to be..."

A long pause followed that sentence. This guy and Akari definitely know how to put me on edge... Rei thought, beggining to comprehend what may have happened to those two clans before.

It's not like he hadn't gone through something similar with other packs of Zoroark.

Despite that, Adaman resumed talking shortly after. "But even folk of the Galaxy Team have been wounded, haven't they? Seems someone's got to do something here..."

Irida turned to look at Adaman. "Who then? Would the Diamond Clan have the Pearl Clan bring down one of its honorable nobles?"

The Diamond leader turned to the girl. "I don't believe I said that. Thought it, maybe."

"You might as well have said it, you fool! Look, we don't even know what drove lord Kleavor into such a violent frenzy."

"I'd like to know that myself. This is a first, as far as my clan knows, too."

Kamado looked indecisively between both of them until his eyes fell on Rei. His piercing gaze stood on him for a few, very long seconds until he spoke. "I see you've arrived."

The two leaders' eyes fell on him as well, making him paralyze. Between the fierce look of Kamado and the two clan leaders, this was a very bad spot to be under his circumstances. A single slip here, and almost all humans in this region would be going after him. He would be alone against all of them. Without a home, without a-

No. Stop being nervous. No one has to know. Stop thinking about 'what ifs' before you actually mess up.

"This is Rei, the newest member of our Survey Corps."

"Aha! I hear from Mai you earned Wyrdeer's favor! Good to finally meet you, stranger from the supposed rift!" Adaman waved. "I'm 'Adaman, leader of the Diamond Clan' if you want to be formal, but that's a mouthful. Just call me Adaman."

"If you truly came from beyond a space-time rift, could you be from the space almighty Sinnoh is said to reside?" Irida asked him, before she took a more formal pose. "I'm Irida, leader of the Pearl Clan! Caution and foresight are my watchwords... which is why I have trouble believing such tale. Could you really have passed through the rift?"

"Finally someone who doesn't swallow that lie!" Eevee exclaimed, making Irida raise a brow.

"I have just noticed your Pokémon. Not a fan of carrying them inside of the Galaxy Team's creation, Poké-balls?"

Rei shook his head. "I haven't seen his Pokémon inside their balls ever since he's come to this village." Kamado commented.

"Is that so? Well, that's something seldom seen." The leader commented.

"You may be the first and only one from the Galaxy Team who does that." Adaman added, apparently impressed.

"Uhhhh... thank you?" Rei replied, almost growling, which he tried to hide with a cough.

It was too early and Rei was too tired to speak human properly.

Thankfully, Kamado interrupted just when Adaman looked like he was about to ask about it. "I have a proposition. Why not send this one to study Kleavor before deciding what must be done?"

Rei mentally sighed. I knew the moment Akari talked about that Kleavor I was going to get involved. I swear I didn't sign up for this! If I knew that joining the humans to explore the region was going to have me fighting Pokémon I had never heard of before...!

I would have still gone with it, to be honest.

Both leaders turned to look at the commander. "You'd send this stranger, who supposedly fell from the rift, to study Kleavor? This newcomer with..." Her gaze fell on the three Pokémon riding on him. "...some experience?"

"Says the leader with almost no experience..." Adaman commented. "I'd like to see you name just one person that has not one, but three Pokémon riding on them."

Irida turned to look at him. "Being a good leader isn't a matter of time, it's a matter of embrancing Hisui's vastness without fear!"

"Well, then. There you have it. If how new you are doesn't matter, then let's give the kid his chance. I'm sold, Commander! Let's try this your way!"

His head turned to eye both Irida and him, and Rei could swear Adaman winked at him. "This should be fun. I'll get to see how good you Galaxy folk really are, with your weird ways of putting Pokémon in those strange balls and what have you."

Irida looked down. "That whole practice bothers me!" She exclaimed. "Almighty Sinnoh made Hisui vast so Pokémon could live throughout. We are meant to stand alongside Pokémon, not counter ourselves above them!"

Rei had to restrain himself from exclaiming a loud 'Yeah!' in front of them, something his Pokémon didn't. Both Adaman and Irida chuckled. "Looks like they agree with you." Adaman said.

Kamado looked at the Pearl leader. "We do not use Poké-balls from a desire to control our Pokémon. Only so that we can live together. Allow us to show you what we can do!"

Once again, the commander's eyes fell on Rei. "This is your mission now, Rei. I order you to study Kleavor and help us find the truth of this situation!"

Rei sighed and muttered a low 'I knew it' before nodding with a determined expression, which Kamado returned. "I like that confidence, but remember you're still a stranger that appeared out of the very sky above us. People are naturally suspicious of your presence here."

At least that's why they're suspicious...

He grimaced as he remembered Akari. Most of them...

"If you wish to be fully accepted and trusted, you must work hard. Work yourself to the very bone."

"Well, that's settled! And there's no time like the present!" Adaman told Rei.

"The Lord of the Woods, Kleavor, is descended from a Pokémon that was blessed with almighty Sinnoh's own power." Irida explained. "No other Pokémon you have encountered can compare to his strength. Be warned."

"And now if you excuse us, we'll be leaving for now. Goodbye, Commander Kamado. Goodbye, Rei." Adaman told them, walking out of the office.

"We will be waiting for you." Irida added, doing the same.

That left Kamado alone with Rei and his Pokémon. "Very well, Rei. Listen to me." The commander began. "The Galaxy Expedition Team has come to the Hisui region as a group of outsiders. Some might even call us interlopers. We mustn't do anything to threaten our relations with the Pearl and Diamond Clan. Understood?"

"Yes!" Rei exclaimed. The conversation had managed to wake him up completely, and now he wasn't growling anymore.

Cyndaquill looked back to the stairs to the office before poking Rei. "The scary lady is coming!"

True to his words, Captain Cyllene walked and the stairs before stopping behind him. "Follow me downstairs, Rei. We'll cover the details of this new mission."

Rei waved goodbye to the commander as he followed the captain to her office, where Akari was waiting. She waved at him and he and his Pokémon returned the gesture. It was clear she didn't expect them to wave at her.

"Ah, good! You're already here!" A familiar voice shouted from behind him.

It's 'appear behind my back' day, apparently. Rei thought with a smirk as he turned to meet with the professor.

"Professor Laventon. The briefing, if you please." Cyllene told him.

"Yeah, let's get right to it." The professor had an uncharacteristic serious face. "So Rei, I understand you've been requested to find out the cause of Kleavor's frenzied state. But as you're aware by now, Kleavor is an almighty thing. Nigh invincible, even! The Security Corps tried throwing Poké-balls at Kleavor when they were attacked, but I'm afraid they didn't even come close to catching him! It seems he's a far trickier opponent than even those aggressive species of Pokémon that cannot be caught outside of battle once they're riled..."

Rei's face went pale, as did the rest of his Pokémon's. Oh no, where have I gotten myself into?

"I'd like to perfectly clear on this point." Cyllene interrupted. "This mission will put you in extreme danger. Do you believe you can handle it?"

Rei doubted himself for a few seconds. He could very well say no and let himself get assigned another, easier mission. He didn't have to risk his life anymore than what he was already.

Yet, he couldn't. He knew that if he denied the mission just because of 'extreme danger', his reputation would just falter. After all, that was something clearly very important to Irida and her clan members, and when something was important to someone from his pack, he'd do it even if it meant putting his life in danger.

It could also be the curiosity of seeing what a 'Kleavor' was.

Curiosity killed the Glameow... He thought with a grimace.

Despite that, he made himself look as confident as possible and gave the captain a nod, earning a horrified glare coming from Cyndaquill. "What?! You're seriously going to go along with this?"

"Come on, Cyndaquill! I thought you wanted to become stronger! You have to get yourself into situations out of your comfort zone!"

"Shinx, this Kleavor has gravely injured other members of the Survey Corps. I don't want to see Rei get hurt!"

"Oh, come on! I'm sure he's gonna be just fine! He's not a regular human!" The electric type argued.

"And that's exactly the problem." Eevee interrupted.

"Huh?"

"You know how he has to be under an illusion the whole day and that makes him tired every night?" She explained.

"Yeah?"

"You know how that requieres concentration, right?"

"I suppose. What are you trying to say?"

"What happens when you get hurt too much? Can you focus as much as before?"

"Well, I obviously can't!"

"What do you think will happen with Rei?"

"I suppose he won't be able to focus!"

"And what did we say before?"

Shinx thought for a second before his eyes widened. "Oh no."

They didn't have much more time to dwell on it, however, as Cyllene spoke again. "Very well. Then let us go over the particulars."

She grabbed a clipboard from her table. "The Diamond and Pearl Clan reverd their nobles because they believe these Pokémon serve their 'almighty Sinnoh'. They leave offerings to express their gratitude in locations they call the nobles' seat."

Laventon crossed his arms in thought. "So perhaps a good starting point for our research could be to find out which sorts of offerings they normally leave for the Kleavor."

The room fell silent for a few minutes, as everyone thought about the details of the plan. Akari glanced from time to time towards Rei with a worried expression.

A voice suddenly interrupted it. "Rei! We need to speak with you!" Everyone turned around, slightly shocked. Entering the room were Adaman and Mai, the former striking a small pose with a smile.

"Listen, that rift in space time seems like it connects this world to a whole other world!" The leader exclaimed. "That world may be where almighty Sinnoh itself resides! The true almighty Sinnoh, that is. The one that rules over time!"

He gave a few steps forward. It was obvious he was excited. "So if you fell through the space time rift, that might mean you traveled through time, by almighty Sinnoh's power! Think of it, you must have been just swimming in its divine might!"

Arceus, they are still going on and on about the rift? I'm going to absolutely kill that Kadabra next time I see her.

...

Wait, was that rift actually real? And why do I have the feeling that going along with all this stuff is going to end very bad for me?

"Well, I got a favour to ask of you, oh amazing time traveller." The leader kept speaking, with a small teasing tone. It was clear he was not as serious as Irida was. "Don't just study Kleavor, quell his frenzy!"

...

Wait, was that rift actually real? And why do I have the feeling that going along with all this stuff is going to end very bad for me?

Adaman seemed to glance at Eevee for a second before returning it to Rei. "Well, you certainly caught us at a good time, young Adaman!" The professor interrupted. "We were just discussing our next steps with regard to this whole Kleavor situation!"

The Diamond leader looked at him. "Oho! You must be that Galaxy Team scholar I've heard about! Good to meet you, Mr. Professor! Share some of that knowledge with me sometime!" He chuckled.

His eyes returned to Rei. "Now, let me elaborate a little. Those Pearl Clan types have a lot of respect towards Kleavor. You heard his title, Lord of the Woods. I'm sure they'd rather get this under control too, but it's hard for them to come right out and ask those of the Galaxy Team for help."

His face fell the slightest of the distance possible before it lifted back up. "And the truth is, we of the Diamond Clan have a similar problem on our hands. A Pokémon dear to us off in the mountains, has flown into the same type of frenzy as Kleavor..."

"More?!" Rei and his Pokémon exclaimed.

Adaman nodded. "I'm as surprised as you are. Now, there's certainly bad blood between us and the Pearl Clan, but still, we've all got to share Hisui, and that means we all ought to tackle our problems together."

Mai stepped forward as well, standing next to Adaman. "But there aren't many capable of standing up to such powerful Pokémon. You're the best hope we've got!"

It was clear they counted on him. Did he really made himself look like he was that good?

"You'll find Kleavor in Grandtree Arena. That's in the very heart of the Heartwood. His warden is a boy named Lian."

Rei arched a brow. "Boy?"

"Yes, 'boy'. We've got a young warden on our clan as well, so don't be that surprised." Adaman smiled. It was clear it was not the first time he had to explain that.

"Lian is a brilliant child, but also a bit..." Mai explained, struggling to find the words. "Well, sometimes brilliance can be blinding, you know? He'll tell you all about his beloved Kleavor, whether you wish him to, or not."

"Anyway! I'm sure you're up to the challenge, so we'll be counting on you! See you later!" Adaman finished as he and Mai left the headquarters.

"He certainly left quickly once he'd finished talking. I suppose he really values his time." Akari sighed.

"Adaman and Mai weren't wrong, you know? If you're to study and even quell Kleavor, you'd best visit his abode."

"Our new Heights Camp would be a great place for setting off to Grandtree Arena!" Akari suggested. "I could accompany you, if the Captain agrees, and if you want to, of course! I don't wish to be a liability."

"I see no problem." Cyllene said. "The more the merrier, isn't that right, professor?"

"Of course, Captain! But it all will depend on what Rei wants." Laventon added, looking at Rei.

Did he want Akari to follow him? The sensible part of his brain screamed at him to reject the offer. After all, he was hoping he could fight that Kleavor without public, and Akari following him would meant she would want to watch him, or worse, fight with him. He knew she would only do it out of concern, but it was just a problem in this situation.

Yet, his more sentimental side wanted to accept. He had taken a liking to the girl, and last time they spent the day together, Rei had a lot of fun.

Maybe she could help him train his Pokémon.

"Sure." He finally said.

I'm going to regret this, aren't I?

"Great! Let's set off immediately then!" Laventon said. "I will be going first. You two prepare and come after me. I'll be waiting in the Heights Camp." As he told them this, he left the headquarters, off towards the Fieldlands.

"Good luck you two." Cyllene said. "And be careful out there."

The two got out of the building, and Shinx jumped to see Beautricia. Rei didn't manage to hear everything, but he did hear something about 'fighting a mighty foe' and 'don't forget me if I never come back', to which Beautricia laughed.

"Very well, Rei. How do you want to do this? I believe I'm as ready as I could be, but how about you?" Akari asked him.

Rei thought about it. Last night's training definitely had made them a bit stronger, and Eevee had managed to learn how to use a strong styled Quick Attack, which was definitely going to come in handy.

Now that he thought about it...

"Zisu."

Akari widened her eyes. "Captain Zisu! Of course! How could I have forgotten! Okay, if you wish to go, we might as well pay the Captain a quick visit. Off to the training grounds!"

They began walking away, waving goodbye to Beauregard. After a goodbye nuzzle, Shinx said goodbye to Beautricia as she waved as well. "Make sure to come back, oh mighty electrical hero!"

Rei looked at Shinx as he jumped on his shoulders, blushing slightly. "Shut it." He simply said.

"Watch out Rei! Make sure to be careful and not anger the mighty electrical hero! You might get paralyzed~" Eevee cooed, which only made his face redder.

"You're going to be the one paralyzed if you keep it up."

Cyndaquill and Eevee laughed at that, catching the attention of Akari. "Is something wrong?"

Rei shook his head. With a confused face, Akari kept leading them towards where Zisu was supposed to be.

Just as she had told them, the Captain was there, shouting instructions to two Pokémon that sparred against each other while the third did some push-ups. Rei didn't recognize most of them, only the Ambipom that was doing exercise was familiar to him, though he could feel the excitement coming from Shinx as he looked at what most likely was his evolved form.

"Ambipom, keep up that rythm! Luxray, put more energy on those Crunch attacks! Honchkrow, that ice won't do anything if you don't cast it cold enough!" She shouted, not having yet realized they were there.

"Keep going like this! You're making it easy to win!" The 'Luxray' taunted.

"You talk too much, but I'm still kickin'!" The 'Honchkrow' shot back.

"Not for long!"

"Could you guys shut up? You're making me lose my focus!" Ambipom yelled.

"Sorry, you need absolute silence to count up to two over and over again?" Replied the flying type with a grin.

None of that bickering was ill intentioned, just teasing between friends. "Cyndaquill, species?" Eevee asked.

"You don't know about those Pokémon?"

"There's only Ambipom back where we come from."

"Oh, right, I forgot. Okay, so that flying type is a Honchkrow, flying and dark type. And the electric type is-"

"Luxray." Shinx interrupted. He hadn't taken his eyes off the Pokémon as he battled. "So cool..."

Rei smiled while Akari looked around the battlefield, seemingly searching for something. "Weird. One of the Captain's Pokémon is missing."

"Missing?" Rei asked, tilting his head slightly.

"You see, Captain Zisu's main team consists of four Pokémon, and one of them seems to not be battling." She paused, sighing. "I don't blame her, however. Even Captain Cyllene wasn't too happy to hear about him being brought inside the village."

Cyllene didn't like her bringing in a Pokémon?

"Why?"

"Because that Pokémon is-"

"Well, if it isn't Akari and Rei!"

Akari was interrupted by the booming voice of the Captain, as she walked towards them. "You two just caught me during one of my training sessions. Is there something you need?"

"We in fact do!" Akari replied. "You see, Rei here has been tasked with studying and quelling Kleavor's frenzy, and we wanted to come and have a quick training session before we head out! Isn't that right, Rei?"

The boy nodded. "Oh, a quick training session, you say? You're lucky, because training is my speciality!"

She turned towards the training Pokémon. "Alright, team! Break time! Come here!" She yelled to them.

Ambipom immediately jumped to a standing position and the two fighting Pokémon stopped and walked next to the captain. "Tschk, I was gonna win anyway..." Rei heard Luxray tell the Honchkrow.

"Sure, pal." He replied, grinning.

The three Pokémon surrounded Zisu, and gave a look to Akari and Rei. Shinx immediately jumped down and with his tail wagging slightly, ran towards Luxray, who instinctively flinched. "You're so cool..."

"Uhh... thanks?"

"Would you look at that! You already got yourself a fan!" Honchkrow laughed.

"Seems Luxray got himself an admirer!" Zisu chuckled. "Anyway, what exactly are you looking for?"

"Captain, Rei has been tasked with quelling Kleavor, and he wanted to have his Pokémon as trained and ready for battle as possible before going."

The Captain widened her eyes. "Quell Kleavor?! The same Kleavor that has been injuring members of the Survey Corps?"

"Indeed. I am here to assist Rei in any way possible, and that's why I wanted to have my Pikachu trained as well!"

Zisu slowly nodded. "How much time do you have?"

"Well, the professor said he would be waiting for us in the Heights Camp, which is in the Obsidian Fieldlands, about slightly less than an hour or so on foot... So I suppose something around one or two hours at most."

"Hmm... I doubt that will be enough at all..." She hummed. "Yet, I will try to do my best." The Captain smiled, before she turned to look at Rei. "The professor told me your Eevee used a strong styled Quick Attack. Seems like you listened to my explanations after all, hm?"

She glanced at the rest of the Pokémon and then to Akari. "All of your Pokémon will go against Kleavor with at least one mastered move each. Maybe you'll stand a chance like that."

Is that Kleavor really that powerful?

"Very well, I have four Pokémon, and your total Pokémon make up four, so it will be four individual stand offs of one Pokémon. You're up to decide the groups."

"I wanna fight Luxray!" Shinx yelled, jumping in front of the very confused electric type.

"Look kid, I know you want to evolve and all that, but why don't you fight that fella over there? I'm sure you'd have it way easier against a flying type."

"Oh, come on! The kid wants to learn from you, and you only!" Ambipom said.

"She's right! Don't you feel even a bit honored~?" Honchkrow teased, making Luxray growl in annoyance.

He crouched to Shinx's level and whispered to his ear. "Listen kid, I'm gonna teach you all I can, but you have to promise me to shock that Honchkrow when we're done, okay? Can you do that?"

"Yes! Please teach me how to master my Thunder Shock!"

"I will do more than that, kiddo. Don't worry."

"I see one of them it's decided." Zisu said. "Akari, if you will, bring out your Pikachu and choose who to fight..."

"Alright." Akari grabbed the Poké-ball from her wrist and threw it in the air, letting Pikachu out.

He stirred and looked around. "Huh? We're training now?"

"Oh, another electric type? Sup, pipsqueak. Ready to fight one of us?" The flying type told him.

"Who are you calling pipsqueak?!" Pikachu snapped, his cheeks sparkling slightly.

"Honchkrow, would you please not taunt all the electric types you come across?" Ambipom sighed.

"Come on, you know I only do that with the ones that look like they can't even zap properly!"

"I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

"Let's see if that's true, pipsqueak!"

"For the love of Arceus..." Ambipom sighed.

"I think that's another pair done?" Akari said unsurely, looking at her Pokémon's, now aggravated state.

"Alright, who wants to go against me? I promise I don't bite." The normal type said, looking at Eevee and Cyndaquill.

"Cyndaquill, wanna fight her? I can go against that mystery Pokémon." Eevee offered.

"No, I want to go against that mystery Pokémon myself."

"What?"

"I realized that you don't always know who you will face, and I have to be ready for that too, so I'll do my best against an unknown opponent! Because that's what it takes to be strong!"

There was a pause. "Woah, that's very mature of you, Cyndaquill."

"You think so?"

"I do. Okay then." She jumped down, in front of the Ambipom. "I'll fight you then!"

"Great. Just a heads up, I'm thougher than I look." The Ambipom told Eevee.

"Same for me."

"Very well, that's just leaves..." Zisu grabbed a Poké-ball from her wrist. She looked like she was about to throw it, but stopped to look at Cyndaquill, almost... as if she wasn't too sure about what she was about to do.

"Why do I have a very bad feeling about what's inside that Poké-ball?" The fire type asked Rei.

Looks like I'm not the only one.

"Ugh, that jerk again?" Honchkrow scoffed. "She should keep him locked in there forever, or let him go already."

"Only time I'll agree with you." Luxray added.

"That makes three..." Ambipom finished.

"Alright, let's do this." Zisu sighed. "Come on out..." She threw the Poké-ball up in the air.

Once it opened, from the inside came a Pokémon that was almost Rei's height, mostly white and light gray in color, with some red marks around his body. There was also a scar crossing one of his eyes, probably years old.

Both Rei and his Pokémon's blood freezed the moment they realized who that Pokémon was.

"...Zoroark!"

The training grounds fell in silence as the Zoroark scanned his surroundings, before he started sniffing the air, his eyes running through Shinx, Cyndaquill, then Eevee, and finally...

His eyes fell on Rei.

The piercing glare of the ghost type sent shivers down his spine. He was clearly older than he was, and by the looks (and the faint smell) of it, all indicated they were from rival packs, though he wasn't very sure.

"You..." He snarled. "You think I can't see you?"

Before he could react, Rei was on the ground with an angry Zoroark on him

"Rei!" Akari yelled, horrified.

"What the-?!" Zisu only managed to stammer, the Poké-ball falling from her hands as she tried to recall the Pokémon. It was clear this was a first time for her as well.

"What the absolute fuck is wrong with you?!" Ambipom tried to punch the attacker away, to no avail.

"You're here to make my life even worse than your dear daddy did?!" The Zoroark was trying to scratch his face, but Rei managed to cover his face with his arms. "If I didn't have enough with getting exiled and caught, now I have that Alpha's kid to taunt me?!"

"Who-?" Rei said, but stopped himself.

"You like to pretend you're a human, huh?" He told him, raising a claw in the air. "I'm going to rip your little disguise to SHREDS!"

Rei's eyes widened as he saw the attack slowly hone in to his head, and he tried to stop it.

He wasn't fast enough.

He yelped in pain as his cheek dripped something onto the ground. Trying to supress the instinct to use a move, he kicked the Zoroark's stomach, making him tumble backwards.

He quickly stood up and punched the Pokémon in his face, earning worried glances from both human and Pokémon.

Rei ran his hand over his cheek and looked at it. Some small drops of blood were present. His face paled as he tried not to lose his focus on the illusion.

The Zoroark growled and crouched, looking like he was about to lunge at him again, but he was tackled by the Luxray using an attack that knocked him down onto the ground, followed by both Ambipom and Honchkrow pinning him.

He had no time to think about it too much as Akari interrupted him. "Rei!" She shouted. "Almighty Sinnoh, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah." He answered, not taking his hand off his wound.

"Let me see that." She insisted trying to put his hand away.

"No!" He snapped, before recoiling. "I-I'm f-fine."

He was already fighting to keep the illusion running with the pain in his face and arms (he remembered to make the sleeves teared this time), and he didn't need to invest more energy on trying to make Akari not suspect anything, not with his head spinning like that.

"Alright then..." She whispered, confused by his sudden change of attitude.

"I..." Zisu began, but she couldn't find the words. "I'm so sorry, Rei. Zoroark has always been a weird case ever since he was brought here, but he has never attacked anyone."

Akari scowled at her, and she looked like she wanted to say a lot of things, but Rei was first. "It's okay."

"Are you sure? We should get you checked at the very least."

"I'm fine!" He repeated, growing nervous.

Zisu sighed. "Very well. Let's get back to the training then, shall we?" She got the ghost type's Poké-ball out. "Let me just-"

"No."

Now it was the turn of Zisu's Pokémon to look confused. "Huh?" Honchkrow said.

"Pal, he just tried to kill you." Luxray added, obviously not expecting a response.

"Rei, I have other Pokémon in the pastures. It's really not a problem for me to go fetch Loppuny or any other Pokémon." Zisu asked raising a brow.

"Time."

"Rei, you can't be serious!" Eevee and Akari yelled at the same time. "We can spare a few minutes of training! Plus, look at your Cyndaquill! Are you sure you want to send him against that Zoroark?"

Rei took his eyes off the pinned Pokémon for a second and then at Cyndaquill. He was shivering from the attack, and Shinx was trying to comfort him as best as he could.

Did he want to make him fight Zoroark?

The only reason he wanted to have him around was to talk to him about what just happened, and they couldn't do that while Zisu and Akari were there.

He also wanted to teach him a lesson for attacking him like that, but once again, it had to wait for when he was alone.

He decided tonight was a good enough time for a talk.

"Fine." He huffed. "You're r-right..."

Zisu nodded as she aimed the Poké-ball at Zoroark. "We're not done yet..." He snarled before disappearing in a flash of light, her Pokémon sighing in relief.

"I'll be right back. Wait for me here." The Captain told them, walking away. "You can start warming up while I'm gone, but don't get yourselves too tired. Also, I'll bring you a new uniform, Rei."

The moment she was out of eyesight, Akari turned to look at Rei. She had an accusatory look on her face. "You're hiding something."

Rei's gestures of 'go ahead an battle' to his Pokémon were interrupted as he raised a brow at the girl. "No, don't act dumb. That Zoroark is scary, and he has always been, but you are the first person that's been attacked directly. And why are you so fixed on covering your wound?"

The boy began sweating, just enough not to be noticeable. It was clear she saw he was nervous. "Listen, I want to be friends with you, so I won't press you further if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I know that we don't know each other too much, but if you want to tell me, I'll always be ready to listen, okay?"

Rei stood silent for a while before nodding. "Alright."

"Very well." She sighed. "Now, let's get to training, shall we?"

"Finally! I want to show this jerk a lesson!" Pikachu exclaimed, looking at Honchkrow.

"You know I was just joking right?" He answered, chuckling nervously.

"I don't think that's going to cut it..." Ambipom laughed.

Everyone laughed as they began forming their respective pairs, Akari walking next to her partner.

Eevee readied herself to fight Ambipom and Rei grabbed the shivering Cyndaquill on his arms, whispering a 'sorry'. Shinx began walking to an empty spot on the field, but Luxray didn't follow. He stood there, intensely looking at Rei.

"Are you coming?"

Shinx's voice snapped him out of it. "Yeah, yeah. Hold up!"

The electric type got closer to Rei, eyeing from head to toe. "You're not what you look like, are you?"

With those words, he walked off next to Shinx, who casted him a worried look, which he quickly dismissed.

After that worrying exchange, the training began, but Rei couldn't stop thinking about that fight he had with the Zoroark. Who was he? That scar looked really deep to be a minor wound... And he said something about my dad doing something to him.

He was definitely going to have a talk with him tonight.

---

By the time Zisu came back, the pain of the scratches was mostly gone, so he could finally stop covering his face. Akari had told him a place where be could clean up his hands and cheek and when he returned, all the Pokémon were training. The Captain told Rei she hadn't managed to fing any uniforms for him, something he didn't mind.

It turned out that Loppuny was a thousand times friendlier than Zoroark, and much more patient at that. After Cyndaquill finally calmed down, the normal type helped him train his Ember attack. He was gentle as much as he was fast, and Cyndaquill only manage to score one hit on him, but that didn't stop him from having fun.

The rest were also doing something similar, and chuckles coming from all Pokémon filled the training grounds.

Two hours or so later, Rei's Pokémon and Akari's Pikachu were exhausted thanks to the teaching of both Zisu and her Pokémon.

"This was a great session, wasn't it?" Zisu asked.

"Indeed! I feel much more prepared, and I'm sure Pikachu feels the same! Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

The electric type had tried to shock Honchkrow several times, and none of them were successful, so he opted for a 'truce' as he called it, which was basically a 'you win, but I won't admit it', so he was a bit annoyed, but definitely more prepared to battle. "Yeah, yeah."

"What's wrong pipsqueak? Can't hit me?" the flying type taunted. "Maybe next time you should train your ai-ARGHHHH!"

He was interrupted by Shinx, who had used one of his newly mastered moves on him, earning the chuckle of Luxray. "That'll teach you not to mess with us electric types!" He said. "Good job kiddo. Remember to put those moves to good use."

Since he was taught by his own evolved form, Shinx was the one that made the most progress by far, learning Bite and Thunder Fang and mastering his previously known moves, all with a smile on his face.

Teaching him that efficiently was something Rei himself wouldn't have even dreamt of doing by himself, but his other Pokémon had made some progress as well.

Cyndaquil had mastered his Quick Attack, and learned the basic of Rollout, so he now had a new move, though it was Rei's resposibility to train it.

Eevee hadn't learned any new moves, but she did master all her known moves, same with Pikachu. However, Rei could feel how her not having managed to learn anything new was more than just her being unable to.

He was envious that he couldn't get Zisu to train him. He could for sure beat his dad after a few training sessions with her.

It was a pity it wasn't happening anytime soon.

Nevertheless, they had a long trek ahead of them and he didn't want to keep the professor waiting more than necessary.

After a quick goodbye and a promise to come back for more another time, Akari and Rei set off towards the Fieldlands.

This time's meeting with Beautricia had to be cut to a simple wave and a promise for Shinx to show his newly learnt moves another time.

Now that he realized, Zisu had said the names of all the moves out loud, and even repeated them a few times for them all to hear, and he had managed to repeat them all without fail.

Finally, I can think of different move strategies! I still can't make proper sentences, but I'm sure I will manage.

It was once they had gotten out of town and a few minutes away from the village that Rei noticed something.

"Pikachu?"

Akari hummed, turning to look at him, before looking down to the electric type that was talking with Eevee. "You're wondering why Pikachu is out of his ball?"

The boy nodded, and Akari gave him a smile. "Well, I've noticed that I don't spend too much time with him while he's inside the Poké-ball, and I've also seen how you and your Pokémon get along very well because of your interactions, so I decided to give it a try."

She looked at her Pokémon, her smile growing wider. "And looks like it's working."

Rei couldn't help but share her smile. They were for different reasons though. She's letting her Pikachu out of his ball because she's seen us do this all the time?

...

This is one of the few times I'm reminded that not all humans are bad.

"...and he somehow kept dodging my attacks! Dodging literal electricity! Those Pokémon are in a whole different level..." Pikachu rambled.

"I have to agree with you there! They were pretty strong!" Eevee replied with a giggle.

"Yeah, and cool as well! Did you see how Luxray moved?! I didn't even stand a chance!" Shinx added.

"Honestly, I loved how Loppuny taught me everything. He was so patient, even after I messed up so many times!" Cyndaquil laughed.

"Yeah, he was definitely nicer than that Zoroark."

They all felt silent. "What was that guy's deal, anyway?" Pikachu yelled. "Attacking your human out of the blue? And what was he saying about 'taunting him'?"

All three Pokémon's eyes widened as they tried to come up with an excuse. "Well, uhh..."

"You see..."

"Rei's kinda..."

"Ummm..."

"Errm..."

Pikachu frowned. "You guys are terrible at making excuses."

Akari looked down at the group as they bickered. "What do you think they could be talking about?"

The boy shrugged, making himself look oblivious. "Sometimes I wish I could understand what Pikachu tells me. It would make things a lot easier..." The girl kept rambling.

Hopefully she won't find out about what he thought about her before I stepped in...

"Come ooooon! Tell me!" The electric type insisted in a fake whinning tone.

"I told you it's a secret!" Eevee chuckled, pushing him away.

"But whyyyy? Is it really that important?"

"Yeah, your brain would probably explode! " Shinx chuckled.

"Just like ours did!" Cyndaquil added.

"Mine didn't."

"Yeah, 'cus you already knew him, duh!"

"I'm sure I can take it! I'm not that dumb."

Eevee looked at Rei, silently asking for permission.

One more Pokémon that knew wouldn't hurt... right?

I swear this is the last one that'll know.

The boy nodded slightly. Eevee turned back to Pikachu. "Does that mean I get to know?" He asked.

"Alright, listen closely and don't tell a single soul about this. We can't have more Pokémon than necessary know, okay?"

"Okay?"

"Alright, so..."

---

Rei was already regretting letting his friends tell Pikachu about his secret... but not for the reasons one might think.

"How does this feel so real?" He asked, poking various places of his face.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?" Akari asked, obviously confused.

"Testing."

Eevee got a bit closer to Shinx and Cyndaquil. "Should we have told him?"

"Too late to turn back now..." Shinx sighed. "Ocko, are you okay up there?"

Rei grabbed Pikachu and set him down on the ground, groaning. "I'll take that as a yes."

Meanwhile, Pikachu decided he was still not done with the questions. "Wait, if you're a Pokémon, does that mean that you understood everything I said before? Are you understanding me right now? Why aren't you answering me?"

"Because Akari doesn't know, and he can't answer in front of her." Cyndaquil deadpanned.

"She doesn't?" Pikachu looked up to the girl. "Hey, did you know that your friend is a Poké-"

The three Pokémon threw themselves on the electric type, shutting him down, both Akari and Rei flinched, each for a different reason. "What's going on with you lot today?" She half laughed, looking at them.

"What are you all doing?" The electric type yelled.

"Are you crazy?! Why are you telling her that?" Shinx snapped.

"Well, cus she deserves to know if she's spending all this time with him, don't you think? It's not like she can understand me anyway."

"Do you have the slightest idea of what could happen if just one human found out about him?" Eevee yelled. "You know what they would do to him?"

"You promised to.keep it a secret!" Cyndaquil added.

"Okay, I'm sorry! Let me go already!"

The walk resumed without further incident, but Rei couldn't stop thinking about it. I shouldn't have let them told him. He won't keep it a secret, I'm sure of it...

There's really no other way this little adventure can end, is there?

What happened to being cautious about anyone finding out?

He walked almost all of the remaining way in silence, at least until Akari spoke. "Hey, Rei. I've always wondered about this. Do you speak so little because of some sort of problem, or because you just don't want to?"

She then seemed to realize that the question seemed a bit more personal than she originally thought. "Sorry, I shouldn't have... Nevermind. Just forget it."

Rei resisted the urge to laugh at... everything, really. The sheer irony of being asked this was starting to take a toll on him. He decided to leave it for when he was alone and answer with a small wave of his hand. "Both."

"Both?"

"Yeah."

"Oh... Well, that's good to know."

They didn't talk much after that. The Pokémon had gone silent a long time ago, so the only thing that broke the silence was the occasional blowing of the wind.

Finally, what seemed to be the Fieldlands Camp came into view, and they all sat down to rest for a little while.

"Very well, we're already here. Once we are ready to go, we should not distract ourselves with any Pokémon we find, alright? At least not until we meet the professor."

"Aw, but I want to try my new moves!" Shinx whinned.

"Later." Cyndaquil cut through. "I don't want to make the professor wait anymore time."

They took around ten minutes to get back on track, and they crossed the Fieldlands without any distractions, just as Akari said. Rei didn't mind her being the one leading him. He knew little about this place, and he could very easily get lost without anything to guide him.

The Heights Camp was just as they had left it last day. Only this time, the professor was there talking with one of the guards that stood in the camp.

He immediately looked at them once he realized they had arrived. "Well, hello there! How did your training session with Captain Zisu go?" He asked with a smirk.

"How did you-?"

"I supposed you would want to be as prepared as possible when going against such a powerful foe." He then took a look at Rei's scratch mark and the torn sleeves of his uniform (which he had managed to keep) and his face turned into a more worried one. "Did everything go alright?"

"Do you remember Zisu's Zoroark?" Akari said.

"How could I not? I thought that when the Captain brought it to the village, I would finally have the chance to study a real Zoroark!" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I have yet to even come close to it..."

His face then turned to a look of realization. "Wait, don't tell me..."

"It's exactly what you think professor."

"My goodness... Did the Medical Corps check up on you?" He asked the boy, looking at him.

"He refused."

Laventon's eyes widened. "I'm fine." Rei repeated.

"I already tried telling him to get help, but he wouldn't budge."

"Well, there's no point in dwelling on it, is there?" He sighed, clearly not too sure about it. "Let's get back to the point for now."

He pointed towards a big forest in the distance, where a big and tall tree could be seen in the middle of it. "That over there is the Heartwood. You are to go and meet with warden Liam of the Pearl Clan and talk with him about the situation." He explained. "You can complete simple rearch tasks as you go, but don't take too long. Daylight waits for no one."

Both nodded. "Let's go Rei. Towards the Heartwood!" Akari exclaimed earning a smile from Rei.

"Let's go! Time to kick some noble butt!" Pikachu yelled.

"You were waiting for an occasion like this one, weren't you?" Cyndaquil asked him.

The electric type simply grinned.

---

This place would make for a great hiding spot... Rei thought as they ventured deeper into the dense forest.

It was full of Pokémon neither Rei nor Eevee had ever seen before, but they knew they couldn't distract themselves with them. Every time Akari caught them looking at a Pokémon, she explained their species and typing. "...and that's a Buneary, a normal type. That's the pre evolved form of Loppuny, like Captain Zisu's."

The small Pokémon hopped away when they saw them walk near them. "They are also one of the more fearful Pokémon around here." She chuckled. "Come on, we must be close to Grandtree Arena now."

The dirt road slowly turned more steep as torches began surrounding the sides of the path and stone steps were laid down to help and climb up.

This has to be the entrance... Rei thought.

Shinx whistled. "This place is cool!"

"And open!" Cyndaquil added.

"And steep!" Pikachu and Eevee said at the same time.

Ignoring the Pokémon's comments, Rei looked ahead. Just as Adaman told them before, there was someone guarding the entrance. He wore a weird hat and a similar uniform Mai had, except this one was a bit more pink and pale.

What none of the two expected was that a child was the one acting as the warden. Even if Rei didn't have his illusion on, he would be at least half a head taller than he was.

"This guy is the one guarding Kleavor?!" Pikachu exclaimed. "That mighty noble I have heard about so much, guarded by a kid?! "

Despite no words being shared, it was clear the rest of them thought the same.

"I..." Rei was at a loss of words.

"I didn't expect this either." Akari finished for him. "Let's go. We have a task to complete."

Once the warden took notice of them, he tried to pose as intimidating as possible, something that didn't work. "I'm Lian of the Pearl Clan. Warden of Kleavor, the Lord of the Woods." He then glanced around them, a confident smirk flashing in his face. "You... I've already deduced that you've come here to meet Kleavor. I'm right aren't I? Of course I am! After all, the powerfully awesome Kleavor has become even more awesomelly powerful! Perhaps that strange lightning the other day was almighty Sinnoh's divine power..."

Rei could feel a sweatdrop fall behind his head, as well as Akari's. "But whatever it was, it struck my lord and left him imbued with awesome might! So I must turn you away, even if it pains me. It's too dangerous for you to meet Kleavor right now."

"You see..." Akari spoke. "We've been tasked to see your lord Kleavor by our Commander, and as an urgent mission too."

"Urgent mission? Why such earnest desire to meet mighty Kleavor?" He slowly shook his head with a frown. "But I'm afraid that, mission or not, I've been told in no uncertain terms by Irida that I am to let no one mear Kleavor."

His stance took a bit of a more subtle aggressive tone. "I will have to battle you if you insist. If you wish to avoid that, withdraw now, or face the wrath of my Goomy!"

Akari got close to Rei's ear as she began to whisper. "Listen Rei, I don't think Lian will budge if he was told by his leader not to let us through, and he seems eager to battle us to scare us away. This was originally your mission, so can I count on you to win against him?"

Rei looked uncertain, but nodded. If that noble was frenzied, it meant danger for anyone living inside the forest. He had to stop that as soon as possible, and if Lian didn't want to see that, he'd have to make him see it.

"Perfect." She patted his back. "Good luck."

"Who's gonna battle this one?" Cyndaquil asked.

"I think Eevee should." Shinx suggested. "Electricity and fire won't do much against a Goomy, and I am not too good with Bite yet to use it too many times in a row."

"Are you sure?" The normal type asked. "I can tell you really want to test your new moves."

"I do, but I can wait to unleash all on the big guy. Go for it, and win this one for us!"

"Yeah, we believe in you!"

She smiled with a nod. "Will do. Thank you."

She stepped forward, preparing herself in front of Rei. Lian sighed. "You don't even realize I'm turning you away for your own safety! How sad you are..."

From behind him, a Pokémon none of them had seen before slided into view. The Goomy had been hiding behind his partner the whole time, and was trembling slightly as he made his way to prepare himself to battle. "Go, Goomy, and see if you can ooze some good sense over these foolish troublemakers!"

"O-Okay." The dragon type said, preparing as well. It was clear this Goomy wasn't too keen on fighting them.

"Very well, let's begin! Goomy, Acid Spray!"

Goomy took a deep breath and spat a very small blob of poison that didn't even reach Eevee, sizzling on the ground.

Lian didn't seem too surprised. "I knew we should have trained more..." He mumbled. "Doesn't matter! Try again, and stronger!"

Trying his best for his partner, Goomy took another breath and launched another blob with a better trajectory, but Eevee dodged it pretty easily. "Our turn now!" She yelled.

"Eevee, Quick Attack!"

As quickly as she could, she dashed forward, hitting the Goomy in full. His body wobbled as Eevee jumped backwards, some of the slime having stuck to her fur.

With a serious glare, she turned to Rei. "No more physical attacks." She demanded.

"Goomy, don't get discouraged! Bubble!" Lian yelled.

"H-Here I go!"

A small stream of bubbles floated towards Eevee at a very slow speed. She used the attack to clean herself. "Thanks."

"Y-You're welcome?"

"Are you sure we should beat that Goomy? " Cyndaquil whispered. "He doesn't look like he knows how to fight..."

Rei simply shrugged. "Swift!" He yelled.

Star shaped projectiles were launched against the dragon type. He yelped as he tried to slide his way out of the attack, to no avail. He was hit by the full force of the attack, and he was knocked unconscious.

"Goomy!" Lian exclaimed, seeing his partner fainted on the ground. "H-How can this be?"

"Good job Rei!" Akari told him.

I would count this as a victory... He thought, and by the look on Eevee's face, she thought something similar.

Lian picked Goomy from the ground and looked back at Rei. "I may have been defeated, but my point still stands! It's too dangerous to meet Kleavor now. The only welcome you'll get if you approach him is a flurry of devastating blows!"

His gaze slowly drifted to one of the stone blocks that were behind him. "Normally, I'd simply try making him an offering. A nice heaped helping of his two favourite foods, served up with respect from his loyal warden (that's me, of course), is usually enough to please him and sooth the prickliest of moods..."

Lian's face fell downwards. "But even I, Kleavor's loyal warden, can't get close enough to give any offerings. Not with the way Kleavor is rampaging and running amok. There's nothing outsiders like you two can do."

The clearing fell in silence for a good while. No one knew what to really say to break it, at least until another voice did. "The ancestors of Kleavor, Wyrdeer, and their cohort drew on almighty Sinnoh's own power to protect Pokémon and people alike, or so it's said. It's by their grace that out clan, that any of us still lives in vast Hisui today!"

Akari and Rei turned around to see the leader of the Pearl Clan standing behind them. "Irida?" Lian exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Without giving him an answer, she walked closer to Lian. "As you say, Kleavor's grown even stronger, but I'm afraid that strength poses a problem for us. If he was indeed struck by that lightning, could they have been sent by the false Sinnoh that the Diamond Clan bows to?"

She paused, letting that information sinking in. "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm not sure why there would be a reason to do that, even for a so called myth." Pikachu commented.

Oblivous to that, the leader continued. "Kleavor means so much to our clan. I'd hoped we could bring this situation under control ourselves, not throw our hands up and ask am outsider for help."

Irida's head also hung downwards, as if she were ashamed of what she was bout to say. "But we must save Kleavor from this frenzy. Every moment it continues, the danger grows. If more people and Pokémon are attacked, it will lead to conflict with both the Diamond Clan and the Galaxy Team."

Once again, everyone fell silent. Lian's face frowned in thought, and it stayed like that for a while, that is, until he suddenly looked at Rei and Akari. "You! Stranger from beyond the sky and Survey Corps member! Tell me, could you Galaxy people actually fix all this? Could you really find a way to quell our lord's frenzy?"

Rei nodded. "We will figure something out, that's for sure." Akari said. "We can't let this go on any longer if it makes your lord, or any other lord, suffer."

Irida nodded with a smile. "Very well! Lian and I will gather food that pleases Kleavor, in hopes that we might be able to get close enough to make him a proper offering. As for you..." She looked between the two of them. "Find a way to quell his frenzy, even if you must search every corner of vast Hisui!"

With two determined nods and a promise to come back again, Rei, Akari and their Pokémon began walking back to the base camp of the Fieldlands, ready to report to the professor what they had learnt.

---

"Good to see you, Rei! And you too Akari! How is your research into Kleavor going? Swimmingly, I expect?"

The professor had been waiting for them back at the Fieldlands Camp, and with a smile on his face, it was their turn to tell him about the research. Obviously, it was Akari the one that explained it all.

"Oho, is that so?" He mused. "So a serving of his favourite foods will normally make Kleavor quite agreeable, is that it?"

"Exactly it, professor."

Laventom hummed. "I need to mull this over back in my laboratory. You two should come as well."

And with that, it was finally time to go back to Jublife Village.

---

Back inside the professor's laboratory, the three of them began discussing all about what they had found. "So according to the information you were able to learn from Irida and Lian of the Pearl Clan, were this the normal course of events, that frenzied Kleavor could be calmed by a nice serving of his two favourite foods..."

The professor placed his hand on his chin. "I do wonder, is it possible that the aromas or some other components of these foods might combine in a way that could not only calm Kleavor, but draw him back from his frenzy?"

Laventon then sighed. "But by your own report, even Kleavor's warden (who looks after Kleavor and knows him well) cannot approach him in his current state. It would be a fool's gambit to get close enough to offer him food."

Laventom crossed his arms, frowning. "Give me a moment, if you would. I need some time to ponder on this. There ought to be something in my research notes that can help us..."

With that said, the professor proceeded to look around the whole laboratory, leaving Akari, Rei and their Pokémon to talk among themselves for a little while.

Rei didn't know how much time it had passed since Laventon first began searching. He was listening attentively to one of Akari's stories that he almost didn't hear the professor exclaim.

"EUREKA!"

Okay, maybe he did hear him. "What have you found out, professor?" Akari asked him.

"Easy, my dear girl! We will simply throw the food!"

Rei and his Pokémon had to supress the urge to fall to the ground in shock. "He's been all this time looking around to say that we can just throw the food at him?" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Yes. Yes he has." Cyndaquil sighed.

"You've quite the arm to throw things, haven't you, Rei? Might I suggest you take Kleavor's favourite foods and throw them at the Pokémon?" He continued.

"Uhhh..." The boy stammered. "Okay?"

"Yes! It's all coming together!" Laventon said, excitedly. "We can use our skill in Poké-ball crafting to shape Kleavor's beloved food into balls, then throw them to achieve the same calming effect, but from afar! A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself."

He stopped to think for a small second. "As to what to call these yummy projectiles... Well, how about Teatime Balls? Puts one in mind of a nice, relaxing afternoon tea, does it not?"

"Why wouldn't you simply call them Laventon Balls, professor?" Akari questioned him.

"Oh my. With that name, it'd sound like I'm the one being launched at our frenzied friend..." He slightly chuckled. "In any case, we can rely on the Pearl Clan to gather the necessary foodstuffs, correct?"

Rei nodded. "Then we should get back to Grandtree Arena and let the Pearl Clan know our plan!" Akari exclaimed.

With a new goal in mind, and with less daylight than they liked, Rei and Akari began marching towards the village's exit. Even Rei's Pokémon were walking instead of riding on him, and he prayed that this would become the norm.

When they arrived though, they found that someone was there already, apparently waiting for them. "My, my, that Galaxy Hall is one fine of a building, even from the outside... The Galaxy Team's certainly got themselves a grand headquarters, I'll give them that." Mai muttered.

Once Rei and Akari had walked close enough for the warden to notice them, she turned to look at them, a surprised expression on her face. "Oh! Yes, I came because I had some news that I thought you may be interested in. Better you actually see what's going on, though. Let's head to... how did you end up calling it?"

"The Heights Camp?" Akari filled in for her.

"Yes, exactly. Follow me, please."

Everyone shared some confused glances as they followed the Diamond warden, Arceus knew for what exactly.

---

Once they arrived at the Fieldlands, Mai took them to an empty plain with only a few ruined rock blocks breaking the monotony of the grass. In the middle of the plain, however, stood Adaman next to a Pokémon Rei had seen only once before.

Wyrdeer.

He intensely looked at both him and Akari, as if waiting for something. Finally, after a long silence, the Pokémon simply nodded solemnly. "Welcome, Rei and Akari." He said, in a deep, but calm voice.

"I spoke to Wyrdeer about what's going on." Adaman told them. "I told him how you two have been trekking all over the Fieldlands, seeking a way to quell Kleavor's frenzy. All this from people who aren't from our clan or the Pearl Clan, just a regular member of the Survey Corps and a wanderer fallen through a rift in the sky. And hearing that..."

Wyrdeer took a step forward. "Well, you can see how he responded!"

Akari's eyes widened almost at the same time as her Pikachu's did. Only Rei and his Pokémon were left confused, but with a slight idea of what they meant.

"Children..." Wyrdeer spoke. "Your passion and courage to help those who need it most without asking for anything in return, even if they are complete strangers to you, has moved me."

"I trust you appreciate it." Mai added, almost as if she knew what he had just said.

"What does that mean?" Akari asked.

"Wyrdeer's found you worthy, you see! Which means, you'll need a flute, just like we have." Adaman turned to Mai. "Mind demonstrating for them, Mai?"

"Of course." She replied with a nod, reaching for one of her satchels and searching for something inside.

"This is very important, so listen well!" Adaman told them both.

Mai took out a azure colored cilinder, which looked like... "A flute?" Pikachu blurted.

Mai put the flute in her mouth and focused. A beautiful and short melody filled the clearing. She repeated it once again, the echo reverberating in their ears.

"Beautiful..." Cyndaquil commented.

"That is the melody of my own ancestors, taught to them by The Original One himself." Wyrdeer told them. "Learn and play that melody and I will come to you as fast as possible."

"That's a Celestica Flute that Mai just played." Adaman explained. "It's a precious tool that can be used to call on Wyrdeer so you can ride upon him!"

"Ride upon him?!" Akari stammered. "On one of the Diamond Clan's nobles? Are you really sure?" She asked Adaman.

"We were as surprised as you are, dear Akari, but so does Wyrdeer want." The leader answered with a smile.

"Wow, that's... such an honor!"

"It truly is." Mai agreed, handing two other flutes to Adaman.

"It's said the Celestica Flutes were gifts from almighty Sinnoh itself, and now..." He handed them each one flute. "These ones are yours."

They grabbed them and looked at them. The flute was made of a reflecting material, and Rei could see his own face being reflected.

"Woah, thank you so much, Adaman!" Akari told the leader.

"It's not that much of a gesture, really. How else would you call Wyrdeer?" He chuckled.

"Now, see if you can play the melody." Mai interrupted.

"Do you mind if I go first?" Akari asked Rei.

He nodded as the girl copied the posture Mai did before. With a deep breath, she played the melody, albeit slightly off-key. Wyrdeer seemed satisfied enough.

"Did I do it well?"

"Pretty well for your first time!" Adaman cheered. "Just practice a bit and you will play it perfectly!"

The leader then turned to look at Rei. "Now it's Rei's turn."

Rei gulped. This flute was made for human hands, but the claws that were under the illusion weren't very suitable. Would he really be able to play the melody? He didn't even know how flutes worked too well! He only knew because his sister had once brought something like that from the humans to the cave.

I'll just have to try.

With a deep breath, Rei tried to visualize how Mai had positioned her fingers on the instrument. He closed his eyes as he blew inside the instrument.

An almost exact copy of the melody, dare he say even better than how Mai played it, echoed through the plain.

Everyone fell silent, and Wyrdeer slightly raised a brow.

"That's..." Adaman began.

"It can't be..." Mai added.

Rei took the instrument and looked at it, dumbfoolded. Did I just do it perfectly first time?

"The Ancient Hero..." Wyrdeer muttered.

...

"The what?!" All Pokémon exclaimed after a long pause.

Wyrdeer began walking towards Rei, and stopped very close to him. "Years ago, there was a human with exceptional qualities and pure heart that befriended my and the other noble's ancestors, and sought the 18 plates of The Original One in order to meet him himself. After a gruelling battle, they stood victorious and they received a special blessing from The Original One himself, while the Hero received his most sincere respect. The Original One prophesied that someday, another human with similar qualities would appear, and that they ought to follow the same path as the Ancient Hero."

The Pokémon closed his eyes and a pink colored plate floated towards him. The boy quickly grabbed it and looked at it. "I heard it, in that melody you just played. You must be the Chosen One to meet The Original One, and thus, I offer you one of the 18 plates that was passed from generation to generation until it reached me. The Mind Plate. Show this plate to other bearers and they shall aid you as well."

Rei was shaking his head slowly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Me? 'The Chosen One'? I'm not even human, for Arceus' sake!

"Following my family's tradition, I shall help you on your quest. If you ever need assistance, play your flute, and I shall be there as soon as possible." The Wyrdeer finished his speech.

Everyone was stunned silent. Akari, because she clearly didn't expect such a beautiful melody to come from the instrument on Rei's first try. Adaman and Mai, because they probably knew what that plate meant. And Rei and the Pokémon... to say they were stunned silent would be the understatement of their lives.

"Ocko, tell me he's joking." Shinx said.

"I... don't think he is." Cyndaquil replied.

"Okay, so first I get told you're a Pokémon, and now it turns out you're some kind of hero?!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Zoroark..." Eevee didn't even brother using his human name. "When I said I would accompany you was because I wanted to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't get in trouble, not find out you're apparently a 'Chosen One' supposed to meet 'The Original One'!"

Another reason to have left... He bitterly chuckled.

...

Sis, if only you were here, you could help me out...

"N-Now, you should use that Celestica Flute wisely." Mai stammered, still not fully recovered.

"With Wyrdeer, you can gallop across the land a lot faster than on foot!" Adam added, masking his amazement a bit better.

"What's wrong?" Akari asked, not having picked it up.

Adaman looked at the girl like if she had asked the dumbest question in the whole world. "Akari, do you know what that plate means?"

"No?"

"That plate is called the Mind Plate. One of the artifacts said to be ages, if not decades or centuries old, and that has a very strong connection with almighty Sinnoh, collected by the Ancient Hero." Mai explained.

"The An-?" She widened her eyes as well. "That Ancient Hero? The one from the legends said to have met almighty Sinnoh itself?!"

Both members of the clan nodded. That only made Akari start looking between them and Rei, shocked. "Who in the world are you and where have you come from?!" She asked Rei, a mix between scared and amazed at the same time.

"I should talk to Irida about this..." Adaman mumbled. "Apart from her, no word of this to anyone, okay? This is a secret between those that are present here and now."

"What?" Akari exclaimed. "But if the village knew about this, it would immediately clear any doubts about him!"

"If your village found out that Rei is more special than he already is (and trust me, people being wary of him is nothing compared to what would happen if they found out that he apparently is a descendant of the Ancient Hero), they would swarm him every time they saw him, asking questions and giving him attention that he probably doesn't want." The leader said.

"I guess, but..."

"A moment." Rei interrupted.

"What?" Adaman asked.

"I think he needs a moment alone." Akari said.

Rei quickly nodded, and ran away, somewhere not too far, but not too close either, so he could collect his thoughts. He hid behind a rock, and when he was sure no one could see him, he uncasted his illusion and hugged his knees.

Cyndaquil, Shinx and Eevee came running shortly after. "Are you okay, Poké-human?" The fire type asked.

"No, I'm not okay!" He snapped. "In what possible way could I be okay?!"

The three flinched at that. "First, I have that Zoroark attack me because something my father did, then I have Akari, who is already very close to finding out what's going on, and now I'm supposed to be some descendant of some sort of hero?! I wanted to explore the region! See the world! That's the only reason I'm here, but I just keep getting roped into more and more stuff! First, that Pokédex, then I get told that I have to quell a noble's frenzy, and now I also have to search for some plates to meet some mythical Pokémon because I'm 'the Ancient Hero's descendant'?! I'm not even human, for fuck's sake!"

He couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "I just wanted to leave that frozen wasteland with my friend, to get away from the burden that's my father! But now I am some sort of hero in a story? I just wanted to see the world, not save it! "

"Ocko..."

"I wish I had just stayed in that ca-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

The ghost type lifted his head to look at the normal type. "You've been here for what, two days? Maybe three? And you've done more than any of your species has done. You're working with humans! And yeah, it's true that Akari is close to piecing stuff together, but until she does, you haven't been found out yet! You think your dad could do what you're doing now? Or any of your pack, really? No! You've got more courage than any of your packmates for the simple reason of being here right now!"

"Eevee..."

"I'm not done." She interrupted. "Look, you wanted to explore the world, and who says you can't do that? If anything, everything that you have to go through will only force you to do it! Anyone can complete that Pokédex, but finding those plates or helping those nobles is something you have been tasked, or I suppose fated, with!"

"Yeah, and how's it going?" Zoroark sighed. "I have yet to see something other than the Fieldlands! I mean, they are not bad, and I'm sure we haven't seen most of it yet, but this place has to be bigger! Irida has to call it 'vast Hisui' for a reason!"

"How's it going?" Eevee repeated. "How's it going?! Zoroark, you've defeated an alpha! And you weren't even fighting! Just telling us what to do!"

"I was telling you what to do, and you almost got killed."

"So what?" Cyndaquil interjected. "We won in the end!"

"But-!"

"Do you think I would ever have had the guts to fight an alpha if we never met?"

That made Zoroark pause. "What?"

"Before I met you, I was just a scaredy Glameow that got caught along Oshawott and Rowlett. And now look at me. I fought an alpha, and I'm living to tell the story! We almost died, yeah, but that adrenaline surge was something I never thought I'd experience! I am much stronger now, just because of you!"

Zoroark stood a few seconds looking at the fire type. That look was something he had never seen coming from him. "And me..."

Shinx stepped forward. "Ocko, I already told you my story, didn't I? I Remember how happy I was to finally find someone to try my new move on?"

Zoroark nodded. "That's because I needed to train to be stronger to find food. I knew that after I ran away, I could never come back to my pack again, and I needed to defend myself with anything, but I knew it wasn't enough. It wouldn't be enough. I am a lot stronger now, thanks to you, and if you never found me, I-..."

He flinched. Shinx took a deep breath before continuing. "I wouldn't have lasted a lot more than a few days out there. You saved me, just by catching me a few days ago. You all are the closest thing to a family I ever had, so thank you. For everything."

Zoroark wanted to reply. To say that he didn't need him, that none of them did. That this all was nonsense. That everything would have been better if he just stayed in the Icelands.

Yet, deep down, he knew that wasn't true.

"Zoroark."

It was Eevee's turn now. "Ever since I met you, you've been someone special to me. Someone that has been by my side every day. You're the best Pokémon that I had the pleasure to meet, and I don't care how many stuff you get dragged into. I will always, and I mean always, stay by your side, no matter how absurd that stuff is. And you know why?"

A really long pause followed. Eevee looked troubled, as if she didn't want to say what she was about to say. Finally, with a deep breath, she shouted. "Because I lo-!" She stopped herself. Seems like the indecission won. "Because you are my best friend! If I had to take a beating for you, just like with that alpha, I wouldn't even think it twice, because I know you'd do the same for me! So don't you ever say that you should have stayed in that cave! Got it?!"

Zoroark could only muster a nod as he felt the weight of three different Pokémon fall on him while they nuzzled him in a hug.

The oh-so-scary apex predator returned the hug as his sobs echoed through the clearing. "Thanks for everything, guys. I-I don't know what I'd do without you. And you're right. I don't regret meeting any of you."

"We don't either." They replied almost in unison.

"Oh, and Zoroark." Shinx added.

"Yeah?"

"Ocko is what my father called his own dad."

Zoroark took a moment to process what he meant before chuckling. "I never knew I had adopted you."

"You didn't. You're just more of a dad than my father was for me."

They all fell silent again, and Zoroark took this time to think about what had been said. So I'm a descendant of an Ancient Hero, huh? How does that even work? Will following his steps really be as easy as getting all those plates Wyrdeer talked about?

...

If I am a Pokémon, and I am a relative of that hero, does that mean he could have also been a...

A lot of questions, all without answers. This is scary. So much weight on my shoulders. What's stopping me from running away? No one would say anything...

Except Eevee. And Shinx and Cyndaquil. And I hate to say I'd miss Akari.

He chuckled to himself. Getting attached to a human. If my dad finds me, he's gonna kill me for sure.

He looked at his Pokémon. His friends. This is scary, but I feel like, with them, I can tackle anything that crosses my path. And if fate wants me to meet that 'Original One' instead of letting me explore the region stress-free...

Then so be it.

There was another question in his head. One he could voice right now and get an answer too, though he wasn't sure he really wanted it. "Hey Eevee."

"Yeah?" She muttered. It was clear she was enjoying the hug, much more than the other two, who were looking at her with a small smirk.

"When you said I was 'your best friend', what were you going to say originally?"

Her eyes shot open as her face gained a slightly pink color. "Oh, erm..."

Shinx's smile only grew wider. "Come oooon! Say it already!"

"Uhh..." Her blush grew in equal manner.

"You know you want to!" Cyndaquil added.

"Ugh, fine! Zoroark, I wanted to say that..." She stopped, and breathed hard, her cheeks reaching a new shade of pink. "I-"

"Rei?"

Akari's voice interrupted them as Zoroark scrambled to apply his illusion. He dreaded to look back. Was he compromised? There hadn't been any screams, so he doubted it, but he was still nervous.

Then, he remembered he was leaned against a rock, and that Akari must have been behind it.

"Yeah?" He asked the girl.

"Are you doing alright, there?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? You didn't look too good when you ran away."

"..."

"Can I sit with you?"

"...Okay"

Rei didn't raise his head when Akari sat next to him, Pikachu doing the same, but he knew she was looking at him. His Pokémon were faking a nap on his lap, and Akari smiled when seeing it. "They are really cute like that, aren't they? You almost forget they could cause any person serious injuries if they wanted to."

That... was a strange way of starting the conversation. Rei had never heard Akari call a Pokémon 'cute' before. He could see Shinx's ear perk up and his smile growing just a bit wider again.

"How does it feel to be... you know, a descendant from a hero of a legend?"

"Not good."

That didn't seem to change Akari's face in the slightest. "You never expected something like this to happen to you, did you?"

Rei sighed with a shake of his head. "I can understand how you feel... Well, sort of."

That made Rei finally turn his head towards the girl. "You know, I am not originally from Hisui. I was born and raised in a region called Unova, very far away from here. I wanted to experience new things, so when I heard about the Galaxy Team here in Hisui, I asked my mother if I could join them, and she let me come here." She chuckled with a smile. "I expected it to be a simple job of tending to Pokémon, or things like that, but it couldn't have been further from it. My mother still laughs about it when I send her letters."

She paused, looking at the disguised Pokémon. "The journey here alone was already a lot more than what I had expected, so when I got here, I almost wanted to turn back! I considered quitting and going back with her a couple of times, even now! It was the easy way out, and I would be able to see my mother again. Yet, I never went through with it, because I knew I would never be able to come back again if I did that. And I didn't want to go through that boat ride in a very long time!"

She looked at the 'sleeping' Pokémon. "You originally joined the Galaxy Team with the intention to get shelter in exchange of helping with the Pokédex, but find yourself being a descendant of a legend. More than you originally bargained for, right?"

She adjusted the handkerchief on her head slightly and looked back at Rei. "The only thing I can tell you is to never give up. You came from a space-time rift, finding yourself without a home or your family, the only shelter provided to you being under certain conditions. Then, those conditions get progressively harder and harder until you feel like you can't do it alone."

A pause. "That's why I offered to come with you. Not because I don't think you're capable of doing it alone, but because quelling Kleavor may have been more difficult than expected. So you know that you aren't alone. Even if the people in the village don't trust you yet, I can say I do."

She took a deep breath as her look turned serious. "I know that realizing you're some sort of 'Chosen One' can't compare to finding out the work you signed up for is harder than you think, because... who can really expect something like what happened to you? Getting tasked with quelling a noble, earning the favour of another one, and then realizing you're 'special'?"

She gave a slight chuckle and then a sigh. "I know you don't enjoy talking too much and that you may not trust me yet, but is there anything I could do for you? Anything at all?"

Rei wanted to say so much, but he cursed his inability to speak and instead felt himself start to tear up again. Without thinking, he pulled Akari into a hug, feeling the water drop from his eyes again, and knocking the Pokémon down from his lap onto the ground.

"Thank you." That was all he could say.

"No problem, Rei."

When he realized that he shouldn't be having physical contact with Akari, it was too late to pull away anyway, so Rei decided to just hope she wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Thankfully, once the girl did pull away, she had a smile on her face, and not any sign of being found out. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah."

The silence that followed wasn't long, just enough for the final of the sobs to leave his mouth. A deep breath later, and they were walking back to the two Diamond Clan members.

Rei wasn't ready to tell Akari about him, not in the slightest, but he felt he could trust the girl a lot more than what he could before. Maybe someday, I'll be able to tell you...

Irida and Adaman were talking among themselves, but stopped when they saw the two approach. "You two are going back to Grandtree Arena, right?" Adaman asked them.

They nodded. "Pass a message to Kleavor's warden to tell Irida to meet me as soon as possible." He said. "Until then, good luck with Kleavor."

"You'll need it."

With another nod, Rei and Akari looked at Wyrdeer, who nodded to them and crouched to let them mount. The two shared a look of uncertainty before Rei decided to take the first step.

He got onto Wyrdeer, looking at the Pokémon on the ground with a look of realization. "Should we get into our Poké-balls?" Cyndaquil asked the bigger Pokémon. "I don't want to overwork you more than necessary."

"I appreciate the concern, but it is not necessary. I can, and have carried more heavy things than you all. The only reason you should is because being inside one of those magic balls of yours is far safer than clinging onto your human."

"I see..."

"Though, I am afraid I do not know how you will pass this information to your partner."

"That won't be necessary at all." Shinx interrupted. "Ocko, you heard him! Get us inside those Poké-balls!"

Wyrdeer's eyes widened when he saw Rei act accordingly to what his Pokémon had said. "Interesting..." He muttered.

With a deep sigh, Eevee, Shinx and Cyndaquil were brought inside their respective Poké-balls.

Rei was almost thrown back to the ground when Wyrdeer stood up and walked towards Akari to pick her up as well.

The girl, seeing what Rei had just done with his Pokémon, grabbed Pikachu's own Poké-ball. "Are you ready, partner?"

"To get inside one of those things?" He rolled his eyes. "Never, but it's not like I can do much about it."

The electric type was soon recalled inside as his partner grabbed onto Rei when she mounted the Pokémon.

"Goodbye Rei!" Adaman waved.

"Goodbye, Akari!" Mai added, doing the same.

"Goodbye!" The two replied.

"Now, off to Grandtree Arena!" Akari yelled, pointing forward, obviously enjoying herself. She never imagined she would be riding on a noble, and it clearly showed.

Wyrdeer then broke into a sprint as the disguised Zoroark grabbed his neck and Akari Rei's waist.

The clearing and the two Diamond Clan members slowly grew more and more distant as they headed towards their next objective.

---

Hello again and sorry for the long wait. This chapter has been in the drafts for almost four days now. I haven't had time to proof read it, so hope you can forgive me.

I just wanted to quickly say thank you to those that have been reading this story ever since it started, and those that tuned in now as well. I wouldn't be here without your support.

Anyway, this chapter has something that the original game didn't have, that being that Akari is not a character that simply is there to give you advice and tell you what to do, but instead, is a partner as important as the Pokémon that follow you!

Bulbapedia says that her original hometown and region are unknown, and I took advantage of that to develop her character a bit more.

And of course, Zisu's Zoroark. Honestly, I didn't even remember she had one until I looked in the wiki, and I have to say, it couldn't have been a better chance to expand Rei's lore as well.

And look! Adaman and Mai react to Rei getting the plate now!

But despite thinking I've done a pretty well job with this chapter, I want to hear your opinion, so I would greatly appreciate if you left a review.

Anyway, see you next time with another chapter!