October 10th, First Year

Poke. Poke. Slap. Emmet grumbled under his breath as he continued to prod at Burr. Being a small pokémon- a pokémon that knew no moves and therefore could not go outside without supervision- was becoming intolerably boring. Emmet would take any kind of stimulation he could, even if it meant bothering the one person who was most likely working to get him changed back to his original body. Not that Burr even seemed to be noticing his efforts, anyhow.

"Quit it, salad-bowl." From Burr's other side, Lilith stretched out her body, curling one massive forepaw over Burr's outstretched leg and receiving a gentle pat on the head in return. "Either take a nap or find something more productive to do. Master's busy and she doesn't have time to play games with you."

"I am Emmet and there is nothing to do. I am bored." And with a huff, Emmet got onto his tiny feet and shambled his way onto Burr's leg, trying but failing to understand just what the ranger had been working on for days upon days upon days with little to no breaks in between.

The Time Pendant was hoisted aloft in one trembling hand, Burr's other hand fixed around a wedge-shaped tool as she made rows of marks in a sopping wet clay tablet. There were an assortment of similar dried tablets scattered around her and for each new one that was created, the Time Pendant would be hoisted back up into the air and left to dangle for a long time; a process that thoroughly confused Emmet with its meaning.

Emmet had gotten better at reading faces; it had been uncanny being unable to understand human speech or for that matter, being unable to comprehend human faces the way he used to. Everybody around him seemed to have facial features that struck some kind of uncanny 'human-like but not quite human' cord with him. Eyes were too dark. Too small. Arms were too long. Or at least, that had been what Emmet was perceiving. And while Emmet had never been all that good at reading faces, he did know how to read body language. Whatever the tablets had to do with him getting turned back to normal seemed to be a strenuous task the way Burr would carefully scrutinize and study her own markings, sometimes deliberately destroying the whole tablet in the process all while consulting a crude map of what looked to be Ancient Sinnoh.

Emmet had never known Burr to sleep at all in Hisui unless under terrific strain, remembering all too well the entire month that the ranger had been unconscious and while he knew that the pendant was broken, Burr still refused to eat or sleep, working solely on completing whatever it was she was so focused on. He could make out dark bags under the woman's eyes and more worryingly, the way a newfound tremor caused their arms to shake when moving the pendant.

"And you are quite sure you don't know what Burr is doing?" Emmet asked Lilith for the hundredth time that week.

Lilith turned over onto her back, her belly exposed to the air. "No. Not a clue."

The wooden door to the stone hut creaked open. Boots sounded on solid stone. Emmet immediately perked up once Ingo entered the room, shaking off his beaten coat before immediately being hailed down by Burr. The ranger picked up one of the much drier tablets and proffered it to Ingo, the two speaking in loud but droning tones. Burr would point at the tablet and then at the map. Ingo would point somewhere else. More confused talking. A shrug from Burr. A sigh of exhaustion from Ingo.

I do not appreciate this. Not at all. Emmet clawed his way further up Burr's side using his small claws. "I want to see what it is you both are discussing as it seems interesting and not at all independent of my current existence within this room." Emmet then craned his neck to look directly at the map, feeling the outer leaves of his neck ruff brush against something scratchy. "I am deliberately eavesdropping." He braced, feeling Burr's hand quickly steady him before delicately removing his claws from her shoulder and instead moving to hold him much like how a trainer would a rambunctious Purrloin.

"You're being a brat," Lilith growled. "Quit it already and let them work in peace."

"I deserve to know what is occuring."

"Sounds like you need a bit of help with translation." From Burr's side, Glacier emerged from their pokéball before moving to curl up in Burr's lap, squirming around to settle. "I don't know Telepathy, but I can tell you what they're talking about."

"Please," Emmet practically begged.

"Well, since you're asking so nicely." Glacier laid their head on Burr's leg, looking all too pleased with themselves as they slowly blinked their golden eyes shut. "Mmm. Humans are really comfy to sit on; softer than you'd think. Hold on. Okay… Okay? Weird."

"What is it?"

"They're talking about you. Well, more like master is trying to figure out where something or someone is and your brother- the big scary guy- he's talking about… I think, a different pokémon?"

Emmet closed his eyes, finding a comfortable spot to dig his claws in atop Burr's shoulder to steady himself from toppling over. "Finding who, specifically?"

"One moment." Glacier turned their head to stare directly at Burr, their golden eyes briefly flashing scarlet. "Oh! I know who that is! Now I get it!" Glacier then turned back to Emmet. "Okay. I'm starting to understand what the general fuss is."

"And?"

"Aaand I think it's a good idea if you want to be a human again. Listen to this."

Emmet did indeed listen as Glacier began to tell him of a strange woman both he and Burr had stumbled upon back when Burr had been forcibly transformed into a pokémon. According to Glacier, the old woman had managed to transform Burr back into a human using some kind of divine item. So that is who Burr is searching for. Interesting.

"Oh! But master isn't sure where this lady is. The last time I was there, the lady said she would be at Snowpoint Temple if master needed to find her.."

"Then we should depart for Snowpoint Temple immediately- "

"That's what master and scary-guy are arguing about."

Emmet snorted. "My brother's name is Ingo. They are arguing about seeking out the woman?"

"Yeah. Ingo wants master to stay close by since master got attacked the last time she split up from the rest of the party. Master wants Ingo to have Parlor teleport us there to make it as fast as possible. They're both not sure which is the safest option." Glacier then sniffed. "Personally, I think master is right here. You could be big again, mister. Real soon, too."

"I would… prefer to be a human as soon as possible. Hmm." Emmet could see the value in hesitating, as much as it irritated him. Ingo hadn't exactly kept his powers secret and Emmet was certainly privy to the fact that traveling using the Old Verses exacted a certain pain upon his brother; a pain Emmet wouldn't volunteer Ingo for, no matter the reason if not strictly an emergency. "Why don't they both depart? There is safety in numbers and departing together would keep the risk factor considerably low. And as far as I am aware, we do not currently possess any kind of strict time schedule for quelling Lord Basculegion."

Glacier looked distinctly uncomfortable at the sudden question, scratching the back of its head with its hind paw. "Well, about that… I told you that Ingo was talking to someone. Guess what? Apparently, it's some kind of legendary pokémon that he says he can hear clearly during this bad storm."

Emmet instinctively began to growl, crossing his arms. "Telepathically?"

"Yeah. Ingo doesn't like it when the mystery pokémon talks to them."

Mesprit. It's about time you arrived to the platform. Emmet wasn't a fool. Ever since he and Ingo had arrived in the coastlands, Ingo had been disappearing randomly more and more. At first, Emmet had believed his brother's rampant absences to be related to Akari and their joint mission of stopping Basculegion. But when Ingo came home smelling of sea salt and more worryingly of blood, Emmet began to have his doubts.

Ingo had been consulting the Old Verses more and more. He had also been consistently moving the location of the Lustrous Orb but never using it to read minds as he used to. Emmet had also been overhearing his twin brother mumbling to himself from time to time whenever Ingo thought that he wasn't being listened in on. It wasn't a trait Ingo had ever expressed in all the time Emmet had known him throughout their lives.

I thought we all agreed to not harbor any more secrets. What is it that you're keeping secret, Ingo? From me of all people? "Fine," Emmet eventually spoke up. "What is Mesprit saying?"

"The pokémon Ingo is talking to? Mesprit? They're telling Ingo that he has to stay put here and help what's-her-name with the fish noble. Ingo keeps talking about a different pokémon too; one that gives him headaches."

"Palkia." Emmet glanced away, irritation souring his words. "Just the pokémon that should've been communicating with Ingo this entire time. That's why Ingo doesn't want to go? Because Palkia and Mesprit are telling him to remain here?"

Glacier nodded. "Right. Neither can agree about what they should do."

Emmet slid down Burr's back and instead walked over to one of the stone tablets, resting one scaly hand on the grooves and indents littering the surface. "Do you know what these are for?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe- "

Lilith scooted closer, one eye glinting in the candlelight. "You should ask Dusk," the massive pokémon cut in. "She sticks to master like honey to a Combee and unlike Glacier, Dusk spends a lot of time feeding on master's dreams."

"Wait, what?" Glacier exclaimed, almost tumbling out of Burr's lap. "Dusk can do that? Only ghost-types and psychic-type pokémon can enter dreams! But Dusk- "

"Don't ask me how they do it," Lilith retorted, wiggling closer to curl up behind Burr's back. The great beast chuffed and laid their head on their forepaws. "Dusk is bound to know something. If anybody would know what master is doing with these tablets, it would be her. Well, her or Peanut."

"…It's not an exact science." Dusk appeared from their pokéball, using the wavering violet flames along their quilled back to study the inscriptions in the stones as they stretched and yawned. "What I do know is that these tablets form some kind of message. They're like letters." Dusk set one paw into a footprint-shaped rune. "And it all has to do with the objects master is collecting."

"It's actually a map as well." Peanut appeared from the thick fur of Lilith's belly, roughly shaking himself out as he planted a paw on the crude map of Hisui. "Master uses the necklace-thingy to determine where those funky places are."

Emmet whipped his head around to stare at the battered brown and tawny-furred Eevee. "Mystery dungeons?"

Peanut's nose immediately wrinkled and the small Eevee took a step back. "Right. Those places. Whatever it's made of, the necklace thingy will sometimes start floating in a certain direction. I think it tells master where the dungeons are and then she marks them down on the map."

"Right." Dusk then curled up beside Glacier in Burr's lap, gently kneading the fabric of Burr's trousers. "Peanut would know the most; he's actually been in one alongside master- "

"And I never want to go back inside one ever again. Not for me." Peanut's face shriveled, his long ears flopping over to obscure his face. "I can still feel the sand in my fur. Eugh."

"Can you deploy moves inside of a mystery dungeon?" Emmet asked curiously.

Peanut cocked his head to the side, one lopsided ear brushing along the floor. "Me? Well, yeah. Of course I can. Why? You weren't able to?"

"No."

"Maybe it's because you're a human," Dusk pointed out sleepily. "You humans… you don't use energy. Or maybe you do? Dunno." Dusk yawned again, revealing a set of sharp fangs. "Too tired to guess."

"Oh. Well." Emmet bowed his head, feeling a least a bit more caught up on everything that had been going on around him. It doesn't explain why I can't use moves. Burr is able to; I know that much from the battle she had with that strange Goodra. But then how does she do it then? But Emmet only kept his head down and his face deceptively blank. That would be a question for when he turned back into a human again. "Thank you all for your assistance."

Peanut winked at him before leaping over and patting him on the head. "Don't mention it! We're all friends now, aren't we? We'll help master turn you back into a human as soon as possible."

Emmet's mind began to whir, instinctively causing him to cock his head and smile placatingly at Peanut. It was an interesting idea, learning how to use moves as a concept entirely foreign to humans. How does it feel to perform moves? How does this energy work? Is it different between each pokémon? Emmet paused, his hands beginning to twitch from sheer anticipation. Does synergy still exist here in ancient Hisui? Can I efficiently conduct my team even as a pokémon? Elesa would never believe this; that I became a pokémon. Emmet turned his head slowly to face Peanut, the leaves around his neck unfurling. "You have gone inside a mystery dungeon. With Burr. You have seen Burr use moves. Can you… instruct me in the ways of using moves?"

"Well, sure! I can certainly try! I know a few things, that's for sure!"

October 11th, First Year

Waves crashed against the rocks on the far coast. Emmet shivered, huddling deeper into the tattered but warm depths of Ingo's coat as he tried to listen, the garbled jabber of noises senseless to his ears. After much hanging around in Ingo's coat pocket, his brother had finally relented and had taken Emmet out for a walk of sorts. Emmet didn't have Glacier or any of Burr's teammates to help translate and he was the only pokémon out of his pokéball, so to speak.

Ingo had finally taken him out on some kind of rendezvous with Akari, a young boy with dirty blond hair and a short but well-muscled man with wavy black hair at some battered wooden hut by the sea. So far, the four had been talking for hours around a roaring hearth. Emmet had been listening for hours as well, unable to grasp anything apart from the fact that an exciting conversation was taking place without him. That and the fact that the heat from the hearth was starting to make his head feel fuzzy. He had never been all that great at handling the heat back in Unova.

With a stretch, Emmet shook off Ingo's coat and ambled over to the window, sighting the heaving clouds of ocean spray that were slowly but surely falling back down into the far away sea. Reminds me of Undella Bay when I had to routinely escort Eelektross to the sea. Emmet was happy that Haxorus and Chandelure were finally accounted for. That leaves Excadrill; he went missing alongside Ingo and the others. So then, where is he? Emmet had already recoupled with his Galvantula, but when he had gone through the portal, he had taken two other pokémon near and dear to his heart: Eelektross, his ace pokémon and his starter, and of course, both his and Ingo's Klingklang that had been Gear Station's namesake. It was worrying seeing no sign of either's imminent arrival.

The ruff of leaves around Emmet's neck itched and certainly not in a good way. He was still getting used to his new body. The way everything looked massive. How slow everything seemed to move in comparison to himself. How cold everything was. The spindly leaves encircling his throat seemed to stretch toward the rain-covered window. Right. I am a grass-type pokémon. I need water. Water and sunlight. Emmet turned his back toward the conversing group, an idea beginning to hatch. They will not notice if I disappear for a moment. And Murkrows cannot fly well in this weather. Without a sound, Emmet managed to slip through a rotten section of the cabin door and into the strengthening rainstorm, instantly feeling better as the icy rain soaked into his scaly skin and wilting leaves.

"Where do you think you're going?" Emmet turned, smiling as Galvantula slowly dropped down from a small web they had crafted in the rafters of Iscan's hut. "You know you're not supposed to go out by yourself! You're small! Tiny! You could get hurt!" The large spider pokémon skittered over to Emmet and carefully grabbed onto his tail leaf, holding him in place. "You're not thinking of sneaking away, are you?"

"Who? Me? Nooo. Nope! Not at all!" Emmet lied, flinching as a fat drop of rain flew directly into his face. "I am… was going to… get some fresh air."

"And I'm purple," Galvantula replied snippily. "Fine. Be that way." Without a word, Galvantula reached out and seized Emmet's small body with her mandibles, affixing him to the top of her back using numerous strands of webbing. "Joltik leash. We'll go together. That way, you can't disappear on me."

Emmet smiled and patted Galvantula's head, marveling at how dense the fuzz encircling their body was. "Sounds goood to me. All aboard then!"

Emmet held on as Galvantula wandered into the treeline of the nearby woods, enthralled by the sound of the rain striking the leaves and pooling in the undergrowth as his beloved partner chattered about this and that and what poor bug type she had trapped in a spare web the night before. Emmet had always adored rain growing up in rainy Anville Town and being a grass-type pokémon only intensified the sheer joy of it all. Gleefully, Emmet splashed through the growing puddles and gathered the spray along the spread out leaves of his tail. His jaunt took him through the woods, over a few muddy hills, and eventually onto a set of sand flats where perilous waves crashed onto the beach, shaking the twisted, rotted remains of boats long since cast ashore.

How did those get here? Emmet carefully wandered out to one of the larger ships where the mast had been cracked into two, Galvantula right behind him. Numerous rotted cargo crates lay half-buried in the sand, one hosting a Chatot nest. Emmet had been about to climb aboard when the scales along his back sensed a sudden chill in the air.

"Well… Isn't this quite peculiar."

The voice, deep and slightly off-putting, shook Emmet out of his water-incensed stupor causing him to whip around, the spindly leaves over his body instinctively unfurling to make himself look bigger.

"Ah! Not to worry! I am not here to harm you, little one." The pokémon in front of him was large and portly, two amber glints of light shining despite the rolling fog and darkening skies. The pokémon's massive stomach stared Emmet straight in the face, gilded fangs forming a horrible mouth that creaked open to reveal an unfathomable darkness within. A single reddish eye glowed despite the shade of the raging storm and a horrible acrid scent like burning coal filled the air, causing Emmet to take a precautionary step back. The strange pokémon continued to speak. "I couldn't help but spot you from afar. No young pokémon should be wandering about in such a storm as this!"

Emmet huffed. He wished he could still wear his hat, feeling somewhat naked as he forced the leaves around his neck down. "Thank you for your concern, but. I. Am an adult."

The pokémon- a Dusknoir, Emmet realized- floated backward a smidgen, one ghostly hand held up to their chin as they looked him over. "... I see. You certainly have the voice of an adult! That much is clear!" The Dusknoir then bowed. "My apologies. I did not mean to come off as condescending."

"You are forgiven." Emmet took another step backward. The smell was starting to become overwhelming and if he still had hairs, they would be sticking straight up. The smell- the stench- reminded Emmet far too much of the smell of burning coolant in an unrepaired train engine. Danger. Risk. Imminent derailment if Emmet wasn't careful enough.

"Thank you very much! I am Dusknoir, part of an exploration team." The huge pokémon offered a hand to Emmet and when he took it, Emmet was surprised at how gentle the ghost-type pokémon's grip was. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, sir?"

"I am Emmet."

"Emmet? A wonderful name, indeed! But, ah! I do have a question for you if you don't mind, of course." Dusknoir's singular eye narrowed and the lace-like frill around their neck fanned out until it cast an odd shadow around the pokémon's face. "Are you by any chance… a human?"

Emmet's blood froze in his veins. Is this a coincidence? Trying his best to calm his nerves, Emmet instead answered with a quiet, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you clearly have markings and colorations not typical of your species," Dusknoir responded politely albeit bluntly. "You have muted scale colorations and hmm… the leafy plumage around your neck- I do believe you have berries growing on you of all things. How quaint for a… Snivy? I believe that is the name for your species." Realizing that he had floated too close, Dusknoir subtly wavered back. "Where I am from, pokémon such as yourself are incredibly rare to come across and thus are rumored to be reincarnated humans allowed to live amongst pokémon." At Emmet's dubious expression, Dusknoir began to backtrack. "Ah, but that is all just speculation of course! Forgive me if I am over assuming. Remnants of old folktales spread from generation to generation tell of such strange but intriguing correlations." Dusknoir then turned slightly to the side, folding his arms behind his back. "You remind me of someone I once met a long time ago. They were an odd one of their species much like you but they were a human in disguise. A dreadful little thing, her."

Emmet immediately froze. Her? His mind muttered for him to keep quiet but this had been the first time Emmet had had the chance to speak to a truly wild pokémon throughout his entire time as a pokémon himself. And even more, a pokémon that knew Burr. A pokémon that had similar equipment to Burr, Emmet having easily spotted the same strange bag and winged badge that Burr's own equipment had shown off. He couldn't help himself. Eavesdropping was one thing; gaining possibly important information was another. "This pokémon that you knew… were they…. a fire-type pokémon?"

Dusknoir blinked, his one eye instantly darting to stare directly into Emmet's own. "They were indeed! A fire and ground-type unique to their species! Or maybe I am remembering their moveset incorrectly? I could've sworn they possessed dragon-type moves… Ah, but nonetheless, yes, they were a fire-type. This human- this pokémon- they were originally a human but through some incident involving certain powers, they were transformed into a pokémon. Curious, isn't it?" Dusknoir then peered closer at Emmet, having to stoop low. "And you're quite sure you're not a human? Or perhaps, you were- "

"I am Emmet. I am a human- was a human. Trying to become a human again." Emmet worked his claws into the muddy ground. "This pokémon that you knew… What was their name? What was her name?"

Dusknoir's tone dropped and the reddish light in his eye burned out. "...Burr. That human- " Dusknoir blanched, their frill shuddering- "that human's name was Burr. She was a human before she became a pokémon. I wonder what became of her after our parting so long ago."

"You two weren't friends." It was more a statement than a question. Dusknoir radiated discomfort, the way he began to fiddle with his hands and the way his massive stomach-mouth would open and close ever so faintly. "You knew her… you know her." Emmet blinked. Celebi had once spoken about knowing Burr from a different time. No, that isn't quite right. Celebi had once framed it as being a mission. That meant that Dusknoir also had to have been from the same place. Something verrry wrong is happening right now. "You are also a key, aren't you?"

"That, I am," Dusknoir nodded. He then locked his arms behind his back again, a flash of lightning suddenly casting his form into shadow. "But my question is… how do you know this knowledge? Only those working for legendary pokémon would know that information. Unless maybe, you happen to be acquaintances with Burr as well? Or perhaps you are a key yourself?"

Emmet shook his head, his smile tightening. Something was wrong with the situation; something Emmet couldn't quite place his finger on. Whoever Dusknoir was, clearly he and Burr hadn't gotten along where they had once been. Emmet didn't find it all that strange considering how hostile the ranger had been ever since she had received the Time Pendant. But then he also considered how quickly Burr had gone to working with both Ingo and Akari and how pleasant they had once been to him when Emmet had first arrived in Hisui and before that still when Burr had once been his Battle Assistant. He made a mental note to ask Burr about the strange pokémon later. Instead, Emmet continued on with his conversation, hoping to end it quickly. Where is Galvantula when I need her? Where did she go? "I am not a key. I do know Burr. We are… on good terms with one another."

"Well, that certainly makes things easier then. Burr's memory- everything involving the organization that came together to restore the flow of time in our previous dimension- that was all gotten rid of some time ago… Unless those memories have been returned!" A horrible twinkle entered Dusknoir's eye before he unexpectedly whirled upon Emmet. "Ah, but where are my manners! You mentioned that you are looking to transform back into a human, yes?"

"I am." At that point, Emmet was reluctant to reward the pokémon with any more snippets of knowledge. What do you mean, 'gotten rid of'? How do you know that information? Burr has never talked about you and neither has Celebi.

"If I may ask, how did you end up in such a predicament?"

Emmet grimaced. "Azelf."

Dusknoir made a surprised noise in his throat. "Strange. None of the Lake Guardians should even possess such a power as to turn a human into a pokémon. That simply shouldn't be possible. Ahem. But, we are speaking about how to transform you back. I do believe engaging Azelf should be a simple enough option," Dusknoir lectured him. "Such transfigurations don't tend to last very long- "

"I have remained in this state of disrepair for nearly two weeks," Emmet retorted bluntly, aggravation starting to work its way into his words.

"...I see." Dusknoir tapped one ghostly hand against their chin. "And Burr. Is she also by any chance still a pokémon?"

Emmet shook his head. "No. Burr is a human now. She is… attempting to turn me back into a human by locating a certain item."

"An item? Curious. Very curious, indeed! You see, I spend quite a bit of time gathering information about all kinds of things. It is the exact reason why I formed an exploration team oh so long ago! What is this item, pray tell?"

"I don't know," Emmet lied, fidgeting listlessly with his hands. "A mirror, possibly."

"Intriguing. I have traveled the world for many years and not once have I heard of an artifact that can so readily transform humans into pokémon and vice versa," Dusknoir commented. He then readjusted the leather bag at his side, the winged badge flashing in the light of the storm. "I would very much like to see it for myself."

"So then couple with us." The words escaped Emmet before he could stop himself. "You know Burr. Burr probably knows you. If you align your tracks with ours, you can see the item for yourself."

Dusknoir recoiled as if the very idea had scalded him down to the bone, the frill around his neck inflating once again. "For better or worse, I would rather not endure a meeting with Burr. We parted on terrible terms and I have the notion that if we were to stumble into one another through some grave miscalculation, that I would… well… hmm."

Dusknoir instinctively glanced in the direction of Iscan's hut, Emmet catching sight of a huge portion of Dusnoir's ruff which looked to have been burned away. He also immediately spotted what looked to be tooth marks in the back of Dusknoir's head. Did Burr do that? Is that why Dusknoir looked scared for a moment there?

"Oh? Are you two done now?" Galvantula emerged from a clump of dripping ferns, shaking the dew from her body along with a shred of what looked to be a Mothim wing. "Good. C'mon Emmet. Let's get back to the hut. Maybe you can have Peanut continue to teach you how to use moves."

Emmet outwardly winced, not too keen on having the entire coast overhear his dilemma. A pokémon that did not know how to use moves- even baby pokémon hatched from their eggs ready to conduct battles. And perhaps Emmet wasn't too surprised when Dusknoir continued to talk. But that was before Dusknoir began to speak about something that truly caught Emmet's attention.

"You… do not know how to use moves?" the great pokémon began, his voice alight with intrigue.

"No comment."

Dusknoir chuckled. "I assure you that learning moves as a human should be a difficult task. It is nothing to be embarrassed about! Perhaps, I could teach you how? Quite easily as a matter of fact!"

Emmet immediately paused and whipped around, a skeptical look on his face as he crossed his arms. "How? Would you teach me how to use a move? Is that something you can do?"

Dusknoir continued to laugh bodily, holding his massive belly with his equally massive hands. "Hoo hoo ha! Of course I can! Humans do not naturally know how to channel the energy required to use moves- but like walking, performing moves is a practiced skill! It is rather simple once somebody shows you how! Might I demonstrate for you?"

Emmet blinked. Up until that point, Dusknoir had seemed to be a shifty character. If Burr hadn't liked the pokémon in her previous place, then perhaps Emmet had good reason to feel uncomfortable in the presence of the abnormally large ghost-type. But his desire to grow stronger outstripped his discomfort with Dusknoir as a whole. He nodded. "Show me."

"Of course! Watch and learn!"

Dusknoir gave a quick demonstration of what he had called 'channel and release' energy, casting Shadow Ball on a nearby tree. The mass of dark energy burned through the tree and left an impressively nasty-looking scorch ring around the blast radius. Despite the ghost-type's tendency to ramble, Emmet listened to it all, doing his best to soak it all up since he wasn't carrying anything to write with.

Fascinating. It was all fascinating to Emmet. He had never truly considered how pokémon used moves or how they knew what to do or how they went about using and completing certain moves. But watching Dusknoir talk and demonstrate how typing energy worked and how it was channeled helped Emmet piece together why some pokémon excelled in their typings and why others didn't. Why some pokémon had access to massive movepools and why other pokémon- most noticeably baby pokémon- didn't: it all had to do with emotions. Strong emotions and feelings and more explicably, control and mastery over said emotions and feelings.

And to Emmet's surprise, Dusknoir had indeed picked out what Emmet needed to use a move- an engagement of his lesser-used emotions. More specifically, Dusknoir had challenged Emmet to a handicapped battle and when Emmet had immediately started to lose due to the stark power imbalance, the idea of fainting had intensified into a sense of fear and urgency that had allowed Emmet to use a single move involuntarily: Magical Leaf.

"You see, emotions dictate moves!" Dusknoir stood amongst the storm of sharpened leaves, his singular eye trailing Emmet with fascination as Emmet leaned weakly against Galvantula's abdomen for support. "You feel intense fear! You do not wish to be defeated and so your soul burns brightly and you move to protect yourself! The more you endure this feeling, the more you are able to sharpen it like a fine instrument- a tool if you will! And the more you use this tool, the more skillfully you are able to wield it!"

"Makes sense," Emmet panted. The corners of his vision had gone blurry and he felt clammy all over. His tail quivered. His nostrils flared. He hadn't landed a single attack on Dusknoir. Peanut had done his best to try and explain to Emmet how moves worked but Dusknoir had proved without a doubt that experience was the best teacher of all. And after studying how Dusknoir utilized Fire Punch, Emmet braced himself. "But. I am not scared."

"Perhaps, you aren't," Dusknoir agreed tauntingly. He rolled back his arm, circling Emmet like a Liepard as he cloaked his fist in crackling flames once more. "Maybe you are simply determined not to fail. Whatever the case may be, fighting and fighting well- utilizing moves handily- both require great control of both the mind and the body." Dusknoir floated closer, so close that Emmet could practically reach out and touch the massive pokémon. He could feel the flames lick against his face and chest. He could feel the intense heat. Dusknoir then dipped low, his eye narrowed. "Use your move again."

Emmet grunted. He faced Dusknoir, a challenge in his eyes as he took a confident step forward. Almost as if hearing his wish, the winds picked up in their ferocity, clumps of leaves rising from the forest floor to form a green and yellow torrent. The blade-like leaves swirled and coalesced before screaming down through the air toward Dusknoir who effortlessly disappeared into thin air.

"Excellent! You learn quickly!"

In the course of a single afternoon, Dusknoir had helped Emmet grasp a handful of moves: Magical Leaf, Synthesis, Mega Drain, and with the use of a massive disc that worryingly resembled a modern TM, Protect.

"The last one should serve you well." Dusknoir had begun to crack his knuckles, having since called a break to allow Emmet to regain health. "It does good to keep defensive moves in case you find yourself in a pinch. There will always be opponents stronger than yourself."

"Duly noted." Emmet took the time to use Synthesis, quickly regaining his breath as he also found his footing. Finally, he knew how to use moves. Not a great movepool; not for a grass-type, anyhow. But I will have to make do. "Thank you verrry much for instructing me. This will help greatly in my future endeavors."

"I am happy to hear so! Learning how to defend oneself is quite important! Especially if you find yourself in mystery… dungeons." Dusknoir suddenly broke off, the frill around his neck suddenly puffing out. The ghost-type's body faded until he was nearly transparent and Dusknoir's voice quieted to almost a whisper. "I must leave immediately."

"What? Is something wrong?" Emmet turned and raised an eyebrow when a raucous call split the air. He recognized the familiar bright orange material of Burr's tattered ranger jacket as the woman emerged from the treeline, her Mandibuzz shielding her with a dark wing as they wandered further down the coast. Burr made another loud call, anger evident in her tone. In her right hand, she gripped her saber. Fury darkened her face.

"She's calling for you," Galvantula affirmed, swallowing. "Seems like they finally noticed you were missing."

Emmet instead turned to regard Dusknoir. "That is Burr." In a challenging undertone, he added, "You should say hello. You know them. You can make amends."

"I cannot." Dusknoir's form faded until only the faintest of light from his single eye remained. "Do not mention my appearance here to her under any circumstances. Think of it as… repaying the favor."

So that's the catch. Something is definitely wrong here. "You should tell me more about Mystery Dungeons- "

"Ask Burr. She knows just as much as I do about dungeons. I simply must take my leave now! Farewell!" And without another word, Dusknoir vanished, leaving Emmet and Galvantula alone in the clearing.

Burr's raucous calls then quieted. Loud footsteps shook the ground underfoot and Emmet had only a moment to react before the ranger had plucked Emmet up from off the ground, shaking him just the tiniest bit. Burr then cradled Emmet in one arm, reaching out another so that Galvantula could crawl aboard her back. Emmet could clearly distinguish angry muttering followed by what Emmet could only understand as harsh words most likely directed at him.

"Who was that pokémon with you?" Raptor questioned, making sure to keep his gait as close to his trainer's as possible. "Looked kinda big. And muscly. And did I see that correctly? The big fellow vanished into thin air? What's up with that?"

Emmet looked away. He would keep his word and say nothing. It was odd that being around Dusknoir had made his skin crawl despite the ghost-type having been nothing but friendly if not the tiniest bit over talkative and over assertive. "I do not know."