Not every shooting star is a good omen.

The morning sun's rays glinted off the ocean's surface, shining into Lewis' eyes as he looked out the airplane window. He was finally returning to Unova after a long, region-hopping hunt. Ironically, his target ended up being very close to his current home and place of employment. As Lewis gazed outside, he saw flocks of Wingull in the air down below, with stronger Pokemon gliding higher: a Braviary had just soared past the plane. His mind drifted at the idyllic sights, recalling the final exchange he and his former teacher, Professor Sada, had about a month ago….

"Well, I had better get going."

Lewis straightened up from his crouch, walking away from the precipice of the observation platform. The wind was even stronger now, and Lewis could easily see the storm blowing in from the south atop the Area Zero mountain wall. Paying it no mind, Lewis continued striding towards the opposite edge that led to Paldea at large…as if he was going to jump off. But then, Sada's next words, faintly heard over the howling of the wind, made him stop.

"I've got something for you. Don't leave without it. These…creatures can't be dealt with using normal means."

And in her hands was…

Sunlight filtered through closed blinds. The clock read 6:43 AM. A groggy Kibe stumbled over an immobile Garchomp to get to his bathroom and wash up. He splashed water on his face, desperately trying to wake up: he had slept in. As he rushed around getting ready, with Garchomp watching through lidded eyes, he thought back to the whirlwind of events that had led him to this position.

It had been several weeks since he and Arienne entered the Invitational tryouts with a bombastic first match; since then, they had proceeded to clear the rest of the tryouts without a single loss. After that, they ended up challenging the seniors of the Battling Club for the right to represent the university during the invitational, and ended up winning. In fact, the entire lineup for the university consisted of new members. Kibe, Arienne, Nathan, Akira, Reginal, and Noira ended up being the primary team for the main event. This was, of course, completely beyond Kibe's expectations, and he wasn't really sure how to proceed. Do I really have to compete again? He was shaken from his reverie by a call from the living room.

"Yo Kibe, you ready? We gotta make it to campus in 30 minutes!"

"Yeah, just give me a sec!"

Kibe thrust open his closet doors, pulling out a set of gear he hadn't used in months: a thick pair of goggles, a specialized backpack, and a riding harness for Garchomp. He, along with some of his friends, were about to head to the Desert Resort.

Sato Uehara gazed outside of his office window as the summer sun rose over Castelia City's harbor. He practically lived at the Gearframe offices, but it was rare that he held a meeting this early. Unfortunately, he had to match his young client's schedule. Glancing back behind him, he asked the "Masked Man" of Johto a question.

"Well? Will you do it?"

Akira, a Pokemon Trainer from Johto who was currently studying at Castelia University, was sitting in front of Sato's mahogany desk with an earnest expression. He was a year younger than Sato's own son, Kibe, and had heard from Whittaker that the two were good friends. Some of Akira's personal information as a Legendary Pokemon's Trainer had been a part of a data breach last year, so Sato, and Gearframe at large, were taking particular care with this client.

"I'd be happy to. This is probably a good opportunity to finally reveal myself…and I can't say no to getting back at Caitlyn. I accept your invitation, and her challenge."

"Right. This battle will also be an official match of the Pokemon World Championships, so give it your best shot."

Akira gave Sato a firm grin, then began walking out of the office, towards Sato's favored wooden double doors inlaid with Sinnoh mythology. He's grown a lot since he first moved here. I never would've imagined that he would reveal himself even a year ago. Despite that notion, Sato impulsively called out to him.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Of course. I've got to be at the campus at 7:15, after all. The scrimmage with Nimbasa is tomorrow, but your son wants to do an expedition with us before that. It seemed like a lot of fun, so I decided to join in along with Nathan."

Akira was already dressed for the occasion, wearing a hiking suit. The situation surrounding that "expedition" was exactly what had Sato so concerned.

I would feel a lot better about the whole thing if Akira had Entei with him, but this is better than nothing. In fact, maybe I should just pray they don't encounter "them". It'll be a lot less work if that happens…My team can't get out there until tomorrow at the earliest. The Paldean Association representative is so reckless, sending only one Trainer to resolve the problem… I get that Paldea has a dearth of capable Trainers, but they can't keep going on like this. Eventually, things in that region will begin to fall apart.

Akira cocked his head as Sato sank into contemplation, thinking about a good Paldean friend of his that got worked practically to death on a regular basis.

"Mr. Uehara?"

"Ah, sorry. Just be careful, and follow Kibe's instructions. We'll start handling the procedures to have Entei sent over here. The paperwork will be emailed to you soon."

Raising his hand, Akira walked out of the room. Sato watched him go, sighed, and paged his wife, Noura. They had a lot of work to do: the Castelia Invitational and its associated events, like the business expo and research conference, were essentially being run under his department's supervision. The Pokemon Technologies and Resources Branch remained the most prized possession of the Gearframe board of directors; Sato had incredibly high expectations on his shoulders, despite being a member himself. He didn't have time to deal with a renegade Great Tusk from Paldea, nor with the other Pokemon the Association was monitoring in the area.

"I'll just hope that Kibe will be able to handle them, even if I'm not authorized to tell him exactly what's causing the situation. For now, I need to focus on what I can do."

Crystalline Sands: Chapter Start

As mentioned previously, Castelia University lay on the northern outskirts of the city. Just a few hundred meters north of the campus, the land gave way to the sands of the Desert Resort, an expansive natural preserve that ranged from Castelia to Nimbasa City. While there was a train line and accompanying highway going through it, connecting the two major cities, many travelers, especially Trainers, chose to brave the harsh environment and the ruins it contained.

Kibe, and some of his friends-Peter, Nathan, and Akira-were preparing to set out into that very desert. It was early in the morning, so the air was still pleasantly cool. However, they all knew that it would reach sweltering temperatures by midday, so they were dressed accordingly. Upon Kibe's recommendation, the group were dressed up in baggy cotton clothing specialized for desert hiking. The group was watching Kibe harness Garchomp and Akira's Mandibuzz to a specialized sled of sorts: it was designed to carry groups of people around the Resort via Pokemon towing it. As he was strapping on some rental gear, Nathan called out to Kibe.

"Pretty lucky that we have a guy who used to be a tour guide here, huh."

"I was shocked that he still had all of that in his apartment…where did you even find the space, man?"

"Please. You guys know I rented the sled ahead of time, right? It wasn't in my closet…"

As they bantered back and forth, Kibe traced the events that had led up to this impromptu trip. After the final team for the Invitational had been decided, Whittaker had received a challenge from Nimbasa University's team. While this was ostensibly a practice match with no official bearing on the tournament being held at the end of the summer, the two schools had always been rivals. As such, there was quite a bit of weight being placed on the fledgeling Castelia team's debut match.

The match in question was tomorrow: Reginal and Noira had opted to head to Nimbasa by train on that day, while Arienne was busy helping her parents with a fashion show. Dr. Foxglove had told Kibe about some strange subsidence in the Desert Resort, so he had decided to investigate on his way over to Nimbasa. Apparently the Association, and his father more specifically, were closely monitoring the situation. Nathan and Akira elected to join him, while Peter had tagged along to watch the match the next day.

Kibe was honestly pretty glad that Arienne wasn't here. Things between the two of them had been pretty stagnant for a while now. They were quite friendly, of course: they worked on their research together, Kibe trained Arienne regularly, and so on. She had even visited Lynn at the Uehara family home a handful of times. But it seemed to Kibe that Arienne had some sort of inferiority complex towards him, and also a disturbing level of drive. One could even call it haste. Towards what, Kibe didn't know; but he was sure that she was pushing herself too hard.

That wasn't the least of his troubles however. Recently, it was announced in the news that his former rival and girlfriend Chiba was in fact going to be competing in the Invitational representing Jubilife University, which opened up yet another can of worms for Kibe. Between Arienne and the various baggage he associated with her, his research project regarding the Inner Forest, and the Invitational, Kibe had started to feel overwhelmed over the past month.

For now, I should focus on investigating this and forget about everything else...

"Alright, is everyone suited up? Make sure your sand visors are properly strapped on; if a sandstorm hits, you really don't want there to be a gap in between them and your face."

Peter had decided to come along on this little trip to support Kibe and the others at their scrimmage in Nimbasa City. The past weeks had been very fruitful for him as well. He had finally obtained an Association research permit, and a visit back to his home region, Hoenn, wasn't far behind. Several images flashed through his mind's eye:

A shooting star bursting into a million pieces, a figure riding a shining green arrow, coming home to see his house blown apart and on fire. A strange meteorite, sunken into what remained of his family's yard, which was sitting in his Castelia apartment even at this moment.

Peter took a deep breath, and exhaled. Just a little more. It won't be too much longer now…One way or another, I'll discover the truth behind the "Delta Incident".

Kibe called out a ready check to the rest of the group, and they all assented. Peter had noticed that his roommate had been pretty spaced out for a while now. While he knew that "brooding" tended to be Kibe's default emotion most of the time, it felt like the young man had more to think about than usual. Between what's happening with Arienne and Virizion and the tournament, I'm not really surprised. At Kibe's command, Garchomp kicked off of the desert sands, setting a pace for Mandibuzz to follow. Their sled got up to a pretty good clip as it sliced through the desert sands as the two Pokemon gradually got in sync.

As they traveled, Peter became more and more aware of where they were. The desert was hot, and also extremely dry. He had stopped feeling sweaty an hour ago; it had all evaporated by now. He was hydrating himself properly, but his mouth still felt like a wrung-out towel. The sun mercilessly beat down from overhead, draining his concentration and making him completely forget the dark thoughts that had occupied him earlier.

The sled traversed endless sand dunes rolling by, with no other scenery to note of. There were a few Pokemon lying around-a Trapinch poking its head out of the sand here, a Maractus standing still in the shadow of the dune over there-but not in any great numbers. The monotony was beginning to get to him. But then…

Kibe noticed that the sand dunes began to shift. At first he thought the heat was making him see things, but the imperceptible shuddering at the peaks of the dunes gradually swelled into waves of sand toppling over. Sand and dust blasted into his face; Kibe had an eyeshield on, but nothing to cover his mouth. He warned his friends in the sled with him.

"Hold on and cover your mouths! Garchomp, Mandibuzz, head for some higher ground!"

Garchomp roared his assent and pulled the sled towards the left, Mandibuzz following. They rode through the earthquake and waves of sand, eventually cresting the dune. The sled was now perched on top of a long, sloped ridge that was of a decent height. The group of four clambered out of the sled, watching the scene unfold with their jaws agape. A giant sinkhole had opened up around a kilometer to the north, sucking in literal tons of sand. Amid the billowing clouds, something massive was visible seemingly burying into the ground. The desert was churning from the disturbance, sand dunes roiling like waves in the ocean. Kibe had never seen anything like it.

The group stood there for a few minutes, quietly watching the figure in the distance submerge itself. Eventually, the tremors stopped and the sand clouds settled, but the sinkhole remained. Once again, the group became acutely aware of the harsh conditions of the desert and began to stir. Nathan shakily broke the silence after taking a gulp of water from his flask.

"…What was that? A Pokemon?"

Akira and Kibe replied to him, the latter shaking his head.

"Well, it's too far to tell, but wouldn't something that big have to be an Orthoworm or something similar?"

"There aren't any Orthoworms in these parts, Akira. The largest thing you might find is a Golurk in the ruins…but even those aren't that big."

Peter spoke up afterwards, raising his voice as he lost his nerves.

"What the fuck is it, then? An awakened Groudon? But then, if it was…there would be a lake of magma near the sinkhole." Kibe nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I forget that you've actually seen the Hoenn Legendaries before sometimes. Groudon is rumored to be one of the heaviest Pokemon out there, and that weight alone could explain the tremors the Desert Resort has been facing. But the other signs aren't there."

Akira pointed at the sinkhole.

"At the end of the day, there's only one thing left to do, right? We found the cause of the tremors, so…"

Kibe nodded, hopping back into the sled. The other three hastily followed, retightening their straps and adjusting their eyeshields.

"Let's head down there. It's probably not in the area anymore, but we can probably find some clues as to what it is and where it came from. Garchomp!"

"You too, Mandibuzz!"

Garchomp and Mandibuzz launched into the air, swiftly plunging down the slope. Pokemon species could move underground incredibly quickly, at a clip of dozens of kilometers per hour. Whatever the thing they were chasing was, it likely was a kilometer or more away by now.

As the sled hit the bottom of the dune and sped across the desert sands, Kibe could feel his excitement growing. Here was something he was sure of his feelings of and felt confident about: wild Pokemon, the field, the hunt. The Desert Resort was practically his home turf; there were very few people in Unova who could navigate it better than he could.

Whatever you are, bring it on. I'll find you, and put a stop to these tremors. And maybe sort myself out while I'm at it.

Professor Miranda Foxglove was feeling great today-buoyant, even. She had just sent off Kibe on a trip regarding a confidential, extremely troublesome issue which her senior colleagues had dropped on her lap. She hadn't told Kibe the severity of the problem-including that the Unova Association was on a code red alert-but she was sure her trusty intern could handle it. A gigantic Great Tusk was well within his pay grade to handle.

"Could you go out there and handle it?" Give me a break! I've got things to do too, you know. Besides, Kibe's got all of his friends with him! He'll be fine. Definitely. On top of that…

"I'm back, Miranda."

"Welcome back, Lewis! How was your trip?"

The other reason that Miranda was in good spirits had just arrived. Her prized student, Lewis, had spent the past month tracking down and corralling the gargantuan Great Tusk. Lewis stooped through the door, tossing his duffel bag onto the couch.
"It went about as well as it could have…the Great Tusk is in the Desert Resort now. I'm going to consult with Kibe's dad about how I should go about confronting it…"
Miranda laughed out loud. Beheeyem, who was watching outside the window as usual, turned to look at the commotion. Lewis, eyebrow cocked, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat on the couch. Miranda rose from her desk and sat across from him, Beheeyem alighting on her shoulder.

"Don't get up now, but you're a tad too late. Kibe and his friends are already in the Desert Resort investigating "subsidence"."
Lewis' eyes bulged, nearly spitting out a mouthful of coffee.

"What?! You sent them there without telling them what was causing it? Even with Virizion, the situation-"

Miranda cut in with a relaxed smile.

"Virizion isn't there. And it's just one Great Tusk, no matter how big it is, right?"

Lewis frustratedly mussed up his hair, thinking about something. Miranda noticed then that Zangoose, his partner, was nowhere to be seen. Her mirth began to mold into unease.

"No. No it isn't. At least, not potentially…I need to go."
Lewis abruptly stood, grabbing his duffel bag and walking to his office to the side of the main room. Miranda got up after him, stopping at the threshold to Lewis' room. She watched him pull out his bag, stuffing an assortment of gear into a smaller backpack.

"W-wait, are you telling me there's something else out there?"

"We don't know for sure, and that's the problem. Something like that Great Tusk will massively disturb the environment; it's a completely invasive species, after all. The only place in the world that it can be found in is Area Zero. We don't know what might possibly show up."

Lewis was saying that, but Miranda got the feeling that he knew exactly what to expect. She saw him flash something purple into his bag. Wait, is that…?! Lewis finished packing and strode past Miranda, heading for the lab door. She stopped him right at the door, holding something out to him: a small hexagonal device.

"Well, I don't appreciate you keeping things from me…but if this incident is as bad as you say it is, then take this. It's a relic I found in the desert ruins where I caught Beheeyem. As long as you have it, Beheeyem will know your position no matter where you are in the world, and can take me to you instantly. Just give me a call."

"…Thanks."

Usually he's a lot more agreeable than this. I wish that bitch Sada would just let him go already. The Pokemon research scene in Paldea was known to be a bit of a trainwreck, reminiscent of the region's Association branch: mysterious disappearances and accidents, rumors of giants and other strange Pokemon, and rampant overwork and lack of safety standards. Area Zero was considered to be one of the "great frontiers" of the world, along with places like Mt Coronet in Sinnoh and the Hoenn archipelagos.

Whatever Lewis had seen in his time there had hardened him; while he was extremely capable due to his experiences there and well-mannered most of the time, whenever conversation turned to his work in Paldea, it was like he became a different person. And, even now, years after leaving the region, Professor Sada still had Lewis tangled in her web. Miranda had no choice but to see Lewis off with a tight smile as he pocketed the relic and walked out the door.

She stood there in the empty room, with only Beheeyem to keep her company.

"…Please, just call me."

The Walters family estate was a sprawling chateau, lying in state a few kilometers east of Nimbasa City, nestled in the Lostlorn Forest. Despite this short distance, however, the drive into the city could be arduous. While the traffic was by no means as bad as Castelia's, there were quite a few Pokemon who lived in the surrounding forests, some of whom were quite strong. As such, the staff members of the Walters family had to be quite proficient in Pokemon battles. As the family heir's personal maid and secretary, Lyanna was one of the best.

The estate itself was huge, sporting a sculpture garden complete with a gazebo, a Pokemon battlefield, a large swimming pool, and an expansive garage and driveway, the latter of which extended into a gated canopy road that winded through a little less than a kilometer to the main throughway of Route 16. There was a two story guest house aside from the main building as well.

The main house was massive, and had a rustic exterior to match its age: it was built well over a hundred years ago. The interior was no less exquisite, featuring incredibly expensive art pieces, marble flooring, and ridiculously high-quality furniture made with the finest leather upholstery. On the second floor of this home were the family bedrooms, just as finely decorated as the rest of the rooms. In one of these bedrooms rested a woman. Seemingly in her twenties, with brown hair and delicate features, she appeared for all the world to be in total bliss…in stark contrast to the girl who had her head in her hands, sitting in a chair at the bedside. A worried-looking Audino tugged at the girl's sleeve.

As one looked closer, they would realize something was clearly wrong. The bedridden woman was hooked up to an intravenous bag and a heart monitor, on top of being garbed in a hospital gown.

The sleeping woman was Eleanor Walters, the previous heir of the Walters family. Arienne's older sister. Lyanna quietly watched from the side of the room, close to the door. Both her and Arienne were dressed in the best finery Nimlucid had to offer: Lyanna in a smart black pantsuit with a blue tie and snow-white gloves, and Arienne in a stunning red off-the-shoulder dress. They were heading to the annual Nimbasa City fashion week, but that was neither here nor there. Lyanna could hardly take her charge away from her sister when she was feeling like this.

"…Arienne…"

Lyanna delicately called out her name, something she didn't do very often.

"…Two years. Two years since Ellie was attacked, and she hasn't woken up since. The anniversary came and went while I was in the Inner Forest. That whole situation almost made me forget…And now she's getting worse. I haven't gotten any closer to finding a cure…damnit. I'm way weaker than I thought as well, even with Virizion. Kibe keeps showing me up in practice, not to mention the others…at this rate, I'll just embarass myself tomorrow."

"For now, the best thing you can do is to keep getting your name out there. Once that happens, you'll definitely be able to find someone who can heal Eleanor."

Arienne's head rose from the bed, taking a shaky breath. Her eyes were bloodshot; she clearly hadn't been sleeping well.

"Y-yeah. You're right. At the end of the day, social clout is one of the best tools that can bring me closer to my goal. I can't let myself get distracted. Not anymore. Let's go, Lyanna."

Lyanna gratefully assented, opening the door for Arienne. The maid was a graduate of Castelia University, sporting a business degree. At the age of 24, she was incredibly accomplished: not only did she serve as Arienne's secretary, but also an official role in Nimlucid's finance division. Some of her roles as maid included preparing Arienne's meals, driving her around, as well as serving as Arienne's manager back when she was a model. Lyanna was rather tall, standing about half a head above Arienne, with blonde hair and green eyes.

As one would gather, Lyanna was quite the diligent woman: she carefully managed her income and was an excellent stock investor, and had a networth in the seven figures as a result. Why, then, did she remain in the Walters' employ? The answer was right in front of her. Eleanor had been Lyanna's childhood friend, and she knew that Arienne had placed her into the "older sister" role when Eleanor's accident happened. Lyanna cared deeply about both of them, and couldn't abandon Arienne. Not until Eleanor woke up.

Well, maybe Arienne will be fine. For now. This "Kibe" needs to step up his game already. My "little sister" needs a boyfriend, and badly at that. I'm not sure how long she can keep going like this… For now though, let's knock out that fashion show!

As mentioned previously, the Gearframe Corporation main office featured 80 floors. On the top of the building was a wide roof, with enough clearance for two helicopter pads. One of those pads was empty; or rather, had been made empty in order to create space. Space, that is, for a Dragapult to touch down on the pad with a Trainer on its back. Sato Uehara was waiting there with his wife, Noura, and his assistant, Whittaker, all in formal business attire. The Trainer hopped off his Dragapult's back. Dressed in casual clothes-just a white shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers-and sporting a hiking backpack over his shoulder, Lewis Blake alighted onto the helicopter pad.
"…Do you think you can handle it, Lewis?"

Lewis was the single Trainer the Association's Paldea branch had put forward to resolve the impending natural disaster at hand. While the dossier Sato had read was certainly impressive, especially for a researcher, he had to know about Lewis' confidence level…as well as his true capabilities. Lewis was a former Association task force member for the Paldea region, but that alone wouldn't assure Sato of his competence. After all, my son is on the frontline as well. After Sato called out to him, Lewis stopped petting Dragapult and frowned at Sato and his group.

"…I can't be sure of anything when facing one of the monsters from the Great Crater, especially not one that's eaten the Herba Mystica. Not to mention the other Pokemon that I was informed about to be in the area, either."

Sato could hear Whittaker sharply inhale to his right. The Herba Mystica was a mythical Paldean plant rumored to grant incredible powers to a Pokemon that ate them. If the Great Tusk ate that…I never imagined that the rumors were true.

"With that said, I don't think I'll need backup."

Lewis threw off Sato with yet another shocking statement. Noura spoke up after that.

"You seem to be contradicting yourself. What gives you the confidence necessary to dive in there, if you don't know for certain that you can win? I'm sure you've heard that there are civilians in the area. Aside from your friends, there are dozens, perhaps even over a hundred people in the Desert Resort right now. Not to mention the train line and highway connecting Castelia and Nimbasa, upon which thousands of people travel each Association hasn't issued an evacuation at your request, but the Great Tusk is rapidly destabilizing the Resort even as we speak."

Nice. We're forcing his hand. While Sato wasn't quite a member of the Association, he basically was a member of the Unova Branch in practice. He had legitimate concerns about whether Lewis could handle this in an effective and safe manner, and his subordinates shared his concerns; despite Whittaker vouching for his battling skills. If it got out that the Association knew of the danger, and Lewis failed in the mission-resulting in citizens or Pokemon getting hurt-then there would be a massive PR fallout. With that said, he did have some ulterior motives. Just a little bit.

Lewis sighed, then unslung his backpack from his shoulder. First, he fished something out of his pocket, holding it up to Sato and the others: a translucent, purple orb roughly the size of a Poke Ball.

"I have three reasons to believe that I can succeed. The first is this Tera Orb: it was issued to me upon entry into the Naranja Academy Treasure Hunt, and I earned ownership after beating the Paldea Gym Challenge. The Tera Orb has enough energy in it to Terastallize a Pokemon five times. The second is Dragapult, one of my partners who accompanied me on said challenge. I plan to use my Tera Orb on him."

Whittaker shifted, asking Lewis the final question.

"And the third?"

Lewis pulled out a second purple object from his backpack with his other hand, also holding it up. Sato frowned in consternation. It seems like Professor Sada is rather serious about retrieving this Pokemon.

"A Master Ball. With this, as long as I can get a chance to throw it and make it land, I can catch any Pokemon, regardless of whether it's a rogue Great Tusk or the Abundance Pokemon, Landorus. I can only catch one, and only have one shot at it, but I'll be sure to make it count."

The group from Gearframe was dead silent. An updraft softly blew from the streets below, ruffling clothes and hair. The sunlight's reflection gleamed on the Master Ball. These special Poke Balls were extraordinarily rare, and very tightly controlled by the Association, and regional governments. Even Sato couldn't just obtain one on a whim. In a Trainer's hands, it was a symbol of authority granted to them by the Association. He could hardly say anything to Lewis now, not when he possessed something like that.

Just what kind of strings did Sada pull to get this in his hands?

"…No more questions? Then, I'll be on my way."

Sato and the others mutedly watched as Lewis packed up his things and got back on Dragapult. The Pokemon rocketed away from the Gearframe Corporation building and the Castelia City pier at large with a much faster speed than it came in. They stood there for a couple of minutes, taking it all in, before wordlessly filing back inside. Sato's thoughts flew from one person to another: to his son, the "Masked Man", and Paldea's "fixer".

I hope you live up to your word, Lewis. For all of our sakes.

The events of this morning were the start of what would come to be known by the general public as the "Nimbasa Line Incident".