Draco: Okay, I think I'm FINALLY in a proper Pokémon mood. I would love to be able to finish writing this thing before I play Generation IX, and if I get into a proper writing frenzy, I just might. However, I have all the important notes written out, and so I should be able to write this as a specifically Generation VIII game regardless of my acquiring Scarlet and/or Violet Versions.

I know I've been exceedingly gratuitous with the gameplay angle, but this is where the story aspect ALSO gets out of hand. Namely, I am writing this as though my previous "the next Generation is coming a little too fast, let's be an asshole" fanfictional game were to occur. For those who haven't read Pokémon Eternal Colosseum, the important bits are: Generation VI Orre, Colosseum events followed by Wes/Rui preventing XD from happening in advance. Michael and Jovi appeared in a flashback that serves as the Snag tutorial, as well as offering a trade once you finished the Snag List.

Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media.

From Orre, Fiore, and Lental

Once they were back at the villa, Looker approached his corkboard once again. "I can understand wishing to keep quiet about something that has happened to you," he admitted. "But it is important not to hide too much, otherwise other people may misunderstand you." His hand paused. "Of course, if you have a good reason to be quiet about too much, it may well be because you are doing bad things."

Jeanne angled her head. "Um..."

Looker shook his head. "Ah, forgive me! Idle musings." He turned to Jeanne. "What about you? I hope these events ending quietly are not too disappointing..."

"Of course not," Jeanne assured him. "Better they end peacefully than you needing to cart someone off."

"I am glad to hear it," Looker sighed. "In that case, we may turn our attention to the next report." He beckoned to the photo next to Zinnia's; it was a young-looking boy with spiky brown hair, wearing a yellow top and blue leggings. "This boy has been seen wearing a strange device when in battle. No one has been able to ask him what purpose it serves, but he has achieved quite a winning streak at the Battle Club, despite having been seen visiting the Public School for Trainer's lessons."

He turned to Jeanne. "In case you are not aware, Trainers are not permitted to use items in battle here at Pokétopia; they may only give their Pokémon items to hold before they are sent out." He crossed his arms. "I will admit that if a Trainer was using items, it should be obvious to anyone watching. Nor do I think that there is anything stopping this boy from naturally being an exceptional Trainer in his own right. But even so, we must learn what purpose this device serves before we pass judgement on him."

"Makes sense," Jeanne agreed.

Looker nodded. "We will begin our search for him at the school. This way, it is less likely that we will interrupt him in the middle of a battle."

+x+x+x+

The Trainer class wasn't particularly busy when Jeanne and Looker arrived; the boy they were looking for was just stepping out of the classroom. Looker's photo had been taken from the wrong side to see the device that merited their investigation - it was a small thing on the side of his head, level with his eye and affixed to a blue headband he was wearing.

He seemed to notice that they had their attention on him, and stepped forward warily. "Um... Hello," he greeted. "Can I help you?"

"Please forgive us for bothering you," Looker mused. "You are the boy who has been making a name for himself at the Battle Club, yes?" Looker asked.

"Yes," the boy confirmed. "My name is Michael."

Looker nodded. "We have some questions for you. Specifically, regarding that device you wear." Michael reached for his head. "May I ask what that is, and what purpose it serves?"

"Oh, this?" Michael mused. "This is an Aura Reader."

"Aura?" Looker echoed. "You mean, like Lucario and Riolu can use?"

"Kind of," Michael explained. "I come from the Orre region." He turned to Looker. "Have you ever heard of a Shadow Pokémon?"

Looker crossed his arms. "A Shadow... Pokémon?"

"I've never heard of it," Jeanne admitted.

Michael shook his head. "I'm not surprised. It was something that happened in Orre - a group of criminals were using some kind of process to seal Pokémon's hearts away and turn them into mindless fighting machines." Jeanne and Looker both started. "A couple of Trainers in Orre managed to put a stop to it, and my father is part of a research group taking measures to make sure that if it ever happens again, we can reverse the process quickly."

"And what does this 'Aura Reader' have to do with these Shadow Pokémon?" Looker asked.

"To most people, Shadow Pokémon look no different from normal Pokémon," Michael explained. "You can only tell them apart by their aura, which only certain people and Pokémon can detect. At least, normally." He reached for his device, causing a screen to extend in front of his eye on that side. "This Aura Reader is meant to let normal people see auras, which would let them notice a Shadow Pokémon when it appears." The screen retreated back into the device. "When I decided to come to Pokétopia, I was asked to test the Aura Reader by using it in battle. This way, we can make sure it works the way it's supposed to."

Looker smiled. "That is an admirable thing to be doing," he praised. "I hope the testing goes well for you."

Michael nodded. "Thank you. So do I."

+x+x+x+

When Looker and Jeanne returned to the villa, Looker seemed troubled by what they had learned. "Shadow Pokémon... It is a terrible thing to hear about. I hope that what those Trainers in Orre managed to do was enough to make sure it never happens again." He finished his edits to his corkboard and sighed. "I must make sure my superiors hear of this, as well. Do the International Police know about this criminal group, and what they have done? I won't pretend to know everything that my fellows have been involved in, but..."

He shook his head. "Never mind. It is a problem to deal with another time." He turned to Jeanne. "What about you? Are you quite alright?"

"It sounds kind of scary," Jeanne admitted, "but I'll be okay."

Looker nodded. "It is okay to be worried," he assured. "But if you are ready to continue the investigation, I am happy to hear it. Our next report is on this fellow." He beckoned to the next photo on his corkboard - a round-looking young man with messy brown hair and an outfit that Jeanne would describe as 'business casual'. "Apparently, he has been travelling around Pokétopia with no Pokémon - not even the rental Pokémon afforded to everyone who visits Pokétopia. He has never entered a battle, nor has he been in any of the events in Sunny Park, and he watches Pokémon battles as though he has never seen such a thing before."

Jeanne double-took at that last remark.

"To be fair, there is nothing stopping someone from just enjoying the battles as a spectator," Looker admitted. "However... there are some people who think that a Pokémon battle exists only to hurt the Pokémon. People who do not understand that it is a way for Trainers and Pokémon to bond with each other. And while it is all well and good if they do not participate in a battle themselves, it is when they try to stop other people from battling that they cause problems." He turned to Jeanne. "So, let us seek him out, and hope that this is not what he wants to do."

"Agreed," Jeanne confirmed.

"He was last seen going in the direction of the Berry Fields," Looker observed. "We will begin our search there."

+x+x+x+

They did indeed find the young man just outside the Berry Fields - he was watching some Pokémon who were tending to the crops, looking rather excited. As Looker and Jeanne got close, they heard him speaking to himself. "...that the Pokémon are still so eager to help out with something like this."

"Excuse me, good sir," Looker proclaimed, drawing the fellow's attention. "Might I have a moment of your time?"

The round fellow turned around. "Oh, yeah, yeah!" he assured. "What's goin' on?"

Looker looked him over. "If it's not too much trouble," he mused, "may I see your Battle Pass?"

"Pass? Oh, yeah, the pass!" He reached into one of his pockets... and then narrowed his gaze as his other hand went into another. "Wait, where did it...?" He threw his head back as Jeanne and Looker traded glances. "Oh, man, it must have fallen out somewhere!"

"...I believe you may procure a replacement at the immigration gate," Looker observed. "Though I should be curious what you are doing here in Pokétopia that you did not realize you had lost your Battle Pass..."

"The name's Murph!" the fellow replied. "I'm from the Ranger Union."

Looker blinked. "The Ranger Union...?"

"What's a Ranger?" Jeanne asked.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't know," Murph observed. "Pokémon Rangers are people who work with Pokémon to protect nature. They don't catch 'em like Trainers do; they use special things called Stylers to team up with 'em as the need be. The regions where Pokémon Rangers work don't usually have Trainers in 'em, and they don't usually work where there are Trainers."

"I see," Looker mused. "Forgive me, you said 'they'?"

Murph nodded. "Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm not a Ranger - not anymore, anyways. I'm the PR chief for the Ranger Union. We've made contact with some Trainers before, but never really in person. So when I got a vacation, I thought I'd come and see some Trainers in action!"

"And what is your opinion on Pokémon Trainers, then?" Looker asked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's totally different," Murph admitted. "But, like, a good different, you know? Like, I'm not gonna be telling people 'Come to Fiore' when the Rangers got things covered, but the battles look like fun for the Trainers and the Pokémon both! I don't think I wanna try battling, but I'm happy watching it happen!"

Looker nodded. "Glad to hear it," he affirmed. "Sorry for your time."

"Oh, yeah, no worries!" Murph assured him. "I'm not gonna get upset about the International Police asking questions!"

Looker started. "Wha-?! How did you know!?"

Murph chuckled. "I heard there was someone from the International Police here in Pokétopia," he admitted. "Didn't think I was gonna get attention, but I'm just glad I didn't get in trouble for it!" He shook his head. "Anyways, I'd better get that replacement pass. Best of luck!"

He took off back up Main Street, leaving Jeanne and Looker trading dumbfounded looks.

+x+x+x+

"I did not think this Ranger Union so informed about the operations of the International Police..."

Looker's muttering as he edited his corkboard drew Jeanne's attention. "Still, I suppose there is no harm in it. These Pokémon Rangers are hardly the only people to operate in regions where Trainers do not journey." He turned to Jeanne. "There is at least one more report we must look into. Can I ask for your help until this is over?"

"Of course," Jeanne assured. "We've come this far, haven't we?"

"Thank you, Jeanne," Looker praised. "Then let us turn our attention to our last person of note." The last photo on his corkboard was of a young woman with voluminous purple hair in ponytails. "There are reports that this girl has been taking photos of peoples' Pokémon, in a way that implies she is trying not to be seen doing so. It is encouraged by those in charge of Pokétopia for spectators to try and capture stunning scenes of a battle, or a Pokémon Contest, or the Pokéathlon. Which begs the question, why is she trying to hide that she is taking pictures?"

He turned to Jeanne. "It may be that she is shy, and does not want to draw attention to herself... or it may be that the purpose of these photos is something she does not want people to know about. We must find out which."

Jeanne nodded. "Makes sense."

"She was last seen entering the Battle Club," Looker proclaimed. "We will begin our search there."

+x+x+x+

As fortune would have it, their purple-haired photographer was just emerging from the Battle Club as they arrived. She was looking at the display of a digital camera as she emerged, and Looker and Jeanne elected not to approach her until she had looked up from the screen. "Oh, hey there!" she greeted. "Sorry, am I in your way?"

"Not to worry," Looker assured her. "We have actually come here hoping to speak with you."

The photographer was surprised. "Um, okay?" she mused. "Can I have your names?"

"I am Looker," the officer replied. "This is Jeanne."

"Rita." She lowered her camera, letting it hang from the straps around her neck. "Is something the matter?"

"I hope not," Looker admitted. "I simply have a question regarding your camera."

"My... camera?" Rita echoed. "Is something wrong? When I asked, I was told it was fine to take photos."

Looker nodded. "Indeed it is. However, we have received reports from several people claiming that a person matching your description has been seen taking photos in a way that implied she was trying not to be seen."

Rita was surprised. "Oh, really? I wasn't trying, exactly." She scratched the back of her head. "Guess it's just reflex after all my time on Lental."

"Reflex?" Looker echoed.

"What is Lental?" Jeanne asked.

"It's a region with a bunch of islands scattered about," Rita explained. "Almost nobody lives there, so it's pretty much pure nature." She raised her camera. "I was part of a research expedition with the Laboratory of Ecological and Natural Sciences; we were taking photos to understand some phenomena that only happen in Lental."

"I see," Looker mused. "The entire purpose of nature photography is to observe Pokémon as they behave without humans to influence them - which means taking photos without the Pokémon noticing."

Rita nodded. "Uh-huh. When I heard about Pokétopia, I came out here to try and take some photos of Pokémon in battle. I guess old habits die hard."

"Indeed," Looker confirmed. "Please forgive me for bothering you."

"No, it's okay," Rita assured him. "I didn't even realize what I was doing; I can see why it would look suspicious."

She made her way down Main Street, and Looker sighed. "It would seem that concludes this investigation," he admitted. "Let us return to the villa."

Draco: Yes, our next three persons of interest are Michael from a Gen VI Orre, Murph from the Pokémon Ranger subseries, and Rita from New Pokémon Snap. I told you this was going to be gratuitous. The topics about which you may or may not be familiar on this one are Shadow Pokémon, Pokémon Rangers, and the Lental region.

In Eternal Colosseum, I ended up writing Michael as a "silent protagonist cameo doesn't say a word" like Red... completely by accident. As I mentioned, he and Jovi were in the Snag tutorial; Michael ended up fighting Wes pre-defection because Jovi was being a loudmouth, and Michael just went along with her assertations of his skill. I would not actually make Michael silent if Eternal Colosseum were to happen as a game, partly just to establish that it isn't the same Michael as in XD in Generation III. And since Eternal Colosseum Michael is the one that came to Pokétopia, so too would he not be silent here.

I am one hundred percent convinced that several happenings in Generation VIII Sinnoh are Ranger references. The Hidden Moves app calling on wild Pokémon is basically a Ranger's Field Moves, they made the Manaphy Egg an actual thing again, and Riolu from Hisui can learn Aura Sphere. That being said, I'm not going to deny that there are more plausible candidates for a Ranger-series representative in Pokétopia; Hastings would be just as if not more suspicious in Pokétopia, for one thing, and has just as many appearances as Murph does, in more important roles what's more. Me picking Murph, specifically, is the gratuitous part.

Rita is probably the most reasonable person in this chapter. She got an anime cameo taking photos in a Trainer region, so her taking photos in Pokétopia isn't THAT out-of-character. Of course, my description of L.E.N.S. nature photography does kind of fly in the face of Snap gameplay, but hey, it's not the first time I've written Rita as prioritizing a good shot over Mirror's rating.

"Draco, I thought you said the story was a Lv50 are-you-up-to-Pokétopia type of thing?" Yeah, we're not done with Looker's story, yet.