Time and Time Again

by Basilikos

Vanessa has one dream and knows how to get it. Jason has many dreams and can't seem to make up his mind. Aiden has different kinds of dreams that haunt him at night. Little did they expect that their simple journey through Sinnoh would be met with many problems and surprises. [Very, very, very loosely follows DPPt events in-game.]

10. City Life Under Silver Moonlight - 6

Chapter 10: City Life Under Silver Moonlight - Part 6

Soaring through the evening sky above Sandgem Town, feeling the wind on its face rolling down its body as it flaps its wings, Tony's own Starly is the eyes of this operation. Vanessa and Tony run through the roads of Sandgem Town trailing behind it, surprised the girl's Garchomp hasn't caused an outrage as expected, wherever it had fled to in town. Then, the bird Pokémon turns its head and whistles from above.

"That's the signal!" Tony shouts, taking Vanessa's hand to cut through an alley as Starly makes a sharp turn.

"Thank goodness there's barely anyone out at this hour," Vanessa remarks while trying to catch her breath. "I hope we don't miss the meeting with Nemesis!"

"That's not important right now—wait." Tony stops in place as they reach the end of the alley, alarming Vanessa. She looks past him and sees Garchomp under a streetlight, sniffing the ground, and her blood runs cold.

"What is it doing?" Vanessa whispers.

"I don't know. Now's your chance though. It's barely moving."

Vanessa takes out the ball belonging to her Pokémon and moves a bit closer to get a clear line of sight. Her hands are trembling slightly as she takes a deep breath, praying inside that she doesn't miss or that it notices her. Then, Tony comes from behind and steadies her hand with his.

"Relax. I'm going to count from five, okay? You ready?"

"...Yes."

"5… 4…" As Tony whispers his countdown, Vanessa's breathing stops as Garchomp lifts its head, turns, and their eyes meet.

"3… 2… 1."

The jingle of the show's theme music blasts in the game show room followed by the announcer's enthusiastic voice shouting, "This is Trouble Trivia " through his microphone while the audience members cheer and clap. "And here is your host, James Joepost!"

"Good evening, Sinnoh!" Joepost steps into the room, a smile on his face, and waving to the cameras. "Thank you everybody. Welcome to another special iteration of Trouble Trivia featuring celebrity contestants. In the red corner, we have the talented singer/songwriter, Shaila!"

Shaila blows a kiss to the camera before waving with both hands—a charismatic smile on her face. The deafening screams of fans in the audience are enough to cause the host to comment, "a very beloved guest indeed".

"And in the blue corner, the young CEO of Aidenland Inc, Aiden Rowan!"

Aiden smiles, looking confident as ever, despite the mild rage he is feeling inside his head. He thanks everyone for the light applause.

'Why aren't they cheering for me too? What the heck?' he screams inside.

"For the folks at home that are new to Trouble Trivia , let me explain…"

Aiden watches the game show host speak loudly to the camera between him and the audience. Covering his yawn while Joepost explains the content he's already been briefed on, he pokes the earbud in his left ear with his index finger.

"Audio check," Aiden says to seemingly nobody. He finds Jason and his new friends in the audience and gives them a peace sign with his fingers, causing Jason to stare at him in confusion.

"I can hear you," a voice speaks in Aiden's earbud. It belongs to none other than Isabella. "I can hear everything just fine. We have a team here who will quickly look up answers and be able to provide them to you faster than you can think."

"Good." Aiden grins, waving to Shaila from her red podium who waves back. "I take offense to that though, Isabella. Are you suggesting I'm a slow thinker?"

"Forgive me, Sir."

"...With that out of the way. Let's move onto our first category: Pokémon sounds!" James Joepost announces. "We will give you a Pokémon and play back a number of tracks of Pokémon cries. You have twenty seconds to decide which one belongs to the Pokémon on the screen! Valued at 200 points, which sound belongs to… this Pokémon?"

The screen behind the host changes into an image of a Hoothoot, followed by a series of bird cries, marked with a numbered list on the screen. Aiden looks down with a grin as Isabella speaks in his ear, writing down his answer.

"We will play them again. Listen carefully," Joepost states.

"Hoo… Hoo…"

The sound of a Hoothoot can be faintly heard outside the walls of the vault room in Professor Rowan's laboratory where Lukas, Looker, and the professor himself are trapped. Alongside them is one of their captors who still remains out cold, tied to the seat that Lucas had been previously tied to.

Lucas himself is sitting on the floor, allowing the Pokémon professor to occupy the other seat, while he continues writing in a notebook.

"What is that you are handwriting concurrently?" Looker asks the boy.

"I've been…" Lucas pauses to finish the sentence he's writing, "writing everything that's happened from the moment the day started until now."

"Ah, really smart!" Looker exclaims. He looks at Lucas, studying his face and his body language, and says, "You are not shook but calm. I am but surprised. Not in similarity with the old man you have familiars with."

"Who are you calling old?!" Professor Rowan snaps at him.

"Ah, I am not without forgiveness, Professor!"

Lucas frowns while the two of them bicker, his mind wandering to a time when he was younger. As their argument dies down, he tells Looker, "This isn't the first time I've been kidnapped. It was four times before actually."

"Four times?" Looker looks shocked. Professor Rowan grumbles quietly, looking away with a pained expression.

"Yes. Each time when I was just a kid, even held for ransom once. I couldn't tell you why. Perhaps it's because I was raised by Professor Rowan? However, each time, I would somehow overhear them mentioning that I wasn't to be harmed. I mean, I'd much rather not be hurt but it's strange, isn't it?"

Looker scratches his head, intrigued, but with a look of sympathy on his face. He asks, "The criminal that had come and taken you—were they of one or many? Their faces having similarity?"

"They were always different people. Some of them were apprehended and brought to justice. I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if they're all sent by the same person? If only I knew the answer to that."

"Lucas, I… I'm sorry you had such a difficult childhood. I should have hired guards after the first time it happened. I didn't think h—" Professor Rowan clears his throat for a moment before continuing, "I didn't think someone could be capable of doing something terrible to you—to the both of us—again after. It's not normal."

Looker looks at Lucas again and notices that there isn't a scratch on him, unlike the professor. Lucas could only wonder what could be going on in the detective's mind, hoping he had answers he had always wondered for over ten years of his life.

However, what the detective says next is, "Quiet." Lucas and the professor both listen with him, nervous of human activity around them, but hear nothing unusual but the sound of the Hoothoot outside. Looker smiles in spite of the two's confused faces.

"Are you also hearing like I am?" Looker whispers. "On the outside. There is a Hoothoot at the vicinity of us." Looker closes his eyes and begins to point in a direction as if he had psychic powers. He walks in the direction swiftly, putting his ear up to the wall. "The outside—it is in the direction of here."

Lucas and the professor look at each other, as if sharing their own psychic connection, concerned about what this "detective" is up to this time. Then, as if right on time, they hear Looker shouting loud, owl sounds, trying to mimic the cry of the Hoothoot.

"What in the world are you doing now?!" Rowan complains.

"Hoothoot are smart—no, wise. These creatures could be the pathway… no, the ticket to our escapade!" Without explaining further, Looker continues to make increasingly loud owl sounds.

"Are you serious?" the professor tugs on his hair. He stands up and begins to angrily walk to the wall Looker is at, ignoring Lucas's pleas to calm down. He looks at the man and tells him, "That is not how you mimic a Hoothoot! It's more like this!"

Looker's mouth opens in awe at the professor's attempt to imitate a Hoothoot. He grins however and proudly says, "Professor! That is a wonderous trial you made of a Hoothoot sound but I am of having more talent as a detective will! Hoo-hoo !"

"You sound like an Infernape!" the professor shouts. "You may be a detective but I am a Pokémon researcher. A Pokémon professor . It's my title! You think you've studied Pokémon more than me? Hoo-Hoo-hoo! "

As they argue, they can hear the Hoothoot's wings flap, leaving them in silence.

"It leaves us. Professor, your Hoothoot impersonations are a containment of expressive anger. Fright could have delivered to the sad creature," Looker tells him.

Professor Rowan grumbles as usual, not saying anything for a minute before admitting that maybe he could have been more gentle. He crosses his arms and asks, "What do we do now?"

"Be without worry for I am called Looker, a detective for reasoning! I am not ever in lacking of a 'Plan 2'!" Looker declares. He begins to scream and pound on the wall for help, much like he had done on the vault door before, startling Lucas and Rowan once more.

"Lucas!" the professor shouts in a rage. "I've had enough of this man!"

"Professor, calm down!" the boy tells him. "It's okay. It's—"

Lucas turns to see the man they tied up begin to finally wake up, probably from all the screaming. Nervous, Lucas calls for Looker to come quickly.

"What… happened?" the man says in a daze. He sees Looker get up close to his face and he leaps back in his seat, moving his head as far as possible. It becomes clear from his expressions that he remembers what happened now. He struggles again to get up as Looker approaches but realizes he is bound to his seat. "Get away from me!"

"Explain your origins," Looker demands.

"My origins?" the man repeats with a confused but defiant look on his face.

"Who is your boss? Why did you kidnap us? What are your intentions?" Lucas chimes in.

"Why would I tell any of you?"

Looker reaches into his pocket and shows the man his badge, proof of his identity as a police detective. Watching the man eye it nervously, Looker opens his mouth and tells him, "Do you have understandings of your crime? You have performed an abduction. You may be sent to imprisonment for the action of abduction not any less than ten years."

The man stays quiet for a second and finally tells him, "And so what? What's done is done."

"Cooperate and an alternating solution may be founded. Perhaps a lessening sentence can be arraigned."

"What the heck is wrong with your speech, pal?" The man complains. "You're barely making any sense. It's not happening. The boss would absolutely kill me."

"Kill?"

Lucas watches Looker walk away from the man, looking around for a moment and starts going to the shelves in the room, taking a bunch of Poké Balls. Lucas looks shocked for a moment, listening to Professor Rowan complain about them being removed. Still, Looker ignores him and returns to the man.

"I am giving these to you," Looker says, dropping them all on his lap. "Tell us."

"Hey!" Lucas protests.

"What do you think you're doing?! Those are not for you to give, especially not to a criminal !" Professor Rowan shouts. "Don't give what is not yours!"

However, Looker continues to ignore them.

"I'm not interested. Do you really think you can bribe me with Pokémon to get me to talk?" The man says, much to their surprise. "It's not happening. Besides, we weren't ordered to steal Pokémon."

Looker eyes light up at the man's comment, unable to contain his slight grin. He tells him, "I am with intrigue. What more can you explain?" However, the man falls silent as if regretting saying that much at all. Looker looks pleased by his expression. "Is a Delcatty in possession of your tongue?"

Lucas squints his eyes, unable to follow Looker's plan.

'What is he getting at with these Poké Balls? Clearly, he's trying to figure out the man's motive but… wait—' Lucas thinks, reaching an epiphany. 'Pokémon clearly have a lot of value. They aren't normal thieves. I thought they were after research material to sell them but now… I need to know more.'

"Okay then," Looker says, reaching for his pocket. "If you are unwilling to partake in conversating, then I will be providing you with another gift."

"Just give it up! You can't bribe me," the man says. From Looker's pocket, an Unfezant feather appears, much to everyone's confusion. "What's that for?"

Looker grins with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He leans forward, whispering in the ear of the man bound to the chair, causing his face to turn to him in horror. Slowly, the feather approaches the man's face.

"Wait—WAIT—no! No!"

The jingle of the game show resounds in the room loudly as James Joepost enthusiastically reads the next question on the screen. "Believe it or not! This bird's feathers have been the sensation in recent years among the older generation of trainers that like to engage in bedroom hijinks! That bird is what?"

Aiden slams on the buzzer in front of his hands swiftly before Shaila can, lighting up his podium, giving him the right to answer. Aiden clears his throat for the dozenth time in this program, stalling just a moment long enough to allow Isabella to feed him the answer before he smirks, calmly answering, "The Unfezant."

"That is correct! You're on a roll, Mr. Rowan!"

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" Shaila says from her side.

"I'm not sure what you're insinuating." Aiden rolls his eyes.

Jason watches from the audience with Nadia and Ray, listening to the show host talk about how Aiden is currently in the lead, much to Jason's surprise. He would normally be rooting for his downfall, but he's probably the biggest Aiden supporter in the audience right now. If Aiden pulls through, Jason will be delivered the promise given to him.

"I heard a rumor," Aiden had said to Jason before the show started. "I heard that the Pokétch Company has provided Jubilife TV with a gift to use for tonight's show. You said you wanted the best ones, right? Be patient and I'll fulfill the terms of our contract."

The words echo clearly in Jason's mind after he had complained to the slightly nervous man.

"What kind of strange questions are these?" Nadia whispers to him. Jason chuckles with a shrug, wondering how these kinds of questions could fly on family television.

Ray, who sits on the other side of Nadia, pokes her with a grin. "You wanna try it out sometime? A Starly feather might be just as good."

"Shut up," Nadia whispers, slapping his hand away. "You'll give people the wrong idea."

Ray clenches his fists, retorting with, "Which people?"

Nadia looks at him with her mouth partially opened, as if struggling trying to form words, and then closes it. She turns her head and looks straight, focusing back on the show. Jason blinks a couple of times with a slightly forced smile, not wanting to involve himself.

Then, in the corner of his eye, he looks to the right and notices a familiar, beautiful woman he feels like he's seen before with long, burgundy hair. She's standing near the cameramen in business-formal attire, looking hard at work. However, Jason cannot put his finger on where he's seen her before.

Before he can think more about it, the sound of a cheery jingle plays and the stage transforms, distracting him entirely. A gigantic roulette wheel known as the "Wheel of Wonder" rises from the floor in the middle of the set between Aiden and Shaila's podiums, signaling the start of the next round.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The game show host speaks into his microphone, beaming with infectious enthusiasm. "We have a surprise! Along with the monumental cash grand prize, we have a bonus prize for the winner!"

He turns around and the curtain behind the stage rises and what is revealed are two very decorated briefcases sitting on podiums; a spotlight is shone from above it. The audience members clap and cheer as directed to.

"Behold! A tribute straight from the Pokétch Company! Everyone give a round of applause for the president of the company himself, Mr. Ketchikan!" he says. An elderly man steps onto the stage and begins a lengthy speech about his passion for trinkets which had started as a hobby alongside his office job until it became the extraordinary device known as the Pokétch.

"The bonus grand prize is a bundle of the finished version of the currently unreleased new model, the New Pokétch XL Pro !" The audience cheers with Mr. Ketchikan's words, leaving a smile on his face before he continues. "It contains all the features the previous model has such as phone calls but now features video calling alongside other apps that will make a trainer's journey much more convenient and feel closer to home!"

Jason is in awe. He looks at Nadia and Ray who probably don't quite understand what an amazing coincidence it is. It was even better than Aiden buying one from the shop. Jason could not be more excited, hoping more than ever before that Aiden will win.

Watching the Pokétch Company president walk off stage, resuming the show, Jason watches Aiden lean over his podium to spin the giant roulette wheel placed in the middle of the room between them to determine how many points he gets for the next question. Aiden has a confident grin on his face and the audience is matching his energy.

"850 points in the jackpot. Mr. Rowan, you will get to start us off in this next round," the game show host announces. "The theme of these sets of questions is, 'Famous Pokémon Contest Winners'."

"Ooh! I should've been in this show," Nadia whispers in Jason's ear in excitement.

"This young lady made waves globally, when she defeated the reigning eight-time winning Top Coordinator from the Hoenn region, in her first debut to Sinnoh's Grand Festival alongside a Kangaskhan named Jumpy."

Jason watches Aiden who is smiling but paused to answer. The pause grows longer by the second, and soon enough, Jason realizes something is up. Aiden looks subtly shocked, wiping the side of his head as if a bug touched his ear and he nervously says, "Cynthia" before the timer stops. His answer is followed quickly by the incorrect buzzer sound and whispers in the audience.

"Ooooh. That is incorrect. Shaila?"

"That would be the one and only Johanna," Shaila responds with a slight smugness in her tone. "Cynthia has never once stepped foot on a contest stage."

"850 points to Shaila! That is correct!" The audience cheers as Shaila's score increases, although still behind. Aiden however has lost his smile and his eyes scanning the room. Suddenly, his eyes light up for a moment and he begins to cough uncontrollably, much to the concern of James Joepost who improvises a quick commercial break to check on the Aidenland CEO.

"What's wrong, Aiden?" he asks. He turns to his crew and shouts, "Can I get some water for Mr. Rowan!"

Aiden tells him that he's fine while not making any eye contact whatsoever. He leans over, scanning the giant roulette wheel in front of him. He looks over to Shaila who is talking to her manager who has a suspicious grin on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Joepost asks.

"No."

Aiden, nervous, steps away from the stage into the audience, looking for Jason, and quickly finds him with his new friends.

"Aiden?" Jason says. Aiden reaches into his pocket and begins to speed dial a number on his cell phone. However, the phone is unanswered much to his frustration. He grumbles under his breath about how useless his people are. Meanwhile, Jason continues to try to get the attention of the guy in front of him.

"Have you seen Lucas?" Aiden asks Jason.

"No, actually. Why?"

"Five minutes until we're back on air!" a voice shouts through the room. Aiden looks nervous, biting his lip. He leans forward and quietly tells Jason, "I lost my earbud."

"What?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you? Do you think I'm some trivia nerd like Lucas? I've had my assistant feeding answers to me but I lost my earbud."

"Dude," Ray utters, overhearing his soft tone.

Jason cringes at the revelation and whispers, "Aiden… you can't—"

"Shut up. You want your Pokétches, right? I could just buy any old one but you would want the best of the best, don't you? I need to win this to get Shaila on board with my plans, and money can't buy everything. So, get on board too, would you?"

"Mr. Rowan, on stage please!" a voice calls.

Aiden tosses his fancy cell phone onto Jason's lap. He tells him with a hint of urgency, "If my assistant Isabella calls, pick up and explain the situation. Tell her to get Lucas and… I don't know, everyone." Aiden quickly rushes away back to his podium, leaving Jason with a sudden new responsibility.

"Should I help him?" Jason whispers to his friends. "What if Lucas isn't a trivia wizard? Just because he works for the professor, it doesn't mean…"

"Of course not," Nadia says. "That's obviously wrong."

Ray stretches his arms and laughs. "Why not though? He's already ruined this game to this point. We're reaching the final round soon. Win-win for both of you."

"Ray!" Nadia whispers indignantly.

"It's just a game. Relax. It's not like it's hurting anyone," Ray tells her. "It's up to you Jason. That phone will ring any minute."

Jason looks down at the phone in his hands. He swipes the screen, surprised that there's no password or anything. He can't help but feel it is irresponsible of someone in Aiden's position to have none, but pushes that thought aside and looks through Aiden's contacts. He's seen Aiden call Lucas before. Therefore, he must have his number saved, and if so, Jason believes that calling him is the next step. In his mind, surely Lucas would have the right answer.

The sound of Lucas's phone vibrating on the floor, located on the other side of the vault door, is completely drowned out by the sounds of obnoxious laughter in the room Lucas, Looker, and Professor Rowan are trapped in. Lucas watches with mild disgust as Looker tickles their captor tied to a chair with an Unfezant feather after removing their shoes.

Amidst his laughter, Looker looks at him with a serious face, demanding information from him such as who sent him here, why did they target Professor Rowan, what they're after, and so on and so forth. Despite the "creative" methods this so-called detective is using, he can't help but feel like this is the best way forward because it's better than doing nothing. Unfortunately, the only thing coming out of this criminal's mouth is laughter and begging to cease this torture.

"Please… ahaha… please stop…!"

"Who is it? Who are you in representation for?" Looker continues to shout. "Relinquish the naming of your leader!"

"I-I can't! I'll… ahaha… I'll die if I tell you!" the man cries in laughter. "Please have mercy on me!"

Professor Rowan gets up from his chair and whacks the man's head from above, irritated. He shouts, "That's payback for the bruise you gave me earlier! I assure you, you will die if you don't tell us. If not from the lack of ventilation, then from my own hands!"

"Professor!" Lucas calls out his name with worry. Looker looks impressed by his threat however, as if he had found a kindred spirit. He continues to tickle the man's feet, telling him that this could all be over soon if he cooperates.

"It's… It's Mars!" he cries out. "My boss's name is Mars!"

"Mars?" Looker says with confusion. "That is an appropriative name that one can bestow to their next in kin?"

"Says the man named Looker," Professor Rowan grumbles. He turns his attention back to their captive. "Tell us more!"

"I-I don't know why we were told to do what we were told to do! I was just following orders, I swear! We're just looking for research! Research!"

"This information you have provident us with remains insufficient. Your reunion with this feather is imminent."

"No–NO! I'm telling you all I know!"

Before Looker unleashes the feather once more, the sound of dozens of Hoothoot become prominent again. He gives Lucas the feather and approaches the wall. He takes a deep breath and makes his best Hoothoot imitation again, only to hear many of them quickly fly away as if in a hurry.

Lucas, unwilling to proceed with the feather torture, lets Looker do his thing and points the feather at his helpless captor's face like a blade.

"Why did you specifically target me? Why did you want my bag?" he asks him.

The man hesitates, unwilling to say anything more, but opens his mouth and says, "We were looking for research about lake guardians or something—"

The sound of a deafening roar from outside startles everyone in the lab's vault room.

"What–what is that?!" Lucas shouts.

"That cry… I know it… it's a… no, but it can't be here…" Professor Rowan mumbles to himself.

They listen as the heavy footsteps approach the lab, followed by another dreadful roar.

"Looker, you should probably—"

The wall that Looker stands by collapses like an explosion, crumbled like paper by an incredible force of strength. The creature has charged into the room from the outside and knocks the man away, covering the room in a cloud of dust. It roars once more followed by the muffled sounds of human shouting. Once the dust clears, it becomes apparent that their new problem is an outraged Pokémon, that being a Garchomp. It stomps forward towards Professor Rowan, Lucas, and the man who are all staring at it in fright like a Deerling in headlines until Looker gets off the floor and steps between them. He tries to reason with the Pokémon frantically with his arms outstretched, in a noble attempt to shield them but Garchomp whacks the man away to the side, knocking him unconscious.

"Looker!" Lucas shouts, running up forward out of instinct, but halts at the cry of Garchomp's mighty roar. Garchomp stomps forward towards the humans in front of it but then stops. Its body language suddenly changes. It stands there frozen for a few seconds while looking at them and squints. Then, it lights up and runs to Lucas and starts playfully cuddling with him much to everyone's confusion. It then lifts up Professor Rowan in delight and drops him onto the floor again before going back to Lucas for affection.

Then, the sight of two familiar people enter the room in a panic—Vanessa and Tony. Lucas looks at their shocked expressions, and the sweat rolling down their faces, watching Garchomp cozy up with him. Like he is, they are at a loss for words.

"Lucas?!" Vanessa then shouts.

"Vanessa?" Lucas says in response.

Vanessa looks at Professor Rowan who is in bad shape and the unfamiliar man that is tied up to a chair who looks as if he soiled his pants from terror. She looks to the side and sees Looker who is unconscious on the floor. She gasps and Tony runs up to him, and after a minute, tells everyone that he's breathing much to their relief.

'Is that the detective who I talked to in the hospital that day…?' Vanessa thinks, trying to remember.

"It's a long story," Lucas tells them but looks past Vanessa at the collapsed wall to the outside. "But we were kidnapped and now we're saved."

"Kidnapped?!" Vanessa exclaims.

"Yeah." Lucas helps Professor Rowan up from the floor. "What about you? Why are you here? Why is there a Garchomp?"

Vanessa clears her throat. "Um… It's a long story!" Many thoughts go through Vanessa's head such as why her Garchomp is cozying up with Lucas when it's been nothing but a nightmare for her and Tony. Tony runs up to her and grabs her hand holding her Poké Ball and raises it at the Garchomp, finally recalling it back to its ball. The two sigh deeply in relief.

"W-wait! That's yours? That's your Garchomp?!" Lucas exclaims. Vanessa gasps in response and in a frenzy, hides her ball behind her back.

"Uh… yes! Yes! That's my Gible! It evolved! Um, twice! Surprise!" Vanessa exclaims. Tony gives her a subtle disapproving look, noticed by no one but her.

"Vanessa…" Lucas says quietly.

"Lucas, look, I can explain—"

"I'm so proud of you," Lucas tells her. "I know we've only had a short amount of time with each other so far, but I could always kind of tell that you were very passionate about your dream—perhaps more driven than anyone I've ever met. It's hard to believe that a Pokémon could evolve, twice even, in this short amount of time but… wow. I could totally believe it if it's coming from you. I am so proud to be able to watch you grow on this journey. I can't wait to see how far you can go!"

Vanessa and Tony are absolutely stunned.

"Excuse us for a moment." Tony takes Vanessa's arm by her wrist and brings her outside. "First of all, you're dumb for lying."

"Shh! I'm… I'm just not ready yet, okay? The timing isn't right! I-I'll tell him the truth someday. Just… not now. Please don't say anything."

"Whatever. It's not my problem. He's dumb too if he believes someone as mediocre as you can achieve something like this. Does Professor Rowan hire just anybody? What is he, an intern?" Tony complains. "On second thought, did you see the way Garchomp cozied up with him?"

"Yeah…"

"Lucas is playing you."

"What?" Vanessa exclaims in her whisper. "No way."

"That Garchomp must belong to him. The owner is in Sandgem Town, remember? Coincidence? You saw the way it cozied up with him as if he knew him."

"Oh no… that—that… Oh no no no no no no…" Vanessa panics. She turns around and sees Lucas and Professor Rowan leaving the building, listening to them talk about the building damage. She runs up to Lucas.

"Lucas! Wow, you and Garchomp get along so well!" she says with an awkward cheery tone.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Lucas asks.

"W–well… I… um, I'm just surprised it remembers its original owner so well! It must have really loved you!" Vanessa says with nervous laughter.

"Oh, no need to feel threatened, Vanessa. I'm sure that the time I spent with that Gible I found that day is nothing compared to the bond you have with it now. You know, sometimes Pokémon evolve not only through hard work but from the love and devotion they have for their trainer. Garchomp is yours , Vanessa," Lucas tells her warmly.

Tony elbows Vanessa as she continues to play along, and shows Vanessa the screen of his Pokétch. On it is a message from Nemesis that they could not make it for their meeting and had to head up north. Vanessa's eyes skim through the message and at the bottom it says, "Could you meet me somewhere else at a later date?"

"Are you still interested?" Tony whispers in her ear.

Vanessa nods, prompting Tony to type away on his Pokétch.

"What are you two whispering about?" Lucas asks.

Before Vanessa can make up another excuse, the sound of a vehicle can be heard driving quickly in their direction on the road they're standing by. It is a limousine that zooms past them before braking, and reversing back to them much to their puzzlement. The window rolls down and the face behind the wheel is none other than Isabella.

"Hop in. Aiden needs you," Isabella tells Lucas.

"Huh?" Lucas replies. "Aiden needs me ? Today is just full of surprises. Jubilife City, right? Can these two come along? I have a responsibility to look after them."

"Yes. Get in quickly," Isabella says, unlocking the doors. Lucas opens the door for Vanessa and Tony to go in first. Vanessa gladly gets in, excited to ride a limousine, but Tony stands there stoically, unable to keep his eyes off of Isabella.

"What's up with you?" Vanessa asks, noticing his demeanor has changed.

"I…" Tony says, his words trembling. "I'm not going—"

"Shut up! We don't have time for this!" Vanessa takes his hand and drags him into the vehicle before he can explain anything. Lucas stares at them without a word before getting ready to step in himself.

"Wait!" a voice shouts, interrupting him. Everyone turns and sees Looker, quickly running towards them.

"Not any of you shall be in the process of leaving to here, there, nor anywhere, not without being withdrawn for questioning! I am in the need of statements with any and all evolved with this predication!" Looker declares.

"First of all, I'm so glad you're okay, Looker. I don't have time though so this will have to do!" Lucas opens his bag and opens his notebook, ripping his notes of everything that happened today, and hands it to him.

"This… this evidentiary documentation is in positive value to myself but this is not solitarily sufficient! Interviews are of a necessity!" Looker asserts.

Isabella cuts into the conversation by loudly clearing her throat, as if to remind everyone that she is in a rush. Looker turns his face in her direction and his eyes widen.

"Isabella?" he says softly under his breath.

"Anyway, Professor Rowan will speak on my behalf! I really gotta go!" Lucas explains. Before Looker can speak again, they are all alerted to the man they had tied up, now running out of the building and away.

"Halt!" Looker shouts, running after him. "Halt instantaneously!"

Lucas gets into the limo and shuts the door. He rolls down the window and quickly says goodbye to Professor Rowan as Isabella slams on the gas pedal, causing the limo to zoom through Sandgem Town's quiet streets towards Route 202.

Professor Rowan turns around and looks at the massive hole in the side of his laboratory and sighs. "Now what?"