Pokémon: A Hisuian adventure

by Lupingllogi111

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

9. Chapter 9: Arezu's predicament

Note: From now on, Pokémon speech will be in italics.

---

" Argh! Couldn't you mind your own business just once?! " Rei yelled, but he knew Akari didn't understand him.

" What do we do now? " Eevee exclaimed.

" What else? We'll have to talk. " Rei groaned.

" I don't want to be a killjoy, but you kinda don't know how to do that properly yet. " Luxio added.

" He should try at least. " Beautricia told him.

" We'll make sure she doesn't try to run. " Cyndaquil added.

Rei sighed amd turned towards the girl. "Akari..." He tried to say, but was interrupted.

"You! How- Why didn't you tell me you were... a Zoroark?!" She yelled.

Rei raised a brow. "Don't answer that question." She rectified.

"Oh, gods... It all adds up. Appearing from nowhere, not talking, weird clothes and antics... Alec was right. There is a Zoroark in the Fieldlands." Akari kept mumbling.

Rei had no idea how he could make that situation any better.

There were a few tense moments of silence. Finally, Akari dared to speak again. "What... What are you going to do now?" She asked, obvious fear in her voice.

Rei rolled his eyes. "Sorry... for not telling you?" He offered his hand to her, who just looked at Rei with a confused look.

"What are you-?"

" He's trying to help you! " Eevee said.

Akari obviously didn't know what she had say. After a while of just staring, Akari reluctantly grabbed Rei's hand and she got on her feet.

"You didn't come from a space-time rift, did you?" The girl asked.

Rei shook his head. "Then where did you come from? Or most importantly, what are you doing here?!"

Rei pointed at his throat. "Oh, you can't fully talk..." The girl groaned.

There was another silent pause where Akari glanced uncomfortably at Rei. The disguised Zoroark was about to speak before Akari beat him to it again. "Do you know how the people in the region would react if they found out about you?"

Rei's eyes widened as he flinched slightly. Eevee immediately took a battle stance making Akari recoil. "Hey, calm down!"

"You aren't getting out of here alive if you plan on snitching. " The normal type threatened, which caused Rei to grab her and put her aside.

"Don't do that. We're trying to talk here. " He said.

"I'm going to guess that was a threat." Akari awkwardly chuckled, Rei giving a nod of confirmation.

Akari took a deep breath, seemingly contemplating whether she should say what she was about to say. "It's okay. I... won't tell anyone."

" Huh?! " Everyone exclaimed.

" Just like that? " Cyndaquil added.

"I know it's hard to believe. It's hard for myself too. But I know what's going to happen if word spreads about this, and it's not good. The best outcome would be mass panic and immediate mistrust among everyone, and the worst... well, I prefer not to think about it." She explained.

Rei guessed that made sense, but he couldn't believe. "And plus, even if you're a Pokémon... I think you're not evil like all the rumors say about your species." She added.

Rei was about to jump in joy, but he had to make sure. "Really?"

"On one condition."

" Aaand, there's the catch. " Eevee groaned.

"You learned to talk by listening to people, right?" Rei gave a nod. "Then, I'll help you learn to speak in full and long sentences, only if, once you can do that, you explain to me why a Zoroark is in the Galaxy Team."

Rei shrugged and nodded yet again. "Okay!"

"Deal?" Akari said, offering her hand.

"Deal." Rei replied giving her a handshake.

She sighed, clearly relieved to hear she wasn't going to get hurt for finding out that secret. "Now, how about we go back to the village? It's been... an eventful night." Akari told Rei, stepping back towards Jubilife Village, before wincing in pain and clutching the spot where Luxio had hit her, which was her ankle.

" Oops, my bad. " The electric type chuckled, looking away.

Rei offered his hand again, and helped the girl walk as the group made their way back to the village.

As they reached their headquarters, they parted ways, and Rei locked the door, letting his illusion dissipate. " Well, that went a lot better than expected. " He commented.

" Are you kidding?! Now there's someone that knows the truth! What if she tells other people? " Eevee replied, obviously agitated.

" There's nothing we can do now, Eevee. It was my fault for training that close to the village. At least it was Akari and not any other human. Imagine if Kamado was the one that Luxio hit. "

" We would be in big trouble. " The Pokémon chuckled.

" Are your guys' days always this eventful? " Beautricia asked.

" Thankfully not. " Cyndaquil replied.

" Well... I wouldn't be so sure... " Luxio chuckled.

" So what now? Do we hope that Akari doesn't tell anyone? " Eevee sighed.

" We'll have to. But don't worry. I think she will keep her word. And hey! If she was being serious, maybe I'll finally be able to talk! "

" I don't know if that's a good thing or not... "

As the four readied themselves to go to bed, Eevee was specially close to Rei, more than other times. She seemed like she was scared that anyone could get them while they slept.

Everyone fell asleep after a while, but Rei was still awake, thinking about the events of today. He had to trust Akari. The girl didn't seem like the type of person that would break a promise, and, as she said, she didn't want to cause mass panic.

Rei was sure she wouldn't tell anyone, but seeing what happened with her, he knew that he should be a lot more careful from now on. Akari seemed to have taken it lightly, but other humans would probably not.

Rei tried to push the thoughts away, but they wouldn't disappear, no matter how hard he tried.

Meanwhile, Akari was in a similar spot. As he watched Pikachu and Mime Jr. sleep peacefully, her mind drifted back to Rei.

She knew something was going on with him ever since he first came to the village, but she didn't give it too much of a thought. After all, he really seemed like he wanted to help, and despite what Akari believed, he had, more than she had originally thought.

Yes, her and Rei had quelled Kleavor and earned both his and Wyrdeer's favor, but it wasn't just that. Thanks to him, Akari was sure she was closer to her Pokémon partners that she would ever be if Rei had never showed up. Before she met him, she would have never thought of the idea of letting her Pokémon roam free of her Poké-balls.

But here she was, not with one, but two Pokémon out of their Poké-balls.

She let out a chuckle as she laid on her fulton. She never expected Rei to be a Zoroark, but she had to admit she wasn't too surprised. The professor had always said that Pokémon were more intelligent than people said, and he was the exact proof of that.

It was a pity she couldn't tell professor Laventon about it. That look Rei's Eevee gave her was still present in her mind, and she shivered just by thinking about the tiny Pokémon going after her... and the not so tiny Pokémon too.

Despite what Akari had told Rei, she didn't promise him she wouldn't say a word just because of the reasons she explained. She also didn't want to see one of the only friends she had hurt because of... well, she knew how the commander could act when he found out about something even slightly threatening to the people of the village, and she was sure that if he found out, her trying to explain to him that Rei wasn't a threat wouldn't work at all.

She chuckled. I never would have believed I would be covering a Zoroark that joined the Galaxy Team...

And then she realized. She had to teach Rei how to speak properly. Would the people of the village notice something changed with him? Maybe, but they might just rule it out as him gaining more confidence.

And then she realized another thing. She still had to work with him, and act as if nothing happened.

Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

Both Rei and Akari had trouble sleeping that night.

---

Rei woke up with a gasp. He just had a nightmare where he was chased by a furious mob of humans, but it was thankfully not real.

The rest of his Pokémon followed suit shortly after, Eevee immediately looking at Rei. " Are you okay? " She asked.

" Yeah, just... a nightmare. "

Eevee looked at him with a soft smile before chucking. " You're still scared of being found out, aren't you? "

" Kind of. I just... don't want to lose you, guys. "

" Rei, if anyone wants to hurt you, they'll have to go through me first. " Eevee firmly stated.

" And me! " Cyndaquil added.

" And me too! " Luxio also added.

" And me too! Even if I'm not always with you, I'll go with you until the end! " Beautricia exclaimed.

Rei fought the urge to tear up. " Thank you, guys. "

He slowly stood up and stretched, applying his illusion. " Let's get moving, shall we? "

Luxio and Beautricia paled. " No! I don't want to get away from her! " Luxio whinned.

" It's too soon! " Beautricia added, climbing onto Luxio.

" Come on, lovebirds. I know it's hard, but I don't want to upset Beauregard. " Rei laughed.

The two visibly deflated and nuzzled each other one last time before walking out of Rei's headquarters.

The boy found out that there wasn't an angry mob of humans chasing him like in his dream, so that meant something good at least. It was then that he realized that Akari was nowhere to be seen. She usually woke him up, but today she didn't.

He couldn't blame her, however.

As Rei and his group made their way towards the Galaxy Team headquarters, they were suddenly stopped by a shout.

"Wow! The Galaxy Team hairdresser really is, dare I say... cutting edge!"

Rei looked at the source of the shout, and found that there was a human standing a small distance away from him. She had red hair, and wore a uniform that made Rei suspect she was part of the Diamond Clan.

The woman wasn't facing him, but she turned around after hearing him walk next to her, causing her to let out a small gasp. "Oh, hey! You're Rei! One of the two that quelled Kleavor, aren't you?" She asked him, making him nod.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed, walking closer to him. "You've got quite the reputation, you know?"

" We have a reputation? " Cyndaquil exclaimed.

" At least it's good reputation. " Eevee added.

"I mean, you quelled one of almighty Sinnoh's chosen ones! Some people are actually scared of you two for doing something that bold." The human kept explaining.

" Hey, that's cool! " Luxio commented.

"I'm Arezu, by the way!" The human said excitingly after a pause. "I'm a warden of the Diamond Clan. My special skill is giving haircuts. Real nice to meet you!"

Just before Rei could speak back, Arezu looked at the Galaxy Team headquarters and gasped. "Oh, snip! But I came here to talk to your Mr. Kamado!" She turned and began walking away. "See you around!"

The four stood there, watching as Arezu disappeared into the building. " Let's follow her. " Rei said, to which everyone agreed.

As they made their way towards the building, Luxio and Beautricia flinched when they saw Beauregard standing guard in front of the door. The guard waved at Rei once he saw him pass.

"Hello again, Rei!" He said, making both Luxio and Beautricia let out an 'aw...'.

The guard looked at the two of the with a smile. "You know, Akari told me about the relationship between your Luxio and Beautricia."

That made everyone perked up. "That made me realize that it wouldn't be fair to separate them. That's why, as long as you tell me in advance, I will be delighted to let Beautricia spend some time with you." The guard explained with a smile.

The squeal of happiness the two Pokémon let out was enough to make everyone laugh. "I can see she wasn't lying..."

As Beautricia nuzzled Luxio one last time, she walked next to the guard, waving at him.

" I'll miss you! " The electric type said.

" Me too, mighty electrical hero! " The Wurmple added, making Luxio blush slightly.

The two waved goodbye, Beauregard and Rei following suit, the former wishing the latter good luck with the day's mission.

It was when Rei entered the building that he found Akari walking up the stairs, her two Pokémon following close behind her.

All of them immediately perked up when seeing them. Pikachu immediately ran towards Rei. " She found out? "

" She found out. " The rest of the Pokémon confirmed.

" Dang, can't believe I missed it! "

"Pikachu!" Akari called.

The girl walked next to Rei and looked at him. "Good morning, Rei." She said, in a tone that was uncharacteristic of her.

It wasn't an angry tone or anything like that. It just sounded... different.

Rei didn't say anything. Not like he minded. "Let's go and see commander Kamado. He'll have the next assignment for us."

Rei nodded, following behind the girl. As they made their way up towards Kamado's office, they heard him talking to someone else. They found out it was Arezu.

"Hrmm, so it's come to Ursaluna as well..." The commander mumbled. "This suggests that even Pokémon that are not nobles can become frenzied... I have received no word from Adaman or Irida, but this is not something we can simply ignore."

After a pause where Kamado seemed to think about something, he spoke yet again. "In any case, you have my thanks Miss Arezu. You did well to inform us of Ursaluna's situation."

Arezu nodded. "No problem! Adaman's got his hands full running our clan and all, and Ursaluna's warden wouldn't even give me the time of day, so the Galaxy Team are the only ones I could turn to."

"Ursaluna's warden is Mistress Calaba of the Pearl Clan, is it not?" The commander asked. "Out of all the wardens, she's the most narrow-minded-" Kamado stopped himself and cleared his throat. "Bound by traditions. She likely does not take kindly to strangers meddling in her affairs."

It was then that he noticed Akari and Rei standing just outside of his office. "Rei, Akari, I have a new mission for you! Come on in."

As the group walked in, Arezu and the commander looked at them. "I order you to study Ursaluna in the Crimson Mirelands! I permit you to show your strength if necessary."

"Very well, commander." Akari said, while Rei only nodded.

"Now head to Captain Cyllene's office. She will explain to you the details of the mission." Kamado added.

They walked back down into the Captain's office, and they saw her sitting on her desk, among a lot of paperwork. She looked at them when she saw them entering.

"Hello, you two." She said. "Let me get the paper where I have your mission details." As Cyllene rummaged through the stacks of documents, she glanced at Akari for a second.

"Akari, you may not stay here if you wish. What I'm about to explain is for Rei mostly, since you already know about this."

"I'd like to stay, if it's alright." The girl replied.

"If that's what you want, then so be it." Cyllene nodded, finally getting the paper and looking at it.

"The next area you will be sent to investigate is the Crimson Mirelands. You will find the Pokémon living there more fearsome than those in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Even the landscape is harsher, with steep ravines and seaside cliffs, though I have the feeling you will manage."

Rei nodded. "Good. Now back to your mission. Your destination is a place within the Mirelands known as the Solaceon Ruins. That is where you'll find Ursaluna's warden."

She let the paper back on her table. "That is all. Good luck."

The two nodded, exiting the headquarters and heading for the village's exit. "Alright, so the Crimson Mirelands are just a bit further than the Obsidian Fieldlands, so the trek will take slightly longer, though not too much." Akari explained.

Rei nodded in understanding. "Is there anything you'd like to do before we set off? The girl asked.

And then Rei realized he was short on things to heal his team. "Buy." He said.

"You want to go and buy things? Okay, I suppose it's a good idea." She nodded.

Rei bought a few Oran berries, potions and a pair of Super Potions, just in case his team needed urgent care while they were out.

He then realized he should start getting money.

" Why are humans so complicated? " Luxio groaned.

" It's not complicated! We just need to work for the money! " Eevee replied.

" That's the problem! " The electric type whined.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be able to understand Pokémon..." Akari wondered out loud, putting her newly bought Revives inside her satchel. "Shall we set off?"

The group made their way outside the village, taking a path that led the opposite way to the Fieldlands. As they walked for a few minutes in complete silence, it was Akari who decided to break it.

"Hey Rei. What do you say if we take the time until we arrive at the Mirelands to help you practice your speaking?" She suggested. "Mostly basic things like leading your Pokémon and speaking longer phrases."

"Okay." Rei replied.

Akari was doubtful for a second before she shook her head. "Alright then. Repeat after me."

---

By the time they reached their destination, Rei had been practicing for at least an hour. Akari had managed to make him be able to speak sentences to lead his Pokémon in battle, though there was little progress on regular conversation.

"Well, something is better than nothing." The girl sighed as she saw the camp a small distance ahead.

" I want to see how we battle now! " Cyndaquil spoke.

" Yeah, me too! Let's battle the first Pokémon we come across! " Luxio added.

" Why are you like this? " Eevee chuckled.

" Stop bringing down the fun, Eevee! " Pikachu interrupted. " Luxio, I'm with you! "

Mime Jr. only chuckled.

Once they finally arrived at the small campsite, they saw a few guards and professor Laventon speaking to one of them.

He immediately noticed them, telling the guard that they'd talk later and then turned towards them. "Oho, my boy! You've finally been allowed to come to the Crimson Mirelands!" He chuckled. "Be warned, this area is teeming with poison wielding Pokémon!"

He then turned around and pointed somewhere far in the distance. "The Solaceon Ruins are just over that way."

" Man, I wish we could call Wyrdeer... " Pikachu whinned.

" I thought you wanted to battle the first Pokémon you saw? " Eevee laughed.

" I did, but that was before realizing how far we have to walk! "

" You're riding on Akari's shoulder. " Cyndaquil interjected.

" Shut up, nerd! "

Ignoring the discussion, Rei searched inside his satchel and took out the Celestica Flute. "Are you trying to call Wyrdeer?" Akari confusedly asked.

Rei nodded, causing her to shrug. "I doubt that's going to work, but we won't lose anything by trying."

Rei took a deep breath and remembered the melody, playing it with the flute. Everyone began glancing around, looking out for the noble, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Hm, I suppose even the noble Pokémon have some limits, eh?" The professor chuckled.

" It seems we're gonna have to wa- " Luxio began, but was stopped when they heard a cry in the distance.

" There's no way... " Eevee exclaimed.

Despite what the group had thought at first, shortly after that cried pierced the silence, Wyrdeer came galloping before stopping just in front of Rei and Akari.

" Did you request my presence? " The noble asked.

" How in the world-?! " Pikachu blurted, causing the bigger Pokémon to let out a chuckle.

" The melody from the Celestica Flute is something unique, being able to be heard from almost the entire region, if one tries. " Wyrdeer explained.

" That doesn't make any sense at all. " Cyndaquil exclaimed.

"Oh, wow." Akari simply said.

"Incredible!" The professor exclaimed.

After the initial amazement, all Pokémon were recalled back into their Poké-balls and Rei and Akari got onto Wyrdeer. After waving goodbye to the professor, Akari told Wyrdeer where they were headed, and the noble immediately began sprinting as fast as he could towards the ruins, making Rei's cap almost fly off.

After a few minutes of running at high speeds through the Mirelands, they finally arrived at the ruins. They got off Wyrdeer, thanking him before he sprinted away.

The pair let out their Pokémon and walked inside the ruins. The long hallway eventually led them to a big and empty room, with a wall with something written on it, though it was missing a piece.

They also saw another, more elderly looking human standing next to a Bibarel, looking at that same wall.

They walked closer to the warden, seeing the familiar outfit of the Pearl Clan. She had also some sort of potted plant hanging from her back.

The Bibarel was the first one to notice them, turning around, followed by the warden herself. The two gave a few steps towards them.

The human looked at them for a few seconds before speaking. "I'm Calaba of the Pearl Clan. Warden Calaba to you."

Her gaze fell down, seeing the flute inside both of their satchels. "Ho? Now would you look at that. You both have a Celestica Flute."

There was a pause. "I've heard about what you two have done. That you quelled Kleavor in his frenzy."

"That is correct, yes." Akari confirmed, Rei nodding as well.

The warden let out a weak nod too. "I'm sure many people were saved by your actions, but I wonder if there wasn't some other way to handle the situation."

The warden looked at them, a scowl on her look. "What you did is hardly different from bullying a Pokémon into submission, after all."

Rei was about to tell that warden that what that did was indeed very different from bullying anyone into submission, and that if it weren't for them, Kleavor would still be walking around, frenzied, and throwing people around.

Thankfully, Akari seemed to know what was going on through his head, and immediately put a hand over his mouth, shaking her head slightly.

Calaba gave a slight frown at the duo's antics. "I don't need any help from your sort. Or the Diamond Clan for that matter. That young lady, Arezu, offered to help, but associating with the Diamond Clan... It just won't do."

She turned around and away from them. "Be on your way. There is much I must do, and I'd prefer not to be distracted any further." And she walked away, towards the wall.

Everyone was left stunned. There was a silent question that everyone shared. " What the heck is her deal?! " Pikachu exclaimed.

Or maybe it wasn't that silent.

" I don't know, but I doubt we'll be able to do anything. " Eevee groaned.

Luxio, Cyndaquil and Mime Jr. simply shared a glance, the latter not understanding too much of the situation, but still not liking Calaba too much.

"Let's go, Rei. There's no point in staying here." Akari told him, walking a bit closer. "And please, try not to get aggressive with a warden next time." She whispered.

Rei nodded and turned around, the two headed for the hallway before a familiar figure stopped them.

"Ah! Rei and Akari! A surprise seeing you here!"

It was Volo, walking inside the ruins and towards them. "Volo? What are you doing here?" Akari asked.

" Why is he always after us? " Cyndaquil exclaimed.

"I usually come here from time to time." The merchant replied with a smile. "Hey, what do you say if you both show me the strength that could quell even a frenzied lord?"

"A battle?" Akari asked him.

"Yes! Two of my Pokémon against the two of you! A two on two battle! What do you say?"

Rei looked at Akari and nodded eagerly, making the girl sigh. "Okay. We have some time."

Volo smiled and nodded. "Great! A battle with you might let me experience even a fraction of the power the nobles wield!"

Pikachu immediately jumped down from Akari's shoulders and prepared himself to fight. Cyndaquil was about to do the same but Eevee beat him to it, jumping next to him.

" Sorry, but I need to practice. And I don't want you to have a tough time. " She apologized.

" Oh... " The fire type frowned, his face falling down before stepping back. Rei could swear he was grumbling about something, but he didn't quite hear him too well.

"Are you ready?" Volo yelled from the other side.

"Yes!" The two replied.

With a nod, Volo grabbed his two Poké-balls and threw them up in the air, revealing Togepi and yet another Pokémon. A Gible, if Rei remembered right. He had heard about their fierce evolved counterparts. It was a few of the Pokémon that dared to oppose his own species.

" Aha! We meet again, at last! " The small fairy type said. " This time, I won't fall for your dirty tactics! "

" You're still sooo cute... " Eevee cooed.

" Curse you, lass! " Togepi replied.

" Hello! " The dragon type waved.

"Alright, let's start this then!" Volo yelled. "Togepi, Draining Kiss! Gible, Bulldoze!"

The two attacks were quickly fired at Eevee and Pikachu. "Dodge!" Rei and Akari yelled.

The two Pokémon barely jumped out of the way of the moves, landing on the ground perfectly. "Our turn now, Rei!" Akari yelled.

Rei nodded. "Eevee, go for a Quick Attack! Aim at Gible!"

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock, at Togepi!"

Eevee sprinted towards the small dragon type and Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity at Togepi. The smaller Pokémon managed to dodge the electricity, but Give wasn't so lucky, and got hit with a direct Quick Attack, sending him flying back.

"Hah, that was good!" Volo commented. "But let's see how you do against this! Gible, use Twister!"

The dragon type began spinning faster and faster, slowly gaining momentum until a small tornado formed just where Gible was. Eevee and Pikachu clawed against the floor, feeling themselves getting pulled.

Despite their best efforts, both were ultimately sucked inside the move, and began spinning for a long while before getting booted out, falling with a thud against the floor.

" Woah! " Mime Jr. exclaimed.

" Ugh... " Pikachu groaned.

" You okay? " Eevee called.

" Yeah, I'm fi- Eevee, behind you! "

Before the normal type could even react, Togepi threw himself against her and kissed one of her cheeks before jumping back, Eevee visibly recoiling and tumbling.

After she shook her head, she looked at the fairy type. " How did a Draining Kiss hurt so much?! "

" Because I boosted my attack power with Calm Mind! " Togepi proudly declared.

So that's what he's doing...

"Did you like it?" Volo called. "There's more to come! Gible, let's do it again!"

" Okay! " The Pokémon cheered, using the move again. Pikachu and Eevee couldn't hold their own weight against the winds force, and Rei and Akari were scrambling to come up with something.

"Rei, what do we do?!" She exclaimed.

"Uhh..."

He didn't know. There was no opening to get to Togepi to stop him from using Calm Mind without dodging the tornado, and there was no possible way to go through it or around it, not without getting sucked in, thrown out, and hurt.

Wait. Maybe that was the play.

"Eevee, jump into the move!"

" What?! " Eevee and Pikachu exclaimed.

"Rei, what are you doing?" Akari asked him.

"Trust me! Inside the move!"

Eevee looked like she was trying to find out what Rei's plan was, but she didn't have the chance, as she was about to get sucked anyway.

" I hope you know what you're doing! " She said before letting go of the ground and flying inside the tornado, spinning.

Rei waited for the perfect moment to execute his plan. The moment Eevee's trajectory was perfect, he let out another yell. "Quick Attack to fly out! NOW!"

" What? " Was all that Togepi could say before a brown furred bullet suddenly smashed against his body, knocking him back a good distance.

That caused Gible to stop spinning as he looked at his partner. Togepi groaned and shakily stood up. It seemed the combined force of the move and the Twister's speed had done a good amount of damage on him.

" I won't... falter... "

"Now's our chance!" Akari shouted. "Pikachu, Thunder Wave!"

"Don't let them!" Volo replied. "Gible, Bulldoze!"

"Nuh uh! Eevee, Swift!" Rei said.

Thanks to Eevee's attack, Gible's Bulldoze missed its intended target, and Pikachu was able to hit his attack. Togepi began twitching, unable to move.

"Now! Thunder Shock!"

"Swift!"

"Gible, Bull-"

But it was too late. The attacks hit Togepi and he was once again sent flying back into Volo's arms. He didn't move.

" That's one down! " Pikachu cheered.

" Nice one, Ocko! " Luxio yelled.

" So cool! " Mime Jr. laughed.

Eevee turned to look at Rei, her face slightly green. " Don't you ever... make me do that again. "

"Hm, that was a nice strategy!" The merchant told Rei, though despite his cheery tone, it was clear he was not happy about it.

"It was!" Akari confirmed. "But next time, you should tell-"

She looked away, realizing what she said. "Nevermind."

Volo arched a brow but didn't comment further. "Let's finish this then, shall we?" He smirked.

"Gible! Your strongest Bulldoze!"

With a determined expression, Gible began stomping on the ground as fast and strong as he could. Columns of dirt were immediately shot at Pikachu and Eevee at very fast speeds.

"Watch it!" Akari and Rei yelled.

Eevee had enough reflexes to dodge the dirt, but Pikachu wasn't so lucky, and despite his attempts, he was hit with a super effective move, rendering him out the match.

"Pikachu!" Akari yelled, running to get him.

The electric type barely moved, and Akari cursed to herself. She was about to recall the Pokémon into his Poké-ball, but she instead let the ball back in her satchel and took an Oran berry, giving it to him.

Pikachu ate it and then Akari grabbed him, holding him in her arms as the two watched Rei.

"It's all in your hands, Rei!" She said.

" Kick... his butt for... me, 'kay? " Pikachu wheezed.

" Will do! " Eevee replied.

The two remaining Pokémon stood looking at each other, waiting for the other one to make a move. After a few minutes, Eevee took a deep breath and attempted to use Baby-Doll Eyes.

That only cause a confused expression from both Volo and Gible. " Still doesn't work, huh? " She groaned.

Regardless, both of the Pokémon were on a pretty rough shape, just a few hits away from fainting, so Rei and Volo both had to play their cards carefully.

"Gible, use Bulldoze!" The merchant yelled, and with a determined expression, Gible got onto using the move.

"Eevee, Quick Attack to dodge!"

Eevee used the momentum from the move to fly between the dirt approaching towards her at alarming speeds and get closer to Gible. It was clear Volo didn't know what to do anymore. "Gible, use Twister to stop her!"

However, the dragon type didn't have enough time to move or even start using the move before Eevee was just in front of him.

"Finish it with Swift!"

Star shaped projectiles flew towards the dragon type, and he didn't even have the reaction time to dodge them.

Gible screamed as he felt every part of the attack hit him fully, before he fell unconscious.

They had won.

" YEAH! " All the Pokémon at Rei's side cheered. All except Cyndaquil.

Eevee, however, didn't move at all. "Hurray..." She managed to say, before she too fell to the ground with a groan.

Both Volo and Rei rushed to get their Pokémon on their arms.

"Such prodigious strength you both have!" Volo chuckled before taking a good look at their Pokémon.

"Here, this should help your Pokémon get back in shape." He said, handing Pikachu and Eevee a Sitrus berry, which they immediately devoured.

" No fair! " Luxio whinned.

Volo did the same with his own Pokémon, who ate the berry slightly more slower.

Once Pikachu and Eevee could once again walk on their own, Volo turned to them. "Well, I think that settles it." He laughed. "Good battle!"

"Thank you!" Rei replied. He had to admit, it had been fun.

"Your tactics were amazing!" Akari added.

"Thank you! We have practiced a lot on our free time for them to work." He said, looking at his Pokémon.

"Having said this, I must ask you two for your help in retrieving the stolen Wall Fragment now." The marchant spoke, turning to them. "With your skill, it should be a cinch!"

"The what?" Rei told him.

"Stolen? What do you mean stolen?" Akari asked.

"Some bandits pillaged the Solaceon Ruins and made off with a fragment of the wall engravings." Volo explained, looking at said wall.

"Have you not heard of the notorious Miss Fortunes? They are a trio of bandits that have even hit us Ginkgo Guild merchants more than a few times!" He spoke with a hint of annoyance. "Not the regulars I like to have, let me tell you."

" Bandits?! " The Pokémon exclaimed.

"A trio of bandits stole from the Solaceon Ruins?" Akari shouted, dumbfounded.

Rei frowned. So there's bandits now?

Volo then looked at the warden, who was gazing intensely at the wall with the missing piece with a sad face. "Mistress Calaba is doing everything she can to regain the fragment, but at 99 years old..." Volo kept speaking.

" How many?! " Everyone shouted, and Rei could swear that Calaba turned her head around for a split second.

" That's a lot of years. " Mime Jr. commented.

Volo chuckled at the sudden yell. "Exactly. With that age, it's hard for her to search for leads all over the place."

The merchant turned to look at them again. "So what do you say? Why not help find the fragment for the warden?" He asked. "Oh, naturally, I'll be able to lend you a hand. Those sisters swiped my wares too, and I'm no Ginkgo Guild member if I take that lying down! And far be it from me to let them get away with vandalizing the precious ruins of this region!" He added.

There was a pause, in which Rei and Akari looked at each other. "May we talk this in private?" The girl asked Volo.

"Sure!" He nodded and turned around. "Togepi, Gible, let's go!" He told them, walking out of the ruins.

" That was a nice battle! You guys were so cool! " Gible exclaimed.

" Thanks! " Pikachu proudly declared.

" I must admit it was very enlightening. " Togepi added.

" And you were so cute while fighting too! " Eevee added with an evil grin.

Togepi held his tongue, and the two walked out, leaving Akari and Rei alone.

The girl immediately turned at the fake human. "Okay, firstly, is it normal for other Pokémon to be that good at leading other Pokémon?" She asked.

Rei arched a brow. "Thank you?" He chuckled.

"I suppose that's a no." She sighed. "Alright, let's get back on topic. What do you think about what Volo just told us?"

Rei thought about it. He didn't like the idea of bandits stealing something as important as a historical relic. He knew the pain that was getting the food from his pack stolen by other Pokémon, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling. He didn't know why Volo cared so much about the wall fragment, but he guessed he liked the ancient history the ruins had to offer, or something.

Maybe he just wanted to show those bandits what happened to those that messed with him, who knows?

" I don't know about you, but I want to kick some bandit butt! " Luxio cheered, a few sparks coming from his fur.

" Yeah! Let's do that! " Pikachu added.

" Whatever. " Cyndaquil huffed.

" Yeah, stealing other people's things is wrong! " Mime Jr. chimed in.

" And hey, maybe if we get the fragment back, we'll manage to convince Calaba about letting us help her! " Eevee nodded.

Rei nodded. "Help."

"I was thinking that too. I just can't stand knowing that bandits just took an important piece of history for themselves because they felt like it." Akari replied with a determined nod. "And as a bonus, we might manage to convince the warden to let her help us." She added. "Though, I'm still confused as to why Volo is so keen on getting that fragment back..."

Rei simply shrugged.

"You're right. We shouldn't judge the reason, whichever it is." She agreed. "Now let's go after Volo." Akari gestured at him to follow her as they both walked out, ready to find Volo.

He was playing with his Pokémon, but he immediately turned his head at them when he heard them.

"Oh, hello there! So what will it be?" He asked.

"We'll help." The girl simply spoke.

"Wonderful!" The merchant cheered. "In that case, I should tell you I did see the remains of a campfire near the Mirelands Camp. Perhaps it's worth checking out?"

"All leads are better than no leads. Can you show us where it is exactly?" Akari asked.

"Sure enough! Just follow me!"

---

" For the last time, I don't know where he is! "

She hated being interrupted when doing her already long list of duties, and even more when it was her own father, who had decided to take her somewhere where they could 'talk' privately just to ask the same questions all over again.

" I know , you do! " Alpha growled back, before his face went from a deep frown to...

An exhausted look. " Please. You do not understand. " He begged, his face falling down.

He begged . His face fell down.

" What... "

There was a few minutes of silence, where the two Zoroark stared at each other. " What's going on with you now? " The younger Zoroark asked her father.

The larger ghost type looked at his pup. " I... cannot tell you. "

She was about to speak when Alpha interrupted her. " I know he has headed off towards one of the human settlements. He was teleported by a Kadabra that has been bothering us for a while now, and even she doesn't know where he could be. "

Rei's sister was genuinely surprised to hear that, making her gasp. " He got... teleported? "

After a long while of thinking, she let out a sigh, and mentally cursed to herself. Why did that have to happen to you...

" Fine! Yes, he went to look for humans, but I don't know where he went. Just that he went away with his friend Eevee. "

Alpha frowned. " Don't look at me like that. I'm being serious this time. I don't know anything else, and neither did they, for that matter. " She added.

Alpha stared long and hard at his pup, before letting a sigh. " I suppose this means there is only one thing left to do. "

" What? "

" We will have to search for him ourselves. " Alpha stated, walking away.

" Wait! You know that even if you find him, he won't want to come back right? "

That caused the larger Zoroark to stop for a second, looking back. " Deep down, I knew this would happen eventually. "

He turned his head back towards the front. "I do not plan on forcing him to come back. I just have to find him before something happens. If you want to help us find him, just tell me."

And he walked away.

Rei's sister was left there, not believing what just happened. His father had suddenly changed his attitude drastically. Apparently, he didn't want to force Rei to be his successor now, which made her very confused.

Nonetheless, she had learned that her little bro could actually be in danger if what her father had told her was true and he had gotten teleported somewhere.

Alpha knew where Rei was now, so it didn't make sense to keep acting as if nothing was wrong.

" Why did I let you go? " She groaned, running after Alpha.

---

Rei sneezed as the three arrived at the campfire Volo told them about. It was a simple stack of wood surrounded by stones, in the middle of four small logs.

It was clear someone had been there recently.

" Come on! I need to fight more! I'll never be strong enough if I don't! " Rei heard Cyndaquil shout.

" You've battled every single Pokémon we've come across. Maybe you should calm down. " Luxio said.

" No! I... I need to get strong! "

Rei mentally sighed. Ever since Eevee hadn't let Cyndaquil battle, the fire type had developed a fixation on battling until he couldn't anymore to 'get stronger'.

Was it because of what he promised to Oshawott and Rowlett? He wasn't sure, but he didn't look at all like himself.

" Come on, just listen to us! " Eevee tried to reason, but Cyndaquil kept looking around, ready to pounce on anyone that got too close.

Rei simply shook his head. He'd deal with it later.

Akari walked a bit closer to the campfire and kneeled beside it. She touched the burnt wood and looked at her hand. "It's still hot."

"They must have been here very recently." Volo added.

Rei started looking around the area, the rest following suit. At least, until a voice suddenly spoke.

"Now, who might you be? Not some stray travellers, for the looks of you."

All of them turned to the source of the voice, Volo gasping. "It's you!" He exclaimed.

Three women stood a small distance away from them, wearing... bizarre outfits. And people thought the clothes I had when I arrived were weird...

The left one had ponytails, and a blue dress, with her face painted. The right one wore a ripped jacket exposing a robe similar to one of the Pearl Clan underneath. She had blue hair similar to Cyllene's with two small spiked horns made out on the sides.

The one in the middle, presumably their leader if Rei guessed right, had a dark purple robe and pants with a scarf and her face painted too.

Pikachu began laughing. " These are the bandits? "

His laughing didn't go unnoticed by the bandits, but they didn't seem to give it much thought.

"There's only one reason people go poking around out here in the middle of nowhere!" The left one said. "You're after us three aren't you?!"

She looked at Volo. "Especially you, merchant boy. How are your wares going?"

Volo frowned deeply. Rei had never seen him that upset, and apparently, neither had Akari.

"Sisters, we should introduce ourselves properly." The right one said. "Before we show these poor fools how wrong they were to assume they could even beat us."

The other two nodded, as the middle one began speaking. "I bring good luck to my sisters wherever I go, and ill luck to those that cross our paths! I'm the eldest and I'll be your unlucky Charm!"

"Thought you spotted a four leaf clover? Well, I'll soon have you seeing double!" The left one said. "I'm the middle sister, and I'm one Clover you can't pick!"

"Heads, I win, tails, you lose! You've got no chance at this game of fortunes!" The right one told them. "I'm the youngest one, Coin, but I'm definitely not your good luck piece!"

Once she had finished, the three striked a pose. "We're the infamous bandit trio, the Miss Fortune sisters, and your luck has just ran out!" The three exclaimed in unison.

The clearing fell silent for a few seconds. Nothing but the rustling of leaves from the trees could be heard. At least, until all the Pokémon bursted into laughter.

" What kind of joke is this?! " Eevee wheezed.

" How can these three be bandits? " Luxio added.

" They are funny! " Mime Jr. chuckled.

" I can't believe people are scared of these three! " Gible laughed.

" Those names do not help in the slightest. " Togepi chuckled.

Pikachu and Cyndaquil didn't say anything, opting to simply laugh until they couldn't anymore.

Volo, Rei and Akari weren't any different whatsoever, though they at least tried to hide it. Some better than others.

Rei was by far the one that handled it the worst, his chuckling turning into laughter not too long after hearing his Pokémon.

"Wha- How dare you?!" Clover fumed.

"Do you not have appreciation for your physical integrity, boy?" Charm added.

Coin gave a step forward, an angry look on her face. "Let me handle this, sisters. I will only hurt him a little." She said, taking a Poké-ball out.

" Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let me just- " Luxio tried to walk in front of Rei, ready to battle, before Cyndaquil ran in front of him. " Hey! "

" I want to battle! I have to battle! " He said.

" You're starting to scare me. " The electric type groaned. " Whatever. Show that Pokémon what's good! " He cheered, walking away.

"Come on, Toxicroak. Let's douse this fool in poison!" She shouted, throwing the ball in the air, letting her Pokémon out. Rei supposed that was a Toxicroak.

" Ooooh, a battle? " She cooed. " Who's my- " The Pokémon shut up when she saw Cyndaquil glaring at her.

" Something on my face? " The fire type asked sarcastically. His tone was filled with anger.

Toxicroak seemed like she was about to comment, but instead decided to shrug. " Whatever. I've beaten Pokémon smaller than you. " She told him, preparing to battle.

Cyndaquil's flames flared in anticipation, and Rei could swear they looked... different.

Whatever. He wasn't going to lose to... these people.

"Toxicroak, show him what a good Venoshock feels like." Coin spoke, the Pokémon smirking and launching a stream of purplish poison filled darts at Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, Rollout out of their way!" Rei yelled, and Cyndaquil almost immediately curled into a ball and rolled out of the attack, changing his direction to hit Toxicroak.

" Hmph! Not bad, kid! " She exclaimed. " But you'll need much more than that to knock me- "

Without Rei even saying anything, Cyndaquil proceeded to launch himself against Toxicroak a lot of times more with Rollout, followed by high speed tackles with Quick Attack, and finally, a rain of Embers.

" What the- " Rei heard Luxio say.

"What is your Cyndaquil doing?" Akari exclaimed.

Rie didn't know what to say. Whatever it was, it seemed to have caused an impact on Toxicroak, because she was huffing and panting.

" I don't know what you just did, but you are starting to push me to my limit. " She said.

Rei heard Coin mutter something along the lines of 'how is that Pokémon so strong' and then gestured at the poison type. "Toxicroak, let's show them what real strength is! Rock Smash!"

The bigger Pokémon ran towards Cyndaquil, who didn't react quick enough and got immediately hit by the move, launching him backwards. As he groaned and got back up, it seemed he wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

"Cyndaquil! Go for-" Rei began, but Cyndaquil instead decided to act on his own and once again roll at Toxicroak with Rollout.

"Not again!" Coin yelled. "Venoshock!"

Rei didn't know what he was seeing, but Cyndaquil simply dodged every single one of the poisonous projectiles, and hit his target, right on her stomach, causing her to yelp...

Just before Cyndaquil used Quick Attack and jumped upwards, his head connecting with Toxicroak's chin, immediately shutting her mouth and pushing her backwards.

She didn't get back up.

As the Pokémon was recalled back into her Poké-ball, the clearing fell silent.

Why did he just...

"Erm... Good job?" Volo reluctantly spoke.

" Why did you just act all on your own? " Eevee asked Cyndaquil, as he made his way back with the group, groaning from the hit he endured.

" I saw opportunities to get hits, and I took them. Is that against the rules now? " He shot back.

That's... not the Cyndaquil I know. Is he just mad because Eevee fought Volo?

He definitely needed to talk with him when they were in an area where they could do it.

"Urgh!" Coin groaned. "The Galaxy Team continues to spoil things for me, even after I left! Take the blasted fragment and go! Just leave us alone!"

She proceeded to quite literally throw the piece of the wall at them, but Rei managed to catch it before it fell.

He gave it to Volo, who began inspecting it, before nodding. "It's the real one." He confirmed.

"Good." Akari added.

"The weird writing on it made us think the stupid thing was some kind of treasure. But it turned out to be a worthless slab of junk!" Clover told them. "Tch, all that effort for nothing..."

"How dare you call this 'worthless'?!" Volo shouted, offended.

The three bandits simply ignored him. Charm looked at Akari and Rei. "Tell me, why were you even seeking us out? What set you on this path?" She glanced at the frowning merchant. "Apart from your friend."

What path? Looking for the fragment, or whatever I'm living through right now? I wanted to explore the region, not go after bandits and risk my life quelling nobles!

"We wanted to help Calaba!" Akari exclaimed. "You stealing the piece of the wall caused her an unnecessary amount of stress and worrying!" The girl exclaimed.

"And Ursaluna too!" Rei added.

Charm raised an eyebrow. "Goodness, how selfless of you two, to go so far out of your way for the sake of another..." She said. "Not all of us have the luxury of offering such unthinking kindness to strangers. For some of us, surviving another day takes all that we have."

Is it wrong I relate to that?

Her look then turned into a frown. "And I've got a score to settle with the Galaxy Team, which now includes you two, and that merchant!" She exclaimed.

After a pause, she turned to one side and closed her eyes. "Remember what those ancient verses tell us. «Why is it, in days of spring, beneath the soft caress of the Sun,-»"

"«The blossoms tremble and fall, spirits lashed by uncertainty?»" Volo finished.

"Hmph, you know your fair share of ancient verses, don't you?" Charm retorted. "Your days are also numbered, Galaxy fools and merchant boy."

After that threat, the three sisters turned tail and ran away from them, disappearing from their view shortly after.

"That was... something." Akari commented.

"Something indeed." Volo sighed. "Come on, let's return the fragment to the warden."

As Volo and Akari started walking, the girl took notice of Rei standing still, eyes fixated on Cyndaquil. Akari took a few steps towards him. "Do you need to talk to him?" She asked him.

"Yeah."

She nodded. "We'll get going. Don't take too long." And she ran after Volo, Pikachu and Mime Jr. on her shoulders.

When he was certain no one was hearing them, he immediately scowled at Cyndaquil, the rest of the Pokémon following suit. " What? " The fire type asked.

" I don't know. You tell me! " Rei exclaimed. " You could have gotten seriously hurt when hitting that Toxicroak repeatedly over and over! Or what if she saw through your attacks and hit you too hard? "

" And you didn't even let Rei say anything! You just went to battle on your own! " Eevee added.

" That was a weird strategy, Cyndaquil. " Luxio finished.

" Oh, so now you guys are questioning my way of battling? Have I ever questioned yours? " Cyndaquil shot back.

" Of course we'll question your way of battling when you don't even Rei finish his sentences! " The normal type told him. " Is this because you couldn't fight against Volo? Because you sure have drastically changed in the span of less than a few hours ever since then! "

" Wha- No! It's not because of that! ...Probably. Whatever, I already told you! I have to get strong! And I need to battle for that! Do you think I like it when people see me and go 'oh, I could easily beat this kid'. Do you just not understand? " The fire type exclaimed.

" Alright, this is getting out of our hands. " Rei immediately stopped them. " Look, I get that you want to become strong, probably because of a certain pair of Pokémon, and all that, and I respect you wanting to have initiative, but you have to understand that smashing your head against a poison type repeatedly is not a good idea. "

Cyndaquil widened his eyes (as far as he could, of course) at the mention of Oshawott and Rowlett, before crossing his arms and grumbling.

" Who are you, and what have you done with our Cyndaquil? " Luxio let out a bitter chuckle.

It seemed the conversation wasn't going to lead them anywhere, so Rei simply urged the Pokémon to get moving back to the Solaceon Ruins.

---

Rei found Akari and Volo at the entrance of the ruins, waiting for him. "You arrived. Good." Volo said. "Come on, let's go and give this fragment to the warden."

The entered the hallway to the ruins, Akari slowing her pace to be able to talk to Rei. "How did it go?" She whispered.

Rei glanced back at the Pokémon following him. It seemed Cyndaquil was now walking a small distance away from Eevee and Luxio, who were having a lively chat.

"Eh..." He simply told her.

She let out a chuckle. "You know, if that worries you, we can talk to the professor later. I'm sure he'll know what's going on with your Cyndaquil."

" Nothing's going on with me, leave me alone! " He exclaimed, which only made Akari chuckle more.

Their conversation came to an end when they saw Volo just a small distance away from Calaba. "Listen, you should be aware of Calaba's reputation. They say she's stubborn, too old fashioned and so on."

"We already knew that." Akari rolled her eyes.

"But that's not all! She's given the Pearl Clan all she has, ever since she was young. She lived her prime years here in the Hisui region, trusting in the guidance of almighty Sinnoh."

He raised his hand to his chin in thought. "I don't think she hates the Diamond Clan or the Galaxy Team. Rather, I think she loves the Pearl Clan very, very much."

He paused. "Anyway, I do hope you are able to calm Ursaluna's frenzy, Rei and Akari. A raging Pokémon in the area definitely isn't suitable for business, I assure you."

"Wait! Aren't you staying with us?" Akari asked.

"Unfortunately, I must go back to my Ginkgo Guild duties. However, it's been a pleasure going on this small adventure with you two!" Volo smiled, giving Akari the fragment and walking away.

"We'll see each other soon!"

" Bye! " Gible waved.

" Farewell! " Togepi added, doing the same.

The rest waved too as they saw Volo and his partners disappear from their view. Now that they were alone, it was time to talk to the warden.

Rei and Akari made their way across the empty room, their Pokémon just behind them. They stopped behind the warden, who didn't seem to have heard them. With how old she is, I'm surprised she can still hear at all.

It was the Bibarel beside her who turned to them and widened his eyes. " It's you! "

That made Calaba turn around herself, eyeing the pair with an annoyed look. "Oh, so you've come to bother me again?" She asked. "Well, come as often as you'd like, but it won't change my mind." She told them.

Akari and Rei looked at each other, and the girl took out the wall fragment, showing it to the warden. "Perhaps this will?"

Calaba widened her eyes in surprise as she took the wall fragment, inspecting it carefully, not believing her eyes.

"What?! You went and retrieved the fragment from those bandits?"

After the two gave her a nod, the warden looked even more confused. "Why go out of your way like that to help a complete stranger like me?" She asked.

"Because what those bandits did wasn't good. And we needed to prove that we are trustworthy enough to help you!" Akari replied.

"Yeah!" Rei added.

There was a small pause where the warden looked between the two of them, still not believing what she was hearing. "I guess you're that eager to calm Ursaluna, hmm?"

"We just don't want to see any noble Pokémon suffer." Akari nodded, Rei following suit.

Calaba's face fell slightly downwards. "I'll admit, I didn't expect anybody else to truly care for Ursaluna..." She let out a small chuckle. "Well then, let's put this fragment back in its place."

Once the warden returned the piece of the wall back to its place, she took a few steps back, glancing at it.

"And there we go. Good as new."

Now, Rei could make out the symbols that were written on the wall, but he didn't understand anything. For the looks of it, neither did Akari not the Pokémon.

"Let me read what it says." Calaba spoke, seeing their expressions. "«All lives touch other lives to create something anew and alive.»"

The warden's eyes once again widened, as she realized something. "...I see." She muttered. "I suppose it means people helping each other, like how you helped retrieve the fragment..."

She let out a deep and long sigh. "I've read this passage many, many times, but this is the first time I understood what it means. Maybe this is almighty Sinnoh's guidance?"

She then turned around and looked at the two of them. "What are your names then, young ones?"

"I'm Akari, and this here is Rei."

"Hi."

"I see... Akari and Rei. Please, lend me your strength so we may help Ursaluna." Calaba told them. "It's true that Ursaluna has become enraged, but he doesn't seem to be on an utter frenzy. I think he will return to his normal state if we can give him some medicine."

She stopped for a second, clearly not believing she was saying those words. "I could never bring myself to engage Pokémon in battle, but that's something I can rely on you for, am I right?"

Rei and Akari shared a glance before nodding to each other. "Yes, warden Calaba. You can count on us for this task." Akari nodded.

Rei gave a smirk and nodded too.

" So we finally convinced her? " Pikachu asked

" Looks like it. " Eevee replied.

" Finally! " Cyndaquil groaned.

"Ursaluna prefers to stay on Sludge Mound. I'll show you the way there, if you're ready." Calaba nodded.

"We are ready." Rei said, full of determination.

"What he said." Akari added.

"Very well. Let's not waste anymore time."

The group arrived at their destination, only to find a group of humans with worried expressions. They seemed to perk up when they saw Rei and Akari. "Oh! Hello there! You're the Survey Corps kids who quelled the lord of the woods, aren't you?" One of them said.

"Yes, we are." Akari nodded. "Why?"

The human sighed, relieved. "I wouldn't like to interrupt whatever task you are carrying..." He said, glancing at Calaba. "...but do you think you two could help us with setting up our new base camp? We're making one up by the bogs."

He turned towards one side, making Rei and Akari turn their heads as well. "Our Odo could sure use someone as capable as you. He's a fresh Construction Corps recruit, still learning the ropes."

Rei turned to look at Akari, who in turn looked at Calaba. "I suppose a base camp just next to our destination could come in handy." The warden said. "Go ahead. I'll wait for you at Sludge Mound."

"Very well then." The girl smiled. "So where is this Odo?"

The man pointed somewhere in the distance. "Over there."

"Okay. Let's go Rei."

"Sure!"

Without further delay, the duo and their Pokémon set off in the search of Odo. It wasn't too long until they found him. The man was standing still in one place, fearfully looking at a trio of Pokémon.

Rei didn't know too well which Pokémon they were, since he had never seen them, but the three were the same species, purple with a few white stripes.

" Heh, see this guy's face? " One of them asked.

" He's scared out of his wits! " The second one laughed.

" I say we stink him and get out of here! Standing here is getting boring." The third one suggested, to which they all agreed.

Before anything could escalate any further, Rei took a step forward, getting the attention of the Pokémon and Odo himself. "Whoa there, I'd keep your distance if I were you." The man warned them. "Just look at those bothers! They're taking up the spot where I was going to set up a base camp."

" Bothers?! You are a bother! " One of the Pokémon said.

"One Stunky would be a headache, but this little group is a full-blown migraine!" Odo sighed.

So these Pokémon were called Stunky. " What do you mean?! You were the one that disturbed the place we made ours ever since a few minutes ago! " A Stunky said.

" What is even going on today... " Eevee shook her head.

" I just accepted this is our life now. " Luxio shrugged.

"Maybe I can get someone else from the team to handle this. Someone good at battling..."

Rei looked at Akari with a smug smirk. The girl seemingly understood what he wanted to say, so she did it for him. "We can drive them off."

Odo seemed taken aback by that. "Are you sure you're up to this? They stink something fierce..."

Rei glanced at the three Stunky, who looked back at him with smirks of their own. He frowned.

"No problem. We've dealt with worse than that." Akari confirmed.

"Well, if you insist... But you've got to beat all three of them, so be ready to run and stay downwind!" Saying this, Odo walked away from the battlefield, leaving Rei and Akari to beat the Stunky by themselves.

" Well, change of plans! It seems we'll have to stink these two instead! " One of the Stunky said.

" Let's do this quickly! " Another one said, readying to battle.

" Yeah! " The last one added.

" I am not going to get myself stinking, thank you very much. " Eevee spoke, walking behind Rei.

" Tsch. Girls... " Pikachu rolled his eyes, jumping down.

" Guess I'll have to- " Luxio began, but Cyndaquil dashed next to Pikachu. " Whatever, dude. "

" It's a three versus three. Come on. " The electric type told him.

" Nah. Let's see if Mr. strong can win all by himself. " The other electric type groaned, annoyed.

I don't like how this day is going.

Pikachu looked like he didn't know what to do, and Cyndaquil looked unbothered, his eyes fixed on the Stunky in front of them.

"What is going on with your team today?" Akari asked.

"Good question." Rei sighed.

" Tsch, these two want to get us out of here? I'd like to see them try." One of the Stunky laughed.

" What's up, fire boy? Did you lose your mommy? " Another one said.

Rei could practically feel the anger coming from Cyndaquil.

" Whatever. Let's see how she reacts when we send her kiddo folded like a- "

He was interrupted by the fire type using a Rollout and ramming straight to the Pokémon's side, sending him flying.

" Woah! "

" What the-?! "

The thrown Stunky didn't get back up. The other two glared at Cyndaquil with a killer look. " You're gonna pay for that… "

And they both threw some sort of purple poison at both him and Pikachu. "Dodge!" Both Rei and Akari exclaimed.

Both Pokémon ran at their opponents with Quick Attack, Cyndaquil's in strong style for the looks of it, before tackling them to stop them from using another attack. Before they could counter the attacks, Pikachu and Cyndaquil sprayed them with Thunder Shocks and Embers respectively.

It was clear the Stunky didn't expect them to be that strong, so they immediately scrambled and fled the moment they had the chance.

" Who's the kiddo now, huh?! "

The fire type snarled as he saw them run, throwing a last Ember.

" You know what? This time, your anger is justified. "

"You weren't kidding! You've got talent! And your Pokémon were so brave too." Odo exclaimed from behind them. "I can't believe you handled three Stunky all by yourselves without getting smelly! Thanks to your efforts, we can get the base camp set up now. Hold on here for a minute."

Odo went away to look for his colleagues, leaving Rei, Akari and the Pokémon to chat among themselves until the Construction Corps arrived.

It was amazing to see the speed with which they built the tents, and even the campfire and banners to decorate it.

Before long, there was another camp set up in front of them.

Odo walked next to the duo. "There we go. What do you think? We'll call this Bogbound Camp. It makes things feel a little safer out here, no? And there's not a whiff of Stunky in here! Stop by anytime!"

"Thank you for building the camp." Akari nodded, turning towards Rei. "Let's go back with warden Calaba."

Rei nodded.

As the duo made their way back to where the warden awaited them, they found that Calaba was with her Bibarel in the middle of the mound, looking around and patiently waiting for them.

Once she spotted them, she waved one hand in the air. "Over here!" She exclaimed.

As Rei, Akari and their Pokémon arrived at Calaba's side, she nodded. "I supposed the camp is built?"

"Correct, warden Calaba." Akari nodded.

The warden nodded again. "Very well then. Let's start with this, shall we?"

After everyone nodded, she began explaining. "Ursaluna is enraged, yes, but he must still recall his long relationship with the Pearl Clan. He never fails to show up whenever I play my Celestica Flute."

Calaba turned around and took her flute out. "Be ready."

She played the same melody as Rei had when he wanted to call Wyrdeer, and then she stopped. The area fell into a deafening silence that lasted for a long while, until loud footsteps were heard approaching their way.

Before long, a Pokémon appeared in front of them. He was massive, mostly brown with a mark on his forehead that resembled the moon, and a yellow snout.

"RRARGH!" He roared, standing on his hind legs before falling back down.

It was then that Rei realized how massive Ursaluna really was.

"Woah!" Akari exclaimed.

" What even is that? " Luxio yelled.

" I don't know, but I don't want to find out how strong he is! " Eevee added.

Calaba turned to look at them. "Now go and show your mettle to Ursaluna!" She told them.

" Oh right, we have to fight that. " Pikachu rolled his eyes.

" Come on! We're wasting daylight! " Cyndaquil yelled before running in front of the Pokémon, ready to fight.

Pikachu ran behind the fire type. "Are you sure two Pokémon will be enough?" Akari asked Rei.

Rei looked at the rest of his team. They didn't seem like they wanted to miss the battle. The fake human signaled Eevee and Luxio to come, and they quickly walked next to the other two.

"Good luck." Calaba told them before her and Bibarel walked back to leave the two some space.

"Let's go, Rei!"

"Swift! Thunder Shock! Ember!"

"Pikachu, use a Thunder Shock as well!"

The attacks flew from the Pokémon to the noble, but it seemed the electrical attacks simply vanished when they touched his body.

" What?! " Pikachu yelled.

" Don't tell me this guy's a ground type… " Luxio groaned.

They didn't have too much time to think about it, since the noble suddenly sprinted at them with his claw shining.

The four Pokémon just barely managed to dodge the Slash attack. The moment he had a chance, however, Cyndaquil immediately curled into a ball and zipped straight towards Ursaluna, hitting him with Rollout repeatedly, until he was thrown away by a Play Rough attack.

It seemed that Ursaluna didn't like getting hit, because he suddenly looked at the four with a look that was force at first, but it suddenly began softening until it turned into…

" Would you look at that! " Luxio laughed before he forced himself to stop looking at the now almost harmless looking noble. " Take notes of this, Eevee! He knows how to use Baby-Doll eyes! "

" Yeah, perfect. I love having my offensive capabilities reduced because a Pokémon just looks too cute to hurt! "

" Speak for yourself! " Cyndaquil interrupted, throwing a barrage of Embers, which didn't seem to do great damage.

"Alright Rei, what's our next step?" Akari asked.

Rei turned to look at Akari with a frown. "Don't look at me like that! You're the one that always comes up with plans during battles!"

The fake human rolled his eyes.

"You don't have a plan then?" Akari looked forward. "Well, then let's try and fight until we come up with one! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Eevee, go with Pikachu! Luxio, Bite! Cyndaq-"

The fire type didn't wait for him to finish, and instead tried to go for a Rollout again. " Urgh! " Luxio groaned. He quickly went after him with his own Bite prepared, followed by Eevee.

This time, it seemed that Ursaluna didn't want to get hit again by another Rollout, so he raised his two front claws in the air and hit the ground with so much force that caused a wave of dirt to go towards the Pokémon, hitting Cyndaquil first and then the other three.

Rei resisted the urge to cry. Why was Cyndaquil not listening to anyone?

Rei looked behind him. Warden Calaba was watching the fight intently. He groaned under his breath. If only she wasn't there, he could drop his illusion and fight for himself.

" Great job, asshole! " Pikachu shouted. " You just caused us to fail all of our attacks! " He told the fire type.

" Should have dodged. " He replied, groaning from the move.

" How about you dodge THIS?! "

Cyndaquil barely ducked out of the way of the Thunder Shock thrown at him. " HEY! " Cyndaquil shouted, throwing Embers at him.

" Guys, stop! " Eevee quickly told them.

" No, I'm done! I've tried to put up with this annoying little bastard ever since he started acting like a total jerk, but this is the final straw! " Pikachu angrily stated. " I liked you more when you weren't trying to sound and act as the cool kid from a classroom. " He told him as he walked away from the group and out of the battlefield, sitting next to Akari with his arms crossed.

The girl looked at him and then at Rei. "We have to teach you how to talk as fast as possible so I can understand what is going on." She told him.

Cyndaquil stood still for a little while before huffing and turning back to Ursaluna. Eevee and Luxio looked at each other with uncertainty before glancing back at Rei.

He just shrugged.

"Cyndaquil, I need you to-"

The fire type sprinted away with a Quick Attack. Now Rei was starting to get angry. "Try Bite and Quick Attack again."

Eevee and Luxio followed behind Cyndaquil, this time dodging the Bulldoze attack coming from Ursaluna, and the group of Pokémon managed to hit all three attacks, not without the noble using another Baby-Doll Eyes.

" He doesn't look too tired. " Luxio groaned.

" Can't say the same about us… " Eevee added.

As Cyndaquil once again tried to tackle Ursaluna and was sent flying, everyone could hear how he groaned from the pain of the repeated Bulldoze attack.

"Could you please stop?! You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep doing that! " Eevee yelled.

" Never! " The fire type yelled, wincing.

" At least do everyone a favor and listen to Rei for once! " Luxio yelled.

Cyndaquil stopped, and for just a small fraction of a second, looked at Rei with an ashamed look before he looked forward again.

" I… need to prove to myself I'm strong and that you didn't waste your time with me. " He said. " I have to prove it to them. "

" But you don't have to act like this for that! " Eevee told him. " You are strong! You don't have to try and impress anyone! "

" You wouldn't say that if everyone you came across saw you as nothing more than a weakling, would you? "

" Look, I get what you want to do, but if you keep doing what you're doing and ignoring what we tell you, there's no way we're winning! " Luxio yelled. " So please, for the love of Arceus, just listen to Ocko. Just this once. "

There were a few tense moments of silence, in which no one moved an inch. " Ugh, fine. " The fire type finally groaned.

Rei nodded and prepared himself. "Cyndaquil, distract him with Ember! Eevee, you with Swift!"

As a barrage of fire and star proyectiles flew at Ursaluna, he managed to cover himself as he tried another Bulldoze attack. "Luxio! Bite!"

The electric type ran at the noble, talking advantage of the fact he was distracted, and managed to score a hit on his neck, making him yell in pain.

It wasn't good when Ursaluna grabbed Luxio by the fur on the sides of his head and proceeded to Slash him before a Bulldoze threw him away.

He didn't get back up.

Rei quickly ran towards him and lifted him, letting him rest BESIDE him. You did good. Take a rest.

" It looks like it's up to us. " Eevee spoke.

" Let's show him what's good! " Cyndaquil cheered, his flames burning hot.

Ursaluna sprinted towards them with the intention of hitting them with a Play Rough attack, but Eevee and Cyndaquil quickly got out of the way with a Quick Attack.

What could we do? What's a good plan? Just hitting him over and over again?

Maybe Cyndaquil's idea wasn't that farfetched.

"Eevee, Swift! Cyndaquil, Rollout, straight for him!"

The fire type smirked as he curled into a ball yet again and rolled as fast as possible towards the noble. Ursaluna was about to Slash him away, but Eevee's Swift made him miss, and Cyndaquil hit.

"Don't stop!"

The tactic was repeated a few times, before Ursaluna roared yet again, launching all of them back.

" We have to change our plan! " Eevee said.

Rei kneeled down and whispered. " Listen, Eevee's gonna run around him with a Quick Attack to distract Ursaluna, use it in Agile style if you can. And I want you to try to use your Rollout and Ember at the same time, so rolling at him and throwing fire to keep your distance. Can you two do that? "

" Yes! " The two exclaimed.

" Then let's finish this! "

Without any delay, the normal type sprinted and began circling the noble at alarming speeds. Ursaluna was too worn out to properly follow her pathing, so he was using Slash without a clear target.

" Come on, Cyndaquil. You're strong. You can do this. " Rei heard Cyndaquil mutter before he took a deep breath and began rolling towards the noble.

He joined Eevee into going in circles around Ursaluna, occasionally ramming against him and managing to throw Embers at him if he got too close.

Rei smiled and let out a laugh. Arceus, he's a lot stronger than when I first met him.

" Amazing! " Eevee cheered.

" You think? Well, look at this! "

Cyndaquil's flames suddenly erupted, causing the rolling figure to gain a slight warm color. The fire type then once again hit the noble, causing him to yell in pain because of both the attack and the fire, which managed to burn him.

"That's Flame Wheel!" Akari shouted.

Rei looked at her, realizing Cyndaquil had learned a new move before he saw that the Pokémon himself was starting to glow, and not in the same color as the fire.

Eevee stopped running to look at the now growing Cyndaquil, as he kept attacking Ursaluna with Flame Wheel, realizing what that meant.

Again? Two in a row?!

Cyndaquil's body became longer, and consequently, the diameter of the Rollout as well, and Rei saw another part of his body letting out flames. When he finally stopped, Rei found out it was just as he thought.

He had evolved.

"Rei, how do you do this? That's two Pokémon that evolved in two days!" Akari exclaimed.

Rei chuckled but didn't comment. He knew it was mostly Zisu's doing.

" Cool. I'm a Quilava now. " The fire type plainly said. " Still not enough though. "

" What do you mean not enough ?! " Eevee shouted.

They didn't have time to talk, because Ursaluna let out the loudest roar he let ever since they had met him, baring his teeth at the duo.

" I'll leave it for later. Come on, this has to be the final stretch! " The normal type told him.

" Let's show him what's good! " The newly evolved Quilava exclaimed, flames flaring.

Rei smiled. "Same tactic! Agile Quick Attack and Flame Wheel!" He shouted.

Just as before, Eevee distracted Ursaluna while Quilava circled him and waited for the perfect moment to strike.

They were too fast, even for the Baby-Doll eyes and the Bulldoze attacks the noble fired their way. It was simply too overwhelming for him.

In fact, the ground type decided to change his approach, and started chasing after them, Slashing at them.

" Woah, careful now! " Eevee yelled.

Quilava stopped rolling and ran after her with his own Quick Attack. " I have an idea! You hit him as much as you can! "

And just like that, the fire type jumped high and clung into Ursaluna, making him stop and shake desperately, trying to get him off.

" WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! " He shouted, seeing Eevee stunned. It managed to snap her out of it and she tackled Ursaluna repeatedly with Quick Attack.

Quilava didn't hold on for much longer, and he was inevitably thrown back into the ground, a Slash making him yell in pain.

He laid on the ground, groaning and managing to get back up, if just barely. He looked like he was about to go back into the fight.

Rei was about to ask him to stop fighting, but before he could do that, the fire type turned his head towards him and smirked.

He then curled back into a ball and headed straight for Ursaluna's head, seeing him distracted with Eevee.

The normal type was about to get really hurt when a fast and flaming projectile hit Ursaluna's head, knocking him onto the ground.

Quilava walked next to Eevee, and both stood guard, ready for other possible attacks. However, Ursaluna only panted and groaned, hardly managing to stand up.

He let out another roar, but didn't try to go for the Pokémon anymore.

" Did we win? " Quilava asked.

" I think we did. " Eevee replied.

" Hmph. " Pikachu huffed, making the fire type look at him.

" I'm sorry for being a prick, Pikachu. " He said. " I'll try to control myself. "

Pikachu stood silent for a while before sighing. " Fine. Apologies accepted. "

" Yay! Everything is okay now! " Mime Jr. cheered.

They suddenly heard footsteps coming their way. It was Calaba, who was worriedly looking at Ursaluna. "Ursaluna, my poor darling!" She exclaimed. "You must be exhausted from running around like that! Let me make you all better."

She rummaged through her satchel, taking a bottle of something out. "Here I have a special medicine of the Pearl Clan. It'll clear any poison from a Pokémon's body. If poison's what's causing Ursaluna's rage, this is sure to calm him down. We call it, Toxi-Gone!"

The warden walked closer to Ursaluna and offered him the medicine. The noble reluctantly drank it, before his eyes widened like plates and he coughed and gagged, roaring in disgust.

"It's so potent we can only use it on tough, resiliant Pokémon like Ursaluna." Calaba explained, seeing everyone's worried faces.

" Urgh… "

Rei looked at the source of the voice, finding that Luxio was opening his eyes slowly. " Wha-... What happened? "

" Luxio! You're awake! " Eevee yelled, running towards him, followed by Quilava.

The electric type widened his eyes when he saw him. " Wait… Cyndaquil? "

" Yeah! I evolved now! " He told him. " I still need to become much stronger though! "

Luxio shook his head with a smile. " I see you haven't changed… "

Once Ursaluna stopped coughing, he shakily stood back up, Calaba turning to look at him.

" Argh, I will never get used to this medicine… " The noble groaned.

"There, there, dear Ursaluna. You've calmed down now, haven't you?"

The noble didn't say a word, only waddling closer to all of them. Akari took a small step back from the sudden movement.

"This is all very strange, though…" Calaba mused.

"He wasn't glowing like lord Kleavor was…" Akari filled in for her.

Calaba nodded. "Very astute. You're exactly right. When you two quelled Kleavor's frenzy, I could see the strange light rising into the sky all the way from here. But no strange lightning erupted from Ursaluna after you defeated him nor was he glowing."

"It's very strange…" Akari hummed.

"And what is this clinging to Ursaluna's coat? It seems like some kind of power." Calaba exclaimed, getting a bit closer to the noble.

"That girl from the Diamond Clan, Arezu… Now, why did she of all people find the need to come and tell me about Ursaluna, I wonder?" The warden thought to herself before turning to Rei and Akari.

"Oh, but I almost forgot something important." She exclaimed. "Play your Celestica Flute for me, won't you?"

Rei and Akari looked at each other, the girl talking the flute first and playing the melody Adaman taught them. Calaba nodded. "Now you, Rei."

Rei nodded and took his own flute out. Hesitantly, he played the melody just like with Adaman. It also sounded perfect, judging by both Calaba's and Ursaluna's expressions.

" That melody… " The noble gasped.

"Mmm… It seems our leader wasn't lying…" The warden chuckled.

Suddenly Ursaluna began sniffing the air and walked somewhere, until he stopped in the middle of the mound, digging somewhere until he found an object.

He brought it to Rei, giving it to him. It was yet another plate. " I can feel the energy emanating from the plates you have been given by other nobles, and the melody you played… "

Ursaluna paused. " These are the reasons why I will trust you with the Earth Plate, as a way to aid you on your quest. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you. "

The Pokémon all smiled and nodded. Calaba turned to look at Rei. "I must think this means you have earned Ursaluna's favor as well." She chuckled.

"Ursaluna is very good at finding things that are buried in the ground, as you saw. We say that he's digging for treasure, even if these treasures might not always glitter or gleam." The warden explained.

Ursaluna himself nodded. "Now, go and let your commander here know about what happened here, children of the Galaxy Team!"

" Bye! " Bibarel waved.

" Good luck, children. And remember, if you require my assistance, simply play the melody with your flute. " The noble told them.

As the group waved goodbye to them, they waited until they were out of earshot of the warden so that they could talk. "So that was that, I suppose." Akari Commented.

" It was a cool battle! " Mime Jr. laughed.

" Even if I missed the important part of it! " Luxio exclaimed. " How does your new body feel? " He asked Quilava.

" Weird. I'm a lot longer now. And I have ears. " He answered.

" And your eyes are open now! " Pikachu added.

Eevee laughed.

"Hmm, Rei hold on." Akari said suddenly.

"What?" He replied.

"I know we should report to the commander, but with everything that has happened, we've both been neglecting the Pokédex." She explained. "What do you say if we spend the rest of the day doing some research tasks?"

Rei looked at the sky. It didn't look like it was too late into the afternoon, and he wasn't sure how long the day would last. "Okay! But…"

"What's the matter?"

"Break?"

"You want to take a break. Yes, that's reasonable." The girl chuckled.

Rei smiled and looked around, seeing a spot that hid them from the view of the other humans that could pass by. He began walking towards it, Akari frowning in confusion. "Where are you going?"

Rei simply gestured her to follow him. " Where are you going? " Eevee repeated the question.

" I'm going somewhere hidden so I can stop using the illusion for a while. I'm really tired today."

" Yeah, makes sense. "

" Aw, but I want to battle! " Quilava whinned.

" Please, for the love of everything, take a break. " Luxio begged with a laugh.

Once Rei was sure that no one was watching, he uncasted his illusion with a sigh, causing Akari and her two Pokémon to gasp.

"I forgot about that…" The girl sighed.

"That's how you look?! " Pikachu exclaimed.

" Scary… " Mime Jr. added.

" Come on, I'm not that ugly, am I? " Rei laughed.

The Zoroark laid down on the grass and closed his eyes, laying on his claws, the rest of the Pokémon doing something similar, not too far from him.

After a while of silence, Rei felt the grass near him rustle, Akari having sat down close. "You know… When I look at you from this close, you don't seem that scary!" The girl chuckled.

Rei rolled his eyes with a smile.

" Should go and see my father if you want something scary. " He said.

She sighed. "What do you say if we practice your talking some more while we do our research tasks? Or now, if you find it more convenient?"

Rei wanted to have a small nap before going back to work, but he also wanted to finally learn how to talk, so he opted to go for the second option.

"Sure."

"Okay then, let's get back to it. When we're done, you try to explain why you're here, okay?"

---

It had been a long class of Akari talking over and over again, and Rei repeating her words over and over again. It had been so long in fact, that they had ran out of break time, left the Mirelands, and were currently looking for a last Buizel to complete the species' Pokédex page.

They had completed a few pages from some of the Pokémon in the Mirelands, and they had decided to do the same with the Fieldlands.

"Teleported… to beach. Ran away from den and dad."

All the while, Rei was trying to tell Akari the way him and Eevee had arrived at the village, just as he promised he would.

"Sorry to hear that. But you say you got teleported? By who? And why?"

"Alakazam. Hated my dad. Revenge."

It was far from a complete explanation, but it was working well enough to make the girl nod in understanding.

"I see… And why teleport you such a distance above Prelude Beach?"

"Didn't know. Was random."

"Random? So that Alakazam just sent you to a random spot because of… your father?"

Rei nodded.

" To put it lightly… " Eevee rolled her eyes.

"What did he do for that Pokémon to hate him that much?" The girl asked.

"Alpha killed other alpha. Don't remember much about it."

Akari stopped dead in her tracks.

"Your father is a what? " She said, very slowly.

"Uhhh…" Rei tilted his head. "Is a problem?"

Akari stood for a long while looking at him. "You are implying that you ran away from your father, an alpha Pokémon, who most likely doesn't like that you're gone, NOR humans."

Rei slowly nodded, prompting the girl to take a deep breath. "Is your father looking for you?"

"I…" The realization of what could happen if his father found out about the village hit Rei. "Good question…"

Akari put one of her hands to her forehead. "For the love of…"

"He not know where I am!" Rei quickly said. "Doubt he learn soon."

Akari seemed to calm down, if only just a little bit. "I take he doesn't know what you look like either. While you're disguised as a human, at least."

Rei shook his head. "Well, that's good. If he ever comes to find you, I'm sure we'll find out." Akari finally said. "An alpha Zoroark roaming around is hard to miss!" She laughed.

She then looked at Eevee. "Then this Eevee you appeared with must be your friend, hm?"

The normal type nodded. "Goodness, I have so many questions to ask…" She mumbled. "I hope you can learn to talk properly soon."

"Me too."

" Buizel over there! " Pikachu exclaimed pointing somewhere.

Rei looked at the body of water just a small distance ahead, a small orange head floating on the water.

"What did Pikachu say?" Akari asked.

"Buizel."

"Where?!"

Rei showed Akari where the head was. "Let's go there! We only have to catch one more Buizel to be done with the Pokédex page!" She exclaimed, taking a Poké-ball out and running towards the water type.

Rei chased after her and took a better look at the Buizel. Whoever they were, they seemed to be sleeping. And very soundly, if the snores were something to go by. The Pokémon was using their weird thing on their neck to float and not drown.

"Nice! The Buizel is sleeping! We won't have a hard time catching it…! Them?" She seemed to hesitate. "Regardless, let's-"

She stopped when the Buizel groaned and stirred. " Damn, that was a dope nap! " She said, slowly opening her eyes.

The Buizel casted a careless glance at the girl with the Poké-ball raised, simply rolling until she was horizontally floating above the water.

" Yooo, wassup? "

" Ummm… Aren't you supposed to be trying to fight us? " Quilava asked, a bit disappointed.

" Nahhhh. What'd be the point? Your friend over there is already aiming the ball, and I'm not feelin' like fighting or forcing myself out, y'know? I'm just chill like that. "

Akari looked unsure as everyone's expressions turned into a confused frown.

"What did the Buizel say?" The girl asked.

"...A lot."

"Is it okay if I-?"

"Go ahead."

Akari threw the Poké-ball at the Buizel, and after a few seconds, it signaled a successful capture. Akari crossed the entry in the Pokédex with a smile. "So that's another one done!" She exclaimed. "I think that's enough for today. Let's head back to Fieldlands Camp and go back to the village from there."

Rei nodded and began walking behind the girl. They arrived back at the camp, and showed the Professor their Pokédexes. He seemed very excited about the new information, and gave both of them a sum of money for the report.

By the time they arrived back at the village, the daylight was close to disappearing. "Well, it was a nice day today, wasn't it?" Akari smiled. "And here I thought yesterday's… revelation would make things awkward."

"Me too!" Rei replied.

The two shared a laugh. "I think it's time we go our separate ways. I'll try to look for more wisps tonight. Hopefully, I won't find out professor Laventon or someone else is a Pokémon tonight!" She laughed.

" I doubt him of all people will be a Pokémon. " Pikachu rolled his eyes.

" Cyllene has more chances at being one than three professor Laventons. " Luxio commented.

"Well, I'll be going now. And if you're going to train tonight, please, do it far away from the village." Akari commented, walking away from Rei, waving goodbye.

Once she was out of his sight, Rei looked at his team, more especifically, at Eevee. "Zisu? "

" Zisu. " Everyone replied.

"Well, hello there, Rei!" The captain greeted him. "How did today's mission go?"

"Nice!"

"That's good to hear! Now, I suppose you haven't come here just to chat. What do you need?"

Eevee took a step forward. "Baby-Doll Eyes." Rei told her.

"Hmmm, you want to teach your Eevee a fairy type move? You do know what the consequences of this are, right?"

Rei nodded. "Very well then." Her face then changed to a sheepish expression. "Unfortunately, I am not too familiar with the fairy type, so I'm not too sure how to properly teach a Pokémon."

Eevee visibly deflated. " Aww… "

"However…" The normal type perked up. "Loppuny once knew the move you are trying to teach your Eevee, so he may be able to help."

Eevee widener her eyes. "And while they do that, the rest of your Pokémon could train as well." Zisu smiled.

"Okay." Rei nodded.

The captain did the same, tossing the Poké-balls with her team in the air, letting the five Pokémon out.

" Should have guessed you'd be here… " Luxray rolled his eyes.

" Why? " Honchkrow asked.

" Because he's the one that comes here almost daily? " Ambipom rolled her eyes.

Scar and Loppuny opted to simply stretch in silence, silently waving at the group.

"Loppuny, this Eevee needs help learning Baby-Doll Eyes. Do you remember how to perform that move?" Zisu asked the normal type.

" Absolutely! " He smiled, walking to the Eevee.

"Alright! Rest of you, pick a partner and go train a little!" The captain turned to Rei. "I'm sorry, but I must attend to an urgent matter. I'll be back soon."

Saying that, Zisu walked away, leaving Rei alone on the training grounds.

" Well, you know the deal, eh? " Honchkrow said. " Who's gonna fight who? "

" Do I have to answer? " Luxio laughed.

" When are you going to give the kid an autograph? " Ambipom chuckled.

" Whenever you two stop. " The electric type rolled his eyes.

" I want to go against Zoroark. " Quilava declared, making Scar perk up and look at him.

" Huh… Didn't expect that. Especially after your first meeting. " Honchkrow mumbled.

" I didn't either. " Ambipom agreed.

" Me neither. " Scar frowned. " It'd be better going against any other Pokémon here. "

" But I want to fight you." Quilava pressed.

Scar raised an eyebrow and shrugged. " Sure then. Be warned, I won't hold back. "

" Perfect. "

" Guess we'll have to fight on our own today. " Ambipom told Honchkrow.

" I'm gonna beat you this time! " He exclaimed.

" Hah, you wish! "

Rei decided to leave his team to train and went to see how Eevee and Loppuny were doing.

" ...aaaaand then you just take that energy out and look at your opponent! " Rei heard Loppuny say.

" Really? It's that easy? " Eevee asked in disbelief.

" It may sound easy, but actually doing it is harder! You'll have to practice! "

It was then the two noticed Rei watching. " Hi Rei! " Eevee waved, Loppuny following suit.

" Come on, try and practice using that move on me just like I told you. " The bigger normal type said.

Eevee then tried using the attack for who knows how long. She seemed really determined to learn the move, even if she didn't manage to perform it correctly.

She seemed to have her evolution really decided, something Rei didn't believe would have ever happened, since she was always so undecided on that matter.

He was happy for her, and couldn't help but smile while he saw her train. Remembering her saying she wanted to evolve into an Espeon just for him made him be really thankful.

She had always been there for him, and to think their first meeting hadn't been very good, but despite that they became best friends made him happy.

Can't wait for you to evolve too.

It was then that he realized he was staring at the Eevee for perhaps too much. He quickly looked away with a small redness on his face. Why am I even blushing?

He sighed. Whatever the reason, he had to wait until Zisu came back from whenever she had gone off to. He didn't know how long it would take, but he didn't mind, as long as Eevee managed to figure the move out.

By the time Zisu came back to check on them, it was about to become nighttime, and she told them that their training had to be cut short.

Eevee was severely disappointed to hear that, since she was, as she put it, just about to get the move to work. Despite that, Loppuny assured her that she had made enough progress to figure the rest of the move on her own without his help.

As such, the four Pokémon were now enjoying their dinner at the Wallflower. They were alone, since Akari didn't show up, not even after they were done.

Once they got inside Rei's headquarters, the group prepared to go to bed.

" Looks like Akari really didn't tell anyone, huh. " Luxio hummed.

" Yeah. After Eevee's face, I'm sure she'll think twice before even trying to say it! " Rei laughed.

" Nevermind that. Cyndaquil is now a Quilava! That's amazing! " The normal type exclaimed. " Well, if we don't take into account the sudden behavior change before that. "

" I don't know what got to me. I'm sorry for that… " The fire type apologized. " I don't even know if it's over yet though… "

" Evolution's got a lot of side effects. " Eevee nodded. " For example, I know of someone that decided to join the humans after he evolved. "

Rei rolled his eyes. " I wonder who that could be… "

" What about the move? How was the training with Loppuny? " Luxio asked.

" Very well! He says that I have enough guidance to figure the rest by myself, but I'm not sure. " She replied.

" I'm sure you'll manage. I can feel your evolution coming! " The Zoroark exclaimed.

" I think Akari's head will explode if she evolves after we did. " Quilava replied with a smile.

" Yeah you're right. Eevee, please, hold your evolution so we can keep Akari's head safe. "

The four laughed. After a pause of no one saying anything and just getting into a comfortable position, Luxio suddenly spoke. " So Eevee, are you waiting to evolve to finally tell him? "

Eevee's head immediately shot up and a redness crossed her face. " Shut. Up!"

" Tell who what? " Rei asked.

" You really don't get it yet, do you? " Quilava told him, before Eevee slapped him and shut him up.

" He's speaking nonsense. Don't listen to him. " She demanded.

" What's going on with you? "

" Oww… " The fire type whined.

" Okay, let's sleep, come on. Fighting Ursaluna must have gotten you all very tired. " Rei sighed.

" Goodnight, Rei. "

" Goodnight, Poké-human. "

" Goodnight, Ocko. "

" Night. "

Rei was still unsure what Quilava meant by that question, but he was not in the mood to think about it.

He simply decided to close his eyes and let everything slip away, as he mentally prepared himself for the next day's work. They hadn't had to quell another noble that day, so what were the chances of that happening?

Rei regretted thinking about that.