Cyllene questioned me after that revelation, but by then I had gathered my wits enough to do something I thoroughly disliked doing.

I had started to lie.

When asked how I got here, I said I didn’t remember. That I had awoken on what I had later learnt was Prelude Beach and that was as far as I could recall. My ‘inane’ ramblings? A symptom of the hypothermia and the pain from my broken leg. A foggy, amnesiac mind could come up with all sorts of scenarios. At least that what I tried to get across. I wasn’t sure if Cyllene had believed me or not.

Regardless, she had eventually let me go and Pesselle’s Chansey had me up and about in a day from a wound that would’ve taken weeks to properly heal. The Galaxy Team discharged me and I was officially free to roam the village.

Jubilife wasn’t the thriving megapolis I had seen on TV. Instead, a horizontal river intersected a bustling market street from rows upon rows of small wooden homes. Some of the houses had brick chimneys. Some had wooden sheds nestled behind their walls. Some had straw roofs, others had slate of varying colours and patterns. Lush greenery surrounded the village on all sides, expanding outwards into rolling hills dotted with the occasional narrow tree. Two gates; south to Prelude Beach where I had been found, and east to the wilderness of Obsidian Fieldlands, protected the denizens from Pokémon incursions. It was picturesque. The people always treated me warily and would almost never talk to me. Some would even go out of their way to ensure we never crossed paths. But I enjoyed the cold air. It felt fresh- different from the heavy smog in Veilstone. It rushed into my lungs like water and my chest felt lighter with each inhale. Funny how even the air I breathed felt different in my new home.

Now, I had gone to school. Gotten a fairly decent education. I had a pretty cushy office job in Veilstone- nothing special, but enough to pay the bills and more. But when I was asked how I could help Jubilife village? I very quickly found that I was of little use at all. I was unfamiliar and unknowledgeable of most Pokémon. I was untrained and unskilled in manual labour. I could read and write, but so could most of the villagers living here. I essentially had no transferable skills. Nobody cared that I could type fast on a computer. They didn’t even know what a computer was.

No craftmanship skills meant no use as a store owner (what could I make to aid the village?).

No Pokémon knowledge meant no use as a ‘surveyor’.

No construction experience meant no use as a builder.

But there was a job for even a lummox like me.

I became a farmer.

The fields were thankfully within Jubilife’s gates and were positioned on the western side of the village atop a small cresting hill. The main harvests were vegetables; potatoes, lettuce, radishes, cabbage, the works. It was sufficient to feed the villagers but labour intensive enough that my help was appreciated. Its proximity to the river aided in watering efforts- combined with the recent thunderstorm that had been plaguing the lands- though I couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t just employ the use of Pokémon for aid. A Machoke could lift gallons of water. Or a Pokémon like Vaporeon could even produce its own for the fields. But I didn’t complain. The farmers were nice enough even to an outsider like me and the work meant that I was entitled to food and shelter. I wasn’t paid for my endeavours. Only those working for the Galaxy Team were, apparently. They were the only workers that needed pay for personal supplies. I tried not to think about the fact that I was effectively a slave. I technically wasn’t forced to work… but refusing to meant exile, so it was essentially blackmail. Besides, most of the others were in the same boat as I and didn’t complain. They made it work and seemed to find happiness in the simplicity of their life.

And, to be honest, I was growing more comforted by my new home, too. It was a short walk from the farmland- pretty much next to the looming Galaxy Hall. Ginkgo Guild merchants would camp outside nearby and used to hassle me to buy their wares before realising I actually had no money. My home was barebones. It was essentially one big open-plan room with a thick bedroll as a mattress and an incredibly dangerous open-fire cooking pot to work with- not that I ever used it, being fed by the village. But that was it. I had no cabinets, no toilet. I had to go outside behind my house to pee. A depression into the wall implied a window, but it remained a wall. Although it was a nice place to put my clothes without folding them up on the floor somewhere.

Strange how, the less you have, the happier you feel about the things you own. I had even begun to take pride in the hoe I used at the farm…

It was on a warm, sunny day around a week after I had arrived that the atmosphere in the village shifted. The storm that had been plaguing us since my arrival ended two days ago, but the grounds were still slightly wet from the rain. The villagers had started to grow antsy or excitable. I noticed more activity around the Galaxy Hall. When I showed up for work at sunrise, I was perplexed to see my coworkers simply standing there. Using the hill’s vantage point over the eastern gate to snoop from afar.

“What’s happening?” I asked my coworker. A man dressed in a plain tunic with a white scarf. His black hair was close-shaven as always and sported a well-trimmed goatee.

“Survey Corps are returning from the Fieldlands with their Security Corps escorts,” Leif replied. He wasn’t even breaking his gaze to look at me- such was his intense interest. Even Colza- a Gardenia look-alike whose love for crops rivalled the Gym Leader’s love for plants- had stopped to stare. “It’s always a big deal for the village. New materials, new research, new seeds… a lot of stuff that can benefit a bunch of people here.”

“Oh… neat,” I replied. I still largely distrusted the Galaxy Team. Too similar to Team Galactic and Cyllene was a near-spitting image of Cyrus. But I did see the work they put in to help the village and they acted almost as a fatherly entity to the villagers. See, Jubilife back then didn’t have a political system. Meetings would be held where people could pitch in and vote on suggestions. Anyone was free to participate and contribute. It kind of reminded me of a hivemind. But when disagreements arose, the villagers always sought the Galaxy Team’s Commander for mediation.

I hadn’t met the Galaxy Team’s Commander. He was apparently stern but fair and had a well-spoken and fashionable manner about him. The villagers seemed to love the man. He was almost like their saviour- weird as it sounded. I, personally, was just relieved that the Commander wasn’t Cyllene. She hadn’t actually done anything wrong… but she was very likely related to Cyrus in some way. What if the evil ran in the family?

“There they are!” Leif’s voice wrought me from my musings. From the outside of the eastern gate, a large group of uniformed men and women strode tiredly in the natural pathway formed between two hills. A somewhat sizeable gathering of villagers waited at the gate and would sprint out to greet their sons, daughters, and spouses as they drew near. A few of the Survey Corps dragged a wheelbarrow- why didn’t they use Machoke?- and kept having to rearrange the covering tarp whenever a stray gust blew it aside.

Most of the newly arrived Corps members stayed and mingled with the villagers, but a good few trudged their way down the market street towards the Galaxy Hall. Two members in particular had suddenly caught my eye.

First was a short and hunched man dressed in a lab coat- Galaxy Team insignia on the right breast, of course- and a smart brown buttoned jumper complete with a black bow tie. He wore a strange blue hat with a fluffy white bauble. He must have been the professor everyone kept talking about.

Next to him, however, was a girl about my age with bright greyish eyes and dark skin. Her brown hair flowed out of a white cloth wrapped around the top of her head. She looked bored and annoyed at the two flowing strands of hair that kept whipping into her face. I remember staring. She had looked so similar…

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The realisation had struck me like lightning. The red scarf and blue-grey attire had thrown me off, but she was a spitting image of the trainer that had intercepted Team Galactic on Mount Coronet. The same one that had known my name and had known about the ritual before even the League had. And it wasn’t a simple familial resemblance like Cyllene or Colza, either. She was the exact same.

Before you ask, dear reader, all will become clear as I tell my story. For while the girl was the same as the trainer on Coronet, she wasn’t exactly… there yet. You’ll understand what I mean as I go. Anyways…

“Who are they?” I had asked Leif, pointing out the professor and his dour companion.

“Those?” Leif made a noise halfway between a scoff and a laugh. “Just a couple of weirdos that actually seek out Pokémon.” He said it as if such a thing was hard to believe… “There’s Professor Laventon. He’s an eccentric with an obsession for Pokémon big and small. And the young lady’s called Akari. She’s the only one in the village crazy enough to humour the Professor’s desire to learn about them. She even owns a Pokémon herself.”

“I need to speak to Akari,” I declared. What if she knew? Perhaps she was pretending, like me…

I remember Leif shooting me such an odd look. “Really? Well, they frequent Beni’s Wallflower restaurant. Now that they’re back, you’ll inevitably see them dining there.”

I nodded, deep in thought. Those final words she had said to me atop Coronet had almost been forgotten amidst the chaos, but they came flinging to the forefront of my consciousness at that moment. I couldn’t remember the exact wording at the time, but it was something like…

Trust the professor.

Don’t trust…

Don’t trust who? I think she might have said the name but I had screamed over her when Giratina had picked me up. There was only one professor in Jubilife… Laventon. But what if she had been referring to another professor? Unlike Jubilife, which composed predominantly of immigrants from other regions- mostly Unova from what I was overhearing- the two indigenous clans had people who had been living off the land for decades, if not centuries. Surely, it’d make sense that they’d have a professor or two of their own, right?

Anyways, there was little I could do. Everyone was returning to work and I couldn’t just abandon the field to search for the pair. Heck, I couldn’t have even entered the Galaxy Hall. Only Miller was afforded that privilege, being the main overseer as part of their Agriculture Corps. And so, when we finished our tasks for the day and returned home, I used the last vestiges of sunlight to spy on the Wallflower from outside my house. It was almost relaxing, actually. The sunset bathed the village in a soothing glow and there was a noticeable lull in activity as the villagers started to go home for the day. It was horribly uncomfortable, sitting with my back to my house and on the dusty ground, but I had managed.

Eventually, though, the professor and the fated girl exited the Galaxy Hall. They seemed deep in conversation with a tall blonde Gingko Guild member who I had seen walking among the Survey Corps earlier that day but had dismissed in my mind. They all sat down on the lone table outside of the Wallflower and it took its owner, Beni, all of five seconds to tend to their order. When the old, hunched-over restaurant owner disappeared indoors, I made my move.

Now, I wasn’t a social Butterfree back then. I still am not. I lived alone in an apartment block and barely had friends outside of work. I had no girlfriend and my parents had moved to sunny Alola soon after I had gotten my own place. I was a recluse, to put it simply. So, please don’t judge me too harshly on my horrible attempt to greet her…

“Hi, there,” I greeted with an obviously put-on amicability. “Nice to meet you. I’m Rei.”

The girl, Akari, had scowled at my arrival- evidently unhappy. The Gingko Guild merchant looked fairly relaxed, but his grey eyes stared with an intensity I couldn’t place. Laventon, however, just looked confused. “Hello, old chap,” he replied in a strange accent. It almost sounded put on. “You’re the newcomer I’ve heard about, aren’t you?”

“I am,” I affirmed with a nod. There was an empty seat next to the blonde guild merchant, but I opted to remain standing. “I just have a question for Akari, then I’ll be out of your hair.”

Laventon shot his partner a surprised look. Akari, for her part, simply looked annoyed. “What is it?” she asked sullenly.

This was it. The chance to see if she knew- if she was just faking, like I was. I saw no recognition in her eyes, though, and I remember well bracing myself for the bad news. “Do you know of Giratina?”

A small silence befell my question. Akari’s scowl deepened and I felt my hopes drop. She had no idea.

Another voice reached my ears. “What did you say?”

Before I could turn to the source of the voice, the Gingko merchant rose to his feet so fast the table’s wares clattered loudly and he reached over like lightning to grab my work tunic. “What did you say?!”

His voice was coarse and dangerous. His eyes flashed with an obsessive intensity and he gazed so frighteningly into my own that I felt as though he was trying to rip the answer straight out of my head. Shocked at the merchant’s behaviour, Laventon jumped to his feet with a gasp. Even Akari sported an awed expression.

To this day, my heart still pounds when looking back on the merchant’s face. I had never seen such strong emotions befall a countenance in my life before. And I am certain I will never see something similar to that again.

I think I had mumbled something- too stunned to form words. The merchant seemed to realise what he had done. The Professor looked appalled and there were a few villagers who had frozen down the street to watch the commotion. He cleared his throat and let me go. “I’m… I’m sorry!” he exclaimed in a much lighter tone. “I don’t know what came over me!”

Laventon was staring dumbly at the merchant, but Akari’s eyes were on me. She now seemed intensely interested- alert. “Old boy,” the Professor finally turned to me with sympathetic lavender-coloured eyes. Up close, I could see his thin black goatee. His face reminded me of a Furret. “Are you okay?”

“I…” I gulped. “I’m fine.”

The merchant forced himself to a seated position. “Rei. Please forgive me, I just really didn’t expect to hear that name come from another’s mouth. Sit down and talk, if you would.”

I cautiously complied and sat down. Akari was opposite me… staring. The merchant turned his entire body to face me and wasted no time in introductions. “Now, I’m Volo the Gingko Guild merchant- a humble one I might add! Now, if you could be so kind as to tell me how you know of that name?”

Had I truly found an ally in this strange new world? The very thought sent my heart soaring. What if he also fell through the crack in the sky? “It’s a great evil,” I started. I spoke slowly in fear Volo would freak out again, but the man seemed to have regained his control by this point. “Dialga and Palkia summoned it in… another world,” I dared not claim I had time-travelled or was from an alternate universe yet, “and it opened that crack in the sky above Mount Coronet. I…”

“Fascinating,” Volo muttered. His eyes grew hazy, as if he were elsewhere. “Who are Dialga and Palkia? I must meet them.”

“Not people,” I shook my head. “They’re Pokémon.”

“Never heard of them,” Laventon butted in, his interest piqued. “Can you describe them to me?”

I complied, detailing their general body shape and colour forms. I saw Volo’s expression grow more and more frenzied in the corner of my eye. By the time I had finished, he was practically beaming. “You know what that sounds like to me?” Volo practically sang.

Akari’s mouth was slightly agape. “The two clans…”

“I…” Volo sprang to his feet. “I must go home. I need to pour over my documents. I’ll come back in two weeks. Don’t go anywhere, you!”

With that, he all-but sprinted away from the restaurant table. I turned to watch him barrel his way down the market street towards the east-gate. Akari sighed. “I wanted to ask him for some discounted crafting materials…”

Laventon was watching me. I exchanged his stare for a moment before averting my eyes. It felt pressuring to be observed so intently.

It was at this point that Beni arrived carrying a tray of three bowls. “Wild greens for Akari, and two potato mochi dishes for the Laventon and…” he trailed off.

The Professor looked up at the owner with a sheepish smile. “You know what Volo’s like, old chum…”

Beni sighed and gave him and Akari their meals. He turned away with the last bowl still on the tray. “I’m sure Rei would appreciate the food,” Akari suddenly spoke up to him. “We’ll pay for it.”

Beni ignored her and retreated back into the restaurant. I had cringed, but I knew the cantankerous old man sported somewhat of a hatred for me. He never failed to glare when I strode past the Wallflower to work and back. Akari huffed and her face tightened. “Jerk… what a waste of food.”

I was kind of flattered that she had spoken up for me, but I hadn’t known why at the time. Laventon, however, left me no time to think on it. He had grabbed his potato mochi and stood up tall. “I need to go talk to Cyllene. I can’t let this opportunity escape me! Tell Beni I’ll give him the bowl back later!”

With the same sort of desperate excitement as Volo, Professor Laventon rushed towards the Galaxy Hall and was immediately admitted inside. That just left Akari and I.

“So…” I smiled awkwardly.

“You better hope you’ve got a brain between those ears of yours,” Akari declared with a glare. “Because you’re about to need it.”

I reared as if punched. “What?”

Akari made a sound between a growl and a sigh. “I know what Laventon’s doing…” she muttered. Her eyes flitted down to her salad before meeting mine once more. “Welcome to the Survey Corps, Rei.”