"Excuse me! Excuse me! I know everyone is beyond eager to ask questions about what happened a few nights ago, but you will have your fair share of opportunity to ask away. The CEO of Galactic Energy, Mister Silas, will make a statement before we begin."

There's a bit of grumbling, but it quiets as a blue haired man walks up to the podium, raising the microphone slightly. "Thank you, Angela," he says, before addressing the crowd.

"My friends, a grave injustice has been inflicted on this company, this city, and the people of Sinnoh as a whole. As you probably know, thieves associated with the organization Team Galactic infiltrated our headquarters in the middle of the night, and stole the Adamant Orb from not only us, but you as well."

I could roll my eyes. This guy should be a politician. I've seen snakes slimier than he is.

"Myself and the rest of Galactic Energy are working tirelessly with the authorities to investigate, and right this wrong. I will not stop until we reach that goal. Now, you may ask questions, and I will do my very best to provide you with some answers."

The lady who introduced Silas points to a woman in a smart business suit. "Teresa, from the Veilstone Inquirer," she introduces herself. "I'm sure you have the highest of security at Galactic Energy," she begins. "Do you think this was an inside job?"

"Absolutely not," Silas lies with complete confidence, though everyone here laps it up, barring me. "You've seen the pictures of the injuries our employees have suffered, and the thousands of dollars of insurance money that will be paid to repair. Those examples should be more than enough proof for you."

Of course, no one's allowed in the hospital to actually see these supposed employees, and I'm sure a couple of people with baseball bats could have trashed a laboratory easily enough. My guess is that these pictures were doctored. But no one raises any further points.

A second man is pointed to. "Hello, I'm Carlos, from Sinnoh Now. Apparently, at the same time this was happening, a second group from Team Galactic was snooping around the park, gathering data from the meteorites, though they did not end up stealing one. Do you have any comment on what they could have been doing there?"

Silas takes a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "It would seem to me that Team Galactic has an interest in items of historical significance. Perhaps more questions could be directed to people with expertise in that area? The director of the Celestic Town Museum, for one."

"This here's Jerry, from the Solaceon Town Post. You reckon other places with fancy shmancy artifacts need to be worried about Team Galactic too?"

I think everyone needs a second to process that this man made a reasonable point.

"What an excellent proposal," Silas says. We will certainly lend our support to increase security to other institutions that feel like they are under threat."

Oh, great. Pretty soon, Team Galactic will have the password to every important building in Sinnoh.

Way in the back with the rest of the general public, behind where all the officially licensed media members get to stand, I sigh and make my way out of the crowd after a few more questions. They're all in the same vein, asking questions about the nature of Team Galactic, and Silas does a masterful job deflecting, diverting, and generally talking without saying anything.

There's no point in wasting any more time listening to this farce of a press conference. Especially because I learned the most important thing as soon as the man walked on stage.

I'd head down to the game corner and bet every last penny that I have that if you gave Silas, CEO of Galactic Energy some hair spray, so he could put up his blue hair into two cat ears, and a goofy space outfit, he'd look an awful lot like Commander Saturn of Team Galactic.

It's confirmation to what I already knew, I suppose; that we're up against some of the heaviest hitters in all of Sinnoh. It's also the reason I didn't give the police any information that would help them at all, like giving over Mars's identity.

What would happen if I went around accusing one of the most powerful businessmen of Sinnoh of being a Team Galactic agent, and staging this whole stealing of the Adamant Orb? I'd end up with a pair of cement shoes on my feet and a one way trip down from Sunyshore Pier, most likely.

So, I'm still stuck in this stupid holding pattern. Where I know the endgame of Team Galactic, but I don't know the steps to get there, and thus I'm stuck biting my tongue, because what am I supposed to say? This is the first time they've truly started to reveal their hand, and still I can't find any cracks in their armor.

For that reason, when Ursula asks me if I learned anything at the press conference, I shake my head and reply no.

"I guess we're only waiting on Lucas then," she says. "He's been busy today, talking to Professor Rowan for the last half-hour, actually."

As if on cue, Lucas pokes his head into the lobby. "Can you two come here?" he asks us.

We look at each other and follow him into the computer center, where Professor Rowan's face is on the screen. He greets us with a short wave and his customary professionalism.

"Good afternoon to you, Luna, Ursula. Congratulations on your victory at the Veilstone Gym and Solaceon Contest, respectively."

"Thanks," I reply, for the both of us. "Is that all you wanted to see us for?"

Rowan's mustache twitches. "Not quite. I was hoping you three would investigate something that I've heard about, seeing as you're in the area. A little bit south of Veilstone City, a local Ruin Maniac's company is trying to tunnel all the way to the Solaceon Ruins from Route 214, if you can believe it."

What a madman. "Do you want us to go there and talk him out of it?" Ursula asks quizzically.

"It's what his findings have uncovered, actually," Rowan explains. The man has reported strange occurrences, like Pokémon appearing out of nowhere, and rare and strange items on the ground. You and Lucas did solve the Unown puzzles in the Solaceon Ruins, and if these events are related to that, I thought you might be suitable to investigate. But if you're busy, I can certainly find someone else who might be willing."

The three of us look at each other. Lucas seems to be the most enthusiastic to have an assignment to undertake, and I don't mind a slight detour, but we should ask our third. "We're headed that way anyways, but are you alright with it?"

Ursula shrugs. "They need to wait for people to arrive all the way from Hoenn for the Wallace Cup, so we have plenty of time. I've been working on this appeal forever, and I'm not anticipating any last minute changes this time, though I'll be much better prepared for them if they are any."

With that settled, I turn back to the professor and give him two thumbs up. "I guess that settles it. We'll check it out for you!"

I think we're all ready to move on from Veilstone City. As usual, Porygon has been helping Lucas whenever he uses a computer, whether his own or a public one. But when it emerges in a swirl of green numbers before materializing, it's much different from before.

Porygon's sharp edges have been rounded, the pink and light blue color scheme it had going on turned into a much more aesthetic dark red and blue, and in general, Porygon looks like a much more finished, professional product.

The second coming, if you will.

"You evolved Porygon?" I comment, marveling at the new and improved Porygon2.

"Yesterday," Lucas confirms. I had Porygon's programming upgraded, and this is the result."

"That's all it takes?" Ursula says, looking between Pokémon and trainer. "Why wait until now, then?"

"When I first got Porygon, I was told not to use logic that applies to a normal Pokémon. I never had any problems with Porygon's performance, so I didn't see the need." Where a normal Pokémon may have taken Lucas's statement as a slight, Porygon2 doesn't react to the unsaid "until now."

"But recent events make me think that I needed some more firepower," Lucas says, mostly to himself.

I pose the next question. "If Porygon is that easy to evolve, why not go all the way to Porygon-Z? I've heard that thing is super powerful."

Lucas grimaces at the mention of Porygon's final form. "Yeah, I have the data to do that, but I've heard some things about Porygon-Z that make me a little hesitant. We'll see. Maybe in the future."

----------------------------------------

With Lucas's newly evolved Pokémon in tow, we set off almost immediately. It's not much longer than a day's walk away to the site in question. A ranger has roped it off, but a quick conversation with Professor Rowan gets the man to let us by, with several warnings to be careful of strange Pokémon and occurrences.

It's like going in the Oreburgh Tunnel, except that one is fully developed, with lighting and signs and everything. This one we're mostly in the dark, having to use our flashlights, and watching every foot we place.

There's the usual Zubat fluttering overhead, and we have to step over a few sleeping Geodude. We also catch sight of a Hippopotas once or twice, that scurry away before we can get any closer, but nothing that is unusual.

Seeing the Hippopotas makes me think of my desert adventure with Team Rocket, and I snort in laughter. Imagine if behind all of this strangeness is another one of their harebrained schemes.

Lucas has taken the lead, since he's the most serious about this, being an official task from his boss and everything. He stops walking and points his flashlight left, then right. "There's a fork here. Which way do we want to go?"

I step up next to him and point my flashlight down each tunnel. There's no riddle to solve here, but here is an indication of the right path. "I'd say left, considering there's a blue light coming from that direction. Seems similar to the one we saw in the Solaceon Ruins."

"That wasn't there a minute ago," Ursula points out. I shrug."

"Means something is happening. We should check it out!"

They can't argue with that, and I take the lead, entering the leftmost tunnel. Right away, I can see why the ruin maniac digging this tunnel was spooked. Multicolored shards of objects; red, yellow, blue and green, are scattered on the floor. There are more than a couple of bones too, some of which look rather human in nature. I pick up a gleaming piece of rock shaped like a star and slide it into my bag as sneakily as I can.

And at the end of the tunnel, the source of the blue light, a strange portal looking thing is present. I assume it's some sort of psychic teleporter, that probably takes you back to the entrance. I wonder if people are throwing trash around in the Solaceon Ruins, and the Unown are teleporting the items here.

That theory is immediately challenged when Lucas and Ursula wave me over to a set of what looks like training weights, that you wrap around your legs, to increase their strength by forcing them to compensate for that increased weight. Except these look like they're for a giant, considering each singular slab is about the size of me.

Even with three of us, there's no way we could budge this thing from where it's lying on the floor, which brings the question of how it got here in the first place.

Lucas is crouching over it, holding his flashlight so close that I think it's going to light on fire. "I know the lighting sucks here, but is it orange to you guys' eyes?"

"Definitely," Ursula confirms. "A little on the burnt side, but I would classify it as orange."

"What she said," I add.

"I think it's what people give to a Rhydon when they're training it to evolve," Lucas theorizes, standing up. It becomes part of a Rhyperior's armor after the fact. Ursula, do you still have that fang you found?"

She wordlessly pulls someone short and bright white fang from her pocket, carefully not picking herself on what looks to be a razor sharp point, and holds it up to her flashlight.

"That probably is a Razor Fang, the one that helps Gligar with their confidence so that they can evolve into Gliscor." Lucas spins in a circle, scanning the ground. "For whatever reason, this place has rare evolutionary items."

"You should keep that and give it to your boyfriend," I tease Ursula. She narrows her eyes.

"Who exactly are you talking about?"

"Conway, your tag partner," I enlighten her. "He has a Gligar, remember? I'm sure he would appreciate such a thoughtful gift."

She flings the Razor Fang to the side and shudders. "Don't ever mention that name again."

Lucas picks the item up and takes it for himself, after inspecting it for any chips. "Pay attention," he chides us both. "There were reports of strange Pokémon here as well. We need to keep our guard up."

"Okay, man," I say, pretending to act serious. "But I think there are pretty good odds the guy was spooked by something in the dark. He probably mistook a Zubat for a much scarier Pokémon."

My friend's reply is interrupted when his eyes widen. I spin around, which is a mistake, because the portal is erupting in two massive flashes of blue that have me seeing stars. The next thing I know, I'm knocked to the ground, and I feel my backpack being slipped off of my shoulders.

I rub my eyes furiously so I can get a better image of these thieves, and my heart misses a beat when I see them. They're rather short, but they have wicked claws, and both of them have what look to be long feathers on their heads.

I might have only seen their evolution so far in my journey, but I recognize these Pokémon. The Sneasel holding my bag taunts me by sticking its tongue out, and its partner cackles before they both disappear into the blue portal.

There's not a second to waste. I get off my butt and scramble towards the portal myself, ignoring the calls from my friends for caution.

"Luna! Wait!"

"Wait nothing!" I yell back without turning around. "Sneasel eat Pokémon eggs! And I have one in there!"

I'm sorta expecting to lose all sense of where I am when I throw myself headfirst in what I think is this teleporter, but instead I find myself about to tumble down a grassy hillside. I do my best Golem impression and cover my head to somersault down it.

When I eventually come to a stop at the bottom, thankfully, even though the incubator is out of my bag, the Sneasel are arguing about who's gonna actually get to eat dinner, and who has to look for their meal still. I pause slightly now that I have a clear look at them.

Neither of them are black with red feathers, like the ones I'm familiar with. These two are light gray with purple feathers and claws. These are almost certainly Hisuian Sneasel. I'd be more in awe if they weren't about to eat the egg I've been so carefully carrying around for a while now.

Hisuian Sneasel has the same typing as Croagunk and Toxicroak, I remember Lucas telling me. Speaking of which, I hear a couple of thumps behind me as they make their appearance, and start rolling down the hill.

I don't give these two egg thieves a chance. "Absol, Psycho Cut!" Even though Absol isn't a great choice against Fighting-types, Psycho Cut blows these two out of the water.

The first Sneasel barely has a chance to turn at the sound of my voice, a bit too slow to realize that there's a much bigger threat than his own counterpart. It's almost comical how the attack sends him flying.

The second one is a bit smarter, and lunges for the egg to make a great escape. As if I'm going to let that happen. "Quick Attack!" Absol darts in, and I can almost see the wicked gleam in Sneasel's eyes as it raises a claw dripping with poison.

No wonder this Pokémon turned into a Dark-type. It already likes to fight dirty. "Detect!" I order, and Sneasel's attack misses by a hair. "Now, Knock Off!"

Our opponent is a bit too quick to get pinned to the ground, but Absol manages to force Sneasel back with repeated swipes at it. "Razor Wind!" He creates two tornadoes, and while Sneasel still rushes forward, it quickly changes its mind after getting hit with multiple wind scythes, beating a hasty retreat to look for some easier food.

I wait a few seconds to see if either of them is coming back before I sigh in relief, and rush over to my bag. Luckily, the incubator is still on, glass unbroken, and egg unharmed.

"Whew!" I wipe the sweat off my brow. "That was a close one. Thanks, Absol."

He gives me a slight, disinterested nod, more concerned with our surroundings, for whatever reason. Though now that the adrenaline has worn off, this place we're in is rather odd. It's totally overgrown, as if humans have barely set foot here, and I'm feeling rather chilly, like I need a long sleeve shirt under my jacket and a scarf like Lucas wears.

I recall Absol for the time being, seeing as we aren't in any immediate danger, or else he would have said something, as Ursula and Lucas finally come to stand next to me. Ursula is rubbing her arms in between dusting her skirt off, and Lucas frowns, pulling a blue blazer out of his jacket and putting it on. So it's definitely colder than it was before.

"Well, that was quite an adventure," Ursula huffs, catching her breath. "Everything's fine, yes?"

When I nod, Lucas looks back to the hill we rolled down. "I suppose that means we can start finding our way… back," he finishes slowly, because there's nothing like a cave anywhere on that grassy hill. He glances around before whipping out his laptop and phone, trying to find out where we are.

A minute later, he summons Porygon2 to ask for help, but even a digital Pokémon can't get his computer to work, for whatever reason. "Are you guys' electronics working?"

Ursula and I rummage through our bags quickly, and quickly find out that neither of our phones are, and while most of the basic apps on my Pokétch, like the calculator, coin toss, and step counter, (although that one has been reset) are operational, anything involving location or the internet is not.

Weird. The Pokédex still works as normal, and there's one more thing that I have that also works, because I charged it last night, actually.

Both my friends groan as I slowly pull it out and wiggle it at them. It's the portable music maker thingy that I bought from Nando, that I don't actually know the real name of, the one I used for my contest appeal.

"What?!" I say defensively. "Because we're lost, we can't appreciate a little music?" I ask rhetorically, turning it on.

"Yes," Ursula replies dryly. "We need to focus on finding out where we are. And music doesn't exactly help anyone concentrate."

I don't know about that. "Music actually helps some people focus. Especially when it doesn't have lyrics," I say, in my best professor voice.

"Well, it's not helping me," Lucas shuts me down with finality. "If you insist on playing it, do it quieter. Unless you want to lead more wild Pokémon to our location."

A rustle in a nearby bush freezes all of us, and we turn to look in that direction, as I turn my music player off. A man emerges, dressed like a peasant from another era. I'm talking about a straw triangle hat, some sort of weird combination of pants and a robe, and a sash tied around his waist.

Despite his humble and dated clothing, he actually looks pretty nice. His whole outfit is a rich deep purple, though it lightens up at the sleeves and end of the robe, and it has bright gold accents in several spots.

His expression is one of undisguised suspicion. "Hello. I don't think I have ever heard such a ruckus. One might think that the three of you were some sort of traveling band."

Even his manner of speech is weird. It's not Ursula's pompous accent, but it's definitely old-fashioned. "Sorry," I apologize, even though I'm not sure what for. "We've found ourselves lost, and I was trying to lighten the mood. If you could just point us towards the nearest city, we'll be on our way."

He doesn't seem pacified by my words. "What is a city? This is the Amethyst Heartlands, and the only people who live here are people of my clan, the Platinum Clan. And I wouldn't take you to meet them. You have all the characteristics of vicious ruffians!"

Say what now? Ursula crosses her arms at his insult. "How do you figure that?"

The mystery man gestures up and down at us wildly. "Look at what you have chosen to wear! And how you speak! You're no better than the outsiders that came to my clan several days ago, with their violence and their Pokémon, threatening us, ransacking our homes, and holding us hostage!"

That really escalated quickly. Lucas voices our collective concern. "We're not here to attack you," he says with his hands up, trying to convey that we don't pose a threat. "In fact," he looks at both of us for confirmation, "we'll help get rid of those people hurting your clan."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Well, I suppose you can try," he mutters. "Although I'm not sure what three kids can do against them. The outsiders came in things that sounded like thunder, and managed to tame Pokémon to match their cruel desires."

Why this guy is so hung up on taming Pokémon being this big accomplishment, I don't know. Does he live under a rock or something? His next statement doesn't help his case.

"I was actually out here looking for food, but it seems you've already found some!" the man exclaims, peeking into my bag, still open on the floor. "How do you want to prepare it? Scrambled? Fried? In an omelet? Oh, I know! We can split it four ways if we hard-boil it!"

Yeah, I don't think we're changing his opinion of us any time soon.

----------------------------------------

It was a weird sort of journey back to the Platinum Settlement, which isn't much more than a collection of tents, some farming fields, and a couple of larger wooden buildings. Our guide, who still hasn't given us his name, made sure to take extra care to avoid any interaction with a Pokémon.

Even a cute Petilil resting amongst a flower bush was too much for him. It would be rather hilarious if it weren't so odd.

There are definitely people who have had a traumatic experience involving Pokémon and thus are scared of them. One high profile incident happened way back before I was born in Sinnoh, where a boy from one of the foremost families of the region was attacked and almost killed by a wild Pokémon, though his name and most of the other details have since been covered up for his protection.

Therapy exists, of course, and it's probably super effective. I'd imagine being around a bunch of cutesy, friendly, lovable Pokémon is near impossible to resist. They also start it very early on. There's no way you can survive in the world having a phobia of Pokémon, considering they're integrated into every part of life.

How this man made it this long being petrified of them, I don't know. But at least the notion that he lives under a rock is somewhat true, because his village looks as backwards as it can get.

It's a place out of time, honestly. I hesitate to even call it a village, considering its a bunch of structures that seem larger and sturdier than the camping tents that we carry around, but I would hesitate to call them full houses. It's got other rudimentary aspects of village life, like a well, a farming field, a centrally located fire pit where I assume communal meetings are held, and even a little religious-type shrine.

That's all normal, if very outdated. It's the modern stuff that's the problem.

Villagers are present, all dressed up in similar outfits to our mysterious guide, but their heads are bowed, and they constantly look around nervously as they go about their tasks. And for good reason.

Where to begin? We've got men and women in military style tactical gear, cages of people and Pokémon, some of them unmoving, and a large truck with a covered bed, perfect for carrying them away. I pass Lucas's binoculars to Ursula and turn to him grimly.

"Hunter J's goons? How did they get here?"

"Probably in a similar manner that we did," Lucas mutters back angrily. "Whatever the case, we need to get rid of them." I raise an eyebrow. Does he have an idea of where we are?

Ursula hands the binoculars back to their owner. "Plans?" she asks me. I am the one who came up with the last rescue attempt idea, so I suppose it falls on me again to outsmart them again.

No pressure. But the most important part of a plan is working with information. I turn to our guide, who's staring at us suspiciously. "Is there a lady with a Salamence here?"

When he looks at me blankly, I try again. "A big blue dragon, with red wings. The lady would be bossing these people around."

"The person in command is a man," he tells us. "And the Pokémon he tamed stands on two legs, and is a creature that looks like it's already passed from this world to the next."

What a needlessly roundabout way to say the guy has a Ghost-type. But if Hunter J isn't here, then that is good news for us. "Lucas can deal with that if the time comes." I silence Ursula's quizzical expression with a look. If these guys are so scared about Pokémon, I don't know what they will think of me having an Absol.

"Ursula, you go in to free the people trapped in the cages. I assume that they are there because they fought back initially. Hopefully, they'll be willing to help us fight again. We'll outnumber them pretty comfortably. Do you know if the cage is electrified?"

I directed that question at our guide, but he seems to have never heard the word electricity before in his life.

Lord have mercy. How backwards is this place? "Does it shock you if you touch it?" I clarify for him.

"No," he replies. "But they did do something strange. A couple of us have managed to tame Pokémon, and they shot them with something that rendered them statue-like. It's not worn off."

Some extremely advanced tranquilizer dart, no doubt. "They probably carry antidotes in case of accidents. Even if they turn on electricity like last time, Helioptile can absorb it while Meowth picks the locks. Have Gabite and Masquerain cover you. Lucas and I will occupy the rest. How many poachers are there in total?"

"I counted twenty faces, not including the leader. But only ten of them at a time are needed to subdue our village, considering the savage beasts they command."

Yikes, that is a lot of poachers, though I'm going to ignore that description for now. "We have to ambush them. I saw a couple Pokémon we took out pretty quickly. Without their Pokémon, they should fold pretty quickly. Can you get us in the village without being seen?"

"Yes," our guide states slowly, watching us pull out our Pokéballs. "But in what manner are you going to defeat them? Throwing those oddly spherical rocks at their heads?"

Someone is going to be very surprised.

We don't have those walkie-talkies we snatched off the poachers like last time, because I'm pretty sure Team Rocket took them all, so we have to rely on a signal. I told Ursula to have Gabite use Dragonflame in the air, since it's such a flashy move, and therefore will draw a lot of attention.

I take the time before she uses it to instruct my Pokémon. "Glaceon, Bellossom, you two are going to use Moonblast and Flash Frost simultaneously, to take out that Druddigon. Then, all three of you are going to run around attacking whatever Pokémon you see. This village doesn't have Pokémon in it, for whatever reason, so all of them are enemies barring Lucas and Ursula's teams. It's going to be chaos, so watch each other's backs, and target whoever is weak to your moves."

I'm beginning to talk like Barry, words tumbling out of my mouth with no breaks or pauses, so I take a deep breath to steady myself. "Everyone got it?"

They all give me unimpressed looks, and I have to crack a smile. "Yeah, stupid question. Of course you did."

Dragonflame goes up, and as Ursula would say, it's showtime. The poacher we're targeting stares up at the display with his Druddigon, as he had hoped.

"That looks like something the boss's Salamence would attack with," he says, as five fireballs shoot into the air one after another. "I bet she'd be impressed with what we've accomplished here!"

Famous last words, asshole. Glaceon and Bellossom silently line up their attacks, and throw them both out together. The Ice and Fairy type attacks slam into Druddigon's head one after another, and the Dragon-type slumps to the ground.

At the same moment, Monferno leaps behind cover and Mach Punches the Weavile, following it with a Sky Uppercut that sends the enemy Pokémon flying into the air.

The poacher startles when his Pokémon gets knocked out, but instead of checking on it, as a normal trainer might do, he starts scanning the area for threats.

Whether it's from his military-style training, or because all hell is breaking loose, he deduces the situation rather quickly for someone who doesn't have a lot of brain cells. "Hey! We're under attack!"

Ambushing definitely has paid off because we've already taken out about half of the poachers' Pokémon within a few seconds. Charmeleon chases down a Shiftry, while Glaceon and Bellossom tag team a Sandslash. Rockruff nips at a Scolipede's legs with Fire Fang to distract it, allowing Stantler to hold it in place with confusion for Porygon2 to blast it repeatedly with Psybeam and Tri-Attack.

And though some of the villagers run for cover, a couple of them decide to help out. In particular, one woman built like a monster truck grabs and suplexes a poacher over her shoulder, pinning the lady poacher to the ground. The stork-looking, apron wearing, rock collecting, bird Pokémon she was with scoffs at the display.

At first I think it's flying away, but the remaining poachers are rallying to a specific location. I realize that it plans to drop the rocks on Ursula's head while she's distracted with the cage.

"Look out!" I yell!

My friend gasps when she realizes the situation, but luckily, Ursula's Pokémon are looking out for her. Masqeuerain takes to the air, and the sight of its wing pattern causes the enemy Pokémon to pause for one second.

Which gives enough time for Helioptile to zap it out of there air. Gabite knocks back some sort of tumbleweed looking Pokémon with Dragon Claw, and then I hear several loud honking sounds as the Meowth finally picks the lock and the cage door swings open.

It seems I'd underestimated the will of these poachers to fight back without someone cracking the metaphorical whip at their backs. Barring the two that are currently being sat on by villagers, the rest have jumped into the truck, which is currently swinging by to pick up the remainder.

As one, they recall their Pokémon and sample into the back of the truck, but they do leave us two parting gifts.

"A little taste of what we'll unleash on you backwater fuckers when we return!" one of them hollers out of the passenger side window. "You'll regret breaking our arrangement!"

It's very scummy to abandon two Pokémon here as a distraction so you can get away, but it's par for the course for a bunch of poachers. They turn out to be an Arbok and some snapping turtle looking thing that the Pokédex tells me is a Drednaw, but…

I'm getting the shivers just looking at these two. I know Arbok is a cobra, and snakes in general are nothing to play around with, but snakes are supposed to be poised, waiting for the opportunity to strike and sink their fangs in. Not with eyes red from bloodlust and venom drooling from their mouths.

Drednaw is also acting odd. Although I don't know much about this Pokémon, I get the feeling that it's not supposed to be savagely grinding its teeth and jaws together, especially not before something is in them.

There's an old expression about a storm cloud being over someone's head if they're in a bad mood, but what about a black cloud? Because one is surrounding both Arbok and Drednaw right now.

Am I the only one seeing this? Lucas doesn't seem that concerned when he speaks up behind me. "Luna, you can handle these two, right? Ursula and I are going to check on the villagers, and search these captured poachers for the antidote to their poison."

"Yeah," I manage, as Absol and Drednaw advance, cloaked in shadows. "We've got this." My confidence is slowly starting to return. Drednaw is quadruple weak to grass. "Bellossom, Petal Dance!"

She must be sensing my wariness, because there's no style in this Petal Dance. She simply swallows up Drednaw in a massive petal funnel, as Arbok lunges forwards with its poisonous fangs.

"Metal Claw, Chameleon! Icy Wind, Glaceon!"

Charmeleon and Glaceon are working together well, surprisingly enough. My Fire-type catches the attack on his steel claws, allowing Glaceon to push Arbok back. Slowed by the ice crystals covering it, the snake is an easy target for Flamethrowers as well.

We unleash the torrent of fire as Bellossom lets up her Petal Dance and brings the petals back to swirl around her, moving in sync with her movements. But Drednaw is still moving too. Arbok, though it has a burn mark on its chest, slithers toward us again.

What is going on? Surely these aren't on the level of Cynthia's Garchomp, who can shrug off Ice-type attacks despite its massive weakness to them.

But they aren't demonstrating any pain, or any emotion really, other than an overwhelming lust for battle. Drednaw shows no fear even as Bellossom repeatedly throws Grass-type attacks its way. It wears that same savage expression, even though it should have been knocked out about four times already, and the shroud of darkness around it is growing.

Arbok as well, should have realized at this point that it cannot defeat Glaceon and Charmeleon together, and retracted, since there's no trainer to obey or defend. But it's not. It's as if their machines, programmed to fight, rather than Pokémon with feelings.

At that moment, it's like everything in my brain is aligned. Pokémon without feelings, programmed to fight nonstop. A dark aura around them. And me, being able to see them, because I supposedly have some type of advanced vision due to Uxie not stealing any of my memory.

These are Shadow Pokémon. The poachers are creating, or buying, Shadow Pokémon. My mind races with what to do. I vaguely remember that the way to cure them was to spend lots of time with them after you had caught them away from their original trainers, but wasn't there something else?

Was it calling out to them mid battle? It couldn't hurt, right? "Arbok, Drednaw, stop! You're better than this! We want to help you!"

Maybe if I really was some sort of chosen one, Like Ash, or even Lucas, with how he seems to always know what to say to his Pokémon, my words would have had some impact. I slowly become more horrified, as my words have the opposite effect, and it's even more evidence that I'm not cut out for saving the world.

The shadow cloud surrounding both enemy Pokémon doubles in size, and turns a deep red, and the two Shadow Pokémon rush us with a feral scream and bloodlust in their eyes.

We push them back time again again, but they don't falter in their onslaught, despite injuries that would have knocked out way stronger Pokémon. I'm getting the sinking feeling that this can only end one way.

Arbok fixes its gaze on me, and I'm paralyzed by it. Bellossom turns her next Petal Dance into a whirling buzzsaw, as Drednaw starts to charge forward. The poisonous snake opens its maw and lunges forward aiming to skin its fangs into my throat.

"Don't," I whisper, begging my Pokémon, as they get ready to counter these attacks. "They're not in their right minds. It's possible to save them!"

They aren't taking that risk. I have to close my eyes, unable to watch this any more.

Somewing wet drips onto me, but I'm not sure if it's blood or water. I crack one eye open to a spear of ice in front of me, that Arbox impaled itself on, straight into its mouth and out the other side. The snake's tail is still twitching, but not for much longer. Drednaw's in even worse condition. Its head is split open, eyes glassy, and it's splayed out on the ground.

Please. Arceus, Giratina, Ho-oh, Yveltal, or whoever's in charge, let them have a second chance. To die as an unknowing, unfeeling monster is a fate that no one deserves.

There had to be another way, to do or say something different. Because I don't want to ever have to do that again. Unfortunately, there's no time to think.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Why don't you end the rest of these, too?" A voice says gleefully from behind me.

I whirl around, enraged. Who the fuck thinks I wanted, or was trying to kill those Pokémon, and that I'd be willing to do it again? But all I see is happy villagers, and my friends staring at me with wide eyes, that drains all the anger from me so all that's left is the sick feeling in my stomach.

"That won't be necessary," Lucas cuts in as I can't find any words to speak. "The Pokémon have been caged," he says distastefully, "and they won't be any threat."

He's telling the truth. Weavile, Shiftry, Druddigon, and the other Pokémon that we've managed to knockout have been put in the cage, and the villagers have been rescued.

"Well, I still think they should be put down," someone mutters from the back, and that gets me back into action.

"No one else is dying today," I insist, though there is a part of me that wants to make these poachers pay. But I don't ever want to stoop to their level, of using Pokémon as unfeeling tools or weapons, and their worthless lives are spared for now. "You!" I point to the big lady with the muscles, still currently sitting on a poacher, driving her head into the dirt with one strong hand. Tie these guys to a post or something!"

The woman gets up and dusts off her knees. "Weird being ordered around by another set of strangers, when I'm the leader of the Platinum Clan."

Her words are another splash of cold water. "I furiously wave my hands. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. We aren't anything like them."

She breaks out into a great smile. "Don't worry, I like it." She picks up the lady poacher with one huge arm, and pats the defeated woman gently on the cheek with her other hand. "These two aren't going anywhere. Tie 'em up like she said! A smidgeon on the tight side!"

With them being led off, the woman introduces herself to the three of us, and our Pokémon. "Name's Hana," she says, tying the purple hair that matches her purple dress into a high ponytail. "I got to say, Daniel, I told you to bring back food. Not our salvation!"

Our grumpy guide slinks his way out of the crowd. "They do have food. But they weren't willing to share it!"

"For the last time," Ursula interjects. "We don't care how stale your rice is, we're not frying it with our egg!"

Hana mushes us all together in a massive, strong-armed hug. "It doesn't matter," she declares. "This calls for a feast!" Her face falls slightly. "Though it's clear to me that your Pokémon are well tamed, I cannot allow them to wander about the village. The vast majority of the people here fear them."

I think we all kinda expected that, and there's a huge collected sigh, along with some murmured fascination as our Pokémon are brought back, leaving only two remaining.

"You're still scared of Pokémon even though you have these two?" I ask, gesturing at the Hisuian Growlithe and Meditite standing amongst the villagers.

"Those can be vouched for by our wardens," Hana replies, and two people come up to the front at her words. "This is Kuro and Shira, brother and sister, if you couldn't tell," she adds unnecessarily, because the family resemblance is stronger than her grip on my shoulders. "They take care of our noble protector, the Lord of the Shadows. They know everything and anything about dealing with Pokémon!"

Somehow, I highly doubt that, and it seems the siblings agree. "You flatter us Hana," Kuro, the man, says dryly, as his sister walks forward.

"Especially because of who has blessed us with their visit!" Shira exclaims. "Don't you realize who this is, Hana? This is the person who fell from the sky!" She ignores Ursula and me to walk forward and vigorously shakes Lucas's hand. It's amazing to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from the other wardens!"

Ursula and I look at each other. What the heck is she talking about? Shira looks back at her brother. "Please, Kuro. We need to take him to the Lord of the Shadows!"

"That's not exactly safe," Kuro says hesitantly, but Lucas cuts in quickly.

"I'll do it."

Before either Ursula or I can object, Hana chimes in. "Well, if you're so confident, sky faller, then who am I to say no! Find our guests some lodging, and get to work on that feast. We've only got this one day to celebrate, because we've got to rebuild. Those intruders sure did a lot of damage."

Daniel, our guide to this place, shows us an empty space, and some other villagers hand us the material so we can pitch their much warmer tents. I bump Lucas's shoulder as we're doing so.

"Spill the beans, man. Where are we?

I'm pretty sure Lucas's eyes have never been brighter. "Can't you tell," he says, exuberance spinning out of him. "Hardly any people or civilization. Strange attitudes to Pokémon? We've run into two regional forms that are almost never seen by modern humans?"

When we both stay silent, he lays it out for us. "We're in Hisui!"

"You're saying that when we fell through that teleportation portal, we tumbled way into the past?" Ursula asks incredulously.

On one hand, time travel is probably the most ridiculous explanation for this that one could tell me. But having spent a little time here, and seen how these people dress and talk and act…

I kinda believe it.