You know that feeling when you're called to the principal's office at school? When you find out that either a family member got in atastrophic event thaan accident or that you are in some deep shit?

I experienced that feeling right now, despite not going to school anymore, not having any known relatives or family members around or having done anything wrong, despite all of this I still walked through the hallways with a lump in my throat.

The fact that Caleb got lost also did not help me calm my nerves.

"And I found it!" Caleb said relieved. "I knew I was going in the right direction." He pointed at the big steel, almost elevator-like doors at the end of the hallway.

"Took you long enough," Fay said.

Caleb stared at the Riolu. "Don't know what you just said but you are definitely wrong."

"Huh, I legit thought we would die before finding it."

"Haha," Caleb didn't laugh. "Why don't you try to find your way in a base this big."

"It isn't my base," I retorted.

Caleb gripped the metal bar that served as a door handle. It was the kind of door I would expect to be for a vault, not some office but again, things rarely make sense in the world of Pokémon.

With a loud creak, the door opened and I was met with what looked to me like a first-class hotel suite.

The room was shaped like a big solid square with the wall opposite of the entrance being replaced by a big curving window that stretched out from one end of the room to the other end, bending slightly outwards.

The view was amazing. It showed a calm ocean that stretched out to the horizon with no land in sight, the reflection of the sun danced on top of the ocean’s waves.

In the middle of the room there was a big round wooden table with white office chairs arranged around it. A corner of the room was designed like a miniature victorian style library with ancient-looking books arranged in a craftily made cabinet.

The other side of the room was arranged to look like something resembling a modern living room. A big L-shaped couch was placed against the wall with a TV placed on top of a small stand.

However it wasn't only the TV, an entire wall was dedicated to putting up as many screens as possible. They were mounted to the walls and were put in neat rows to give some semblance of order; although it was highly questionable why someone would need to use 12 monitors at the same time.

Three of the monitors were on and displaying a feed but no sound came from them, so I guess they were muted.

As I stepped into the room, followed by my two Pokémon and a snow-white fluffy stalker, I saw the TV screens were set to a news channel.

One was set to Sinnoh Live and according to the subtitles there was a new trendy Pokémon fashion product that was totally the bomb or at least that's what I could understand from it, seeing how excited the people talking on the broadcast were.

The second screen featured the KantoTV channel, ‘The most up to date news channel in all of Kanto’ or so the title card said. It featured two people talking about rising crime numbers and whether the police were right in their accusations that the League didn't provide enough help and resources. The League responded by claiming that the Police were escalating the status quo too much. Gym Leader Giovanni had promised to personally help with the matter, whatever that meant.

Considering Kanto always has a crime wave going on it wasn't really news but still interesting from an outsider's perspective.

The third screen was playing Johto News and had a red bar running under the broadcast that summarized the entire subject in a few sentences. An official statement was released that declared the Ninetales roaming the Ilex Forest a D-level threat and had received a Kill Order. The League advised people to avoid traveling through Ilex Forest alone until the threat had subsided. People who couldn't avoid traveling through Ilex Forest were advised not to engage in a conversation with any blood-covered Ninetales they might come across.

To me it sounded a bit comical and stupid for someone to actually think that to be a good idea but the body count suggested lots of stupid people live in Johto.

"Glad you could make it in time." A voice came from my right.

Saying I wasn't startled would be an outright lie but it was a mystery to me how such a big guy like the Commander could move that quietly. Or maybe it was just me, seeing how everyone suddenly develops ninja skills around me.

"Uh yes," Caleb swallowed and ruffled through his hair nervously, probably picking up on the sarcasm in the Commander's voice. "We got lost on our way here."

We? Caleb was the one who led the way, if someone was to blame it was him and only him.

"Sure," The Commander said, not sounding at all convinced. "Try to learn the layout of this place."

"Yes! It is on my to-do list!" Caleb smiled sheepishly, "Anyway I brought you our boy like you asked so uhm, I think I'm gonna check up on the next mission report and leave you two alone."

"No, stay."

"Or I'll stay," Caleb said, his shoulders shrugging.

Fay couldn't resist the urge to chuckle, Caleb shot her a playful glare.

"So Dust, what do you think of my office?" He turned to me and spoke with a heavy voice, perfect for a podcast if you ask me. The Commander, whose name I definitely haven't forgotten, stretched his arms out to the side.

Office? This place looks like an expensive apartment on top of a skyscraper reserved for billionaires and celebrities. There was even a freaking bed and kitchen!

"Uh well, it looks official." I tried to find the right words for, 'this looks like a penthouse' but accidentally made a pun.

It created an awkward silence between us, the big guy looked at me like he expected me to elaborate but I had nothing else to say. I coughed. "So you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, indeed. You got around an hour left before Blink teleports you back right?"

I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right because it was starting to feel sleepy. "Around that time, yeah, Sabrina knows the exact timing, is that why you wanted to see me?'

"Well no, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me, to satisfy my curiosity. It might sound strange but please humor me."

"Sure?" Definitely does not sound like the question is gonna be loaded. Nope, not at all.

The Commander nodded with satisfaction at me before looking back at the TV monitors mounted to the wall. He pointed at the news feed that was still going on about the killing spree in Ilex Forest. "9 deaths caused by a single Ninetales."

"Yeah, a tragedy," I replied dryly.

"Not that much in retrospect. Around a year ago a group in Hoenn tried to resurrect an ancient Pokémon from the depths of the Earth and ocean, believing it was some kind of God. If they had succeeded, the casualties among Pokémon and humans would be in the millions."

I swallowed, I was not sure where he was going with this but I did catch the reference to Kyogre and Groudon.

"6 years ago an experiment with a Pokémon went wrong, the Pokémon broke free and caused an entire island to disappear. The death toll to this day is a mystery since it's impossible to investigate a place wiped from existence."

He was talking about Mewtwo!

I assumed he...or was it the female-voiced Mewtwo from the Genesect Movie? Whatever, Mewtwo apparently was still around somewhere in this world. A thrilling thought considering Mewtwo is pretty hardcore in my eyes. Assuming Mewtwo doesn't kill people because...well killing people is bad.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"According to myths, Victini once reduced an entire Kingdom to ashes, although it's a legend, there is evidence that it might have actually happened."

"Isn't that the tale of how the Nagasomething desert came to be?" I remarked.

"Na'Al-gal desert," he corrected me, "Bones found in the desert suggest a catastrophic event that took place thousands of years ago. I can't imagine how much damage a Legendary Pokemon could cause; we should be grateful that most Legendaries seem to care about other Pokémon and humanity."

"True." I thought back to the Gyarados rampage in Seawave City. Lugia had shown up and got rid of the Gyarados with only one attack. How much damage would have been caused if Lugia had not shown up? Guess they kind of watch over us like gods in some way.

"Now my question to you is simple; what species is the most dangerous of all?"

Caleb let out a deep sigh, a sigh of boredom and familiarity.

"Lugia, I think it is Lugia." Fay shared her thoughts while she was probably fangirling on the inside. For some reason, Fay thought that Lugia was the most hardcore Legendary out there. If Lugia could sign its name Fay would surely try to get it.

"Is it the Gardevoir species that can create black holes?" The Commander suggested.

{If only.} Luna sighed wishfully. {Then no one would be able to stop me.}

Yeah, you definitely start sounding like a villain Luna.

"Or is it the mythical Victini?" He continued.

"You said what species right?" I asked for confirmation.

"I did."

"Then it's simple," I smiled. "Simple, the answer is us; humans are the most dangerous species."

"And he guessed it," Caleb said without much enthusiasm.

"Care to elaborate?" The Commander said, already pretty much confirming I was right with the tone of his voice.

"Well, just philosophically speaking but history points out that 90% of the time humans are the deciding factor in conflicts."

Also, in every Pokémon game, it's a team of humans trying to do the big bad. Even in the movies, it's most of the time human actions that push Legendaries to act.

I pointed at the newscast about the Ninetales. "The events in Ilex Forest all started with a human trainer. Same for whatever happened with Kyogre and Groudon. It's like the butterfly effect but with mankind making the biggest ripples."

"Butterfly effect?" The Commander raised his eyebrow.

"Well, you know, small actions have consequences that resonate into the future and shiz." I tried to explain without referencing several movies and games. The skeptical looks told me that I didn't manage to convey the theory that well.

I shrugged. "Well, am I right or not?"

The large guy nodded. "You indeed are. Thank you for answering the question, Dust."

"Sure…"

"He asks this to everyone, you do realize that?" Caleb groaned.

"I always ask people that question before I make them the offer to join the Hunt," he said with a semi-amused tone. "I want it to be clear that we are not the rangers or police. We hunt monsters that can be either human or Pokémon."

Pocket Monsters! Okay corny joke aside, did he just invite me to the Hunt? It definitely sounds like he just did.

"What did you answer?" I asked Caleb.

"Kyogre..." Caleb muttered defeated. "I mean, if it can flood the entire world then that Pokémon must surely be the most dangerous one."

"Yip!" Snowflake nodded mysteriously for some reason.

"So..." I turned to the Commander, "Not to be a bother but did you just invite me to the Hunt?"

"Not exactly," The Commander smirked knowingly. "Looking at your two Pokemon, although powerful in their own way, I doubt they'll be of much use on a real battlefield."

Fay sulked a little bit but the guy wasn't wrong. They were not heavy hitters, not like the ones I had seen attacking Hunter J. Well, not yet at least.

"But although you might be unfit for a battlefield I believe you can still contribute to the Hunt in your own ways."

"My own ways?"

"You have your wits, your unusual style that makes you...different. I've been watching you and I must say that you dealt expertly with everything. From escaping your room to handling your 'problem' with Sabrina." He paused when saying 'problem' and I could feel the air quotes hanging in the air. "Add that to your history of dealing with criminals; it would be foolish not to see an opportunity in all of this. I even spoke with Doctor Coldheart about it, to evaluate your potential and she recommends you."

Now, that does not sound good at all, anything Doctor Coldheart recommended was sure to be a trap.

"So, I have a different option for you Dust. What do you say about becoming a special agent for the Hunt?"

I blinked. "A what?"

"Special agent, a division I am working on right now. Threats that are not big enough for the Hunt to pay attention to but big enough that normal trainers can not deal with them." He spoke with pride and conviction. "It would come with a nice paycheck and it would give you a lot of opportunities to travel the world. It even allows you to stay out of the spotlight if you want to."

For a second, I did not know what to say. I got a job offer,my first one in this world. And not just a regular job offer but one with the Hunt; The heroes of tomorrow. It sounded great, except for a few things.

"I refuse." I let out a deep sigh.

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

Another shrug from me followed. "Well, to be honest, I try to stay away from trouble, it usually finds me, but that doesn't mean I like it. Besides, I made a promise to my Pokemon to become the best Pokemon trainer in the world."

"You would still be able to do the Gym challenge, we can provide travel funds for any mission we would send you and you have the choice to decline."

{We should refuse, too dangerous.} Luna advised me, her eyes glowing faintly. For once I totally agreed with her.

"Thank you kindly for the offer but I refuse. Money isn't worth the danger."

"Says the person that chased an armed bank robber around the city," The Commander noted duly.

"He made it personal," I groaned.

"Well," Caleb smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. "You can always change your mind later right?"

The last part was directed at the Commander.

The Commander relaxed his stance and sighed. "Yes, I suppose that's true. You can always take me up on the offer letter. A blindspot in our ranks would be invaluable."

"I'll keep that in mind," I answered. "It's cool and all but right now I am just worried about beating the next Gym leader and enjoying Sinnoh."

It would be cool to own a badge that allows me to 'borrow' cars from people like in police movies but honestly, working was not worth the hassle. Besides, I already have a part-time job with the Dream Company. A far less dangerous job. And even without that, I had enough to worry about. Within a month or so Dialga and Palkia would duke it out in Alamos Town and I had no idea how to deal with those two yet.

There was so much to be done right now and although the resources the Hunt offered were nice, I didn’t want them looking over my shoulders. Or anyone for that matter.

"Fine, I respect your decision." He said, clearly not happy with it, but he seemed to at least accept it. "Guess I'll have to tell Coldheart that she can cancel all her planned out sessions with you."

"Wait what?"

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

"So, are you ready for the teleport?" Caleb grinned, "If not, Blink hasn't failed once this month."

"Wait, what do you mean with month?" I muttered surprised.

"He's lying," Fay smartly pointed out.

"It's completely safe," Sabrina reassured me while glaring daggers at Caleb.

When I heard that Blink will be teleporting me within 8 hours I expected something flashy. Maybe a teleport platform or a cool countdown. Instead, I was just sitting on a makeshift bed waiting for me to teleport once the timer reaches 0.

"Anyway, Dust." Sabrina suddenly said, "Remember when I mocked you for only having 3 phone numbers in your Pokédex?"

"Yeah?" I said slowly, wondering why she was bringing that up all of the sudden. It wasn’t something I was particularly proud of, though I could justify that traveling made it more difficult to build connections.

Sabrina held her hands behind her back, nervously playing with her finger. "Well, I took the liberty to change it to 4." A painful silence followed before I understood what she was saying.

"Wait, you added your own?"

Sabrina nodded curtly. "I thought, maybe we can stay in contact?" Was that a blush forming on her cheeks? Either that or someone was transforming into a tomato on the spot.

"Sure," I grinned menacingly.

She saw my expression and frowned, "Just don't send me anything weird."

I blinked innocently. "You don't mind it if I send you memes at 3 AM, right?"

"What are memes?"

My grin told her enough. She let out a deep sigh, "I am going to regret this aren't I?"

"Regret is a big word."

"Well, I would add my own number," Caleb began, "But I don't swing that way, sorry Dust."

"Fuck off." Sabrina cursed.

Luna and Fay thought it was pretty funny and giggled. The white Ninetales stared at Fay and Luna in confusion before deciding she wanted in on it and started to make a sound that closely resembled snickering.

I petted Snowflake. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to call you as well, Snowflake."

Snowflake seemed really happy with that news.

"Why not take her with you?" Sabrina offered. "There's nothing stopping her from joining you."

"Well if she wants to." I grinned back before turning to face the white fox. "What do you say? Want to join me?"

I didn't expect an answer, considering she’s unable to understand human speech. To my surprise, Snowflake stared deep into my eyes with a serious expression. Her eyes flashed blue and her jaw opened and the temperature in the room dropped to the point I was shivering. Snowflake's tails were glowing fiercely all of the sudden and cast a soft blue glow.

"Ninetales." Snowflake spoke slowly.

"What?" Fay and Luna stared aghast at Snowflake.

Whatever had come over Snowflake disappeared immediately after. She returned back to her old expression of dumb happiness and began licking my nose without a reason.

"What happened?" I asked Fay cautiously, making sure to keep an eye on Snowflake in case she would trip again.

"She just spoke..." Fay muttered.

"What?" Sabrina asked, surprised, "What did she say?"

{2 words,} Luna stared at Snowflake. {Not yet.}