Ragnarok

Note: Jeez, I'm incompetent at times. I deeply apologize for taking so long for this chapter. I'll try hustling along with the next one.

The plot and outline for the story is going great, and I feel that it's becoming more solid; however, there's still an arseload of things going on all at the same time during these chapters, so I wouldn't blame anyone for being confused or irritated at the way it's going.

Like always, some tips, grammatical or spelling errors and whatnot, and comments would be appreciated. Criticism is always welcomed.

This chapter isn't too bad, it's only 13K in length.

Oh, and here's a little something for you. The song that Lynus hums so nicely is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbwo5pI4kt8

With that said, enjoy the read!

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1:08
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The morning nurse came walking through the screen doors that blocked off the largest portion of the Pokemon Center in Jubilife City. Two young trainers lifted their heads from the adjacent seats they dozed off on, their eyes locked onto the woman, anticipating the coming news.

"Both of your Pokemon had only minor damage," she affirmed. A smile spread across her face, easing their nerves, "they'll most likely make full recoveries in no time at all."

"Thank you so much." Noah started, rising from his seat. "When will they be able to be released?"

The nurse almost immediately answered. "Scyther's wounds are minimal at worst; he will be able to be released by early afternoon. However, your Zangoose received several significant injuries along her torso. I'd give her the majority of the afternoon before she fully recovers. You're free to stay in the vacant trainer rooms on the opposite end of the center if you'd like."

"Will we be able to see them now?" Lyn asked.

"They're resting at the moment. It'd be best to wait until later in the day. Trainers are allowed to stay with their Pokemon for as long as they wish though, so feel free to visit them whenever you choose to."

Her duty complete, the nurse shuffled back to the lobby, preparing to file a large stack of paperwork that waited for her patiently on the front desk- mostly files for a remodeling of the center, though several sheets of Pokemon documents rested somewhere in that scattered pile.

Noah and Lynus sighed, their bodies needing to recuperate from the events of the last couple of days. Lyn sank lower into her seat while Noah stretched his arms out in front of him.

Noah didn't show it, but he was still deeply concerned about Luna. The connection they had shared for almost a week was completely severed, and he hadn't heard a single thought being sent from his partner since she fainted. He remembered once again her words of their delicate bond, only cluttering his thoughts all the more.

'She said that our bond ascended beyond just mental properties. When she was knocked out at the river by the Arbok during the first encounter, I felt myself lose consciousness right alongside her.'

Noah rubbed one hand down his face, puzzled while his fingers squeezed at his eyelids. 'The connection disappeared, but look at me: I feel just fine. It's inconsistent with when she was thrown into the water.

Along with that, what in the world was that feeling I got back on Route 202?'

He tried remembering that single instance, when Luna's power exploded and overwhelmed the snake-beast. 'I could feel it too. Something inside her flared up and out of our control, and she...what the hell was she?'

Noah looked back down at his precious artifact, letting his finger rub against the new blackened plate now embedded in one of the empty sockets. 'Perhaps I'll talk about this with her later today, if she's awake and willing.'

A gentle yawn from Lyn snapped Noah back into the Pokemon Center waiting room. Her grin stretched from one side of her face to the other.

"You know, I almost forgot how civilization looked while out in the wilderness," Lyn mumbled. "Back in the forest, the only thing we could spot was the glare of the lights reflecting off of the tallest buildings here in town."

'That's right,' Noah thought, 'she was caged in the forest on Route 202 for half a decade...'

"It's so weird," Lynus continued, letting her eyes wander. "And seeing Jubilife's city lights from just outside of the Route. It was just so sudden, you know? It's just been so long."

"Yeah." Noah said. Although he hadn't told her just yet, he too had forgotten what it was like to explore the cities he'd been to when he traveled with Van Tussel. Sure, he'd admit that he hadn't been trapped in some rural area by a maniacal Pokemon for five years, but despite the measurements of time, it seemed as though he had lost touch with the outside world himself. The only source of information being whatever he managed to salvage from the lips of the onlookers back in Twinleaf Town- or of course, the television back at home; news reports that he didn't find too convincing or reliable to begin with.

Lyn's beaming face, full of joy- bliss; Noah cringed at the sight, remembering her expression back at the cave when she so openly revealed her past to him. Her tearing face, her spirit nearly obliterated by the plight she had to endure on a daily basis.

He hated that someone else had gone through an experience akin to his very own; spite, for the fact that anyone could feel as bad as he did.

The worst part, to Noah, was that he didn't know if his reaction was out of vex and jealousy, or perhaps out of pity and compassion for the poor girl.

Noah mentally gave himself a slap to the face. He almost couldn't believe that he'd honestly just been selfish enough to dislike the girl for her mishaps.

"I'm exhausted, we should go get some rooms and sleep the morning away," Noah finally spoke, rejecting the negative feeling toward his new acquaintance.

Lyn nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go see Skai the moment I wake up later. I'm burned out. Besides, I'm sure that he'd love to have a full rest for a change."

Noah took Lyn's hand and helped her out of her seat- he was a gentleman, accompanying her to the front desk to rent out a pair of rooms. After a quick walk toward the residence hall of the Pokemon Center, the two of them waved each other a good night- despite the time- and closed the doors to their rooms.

Noah exhaled, relieved to be on a fresh bed again. The sun was already beyond the rocky peaks of the mountains surrounding Coronet. An incredible improvement from sleeping on rough, rocky terrain, for sure. He struggled with his willingness to stay awake, but it didn't hold for much longer as Noah slowly fell into a deep sleep.

Noah nearly neglected the fact that he was completely alone again. Oddly enough, he felt much colder without that crazy, white fur ball sleeping with him. A chill violently shot up his spine.

For a moment, he almost cried.

Lyn, in the room on the other side of the hallway, had much less difficulty falling asleep in the comfortable bed after years of sleeping in caves, bushes, and trees. She let her cloak and much of her ragged outfit drop to the floor by the foot of her bed, throwing her body into the comfort of the sheets. The Pokeball containing her medicinal little helper stood firmly on the nightstand.

"I finally made it into town," Lyn prattled, "but now..."

Her parents came to the head of her mind.

"Nothing's waiting for me here anymore. They're both gone."

Lynus pondered about possibly finding a way back to Kanto. She had several distant relatives in Fuchsia City, so it was possible to return and live with them.

"I think I'll travel a little with Noah first, though. He did save the three of us, after all. I need to repay my debt. I need to get in touch with someone as soon as I can. I hope you guys can wait for me back at home."

Somewhere in the back of her head, she considered the possibility that her relatives were gone, unable to help her. She closed her eyes, distraught that she'd even think about something like that.

"Noah saved us, you guys."

She felt herself slowly drift into a slumber she hadn't experienced in almost half a decade. Describing it as pleasant would be the understatement of the century.

"Skai, Soki, we're free. We're finally free..."

This day, there would be no screaming creatures in the distance, no sharp hissing from beyond the trees; hope came to her- hope that she'd never have to stand and watch Skai struggle for their survival ever again.

Tears rolled down her face, her body finally getting the chance to rest, assured that no invisible assassin would try to harm her during her sleep.

----------

He was busy watching over her weakened body when a splash of blood stained the other end of the small window in the door behind him. This stranger, seven feet in height, bore a peculiar mask on his face, his body shrouded by the dark cloak he always wore, every last one of his features hidden from plain sight.

A muffled scream from the other end of the door tried to break the peace from inside the room in which the masked man resided. His body didn't budge an inch, the mask's eyes locking with the girl on the table.

She could do nothing- she even attempted interrogating the mysterious figure; a vain attempt to get any information from him about her whereabouts. Silence was all she was ever greeted with.

Another sharp pain ran up her body from her injuries. The deep cuts that ran across her arms and legs hadn't quite healed yet, if at all, blood still seeping from several of the more unfriendly wounds. She flinched when she too heard the victim from the other end of the door.

A sharp crack, muffled through the gateway, invited the silence; another opportunity. Another figure, almost as tall as the masked man, slowly opened the door from the other end. His trademarked, spiked blue hair and ghost-like appearance was a dead giveaway.

A chill ran through Cynthia's spine as Cyrus approached the other, a handshake from the two men, clearly showing their alliance.

"You could've just knocked," the man joked, peeking out of the sluggishly closing door, the hallway Cyrus had come from seemed to have been mopped with blood. Several drops of black also stained the metallic surfaces.

Cyrus smirked. "I know," his voice seemed to hiss, cold air visibly escaped from his wretched opening. Cynthia glared at the villain.

"I know how much you adore subordinates, Mr. Cyrus, but please understand and keep in mind that it takes a certain amount of my own time and effort to hire thugs willing to throw their lives away for my personal goals."

Cyrus snickered a little under his breath.

"This isn't a playground...yet"

"Fine."

The two forces walked up to Cynthia, who was still pinned and tied down to a stretcher in the center of the room, an eerie green glow being the only source of light, coming from a small light bulb in the corner of the vacant space.

"So, tell me again, in as much detail as you can possibly muster," the mystery man started, "what exactly did you want me to check for?"

Cyrus cleared his throat. "It's strange. Despite all of the information we've already stolen from the government's records, I still don't seem to understand. Normally, whenever I inject anyone with the bile, they follow a predictable pattern."

"Yes, I've seen it myself," the man reckoned, "Human, Pokemon, and even plants all react the same. The substance literally breaks them down from the inside out. The end result is just a pile of primordial mush."

"Often times, if the subject was able to will themselves to survive the breakdown process, their body becomes a host to the virus' will. And if another has control of the virus, then they have control of the person infected."

"It smells bad too."

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Quite. However, considering all of the time I've had to experiment on it, there's been several exceptions. Cynthia and I have had the strangest reactions thus far..."

The man moved closer to Cyrus, getting a good look at his pale and emotionless image. "...You've been practicing, I can tell.

So what do you want me to do with her," he asked, looking back at Cynthia, who was listening in on the conversation.

Her eyes widened at the mention of the bile. She looked back at her wounds, thinking back to her cell when she was captured by Cyrus. 'That moving puddle...was that...'

"I'm far too busy with other issues at the moment," Cyrus broke Cynthia's thought. "High Noon still isn't completely aware of my return, but they refuse to take any risks in the possibility that I might have killed over when fighting the Sols. They sent out their pathetic hound dogs several weeks ago, and some of them are hitting just a bit too close to home."

"That honestly can't be all."

"It isn't, but then again, why would I be inclined to tell you anything more?"

"That's right."

"All I want you to do is run some tests on the bitch. See why she refuses to break down, or submit to the virus' will."

"That's what I'm here for. However, before I start, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it," Cyrus growled from his throat, already aggravated for overstaying his welcome.

"You ever consider the echo as the reason behind the reactions?"

Cyrus took longer than expected to respond. "It's...a possibility, but it wouldn't answer why I haven't succumbed to the virus. In addition to that, if echo was the reason...then why would Richard die?"

His partner childishly shrugged, his head tilted to the side.

"This virus is incredible...but even now, there's still so much we don't know. I'm still doing independent research on the substance’s properties back at Galactic Headquarters."

The masked man giggled at the statement. "Well, if that's all you need-"

"It is."

"Alright, I'll personally hand you the data as soon as my experimentation is complete."

Cyrus nodded, walking back toward the bloodstained doors. Cynthia was still quite speechless, listening in on the intentions of that deranged, detached man.

"By the way, this is the last time I'm ever going to ask you for anything," Cyrus said.

The seven-foot giant waved the comment off, never once had he been intimidated by his employer.

"So after this, all ties are to be severed between Galactic and my own organization. Am I getting this right?"

Cyrus nodded again. "Correct. If we ever meet again after you send me the data...

I'll kill you. Understand?"

The threat bounced right off of the figure's shiny white mask. He grinned behind that barrier of his. "Aren't you supposed to be dealing with that Noah child?"

Cyrus stopped in place, at the threshold of the metallic door.

"I mean, it's only a single, weak, nineteen year old trainer. Not to mention there's a small little blue creature running amok in Sinnoh. There are several other renegade groups you have to worry about too...oh, and High Noon remains a serious threat, what with the ability to send out every Gym Leader and Elite Four member out on the hunt at a whim."

More silence from the blue-haired psychopath.

"My point being, that you have other matters that'll spiral out of your control if you keep any more of your attention on little 'ol me."

The tension could be sliced clean in half.

Cyrus grunted in reply. "Farewell. Oh, and do take off that mask, you look ridiculous."

The door shut closed behind Cyrus, bloody footprints tracking his every step toward the exit.

The man grumbled. "...gonna take forever to get that cleaned out...stupid jerk."

Cynthia was now the center of attention, the figure almost completely looming over her frail figure.

"What's the plan then, big guy?" Cynthia questioned, almost playfully.

"Glad to see that you're having as much fun as I'll be having. Like Cyrus ordered, my sweet," he locked her even tighter to the stretcher, ensuring that she couldn't move her body. "It's time for the experimentation stage to begin."

Cynthia's steady breathing started to break apart. She prepared herself, as any member of High Noon would in a similar situation.

"I've been waiting for this day," he spoke, excitement in his voice. "Cyrus finally did something right when he caught someone of your caliber. I can't wait to see how you hold up."

Cynthia felt something cold and familiar come into contact with her skin. She tried lifting her head, but the belts and ropes kept her in her spot. What felt like a dense liquid was being poured onto her from the inside of the man's cloak. It spread down the sides of her waist, forming two distinct puddles on either side.

She nearly gasped, recognizing the sensation from the liquid.

"You're not..!"

"Can't experiment on you if you're not fully infected, right? Cyrus' batch was nearly rejected by your body, but that's because his is still too weak to take out someone like you."

Cynthia felt several stings coming from her wounds. She could feel the cool liquid making it's way into her opened tears, flowing throughout her veins. It would disgust her had it not been for the immense pain she was willing herself through. She bit her bottom lip to suppress her screams.

A single minute later, and the table was cleaned of the purple-black parasite. No response came from Cynthia's body aside from her labored breathing and several involuntary twitches of her hands- the man humming about joyously as he surveyed any sudden movements.

Nothing.

"Oh my, you certainly are strong," he teased. "I'm glad."

Cynthia shifted her eyes to his creepy mask, the face in a state of eternal joy, its chin stretching out as the mouth widened, unable to contain its laughter.

"What exactly is this for?" she wheezed out as the initial pains subsided, hoping for answers.

The mask moved a little closer, the mouthpiece hovering several inches from her ear, gloved hands cupping around to protect his words. "I don't mind tattling on that blue-haired freak- at least not partially." His glove pointed to the other end of the room, a corner covered a veil of darkness that the light refused to shine upon. "This is all for that thing over there."

Cynthia's head had just enough room to shift to the direction of the man's finger: Another stretcher, covered by a thick white blanket.

"What the fu-"

"-Now that we have a sample inside of you, the tests can begin...agh!"

The green-tinted room went dark. Cynthia would've jumped when she saw the figure's head violently warp to his side, had she not been incapacitated. His neck wrenched unnaturally around before being reset to its proper position. The light came back on, oddly spreading just a bit further than before.

He looked to the right. He looked to the left. He looked back down toward Cynthia. Pleasant warmth, a glow like the sun. The mask's mouth flipped upside-down.

"I'm truly sorry for this..." the figure sincerely apologized.

Cynthia was about to open her mouth. Her thought was cut short when his neck shifted ruthlessly to the opposite direction from earlier. The glow from the corner-light flickered once more. The mask was smiling again.

"...but this is going to hurt...a lot."

It was impossible not to hear the cries of the missing Sinnoh Champion echoing throughout the entire frame of the building.

----------

Luna and Skai had the benefit of recovering in the same room. The two of them rested in a pair of soft beds, bandages wrapped around Skai where the vicious snake coiled his body, Luna's covering the ointment from the acid, as well as several somewhat large bruises that were almost already hidden away by the conglomeration of her dull white fluff.

Skai looked over at Luna. He had woken from his resting state the minute his body had been restored by the humans and the Blissey in the center. Not one to be caught sleeping very often- mostly adapted from guarding Lynus during her naps in the forest- he let his eyes shift from object to object in the room. Although he found it moderately interesting, and worth even a fragment of his attention, the room wasn't much to boast about. It had the two beds; the mattresses shifted to comfort the body with each motion. A round, circular object was hung near the top of the wall on the other side, two black arm-like devices slowly spinning around the center with each passing second.

There was a strange box with a man inside, discussing issues unknown to Skai. The box too was suspended from the wall, several knobs and buttons to the side of the glass. He stared at it for awhile, waiting for the man in the television to jump out and attack him and his injured comrade.

A tapping at the window off to the side nearest himself set Skai into a defensive position. He brought his sharp weapons to the front of his body, only to feel an aching burning sensation follow quickly behind. Despite this, he kept his form.

A small Pidgey, minding its own business, meddled before fluttering away at the sight of the deadly insect, leaving Skai to himself.

Skai grunted as he looked back at Luna. She had yet to wake up. He found it odd, considering that her wounds didn't seem too severe. Her body? Perhaps she wasn't used to being beaten to a pulp on a daily basis like he was.

Maybe she was just a weaker Pokemon?

He shook his head. No. What she did to that Arbok was unreal. There's no way she could be weaker than him.

Luna's body shook for a second, followed by a painful grunt from her mouth.

Skai stared intently at her. Just what exactly was going on?

----------

A similar feeling to a few nights ago, in the Center at Sandgem Town. Noah felt a strange presence behind him. The area around him draped in deep shadows. The darkness swallowed everything in its sight; even his hands seemed nonexistent when he tried to get a good look at them.

As a light bulb reveals a dark, closed space, so too did a strange glow a short distance from Noah's field of vision. His feet felt as if they were anchored to the floor, making it difficult for him to move anywhere. He nearly dragged himself over to the light, the warm reassurance lowering in intensity, a figure losing its obscurity with every step he took. It gave its identity away with the puffy tail and the maroon-colored zigzags on its fur.

Luna was sprawled on the floor, Noah unable to determine whether she was unconscious or asleep. Noah knelt by her side, getting a closer look. He grabbed her by the shoulder, trying in vain to shake her awake.

"No response, I'd expect" a familiar voice spoke.

Noah jumped back to his feet, turning back to his starting point. A seven foot cloaked figure stared emotionlessly back at him and Luna, a large white mask blocking his face- the mask bearing the face of a nameless man itself. The large chin and long mustache of the mask seemed somewhat familiar to Noah, and a sense of déjà vu overwhelmed him.

Noah's vision blurred slightly, his head spinning and his body losing control. The figure made its approach. Noah tried moving, wanting to get away from the eerie vibes radiating from the figure, but it was helpless. The man easily made his way over to the pair, and bent almost perfectly over (a painful ninety degrees) to examine Luna.

"Mmm, I think I understand," he said, ignoring Noah at first. His hand reached down onto Luna, grazing most of her exposed body, the cloak covering the hand itself, slowly dragging along her moderate sized frame. Noah could hear the cretin mumble gibberish to himself as he took a look at his Pokemon.

After another minute or so, the creature straightened up and moved on to Noah. The mask was void of expression as it loomed over Noah's face and down to the artifact that hung by his neck.

"Oooooh, I see now. Interesting."

He gave Noah some space, walking several feet back before turning back around to Noah. His sleeves extended to the mouth on his mask, covering his arms. Clearing his throat, the man began to speak:

"First and foremost, I would like to extend my apology for both this and the previous meeting, as both were very...'spur of the moment'. I'd also like to apologize for my attitude during our first meeting. Having said that, I congratulate you for finally getting passed the first step. You've defeated the first guardian."

Noah spaced out, trying to understand what he was hearing from the figure behind the white mask.

"Guardian?"

"We discussed this the other day. I may have been a bit...rude about it though. You even managed to help that girl out of the forest. Although you could've had this done sooner, I'm impressed that you managed to survive. It's quite likely that my initial thoughts about you were wrong.

You just have to play a little catch-up is all."

"Who are you?" Noah said, not initially interested in what the man had to say.

"I've already told you that my identity is irrelevant to your mission. I'm here as a bystander, a spectator, more or less. I can guide or mislead you if I ever felt like it though."

Noah felt better, having finally established proper contact with this man, although the figure's reply wasn't too comforting.

"Then what exactly are you, or me, or Luna doing here?"

"Hmm. Well, I know why Luna is here, and why I'm here, but you wouldn't understand. The reason this is so interesting is because you are here."

"How is that so note-worthy?"

"Because you shouldn't be."

"Huh?"

"You shouldn't be in here. This is a restricted space for your kind. If I could blame anything, I'd probably end up chalking this off to your new little toy."

Noah looked down at the black plate, the trophy to the battle with the Arbok earlier in the day.

"Unfortunately, I can't really tell you much about what you're doing...yet."

"Then...what can you tell me about this?"

The masked man rubbed his head for a second. "Actually, sorry, but I'm about to kick you out. You REALLY aren't allowed in here as far as the rules go."

"What?! What rules?!"

"But I'd feel a little bad if I didn't help you at all," he continued, clearly conflicted.

The masked man reached into a space deep inside of his cloak. His hand finally revealed, only for Noah to realize that it was gloved. The man pulled something out from under the glove, shrouded by his enclosed fists.

"I know the odds aren't very high in your favor for this little game, but I feel that it's better than leaving you completely confused about the entire situation."

The man walked closer to Noah, only two feet from his person now. His hand extended toward Noah’s.

"Here."

Noah's hand reached out. The man opened his, two cubes dropping into Noah's cupped palms. He quickly identified them.

"Dice?" Noah asked, letting the black and white blocks settle.

"It's a game, Noah."

"A...game?"

"Sure." The figure stepped back to give Noah more space. "I should be of higher virtue and whatnot-blah, blah, blah- but none of that matters to me anymore. Nothing gets me more excited than gambling. It's pretty much all I ever do now, besides pester people I'm involved with."

Noah let the dice move about in his palms, the little white cubes shuffling about. "You want me to gamble?"

It shook its head behind the mask. "Oh no, no! The choice is all up to you. You can easily just hand the dice back and get the hell out of here. However, I'm giving you a choice. Oh, and relax, since this is your first time doing this, I'll restrict any punishments."

"Punishments?"

"Of course. You ARE gambling. The rules are simple. I want you to roll a certain number. You roll. If you roll and get the proper number, I'll grant you an answer to any question you may have, so long as it's within my power and authority to answer it."

Noah thought for a moment. "And if I roll the wrong number?"

The shrouded man chuckled. "Normally I'd punish you harshly, but like I said, I think giving you a freebee this one time wouldn't hurt."

"What questions would there be that you can't answer?"

The man ignored Noah, continuing. "Because I really have no reason to even be discussing anything with you at the moment, I think I'll make this one tough for you. To get an answer to a single question, you must roll snake-eyes. Understand?"

Noah looked back at the dice. "A two? On a single roll?"

The man stood back several more feet, giving Noah enough room to roll the dice. "I didn't stutter," his voice sang, ringing into the emptiness of the Cimmerian void.

Noah would've rather have not bothered to play this stupid little game, but he wanted answers from this mysterious persona- who he could've sworn that he'd met at one point before. Noah didn't expect much when he released the dice from his hand, watching the tiny white cubes bounce along the obscure semi-solid ground.

The dice clacked along, one of them stopping abruptly, revealing a single black spot on the face.

"The odds of rolling snake-eyes are one in thirty six..." the towering brute croaked.

The second die came to a halt several moments later, the number of dots matching the previous.

An awkward silence followed.

The fiend started to laugh under his white mask, his gloved hands holding onto his sides. "Oh! Oh! THIS is absurd!" He looked toward Noah. "You've done well to entertain me kid! Go ahead! You may ask me a single question, choose carefully!" he informed, still cackling away.

Noah turned away to think, Luna's body still resting on the floor. Both he and the man- who was now on his knees, pounding away at the "floor" with his gloved fist- questioned exactly what it would be that he'd ask- at least, once the creature's laughter died down.

Noah didn't bother putting much thought into the question, something the creature anticipated. As far as Noah was concerned, this was turning out to be another single unfathomable dream of many, something he'd forget when he woke up on the next day, he hoped.

"What are these 'guardians' you keep talking about?"

The mask cleared its throat again, his voice focused and concrete in tone. "I can't answer the question completely, so I apologize for that, however I will try my best. To sum it up without causing too much confusion, the 'guardians' I keep referring to, are creatures from your planet that were giving a very important mission prior to receiving a special parcel."

This only frustrated Noah. "That doesn't seem clear enough..."

"I figured as much. I'll give you a little more information, since I regret being unable to tell you everything. These Guardians are all affiliated with you in the exact same way. You may not recognize a single one- I doubt any of them will be too familiar, but each of them shares the same connection with you as this mongoose does."

"What...connection?"

"Sorry, only one question per game, and only one game per visit."

The man disappeared. Noah didn't even realize that he was now right behind him, his cloak opened up completely. The cloak swallowed Noah's body whole, leaving the outline of his body visible from the opposite end of the fabric. Noah's muffled voice was silenced the moment his figure completely flattened against the man's body.

The man opened up his cloak once more to pat it down neatly. Noah's body was gone.

"I'll tell you what, boy. If you get me another item from another Guardian, and manage to break into this realm again, we'll talk some more."

His last sentence fell on deaf ears.

"Besides, I haven't had a good laugh in ages. Laughter is healthy, you know."

----------

"Wakey wakey little princess..."

"...whaaat?"

"C'mon, you can do it! Open those itty bitty eyelids for me!"

Luna's eyes quickly flashed open. She saw nothing of her surroundings. She could feel the ground beneath her dizzy body, still feeling as though she was spinning around and around. She looked to the floor with the same visual results- nothing seemed visible in this darkened world.

"Focus your vision right ahead of you, can you see me yet?"

"Everything's too dark...I can't make anything out. Besides, who's talking?"

"Oops, silly me. Gimme a second."

Luna heard a loud crack that seemed to echo in the empty space. She felt her skin crawl, sensing that something was near.

A bright white object jumped right in front of her field of view, covering up the blackened room. She jumped back, startled by the object, seemingly floating in the air. Luna fell into a defensive position, a snarl escaping her throat.

"Woah, woah, sweetie. Relax, I'm not here to fight."

Luna's vision begun to clear up, finally being able to make out the outline of the body the white space was connected to. The ivory seemed to be a strangely shaped mask: the mask of a man with a large chin and stretched nose, a smile spreading from cheek to cheek. The outline of its figure revealed that the being, whatever it was, was kneeling down to her level. The mask floated higher into the air as the rest of the nearly invisible body straightened to a standing position. The figure was nearly twice her height, something which easily intimidated the anxious mammal.

"Look, see? I'm not here to fight," it said, raising both of its sleeved hands into the air. "You've been asleep for some time, and you just missed the most interesting thing."

Luna, ever curious, responded to the mask. "Hold it, please. I'm don't get it. Can you tell me where we are?"

"Oh, why certainly," he replied, "but I'm upset with you, baby. I thought you'd at least be able to recognize your own mind after all of this time you wasted sleeping like an infant."

"My mind? What?"

"Yeah, your mind." He poked her head, aggravating her short temper.

Luna took it as he said it, bringing about another question she wanted answering. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Because there's nothing in here, to be blunt," he said, not holding back on any possible insult.

Luna twitched at the comment, letting her claws slowly reveal themselves. "What the hell's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh no, no. It wasn't meant as a slap in the face. It's empty, as in: you're missing information that you should have, but don't."

"Like what?"

"What goes into a brain, my dear?"

"...My memories, or something like that?"

"Exactly," he pointed to what would be the top of his head, "you're missing a slew of important memories."

"Like what?"

"That's something I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know what you don't know."

"...What?"

"You're so full of questions. It's a bit much for me to drink in all of a sudden."

Luna's patience was running thin. "The last thing I remember was fighting a large snake...and then everything just kinda went blank."

He applauded, puzzling her even further. "I almost forgot to congratulate you on that."

"For fighting the snake?"

"Yeah, you defeated the first guardian."

"..."

"You...have no idea what I'm talking about, huh?"

Luna shrugged her shoulders. "Not a single one."

He chuckled. "It's something to be expected. You've slept for way too long. I'll just cut to the important stuff, you can fill in the rest as you continue your little journey with that young man."

"You mean Noah?"

"Oh, so that's Noah. Yes ma'am, he actually managed to pay a visit to you several minutes ago, but he left before you woke up."

"Noah was...here?"

"Indeed."

"Can you tell me then...what's going on? This is a bit much."

"Oh, why certainly my furry little friend."

He snapped his fingers, the sound ringing about the darkness. A small white spot appeared on the floor, light beaming in from the "sky". Luna looked up at the source. A hole at what she assumed was the top of the dome of the darkness had spawned from the nothingness, letting the light in. A second spot appeared several feet away from the first, followed by three more. The light revealed a large empty space, only small portions visible via the tiny holes of light from above. There were still many small spots of darkness remaining.

"Your mind is a restless little thing, mongoose," he started. "You've of course noticed the small white spots of light, right?"

"I'm not blind."

"Clearly." He knelt down again, at eye level with Luna. "Let me ask you something. What's the first thing you remember, the earliest memory you can dig up from that cute little brain of yours?"

Luna let her claw scratch at her neck for a moment, lost in her young mind. "I remember the lake...and Noah. But that's about it."

He looked around, searching for something. He stopped a foot shy from one of the lights on the ground, and motioned for Luna to follow.

"Touch this light."

Luna hesitated, but slowly reached her arm in. The light was warm and inviting, her body slowly being dragged into the tunnel that rose to the spotted skies.

A flash blinded her vision for a moment. A slew of memories began to pool into her mind, as if she was watching a movie in front of her eyes, or one of those soap operas she seemed to be so fond of.

She could feel the cool morning air around her, grass tickling her belly as her eyes flashed open. Her face rose from the ground, the chirps of the local Starly perking her ears right up. Seemingly out of her complete control, her arms lifted her body off of the ground. She failed to grasp the situation- then again, when would she- curious as to whom this strange young boy was in front of her. The black haired human was resting on a large stone, his outfit stained with dried blood. Her body quickly reminded her of her usual morning routine; she needed food, and this human looked like it could use something to snack on as well...

Her body, still set on a sort of auto-pilot, jumped into the water, before the vision completely broke apart in front of her eyes.

Luna shook her head violently, seemingly back in the spotted empty space.

"What you just experienced," he said before she could reply, "was a fragment of your most recent memories. Everything you felt or thought is emulated through that memory."

"That was the exact first thing I remember..."

"That's a problem."

Luna wouldn't let him go now. "Why?"

"You have so many missing recollections, my dear. Look at all of the dark space still remaining. If that single space was the earliest thing you can remember, then you're in trouble."

"And why's that?"

"Because there's so many other memories that SHOULD be here, but aren't."

The mask shook a bit, the shrouded hand grabbing it before it could loosen from the man's face. "Looks like our time is almost up. I'm gonna have to ask that you don't interrupt me from here on out, there'll be no time for questions."

Luna obediently nodded.

"You recall those coins that the boy holds on the artifact? You'll need more. You'll regain some of your vital previous memories with every one recovered.

You should be getting your next memory in a few moments, since you defeated the first guardian."

A short intermission as the mask pondered.

"The pendant will lead you to more, of course."

Luna had no time to think what he said over. The mask trembled on his face, shaking just enough to fall right off. The cloak that hid the rest of the man fell right to the floor before vanishing. She quickly ran up to the mask, a strange smoke emitting from the back, where his face would he hidden from sight.

"Oh, and tell Noah I said hi." the voice teased. The mask cracked straight down the center before falling to pieces.

Luna was alone in her spotted domain, frustrated that she couldn't get more information out of the man.

"What the hell is going on here?!" she vented.

Her vision blurred suddenly, followed by her body subconsciously falling under her own weight. Before the feeling in her arms and legs went numb, she noticed another beam of light that forced its way into the darkness.

----------

Lyn's room was already vacant by the time Noah's eyes flashed open, his body wide awake. He hadn't even changed his outfit from the morning before going to bed, the red pullover jacket and black shirt dirtied by the dried blood of his ally.

'Luna.' He looked down at his pendant, at the dark coin still imbedded since the battle. Her mind was quiet, but unlike earlier in the day, her presence was almost too easy to detect. He sighed in relief as he went about cleaning up whatever mess he had made, and changed up his outfit for a clean copy he had in his bag.

It was already mid-afternoon, the sun still dangling high in the air, not setting just yet. Noah tried rubbing the sleep still present from the small bags underneath his eyes. After everything was dealt with, he locked the room behind him, crossing through the lobby. The center was busy, but not flooded with trainers like most days tend to be. It was something to be expected though, now that the novices were already off on other routes somewhere up North, most likely in the Floaroma region. Stragglers and those who loved to grind their Pokemon with training would probably still be wondering around the caves and grasslands just outside of Jubilife City.

It didn't take long for Lynus to notice him coming from the opposite end of the Pokemon Center, waving him down from a distance away, poking her head outside of a room door. Her skin, underneath all of the dirt and muck she had on from their first meeting, was exposed in all of its tan-colored beauty. This was to be expected of someone living in the Kanto region for as long as she did before moving North to Sinnoh. She seemed to have bathed and cleaned her outfit thoroughly; the only piece of clothing that looked worn was the cloak she was still wearing. Everything still fit her small- not that Noah was complaining.

"They told me that both of them were doing great. Said that both of them can leave as soon as Luna wakes up.”

"Good. I take it that Skai is doing well too then?"

"Of course!" Lyn exclaimed, leading him into the open room to show him to their Pokemon.

Luna was snoring obnoxiously in her bed when he walked in, drool getting on the fur of her lower jaw. Skai, Lyn's Scyther and bodyguard, was sitting straight up in his bed, watching the group in predictable shifts, his vigilance even in his condition impeccable. Lyn retreated to his bedside, resting in a chair practically hugging the edge of Skai's bed. She smiled, letting her hand pet him on the head affectionately, a faint sense of humiliation exposed through a dull red blush on his face. He shut his eyes, doubting that Noah could really take him seriously if he openly showed his enjoyment for the act.

"How long has she been out?" Noah asked, taking a seat by Luna.

"Skai told me that she's been sleeping since this morning when we got here."

He nodded, fiddling with some of Luna's grey fur to pass the time between the chatter. "I can understand why though. Things got pretty intense back there."

Lyn quieted down. "I thought we were gonna die for a moment, but," she remembered Luna's explosive attack at the climax of the battle with the forest guardian, "what exactly did she do? What kind of technique was that?"

Noah shook his head. He had been trying to figure it out himself since the Arbok had fallen in combat. "What I'm also wondering about, is how that thing was able to survive as long as he did, given the circumstances."

"I'll be the first one to say that Arbok wasn't really strong when compared to Skai," Lyn stared back at the tile that covered the floor, "but we just couldn't get rid of it. It's the strangest thing."

Skai grunted in agreement. Countless times in the past five years, he'd been able to- with ease- decapitate, stab, drown, and crush the serpent into oblivion.

"But every time we'd think he was done for good, he'd heal up right away and go after Skai some more. It would just drain Skai's health until we were able to finally get away from him. Sometimes, his body would disappear from day to day when we'd get an edge on him."

"It's not normal, that's certain. I mean, we cut off his fucking head. Nothing could survive that kind of damage."

"It just doesn't sit right. We had thought for awhile that maybe, perhaps, there was a group of Arbok in the area, but after personally watching it heal its own wounds and continue fighting despite its physical injury, I'm completely convinced that it's always been the same damn snake."

"Another thing I noticed was that the blood it leaked was tinted a strange black-purple-ish color." The familiarity of the blood's color to the color of the substances in his other two encounters went deliberately ignored. "It looks as though the blood has a mind of its own, or something. When I ran into it earlier before running into you, it looked like the blood was mending the wounds shut."

"What do you think it could be?"

"I really have no idea. It's something I've never heard of."

There was a calm silence resonating in the air, Lyn's hand continued to stroke the mantis on the head.

"That's right." Lyn got up, and walked over to Noah. "We had a nice little introduction in the woods right? But I only got your first name, and it was from Luna. Care to give me a bit more info? A full name?"

Noah wasn't used to this situation, and Lyn's sudden request forced a sense of uneasiness on him. He wasn't comfortable enough with Lynus to tell her too much information, much like she did with him back in the woods.

She pressed on. "...nothing? You can't even grant me, at the very least, your full name? Gotta know who the person I'm walking around with is, right?"

Noah argued to himself for a moment as to why he shouldn't bother with her questions, but he felt obligated to her for letting her open up so much to him. She was just asking his name, anyways.

"It's Noah Sol. Happy?"

Lyn ran the name through her head, trying to recognize any part of it. "Noah Sol," she let the name roll slowly off of her tongue and through her moistened lips. "Sol...Sol." She suddenly clapped her hands and stepped back a few feet, at Skai's surprise. "Sol?! As in The Sol Family?!"

"Y-yeah..."

"Wow! I can't believe it! You're the descendant of Richard and Vivian Sol?!"

"I guess so."

"You guess so?! This is amazing!" She bowed her head in his direction as politely as she possibly could. "It's an honor to meet the son of such a legendary couple! Everyone's heard of the Sols, even down in the Kanto and Sevii Island Regions!" Lyn thought a bit, realizing Noah's age by his physique. He seemed to have a very healthy body under his possession. "Last time I heard about a child of the Sols, I was still in Fuchsia. You've sure grown. Were you heading home?"

One of Noah's eyes flinched. "No. I was actually heading out to Jubilife."

"Wait, you didn't start training after your graduation like everyone else? Even I still have my license." Lyn quickly shuffled for a device in her worn, brown coat, pulling out a small Poke-tech from one of the many pockets. Noah noticed some new powders in several tubes- she must've been making medicine earlier. "It's been dead since I've been stranded without a charger, and I never intended on traveling and collecting badges like most trainers do, but my Poke-tech is enough proof of it."

Noah quickly flashed his wrist to the girl, showing her his own Poke-tech, fully running despite the dive into the river. It was a wonderful device. "You can only get one if you're a certified Pokemon Trainer. As for me, I just...didn't travel." This was obviously a lie on Noah's part.

"Stayed at home with your parents? Well, with parents like the Legendary Sol Duo, who needs to travel to get experience, right? How are they doing?"

'That's right, she hasn't heard of anything.' "They're doing fine, just resting for awhile back in Twinleaf Town. I got tired of just sitting around back at home, so here I am."

"And her?" Lyn pointed at Luna, who started to stir in her sleep. It wouldn't be too long now before she woke up. "How exactly is she able to speak? She scared me half to death after she woke up when I pulled her from the river."

Noah wasn't comfortable explaining all of the details of what had happened up to that point, but he didn't mind letting her in on some bits and pieces here and there. He went over the ambush by the thugs outside of Twinleaf Town, making sure to omit Cynthia from the story completely, and of how he woke up at Lake Verity to Luna feeding him a crude breakfast.

"My family told me about these strange things," he pointed to the artifact, "I thought it'd be a good time to finally hunt down the answers to solve the puzzle. And as for Luna's speech, I'm still as confused as you are." Noah had intentionally left out Luna's connection with him as well.

"What's so special about that thing?" she pointed to Noah's chest.

"It's been responsible for a lot of strange things that have been happening lately to me. I want answers, and for that, I have to travel around the Sinnoh region. It also seemed like a good idea to try becoming a full-fledged Pokemon Trainer as well."

Noah was done talking about his past for one day. He changed the subject.

"Anyways, I need to figure out exactly what's going to happen. You said you'd follow me around for awhile, right?" She confirmed with a smile. "We'll need to get you some supplies then, and a new outfit to replace that one. It looks ready to tear at any minute."

"That's fine, but I'm keeping the cloak. It's sentimental."

"Sounds good. Then, we need to head on into downtown Jubilife. It's the shortest route before heading out toward Oreburgh that has places we can both stock up at." He quickly remembered his experience on Route 201. "We'll have to be careful about the wild Pokemon in the area. Route 201 used to be a cakewalk for most people, but we almost lost a few limbs just getting to Sandgem the other day."

"I noticed that sometime ago," Lyn started, "that much of the Pokemon in the forest were becoming more aggressive and difficult to keep away. I wonder what's going on."

Noah quickly explained the Great Migration to her.

"That would explain Luna, if you met her at Lake Verity, at least. Zangoose can only be found in Hoenn, the last time I remember. Things sound as though they're getting more dangerous out there."

"As long as we train and stay on the main paths, we should be okay, especially when considering how strong our Pokemon are. We'll also need to focus on building our teams as well. One Pokemon teams have never worked out for the best in the past."

The television in the top corner of the room flickered, startling the three creatures awake in the room, Skai almost suffering a heart attack. The channels started flipping every few seconds, a strange click heard near Noah with every transition. Noah looked back at the bed he was sitting at; Luna had her head resting in one paw, while her claw in her other paw clicked down on a button resting near the bed, switching channels at her command. Her face spoke for herself: She seemed restless and incredibly bored.

"...how long have you been awake?" Noah finally asked her, his heart rate slowing down.

"Long enough to learn how to use this stupid remote and change the channels on the T.V. while you and those two started talking about Route 201. It was just a bunch of stupid Shinx, anyways."

"How are you feeling?"

"Never been better." Luna wanted to tell Noah about her crazy dream- which she had remembered completely, down to the last detail. She'd let him know later one when she was out of bed.

'How about this? Can you hear me?'

Luna picked up his stray thought. 'Crystal clear, why?'

'Ever since this morning, our connection was completely cut off. It scared me because of what you told me at the lake several days ago.'

'Our connection was lost? That makes no sense. If it did, you should've died.'

'Exactly my point.'

'I really have no idea where you're going with this.'

'Just...forget it for now. We'll deal with this later.

The group ceased talking for several minutes, opting to watch the television as Luna looked for a channel to keep her interested. She flipped passed several news stations, a weather channel, and even some soaps Noah was sure she'd at least pause on. Her claw stopped pushing the button, the channel stopping on the Pokemon Battle Network. On screen, a fellow Zangoose was squaring off with a large, bulky Aggron in the middle of what seemed to be a giant stadium in front of countless fans. The camera angle shifted to accommodate the television viewers, zooming in on the action.

Noah felt Luna's heart skip a beat when the Zangoose onscreen started up with a quick attack, focusing on the large metallic foe before it. Aggron received inaudible orders from his trainer; the monstrous beast raised both of its claws to the sky for a moment before slamming every inch of his weight and power into the ground beneath him. A tremor shot across the earth, large chunks of rock shot into the air as the fissure made its way toward the speedy white blur. Luna held her breath as the Zangoose swung its massive arms at the flying boulders, taking a giant leap into the skies. The claws made short work of the rock and granite, crushing it into dust. Its speed slowed, but the Zangoose was still too quick for the Aggron to react to its sudden movement from the ground to the skies.

Luna almost jumped out of her bed when the Zangoose's entire paw starting emitting intense flames. The fire punch landed squarely in the Aggron's stomach, the beast stepping several steps back, falling onto the ground below. Several spots of blood starting to leak from the melted, opened steel on its belly.

Noah's heart was pumping in response to Luna's energies. She was pumped for battle after watching the Zangoose make quick work of its prey, and Noah couldn't blame her. Watching battles everyday on the PBN always used to excite Noah before he graduated. Now, they only managed to amuse him for several moments before he turned off the display.

Luna continued to watch the PBN for several more minutes, her tail wagging furiously in excitement. Skai was busy analyzing the battles on the screen, his intense glare successfully hiding his thoughts from Lyn, who could read most of his expressions like a book. A nurse would come in to check upon their injuries an hour later, signing them out and getting the two Pokemon back on their feet.

"Oh, Mr. Sol!" The nurse called out to Noah as they neared the exit in the lobby. The simple mention of his last name killed the constant chattering in the massive room, each trainer within the area turned away to tend to their own business. Noah quickly walked back to the reception desk, careful to avoid eye contact with any trainer on the way.

"You received a letter earlier in the day, when you were asleep." She quickly handed a small enclosed letter to Noah, the front of the envelope showing a crudely written "To Sol". Once the letter was within his clenched fist, he hurried back to the group, the exit shutting tightly behind the trainers and Luna- Skai had been returned to his Pokeball after they'd checked out. Noah didn't give Lynus the opportunity to ask exactly what just took place in the center, tearing the letter open from the top.

[NO LONGER IN OREBURGH. LEFT A GIFT FOR YOU THERE. GET TO ETERNA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTERWARD. I'LL BE WAITING.] - Bee

"What's the letter say?" Lyn asked with a curious stare.

"It's from a friend of mine. We need to head over to Oreburgh now."

'What's in Oreburgh?' Luna added in, mindful this time of keeping her maw shut and speaking through their link, which impressed Noah on a small scale. It was a start.

'The letter says there's a "gift" there, or something like that.'

Their first stop in Jubilife, the PokeMart, was closed shut when they had arrived, to their dismay. A large perimeter around the store was blocked off by construction zone signs.

"Damn it all. We'll have to just stock up on supplies in Oreburgh then." Noah wasn't particularly worried, since Route 203 was incredibly short due to Jubilife's ever-expanding city borders, but having any less than the required supplied irked Noah at his well designed core. He hated going anywhere under-stocked.

The sun began its descent when the group separated; Noah gave Lynus enough money- after a short trip to a local ATM- to buy herself a proper, sturdy trainer's outfit while Noah and Luna searched for a quick lunch for the group.

Jubilife's city lights flickered to life, against the Sun's still adequate rays of light. The clear skies gave off a tender orange flow that smoothly massaged the eyes of those spectators who just so happened to look up. The streets were still swarming with citizens- most returning to their households- and small critter-Pokemon, though incomparable to earlier in the morning while the group slumbered in their cozy beds.

Minutes passed like seconds. A young man and his furry gray fur ball companion sat patiently on a bench resting along the exit to Jubilife City, the spot they agreed to meet up at. Two small bags of food rested near Noah's feet. Noah was staring at the ground for most of the time, watching their shadows slowly expand on the route up ahead. Luna was busy trying to get her new comb to work, sloppily trying her best to tame her tail with the new device. Their heads both perked up- in a movement that seemed somewhat synchronized- at the sight of Lynus' frame making its way to their spot outside of the city limits.

Noah had given her a list of the gear she was required to buy to make their treks easier later on down the line. She took some liberties with her design, but it was adequate by Noah's standards. Her hair was now cut and evened out on both sides, none of it going any farther than passed her neck, with several thick bangs covering small bits of her face from view- her forest green eyes still easily identifiable. Her bare feet were now covered with fresh, new white running shoes, and she replaced her worn blue jean shorts with dark green running shorts, which stopped right after her knee in length. A long sleeved black t-shirt replaced her torn white shirt, with a deep green shirt on top of the first layer, matching her long shorts. The small bag at her side was now replaced with a white trainer's bag resting on her back. Her aged brown cloak was still covering most of her body frame up. On her arm, her old Poke-tech, recharged and renewed.

Lyn was humming that very same song she sang back on Route 202. Noah and Luna felt more relaxed as her sweet, pleasant voice eased their minds. Her abrupt stop in her swan song brought them both back to life. Noah lifted his body off of the seat, Luna still wrestling with her fur and the comb behind them.

"All of the female trainer gear was too girly for you?" Noah asked.

"Too many skirts, it's really just not my thing," Lyn replied. "You find anything to eat?"

"We just stopped by a deli for some sandwiches for the four of us. We can get a bigger meal when we make it to Oreburgh."

Luna quickly came in between the two humans. "Can we eat first? Please? I'm dying here."

"That's actually the plan, Luna," Noah said, letting her pick up the bags, "If the Pokemon on 203 are anything like the ones on 202, we shouldn't run into any trouble, especially since we have Lyn with us. We just need enough to keep our energy up before we settle in at Oreburgh.

The rest of they day seemed to escape the group. After Skai, Luna, Noah, and Lynus had all filled up on their late-day lunches, they quickly made haste onto the incredibly short Route 203. Several Bidoof and Kricketot tried in vain to challenge the group, each falling to Luna and Skai's razor sharp weapons without much trouble.

At the center of the route- which took a measly thirty minutes to get to- where Oreburgh was already visible, several stronger variants of the two species tried to launch surprise attacks from the small patches of grass from the sides of the route, none of them dealing any more damage than tiny little scratches. Neither of the trainer's Pokemon lost any blood on the trail. The pair was even attacked by a swarm of Kricketune, their use of the technique Bide causing one or two minor inconveniences to the group's advance. A potion later, Noah's group would walk away victorious, and just a bit stronger than when they had left from Jubilife. Toward the end of the route, a peculiar group of Roserade, a rare Pokemon on this route, made to attack the strengthened Pokemon. Luna and Skai made a game out of the swarm, trying to see who could take out more.

The two would end up in a tie, both taking down five Pokemon each. Noah wasn't fond of the grass and bug types that frequented these early routes- he was surprised most of them still remained, after the migration shifted plenty of habitats to the control of the foreign creatures- so he made no attempt to capture any Pokemon on this route. Lyn, however, thought that a grass-type Pokemon would make an adequate battler and a great partner for her medicinal workings. A stray Budew that Luna and Skai both neglected during the attack boldly took on both creatures, unaware of how outmatched it was. Impressed by its courage, Lyn made it a point to capture it. It didn't take long for the Pokeballs she had purchased from Jubilife to work their magic on the creature.

The entire route was a breeze. Noah and Lyn made it toward Oreburgh's gates before the sunlight vanished behind the small mountains that led north to Mt. Coronet.

"...I think I'll name her Rei. How does that sound, Noah?" Lyn looked down at her new inhabited Pokeball as the two entered the city gates. Most of the civilians in Oreburgh were already at home resting, the machinery operating the mines inactive. The lights that lead into the caves south of the town remained lit.

Noah simply acknowledged the name with a smile and a nod.

They had just made their way toward the PokeMart when a group of men could be seen hastily making their way out of the mines and toward the Pokemon Center right outside of the entrance. Noah figured that it was another simple mining accident before realizing that they were carrying an injured young man- his body structure not suiting for someone who'd work in the mines. His right arm was coated in blood, and his pain filled moans echoed in the dusky skies. Behind the first group, another miner came crawling out of the caves, an unconscious Piplup resting in his arms, its own blood running down his elbows and onto his coal-stained outfit. The screen door closed behind them from the Center, Noah curious as to what had happened. Lyn missed the entire scene, looking at the deals advertised on the outside of the PokeMart.

"Lyn," Noah started, "Do you think you can take care of this?"

"Huh?"

"There's something I need to check out."

"Oh, that gift thing. Yeah, I'll handle this."

Noah remembered the letter from Bee. He'd take care of that in the morning. After quickly handing Lyn a messy list of what to buy for the two of them, Noah and Luna made their way toward the Pokemon Center.

"Noah, why is this so interesting to you," Luna started, sure that no one could hear her, "I can feel it through our bond. What's wrong?"

"That trainer that just got hauled into the Pokemon Center. I need to ask those men what happened."

"How come? It looked just like an attack from a wild Pokemon to me."

Noah figured she didn't think that far ahead yet, so he filled her in on his thoughts. "The kid owns a Piplup. The last time I came to Oreburgh, the coal mines were only populated by ground and rock types, and they weren't very strong, nor did they have much endurance. Jerry's Chimchar was able to hold its own in there as well, and we had even less training back then on our route over to Oreburgh than I've had with you already.

What I'm saying is that even with a fresh Pokemon, especially a Piplup, who has a solid advantage over all of the Pokemon in the mines, it shouldn't be a problem. That trainer and his Pokemon seemed to be beaten to a pulp, which means that either the Pokemon in the mines have either gotten exponentially stronger, or there's a different kind of Pokemon residing in there because of the migrations, which seems unlikely because Route 203 was populated with the same Pokemon as my first run through here. Either way, it's a good chance to catch a Pokemon that obviously excels above the other wild Pokemon in the area."

"You thought about this a lot, huh?"

"I always try to think ahead and make a plan for this type of thing. Which reminds me," Noah said, his voice turning harsh, "you really need to pay attention and focus when in a battle."

Luna felt like someone had just slapped her across the face. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not particularly talking about today either. You did fine today. I'm talking about back on Route 202."

"What do you mean?"

"Your fight with the Arbok. If it weren't for Lyn and Skai, we'd both be dead right now."

"We're not, aren't we?"

"That's only because we got lucky! You can't be blindly running into battles like you did back there! You need to LISTEN to me or else you'll cost both of us more than just a battle."

Luna angrily grunted back at him. She now knew that charging wildly at the Arbok in their first encounter was possibly the most reckless thing she'd done so far, and for the first time, she realized how severe the consequences could've been if Lyn didn't happen to see her drifting on by.

"Fine," she replied half-heartedly, "I'm sorry." She would have to learn to control her instincts in battle if she truly wanted to learn about everything the masked man had talked to her about in her mind, as well as complete her bizarre mission.

The Center doors swung open, letting Noah and Luna walk into the empty, similar looking lobby to the one back in Jubilife. The Pokemon Centers were all made the same in order to efficiently cater to the trainer's needs. The coal diggers were all standing by the reception desk, talking amongst each other, one of them trying to wipe the blood off of his hands with a blackened towel.

They stopped when one of them spotted Noah and directed the rest of the group to him. They all started back at him, believing him to be another greenhorn trainer- not that he wasn't- despite his obvious age difference to other beginners.

"Uh...hi," Noah started off, a bit nervous to talk to complete strangers. "I saw you guys carrying in a boy and a Piplup. Can you tell me what happened?"

The workers all looked at each other before one of them spoke up. "We really don't know, kid. For the last few years, every month or so a trainer just happens to go too deep into those caverns, then comes out crawling in blood and whatnot."

"Is it a Pokemon that's causing all of this?"

"We can't tell what it is. Whatever it is though, it's a monster. None of the trainers or Pokemon have ever died from the attacks, but some have gotten mighty close. If you're new here, I'd advise against going too far into those mines."

"I see. Well, can you tell me what kind of marks does this 'monster' leave?"

"Well, we've seen bruises, scratches, and large bite marks," the worker spread his hands a foot in distance between the two to give Noah a visual of the size of the bites from end to end, "but that about sums up every encounter."

"Is that all of the information you have on it?"

"Yep. Now get going, kid. It's getting late."

Noah nodded and quickly left the center, Luna following a few steps behind as Noah pondered.

'Whatcha thinking about now?' Luna sent a thought.

'Bruises, scratches, and large bite marks?'

'What about them?'

'When I came here last time, the only Pokemon I ran into where Geodude, Onix, and one or two Cranidos and Zubat. The first three can easily bruise, and all of them can scratch.'

'But...?' Luna waited for him to continue, the suspense rivaling that of her soap operas.

'Large bite marks is what he said. Zubat bite marks are tiny, and even if that man was over exaggerating, bites nearly a foot in length don't come from anyone in the Zubat family.'

'So you think this is that '"rare" Pokemon opportunity then?'

'You bet. I have plenty of potions and Pokeballs. Do you want to make a trip into the mines before heading back to Lyn?'

Luna grinned mischievously, ready for another battle.

----------

Directly south of the Sinnoh region, a large mass of land named Kanto nestled, most of its citizens and Pokemon starting to awaken to the rising sun. Southwest of central Kanto, directly east from the legendary Indigo Plateau- now holding a sub-section for High Noon, was Viridian City. A young man somewhere in his mid twenties hastily marched south, toward the tiny speck known as Pallet Town.

Pallet Town wasn't much to brag about. It wasn't advanced, it had almost no permanent citizens, no possible way to set up shop for trainers or Pokemon, since the town rarely ever had visitors.

Despite how unpopular Pallet Town sounds, anyone from any of the four populated regions can give three concrete reasons for why this place will forever remain in people's memory, even in those who never visit the Kanto Region:

1. Professor Oak, one of the most renowned Professors throughout the known world. His study on the evolution and behavior of Pokemon is nothing short of phenomenal. At this time of day, Sammuel Oak can be seen checking up on the creatures he held behind his laboratory for his studies- feeding them, running tests, and bonding with as many of these Pokemon as possible.

Today was different though. Oak sat alone on a recliner in the den of his home directly in front of his lab, a hot mug of coffee resting in front of him. He quickly took a sip, waiting for a young man to make a quick visit to discuss something of grave importance.

It was only Route 1 anyways. Just Ratatta and Pidgey as far as the eye can see- not to mention that most were benevolent enough to stay away from travelers. They knew their place.

At least they used to, before the Great Migration willed the creatures of the domain to travel North. Route 1 was now devoid of all Pokemon, allowing the vegetation to grow nearly out of control.

Ten minutes passed, only a third of the cup of coffee remained, before the doorbell rang throughout Oak's house and lab space. He opened the door and invited the young man on the other end in.

The youngster made himself comfortable, dropping his body straight down on a couch opposite the professor's recliner, kicking his feet on top of the coffee table before being scolded by his grandfather.

2. Blue

Blue scratched his head as Oak continued to lecture him on his lack of manners, still trying to change the ways of the ex-Viridian Gym Leader and ex-Champion of Kanto- though to be fair, he had only been a Champion for several hours, and that was years ago..

"Now then," Oak started, "I don't want to keep you too long; I know you're very busy with other matters, Blue."

"I had a spare morning today, and we haven't talked in ages, so I thought I'd kill two Pidgey with one stone," Blue replied.

"There's no time for games, so let's cut right to the point. I need to talk to you about a dear friend of mine. His name was Doctor Kuma Helio. He was a scientist enlisted by High Noon."

Blue snickered a bit at the mention of the government. "Lance is dead, Cynthia's missing, Flannery's doing her thing, and this other guy whose information they haven't even publicly released yet. Hard to believe the world decided to let those four rule over the nations."

"I know of your dislike for the current government, Blue, but now is not the time to be discussing them. There are more important matters to discuss."

Silence from both ends of the conversation. Blue's signature cocky grin that always accompanied him on friendly visits completely vanished.

Blue frowned. "Yeah, I've heard about Dr. Helio...what about it, Gramps?"

"Have you ever heard of Project 1:2:1? It was an assignment given to Helio. It was the last one he was assigned to by the world government before he died."

Blue scratched his head again. "Sorry. Can't say that I have."

"Perhaps...you'd recognize it better as its codename: Project Genesis."

At that exact moment, the third reason flew across Pallet's sky, straight towards the Indigo Plateau, riding atop a powerful dragon with a fuzzy yellow rodent in tow.

Blue's fists balled up, his gut tightened. "This better be good Gramps. An important appointment suddenly flew in."

----------

Name: Dr. Kuma Helio
Type: Human
Height: 5'8''
Age: 68
Weight: 196 lbs.
Eye Color: ???
Skin Color: ???
Hair Style/Color: None
Body Type: Well-rounded, but not "fat".
Outfit: Standard scientist lab coat and black pants, with brown shoes.
Other Items: None
Hobbies: ???
Homeland: Celestic Town, Sinnoh
Personality: ???
Bio: The Lead Scientist in charge of Project Genesis. Not much information is known about him otherwise. Being put in charge of such a dangerous project could be a validation of how important he is as a scientist. Regardless of this, he is a brilliant man. His team was the first to discover the existence of and give a name to the new "virus": Bile, as well being the inspiration to start a full scaled project on its properties.
Weaknesses: He's only human...
Pokemon Team: None
Threat Level: None

UPDATED PROFILE:

Name: Lynus (Lyn)
Type: Human
Height: 5'6''
Age: 19
Weight: 155 lbs.
Eye Color: Green
Hair Style/Color: Black, Dutch-boy styled, several bangs cover portions of her face and end right above her nose.
Body Type: Physically fit and very sturdy.
Outfit: Black Long sleeved t-shirt with a green sleeveless shirt over the black, and green running shorts that end below her knees, white tennis shoes.
Other Items: A torn brown cloak wrapped around her neck, made of Pokemon skins and furs. It flows down to her knees and covers her entire midsection, but splits at her waist. It has several pockets on the inside of the jacket for herbs and medicine. Also wears a large white backpack for additional supplies.
Hobbies: Humming, experimenting with medicine.
Homeland: Fuchsia City, Kanto
Personality: Calm and very friendly.
Bio: A young girl born and raised in the Kanto region, she and her family move to the Sinnoh region for a better life when she turns 14. However, on their way through the forest outside of Sandgem and toward Jubilife, they are attacked by a powerful creature. During the struggle, Lyn's parents sacrafice themselves in order for her to escape. For the last five years, Lyn and her Pokemon have been trapped inside of the forest, tormented day and night by the constant attacks on her from the creature. Lyn's fondness for medicinal herbs back in Fuchsia City finally shows its use, she uses her extensive knowledge to keep her team healthy and ready for battle against the creature, and to cure sickness when it arises within her team. She learns to utilize herbs, local fauna, and berries to create medicine through several practices in Fuchsia (curing many poisoned Pokemon that have fought Koga's team). She waits for the day that she'll finally be able to escape the creature, and the forest which have taunted her for the past 5 years.
Weaknesses: Lyn's Weaknesses lie in her teams lack of type advantages. Half of her team is weak against fire type attacks, and most of her team focuses moreso on defensive battling. Her strongest partner, Scyther, is the fiercest fighter of her group, and more often than not, the moment her Scyther falls, her team falls apart. She loses composure when frightened, and doesn't know how to deal with stressful situations successfully, usually resulting in her Pokemon making very hasty and predictable movements.
Pokemon Team: Scyther (Skai), Shuckle (Soki), Budew (Rei)
Threat Level: Minimal