Ragnarok

Note: It's been awhile, hi guys.
Outlines for the next chapter after this one are underway.

A bit of background information about this one: It was originally going to be ~20K in length, but because it was covering two different focused events, I decided to split it up. Part II will be the next update.

Not much else to say but the usual: Please read, review, and rate the story. The criticisms and help along the way really do affect me on a personal level.

Oh, and a quick thank you to Iruni for being my beta once again. Much love goes your way.

With that all said and done, enjoy the read!

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1:13
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Four Years Ago

The powerful breeze that had dominated the majority of the day slowly eased itself down to a rhythmic nudge every few minutes. The Taillow that had made their way into the Sinnoh region flew overhead, heading back towards their nesting ground as the sun inched its way out of sight. Warm rays of light stretched along a wide-open field south of Veilstone City, dozens of similar, four-legged Pokemon wandering around, flirting and frolicking with each other in the meadow. A single human male leaned on the white picket fence that bordered the field, staring peacefully at the hundreds of Eevee that had been assembled on the ranch.

His straw hat fidgeted to the left. He turned to see that a group of youngster Eevee were being led back to their local farmhouse by two larger, adult Leafeon specimen. They spotted the man, giving him a smile and a light bark as if to say good night. The farmer leaning off the fence waved back at them as the two grass types wandered out of sight.

A distance away, he could still see a group of Glaceon and Vaporeon running around, firing weak, friendly Ice Beams and Water Guns at each other in a final game of tag before the sun disappeared once again. One of the Vaporeon, after being bludgeoned with a rough Water Gun, tumbled back several feet, landing on its side. The farmer stared at the aquatic mammal, sighing at the sight of the Vaporeon jumping back to its feet, laughing and jumping back into the friendly game.

"Ease up on the pressure! Don't want anyone getting hurt, do ya?!" the Eevee farmer shouted over the stretch of land that separated him from the critters. A Glaceon barked back at him, acknowledging his advice, before they continued.

'Everyone seems to be having a good time,' an all too familiar voice rung inside of his mind. He looked down to his feet. Sitting by his side was a single evolution to the Eevee family tree: a lone Espeon. His fur was nice and smooth, groomed to perfection. His whiskers reached out abnormally far toward his pointed ears, and the ruby imbedded into his skull shined a bright, rosy red.

"Ah, Eos. You're back from your rounds! How goes the other end of the farmland?"

The psychic type yawned, stretching his arms and legs while still communicating via telepathy, 'Everything’s fine. The Umbreon are getting ready to prowl, and the Flareon have gathered all of the pups together for the night.'

The farmer kneeled down to give him a pat on the head. Eos purred as the farmer continued, "Speaking of Flareon, where's that little firecracker of yours?"

'Out and about, I'd assume. If I know her, she's lurking on the border of the meadow and the forest, hunting.'

"Haha. That sounds like Matsubi. That one has a difficult time staying still for too long."

Eos sighed telepathically, 'Unfortunately. I've gotta go searching for her. It's getting late, and curfew's about to be instated.'

The farmer stood up and stared back at the shrinking group of Eevee beyond the fence, "Go get her. I'll keep a watch here. Send a message my way when you're both back in the borders. It's time for me to lock up and leave."

'Thanks Daino. I'll see you tomorrow,' Eos bowed to the man before darting off toward the edge of the clearing.

Several evolutions waved and shouted at Eos as he ran by, across the hundreds of yards of land and towards the other end of the little sanctuary. He bid as many as he could a good night as he zoomed on by, enjoying the friendliness that seemed to blossom around him.

This Eevee Farm, so to speak, established no more than a century ago, had attracted quite a following. High Noon had taken action, declaring it a safe zone for all Eevee who were hunted by poachers, predators, and trainers alike as a result of a strange population drop of the species. One dozen Eevee, over the span of a few weeks, suddenly burst into several hundred, until an entire colony was established.

Eos had been given to the farm some time ago by his Pokemon Trainer. Though at first, he was entirely against the idea, he had since then accepted his place among the colony. He was seen by most, if not all the Eevee species here, as a leader of sorts. His power, compared to theirs, was impressive, his personality that of a strong and loyal specimen.

Eos didn't care much about his status in the "hierarchy", nor did he treat himself or his words as law. As his paws carried him across the final stretch of meadow, and through the picket fence on the other end of the farmland, his mind was focused on one being, the one reason that he had even bothered to settle down at the farm.

Another Eevee evolution, several hundred yards away from the boundaries of the Eevee Farm, sat motionless inside of a small patch of grass. Her bright yellow tail, riddled with foliage, kept prodding up and through the top of the bush, giving her hiding spot away, irritating her to no extent. She slapped her tail down with her red paw, keeping it in place, pinned against the earth. She was hunting, and just several feet away, she caught the scent of a potential meal.

A white, electric squirrel Pokemon had been wandering around in circles, lost. Matsubi could only guess what it was looking for. Food? Family? Water?

'What does it matter? It's gonna be in my stomach soon enough!' Matsubi grinned happily, licking her muzzle as the Pachirisu lurked closer to her hiding spot inside the foliage. At this range, Matsubi was easily able to eavesdrop on Pachirisu.

"With admirable levels of patience, the hungry Flareon awaits its unsuspecting meal, her form ready to spring into action at the drop of a pin," Matsubi muttered to herself, basking in her own entertainment.

"Oh...I think I've gone too far. Was it further west? I should've run into it by now!" The Pachirisu looked very disturbed and nervous about something. Matsubi narrowed her eyes, focused only on her prey.

'It's completely off guard. Not too fun for the hunt, but I'll take what I can get.'

Pachirisu wandered closer, scurrying only feet from the bush before stopping to look around once more.

"What do I do?" The Pachirisu's voice started to break, seemingly on the verge of despair.

A small crack of a twig sent the electric squirrel's ears straight to the sky, but even her reaction speed couldn't save her from her predator. Before Pachirisu could analyze the situation, she was forced down underneath a single, large red paw, its claws prodding at her fine coat. The Flareon stared at its prey with desire swelling in her jaws.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!"

"Matsubi, enough!"

The Flareon froze in place, recognizing his voice. She kept completely still for a moment, her mouth hovering just inches away from Pachirisu's head, the squirrel’s heart frozen as her eyes stared into the mouth of her predator.

"Just three more seconds, I'm about to have dinner."

Eos stared at her from two yards away, frustrated. "I had to run around the entire colony several times to find you. You're getting harder to keep track of, you know. The farmers are coming in the morning with breakfast. I'm pretty sure you could wait until then."

"But..."

"But nothing. You've already had dinner anyways. Now come on. Everyone's already being herded into the nests by the elders, and you're no exception to the rules."

Matsubi groaned, defeated. Though he wasn't the "king" of the pack, his sister, like the rest, treated Eos' words as absolute law. The flame Pokemon grabbed the squirrel with her mouth, much to the Pachirisu's disdain. She looked at Eos with large, teary round eyes, begging him for more time.

"Cut it out, Matsubi. That look hasn't worked in ages," Eos rejected her request, sitting on the floor and staring at his younger sibling through narrow, deep blue eyes. "You're lucky that poor creature's stricken with fear, or you'd be tasting how unpleasant several hundred volts of electricity could be right about now."

Matsubi's eyes widened, spitting the rodent out almost immediately, the critter bouncing right up underneath Eos.

"Run along now, little one. This is a dangerous place for your kind." The Pachirisu, realizing she was no longer in danger, looked up at Eos, a still trembling paw to her mouth, pondering on her own little thoughts as Eos' attention turned back to Matsubi. "Why are you hunting anyways? Aren't the meals on the farm enough? You scared this poor thing half to death. Prey or not, we do not unnecessarily hurt other creatures, understand?"

Matsubi's ears drooped to either side, looking down at the dirt. "I'm sorry Eos...I just wanted to have a little fun..."

"Not at the expense of someone else, alright? We've been over this several times."

Matsubi groaned, "Fine, fine, I get it. Lighten' up! Jeez. C'mon Eos, we have to head back, right?" Matsubi walked passed Eos, heading toward their sanctuary, leaving Eos and the Pachirisu several feet behind.

Eos looked back at the rodent, who hadn't taken to leaving just yet. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment.

The EleSquirrel seemed to light up like a light bulb, electricity jolting from her cheeks. Eos' eyes simultaneously widened as his memories suddenly came rushing back to him.

"Patch!"

"Eos!"

Matsubi turned around immediately, confused by what had just happened. She quickly darted back to Eos' side, looking from him, and to the aforementioned 'Patch'.

"Patch, old friend, how long's it been!?" Eos stretched out his paw as a means of greeting. Patch smacked his paw with hers with a big grin.

"Years! And I've finally found you Eos! I've come across half of Sinnoh looking for you!"

"How did you find us? Wait, you came from Twinleaf!?"

"Yeah! I got lost on the way here, but I just kept following the directions! I thought I was dinner when that Flareon got me though!"

"Oh? That Flareon," Eos' grin softened. "You don't recognize her, Patch? I'm disappointed," he playfully teased.

Patch leaned over, looking at Matsubi's eyes before more electricity discharged from her tiny yellow cheeks.

"Matsy!"

Patch jumped and latched herself on Matsubi's neck, giving her a big hug and a friendly little shock.

"...What's going on here?" Matsubi asked with a clueless expression, her fur standing on end from the electric charge.

Eos chuckled to himself, "Matsubi, you don't remember Patch? You met her when you were still an Eevee."

Matsubi looked back at Patch, clueless to where she had possibly seen the electric squirrel before. "I don't remember, Eos."

"You guys were on the same team back with Master's mate. You were still a pup though," Eos turned back to Patch, "Sorry, she probably doesn't remember too much because she was so young."

"That's fine," Patch looked back at Matsubi. Her mane was as wild as her tail, a thick lump of fur that seemed to shine against her bright red coat. She made a quick lap around the four legged lady, surveying her strong, thick body. "You've grown plenty, Matsubi. You were so small when we met. I still remember being almost as tall as you were."

The sun's final rays began to slowly dim out, casting longer shadows along the ground.

Eos quickly took notice of the change in scenery. "I'd love to stay and chat, Patch, but we have to return home. I'd invite you in, but it's too dangerous for your kind. Friend or not, someone will be stupid enough to try and have you for a midnight snack."

Patch's face seemed to cringe a little, going unnoticed by the siblings.

"Maybe we can really catch up sometime tomo-"

"Wait!" Patch yelled out before they could walk any further out of the forest. "...Wait."

Eos turned around. The tone in Patch's voice was urgent. It put him on the edge with the hint of fright that it carried. He stared back at her, Matsubi treading ahead of him. The purple feline quickly caught on. All this time, and Patch's master had yet to make an appearance. To add onto that, his telepathy failed to pick up the familiar signal from either master. "Patch...where are they? Why are you here? Alone?"

"They sent me here by myself. They told me to come if it turned out...bad."

Eos slowly walked back up to her, Matsubi nervous of Eos' suddenly chilling voice. "What turned out bad? Patch. Something's happened...?"

Pachirisu only gave a small nod, trying to build up the nerve to break the news to him.

"Patch, tell me! What's happened to Master and his mate!?"

"Everyone. They're gone, Eos."

Eos' eyes twitched, shock flooding his mind and petrifying his body. His urge screamed to run back home to Twinleaf.

He fought off his instincts, trying to concentrate on Patch. "...Everyone?"

"...Everyone. They're dead. All of them."

Eos' breath seemed to have been sucked out of his lungs by a powerful vacuum.

"They're all dead...I tried my best...I swear. She told me to come here."

"How," Eos' almost whispered, sending a chill down Matsubi's spine, her fur bushing up at her brother's sudden change in attitude. It was rare to see Eos legitimately distressed...not since-

"What's happened, Eos?" Matsubi wandered near her kin.

Eos turned back to Matsubi. 'Her connection with them wasn't as strong, but still,' he thought to himself.

"Our masters, Matsubi. And all of our friends...they're all gone."

Matsubi stayed motionless. "What do you mean? I don't quite understand."

Eos looked straight back at her. "Richard and Vivian are dead, Matsubi."

Patch interrupted Eos, "...but..."

Eos' attention was immediately in Patch's possession once more. "But what?"

"The pup survived."

Eos' trembled with every breath he took. "His pup? The Sol child is still alive?"

"Yes."

"How is he...you know..."

"Terribly, I'd imagine."

The Psychic Pokemon looked up at the sky. The stars were already illuminating the darkness. The sun had, by this point, completely vanished. Matsubi walked up to her sibling, leaning her head on his, trying in her own feeble way to comfort him.

"Matsubi. Patch. What are we gonna do?"

==========

Present Day

The body of a shattered, young adult trainer sat straight up against a tree on the outskirts of the Floaroma Meadow. The grass in front of his shoes had been flattened and torn from the earth, indicating that he had been dragged to the spot he currently slept in. His eyes were shut, and his breathing seemed somewhat normal given what he had just gone through.

Higher up in the tree, an oddly shaped Pokemon stared at him, wary and cautious of the intruder to its home. It hovered lower and lower until only a single branch separated the yellow colored insect from the mysterious oddity.

At the same moment that the winged beast readied itself to defend its house, he heard a grizzly hiss come from the lap of the unconscious young man. An abnormally large grey jaw growled at him, threatening to devour the poor thing without much hesitation. The row of sharp teeth and slick, grey tongue warded the insect off, the yellow figure attached to the grey mass chuckling as the Combee fled in fear.

Rokoko had made herself comfortable in Noah's lap, having been released by Luna.

"What happened to him?! Who did this," Koko recalled asking Luna the moment she saw her master sprawled out on the floor.

"He asked me to do it," Luna replied bluntly.

"But, why would he do that?"

"How should I know," Luna lied to her, not wishing to bother with the details of the little test she had been put through.

"Is he okay?" Koko sniffed the air, her face wrinkling in disgust at something foul.

"Yeah, it's bothering me too. He spit it right out after I slugged him. Think you can help me?"

"Sure," Koko looked back at Luna. She didn't seem to be lying to her, but Koko still had some reservations about the mongoose's words.

"Just pick up his feet a little bit. We need to move him somewhere else, or this smell's going to drive me insane."

Koko snapped back to the present at the sound of a branch of a nearby tree breaking. It gracelessly fell into the dirt with a muffled thump. She turned back to watch Luna practice her slashes on a poor tree. The victim of Luna's endeavors bore several deep scars that ran along the trunk, while several other defenseless branches gathered at the foot of the tree.

Luna's claws seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as they came down diagonally on the front of the tree trunk. Her sturdy weapons tore into the bark, the outer layer flung into the air and scattered on the grass. Another scar ran across from left to right into the target, deeper than any other attack she had tried that day.

"Have a good practice?" Koko asked as Luna walked over and leaned her back against the tree.

Luna sighed and dropped her body to the ground, taking in the delicate breeze and turning her attention to her tail. "It was okay. I think I can do better than that."

Koko stared as Luna reached for Noah's bag, pulling out that same brush that she had been using the night before.

"You're pretty strong. I was surprised when we first fought each other back in the caves. How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Luna started brushing small bits of loose hair from her tail.

"Get strong, obviously."

Luna stopped combing and seemed to have dazed off for a minute, lost in her own thoughts. "I have no damn clue. I've always fought like this, I think," she shrugged.

"How don't you remember anything about your own strength? I'd think that'd be something important to keep in mind."

"Well, I just don't remember any of that. It's a long story. Maybe Noah can tell you when he wakes up," she quickly finished up her combing and started to pick at her fluff, waving any excess fur off of her claws. "He bothers enough to remember what happens more than I do."

"What?"

"I have a single goal in mind, and Noah and I are gonna keep at it until we're done."

"I see. But what is that goal?"

Luna extended a single claw and pointed towards Noah's artifact. "See that?"

"Yes."

"How many grooves do you see?"

"Ummm," Koko pointed at each individual groove, "Seventeen?"

"Right, and how many are filled?"

Again, Koko counted them up on her tiny fingers. "Four."

"Well, we need to fill that up."

"Why?"

"Look, I don't know! All I know is that I need to do it, okay? What's with all these questions anyways?" Luna growled.

"I apologize," Koko nodded.

"Whatever."

The two Pokemon turned at the sound of Noah's voice. He groaned in his sleep, shifting his body until settling back down.

"He sure is enjoying his nap," Koko chuckled, patting his head.

"Yeah. Quit messin' with him, will you? I don't want him waking up all cranky and whatnot."

"What's it to you? Are we in a rush?"

"I just want him to wake up as soon as possible, okay?"

"You know, even if we were trying to leave, we couldn't without the other two."

Luna whined. "Damn. You're right."

"You need to slow your pace down. Enjoy things."

"You sound a little like him right now. I'm already tired of one Noah giving me orders. I don't need another."

Koko exhaled before returning her gaze to the tree above her. A small portion of the leaves began to change colors with the impending season change, but as a whole, they refused to fall from the branches. The browning foliage shuddered in the wind.

There was a small lapse of time before Luna heard that same annoying sound coming from Koko's mouth. "You think joining with Noah was a good idea?"

Luna turned back to her companion, a quizzical look on her face. "What the hell?"

"I was just wondering if I made the right decision in coming with your group," Koko hesitated.

"Why the hell are you asking yourself that NOW? This should've been something you decided on before you decided to hitch a ride."

"I want to be strong," Koko ignored Luna's last words. "If I'm strong, I'll be able to go out and find my clan. And I'll finally be back where I belong."

Luna huffed. Koko was irritating, but at the very least, there was something deep inside of her mind that made her respect Koko's sudden determination and persistence. Koko would undisputably be more interesting to chat to if she hadn't been so undeniably annoying. "You still have a ways to go if you want to be strong enough to survive out here. Besides, you're just a child."

"Well, if I'm still a child, then I think I'm doing fine by going even with the likes you in battle," Koko peeped in a bitter tone.

Luna laughed. "Whatever makes you feel better. I was just holding back, is all."

"So cocky. How come Noah chose someone like you to be on his Pokemon team? You're so..."

Luna's ears perked up as she lifted herself to her hind legs. She looked back at Koko with a piercing gaze. "First of all, shrimp, I'm pretty god-damn strong, and I've proven this to Noah already. Second of all," she stepped closer to Koko to assert her authority, "Noah didn't choose me, I chose him!"

Koko, confused and slightly intimidated, stared back. "Chose...him?"

"That's right. I chose him to come with me, not the other way around."

"Why did you choose him?"

Luna slightly lost composure, remembering the incident at Lake Verity. "I...have no idea, honestly," she shrugged. "He just felt right."

"Felt right? You're not making any sense to me, Luna."

"Hmm," Luna entertained herself with how she should explain it, "We both have quite a bit in common, I guess."

Koko looked over to Noah, then slowly moved Luna into her vision. She kept switching back and forth between the two. "What? I don't see it."

Luna didn't respond back, crossing her arms and looking away. The young Pokemon was grating on whatever nerves she had left. She was slowly becoming tempted to shake Noah awake so he could forcefully return her.

"Oh! I DID know this one Mawile back in my clan who eventually became a mate to a Numel from a neighboring region back in my homeland! Is this kinda like that?"

"H-how the HELL is this the same?!" Luna stuttered, surprised by the child's sudden false epiphany.

"The Numel was nothing like my clan-mate, but they seemed to have quite a bit 'in common'. That's what she would say."

Luna seemed to be flustered by what Koko was believing to be her relationship to Noah. Sweat started to form where her skin felt as though it were on fire.

"N-no, damn it! It's not like that. Noah and I just have similar...umm..."

"Interests?" It seemed as though Koko was receiving nothing but pleasure in teasing Luna over what she believed Noah and Luna had. "You two are mates, aren't you?!"

Luna's glare seemed to weaken, her mind struggling to help Koko understand before things spiraled completely out of her control.

"No! It's. Not. Like. That."

"Then why did you choose him?"

"Because," Luna almost instantly stopped sweating, her mind finally made up, "he's the person I can count on to get me to reach my goal."

"Really? So you aren't his mate? So you don't like him?"

"No, I'm not his mate," she shuddered, not out of disgust, but out of embarrassment, "And it's not about me liking him, it's about him helping me get the job done."

"Oh, so you do like him?"

"For the love of fuck, Koko, I never said-"

A short, sudden groan from the tree alerted the two feuding creatures. "What's going on?" Noah's voice seemed to cut the rising tension between the two Pokemon. Luna's heart hardened like rock while Koko's smile widened. "What are you two going on about?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Noah. Now get up, let's go," Luna quickly stuttered before Koko could instigate further.

"Alright. Just let me sit here for a bit. Good job picking a place to relax, guys."

Koko chirped and gave Noah a hug, which he answered with a pat on her head.

Luna seemed shaken up, returning to her grooming while staring in the opposite direction of Noah and Koko.

'That fucking imp! What the hell is she trying to pull?' Luna berated in her mind.

'It's not like it's a problem or anything,' another part of her seemed to argue back.

'I know that, but it's just so god damn annoying,' she replied, not questioning this mysterious presence.

'Hmm-hmm-hmm. You just said you wouldn't mind.'

'I wouldn't. Why would I?' Luna paused to let what she had thought of sink in, the other voice taking quite a bit of amusement in Luna's own personal revelations.

'No reason, really. I mean, look at him. He's got quite a bit of suitable qualities. It would be interesting, wouldn't it?'

'It wo-'

Luna's eyes flashed open.

'...you're not me. Who the fuck's in here? Noah?'

Silence. Whatever it was that was speaking to her had vanished. She focused on the voice of the intruder. Strength, confidence, and a certain elegance that only made her more uneasy as to who so freely invaded her.

'That wasn't Noah.'

Luna chuckled though, looking back at Noah, who was stretching, having already brought himself to his feet after returning Koko to her ball.

She snickered under her breath, walking up to Noah. 'You know, it would be interesting...and he's...really not that bad.' She looked at Koko's Pokeball, giving her a blank look. 'I DID choose him for a reason, right?'

==========

"How did it taste coming back up?" Luna joked when the two of them had finally returned from the Meadow.

"You know, I honestly don't remember. You must've beaten the crap out of me to do that," Noah replied, struggling to remember anything before she had struck him down.

"Nah, just the lunch."

"Funny. Anything happen while I was out?"

Luna paused, ignoring her little chat with Koko. "Nothing interesting. I just cut down some wood while I waited for you to get your ass back in gear."

"Excellent. A little practice on the side never hurt," he reached over and pet her on the head, emitting a quiet purr from her. Luna quickly willed herself to stop. "Hah, what's the matter Luna? Too tough to show a bit of femininity?"

Luna swatted his hand away with a blush, feeling a sense of what she thought to be humiliation rising from her gut. "Cut that out, Noah."

"Anyways, while we're heading back to town, I wanted to know something, Luna," Noah said as they arrived at the gate to the Meadow entrance. "What the hell was that attack that you did to knock be out? That was no ordinary punch."

Luna thought back to the moment. "I...don't know."

"Can you do it right now?"

The pair stopped, Noah moving out of the way to give her some space to focus her power. After a nod of approval, Luna concentrated her energies, trying to emulate the feelings and power she exerted when Noah had tempted her into attacking him. Luna's claws extracted from her large red paws, her milky white eyes focused on an invisible target in front of her.

Luna grunted while straining to gather up the strength she felt necessary for the technique, but the change in her claw never came. Before she could push further, she felt Noah's hand pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it right now. It's not important enough to hemorrhage over."

Luna quickly let her breath go, grunting in frustration. "Sorry Noah. I'll get it down."

"Like I said, don't strain yourself too hard."

"What do you think it was? The attack?"

Noah ran his hand through his black hair as he thought back to the appearance of the attack. He still had difficulties remembering exactly what had happened. "You ran towards me...then you just vanished. Next thing I know, I'm sitting below a tree. Anything happen in-between those two things?"

"Not anything interesting, I think. It felt as though I just ran right up to you and threw my paw out."

"I guess when the time comes, we'll figure it out. If you can do it once, you'll eventually be able to do it again, right?"

Luna's grin was full of confidence and ambition. "Count on it."

==========

It didn't take long for both Noah and Luna to arrive back in the center of Floaroma Town. They didn't have to wait any longer than half an hour before they caught sight of Jerry and Lyn, both seemingly full of life and energy.

"Hey Noah, how's your morning been?" Jerry greeted him, lifting him off of the wooden bench Noah and Luna had parked on. Lynus gave Luna a gentle pet on the head, the cat ferret trying her best to refrain from emitting another purr.

"I've been good. Koko and Luna did a bit of sparring in the meadow. Where have you two been?"

"After we got the materials I wanted, we decided to look around for a place to buy some lunch," Lyn answered. "We found this very nice pizza place near Route 205."

"Since it's on the way toward Eterna City, we thought it'd be a nice pit stop before we head back on the road. What do you think?"

"We just had pizza last night, but I don't mind too much," Noah approved, looking down at Luna and patting his Pokeball with Rokoko. "These little monsters devoured the delivery we had yesterday, so I didn't get much."

"That's what you get for eating too slow," Luna retaliated.

The day slowly dragged on as people walked from place to place, visible through the window at the pizza parlor Noah and his group sat at. A large, single oven baked pizza, or what was left of it, was resting on a round table surrounded by the hungry travelers. Several bits of mushroom and pepperoni slices scattered themselves along the sheet, leftover cheese that had dropped off the slices hardening in the cool, restaurant air.

"Luna, you made an absolute mess of yourself," Noah told her. Luna laughed at his words, cheese and sauce staining her fur along her muzzle and paws. She continued to lick at the morsels until Lynus finally stood up and out of her chair.

Lyn tapped Luna on the shoulder, and directed her towards the bathroom.

"I'm gonna go get her to wash off."

"Go for it. Get it all off, alright Luna?"

Luna's smile grew and Lyn directed her towards the women's bathroom, the two figures disappearing from sight behind a swinging door.

"Hey Noah, check that out," Jerry pointed out of the window, Noah following his finger to a group of people marching outside, towards the parlor.

"Huh? What's going on with them?"

"Looks like a bunch of trainers to me. But check that one out. The man leading the group."

Noah looked back out the window. The leader of the group was wearing blue pants with a simple, black t-shirt that covered his body, and short brown hair that barely managed to creep over his forehead. He didn't seem any different from any other civilians until Noah squinted his eyes. Upon closer inspection of the man making his way to them, there was a small chain around his neck, with an emblem that swung from side to side with his stride.

"What is that?" Noah wondered as the image on the emblem began to take shape. A giant fist clutching the Earth, shaped like a Pokeball.

"It's a High Noon officer," Jerry finally identified the man. "Not someone I recognize right away though, but still."

"What's a High Noon officer doing here?"

"I've heard of these things before," Jerry noted, "they've been doing this for quite some time now. You wouldn't have heard about this because it's not too common, but also because they rarely, if ever, show up at Twinleaf Town."

"What are they?"

"You'll find out in a bit." The moment the words left Jerry's mouth, the man passed through the door at the entrance, the entire group of trainers he had gathered waiting patiently outside. The man walked toward the clerk, discussing something with the lady at the front before she retreated towards the kitchen.

"He must be asking for the manager, or something," Jerry told Noah. They heard footsteps coming from their side, turning around to see Luna and Lyn having returned, Luna's face was moist, but clean, while Lyn's outfit had several wet spots covering it.

"She was a little difficult, Noah, but I think we got it all."

"Luna's fur is a little delicate in some places. I can understand that," Noah interrupted Luna, who was about to speak before him. He covered his lips with his finger, pointing towards the other people who were busy in the restaurant. She nodded and slouched in her seat, thwarted from making her usual remarks.

Jerry notified Lyn of what was going on in the bar. Luna and Lyn looked back at the muscled authority figure, who was now discussing something with another aged man who had been fetched by the clerk. They weren't the only ones to notice either. Most of the chatter in the entire lounge became devoid of life.

The aging manager nodded and returned to where he had come from, the door to his office silently shutting behind him. The officer walked into the main room, clearing his throat.

"Excuse me everyone. I apologize for intruding during your lunchtime. At this time, I would like to ask all current Pokemon Trainers to stand outside and gather with the group already waiting in the front of the building. I would appreciate your cooperation with this. I expect everyone to comply with this request as soon as possible," he tapped the emblem on his chest. "Thank you."

Lyn, Jerry, and Noah all huddled around their table, while several others around them stood up and abided by the officer's request.

"What do we do?" Lyn asked, a bit worried about what was going on.

"I have no choice," Noah said, directing their attention to Luna, who was preoccupied with staring at the officer eye to eye. "He's already seen Luna, so I'm doing as he says."

"Well, it's not like we have much choice either, Noah." Jerry looked over to Lyn, who nodded. "We're all heading out together, and I'm not going to sit around and wait for you."

"What about you, Lyn?"

"Well, I'm actually curious about what the officer wants us for."

"Alright then. Let's go."

Noah, Lyn, Luna, and Jerry all stood up and made their way to the exit, paying the cashier for their meal. The officer waved to them, seemingly as a way of saying 'thank you', before they gathered with the group of trainers outside.

After a few more minutes and several other trainers had joined the group. The officer directed all of the trainers he had gathered, roughly twenty not including Noah's party, east towards Route 205.

At the edge of town, the officer signaled the entire group to stop, the murmuring among several trainers coming to an end. He walked around the group, sizing them up and clearing his throat once again before speaking in a bold, frightening voice.

"I'm sure everyone in the group is wondering why I've asked for you to come with me here. As everyone here should be aware of via news reports, or from other officials, High Noon has been in a state of crisis ever since Lance's unexpected death. Agents have been running around, trying to fill in the gaps of work that need to be completed as a result of several other officials going missing, or ending up dead."

Noah could feel the chill running down his spine. He could tell that most of the other trainers were beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"As you should also be aware of, High Noon has passed several new regulations that wandering trainers such as yourselves are a part of. In times of absolute necessity, you, as certified Pokemon Trainers of High Noon, are required to abide by orders given to you by High Noon officers."

Noah gulped as the man continued his little speech.

"In other words. You trainers are to be drafted to help serve High Noon in Emergency Cases. And this situation classifies as such."

Silence among the trainers. No one objected. Any trainer that was indeed certified by the League was well aware of and understood this special clause, even Noah. However, this action was never exercised back when Noah and Jerry were traveling the region.

"Last night, Floaroma Town Police Department received a distress signal coming from the Valley Windworks. We sent two officers to go investigate the situation, but they haven't reported back, nor have they been seen since they deployed. Because of this, we have no more officers available in town to finish the job, or to go looking for the missing officers. Additionally, High Noon's main offices and the Pokemon League have too much on their own plates to lend us aid at the moment. So, our job is to search for the two officers that have disappeared, and investigate the reason behind the distress signal at Valley Windworks."

Spooked, most of the trainers remained speechless. Though many of them were still rookies, the officer looked at them with confidence.

"This shouldn't be a big problem with the numbers that we have in this party," the officer reassured everyone. "Oh, and two more things: Failing to abide by this decree can result in the trainer being detained for their failure to take affirmative action. This will result in you losing your license, so just do the right thing and don't risk avoiding me just because you'd rather not help. As for safety on this mission, I'll be taking extra care to ensure that no one is put in a dangerous position. You're all in safe hands. Prepare yourselves, we'll be leaving in five minutes. I'll also be checking IDs so I can properly identify you all."

Noah gathered with Jerry and Lyn, Luna dragging herself behind them uninterested.

"It kills two birds with one stone, Noah," Jerry said. "Head to Valley Windworks, deal with the problem, then we can head straight to Eterna Forest, just like we wanted, right?"

"Yeah, that's true, I guess. Besides, it's protocol. We can't go against it without some kind of problem."

"So we just go along with this then, right?" Lyn asked the two men, both nodding to answer her question.

Five minutes passed by quickly, and with the sun looming high overhead, the search party began their investigation.

==========

Route 205 was a thin trail separated into two sections by the Eterna Forest. The southern half, baking in the afternoon sun, currently housed a large party of Pokemon Trainers, all herded and traveling east towards the Valley Windworks. Many of the wild Pokemon along the neighboring woods refused to challenge such an intimidating sum of warriors.

Several unconscious bodies of the bold wild ones were sprawled out several hundred yards apart, some of them with slashes across the face, others with bruises caused by fierce punches. There was a large Bibarel in particular that was burned and still crackling with electric energy before its body finally gave way under the incredible power of the small cavalry. Most of the trainers, by now surely aware of the eagerness of some of the dangerous Pokemon in the wild, had at least one Pokemon traveling with them at their sides.

Noah's group brought up the rear, making sure no wild types decided to try and pick off what they saw as the "weaker" portion of the troops. Luna herself had already downed a pair of Mankey that had tried to flank them, while Jerry's Misdreavus put a Pidgeotto to sleep. Lyn's Scyther, eager as ever to protect his master, had knocked out the most in the group thus far, taking out six wild Pokemon that had decided to come anywhere near a twenty yard radius of Lynus' body.

"You don't think he's being a little too anxious?" Noah asked Lyn after Skai had just slashed a seventh victim to scraps.

"That's just the way he is, Noah. I apologize if it's bothering you," she said with her head slightly tilted down.

"No, that's fine with me. I doubt anyone's really complaining. I've just never seen a Pokemon so protective of his trainer."

"He's my guardian. I suppose he believes he's just doing his job. I'm safe right?"

"I see what she's saying, Noah," Jerry butted in. "In that case, he's doing a great job of it."

The group in front of them had stopped, forcing Noah and his company to come to a quick, complete halt. They heard voices in the front:

"Let me have this one, Yuki's been begging for some action."

"Be my guest, son. Are you sure she can handle this?"

"Is the sky blue?"

The sound of a Pokeball snapping open came from the same direction, eliciting several swoons from the audience. The voice of a fierce sounding Spearow cawed before the young trainer called out to his partner.

"Yuki, let's go!"

The battle cry of the flying bird Pokemon rang all the way to the back of the crowd, making Noah ever curious as to what this "Yuki" was. Leaving Luna, Jerry, and Lynus to the back, Noah walked around the spreading crowd to catch a glimpse of what was going on up front.

An odd sound rang out after the trainer issued a command. The sound of a beak clanking against some sort of hollow, powerful barrier "bounced" in the air. The flapping noise its wings made sped up as Noah finally made it to the front of the group.

"Finish it Yuki!"

Noah finally made it to the front of the group, showing up just in time to watch a rather large, battle-scarred Spearow zoom past him and straight into a thick tree. With a bone cracking thud, Spearow fell to the floor defeated, a large icy claw imprint on the side of its face, already melting in the midday heat.

Noah turned to the Pokemon who had dealt such a damaging blow. He instantly understood what the awes were all about.

It was the strangest deviation Noah had ever seen. Unlike Luna, this "Yuki" had fur that was as bright as the sun, a shiny ivory coat that blew gracefully in the summer breeze. Rather than the red, or maroon colored markings on its body, it had a soft pink color covering its paws and belly. The jagged patterns typical to a Zangoose body were absent; Yuki's patterns seemed rounded and delicate. Her large, fluffy tail had a peculiar pink tipped end, and both of her ears were decorated with two rings of pink fur wrapped around them. Her face was absent of the popular scar-shape as well, instead, pink fur outlined the borders of her shimmering gold colored eyes.

This went beyond a mere "shiny" Pokemon. This color deviation was the first Noah had ever experienced in a Pokemon. Yuki's color scheme and patterns were a complete contrast from Luna's. It was definitely a sight to behold. This unique Zangoose took a deep breath, and bowed towards the Spearow, speaking loud enough for Noah to hear her delicate voice.

"I'm sorry that I had to do that. I hope you heal up without any problems."

Noah raised an eyebrow at her as she quickly ran back to her trainer, trying and failing miserably to hide her face without being noticed by all of the spectators. Noah's eyes then caught a pair of armbands that seemed to have evaded him on his first sighting of her. Two large, heavy looking silver braces were attached to her arms. She seemed to be completely unaffected by the supposed great weight.

Noah's eyes widened when he finally identified them, retreating to relay his findings to the group. The praises of the officer up front fell on deaf ears as he shuffled his way back. The party had started up once he approached his own small group, everyone waiting for a report of some sort.

"So, what was it that you saw up there?"

"It's incredible, Jerry. It's another Zangoose. It's one hell of a sight, too."

Luna's ears propped straight up, her eyes rolling right over to Noah, her attention focused entirely on her property.

"I'm not following, Noah."

"I mean the way it looks! It's white and pink, with patterns completely different from most other Zangoose. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Interesting...what was it doing? I assume it was the one that battled?"

"It was fighting a Spearow," Noah pointed to the side of the road as they walked by. Jerry, Lyn, and Luna caught a glimpse of the Spearow sprawled out along the side of the small pathway, blood staining the wet feathers running down the side of its face.

"That looks terrible. How did it do that?" Lyn asked Noah.

"I have no clue. It had to have been an ice-based attack though. The Spearow had a coat of ice covering its face when it landed. I didn't actually see anything until it was over."

"Incredible," Jerry added, Luna becoming more disgruntled with every word about this mysterious newcomer. "To have already learned an ice attack; The trainer must've bought a Technical Machine...or maybe it was naturally taught the Ice Punch. It could've been anything.

"There's more to it, Jerry. I saw these weird things attached to the Zangoose's arms as it returned to the trainer."

"And?"

"They're Macho Braces, Jerry. That Zangoose had TWO Macho Braces on."

"What?!"

"I know. I've never heard of stacking them like that before!"

Luna's low-pitched growls went ignored, drowning in the banter of the other trainers.

"What do you say we go and meet the trainer of this Pokemon? It should be interesting."

"What about the back?"

Jerry turned to Lyn. "You know what; he'll still be around after the investigation. Why don't you and Luna go up front and talk to him, Noah? Lyn and I can hold the fort back here. Maybe you guys can swap helpful tips or something."

"That's fine with me," Noah agreed, "What about you, Luna?"

Luna was already in front of Noah, pulling on his black shirt while still focused on walking ahead of the group. She seemed as eager as Noah, if not more, to see just what this Zangoose was made of. Irritated, she stopped in front of Noah once they reached near the front of the entire pack. In plain sight, Noah could catch the eye of the Zangoose named Yuki, and the trainer she walked side by side with.

'Good to see you coming out of your shell again,' Jerry remarked before falling back to Lynus.

Yuki's ears twitched when she heard Noah and Luna approaching, leaning closer to hide herself from view, though not succeeding in the slightest. Noah, deciding not to waste too much time, tapped on the shoulder of the young man.

He turned sideways toward Noah before locking eyes with him. The boy's eyes looked almost like Luna's. Upon closer inspection, the man's silver eyes differed slightly in comparison to Luna's pure, milky whites. His body seemed to be in top form for a traveling trainer, ready for climbing, swimming, running, and plenty of hiking that Pokemon Trainers were known for. He had on a blue checkered pullover, unbuttoned and atop a sleeveless white t-shirt. The trainer wore blue jean shorts that ended right after the knee, held to his waist by a blue colored belt that housed a single Pokeball, the other five slots clearly vacant. His shoes were designed somewhat lazily, a blue and black checkered pattern covering the surface. Finally, dangling about underneath his neck, a Razor Fang, browned with age, but still as sharp as ever.

The trainer's black bag on his back shook around when he turned and smiled to Noah. "Hi, may I help you?"

Noah, lost for words, took several seconds before extending his hand out to greet the trainer. "Hey, I saw the end of your battle earlier with the Spearow. Your Zangoose looks fierce."

The trainer's grin seemed permanent. He turned to the pink colored Zangoose and handed her a small bag that he held in his hands. She nodded before wrapping it around her shoulder and mostly hiding behind her trainer. He turned back around and grabbed Noah's hand with his own, Luna investigating the handshake from Noah's side. The young man's handshake failed to mask his rigorous strength. "Thanks, I appreciate it, and I'm sure Yuki does too. And who might you be?"

Noah's voice seemed to fade away as to avoid others who might've been listening in on them. "The name's Noah."

"Noah...?" the man questioned.

"...Sol."

"Noah Sol...? The name sounds familiar. Sounds like I should recognize it." The trainer shook his head, "Ah to hell with it, how's it going Noah? I'm Ginji K. Gami. Ginji for short, of course."

His smile was incredibly welcoming, and his lack of Sol-Family knowledge helped put Noah at ease. "Then hi, Ginji. It's nice to meet you. And I take it that she's Yuki?"

Luna slowly moved to follow Noah's finger toward the other cat ferret hiding on the other side of Ginji's body as they walked.

"Yup. That's her. C'mon Yuki, come say hello!"

With a sigh, Yuki came out from behind Ginji, shaking with nervousness. She approached Noah, now only several feet in-between Noah and her own trainer. Luna walked up in front of Noah, making sure to impede whatever progress Yuki might have made.

"What?" Ginji said, surprised after finally catching a glimpse of Luna. His laugh was deep, and his eyes seemed to pierce Noah's gaze. "I see! I see! You have a Zangoose too! Fantastic choice of a Pokemon."

Yuki bowed down while keeping up with their walking pace, mewing in a nearly inaudible tone.

Noah waved to her, not wanting to frighten her more than she already appeared. "Nice to meet you too, Yuki."

Luna growled at Yuki, making her quickly scuffle back toward Ginji in a panic.

Ginji busted out laughing again, enjoying the moment. "Yours seems to be quite the little devil there. I can tell just by looking at it. Most Zangoose are fierce little monsters."

"For the most part, yeah."

"How long have you been training Yuki for, if you don't mind me asking? She did an attack that I didn't recognize from Zangoose's natural move pool."

"You have a nice pair of eyes," Ginji barked, "I've been training with Yuki for at least a couple of years now. We've made quite a bit of progress. I've had her since she was hatched from an egg."

"Oh, she's hatched? I caught mine back at Lake Verity in Twinleaf Town."

"Verity? That's a bit odd. Must be the damn migrations, huh?"

"Yeah."

"That's incredibly lucky of you Noah. Yeah, it's been a bit crazy around here since then. Personally, I can't be bothered with catching other Pokemon. I'm just not interested in the whole "capture" shindig.

"Wait...so is Yuki-"

"She's my only Pokemon."

'That would explain why he has five slots empty on his belt,' Noah pondered.

"As for the attack you saw. Well, Yuki and I have been traveling for some time now in the Sinnoh region. We came all the way from Snowpoint, and we've gathered ourselves four badges now. The money we gather from trainer battles is usually more than enough to support the two of us on our travels, so I take some liberties in spending money on her from time to time."

"So that was-"

"Yup. I've taught her plenty of TMs. She's only one Pokemon, yes, but I'm making her as adaptable as possible to take on any opponent. She's a powerful one."

Noah looked back at Yuki, who refused to make eye contact with him.

"Don't let her appearance fool you, Noah. She's just very, very shy."

'Noah,' a voice spoke inside of Noah's mind.

'What is it, Luna?'

'I'm gonna go check out this "Yuki".'

'What?'

Luna was already moving away from him, making her way to Ginji's side. Yuki trembled, but was eased with a loving pet from her trainer, who gave her several words of inspiration. Yuki seemed to gulp hard before backing away from her trainer to give Luna room to approach. As the group kept walking, Luna had split Yuki from Ginji, giving both parties freedom to talk without the other interrupting.

"So, I take it that you have more than one Pokemon, then?" Ginji asked Noah.

"Yeah. I have a Mawile that I caught recently..."

Luna kept her eyes on Yuki. Every time her white clashed with Yuki's gold, the timorous feline turned away, scared of Luna's fearsome gaze. Noah's partner would have to be the first to start up any conversation, if either of the Pokemon even desired to speak.

Aware of the humans around her, Luna spoke to Yuki in her original language, "So...you're the one Noah's been oozing over."

Yuki looked down at Luna's feet as they walked. "He's your master? That boy in the red jacket?"

"He's my partner, yeah."

"Partner? I've never heard that word used. I've always heard other Pokemon call their trainers 'masters'."

"I'm up here," Luna grunted, pointing to her eyes with her claws.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Yuki apologized unnecessarily, looking back up at Luna with tentative golden eyes. "I'm not good around people I don't know...sorry."

"You're apologizing for nothing, princess."

"I'm so-"

Luna gave her the most menacing gaze she could muster. "Just listen up, pinky. Noah here was very interested in your work back there on that stupid bird." Luna looked back at the trail, the Spearow clearly out of view at this distance, "I'm honestly impressed with the carnage. You did one hell of a job on that one."

"Thank you kindly. I appreciate the compliments, really."

"A-huh. That's all nice, but what exactly did you do to it?"

"Ummm," Yuki paused, wrapping one paw inside the other, "I think master Ginji calls it the 'Ice Punch'?"

"Ice Punch? Explain yourself."

Yuki looked at Luna, seemingly distracted. "There's not much to explain...it's a punch...of ice."

"How can I do that? Tell me. Now."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? We're both Zangoose, you can trust me with it," Luna tried to convince her, eager for her secret technique.

"It's not that I'm refusing to tell you. It's that I don't know how exactly I went about learning it."

Luna had been forsaken, her disappointment etched into a frown. "How?"

"Master Ginji used something he called...what was it...a 'tee emm'?"

'Perhaps Noah can do something like that for me,' Luna made sure to remember to ask him later about this. "I see...I'm sure I understand that much..."

"I'm glad for you, then."

"Oh, another thing that's been bugging me," Luna continued. She extended her claws, pointing them at the braces on Yuki's arms. "Those things, what the hell are they?"

"Oh these?" Yuki lifted her arm to showcase one of the braces. It stayed perfectly in place as she twisted her arm around to show it at different angles, her movements unhindered. "Master Ginji calls them 'Macho Braces'. They're supposed to make me stronger, and faster."

"Really? How?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know."

Luna growled in frustration.

"Sorry."

"Stop saying that already. It's annoying." Yuki withdrew a little, feeling the negativity rise in Luna's speech. "You know what? Let me try one on."

"What?"

"I said lemme give one a shot."

Yuki considered her options, barking back at Ginji for his attention. She quickly spoke something to him, which he answered back with a wink. Noah didn't bother to intervene, watching from the corner of his eye.

"Master said it was okay," the pink furred Pokemon said, making Luna cringe at her dependence on her trainer. Yuki quickly brought her right arm in front of her, and using her left, pushed a series of locks into the device. With a quick snap, the Macho Brace loosened, allowing Yuki to shuffle it off of her arm with ease. After licking the fur underneath, Yuki handed the brace to Luna.

"Here, I hope you enjoy yourself."

Luna's nose wrinkled at Yuki's lingering scent on the brace, reaching for it from Yuki's soft, pink paw. The moment the pink mammal let go, Luna let out a surprised gasp, her composure slouching to the ground as her second paw reached down to grab the brace before it dropped.

"Oh? A little too heavy? I'm sorry," Yuki unnecessarily apologized once more. Luna grunted while lifting the Macho Brace above her waist.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! This piece of shit weighs a ton!"

"Yes. They hinder me often in battles, but Master Ginji says it's to help me become stronger, and I've seen the results for myself. It's an incredible device."

Luna strained to keep it up. She had plenty of strength to do so, but the difference in weight was bearing on her mobility. "This is just...too much."

Luna handed it back to Yuki. Her stupor only grew when Yuki, with ease, grabbed it from Luna's paw and fastened it back onto her arm. Yuki swung her arm around several times to make sure the belt was fastened properly.

"What do you think, Luna," Noah's voice called from behind, "impressive, right?"

Luna was speechless.

Yuki shook her head viciously. "Oh my! I forgot to introduce myself to you! I'm sorry!"

"Wha-"

Yuki bowed her head to Luna. "A pleasure. I'm Yuki. Just Yuki."

"We don't have to do that, snowball."

"What's your name?"

"My trainer just said it," she bluntly spat back.

Yuki gave her a blank face before smiling at Luna's attentiveness, "Yes, he did. But it's more polite to start a conversation this way, I think."

Frustrated with everyone around her, Luna caved in early and answered, "It's Luna."

"Luna? That's a beautiful name."

"Err, thanks, I guess."

"Oh? You don't like the name your mast- sorry, partner gave you?"

"No, I like the name. I've just never had anyone say that they liked it before. It's kinda strange."

"How long have you had your name?" Yuki had gotten closer to Luna, her fear of Luna's vicious exterior sluggishly beginning to melt away. "Surely you must've been captured just recently for no one to comment on such a pretty name."

"I wasn't captured; I joined Noah on my own. My name's new too. I haven't kept track of how long I've had it."

"Well, it's a nice name. Did you give your trainer thanks?"

"Huh?"

"A thanks. When Ginji finally decided on my name, I gave him thanks for doing so. I was very grateful."

"Why should I give him thanks?"

"Because it's right?" Yuki was perplexed by Luna's lack of understanding. "It's like...ah! It's like a gift!"

"A gift?"

"Yeah, it's like a present. It's a sign that says that your trainer cares for you. These names, Yuki and Luna, they're gifts that our trainers have given us."

"I...I think I understand that much, but can't anyone just give anyone else a name?"

"No Luna, it doesn't work that way."

Luna scratched her head in frustration. She clearly didn't fully grasp the concept.

"It's a special thing. You can't just give anything a name. It's gotta come from here," Yuki tapped her chest, where her heart was. "It's not something so easily replicated. It took Ginji forever before he finally settled on my name. It made me so happy when he gave it to me. Trainers these days, I notice that a lot of them don't tend to give their Pokemon names. They use them like tools rather than what they should be: friends. When Ginji gave me this name, it made me feel special; it made me feel like I meant more to him than just some kind of 'tool'. He made me feel wanted. Like a good friend."

Luna let her words sink in. She couldn't understand how Yuki could like her trainer so much, given Luna's relationship to Noah. "To not be used like a tool." There was no escaping it. She thought back to earlier in the day, when she was talking to Koko:

"...it's not about me liking him, it's about him helping me get the job done."

'Am...Am I using him like a tool?' the color in Luna's eyes seemed to fade, her mouth shaping into a frown.

"How long did Noah take to give you your name?"

"..."

"Luna...are you okay?"

'God damn it! Why do I suddenly feel like shit? This is pissing me off...damn it!'

"...Luna?"

The maroon ferret shuddered her thoughts away. "A day. It took him a day to name me 'Luna'."

"I see. He must like you very, very much if he thought so long about a proper name. It suits your eyes, Luna. You should be thankful to your trainer that he put so much thought into naming you."

'God damn it.' "Thanks Yuki. I think I'll do that. We're finished here." 'This one. You can see it in her eyes. Her connection to her trainer. Ginji, was it? Her connection to him is powerful...I can see why she's so strong. Is her power a result of her friendship and devotion to her trainer?'

Luna nodded her head towards Yuki, faking a grin. "You're alright, snowball. I'll catch you later."

Yuki bowed again as both returned to their trainer's sides. Luna looked back up at Noah, who had just waved off Ginji.

'I want to be that strong too...' Luna craved as the two of them walked back to Jerry and Lynus.

The path that the entire group traveled began to widen, forcing the tiny militia to spread out to cover more ground. Noah, Luna, Jerry, and Lyn continued to hold down coverage in the rear, yards away from one another. The banter amongst the trainers in front of them became difficult to decipher, the distance taking its toll on their ability to hear orders.

Through the group, Noah's group could see Ginji and Yuki walking side by side. Yuki, timid and shy by nature, hid behind her trainer whenever a new face tried to greet her or her master. Her distance from her trainer without this outside stimuli seemed odd: Yuki was so close to Ginji as they walked, that it seemed more like she was leaning on him for support rather than walking on her own.

"Yeah, it's insane," Noah said over to Jerry on the left, "his Zangoose is his only Pokemon, and that's the way he wants to keep it. He gave her those Macho Braces to make her stronger and faster."

"That's as ingenious as it is reckless to the Pokemon's safety. I hope everything turns out okay for him."

Noah agreed with Jerry's quick analysis of Ginji. Indeed, Yuki seemed like an absolute monster when compared to anyone in Noah's party, but she was still just one Pokemon. "If there's one thing that's just incredibly difficult to rely on, it's a single Pokemon."

"How come?" Luna half-heartily asked, alerting Noah before he realized that their distance from the other trainers was too great for their attention to be grabbed by a talking Pokemon.

"How what, Luna?"

"I talked to her, Noah."

"And?"

"It pisses me off to say it, but she's incredibly strong right now. She said that she got that strong because she is such a good friend of his."

"I see what you're trying to say, Luna," Noah replied, "She's exceedingly potent, I have no doubts about that. The problem is whether or not it's entirely safe to have only one Pokemon to rely on in the wild. What if they get surrounded by strong opponents?"

"Noah," Luna seemed to just shrug off what he explained, "I know you're dead set on creating an entire team, and I've already said I was okay with that. But..."

Noah looked over at Luna. If he could see under her fur, he'd have known that her face was getting red.

'Damn it, this is so stupid,' Luna thought to herself. "...I want to be strong, Noah. I want to be stronger than Yuki is." Luna gulped as she continued, nervous under this strange pressure pushing against her gut. "Do you think that I...I mean we. Damn it..."

Noah raised an eyebrow, stopping the two of them in their tracks, grabbing the attention of Jerry and Lyn. The other two continued to walk on ahead of them after Noah gave them a simple wave of the hand. "Luna, if you need to ask me something, then do it," he said as friendly as he could. He pet her on the head, easing her nerves.

"Do you think that me and you can have something like Yuki and her trainer have? A...good friendship?"

"Huh? You want us to be friends, Luna?"

Luna nodded and mumbled to herself, struggling with whether or not it was a good idea to just come right out and say it.

Noah almost didn't seem to think it over, giving Luna another pat. "Luna, we're partners. We're already friends."

"What?"

"Yeah. I've considered us good friends ever since what happened back at Lake Verity."

Luna seemed surprised at his answer. "...you serious?"

"Yup. I don't think you would've just chosen me to use me, right?"

Luna was stumped, and almost every possible regret that seemed to fester in her mind had since dissipated. She quietly laughed at her own anxiety. "I guess not, Noah." Without warning, Luna sneaked in a warm, wet lick on his cheek, beaming with happiness. "We'll just have to become as strong as they will then, right?"

Noah looked towards Ginji and Yuki. Something about their movements reminded him of Luna and himself. "No."

"No?"

"We'll become stronger."

'I'm really starting to like him,' Luna heard echo inside of her thoughts.

Noah caught up with Jerry and Lyn, the three trainers lined up across the path. Luna, in what looked to be an attempt to mimic Yuki, walked significantly closer to her trainer.

"What was that all about?" Jerry was the first to ask.

Luna was about to answer before Noah moved his hand in front of her mouth. He pointed in front of the team: the distance between each trainer was narrowing with the path again. Though they had barely noticed it, they had already entered the Valley Windworks. Several windmills replaced the outskirts of the path where the trees had once been. The dirt path forked several times, each individual walkway directed towards its respected windmill. The small spurts of wildlife that the group had kept at bay suddenly diminished. The area was too quiet for the middle of the day, and Luna's voice would easily catch the attention of the quiet mumbles fumbling around in the small crowd.

"She was just asking me about Yuki and Ginji. The mechanics they work under are pretty interesting."

Jerry shot a quick glance at Ginji and his Zangoose. He almost seemed to cringe at the sight. "Their mechanics?"

"From what Ginji told me, Yuki is his one and only Pokemon, and because of that, from what I can tell, he's put a lot of sentimental value on her. They also live way up north in Snowpoint, and the routes to get down here to the south are tough."

"They'd have to deal with a lot of difficult hardships, I'd expect," Jerry helped Noah summarize. "I've been to Snowpoint before. The locals have plenty of stories of Pokemon and their trainers getting lost in the blizzards. In its own odd way...it brings the Trainer and Pokemon closer to one another on an emotional level."

"That's exactly why he has such a friendly relationship with her, I'd expect."

"And Luna was wondering about that for what reason, exactly?"

"She was just wondering if what we had was different, and if that was why she was stronger or not."

Jerry paused before responding, "And what did you say?"

Luna wasn't paying any mind to the conversation at this point, opting to stay back and keep watch for any straggling wild types that wanted to challenge the group. She made sure to walk far enough away so that she couldn't hear them.

"She's my friend, Jerry. In the same way that Yuki is Ginji's."

Jerry scratched the top of his head, his curly brown hair sagging from the travels. "I see. Maybe you shouldn't...say that."

"What?"

"I didn't mean it like that, Noah. Just...well, look at them."

Yuki was tugging down on Ginji's arm, trying to hide from another trainer that had approached them from the group.

"Yuki's just shy, Jerry."

"Then why not just put her in her ball?" Jerry's eyes seemed to attack Ginji and Yuki, "They're just too...close, I think."

"Jerry, what are you getting at?"

"Just make sure you make it clear to Luna, Noah. It's better that you don't give her any...ideas."

Noah finally understood what Jerry was trying to tell him. "Oh! No, no, Jerry, it's not like that at all!"

"Just make sure you let her know. Noah, Pokemon aren't like us. They don't have those natural barriers that prevent them from becoming involved with another species. If left alone, Luna might start thinking that it's okay to be related to you like Ginji and Yuki are."

"Wait, what?" Noah spit out. "You think Ginji and Yuki are-"

"Yes, I do. The way they walk, and the way that you described them. I've traveled, Noah. I've experienced my own share of varying types of people, and this," Jerry stopped talking, as if to put emphasis on his words, "inter-species relationship nonsense is just not right."

Noah was surprise at Jerry's words. "What about them makes it wrong, Jerry?" Noah asked, eager to hear Jerry's response.

"Humans are humans. Pokemon are wild beasts. It's sick, Noah."

Skai, who had been covering the area to the right of the party, shot a cold, heartless glare towards Jerry that went unnoticed. He raised his scythes into the air, letting them shine in the sun before calming down. Luna, who had wandered too close to earshot, also heard the simple remark, muttering insults under her breath.

"Wild beasts? I wouldn't say that." Jerry's curious expression pressed Noah onward. "Look at Skai and Luna. They may not look anything like us, nor do they even share the same species as we do, but what they do have in common with us, is that they share the same spectrum of emotions as we do. They have a will that allows them to function no better or worse than we do, Jerry. Heck, Koko too. Koko chose to come with me willingly, Luna gets upset when something doesn't go her way, and Skai willingly chooses to protect Lynus because he cares for her. Their actions and personalities are no different from humans."

Jerry simply shrugged the answer off. "I didn't think you'd be on their side, Noah. It's a bit surprising."

"I'm not arguing for their side, Jerry. I will, however, argue that they should be treated the same as we treat our fellow man. They aren't just beasts of burden."

The curly haired youngster sighed. "Lyn, what do you think of it?"

Lyn had been quietly listening to their little conversation ever since Noah had caught up to the group. "I...um, I'm with Noah on this. Sorry Jerry, but I just can't see Pokemon as...beasts, like you put it. Pokemon have hearts too...and Skai has proven that to me many, many times," she looked to her guardian. Skai closed his eyes and nodded, trying not to look straight back into his trainer's lovely gaze.

"Looks like I'm outnumbered," Jerry joked, laughing. "I can see what you two are saying...but I just don't buy it. Sorry."

Before Noah could open his mouth again, they heard the voice of the officer at the front. They stopped behind the rest of the trainers, who had all gathered up together once again. The windmills were becoming more plentiful as they travelled deeper into the Valley Windworks, and where they were currently standing, they were completely surrounded by the machines. A large building that housed most of the equipment and staff offices marked the end of the walkway that they had been wearing down.

Luna made her way back to Noah, quickly tugging on his red vest to grab his attention.

"What is it, Luna?"

"Noah," she whispered, "Don't you smell that?"

Noah tried sniffing the air. There was a peculiar scent drifting about, but he failed to understand what it was.

"What the hell is that?" Noah asked, letting Lyn and Jerry in on the change. Skai seemed to have noticed as soon as Luna had. He directed Lyn behind him and growled under his breath, staring in the direction of the building.

The foundation had been pounded flat, with a large, wide area for heavy machinery to navigate. The station was painted yellow with white borders, and the hum of electricity could be heard even from outside.

A shiver went down Noah's spine when a sudden gust of cold air came from the direction of the Windworks station. The front door seemed to have been ripped off of its hinges, and several windows looked ready to shatter. A dry, red stain welcomed the crew to go inside.

The hand of the officer up front could be seen above the trainer's heads. "Everyone, hold back. We're finally here."

==========

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Name: Ginji K. Gami
Type: Human
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 185 lbs.
Age: 19 Years
Eye Color: Silver
Skin Color: White
Hair Style/Color: Spiked in all directions. Black.
Body Type: Moderately built.
Outfit: White sleeveless t-shirt underneath a checkered, blue pull-over unbuttoned. Blue jean shorts that end below the knee, and black and blue shoes with a blue belt.
Other Items: A necklace with a Razor Fang tied to the end.
Hobbies: Training, traveling, and battling.
Homeland: Snowpoint City, Sinnoh
Personality: Fiery and eccentric. Full of energy.
Bio: A virtually unknown Pokemon Trainer from Snowpoint City. He trains only one single Pokemon, and with her, he's been able to somehow conquer several Gym Leaders in Sinnoh. How he does this, based on Gym critics of him in battle, is due to his "never give up" attitude, and his burning passion for battle. He travels the region in hopes to topple the Elite Four, then move on to the next region. Despite lacking the echo abilities, and only with a single Pokemon in tow, he is seen as one of the top rookie trainers of his time.
Weaknesses: He only has a single Pokemon. Overwhelming him with sheer numbers will defeat him, as well as fighting type or ghost type Pokemon. However, be warned that his single Pokemon has adapted to numerous scenarios before. Take caution when facing them.
Pokemon Team: Yuki (Zangoose)
Threat Level: Moderate
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