Ragnarok

Note: Alright, so I've been working on things here and there, and to be quite honest, I haven't begun typing the one-shot since the storyboard was developed. Hopefully I'll be able to work on that piece sometime this week, as well as the next chapter of Ragnarok, which I was beginning as I submitted this.

Oh, and thanks for waiting. By the way, this chapter as 10,661 words. I'm doing better at being consistent with length, and the material, although I wouldn't be surprised if my next chapter is much less.

Look forward to the next chapter, it has an actual Pokemon battle and a half in it, really actiony (I pray that I can deliver it the way I'm imagining it). I say and a half because there's two encounters, but one's not technically a battle. If anything, the second one makes up for the crappiness of the first.

Whatever though, next chapter will be awesome, and I'm gonna try to start the one-shot.

Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, "" = Spoken Dialogue, '' = Dialogue in thought, mostly going to be used for Noah/Luna interaction, as well as Pokemon/Trainer interaction later on down the line. Just wanted to inform.

With that, enjoy the read!!
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1:04
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The doors to the familiar unlit room slowly shifted open at first, before being swept wide open. The light from the overly-stretched hallway still dared not to penetrate the room, somehow beyond reasoning, so the round table and four seats still remained perfectly shrouded in darkness. A young woman came smoothly walking in, hiding her anxiety from the news that she had just been relayed from the lower levels of the building. Hesitating, she walked to her assigned seat, waiting, hoping that the other three seats would be filled, and hoping that she was simply the first one to arrive.

She wasn't the first, a deep voice confirming “his” presence.

"Ah, you've finally arrived. Good, we can start."

The woman jumped in her seat, already in a delicate-frightened mood before the meeting had even started.

"Don't you startle me like that again. The least you could do is tell me whenever you've arrived." the young lady barked, staring into the darkest area of the table, where a man, shrouded in shadows, seemed to be sitting. He crossed his arms, somewhat ignoring her words to continue; starting the meeting was nothing important to him, even going so far as considering it a hindrance.

"...so..." the woman started, "Is it true what they're saying? Has Cynthia...been...?”

"I'm afraid so." the man replied back, absolutely absent in emotion in his autonomous voice. "That only leaves the two of us."

"That's...impossible. Who has enough power to defeat Cynthia?"

"You think it could've been him?"

"No. I’m almost one-hundred percent certain that she'd be able to kill him before he could get anywhere near her."

"Then who else would be strong enough to utterly destroy her without so much as being noticed? Do you even realize the impossibility with not only getting away with murdering someone of her caliber, but doing so without so much as a struggle, and without a single clue to be traced down with no less?"

"I...I have no idea. This is starting to get to me. Has this ever happened before?"

The man chuckled, amused by her inexperience. "Of course it has, you silly girl. You remember those two...the Sol Duo?"

"...Yeah. That's right. They tore High Noon apart, one by one, until no one remained from the old government."

"I guess that means we haven't learned anything since those days then, huh?"

"You can't honestly place the blame on us four. If anything, it's the influence this entire world has been put under by people like those two."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone wants to make a difference these days. It’s slowly becoming something short of a second nature to mankind, to be involved in all affairs and try to make a difference; you just can't change things whenever you don't like them. Nothing works that way; at least not since those two intervened."

"True. But, this still doesn't change the current situation. The government will be in a state of panic when news gets out that Cynthia has disappeared, just as Lance did before her."

"Indeed."

"There has to be something more, right? What's going to happen to the control?"

"I'm not sure. We have no suitable replacements for the time being, and it'll only be a matter of time before issues get out of hand in the lower levels."

"What should we do then?"

The man smiled in the darkness, still unseen by the young woman. "If you believe it necessary for your safety, go into hiding."

"What!? You can't be serious! Someone like me, running away like that?"

"I wouldn't necessarily label it as...'running away'. Consider it a tactical retreat."

"No…It doesn't feel right."

"Well," the man shifted in his seat, "If you find yourself changing your mind, you are free to do so. Remember, so long as you maintain a connection to me, you will still be considered a member of this organization, and as such, you will continue to uphold the highest authority. They may have passed, but you’re still part of the High Noon. You will continue to wield an immense power over the regions, even the ones you don't govern. I say use it to your advantage.

Without us, this world will crumble. Don’t forget that. Lance's absence and Johto’s response are proof alone."

"...Alright then, I'll consider it."

"That's all then."

"That's it?"

"Well, this might've taken longer...if we had more input from the other two. In fact, I don't think this could even have been considered a meeting, could it not?"

"This is terrible. What's going to happen?"

The young woman stood up, getting ready to walk out of the room.

"Oh, one more thing." the man spoke up, stopping the woman from opening the now closed doors. "Whoever this new threat is, that fact remains in that they have successfully wiped out Cynthia. I suggest you start training your team more often."

"Any specific reason?"

"I know Cynthia was more powerful than you. That being the case, you're more likely than not going to be killed in the same manner if you’re not careful enough."

The woman felt nothing short of insulted. "How dare you question my battle skills? There’s a reason I’m here, you know.

What about you? Have you ever battled at all?"

The man cracked another cynical grin. "I haven't had to battle for a long, long, long time. I suppose giving my team some exercise would do them some good."

"Yes? Prove it."

"Excuse me?"

"I've never seen you battle, and I've never heard of you before you arrived at the Indigo Plateau to apply for the position. If you were to...erm...somehow be defeated before myself, I wouldn't know what to do about the organization. I need some proof that you can handle yourself. Is that okay?"

The man was obviously disgruntled at her doubt. "Very well. If you truly want to see what I'm capable of."

A small tremor shook the floor under her feet, startling her at first, before she realized what he was about to do.

"How sophisticated of you."

"You're too kind. Ready? Prepare yourself…!"

"For wh-"

The woman suddenly felt a force fall upon her that she rarely felt before. She stumbled and shuffled in place, trying to regain her control on the ground, the foundation within the room shifting at the same time. Several picture frames from the wall shattered instantly, the glass breaking into tiny pieces and falling to the floor. Whatever this was, it even cracked the walls open, several small openings visible by the human eye, a small amount of long dried paint peeling off the foundation. As quickly as the strange entity had come, it had vanished, without a single trace, the only proof that it had been there: A deep humming sound, and the damage that had been done to the room.

The man cocked his eyebrow. "Well, what have you got to say about my strength?"

The lady could only stare on in disbelief. "Too many years have gone past."

"Hm?"

"I haven't felt the sensation of being overwhelmed since my days as a gym leader. Who...just who the hell are you?"

"Why, I'm a High Noon member, just like yourself."

"Not even Cynthia's was that strong…it was even stronger than hers…but you…you…"

"Like I have said: I haven't had a reason to battle in years, because of my level.

I believe that was the proof that you were looking for, was it not?"

"Y-yes. Very well then,” the woman said, inching closer to the edge of her seat, “You know how to get in touch with me if we need to call another...meeting." she hesitated, looking at the damaged room, and the empty chairs of the late members.

"Very well then. I don't know who it is that disposed of Cynthia and Lance, but whoever did it will obviously go after us two as well. You be careful out there, the situation in Sinnoh and Johto will only expand should one of us be killed."

"I would've told you the same thing one minute ago, but now…I don't think I will ever need to."

"Hmhm…You always had the most spirit out of us four; you’ll do fine, just be on alert. You're going to need everything to just survive. Now go, we both have work to do."

"Understood."

The doors swung open, the light again refusing to enter the black room, the woman hurriedly scampered down the hallway, leaving the man in the room by himself, the door closing slowly behind on its own, a strange glow in his ominous, starved eyes...

----------

The police lights flashed a bright blue color in the morning sunlight, the cars surrounding the lone house atop the hill in Twinleaf Town. The slumbering city had awaken to the screeching of car tires plowing down the streets, racing off after receiving a strange call that morning:

"I'VE LEFT YOU A PRESENT. NOAH LIKES IT. :D "

The black bag was zipped completely across the length of the rotting corpse of the once honored Champion of Sinnoh. Noah sat on the cleaned doorstep, no trace of the blood, or that strange black liquid remaining. He wasn't shaking, nor was he wasn't crying; he wasn't really reacting at all to the actions taking place in front of him. Luna was standing at his side, her arms crossed, staring as the strange creatures scattered about, looking in the house, and around the trail in the front, for any piece of evidence that might have been left behind by the culprit. Even to Luna, it was obvious that this “investigation” wasn’t going to go any further than Noah’s doorstep.

Noah hadn't been bothered by the concept of death for quite some time. As a matter of fact, the reaction he had earlier that morning was more so from the simple shock-value of having a dead body swinging on his porch. He wouldn't deny, however, the feeling of desperation he felt whenever he thought of another of his childhood idols, hanging lifelessly on his doorstep.

"Noah, I-"

"Inside voices please, people are around." Noah quickly whispered.

'Right, right, sorry.' Luna replied.

'You wanted to tell me something?'

'Yeah. What's the big deal about this? Why are all these people here, and what are they trying to do?'

'They're here to get the body of Cynthia.'

'So that human that was at the front of your den was Cynthia?'

'Yeah. I still can't figure it out, I've been thinking about it ever since the police arrived.'

'What?'

'Who could've killed her? Does anyone even have that kind of power?'

'I felt it from you, Noah. I felt an awkward feeling when we saw her this morning. What was that?'

'...my guess would be fear.'

'Fear?'

'Yeah. It was a natural reaction to what we saw.'

'I think I get it.'

'Actually, to tell you the truth, it was more of how she looked when we saw her rather than that she was dead. Luna, I don't think I've ever heard of a person who smiled at death the way she did. It seems so...'

'Odd?'

'Yeah, kinda. It was more like she was…out of character. I don’t think I could even imagine someone like her smiling like that at losing her own life. Which brings me back to exactly who could do this. Cynthia was the strongest Champion in the Sinnoh region, as well as one of the four members of High Noon. To see her like that- it was discouraging, and it shook me up a little inside.'

'So...does that mean that we're still okay to go today?'

Noah looked back at Luna, sighing in relief. "I thought you'd never ask. It's time I left this damned town. I feel like it's holding me back, suffocating me, making me weaker. Look at this mess…"

'Well, I'm glad you feel that way. In order to succeed, I'm going to have to have you at your maximum potential for the time we’re together.

Noah looked on with Luna as Cynthia, in her large black body bag, was heaved onto a stretcher, then into an ambulance that had just arrived, the tires wearing the road out from the speed it approached at.

"So she's really gone. Cynthia of High Noon is dead." Noah spoke.

'Death is so...interesting.' Luna thought.

"Interesting is something I never would've considered it to be. Death is something that can't be shrugged at, at least not in this world. Dying means…the end."

To a degree, Luna failed to respond. 'I see. Very well then, shall we go?'

Noah slowly picked himself up off the ground. He wrapped the bag he packed around his shoulders, strapping down his sleeveless red jacket in the process. Quickly, Noah paced toward an officer who was jotting information down on a yellow notepad.

"Excuse me sir, do we have to be here anymore?" he said, as nonchalantly as possible.

The officer looked back with a funny glance at Noah, and then turned back away. "Oh, Noah, it's you...u-uh...yeah, you can go, we still have to continue searching the surrounding area anyways, and the entire house is clean."

"Any idea on who might've done it?"

The officer could only shrug. "Nothing to go by but a strange phone call we answered earlier in the morning."

"Alright then. I'm going somewhere for a long extension of time. Is it okay if I leave the house's safety in your hands?"

"That would probably be best. You'd only get in the way at this point."

Noah ignored the remark the officer had made, handing the house keys to the police, turning around to prepare himself in the town. He quickly turned to his side, Luna keeping up, in almost a perfect line right next to Noah, walking in almost the same pattern.

"We need to make a few stops in town before we leave, I didn't quite pack everything I needed. That's okay, right?"

"Whatever you need so we can get this over with is fine with me."

"One more thing too."

"Yeah?"

"I still have to say my goodbyes before we go, agreed?"

Luna nodded, the rising sun slowly shining more and more light onto the waking town, the rain-heavy clouds in the distance signaling the arrival of a familiar face.

----------

The ground beneath the two travelers slowly softened from a hard pavement to a dirt pathway as the route to the familiar site grew narrow. Noah's emotion began to slowly drain away from earlier that morning, the small rush he had when he saw Cynthia's corpse slothfully dissipating into the nothingness. The wild Pokemon preferred to be quite today along the route, the only indicator of any life would be from the slight steps Luna could hear whenever a wild Bidoof went scurrying for its lunch, or when a Starly started to flutter into the sky, singing a tranquil song that only further emphasized the emptiness of the land. As the path shrunk to a size only accustomed to two passengers side by side, the trees and tall grass too, would reduce in height, the trees eventually being scattered and scarce, the grass neatly filing into a block shape, as it was frequently cut by the town.

Eventually, Noah and Luna arrived at the cold metal gates, wide open for any passerby to enter. Luna stared at the unreadable letters- at least to her- that cling to the emerald arching metal above and between two columns that sprouted from the ground on the sides of Noah and Luna.

"Noah, what does that say?" Luna asked, eager to know exactly why they were at such an awkward location.

"Twinleaf Town Cemetery." is all that came out of Noah's mouth, his voice solemn for the occasion.

Unshaken, mostly from ignorance, Luna would, again, speak, "Cemetery?" Luna looked around the inside of the gates as they passed through. "There's nothing here but cut grass and weird shaped rocks. What do we need to do here?"

"This is where we humans lay our fellow man...or woman, when they...um...expire." Noah tried to explain.

"Wait, hold on. There are dead humans here...?"

"Yes. We bury them in the ground, in these containers called coffins. It's a proper way to end one's life span on Earth."

A shiver crawled up Luna's spine, another human concept that was not only strange, but slightly eerie. "Wait, so that means that Cynthia lady is gonna be put in the ground here too, right?"

"Well, yeah, but not at this cemetery. There are many, many cemeteries scattered throughout the regions, this isn't the only one."

Luna nodded, establishing her understanding of “cemeteries”. "But, if everyone is dead here, what are we here for then? They can't help us if they're dead, right?"

"I don't think that's completely true." Noah replied back, his voice smooth and calm as they spiraled around the man-made pavement around the graveyard, passing numerous tombstones and statues, some of them with people in "holy attire", others with the Legendary Pokemon carved into the mineral- mostly consisting of Ho-oh and Jirachi.

"Tell me then. How?"

Noah looked up at the split sky; to his left, the sun was rising up from the horizon, almost completely out of the blocking hillside, while on Noah's left, dark clouds continued to stir, slowly headed toward Twinleaf's general direction, rain imminent.

"Because I just do. It's something I feel whenever I begin to doubt my abilities as a person. I believe that people can help you from…well, wherever they came from, given the right circumstances."

"Really?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Besides, you should believe it too. You're a living example."

Luna chuckled momentarily, Noah silencing the Pokemon before the conversation could continue, flattening his finger over his lips. Noah 'shushed' her, silencing her immediately with his voice.

"We're here."

"Where?"

"Here." Noah said, pointing to a group of gravesites beyond another set of arches and columns, a different combination of letters that Luna caught right away. "I already know what you want to ask. It says: 'Sol Memorial'."

"Isn't your name Sol?" Luna asked, immediately realizing a connection.

"Yeah. This is my family, all of my ancestors who've passed on to...whatever awaits me at the end of my life."

"Oh...so this is..."

"Yeah. I wanted to say good-bye to them." Noah cut in, walking closer to the 'fresh side' of the site. He waved back at Luna, who was still gazing at all the tombstones forced into the ground. She quickly scurried over to his side, Noah standing in front of two distinctive graves.

Luna felt a weakening between her links with Noah's soul in their chained bond. She even felt a strange but familiar energy source radiating from the two graves they stood by. Curiosity would get the better of her, as it would do further into the future on numerous occasions. "So, who are these two?"

"My father and...mother."

Luna's ears slowly drooped to the sides of her head, the connection to Noah magnified several-fold, his sadness quickly becoming hers through Noah's emotion. She could physically feel his pain, albeit not harmful to her body, but enough to inform her just how much Noah was suffering on the inside.

'Why...why does this hurt...?' Luna thought to herself. 'It almost feels...familiar. I've felt this before...'

Noah would break the silence, "Hi dad. Hi mom."

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, her voice almost as solemn as Noah's.

"This is the only way I really feel like I'm connected with them anymore. Please, just let me talk to them for a minute."

Luna respected Noah's request, trying to look away to give him "space".

"Something amazing happened the other day. I met someone new, her name's Luna. She's a Pokemon that saved me several days ago; isn't that something?" Noah spoke, directing his voice at the graves. "You'll never guess what: I'm starting again...yeah, that's right. I'm going to try one more time, and I promise to do my best. Don't worry dad, I'll really show Sinnoh what a Sol can do, just for you. Mom, I can still cook, so I'm living pretty well right now. I'm taking several pans from the kitchen on my journey, if I ever need to cook on the way to a nearby town or anything like that, so I hope you don't mind too much. Don't worry, I won't burn myself or anything...I'm not that bad, you know?"

Luna's ears flattened out even further, almost nonexistent when looking at her straight on if it weren't for that red pattern on her left ear. "Why is he so sad?"

"I promise..." Noah stuttered, his will fighting back valiantly to suppress his feelings, "I promise I won't let anything happen, not to my friends...never again."

'Wait. Did he just consider me a...friend?' Luna thought, tilting her head to the side.

"...I don't know when I'll be back...if I'll ever be back. It'll be dangerous out there, but I'm done sticking around Twinleaf Town." Noah stopped, crouching into a kneeling position in-between the two graves, a single tear already making its way down his cheek as he reached into his trainer's bag. He pulled out a sealed box, which was sealed airtight in another case to protect the package from wearing out. He eased the box over to the graves, letting it rest almost perfectly in the middle of the two stones.

"I'm going to take this back when I'm ready...but can you hold onto it for now, please?"

Ending his chatter with the dead, Noah silently drifted into a meditative state, Luna doing nothing but standing beside Noah, waiting for something to happen. A cool breeze from the storm-ridden clouds brushed by, taking leaves and small rocks along the ground with it, the box not moving an inch due to its weight.

A long, breathless pause, then more silence.

"Luna, let’s get out of here." Noah told the mongoose Pokemon, lifting his bag from the ground and putting it around his shoulder. Her ears suddenly shot straight up as she moved along to keep up with Noah.

Luna had to ruin the moment with her ever-annoying curiosity. "So...when did they...?"

Noah refused to be angry at her. ‘She just didn't know, that was all’. "Several years ago, not too long ago."

"If you don't mind me asking..."

"I don't."

"What?"

"I don't know what happened."

"Oh.

...

So...the bodies are in the coffins under the dirt?"

"Shut it."

"Huh?"

"Don't start this."

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to...uh...upset you."

Noah looked the other way, a little guilty (although she didn’t fully understand why) that she would add on to the pressure he was feeling right now from just being in the cemetery.

'She doesn't know about this thing...she's just curious, but damn it, couldn't she just be contempt with the first answer?!' Noah asked himself, slowly picking up the pace, eager to leave.

"Well, you kinda did." Noah finally replied.

"I already apologized. Besides, I just wanted to know."

"...fine."

"Fine?"

"Their bodies aren't even in there."

Luna almost stopped in mid-walk. "Wha...? Didn't you just tell me that-"

"Yes, I did. Bodies USUALLY go in coffins, but you can't put a body in a coffin, if there is NO BODY to begin with."

"What? Then what happened to them?"

"Just..”

"Just?"

"Just stop it, please."

"Noah," Luna calmly said, feeling for what seemed to be the first time, pity and concern, "What the hell happened to you?"

Noah shook his head. "...No, we have things to do in town, now come on."

"But." Luna pushed on, trying to approach him.

"No! That's the end, so drop it!" Noah yelled, swinging his hand out to keep his distance, completely pausing in his tracks at the re-widening path. His mind quickly reset, his legs subconsciously walking on their own. "Now come on."

"...Noah."

The clouds slowly roamed above the two travelers as they headed into the heart of Twinleaf Town, finally making their exit from the gray, grim gravesite, leaving behind the little conversation they just had.

----------

The streets were crowded with people walking from building to building, many women holding or coaxing along their young, men in business suits gliding down the roads, heading to meetings or to a little office cubicle with their name tags resting on the desks. Noah and Luna had just arrived into the busiest area of Twinleaf Town, at the most active time during the day. Neither seemed to be in a rush however, taking their time doing what needed to be done.

"Where to now Noah?" Luna asked, Noah quickly responding with a finger to his forehead, the signal for them to communicate through their minds.

'The bank. I need to make a transaction.'

'Trans...action?'

'Yeah, I need to get some money, and have some more transferred to other accounts in other cities for the time being, should I ever need more along the way.'

'This money...it's important?'

'Money is one of the strongest material items we humans have. With enough, we can do almost anything we want. I just need enough money for the two of us to buy materials to survive the wilderness.'

'Hmm, you can't live off the land like the other creatures?'

'I can, but many people lack the know-how, since many of them grew up in this kind of environment instead. Humans thrive with this type of lifestyle; it's just the way we are.'

'So strange and interesting, drastically different from the way this creature lived.' Luna said, tapping the side of her head with her claws.

'Zangoose, like most other smaller land mammals, live in packs and search for food, like berries and smaller Pokemon. You literally live off the land, much like we do. However we lack the strength and power that most Pokemon have, so we have to use innovation to succeed.'

'Which is why your kind lives so differently.'

'Exactly.'

'I think I'm starting to understand your kind a little more.'

'Take it easy, there's plenty of time for you to get familiar with the human way of life while we look for...what was it again?'

'I don't know either.'

'So, we look for these until we find what you lost, right?' Noah asked, gesturing toward the shiny coin-shaped plate on his necklace.

Luna flicked her right ear with her claw, a kind of “you got it” gesture to his question.

'Do you have any idea where the rest can be?'

'When we found that purple plate, it simply came to us. All we have to do is walk around every nook and cranny, and I'm sure the others will follow suit.'

'I suppose that's all we can do for the time being, until you remember.'

'I wouldn’t peg these as unimportant, Noah. These...plates feel just as important as what I’ve lost. The Soul Plate had so much power in it...who knows what these might be potentially capable of. Hopefully we can even get some answers from them.'

'Like what?'

'When we got that plate at the lake, I felt something come back to me, something very clouded in my mind. I couldn't distinguish exactly what it was, but it felt familiar, like a forgotten memory.'

'So if we can get more plates, then maybe you'll remember what it is that you lost.'

Luna flicked her right ear again.

The conversation ended as Noah paused in front of a building, the letters T.T.C.B. [Twinleaf Town Central Bank] engraved in a forest green color near the top of the teal-colored structure.

The line was long, and to both starting travelers, bitterly strained.

Luna, on one hand, was suffering from complete and absolute boredom. The atmosphere of professional business, the lack of any real communication like outside, and the complete absence of nature's influence was draining her physical body. At first, she simply groaned in disappointment, especially when Noah pointed out exactly how far the waiting line stretched across the building, even curving to compensate for the lack of space in the rooms. Luna then crossed her arms, grunting louder to grab attention, making her irritation at the line known to the other bystanders. Acting almost childlike, she tapped her paws on the clean-tiled floor, the sound from the action echoing off the stainless walls decorated with pottery and fake foliage. At the moment, she was busy playing with her own ears and puffy tail to pass the time by, hitting her ears around and watching them flop before perking them back up herself, letting her tail swing back and forth, trying to create a tempo.

Noah ignored her infantile behavior. At the very least, she wasn't causing a real physical disturbance- hell, it was amusing him. Naturally, Noah could've been comforted by this, but he could tell by the people in the line, what they were thinking. They knew Noah Sol had just walked into the building; the gossip about him "starting again” had already started to rise, the Zangoose by his side being the prime evidence. He wouldn't be able to stand for it if they started whispering back and forth their own opinions toward his actions.

Thank god, for Noah, that news of Cynthia's death hadn't been released, if at all, to the world just yet. He could only imagine what they'd say about him then. He was already shunned by most townspeople for simply being an "incompetent" trainer for letting his Pokemon get "slaughtered" in Eterna.

He knew exactly what they'd say then as well: They would say that he did it. Despite the fact that not only did Noah have no Pokemon, but that he would have to technically be trying to off the strongest trainer in the Sinnoh region, they would continue to believe that he was the strongest suspect linking to the murder.

'Maybe I should've just left without doing this.' Noah thought to himself. 'Ugh. What difference would it make? If not this town, then the next city over would just substitute for the glaring and muttering.'

Noah stood as a statue would, waiting with Luna in the long line as they slowly crept to the front desk, Noah and Luna both sighing after hearing those long awaited words at their direction, "Next, please."

----------

The doors to the bank automatically swung open to the sides, the two casually walking out, Noah relieved for the ordeal at the bank to be over. Luna decided it was talk time again, on the other hand.

"What exactly did you do?"

Noah repeated his "talk in your mind" gesture, answering, 'I spread my money across the Sinnoh region, and put a certain amount in every city. I also sent a sum to an emergency fund, just in case. We're fine as far as money is concerned.'

'That's good to know, I guess. So...what’s next? We ready to go?'

Noah was about to speak, when a ring interrupted. He nearly jumped, Luna's delayed reaction kicking in moments afterward. Several feet away from the pair, a payphone was ringing, begging for any passerby to answer. Noah continued to stare at it, before getting ready to ignore it and leave. He changed directions, preparing to take a route into a lighter and less "traffic affected" area of Twinleaf, when the bank doors automatically opened behind him, a lady trying to catch up to him before he had left.

"Mr. Sol! I'm terribly sorry, I almost forgot to inform you; you received something several hours ago, before you showed up. The person told us to hold onto it until you came today, rather than deliver it to your home address. Here, take it."

A simple white envelope was practically shoved into Noah's hand, and before he could utter a word, the lady was back inside the bank, heading toward her work station.

'What is it?' Luna questioned.

'A letter, from someone.'

'It looks like something's inside.'

'Letters are just pieces of paper with information on them to send off from one person to another." Noah quickly explained, before opening the letter as he and Luna continued walking. Inside, a small index card, with three words scribed neatly onto the paper:

"Answer the phone."

Noah paused. There was only one person he could initially think of who would do this.

"Luna, back this way." Noah told her, his voice slightly unnerved by the request. He quickly turned around toward the black phone resting the side of the pavement, inside that transparent small space of a box. "Wait here, I need to do something."

Luna sat right next to the payphone, allowing Noah to do as the letter said. He quickly opened and shut the screen behind him as he fumbled for the phone, taking it off the hook.

Just who he expected to hear; that mechanical anonymous voice he had heard those years ago.

"Hey, it's Bee."

"I know."

There was a short delay in between the two.

"This is pre-recorded, so don't expect any questions you have to be answered.

Listen...I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't expect for those bastards to attack you if you had Cynthia on your side. It was a grave error on my behalf; I didn't plan enough.

It concerns me though. They took out Cynthia...I wonder how they managed to gain so much strength in their ranks... and because of that, I'm solely responsible for the death of one of Sinnoh's greatest leaders. I hope you can forgive me for what I have already put you through...

However, I must move on to the business at hand. Noah, you're in grave danger. The Galactics are after you, and they'll stop at nothing to prevent you from leaving that town."

Noah's eyes flustered when he heard that name. "Galactic!? I thought they were destroyed..."

"I've been doing my own investigation on the new generation of Galactic; they still exist, and I believe they are more powerful than ever before, especially when considering the current circumstances. I don't know what they have planned, or why they have such a large interest in you specifically, but regardless of this information...and of how great the risk may be...

I need to talk to you, immediately.

There's no safe way to communicate with you, as I’m currently being tracked as well by the organization- to a lesser extent, but I chose this method because it would prove to be the simplest at the moment. I want you to flee from Twinleaf Town, as soon as you can, and try to make it to Oreburgh. I'll try to see if I can meet up with you at the location, but I can't make that promise. If I'm unable to attend, I'll have more information passed onto you for where we can meet. Don’t worry if they show up and you find yourself cornered. They have an interest in you, so they won’t do anything to kill you.”

“How comforting.” Noah replied.

“I need you to help me. Galactic has begun a strange new movement in their philosophies and policies, and it deeply concerns me. Their ways have become much more savage, and with each passing of our greatest trainers, our lives are put at higher risk. I’ve made it my sworn duty to protect these lives. If we can find what Galactic sees that is so interesting about your abilities, perhaps we can utilize it and use it against them.

I hope to meet you soon..."

A large click, followed by a dead tone from the other side of the line. Noah was all but mortified. Galactic wanted him. Galactic, a team thought to have disbanded after the Palkia/Dialga incident, had risen back into power, and where now after him. For what purpose, Noah couldn't say, but just knowing that Team Galactic showed any small interest in his being frightened his essence to the core.. He turned to look at Luna, who was facing the other way, oblivious to his recent change in attitude. He took a deep breath, and opened the screen to exit the phone booth.

"Luna?"

'Yes Noah?'

"Let's go. We have to make two more stops, so we better get moving."

'Fine with me.'

Noah refused to let Luna in on what he had heard. He decided it was better for him to keep the news to himself for the time being.

Within a span of ten minutes, the duo had arrived at their next stop. A medium sized building, compared to the massive dwellings of the others in town, with a large sign plastered outside and above the automatic doors, labeled "Mart". The engraved symbol of the pokeball above the sign affirmed that they had arrived at the right spot, and decided to walk right in.

Business was, to Noah's surprise, quite "dry". Besides him and Luna, only one or two trainers lurked around the aisles, staring at the items stacked upon the shelves, ready for any trainer to come by and snag them. Noah quickly went down a mental list of what to buy for the trip to Oreburgh.

'Potions...antidote...ethers...pokeballs...'

A small list, but if Noah played it safe, him and Luna would get to Oreburgh with no problem. Back when he and Jerry had journeyed, they managed to make it from Twinleaf, to Sandgem, to Jubilife, Oreburgh, and back to Jubilife before having to refresh their team with any potions, preferring to heal them with simple rest and relaxation. He had Luna now, a Pokemon who seemed naturally stronger than usual, at least compared to this side of Sinnoh's natural environment. They'd make it to Oreburgh with no problem, he just knew it.

'And if we do run into any trouble, we still got these, and if we hurry, we can even make it to the town by nightfall.' Noah reassured himself, glancing at the potions he was picking off the shelf, the small bottles snugly fitting into a little corner of a generic red basket he had grabbed as he entered the store. Luna continued to observe as Noah grabbed several more bottles of potion and antidote.

'Noah, what is all this?'

'Oh this? These are bottles of medicine specifically for Pokemon. Should we overdo it in a battle or get exhausted, we can use this on you to help you regain your strength.'

'I understand...and these...oh you have to be kidding me.'

Noah turned to see Luna, her upper half turned the other way, snarling at a bargain bin full of pokeballs on sale.

'You mean to tell me they just have these things laying around for anyone to pick up and use?'

'Yeah, but you need money to buy them.'

'Ugh, this is horrible.'

'Relax,' Noah said, walking past her and toward the bin, grabbing a handful for the basket, Luna mortified. 'Just in case.'

'Just in case what?'

'I'll tell you later, when we're out of here.'

'Tell me now, I just want an explanation.'

'Well. I was thinking about what we are preparing ourselves for. We can really get into dangerous situations out in the Sinnoh wilderness, especially with the Pokemon's strange migration patterns. There's really no telling what kind of Pokemon we'll see out there anymore, and I want to be ready for anything that comes our way.

I thought, maybe, if I caught some Pokemon, that they'd be able to help us look for your missing...whatever. They'd also be able to support us whenever we need their strength.'

'Extra help would be great...but do we HAVE to catch them in these monstrosities?'

'Unless they willingly come, there really is no other way. A battle for capture is like betting on the match. The Pokemon wins, he or she keeps goes back to the wild a free creature. They lose, and they join the trainer's team, and eventually grow even stronger.

It's a natural concept that trained Pokemon are consistently stronger than wild Pokemon. It's because they become experienced fighters rather than savage brawlers. It's a process that can never be changed.

In fact, if you battle for me as well, you will also become more powerful.'

'I need to be strong to find what I need, should we require my strength later...For now, I'll remain neutral on the matter, got that?'

'Sure.'

Noah placed his basket, not "full", but nicely filled, onto the desk in between himself and the cashier. A quick handful of beeps and bills later, the two had left the Pokemart.

'One last stop...' Noah said to Luna, the rain filled clouds above preparing to release over the city, blocking out the sun.

'And what is that?' Luna asked, quickly answered by her empty stomach.

'Aren’t you hungry?' Noah chuckled. At the same moment, a raindrop fell from the sky, splattering on Noah's cheek, followed by another, and one more, before being followed by a heavy shower.

'What do we do now?' Luna asked, not bothering to cover herself from the rain.

'There, there's a restaurant we can wait at until the rain passes over! Come on!' Noah ordered, quickly dashing down the pavement to get indoors before his favorite outfit got completely soaked, Luna sluggishly following right behind.

The doors made a small beeping noise as they entered, Noah trying to get rid of as much water as he could.

Luna quickly dried off, getting on all fours and shaking side to side, sending water in all directions. Noah, having just dried himself of most of the rain, groaned as the new coat was slathered across his right side. Luckily, the rain didn't land on anyone else, the entrance stretching slightly to seem more like a hallway instead of an open room, making him the only actual victim of Luna’s careless methods.

'This place serves hamburgers and the like. We can grab something to eat here, and then we'll be off. That's okay, right?' Noah asked.

'No problem, I'm kinda hungry right now anyways, and that...oh...that smell...' Luna quietly whispered along, put into a trance by the aroma of meat being grilled in the kitchen behind the counter.

It is here that the two would stay for a couple of hours, both digging into their hamburgers and side of fries as the rain passed through. Noah and Luna sat by the window, so they could watch as the rain continued to pour down, harder with each passing minute. Noah was having a great time watching his Zangoose struggle to find a right way to eat the burger when it arrived, watching Luna climb atop the table, on all fours, prowling around the meal before biting at the bread.

'You have to hold it, like this...' he instructed, grabbing the burger in his hands.

After several attempts, including using her claws as a fork, spilling the ketchup in the burger on her fur- which Noah found hysterical, but refused to laugh at- Luna finally found a style that worked, using one paw to grab the top, and the other to get a firm grip on the bottom, using her claws like a cradle to keep the burger in her grasp.

"Once this rain clears up, we'll be gone...away from Twinleaf Town."

'Mmm-hmm' Luna affirmed through thought, her mouth full of food, her tongue lapping away at some leftovers suspended in her muzzle.

"I'm glad you appeared to me...you know that?"

'Mm?'

"If it weren't for you...despite what happened with Cynthia...I'd still probably be here, trapped...like a helpless creature."

'Mmyea.'

"Come to think of it, I have a question. Exactly why did you choose me of all people?"

Luna paused in mid-bite, quickly shooting a look at Noah, before digging her fangs deeper into the burger, clearly ignoring the question.

"H-hey...come on now..."

'I had to choose you; you filled all of the criteria used to power the Soul Plate.'

'Criteria?' Noah thought back.

'Yeah. I'm a bit fuzzy on the details at the moment, but the Soul Plate activated and fully awakened me after that night. Something that happened at that time had to have triggered something within the plate, releasing me to make the pact with you.'

'And you have no idea what this...criteria is?'

‘Nope, I’m as clueless about the matter as you are.'

'Ooh.'

Noah went back to quietly eating his hamburger, fully aware of the knowledge that he was, yet again, garnering attention from inside of the eatery.

"We really have to get out of here...

As soon as we finish eating, we're gone, raining or not, okay?"

'Deal.' Luna replied, nodding her head as she took another deep bite of her delicious meal.

Almost on command, the rain began to lighten up, but still continued as a faint drizzle. The sun's rays slowly inched out from behind several of the rain clouds, filling the city streets with a beautiful glow that would entertain Noah and Luna for the rest of the lunchtime.

----------

The chair discreetly dragged backward, Noah silently moving from the spot, trying and failing to avoid detection by any spectators and customers to the restaurant. Luna followed, quickly jumping off her seat, not realizing that her actions had forced the chair to stumble in place before re-balancing itself to the floor, the noise of the metal legs colliding with the tiled floor lifting some heads from other tables.

'Nice.'

Luna smiled back. 'Oh calm down, it's not like we're in any trouble.'

'You don't find everybody staring at us awkward?'

'No., why would it be?'

'...whatever.'

The two hurried out the door, a light drizzle still present, moistening Noah's hair and the material his bag was made out of, and making Luna's dull colored fur shine a bit whenever the sunlight hit it at the right angle. Noah could faintly hear muttering and chattering behind him as the door to the restaurant slowly shut behind him. He'd ignore this, as getting away from Twinleaf was top priority at the moment.

The sun loomed overhead, preparing, for soon the sun would again set, making way for a moonless night, perfect for Pokemon and humankind alike to star-gaze. The town was still very active, as if the showers never even occurred. The streets were still busy with commoners and businessmen alike, customers slowly started to build up at the Pokemart, but not by a significant margin, as well as the Pokemon Center close to the edge of town- most trainers passing by Twinleaf would stay there for the night, since having a Trainer ID pretty much qualified said trainer a free night’s rest on a comfortable bed in the backrooms of the center. Noah and Luna were already making their way toward the path that lead to the infamous Route 201, where all beginners in Twinleaf started their training and journeys to become the best. Starly and Bidoof mostly roamed this area, although Shinx weren't too shy about strutting about either, usually to the surprise to the inexperienced beginning trainers. Noah didn't bother too much with the dangers of the Pokemon in the area. Despite the Great Migration that was taking place, most Pokemon simply passed by Twinleaf and the route, heading north from the town.

"So, I have no idea where we are headed." Luna finally spoke, somewhat making Noah jump, almost forgetting that the mongoose creature could communicate at will.

"We're going to go to Sandgem Town through Route 201, the path we're on right now. It only takes several hours, but since we left in the middle of the afternoon, it'd probably be best for us to stop somewhere on the side of the trail before arriving."

"So, we'll be in this Sandgem by tomorrow?"

"Yeah, if we don't run into any trouble."

"Don’t worry about any trouble, I can handle it." Luna grinned, staring at her sharp black claw extensions. "I'll slice whatever comes our way, that’s how it’s going to be from here on out."

"Yeah." Noah responded, looking toward Luna, walking almost in unison at his side. The two of them were almost out of the city boundary-line, evident from the small sign labeled:

NOW LEAVING TWINLEAF TOWN

Without a second thought, the two of them crossed the threshold, officially outside of the limits of Noah's hometown.

"Hey Luna, I-"

Noah's sentence was cut short by a series of white flashes of light, blinding both Noah and his companion, unaware of what was happening.

"What the hell was that? Some kind of flash?" His mind quickly went toward Luna, not knowing how she was reacting to it.

'Talk through your mind, someone might be around!'

'Noah! I can't see! I can't see!'

A group of chattering and arguing from an unknown source confirmed the identity of the shadows standing in front of Noah's eyes, flashes still going off, but not with such a bright intensity as the first one.

"God damn it, I barely leave the city, and they show up..."

'Who? Who the hell did this!? It hurts, Noah!'

Noah's eyes finally adjusted to the light changes, many, many people standing in front of him, some holding microphones, others taking notes, and others holding up large equipment and cameras.

"The paparazzi, right on time."

The media crews had been waiting, outside of the city limits for Noah to leave. Not since the tragedy, of course not. This was all a direct result of simply having Luna follow him everywhere.

'One rumor leads to two more, which branches off into two more each, etcetera, etcetera...' Noah thought to himself. 'And outside of the city limits, I'm not protected by Twinleaf Town's law.'

He groaned, letting the flashes take their fill of pictures. They had tried to get him on several occasions based on what he did back in Eterna, as well as the incident with his parents several days after both incidents. However, because of his age, and the magnitude of which the media was harassing him, they had been given restraining orders, by the Twinleaf Town council, on the child so long as he remained in Twinleaf Town's boundaries.

Out here, on Route 201, in the wilderness, he was fair game, and was caught before he could even breath in the natural, wild air.

Luna was completely bewildered by the actions that were taking place. Her eyes kept flinching with every oncoming flash, no longer hurting, but becoming more of a nuisance due to the flashes. She threw her paw in front of her eyes to shield the barrage of cameras and video recording devices as the people with the microphones completely surrounded them on all sides.

'Luna, let's try to find a way out of here!' Noah told her through thought, shifting left and right to find an escape, questions being thrown at him left and right. Luna was too incapacitated to really help, her body now trembling from a combination of fear through her ignorance, and anger through her rising frustration. She did whatever she could, moving behind Noah's right leg, trying to further protect herself from the sudden light every few seconds.

The questions were the same as they were from the past, with a few new ones mixed in to shake things up.

"Will you plan to challenge the gym leaders again?"

"Why did you choose a Zangoose of all Pokemon?"

"Can you further explain the incident at Eterna?"

"Were you directly involved with the death of Cynthia?"

‘Well, that didn’t take long then.’ Noah made a quick note, preparing for any ridicule that would come his way in Sandgem.

"What happened back in Twinleaf four years ago?"

"Do you feel confident in your abilities as a trainer, or does your haunted past continue to fill you with doubt?"

Noah had had enough. He motioned to Luna, pointing straight ahead, directly at a wide-set cameraman that was blocking the path. Luna smiled, knowing full well what he desired, as it was what she desired too. From behind his jeans she darted, almost like a missile, heading straight for the poor defenseless man, raising her claws, her delicate eyes shut to protect her from the consistent flashes of light, preparing to attack. The man stood his place, legs trembling as the violent Pokemon continued to approach, the ever shrinking gap slowly but surely sealing his fate should he choose to stay motionless.

He finally gave into his fear, dropping the camera and diving out of the way at what could've been his last moment alive, before Luna left loose a fearsome slash with both of her claws, forcing them forward in a spear-shape, stabbing into the camera, followed by a thrusting of each arm to their respective sides after they penetrated the bulky machinery that was once a camera. A faint beeping noise went off, like an alarm clock, before Luna's powerful claws ripped the device to pieces in front of everyone's eyes.

'They're distracted!!' Luna hinted, the news crews scattered several feet back as the Pokemon gave off an intimidating glare.

'Perfect, now RUN!!'

Noah quickly followed Luna, passing right by the group of people, almost unnoticed, right through the opening his Pokemon made. The crew stood motionless, not realizing that their big story was escaping right in front of their eyes.

"S-shouldn't we follow them?" one woman asked.

"You really want to mess with a Pokemon like that?"

"How violent."

"He's so careless."

"That damn kid hasn't learned a thing. It’s going to be a disaster."

"Let's head back to town, we're done here..."

----------

"Noah." Luna asked after they stopped running, both taken notice that no person was chasing them down the path to the entrance to Route 201. They both continued taking deep breaths of oxygen from the exercise, resting at the sign with the aforementioned route's name. "Who were those people?"

"They're the media.” Noah panted. “They tell news about anything that happens in the town we were in, and right now, it seems that I'm in the spotlight again."

"So you've been through this before."

"Plenty."

"Why did they insist so much on trying to get answers to those questions?"

"They want the story from me, and they'd do anything to get it, even ‘suffocate’ us, just like they tried to do. It's unbearable."

"Those flashes were really starting to piss me off."

"Yeah. Hey, thanks for helping us out of that mess, I don't know what I would've done without you."

"No problem, Noah. I'd do anything, so long as you help me to what I need to do."

"Right."

"Now I wonder though.” Luna started, knowing that she was again, pushing the subject out into the open, much to Noah’s disdain. “Can you please answer why they keep asking you about what you did in this...Eterna? What happened to you in the past, Noah?"

"C'mon, Route 201 starts here. If we hurry we might just make it to Sandgem a little after sundown." Noah immediately replied, paying no attention to her question.

"Why won't you ever answer me?"

Noah stood still, unsure of how to reply to the question.

"Noah, please?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because I want to know. If I'm going to be with you for however long it takes us to find...whatever we're looking for, then I want to make sure that I can trust you to not keep any secrets from me." she explained.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you."

"Why not?!"

"Bec-"

"Who the heck are you talking to, Noah?" a voice came from across the route, shutting Luna up immediately, her ears perked straight up from the unknown sound, Noah's head following suit, before he came into contact with a figure walking his way.

The figure was about the same height as Noah, and even had the same hair color. The similarities would end there though, this gentlemen's hair was groomed to a near perfection, curling upward near the ends, added onto the young man, a nice brown tuxedo, slacks and jacket, with white collar shirt underneath the jacket, topped with a red tie that extended to the young man's torso. He wore nice brown shoes with a good shiny layer of polish to reflect the sunlight. As he grew closer, Noah slowly began to recognize him. His eye color, that white complexion made brighter by the late afternoon sun, the smug look on the man's face...

Even the familiar friendly vibes he was radiating off of his body.

"Like looking into a mirror." Noah said loud enough for the man to hear, only several feet away, grinning.

"I never thought I'd see you out here."

"Same here, Jeremiah."

"Please Noah, you can call me Jerry."

The two approached each other, giving the other a friendly handshake of a greeting, having not seen one another for almost half a decade.

"What are you doing out here in the open Noah? It's not like you to suddenly leave the city like this." Jerry added on, before noticing the Zangoose that was once again, hiding behind Noah's right pant leg, staring at the newcomer with focused eyes. "Is that a Zangoose? You got a Zangoose Noah?"

"Well, one: Yes, I got a Zangoose. Her name's Luna, and two: I'm going again."

Jerry, who was looking at Zangoose from a distance while talking, froze, standing straight up and staring back at Noah. "You serious? You're going to try again?"

"...Yeah."

"That’s...wonderful Noah. No, that's fantastic!" Jerry shouted, clenching his fists in excitement. "Things haven't been too exciting for my team lately, and without a training buddy around, it takes much longer to make them stronger."

"Heh, that's funny." Noah replied, starting to become interested in what his old friend had been up to for the years he’d been away. "So, what do you have on your team now, and how many badges do you have?"

"Well, to be honest, I haven't really been trying to get badges as of late, been focusing more so on my team’s overall strength more than anything, so I haven't really been battling Gym Leaders too much.

"So, you've been battling for four years?"

"Oh, of course not! It's not just training either Noah. I have business I take care of in other towns as well. Whenever I'm not training, I'm with my parents somewhere at any given town, making deals and practically getting richer by the minute through the family business."

"You know, you never answered either question, right?"

"Oh, right, heh," Jerry shrugged, "Well, I have the first four badges right now...and my team is currently..." Jerry reached for his pokeballs, pulling them off of his belt, but not activating them, just staring at them. "I caught a Larvitar at Oreburgh on my way back over here, a Misdreavus sometime near Solaceon Town, and of course, I have my Monferno."

"That large-scale Pokemon migration is really affecting training methods isn’t it?" Noah half-asked, half-stated. “You can’t find Larvitar in this region.”

"Oh yeah. The Routes back home felt much more difficult than when I started. Large influxes of Pokemon don’t hesitate to fight back anymore, and plenty of them are strong. It's pretty cool though, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have gotten Larvitar. You can only really find these things in the Johto region. Of course, I shouldn’t have to tell you that; you apparently still know your Pokemon well.

"Yeah. Tyranitar then, right? That's what you caught it for?"

"You can read me like a book. Yeah, Tyranitar is so good. Its strength is a great aspect, no matter what team it's on."

"Hm, good. I supplied myself plenty of medicine just in case we were to run into any trouble out there."

"Oh, so you're heading out right now?"

"Yeah, directly to Sandgem, then Jubilife, and detour to Oreburgh before going to Eterna."

Luna kept looking back and forth at the two as they continued their conversation, enjoying the moment, but getting restless at the same time.

'Noah, can we go now? I thought we were in a hurry to get to Sandgem.'

'Yeah, sorry, I forgot.' Noah replied to her.

Jerry was still talking, Noah zoning in and out, conversing with Luna at the same time. "So I thought maybe a Pikachu would balance out my team, but-"

"Hey Jerry, sorry man, but I gotta take off, I'm already behind schedule as is."

"Oh really now? No time for us to catch up then?"

"Not really, I'm sorry, but we'll catch up when I get back, is that good?"

Noah was starting to walk away when he felt Jerry's hand grab and pull his shoulder back.

"I don’t think so, I want in, so I'll go on with you." Jerry smiled.

"Wait, what!?"

"You heard me, I'll come with you!"

"But Jerry? I thought you had to be doing family business and the like?"

"That's why I was coming back to Twinleaf. I was going to ask for an extension of time off to work with my Pokemon, I'm planning to take out the Elite Four within the next year or so."

"One year? Jerry, that's too soon…not to mention you still have to take out the second half of Gym Leaders."

"It isn't if you have loads of money and nothing but time for your Pokemon. So, whaddya say? I'd be a great help, and I could help train you if you need anything."

Noah paused for a bit, looking back at Luna, who had heard every word so far, one of her ears limp and to the side, confused. "Let me talk it over with her, okay?"

"Sure."

Noah turned, quickly getting on one knee and looking into Luna's milky-white eyes. "Well...what do you think?" 'Remember to talk like this though.' He reminded, putting his finger to his lips.

'Hmm. He seems strange, but I could feel something from him...he seems trustworthy.'

'He's a friend from my school; he's very reliable and strong. His Pokemon’s strength would without a doubt be a big help.'

'Then I don't see why not...I mean, you might as well let him, he’s practically forcing himself on us anyways.'

'Good...maybe he could even help me build a team along with you, and make us stronger faster.'

Luna flinched a little, her paws twitched. 'I'm not YOUR Pokemon, you're MY human.'

'If you say so, but with him and others, you're MY Pokemon, alright?'

'Ugh. Whatever, as long as you know your place with me.' Luna grumbled.

Noah quickly stood back up, turning back to Jerry.

"Sure. Luna's fine with it," he took a quick glance at Luna, her arms crossed and her face turned the other way, "when can you come?"

"I'll probably meet you guys sometime within the next two days or so. I still have to make a trip to Twinleaf, pack up, inform the parents, and run a few errands before I leave. It'll take awhile."

“You want us to wait back in Twinleaf then?” Noah asked- he didn’t want to wait in Twinleaf, but if it meant having someone reliable like Jerry around, it’d (hopefully) be worth it.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t want to be a hindrance to you two.”

"So...where should we meet?"

"In two or three days...how's Oreburgh sound to you? Even though the Pokemon are tough around here now, I doubt any of them would give you two any trouble."

"Sounds good then, I look forward to it."

"Alright Noah, I'll see you then!" Jerry finished, waving as he walked back in the other direction, toward Twinleaf Town and the still active streets.

Noah and Luna looked toward each other, then back at the route ahead.

"We should get going." Noah said, walking up to Luna, the two walking side by side down the path, the thought of a powerful ally like Jerry around filling Noah with a strange satisfaction."

The sun finally began its decent to the west, the partners’ shadows stretching across the grass as the darkness slowly began to take over, Sandgem Town only a small hike into the distance. They would have to hurry; the wildlife was beginning to stir, becoming reckless, and hungry for blood.