Welcome to Gaia! ::

Since I've apparently never made an archive thread in... well, ever, I thought I'd finally fix that tiny issue. Any missions I do will be posted here, with a reference to the first post for each one.

1. Micromission: Interview the People of Agate Village - See below this post.

2. Micromission: Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs - See here

3. Micromission: Performin' Norman - See here

4. Micromission: Cozmonaut - See here

5. Micromission: Route Recon - See here

6. Micromission: Steel for Combat! - See here

7. Halloween Mission: Who You Gonna Call? - See here

8. Special Urgent Mission: Wishing Star Collection - See here

It had been only a couple of minutes after Sol took off, Cera trying her hardest not to up and go after him in anger. She knew this wasn’t uncommon, and a lot of the times he did, it was never for long. A day or two at most. She was far from the only one it bothered for that matter, though Aden did usually take it in stride… at least he tried to limit such stuff with he was a kid. That much, she was glad for. She wondered if she would have benefitted from reading his mind beforehand, see if there was a reason or some kind of pattern to these leavings, to why he was being even less of a team player than usual. For now, however, she had more to worry about.

With Sol away, she figured she was the closest thing around to acting in his stead and if he hadn’t suggested the idea of going back to Littleroot Town in the meantime, there was a good chance of him asking her to go anyway. Even so, to say she was in a bad mood was to say the sky is blue, and she set out to fix up the kitchen. She hoped that by the time she finished, she’d be a little calmer. In reality, each pot, pan, and utensil she cleaned and put back away only served for her to wonder more and more. But he did have a point; someone needed to do requests like this, and while it was a hellacious way to find something out, she was lucky enough to not have been infected before.

But then, why go out to a place like that, she thought. Going there might as well have been having a neon sign tied to her tail saying ‘please infect me’. Maybe she could have Doc Owl check her again when she got back, give Aden the Master Ball if Sol left it behind just in case luck didn’t strike twice. She still wasn’t crazy about the idea, but as her thoughts finally moved more towards the task, the more she figured she’d be one of the better candidates. If she was actually safe, it’d be better than sending someone else out there and risking their Pokemon, let alone their safety. If she wasn’t, it would be more isolated by comparison. Maybe. As soon as she was done with everything, she headed off at once. There was hardly any preparation for her to do, and what she had to her name was minimal at best. On the bright side, it meant not having to hear GRAY and his usual smarminess for a while.

Apart from that small miracle, her flight was one without many events but her own thoughts and a heavy dose of nervousness. She always feared being seen as another wild Pokemon, and being a Mew only exacerbated the matter. As she started to approach Littleroot Town, she realized that being seen as wild would’ve been a good thing, especially with how fast H.A.Z.A.R.D. worked. The town and its neighboring route was put under a quickly put up dome to prevent anything or anyone from deciding to fly in or out, and the only reason it hadn’t been spread out over Oldale Town was because the virus managed to be quarantined before it could spread much further. Still, that town meant little choice but to stop there and figure out how to get in.

Cera started to lay low as soon as she got into Oldale Town, hiding behind a building. A couple of people were walking around, if a bit cautiously with the events going on. H.A.Z.A.R.D. personnel was around too, especially near the only way in and out of the dome. Remembering what had happened a week or so before, it went without saying that showing her face was a good way to be captured or reduced to a red smear on the tall grass. Though, as she watched and waited, an idea began to form. She figured that maybe if she transformed, she could pose as a stray wild Pokemon that managed to make its way out of the route. And, if she acted like she was going rabid with the virus… well, she hoped she wouldn’t be put down like Ol’ Growler. She weaved around buildings until she got to the outskirts of town before trying to put her plan into motion.

She started by dropping onto the ground and transforming, trying to go on memory to get Poochyena’s features down. Though the transformation itself turned out to be slightly easier than expected, she still had the ongoing issue of her form always retaining some part of it that looked like a Pokemon would if it had been made in a bubblegum factory. Hopefully a pink Poochyena wouldn’t be too weird, she hoped as she went on into part two. She expected the worst as she looked around, seeing one of the personnel standing idly by in case anyone got too close or too curious. It wasn’t long before she started after the dome, snarling and growling to the best of her ability. She tried to make like she was in a total frenzy, moving to bite the personnel’s leg.

On the one hand, she was fortunate that she didn’t have to actually bite anyone; human flesh probably tasted horrible, nevermind clothing, and the person did see her coming in time to avoid any needless harm. On the other, she didn’t like the idea that he had more than a few means to subdue her, taking out what looked like a cross between a taser and a cattle prod and striking her with all his might. The initial strike was bad enough, sending her a short distance and against the dome, but the shock that came with that hit was a lot more fierce to her by comparison. She yelped after the impact, trying to get up until she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck.

“Musta gotten out under my nose when I started my shift. Alright, mutt, they’re gonna have my head if they find out about this, so why don’t you just go on back to your pack in there and duke it out with them?” He commented as he unceremoniously opened the dome’s door and tossed her in, immediately closing and locking it back up before she could hope to get back out. Or worse, one of the actual infected Pokemon finding its way out and causing far worse havoc than a little acting might.

To slightly better fortune, at least she somewhat fit in with the wild Pokemon. Unfortunately, with every last one of them infected by the shadow virus and looking for blood as they rampaged, the route itself proved to be a terrible madhouse. Already, she was fearing for her life as she did the one thing she felt she could do. She ran. She ran as fast as her form’s stubby legs would allow, doing everything she could in an effort to avoid a nasty run-in or an assault simply because she happened to be nearby. She would’ve gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for a Zigzagoon tackling her as she went by. Even that much seemed to carry the kind of vileness as the viral chi itself did, and her body didn’t take kindly to the sudden introduction of such a thing. She reeled and yelped, shaking as she got up and watching as the Zigzagoon tried to go after her again. Hoping she was far enough in the route to avoid being seen so easily, she immediately reverted to normal and glared at her assailant.

”How about you get off,” she remarked as she suddenly levitated and hurled Zigzagoon back, ”And go after someone else? Ugh, this is bad… never heard of a rumor saying their moves hit harder.”

She chose not to make any further chances, staying in the air as she hurried down the route and into Littleroot… only to want to kick herself. ”Duh, Cera, why would any of those goons take an egg here? They’d probably just crush it in case there was an infection in it too,” she said to herself, immediately turning around and going back into the route. Remembering her task in full now, she wasn’t sure just how the infected Pokemon would breed in the first place, unless they did it mid-battle or something. Maybe they didn’t always act in a frenzy? She really wasn’t sure, this being her first real look into the topic. She hated her haste now, having to look through Route 101 with a fine-toothed comb and hope she can find an egg that hasn’t been destroyed for some reason or another.

The ordeal felt like an eternity, taking more than an hour as she went up and down the route so much that she was making herself a little dizzy. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to find an egg anywhere in the route, and she really doubted that any personnel would’ve taken one instead of trying to further stem the virus’ growth. It would be by chance that she finally found some kind of lead, only to quickly wish she hadn’t. There were indeed eggs in the route, and she found three of them. Easily enough to secure one and find a way out. The problem was the Zigzagoon from before, apparently one of the parents. She kept her distance as she saw it return in a rush, stopping short of the eggs and moving to curl around them. It glared and looked around, expecting an attacker or one of those humans to come through.

”Why’d it have to be that one…?” She asked herself as she stayed above, wondering how she was going to do this. The delicate approach seemed unlikely at best, and more than likely, she was in for a fight at some point. Be it from a shadowified Zigzagoon protecting their young, or one of the personnel on the way out.

Eventually, the Zigzagoon’s watchful glares would cease, the Pokemon laying their head down to rest for a bit. Maybe there was a chance, Cera thought. She waited another moment to be sure the Pokemon was asleep before slowly lowering herself in the center, moving backwards after a second to get a better look at the eggs. She knew it probably wouldn’t matter which one she grabbed, just that she grabbed one and got away with it. Not wanting to risk moving it with her body, she decided to slowly levitate one of the eggs from the group, brushing against Zigzagoon as lightly as she could manage to avoid disturbing it. Eventually prying the egg free, she moved it over to herself, finally wrapping her arms and legs over it like a crane. ”Okay, got it… now how to get out of here,” she commented as she looked around. She had a good enough plan to get in, but getting out was a lot foggier.

In fact, she wasn’t sure if she could get out in the first place without causing some sort of hell. The dome was unlikely to go down easily, and even if it was, it meant a fairly large risk for the virus’ ability to spread. There was personnel all around, and her only way out meant the way she came in. Unsure of what to do, she found herself laying low again, rustling around in the grass as she got close to the exit before doing her best to hide in it. She ended up having to remain like that for several hours, paranoid and looking over her shoulder every few seconds. It wore her out quickly, her mind frazzled by the time her one, and possibly only, chance presented itself. The guy’s shift had ended, and he was going back into the quarantine zone.

He kept his wits about him as he opened the door just enough to get in, Cera perking up as she heard the sudden sounds. She tried to make a beeline out, which might’ve worked if she hadn’t gone out in his line of sight.

“And where do you think you’re going- wait a second…” He immediately locked the door and pointed at her. "You were with those criminals! I'm on to you, thinking your ilk can sneak on in and compromise our entire cause."

"At least criminals get a chance to speak for themselves before you decide to try and blast all of them dead with missiles." She shuddered as she thought back to that night, still having the occasional nightmare about it.

"And we're in position to ensure anyone like you never get to repeat your acts. So you can die by our hand or die by the sentence you'll all get, it'll be the smallest cost for what you did!"

"And what're you gonna do? Keep me in like a caged rat?"

"No," he said simply as he let out a Nidoking and Nidoqueen pair, both with the same vile feeling as any other Pokemon in the zone, "I'm bringing you down where you stand! Attack!"

Apparently, this guy was above giving orders unless necessary too, with one rushing at her and the other doing... something. She wasn't sure what, but all of a sudden, the chi around her felt constricting, restrictive. She couldn't really get herself to move before taking a shadow-infused shoulder charge from the Nidoking, being flung back and rolling against the ground, the egg she had breaking in the process. To make matters worse, more energy poured from the Nidoqueen in the distance, finding its way into the ground near where Cera landed and rapidly softening.

The Mew wasn't sure what to make of it. Was this the kind of power Shadow Pokemon actually had? Could they really do stuff like this? She barely had time to think as she started to sink into the ground, struggling and finding herself sinking more by the second. She finally ended up forcing herself out with her own levitation, looking around and trying to figure out some way out of this. Fighting one might not have been so bad, but she was outnumbered and vastly outgunned. Disabling them seemed to be easier said, to boot.

"Perfect... Rock Slide and Earthquake!"

She didn't have time to think as globs of the ground were flung by Nidoqueen instead of rocks, one hitting her and bringing her down. Nidoking followed with an Earthquake that cared little about who or what it hit, dealing immense damage to his ally and threatening to swallow Cera into the ground as it opened and jutted all over. Combined with the earlier softness, she found herself having to force herself out again.

What came next was a surprise to the H.A.Z.A.R.D. personnel trying to end things in a hurry, Cera immediately dropping back to the ground as she started pouring chi in a way not unlike the Earthquake she just took, having something to finally work with to fight back. Though Nidoking shrugged it off with relative ease, Nidoqueen wasn't able to take a second harsh attack so well. Though she continued to try and stay in the fight, she wasn't able to maintain the Shadow Hold over Cera. Still, the newfound freedom prompted her to take off away from the personnel and his Pokemon.

Caring a lot less about disturbing anyone, she hurried back to the nest she was at before, taking another egg at once and smacking Zigzagoon with her tail before ascending and trying to fly above her assailants. This did little to shake any of them off her, though Nidoqueen did have to be recalled on account of being too risky to continue battling with her. Nidoking and the wild Zigzagoon both went to blitz Cera at once, the Mew doing everything she could to avoid taking another hit.

She found herself at the door before long, cornered with no way out, Zigzagoon leading the charge. The constant attacks had already driven it into even more of a frenzy than it had been in before, to say nothing about the egg that had been stolen and in Cera's mitts. She managed to get out of the way, leaving the Pokemon to slam against the dome and fall as Nidoking was rushing again. This time with a Shadow Break as he too flung into a shadow-induced frenzy, caring about little more than seeing to it that the small pink thing wasn't to survive. She barely managed to evade him as well, panting and starting to feel worse for wear. If things kept up at this rate, she doubted she'd make it out of here even in a bodybag.

The only thing that came to mind was to fling herself at the H.A.Z.A.R.D. personnel, stopping just in front of him. Nidoking's rampage found the Pokemon turning to try and attack her all the same, catching the personnel off guard. He immediately went to recall Nidoking for his own safety, only for her to turn her back to him and tackle him to the ground that way. Anything to avoid breaking the egg she had to grab as a replacement. The confusion gave her a chance to swipe the guy's keys and hurry to the door once more, this time finally unlocking it and getting on out.

She closed the door the second she was on the other side, trying to keep it that way as she set the egg down locked the door. She barely managed to do so in time, with the personnel rushing to the door in an attempt to open it. Unable to open the now-locked door, Cera just left the keys where they were as she picked the egg back up and hightailed it back to HQ as quickly as she could, scared out of her wits all the while.

Summary:

-Went to the Quarantined Zone in Hoenn.

-Found a way in under H.A.Z.A.R.D.'s noses.

-Got an egg, but it broke.

-Barely managed to escape from one of their personnel; he had a Nidoking and Nidoqueen that seemed to be infected too...

-Got another egg during the chaos and left for HQ as soon as possible.

-Will be making sure to kick a certain turkey's feathery butt the second he's back.

"Why should I go alone? What are you gonna do?"

Cera and Aden were still outside, the door to HQ locked. They had seen the garbled message mentioning a professor the team should go and see, but with the recent events, Aden figured going to Hoenn at all was a good way to find his head detached from his shoulders. There was still the risk of Cera being crammed into another ball, but now that he thought about it, she was technically caught. Unless H.A.Z.A.R.D. somehow had access to Snagem's own tech, catching her with those means were out. But he feared what they might do now.

"Because you can at least transform and get around undetected," Aden answered. "At least, you have a better chance of meeting with him."

"Yeah, and if H.A.Z.A.R.D. sees me, they're probably going to sic worse on me than a Nidoking and Nidoqueen that were infected."

"Then what? Do we just stay here? I can't see any easy way for us to get around at all without either of us being killed the second we're seen, and that's if half the region doesn't decide to turn us in."

Before either of them could continue, however, a click could be heard as Amaranth came out. A book was in her hands, closed as she looked at the two. "Are you two done arguing? A few of us just heard about this abandoned power plant in Kalos, so we're checking it out for anything we could use."

"Uh..." Even that made Aden apprehensive.

"Um, Ammy, that probably isn't the best idea..."

"We should be fine... there shouldn't be anyone else there other than any Pokemon." Shrugging her shoulders, she made her way further out, sent out her Togekiss, and flew off.

Needless to say, Cera was a little stunned. She could tell that something was still getting to Amaranth, and yet she managed to get herself to take off to Kalos, a region that the team probably didn't want to do much in if they could help it. Or so she thought. A few seconds passed, all of them consisting of her feeling somewhat silly for fretting so much even if there were a lot of very good reasons to be.

"...we'll both go," she finally said, either going crazy or finally getting it through her head that being part of the solution was a better idea than causing a problem.

"Wait, what? What do you mean, both?"

"Did I stutter? We'll both go to see that professor. If we keep sitting here like this, we're through. We've got to do something, get at least one person on our side before the rest of the regions eventually buy into this stuff too."

"Fine, fine. Let's just go. I don't think we're gonna have the time to grab anything we don't already have."

"In that case..."

Before Aden had a chance to do much, he found himself suddenly levitated into the air and Cera perching herself on his shoulders. "H-hey, what the heck are you doing!?"

"Well, there isn't enough time to finally teach you to fly, and letting Arcanine get infected's a bad idea, so I'm gonna have to."

"Can't we have some kind of agreement or something, sis?"

"Nope!"

He didn't have time to say anything else, Cera taking off and effectively keeping Aden as a living missile as the two headed off. There was a method to her madness, however, in that being in a region's airspace meant unless they were searching the air, it would be hard to spot either of them. To her, it'd also be a major blessing, especially since it meant that hopefully there wouldn't be too many infected Pokemon that were also airborne. Though she did wish that Aden would've taken some initiative in his time away and could've flown himself, weighted clothes or not.

The flip side of it was that this all gave Aden time to think, though everything lately was still getting to him a lot more badly than he had shown. He still remembered how apprehensive he got about showing his face in Kalos after he became a wanted "criminal", fearing for his life if he didn't stay careful at all times and slept with one eye open. Seeing similar happen in Hoenn, especially with everything that was going on aside, had started making him wonder when or if he'd see the same in the rest of the regions and Ein knowing where the HQ was only made matters worse. It was easier to never say die when the odds weren't considerably stacked in the enemy's favor. He wanted to prove that he wasn't useless, and recent history wasn't painting a very good picture.

He wasn't sure how meeting with any professor could help them. Sure, Birch had apparently requested their help before, and they seemed to have some semblance of a rapport with Norman let alone Devon Corp, but that was still a handful of people and a huge corporation versus the public. Needless to say, he favored being able to stay alive compared to the seemingly likely alternative. The trip was otherwise in near-total silence, the odd airborne Pokemon aside, until Aden found himself unceremoniously dropped on the ground within Route 113. Ashes were falling from the sky at all angles, coating the ground and Aden's clothes as he quickly got up and dusted himself off.

"Sis, you could've given a little warning," he remarked, wondering if something was bothering her too.

"Sorry, something seemed really up in the town..."

"What do you- whoa!"

Quickly diving into the tall grass and grabbing Cera alongside, he hid as a couple of people walked by. Recognizing the H.A.Z.A.R.D. uniforms they both wore, he had a feeling they were patrolling the area in response to what had happened before. He waited until the coast was clear before motioning to get out of the bushes.

"Great, they're around here too," Aden remarked, keeping his voice down for the moment. "Feel like I'm walking into a minefield here."

"We just need to be careful. They said the professor stays in that town, right?"

"I guess? I couldn't make anything out in that message either. Just to come here and find this guy. Look, let's just go on into the town and see if we can find this guy without H.A.Z.A.R.D. spotting us. Or be shown up again by some smug son of a-"

"Less talking, more walking!"

Wanting to make sure they weren't caught out, Cera hurried on into the town. Though Aden trailed behind her, she figured she could throw off some of the trail by transforming herself to look as close to his Umbreon as possible. It'd be flawless if it weren't for the pink markings on her, making Aden hang his head.

"Can I please not have an image of my Umbreon that involves being dipped in pink paint?"

Cera said nothing, though her body language suggested she was still working at it and couldn't seem to sort out why there was always some shade of pink in her transformations. Still, it worked decently enough as the two walked through the town, even if Aden really wished he wasn't hearing the constant whispers from the odd passerby. He could swear he could hear something about an alias he'd sooner want forgotten, other murmurs about how criminals like him could go around as if nothing was up, and he really hoped the one person that moved to grab their PokeNav Plus wasn't about to call the authorities. Laying low seemed to be a high priority, with the two doing everything they could to avoid much more than the glances and whispers they were already getting.

Unfortunately, they had no idea where this professor even stayed. There was the Pokemon Center and Mart as usual, as well as some odd other place, but housing looked similar all around. And neither one seemed to like the idea of what their options were. "We're gonna have to ask around, aren't we?" Seeing Cera's head go down was all the confirmation he needed, sighing and realizing just how badly this was liable to go. That is, until an idea came to him.

"Actually, wait... you can still transform into that kinda hybrid-looking form, right?"

This time, Cera reverted back, if only so she could speak without having to use her mouth. "Yeah...?"

"If you use that and ask around while I stay out of sight, we might be able to find where he is. Think you could do that?"

"Um, yeah, hold-"

"Stop right there!"

"Aden, it's fine, we're-" Cera's thoughts were cut off both by Aden pointing behind her, and her turning around to see what he was noticing. Her decision to suddenly revert back caught more attention than desired, and to make matters worse, part of the attention came from the H.A.Z.A.R.D. personnel they had managed to evade earlier. It would've been better if Cera had at least gotten out of sight before altering her form again, but now they were between a rock and a hard place. "...uh oh."

"You think!?" Quickly looking around, his mind racing to come up with some way to escape from their sudden predicament. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to mind was the window of the house they were near, closed to their dismay. "Gonna need some fast thinking... sis, follow my lead!"

"What!?"

Before there was a chance for her to respond further, Aden grabbed Cera's tail and reared his arm back, holding her more similarly to a spiked flail. "Stop the glass!" Her eyes would grow wide at the request she was given, finding herself flung into the window with as much force as Aden could give. She braced herself for impact as she hit the window, panicking as she crashed through and using her telekinesis to both stop herself and the shattered glass before both fell.

Quick to follow suit, Aden made a running jump to grab onto the newly formed opening, wincing as his hand dug into a jagged shard still attacked to the windowsill and removing it as he made his way in. The pair of H.A.Z.A.R.D. personnel continued their pursuit to the house, going for the same window until they heard a roar that shook both the house and their spines. Sand immediately pouring from the window only served to make the surprise bout of horror that much worse, enough for the two to decide they might need a bit of back up and to otherwise be on high alert. Back inside, the hybrid was using his glove to stop his hand's bleeding as well as he could. And keep any sand from getting into the wound.

"Ngh... you have NO IDEA how glad I am that you decided to give me Kiri when I returned," he commented, keeping a hand close to his chest long enough to recall the Tyranitar. "Though, I can't see how you find her adorable."

"She's cute when she roars like that! And besides, daddy has Joltie and Ammy renamed Blessing to Breeze. Kiri was usually good around you, so..."

"Your idea of cute's just.... ugh, forget it. Thanks. Though, now that I have a chance to look around, where are we?"

"Dunno... it's kinda dark in here, but I can see a lot of papers and a lot of rocks."

"Lesse, there should be a switch here... aha." Finding a switch and flipping it on to get the lights on, Aden nodded. "There, now we can see. And I kinda wish I hadn't." Seeing what Cera as talking about now, he could tell there was a lot of information around. Or at least a lot junk if nothing else. Seeing all of the rocks didn't set well with him, and he couldn't help wondering if it was a bad idea to still be in here. Yet, he also knew neither of them were exactly safe outside either. "I don't think anyone's home."

"Looks like it..." Cera remarked as she headed to the front of the house and saw that the door was locked so that no one could come in so long as they didn't decide to use the gaping hole that used to be a window. "Even the door's locked from the outside. This place seems stuffy, though. And I think I'm smelling really stale coffee that should've been dumped long ago."

"Maybe it's his lab? Or his house... I don't know. Like the telescope, though."

"Maybe, and that's all well and good, but what good is this if we're still here when H.A.Z.A.R.D. gets back!? Or when whoever lives here gets back home..."

The doorknob would suddenly jostle soon after she said that, leaving Aden to panic and look around. "Crap, they're back! We've gotta hide..."

"Hide where? There's a bed, a table..."

"Maybe we can get under the-"

"Wha-wha-who the hell are you two!?"

Busted. Not only was the house's resident back, but Aden and Cera were in plain sight and the bits of glass on the floor was enough to spell out that he had just been subject to a break-in, however unplanned. And with the surprise came a falling bag of stuff that had been bought from the nearby Mart.

"W-we can explain-"

"Explain what? That you wanted to barge in and take my research? I know you hazardy kin or whatever you are! Been trying to take everything ever since everything went belly up in Oldale Town, like they've got nothing better to do..."

"Uh, what?" Aden seemed a little confused. Did this guy think they were from H.A.Z.A.R.D.?

"Don't you play dumb with me! I'm not telling you or the rest of your force anything, and you can tell whoever you follow the same!"

"Um... we won't?"

"Like hell you won't, now get out before I call- wait." The resident adjusted his glasses, leaning in to get a closer look at Cera. "Is that a Mew?"

"That's not a Mew. That's a Rhydon," Aden remarked, though there was no way his lie would ever work.

"Hey!"

"Oh, this gets better then. First it's that special force, and now it's the criminals coming out of the woodwork. I should turn you both in."

Aden backed up a step, muttering to himself and fearing the worst.

"But before I do, I'm going to ask you one question. Who do you work for?"

"Uh..."

"You work for someone, and I hope you're not going to tell me that force has decided to use criminals for their dirty work."

"What, you mean H.A.Z.A.R.D.?"

"So you do work for-"

"Excuse me," Cera spoke up, a mental sigh being heard shortly after. "We got a message that we couldn't make out. It said to look into talking to a professor that lived around here. Our info said it was probably you, but the message mentioned the name Takao instead."

"I am him. Professor Takao Cozmo, meteoriticist for the local area. Do you two have rocks in your heads?"

"Do you?"

"Forgive my brother. Long story. But we're not with H.A.Z.A.R.D., and I can't tell you who we're with. It isn't important right now. We can't speak for the charges against us either, but there's... kind of a lot to it."

"...what she said. Sorry. I'm really on edge, you understand," Aden spoke up. "We haven't been too fond of them either, and anything you've heard about Oldale isn't quite what it sounds like. Mostly. But maybe we can take this conversation and save it for another time?"

"I'm not telling you anything. Most people use these things called 'a door' and 'waiting' for this sort of thing."

"About that. We didn't have a choice. H.A.Z.A.R.D. spotted us, and we needed to get away. Your window was kinda the closest thing we could get to, and the sand was to get them away. They're probably going to be coming back anytime-"

Aden's sentence would have to wait as the door was knocked, and rather hard at that. Immediately, the professor yelled to wait a second and moved to pull a few boxes out of the way. "Here, get into that corner and lay low. I'll deal with them." He'd put the boxes back as soon as Aden and Cera were in position, serving as a decent way to keep them hidden as he opened the door.

Though they would've been able to still see over the boxes, they didn't dare risk it, hearing everything that was going on anyway.

"Oh look, it's you again. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Apparently, even Professor Cozmo knew what sarcasm was.

"We pursued a couple of foreign criminals, the Geosenge Butcher and a Pokemon belonging to the Kalosian government that's been causing us trouble for some time. They were last seen entering your house."

"Were they?"

"Do you not notice the glass on the floor? The broken window?"

"I have odd assistants, and I don't know or care about some butcher of anything. It's such a nice try, but I'm still not giving my information to you."

"We're not here for that, we're here to apprehend-"

"I. Don't. Care. They aren't here, are they? Or have you gone blind and think you're seeing criminals everywhere like you've broadcast about at least once a day and remark that they're all on the loose? Leave me to my work already, I'll take care of my window myself."

Muttering something about stubborn professors and not wanting to contribute to the greater good, the personnel were left with little choice but to leave and resume their patrol. The two they were after couldn't have gone far, they thought. With them gone, however, Aden finally pushed the boxes out of the way, Cera poking her head over his shoulder.

"You're welcome, assistants," the good professor would remark afterward, just in case anyone from H.A.Z.A.R.D. was still able to hear.

"Yeah, thanks," Aden couldn't hold back the sigh of relief. "I still don't know how I got that stupid title back in Kalos. I mean, all I did there was try to research what I could when I decided to stay within the region."

"You know, I have a friend out there who's been helping my research, even spent a few years here in Hoenn before he moved back. You might know him."

"I... don't. The ones we're with do, though."

"Tell me about yourselves. Tell me what goes through a criminal's mind."

"I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or genuine."

"Not helping the thoughts..." Aden said, sighing and pulling up a chair while Cozmo did the same. "But for the sake of being brief, I'm an odd hybrid that's too curious for my own good, apparently. I've seen and been through a lot of things you wouldn't believe even if I mentioned them, I've spent about a year in Johto going around the gyms there, and I'm not exactly keen on being here not because of you, but because of a history that's decided to follow me and keeps haunting me."

"Do I have to? Is there anything I can really tell you that you can't figure out?"

Applying the palm of his hand to his face, Cozmo readjusted his glasses and looked to the two. "Or, you can tell me why you want the information I have instead of your life story."

"Oh, that." Suddenly, Aden felt a little dumb. "I don't know. Like we've said, the message only said about seeing you. The ones above us figured it was a good idea to take up the request what with the virus that's been going around."

"So three groups now."

"Excuse me?"

"The hazardy idiots," Cozmo started, disdain apparent in his voice and not because he refused to call them H.A.Z.A.R.D., "some other group that asked once and hasn't come back, and you two."

Aden would look over to Cera. "Do you think...?"

"Dunno, I doubt it. Maybe it was another H.A.Z.A.R.D. guy saying he definitely wasn't from them."

"Sorry. Anyway, that's our reason. And sorry about the window, we can fix that."

"Enough. Neither of you or your reasons make any sense."

"We can just play the message, see if you can make any sense of it."

A few seconds passed as Aden took the SNAG from his vest pocket and put it on the table, playing the garbled message that had been saved on it.

"T...ll... m... ...........meet.... .......in the lab... ask... Tak..."

The mostly staticy message ended shortly after, with the professor confused as ever and trying to make sense of it. "I sent that message some time ago while I was doing research in Meteor Falls, after the second group had asked about what I knew. I was busy and couldn't answer at the time, and he mentioned he could send someone else instead. So I said for him to tell them to meet me and I'll be in the lab, and to ask for Takao if he does so I'd know it's from the same group. Very respectful man, knew a lot himself and respected my work."

"So all of this grilling....?"

"The signal was so bad and it's been so long since then that I forgot."

If Aden could've fallen out of his chair, he would've right then. "You have to be kidding..."

"Well, we did break into his lab and he's been hounded since then..."

"My apologies," Cozmo finally said, standing up. "But I have a final question. Can I trust anything I tell you to remain in confidence? You don't tell those people patrolling anything, I'll forget any criminals have been around here and failed to use a door."

"You can. Anything we find out will go back to the rest of the group, and if the information can help with dealing with this virus, it'd be great."

"I'll just be happy not to be in captivity and shipped overseas. My lips and my thoughts are sealed."

"In that case, I'm afraid what I do know is very little. None of my research has brought light to anything concerning that dreadful plague yet, but it speaks volumes about what the meteorites around here might yield when it comes to other mysteries. Mega Evolution being one of those... I'm sorry."

"So we came here... for nothing." Aden wasn't exactly thrilled with this revelation.

"Far from it. If I do find anything, I know who I can contact, and I could find something out at any time. I know where to focus my research, and both of you seem the inquisitive sort, if... unconventional." Cozmo would look at the window as he said this, still hung up on that. "But if you'd like, I can tell you more about what I've done. How long do you two have?"

"However long it takes before H.A.Z.A.R.D. comes back to you."

"Hm..."

What followed was a surprising couple of hours where Professor Cozmo explained what he did, why he researched the area like he did, and what some of that research has shown him. Some parts of it, however, ended up being either somewhat cryptic or was flat out not explained at all, perhaps in an effort to be safe about what he said. Unfortunately, all of that time brought no information about his work linking to anything that could help with the Shadow Virus at all, only a promise that if he found anything or needed help, he'd be sure to contact them. The three, however, did seem to hit it off better after the first impression was soundly dealt with, but whether or not that it'd mean anything was debatable for the time.

The advantage of this all, however, was that it allowed Aden and Cera a chance to get back out of town without quite as much hassle, though the professor did make sure H.A.Z.A.R.D.'s patrol wasn't where they were. Neither of the two could deny that they felt the whole trip was a bit of a bust, and that it might've counted as a mild failure because they really didn't have any information to relay back. At least, not yet. As the two left, Cera hoisting Aden in the air again while he prepared a report, he looked up and sighed.

"So... does that count as a success or a failure because we couldn't find anything new out?"

"He isn't against us, at least. And he said he'd contact us if we found anything, so..."

"...close enough, I guess."

Still not too happy with the results, Aden finished up the summary and sent it off as the two returned to HQ. But not without Cera making a comment on the way.

"Also, whenever we get back and we get a chance, I'm doing to you what I did to daddy when he first became a hybrid."

"And that is...?"

"Oh, you'll see."

Something told him this wouldn't end well.

Summary:

-Went to Fallarbor Town, tried and failed to avoid H.A.Z.A.R.D. while they were on patrol. Cera had one job. One job.

-Managed to speak to Professor Cozmo, at the cost of having to replace a window. Unfortunately, he knew nothing that could help with the Shadow Virus currently.

-However, he has promised to relay any information to us if he finds anything, and he seemed to warm up to us enough that he won't turn us all in. Still wants us to replace his window, though.

Cera had decided to just distance herself from the stuff that was going on around the others, carrying the pink balloon and sudoku book into her room. She couldn't help thinking that maybe she ought to prepare for the worst, that the likely fight she found herself fearing wouldn't be one many would survive. For that matter, much as she thought of suggesting Amaranth to do the same, she wasn't sure if it would be the best idea. Her chi felt oddly weak, like there was barely much more than a human would produce. It wasn't like there wasn't a difference between her chi and Sol's; there was, but she always figured it was from lack of experience or perhaps a result of her being a clone and simply not quite as powerful as the original. But after this long, she didn't expect her chi to be weaker... maybe she had died or something before she was found again, she wasn't sure and she wasn't in any position to ask at the moment. For now, she made her way into the medlab, if only to see how Aden was doing.

Once she arrived in there, she found that he was still unconscious, but he seemed alright enough. Surprisingly, it wasn't long before he finally stirred, groaning as he slowly sat up. She'd watch as he looked around, take one look at her, and lay back down with a look of shame on his face when he apparently realized he was back at HQ.


"Great, we failed, didn't we?" Aden asked upfront with a sigh.

"Dunno... sounded like there was some success. Something about you all making off with a Regi in the ruins, HAZARD was at least slightly convinced, and Devon was able to finally make a cure for this whole virus."

"Wait, what? That's what happened while we were busy being ransacked by infected bats and nearly drowning? And Aile was able to get it... good." Another sigh would escape him, with much more relief in its tone than the earlier one of annoyance with himself. "Last I saw was that barrier coming up before being tossed aside like a piece of trash and blacking out."

"Well, I... I wouldn't relax just yet. I get the feeling the next thing we end up doing if we end up helping Devon distribute that stuff's gonna have us really butting heads with Cipher. And Miror B. escaped again."

"WHAT!? Oh, for... ugh... we can barely deal with one of them, and two just overwhelm us completely. Anything more than that, hell, just that crazy cyborg looking thing would have us all killed instantly. We'd be lucky to slow them down."

"Still better than nothing... I'm scared too, okay? I'm scared that if and when we see them again, it might end with a lot of us dead. Or that if we do survive, we'll be left so useless that we might as well be. We've gotta do something, though... I'd have come to Ammy instead, but her chi seems really weak."

"What, did everyone find her and she die or something? I know in the rare times dad's gotten killed, his chi's a bit weaker for a bit and then it'll be back to normal afterward."

"Yeah, but it's usually not so weak that you'd almost think it was a human letting off the chi instead of a hybrid. I really dun want to tax her, not now. How're you feeling, though?"

"Alright, I guess. Head hurts from what went down back in Hoenn... should be able to get around, though."

"Good, because I'm gonna need you for some training. It'll do you good, it'll do your Pokemon good, and I can stand to get better with my transforming. Might be one of the only things that can help... come on, I know where we can go for this."


Cera would take off only seconds later, keeping herself slow enough that Aden could follow her when he got up and walked out. Her pace would become quicker once she knew he was able to go about without issue, and he'd watch as they walked right on past the Super Training Room. It was enough to make him speak up. "We're... not going in there?"

"It takes so much to run it even for a short while that if anyone else has the same idea, they'll be able to make better use of it. I know we've got a battlefield somewhere around here too, so we'll just use that instead."

Aden would shrug as he continued following, him and Cera continuing and finding theirselves into a lower level in the HQ. It wasn't much longer before they would find theirselves in a large arena of sorts. It was designed to be a lot like the kinds of fields that a Pokemon Gym would use, surrounded by stands. It looked like it hadn't seen use in some time, the field having a dusty feel to it and the air stale. While the Pokeball insignia looked generic, it did have its points of extravagance. He'd look around more as he stopped on one side of it, finally turning to look to Cera.

"You know, I saw this place on the HQ's map before, but I figured it was restricted or something."

"I think it's more that it's just not used much... thought it'd work just as well to use this for what we're doing."

"Fair enough... but what exactly do you want me to do here?"

"Send out one of your Pokemon. I want to learn how they fight, so I'll transform into them and try to mimic what they're able to do."

"And this all will help me how?"

"Well, you're the one that'll be trying to fight back. You know your Pokemon better than anyone, so it shouldn't be anything you can't handle."

Aden's eyes would widen at this point. Cera wanted him to be target practice for her and his own Pokemon? Was she crazy? Perhaps not a question worth answering. He was silent for a good minute before he gulped and nodded, grabbing a single Pokeball from his vest. "Alright... I swear, sis, I think you've gone crazier than you think you have." He'd quickly throw the ball to release his Ampharos, only for him to quickly regret that choice and for Cera to move back in a hurry.

Not only was his Pokemon giving off an awful lot of the ever-common chi a Shadow Pokemon would give off, but her usual demeanor was completely absent, replaced by a harsh glare as she looked at Cera and started to summon a Shadow Bolt. Had it not been for Aden's extremely prompt recall, extra crispy Mew might've been the next menu item for the team's kitchen. The grimace that followed as Aden stared at the ball said all that needed to be said about his feelings on the apparent development. "I was fearing that... I was really hoping she'd somehow get away from it. Guess I was too hopeful with so many infected bats and Aile's Flygon being out in such close vicinity," he said, sighing. "Suddenly glad I had to recall her when part of the ruins were flooded. If her Greninja's fine, that might be the only reason."

"At least now there'll be a cure for it... look, um, just let one of your other ones out."

"Right.... ugh, Nidoking's going to be so pissed when he finds out about Ampharos. Here, let's try this." He'd send out Poliwrath instead, knowing it'd be safer than Scyther by far. Or, now, his Ampharos.

"He'll work... here, I'll explain what's going on."

What followed next would be relative silence, but really, Cera had decided to just tell Poliwrath what was going on through a more local telepathy compared to the usual broadcasts she did normally. After a moment, Aden would watch as his Pokemon took to the same side as the Mew, followed by watching her transform. It appeared to mostly go off without a hitch, save for a pink spiral on her stomach rather than black; the sign of a still somewhat imperfect transformation if it wasn't personal choice at this point. Either way, it would allow for a way to tell them apart. He wouldn't get much more time to think before Cera suddenly blasted his face with a Water Gun.

"(So it works like that... gonna be an adjust, though. This body's slimier than Kayvaan's.)" Cera remarked afterward, her telepathy gone entirely. Luckily, Aden and his Poliwrath would be able to understand her just fine.

"(No hard feelings, but I suppose you're the one I'll have to be the rough customer to this time,)" Poliwrath added, before adding his own Water Gun. The water facials wouldn't hurt Aden too much, but the force of them were enough to push him back both times and send him off his feet.

"Could've given a bit more warning," he spoke up as he quickly got to his feet, mentally preparing himself. "Any tips here?"

"(Start dodging,)" Cera spoke up, trying to get more of a feel for her current form as she rushed at Aden and managed to spring up, quickly coming back down into a Body Slam. Needless to say, the hybrid made sure he was well out of the way of that one, causing Cera to crash into the floor instead.

"Really, that's it, nothing else? C'mon, it's two on one!"

"(Hmmmm.... nope! Besides, you think we're gonna be any better numbered in the worst case?)"

"I really should've weighed my options better- whoa!" This time, it was his Poliwrath attacking, firing a Hydro Pump. Though Aden managed to avoid the worst of the attack, the water left the floor slick. He still wasn't sure what the exact point of this was, or at least how he'd benefit from it. He figured it would've been easier for Cera to simply fight his Pokemon rather than this kind of method.

Before long, he found himself avoiding another Hydro Pump, only to slip on the water already on the ground and fall backwards into it. Unlike the Water Guns at the beginning of all of this, the pressure sent him much further, throwing him off to the side and utterly drenched as he rolled into the wall. Considering everything back in the ruins, he was amazed that he was still conscious. "Okay, I get it, I could use practice again.... ugh," he groaned, rolling onto his back. "And I thought Blizz could give a few hard knocks."

It'd be at this point that Cera reverted back, though she seemed to be just fine. "Oh, trust me, this isn't the only thing I had in mind. Here, let's try your Raticate instead. Or maybe your Umbreon..."

"Hey, at least let me choose!" Aden spoke up, starting to dislike his apparent role as a guinea pig and moving target as he recalled Poliwrath. He thought for a second and, deciding not to let out either of those two, let out the only other one he had on hand. Namely, his Arcanine. "Here, how about him?"

"Maybe… could be good speed training. Might wanna brace yourself.”

“Why…?”

Aden’s answer would come quicker than he realized, watching his Arcanine walk over to Cera. Probably another quick explanation kept between the two, given how after a moment, he watched Cera float around before finally transforming. He could tell that the form might’ve used some work, what with the pink fur and actually being slightly smaller. “Guess you really do need the practice.”

“(Kinda… but there’s a method to all of this. Just… bear with me,)” Cera spoke up, taking a few cautious steps in her new form, trying to get her bearings. She’d walk a few circles around at a slow gait before going from one end of the field to the other, moving a bit faster as she got more used to the balance she’d need. Once she was done, she returned to where Aden and Arcanine were. “(Alright, I think I got it. Arcy, how do you do your Extreme Speed attack?)”

“Uh oh.” Aden was quick to brace himself, fairly certain he wouldn’t be dodging this if he wanted to. He’d find that he made a good call as Arcanine rushed into him all of a sudden, too fast to dodge if he wanted to. Too fast to defend against either, if he hadn’t already been doing so. The only good fortune was that Arcanine tried to hold back, meaning the hybrid didn’t find himself skidding into a wall. “Okay, ow. Should be fine, though-“

“(Ooooh, like that. Thanks.)”

And then, hope went out the window as Cera attempted to copy the move, trying to get the sheer speed of it down. To her, it felt more like an extremely fast Tackle, but she simply lacked the same strength or capability of Arcanine. The impact, however, was enough to knock Aden over, leaving her on top of him before she quickly stepped back. He’d be able to get up after a moment, noting that Cera seemed to be better with other bipedal forms. On the flip side, she wasn’t too bad with figuring out attacks; he found himself having to move to avoid a Flamethrower being spat from her mouth, only to see the transformed Mew cough.

“(Ugh, okay, never doing that one again unless I have to. I swear, Arcy, I dunno how you live with that on a daily basis. Let’s… let’s keep practicing.)” What followed next was Aden figuring out he’d either have to dodge or defend, though he was grateful that there wasn’t any attempts at the likes of Crunch or Fire Fang in the process. Unfortunately, there was one case where he had to take two Flare Blitzes back to back, and he found himself hitting the wall yet again because he simply couldn’t endure so much force at once. By now, he was looking worse for wear, but he wasn’t about to go down if he could help it. Not like that explosion in the ruins managed to do all too easily.

After that, however, he watched Cera revert back and Arcanine move back to his side. “What, that’s it? You’re done?” He asked as he recalled his Pokemon.

”Not quite… just need to recover a little. Trying to hold those forms and attack takes a lot more chi than a hybridish form that can’t attack at all. In a few minutes, though, I have an idea you’re really not gonna like. But I’m gonna need you to fight this time.” The tone in her voice suggested that she wasn’t so sure if she was going to like the idea either.

“Yeah?” Aden wasn’t about to complain a short break after everything so far. Besides, he doubted it’d be too bad.

”I want you to send out your Scyther.”

“Wait a second, what!?”

”You remember that information Devon gave us? About how to get the infection into stasis? Well… one of the only ways we can really do that is if they fight. It’s the most dangerous since they can fly off the handle, but if you’re wanting to see him or Ampharos back to normal… you’re kinda not gonna have a choice. The more you leave them in their balls, the longer they’ll be like they are now.”

Aden backed up a step and sighed. He really didn’t like that fact, even though he knew she was right. He didn’t like the idea that there was a good chance he could risk his life and others’, risk Scyther’s life too. “……what’s your plan?” He finally asked, resigning to whatever fate that came.

”I want to transform into him, and we fight him. I want to see if the corrupted chi factors into any transformations, since I’m sure I can’t copy that. That, and… I know Scyther’s one of your better Pokemon. Really strong and really fast. So it might actually take both of us to really handle him, especially if he gets too agitated.”

Cera was right, Aden really didn’t like the idea at all. Still, he steeled himself and took another Pokeball from his vest. “Alright, stay at my side then. I doubt he’s gonna listen too well to either of us,” he said before tossing the ball, the area being filled with vile chi as his Scyther came out. Though he always looked to be sharp, ready-to-strike sort, the sheer malice in his eyes, the burning desire to take a foe and rip them to shreds left both of them unnerved. To make it worse, the chi made it difficult for Cera to get the feel she needed for Scyther’s chi signature to pull off a transform.

”…uh oh.”

“What do you mean, uh oh? Uh oh kinda isn’t good here!”

”It’s gonna take a bit longer to transform, his chi’s meshing with the rest of this stuff and making it hard for me to get it down enough to mimic!”

Already, he could see Scyther was glaring at Cera, figuring she was his opponent and immediately racing at her with a Shadow Blitz. That is, before Aden shoved her out of the way and took the attack instead. “Agh, that didn’t take long…” He remarked as he hit the ground, quickly getting back up and watching as Scyther put both of his arms together as if sharpening them. “Sis, I’d try to be really quick on that transformation!”

[Scyther: 3/10]

”Sorry, just give me a little longer!”

Even as he readied himself, Aden really didn’t want to be fighting his own Pokemon like this. It was one thing to spar with them, or to be target practice. It was another when the fight could very well be a life or death situation. He tried to avoid having to attack more than he needed to, moving to the side as Scyther raced in and tried to slash him with one of his arms, then another, only to get shoved down as his Pokemon let out a terrifying battle cry and went for another Shadow Blitz, only to get tripped by a fast sweep as Aden got back up and reclaimed his distance. “C’mon, you’ve usually been better about listening than this!” He spoke up, trying to talk some sense into Scyther, though it appeared to be to no avail.

[Scyther: 6/10]

”Almost…”

“Dunno how much longer you’re getting- AGH!” Before Aden knew it, he found himself blindsided by a third Shadow Blitz and learned that Scyther could do more than a crude tackle with it. He could also do a bunch of slashes, all of them fueled by the same vile chi and one of them hitting its mark rather deeply. Right as the hybrid clutched the now-bloodied tear in his shirt and vest, he found himself taking another such slash and then getting kicked down as one of Scyther’s arms pointed itself at his neck before it moved back and both were ready to become a guillotine. And judging by how agitated the chi around him felt, Hyper Mode had to be coming at any moment… and with it, his potential demise.

“C-crap…”

[Scyther: 9/10]

Everything seemed to move in slow motion at that point, with Scyther reading its fourth Shadow Blitz in a row and potentially in its most deadly form, both scythes moving to do Aden in without a second thought as the hybrid readied the best defense he could muster in such a scenario. He was ready to try and blast him back, fire chi welling around him. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to get the move off in time, however, and so he tried to brace himself for the worst. That is, until Cera finally rushed in front of him, transformed and looking like an unusual pink Scyther, her arms held out to clash with the arms trying to go for a kill.

“(You might be his Pokemon, but get your bloody scythes off my brother!)” She yelled before shoving as hard as she could to force Scyther back for a brief moment. “(Aden, whatever you’re doing, do it now! Don’t worry if it hits me, I’m pretty sure he’s already in Hyper Mode and we can’t afford to hold anything back now!)”

“R…right!” Aden gave a quick nod, letting off a Heat Wave where he stood and catching both Cera and Scyther in it. Both of them would recoil, neither of them apparently liking the attack. But while the transformed Mew simply got herself out of range, Scyther tried to otherwise ignore it after a second and went to attack Cera. She had to think fast and keep moving back, evading slash after slash as the frenzied attack seemed to be endless. She barely got away when both arms went down to try and get her that way, allowing Aden a chance to try and calm himself. Not because of the matter at hand, but he had an idea to do something that could actually deal with Scyther as he was now.

“Hey, Scyther,” he spoke up, eyes closed and his head down as if he was prepared to take one for the team, “you want to finish this job? Do it, come on!” Scyther would turn around in an instant, only for Cera to land a Slash while the Pokemon was unaware and start racing back. Aden opened his eyes just in time to see Scyther’s course change yet again to go after Cera once more. The Calm Mind seemed to have it uses and amplified the chi around him, and between the Heat Wave and whatever Cera did, combined with Scyther’s overall lack of defense, he figured there was a good way to knock him out.

He continued to bide his time as Cera wound up getting herself stuck in a corner, still keeping herself ready to parry whatever Scyther tried to do. As he went for the attack, however, Aden managed to get close and threw a harsh, Psychic-fueled punch in the back of Scyther’s head. The sudden impact a lot harder than it looked, and though there wouldn’t be any lasting damage, it was hard enough hit that it became Scyther’s turn to meet the wall and Cera’s turn to get out of the way just in time for it. The two watched as the Pokemon ultimately slumped to the floor, apparently knocked out cold. Panting, Aden would finally be able to recall Scyther, something he had far fewer qualms about.

“Are… are you alright?” He asked, dropping to a seated position.

“(Y-yeah.)” Cera replied before promptly reverting to normal to get a better look at the wounds Scyther managed to land on Aden. She regretted that she forgot how to use Recover after all of that mess with the Zhelat Comet. ”We should get you to the medlab again, now. Those cuts look really deep.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’m going to. I think that’s enough training for now, especially after that.”

”Agreed… I think I have something safer in mind after we’re done in the medlab.”

“Good…” Slowly, he’d get to his feet, using his clothing as well as he could to try and keep any bleeding at bay while he and Cera made their way to the medlab. It was sorely going to be needed after all of that, even if neither of them truly felt all that ready except for some preparation in any other life or death situations. After a while, once both of them got a chance to recover and be dealt with in the medlab, Aden would discover exactly what that “safer thing” she had in mind really was. For whatever reason, it involved being on top of Mount Silver.

“Sis, c-can’t we just talk this over!”

”But learning to fly is a lot safer. Come on, you should be able to just fine by now. Or am I gonna have to do with you what I did to help daddy learn how to fly?”

“Wait, what did you do to help him learn-“ Suddenly, he’d find himself being shoved off the summit and in a freefall down quite a distance, screaming in panic as he started his rapid descent. “SIS, ARE YOU CRAZY!? I’M GONNA DIE!!!”

”Daddy said that too! You’ll be fine, trust me!” In the meantime, Cera took out the sudoku book she found earlier and looked at one of the pages that wasn’t filled. Aden would be back up eventually, she figured. Plus the drop was going to be in snow anyway, so she was sure he’d be fine. Hopefully.

Summary:

-Aden and I trained for a bit, though I dunno how much more ready we really are for it. The session went awry while experimenting trying to transform into an infected Pokemon, and it took a lot longer to sort their normal chi out to transform at all.

-Managed to somehow survive fighting Aden’s Shadow Scyther, though I think I made a mistake in having him send out one of his Pokemon. At least we’re still alive.

-I’m teaching Aden how to fly! Kinda… he’s really kinda falling with style, actually. I think we’re as ready as we’re gonna be, though.

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

"Remind me why I signed up for this again?" Sol asked himself, for roughly the third time now by his estimate. The whole thing seemed weird, even by Sub's standards, and it was like he was being secretive about it. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd found himself subject to some odd request of Sub's, and he was pretty sure it'd be far from the last, but Wishing Stars? "I know how important they were during the World Championship Cup. But you'd think we'd probably be in a position to simply ask their government or the Pokemon League for some and not have much hassle from either." He kept his voice down, talking to himself in a hushed tone as he looked out the train he was on. The supposed urgency of the matter meant Claydol took care of taking him to Galar, having been rushed along before he could press the subject concerning whatever had caused his SNAG to be unreachable and to end up in the medlab. But it, apparently, also meant that Claydol couldn't be bothered taking him directly to any of the areas that'd actually have a Wishing Star or its fragments, instead ending up in Wedgehurst. He had to assume it was either done in haste, or to give a sort of choice into the matter. There were many parts of Galar the team hadn't had the chance to explore or take in. Hell, they hadn't had the chance to fully take in the Wild Area, the part Sol elected to take a train to- even if some of the other areas sounded interesting. Another day, perhaps.

Looking around in the car, he did get a few looks from the other passengers and a lot of hushed whispers. Some of them because of the odd sight of a hybrid that should be able to fly taking the train like a normal person, some of them because by now, it'd be harder to find someone who hadn't heard of the team after the world war and if one didn't outright hate their guts, they were probably starstruck... and also wondering why a Ho-oh hybrid wasn't just flying to their destination. To his credit, Sol didn't find it hard to tune them all out and wasn't a stranger to having to do so even before the team had come to enjoy some degree of fame.

"Raios me fodam..." he remarked under his breath, still hoping he wasn't heard as he looked out the train window again. The train ride would continue on without incident, and it'd arrive at the Wild Area before long. He was slow about getting off, making it a point to be one of the last ones to disembark. Much as he wasn't into the idea, the chance of one of the passengers being a trainer and having a Wishing Star on them wasn't zero. If they dropped it, he might be able to nick it and leave the scene before it's ever noticed. Luck wouldn't shine on him here, however, and the most anyone seemed to drop was a few Pokedollars. "...right."

Then it dawned on him that perhaps this wasn't the best idea when those same Wishing Stars were often refined into a bracelet for said trainers, something he only remembered after seeing several trainers with one. Unless they took it off, they weren't dropping those, and even if they did, they wouldn't be suitable for Sub's needs- they needed to be unrefined. Conceding that it wouldn't have sat well with him anyway, he simply continued onward into the vastness of the Wild Area. Unlike the tournament, he'd have free reign to explore and see what all the areas were like. And maybe free reign to get a little bit of training in in the meantime, give his Pokemon a chance to stretch. Whatever the case, it all started in the Rolling Fields.

Rather, it started before he even got into that area, with one of the passengers waving him down. Had he been that suspicious?

"...yes?"

"Seemed like you were looking for something! I caught you looking at the trainers' bracelets."

Crap. He was that suspicious.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Still new to the region?"

"You could say that."

"Wait... you were part of that one extra team in the tournament, right? So you know what those are."

"I do. What are you getting at?"

"Well, what if I said you could still get your hands on one of those?" The person asked, giving a smirk.

"...go on."

Unfortunately, they then took out a bracelet, to which Sol held out a hand to stop them.

"Perhaps it'd be worth adding context. I'm not looking for the bracelet. Need them unrefined."

"Unrefined? Why'd you need them like that?"

"I have my reasons. Can you help?"

They shook their head. "Afraid not. Best of luck, you hear?"

Giving a small nod, Sol took his leave and went into the Wild Area proper. "Even if taking the bracelet would work, too many flaws from the ones the trainers wore," he said to himself once he was sure he was out of earshot and fairly sure they were trying to sell him a fake. A couple of botched attempts wouldn't be enough to deter him, though. It just meant more of the Wild Area to explore. And maybe a few dens; if anywhere was likely to bear fruit, it was those. Not having a Dynamax Band meant he wouldn't be able to do much else with the dens beyond trying to explore inside them and hope he doesn't have to fight. The first one he found didn't have much to speak of, and what energy he did feel could be best described as a trickle.

"May need to find one with more energy," he mused to himself. "Last time we were here, a number of them had visible energy pouring out. Maybe those would have Wishing Stars inside." During his musing, though, a Pancham would let out a cry and glare at him. Despite their attempt to look intimidating, it looked a lot like a child's attempt at imitating a Charizard. Still, he'd honor the attempt by letting out his Scorbunny. Unlike Sol, Inigo would be sufficiently intimidated by the glare and took a step back.

"It's alright, Inigo, you've got this," he spoke up, trying to keep him at ease. That is, until Pancham decided to Taunt the Scorbunny with a laugh. Upset about this, Inigo yelled back and jumped, ready to attack. "Don't let them get to you, relax."

Inigo was not into relaxing right now, making that known with another yell.

"Fine, fine. How about you channel that into your attack? Show them your Flame Charge."

This idea sounded a lot more like Inigo's speed, sparking flames with his feet as he rushed headlong into Pancham, knocking them back and starting to build up speed. Caught off guard, Pancham tried to make the best of their situation by rushing back with a Tackle and closing the gap between them.

"Need to keep some distance... Inigo, back off! Pepper them with Ember!" Inigo's increased speed meant backing up and widening the gap all over again was an easy task, firing Embers as he hopped backwards. Pancham was forced to take a defensive stance, unable to approach until the attacks stopped. Once they did, though, they shouted and glared at him and Sol with Leer. Though this still did nothing to make Sol any more intimidated than he was before, Inigo was still intimidated by it... and also still fired up from the Taunt.

"Inigo, Quick-" Before Sol could finish, his Scorbunny raced in to slam into Pancham with Quick Attack, knocking them back again and leaving them unwilling to keep up with the battle. "...Attack..." Sometimes, Inigo got a little impatient. With Pancham unable to give much of a threat, Sol knelt down and gave a little nod to them.

"You put up a good attempt. Give yourself time to recover and keep at it." He doubted a wild Pokemon would care that much, but he saw no reason to continue the fight when Pancham was already down. He motioned for Inigo to follow him as he pressed on.

He kept on until he got into the Dappled Grove, noting that it was much more sunny than he expected. The Wild Area seemed to be weird like that, and he couldn't figure out why. Still, the sunlight had its uses, allowing him to see in the grove's forest a little easier. It didn't take long for him to find another den, and it was hard to miss with the beam of energy shooting upwards from its location. He could see a few other trainers too, seemingly talking. Based on what he heard as he got closer, it sounded like they were talking strategy.

"Hey there," he spoke up, to get their attention. "Are you thinking to jump in there too?"

"Uh, yeah?" The first of them replied, shrugging before she continued. "We do a lot of these together."

"Want to join?" The second added, crossing his arms. "We usually have to wait for a fourth anyway."

"If you'll have me. I would've wanted to explore it anyway."

"Wha- alone? Are you that much of a barmy git?" Came the last of them, carrying an accent that added emphasis to her insult. Must've been another Galarian dialect.

"I, no?" Surely these dens couldn't be that dangerous, right?

"Whatever, come on!" As the second trainer jumped into the den, the other two would follow suit. Sol would take a glance down, but because of the energy, couldn't see anything. He doubted they'd just jump if it wasn't safe, so he and Inigo moved to join them.

He'd be the last to land, bracing himself for the landing and taking a second to look up. "Right, so about these-" He wanted to ask more about the dens, but he was fairly sure he wouldn't need to when he saw a giant Vulpix staring them down and quite capable of crushing the lot of them just by deciding to play. Even the roar they gave was enough to trigger a flight or fight response, deep and booming and barely recognizable. Barely noticeable underneath them was some rock; was that one of the Wishing Stars? "Never mind, I think I have enough of an answer. Shall we?"

Inigo would rush in front of Sol despite being unsure of how to even fight something like this, and a bit of relief came when he was joined by a Lombre, Dubwool and Riolu. Probably still relatively newish trainers, but considering the opponent, it probably would be manageable.

"We'll handle our own thing!" It was the first trainer again. "You handle yours! Just focus them down!"

It seemed like the trio had their own strategies in mind, opting to work off the odd one out. Lombre would be ordered to spray the area in Mist, followed by Riolu darting in to soften Vulpix up a little with Rock Smash. Dubwool wouldn't get a chance to do anything just yet, Vulpix managing to get the jump by firing an Ember. Except judging by the size, it was less an Ember and more firing the sun at the party, and Dubwool didn't have a chance. Their fluffy wool meant it went ablaze nicely and took the poor sheep out in a single hit.

Looking up after Sol felt it safe to stop bracing himself, he noticed the storm that was brewing in the den had gotten a little stronger and the sunlight had intensified.

"Nch, sorry! Thought I'd get enough time for Headbutt!" The second trainer didn't seem thrilled about this development.

"You're fine! Give it a bit and get back in there!"

"There is a lot of energy here..." Sol said to himself. "Guess that explains why Inigo seems revitalized himself. Anyway. Inigo, Double Kick!" The lowered defenses meant Inigo's kicks would be a bit more potent, picking up the slack and getting a decent amount of damage for it. In response, a barrier began to form and it seemed like Vulpix's defenses had been bolstered considerably.

"Already? Alright, let's push through!"

"Yeaaaaaah! We're still in these, keep going!" Unable to send his Dubwool back out, the second trainer took to cheering the rest of his group and Sol on. The energy of the den seemed to react to it, gathering around the barrier Vulpix had erected and forcing it to crack. In a stroke of luck, the barrier shattered just as the band on Lombre's trainer let out a burst of energy, and Vulpix's defenses were compromised.

Figuring the time to strike was now, Sol spoke up and figured he had the right idea. "Assuming they have the same idea I do... now, Quick Attack!" Inigo would rush back in to get another quick hit on Vulpix while they were reeling, and it seemed like Riolu's trainer was on a similar wavelength, adding another Quick Attack while Lombre was recalled. What followed next was the burst of energy going into Lombre's ball, glowing and increasing in size to resemble something closer to a medicine ball before being tossed to let Lombre back out.

This time, though, it was just as gargantuan as the Vulpix, letting out an equally loud, distorted cry.

"Ha ha, now we're on equal footing! Let's go, Lombre! Max Geyser!"

"I'm sorry, max what?"

If an Ember looked like a sun, Sol was certain that what was probably a Water Gun looked like something that a Blastoise should be firing instead. Though diminished slightly by the sunlight, the attack crashed hard into Vulpix and started up a rainstorm inside the den. Not that this mattered too much, as Vulpix couldn't take much more after that and the den's energy reacted in an explosion that made them recoil again.

The third trainer, deciding to take her chance, used her own band to make an empty Pokeball bigger and tossed it to try catching the Vulpix. Despite the size difference, it still worked like any other ball, just with a noticeable crater on the ground from its impact. It still wobbled and rolled all the same, eventually shrinking back down before it clicked to indicate a successful catch.

"That's... that's it?" Sol expected a bit more of a fight, but then again, it was still a Vulpix...

Dubwool's trainer, slightly dejected at his poor luck, left the den without another word. Turns out it's fairly easy to climb back out.

"He'll be alright, don't worry," Lombre's trainer spoke up, recalling them to force an end to their dynamaxed state. "You did fine. Maybe we'll run into each other again!"

"Yeah, thanks for the help!" Finally, Riolu's trainer extended her own thanks, both of them taking their leave too.

"You know, you did alright too, Inigo." Sol added afterward, kneeling to lightly rub Inigo's head. As he did, he noticed the weird rock from before. "...hm?" He'd stand back up to walk over to where Vulpix was before, inspecting the rock further. What he actually found were two of them, both of them with a lot of red lines and several jagged areas. Not terribly sharp or anything, but they definitely felt like the same energy overflowing in the den. "Oh yeah, these would be it, wouldn't they?" Taking out a small bag, he'd pick both of them up and put them away. "Guess that gives two, then. Still... probably a ways to go. It wouldn't hurt to get a few more. It'll be a start and I imagine I won't have been the only one sent off to gather these."

Picking up an exciteable Inigo, Sol would start climbing out of the den himself, soon greeted by the sunlight filtered through the grove's trees. The other three had already departed. "That was... oddly fun. Need a more efficient method, though..." He elected to continue exploring and searching around, soon seeing there were even more trainers around.

One of them happened to be taking a break under a berry tree, and unlike many of the others, this one didn't have one of those bands yet. They did, however, have a Wishing Star on hand, likely to have it refined as soon as they got the chance. Morals be damned, Sol felt maybe he had a chance of "borrowing" a quick third one and hightailing it before he was spotted. He recalled Inigo and tried to be as quiet as he could, making it a point to stay behind the trainer until he briefly lost his footing, accidentally hitting the tree in the process and causing it to shake. This also made the trainer take notice of the sudden jostle, looking up and around just in time for a Skwovet to get knocked out of the tree and land on their face.

"Wha- no! Bad! Get off!" Both trainer and Pokemon panicked, the trainer wanting their sudden assailant to get off and the Pokemon thinking they were responsible for making them fall out. Whatever the case, it was safe to say they were distracted and stealing the Wishing Star would be even easier than expected.

"O...kay then," Sol said to himself, deciding not to press his luck by watching, taking and stashing the Wishing Star before casually taking his leave. That way, if he did end up being seen, maybe he wouldn't raise any suspicions. "Can't say I'm proud of this one, but I'm sure they'll find another."

He didn't stop moving until he was well out of the grove, and close to a decrepit watchtower. He recognized this area easily, back during the tournament and how the team did what they could to secure the area. "You know? Probably still the best area to use as a sort of camp," he said to himself, letting Inigo back out and sitting next to one of the tower's walls. Though there were wild Pokemon around, most of them didn't seem inclined to bother him since they weren't being provoked. There was also a den nearby, but the energy there also felt weak. It was slowly intensifying, though, unlike the last weak den he encountered. But he felt it could wait a few minutes, digging around in some supplies he brought along and getting out a few berries he grabbed from the HQ on his way out.

He himself wasn't worried about food, but he figured Inigo would appreciate it, letting him have a few as a quick snack. "You know, you really do remind me a lot of Xipil when he was a Charmander."

This made the Scorbunny perk up, giving a curious glance mid-nibble.

"He did a lot like you do, sitting and practically bouncing while nibbling away at whatever's being eaten. Like you can't wait to finish and continue on," he explained, chuckling a little and taking another Pokeball out. "You'll meet him one day." He stared at it as he made the remark, though, and quickly put it away to ensure he didn't accidentally let his Charizard out. Up to now, he'd still yet to purify it; during the world war, one of the best defenses against a Shadow Pokemon- let alone the likes of XD002- was to use one yourself. At the time, there wasn't a Pokemon he'd trust more even with the risks of not seeking purification. But there were increasingly alarming drawbacks.

Over time, he'd noticed just being around Charizard could be enough to infect a Pokemon and over time, he also looked more and more normal. He wasn't sure as to why, figuring it was related to so many run-ins with other infected Pokemon. He could've dealt with that if it wasn't for Charizard becoming less and less likely to listen to him, Wes or anyone else. As it was, he could barely control him anymore, and didn't want to put anyone else at risk. He wasn't sure if purification was even still possible now. He remained lost in thought for a few minutes, deciding that maybe it was time to finally bring this sort of development up with Sub once he got back.

It'd been a good ten minutes before he finally figured the break could end, and Inigo seemed to get his fill of berries. He looked to the den again, noticing its energy was still intensifying slowly. Something might show up soon, but perhaps he'd have enough time to search within before that became an issue. Picking up Inigo again to keep him close, he jumped down into the den, seeing nothing once he landed. That is, short of a glowing stone and the occasional footstep of someone attracted to it.

"Another Wishing Star?" He asked himself, stepping closer himself. "No wonder this den's been building up. There's our culprit right there." He picked it up despite the potential dangers, but it didn't seem to react any differently otherwise. He could still hear footsteps. "Hm. Best take our leave now. There isn't a storm yet, but I feel like this'll cause one soon. Or whatever's approaching will once it's close enough." Quickly, he hurried back out of the den. Luck was on his side, it seemed like, now having four stars in rather quick succession. Maybe amassing these wouldn't be as difficult as it first seemed.

He looked around again, thinking of potential places to go to find more of them. As vast as the wild area was, it made choosing difficult. He noticed the lake in the distance, wondering if any might be there. He wasn't exactly equipped to go swimming, but this was a good time to try using another of his Pokemon. So he sent out Swampert and Dratini, taking one of the Wishing Stars out soon after.

"I want you both to take a decent look at this," he remarked, setting the stone on the ground so they could inspect it. "I'm trying to find more of these, and I think there may be some in the water. Think you two could swim around and seek any out? Swampert, I'll also be trusting you to keep Dratini safe." A nod would come from Swampert before jumping in immediately, followed by Dratini slowly slithering to the water and finally getting in after a bit of effort. As Sol saw it after they couldn't be seen, the most he or Inigo could do was wait.

So, he figured to help Inigo get a little training in without having to fight a wild Pokemon for a change. A lot of it was simple stuff, mainly speed training since he noted it to be a strong suit for his Scorbunny. It was also the sort of training he noticed him really take to, taking a lot of stock into his agility. It provided an interesting contrast to Charizard's preference for stronger attacks over faster, weaker ones that might be able to land more often. Even without his shadowfication, though, Sol knew that there'd be a time when his Charizard wouldn't be able to keep up anymore. He wanted to be ready for that day, with someone who could take up the torch and allow Xipil to get the rest he'd earned multiple times over.

After taking what had to have been the tenth series of kicks from Inigo, using his arms as a means to brace and provide an easy target to hit, Sol would finally hold his hands out as a signal to stop. "That's enough for now! You're doing good, but let's take a breather. Surely those two should've found something by now." As if on cue, a rock would come flying out of the water, followed by Dratini. He'd manage to catch Dratini before she hit the ground, breaking her fall as the stone landed at his feet.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked, letting her back down just in time for Swampert and a Whiscash to emerge from the water in the middle of a fight, both going back down as Swampert smashed them back underwater with Hammer Arm and chased after them. "...I see. Excuse me." He took back to the water's edge in case Swampert needed help too, leaving Inigo and Dratini where they were. Unsure of how to help, the Scorbunny would dig around Sol's stuff again, procuring another berry and offering it to Dratini.

In the meantime, Swampert and Whishcash were duking it out about as well as a fish and something with arms reasonably could. But with it all happening underwater, Sol could only see so much. The occasional wave made him think that the Hammer Arm he saw wasn't the only one that was used in the fight and eventually, he swore he could see a little bit of ice forming along the top of the water. Underwater, Whiscash's thrashing and slams finally got repaid in the form of an Ice Punch, managing to freeze some of the water and a bit of Whiscash too to finally make it give up the fight and run. After that, Swampert finally came out of the water, shaking his arms afterward.

"Let me guess," Sol spoke up afterward. "They tried to attack?"

Swampert gave a nod. He wasn't fast enough to keep Dratini from taking a hit, but he was able to step in after the fact. Given the stone that came out with Dratini, Sol had a feeling he knew why the fight broke out. "In that case, let's stop the search there for now and try somewhere else. Here, let me recall all of you so you can rest."

Inigo, Dratini and Swampert would all be recalled before he went off to another part of the Wild Area, looking back at the stone. Sure enough, it was yet another Wishing Star- the fifth one now. Stashing it, he wondered if he should just try to get a couple more and hope others might come through, or to try and see if he could amass fifteen of them. A lofty goal, but one that could spread a little luck Sub's way, he felt. One he'd have to see about depending on how the search went from here. Seeing a bridge in the distance, well away from the lake and- assuming he remembered the city right- Motostoke, he felt maybe it was time to see what the other side of the Wild Area was like.

He thought about just flying there for a moment, but he shrugged and decided to walk. No need to be in as much of a hurry, plus maybe he'd get lucky and find another Wishing Star along the way. As he walked, he took in the nearby sights. Various wild Pokemon, going about their day. Trainers, having battles, conversing with one another, with varying degrees of experience. He opted to look away for a bit, at other sights. More red lights dotted the field, likely other dens overflowing with energy, but far enough out of the way for his current destination. It felt like a certainty it'd be the case on the other side and, upon reaching the bridge connecting two, saw that he was right to guess that. If anything, that part of the Wild Area stretched out even further than the first half did and looked even more varied.

"...I have got to come here on something that isn't business," Sol said to himself. Something about the Wild Area spoke out to him and if he had the time for it, he'd like to explore it more thoroughly. Looking up again, he saw just how dark it was getting. There wasn't much daylight left, and it'd be wiser not to continue traveling during the night when there wasn't a need to.

Just past the bridge was as good a place as any to set up camp for the night, he felt. Not much in the way of wild Pokemon, and being near water was among the best spots to have access to. Finding a bit of wood wouldn't be difficult in the area either and once he had enough for his needs, he'd finish settings things up. A weak flame from his hands was more than enough to get a campfire going, and he'd finally let out most of the Pokemon he had on him- Scorbunny, Swampert, Dratini, Gallade, and Quilava. The last one, still holding Charizard, he didn't dare open. Not now. Scorbunny and Dratini were slightly intimidated by the two that weren't Swampert, and only because they at least saw him before.

"Relax," he chimed in, trying to ease Inigo and Dratini's nervousness. "Both of you might be newer ones, but I assure you, they're safe. Lucan, Aletta, why don't you introduce yourselves? Though, old as those names are, perhaps I could think of better ones... are either of you opposed to this?" His Gallade and Quilava gave him a confused look, finding the whole thing sudden after having responded to those names for many a year. They looked at each other, than at Sol, but without an answer to give. "If it helps, I have my reasons if you'll bear with me. But..."

Sitting down near the campfire, he looked up at the still-darkening sky. "Perhaps it's time I stop trying to obfuscate where I came from."

This would still be confusing to them and Swampert, as Sol had a habit of not disclosing more than he needed to. Inigo and Dratini were confused too, but because they lacked context. "I'll explain more to you all in a bit, but I'd like a chance to give something more fitting. For you and for myself."

A moment passed as the two looked at each other again, deciding that if he was going to explain, the context would be the deciding factor. But the one who spoke up was Swampert; if they were being given new nicknames, then he wanted in on it too.

"Alright, alright, fine," Sol said, laughing. "You'll get one too. Think I already have one in mind. Dratini, I'll extend the offer to you too, if you'd like. Don't feel like you have to answer right away. This will be a long one..." The explanation and context that followed would continue a decent ways into the night, shedding a lot of light into details that Sol had elected to keep hidden but, without the threat of Ein anymore, saw less and less of a reason to keep doing so. One day, he figured he'd disclose it all to the rest of the team. Apart from a choice few, that is. As he finished, he added another piece of wood to keep the campfire going a little bit longer.

"So there you go. One very longwinded explanation, as promised. I can answer other questions too, but to the current point, what are your thoughts? I feel like I should've just gone with different names in the first place."

Gallade, after a moment, knelt down and nodded, keeping his head lowered. Even now, he still had a tendency to do that. Quilava would shake her head at the Pokemon next to her and look over at Sol instead. She seemed to be willing to go with it, at least.

"Alright... I think I've got it. Calida," Sol commented, looking to Quilava. "You've always had a little bit of a fiery nature. Type aside, of course. The name doesn't have any special meaning past that, but I feel like it fits. What do you think?"

She wanted to growl at the remark about her disposition, but all she'd manage to do would be to prove him right. Looking away, she conceded that it did fit- for what it was worth- and nodded.

"Good, good. Gallade, how about Arnau? The older name was always meant to sound somewhat knightly, so nothing's different there beyond the basis of the name. I'm willing to just go back to the old names if either of you prefer, or find another that might be received better."

Gallade gave it some thought, and foreign as it sounded, he'd at least give it time first.

"Alright. And Swampert, I didn't forget about you. As I said, I already had one in mind. Rio. Keeps to the theme and simply means river. A bit basic, I'll admit, but it would fit for a water-type. Like it?"

Swampert thought about it for a bit, unsure despite personally asking for this. He'd need to get used to it too. Dratini, to her credit, didn't opt to answer. But that was okay.

"Then we'll try that out for a bit. Thanks. And Dratini, when you're ready- if you are- we'll look into one for you."

The group would continue conversing a bit longer afterward, getting a light meal in before turning in for the remainder of the night and putting out the campfire. Day would come almost too soon, recalling each of the Pokemon after they were as good to go as he was. Sleeping on other thoughts allowed him to give some thought to how he wanted to go about more Wishing Stars, and figured to only get a couple more. He could trust others in the team to get more elsewhere.

Finally ready to travel again, he resumed traveling through Bridge Field and into the Stony Wilderness. The rock formations around the area made for an interesting sight, but they didn't look like the sort to have anything in the way of Wishing Stars. Like everywhere else in the Wild Area, though, there were plenty of dens littering the area that might hold one. But if he didn't have to run the risk of going one alone again, he didn't want to press his luck with the idea.

"You know, if you toss a Wishing Piece in there, those dens usually have someone show up."

Sol perked up and looked behind him, seeing someone donning shades and a white ball cap alongside his uniform. He recognized it as that of the Galarian Pokemon League, remembering the others like him he'd seen during the team's earlier stay. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm one of the League's vendors. Several of us stay around the Wild Area to help trainers out with various items. If you're willing to part with some Watts, that is."

"Oh, right. Saw a bunch of you during the tournament. I appreciate the gesture, but as you can see," Sol raises his arm to show that it was devoid of any sort of Dynamax Band. "Watts aren't something I can give you. So, I'm afraid I'll have to turn down your offer."

"Didn't you...? No matter. Look, normally the League doesn't do this sort of thing, but here." Opening up a ball to reveal his wares, the vendor would take a few Wishing Pieces- three in all- and handed them to Sol. "We know things didn't go well during the world cup, but we're glad to see more visitors to the region. So, try using one of them sometime."

Sol was perplexed, but grateful for the generosity all the same. The pieces wouldn't be as useful on their own, but if he remembered correctly, three of them could work about as well as a single Wishing Star. "Right... thanks."

"Of course, mate! Hopefully you'll have a band next time." He'd back off to leave Sol to what he was doing before, watching as he traveled onward and started leaving the area. A short trek found him at another part of the Wild Area, with the map on his SNAG reading "Giant's Mirror."

"Hm. What of this place..." This place was a lot less lush than the others, with a desert in the distance. The grass here was likewise a lot less greener, and he found a ring of rocks with a den in the middle. The rocks were tall enough to nearly match him, but being near a den like that made him think. If these Wishing Pieces and Stars were formed from the energy around the dens, then maybe he could simply mine one or something. Or if not that, doing that and then tossing it in to bathe it in the den's energy could be of use. As he drew near, he could tell the energy around the den was welling up, but at a faster rate than the last time. It would mean another solo excursion into a den, though.

He decided to inspect the rocks. He couldn't feel anything from them, suggesting that maybe they wouldn't work. But maybe it was worth a try anyway. Unsheathing his sword, he took the hilt in both of his hands and took a deep breath. He slammed the hilt into the rock with as much force as he could, managing to break off a small piece. It wasn't much, but Sol figured it'd be enough for a test. "Doubt this will do anything, but..." He picked up the rock before tossing it in, looking down to see if there'd be any results. Nothing happened after a couple of minutes, but the energy was still building up.

Looking down again, he decided to jump down... and right into the start of a storm. To anyone outside, a beam of light would shine from the den as its energies overflowed, but Sol quickly realized things were dangerous. "Bad time... there's probably a Wishing Star here anyway, I'll just grab it and go before the storm worsens." Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to look up yet, and when he did, he learned just how deeply in trouble he was. Another giant Pokemon, but not one he recognized. It reminded him a little of a Farfetch'd, but this one was white and looked like it had a sword and shield. Or maybe a lance and shield. The details didn't matter, he knew this was going to get rough fast.

With its loud cry and the storm growing intense enough to prevent escape, Sol was left with no other choice but to handle it on his own.

"...fine. We can handle this," he said to himself, shoring up his lack of strength with numbers. He'd toss four Pokeballs at once, letting out his Scorbunny, Dratini, Gallade and Quilava. "Look lively, we're not getting out without a fight!" He was quick to take out his SNAG too, but the den's energy was effective at jamming its signal. He couldn't get any information on his opponent. "Mierda! Alright, we do this the old fashioned way."

"Spread the attack types apart. Inigo, Double Kick! Dratini, Twister! Arnau, Psycho Cut! Calida, Flamethrower!" Process of elimination was a terrible way of discerning types, but it was all he had right now. Mild confusion aside from Calida and Arnau, the Quilava's Flamethrower managed to come out first and hit the giant Pokemon, and though they weren't fond of the attack, they seemed to handle it quite well. Not good. Thankfully, Arnau would also get the jump on the opponent, attacking from range with a burst of Psychic energy cutting deep. This one seemed to leave the Pokemon reeling a bit, like a weakness had been hit.

"Didn't like that one... so are we looking at Fighting? Poison? Some mix with one of those?" He asked, energy welling up all at once as the opponent unleashed an attack. The energy came crashing down in an appearance not unlike a giant fist, hitting Dratini and taking her out right away. As he recalled her and the storm intensified, he also noted that the Pokemon felt like it had more energy. Those hits were only going to get stronger.

Inigo would be able to get his attack out afterward, the Double Kick landing a couple of decent hits, but otherwise it was shrugged off.

"Feels stronger too... can't tell what kind of attack that was. If we can get a burn, though... Inigo, Calida! Use Ember and Flamethrower! Luc- er, Arnau! Psycho Cut seemed to be effective, so keep to using that!" He thought about just swapping Swampert in, but remembering the last fight he had in a den, the energy seemed to help Pokemon recover quickly. He might be able to send Dratini back out, though if he did, he hoped she wouldn't go down again so soon.

As before, Quilava and Gallade got their attacks out first, the combination of Flamethrower and Psycho Cut being as effective as last time. This time, Inigo would be able to fire a few Embers before the opponent could attack, managing to singe and burn them. But then the barrier came up. And no amount of cheering would help this time. Unlike last time, they took a swing of their giant leek, forcing Sol to duck and try to keep more of his from falling.

"Get down, now!"

The Brutal Swing would miss him, but slammed hard into the rest. Unlike the previous attack, this one didn't seem to be as empowered. But their heightened Attack meant Inigo and Calida barely took the hit. Arnau would be fine for now, but the Gallade wasn't terribly fond of it either. With the den's energy building up around Dratini's ball, he tried to send her out again, seeing her able to fight all over again.

"Really can't take another of those..."

He watched as the giant Pokemon reared back for another swing, forcing a bit of fast thinking. "Not again! Now, Wide Guard!" Taking to the front, Arnau would release a protective burst of energy to form a shield around the group. For a brief moment, they were safe as the second swing crashed against the shield, but that'd be all it could take. He definitely needed to bring a stop to this.

"While we have a chance! Inigo, Quick Attack! Calida, let's go for a bunch of hits with Swift! Dratini, try Twister again!"

Inigo would rush and kick the barrier, but it'd weather the attack without an issue. The series of rays from Swift would yield better results, having a harder time dealing with it. Dratini's Twister would end up meshing into the Swift to cause a few more hits... and finally, Sol built up a Psychic burst in a last ditch effort. "Should've done this from the start." The concentrated attacks would become too much for the barrier, making it shatter and leave the opponent taking the brunt of the attacks afterward. The whole time, the storm had gotten dangerous, but with the energy having an explosive reaction, it seemed like it'd die down a bit. Furthermore, the Pokemon was fairly weak, the energy dissipating fast as the giant body shrunk back down to a more normal size.

"That... that was too close. Not sure what you are, but," Sol remarked, taking out a Great Ball, "I think you're coming with me and I'm looking you up after I'm out of here." He tossed the ball at once, seeing the rock from earlier as he did and noting there was no change. There was, however, another Wishing Star where the giant opponent was before. By the time he grabbed it, the ball's wobbling had stopped and it clicked. The storm had passed, too. They could escape.

"Come on, we're not staying here a second longer." He was quick to recall his Pokemon and leave, panting and sitting down afterward. "I think... I think I need to get one of those bands before next time. Cut the losses, these should be enough of a start." Only six stars- assuming the pieces were worth using. It wasn't bad, but trying to get more would be too dangerous if it meant more dens. As he took a moment to regain his composure, he'd look at his SNAG to discern the Pokemon he'd just caught. Apparently, they were called a Sirfetch'd and an evolution of Farfetch'd of all things. But he did note the image he was was different from any he knew of; probably a regional variant that happened to evolve.

Putting his SNAG away and getting up, he'd start his return trip to HQ.


Mission Results:
-Got five Wishing Stars, and three Wishing Pieces. So Six...?
-Caught a Sirfetch'd in a den, alone. Worst idea ever.