Chapter Text
The First went by many names.
Names such as the Original One, the Creator, Alpha, Arceus, or even Almighty Sinnoh, a name it also happened to share with two of its children.
It wasn’t picky about names, nor with whom it shared them. The Creator's world was inhabited by countless individuals, after all – each was formed by its thousand arms and thus to every one was a fraction of its power given. It was only sensible for some of its first children to inherit the same name.
What was concerning was that those very children were currently missing from its sight.
Only one had the power to hide anything from the First. The God of Antimatter had once been the Eldest of its children. Now that one fiercely rejected its familial ties.
The Renegade had found an escape, it seemed. It certainly wouldn't waste the chance to approach its originator once a means was found.
A direct confrontation with that one, unfortunately, was not an option. Such a conflict between matter and antimatter would only result in a mutual destruction – their own, and that of the realms they claimed. However…
The eyes of the Creator followed the Renegade’s shadowed path and caught a glimpse of one wandering soul: a young one that belonged to a human boy.
Yes, Arceus knew its children, every one of them. And this one… it wasn’t yet time for him to be reunited with his maker. This it decided even as the young empathizer drew near, still blissfully unaware of this new plane. His insight and experience would prove to be invaluable, and since he already had a stake in this very conflict, there also existed a natural desire to resolve it. The boy was a mere mortal – a human, at that – but mankind never did mind their limitations. For better and for worse, they persevered and shaped the planet just as their ancient predecessor had. Truly, their impact was obvious in every era since this world’s foundation. Many of its eldest children had grown enamoured with these little ones: Diamond was no exception. Dialga, Palkia, and the Lake Guardians had each taken a shine to him and his comrades; perhaps, also, he could reach Giratina even after everything. As a pupil of Mesprit, he was in a uniquely advantageous position to do so.
But where to place him?
Normally, the sensible choice would be to return him to where he came from, where his person was already established and his allies and enemies were known to him. His reappearance could be excused as a stroke of luck, a misunderstanding, or an inexplicable miracle. However, this situation required a unique approach. The Renegade was not bound to the rules of space-time in the same way most were, especially not now that Dialga and Palkia were trapped within its realm, a place that directly contradicted the order of a world of matter. The Shadow’s influence was visible all throughout the land in many generations of its history. No, it would no longer serve to return Diamond to his place, at least not yet. However…
As Arceus searched the chapters of the Earth, he found one blotted out by darkness. There lingered its wayward child. There, something had piqued its interest.
Hisui… it certainly was something. That land, the generation, and its residents were quite critical to the development of Arceus’ peoples. There was certainly a lot of damage to be done there if left to the devices of a usurper.
Very well then. Hisui it was.
Dia stared at the text almost disbelievingly for a considerable time. It was a lot to swallow, but, given his present circumstances, it was difficult to dismiss the possibility that he was, again, wrapped up in the affairs of Legendary Pokemon.
A call to help save the world? That was…
Wait.
The idea was absurd, but then again, the entire situation was absurd. He was laying in bed, texting a self-proclaimed Pokemon deity about destiny and the fate of the world, and yet-
-and yet the other saw fit to crack a bad joke for a boy who was, at best, a novice comedian. He grinned with his next response:
Dia actually cackled, which was an admittedly strange sound coming from him. It had been quite some time since he laughed like this; a realization that softened the sound to a quiet chuckle as he thought of the familial company he once kept. His fingers were moving before he could think to question it:
The response was faster than Dia expected it might be, though perhaps Sinnoh anticipated this question:
His heart plummeted. They thought he was dead.
A part of him worried Sinnoh wouldn’t or couldn’t help with that, so the easy compliance was reassuring. Still, he couldn’t help wishing they’d been made aware of his present circumstances before any grieving could happen. With the way he left them… it scared him to think of what may have followed.
Before he could follow that train of thought too far, his phone alerted him to some extra clarification.
That was… saddening to learn, but it was better than nothing. That same hope – of one day seeing them again – would likewise push him along until it was a reality.
I’ll come back, sent his silent oath to the stars, I promise.
The next morning began with their newest recruit sleeping in. … It wasn’t the optimal way to start the day – especially not if he wanted to prove himself – but Laventon defended the slip-up for what it was: a simple mistake. Though displeased, Akari was similarly willing to concede mercy after seeing the boy stumble out of his new living quarters to join them, unsuccessfully rubbing sleep from his eyes. An exchanged glance with the professor revealed his quiet concern.
Despite his obvious exhaustion, the boy lightly greeted them as he slid into place beside Akari. Laventon slipped away to recruit their Security Corps escorts, leaving the two of them at the town entrance… where Dia proceeded to nod off on his feet. Akari let him be since it was harmless for the moment. He could probably use the extra seconds of rest before entering the wilds.
Moving to Hisui was an adjustment for any Jubilifer. Akari remembered more than a few sleepless nights longing for her old home and family. Yet, the transition for her was voluntary. She had a choice; Dia did not. She weighed out her pros and cons and made a conscious decision while Dia seemed to have been ripped from his home under fearsome circumstances, to say nothing of his rocky reception. For as absurdly well-adjusted as he appeared to be, it was naive to think he wouldn’t feel the impact of such dramatic changes.
Her ponderings continued as such even as the professor returned with Security Corps company in order to begin their travels. In contrast to yesterday, hushed conversation floated between the three of them while Dia lagged behind in a wakeless state of sleep-walking and sleep-eating. Because of course that was something he did.
The absurdity of such a skill tickled at Akari’s sensible nature, but this was really quite tame when compared to the oddities of the previous days. She only stared for perhaps five seconds before accepting the behavior for whatever it was with little more than an indecipherable grumble.
Her rapid acclimation to the peculiarities was as concerning as it was relieving.
“Akari,” Professor Laventon quietly addressed her. “Ress and I are going to work on the Heights Camp. Why don’t you and Dia do some surveying along the tamer regions of Horseshoe Plains and meet us there at noon? Mai and Volo volunteered to help us out, so I believe we will have made good progress by that point.”
Akari wanted to protest – the boy was hardly alert enough to be sneaking about – and if Commander Kamado hadn’t pulled her aside that morning to discuss his training, she would have. Unfortunately, she knew their leader would be closely evaluating this newcomer's progress. Because Dia’s chances of remaining in Jubilife heavily depended on Kamado’s reception of him, they ultimately had little choice in the matter.
Nodding, she pulled her trainee aside, waking him so that they could get to work. Before they could start surveying again, she had orders to ensure he was properly equipped to handle himself in case a situation went awry. So, to start off:
“How do you feel about your ability to roll and dodge Pokemon attacks?”
The bleary-eyed blinking and uncomprehending head-tilt should have been warning enough.
They were there longer than they maybe should have been; that was obvious from Akari’s shortening patience with his tumbles. Dia felt a little bad. He never had been the most coordinated or the most athletic individual. It was something Pearl got on his case for time and time again back home; now it seemed like that task would turn to Akari.
“I cannot, in good conscience, let you survey on your own like this,” she groaned into her palms. “Since we need to report back to the professor with something, we’ll stop for now, but we’re sticking to the safer parts of the Obsidian Fieldlands until you can do a roll, or at the very least run from danger.”
Dia – a gasping heap on the ground – grimaced apologetically at his tutor. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. We can work on it.” She offered him a hand to help him sit upright. “It’s just one more thing about you that makes zero sense. As long as you don’t go looking for trouble, you should be okay.”
“... Thanks?”
Akari stifled a snort. “We’ll take a ten minute break, then we’re off. There are some Buizel nearby, and a little farther out we’ll find Ponyta and more Wurmple, among a few other Pokemon. What do you know about them?”
Wurmple aside, the other two were both Pokemon that either Pearl or Platinum had on their teams. Though he was overall more familiar with Ponyta – now a Rapidash – he also managed to glean a few new insights during his short time with Zelhiko.
As he explained what he knew, he found himself resisting the urge to doze off again. It wasn’t abnormal for him to wake slowly – he was, by nature, a late sleeper – but, between the somewhat lengthy messaging session and the new revelations that spun around in his dreamscape, he found himself stirring to wakefulness every so often and therefore awake for a significant portion of the night. Sleep managed to keep him come morning, but that only meant that Laventon had to retrieve him personally for Survey work. Even now, the tiredness persisted when it otherwise might have passed, amplified by their impromptu workout session. And it seemed his exhaustion wouldn’t go unnoticed:
“How much sleep did you get last night?” His companion abruptly cut into his drowsy explanations, giving him pause.
“Umm, I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “I woke up a couple of times. I usually get up late anyway, so it’s a bit of an adjustment, rising early like this.” That was certainly true. In the entirety of his life, he woke before Pearl a grand total of one time. “That just means I’ll sleep extra well tonight!”
Akari hummed. “Was there… something keeping you up?”
Well, yes, though that explanation was… complicated. Honestly, he had no idea what he was supposed to say regarding last night’s events. Sinnoh – wary of onlookers with ill intent – requested that their exchanges remain largely confidential for the time being, going as far as to remove all evidence of the previous night’s discussion. It was yet another secret he’d been asked to guard, though, at least in this instance, Dia was granted permission to exercise his best judgement should he feel the need to divulge such information.
He trusted Akari, as well as Professor Laventon. Though their time together was short and they didn’t understand each other completely, he could tell that they meant well. He wanted to be open with them, especially if they were meant to work together long-term.
Still, it would be easier to explain when he was alert enough to find a way to avoid breaking his promise to Commander Kamado in the process. Later, when his two new friends were together so that they could bounce their thoughts and reasoning off of each other. And maybe it would be easier to accept once they got to know him a little better and a sense of normalcy had been established between them.
So for now… partial truths.
“I guess I miss home a little,” he admitted. “It’s hard to be away from my friends; I’m worried about them.”
“... I thought that might be it,” Akari lamented. “You seemed close in the pictures.”
“Yeah.” Dia’s gaze wandered skyward and, consequently, ended up on the rift: his entrance to this world and, hopefully, his means home. “Pearl and I have been friends for as long as we can remember. Our moms say we’ve been attached at the hip since the day we met. And Missy… Maybe we’ve only just met in comparison, but it feels like we’ve all known each other for a long time. It’s weird without them around.”
This was different from the first time they separated and certainly no less difficult. Sinnoh said they missed him, that they thought he was… gone. Dia didn’t know what he would do in their shoes, but he knew it would be a difficult reality to face. He hoped Sinnoh sent that message soon, and that they would recognize it for what it was. “I want them to be okay. I want them to know that I’m okay. Mom too. I scared her a bit when we were traveling, but she decided to trust me anyway. It would break her heart to think that I- I can’t be with her anymore.” Quite suddenly, his voice left him. Now he found himself blinking back tears with only a marginal degree of success. He tried not to think too deeply about what happened, but confronting it now after last night’s revelations… it was difficult to dismiss the implications of this new life.
Akari was quiet during the first few moments that followed his sad confession. When she finally spoke again, her voice was little more than a whisper: small and vulnerable, but present. “When I came to Hisui, I left my dad and siblings behind. I know it’s not the same, but… I thought about home all of the time. Even though I wanted to be here, I missed my family. I still do. I get to write them, but it’s not like it used to be. And with how work has been going lately in the Survey Corps, sometimes I wonder if… maybe my coming here was a mistake.”
She blinked, straightened, then hurried along to her next point, distinctly flustered and perhaps a tad more self-conscious than before. “I think that, but then I think… it’s not all bad. I mean, Captain Cyllene is strict, but she’s always had my back, no matter how successful I am. She’s the one who started the Survey Corps, you know, and I’m pretty sure the only reason the Commander hasn’t given up on us completely is because of her. And the Professor…” she paused again, then scratched the back of her head with an abashed and awkward smile. “Don’t, uh, tell him this, but he kind of reminds me of my dad. Not the science thing – it’s that dumb optimism of his. They’re really similar. Even if it drives me nuts sometimes, it’s… oddly reassuring? To have someone like that here too?”
She groaned, tomato red now as she tried to get her point across. “I don’t know if any of this helps whatsoever. It’s just… even though your situation is really, really weird, and completely foreign from mine, you’re not alone. Maybe this isn’t home for you, or for me, but it can be a home. Laventon obviously thinks the world of you, and I think Cyllene likes you too? It can be hard to tell with her. Then there’s Ress, Beauregard, Volo…” she paused, only to awkwardly add, “and, uh, there’s me too. Even though I don’t understand you, at all, you seem nice. I… want to help.”
That got a smile out of Dia. “You’re a good friend. I'm glad you chose to come to Hisui; we might not have ever had the chance to meet otherwise! So… thank you, Akari.”
“Err… Yeah. No problem.” She turned abruptly. “I’m going to go scout out the plains. I won’t go far though, so you’d better be here when I get back!”
Dia watched her go with a smile on his face. Maybe his life had changed, and the future was uncertain, but, for now, he was grateful for the company that found him.
“Chala cha cha!”
“De-loop de de!”
“Parapa pa pa-”
“Dewede, de de~♪”
“Tah-dum dum dum!”
“Deh-dwooop doop doop!”
“Yeah, that’s perfect!” Dia congratulated his insectoid orchestra as they chanted. “Now, the next part goes like this:
“Run through the land,
Soar through the sky~!
UNITE, PROTEAM OMEGA!
Defeat the demons, the demons!”
The boy beamed widely as the Kricketot happily followed his lead, playing his current favorite song back to him. They answered his enthusiasm with a dynamic – if somewhat disorganized – instrumentation Dia could only dream of replicating on his own. He cheered when they opted to give him an encore with twice the volume.
Akari, having witnessed the entirety of the impromptu symphony’s foundation with a sort of resigned befuddlement, finally decided to break her silence. “What even is this song anyway? It’s a strange one.”
“It’s a theme song from my favorite anime.”
“... Anime?” Akari tried the word experimentally.
“It’s like… a story that gets drawn out in a way that people can watch. It’s got music and voice-acting, good guys versus bad guys, and it’s super fun and interesting!”
“... I’ll take your word for it,” she decided. “It’s making our job a lot easier, and that’s good enough for me.”
She was right; this was the third time Proteam Omega specifically had helped him bond with a Pokemon. If Pearl could see him, he’d have to concede its usefulness at this point!
“That said and done, we should probably get going soon. I imagine the Professor’s expecting us.”
Also true. Between Akari and himself, they’d recruited a number of Pokemon more – plenty enough to consider the expedition successful, he figured. So it was probably time to ask:
“Would any of you like to come with Akari and me?”
All Kricketot song ceased, simultaneously cut off. Dia observed the stock-still Pokemon and their trembling antenna, which caused concern to pool in his belly. Was something wrong-?
“Dia! Get down!”
Akari shoved him to the ground before he could investigate. There, a blur of orange zoomed past them, a mere meter behind his companion's ashen face.
“De-le-le WOOOOOOOOOOOP!!”
The girl scrambled to her feet, pulling Dia up beside her. He stumbled to rebalance himself as his eyes locked onto their attacker:
That was one large Kricketune. With very red, very angry eyes.
"It's an Alpha," Akari croaked.
What’s an Alpha? Dia wanted to ask, but neither Akari nor the Kricketune gave him the chance. A chaotic melody sounded from the insect while his companion scrambled to get them both away. Between them, the Kricketot scattered – some to the pair of humans, some to their evolution, and others away from them both.
“Run!” She screamed at him, her urgency echoed by the chittering of their tinier companions. He tripped over himself in his attempts to oblige.
This was a scarily familiar situation, he thought, remembering his last Kricketune encounter. He and Missy had been pursued by one alongside a Drapion at Lake Verity. He and Lax rode on Platinum’s Ponyta while trying to fend them off. Dia wasn’t sure their recently-acquired Ponyta were experienced enough to handle a human rider, but there was still something to be learned from that experience:
They needed a way to keep their distance.
A directed flash plopped a tiny bug Pokemon onto Dia’s head. Since his expression was hidden from that position, Dia did his best to keep his voice steady enough as to not startle his new friend despite their current circumstance. “Wurmple, we need to-”
“What are you doing?!” Akari exclaimed, horrified. “We aren’t strong enough to battle an Alpha!”
Dia stifled the grimace that itched to form when Wurmple whimpered at the frightening revelation. “We won’t battle,” he instead reassured them, “not directly anyway. Wurmple, can you String Shot Kricketune from there? I promise we’ll keep you safe.”
There was a second of silence – hesitance, fear, consideration, Dia wasn’t sure – before the worm obliged. After a few seconds, a rolling thud sounded behind them as Kricketune bodily collided with the ground – a sight that had Akari gaping.
Dia made sure to express his gratitude to his littlest companion before addressing them both: “That should give us a little more time to get away, but not much. Do you know a good place to hide, Akari?”
“U-uh…” The girl stammered as she forced herself back to attention, racking her brain for an answer as wide, grey eyes darted from side to side. Finally, she pointed to a segment of wildly untame, tall grass up a ledge and over the hill. “There!”
The trio dove into the greenery alongside two Kricketot. Dia struggled to keep his panting quiet while Akari carefully spied on their attacker from afar.
“It cut through!” She hissed, tensing. “It's free, but… I don't think it knows where we are now.” She sounded awed, like she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth.
“I wonder what made it so angry?” Dia's eyes landed on the two Kricketot that followed them, watching the way their antenna continued to tremble – soundlessly now. Was that simply a product of fear? Or was that how they sensed Kricketune's presence earlier?
“It's an Alpha,” Akari repeated, stressing the word, but that didn't answer Dia’s inquiry. Her gaze never left the Pokemon in question.
“What's an Alpha?”
“You don't know-?” She cut off her appalled – and somewhat hysteric – whisper to explain. “They're stronger than average and are usually leaders of a pack. They're very territorial. Th-they've killed humans because we got too close.”
The frightened admission prompted Dia to give the other Surveyor another cursory search. Cold sweat dripped down her face while her extremities shook, yet, despite her obvious fright, Akari was doing everything in her power to keep it together.
“DE! De-loop!” The desperate cries ripped Dia’s attention away from their hideout. The Kricketune was back on its feet again, bellowing at a few of the Kricketot at its feet as they attempted to appease it with wary titters. It was in vain, however, as the Alpha only grew more agitated. Impatiently, it pushed past them in order to continue its search, severely rebuking anyone that tried to intervene.
Akari’s hand grabbed his; one flustered glance informed him that she once again was ready to bolt and drag him along if need be. The Kricketot next to them were similarly cautious as they communicated silently with one another through slow and deliberate twitching.
Kricketune was almost certainly their leader, and it was clearly agitated. Both Akari and the smaller Pokemon were fearful of a disastrous encounter, and yet, despite the Alpha’s severe temperament, it wasn’t cruel to its own kind. Simply… dismissive of the lingering Kricketot, those who were clearly assisting in their getaway. It was reacting to the presence of human intruders.
Territorial indeed. Protective of its home and its dependents. It probably would be best to leave.
After returning Wurmple, Dia scanned the area for escape routes that would keep them out of sight, only to find little more than additional patches of tall grass and a couple of trees. Maybe they could skirt around from one grass patch to the next, but, ideally, Kricketune would miss them entirely and continue its search elsewhere. If not, Dia wasn’t confident enough in either his speed or endurance on foot to try outrunning it…
The giant insect drew nearer and nearer until it was nearly towering over them. Dia’s free hand hovered toward Cinder’s Pokeball, just in case-
“De-le-le-!”
They both flinched, the grip in his palm tightening as the Alpha’s scissor arms smashed into a nearby tree, ripping deep tears into the heart of the trunk. A tiny Burmy fell to the ground with a quiet thud. Immediately, it leaped upright in a hasty attempt to get away, only to get cut off by the same blades as they buried themselves into the ground at its sides.
“No!” Dia jumped up, then a desperate pull on his arm caused him to stumble back to his knees. It was too late though; the damage was done. He’d already released Cinder so that, when Kricketune turned to their hiding place, it was met with a face full of fire. The Burmy was released with a cry of rage as its attacker changed targets, thankfully allowing the tinier bug to scutter away. “Keep your distance with Quick Attack!” Dia instructed, yelping when Akari decided it was time for them to abandon the tall grass. Cinder trailed behind them, zig-zagging in an attempt to hold Kricketune’s attention. Between the priority move and the lingering effects of String Shot from earlier, she was just fast enough to play keep away while the Kricketune grew increasingly more agitated with every miss. She wouldn't be able to keep it up forever, but with the way things were going, neither would her powerful opponent.
“Akari, wait,” Dia pulled back, eliciting a panicked cry from his companion.
“We have to go-”
“No, we don’t. Look!” Dia pointed to the wide-swinging Alpha and its narrow misses. Behind it, the Kricketot entourage that followed it still, urging the other to back down. “It’s slowed down thanks to String Shot, so Cinder’s doing okay on her own for now, but if Pikachu joins-”
Her eyes blew up wide. “You’re crazy.”
“It’ll be okay-”
Her head shook as she inched backwards, her grip slackening with terror. “You said we weren’t going to fight it-!”
“I know, and I'm sorry, but we just need to land another attack or two,” Dia explained. “We don’t have to defeat it – agitated Pokemon tend to calm down after battling, so maybe then we can talk to it.”
“Talk to it?” Akari sounded like she wanted to cry. “This is an Alpha! It won’t- it won’t listen.”
“It might,” Dia insisted, then paused, “and if it doesn’t, we can keep running. It should be too tuckered out to follow for long by that point. It’ll be easier to get away.”
That seemed to get through to her somewhat, finally stilling enough to allow her tremulous gaze to search his expression – one that reflected a calm determination honed by experience.
“Okay.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “What do Pikachu and I need to do?”
After taking a moment to brief Akari, he turned to address the brave Kricketot duo who followed them even now. Curiously, worriedly, they watched him as he bent down to their level. “Can I ask you two a favor?”
Run.
The command repeated in Akari’s head with a force that easily chipped away at her tremulous trust in Dia’s idea to fight.
He’s crazy, she thought even as she directed Pikachu to use Thunder Wave. Her companion’s Cyndaquil maintained the Alpha’s attention right up until the paralyzing move landed, at which point it moved its hateful glare to them.
RUN.
Her legs trembled under the strain of that desire, desperate, yet tragically forbidden.
Theoretically, the combined use of status moves and long-range attacks from two different, albeit much weaker opponents wasn’t a terrible strategy. But this was an Alpha . Even a Pokemon like Kricketune – which, normally, wouldn’t be much of a threat – made for a frightening foe, one that wouldn't stop once it won.
We’re going to die.
Thoughts of her imminent death joined the mantra to flee in numerous, desperate attempts to crumble her resolve. She knew she wouldn’t last much longer – the instinct of self-preservation was strong in her.
Hence, when the giant insect locked eyes with her some time later, she bounded back several paces, wary of the anger burning there even as the Alpha heaved heavy breaths-
It- it was tired.
It glared, but its assault had paused.
“Cinder, Pikachu, step back for a moment, please!” Dia requested as he stepped forward.
What are you DOING?! She wanted to hiss at him for what was probably the twentieth time now, but the words wouldn’t leave her. Instead, she watched, horrified, yet enthralled as he inched just the tiniest bit closer to the Kricketune. He addressed it in an apologetic, appeasing tone, “We’re sorry for trespassing. We didn’t mean any harm, promise! We’ll leave if you want us to. But, please, hear these two out first?”
The Kricketot friends waddled up to their evolved counterpart, who still appeared to be grievously agitated if Akari was asked her opinion. Still, it waited with them as they chittered, the trio soon surrounded by the rest of their kind.
She didn’t dare take another step closer, but maybe … Dia’s plan wasn’t completely hopeless?
After some time, the two Kricketot meandered their way back to the boy. Their leader watched tensely but didn't interrupt their exchange. It remained in place until Dia met its harsh gaze with a soft one of his own.
“Thank you! We won't be long. And we'll take good care of these two!”
“Woooop,” came the Alpha’s response. It sounded no less fearsome to Akari than that first battle cry, but Dia simply returned to her side with a smile. Kricketune did not leave, but neither did it advance toward them.
It let them go.
For a long time, Akari was speechless.
They… They did it. They were okay.
She wouldn’t be left to her musings for long. Further along the path, a congratulatory voice greeted them from the back of a regal, wizened steed.
“The Great Wyrdeer alerted me to a disturbance in this area,” Warden Mai explained. “We came as quickly as we could, but you two already had it handled by the time we arrived.” Akari didn’t like the thoughtful look in her eyes as she addressed them. “I’m impressed. Besting an Alpha like that… Why, it’s just like the legendary hero of old! Not even your Security Corps has the guts to take on a foe like that one. You two are Akari and Dia, correct?”
“Y-yes, that’s us,” Akari answered as the newcomer dismounted. Dia brightened at a secondary rider behind the Diamond Clan Warden: her Munchlax. He waved, and it waved back.
“I thought as much. Your professor mentioned you were coming.” She gestured toward herself, then her Pokemon companions. “I’m Mai, a Warden from the Diamond Clan, and this is my Pokemon partner, Munchlax. Accompanying us is the Great Wyrdeer.” This Pokemon she introduced with great reverence as the snow deer observed them both keenly. “May we escort the two of you back to your comrades?”