Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Somewhere in the Hoenn region rests a pristine forest. Rarely touched by humans, it serves as a haven for Pokemon of all shapes and sizes.

A green tinged Aron was resting on a rock. She stretched out and yawned with a sleepy “aar?” As she opened her eyes one was a ruby red while the other was a sapphire blue.

She blinked a bit when she saw Pokemon starting to run towards her rock. She let out a yelp of surprise as a Mightyena started running right at her, shrinking down a bit in fear, but the Mightyena leaped over at her, vanishing into the underbrush.

“Aron?” She asked, looking around in confusion, trying to figure out what had caused the Pokemon to run, then she heard a crashing sound.

Coming from the same direction she had seen the Pokemon running from was a huge machine. It had some sort of metal attachment on the front and was painted red with a black and red M on the side.

“ARON!” She said startled, and started running as fast as she could away from the terrifying machine.

She ran through the forest as fast as she could, trying to avoid the machine, but she wasn’t particularly fast. As it was bearing down on her, she felt a pain in her side and stumbled, falling onto her belly.

She screamed, expecting to feel the horrible machine crushing her small body.

But the feeling never came. Instead she was grabbed by something, and she looked up to see that she was being held by a human girl dressed in leaves and with unkempt brown hair and blue eyes. She was holding a vine in her other hand that she had swung on as they landed in a tree.

“Aron?” She asked, confused.

“Be alright,” the girl said, giving the Aron a reassuring smile. “Will stop.”

The girl stared down at the bulldozer as it started to pass by the tree she was in. She made sure that the Aron was secure in her arms before leaping down onto the cab.

“Huh?” A woman’s voice said from inside.

The girl reached down and yanked the door off its hinges before grabbing a woman in strange red garb inside and pulling her out. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“May want know why you’re destroying forest!” the girl shouted.

“May? Why does a month want to know why I’m doing this?” The woman asked, confused.

The girl glared at her as she realized that the machine was still moving. She tossed the woman off the machine and pulled herself into it.

As she pushed one of the controls, letting out a yelp as it just caused it to go faster, she tried to grab at it and pull again, but it was stuck.

As the girl started to panic, the Aron leaped out of her arms and bit down on the keys, turning her head before pulling them out. After a moment, the machine came to a stop, and the girl and the Pokemon let out a sigh of relief.

“Aron, Ar!” The Aron chirped.

“May thank you,” the girl said as she gave the Aron a hug.

The two of them jumped out of the machine together, running towards the woman who was groaning in pain and starting to gather herself together.

May grabbed the woman by the scruff of her uniform and pulled her up. “May ask again, why you destroy forest?”

“Uh, I assume you’re May then,” the woman said with a nervous gulp.

“May is May, yes.”

“Well, then May my name is Kerry,” the woman said, trying to sound more defiant than she felt. “I’m here to clear the land so that people can live here.”

“This forest protected land!” May snapped. “Build somewhere else!”

“Yeah, well, that’s the problem, it’s getting in the way of progress, so we’re taking matters into our own hands,” Kerry said. “If we tear it down, the government will have no choice but to have it developed.”

May’s eyes go feral as she throws Kerry to the ground. She bared her teeth and her fingers formed into a claw motion as she lashed out towards the woman.

“AR, ARON!” A familiar voice shouted as the Aron ran between the two of them, May stopping just in time.

“She hurt forest, she hurt Pokemon friends,” May growled. “She deserve…”

“Aron! Aron Ar!” The Aron said.

“She bad human, why stop May?” May asked.

“Aron, Ron, Ar,” the Aron said, looking back at Kerry for a moment, then back at May and shaking her head.

“Fine, will take to city,” May said with a frustrated sigh. “If they listen, they take her. May won’t kill Kerry.”

With that she grabbed another vine and bound up Kerry. The strange woman struggled against her, but the teenager was stronger than she expected.

“Hey, you can’t do this, I have rights!” Kerry shouted as May put another vine in as a gag.

“So do Pokemon,” May said as she made sure everything was secure.

“Aron?” The Aron asked, looking up at May.

May bent down and looked at the Aron, smiling softly and patting the Aron on the head. “Thank you, you big help. Stopped May from doing bad thing.”

“Aron!” The Aron said, nuzzling against May’s hand. She watched as May started to walk away with the woman in tow. “Ron?”

“You want come with May?” May asked, turning back to look at the Pokemon.

“Aron!” Aron said, nodding her head enthusiastically.

“Okay, you can come,” May said with a smile as the Aron ran up next to her. “Come, we have city to find.”

00000

Several hours later, May, Kerry, and Aron arrived at a town. May was carrying Kerry over her head and looking ahead at the town tucked away in the woods at the base of a mountain.

“May seen this town before, never enter though,” she said as she looked down at the Aron.

“Aron, ar,” The Aron said with a nod.

She walked up to a sign, looking at it confused for a moment as she tried to read what it said. She sighed and lowered Kerry, removing the vine gag for a moment.

“What sign say?”

“You’re kidding, I thought that was just some sort of insane cosplay, are you really some sort of illiterate jungle girl?” Kerry scoffed.

“What sign say,” May said, annoyed.

“Verdanturf, now put me…” Kerry started to say before the vine was put back in her mouth.

“Verdanturf, May thank you,” May said as she hoisted the woman up again and started walking into town. 

As she walked around, she got a few weird looks. She swore she heard some people whispering.

“Is that the Jungle Girl?

“I thought she didn’t exist.”

“Crap, I owe my friends money…”

“What’s she doing in town?”

May didn’t pay any attention to them, instead she saw a woman with pink hair dressed in casual wear who was walking around with a Bidoof. and walked up to her.

“May has captured bad person, where May take bad person?” She asked.

“Uh… why are you carrying around that woman?” the pink haired woman asked. “What is going on?”

“Mmffff, mff, errf,” Kerry said into the gag.

People started gathering around, whispering and looking at May and Kerry. The woman just looked at her incredulously, not sure how to answer this strange girl’s question.

“May asked question,” May said, but when she didn’t get an answer she shook her head. “Pink lady dumb, May ask Pokemon.”

She could hear more whispers as she brushed past the woman.

“Are they shooting some sort of movie? I don’t think I’ve seen her from Hoenn TV.”

“Nah, with that outfit? She’s definitely that Jungle Girl.”

“That’s insane, she’s so young.”

May knelt down next to the Bidoof and gave them a reassuring smile. “Hey, May caught this bad person and needs to take them where bad people go. Where May take bad person?” She asked.

The Bidoof looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Doof doof, bi doof bi,” he said.

May nodded. “Thank you, May need find blue lady but Harold not know where blue haired lady is.”

“How did you know my Bidoof’s name is Harold?” The pink haired woman asked.

“Harold told May,” May answered.

“Huh?” The woman asked.

“Tell May where blue haired lady is so May can give her bad lady,” May said.

“Blue-haired lady?” The pink woman asked. “Do you mean Officer Jenny?”

“If Officer Jenny is blue lady, yes,” May said with a nod.

“Alright people, what’s going on here?” A voice said from outside the gathering crowd.

People moved to the side and a blue haired lady dressed in a blue uniform stepped through. She had a name tag that read Linda Jenny, not that May could read it.

May ran up to the officer with Kerry. “Blue Lady, May has bad person,” she said as she unceremoniously put the woman down. “May want hand over bad person.”

“Young lady…” Linda said as she looked over Kerry and then raised an eyebrow at May. “Did you abduct this woman?”

“May not do anything bad,” May said confused. “Bad woman destroy forest. May caught new friend who tell May to take bad woman to people, so May brought bad person here.”

“Oh this is going to be a long day…” Linda muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, I will take this… woman off you, but I need you to make a statement at the station.”

May nods and let Linda take Kerry before following after her.

“Ron ron ar,” the Aron chirped as she skipped along behind May.

“MRF MRF!” Kerry shouted into her gag as she was led off by Linda.

00000

May looked up at the police station as Linda led her inside, placing a few Pokeballs in a box and locking it.

“This where May deliver bad person?” May asked.

“Yeah, this is where you drop off the bad person,” Linda said as she led Kerry over to a cell and put her in it, removing the vines and closing the door. “You just wait here, I’ll process you in a moment.”

“Let me out!” Kerry said, grabbing at the balls. “I didn’t even do anything, I was on a nature walk when this crazy jungle girl kidnapped me!”

“LIAR!” May said, turning more feral again as she started for the cell before Linda stopped her.

“Easy now,” she said. “Come on, I need to get a statement from you.”

May calmed down after a moment and headed into an office with Linda. Linda took a seat at her desk and gestured for May to do the same across from her.

May nervously took a seat and crouched a bit, pulling her legs to her chest. She wasn’t used to being around people, and now that she was starting to calm down she was starting to feel more nervous than anything else.

“Are you alright?” Linda asked.

“May not used to so many people,” May admitted as the Aron sat down on the floor next to her.

Linda reached into a drawer and took out a bottle of water and held it out to May. “Here, drink this.”

May carefully took it and after struggling for a moment opened the bottle and drank it quickly.

“Not so fast, you don’t want to hurt yourself,” Linda said with a smile.

May set the bottle down, she had to admit she was feeling a little better. “Thank you Blue Lady.”

“You can call me Linda,” Linda said.

“Okay, Linda,” May said.

“Aron?” the Aron said, looking up at May worriedly.

“May okay,” May said, looking at the Aron with a smile.

“Okay, so tell me exactly what happened,” Linda said.

“May was on way to see mama,” May answered as she started to tell what had happened finally. “Then heard odd noise, went to check out odd noise, saw strange machine tearing up forest and saved new friend.”

“Ar ar!” The Aron said with a nod of confirmation.

“Then May grab bad person from machine,” May continued. “Aron stop machine and May come here with bad person.”

“Hmm…” Linda said as she reached into her pocket and took out a phone.

“What that?” May asked.

“It’s a Rotom Phone,” Linda said. “I’m going to use it to show you a few things, I want you to identify what she was driving.”

“Okay…” May said, looking a bit confused as Linda walked over next to her and started showing her pictures of construction vehicles. After a few pictures, her eyes lit up. “That one!”

“Hmmm, a bulldozer, that makes sense sadly,” Linda said.

“Was red, had weird symbol on it,” May added, using her finger to draw the M symbol in the air. “Like bad person’s clothes.”

“Alright, I’m going to have to check on this myself,” Linda said. “But unfortunately it's likely already gone.”

“Gone?” May asked.

“Based on her clothes, I suspect your bad person is a member of Team Magma,” Linda said. “They’ve been causing problems all over the region like this, but we haven’t been able to pin down any evidence on them. So they get let off the hook.”

“What you mean let off hook? May no use hook to capture bad person,” May said confused. “And you saying there are more bad persons?”

“Its an expression, it just means she most likely won’t face proper punishment,” Linda said. “And yes, there are multiple people in Team Magma. They’re not even the only criminal organization we are dealing with, it feels like the region is building up to a gang war.”

Before May could ask what she meant, Linda muttered. “If the Champion would do his job, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What mean Champion?” May asked. “Champion also bad person?”

Linda shook her head. “No, he’s not a bad person, he’s just usually busy with his own interests, so he’s left it up to the local police unless there’s more proof that they’re more than common criminals.”

“So, Champion can stop bad persons?” May asked.

“Yes, it’s part of their job,” Linda said.

“Then May must become Champion! Then May save forest!” May said excitedly, standing up on her chair, causing Linda to blink in surprise.

Linda smiled softly, May was a young energetic girl. She reminded her so much of… of…

She shook her head and leaned back in her chair as May sat back down.

“How May become Champion?” May asked.

Linda smiled a bit at that. “Well, if you really want to become Champion, you’ll need to collect eight different badges from the officially recognized gyms across the region.”

May nods in understanding. “May need beat all gyms, get badges, what else?”

“First its only eight badges, not all badges, there’s about fourteen official gyms in the region,” Linda clarified. “Though I suppose you could go for all fourteen if you wanted. The next league is in about four months, and they’re every six months, so you might not have enough time to get them and sign up.”

“May not wait!” May shouted eagerly. “May get badges, enter league, become Champion, and stop team Badma!”

“It’s Team Magma you stupid jungle twit!” Kerry shouted from the cell.

“I should’ve closed that door,” Linda said as she got up and walked over to the door, shutting it.

“So May go to Gyms, beat up Gym Leaders,” May said.

“Hold up, you don’t fight the Gym Leader, your Pokemon do,” Linda quickly said.

“May hear about Pokemon weapon fights,” May commented. “Forge… something.”

“That’s in a different region,” Linda said.

“Oh…” May said, looking slightly disappointed. “Oh well, May will do Pokemon fights!”

“That’s Pokemon BATTLES!” The muffled voice of Kerry said from the other room.

Linda nodded slightly, ignoring Kerry, before opening a drawer and taking out five pokeballs and setting them on the desk. “These are Pokeballs, you’re going to need them if you want to catch Pokemon and participate in battles, contests, or other activities.”

“May know what Pokeballs are, never had any though,” she said, nodding her head. “Why Linda helping May?”

“May, I…” Linda started to say. “I have a daughter about your age, she recently left on her own journey. She left some things behind, and… well… you remind me of her.”

“Oh…” May said before taking the pokeballs. “Thank you.”

“You’re not quite ready to go yet,” Linda quickly added, trying to change the subject. “You need to register with the league and maybe get a Pokedex. I can talk to Professor Birch in Littleroot Town, he might be able to cut through the red tape and meet you in Mauville City.”

“Mauville City? Why May go there?” May asked.

“Well, it’s the nearest town that has a Gym,” Linda said. “We just have a Contest Hall and a Battle Tent here.”

May nodded in understanding. “Then May go to Mauville, beat gym leader, then get this Pokedex thing.”

Linda looked down at the Aron. “Your little friend there could be your starter Pokemon. You two seem to have really bonded with each other.”

“Yeah!” May said. “Aron want that?”

“Ron!” The Aron said excitedly, nodding her head.

“Alright, press the button on the pokeball and toss it,” Linda said with a slight smile.

May looked over the pokeballs before picking up a pink one with a heart on it. She tapped the button and to her surprise it enlarged. “Whoah!”

“Okay, now throw it,” Linda said.

May nodded and tossed the pokeball at the Aron. It opened up and Aron was drawn in with a smile on her face. The ball shook for a moment before DING.

“May caught friend!” May said as she picked up the pokeball, only to have it open again and the Aron appeared in her arms.

“Ron, Aron, ro!” The Aron said.

“You no want to stay in ball?” May asked and the Aron shook her head.

“Huh, I’ve heard of this,” Linda commented. “Sometimes Pokemon don’t want to stay in their ball after being caught, I haven’t seen it though.”

“Okay, friend no have to stay in ball!” May said and Aron chirped happily. “Now, need name.”

“Ar ar ron ar!” Aron said.

“Linda, what pretty rocks May see humans wear call?” May asked.

“You mean gemstones in jewelry?” Linda said with a confused look.

“May not like gem, so call friend Jewel, like jewelry,” May said.

“Aron!” Jewel chirped happily.

“Thanks Linda,” May said as she got up and picked up Jewel. “You big help.”

“I did my best,” Linda said.

“May go become champion now,” May said as she headed out of the office.

Linda smiled sadly, May was a bit rough around the edges, but she seemed like a good kid. She wondered if her daughter was okay out there, it felt like they hadn’t talked in a while.

Maybe May would find her on her journey. She wondered if they could be friends.

That’s when something occurred to her.

“Hey wait!” She said, heading to the door. “May you need clothes!”

But May was already gone.

00000

“Boss, I’m in the forest where Team Magma was going,” a girl with blue-green hair with a black bandanna with a skeletal letter A on it and dressed in a blue and white striped shirt and dark pants said into a Poke Nav.

“Alright, how much damage was done?” A gruff sounding male voice said on the other end.

“Well, it looks like they started clearing part of the forest,” the girl said as she walked along the path cleared by the bulldozer. “At least they didn’t start the burning part.”

“Well, let’s be thankful for small miracles,” the voice said.

“Well, maybe if I can catch up to them I can…” the girl started to say when she neared the end of the cleared section. “Or it just stops…”

She looked around, spotting the remains of the bulldozer with the discarded door and signs of a struggle. She was about to step forward when there was the sound of a twig breaking and she ducked behind a tree.

“Boss, I’m going to have to call you back,” she whispered as she shut off the communicator.

She pulled herself up into the tree just in time to see several people dressed in Team Magma uniforms stepping out into the clearing.

“Alright, come on,” one of the Grunts said, she had a hood pulled over her head, but some pink hair was sticking out. “The boss wants us to get this out of here as quickly as possible.”

“Shouldn’t we finish the job, Natasha?” Another one of them asked.

“Negative,” she answered. “Our friend in Verdanturf said that the crazy girl who disrupted the operation took her to the local police station. They’re going to be all over this place, so we need to get it out first.”

“Yes ma’am,” one of the grunts said as they started working on securing the bulldozer.

The girl in blue leaned forward as she took out her phone and started snapping photos of what was going on. Hopefully this would at least help their cause.

“The last thing we need right now is trouble from the police,” Natasha said as she crossed her arms.

She knelt down next to the spot where the bulldozer had come to a stop.

“It looks like Kerry was attacked by someone here,” she said. “A human… a teenage girl probably, and an Aron.”

“Are you sure?” One of the Grunts asked.

“I heard there’s supposed to be some sort of jungle girl in this forest,” another said. “And a crazy girl grabbed Kerry.”

“Nah, that sounds crazy,” a third grunt said with a shake of her head. “That’s just an urban legend. Was probably just a passing trainer that stumbled across her.”

Natasha frowned as she examined the scene for a moment, but she didn’t pay any attention to what they were saying.

“Set a signal flare and we’ll have the helicopter pick it up,” she finally said as one of the grunts popped a signal flare and tossed it next to the bulldozer.

The blue haired girl made her way down the tree and made her way into the forest. She took her Pokenav out again and hit the number for her boss.

“Boss, Team Magma found the bulldozer before I could,” she said.

“It's alright Alison,” the gruff voice said on the other end. “Did you learn anything interesting?”

“It sounds like someone attacked their bulldozer and whoever they had in it,” Alison answered. “It looks like whoever took it out did some pretty nasty damage too. They were talking about some crazy girl in the town.”

“I see,” the voice said. “Alright, we’ll keep a look out. Can you go back to Verdanturf?”

“No… not right now,” Alison said as she played with a strand of her hair. “I’m not ready to go home yet.”

“Alright, I’ll arrange for something. In the meantime, see if you can figure out where whoever attacked Team Magma went.”

“Yes boss, I’ll keep you updated,” Alison said as there was a click.

She was about to start walking when her Rotom Phone went off. She took it out to see there was a text message from her mom.

“Hey Ally, I met a girl today that reminded me a lot of you. Hope you’re doing okay. Have a good journey, and I love you.”

Alison sighed a bit, but took her phone and typed out a quick answer. She didn’t want to worry her mom right now, so she needed to answer quickly anyway.

“Huh, neat. About to go catch a Pokemon. Will talk to you later, love you too.”

And with that she vanished into the forest.

00000

May was now running back into the forest with Jewel in her arms.

“Ron ar?” Jewel asked curiously.

“May still need to talk to mama and mom,” May answered as she made her way down one of the trails made by Pokemon. “Was just gonna visit, but now May need tell mama she going on Pokemon travel.”

“Ar ar ar,” Jewel said.

“Wait, it called Pokemon Journey not travel?” May asked, tilting her head as she jumped into the trees and started bounding through them. “That weird.”

Jewel looked around, realizing what direction they were heading in and spoke up. “Ron! Ar, ron!”

“What?” May asked.

“Ron!” Jewel said.

“Oh, we no go towards Bulldozer,” May said, feeling a bit foolish that she hadn’t thought of that. “Jewel right, May take other route.”

“Ron!” Jewel said as the two of them changed course into the forest, just barely missing Alison who was heading in the opposite direction.

00000

May and Jewel arrived at a small cave not long after. May cleared her throat before calling into the cave. “MAMA, MOM, May home!”

Jewel was a bit surprised when a Gardevoir stepped out of the cave. Her color was a bit faded, showing that she was likely older by Pokemon standards.

“Gard, gar voir,” she said as she hugged May who hugged her back.

“May happy to see mama again,” May said. “Where mom?”

“Gar, Gardevoir,” the Gardevoir said, gesturing into the cave. She then looked down at Jewel and knelt down. “Gar voir?”

“Ar ron!” Jewel chirped happily.

“This new friend Jewel,” May said. “May meet today.”

“Ar ar, ron!” Jewel chirped, looking up at the Pokemon curiously. “Aron?”

“May sorry she late but may have something important to tell mama and mom” may stated after her mom let her go

Before she could say more, a Goodra came running out of the cave and pulled May into a tight hug. “DRA DRA GOO!” She said happily.

“Ar ar, ron!” Jewel said, looking up at the Dragon Pokemon in surprise. “Aron?”

“May sorry she late, but May have something important to tell Mama and Mom,” May said as the Goodra finally let her go.

“Ron, ron,” Jewel said with a nod.

“Oh yes, this is May’s mama Martha,” May said, gesturing towards the Gardevoir. “And mom Lucy.”

Lucy has picked up Jewel and is hugging her tight. “Dragoo,” she said sweetly.

“Devoir,” Martha said as she pulled May in for a hug again before smiling and clapping slightly. “Gar Gardevoir!”

She led them into the cave. There was a stockpile of berries in one corner and two rough looking beds on opposite ends. Martha gestured for May and Jewel to take a seat.

“Gardevoir,” she said as May sat down while Jewel sat in her lap.

“May tell you what happened,” May said as she crossed her legs and started recounting the events of the day.

“Gardevoir!” Martha said, startled at what May had done.

“Dra?” Lucy added.

“Yes, that why May want become Champion,” May said, it was harder to say that out loud to the two Pokemon than she had expected. “May protect home.”

Lucy grabbed may tightly “DRAAAAA” she whined 

“Mom may have to do this and may not kid anymore” may stated

Martha walked up and gently put a hand on lucys shoulder “gar gar voir” she said sweetly

There was a moment’s pause as May waited to see what her moms would say. She was starting to wonder if maybe this wasn’t the right decision.

“DRAAAAAAAAA!” Lucy cried as she hugged May tightly. “Goo, dra!”

“Mom…” May said as she let the Goodra hug her as she started to cry too. “May need do this… for moms, and home.”

“Dra…” Lucy said as she gently patted May on the back and held her close. “Goo, Dra Dra.”

“May know,” May said softly. “May will be careful.”

“Goo,” Lucy said with a smile as Martha went deeper into the cave.

“Where Mama going?” May asked.

“Dra,” Lucy said, which just made May more confused.

Martha came back out of the cave holding what looked like an old looking bag. She smiled as she held it out to May who carefully took it.

“Devoir,” she said.

“This Mama’s special bag,” May said. “Mama sure?”

“Gardevoir,” Martha said with a nod.

May looked at it for a moment, then hugged Martha tightly. “Thank you mama…”

May smiled as she felt the gooey arms of Lucy wrapping her arms around her. She enjoyed the moment of closeness with her mothers, knowing it was probably going to be the last time she saw them for a while.

Then she realized there was someone missing from the hug.

“Jewel, join family!” she said.

“Ar!” Jewel said as she ran up and joined the hug with May and her moms. May smiled a bit as she closed her eyes, just happy to be there.

“Voir voir voir de voir voir gar gar de voir voir,” Martha said.

“MAMA, MAY KNOW TO WEAR CLEAN UNDERWEAR!” May said, which made the Pokemon laugh.

As May started to gather up her things, Martha and Lucy walked over to her carrying part of the pile of berries to her.

“Mama don’t have to…” May started to say.

“Dra,” Lucy said with a shake of her head.

“Devoir,” Martha agreed.

“Okay,” May said as she put the berries away. She shared one more hug with her moms before giving them a smile. “May will be back.”

She picked up Jewel again and headed back into the forest. She took one last look back at Martha and Lucy and gave them a wave before vanishing into the forest.

At that point Lucy broke down crying and Martha gently wrapped her arms around her, patting her reassuringly.

“Gar, Gardevoir,” she said soothingly.

“Goo, Goodra,” Lucy said as she sniffed a bit.

“Devoir, Gar Gardevoir,” Martha said as the two of them held each other for a few minutes.

They hoped that May would be okay.

Chapter Text

2 Weeks Ago.

A small unassuming building rested outside of Lilycove City. Most people didn’t pay any attention to it, a few people knew that it belonged to the Devon Corporation, but no one really knew anything else.

Underneath it was a lab where a woman wearing a lab coat with a duffle bag over her shoulder was nervously waiting in front of a computer. She adjusted a pair of pink glasses, her hair was white and tied into a braid.

“Come on… come on, faster…” she said as she tapped her fingers nervously on the desk, watching the progress bar. “Why does this have to take so long…”

She looked at a monitor and went pale when she saw people heading down a hallway.

“Damn it…” She said, and let out a sigh of relief as the files were finished deleting. She quickly grabbed the USB and threw it into her bag. “Arceus, help me get out of here…”

“Hello Dr. Hikari,” a voice said, and she looked up to see a man with short red hair and dressed in a dark red suit with a pair of glasses on his face. He was leading a group of men and women who were looking at Dr. Hikari curiously. “There you are.”

“Vice President Maxie,” Dr. Hikari said nervously as she adjusted her duffle bag. “I was just about to…”

“I know you’ve been busy lately,” Maxie said as he gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But we’ve had some investors interested in your project recently. I was hoping you could show them around your lab, it could help get more funding.”

“Ah… yes… of course,” Dr. Hikari said, trying to come up with a quick excuse to get out of the lab. “One of my assistants should be able to give them the tour. Unfortunately, I need to leave, my brother is in the hospital so it’s a bit of an emergency.”

“And the bag?” Maxie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I was planning on doing an all nighter and was going to sleep in the break room,” Dr. Hikari said with a shrug. “But my brother and everything… I need to get going. Talk to Tabitha, they know everything I do.”

“Is this the kind of work ethic your employees have?” One of the women asked in a snooty voice. “I’m amazed you get anything done here.”

“Well of course, we are like a family here at Devon,” Maxie said, smiling again. “Dr. Hikari is like a daughter to me, so if there is a family emergency, then it is like we all have a family emergency.”

Dr. Hikari tried not to look nervous as she smiled and nodded. “Then I can go?”

“Of course,” Maxie said, waving her off.

“Thank you…” Dr. Hikari said as she started to walk off quickly.

“Well, this Project Antediluvian had better be worth it,” the same woman from before said.

“Oh, it is,” Maxie said as Dr. Hikari kept walking. “With this, we will be able to do more to wield Mega Evolution, and beyond.”

Dr. Hikari picked up the pace once she was sure it was safe, holding her bag close to her. She wasn’t paying attention and nearly ran into a larger person dressed in a lab coat and with short black hair and more androgynous features.

“Oh, Tabitha… I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” Dr. Hikari said.

“Is everything okay?” Tabitha asked. “You seem to be in a rush.”

“Yeah, I gotta get to the hospital quickly,” Dr. Hikari said nervously. “My brother and all that… Maxie wants to see you in the lab.”

“Ah, okay,” Tabitha said. “Hope your brother is okay.”

“Yeah, me too,” Dr. Hikari said. “Good luck with the investors.”

Tabitha waved her off and continued on their way down the hallway.

Dr. Hikari pressed the button for the elevator, trying not to look nervous. After a few seconds it dinged and the doors opened up and she quickly stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor.

The elevator felt like it was taking forever as she gripped her bag close to her. She couldn’t help but be afraid that they were going to catch her and the elevator would stop.

“Come on, come on…” Dr. Hikari said nervously.

After what felt like an eternity, there was another ding as the elevator doors opened. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw that she was on the first floor and quickly stepped out. She walked past some other workers, not saying anything to him as she left the building.

She didn’t stop until she reached a bright red motorcycle and climbed on it. She unzipped her bag and looked at a strange device with a glass sphere. Resting at its center was a gemstone that randomly flashed between Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald colors.

She wished she had never found this. She had worked hard to build this new life for herself, and now everything was starting to come crashing down around her.

But she knew she couldn’t let anyone get their hands on it.

She put on a red helmet as an alarm started to blare from the building. She turned on the motorcycle and drove off down the road just as Maxie and Tabitha came out of the building, watching her go.

“She got away…” Tabitha said.

“For now…” Maxie added, clenching his fist before taking out his phone and hitting a number. “I need a full mobilization immediately. Bring me Dr. Takara Hikari.”

00000

Two weeks later, Dr. Hikari was driving down Route 117, cursing to herself as her motorcycle started to sputter and slow down.

“Come on… why now?” She muttered as she pulled it off to the side of the dirt road. “Come on… this isn’t the time…”

Her stomach growled as she started going through her stuff. “Yes, I know, thank you for reminding me,” she said sarcastically. “I’d kill for a fresh Taurous Burger…”

She sighed as she started to try and piece together what was wrong with the motorcycle. She was starting to feel more frustrated as she was having a hard time figuring it out.

“I’m a scientist, not a mechanic,” she said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “It looks like the battery is dead though. So, I need to charge the battery and it will be good to go.”

“You shouldn’t talk to yourself so much, Dr. Hikari,” a voice said from behind her.

“Yes, yes, I know it's a bad habit I have,” Dr. Hikari said without looking up from her work. “It helps me straighten out my thoughts, but it's a bad habit I have.”

Then she realized that she was talking to someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. She spun around to see a tall muscular woman dressed in a red uniform.

“Can I help you?” She asked in a concerned tone.

“Yes you can,” the woman said with a grin. “I’m looking for an Anti Dil Pickler, I’ve heard you have one."

Dr. Hikari blinked at her in confusion for a moment, trying to parse what she had said. “Anti dil… I think you mean Antediluvian, you muscle headed buffoon, I don’t even like pickles… which, hmm… come to think of it an anti dill pickler would prevent them from being made, but how would that work?”

“Hey, focus!” The woman said.

“Right, that’s not important, what is important is that it's called Antediluvian," Dr. Hikari said.

“Are you sure?” The muscular woman asked. She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper and read it. “Hmm… guess it does say Antediluvian, thank you for correcting me.”

“Uh, you’re welcome?” Dr. Hikari said.

“Now then Dr. Hikari, the boss wants what you’ve got,” the woman said with a grin. “And come to think of it, he wants you too. So please come with me and bring the Antediluvian.”

“Right, I probably shouldn’t have corrected you, I should’ve played dumb, but instead I corrected you,” Dr. Hikari said nervously as she started to step back, reaching for a pokeball before the woman grabbed her hands.

“Oh no, none of that now,” she said. “You’re coming with me.” 

“Let go of me!” Dr. Hikari shouted out. “Help!”

She was surprised when suddenly the shape of a teenage girl slammed into the muscular woman. She was so shocked she dropped Dr. Hikari to the ground.

“You bad person, May know cus you wear bad person clothes,” the teenage girl dressed in leaves shouted, pointing at the woman.

“Okay… clearly I’ve gone delirious from hunger…” Dr. Hikari said. “I’ve not eaten in two days so clearly I’m delirious.”

00000

A few minutes earlier, May stretched out a bit as she walked down Route 117. She looked down at Jewel who was happily trotting along next to her. “What Jewel think?”

“Ron!” Jewel chirped.

“Weird not to be in trees,” May said with a sigh. “May not used to road.”

“Aron, ron,” Jewel pointed out.

“Yes, May know,” May agreed. “May must get used to it. That why May doing it.”

“Ron,” Jewel said with a nod of agreement.

The two of them walked for a bit longer, passing by some wildflowers. May was about to say something else when she heard shouting up ahead.

She looked at Jewel before nodding. “May hear trouble, come!” She said as she picked up Jewel and ran towards the hill.

As she went over the hill, she saw a woman dressed in a weird white outfit and wearing pink glasses being held by a tall muscular woman who was dressed the same as the woman she had seen in the forest.

May’s blood was boiling as she saw the woman. She let out a shout as she ran down the hill, slamming into the woman and making her drop the other woman.

“You bad person, May know cus you wear bad person clothes,” May shouted as she pointed at the muscular woman.

“Okay… clearly I’ve gone delirious from hunger…” The strange dressed woman said. “I’ve not eaten in two days so clearly I’m delirious.”

The muscular woman groaned as she got up, looking at May. “Okay, what’s the big idea attacking me like that? That was very rude, you know.

“You bad person, attacking white lady person,” May said. “So not rude, it good.”

“Look, Dr. Hikari here stole our Antediluvian and we just want it back,” the muscled woman said.

May turned and looked at Dr. Hikari who was trying to fix her glasses. “That true? You steal from bad person?”

“I don’t know why she’s saying that as the Antediluvian device doesn’t belong to Team Magma, it belonged to the Devon Corporation,” the woman said. “When I found out they were going to use it for bad things, I stole it. But it's not the property of Team magma at all, since I created it, so it should be mine anyways and not either Team Magma’s or Devon’s.”

“Uh… too many words, May confused,” May said, scratching her head. “But if you say bad person no own the uh… Anti Dill Pickle… thing…”

“That’s Antedeluvian,”  Dr. Hikari said with a sigh.

“That thing, May no let bad person take it,” May said.

“Ugh, fine, we’ll have to fight over it then,” the muscular woman said as she grabbed a pokeball. “It's rude not to introduce yourself though, I’m Li'l Mary.”

May blinked and scratched her head. “But you no little, you very big.”

“It’s probably a nickname she got out of irony or something,” Dr. Hikari commented. “Though maybe she was small when she was young, but that would be cruel from her parents. So it's probably an ironic gang name instead of a cruel parent name.”

“Ugh, can we not debate the merits of my name, please?” Li'l Mary said as she grabbed a pokeball and tossed it, letting out a Slugma. “Go Fluffy!”

“Sluug ma slug!” The Slugma deadpanned.

“Fluffy… but she no have any fluff, May confused,” May said.

“Okay… maybe she has a thing for ironic names,” Dr. Hikari said with a shrug.

“White woman no help, go Jewel!” May said as Jewel ran in front of her.

“Ron ar ron!” Jewel said excitedly.

“Kid are you stupid?” Li'l Mary asked. “Steel types are weak to fire types.”

“Normally yes, but her Aron, Jewel I believe she called her, is part rock,” Dr. Hikari said, adjusting her glasses. “That means she takes neutral damage and is not…”

“May no care about types!” May interrupted, slamming her fist on her chest. “May care about heart, heart what matters!”

“Ron!” Jewel said in agreement.

“Fluffy use Ember!” Li'l Mary shouted.

“Slugma!” Fluffy deadpanned and sent a burst of embers at Jewel.

“Jewel, jump to side, use tackle!” May countered.

Jewel jumped out of the way of the attacks and the embers harmlessly impacted against the ground. She then charged forward, running straight into the Slugma.

Fluffy was knocked back and Jewel jumped back. Her metal body was starting to turn red from the heat, but she shook it off as best she could.

“Fluffy quick, use Smog!” Li'l Mary shouted

“Slug slug,” Fluffy said with a yawn before sending out a poisonous gas that covered the area.

Jewel started to cough, her eyes burning as she looked around for any sign of the Slugma. May covered her mouth, her eyes stinging from the gas as well.

“Now hit her with a Take Down!” Li’l Mary shouted.

“Ron, ron?” Jewel said, looking around confused, she still couldn’t see her opponent and it was making her anxious.

“Jewel, brace self!” May called out, she was barely able to see Jewel through the smog herself.

“Ron!” Jewel said as she dug her feet into the ground as best she could before the Slugma came out of the smog and hit her like a truck, sending her flying back.

“Jewel okay?” May asked, looking worried at her friend.

“Ron!” Jewel said, standing up again and giving May a nod.

“QUICK USE METAL CLAW!” May shouted.

Jewel’s claws glowed and she ran forward, slashing at the Slugma but she only got a glancing blow as it retreated back into the fading smog.

“Gotta admit, your Aron is pretty tough, too bad it won’t do you any good,” Li’l Mary said with a smirk. “Now Fluffy, unleash some more Smog!”

“Slug,” Fluffy said and unleashed more smog, covering the battlefield once more.

“Dang it, what may do, Jewel barely know how fight,” May said to herself. “Though, Fluffy, still stupid name, seem inexperienced too. If Jewel can get good hit, then we win.”

Dr. Hikari looked a bit nervous as she glanced between May and Li’l Mary. For a moment she wondered if she could make a run for it, but her motorcycle was behind the Team Magma Grunt at this point.

The only thing she could do right now was put her faith in this strange teenager.

May closed her eyes, they weren’t doing her any good anyway. Her mothers had always taught her to use more than just her sense of sight anyway, maybe if she tried to focus she could think of something.

She couldn’t uncover her nose because of the Smog. That’s when she heard something through the Smog. Something she could focus on.

“Jewel, stay calm, strike when May say,” May said calmly.

“Ara,” Jewel said, her claws glowing again as she closed her eyes like her trainer.

“I don’t know what you’re doing kid, but it's time to end this,” Li’l Mary said with a grin before shouting. “FLUFFY, END THIS WITH A TAKE DOWN!”

May wasn’t listening, she blocked out all unimportant sounds. All she could hear was the beating of her heart in her chest as she tried to focus.

THUMP.

Fluffy was still somewhere in the fog.

THUMP.

She could hear the sound of the Slugma’s liquid body dripping as it moved.

THUMP.

She heard the sound of something slithering across the ground, heading right for…

THUMP.

“Jewel, use Metal Claw on right!” May called out.

“AROOOOOOOOOOON!” Jewel yelled as she swung her metal claws down and slashed Fluffy across its front, stopping the attack.

“Finish with Tackle!” May called out.

Jewel dug into the ground for a moment before charging right at Fluffy. There was the sound of something solid hitting something more liquid as Fluffy fell back, knocked out.

“Yeah!” Dr. Hikari cheered. “You did it!”

“NOOOOO! Gah, I’m going to be in so much trouble!” Li’l Mary cried as she recalled Fluffy. She then smiled. “Nah, just kidding!”

“What…” May started to say when Li’l Mary ran at Dr. Hikari and grabbed her.

“So what if I lost,” Li’l Mary said, holding the woman in front of her as a shield. “You’re not going to catch me by surprise this time! Now be a good little girl and…”

That’s when she realized that May was running right at her. “May no need take by surprise!” She said as her fist connected with Li’l Mary’s nose, making her drop Dr. Hikari as she went flying back.

“Damb, whad de hell,” Li’l Mary said, holding her nose as she realized it was bleeding. “You broke my node. How is a child so strong?”

“May eat her veggies like mama told her to,” May answered proudly.

Li’l Mary glared at her, still holding her bleeding nose. “I’ll ged you for dis,” she said as she started to run off.

May looked at the still exhausted Jewel and then at Dr. Hikari. “May need know what going on.”

Before Dr. Hikari could say anything, May spotted the motorcycle on the ground. She ran over to it and picked it up with some effort.

“Hey, what are you…” Dr. Hikari started to say.

“YOU FORGET THIS!” May yelled as she heaved the motorcycle towards Li’l Mary who just barely managed to run out of the way of it. The bike kept flying and slammed into a large tree off to the side of the road with a sickening CRUNCH.

“THAT’S NOT MINE YOU CRAZY GIRL!” She screams as she runs down the road.”

“Wait that no belong ot bad person lil mary” may asked confused “but it red may thought it ment it hers”

“Wait, it no belong to bad person Li’l Mary?” May asked, confused. “But it red like bad person.”

Dr. Hikari sighed as she made her way over towards where the remains of her motorcycle were lying. She sighed as she picked through them, grabbing what she could salvage.

“No, it was mine,” she said. “It’s not even the same shade of red, Team Magma uses a more crimson shade while my bike is… was more bright red. So its more of a hot rod red and it was my bike, and… well… you don’t look like you could pay for a replacement.”

“Uh, May sorry, May try pay you back when May become champion,” May offered, then paused. “If Champion get paid… May does not know if they get paid.”

“Most of them do I think, except in Paldea, but its more of a title there than a job,” Dr. Hikari said before continuing. “Hmm… the odds of her success are slim, but you could help fund my research and keep the Antediluvian safe…”

“Uh… May still don’t know what that is,” May said.

“I’m going to need protection if Team Magma is going after me,” she continued. “And Devon Corp is probably going to send someone after me too. But could I take advantage of a child like that?”

“May still standing here,” May said.

“Even if the odds are low, she’s clearly something special,” Dr. Hikari continued. “Maybe… maybe she has a chance, and even if she fails she could gain some fame.”

“You broken, May worried you talking to self like may not here,” May commented. “Did Li’l Mary damage brain?”

“Oh sorry, when I think I talk to myself a lot, its a bad habit, but it helps me order my thoughts,” Dr. Hikari said as she bent down and found something in the wreckage. “That’s weird.”

“What weird?” May asked.

“This isn’t supposed to be here…” Dr. Hikari said, coming up with a small device. “This isn’t supposed to be here. Team Magma was tracking me…”

“Tracking?” May asked. “Like through forest?”

“Something like that,” Dr. Hikari said as she looked around and saw a Taillow sitting on a branch. “May, can you give this to that Tailow?”

“Got it!” May said, swiping the device and scurrying up the tree towards the Taillow who opened its eyes and looked at her. “Hi bird friend. Can you help May?”

“Taill?” The Taillow asked, confused.

“Take device far away from here,” May said, holding it up. “Take somewhere safe.”

Dr. Hikari lowered her glasses as she watched the interaction. For a moment she thought the Taillow wouldn’t do it, but after a moment he held a leg out and May secured it onto it.

Maybe this was a good idea after all.

“Thank you!” May said as the Pokemon flew off and she climbed down the tree.

“You have quite a way with Pokemon,” Dr. Hikari commented.

“May close to Pokemon,” May said with a smile. “Understand.”

“Fascinating,” Dr. Hikari said. “So, how about this. If you want to pay me back for destroying my bike, then we can travel together if you agree to help keep the Antediluvian Device safe.”

“You want travel together, then May accept Doctor Friend,” May said with a smile as Jewel chirped happily from next to her.

“Well, I’d think it was more of con…” Dr. Hikari said before she saw the look on May’s face. She smiled slightly and nodded. “Well… maybe in time, but for now let’s just keep the Antediluvian Device safe, okay?”

“That fine may gladly be friends with DR friend” she smiled

“That fine, May gladly be friends with Doctor Friend,” May said.

“Uh, its Dr. Hikari, not Dr. Friend, my doctorate is not in any field associated with friendship,” Dr. Hikari said. “Though there was that one purple haired girl I met at Kipohatu University that was studying it, but I’ve never studied it. How do you even study it? Is there even a way it could be studied…”

“Uh…” May said.

“I have degrees in engineering, ancient energies, and mega evolution,” Dr. Hikari said. “Docorates in fact.”

“May’s Dr friend smart,” May said.

“Yes… yes I am…” Dr. Hikari said with a slight smile. “But just call me Takara, okay?”

“Okay Takara friend!” May said with a smile.

“I meant just… never mind,” Takara said with a laugh.

00000

Elsewhere in the Hoenn region was the small town of Littleroot. The buildings were built in harmony with the landscape. A few people walked past a one story building that had a pokeball symbol over it.

“I know this is a strange request,” Linda’s voice said over the phone. “But there’s something special about this trainer.”

“Hmm… alright, but unfortunately I’m in the middle of an important project,” a man with short brown hair and a scruff of beard and dressed in a lab coat said as he stroked his chin. “I can send one of my assistants though.”

“Okay, thank you,” Linda said. “Say hi to your wife for me.”

“Of course,” the man said as he hung up. He turned and called into another room. “Max, can you do something for me?”

“What’s going on?” A young voice asked from the other room.

“A friend of mine wants to arrange for a girl to be sponsored in the Pokemon League,” the man in the lab coat answered. “Can you go meet her at Mauville?”

He heard a very loud and audible sigh coming from the other room. “Can’t you send someone else?”

“Everyone else is either helping with the project or doing field work,” the man in the lab coat answered.

“Fine…” Max said with a sigh. “I’ll take Tropius and head for Mauville.”

“Don’t forget your own Pokedex,” the man in the lab coat said.

“Right, I’ll be back later,” Max said with a sigh. He was only in this job because his mom insisted, but he usually just did random errands for the Professor.

But there wasn’t much he could do at this point. Hopefully this job wouldn’t take long.

“How do I know how to find her?”

“Apparently she’s dressed in leaves.”

“What?”

“That’s what she told me.”

“Great, well at least she'll be easy to recognize… alright, I’m on my way.”

A few minutes later, he was flying off towards Mauville City on the back of Tropius.

Chapter Text

Three years ago.

“Lorekeeper! Lorekeeper Aster, where are you?”

A girl with black hair that trailed behind her in a ponytail. She was looking around the rubble of the tower that had served as her home for the past 5 years. The attack had been so swift, how did they even get to the Pillar?

She adjusted the cloak she was wearing over her black and red clothes, cursing at the tears in it as she looked for any signs of the attackers, but they were long gone.

She had seen the Sky God driving them away, but they could be back. She needed to find Aster…

“Please… where are you…” she said, doing what she could to try and move the rubble, but to no avail. “Aster!”

That’s when she heard it, the faint sound of moaning coming from one of the upper floors. She grabbed a pokeball off her belt and ran up the stairs, hoping she wasn’t too late.

“Aster!”

Pinned beneath a large rock was an older woman. She was dressed similarly to the girl and had graying hair, blood was dripping out of her mouth and she coughed some up as she saw the girl running up to her.

“Zinnia…” She said weakly. “Thank Rayquaza… you’re here… in time for my last words…”

“Don’t talk like that,” Zinnia said, struggling to push the rock off her. “I’m going to get you out of here… there’s that town not far from here, maybe we can get help. You still have so much to teach me still.”

“Zinnia, dear… it’s going to be okay,” Aster said, reaching out with her only free arm as she placed it on Aster’s. “I’ve taught you… everything I can…”

“No, I’m not… I’m not ready…” Zinnia said, tears pouring down her face.

She took the Pokeball and tossed it, letting out a Bagon that let out a small roar.

“Zinnia… don’t waste your energy,” Aster said weakly. “You and Beowulf… you two need to escape… warn the Draconids…”

“We’re not going to leave you behind,” Zinnia said as she turned to look at her Bagon. “Beowulf, use rock smash!”

“Bagon!” Beowulf said and charged forward, slamming his head into the rock and causing it to shatter.

“Zinnia…” Aster said.

“Aster, the Draconids need you,” Zinnia said softly, picking up Aster over her shoulder and starting to carry her. “I still need you…”

“Zinnia… I…” Aster said weakly as she reached up and placed her hand on Zinnia’s cheek. “I’m not going to make it…”

“Don’t talk like that,” Zinnia said. “I’ll get you to Guinevere, we’ll get you to Pacifidlog Town.”

“Zinnia…” Aster said, her vision starting to fade. “You… are the finest student… I ever had. You’re… going to make… a great… Lorekeeper…”

“Aster!” Zinnia cried, struggling to carry her teacher down the stairs.

“Goodbye… Zinnia…” Aster said. “The key… to… Rayqaza… rests in… the… Wild Heart… I’m so… proud… of you… Zinnia…”

Zinnia felt Aster’s last breath as she faded from the world. As she reached the entrance to the Sky Pillar, she knew it was too late. The only thing she could do now was make sure that she was sent off in the way of her people.

It took her some time, and she had to go to some of the neighboring islands, but she set up a funeral pyre. She gently placed the body of her Mentor on top of the Pyre, speaking a soft prayer to the gods of the sky.

“May you find peace in the world beyond,” she said. “May your soul reach the home of our ancestors. Aster, daughter of Opal, Lorekeeper of the Draconid people. Soar with the Dragons, Child of Draconis.”

She took a step back and nodded to Beowulf. The small Dragon Pokemon opened his mouth and embers began to grow and he sent it into the pyre, lighting it.

Zinnia stood there for as long as she could bear it. Aster had been like a second mother to her, having trained her, raised her… and now she had nothing.

“I’m sorry… I should’ve been here…” She said softly, remembering seeing the boats escaping at top speed while the Sky Pillar was burning.

She sat on the ground, not sure what to do now. Beowulf sat down with her.

As the last of the embers from the pyre faded, she started gathering up her and Aster’s things. She would need to return to her people and tell them what had happened.

Now they were without a Lorekeeper. They wouldn’t accept her, and she wasn’t even sure if she could do the job herself. She’d bring Aster’s Pokemon back home and they could figure out what to do from there at least.

She picked through Aster’s things. She found two small bundles, she carefully unwrapped the smaller of the two, finding a strange anklet that looked like a snake made of a blue-ish steel with gemstone on it and a note in it.

She unfolded the note, recognizing Aster’s handwriting. “For Zinnia, when you are the Lorekeeper this will rightfully be yours.”

She sniffed as she brushed another tear out of her eye. She removed her shoe and slid it onto her leg. To her surprise it fit perfectly.

“Thank you…” She said softly before turning her attention back to the bag.

When she unwrapped the second small bundle in the bag, a Pokemon egg was inside, and it was feeling warm. Zinnia’s eyes went wide as she realized that it was cracking open.

She and Beowulf worked quickly, helping the Pokemon get free of the shell. After a few moments, Zinnia found herself holding a small Whismur in her arms.

“Mum?” The Whismur asked, looking up at Zinnia curiously.

“Hey there…” Zinnia said, picking the last bits of eggshell off the Whismur’s ears. “I’m Zinnia…”

“Mur,” the Whismur said, snuggling against her. “Mum…”

Zinnia smiled a bit as she held the Pokemon close. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes again… maybe this was a sign that things were going to be okay.

“Yeah… I’m your mum…” she said gently. “I’ll name you… Aster.”

00000

In the present, Zinnia was walking into Mauville City in amazement. The buildings towered over her, making her feel very small as she held Aster close to her while Beowulf walked next to her.

“Huh… so this is what people outside of Meteor Village live in,” she said thoughtfully as she looked up at the buildings. She saw a few people around with strange devices paying her no mind. “This place is far larger than back home.”

“Bay bay gon,” Beowulf said with a nod.

“Whis mum wis?” Aster asked from her arms.

Zinnia felt her stomach growl and she chuckled a bit. She hadn’t eaten since she had lunch, and she was almost out of the food her grandmother had packed her as she had hoped to get more when she reached a bigger city.

“Come on, let’s find some food,” she said, looking around. She spotted a cart that was selling some sort of cloudy noodle based soup. “Mmm… that smells good.”

The man running the cart looked up from what he was doing and smiled. “Well it sounds like you’re hungry. How about you have some of the best Tonkotsu Ramen in all of Hoenn.”

He holds the bowl out to her and she takes it, starting to eat the ramen before offering parts of it to her Pokemon. “Thank you,” she said and started to walk away.

“Hey, where are you going? That’s 1200 Poke Dollars!” The man called after her, causing her to look confused. “You need to pay for that.”

“What do you mean ‘pay’?” Zinnia asked, tilting her head in confusion. “You gave it to me.”

“Gon bay bay,” Beowulf said, stomping his foot.

“Are you stupid or something?” The man shouted. “You have to pay for stuff like that!”

Zinnia’s eyes went wide and she turned and started to run with her Pokemon. She was still confused, what did he mean? Did he mean something like trade?

“I really want to hit that guy but Grandma says fighting isn’t always the answer,” she said to herself as she ran down the street.

She wasn’t looking where she was going however and ran smack into an older man.

“Oh, sorry…” she said looking up at who she had run into.

“Its alright little lady,” the older man said with a jovial laugh. He was a little shorter than Zinnia and had a white beard and was balding with a spike of hair sticking out of the back. He was wearing a yellow jumpsuit with a brown floral shirt with lightning bolts over it. “Or should I say big lady?”

Zinnia couldn’t help but laugh a bit along with him. The older man was friendly and he reminded her a little of her own grandmother. It was nice to find a friendly face that wasn’t yelling at her for some reason.

As if on cue, the man from the cart came running up to them out of breath. “Wattson! Thanks for catching this thief!”

“Thief? I ain’t a thief,” Zinnia shouted back. “You gave me the food and then started demanding I pay for it, whatever that means.”

“Pay means pay!” The man yelled. “Give me money!”

Zinnia was starting to get irritated and was about to punch the man. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder as Wattson moved between the two of them.

“Now, now, no need to fight youngins,” Wattson said with a smile as he took out his wallet and took out some bills and handed it to him. “There, that should cover it, keep the change too for your trouble.”

The man took the money and grumbled. “Yeah… well, she better not do it again,” he said as he walked back towards his stand.

“Thank you mister,” Zinnia said, still looking a bit confused. “But I don’t know what I did wrong.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would,” Wattson said as he looked at the cloak she was wearing. “You’re part of the Draconid tribe, aren’t you?”

“You know of us?” Zinnia asked, a bit surprised.

“Ah, well, you don’t get my age without learning things,” Wattson said with a chuckle. “My Grandpappy told me stories about your people when I was about your age. I thought he made them all up, but I did some research and found some old records of your tribe.”

“We thought that we had been forgotten,” Zinnia said, remembering stories of outsiders coming to her village, but they were a long time ago. She felt a bit sad about that after a moment. “My mentor would have been happy to know people still know about us.”

Wattson smiled sadly and gave her a nod. “I’m sorry for your loss…”

“Thank you…” Zinnia said sadly, before looking at him and noticing the jovial look had turned sad. “Did you lose someone too?”

“My husband, he was a good man… but I lost him a long time ago,” he said sadly.

“I’m sorry…” Zinnia said.

“It’s alright… he’s in a better place,” Wattson said before smiling and offering a handshake. “So, let me introduce myself properly. I’m Wattson.”

“Zinnia,” Zinnia said, shaking his hand. “This is Beowulf and Aster.”

“Ba Bagon!” Beowulf said.

“Whis,” Aster added.

“Come on, finish your ramen and I’ll get you some ice cream,” Wattson said.

“What’s ice cream?” Zinnia asked.

“Its a tasty dessert that would take too long to explain, you just need to experience it,” Wattson said with a chuckle. “Trust me, its the best thing ever.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Wattson smiled. “I like to help the youth. You looked like you needed help, everyone calls me Mauville’s Grandpa. Come on, you look hungry.”

Zinnia smiled and nodded as she started eating with her Pokemon and the four of them walked off together.

00000

“What’s that girl wearing?”

“Leaves are so not in fashion this season.”

“Wait, aren’t there stories of a wild girl to the west?”

“Nah, that’s just an urban legend.”

As May and Takara arrived at Mauville City, they got a few strange looks from other people who didn’t know what to think of May’s choice of outfits.

“This place bigger than Verdanturf,” May said, holding her head a bit from all the noise.

“Yeah, this is a city while Verdanturf is a town,” Takara said, adjusting her glasses for a moment. “Since it's a city it's much bigger.”

“May no like it here, too loud,” May said, holding her head.

“Ron, ar,” Jewel agreed, putting her paws over her earholes.

Takara gently placed her hand on May’s shoulder. “Yeah, the first time I came to a hu… to a city was hard on me too. It’s hard to adjust to the sounds the first time you come to a city.”

“May no like it…” May repeated.

“It’s okay,” Takara said. “Close your eyes.”

“What?” May asked.

“Trust me, close your eyes,” Takara said. “Close them, trust me.”

“May feel silly,” May said, but she closed her eyes.

“Alright, now breathe deeply and hold it for a moment,” Takara said and May breathed in. “Now, focus only on my voice. Shut out everything else around you. Focus only on my voice.”

May nodded a bit and let everything fade away. It was hard, but as she focused on Takara’s voice she found it easier to relax a bit.

“Is that better?” Takara asked.

“A little,” May said.

“Ron,” Jewel added.

“Okay, you’re going to be okay,” Takara said with a smile. “Come on, I’m sure there’s somewhere quieter here.”

May nodded as they started walking again. Her stomach growled and she chuckled a bit. “May hungry.”

Takara’s stomach growled at the same time. “Heh… guess I’m hungry too.”

“Ron ron!” Jewel chirped as she was hungry too.

“Come on, let’s find somewhere, I’ll pay for it since you probably don’t have money,” Takara said.

May looked around and sniffed the air. “Many strange smells… some good, some bad…”

Takara smiled a bit, finding it somewhat amusing. “It amazes me how good your senses are. You said you were raised by Pokemon, right?”

“Yep!” May said happily. “Mama Martha is Gardevoir and Mom Lucy is a Goodra!”

“Fascinating, perhaps learning from them helped hone your skills,” Takara commented. “Even if it doesn’t make much sense, it amazes me. Very fascinating.”

May kept sniffing and walking down the road. “May smell something sweet… and like fruit. May want that.”

“Ice cream isn’t exactly filling, it’s more of a treat” Takara said, realizing May was going towards an ice cream parlor. “We really should get something else before we get ice cream.”

May ignored Takara as she headed towards the parlor. Despite herself, Takara honestly kind of wanted ice cream right now. It had been forever since she had it, and she really liked ice cream.

“Alright… we’ll get ice cream,” she said. “Ice cream sounds good anyway.”

As they approached the door, Takara was about to say something when she saw May approaching the door. To her surprise the strange girl just opened it normally.

“Oh… I thought you might break the door, but you didn’t break it,” She said, getting a look from May.

“May not dumb, May know how doors work,” May said proudly as she walked inside with Jewel close behind.

00000

“Here you go Zinnia, Cookies and Cream Ice Cream,” Watson said as he handed a bowl of ice cream to Zinnia as he sat down with his own. “It’s one of my favorites.”

Zinnia looked at it for a moment and took a slow bite. Her eyes lit up. “THIS TASTES WONDERFUL!”

She took an extra spoon and offered a small bite to Aster who took a lick. “Mur mur mur!” She said excitedly.

“I’m glad you love it,” Watson said with a laugh as Zinnia and her Pokemon continued eating the ice cream. “I thought you might like it.”

He started to eat his own ice cream and was about to say something when the door opened. He glanced up to see a girl who seemed to be dressed in leaves followed close behind by a woman in a lab coat and pink glasses.

Odd… he hadn’t seen either of them in town before.

May looked around and sniffed the air. She saw a woman seated in a booth that was eating a particularly delicious smelling ice cream and walked over to her. “May want good smelling ice cream.

The woman blinked and slowly moved the bowl away from her. “This is mine, get your own you weirdo.”

“May no want yours, May want get own,” May said, leaving the woman confused.

Takara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before gently pulling May away. “You have to order it over here, you can’t go up to random people like that. You need to order your ice cream over here.”

“Oh, May sorry,” May said to the woman as she was pulled away.

At the counter was a bald guy in a tan shirt with a very bored expression on his face and the name Rodger on his name tag. He barely looked up from a magazine with a pale skinned man with green hair and a purple shirt on the cover as the two of them approached.

“Can I take your order?” He deadpanned. 

“May want good smelling ice cream,” May said excitedly.

“Fascinating… now can you tell me what kind of ice cream you want?” Rodger asked, glancing up from his magazine briefly.

“May want good smelling ice cream that smells like fruit,” May added.

“Oh that really narrows it down,” Rodger deadpanned before starting to shout. “WE ONLY HAVE 27 DIFFERENT KINDS OF ICE CREAM WITH FRUIT YOU BARNACLE HEAD!”

May got annoyed and got ready to confront the rude man before Takara stepped forward. “Easy now, we will take two large banana splits and 2 large strawberry malts.”

“Glad someone knows what they want,” Rodger said as he put it in. “That’ll be 2750 Poke Dollars.”

Takara reached into her lab coat and took out her wallet and started to take out a card before changing her mind and taking out a wad of cash, counting out 3 bills and giving it to Rodger. “Keep the change.”

“Oh wow, how generous, a few more customers like you I can buy a new clarinet,” Rodger said as he turned around, giving the order slip to another employee with glasses and dressed in a white shirt and brown pants. “Tom, we've got customers, get on it.”

“Sure thing Rodger!” An energetic voice said from the back. There was a blur as the employee came running out after a minute giving them food. “Enjoy!”

“Thank you,” May said, taking her ice cream as he headed back into the back.

“Come on, let’s get a seat,” Takara said as they headed away from the register.

“That guy rude,” May commented.

“Yeah, well, not much we can do about it,” Takara said with a shrug. “Don’t let it get to you, he’s not worth it.”

Takara looked around, there weren't a lot of places to sit. It looked like this palace was pretty busy right now. “Maybe we should…” she started to say.

“Hey, you two can sit with us!” Watson called out to them.

Takara glanced at him for a moment. She wondered if maybe she should say no, but then again… she nodded and looked at May.

“Thank you, it's very kind of you, so I thank you for being so kind,” she said, walking over towards them.

“Takara know them?” May asked.

“No, well… not personally,” Takara said. “Just trust me.”

“Okay,” May said as she sat down next to Zinnia, looking at the other two as . “Hello, May is May, who you two?”

“Uh, I’m Zinnia,” Zinnia said as May took a bite of her ice cream.

“Mmmm… so good!” She said offering some to Jewel. “Jewel have some!”

“Ron ron!” Jewel said as she took a bite of it. “Ron!”

May smiled a bit as she kept eating her ice cream, sharing some of it with Jewel as she did.

“So, why are you dressed like that?” Zinnia asked.

“May only have leaves to wear,” May said with a shrug.

“So, then you must be that jungle girl I’ve heard rumors about,” Watson said thoughtfully.

“She is indeed the jungle girl, though I hadn’t heard the rumors before I passed through,” Takara said, taking a sip of her malt. “But unless there’s another girl running around the jungle, she must be the jungle girl from your rumors. She helped me earlier and now we are traveling together because she helped me.”

“May helping her protect…” May started to say before stopping when Takara gave her a look.

“Protect what?” Wattson asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing, it’s… nothing,” Takara said. “Just something I was working on.”

May leaned over and whispered to her. “Why no tell them?”

“Maybe we can tell them later, but not in public,” Takara whispered back. “We don’t know who might be listening in public.”

“Oh, okay,” May said with a nod. “But they no look like bad people.”

She turned and looked at the two of them. “You two no bad people, right?”

“May…” Takara started to say.

“Uh… no I’m very much not a bad person,” Zinnia said, confused by the question.

“Are you two in some sort of trouble?” Wattson asked with a concerned look on his face.

“Well, uh…” Takara said. “A bit, yeah.”

“Maybe I can help,” he said. “My name is Wattson, I’m the Gym Leader here in Mauville.”

“Wait, I’ve heard of you,” Takara said, she had known he was the Gym Leader, but hadn’t put two and two together until now. “You were involved in that incident with Greater Mauville Holdings a few years ago. Maybe if you stopped one evil company you could…”

“You Gym Leader?” May interrupted, eating her ice cream even faster as she got more excited. “May need to challenge you so May can get badge and become champion and stop Team Magma from destroying home!”

“Okay, okay, one at a time,” Wattson said with a laugh. “I’ll help as best I can, but let’s eat our ice cream, okay?”

“Okay,” May said and she and Takara went back to eating.

00000

“Here we are, The Great Mauville Mall,” Wattson said as they neared a large square shaped building that was close to the center of the city. “Its practically a small city in itself, so some people call it Mallville.”

“Mallville?” May asked with a tilt of her head. “That sound same.”

“Ya know with you here, I guess its Mayville,” Wattson said with a laugh.

May tilted her head. “May no get that… make no sense.”

Takra groaned a bit and shook her head. “He was making a bad pun. Its a wordplay joke called a pun and its bad.”

“Yes, very bad,” Zinnia said with a giggle.

“Come on, my Gym is inside,” Wattson said. “We can talk properly when we get there. But we have a couple of stops to make first.”

As they walked in the front doors of the Mall, it went from warm to cool quickly. There were people walking around, a few said hi to Wattson, others gave May and Zinnia strange looks, but most of them just walked by.

“More people…” May said.

“Not really, just more concentrated,” Wattson said as he looked around. “Come on, I know where we should get started. This way.”

He led them through the mall, past stores of all shapes and sizes. When they went past an ice cream parlor he had to redirect May who was drawn towards the sweet smelling dessert again.

“Come on May, we can get ice cream later,” Takara said.

“Fiiiiine,” May said disappointed, making Wattson laugh loudly.

He finally stopped in front of a store that had a banner of a dragon over it and the name “Little Blackthorn.” In the windows were a mix of different objects ranging from toys to full on pieces of artwork of different kinds.

“What is this place?” Zinnia asked.

“The owner moved here from Blackthorn City in Johto,” Wattson explained. “You might find something of interest here.”

Zinnia blinked a bit as she looked at it for a moment before she walked inside with the others close behind her. The inside of the store was decorated like an older home with several glass cabinets.

“Welcome to Little Blackthorn,” a woman’s voice said from the back. “I’ll be right with you.”

Zinnia ran her hand along one of the cabinents as she looked inside. She was a bit surprised to see that there was what looked like a drawing of the mural from the Sky Pillar. There were a number of other things, but she found her eye getting drawn to what looked like a folded piece of paper with a symbol resembling a golden triangle on it.

Takara adjusted her glasses as she saw a black and white painting of a jet-like Dragon Pokemon in flight. She glanced at the others a moment before going to look at it closely.

“Ah, Wattson, it’s good to see you again,” a woman’s voice said as an older woman came out of the back. She was dressed in a green kimono with her black hair tied up into a bun. “And you’ve brought friends I see.”

“Yep, this is Zinnia, May, and Takara,” Wattson said. “Girls, this is Aoi, she owns the store here.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Zinnia said as she bowed respectfully to the older woman. “Are you one of the Draconids?”

“Draconids?” Aoi asked with a raised eyebrow. “No, I’m from the Blackthorn Clan in Johto. I suppose Draconids are our distant cousins though.”

“Oh…” Zinnia said. “I had hoped I might find another one out here…”

“We are all children of Draconis, child,” Aoi said with a soft smile. “Can I help you with anything?”

Zinnia thought for a long moment. She looked at the stuff in the cabinent for a moment. She wasn’t really sure what she might need.

She looked over at a shelf and saw a carved jade statue of a large serpent-like Dragon Pokemon. It was well made and with painted golden lines and symbols along its body. Its mouth was open in a silent roar.

“You have a lot of Rayquaza stuff…” she said.

“The Sky God is important to me,” Aoi said. “Are you interested in him?”

“I need to find him…” Zinnia said. “It’s the only thing that can prove I’m ready to be the new Lorekeeper.”

Aoi looked at her with a sympathetic look and sighed. “Is that the path you wish to take?”

“It’s the path I’ve been getting ready for since I was a little girl,” Zinnia said as she hugged Aster close to her.

“Mum?” Aster asked, looking up at Zinnia.

“I don’t even know where to start looking…” Zinnia said, starting to tear up a bit. “And… I can’t… I can’t let her down…”

Aoi reached down and opened up the cabinet and took out the folded piece of paper and placed it in front of Zinnia. She looked at it in confusion.

“What’s that?” Zinnia asked.

“This is the Delta Map,” Aoi answered. “It was made a long time ago. It is said that it will lead the one who is worthy to find the Sky God.”

Zinnia carefully unfolded the paper. Drawn on it was a map of the Hoenn region, though it didn’t look completely accurate. There were places that weren’t there in the modern day and others that were supposed to be there but weren’t.

“What that?” May asked as she looked over Zinnia’s shoulder at the map.

“It looks like a map of some sort,” Takara said, looking at it too. “Interesting, Sootopolis is missing among other things.”

“What are you talking about?” Wattson asked. “You’re just looking at a blank piece of paper.”

“What?” All three of them said at the same time.

“But… map there,” May said, pointing at the paper. “May see it.”

“Interesting…” Wattson said.

“Fascinating,” Aoi said. “I have only ever seen it blank as well. So if all three of you can see what’s written on it. What do you see?”

“There’s something here,” Zinnia said, pointing at a tall mountain. “It looks like a symbol of some sort.”

“Mount Chimney, interesting,” Takara said. “I don’t know what might be up there.”

“It’s as good a place as any to start,” Zinnia said. “Thank you two for helping.”

“Hmm…” Wattson said, stroking his beard.

“What are you thinking, Wattson?” Aoi asked.

“I think… you three should travel together,” Wattson said as he looked at them.

“What?” Zinnia asked. “Why?”

“Why May travel with Dragon girl?” May asked.

“Well, if all three of you can see that map,” Watson said. “If you want to find Rayquaza, working together might help.”

“Mur?” Aster asked, looking at the map and then at Zinnia.

“May no know either,” May said, looking at Aster. “May think this weird.”

“You can understand Aster?” Zinnia asked.

“May can understand Pokemon,” May said with a nod. “Pokemon raise May.”

“Interesting…” Zinnia said, and her memory went back to when she lost Aster, remembering what she had said.

“The key… to… Rayqaza… rests in… the… Wild Heart.”

“Alright,” she finally said. “If you’ll have me.”

“Sure, more the merrier!” May said.

“Alright, I guess,” Takara said. “Alright, you can come with us.”

Zinnia looked at the map one last time. She didn’t know what this might mean, but she had a feeling that it was right.

“Rayqaza, watch over us…” she said quietly.