Smoky the Marshadow's Story

Unfortunately for Elder, such a Pokemon was particularly attuned to ghostly auras. And was watching the whole time. And knew the Togedemaru he was giving chase to.

The next thing it would know, a spectral-like attack would hurtle from beneath the Gengar's shadow, penetrating through and smashing up the misty-like projection. It was powerful enough and potent enough to cause an immediate knockout. Especially considering the Shadow Punch was a move that couldn't possibly miss. Ever.

When the Gengar fell, the one delivering it knockout punch hopped through the shadows and appeared in front of the Togedemaru, an angry expression on it's face. The Togedemaru gasped as it stopped, sushi roll in hand, but closed his eyes in relief when he recognized the face very few others had even seen before.

"Smoky, you scared me..." was all he said.

But the Marshadow continued to glare at him, "You said it would be easy to take a sushi roll out of that diner."

The Togedemaru gave a confident chuckle as it twirled the sushi roll in his right paw, "It was easy. Poor chef had no idea he was being watched for the past two weeks. He's been working on this thing for a while." His mouth watered as he stared at the delicacy in his hand, "I bet it's gonna taste incredible!"

Smoky had to take a breath to keep that angry expression on her face, but it was clear she was softening up, "Barb..."

"So we had a few snags," the Togedemaru carried on, "Maybe the waiter had seen me passing through the lounge one day. Maybe they had set up that trap in my usual hiding spot. They saw me coming. But they never saw you coming. You with your little tricks. I mean, the way you made the shadow grab that butcher's knife and toss it into a wall...bee-youtiful! You saved me today, y'know that? And because you did, I'm gonna give you more than the usual share of the cut. We'll split it 70-30!"

"Barb..."

"I'm tellin' ya, Smoky. We're gonna be king of the crop one of these days! Just you wait."

"Barb...you were being followed."

"Huh?" Barb's expression went from celebratory to confused to dismissive in point five seconds flat, "Smoky, you're losing it again."

"No, I'm serious," the Marshadow's face flashed in worry as it hovered closer, "There was a Gengar and it-"

"Ain't no one following you and I, Smoky!" Barb gestured across the pond they were talking next to, "The coast is clear. That lard's not gonna be here for two years! Not with that fat tuckus he has to drag everywhere!"

The Marshadow was still trying to persuade him, "But the Gengar-"

"It's all right now. Here," Barb tore off a piece of the sushi and handed it to Smoky, "I'll let you have the first bite."

“You know,” Radegast’s voice chimed in as he produced the one empty pokeball, “I don’t appreciate you ambushing my buddy like that,”

Jakob had spotted the blast of energy when the Shadow Punch struck Elder, and relayed that information to Radegast. It was only a matter of moments before the sixteen-year-old had arrived whilst the two of them were talking. He rose his free hand in a friendly gesture. “It’s a’ight tho. I can tell you're on-edge about what you just did. Consider this, though: You work hard to make something for someone, only for some third party to take it away. How would you feel about that?”

“If you need food, just ask nicely." Jakob cawed, "Of course, Sir Reg- Sir Dreads would appreciate it if you returned that sushi.” Jakob kept a safe distance, but close enough that he could fling razor leafs if the moment arose.

“Urg…” Elder groaned as he awoke, groggy from the knock-out blow. “Jeez, I was just goin’ for a playful scare, dude,” he added before fading out once more. Radegast recalled the Gengar.

"Eeeeek! Human!" Smoky screamed at the sight of the blonde dreadlocked teen appearing in front of them, cloaking herself within Barb's shadow. The Togedemaru groaned in response.

"Great! You scared off my only decent asset 'round here," he retorted angrily towards the party of three, "Nice going, bubs!"

As the standoff was set, Barb kept quite a stance against the human and the Dartrix. His eyes were hard and lacking mercy or compassion, it seemed. He had his dominant foot behind him however, signifying the flight response was the go-to method of choice here. Regardless, he kept his gaze locked on the Dartrix in particular as he held the sushi behind him.

"Oh yeah? You think the world works that way? 'Just ask and ye shall receive' they all say!" he mocked the phrase with harsh intent as he continued to spit words at the human, "Well fat chance, Pudgy! If ya ain't smart enough to hold on to your precious things, then you ain't deserving of them!"

"Barb..." Smoky's voice reverberated through the air, "Maybe we should just give it back to them..."

But Barb scoffed at her, "Nah, these guys ain't gonna do a damn thing! Besides, I saw what that chef put into this thing and it's rare! There's no way I'm missing out on tryin' some of this Feebas!"

He turned to the Dartrix, a confident smirk on his face, "You want this thing, PokePet? Come and get it!"

“Pet?” Jakob huffed in annoyance. “Insolent whelp! I’m as much a wildling as-!”

“Whoa-whoa, hold on a minute… Feebas…?” Radegast cocked an eyebrow as he held a hand up to Jakob. “That’s what you said? Feebas?” He made a puzzled, yet intrigued face. His aura changed from borderline doting to straight-up curious. “I’d be impressed if the guy made it palatable… Lemme taste-test that.” His hands were quick, and he swiped a piece of the Feebas meat. He put it in his mouth, and spat it out after a moment. “Fuck man, if I stole this, I’d still want my money back.”

Jakob eyed Radegast with confusion, “Feebas?” The fish was unfamiliar to the Dartrix.

“Yeah, Feebas." They were not native to Alola. "Their flavour comes exclusively from what they eat, so the only way you’ll ever get a decent-tasting Feebas is if you raised one from birth meticulously. Anything caught and you’ll never get rid of the sewage flavour unless you replace it entirely with marinade.” Radegast continued to spit, “No one raises one to eat themselves ‘cause of the whole Human-Pokemon attachment thing, so there’s no real point to it. Can’t raise it to much or it’ll turn into Melotic- which is entirely tasteless. Then there's the fact that the flavour is lost drastically even when cooled or frozen. Ugh, I think I’m gonna puke.”

Jakob glanced at the other two, who probably looked as confused as he did. “Sir… wha…”

“The worst part is this ain’t Kanto sushi.” Radegast spat as he sat back on the ground, “That’s just the biggest let-down. You can't go wrong with Kanto sushi.”

Being in the middle of a thick-foliaged area, no other humans seemed to be around. Just the sixteen-year-old being a culinary critic with bite. "You know what, if we ever meet in Kanto, I'll treat you to some sushi," He announced to the two wildlings. "That's where you'll get the good shit."

Barb looked at the dreadlocked teen with amazed bewilderment as the teen went on about the sushi quality, "The fuck are you on?"

"You can have my piece," Smoky whispered all ethereal-like to the Togedemaru, who was picking up the smaller portion dropped by the Marshadow when she joined his shadow. He sniffed it, glancing up at Radegast suspiciously.

"You pullin' somethin' on me?" he asked, a brow raised. It was clear that he did not trust this human.

It still felt strange, beginning to understand Pokemon like any human. Radegast’s eyes locked with the Togedemaru’s when suspicions were brought up. “Try it yourself if you don’t believe me. I think that chef was trying to experiment with all that “deluxe” nonsense. I gotta tell him the bad news.” Radegast stood up and slipped Elder’s pokeball back into his belt. “I’m letting you off the hook for tough luck on that haul… But do be careful in the future, not everyone’s me. Peace out, dude.”

The sixteen-year-old began to step away, much to Jakob’s bewildered expression. “Sir Dreads,” Jakob called as he hopped on his talons to follow. “You’re letting the thieves go?”

“The real thief is whoever sold that chef on the taste of Feebas. That’s the real crime right there,” Radegast grumbled, “Someone’s managed to score a deal, I bet. Plus, Elder needs to get healed up.”

Barb watched them go, unsure of what to think of the boy and how he presented himself. He'd never seen a human act the way this one had just now. He turned to Smoky, who re-emerged from the shadow and took her Marshadow form behind the Togedemaru.

"Couple of weird characters they were," Barb commented as he gave Smoky a cocky smile and a half chuckle, "Told ya they wouldn't do anything."

"They seemed...nice..." Smoky added quietly. "I don't think we've ever met a human who was as nice as he was."

"You mean me," Barb's eyes found Smoky's, "You hid in the shadows the entire time."

"Oh..."

"But we should be careful around this guy," the Togedemaru warned as they both began walking to the outer corner of the pond, "We don't know what his agenda is." He took a bite of the remaining sushi...and immediately spit it out.

"Blech! It tastes like sewage!"

“I’m sorry I didn’t get it back, but they told me they wanted to try Feebas,” Radegast said, “Honestly, I’d say the thieves did you a favour. Just so you know, Feebas sucks unless you put way more time and effort than any reasonable person would ever consider. If you’re going for meat from outside Alola, try importing from Johto instead of Hoenn. I’m talking Corphish, Quilfish, Remoraid, Octillery, Swinub, and Krabby. All of them are great”

Remoraid was similar to Feebas, but the meat is consistently juicy, and the natural oils amplified any flavour applied to it, making it perfect for spicy dishes. Quilfish is poisonous, so it’d need to be drained properly just like Salandit. Octillery is great in hotpot. Corphish and Krabby are almost the same, but food critics always argue about which is better. Swinub… is just bacon.

Radegast would have mentioned Magikarp- the mother of all Kanto sushi, but the widespread fame around that particular fish really goes without saying. It’d be like telling a grown man how to blink.

The sixteen-year-old explained that to the chef, who he met outside the restaurant, with Radegast speaking in a low voice in order to avoid making the chef lose face in public. “I get the feeling you were cooking Feebas as an experiment, so I wanted to tell you that you lost nothing valuable.”

"Okay then!" Lukas raised his tone sharply, throwing a bit of optimism in light of the situation as he nodded towards the Charizard beneath him, "Let's take off buddy! To the boats!"

The Charizard let loose a grunt of effort as he leaped into the air with the Champion on his back. Chrome and North were able to naturally attune their body of mass towards the flying object so as to remain hovering on the back of the Ride Pager Pokemon. Fortunately for them, they didn't exactly add any weight for the Charizard to hoist with them, so it was a win-win on both sides. Quickly they zoomed higher and higher until the four islands below them were quite small and entirely visible from their aerial view. As they began to level off and started to fly towards their destination, Lukas had another request.

"It seemed like your buddy Dreads had some idea of who was behind these robberies," he noted aloud to the two of them, "If either of you know anything about this...Regicide Crew I think he called them...that would help a lot, actually."

He knew any information would help in proving Team Reskull innocent, but anything that could help take them down as well would also suffice.

---

From the base of the mountain, a couple of Pokemon were talking up a storm.

"How are we supposed to keep livin' the way we are if ya keep screwin' things up, huh?"

"Barb-"

"I'm serious!" the Togedemaru wasn't shouting, but he wasn't exactly suppressing his frustrations either, "This has gotta be the third time this week you got the humans' attention WHILE I was tryin' to get us some food! You don't wanna starve, do ya?"

"No..." Smoky's voice was submissive and soft, like a child who knew she was in the wrong even if she didn't understand how.

"Then we gotta pull off this next heist at the High Roller, else we'll have to start tryin' to take from Malasada shops! Think about all those people we'd have to sneak past to pull off that one."

Barb knew how to get the Marshadow's fears riled up, that was for sure. Just the thought of trying to sneak past so many humans sent a shiver down her ghostly spine as she reacted to his words, "I don't wanna do that."

"Good," Barb patted her on the shoulder as they began making their way to Malie City, particularly the garden, "So let's get home and think this next one through. My feet are killin' me from runnin' so much!"

Throughout his complaints they walked through the high grass and slid down some of the steeper slopes at times. The whole time, Barb was vocalizing his irritations at factors he couldn't control, like the humidity or the steepness of the mountainside. All the while, Smoky was looking around, mostly for the sign of humans so she could duck into the shadows, but also at the scenery she'd grown accustomed to. The Alola Region was still beautiful to her, even for as long as she'd lived here. From the sunrises and sunsets to the secret havens scattered across the island to the more interesting stuff like the pile of dead Dragonite bones they just recently found. Smoky knew about the fall of Demonbreath, but seeing the bones before her very eyes felt more surreal than she could imagine.

And among other rare occurrences, Smoky glanced towards the sky at just the right time to see a dark shape looming above them. The figure casting it's shadow looked quite...sharp in appearance, with harsh cut lines outlining his hard exterior. From that alone, the Marshadow could discern that this was no human floating in the sky, although the ludicrousness of that statement was enough to tell her that. However, this particular Pokemon she hardly recognized either. It seemed like a native...and yet it felt like this was the first time she'd laid eyes upon it. She got mixed messages from such a creature and wondered if it was another of those weird Ultra Beasts she found a number of last year.

"Smoky!" the annoyed call from Barb a few yards in front of her broke her from the stare she was giving, "Ya coming?"

Smoky quickly recovered and nodded, "Yeah...just thought I saw something..."

"You always think you see something," Barb rolled his eyes and continued his progression. Smoky gave one last lingering stare in the direction of the weird Pokemon, who was now gone, before catching up.

“This one only saw him face off against the Regicide Crew once, though I have read his memories.”

“Lucky,” North replied, “I’ve heard the legends of his exploits. Is it true he jumped a cliff to kick a Regicide Crew member in the face?”

“I saw that he did that, yes.”

North’s aura seemed to warm up in some kind of giddiness.

“To be fair, the Lord-Regent didn’t really do much,” Chrome uttered without thinking.

North paused, and stared at Chrome.

“That was the title given to him by those he had saved from the Regicide Crew,” Chrome quickly explained.

“The scars though,” North went back into a strange fanboy mode. “That one on the chest was the Ursaring, right?”

Chrome found the memory unpleasant to read, but he had seen it nonetheless. “That was when he met the Operative.”

The two of them seemed more interested in talking to each other than Lukas, so all the Champion could hear was whatever Chrome was saying.

“You were on watch at the time, but we came to Alola by riding on Absolute. We just finished retaking an island from the Regicide Crew by teaching most of the wild Pokemon Surf. That way, they could easily wash away the Regicide placements. Crystal was quite happy about that.”

While everyone else went on, a small capsule of a spacecraft arced through the sky, leaving behind a bright trail.

As it left a small crater, the capsule then dissolved- releasing the shiny, silver swarm of nanobots. At this point they acted much like a living pool of mercury metal, taking a moment to realize they would need a more solid form to crawl out of the crater their spacecraft had left.

And so they began to experiment with solidifying their body, nanobots knitting together to form solid surfaces in various configurations.

They quite simply had no practice moving around a place with gravity yet- and so were still trapped at the bottom of the crater they'd left.

"Are we there yet?" an obnoxious sounding Togedemaru proclaimed from the back, "My feet are killin' me!"

The Litleo exhaled heavily through his nostrils, but managed to return a smile, "Not much farther, Mr. Barb. We just have to navigate through this forest."

Despite his reassurance, Barb continued to grumble, "You kids better not be leadin' me on. Me and Smoky here've come a long way to help you young'ins out. I better be gettin' my share of fancy trinkets for my information."

The Litleo had to look away to roll his eyes as he said, "Don't worry. The Crimson Guild's got lots of those."

The Skiddo to Barb's right casually sauntered up next to the Litleo so they could whisper, "I'm gonna headbutt him through a wall if I have to hear him call us 'youngins' one more time."

"Think about the mission," was all the Litleo said as a reprieve.

The Skiddo's nostrils flared before he slowed his canter to be next to the burly Togedemaru.

Behind them, two other Pokemon were carrying on their own conversation. "So it's really human-proof?" a Marshadow was asking.

"Sssssssuuuuurrreeeee iiiiissssssssss!" the slow drawl of the Slowpoke cheerfully replied.

"No it isn't," the Skiddo corrected, "Only good humans can find the Pokemon Village, though."

"Good humans?" the Marshadow repeated softly, as if she'd never heard the two words put together before.

The Skiddo noticed the doubt in her voice, "Well...yeah, of course. I mean, not every human is bad. We've worked with plenty of good humans, trainers and non-trainers alike. Not everyone is a power hungry psycho seeking to be the strongest trainer in the world. Some just want a companion to travel with or a friend to talk to."

"Oh..." the Marshadow said, dejectedly.

The Litleo nodded back to the Skiddo, "Gunner, you take lead for a bit?"

Gunner stepped forward as the Litleo bounded back towards the Marshadow, "Smoky, was it?"

The Marshadow nodded.

He went on, "Look, I get it. I used to think the same way. I used to live in fear of humans, hoping I wouldn't be caught and used as some kind of warrior in their games. Nothing scared me more than that. That's why I joined the Crimson Guild in the first place. I wanted some confidence in myself to be able to fight off whoever wanted me as their prize."

He glanced up at the dark and mysterious canopy of the Winding Woods they were in, "But on top of getting stronger each and every day, I learn more and more about the humans and how they work. And I've seen them firsthand on how they work. Not all of them are bad." He waited for Smoky to say something, but she didn't, so he went on, "If it weren't for some of them, we wouldn't be where we are today. Heck, the Crimson Guild wouldn't even exist without the help of some humans."

Smoky's eyes seemed to lighten a bit, "R-Really?"

"Well, yeah!" the Litleo's response was genuine and enthusiastic, "I mean, I've been told many tales about how Crimson met a human named Radegast and a girl named Touko and how they all banded together to take down the Master Blaster the first time. But even so, Crimson always talks highly of humans and is constantly reminding us that we don't know their story. We can't assume they all exist for the same reason when so many crossing of paths have told us different. They're just as diverse in nature as we are."

"Yeah..." Smoky looked down, the feeling of guilt crossing her face. The Litleo felt it too and almost seemed to replicate it while they walked. The two were silent for a moment.

"What did you say your name was?" Smoky asked suddenly.

"Booker," the Litleo replied.

"You think highly of this Crimson, don't you Booker?" Smoky's tone was softer, but had a little bit of warmth to it.

"Of course," Booker nodded and smiled, "He's an amazing Pokemon in his own right. Smaller than I am, yet he's leaps and bounds past me. He's like...an example, I guess. An example of what I can be like in the future. Proof that the little guys can win too."

Smoky nodded in understanding as they made a right turn onto a path and had just glanced up before her eyes lit up in awe at the sight before her. The dirt path she hovered over gave way to cobblestone and expanded in size to accommodate the bustling traffic of Pokemon in the area. Many buildings constructed out of logs, leaves, and touches of cloth and stone were set up on each side, bustling with life and business. Most weren't that large, comparable to that of a small human apartment, but a few were rather impressive in size and loomed over the crowded street in handsome, architectural fashion. Smoky was amazed. She had never seen a gathering of so many Pokemon in one place, nor had she seen them civilized in this way.

"Heeeeeeelllllooooooo!" the Slowpoke stopped to wave towards wildings as she passed by and Gunner had to backtrack for her constantly, nudging her forward.

"Stay close," Booker acknowledged to Barb and Smoky, "It's easy to get separated here."

"Yeah, yeah, kid, look," Barb smirked confidently, "I've made my way through many human buildings that'd make this place look like a ghost town."

"Oh, have you?" Booker couldn't bite his tongue that time, "Good for you."

As they walked, more than a few gave their fair share of glances on their direction. Most of the Pokemon were Kalos native glancing upon the Alolan Pokemon with intrigue. It wasn't uncommon for Pokemon from other continents to show up as the Crimson Guild recruited from around the world. Even so, it was like the locals could tell they were newcomers.

"Why are there so many Pokemon here?" Smoky shuddered at the lingering eyes as she hovered closer to Gunner and Sally.

"It wasn't like this a year ago when I found this place for the first time," Gunner explained, sidestepping to avoid running into a bulky Gurdurr, "It used to be much smaller with only a few buildings. Even two or three years ago, there was nothing here but a field and a couple tents. The Crimson Guild has brought the need for business around here and it's a place where things can get sold without fear from human interference. Not many places like that exist on Ruula."

"Alola's one of those places," she remarked, "It's why I like it there."

Gunner nodded, both in acknowledgement and in understanding, "Don't worry. We'll be out of the Pokemon Village shortly and heading towards the Crimson Guild soon enough."

"They won't stare?" Smoky looked over at the Skiddo with pleading eyes.

"They'll be too busy to."

Smoky's and Barb's eyes grew wide as they broke through the treeline and emerged onto the grounds of the Crimson Guild Headquarters.

"Holy Magikarp, this place is fancy-looking!" the Togedemaru exclaimed, "Alright, kids. I believe ya now. Ya sold me on this."

It was indeed an impressive sight. Almost acting as a small town itself, the area was shaped into a semi-circle with winding paths carved around the structures to guide travelers to specific destinations. The one they were walking on led to a small circular area with a detailed pattern made out of stone and buried to stay level with the surrounding ground. The grass was neatly trimmed and evidently cared for and the streams that swirled around the place were crystal clear, shimmering in the sunlight. There were natural plateaus jutting out across their landscape, but there were many sets of wooden stairs that led to many different levels of the area, adding to the complexity and intricate design of the area. They carved a home base out of the environment, Smoky realized.

Surrounding the circular area were a few shops similar in structure to those in the Pokemon Village, only a bit smaller. They were selling items like seeds and orbs to those that approached and some even had Training Machines (TMs) in stock. Barb was rubbing his paws together in anticipation, daydreaming about all the cool items he could possess before the day was out. Smoky payed more attention to the Pokemon in the area, which were significantly less in comparison to the Pokemon Village, but definitely more diverse. However, she couldn't help but notice the bandannas they all wore, all of varying colors and designs, but those wearing similar designs were usually walking and talking with each other. In fact, most Pokemon were travelling in groups of two or three, sometimes even four or five. Smoky knew these were the teams Booker and Gunner had talked about, but it was still so...

Weird.

Smoky leaned towards Gunner and whispered, "H-How long did it take you guys to build all of this?"

"The main building or the surrounding area?" the Skiddo asked in return.

"Main building?" she repeated, confused, "I don't see any-"

Her words fell off when she turned her head in the direction Gunner was inclining and more amazement crossed her face. She hadn't noticed at first because the actual headquarters had been built into one of the cliff faces. The smooth stone walls looked natural apart from the foliage awnings jutting out of it or the windows carved into it. She glanced up and noticed the crimson-colored flag at the top, billowing slightly in what little breeze caught it. It was a bit hard to tell, but judging from how the windows were stacked, she could count three stories. It was the largest building in the area, by far.

Like many things, she felt intimidated by this structure and fell behind Gunner and Booker, who made their way towards the entrance. Barb found his way next to the Marshadow and Sally the Slowpoke took the rear. Together, the five made their way into the building.

The interior was bright and very lively. Light from the outdoors cast through the many windows, illuminating the room with a warm, yellow glow thanks to the wooden floor. Billboards were plastered on both sides of the wall, papers covering each and every one. Smoky couldn't quite make out what each one said, but she did notice a leaderboard of sorts among them, reading as such:



She didn't know what they meant, but she did notice the fifth name on the list. It took all her self control not to gasp as she wondered if it was some kind of hit list. And if it was, then there were four other groups worse than those hooligans crawling around Alola...and that was definitely a terrifying thing.

Smoky shivered as they walked to the center of the room where a large circular counter sat. Two forms were moving around within the circle: a Plusle and a Minun. They seemed to be searching for something.

"I never had the darn thing!" the Plusle was saying indignantly.

"Bull," the Minun shot back, "I know I handed it to you yesterday. You specifically said, 'Hey...no big deal, sis. I won't lose the important map Crimson specifically wanted us to set aside for him. You can count on me!'" She said the last part extra cheerful, as if mimicking the Plusle.

The Plusle seemed unfazed, however, shrugging his shoulders and letting an amused grin slip out, "You have my voice down pretty well."

An irritated sigh followed that comment, "Not in the mood for this right now. Do you remember anything about what happened yesterday? Anything at all?"

"Hmm..." the Plusle looked up, trying to reach back into his memories and remember yesterdays events, "Let's see...I woke up, cleared out the Slurpuff Inn of food, came back, reached out to Team Volt about how Lumiose City was doing...umm...collected the list of jobs the community gave us-"

"Um, hey," Booker interjected, seeming to know that the timeline could go on for some time, "Is Crimson still in his office?"

Both the Plusle and Minun glanced in his direction, "Oh. Sorry about that, Booker. We were just having a dispute is all."

Booker nodded in understanding, "As you guys usually do."

The Minun blushed while the Plusle answered his initial question, "I believe he's in there. He's also waiting for your return, so I'd say go ahead and just walk in."

"Cool. Thanks." Booker began walking around the desk towards the wooden stairs in the back of the room.

"No problem," Plusle called to him before waving at Barb and Smoky, "Welcome, guys!"

"Thanks," Smoky managed to get out. Barb said nothing. They all began their ascent up the stairs as the Minun continued their conversation.

"See? Told you we had a reputation!"

All they heard was laughter in response.

Unlike most of the Crimson Guild HQ, Crimson's office was quite plain. A wooden desk sat in the center with a chair on each side, both furnished the exact same way. Bookshelves were lined up against each wall, filled with books of many different genres and varieties gathered across Ruula. In the far right corner were personal notes the office owner had written down, maps rolled up and placed neatly in a row, and a few odd drawings scribbled onto papers and stuck to the back wall. The circular window overlooked the entire room, both providing light and giving a fantastic view to the forest below. In the distance, an observer could easily see the tower in the center of Lumiose City sticking out over the treetops. Other than that, nothing was truly extravagant looking other than a mounted Power Bat on the right wall.

Back to the desk, two beings were glancing over it presently. The one on the left was on his hind legs, his front legs resting on the desk top. His large green head, beady eyes, and twig growing out of his head were a perfect contrast to the form on his right, who had blue eyes and red fur that seemed to twirl on top of his head. The one on the right was pointing at another such map sprawled out in front of him...a map of the Kalos Region with many markings made on it, particularly around the capital.

"See what I mean?" Tag was saying, "It's one of the only spots they could've run off to that we haven't checked yet."

"Mmm," Crimson nodded, "Anywhere else?"

"Well, it's possible a couple could've run off...this way," the Turtwig rested his paw on the forest north of the desert outside Lumiose, "And then peeled off into Coumarine City."

"How would they hide in a port town?" Crimson seemed puzzled, "It wouldn't make sense for them to run towards civilization, where they could be spotted so quickly."

"A couple reasons. A) We figure these Orks to be pretty stupid. And B) They're probably looking to get as far away from us as they can-"

"Which they can do by sea," Crimson concluded, nodding his head again in understanding, "It's be pretty hard for them to sneak onto a boat, though. Or make their way through the city."

"Have you been to Coumarine City?" Tag asked, raising a brow.

"No, have you?"

"I went with Team Razor when they showed me around the region. It's made up of two parts: the mountain part and the port part of the city. There's a tunnel that connects them, but the surrounding area is mostly forest and cliffs. Pretty easy for a couple lumbering beasts to sneak their way through."

"And how they would get on a boat?"

"Same way we stow away on boats sometimes. Same way we did that one time to get to the PTA. Also, you're being really skeptical about this." Tag's brow lifted as he pointed that out.

"Well, I don't want to send a team out there on a wild goose chase if we don't have solid proof that an Ork could hide in a city like that," Crimson reasoned, scratching his head, "We're stretched thin enough as it is."

"Okay, fair point," Tag shrugged, "But you do want to clean up this mess so we can get our focus back on the Psychic Rebellion, right? The only areas we haven't explored yet are the local towns and cities."

Crimson thought for a moment, then exhaled deeply, "Alright, then we can send-"

But before he could finish, the office door swung open. Both Crimson and Tag glanced up to see five Pokemon enter, three of which they recognized. The Chimchar smiled warmly at the appearance of the up and coming, pink bandana wearing Team Slowpoke: A Litleo named Booker, a Skiddo named Gunner, and a Slowpoke named Sally. Meanwhile, Tag glanced curiously towards the new arrivals: two Pokemon he had yet to lay eyes on.

"Hey," Crimson waved to them, "Welcome back."

Booker, the leader of the team, stepped forward and saluted, "Good to be back, sir."

"Alright, ya know what?" the Chimchar stepped out from behind his desk, "You guys seriously don't have to salute me. I promise, I won't take offense to it if you don't. I'd actually prefer it."

The Litleo stepped back, putting his paw down, "Oh...sorry, sir."

"No need to apologize," Crimson reassured, "It just makes me feel weird every time you guys do that. Not just you, but everyone in the guild."

"Took ya two years to work up the gall to say that," Tag commented behind him, muffling a smirk.

"You try this whole 'leading an entire squad of 200 something odd Pokemon' thing and see how it works out for you," Crimson shot back, more amused than annoyed.

"I fill in for you a few times. I think that qualifies."

Crimson scoffed before turning back to Team Slowpoke, "So, how was Alola?"

"Seemed fine," Booker answered, "Nothing was really damaged or destroyed when we got there."

"So then the report was a fake?"

"Nope," Gunner stepped forward next, "The locals said the plume of green fire was over the ocean. It never made it to the island, though."

"I see," Crimson turned to the Skiddo, "Did they know what it was?

"Yes, actually." At this point, Booker and Gunner turned toward the two others in the room, "This is Smoky and Barb. They're the local experts we brought in to talk to you about the stuff going on in that report."

Crimson blinked, taking a step forward and extending a paw to shake, "Good to meet you guys. I'm Crimson."

"Pleasure ta meet ya, sir!" Barb shook his hand enthusiastically, "I've heard many great things about you!"

The Skiddo glanced in the Togedemaru's direction, but said nothing.

The Marshadow was a little hesitant to shake the Chimchar's hand, but finally managed a flimsy handshake, "H-Hi..." was all she said.

Crimson caught on to her nervousness quickly, "Hey, it's okay. You're in good company here. I promise."

Smoky's shoulder's relaxed a little at his softer tone and a weak smile managed to slip out.

Crimson went on, "So, what was that green light."

From there, Barb took over, explaining the legend of Bretomart, more commonly known as Demonbreath, and how he used to ravage Akala Island, killing as many wildings and humans as he could. He told Crimson what happened the night Demonbreath was slain, the flashes of sickly green, fiery red, and icy blue that lit up the night sky and ended with a final blast of red on Ula'ula. The rumor that a young Fletchling had slain the terrifying beast and earned the nickname "Demonslayer". Crimson's eyes lit up at that, relishing in thought for a moment before focusing back on Barb, who explained the more recent occurrence, how the green plume of fire rose up in the sea and how the red fire was there to meet it. He then explained the aftermath, how both fires extinguished and how there were no signs of Demonbreath or Demonslayer after that night.

"Interesting," Crimson stated after Barb was finished, "That gives us a better understanding of what's going on over there." He turned to Tag, "We really need to set up a small camp over there so we don't have to try and bring locals across oceans to meet up with us for information."

"About that," Booker interjected before walking up to Crimson, "It wasn't so easy to get these two over here."

"What do you mean?" the Chimchar looked puzzled and a bit worried.

"They requested payment for their information."

"Oh, that's all?" Crimson snorted, "Then that's okay. Have them pick out anything from one of the shops to take back with them. Tell the owner I'll reimburse them for whatever they choose."

But Barb cut in, "Excuse me, sir?"

Crimson's brow furrowed, a small note of disdain in his expression, "Yes?"

The Togedemaru put on his best pleading face, "We did come an awfully long way to help you guys out. Would it be possible for you to give up two trinkets?"

"Barb..." Smoky protested under her breath, but didn't say anything aloud.

"I...guess I don't see a problem with that," Crimson seemed hesitant, his tone underlying his word choice was careful. But then his eyes lit up again and he added, "If you do one thing for me."

Now it was Barb's turn to feel slightly uncomfortable, "And that is?"

"Can you be my eyes and ears for the Alolan Region? Relay anything important that's going on there? It's the only place we haven't established communications with since we've set up shop and I'd like to get that started. You do that for me, and I'll make sure you get all the trinkets you desire."

Barb's eyes lifted with the promise of desired objects, "I can do that, no prob! Ya got yerself a deal!"

"Awesome," Crimson smiled cheerfully, "In that case..."

He reached across his desk and tossed a square pouch over to Barb. Catching it, Barb examined it, a little disappointed in what he thought it was. "A cloth?"

"A flag," Crimson corrected, "Place that flag in a noticeable spot wherever you live. I'll have the Pelipper Delivery Service stop by and ask for reports from your region. Anything you see, hear, or notice, you let them know and they'll let us know."

"And how will I get trinkets?" Barb asked curtly.

"The same system," Crimson replied, "They can drop off things as well."

"In that case, I'm all over it!" the enthusiasm returned to the Togedemaru's voice, "I'll set it up as soon as I get back."

"Then that works then," the Chimchar walked behind his desk once more, Tag joining his side, "You guys can go if you want. Sally, you and Gunner go ahead and take them to the shop. Booker, stay behind for a second."

"Yyyeeeeeessssssss sssssssiiiiirrr!" the Slowpoke slurred as she started to lead the two visitors towards the office exit.

"Actually, wait a second," Crimson's urgent tone caused everyone in the room to freeze. Sally stopped, as did Smoky and Barb, and all three turned around simultaneously to face the Chimchar.

"One more question. May seem a bit off topic. Have either of you seen a particular human walking around? He's got long black hair that forms into these thick circular strands, typically wears a blue baseball cap. He's got scars all over his hands and arms. Name's Radegast. Any of that ringing a bell?"

Smoky turned to Barb, her eyes wide, "Wasn't that the friendly human we met a couple months back? In the garden? I remember the scars..."

Barb nodded his head thoughtfully, "Yeah, yeah, now that ya mention it. What an asshole! Ended up swiping my food I worked my tail off to get."

"I thought you hated that sushi," Smoky reminded him.

"It was still mine!" Barb retorted.

Crimson had to cut in, "Any time after that?"

"Nnnnnnnnope!" Barb said after thinking about it, "Don't think so."

"Alright," Crimson looked a bit deflated, "Thanks anyway. You're free to go."

As the other four left the room, Booker stepped towards the desk, a bit confused, "You wanted to see me?"

"Anything else you noticed?" Crimson had to glance up slightly to meet Booker's eyes. The Litleo stood a couple inches taller than he did. "Anything at all?"

"Nothing much. Like I said, all was pretty quiet when I got there. There were some comments about shifted rock on the smallest island, but the locals say that was a wilding battle. Other than that, no sign of that Demonbreath. A lot of scared Pokemon though."

"Scared?"

"Apparently this Dragonite was something to be feared," the Litleo shrugged, "Anyway, I think that's it...OH! I almost forgot!" the Litleo's expression shifted to excitement, "Their Champion's missing!"

"The Alolan Champion?" Crimson frowned, "That's not good."

"From what I heard, he disappeared the same night the green light emerged in the sea," Booker went on, "They had an interim step in until someone else took the title from them."

"So they have a Champion in place then?" Crimson asked, clasping his fingers together.

"I think so," Booker began to look determined, "But if you'll let us, Team Slowpoke can go searching for him-"

To Booker's surprise, Crimson shook his head, "Absolutely not."

"What? Why?" the Litleo went from shocked to confused, "Isn't it our job to help the inhabitants of Ruula?"

"It is," Crimson sighed, turning around to glance out the window towards the Prism Tower in the distance, "But it's a bit more complicated than that."

"I'm still confused," the Litleo said, "How is it complicated?"

"We have a duty to protect others from wilding attacks and handle things outside the human jurisdiction," Crimson explained, "But we don't interfere with the human activities. Mostly because they have their own way of doing things and they probably don't want our help."

Booker stopped him there, "How are you so sure?"

Another sigh slid through the Chimchar's nostrils, "It's hard to convince someone who already thinks lowly of someone that they are worth something more. They would take it as an insult. And besides, I'd rather keep our guild a secret from them."

"Why is that?"

"If they knew a group of 200 something Pokemon were working together acting as a group to defend the world against evildoers, then there'd be so much publicity about us. None of our actions can fly under the radar. We'd have to be completely transparent, something the Psychic Rebellion or any of our enemies can exploit. And then we'd have to worry about servicing the human community as well as the Pokemon community, which we don't have the numbers to do. It'd be better to not put ourselves in that situation."

"So what happens when a huge problem comes up and the humans can't handle it?" Booker asked as he shifted his feet, "Like when the Orks invaded?"

"We do what we did then," Crimson answered simply, glancing back over towards the map at the table, "If the problem is world-threatening, we help deal with it then. But we don't publicly announce ourselves as an organization of Pokemon who deal with these threats. We act as a random group of local wildings banding together to defeat a home invader."

"But what's the difference between the two?" Booker asked curiously, "Aren't they the same thing?"

"One has our name on it. The other doesn't." Crimson turned around, his eyes soft and wise.

Booker looked down, a bit saddened, "So you're saying I can't help the humans at all?"

"I didn't say that either."

Booker looked up as Crimson continued, "I can't devote time to trying to help the humans. There's too much happening on our end as it is, with all our Electric-Types helping out in Lumiose City while they rebuild their Power Plant. The only reason we're helping there is because it's partially our fault it got blown up in the first place. But there's too much we're worried out with the Psychic Rebellion to send teams out doing human related missions."

"However, if you do happen to stumble upon a human in distress along the way, I would stop and help them. It's a great way to make allies and build that relationship between humans and Pokemon...to have them see us less as tools and more as thinking creatures of our own. And it's the right thing to do. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" Booker shot straight up.

"Alright," Crimson smiled back, calmly stepping towards the map, "Go ahead and catch up with your team."

The Chimchar waited for Booker to leave the room before turning to Tag, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"About?" Tag had been waiting the entire time, letting Crimson cover all the important topics.

"About Radegast," Crimson said, "Our last reported location of him was Alola. This report of the green flames appearing in the sky seems a little convenient, don't you think?"

"In what way?" Tag was confused as to where he was going with this.

"So our two guests, Barb and Smoky, confirmed for us that Radegast was, or maybe still is, in the Alola Region. At the same time, they tell us a lot of useful information about this green fire's cause...this 'Demonbreath'."

"Okay..."

Crimson continued, "And they said that the one who slayed this Demonbreath was..." he gestured towards Tag to have him complete the thought.

Which he had no problem doing, "A Fletchling that earned the title 'Demonslayer'."

"Right," Crimson smiled coyly, "Now, who in particular is on Radegast's team that could fit that description?"

Tag jaw dropped open as he finally put two and two together, "The Fletchinder? Suros? Do you think?"

"I was confused for a while how that bird could do so much damage that day at the PTA," Crimson nodded thoughtfully, "If Suros is in fact this Demonslayer, that would make a lot of sense."

"Okay, I can see that," Tag agreed with a smile, "But what do we do with this information?"

Crimson stood there for a moment, eyes deep in thought as he calculated his next move. Finally, he walked over to the stack of maps and picked out the one that read "Alola" on the back side. Heading back to his desk, he unrolled it and placed it flat on his desk, covering up the Kalos Region map beneath it.

"We find Radegast," Crimson answered, "And we ask him what he knows."

There was a knock at the Treehouse door.

The bamboo door swung open, and a shiny Dartrix stood ramrod-straight. With an ever-so-posh voice, the Dartrix spoke as he bowed lightly, holding a wing out in front with a small towel draped in front. "Welcome, welcome. How may we help you? I am Jakob, the caretaker of the Treehouse, our humble home by the Wild, for the Wild."

"Who isss it?" The hissing voice of a Salazzle emitted from further inside. "Ooh! New visitors, darling?" The Dartrix's eye twitched and a vein bulged as Jolder's head poked out from behind him, and long slender fingers looped around and caressed the Dartrix's shoulders.

"Aherm!" The Dartrix cleared his throat sharply, which resulted in the Salazzle disengaging with a snake-like chuckle. "I apologize for that... display. What can we do for you?"

"Hello," the Pokemon standing in front of them greeted, but the way the word barely caught in his throat and the slight shuffle of his feet gave away the fact that he was a bit uncomfortable. But it seemed he had enough professionalism to hide any other telling signs of the fact. His brown eyes glanced from the Dartrix to the Salazzle and back again, almost as if he was analyzing their behaviors and trying to get a read on their personality. Meanwhile, if they were trying to do the same, they would take notice that the Squirtle had common footing in this realm of behavior. He was analytical and always seemed to be searching for something.

Behind him stood two other figures, both seemed much more native to the islands of Alola than the Squirtle did. One was a rather plump Togedemaru leaning against a tree and flipping a coin in his right paw. He seemed disgruntled, but didn't say anything. Next to him stood a Marshadow who looked shy and seemed even more uncomfortable than the Squirtle did.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever you two were...erm, doing at this hour," the Squirtle went on, gesturing towards the cloudy late night sky above them, threatening rain, "But may we come in? I need to discuss something important with you. All of you, by the way."

He stressed the word "all", implying he meant the rest of the Treehouse individuals that weren't there.

At-first, the comment about "whatever they were doing" only made Jakob's bulging vein intensify with his annoyance at the sultry Salazzle. However, at the mention of "we", the vein vanished almost instantly. "More than one guest? Splendid!" At the mention of an important discussion, one of the Dartrix's normally flat eyes opened with intrigue. An unusually sharp and intense eye contrasted with his typically posh demeanour. "What about?" The Dartrix asked as he stepped aside to let the Squirtle and whoever else enter. "Come, make yourself at home."

"Thank you," the Squirtle said politely as he stepped into the humble abode. The Togedemaru and Marshadow followed right behind, the former having no problems with looking around the place while the latter kept her eyes straight forward and her hands together, like she was scared to touch anything.

"Ya know," the Togedemaru's vividly aggressive voice proclaimed, "I've heard many a rumor about this place. I didn't know you'd made your little refuge look so fancy!"

"Yes, it is a vertable bed & breakfast for all Wild Pokemon. Our resident Synthesizer produced the material that the Jungle couldn't provide."

Inside the living room, an Alakazam lounged in a bamboo chair specifically tailored for a lazy-bones. The Salazzle snaked back into the kitchen. A pair of visiting Psyducks stepped down the stairs, looking quite content over a good night's sleep. For once in their lives, they didn't appear to have headaches. As the two Psyducks left after exchanging pleasantries, a Porygon-Z emerged from the Demonslayer shrine in the back room. "A squirtle?" Doc Holiday asked, "Not native to Alola. On some sort of business, it seems." His pointed snout turned to Jakob the Dartrix, "Thoth and North should be back shortly, by my calculations."

"I imagine you want to speak with all of us," Jakob nodded. "Can we get you anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm good. Thanks though," the Squirtle gave a small half-smile as he sat down. The Togedemaru was quick to raise a paw up.

"Watcha got on the menu?" he asked.

"House specialty," Jolder replied with a wink. "But we've got lots of berry drinks."

As the Togedemaru began relaying his order, the Squirtle turned to Doc Holiday, "It's a pretty nifty location you've got here. Why'd you pick it?"

"It is an excellent location out of reach from human contact. The cave opening is shaped so that it's difficult to spot from up high, and for those who can't climb up the mountain, we have our resident rock-climbing experts and muscle- Oh, speak of the devil!"

True to Doc Holiday's word, the Magneton and Night-form Lycanroc entered, carrying with them one leaf-covered satchel each.

"YOU DARE CALL ME DEVIL, COMPUTER WRETCH!?" Thoth bellowed. Without any communication, the Lycanroc handed the Magneton his satchel. North the Magneton headed into the kitchen to hand off the gathered ingredients.

"Yep!" Doc Holiday returned in stride with a gleeful look on his face. "You wanna fight about it?"

"WE SHALL CROSS FISTS LATER!" Thoth announced in a very scenery-chewing manner, "WE HAVE GUESTS!!"

"They wish to talk to us about something," Jakob shut the both of them up with his posh voice. "Now that we're all here, what business do you bring?"

"Right," the Squirtle shifted in his seat, leaning forward slightly, "Well, I guess I should introduce myself and my fellow members. My name's Sarik, and these two are Smoky aaaaannnndd..." he held that word as he turned around to glance at the somewhat offended Togedemaru.

"Barb!" he stated.

"Oh yes! I remember you two," Jakob chuckled as he made a deep bow, "My apologies, we've dealt with quite a few things over here."

"Right! Barb," Sarik turned back to the Treehouse, letting out a nervous chuckle, "As you can see, we're not exacty familiar with each other yet. But anyway, we are part of an organization caled the Crimson Guild. Have any of you heard of it?"

"It's familiar. I may have heard a tale or two when I was off Alola. Fellow wildlings doing jolly good things." Jakob responded. In reality, it was Radegast's stories, but not many wildlings were that keen on the founder being a human... at least until they met the human. Until Radegast returned for whatever reason, they were back with their typical stories on their founding: Doc Holiday and Jakob being the main partners.

Jolder and North shortly arrived with a few large plates between them. Three of them were covered in wooden bowls filled with garden salads with a mix of nuts and berries. Only some of them had strips of meat "acquired" by Jolder through "legitimate means". On the fourth plate was a large set of cups, all of them were filled with different kinds of freshly squeezed berry juice.

"What does the Crimson Guild want with our little Treehouse, if you don't mind me asking?" Jakob got down to brass tacks as the dishes were being distributed across the well-crafted wooden table.

Sarik examined the layout, nodding thoughtfully, "Nothing really. But if opportunity presents itself, I've got to say you have one of the most secluded spots in the Alola Region. It took these two to even find you guys and they barely knew where they were going. No offense, by the way." He added to Barb and Smoky.

Barb was in the middle of tearing through one of these bowls when he glanced up at the Squirtle and shot him a look. "Mmf...you try'n find a place you've never been before!" he said with a mouth ful of food.

"I have. Many times," Sarik answered back, "Do you stil have that flag Crimson gave you?"

"I gave it to Smokes over there," the Togedemaru pointed in her direction, not wanting to be bothered. Meanwhile, she held up the square cloth, folded neatly in her shadowy hand. She handed it off to Sarik.

"I see," Jakob replied, "Well, make yourself at home! The Treehouse is a place by Wildlings for Wildlings!"

Sarik's smile grew a bit bigger, "Much appreciated, but I'm taking off after this. I've got a school to run and every minute I'm away is a minute something's probably not being done. So I'll try to make this brief We'll see how far I get." He stood up from the comfortable chair he'd been sitting in and walked over to the waiting Dartrix, handing him the cloth.

"You don't have to do it of you don't want to, but could you guys be our eyes and ears for the Alola Region? We're trying to network ourselves so we can have at least one Crimson Guild branch on each region and we haven't started over here yet. All you'd need to do is hang that flag somewhere to where a Pelipper can see it and one of our own will swoop in and gather information you guys have collected about the wilding side of things down here. You guys already have a wilding safe haven set up here to begin with, so I'm safe to bet you guys hear about a lot of things that go on over here, right?"

"I think we can do that," Jakob and Vorpal exchanged glances. "We do get plenty of news all around the islands from visitors... Actually, there was something recent- something that could affect other regions in the future."

"Demonbreath," Vorpal nodded. "He's out there somewhere."

Sarik's eyes lit up, "And that was the thing I wanted to talk to you about. Any information you guys have on what you saw pertaining that...incident...would help us out greatly. We'd also like to know about the whereabouts of this "Demonslayer" we've heard about. Or maybe she goes by a different name...like, I dunno...Suros, maybe?" Sarik beaded around the bush a bit with that name, unsure if they would be familiar with the crew they knew a while back.

This time, Jakob exchanged looks with Jolder. The Salazzle's sultry eyes seemed to soften somewhat. After a moment of consideration, Jakob replied, "The Demonslayer sometimes comes here. There's a shrine to their achievement through that door there," the Dartrix jerked a thumb-esque feather to the back door under the stairs, "But we respect their wishes to keep their privacy. They've been through enough as-is." The pain of her own injuries distracted her somewhat from Radegast's terrible fate, but she still looked like she had a cloud drizzling over her during their last span of time in the Treehouse.

"As for what happened," Vorpal continued, "A human criminal group called the Regicide Crew had stolen a device that resurrected Pokemon from fossils. They had used it to resurrect Demonbreath of all creatures. The worst part is they've managed to take control of him."

Sarik curled his lip, "Take control of him? Like, they managed to capture him?"

Vorpal nodded, "They've captured a Necrozma to do it."

"Any clue on where they are and where they might be heading?"

"None." Jakob answered. In truth, they really didn't know. Nobody could know. "Last we heard, they've taken significant damage from the struggle, and hid out in the wide ocean to make repairs."

"Then we'll have to keep our eyes open looking for them. And if we see something, then...um, actually I'm not sure how we do this." Sarik looked down, deep in thought, "We usually have a flare system that can call the Crimson Guild to your location if there's serious trouble...like, world-ending trouble. But that's not gonna work considering how far away the Alola Region is to HQ. So..."

"Do they have anyone that's fast through the water?" Smoky suddenly proposed to Sarik, barely audible from her spot on the couch.

"No... wait..." Weyloran's clan was out of the question, and recently the Seven Clans had all but disowned their relationship due to... whatever was happening down there. That left... "Hmm..." Jakob glanced at Vorpal, who nodded in recognition. The Alakazam hovered from his seat and moved upstairs.

"I heard tell of an island that was being attacked by the Regicide Crew," Jakob said as the sounds of books being flung about could be heard from upstairs. "They managed to beat them back when a sympathetic human came by and taught them to surf via one of their tech machines." Radegast told this story as well in person. "Vorpal's getting a map. I'll see what we can do to make contact with them."

The Squirtle flared his brow a bit at the term "sympathetic human" but said nothing, "That'll work. In which case, all you'd need to do is send someone over to the Crimson Guild HQ to let them know something's going down. I can relay coordinates and even show you where it is if you happen to have a map of the Kalos Region."

"No Kalos map, unfortunately," Vorpal replied as he returned with several rolled-up strips of parchment. The largest of them was a map of Alola with markings around the ocean where smaller islands dotted the globe. The smaller pieces had more detailed maps of said smaller islands.

"Not many opportunities to go on a trip," Jakob joked as he beamed with pride, "Not when you have a home like this.

Sarik laughed in response, "Oh, I understand that. I happen to live on an island myself. Kind of far away from most places and I'm pretty tied down to my job running a school of soon-to-be Crimson Guild members, so I don't really get to go out much. But I enjoy what I do, much like you guys."

"We are kindred spirits then," Jakob raised a cup- the last one that was handed out. Many wildlings used the Treehouse as a safe house, so having a relationship like this was right up their alley. Especially since the Seven Clans... are doing whatever they're doing now. Smoky added to the acknowledgement by raising her own cup, albeit awkwardly. Although Sarik didn't have a cup to raise, he still nodded his head as an attempt to toast. Barb was too busy decimating his plate of food to take much notice in the conversation.

"I'll see if I can have a map sent over to you guys," the Squirtle said after a moment of thought, "At least while you guys are trying to get that island on board."

Vorpal seemed to take a special interest in the small, spherical, somewhat metallic rodent that seemed more like a wolf whilst chowing down. He remembered Barb from Radegast's and Jakob's story from their time on Ula'ula. Jakob was busy chatting with Sarik, so the Alakazam took initiative. Specifically, it was a Togedemaru with a Marshadow. Marshadows were... not exactly common, after all. "Aren't you the ones Jakob met before? I heard you guys were trying Feebas?" Even a lazybones like Vorpal, with his IQ of approximately 5000, knew that Feebas were unpalatable at-best.

Smoky gaped at the Alakazam, "Y-You know about that?"

Vorpal chuckled lightly, "Jakob told us about it, him and the Lo-" he caught himself, but trying to hide it would seem suspicious. Besides, the title wasn't universally known. What were the chances they would know it? "The Lord-Regent."

"The Lord-Regent?" Smoky repeated, recalling the encounter, "Is that what you call the human?"

"What human?" Jakob asked. The shiny Dartrix glanced between the three visitors, but shot a nanosecond of a glare toward Vorpal. The Alakazam shrugged apologetically.

"Hey, yeah..." Barb had been paying attention and turned towards Jakob quizzically, "Where is the human we met before?"

"Oh, that human," Jakob hooted a sigh.

Doc Holiday spoke up, realising the jig was pretty much up. "Normally we try to hide the fact that the founder is the Lord-Regent himself. It makes the whole "by wildlings, for wildlings" seem like a lie, you know?"

"Not many consider humans to be wild," Vorpal agreed.

"Plus it's a safe house from that Psychic Rebellion nonsense," Jolder hissed.

Now it was Sarik's turn to raise a brow, "You guys know about the Psychic Rebellion?"

"Oh yes, they really hate the Lord-Regent. It's why he came here recently."

Sarik leaned in, careful how to word his next sentence, "Sounds a lot like Radegast."

"Indeed," Jakob agreed, then for a beat, he nodded slowly, but suddenly he flinched in an epiphany. "Oh, you know about him too?"

Vorpal swatted Jakob over the head. "Duh, the Crimson Guild's an ally, my dude."

"Why didn't you remind me sooner?" Jakob asked incredulously.

Vorpal shrugged. "Laziness, I guess."

"At least you're self-aware." Jakob rubbed the back of his head with a feathered hand.

"Oh let me kiss it better," Jolder offered.

With a flash of annoyance on his typically professional butler-esque demeanour, Jakob bolted upstairs, dropping hidden leaf-knives as he scrambled. Jolder sauntered after him at a slow page.

"Um...aaaannnyyywaaaayyy..." Sarik said apprehensively, "We're looking for him as well. Last we heard, he was an active participant in that battle with Demonbreath. Anything he knows, we should know."

The house grew silent. The mood swiftly turned to a similar chill to when they were discussing Suros. Jakob and Jolder returned from their shenanigans.

Sarik felt the atmospheric change, his own gut filling with dread, "Uh-oh...that doesn't sound reassuring. What happened?"

"A lot's happened, actually." Jakob sat down. "The Seven Clans are in disarray... we think... the Regicide Crew's got that new power- like we said- and Radegast..."

Vorpal returned upstairs- this time he took a mere moment- and he returned with a map of the continent where Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh were located. The map appeared to have been marked down in places by Radegast himself.

"He's got a lot of drive now," Jakob warned as he spread the map out on an empty section of table. With a single feather, he tapped down on a location in Kanto, labelled 'LEFT'. "By now, he may not be there anymore. There are a couple more places you could check if you're looking to find him," He tapped on a couple more areas. A location deep in the wilderness away from civilizations, labelled 'GRAV' and a location in Hoenn labelled 'HER'. That marking appeared to be more recent compared to others. "If he's been to both of them and left already, the trail would officially be cold, because he would be impossible to track."

"Understood," Sarik said, "We can work fast, then. Anything I should know about these places...or even about Radegast? I know he about disappeared after the Unova blast, so it's possible he could've donned a disguise."

"A disguise... I guess you could call it that," Jolder noted, albeit sombrely.

It was Smoky who caught the tone in his voice, "He's different now, isn't he?"

Jakob nodded. "There's a fire in his eyes now, and it's growing. If he's left to his own devices... well, I'll start feeling bad for the Regicide Crew, and the Rebellion."

Sarik stood up, staring out the window towards the rolling thunder in the distance, "Let's hope so. We could always use less bad guys in the world." He clapped his hands, "Okay, in that case, we better get searching. I'll let Crimson know where he's heading and see what we can do to find him. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind the company of Barb and Smoky. They're the current acting ambassadors into the Crimson Guild and they can handle the official business we may have so you guys don't have to."

"We can?" Barb looked up at the Squirtle, confusion in his eyes...maybe even a little bit of panic.

"I have absolute trust that you both can lead Pokemon interested in joing the Crimson Guild where they need to go. You know where the HQ is and I told you where the Sunrise Division was, so you should be fine."

Sarik started moving towards the exit, Barb and Smoky watching him go. With a renewed vigour, the treehouse caretakers got to work with the usual routine of handling guests. North and Thoth headed outside to perform some chores around the rest of the cave grounds, while the remainder continued to provide the tour. With Jakob at the helm, they were showed around, including showing them the different rooms and the like. When they got to Radegast's room, Jakob said, "This one's currently in use." It was true; it was where Metronome kept under wraps before and after Radegast was there.

"And also here's the shrine," Jakob opened the door into the back room on the ground floor. A series of chairs, benches, and cushions littered the area, with a single pedestal at the far back. Above the pedestal was a depiction of orange flame and blue ice meeting green hatred. On the pedestal itself lay a shrivelled-up Dragonite antennae. "We pay our respects to those who fell to Demonbreath here." He gazed at the poster- which had been woven in Mareeep wool and knitted.

"Wow..." there was mix of awe and remorse in Smoky's stare as she looked over the shrine and it's complexity. She knew the legend through and through, but she'd yet to see anything commemmorating such an accomplishment until now...only the words of legend passed between the wildings.

"Hard to believe he's back," Jolder muttered, "I wonder if Weyloran knows..."

"I'm sure she does. You could see the fight from every island," Jakob replied, "Maybe... we could contact them as well."

"We haven't heard from them since they left to meet with Absolute, didn't they?" Doc Holiday asked.

Jakob nodded, "Hope they're doing fine."

Vorpal flinched, an unusual thing to happen to such a borderline sleeping Alakazam. "You alri-" Before Jakob could finish the question, a shrill scream emitted from above them. With no time to waste, the Dartrix extended his wings and bolted once more upstairs.

Metronome, the Meloetta, burst from the door to Radegast's room, eyes wide and bloodshot. She nearly collapsed on the ground if not for the Dartrix's swift catch.

"Metronome!" Jakob cawed, "What happened?!" He barked an order for water, which Jolder snaked away to retrieve without a quip. "Vorpal! Any ideas?"

"I felt something," Vorpal said, "It was like, some chill down my spine... It didn't feel natural, but I don't think it'd be enough to cause something like this."

Jolder returned with a bottle of water, which Radegast had left behind. Popping the cap off, Jakob carefully fed the shivering Meloetta.

"Easy, easy," Jakob cooed, "It's alright, you're alright."

"It's n-not alright," Metronome cried, "She's s-s-still out th-th-there."

Jakob and the others exchanged worried looks. Metronome was always a kind and gentle soul when she lived here, and they did know about her little jail break with Radegast. This mention of a 'she' was something entirely new. "She?" Jakob asked, albeit with caution.

Metronome couldn't quite bring the words out. "Th-th-the Inhuman," she managed to say after a great amount of stammering. "I haven't f-f-felt that p-pressure ever since..."

Vorpal's face went pale as he came up with several theories, with a few of them having terrible implications on their connection to this event. "The one who captured you?" He asked.

Metronome nodded, and drank another gulp of water. "Did she..." Jakob couldn't bear the idea of torture, but given Metronome's reaction to such an unusual ripple, there were some things that just couldn't be denied. One look at such a fearful reaction from such a mythical creature, however, told the Dartrix that it had to be true. "Who is she, exactly?"

"An abomination," She managed to gasp after that gulp. "A true abomination."