The Reginald Family's Story

Margriet and Logan disembarked their vessel. It had landed around the same time as a different ferry, one that had come from Ula’ula.

“Getting Charizard registered on these pagers would really help us find him,” Logan noted, more to himself than anything.

“Any word on that bird?”

“Nah, we got work to do-“

Logan paused as he watched people disembark from the Ula’ula ferry. “Is that…” He wondered as his eyes caught a sight exiting the nearby Pokemon Centre.

There were the dreadlocks, back in the ponytail, but coloured differently. From a distance, he thought he was just seeing a tourist who happened to have the same hair. There was, however, no mistaking that jawline. A Reginald jawline- similar to Margriet’s, except stronger. Most people wouldn’t remember such a subtly unique jaw, but a Reginald knew their own. Logan gently tapped a hand on Margriet’s shoulder and pointed out the boy. As he did so, a Gengar phased through the door, and the bodyguard had noticed a shiny Dartrix that walked with an unusually straight-laced gait.

“Guess we didn’t need the Charizards after all,” Margriet hummed.

As they moved after Radegast, Logan had the sneaking suspicion he had seen that Dartrix before. They couldn’t use their Tauros rides quite yet, as the docks were currently flooded with milling passengers. It took them a while to catch up.

—

The two of them finally caught up to Radegast somewhere along the path north from Hau’oli City. The majority of the population had been left behind, leaving only several citizens moving up and down the straight path, heading to the Thrifty Mart, or the Ranch, or as far north as the Lush Jungle. When Margriet whistled after her brother, Radegast turned. Elder and Jakob glanced back at Margriet, and then up to Radegast. “Lord-Regent?” Elder asked.

“Who is…” Jakob recognized them, “Ah! The Family!” He hooted excitedly.

“Jake,” Elder said as he read Margriet’s expression, “I don’t think they’re here for a party…”

At-first, Radegast was shocked that he had been found so easily by his family. The shock faded into general confusion. “Mar… What are- What are you doing here?”

Margriet stared at her brother. The hair was dyed and the eyes had coloured contacts applied, but there was no mistaking the jawline or the subtle differences only a sister would pick up on. It was definitely her brother who was about to make his way towards the Lush Jungle.

“It’s about Max…” Margriet didn’t really know how to break the news… but it all starts with a beginning.

Radegast held a hand up. Seeing his sister so… reserved, so like stone. There was only one explanation as to why such a strong trainer was so shaken. “Maxin…” He repeated quietly. For a moment, he seemed amused. No, I’m just assuming the worst. He can’t be…

“They killed him,” Margriet finished.

Can’t be… Speechless and thoughtless, the desperate smile vanished. Radegast clenched his teeth as the full meaning rushed through his head, turning the simple thought around and around until it spread like cream in coffee. One uniform thought that flooded his being. I couldn’t promise anything… I wanted to, deep-down… but in the end it didn’t even matter.

Margriet continued, “The Family’s… moving against the Psychic Rebellion, bringing together all allies we have. It’s… the first time something like this has happened since The Scorpion.“

Radegast nodded. Even today, only remnants of the carnage of the Scorpion’s early years as the Coat User could be found. What Reginald history remained of that time universally referenced terrible combat between powerful families and factions, where even the trainers engaged in combat with steel blades and ancient armour. The fact that any records remained were a miracle compared to what remained of their enemies. All the Reginald’s enemies left behind were bones.

In particular, a very bloody war between four families throughout Kanto, conducted ages ago, sometime between The Tenth’s Son and the Fargo line. Four entered, one remained, and the other three have long since been dust, only recorded in Reginald records for a posthumous final insult. It was not the brightest bit of Reginald history, but that was why they called Samson Reginald, the living patriarch at the time, “The Scorpion”.

“Son of a bitch…”

“Daddy said you’re not to join the fight.”

“Uncle too?” Margriet nodded. Radegast sighed as he sat down on a nearby rocky outcrop, his face was in his hands. He cursed under his breath, and again, and again.

“I knew it’d be worse unless you heard it-”

“Sooner, rather than later…”

“But still…”

There wasn’t really much the siblings could say to each other. Despite different careers, different outlooks, they did have a penchant to finish each others’ sentences when they were younger.

Logan stood at-attention, even when Margriet sat down next to Radegast and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Radegast.”

“B… Bad news is still news,” Radegast snorted as he clenched his eyes shut.

For the longest time, they sat there. Radegast silently sobbed, and Margriet tried so hard to be strong. It wasn’t fooling Logan, who forced himself to stare at the ground or risk tearing up himself.

“I’m heading off now,” Margriet said after a while, “Uncle told me to spread intel to the Alolan authorities.”

“Don’t let me keep you then…” Radegast barely held composure. “And… Thank you, Margriet.”

The older sister looked at Radegast for a moment, and wordlessly turned and left. Logan- ever her shadow- followed suit.

Elder and Jakob approached hesitantly. They kept their distance, but they heard everything. “Lord-Reg… Radegast?” Elder asked.

“I’m no Lord-Regent…” I need to earn it… I need to stop them… They’ve killed innocents…They cannot get away with this.

“Let’s get back to the Treehouse,” Jakob said quietly, “We’ll collect our thoughts there.

—

Margriet and Logan continued on towards the Thrifty Mart, aiming to reach the Volcano path leading up to the Trial Captain who would be able to register Charizards for them. Radegast, on the other hand, continued walking North towards the Lush Jungle. His face appeared suddenly gaunt, with eyes that lacked a shine. Elder and Jakob walked on either side, with looks of concern on their faces.

Despite the sharp decline in spirit, Radegast still managed the climb up the mountainside towards the Treehouse. When they arrived, the Crew appeared out of their pokeballs.

“Lord-Regent,” Crystal said, “Are you…”

She didn’t need an answer. The sixteen-year-old had salt caked over his cheeks, and there was more to come. “I need to lie down,” Radegast said weakly.

Suros simply gazed at Radegast as he entered the treehouse. Everyone else remained outside, silent. They didn’t know what to say, and only Suros knew the feeling. After Radegast entered the house, Jolder looked at Jakob, with a look that asked just what the hell happened on their trip. The Shiny Dartrix informed the rest, met with a unanimously horrified reaction, even from Thoth.

“That’s worse than Project Siren,” Metronome muttered.

“You going to talk to him?” Elder asked Suros. If there was anyone who could comfort the Lord-Regent with their experience in loss, it was the Talonflame.

The bird shook her head, “It’s a lot to deal with all at once. Keep an eye on him, but… it’s a lot of information to process. You shouldn’t add to it… not yet.”

Elder nodded. He never knew loss himself, because he was the one who was lost.

“I’ll take firssst watch,” Jolder softly announced.

Suros walked to the memorial, Vorpal returned to his lawn chair with eyes wide and strikingly unnerved. The rest milled about outside, while Rage entered the house to get the Rummoli board. They planned to play outside tonight.

—

Laying on the bamboo bed, Radegast held dark thoughts, thoughts of avenging Maxin, thoughts of him doing to that Zoroark what he did to the Ursaring. All of them felt satisfying to imagine, but also terrifying.

Radegast clutched his head with his hands as he tried to dispel such awful thoughts. NO! I’m… me. I’m not some destined warrior. Reginald is a name…

“You persist,” The Aegislash hummed, “You were always a stubborn boy.” The Aegislash had emerged from its pokeball, from the belt Radegast left on the counter.

As Radegast gazed up at the single eye of the sword, something clicked in his mind. His grief had suddenly taken a back seat to… something else.

“But you do have a sense of right and wrong in the world,” Reginald hummed, “That makes you a warrior.”

Radegast sighed as he slumped on his back. “Tell me something, Reggie,”

“Yes?”

“How would you feel if we fused?”

“I would not advise it.”

“I asked how you’d feel, not how you’d think.”

“Aren’t they the same thing?”

“Do you remember the name of the First Reginald?”

The Aegislash was silent for a moment, “No.”

Your original trainer, and you don’t remember his name, Radegast huffed, “Did he ask you to keep his first name a secret?“

The Aegislash did not respond.

Radegast nodded, “I accept that I am stubborn, but so are you. When I asked you how you would feel, I already knew the answer.”

The Aegislash eyed Radegast carefully. “You do?” He spoke with a twinge of amusement.

“You would feel ecstatic,” Radegast replied, “You miss fusion.”

The Aegislash did not reply. The aura of amusement had vanished like heat in the winter. Radegast wasn’t done, though, “You revel in the power of the soul link, and take a great joy in overwhelming the family’s enemies with your combined strength.” The Aegislash still did not reply. “You hate being the Coat of Arms, you hate cutting fusion off like a drug fix, you hate being powerful.”

The sixteen-year-old turned his head so his eyes met the Aegislash’s own. “I’d hate to be you, and that’s why it hurts me to see you hurt.”

“It hurts you to see me hurt,” The Aegislash repeated.

“It hurts me to see Pokemon hurt, people too… Everyone.”

For a good long while, the room was silent. Radegast sat up on his bead, where he began examining the scars on his shirtless body. Many of them, he received trying to help a panicking wildling. Nearly every time was later apologized for, and every time, Radegast shook his head and said “No problem, man.”

Finally, the Aegislash spoke. “You are the first Reginald to figure me out.”

Not even Tarma? Radegast wondered if Reggie had a different name, one prior to being known as “the Reginald Coat of Arms”. Most everyone called him the Coat, or Reginald. His father didn’t approve of Radegast’s nickname a long time ago, but Uncle Tarma had adopted it. “It’s cute,” He had heard Uncle say to Marcus.

“It makes me glad that you understand me when none had since Mario, the First.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that we can’t ever fuse, though,” Radegast said. Mario Reginald, eesh, that’s a bit of an embarrassing name. No wonder he kept it hidden.

“No, but I fear we may need that power in order to defeat them… at least… with as few casualties as possible.”

Radegast nodded in agreement. “We need more time at least. Ideally I don’t wanna lose ten years off it. Is there a way to fuse that doesn’t involve soul-linking, or that side effect you do?”

“It would have to be a soul as powerful as my amalgam.”

Radegast considered the implications. Would he need to learn how to absorb the souls of living things? No, unacceptable. “What about some kind of shield, or reinforcement, that blocks absorption while maintaining connection.”

“It such technology existed, how would we test it to see if it works the way you hope?”

“Well… I’m not an expert in things that have never ever happened…” Radegast finally managed a weak chuckle, “But I’d be willing to find a way, so you can be happy again.”

“Happy?”

“You’re a Pokemon as well, you’re an individual as much as the smallest Ratatta to the biggest Wailord. Family serving aside, you’re still a person.”

“I… I appreciate it.”

Everyone had spread out once more to think and sleep. By the time Rage and Thoth returned with a haul of berries for tomorrow, Radegast was the only one still awake, laying in his bed. He thought long and hard as he stared at the bamboo-lined ceiling. It’s kind of like two gravity fields pulling on each other, making them orbit around each other. The difference is really scale, where Reggie’s gravitational pull is like a planet compared to a user. But that means… to take advantage of the hypothetical planet while negating that gravitational pull means to break the laws of physics as we know it.

Or rather, the laws of Soul physics- Radegast stifled laughter at the idea. Well, maybe that doesn’t sound too absurd. I imagine that sort of thing can be studied, since we can observe Ghost-type Pokemon.

Aegislash is a ghost-type, and so is Elder. Radegast considered the possibility. Elder would probably work as the initial test for a soul link protector before I try it with Reggie… but he’d have to be cool with it first. Still, that’s one important issue figured out.

Maybe some kind of suit? Radegast thought back to the Graveller Tribe, and their traditional duelling system that provided combat armour to humans to let them stand on equal ground with the overwhelming strength and toughness of a Graveller. They could be a good start… but they’re so far away, all the way in the wilds, between Johto and Hoenn… If that kind of suit has protection against psychic signals, then modifying it to protect against Spiritual damage wouldn’t be impossible… probably…

Oh wait, but it’s still not solving the real problem… the problem of breaking the laws of soul physics. Radegast pondered if such a thing would be impossible after all. Well, there are mice that can discharge incredible amounts of electricity, and there are Pokemon capable of bending space-time on a whim. The idea of breaking physics doesn’t seem all that far-fetched, no pun intended.

Still… such things seem nearly impossible to achieve. Maybe there are other options? Maybe if I got used to the Soul Link, I’d… fare… Radegast fell asleep mid-thought.

—

Margriet and Logan arrived near the top of the volcano. “Just a little longer,” she panted, with Logan looking none the better. They both sweat from the long climb. “It’ll all be worth it,” she repeated.

To Lukas, North simply nodded in reply.

—

Even without Chrome, Radegast’s latent understanding in Pokespeak was finally growing on its own. It was through that that he noticed Jolder’s relative silence throughout the police report and all that paperwork business.

Out on the steps, Radegast asked, “Something the matter, Jolder?”

“No…” The Salazzle sighed as it clung to Radegast.

Radegast huffed. Elder also seemed amused. “You know you got us to talk to, right?”

“That’s just it, though,” Jolder replied, “I messed up and got Butcher mad, it could’ve compromised the interview.”

“But it didn’t,” Radegast shrugged, “We know who did it now.”

“It was all Chrome, and I wanted to do something for you.”

Radegast paused as he unfolded the bike. Something for me…? “You don’t need to worry about proving anything,” Radegast said as he boarded and kicked off on his bike, “Just be a pal; that’s all I’ll ever want.”

With the situation with the police resolved, Radegast was finally free to spend the rest of the day however he wanted. “Chrome and North are gonna head back home once they’re done, so we can take our time. Whatcha wanna do?”

—

IT CALLS. WHAT IS IT? TREES? STRUCTURES? FLESH BIPEDS - MILLING…

The Necrozma avoided humans like a terrible plague. Imagining two humans flying above like they did just now concerned the Prism Pokemon.

IT CALLS…

What called? A signal of some kind, something powerful. The Necrozma glanced up at the two Charizards that headed West, towards another island.

COLD-TOP…

The four islands of Alola, Melemele, Akala, Ula’ula, and Poni, Floyd the Necrozma referred to respectively as LIFE-TOP, HOT-TOP, COLD-TOP, and CANYON

AVOID COLD-TOP IF THEY FLY THERE. IT CALLS… IT CALLS FROM HOT-TOP, SUN-SIDE

It referred to the four directions as NON-SUN, FOLLOW-SUN, SUN-SIDE, and AWAY-SUN, being unfamiliar with the human words for the four cardinal directions.

WHAT CALLS… I DO NOT WANT TO BE CALLED.

—

Margriet and Logan arrived at Ula’ula, discussing what they had been discussing before with the previous two Kahuna. The Kahuna of Ula’ula was unusually difficult to find, so they opted to inform the Captains and hope they’d pass the news along. Finally, they were headed for Poni Island.

"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.

“First thing’s first, locations,” Margriet muttered more to herself than to Logan- who already knew the plan well before they landed. The Charizards growled contently as the two trainers praised the Ride Pokemon.

“We could ask the locals,” Logan suggested, pointing out a Malasada joint close by.

“You just want to try the local cuisine,” Margeiet giggled.

“You said it, not me, ma’am,” Logan rose his hands defensively, obviously defeated.

The two of them entered whilst their Ride Pokemon laid down on the side of the road to rest. The scent of

“Arrogant kid…” the Chef muttered outside of anyone’s hearing. “Thinking he can do my job better…” He didn’t want to admit that the boy was right about the Feebas.

“Hello!” Margriet called.

“Comi-“ The Chef turned and moved, and thought he saw Radegast again. It took him a moment to realise that while the facial shape was similar, it was in fact, a girl with a stranger in a nice suit. “Welcome!” The Chef wrote the similarities off as chance, given how he’s seen many people who looked like others in his line of work.

“Everything alright?” Logan asked, noting the Chef’s hesitation.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” The Chef replied somewhat sheepishly.

“You seemed to recognize me,” Margriet concurred with Logan.

“Well…” The chef shrugged. “It’s really nothing, but you kinda looked like this guy who had a lot of nerve.”

“Did he have a Gengar with him?”

“Y-yes! How did you know?”

“Probably my brother,” Margriet sighed as she put a palm to her face, “He’s a stubborn kid too. I’m sorry for his attitude, but I know he wouldn’t have said anything if he didn’t care. I hope you can forgive him for my sake,” Plus, he’s got enough people mad at him as it is.

“In any case,” Logan continued as his mouth began to water, “Let’s try some Malasadas.”

“Two Spicy, if you’d please,” Margriet gave a warm, professional smile.

“Coming right up!” The Chef was back in a good mood, now that he had customers to feed, “Here’s your number.”

Margriet picked up the long thin metal pole, which was curled along the top end with a giant number 3. The two of them headed to a table and sat down on opposite sides.

“I wonder what he was doing here,” Logan said aloud, “I thought he was supposed to be laying low?”

“Given his disguise, I imagine he was just hiding in plain sight,” Margriet didn’t much like the blonde-dyed hair, but she had to admit that it took her a second to recognize her own brother.

They sat, waiting on their Malasadas, in a reasonable filled restaurant. The two of them were going over a travel brochure, looking for information on the island Kahuna. They noted two trial captains, and the kahuna named Nanu.

“There’s a police station near Po Town,” Logan noted as he checked a detailed map of Ula’ula, laid out across the table. “I think that might be where this Nanu is…”

Margriet paused on the wording of “this Nanu”. It was that same wording that got that one red-haired girl to fly off the handle. Margriet meant no harm by it, but perhaps her being too professional came at a cost of emotional connection?

Is this what Radegast ran from? Margriet noted the discomfort she suddenly felt in her stomach. She then noticed a marking on the north side of Ula’ula, which was right in front of her.

“Bones…?” Margriet wondered.

“What’s that?” Logan asked.

“Why would the map mark the location of some bones?” The seventeen-year-old tapped a finger on the map, where a small area was marked ‘The Demon’s Bones’.

“Probably something poetic,” Logan replied, “Like a natural rock formation that looks like a ribcage.”

“I dunno,” Margriet noted the very even elevation typically identifiable as simple plains, “But it might be worth checking out once we’re done.

The Malasadas ordered were quite scrumptious, with enough heat to make a Charizard beg for Moomoo Milk. Logan and Margriet were deceptively tolerant for spicy foods. Despite their toughness, their faces formed beads of sweat all the same.

Titania and Touko had just gotten off the boat when the older woman stopped and looked through the window into the malasada shop. "What the...what's she doing here? Margriet...?" "Only one way to find out, omae," Touko responded. "Let's go in and see what's going on!"

Logan was the first to notice them. "Eight-o-clock," Logan muttered to Margriet, who glanced over. It was that girl from Unova. Was she here on Psychic Rebellion-related business too? Regardless, her face turned into a friendly, professional smile. "Fancy meeting you here!" Margriet chimed as she stood to give Touko a hug. Logan also stood, but he stood ramrod straight and at-attention- not unlike a soldier.

"Yes...fancy meeting you..." Titania stood back, those steel-blue eyes sizing up Margriet and Logan, particularly the former. Was she as lethal as she was back in the day? Would she even recognize the challenging gaze of an old rival? Or was she too busy snuggling with the brunette? Meanwhile, Touko eagerly accepted the hug. "Oh, man, what's up with your breath? Is the food really that bad around here? I think I saw a sushi place up the road."

"Don't be hating on spicy food, girl!" Margriet joked as she regarded Titania. The steel-blue eyes were oddly hard, which Margriet recognized. Her smile faded somewhat. "Pleasure to meet you," As a Hall of Famer, Margriet had learned the names of those who came before her. Titania was not exactly a forgettable presence. Margriet knew the look. "While I'd love to pick your brain, I'm afraid we're all tied-up with something or another. Right?" Her eyes met Touko's.

"Indeed," Logan began folding up the map, "We're about to be on our way to meet the Kahuna of this island... Or at least, one of the Captains."

"Captains? Are those like Gym Leaders or something? Ooh, I hope they're really strong, she's been in a bad mood ever since I beat her," Touko mumbled. "It's been a while since I've won anything, ok kiddo?" Titania sounded weary, as if she was trying to put up a brave front but the facade was slowly starting to collapse. Margriet was still every bit as strong as before, whereas it was quite possible that she herself had lost a step given her losing streak.

"Indeed. As per my career, I'm required to understand how many different regions function. Alola's own "League" of sorts works in a more traditional sense, rather than like the Ladders of other regions." Margriet replied, "Would you like to join us?" She offered a seat at the table. "I have sushi every time I'm back home in Fuscia, so Malasadas are a real treat."

"Ah. Malasadas, huh? Let's get a couple to go, then. Walk and talk? Let's go see this Captain you mentioned." "Okay, Touko, but if they want to fight, you fight him, not me. I've lost enough this week. Or do you need a few more bruises from my friend?" "Err, Titania? That last bit requires context." "Er...yeah. We did some martial arts training. Your Champion managed to drop by too."

Margriet nodded, and called for an order for the two ladies. She also called for doggie bags for the Reginalds' leftovers. Soon enough, the four of them were outside of the Malasada joint, and they were on their way to the Library.

"The closest Captain, judging by the tourism guide," Logan said, "Often spends her time in the Library, where she had moved her fathers' books. Her name's Acerola."

"Acerola? Who the hell names their kid that?" "Wait, let me see that...something about she has claims to royalty? Must have been whoever was in charge before the UPL colonized this place. She sounds pretty cool." On the way, Titania informed Touko about the moves she had taught that Excadrill, and how he gets impatient if a battle isn't imminent given the terms on which he had joined the younger woman's side.

The Library was two floors of shelves, large potted plants, air conditioning, and books kept dry by the conditioned air. Margriet and Logan strut in like dignified guests, with Logan right behind and to her right. With a smile on her face, Margriet quietly ushered the lady at the counter over so she could ask a question. "Is Trial Captain Acerola here?"

"Always!" came the young and cheerful response from behind, intending to startle the four who had just entered the library. When they turned around, they would get a glimpse of a rather short girl with ghostly purple hair and dreary, yet cheery eyes to match. Her style was a bit...tattered with the odd stitchings in her dress that either was an inconvenient patch job or a unique fashion choice. Either way, that didn't stop her weird aura from filling the room...one of mystery.

"Actually, not so much anymore...since I started helping Kukui!" she continued, "But lucky for you, I was also in that Malasada shop."

Margriet emitted a particular sound as she rushed over to Acerola with light steps. "You are just so adorable!!!" Margriet flung her arms around the shorter girl, as Logan stepped forward to object.

"Ma'am, this isn't professiona-" But it wasn't any use. Margriet was stroking Acerola's hair tenderly.

"I love your hair! What's your secret?"

"Oh, just some Ghastly Pink I keep lying around the Megamart mixed with some Magnemite Steel to make it look like this!" she smoothly combed a hand through her hair as she held it up to the light, showcasing it's sheen and radiance.

Margriet was about to respond with her piqued interest when Logan cleared his throat, "Miss Reginald."

"Oh..." Margriet didn't like being called that. Logan only ever did that whenever she was being foolish. She released Acerola and pat her cheeks lightly. "My apologies. I'm Margriet, from Kanto. We wanted to bring some information for all the leading figures of Alola- the Kahuna and Captains."

But Acerola clearly didn't mind. She actually had to hide a blush as she waved them off, "Oh, don't worry about it! I like your eye for fashion."

"But I guess we must keep it professional and all," Acerola sighed like a school girl given a class assignment as she sat her petite self in a chair on her right. Her head barely peeked over the table it was situated next to, "So, what's your deal? If you're seeking out all the big boys and girls, it sounds like it's important."

Margriet went on to explain the Psychic Rebellion and their particular hatred towards humans and enslaved Pokemon alike, as well as their terrible weapons and machines. Touko even provided some extra intel about the threat the Rebellion posed. "I've been sent by Dadd- I mean my father- to spread word of the threat to the leaders of Alola, so they would be ready if the Rebellion were to strike here." My idiot brother is here... so they might...

"Ooh, yeah, they have some nasty stuff. Not only can they talk, they have a device that can turn your Pokemon against you! Fighting my own Zekrom was not fun, man...took out half of the rest of my team all by itself. I tried smashing it with my Haxorus, but it was just too strong and I had to retreat. I figured I needed someone that knows their way around heavy machinery, so I went after this fine lady here, and well, here I am!"

Acerola's expression remained calm and collected, with a ghost of a smile resting on her face. When Margriet and Titania was done explaining, she nodded, "Yep! That's some news for sure! Who else have you told?"

"I have told the Kahuna of Melemele and Akala Islands. We're planning to make a detour on Ula'ula before continuing on our way to Poni Island."

"Have you told Lukas yet?"

"I have not met the standing Champion yet," Margriet shook her head, My brother apparently has, though. So much for laying low, bro...

"What about Professor Kukui?"

"Not yet," Margriet replied.

"We do have a way to go," Logan added.

Acerola nodded understandingly, "Well, they're on Melemele Island if you get a chance to head back there. The professor lives on the ocean and the Champion lives in Route 1, near the entrance to Iki Town."

"This information is greatly appreciated," Margriet lowered her head in a Fuscian traditional bow. "Incidentally, we're aware that the Kahuna of Ula'ula is particularly hard to find,"

Acerola giggled, a soft but amusing cackle, "Sounds like Uncle Nanu alright! He'll probably won't be helping out much. It's just not his style. But if you do wanna tell him anyway, he likes to hang around Po Town sometimes."

"Sometimes..." Margriet repeated. She was afraid of that, given the profile she and Logan read up on in the Malasada place. "Maybe it'd be more up his alley if you were the one to relay this news to him?"

"I can tryyyyyy," her voice went a bit sing-songy as she winked at Margriet, "But nowadays, I have trouble finding him sometimes. And I don't think I'll be doing much good either. I've been trying for years to get Uncle Nanu to be more positive and helpful. But it's like I said before...just not his style."

Margriet chuckled, "Sounds like someone I know... Well," She stood up and bowed once more. "Thank you very much for your time. We still have a lot of ground to cover."

"Wait. This whole time I wanted to fight the urge to talk to someone in charge," Titania blurted. "You're telling me this Acerola chick is the real deal?" "Yup! Right here in the guide, she's one of the Elite Four! Don't tell me you're surprised, given the rise of people like Iris and myself!" "I wasn't, I was just miffed that everyone seems to peak when they're half as old as I am now. Like, sorry, world, I was busy trying to get a real job." "Oh, shush, Titania, there's still time. You're plenty strong and you probably have a ton of tricks in your toolbox still. Combined with your legendary iron will, I know you'll figure out how to win again."

Titania coughed politely to try to reset the conversation. "So...this Po Town...sounds like that's where we're headed. Everyone got their rain gear?" "Might have to go shopping, but yeah," Touko added sheepishly. "I've had to add to my wardrobe quite a bit, Alola's climate is certainly one of extremes!"

As they left, Logan paused, and turned. "Captain... I just wanted to ask, what are the Demon's Bones?"

"The Demon Bones," she said, going deep in thought, "That's not something I've had to think about in a long time."

Acerola swiftly got up from the table and began walking through the library, explaining as she went, "The Demon Bones are the skeletal remains of a cursed beast that lived on Akala Island many years ago...I think, anyway. I don't know much about it. I was four at the time. But I bet...if we looked through the history books around here...AH! Here we go!"

She pointed to a book with a purple cover made of cracked leather that sat on the second shelf from the top. The text was large and easy to read in a simple font, even from their vantage point. The book was titled: "Legends and Myths from the Alola Region".

Acerola had to turn around, smiling sheepishly, "I'm...a bit too short to reach that book. Can you get it for me?"

Logan eyed the book for a moment, as if something were suddenly on his mind. But he complied and retrieved the book. He spread it open on the table.

"Logan?" Margriet asked as she stepped back in, "What's keeping you?"

"I'm asking about that place we spotted on that tourist map," Logan replied. It just doesn't seem like subject matter they'd have for a landmark... This is very weird to me.

Meanwhile, Acerola was flipping through the large book quite rapidly, trying to find the section she was looking for. She was going so fast, Logan couldn't quite make out the text on the page. But there were pictures that flashed, including ones for a lion-shaped Pokemon whose mane looked like the Sun's rays, a bat-like Pokemon whose spread figure resembled the moon, and the various Tapu of the islands.

"Aha! Here it is!" she exclaimed, ignoring the fact that they were in a library. But no one bothered to shush the Elite Four member as she excitedly pointed at the caption, which read: "Demonbreath: The Tyrant of Wela". To the right of the page showed an artist's vision. It appeared to be a dark sketch of the Volcano of Akala, as viewed from the South. Blue spikes, orange-white flames, and an unearthly green blaze filled the dark sky like a sun.

"A Dragonite out of place, of unparalleled size, and unparalleled evil. Unlike the natural synergy of Pokemon throughout Alola, the beast known as Demonbreath had ruled from Mount Wela with unfathomable greed and violent intent. It generally stayed away from humans, but for a long time, Akala was a dangerous place for human and Pokemon alike."

"One fateful summer day, as night began to fall, the Ice and Fire emerged from the unknown to challenge the Demonbreath. No human knows who or what they were. All witness accounts agree on spikes of ice, and blazing orange-white flame, clashing against the immense Dragonite."

"To the awe of all those who had seen the spectacle, the Demonbreath was pushed away from Akala, across the ocean. From there, Ula'ulan witness accounts make note that the Ice had vanished, but the Fire was enormous, supernaturally fast, and terrible. The beast was sent to the Earth with tens of thousands of furious strikes. The creature's final breath escaped it as it slammed into the ground, shaking the earth around it. There, the Demon's Bones lay still, undisturbed, surrounded by scorched earth."

Acerola finished reciting the text, closing the book with a dull thud! before turning back to Logan, "Y'know, I've never been over there. Not ever in my life. But it sounds like my kind of place!" She winked at him before continuing, "Need anything else?"

"No," Logan nodded thoughtfully, "We were thinking of checking it out before we headed back to Melemele. This legend seems..."

"Sounds like some of my family's history," Margriet added.

"Yeah, very Reginald-like," Logan agreed. He too gave a formal Fuscian-style bow. "Thank you for your help." The two of them headed back out and summoned their Charizards. Margriet turned to Touko. "Have you been informing the Alolan big-wigs about the Psychic Rebellion as well?"

"Everyone I can get my hands on. Last I saw it it was in my home region of Unova, but who knows where it could be or where it's pointed next. This thing could probably wipe out half of Castelia in one blast, easy. I figure Alola is the safest place to go to alert people, since it's nothing but ocean for thousands of miles. Unless it's cloaked somehow, you guys will see it coming. I also got Titania here to help me take it offline for good, and she knows a thing or two about infiltrating Pokemon bases."

Titania said nothing, merely blushing fiercely. There were a lot of details to that story that were better left unspoken at the moment.

Logan would suddenly feel a tiny weight added to him...particularly on his left shoulder.

"Whoa!" Logan smirked as he held a finger up to gently pet the small bird. "How'd you get here from Melemele, little guy?"

The Pikipek fluffed it's wings, as if answering the question before hopping down towards the trainer's bag in search for more rice.

"Ah, duh." Logan rolled his eyes. He then noted the bird's pecking at his bag. "Sorry, I don't have anymore. I'll pick up some later, sound good?"

The Pikipek chirped happily, beating it's wings as it took flight and began circling the group.

Margriet giggled, "You spoil him."

Logan shot a playful glare at Margriet, who only laughed at a greater intensity.

"So. You in?" Touko prodded further, "We could use everyone we can get, if only to keep the grunts off our back while we go in to take on the boss."

"We will need to consult the Family before we can make a call on that," Margriet replied, turning a bit more serious, "But I will let them know that we have a person with such knowledge. I think Father might be interested in meeting you."

"If you have spoken to the Champion already, then our last stop would be Poni Island," Logan hummed, "In any case, we're going to check out the Demon's Bones."

"We'll get back to you on that offer as soon as we can," Margriet added as their two Charizards kicked off and launched into the sky, the Pikipek following close behind.

The air was crisp and fresh. With an entire mountain blocking all scents from Malie City and the waste treatment plant, and Po Town an abandoned mess, the northern section of Ula’ula Island was probably the cleanest location in all of Alola. At the same time, it was the most barren. The only other plant life throughout the fields besides the tall grasses that stretched nearly endlessly were the charred husks of trees.

Margriet and Logan slowed their flight pattern and hovered low, searching the expanse of plains for the landmark they were looking for.

“The map said the Demon’s Bones were directly in the centre of the field,” Logan noted aloud.

“You’d think we’d see it by now,” Margriet said, “I don’t see how this sort of grass can hide something like this…”

Closer to the centre, the grass thinned out to make way for cracked dirt, where only the toughest weeds survived. The soil here was gray and dead, though as grass grows, dies, and gets decomposed, the perimeter to this dead zone slowly regained nutrients and life. “Something’s not right,” Margriet knew immediately as their Charizards landed within the dead zone.

In front of them, in the middle of the area of dead dirt, there were no bones. All that remained were dug-up sections and a dragged trail leading towards the ocean.

“What happened here?” Logan asked, though the question was purely rhetorical.

“Shh,” Margriet froze as she began hearing the whispered voices amid the dead silence within the field. Between the crackling flames of the nervous Charizards, she could hear the voices of Pokemon hiding in the distant grass.

“Why would they take them?”

“Humans with no shame.”

“The Slayer would not like this.”

“Did you see the Slayer yesterday? She was here, I could feel it!”

“Who are those humans? Are they after the Bones too?”

“They came, and they took the bones…”

Margriet turned to Logan- specifically, the Pikipek on his shoulder. “I can hear them around us. What are they afraid of?” She carefully asked the bird.

But the Pikipek appeared to be in too much of a state of panic to answer her question. It's heartbeat fluttered and then began pounding rapidly...more so than usual. It's flying patterns were erratic as it seemed to bounce from here to there. It's eyes remained on the cracked dirt and the indents where bones used to be.

"No, no, no, no, no, no..." the Pikipek began chattering, seemingly to itself, "This can't be real. There's no way..."

Almost instantaneously, he zoomed into the tall grass and began talking to the Pokemon in the grass. Logan and Margriet would hear it's words clearly, "What happened to the bones? Where did they go? Is Demonbreath..."

"Humans came and took them. Took them out to sea. We don't know what they plan to do with them."

"When? How?"

"Last night. They just showed up in a small boat and snatched them up. They were being real quiet about it, too. I barely heard them."

"Do you know what they look like?"

"Some wore lab coats, but most wore black. Everyone was wearing some weird glasses that covered their face. I didn't recognize any of them."

"You don't think..." Dread filled the Pikipek's voice.

"They could be. Humans in lab coats are capable of doing anything. That's what I always say."

"I have to warn them!"

Logan and Margriet would barely have time to dodge the Pikipek as it dashed out of the brush and into the sky, heading for Poni Island.

"Humans in lab coats..." Margriet and Logan exchanged looks as the Pikipek darted off, "C'mon."

Per Margriet's instruction, the two of them once more mounted the saddles on their respective Ride Pokemon. The two Charizards seemed, all of a sudden, nervous.

As they launched after the Pikipek, Margriet couldn't help but wonder, Radegast, something's happening here. I hope you're safe.

Suddenly, a figure darted in between them from the west, likely startling the two. It was traveling so fast and with such urgency that it was almost too blurry to make out. But anyone could recognize the red stripe on it's forehead and the pin needle of a beak as it shot past them. It's wings were fluttering so quickly and almost in an uncontrolled pace...as if it was scared of something.

The Pikipek didn't even look back, charging towards a rock formation to their left and swooping into a tiny hole on the side.

Margriet and Logan soon arrived. The two of them landed nearby, and started looking around. Margriet spotted Touko and Titania, and waved to them. As the two of them dismounted their Ride Charizards, Margriet called, "Have you seen a Pikipek fly past here?"

Logan seemed to be trapped in his own thoughts. Why would anyone move a skeleton? Were they museum workers? They've sat there,
exposed, for years apparently...

"Logan," Margriet noticed Logan's blank stare into space, "Are you alright?"

"Just thinking, ma'am."

"Um...yeah, just now, why?" Titania was the first to break the silence. "Were you following it or something? Did it steal your sunglasses?"

"Hey, now that you mention it, I did," Touko agreed. "But I don't see what it matters. C'mon, let's tackle the Battle Tree, I bet you'd be really fun to team up with, Titania. My offense and your defense, we'd be unstoppable!"

"Is battling all you think about?" Titania was back to her weary-sounding self, complete with resting bitch face.

"Nah. Just mostly. If you thought about it as something you get to do instead of something you have to do, you might enjoy it more as well!" Touko was chipper as always. "Though this heat is really getting to me...I knew I should have bought some tank tops at the store back there..."

"Well..." Margriet glanced between the tall grass and the two other ladies, "It's just, we checked out the Demon's Bones. They're gone."

"Gone as in missing. Someone took them," Logan added.

"Men and women in lab coats," Margriet continued, "The poor Pikipek was really scared."

"Demon's Bones?" "Nani?" Touko and Titania were equally confused, but the older one was the first to act.

"I take it these are some sort of powerful Alolan relics or something. What are they going to do, try to summon Yveltal or some other massive force of destruction?"

"Great. First the Master Blaster, now this thing," Touko grunted. "And I was really looking forward to battling in that Tree there, too. How am I supposed to enjoy battling when I'm constantly trying to save the world?"

"That's a question I ask myself every morning, Touko," Titania shot back. "You coming all the way from Unova to try to recruit me into your little crusade isn't the first time I've fought with these stakes. How do you know I'm the one that should help you with this?"

"Because you know machines...plus, like you said just then, you've fought with everything on the line before, and yet here you are. I tried to smash it with Juggernaut and it didn't work."

"Um, Touko? I think we're ignoring some very important people." Titania tactfully directed their attention back to Logan and Margriet.

"Right. So, uh...what are these Demon's Bones and why is it bad that someone took them?"

"We don't know," Logan replied, "But the little guy does. That's why we were trying to talk with him."

"It's bad, though. That much, I understood," Margriet glanced back out to sea. What was her idiot brother doing now? Was he safe? Reggie was there; he has to be safe.

"Right. While you guys talk about this like adults, I'm gonna go see where that Pikipek went. I think it went into the bushes around here...?"

Touko turned up the sass for dramatic effect, hands on her hips and everything, even wiggling her butt on purpose as she struck out into the shade of the thick foliage. "Man, I hope there aren't any burs or anything, they'll take forever to brush out. All right, little birdie, where the hell did you run off to? I saw you in Malie City when we went out for sushi..."

"Here Logan, you try calling him," Margriet said as she stepped into the grass to search.

"Me?" Logan seemed puzzled as he followed, but Margriet shot him an insistent look. With a shrug, Logan called "Hey little guy! Are you alright?"

The Pikipek was either too far away to hear them or wasn't concerned with the boy he'd been mooching rice from. One way or another, they weren't getting a direct response from him.

But as they sifted closer and closer to the rock formation, they would begin to hear voices. A few slight, unintelligible garbles that would barely be caught by the most attentive ears. They were too far away to make out what was being said and who was saying it and there was only one way they were going to find those things out.

They had to find a way into the rock formation and go deeper.