“I respect you and your work and all that, Mr. Looker. I really do,” Gary said from Looker’s right side.

  Gary, June, and the legendary Detective Looker were walking through an open plain with distant woods on each side, Looker’s Lucario a few feet behind everyone. Looker, revealed to be the true identity of OrangeIChamp, was going over more of his theories on the monster and how the Pokemon types might connect to her, Gary bringing up his own responses and inquiries.

  Earlier, after leaving the cafe, the group had found June’s Electivire outside repeatedly slugging the trunk of a tree. Upon seeing the group with Lucario, Electivire tried challenging the Pokemon, Lucario ignoring his intimidating behavior until Gary assisted in getting Electivire into his Poke Ball before a fight broke out. Disbelief had been on June’s face when watching Electivire respond, and listen, to Gary.

  Now, June was walking on Looker’s left, not saying a word. It wasn’t clear if she was even listening, and the guys left her alone.

  “But I’m not sold on this idea of yours. No offense, sir, and I don’t mean to question your way of thinking, but it’s just insane to be honest and I think you’re just putting any old thing together. You still didn’t get to how this relates to my sister, and I don’t think I even want to hear that part anymore!” Gary was letting it all out. Deep down, he thought this retired Detective Looker, a man he never heard of before, was past his supposed prime and maybe a little out of his mind. Maybe these out of the box ideas helped him solve things back in the day in the field, but this was sounding like something out of The Excadrill Files!

  Then again, is any of this sounding like reality, really? Gary argued. Is what Looker’s suggesting really so far off? Is there a better explanation?

  NO! Gary admitted in his head. In all sincerity, there isn’t a better explanation, but there’s no way this is the only answer to this! Gary suddenly realized that there was complete silence and that Looker was just staring at him with ease on his face. “Huh? What?”

  Looker smiled at him. His eyes closed and he let out a chuckle, lowering his head and shaking it a few times. “I know, I know. I must sound like an old fool or someone who’s seen too many episodes of The Excadrill Files, right?” He laughed some more.

  Gary snickered at the coincidence.

  “Aaaaah... That takes me back. I used to have a partner on the force; Anabel. You could say we were Agents Dully and Bolder ourselves, the things we saw. You wouldn’t believe it! She was a special one. Used to be one of the most powerful Pokemon Trainers you could find. Was able to battle telepathically, without speaking a word to her Pokemon during a battle!”

  “That’s incredible!” Gary reacted in amazement.

  Now June’s eyes were wide on the man as she listened to him speak.

  “Yeah. You don’t often hear about bonds like that between humans and Pokemon unless it involves Psychic-type Trainers, and she was amongst the best of ‘em.” He turned to June. “Are you a psychic or anything?”

  Gary held his breath, his eyes wide as he looked at June.

  June turned away from Looker, her eyes even wider now, and she only shook her head aggressively.

  June, Gary thought. There’s no way you’ve lost this ability to talk to and hear Pokemon. Could it really be because of her hearing? It makes some sense. But, Looker. Please. Just shut up! You’re going too far!

  Looker turned from her, looking ahead as he said, “I met a boy once, who could communicate with Pokemon, too. Never learned much about him, where he’s from, or how his ability worked or where he got it from. But in the time after having met him, I traveled. First visiting Sinnoh, which is where I had done a lot of research, finding the kinds of things you did when you went to the Canalave Library.

  “I even met with the late Prof. Rowan to discuss some of his work as it seemed to coincide with the books of mythology. But what I came away with from our hours-long talk was that I may not be reading mythology, but history! These stories may actually be recountings of actual things from the past of the world. Pokemon and humans eating together. Marrying one another. The stories suggest we once had some kind of common ancestor and at some point, the differences became too great, or the societal norms changed, banishing such behaviors.”

  June looked taken aback by all this.

  “But even so, I wasn’t as ready to accept these notions as well as I thought, and ultimately dismissed them altogether, deciding I needed a break, or even that it was time to retire. That’s how I ended up in Kalos, distracting myself with a new case.

  “In a way, I was using you as a vessel with which to live through. A second chance and reason to follow through on this theory. A way to handle it easier by not taking it on alone. I apologize if all I’ve been doing is using you. It was just like... something was set ablaze in me with the discovery of this monster. All those feelings returned with a fury.”

  Gary didn’t know how to feel about all of this, and he just kept his gaze away from the man and nodded.

  June now held a look closer to disappointment for Looker.

  “I’d really like to elaborate more on Claire’s Psychic typing and the connection I believe this has with you and your late sister,” Looker said, Gary sharply turning to him again, “but...” His voice trailed off.

  While it may have seemed like Looker was trying to be respectful of Gary’s discomfort in talking about his wild theories about his deceased sibling, Gary could tell Looker was desperate to get his idea out, one way or another. Sighing out, Gary said, “Just get it over with.”

  Nodding sharply, Looker quickly went on, “As I stated before, I believe it’s proven that you’re telepathically connected to her, and that you both can see into each other’s minds at times. This is something that likely is affecting you more than it is her, and leads to unnecessary outbursts from you, like you demonstrated earlier. Irregular outbursts that aren’t just from a bad temper, but are a reaction from her infiltrating your mind. I suspect when you see into her’s, it isn’t quite as impactful as having her, in yours. You are handling an entire monster at once, after all. I’m sure it’s nothing for a creature like her to handle the mind of a meager human child in her head.”

  Gary was squinting softly at Looker but refused to say anything, instead reflecting on several instances that seemed to fit into what Looker was suggesting. The number of times he’d wake up in the middle of the night, screaming in complete terror from a nightmare of June under attack. But not just being attacked by some random monster of Hell, but himself as the monster, willingly about to commit the horrible acts!

  During his battle in Cas’ Gym, he recalled that he had the strangest sensation. As if he weren’t seeing things with his own eyes? His constant raging at Tyranitar was inexcusable, and it simply wasn’t like him to be like that with his Pokemon. It was like a blazing inferno of impatience and unreasonable demand for control for a reason he didn’t quite understand. The violent, gruesome thoughts, like wanting to attack Ranger Kai with my own teeth? Gary went on. Wanting to bash her brains out?! Who thinks things like that? A psychopath?? What warranted that?

  Leaping out of a helicopter! Fighting underwater! That’s not even possible! I can’t do that! So, does that mean Looker’s right? Is this an effect of her infiltrating my brain? But how could her affecting me mentally affect the physical impossibilities of moving abley underwater?! There’s just no way!

  And inside of the Hope House, when she came in and- Gary shook his head, his mouth falling open. “Wait! There’s more! I remembered something else about her! The Hope House! She referred to the Foreign Building in Hearthome City as the Hope House! In her - mind...” Now Gary had a guilty look on his face.

  A light smile came over Looker’s face. “Are you coming over to the dark side now, Gary?” he asked softly.

  Gary frowned. “No. I mean, I... It’s just...” He looked down with aggravation. Shit. It can’t- This can’t be... I read - her mind?

  “I understand. This is a lot to just accept. Even in a world like ours with so many abundant miracles, something like this is still going too far. The Hope House. Hmmm...” His smile now gone, he frowned at Gary. “The Foreign Building is a sacred structure. She referred to it as the Hope House, huh?” He typed on his tablet some more. “One thing at a time. I’ll come back to that, but first, we’re still not done with her Psychic trait entirely.”

  Gary rolled his eyes, breathing out impatiently.

  “Please bear with me!” Looker’s eyes were lit with eagerness. He cleared his throat and spoke more calmly. “After she killed your sister-”

  Gary flinched, grimacing.

  “Sorry,” Looker lowered his head apologetically. “After that attack, this whole connection between you two started, right? These memories; dreams, whatever you wanna call them. I believe that when she used this Electric attack, draining the life out of Melissa, she took something more from her. She gained a connection to her next of kin, you. And once that connection strengthened, it became what truly led you to come to Sinnoh. Something in that is why you two keep running into each other. That’s why you two are inseparable.”

  The entire group came to a stop now.

  Gary didn’t have anything to say for a while. His mind was completely blank, until finally: This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Whoever he is, or was, he’s just plain wrong. In everything he’s said. “What about my family?” he challenged. “My mom. My grandmother and auntie.”

  Looker nodded easily. “It’s fair to say there’s nothing like the bond between siblings. Also, it’s you who has had continuous contact with Claire, not your family. I believe those interactions played a role in strengthening the telekinetic bond between you and the monster.

  “If we think of her as a Pokemon, I find it a bit easier to think of all this as maybe some kind of Ability she has. I consider all of this similar to the Ability called Infiltrator. This is an Ability that allows the holder to bypass moves like Reflect and Light Screen. For Claire, let’s call it Slip-Through Ability: the power to break through barriers. I think this is allowing her to connect through to you slowly but surely.

  “However, the evidence suggests this bond between you and Claire isn’t something she wants, or expected to happen. I suspect this Ability was normally just regulated to the physical, not the mental. I think that she has only used this Ability in instances like to tear through protection moves like Protect with that acid-like move she uses from her eyes. Even to override Electivire’s Motor Drive Ability to still attack him with electricity.” Looker stopped talking.

  June looked down to her bag where Electivire was still in his Poke Ball.

  Gary just shook his head. It can’t be true. This is just sick! “So you think the only reason we’re connected, is because I’m related to my sister?”

  “I think she got more than she bargained for, and I think this connection was only strengthened by more interactions between you two. At this point, you two are irrevocably bonded together. I also think that maybe there could be a benefit to this if you were interested in hearing my plan, but at this point, I know you don’t trust me. As I confessed earlier, I’ve been using you. Keeping tabs on you.”

  Gary took a strong inhale through his nose and then breathed out from his mouth noisily, making his disapproval clear. “Yeah, but that means you have an idea. Hearing that you have an actual plan intrigues me, a little. Considering how nuts this all sounds, I can’t wait to see what kind of actual plan you put around this whole scheme.” He knew he sounded rude, but he stood his ground, feeling completely justified when all things were taken into account.

  Looker’s shaky old lips formed a small smile that looked forced. He let out a light laugh that ended in a sigh. He even looked a little embarrassed as he looked away, unable to keep his eyes on Gary’s cold, unwavering face. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to listen to any more of this old man’s wild theories. I can see that this has only been a waste of your time. I guess I should leave you off here, then.”

  Against his will, Gary caved in and his shoulders slumped. “Hey, I wanna hear what you have to say,” he said more gently, his heart filling with regret and pity. “I mean, it’s something, right? I don’t have any clue on what’s going on but at least you have something put together. If you have a plan to stop her, that’s what I wanna hear.”

  Looker scratched his head, raising his fedora a little as his hand went under it. “Well, I was just thinking, if you could just master this psychic connection you have with her, you could be the key to tracking her down and knowing her next moves. Maybe even disabling her through telepathy.”

  Gary breathed out with exhaustion and his shoulders fell. “Looker...” Gary started as politely as he could. “Even if I could do something like that, that would take time. How would I even practice something like that? I wouldn’t even know where to begin! I’m not a Pokemon!”

  “And neither is she, according to you,” Looker winked.

  “I’m not a monster, either,” Gary replied with a slanted mouth.

  “There are psychic humans,” Looker shrugged.

  “And I’m not one of ‘em! Is this really your whole plan? A psychic battle between her mind and mine?”

  Looker smiled gently. His voice creaking wearily, he confessed, “Young Gary, I’m sorry, but that’s my plan.” He let out soft laughter. Shutting his eyes as he raised his face to the bright, sunny sky, he then said, “The Trick Master had a lot to say, and Claire had her own words about him. Those two were actually close, somehow. The Trick Master knew what we are still trying to figure out. And I’d love to know how he was able to do that without getting killed by her. He learned something about her that resulted in him killing himself, instead. How heavy, was that to carry? I want to know.”

  Gary didn’t say anything.

  Lucario had his eyes on June, June focusing instead on Looker.

  His face still in the open sky, Looker raised his tablet to shield his eyes and squinted, continuing, “The biggest mystery this planet holds, is the species known as Pokemon. The living embodiment of all aspects of our reality. Life and even beyond that. Sentience and even lack thereof. All aspects of what we are able to perceive, however limited, and if at all. Psychic, Ghost, Steel, Grass, Ground, Rock, Ice, Water, Fire, Electric.” He paused for a moment and then finally looked down, squinting at Gary as his hand lowered to his side. “And so on and so on. There’s even the Egg Group known as ‘Human-Like’ for Pokemon who resemble human beings. Everything is represented in some way by Pokemon.

  “It makes me often think about what the Trick Master said. Or at least my interpretation of what he understood, through Claire, that all life was meaningless. And that Pokemon and human differences are nonexistent. What he meant by that, I have no idea. And we may never understand it in this lifetime unless we seize this opportunity now and catch her! And I don’t think this can be done without you. This bond you both share is not something that will just come around again anytime soon.” Looker had his hands clenched now as his arms trembled, a smile growing.

  Gary’s body shuddered as he remembered when the Trick Master shot himself in the head at the Indigo League during Team Solace’s attack after giving his bizarre speech that made just about no sense at all.

  “Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, the mythological history. All it shows is the bond between Pokemon and the world around them is inseparable and purposeful!” Looker said with joy. “Whether it be with nature itself, or the humans that they share this planet with, Pokemon are the heart of a created power that is only accentuated to its full potential by everything around it! The Trick Master was right in mocking the idea of humans and Pokemon being greater than the other. It all is meaningless when you consider how we all function at best off of each other!

  “A world without Pokemon is one I can’t even fathom, and it’s why Team Solace is insane to be trying to start a war against them. They can’t be allowed to plant these seeds in the people’s minds. This is far bigger than just Team Solace. This isn’t about Isaac, or Ray, living to see their dreams come true. They’re too smart to think that will happen. It’s not even about if Team Solace ever wins. But what this sets up is a war to last the ages! To spread this sick, evil mindset through to the masses to ensure, no matter who dies in leadership, that there will always be someone setup to take the reins.

  “Team Solace’s long-term goal is not to eliminate all Pokemon, but to ensure a never-ending war with them. It’s not about winning the war so much as ensuring it never actually stops, at least not in favor of Pokemon surviving. It’s insurance. Team Solace as an organization could go down once and for all tonight, so long as the group’s ideals survive. And the arrival of this monster, Claire, has only made things much harder for them, in my theory.”

  While Gary had been dismissing a lot of what Looker was saying about Claire and what Pokemon type she could be, Looker’s words about Team Solace were being treated with a lot more attention and care.

  “The arrival of Claire, her existence, her place in this world; it throws a lot of problems for Team Solace. If she is truly some kind of hybrid species between human and Pokemon; if she bridges the gap between humans and Pokemon, then this could go one of two ways. Team Solace could very well be over, or all the more empowered. Them insisting this monster is a Pokemon and nothing more, makes me think they believe it’s the former.

  “You met Team Solace again after running into Claire. They were after her for some time. She got away thanks to draining the life from your sister and healing herself. If not for that, she may have died, and none of this would even be known to the world.”

  Gary held his breath. No, he told himself. Melissa... No! Team Solace was-

  The pretty blonde of Team Solace kept her blue eyes on Gary and shook her head. “Kid, you’ve no idea what hell you’ve let go loose on this planet... Unless we kill off that bitch, this is the end for us all. The end of Team Solace. The end of mankind.”

  No. No! Gary’s heart was going off like a bell in his chest.

  “No one is ready for this!” The member of Team Solace turned and ran off.

  Team Solace was - saving us? Gary was trembling at this thought. They were after her? To save the world? They were out to kill this - Pokemon? His brain was spinning, unable and unwilling to keep up with any of this any longer, but at this point, he couldn’t stop listening.

  “I believe that she, as a possible collective of all Pokemon types, is like a living ecosystem. I think that she is all of nature, and man, itself. Himself, herself, whatever. It is my belief after all of this information I’ve collected, that this creature may be the key not just to the full potential a lifeform can achieve on this planet, but,” Looker pursed his lips together and shook his head for an instant before continuing, “to all spiritual unexplained paranormal phenomena we take for granted. The origin of Mega Stones, Z-Crystals. Even some Pokemon moves like Frustration and Return are linked to feelings between Pokemon and Trainer. She’s the key to everything in the Pokemon world and the answer to the way we humans understand it all, or fail to. The original species on this planet, or the ultimate culmination of everything that’s ever existed on it, living hidden away in the Sinnoh Underground. And we’re only just now, by some fluke I’m sure, finding out.”

  June had lost eyes on Looker.

  Lucario was also looking at Looker, a relative calm on his face.

  Gary just remained still, staring quietly at him.

  Looker stared back, waiting to hear from the kid.

  After a while of trying to get the right words together, Gary did eventually open his mouth. “So what exactly does this... thing want from us? I’ve seen the video a few times, but I’m not understanding what she’s after. Why is she attacking people? If she’s as much human as Pokemon, what is her allegiance with Pokemon about and why does she want to wipe us people out?”

  Looker’s eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. “There may be something that she, as a theoretical hybrid, sees in humans that we can’t sense. She could consider us as too far gone. Infected. Everything that separates us from the Pokemon must be enough for her to align with them and want us out of the picture.”

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  Gary breathed in sharply, almost gasping.

  “Gary?” June spoke cautiously.

  “Gary? Are you okay?” Looker asked.

  The boy’s mouth matched his eyes, wide and full of horror. “Human contaminants,” Gary whispered. “I remember. She’s referred to people as human contaminants. She thinks we’re contaminated...” He looked over to Lucario and then back to Looker. “Humans, Pokemon. If what you’re saying is true; if we all originate from something like what that monster is... Or, if she’s the next stage, an improvement, then she may see us humans as tainted somehow.”

  “Now that’s noteworthy.” Looker typed on his tablet some more. He didn’t stop typing as he said, “It’s believed that in the video, she was trying to say the names of the Pokemon Shaymin and Ditto. She may be after them if they aren’t with her already, like the Regis. They have what she refers to as ‘clarity,’ which could simply mean they are on her side. But why would they side with her is the thing...?”

  He stopped typing, his eyes still on the tablet screen. “Putting this together with her saying she’s going to collect the Gym Badges and her gathering of Pokemon ‘friends,’ I’m guessing she’s building some kind of Pokemon army to face us in a Pokemon battle. I’m assuming she wants to fight to settle this once and for all, by conquering us in our most cherished event of raising and battling Pokemon, beating us at our own game. Proving she’s the superior Trainer, she’ll free the Pokemon from us humans and annihilate us to power the Infinity Energy and have her desire fulfilled: Arceus to worship.”

  Looker turned to June. “I’m willing to bet that’s the challenge you overheard her talking about during the Team Solace attack in Viridian City. And if we lose, we’re all dead.”

  The monster’s skin went pure black swiftly, and her hair bunched up and then billowed out, holes appearing all over it. She bent her legs, but even so she didn’t appear to actually have knees, and took a strong leap, floating high above everyone in Viridian City.

  “IVYSAUR! IVY IVYYYYY!!” Ivysaur shouted up at her.

  The monster’s eyes closed. When they opened, she looked ahead and then vanished in a quick burst of speed.

  “A challenge...” June said, her voice low and shaky. “A challenge is coming. Soon.” She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “There’s something happening. On this world. Something... big.

  “It may not be a living thing. But it’s something the creature wants to really bad,” June whispered. “It could be what she came from to begin with. The answer to what she even is. Maybe, something greater than her. Or... More of her.”

  “What’s coming is her reign. Her, her Pokemon friends, and the other things in the cave with her. She thinks she’s doing God’s work.”

  June didn’t say anything to this. She just looked sick now.

  Thinking back on that day, Gary questioned, “Couldn’t she just be an alien? Rather than... this theory of yours? What if she’s extraterrestrial? My friend suggested that.” He truly hated bringing up that possibility as he didn’t believe in aliens. But maybe I’m just thinking about it the wrong way, he considered. That one Pokemon I researched, Rayquaza, reportedly lives, literally, in outer space! So maybe I’m not understanding what “alien” means. Or-

  “I’m of the belief that all Pokemon have some alien origin to them. Some even would have you believe that humans do, too. Depends on who you ask. Heh.”

  Gary just shook his head and something else came to mind. “And what about the Master Ball? She was hit by mine and was about to be taken in. But she actually destroyed it! No other Pokemon would have been able to do that. The Master Ball is foolproof.”

  “I don’t believe that’s the case,” was Looker’s response. “You told me she attacked the Master Ball. With what little information we have, there’s too many variables as to why she may not have been captured.”

  Gary sighed out in frustration. “Fine. But-” He went quiet, shaking his head at the ground. “I just don’t get what she has against humans being Pokemon Trainers. What’s her gripe against Pokemon battling? Why should we have to have a war to be allowed to use Pokemon in battle?”

  “I don’t think that’s it. Pokemon battling isn’t innately evil. It’s natural. There’s nothing wrong with it, although there’s some who would disagree, like the activists Neo Team Plasma. I don’t think Claire opposes Pokemon battling in general. I think of it more as she thinks we humans aren’t worthy of controlling the Pokemon. I mean after all, we’re not the ones doing the fighting or feeling any pain. We just reap whatever benefits we created around Pokemon battling. Money, status, and the like.”

  Gary shook his head again before looking back up. “But what about everything you said about bonds and Mega Stones and connections between people and Pokemon? Isn’t she going to kill off one of the key things that gives Pokemon their full potential?”

  Looker nodded. “She is the key to everything, Gary. This may sound crazy, but I think, as a creature who is both human and Pokemon, she would override this issue. She, and, her kind, would fill the missing void of humans. They could very well perfect the bond in a way mere humans, insufficient, ‘contaminated’ humans, could never. In her viewpoint, our existence is the problem, and she seeks to prove it. This is why I think the Trick Master said we humans were the ones in Claire’s way and needed to be eliminated.”

  There was a dark silence now, the dread of a horrifying future suffocating everyone.

  Looker’s chuckle broke into the awkwardness. He went into his coat pocket and pulled out his set of keys that held a few little figures and the symbol of Arceus. Looking down at them, he said, “Well, she still holds reverence towards Arceus in all of this. It’s incredible isn’t it? The way she thinks. She has to be some kind of-” Looker breathed out and closed his eyes angrily as his hand tightened around his keys in a shaky fist. “If I’m right about her, this could mean the end of the entire world’s Pokemon journey, Pokemon collecting, and the Leagues around the world, until and if this monster can be stopped! No matter how you look at it, there’s no avoiding this war.”

  “Mr. Looker? Sir.” Gary had concerned, serious eyes on the man.

  After another minute, Looker put his keys away but kept his hand in his coat. “The Hope House. Her respect for the Foreign Building. Refusing to fight inside of it. This all ties in to Arceus in some way. Maybe it’s her Achilles’ heel.”

  “You mean like a crucifix to vampires?” Gary asked.

  Looker’s eyes finally opened and he grinned big, his now empty hand falling from his coat and to his side. “Mmmmm something like that. She must worship Arceus and therefore respects anything in regards to it. I’m not sure of the meaning behind the name the ‘Hope House’ but it kind of makes the situation seem more... hopeful! Ha ha ha.”

  Gary didn’t laugh but just nodded.

  “Who knows,” Looker kept smiling. “Her choice of words are, while imperfect, are coherent and deliberate. She speaks our language but it’s clearly learned. It’s not her original tongue. The Trick Master taught her well. But he alone couldn’t have taught her everything. Her time hiding and living on this planet must have taught her learned behaviors and practiced communications. We have no idea of her mortality; how long they live. How long she’s been roaming the planet. How much and what she learned in such an amount of time. She, her kind, could have been kidnapping humans for years, decades, if not even a number of centuries, forcing them to teach them about us. I’m thinking Claire may be the leader, carrying out the operations, and that’s why she’s the only one we’ve seen, assuming they don’t all look exactly the same, which I think is highly unlikely.”

  “Why would the leader be risking being out? Why not one of the others?” Gary asked.

  “We shouldn’t expect that they think too much like us. This may just be the way they operate, entrusting the important things to the leader. And when it comes to how they think, I was thinking, your original encounter with her wasn’t that far from after Team Solace destroyed Mt. Coronet. It was after that that she decided to make herself publicly known by openly attacking a city. I have to think that that wasn’t just coincidental.”

  Gary was thinking on Looker’s words. After a minute, he slowly nodded.

  But he ended up shutting his eyes, suddenly remembering when his sister was taken from him, and he lowered his head as he tried to block out the memory. But this was impossible.

  Melissa let out a laugh. “Gary!” But terror was on her face in an instant before she said, “They’re here!”

  The monster burst from the bushes, Gary and Melissa screaming, and her sparking hair connected with Melissa’s face.

  “MELISSAAAAAAA!!” Gary exploded.

  “Gary.” Looker had one hand on the boy’s shoulder. A strong grip that helped bring Gary back to Earth. “Are you okay?”

  Gary inhaled big and breathed out with a “Yeah.” He shook his head and then muttered, “I’m just thinking... You’re right. After Coronet got blown up, this thing was set loose. Or whatever. Sure. I see that.”

  Looker kept eyes on Gary before speaking again. “Well, what I was saying was that I no longer think she’s been lying dormant underground since the beginning of the creation of our world,” Looker said lightly.

  “You don’t?”

  “After that last video of hers, I’m thinking of it more like, maybe the attack on Mt. Coronet pissed her off, as Mt. Coronet is connected to Arceus. Arceus is said to have created the entire world, starting with the Sinnoh region, and Mt. Coronet is said to be where it all began. Mt. Coronet meant a lot to the people of Sinnoh, and was symbolic across the world. This could have been what set her off.

  “I need to know all I can in order to be able to find her. This means more to me than stopping Team Solace. I’ve been trying to track those guys down since I was begged out of retirement after they started causing chaos, but if I’m being entirely honest, Claire is a far bigger threat than those terrorists.”

  “You find her that much of a threat? Even more than Team Solace?” Gary questioned, surprised by this a bit. Surprised because he had been feeling the same thing.

  Looker nodded quickly. “They need to be stopped, but Claire is capable of far more harm. She’s just more important to get to, especially before Team Solace does. Whoever gets to her first, wins a prize bigger than they could ever handle, but it’s better on our side than theirs.” Looker went silent with a sniffle. The man’s face tightened, his lips pressing together, and his eyes began to shimmer wetly.

  Gary’s eyes widened. “Looker?”

  “They’re two sides, of the same coin,” the man said slowly and darkly. His face changed again, an empty look now on his face as his lips straightened back and the tears returned inside of his head. “That’s what Cynthia would have said. Two sides of the same coin. One is out to annihilate humanity, the other to destroy all Pokemon.” A sneer crossed his face and he was breathing harder now, audibly, shakily. As if he were struggling to breathe. “She took my good friend.” He said these words like it was an effort to speak. “She took a dignified Pokemon Master and utterly disgraced her! I will never forgive what she did - to Cynthia.” He swallowed hard.

  Gary’s heart was thumping hard. He didn’t know what to say or to even think. He turned to June, who looked back at him only to look down uncomfortably. Of course, Gary thought. They were good friends. Prof. Cynthia mentioned him. “I’m so sorry, Looker,” he said in a low voice. “She was an incredible person. And an idol.”

  While Gary loved Champion Tobias and supported his controversial defeat of Cynthia as the Sinnoh region Champion when it seemed like everyone on the planet hated the man for winning using Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, Gary also respected the legacy of Cynthia as a Champion immensely. She was a world-renowned battle expert and beauty.

  Gary reflected on some of the battles she’d had that he had watched online, including when Pallet Town’s Ash Ketchum managed to overcome her in a major tournament many years ago, before Gary realized the silence and looked at Looker.

  Looker was glaring down, pain on his face, his teeth bared.

  Just watching the man, Gary felt like crying himself. Looker, sir, he thought. I’m so sorry.

  With a blink, Looker’s features softened a little and his eyes moved to Gary and then June. Returning to Gary, he gave a familiar, confident smile. “We had the most riveting conversations when we could. We spoke about Claire.” Looker went quiet after this.

  “What did she have to say about her? She didn’t tell us much.”

  Looker nodded, lowering his eyes again. “She was an information gatherer, not a gossip. I loved that about her. She only knew what she knew, and didn’t pretend beyond that. Do you know what initially got me started on my theory that she was part human?” Looker suddenly asked. “I am sure I would have come to this conclusion eventually on my own, but giving credit where it’s due, Cynthia once asked me: Is Mewtwo human, or Pokemon?”

  Mewtwo... Almost immediately, Gary knew where this was going.

  “You know about Mewtwo, right? A lot of information was gained on them after one of them was captured years ago.” Looker closed his eyes for a bit. He snapped his fingers, his eyes open now, still to the ground. “In the Kalos region.”

  “Looker, Mewtwo isn’t a human.”

  He faced Gary. “Did you know that human DNA was used in the creation of Mewtwo, Gary?”

  “I know about it, but you know what? Mewtwo was actually captured. In a Master Ball. I used a Master Ball on the monster and it failed. The Pokedex-” Gary froze. Have I ever tried scanning her with the ‘Dex? he questioned.

  “The Pokedex doesn’t work on her, does it?” Looker assumed.

  Gary closed his mouth and leered at Looker. “I don’t think I’ve tried.”

  “I wouldn’t expect it to.”

  Air escaped swiftly from Gary’s mouth. “Anyway, Blaine is dead. All the rumors on his work around Mewtwo are just rumors. There’s no real proof of any of it, just unclear leaks on the Mewtwo Project back then. Besides that, we don’t have any evidence yet that human DNA was used to create this captured Mewtwo. And even if we did have that kind of proof on this Mewtwo, it’s the only one we have. We’d need to catch at least one more to argue they all require human DNA to exist. Basing this theory on the monster on a sole Mewtwo captured is just poor detective work, sir. Respectfully.” He swallowed.

  “And if we could prove human DNA is a component in Mewtwo’s creation, then what?” Looker called Gary out. “Or even if it only relates to this one Mewtwo. Would that not be enough for you, Gary?”

  Gary’s teeth tightened against each other.

  “Even if it is just one Mewtwo I’m basing this on, what’s so wrong with that? It’s something, isn’t it?” Looker sounded agitated. He took a step towards the boy, a determined look on his face. “Let me ask you something. What happens when you see the truth for what it is? When it’s no longer deniable?”

  Gary just breathed out, unable to answer Looker but keeping eye contact.

  “I couldn’t help but notice you have a Kirlia,” Looker brought up, speaking easier. “I know some things about them. Really great Pokemon, the Ralts line.” He smiled with one corner of his mouth. “They’re a lot like Lucario.” With a sigh, he turned to his Pokemon with a proper smile.

  Lucario looked back with a calm but stern stare.

  “I’ve been through a lot of things, kid. I’ve lost - a lot. My life will never be the same as whatever it was since the accident that took my memory. I learned a little about some of the life I lived, but it’s like I never lived it. This tormented me. Every dream, or nightmare, since, was of my past, real or made up. I can’t tell the difference. Even to this day. I’m only as strong as I am now thanks to the counseling I got from Lucario. His Aura ability saved me mentally, getting me through deep depression and regrets. It may have given me little in ways of what I wanted, but it gave me an abundance of what I didn’t know I needed.

  “I also know that the Kirlia family can help with these things. Human emotions. Psychic types in general are pretty useful for that. Use your Pokemon wisely.”

  “I do have a Riolu, too,” Gary told him.

  “Oh! Even better! Hey, use ‘em both!” Looker laughed lightly. He looked less stressed and serious now, his more honest, warm and welcoming demeanor back.

  Gary was still a little shaken up by Looker’s intimidating behavior a moment ago, but he managed to nod. Then his eyes went down.

  “Where are you headed now, Gary?” Looker asked.

  Gary looked back up. “Traveling. Looking for Pokemon. Badges.” He stayed quiet after this.

  Looker nodded. “What Gym are you headed to? How many Badges do you have?”

  “I’m going for my sixth Badge next. I’m gonna do a bit of exploring but I haven’t looked into where my next Gym is at.”

  “Well you’re not but ten minutes or so away from a Gym right around here. It’s a hot spring.” He pointed off to his left and then his arm fell. “The spot is a bit out of the way, so it didn’t fare so well financially, but after hard training and dedication, the husband of the daughter of the owners became a Gym Leader for the area and stationed it at the hot spring, which brought a little more attention. I forget what type he trains but like I said, they’re only just up ahead.”

  Gary nodded. “Are you saying we’re done? Nothing else to report? Nothing more to say about the monster? You’re actually done?” Gary managed a snicker, but he couldn’t get even the slightest smirk on his face.

  “Believe it or not, Gary, yes!” Looker looked gleeful. “I gave you my best and my all, and I think this is where we can depart! But I have plenty to review, now. So keep in touch! You know how to reach me.” He winked.

  Gary looked down and nodded. “Okay. So that’s it.” He sounded disappointed.

  “I mean, what more can I say? I gave you all my information and thoughts, however crazy they may have sounded. You told me all you know; and June. All we can do is keep each other updated. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure my typos are good now! I know my typing seemed bad, but I was just trying to fit in with the kids.”

  “You mean all the typos were on purpose?”

  “Basically! I thought it would look more natural to have them, since I was posing as a youth.”

  Gary’s face fell while staring at the pleasantly smiling man but he eventually returned the act of kindness. “Wow,” was all he could come up with, tossing his hands up in resignation of the situation.

  Looker walked ahead, but then he stopped.

  Lucario never moved, watching Looker.

  Keeping his back to them, Looker requested, “Just try to stay out of trouble. It’s hard breaking you out of jail.”

  Gary had a confused smirk on his face, as if the man had told him a joke he didn’t get. “Breaking me out of jail? Huh? What are you talking about?” I’ve been in so much trouble with the police, Gary noted. Is he referencing something I-? He stopped his thoughts and gasped. “Wait. Looker? Hey!”

  He looked back, still smiling, and tilted his head knowingly.

  Gary remembered when he was arrested but let go to serve a week at PokeLand Discounts. The judge had winked at him, mentioning Gary’s luck at having a “friend of the law.” “You?? It was you that got me into PokeLand??”

  Looker’s face was full of delight before he turned away and continued walking.

  Lucario looked at June and then followed after his Trainer.

  “Looker!! Are you serious?” Gary called after him. “That was you?”

  Looker stopped once again and turned back, now with a thoughtful look. “You know, a funny thing about those Sapience Balls. They kind of remind me of the colors of clair de lune. The halves. It’s nothing I really noticed until people started calling her Claire. Funny coincidence. Or I’m just making stuff up in my mind again, ha ha. There’s even a pun in that if you think about it. Clair de lune. But it might be in bad taste.

  “Anyway, keep in touch, and keep in mind what I said. I really think that if you use your Riolu and Kirlia, they might be able to help you. Maybe they can put her into some kind of cool, telepathic mental chamber when she takes over your mind and can keep her in there until something can be figured out on how to stop her for good.”

  Gary frowned and crossed his arms. “Say again?”

  Looker laughed nervously. “Ooooor... they can help keep her out of your mind!”

  “That’s what I thought I heard,” Gary replied indignantly.

  Looker chuckled briefly and then went on kindly, “But seriously, I really think at the least, your connection can lead us right to her. You just need to learn how to actually use it!”

  “Right. I’ll work right away on perfecting telekinesis for ya, sir,” Gary said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Got any spoons?”

  Looker laughed hard, though he cut it short. “I want to understand Claire, and stop her. If possible, I want her taken in alive. I want to keep the world safe above all, but if there is a way to take her in without killing her, I think that would benefit the world in the end beyond our imagination.”

  Gary stared at the man seriously. “Then if all this telepathic stuff you’re claiming is true, she better find a different head to get into. I said this after June was taken from me; this is more than just a journey this time around. This is a hunt. And if you think I have a special power to locate her, I’m using it to hunt her down and kill her. That’s all this is about for me. I know you think she’s like - the cure to cancer or world peace or something, but I don’t expect she’s the answer to the world’s problems. She’s just adding something new to the list.”

  Gary walked, past June, Lucario, and finally Looker, and he kept moving until he saw a dirt road leading off to the right through a large jumble of trees. “In the meantime, I need to keep training and earn my Badges to make sure me and my Pokemon are strong enough to rip that monster’s fucking head off next time we do meet!”

  “I won’t try to convince you otherwise!” Looker called out to him. “It’s your choice on the way you choose to deal with Claire!”

  Gary looked back at Looker sharply. “I’m not giving that monster a name! I don’t care what everyone else wants to call her! That is just a beast to me! You’ve been following me all through Sinnoh. You even bumped into me at Prof. Oak’s funeral and still didn’t say a word to me! Well, sir, if you want her alive so bad, you better keep spying on me if you believe in your theory so much. Because whether it be using some magic psychic powers, or I have to sniff her damn footprints, if I find her, I’m gonna kill her!”

  The two had sharp eyes for each other. “I knew I’d seen you before.” Gary shook his head. Turning his back, he said, “I’m going now, Looker.” And he walked off.

  “You don’t have to worry about me spying on you anymore! Scout’s honor!”

  Gary stopped. He couldn’t help but smirk as he turned around. “Were you ever a scout?”

  “I was, actually!” Looker insisted happily.

  This made Gary laugh. “I can’t help but wonder how many times I thought I had run into a wild Pokemon or something, or this creature, and it disappeared on me, and it was only you.”

  “Less times than you think. Much less. I do pride myself on being one of the world’s greatest detectives, after all.” He winked.

  Gary brushed his hand against his hair. It’s growing so much, he thought, digging his fingers into it. I’m overdue for a haircut. I haven’t had one since... Kanto? That’s crazy! It’s been months!

  “That said,” Looker added, “you never know who’s watching you out there, right?”

  “I guess so... You never know.” There was an awkward moment of silence, Gary looking down.

  “And on that note, I will take my leave,” Looker finally concluded. “The more wonderful the meeting, the sadder the parting. I truly did enjoy our time, and I hope there was something to gain out of it for you, too. Even if that something is found out at a later time.”

  Gary nodded. “I appreciate your time, and finally getting to know who you truly are. I’ll keep in mind what you told me about this monster until I come up with a plan on how to kill her that makes a little more sense.”

  Looker laughed. “You let me know when you come up with something that makes sense in all this. But above all, be careful, Gary.”

  Gary nodded solemnly.

  “Oh, just... one more thing. This has nothing to do with anything important at all. I was just wondering if you’ve ever seen this before.” While approaching Gary, Looker reached into the inside pocket of his trench coat. He came out with an item and held it out.

  Gary squinted at it and then held his breath, his heart thumping rapidly as he recognized the golden object with streams of yellow going down the sides and back of a golden, faceless face. “Yeah. I’ve seen that. I have one myself. I found it. I don’t know what it is though. Do you?”

  Looker just shook his head.

  “Why do you have it? What’s going on with that?” Gary pressed.

  Looker kept his eyes on the badge for an extra moment before looking to Gary. “Just something I found. I honestly have no idea what it is. I was just curious if you knew.” He put the item back in the inside of his trench coat and then smiled. “Farewell, Gary, my friend.” He turned to June and nodded with a wide wave. “Safe travels, June. I am certain Gary is grateful to have you back. It’s a blessing to finally have met you.”

  Her cheeks red, June bowed. She walked closer to them. “Thank you, sir! It’s my honor to meet such an esteemed man as yourself. Thank you for your service.” She bowed again, deeper.

  “If we should meet again, and if you’re willing to take it easy on us, perhaps Lucario and Electivire could have a good Pokemon battle,” Looker offered. “I’m no talented Trainer like yourself, but I’m sure my Pokemon would appreciate a good match.”

  And with that, Electivire came out of his Poke Ball with a stream of white light from out of June’s bag. “VIIIIIII!!” he shouted aggressively at Lucario.

  Lucario just watched Electivire. Then he closed his eyes and smirked, speaking his name softly.

  “Lectivire?” Electivire’s anger was gone, his face holding surprise instead. He then frowned and crossed his arms, grumbling to the ground.

  After giving June a long stare, June looking back with her own wide and wondrous eyes, Lucario followed quietly after Looker as he left, going down a different path.

  Gary kept his eyes on them, along with Electivire and June. Carefully replaying as much as he could of their conversation, all he could do was shake his head after a while. He’ll never leave me alone, Gary believed, the sun blanketing his body and bringing relief in this primarily cold region.

  But there was also a separate heat surrounding him. It felt unnatural; or just unsettling. Like nothing he had felt in his entire time in Sinnoh. Or anywhere else for that matter.

  A heat that somehow felt foreboding.