In the Sinnoh region, in Sandgem Town, at Professor Rowan's lab.
The stern-faced old Professor, who loved eating RageCandyBars, had originally planned to head out on business that day. But because of a ssage from Professor Juniper, he canceled his trip, got out of bed early, switched on his desk lamp, and began reading the large batch of docunts sent from Unova.
The information sent from Professor Juniper's lab in Nuvema Town recorded changes in the ecology and regional character of Unova, as well as that faraway region, Paldea.
It covered not only investigations conducted by Champions and Elite Four-level figures, but also included detailed records of local environnts, Pokémon distribution, and habitats.
But what made Professor Rowan frown even more deeply, and shook him to the core, were the critically important points inside those materials.
"'Origin' and 'evolution' are linked. Evolutionary forms that were never discovered in other regions have learned abnormal moves because of their era and regional environnt. These moves were never recorded before. They are completely new!"
"And because of natural predators, species competition, human activity, and special items, new evolutions have appeared!"
"Pokémon once thought to be in their 'complete' forms have displayed a large number of new evolutions! Up to now, among all the observed, investigated, and recorded cases, only Sinnoh had shown this sort of phenonon. But now Paldea and Unova have it too!"
"Archaludon, Annihilape, Farigiraf, Kingambit! These Pokémon too belong to the category of further evolution? Theoretically speaking, the DNA of their prior forms should already have been close to perfected. Repeated studies and investigations suggested they were 'complete' Pokémon!"
"This isn't the still-unclear and still-under-study issue of regional forms. These are entirely new evolutions. All of their data, even their Abilities, have changed..."
The more Rowan read, the more absorbed and curious he beca.
Ecological investigations had actually begun long ago. Professor Birch, Professor Cedric Juniper, and others were authorities and experts on Pokémon habitats, distribution, and natural ecology. Even Rowan himself had returned to Sinnoh because he believed the region's Pokémon had changed.
"Right! That's it!" Professor Rowan slapped the docunts as he thought of several very strange records and reports.
"Electivire and Magmortar are supposed to be newly discovered evolutions from recent years, yet they seem to have appeared long ago too. Is that because of regional environnt, or because of human activity?"
"Further back still, the evolution of Rhyperior was treated as a major academic subject. Carrying a Protector and evolving through linked trade - that is clearly influenced by human activity. In that case, Archaludon's evolution is of the sa type."
"And there are other lines with faintly confird evolutionary links too: Dusclops and Dusknoir, Mantine and Mantyke, Lickitung and Lickilicky."
"There are also many examples in Sinnoh where Pokémon once thought unable to evolve in other regions gained new evolutions here."
"Magneton and Nosepass evolved because of the abnormal magnetic field of Mt. Coronet. That has only been clarified in the last month!"
"'Complete Pokémon' and 'incomplete Pokémon'... Four years ago, when I was researching with Professor Oak, I once proposed classifying them that way. But now it seems that may have been wrong? Hahaha, it feels like my whole thesis has been completely overturned! But that's a good thing!"
"Hm, the person who gathered these materials looks awfully familiar... Of course. I rember this person."
"The one who elucidated Arceus."
Professor Rowan did have Hikaru on his friend list, though only as a custor. But after thinking it over carefully, Rowan sent Hikaru a ssage. He was not actually expecting a reply. He simply wrote:
[...Long ti no see. This is Rowan. I read the report you and Juniper submitted... It's astonishing. It will cause a massive upheaval in the academic world. These reports are extrely important and truly remarkable!]
[I've had one question for a long ti...]
[Do you think Legendary Pokémon can evolve too? Can they beco more mature? Are Pokémon truly complete creatures, or incomplete ones?]
[If you have more materials, could you please bring them to ?]
Professor Rowan had not expected an answer. He had only sent it out of curiosity and in a burst of excitent.
And yet.
He got a reply very quickly.
Hikaru: [Long ti no see, Professor Rowan!]
[In the report led by Professor Juniper, I only carried out a few insignificant investigations. If they can be of any help to you, it would be my honor!]
[As for your question, my answer is -]
[Yes!]
[The Pokémon called Cosmog... the Pokémon called Cosmoem... the Pokémon called Solgaleo and Lunala... are proof that even Legendary Pokémon may have growth stages.]
[The Legendary Pokémon called Koraidon and Miraidon may represent the evolutionary history of Pokémon themselves.]
[The common Pokémon Carbink may, under special circumstances, mutate into the Mythical Pokémon known as Diancie.]
[The Mythical Pokémon ltan is said to evolve as part of a colony, and when its life reaches its end, it breaks down once more into its original state.]
[The Legendary Pokémon Kubfu evolves into different forms of Legendary warrior depending on the martial art it comprehends.]
[And then there is the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy, and its strange relative and descendant, Phione.]
[Professor Rowan, may I boldly ask you sothing in return...? You should have received a ssage from the Pokémon Rangers. An Egg has been designated for delivery to Sinnoh.]
[I would like to ask: where is the Trainer nad Dawn right now?]
"Hikari..." Rowan murmured. Looking at the many things Hikaru had sent, the old Professor had not expected to gain this much from the exchange.
Their relationship had originally only amounted to mutual acquaintance. But now Rowan felt it was ti to deepen that relationship further.
As a research partner, this self-taught craftsman seed to possess many unknown legends, and had the potential to make an irreplaceably major impact on the history of Pokémon research.
Professor Rowan was now certain of it. Just as Cynthia had told him.
"If you have ti, co by my lab. We still haven't t in person."
"Hikari... I see. So you plan to entrust the Egg to her?"
"To be honest, I'm not close with Professor Hastings. He lives too far away from us... so when he ca asking for help recruiting a Trainer, I was honestly quite surprised. But I had been troubled because there wasn't anyone truly suitable."
"So, you're together with the Pokémon Rangers... and you brought up Dawn. If even you believe she's an excellent Trainer, then... she probably really is a child worthy of trust."
"Not long ago, I entrusted her with her first Pokémon and asked her to help investigate all the Pokémon of Sinnoh."
"Based on the ssages and reports I received earlier, her current location should be..."
In the Sinnoh region, Jubilife City.
After crossing the distant sea from Unova, Keith and her Staraptor had finally managed to keep up with Hikaru's speed, thanks to Victini's help.
The sky was growing dark. The closer they flew toward Sinnoh, the more ti itself seed strangely distorted. Night had fallen with unusual speed. That was because there was a ti difference of more than ten hours between the two regions.
Keith sighed in amazent. "When we left Unova, the sun had only just set, but near Sinnoh it was already pitch-black. And once we actually reached Sinnoh, dawn had already co."
"We were moving so fast it feels like we traveled through ti. It doesn't feel real... When I used to fly to other regions, I'd usually take a short nap on Staraptor's back. I've never experienced the cycle of day and night changing this fast before."
Hikaru said, "Oh, so that's how you deal with jet lag? Still, the closer you get to Sinnoh, the more clearly you can feel the flow of ti. That's normal. When Dialga was born, ti in the physical world began to flow like a vast river..."
Keith waved a hand. "Dialga, the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh, the god who governs ti. But whether it makes ti flow faster or slower, as far as I'm concerned, being able to sleep anyti, anywhere is basic Ranger training."
As she said that, she yawned and stretched.
[Keith used Yawn and Slack Off.]
Hikaru complained inwardly, then said aloud, "If we hadn't gone to Unova first, and had just gone from Almia to Fiore and then from Fiore straight out, you probably wouldn't have had to deal with this weird feeling."
Keith replied, "That's different. If we hadn't taken the detour to Unova, we wouldn't have collected all this detailed information. eting you was necessary!"
"All right, it's 6:30 in the morning now. Are we going to wait here for that Trainer to arrive, or should we find sowhere to rest first?"
"Jubilife City, the city of happiness where people gather. It's probably the most modernized city in Sinnoh. People co and go constantly. It's lively everywhere!"
"And even though it's only early morning, there are already plenty of people out. And wow, it's really cold here! Yikes. It's just as cold as the snowy regions of Almia."
"I've heard Snowpoint City in the north is about as cold as Almia's Chilled Cavern and Haruba Desert camp, with snow piled up year-round and never lting."
Hikaru said, "Professor Rowan's ssage said she's currently on her way back here from Oreburgh City. Looks like she successfully cleared the first Gym, so congratulations are in order."
If she had not cleared the first Gym yet, then wouldn't she have been able to use the Prince of the Sea to beat a Rock-type Gym?
Though whether it was ga Dawn or ani Dawn, her starter was usually Piplup. In Pokémon Masters EX, though, it seed her starter was Turtwig.
Still, as long as she did not pick Chimchar, any starter could get through the first Gym easily enough.
And even if she had picked Chimchar, it still would not have been a problem. The second Gym was Grass-type, so it was not like Johto, where picking Chikorita was basically signing yourself up for prison labor. Sinnoh's starter lineup and Gym difficulty distribution were actually pretty well balanced.
That said, Dawn really did move fast. According to Professor Rowan, she had only set out recently, yet she had already reached Oreburgh City. It did not sound like much at first glance, but it was actually pretty impressive.
After all, Oreburgh sat at the foot of Mt. Coronet, while Twinleaf Town was all the way at the western edge of Sinnoh.
"Ga Dawn moves faster and has more stamina than ani Dawn. In just a few days she can already wander all the way to Oreburgh City, and purely on foot too. She's even faster than Platina from the manga. As expected of Akari's descendant."
"I wonder if she brought the Azure Flute with her?"
Victini sat on top of Keith's head, but she did not find it uncomfortable at all. In fact, she felt no weight from it whatsoever. And now her interest in Victini had grown dramatically. After checking the Pokédex, she had fallen into a long silence.
A Mythical Pokémon. The Victory Pokémon. A legend of Unova. And yet it was traveling everywhere with the person in front of her. The thought arose in Keith's mind that the one who knows legends is always followed by legends.
And the matter of the crystals had shocked Keith too.
Ancient princes' souls still remained inside the crystals, and could even communicate with certain people.
And the princes seed to be worried about sothing major... which made Keith feel that the League's investigation into the crystals was still progressing far too slowly.
And then -
"The mont we arrive in Sinnoh, sothing already happens that rubs the wrong way. Who's lurking nearby and following us?"
"Get out here!"
Keith swung her arm, and her Capture Styler shot out like a cannon shell. From an alley corner in the city ca the sound of soone being struck by the Styler's beam.
Hikaru said, "Hey, even though Capture Stylers do have functions that can be used against humans, this is the first ti I've seen an official Ranger actually use one like that."
Keith twirled her wrist. "Professor Hastings built the attack function into it from the start. Not only can it attack automatically, it can retrieve itself too. Convenient, right? My Capture Styler is an advanced model, even among Stylers."
"Professor Hastings has been developing newer versions lately too. There might be even more uses for them in the future."
"Ow!" The trench-coated man fell flat onto the ground, knocking over a nearby trash can. Two bottles of Paralysis Heal rolled out from inside with a clatter.
Keith's face turned wary. As the Top Ranger, she had seen plenty of strange stalkers and mbers of all kinds of weird organizations, so she imdiately shifted into combat mode.
"Staraptor, use Brave Bir-"
"Wait, wait, wait!" The square-faced man in the brown trench coat imdiately raised both hands to stop her. "If Brave Bird lands, I'm going to die!"
"At first I couldn't see clearly. In pre-dawn Jubilife, in a dark corner of the city, there were two people quietly talking together. Anyone would think you were so shady mbers of a mysterious organization up to no good. I thought I'd finally found suspicious people..."
Keith said, "Hah? Quietly talking? Your hearing's the problem here, not mine. And you were eavesdropping on our conversation. Looks like I can't let you walk away easily."
Hikaru looked at Keith in surprise. "Why does this suddenly feel like you're trying to silence him...?"
Keith smiled with complete confidence. "A Top Ranger can assign missions to herself. In other words, I have no restrictions and no concerns. But I'm not trying to kill him. I'm just going to arrest him and hand him over to the local Officer Jenny."
"We're carrying out an important mission right now. Any possible anomaly has to be eliminated."
"I said wait a second!" the trench-coated man exclaid helplessly. Looking at the vicious-looking Staraptor that seed ready to attack at any mont, he imdiately waved both hands. "I couldn't tell clearly at first! The truth is, I'm not a bad guy! I'm a force for justice, tracking bad guys!"
Keith gave him a mysterious smile. "A man hiding in a dark city corner, crouched beside a trash can under a broken streetlight, wearing a trench coat, claiming he isn't suspicious - doesn't that sound exactly like a shady organization mber? No matter how you look at it, you're the more suspicious one."
"What, were you digging through the trash can looking for dicine other people threw away, or Nuggets?"
The trench-coated man said, "...I... but there really was dicine in the trash can. The trash can wasn't empty!"
"Ah! My sincere apologies!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that vest you're wearing ans you're from the Ranger Union, right? But you don't have a Ranger rank armband, and your equipnt isn't the sa as a regular Ranger's..."
Hikaru said, "Her Ranger level is 11, which ans she's above the highest standard level of 10. In the Ranger Union, that rank is called Top Ranger. There are only ten of them total, which is why she doesn't wear an armband."
"Ms. Keith, this man isn't an enemy. He should be International Police."
"Eh!" The trench-coated man's eyes went wide. "W-what? How do you know I'm International Police?!"
"I see! You must have realized at a glance that I'm no ordinary man, and that's why you said it! Such sharp insight is impressive!"
"Now that my true identity has been exposed, please allow to introduce myself. I am -"
Hikaru cut in. "An International Police officer devoted to protecting world peace. Your codena is Looker. Your alias is Baron. You once used the codena 836. There's an organization in Sinnoh stealing other people's Pokémon, but not to sell them - they're trying to uncover the secret of evolution energy, which is why you're here searching for them."
"But because the local Champion has been especially active, that organization should not be making any major moves for the mont... So why did you still show up here right on schedule? Are you staking soone out? Or were the people you were staking out also a pair?"
Silence fell over the scene.
Looker stood there with his mouth open. Everything he had just been about to say had already been said by the other person. But the more important problem was this -
The other person did not just know his codena. He knew his alias, and even the codena he had used years ago.
Looker said, "Y-you! Just who are you?!"
"First ti eting you... My codena is Shield." Hikaru nodded toward the dumbfounded Looker. "I'm attached to the International Police's Special Affairs Division, the Ultra Beast Investigation Headquarters. That departnt really does pay well, though I think it used to go by a different na."
"You miss that departnt, don't you, Looker?"
(End of Chapter)
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