Keone had a perfect life. He never thought it could be better. Granite Cave was secluded, but if some humans did come in, they only came to see the mural. Keone, and his home, were never bothered.

The Sableye's home was small. It was merely a small dug-out hole in the wall. The little room it did have was full of beautiful jewels. Keone had organized them into piles; one for eating, one for admiring.

There was a small scrambling as Keone entered his home. His arms were full of gems. Keone deposited them on the ground before beginning to separate them. His claws wrapped around a smooth circular gem. Keone examined it. It was a golden yellow and had a small spiral in the middle. The spiral was purple, a smaller red one going through it. Keone smiled, interested. He took the gem and gave it one final examination before tossing it into his mouth.

Instantly, a blinding light exploded from the ruby in Keone's chest. Keone covered his eyes, but the light seemed to phase through his hands.

The light suddenly disappeared. Keone took his claws away and let his eyes readjust to the darkness. He sighed and took a step towards the entrance.

Dirt filled his vision and mouth as he faceplanted into the ground. Keone lifted his head, spitting out earth. He looked back to see what had tripped him.

A large red ruby was on the ground. Keone got up and approached it, staring down at the jewel with interest. He tapped it, then tried to lift it. This proved to be too heavy for the Sableye and he dropped it. Keone sighed in annoyance and pushed it off to the side. He'd deal with it later.

Deciding to turn in early, Keone curled up among his gems, unaware of the green liquid that was dripping from the ceiling.

A bright light was all he saw. Keone blinked twice. He never knew sunlight would be so blinding.

"Oh, dear. You poor thing."

Keone froze. The voice was soft and sympathetic. Keone sat up to look at the voice's owner. They turned out to be a Gardevoir. Her dress flowed as if there were some invisible wind Keone wasn't aware of. A red jewel was tucked under her arm.

"You must be confused. Welcome to the Sycamore Labs."

Sycamore Labs. The name was a tad bit familiar to Keone, though he wasn't sure where he heard it from.

The Gardevoir continued. "Here, we strive to discover the hidden secrets of Pokemon, more specifically, Mega Evolution. Most Pokemon here can Mega Evolve. But due to a chemical spill near your home, you cannot revert back to a normal Sableye." She slipped the red jewel to him. Keone took it and turned it over in his hands. "That's your shield. Don't lose it. You only get one."

With that, she teleported away. Keone's mind was reeling with all of the info he was given. Fatigue overwhelmed him. Giving in to it, Keone curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

Yelling was what woke Keone up. He jolted upright as a shout echoed down the corridor. He could hear several other Pokemon grumble in their sleep. Keone pressed himself against the invisible barrier that kept him in his cage. He could barely see the source of the yelling, but he could tell it was human.

After a moment, the yelling stopped and was replaced by the zapping of electricity. Keone flinched back at the horrid sound, as did many other Pokemon. The zapping got louder. Keone stared as two Pokemon, both in chains, were led past his cell. He didn't recognize the other, but he knew one was a Gengar. The Gengar was the one being zapped, most likely due to the attacks it was throwing at the humans that were zapping it. The unrecognized Pokemon stared at Keone with a baleful gaze, their crimson eyes boring into Keone's ruby ones. He turned away from the Pokemon quickly.

The corridor fell silent as the humans passed. Keone shuddered and fell back asleep.

It had been two days since Keone had first arrived at the lab, or so the Gardevoir said. She obviously worked for humans. She had informed him of what he was supposed to do and what not to do. He was fed three times a day. A Charmander held captive across from the Mega Sableye had told him it was the best part of the lab. He turned out to be right. The food was the only thing Keone looked up to.

The lab was dark and silent. Nighttime was usually like this. Keone was asleep, sleeping off the drugged but still heavenly food he had eaten not too long ago.

"Psst! Hey!"
Keone was unaware of the voice. Frustrated, the owner banged a fist against the side of the cage. The sound echoed. Keone jolted upright, startled.

"Hey, you!"

Keone blinked groggily. The voice seemed to emit from thin air. Keone peered into the darkness.

A Pokemon's head appeared from above. Keone stumbled back, startled. The Pokemon laughed.

"Don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"What do you want with me?" Keone asked quietly, trying not to alert anyone.

The Pokemon didn't share his train of thought. "We're breaking out of this hell. Wanna join us?"

"We?"

"Damn straight. Xander and I saw you the other day and decided you look like you handle yourself."

Keone stared. He recognized this stranger. She, as their voice gave away, was the unknown Pokemon. He assumed this Xander guy was the Gengar.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," the Pokemon sang cheerfully. "Now, come on. Before they notice."

"They?"

The Pokemon didn't respond. She disappeared for a moment. There was a small beep and she reappeared. "I disabled the lock. Come on."

She grabbed Keone's hand and dragged him with her as she ran down the corridor. To Keone's surprise, he was able to pass through the cage. So that's what she meant.

"Here we are!" the Pokemon said, stopping in front of a door. "Xander! We're ready!"

There was a pause. Then, a Gengar's head appeared through the door. "Awesome. Let's get out of here." He disappeared and the door opened.

Keone said nothing as he was once again dragged. Both Pokemon moved quickly. Keone could feel his feet leave the ground for a brief second.

An alarm went off, blaring above the three loudly. Xander cursed quietly and began to glow. Keone briefly covered his eyes with his free hand. As the light faded away, Keone got a glimpse of Xander. His legs had disappeared, or so it seemed. The spikes on his back had multiplied in number and were longer. His tail sort of resembled a brush and was also spiky. His arms, once short, were longer and planted on the floor, his hands circles, also spiky. A third eye appeared on his forehead, this one gleaming yellow. Xander turned to Keone and the other Pokemon, grinning.

"Go ahead. I'll stay behind and fight them off."

Keone found himself being dragged once more. Before he knew what was happening, he was shunted down a long, dark tunnel. Behind him, he could hear the Pokemon cry out for her friend before she followed.

Time seemed to repeat itself as Keone face planted into the ground. However, unlike the cave, the ground was soft. Keone opened his eyes to see he was outside. It was night, but he could still see the large buildings and streetlights.

Someone picked him up. Keone found himself in the arms of his rescuer. She was a small doll-like Pokemon with a gray cloth. Her mouth was a golden zipper, her brush-like tail the same color. Her eyes were crimson red. A gray ribbon stretched out behind her, emerging from her head. She grinned at him.

"Get used to it. We'll be doing this a lot."

Keone didn't say anything.

The Pokemon put him down and stretched out a hand. "Name's Kyo."

Keone shakily took her hand and shook it. "Keone. I've never seen a Pokemon like you before."

Kyo giggled. "I'm not surprised. You're from Granite Cave, right? I'm assuming the Sableye in Sky Pillar never told you anything about Banette like me."

Keone's response was cut off as Xander appeared behind Kyo. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "We should go."

Kyo nodded and grabbed the large ruby Keone had seen earlier. She handed it to him. "Let's go."

Keone watched numbly as the two began to float away. He looked down as his shield and dropped it. It shrunk, to his surprise. Keone picked it up once more and tucked it under his arm.

"Unless you'd rather get caught again, I'd suggest you move," Xander called back. Keone turned to the large building. A few humans dressed in white emerged and Keone scampered to the shadows.