*Voltflare's POV*

My head... Where... Where am I this time? Am I...?

"No! Please don't tell me I'm back in that void-land again!" I shout before my mind can process the thought, opening my eyes in a heartbeat. I take a moment to tentatively look around and assess my surroundings. I'm inside a small house- nothing extraordinarily fancy. A few large drawers sit along one of the bricklayed walls, giving the place a more homely feel. I can see a large hearth taking up an entire quarter of the room, giving off a large amount of warmth. A tall, bulky man stands over a large black pot that he suspends over the open fire with a metal rod. I can hear a Pokemon calmly talking to itself in a curtained-off room to my right, but I pay it no heed. Although I can't quite tell what kind of Pokemon it is by the sound of it, I know that the Pokemon is no bigger than I am from the voice's brevity.

That large man, though... His appearance reminds me of "Dave," the way that he whistles over his work. Luckily, I don't see a Machamp in sight. Hopefully, the resemblance is just coincidence...

My curiosity gets the better of my careful mind, and I stretch my legs and lightly paw the man's leg a few times.

"What is this place? Is Nathan here?" I ask him,

"Do you know where..."

"Hm?" he grunts, slowly turning around. When he sees me awake, a smile crosses his face. Not like "Dave's"- a warm, hearty smile that makes me feel at-ease inside.
"Ahh, he's alive!" the man laughs to himself.

"Here, you must have been starving after you and your Trainer's time out in the snow. Poor thing, let me get you something to eat."

He pulls the black pot from over the fire and pours some of whatever's inside onto a small dish, the inside just big enough for me to get my head into, and he lays it on the floor in front of me. I slowly walk over to the object and look at the contents.

It's some kind of soup, i know that much. I can see a few ingredients that I recognize, but I'm still not sure if it's safe to eat.

At first, I still don't trust the food, looking at it with a worried expression on my face, until my stomach growls loud, which incites another laugh from the man.

"Don't be shy- eat up!" he says, chuckling to himself. I take another look at the offered soup, and, with another growl of my stomach, begin to dig in. Instantly, I feel warm and fuzzy all over, and, tasting part of a Berry, I take another gulp. And another. And another. And another. Pretty soon, I've finished off the entire dish, and I curl up into a ball, smiling at the man as if to return the favor.

"Hey, Glaceon!" he calls, turning his attention to the other room,

"That Pokemon we found's up and ready! How's his Trainer?"

A large blue quadruped appears the other side of the curtains at the man's command. I can tell, immediately, that it's a Glaceon. I had seen a few of them back when my village still existed, but they were all quiet and reserved, cold to anyone that had tried to reach out to them. It is all I can to do hope that this one is different.

No such luck- the Pokemon's blue fur immediately stands on end when she sees me, its white ears shaking and bent back. The Glaceon is clearly shy, but she must not have seen me when its Trainer brought me to his house.

"What... What are you?" she practically screams when she sees me. Her icy voice sends a chill down my spine, and I have to will myself not to run away in fear of being frozen. The Glaceon's fur stands on end, and she slowly walks towards me, growling. I know that she will freeze me if she gets close, but I don't want to hurt her. I know that I have power over fire, but if I accidentally killed or gravely injured her in self-defense, I don't know what I would do.

Luckily, I don't have to guard myself from harm, because the Pokemon's Trainer leaps into action- forcibly placing himself between me and the Fresh Snow Pokemon. A scowl replaces his once-jolly face, but I can still see the Glaceon's snarl between the man's thick legs. The mere fact, though, that her Trainer is willing to fight for my life is reassuring.

"Now hold on here, Glaceon! You're perfectly fine with taking in that man with the weird lab coat, but when I suggested to bring his Pokemon with him, you were angry with me and refused to speak to me. So I had no choice but to leave the poor thing in the snow and follow you- to make sure you were safe! But you and I both know that I couldn't just leave an innocent Pokemon to freeze in the cold like that! If nothing else, I had to rescue it, even if it meant your dissatisfaction, or my name isn't Dave the Hiker!"

Hearing that name again makes my own fur stands on end- I had come to fear it after my first encounter with "Dave" and his Machamp back in Johto. I immediately dash past the Hiker and his Glaceon into the room beyond the curtains, hoping I can find some solace there. Inside, a man is sitting in a bed, reluctant to move a muscle. A portion of a blue lab coat trails off the edge of the bed, and I immediately recognize who the person is, even though he has a hat over his blond hair. His glasses lie on the dresser to my right, and, as I can tell that his eyes are slightly open, I leap up onto the bed and lie on top of his chest.

"Come on, Nathan- you know you want to smile!" I chide. Then, I take a long look at his face, and I immediately realize something's wrong.

Wait a minute... That isn't...

A quick fist juts out of the bedsheets and broadsides my face, causing a great deal of pain to pulsate through me, before disappearing under the bed again. I reel backwards over the bed's edge and fall to the floor in a heap, and I paw at the new bruise on my forehead.

I turn when a loud voice behind me booms,

"So you're more astute than I thought, aren't you, Jake? Not even my little ploy could trick you for too long!"

In an instant, Dave's massive frame tears through the curtains like an angry Sharpedo carves its way through the ocean. The gigantic Hiker throws off the fabric like a pesky spider web and stands over me.

"There's nowhere to run- nowhere to hide now! I chased you all the way to Sinnoh, and I made sure you would make it to Snowpoint- the perfect place for me to spring my trap!"

Before I can react, Dave leaps towards me and pins me to the ground under his overwhelming weight. I cry out in pain,

"Na... Nathan?! Please- somebody, help me!"

But my pleas only seem to please the man further.

"Why, Cyrus will be so pleased with my success, I may even be promoted! After we strip you of your power and your life, he'll finally be able to create his utopia- a world full of... Ungh!"

Dave gasps in pain an instant before he is flung off my chest and into his own trapped bed. A large blue fist looms over where the man had been only seconds before, and I know what Pokemon had come here. Approvingly, the boxing glove inside pushes out of the bedsheets and hits him square in the face, forming a makeshift one-two punch with whoever had just knocked Dave off my chest and sprawling him out on the floor.

I gasp for air and freeze on the spot. I don't know whether to gawk at the fallen Hiker on the floor or turn to thank my rescuer. Luckily, circumstance makes my decision easy.

"Voltflare! Is that you in there?!" Nathan calls from the other side of the small house, and my ears perk up in recognition. The blue fist disappears into a ball of light, and Nathan recalls his Metagross, happy that the Iron Leg Pokemon had been able to protect me from further harm.

"I'm over here, Nathan!" I shout with as much force as my still-recovering lungs can manage. He instantly hears me and rushes to my side, stooping down and helping me off the cold floor. I feel safe, once again, now that Nathan's here. Where he had been, I have no idea, but I can safely say that Sinnoh is nothing like I had thought it was going to be.

"Voltflare! I'm so happy that I found you! When I woke up, I wasn't sure where you had gone, but I think I can piece together what's happened so far today. Firstly, I have absolutely no idea where we are- because this is definitely not Snowpoint City. Second, Team Rocket, or at least what's left of them, is still after you. At least, that's what I make of this..."

He points to the Hiker before continuing to demonstrate his point.

"Finally, I saw a blue-haired man head into a large cave opening not too far from here. He seemed very fixated on something, but, as soon as he saw me, he quickly disappeared into the rock face. I know we came here to heal your hallucinations. Call it coincidence, but I think that man knows something that we don't- something that we desperately need to know."

I take a moment to process everything that Nathan's told me.

Well, it's always great when we have no idea where we are in a completely new region. And, now, we have to deal with a potentially-dangerous shady character that tried to keep Nathan from seeing him... That just screams, "Suspicious" if I ever thought about it.

"Let's follow him!" I say enthusiastically. After all, I've noticed that Nathan's gut feelings are usually on-point. He nods, bandages my bruises, and helps me out the door. I take one last look at the Hiker who had tried to kill me, not once, but twice, and I turn away from the sight.

I never want to see this "Dave" or his insatiable Pokemon ever again!

As soon as we step outside, I am immediately overwhelmed by the pithy air all around me. Sinnoh's city zephyrs are nothing like the air in Johto, and I have to cough a few times to clear my throat of dust. Nathan, on the other hand, seems to already be used to the less-friendly climate, assumedly because he had been already looking for me.

Nathan turns to the west and subtly points towards a massive mountain that looms to our left. I follow his finger to the hole chipped into its side. It's wide enough for the both of us to easily fit through, but my real question is, "Is it really safe to go in there?"

"That's where the man went. The townsfolk tell me that the landform is known is Mount Coronet, and, apparently, legend states that the Sinnoh region originated at its peak. I wonder what could possibly be up there..." he muses, and I pull on his pants leg.

"Well, we have no time to lose! If there's something up there which that man needs, who knows what could happen if he finds it!" I cry out. He nods, and we quickly make our way to the cave's entrance. Nathan puts his ear next to the archway, to listen for any potential sign of the man, before stepping inside.

*Nathan's POV*

"Hey! Stop right there!" I call ahead of me, rushing into the cave with reckless abandon. The blue-haired man from before quickly draws into view. He seems puzzled about a drawing on the cave's wall, and I walk towards him before attempting to interrogate him. My loud footsteps echo through the cavern and signal my charge.

"Who are you, and why did you run as soon as you saw me?" I yell at the man. He turns at the sound of my voice- a faint, stoic smile on his face. His blue eyes are just as emotionless as the rest of the man, and he calmly responds,

"I should be asking you the very same question. I am preparing for the speech that I must give soon- perhaps you have heard of my presence there. I am known to many as Cyrus, and it would fit you well to know the name."

Once he introduces himself, the TV newscast that I had heard while in Johto flashes back to me.

"...and another man, the one who backed the founding of several new well-furnished buildings in the city, Cyrus!"

So this is Cyrus? He seems preoccupied with something, like he's not even paying attention to my conversation. There's an air of mystery about this Cyrus that I know I need to unearth before it unnerves me...

Cyrus turns his gaze away from me to my Pokemon, who is acting quite uneasy, pacing back and forth while avoiding eye contact with the man. I can swear that I see a small glint in Cyrus' eyes when he looks at Voltflare, but it's only there for a second or two.

"Leave me alone!" Voltflare immediately growls at Cyrus once the glint subsides, but he pays the Equilibrium Pokemon no heed whatsoever. He focuses his attention on me and tells me, in an emotionless tone,

"Your Pokemon seems to be quite rowdy. While I am delivering what I need to say, please refrain from releasing your Pokemon into the crowd. I understand that he, too, is eager to hear of my great ideals, but I will not allow that fruitless desire to disrupt the rest of the audience. Now, my time is nigh- come with me to Eterna City if you want to hear more."

Without another word, Cyrus slowly walks past me and exits the cave. All I can do is stand and watch the enigma of a man depart, in disbelief.

Who is this man? And what does he know?! I've got to find out!

Voltflare hides his head against me with a terrified expression on his face.

"I don't like that Cyrus in the slightest..." he says slowly. By his tremulous voice, he's easily more scared of Cyrus than I am. I nod.

"There's definitely something off about him- either in his persona or in his mission. Why was he even here?... And this drawing he was paused in front of..." I muse, walking towards the emblazoned wall,

"What could it possibly mean?"

I squint to see it in the darkness, but, once my eyes adjust to the lower light, I can slowly make out the entire wall- a large drawn triangle covers about half of the drawing, surrounding a much smaller triangle. Each of the second triangle's three points are encircled by a large black dot, which all intersect at the centre of the drawing. Superseding their convergence, somebody had etched an odd picture in the middle- of a crystalline tetrahedron reflected over an axis. Underneath the image, it reads,

"The Birth of a New World."

I assume that this is the drawing's title, but what Cyrus wanted with this picture is beyond me. After trying to make sense of the mural for a few minutes, I give up, myself, and turn to Voltflare. He still seems to be greatly drained after our encounter with Cyrus, as if the man had sucked the life out of him when he left.

"We should probably follow Cyrus, as much as I detest the idea," Voltflare quips, turning and walking to the cave's entrance. I nod and follow him out, while my mind tries to comprehend the cave drawing as best as it can.

That image... "The Birth of a New World"? What connection does it have with Cyrus?

I don't get very long to process my thoughts, though, because, as soon as we leave the inside of Mount Coronet, a powerful voice echoes from a few dozen yards away.

"Welcome, everyone and every Pokemon! I have come with a message for all!"

That's Cyrus' voice! What's he planning to do with this speech of his? Well, no time to waste here- might as well find out!

I point in the direction the voice came from, and I begin to run, hoping that Voltflare keeps pace with me.

At a fleeting glance, a nearby road sign tells me that the residential area is known as Eterna City, the "town that ties us to the past." I make a mental note of that motto- it may come in handy someday to know.

I walk into the city and immediately look for Cyrus. A large auditorium has been set up in what appears to be the town square. The dusty ground is covered in coats, blankets, and other articles of clothing, causing a rainbow of fabric that seemingly gives this rustic city a new spark of life.

A massive statue of a draconian Pokemon that I've never seen before serves as the backdrop for the speaker of honor, who I soon realize is none other than Cyrus, himself. He grips the wooden podium in front of him with that same eager spark in his eyes, like he knows exactly how the public will receive what he has to say.

A large crowd of Scientists, among other assorted Trainers is gathered on the ground in front of Cyrus. Obviously, they are all eager with anticipation to hear him speak, as not even a single idle voice is heard in the entire crowd. They seem to be discussing something about a place known as the "Distortion World."

Cyrus waves his hand warmly and steps up to the pedestal. I feel a chill leap up my spine when he begins to speak. Voltflare nods reassuringly and rests his head on my leg. Cyrus doesn't seem to mind Voltflare being out of his Pokeball, even though he explicitly warned me against letting him roam earlier.

"Greetings, citizens of Sinnoh," Cyrus addresses the crowd,

"As you all know, I have been studying the people and Pokémon of this region for considerable time on the premise of the enactment of their own moral judgments, and I have come to the conclusion that, at this time, the world will soon fall into another cataclysmic war- akin to the war that the Kalos Region had to endure 3000 years ago. I believe that the issue, however, is much more dire and prevalent than anything I do here and now would ever be to address it. Thus, I have combined the powers of science with my own research on Sinnoh's legends to create this!"

Cyrus opens his palm towards the crowd, and he lets a large red chain extend out of it. The piece of lustrous metal dances sporadically in the wind like it has a mind of its own. Other than its movement, however, the object seems to exhibit no extra behavior that would allow to function as anything that an ordinary chain couldn't.

This is a common question, apparently, as one of the Scientists shouts out,

"So what does it accomplish, Cyrus? Enlighten us!"

Cyrus smiles and pulls the chain back into his hand, quickly hiding it again.

"I'm glad you asked," he crows,

"The Red Chain is an object that will bridge the gap between time and space. Yes, I will beckon the legendary Pokémon of time and space to help me make this world better! However, in my experiments, I ran into a small problem- the other main catalyst of this change, the Renegade Pokémon, was absent from the area the legends foretold it to reside in. Thus, I researched another form of energy, a source that perfectly balanced the elements. One that I knew would serve as the perfect way to bait Giratina to return. Then, I heard from Looker that, in Johto, this magnificent energy had been found. And now, with the fruition of my machinations, it is within my grasp!"

Cyrus grins, raises his hands up to the sky, and shouts,

"Now! Seize Nathan and the Equilibrium Pokémon, immediately!"

The majority of the crowd backs up in alarm, just as confused as I am, and a large group of green-haired men leap into the crowd, swinging their arms and forcefully removing anyone and anything standing between them and me. Adrenaline takes me over, and I instinctively pull my Metagross's Pokeball from my belt, ready to release my stannic Pokemon for protection.

You can't take him from me! I refuse to let you! I almost shout in rage. I begin to roll my Pokeball across my hand, but a large man from the behind me grabs my wrist before I can fully release the object, bending my hand backwards and causing a great deal of pain to flicker across my arm. I quickly turn around to face my attacker, my hand still stuck in his vice-like grip. The man is quite burly, muscles threaten to tear through his overly-tight lab coat, while his black hair and navy blue eyes strike a hidden chord in me. Somehow, I feel that I've seen this person before, but I can't let that concern me now.

"Release me this instant!" I bark at the man, but he calmly holds his free hand to my lips.

"Hush now," he says,

"You tried. That's all I can tell you for now. But, I will tell you this, Nathan." He locks eyes with me, and his tone gravely lowers in pitch, to the point that I can barely him.

"I won't allow you to interfere with Cyrus' plan, especially when I can finally..." he trails off suddenly, but he picks up his train of thought instantly.

"Ahh, never mind. Good night, old friend!" He laughs and, in one quick move, releases my wrist, twists, and delivers a punch to my gut that sends stars across my vision. The man flings me to the floor, and my body threatens to collapse from the sudden trauma.

"Voltflare..." I mumble, stretching out my unstable hand in what I think is in my Pokemon's direction, although I can't see him anymore. I can hear the scuffling of feet and a quick, stifled cry for help, but all I can do is stare up at this mystery man, looming over my fallen frame like a triumphant gladiator.

"Nathan, it's been too long for words to express how much I'm going to enjoy this!" he hoots, planting his large foot directly on my chest with a sardonic grin on his face.

Multiple thoughts race through my mind- how I could get away from here, how I could find out what Cyrus is really up to, how I could rescue Voltflare from whatever brutish guard had taken him, how I could...

Ungh... I can only force out a short wheezing sound when the man firmly presses down on my ribcage with his heel, and I black out with my partner's safety fresh on my mind.

...

...

...

Voltflare?? Voltflare...

"Voltflare!!" I absentmindedly call out, and a voice from a few feet in front of me jars me back into reality- Voltflare's voice.

"Nathan? Is that you?"

I open my eyes, and I am greeted by my new dark surroundings- a foreboding, lightless place that I never thought that I would end up in.

This is a prison cell, isn't it?... The thought reaches my head at almost the same time that my hands wring against the rusty bars in front of me. I can hear the trickle of water from somewhere, but I can't quite place its source. Blackened walls seem to pulsate around me, as if I'm going mad, but all I can focus on is the hideous shadow of a man that stands in front of my cell, directly between me and Voltflare's calling voice. I recognize him at once.

"You're that man from Cyrus' speech! You coldly knocked me out, and I'm willing to bet you're also the one who ordered thpse thugs to take Voltflare away and lock him up here!"

The man laughs piteously, yet he still relishes in both my captivity and separation from Voltflare before responding,

"I'm the reason you came to the Sinnoh Region, am I not? I... I am Damian!"

Damian... The Pokemon "doctor?" But why does his voice sound so familiar?...

"I brought you both here so that I could work on your Pokemon in peace, free from Cyrus' disruptions, for I am Damian, the great Pokemon doctor! But, at the same time..." he muses, quickly turning to Voltflare with a smile,

"I'm also your worst nightmare- the one man you never wanted to see again after what he did to you!"

At this, the man reaches down and tears apart his lab coat to reveal the all-too-familiar black jumpsuit, stamped with an enormous red "R." I can tell, instantly, who it is that I'm looking at- Damian's true identity is Maxwell.

"Remember me?" he smiles, and the words leave his lips like the knife he had previously used in an attempt to kill Voltflare,

"It's your old friend, Maxwell Graves! And now, I'm going to finish what I started!" Maxwell cracks his knuckles, and I can only watch, helplessly, as he walks over to Voltflare's cell, unlocks the door, and steps inside.

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