In the meeting room of the Brave Olivine, all members of the Rising Volt Tacklers were gathered, sitting around the central table.
"But still, that's one mysterious Pokémon."
"So, it had been disguised as a pendent all this time?"
Everyone's gaze was focused on the mysterious Pokémon sitting atop the table. It was the same Pokémon that had transformed from a pendant recently in Galar Mine.
"Liko, do you know anything about it?"
"No... All my grandma told me was that it was a charm, nothing more..."
"Since the Pokédex doesn't have any information, our best bet is to ask Liko's grandmother."
The Pokémon looked like a turtle, but there was no record of it in the Pokédex, and even Liko, its owner, knew nothing about it. Personality-wise, it seemed gentle. Though it had only recently arrived, it had already bonded well with the other Pokémon, and didn't appear to be dangerous.
"I agree with Jin. Let's go meet your grandmother. Jin, Liko, Roy, get ready. The rest of you, stay on standby in case something happens."
"""Understood."""
With the meeting concluded, the group dispersed to prepare. Jin, Liko, and Roy left the meeting room and headed to their quarters to gather their things.
"That should do it."
Since Jin always kept his things packed in case of sudden action, it took him only a few minutes to finish his preparations. With time remaining until they were set to meet, Jin sat on his bed, pulling a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"Darkrai... you've hardly come out at all."
He had captured Darkrai recently in Galar Mine, but aside from its initial introduction and some training sessions, Darkrai mostly stayed inside its Poké Ball.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped."
Darkrai had the ability to cause nightmares to those nearby, even without meaning to. Because of this, Darkrai often kept to itself, avoiding others. It was unreasonable to expect it to immediately get along with everyone.
Moreover, the Poké Ball had a function that helped suppress a Pokémon's abilities to some degree. Thanks to that feature, neither Jin nor the others had been plagued by nightmares while Darkrai remained in its ball. Perhaps that made Darkrai feel more comfortable staying inside.
"More importantly... it's finally time."
They were about to meet Liko's grandmother, Diana. While Jin didn't feel as nervous as he had when he first met Liko's father, Alex, he still couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.
"Well, I'll just do the best I can."
According to Liko, Diana was a bold and adventurous person who had been an explorer for many years. While Jin's own experiences as an adventurer might not compare, he, too, had faced countless dangers. Maybe they would hit it off. Holding onto that faint hope, Jin noticed it was almost time. He grabbed his belongings and left his room.
---
Near the coastal waters of the Galar region, a submarine was lying in wait. The submarine belonged to the Explorers and was currently being used as a base by Amethio and his subordinates.
"You acted on your own again, didn't you? And now, you've come into contact with Galarian Moltres and engaged the Rising Volt Tacklers in battle…"
"Save your scolding for after you see this."
Amethio, from the computer room inside the submarine, was communicating with Hamber, the right-hand man of Gibeon. Anticipating Hamber's reprimand, Amethio sent him the footage he had secretly recorded at Galar Mine.
"What is this...?"
As soon as Hamber saw the Pokémon that had been disguised as a pendant—not Galarian Moltres or Darkrai—his expression shifted to one of shock.
"All I was told during the mission was to recover the pendant. So what is that Pokémon?"
Hamber hesitated at Amethio's question, leaving Amethio to seize the opportunity and press further.
"So, what will you do? Punish me for acting independently and remove me from the mission? It would be a shame to lose track of them after coming this far... but I'll leave the decision to you."
"...Very well. But first, can you confirm where they're headed?"
After a long silence, Hamber begrudgingly gave his permission. Amethio informed him that Jin, Liko, and a few others had left the ship and were heading toward Hammerlocke City via train.
"Hammerlocke City... I see. Based on previous information, we should be able to track their movements. However, Amethio, next time, report to us before you act."
"Enough with the lectures."
With those words, Amethio cut the communication.
---
"Haa…"
Hamber couldn't help but sigh as he watched the one-sided way Amethio cut off the communication. It was clear from his behavior that he wasn't reflecting on his actions at all. Young people ignoring the advice of their elders wasn't uncommon, but someone as stubborn as Amethio wasn't likely to provide accurate reports anytime soon.
"..."
Though he had his concerns, Hamber couldn't deny that Amethio had delivered important information. For now, he would put any disciplinary actions on hold and focus on taking swift action. He adjusted his mindset and began contacting his subordinates via his device.
"Is something the matter?"
"Is Lord Spinel available?"
"He's with Lady Chalce at the lab. They've been holed up there for a while…"
"Then please summon Lord Sidian and Lady Coral."
"Understood."
A few minutes later, Sidian and Coral, two of the Explorers' senior officers who had been on standby at the base, arrived at Hamber's side after being called by his subordinates.
"Sidian, over here."
Sidian was a large, silent man with a stoic aura, accompanied by his massive Golem-like partner, the Rock Salt Pokémon Garganacl, whose upper body resembled a pyramid.
"Coral has arrived~"
In contrast to Sidian, Coral was a pink-haired girl with a lazy demeanor. She was also an Explorer's senior officer, sitting cross-legged atop her icy Armored Pokémon, Glalie, which had a fearsome face but was currently used as a casual seat.
"We're heading to the Galar region. I need both of you to accompany me."
Sidian immediately agreed to Hamber's order, accepting the mission, but Coral seemed less enthusiastic about it.
"Ugh… I'm all for going out, but why do I have to go with him?"
"You're dead weight. You might as well stay behind."
As the two Trainers began arguing, their Pokémon—Garganacl and Glalie—started to take battle stances. But before things could escalate further, a Pokémon emerged from Hamber's shadow. It was a Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon, whose appearance resembled that of a grim reaper.
"Are you two dissatisfied with my orders?"
Hamber opened his previously hidden eye from under his hair, glaring at both the Trainers and their Pokémon. Despite his polite tone, it felt like a clear warning not to defy him.
"No, sir!"
"As you command."
Sidian and Coral immediately straightened up and dropped their dispute. Satisfied with their response, Hamber gave them a brief nod of thanks before leaving the room. Sidian and Coral followed behind him down the hallway.
"Are we personally heading out? Is this that urgent?"
"We need to retrieve something. If the pendant's awakening is real, I must see it with my own eyes."
As they walked, Sidian asked about the details of the mission, and Hamber answered.
"Huh? The pendant? Does that mean… we're going to meet Jin!?"
Coral, who had seemed disinterested until now, suddenly jumped off Glalie and rushed in front of Hamber, her eyes sparkling with excitement upon hearing the word "pendant."
"Er, yes… The mission is to recover the Pokémon that was once the pendant. In doing so, we may very well encounter that boy again."
"YES! Let's go right now! Hurry up, hurry!"
"..."
Both Hamber and Sidian were visibly taken aback by Coral's sudden enthusiasm. While it wasn't unusual for her to get excited before a mission, this was on another level.
"Coral… do you really want to meet that boy so badly?"
Hamber wasn't particularly keen on hearing the answer, but as the leader of the mission, he had to address anything that might affect their operation. So, with a sense of duty, he asked. Immediately, Coral reached into her pocket and pulled out a card, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"Yeah! I've been curious about him ever since I saw that video!"
After watching the footage of Jin's battle that Hamber had shown her following Spinel's mission failure, Coral had done her own research on him. The more she watched his battle techniques and admired the strength of his Pokémon, the more she became captivated by Jin.
And then…
"Ta-da! Look at this! Jin's fan club membership card! And I've got a single-digit number!"
Coral proudly held up a card that read, "Pokémon Trainer Jin Fan Club." Hamber and Sidian exchanged awkward looks as they stared at the card, but Coral, oblivious to their reactions, continued talking.
"It wasn't easy getting a single-digit number, you know? The application process was way stricter than I thought. I even went all the way to Hoenn just for it!"
The Pokémon Trainer Fan Club had branches across various regions. Thanks to Nemona's livestreams, Jin had gained some fame in Paldea, but his recognition was still mostly limited to his home region of Hoenn. That's why the fan club's headquarters were located in Lilycove City in Hoenn. While it was possible to join the club online, getting a high-ranking membership required an in-person evaluation at the headquarters.
"Wait a minute… Didn't you go to the Hoenn region on a mission?"
"Huh? I never said that."
"But you definitely mentioned at the time that you had…"
Sidian clearly remembered seeing Coral just before she left for Hoenn, where she had excitedly said, "I've got some important business to take care of!" He had assumed it was related to an Explorers' mission, but now…
"That's right! I had something important to do!"
"Coral!"
"What? Got a problem with that?"
"Both of you, that's enough."
Sensing that the two were on the verge of another confrontation, Hamber intervened. However, he realized a bigger problem was surfacing.
"Still, Coral, as I mentioned earlier, there's a good chance that in this mission, we'll be up against that boy Jin. Are you really okay with that?"
It was clear from her behavior that Coral was obsessed with Jin. Hamber was concerned that, when the time came, she might hesitate to fight him. He asked cautiously, but Coral's response was unexpected.
"Of course! In fact, I want to battle Jin!"
Coral tucked away her fan club card and pulled out her Rotom Phone. On its home screen was an image of Jin, holding up the championship trophy from the Ever Grande Conference, a faint smile on his face.
"I can't wait! What kind of battle will he show me? I'm so excited to see Jin in person!"
Seeing Coral speak with heart-shaped eyes, Sidian was about to give her a lecture about the mission's seriousness, but Hamber stopped him with a raised hand.
"I understand. I will leave dealing with him to you, Coral."
"Really!?"
"Are you sure about this?"
"It's fine."
Hamber replied to Sidian with a resigned tone. He knew that Coral would go after Jin with or without orders. Given the circumstances, it was better to factor that into the plan from the start.
"Originally, I intended for you two to remain as our trump card, but we'll modify the plan. Once we reach the designated area, Coral, you'll take care of the boy. Sidian, you'll handle the other Trainers and their Pokémon."
"Roger! Leave Jin to me!"
"...Understood."
"Let's hurry then. We can't afford to waste any more time."
With those final words, Hamber, Sidian, and Coral began walking again, heading towards the helicopter that had been prepared by their subordinates.
"Wait for me, Jin! Coral's coming to see you~!"
---
"Hmm?"
"Jin? What's up?"
Jin and his group had just gotten off the train and were following an Squawkabilly sent by Diana to guide them to her ancient castle.
"I don't know... It felt like someone called my name..."
"There's no one around. You sure it wasn't just your imagination?"
Jin looked around, but there was indeed no one else there. Deciding it was just a strange feeling, they continued walking toward the old castle. Following the Squawkabilly, they moved from the plains into a forest, eventually reaching an area full of large stones.
"Is this a dead end?"
"Squawkabilly?"
"Squak~squaw!"
Suddenly, the Squawkabilly let out a loud call toward the stone wall in front of them. As it did, the wall began to shift, revealing a hidden passage.
"Is that... a Pokémon?"
"Yeah, that's a Stonjourner. Using it as a door is pretty clever."
Once they entered the hidden passage, the Stonjourner moved again to close the entrance behind them. As they walked deeper into the tunnel, Roy turned to ask Liko about her grandmother.
"Your grandma's an adventurer, right?"
"Yep. She's always out exploring with her Pokémon, looking for ancient ruins or sunken ships."
"That's so cool! It sounds like something out of a dream!"
On their journey, Jin had heard many rumors about ruins and sunken ships. He had even dabbled in exploring them out of curiosity a few times, so he found the subject fascinating.
"You haven't seen her in a while, have you?"
"Yeah. The last time was when I got accepted into Indigo Academy. She came to our house in Paldea to congratulate me. She even gave me the pendant as a good luck charm."
"So, that's how you got the pendant."
"Hehe, Grandma loves adventure and is really good at battling, too. I bet you two would get along well, Jin."
"Hmm, that would be nice."
Liko had unknowingly revealed that Jin and her grandmother had more in common than he realized. If they did get along, it would certainly make things easier, he thought as they finally caught sight of the old castle where Diana was waiting.
"So, Grandma's here... Grandmaaaa! It's me, Liko!"
Liko called out loudly to the castle, and a Pokémon leaped down from the terrace in front of them. It was Diana's partner, the legendary Pokémon Arcanine.
(T/N: It's Legendary, Dattebayo!)
"Arcanine! It's been so long!"
Recognizing Diana's Arcanine, Liko rushed over to hug it, celebrating their reunion. Then, the castle doors opened, and a single figure emerged.
"You've grown so much, Liko."
"Grandma!"
The figure was none other than Liko's grandmother, Diana. Liko's face lit up with joy as she greeted her.
"And... you must be Jin."
Diana smirked as she turned her gaze toward Jin. Her eyes seemed to be appraising him, as if she were trying to determine exactly what kind of person he was.
"Finally, we meet. I've heard a lot about you from my daughter. Come inside, and let's have a proper chat."
---
// END