"Woosh!"
Metagross soared across the ocean, effortlessly overtaking numerous wild Pokémon in their path.
Meanwhile, Xian, riding on its back, was intently scanning for information about Ariel's whereabouts.
"He should be on Sea Route 52 by now, so why isn't he showing up on my Pokédex radar?" he mused, a frown creasing his brow.
"Hey Metagross, can you try to pinpoint his last known location?"
Metagross rumbled in acknowledgment, "Gross!"
It immediately began its complex calculations, cross-referencing data it had pulled from satellites, Pokédex entries, and current environmental conditions.
"Metagross!" it announced triumphantly, projecting a holographic map displaying the route Ariel had taken.
Xian leaned in, studying the hologram intently. "Okay, so he was definitely on this route before. But why did his signal just vanish right at Route 45?"
A jolt of realization hit him. "Wait a minute... Route 45? Isn't that the Twilight Zone? Oh no, don't tell me... He's actually insane! Of all the places, why would he venture into that ship graveyard?"
A new, more troubling thought surfaced. "The Twilight Zone... you need a Pokémon capable of navigating through literal darkness just to get there. And I can't do that."
He turned to his partner, a determined glint in his eye. "Hey Metagross, we can't get in without a darkness specialist. Looks like we'll have to borrow one."
"Meta!" Metagross agreed readily.
Without further delay, Metagross focused its immense psychic power and, with a familiar *pop*, teleported them both back to Ariestal City. They reappeared near the museum district.
"Alright, now we just need to find Zayn and borrow his Gible Redux," Xian muttered, already scanning the skies for his friend as Metagross lifted off again.
---
Meanwhile, Zayn and Xavier were making their way towards Professor Miranda's laboratory when Zayn's attention was snagged by a suspicious figure.
"Hey, you see that guy over there?" Zayn whispered, nudging Xavier and subtly pointing. "Isn't he, like, totally stalking those people?"
He indicated a man with messy brown hair, sporting black-rimmed glasses, a vibrant red t-shirt, a camera slung around his neck, and brown trousers. The man was trailing a small group disappearing into an alley.
Xavier squinted, trying to pick out the person from the bustling crowd. "Which one? There are a ton of people."
"The one with the brown shoes!" Zayn insisted, still pointing.
Xavier finally spotted him. "You know, that doesn't really scream 'stalker' to me. He looks more like a journalist."
"Yeah, but it's still pretty sketchy. What's he so interested in, following them like that?"
"Hard to say. But if he *is* a journalist, maybe it's okay to just ask him," Xavier reasoned.
Just then, Gible surfaced from the nearby river with a triumphant splash, holding a wriggling Cubble. It scrambled out and promptly climbed onto Zayn's head, looking incredibly pleased with itself. Xavier simply recalled the soaked Cubble into its Pokéball.
Deciding to investigate, the two boys approached the man.
"Unbelievable," the journalist muttered under his breath, oblivious to them. "I didn't think *they'd* show up here too. So the rumors about the artifact must be true... This could be huge."
He scribbled furiously in his notepad, discarding headlines as he went. "[Epitaph Organization arrives in Ariestal City – Is this an omen?]... Nah, too cliché. [Will the artifact truly be revealed tonight?]... Too vague. Aha! [History Repeating? Epitaph's Shadow Looms Over Ariestal]... Perfect."
He slipped the notepad back into his pocket, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"What were you just writing?"
The journalist nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around to find Zayn standing right beside him, his glasses almost sliding off his nose. *Where did this kid come from?! Did he see my notes?*
"Ah! N-nothing important! Just... a grocery list," he stammered, forcing a smile.
Zayn raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "A grocery list? Then why were you following those people?"
"Pure coincidence!"
Xavier chimed in, his tone unconvinced. "Coincidence? We saw you tailing them from across the street. Come on, just be straight with us. You're a journalist, right?"
The man's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Alright, alright, you got me. Yes, I'm a journalist, and yes, I was following them. I'm here to, uh, observe them."
Zayn and Xavier exchanged a bewildered look. "Observe them for what? They look like ordinary people," Zayn said, his suspicion returning. "Unless you really *are* a stalker."
"Look, to put it simply, they're members of a villainous organization. I'm here to keep tabs on them."
Zayn's eyes widened. "Whoa... That sounds like something straight out of one of those games I play!"
Xavier, ever practical, asked, "So your job is just to watch them?"
"Not exactly. I also have to file reports," the man clarified. Then, realizing he'd been doing all the talking, he asked, "So, who are you two, anyway?"
Zayn puffed out his chest. "My name's Zayn! I'm from Quartz City, and I'm on a quest to uncover the mysteries of this world!"
The journalist couldn't suppress a small chuckle. "Wow, talking like you're the protagonist of this story or something, trying to uncover the world's mysteries."
"What's so funny? I *am* the protagonist of this story!"
Xavier, ever the pragmatist, chimed in, "Honestly, you've barely appeared in the last few chapters, and you haven't really had a major role so far."
This struck a nerve. Zayn reeled as if physically hit. The truth stung. He *had* been relegated to a background character in several key plot points. "Hey! That doesn't change the fact that I'm still a protagonist!" he sputtered indignantly. "And besides, once this Ariestal arc is over, the whole story might get rewritten! Just you wait!"
Xavier remained unfazed. "You do realize this story is super long, right? We're probably not even halfway through. Plus, the author's been swamped with exams, so updates are slow." He added, almost as an afterthought, "And even if they *did* rewrite it, you'd probably just get, like, one extra line."
Zayn gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing on his forehead. *If only this story followed the original draft, we'd be done by now!* he thought bitterly.
The journalist watched this exchange with growing amusement. "Interesting. And what about your friend here?"
Xavier puffed his own chest out. "I'm Xavier, also from Quartz City. I'm a detective!"
"An amateur detective," Zayn muttered under his breath.
Xavier whipped his head around. "What did you say?!"
"Well, you *are* an amateur, aren't you? You barely get any detective work. In this very arc, the actual detective work is being handled by the investigation unit!"
"Hey! My time to shine as a detective just hasn't come yet!"
"I'm betting it's still a long way off."
Now it was Xavier's turn to fume, his face reddening at being called an amateur.
"You two are quite a pair," the journalist said, chuckling. "Alright, let's properly introduce ourselves. My name's Walt. And as you've probably guessed, I'm a journalist."
The bickering ceased instantly. Xavier, ever the inquisitor, asked, "So, what's your real reason for following them?"
Walt's expression turned serious. "You've heard of an organization called Epitaph, right?"
Zayn furrowed his brow, trying to recall. "Epitaph... Isn't that the organization mostly made up of Espers? And if I remember correctly, they're the ones who successfully stole an artifact from Viora City three years ago. It was called... Alcrypna, right?"
"Exactly. And do you know what it means that they're here now?"
Realization dawned on both of them simultaneously. "They're after another artifact!" they exclaimed in unison.
"Bingo. And while they're dangerous, what makes them truly terrifying is that they're not afraid to use radical methods to achieve their goals. Their success rate for heists is only about 10%, but they don't care about collateral damage."
Zayn, who had initially felt relieved by the low success rate, quickly reconsidered. "Okay, I take back what I was thinking. This has disaster written all over it."
---
Back to Xian, who spotted a trainer he was absolutely certain was Zayn.
"Hey, Zayn! I need your help for a sec!" he called out, jogging towards the trainer.
The trainer blinked at him, confused. "Uh, who are you?"
"How can you forget? We just split up a few hours ago!" As Xian got closer, he noticed the Charmander at the trainer's side. Something was off. "Wait a minute... Zayn doesn't have a Charmander. Especially not a white one. What kind of Charmander is that, anyway?"
The trainer gave him a patient smile. "If you're looking for someone named Zayn, I actually ran into him earlier. If you're trying to find him now, look for a guy with blue eyes, wearing white or silver clothes with blue accents."
Xian smacked his forehead. "Ugh, he changed his whole look in just a few hours? Seriously?" He sighed. "Okay, thanks for that. And sorry for bothering you." He started to turn away, then paused. "By the way, what's your name?"
"You can call me Kyle."
"Kyle. Got it. Thanks."
With that, Xian dashed off, resuming his search.
Kyle watched him go, then let out a quiet sigh, speaking softly to his Pokémon. "He seems like a handful, doesn't he, Charmander?"
"Charmander!" the Delta Charmander chirped in agreement.
Kyle then continued his own journey towards the museum, his eyes scanning the city's unique architecture with quiet appreciation.
Meanwhile, Xian was struggling. The crowded city streets were a chaotic maze. "Dang it! How am I supposed to find him in this crowd?" He decided to use his unique ability. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, trying to sense the unique auras around him, filtering them in his mind like a radar to locate Zayn's specific energy signature.
"This is harder than I thought. There are way too many similar auras here," he muttered in frustration. He then switched tactics, focusing on detecting the powerful aura of Zayn's Gible Redux. Pokémon auras were typically much stronger and more distinct than human ones.
He focused again, pushing past the mental noise, and finally, a distinct signature pinged in his mind. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed, opening his eyes and sprinting off in the direction his mental compass indicated.
Back with the group, Zayn was leafing through Walt's notepad, his curiosity piqued. "Hey Walt, mind if I borrow this? Looks interesting."
"Be my guest," Walt said, handing it over casually.
Zayn, with Xavier and Gible peering over his shoulder, flipped it open. Their eager expressions instantly morphed into ones of utter bewilderment.
"WHAT KIND OF SCRIBBLE IS THIS?!" they both yelled.
"This isn't writing, it's just a bunch of meaningless lines!" Zayn complained.
Xavier added, equally horrified, "Did you never learn how to write properly?!"
Walt just shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "A journalist never reveals his sources... or his notes to just anyone. You should know that."
Unamused by the cryptic response, Gible decided to take matters into its own hands—or rather, its jaws. It darted forward and chomped down on Walt's hand.
"OW! Hey, that hurts!"
Zayn quickly pried Gible off, holding the grumpy Pokémon away. "Sorry, sorry! He does that when he's annoyed."
"Keep your Pokémon under control, will you?"
"HEY! ZAYN!"
The shout made all three of them turn. Xian was running towards them, slightly out of breath.
"What do you want now? We're kind of in the middle of something," Zayn said, a little annoyed.
"Relax. I just need to borrow your Gible Redux," Xian said, cutting to the chase.
Zayn's eyes narrowed. "For what?"
"Short version? I need to go drag—or maybe forcefully escort—the Ariestal City Gym Leader back home."
Zayn's expression softened into one of understanding. "Oh. That lunatic. Yeah, sounds just like Ariel."
Both Zayn and Xavier turned to look at Walt. "You know the Gym Leader?"
Walt nodded. "Yeah, we're pretty close, actually. And yes, I can confirm she's absolutely insane. She's got this crazy dream of sailing across all seven seas. I'm still not convinced there are even seven."
"Definitely a lunatic," Zayn and Xavier said in unison.
"So, why exactly do you need Gible?" Zayn asked.
"Ariel often sails through... well, through literal darkness. I need your Gible to help me navigate it."
Zayn looked skeptical. "Through darkness? I thought it was more about accessing the Shadow Realm."
"Honestly? I think your Gible's ability leans more towards manipulating darkness than accessing another dimension. But semantics aside," Xian looked at Gible, who was now back on Zayn's head. "Gible, will you help me out?"
"Gible!" it refused emphatically.
Xian, however, was prepared. "Alright, how about this: I'll pay you ₽50,000. And for you, Gible... I'll get you as many Berries as you can eat."
Gible's eyes instantly transformed into sparkling stars. Without a second thought, it leaped from Zayn's head onto Xian's shoulder.
"Gible!" it squeaked in enthusiastic agreement.
Zayn just sighed and tossed Gible's Pokéball to Xian. "Here. You'll probably need this. Trust me."
"Thanks. I'll only borrow him for a bit. Gotta go!" Xian shouted over his shoulder, already sprinting away.
Walt turned back to Zayn and Xavier. "So, what's your next move?"
"We were on our way to Professor Miranda's lab. Our other friends are still there."
"Oh, perfect! I was heading that way myself. Heard there's all sorts of fascinating stuff going on there."
Zayn grinned. "Looks like we're heading the same way then."
With that, Zayn took the lead, and the newly formed trio continued their journey towards Professor Miranda's laboratory.