Chapter 8: Where it Once began, and Shall Again

Shirou stepped off the train, looking around to take in the streets around him. “...is it strange that I’d gotten used to the rustic style of buildings in Oldale town?” He asked quietly, looking down the way.

“No. I have too,” Illya remarked, eyes wide as she looked at the skyscrapers. “Well, to be fair to me, I haven’t ever visited a major city, and though Sandgem Town doesn’t really count, it’s still a lot more urban than I’m used to.”

“Yeah, Sandgem is a Finneon to the Wailords of Hearthome or Jubilife,” Isabella said easily, stretching. “Still, a pretty important spot. Prelude Beach is pretty much enshrined here.” She grimaced. “If Donovan asks–”

“Wait!” A tall young man in a lavender sweater dashed up, panting. “Hah… hah… Okay. Emiya Shirou! Einzenbern Illya! I will request that you read me in on your future plans!” He looked over at Isabella. “Also, why did you reveal yourself to the Mystery Gifts?” he asked despairingly. “We were supposed to keep proper distance!”

“And I’m not hanging off their arms, so they’ve got personal space. My way’s better.” Isabella stuck her tongue out.

“Donavan, don’t be a hypocrite.” Shirou chided neutrally, causing the young man to freeze and then nod very rapidly.

“Yessir.”

“Well! It’s always nice to see such lively young trainers!” Akari spoke up, looking over the group. Donovan and Isabella both froze, eyes wide.

“Is this going to be a regular thing, Heroine-chan?” Illya deadpanned, before smiling and waving. “Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon!” she replied. “Well, maybe!” She leaned over, whispering to the siblings. “You two know who I am, and aren’t really intimidated. That’s really nice.” She leaned back. “Plus, when the old goat intervenes to help somebody, I get interested. And I’ve never been one to keep my distance from interesting things.”

“...Lady Akari. It is an honor.” Donovan bowed.

“She just said she wants us to be chill!” Isabella snapped.

“Donovan is incapable of chill,” Shirou quipped dryly, smiling at Akari. “Hello, Akari-san. How are you today?”

“Well enough.” She looked out over the city, vision glazing slightly as she traced the contours of the land with her eyes. “Five hundred years and yesterday, I departed from this place. Once as I see it now, once a barren stretch of land, ripe with potential,” she murmured. “Now I’m here again.” She shook her head, shaking off the nostalgia. “Just in time to see a new group start their journey.” She shot Donovan a look. “So… here to keep an eye on the new kids?”

“Whether or not they’re people of interest, I need to keep an eye on them.” Donovan said. “Either they are threats to the peace of Sinnoh, or they are outsiders in need of protection.” He said gravely.

“... Shirou, we’re keeping him. He’s adorable.” Illya chuckled to her brother, who gave a small smile back in response, before burying her head into her hands, hiding her laughter at Donovan’s confused look.

Shirou shook his head. “Donovan, don’t insult my sister. Also, don’t you only have two Pokemon?”

The Pearl man scowled. “Cottie and Dancer are perfectly fine! I don’t need any more than them.” He sniffed.

“...mate, you will need to expand your team.” Isabella snarked.

Akari clapped her hands. “So! Off to see Kamado’s great-great-great-great-grandson?”

“Professor Rowan, yes,” Shirou acknowledged, ignoring the bickering clansmen in the background. “He offered us a sponsorship in response to Ritsuka evolving into a previously unknown evolution of Eevee, so we decided taking it was in our best interest.”

“Right! The dragon eeveelution!” Akari clapped her hands. “Can I–” Her smile widened as both Eevee siblings emerged from their balls. “Oh, aren’t you both gorgeous!” she said, crouching. “I’ve never seen one like that before. I’ve seen ground and fighting type Eevee on my travels, but that was in some of the unexplored territories, and before modern Pokedex.” She paused. “Hmm. Maybe I should come with you, get one of my own.”

“How many Pokemon do you have, Akari-san?” Illya asked curiously, declining to consider the possibility of an immortal traveling with her for the moment, “I’ve been told by several people to not ask how many you’ve had, but who are your partners in this time?”

“Well… technically, all the current Nobles are willing to fight for me. But as for my teams? I’ve got five mainstays, and six current partners.” She smiled. “So, either eleven or twenty-one, depending on how you ask.”

“Cool!” And that was that.

“Ah, since nee-san doesn’t want to answer, you are welcome to travel with us if you so desire, Lady Akari,” Shirou replied in Illya’s stead, smiling brightly. “Just let us know!”

“No way, kids.” Akari shook her head. “Wherever I walk, trouble fades away– all but the worst. When you get strong enough, smaller threats keep their distance, but the bigger ones come running. You three-” She shot Donovan a look, getting a tiny shrug and nervous twitch in response. “-don’t need doomsday cults, ace trainers, and Alphas attacking because I’m around.” She finished petting Matilda and took a step back. “I’ll see you both again here and there. Get in some good trouble, understood?” She eyed Isabella. “And neither of you are to drag them around, got it? Let them set the pace and the direction.”

“Of course, Lady Akari,” both clansmen chimed, understanding the order for what it was. There was a reason she was so highly regarded among the clans; and it wasn’t just because she had literally saved the world.

Shirou and Illya watched as the woman stepped onto the busy streets, a flicker of shadows marking her passage into the crowds. Illya nodded resolutely. “Good trouble, huh? I like the sound of that.” She walked down into the sunshine with Matilda trotting beside her, looking over her shoulder. “You three coming?”

Shirou simply hefted his bag over his shoulder and trotted off after her, the two tribesfolk falling in behind him.

It was a little bit of a hike to get outside the town and to the large laboratory, and Illya whistled as she took in the structure behind the gate. “...okay, this place is pretty cool. But do any of you guys know why there’s a windmill attached?”

“Knowing what’s publicly known of Professor Rowan, probably something along the lines of ‘aesthetics’ but with an actual reason,” Shirou guessed, shrugging helplessly. “Maybe a granary?

“A lot of researcher laboratories try to remain as monetarily efficient as possible,” Donovan explained. “I know the Oak Lab developed an efficient wind turbine model, and I suppose they may have spread or subsidized the model to other labs to save on power generation. Not everyone has access to thermal power in their backyards, after all.”

Illya tilted her head. “Is electricity really that expensive?”

“Did your world not have ready access to it?” Isabella asked as they passed through the gates.

Before Illya could open her mouth, Shirou cut in. “We did, in most nations. Illya just lived with a family of people who lived in a literal castle in voluntary isolation.”

“Wait, really? I mean, did they have a Lucario or Ghost-type fixation?”

“We don’t have Pokemon.” Illya deadpanned, smiling faely at their look of utter shock, “What? From our point of view, Pokemon are odd. We have something of a similar level of power, but they’ve completely retreated to what you’d call a pocket dimension.”

“...weird. I can’t imagine living without Pokemon,” Isabella muttered as the group reached the front door. “It’s… so out of context.”

“My ancestor would have appreciated a world like that. At least, in his younger years.” The door swung open to reveal a smartly dressed man with gray hair and a magnificent pair of mutton chops. “I assume the world you speak of has its own problems?”

“A Utopia is Stagnation. Ergo, no world would ever truly reach that ideal. Not fully.” Illya explained, nodding, “That is to say, across the kaleidoscope, I doubt no world truly has no problems. A pleasure, Professor Rowan.”

“Well met, Illyasviel.” He straightened. “I have heard conflicting reports whether your family name is ‘Einznbern’ or ‘Emiya’. And your trainer card, as they often do, lacks either.”

“It’s something I’m still deciding on,” Illya admitted, grinning sheepishly, “Einzbern is what I am, yet I still cherish my father’s name at times. I’m working through a perceived and actual betrayal by him, in truth. I’ll probably end up combining the two.”

“I see.” Rowan nodded. “As your card has no last name, take the time to find yourself on your journey. You may find yourself slipping into the decision as you come.” He turned and nodded at Shirou, then looked at the two clanspeople. “Mister Emiya, I’m greatly looking forward to meeting your companion. As for you two, do the clans have need of the Kamado family, or are you here on other business?”

“No, we are simply here to escort those who may be Arceus’ Gift.” Donovan replied, bowing slightly. “Although, I may ask, does the Kamado clan still maintain links to the Galaxy Corporation?”

“Fewer by far than we once did. Though if you approach me…” Rowan stroked his beard. “We can speak about that later, after we come in. Be welcome, all of you. Let’s convene in my lab.”

A few minutes later found the group walking into a large space filled with silver tiles and a large scanner. “Now–” Rowan paused as Ritsuka emerged from her ball. “Fascinating…” He knelt, beckoning slightly. “Would you mind a full inspection? A new Eeveelution… there have been three fully documented in my lifetime, but I’ve never heard of one like you.”

“Not at all, Professor.” Ritsuka chirped, her voice carrying into the ears of even those without aura, “Haha! I figured out the aura trick! You owe me salmon tonight Shirou!”

“Ah, I had heard you were both Aura users, but to teach a non-fighting type such a technique…” Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Although, as a Mystery Gift, you may not have the same restrictions upon you as I have seen from other Pokemon. Hmm. Unless we could replicate the circumstances, you may be wholly unique.”

“You say that like she’s not already.” Shirou eyed his starter with some reproach. “Are you going to stay one gender through this entire session?”

“Nah. I’ll do both as a special service today.” The dragon stated magnanimously, looking to all the world like a smug cat with an element of foxy mischief, “Gotta give the good professor a baseline for both sexes, after all.”

“Sequential hermaphrodism is not something seen in…” Rowan blinked as Ritsuka changed, then changed back. “...is this a gender-based form change? Hmm.” He stood after giving Ritsuka some pats. “Well, this may be useless from a wider standpoint, but her– their case study may give me insights into how such a transformation might be accomplished elsewhere.” He tapped his chin. “Actually, Eevee populations have always been remarkably stable gender wise, even during cataclysms. I wonder if that’s just a slower form of this phenomena?” He walked over to the scanner. “Apologies, but we may be here a little longer than I’d thought. While I set up the scans, do any of you have any questions?”

“I did a bit of research into Lady Akari after she approached us the first time,” Illya began. “And it’s mentioned several times that ‘For the Wrong done to her, the Clan of Kamado and the Galaxy Team will always remember the debt they owe. But what happened is never really spelled out. What did the Kamado family do?”

“My ancestor decided that it would be a great idea to be a paranoid fool and kick Lady Akari out of Jubilife Village, the only home she’d known in the era-slash-world she’d fallen into because he was utterly convinced she was the problem and was content to bury his head in the sand despite overwhelming evidence otherwise, then he sicced his personal ninja on her, and then he attempted to stop her from resolving the crisis in the first place,” Professor Rowan stated in an utter deadpan. “My ancestor was an idiot. A traumatized idiot. But an idiot all the same.” He sighed. “His efforts to make up for his failings occurred far too late for Lady Akari to accept them, and the Galaxy Team did not lift a finger to oppose him, save for a few scattered individuals. It is a failing which my family still attempts to repay, though the Lady herself keeps her distance.”

“The Clans still remember the insult, though at the time we were unwillingly complicit in the act. It took many years for Lady Irida and Lord Adaman to find ways to make it up to her.” Donovan sighed.

“Indeed,” Rowan mused. “Now, as for the current Galactic Corporation, they have shaken off the debts they owe the clans and Lady Akari both.” Rowan grumbled. “Bah. One cannot so easily slough off one’s history.”

“Indeed,” Illya added neutrally, frowning herself. “Debts, especially to an influential immortal, are serious business. Especially one chosen quite literally by Arceus himself.”

“Well put.” Rowan started. “Actually… is it true that the two of you have been acknowledged and respected by Lady Akari?”

“Acknowledged, yes. Told we were interesting, yes. Respected? Probably not. More along the lines of willing to treat us with respect, and potentially offer us her respect once we ‘earn’ it,” Shirou assessed, nodding firmly to himself. “She has given us a chance to be proven worthy of that, and we intend to do our best to meet those expectations.”

Rowan finished tapping at his computer, and as the scanners whirred to life he turned back to the group. “Well then, if you are on a mission from her, as small as it may be, I may have something for you.” He eyed the two children. “Tell me, how interested would you two be in an annotated map of Sinnoh? With all the little nooks and crannies where interesting things are said to lurk?”

“... Please.” Illya practically shouted from the rooftops, stars in her eyes. “Gimme.”

Rowan chuckled. “Certainly. Though it’s never been digitized.” Rowan walked over, looking back at Ritsuka. “If you could please stay there for a moment? We need to go to my study.”

“Okay!” Ritsuka called, before pacing in a circle and settling down.. “I’ll just take a quick nap while I wait.”

The five humans moved down the hallway, Rowan drawing them all into a large office. One entire wall was taken up by shelves of books and a small walk-in display room. Moving to the display room, Rowan began to unlock a display case. “This book contains the journals, mission reports, clan scrolls, and paraphernalia of Commander Komado’s right hand, the Ninja known as Beni.” He explained. “After the conclusion of the Sinnoh Crisis, Beni explored the majority of Sinnoh, and even settled down and had children. However, none of them followed him into his profession, so he passed his effects to the family, with the understanding that they be used to train any future Shinobi. But Sinnoh has been at peace, and none have needed these materials.” He opened the case, revealing a pair of swords, small racks of throwing knives, wooden scroll cases, and a stack of thin books.

“... Huh, these have all been lovingly used and cared for, and only drawn in anger a few times. Very nice swords, knives, and bladed materials.” Shirou mused, walking over towards the knives as if in a trance, “Those were used to kill the Pokemon that caused Kamado so much trauma. Interesting…”

“Hmm. Magic?” At Shirou’s nod, Kamado peered at the scrolls. “These techniques are ninjutsu. Most use Poison, Bug, Dark, or Fighting energies. The last might be of use to you, but with magic you might be able to use any of these techniques. Well, if you can break the ciphers.” Kamado reached in and unrolled one scroll, revealing an unintelligible mishmash of letters and symbols. “Beni apparently left the key to this code with the rest of his things, but that part of his tools have been lost.” He rerolled the scroll and instead reached for one of the books. “This is Beni’s expedition journal, which includes several maps. Also in code, but the maps themselves may be of use.”

Shirou eyed the journal, only to get cut off as Illya quickly took it from the professor’s hands. “Ooh…” She opened it, then blinked as a folded sheaf of parchment fell out. Snatching it out of the air, she tucked the book into her satchel then unfolded the map. “...wow, this is old.” She whispered. “How many of these sites have been uncovered?” She asked over the top of the map.

“A few, but not many. Beni explored far off the beaten path a lot of the time, or so his journals claim. Those are areas still largely off the main routes or away from city centers.”

“That makes sense. He probably has the best places for a ninja enclave marked as well; he seemed like the type.” Shirou mused, smiling wanly at Rowan’s look, “I can see the experience and the imprint the wielder of a weapon left on said weapon. He was… a complicated man, but in a way, that exploration was a penance of sorts.”

“Hmm.” Rowan eyed the weapons before shaking his head. “I’m tempted to offer you one of these blades, but they haven’t been properly maintained in centuries. The staff does clean them, but even so…” He stopped and turned to Donovan. “Son, are the smiths of the clans still up to making proper war weapons?”

Donovan frowned. “We do have some quality swordsmiths, but I don’t know if they’re able to make weapons capable of fighting Pokemon. That’s an art we haven’t needed in a while.”

“Please pass on to them that I would like to have a proper blade made for Mister Emiya, and let them know the coffers of the Kamado family stand open for when they do.” Rowan instructed.

“I will pass it on, sir.” Donovan responded.

“Good.” Rowan closed the display case, then walked back into his study. “As long as you two are here, I may as well hand these off.” He stepped over to a cabinet, removing two boxes. “Your Pokedexes. Latest model, at least for those available here in Sinnoh.” He looked between the two of them. “Now, Mister Emiya, do you have any requests in terms of payment for your time?”

“That’s honestly up to Ritsuka to decide.” Shirou grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, “She’s the one going through the tests, she gets to decide what she wants out of it. I’ll give her advice of course; nee-san would kill me otherwise, but she’ll have the final say.”

“I see.” Rowan mused, just before Yagi popped out of his ball, landing in a three-point crouch on the floor.

Springing upright, the little canine barked. “Yosh! Senpai Ritsuka thought you might attempt to decline or defer payment, so they drew up a shortlist of possible recompense for us.” The Riolu reached down, pulling a folded sheet of paper from his hammerspace. “First option, at Shirou’s discretion; a Pokemon egg, preferably something capable of dealing with Fairy or Psychic types.”

Shirou blinked, before nodding as if everything made sense, “Yeah, you guys would do that wouldn’t you?” He shrugged. “If that’s what Ritsuka would want…”

Rowan shook his head slightly. “Though I do deal with Pokemon Evolution, I tend not to involve myself with the egg trade. I could seek out something interesting, should it be necessary, but I suspect you’ll have plenty of luck getting new Pokemon without my assistance.”

“Alright! Second option, you expand both Lady Illya and Shirou’s carry limit, to allow them to bring more Pokemon with them in the field.”

“That’s certainly doable, though you both will need to keep to the battle rules of six maximum. It does seem somewhat insufficient, though.”

“Perfect! Third, a Technical Machine library.”

“No. Do you know how much I already pay Devon Corp and Silph Co? If you need to use a reusable TM you are of a level for, I will allow you access to my library, but I cannot give you one.”

“Fourth, Wild Area passes.”

“Done.” Rowan finished. “Considering your luck with Pokemon, I suspect that will be a good way to bring in more interesting data anyway.” He turned and headed towards his computer. “It will mean registering you both as research assistants. Speaking of which, Ms. Einzenbern, I heard you were looking to evolve your Snorunt, and had a Dawn Stone for the purpose?”

“I do, yes. Fubuki and I were just figuring out when the best time to evolve was,” Illya admitted, releasing her Snorunt from her ball. “We agreed to wait until we arrived at the lab.”

“Excellent. Would you mind performing the evolution in the scanner, little one?” He looked down at Fubuki.

“That was why I waited, yes.”

“There are not many Pokemon which gain the Ghost type upon evolution. I can only think of a few, and though there is still a substantial Cyndaquil population here in Sinnoh, most of them live in areas which do not encourage their regional evolution,” he explained as he walked back into the main lab space.

Ritsuka looked up, tail trashing as she yawned, revealing her fangs. “So, I could hear you in the hallway. Are we done yet?”

“Not quite. Demonstrate a few moves, please.” Rowan requested as he headed over to his console. “I’ll put up the barriers.”

Looking up from her book, Illya absently took a bite of her sandwich. “...okay, on the one hand, Paldean-style subs are delicious. On the other, some of the varieties are very weird.” She took a look at her sandwich. “I like the tropical, but who puts noodles on a sandwich? With hot dogs?” She took another bite.

“Honestly, I’m fairly sure people have done similar things on Earth. Some of the best dishes seem insane when you think about them; combining western and eastern food types, for example. After all, pasta started as an eastern thing that Marco Polo imported,” Shirou mused as he bit into his own, absently noting that the flavor was very good. “This is definitely authentic though, given what I’ve heard. Someone really knows what they’re doing at this sandwich shop.”

Isabella nodded. “Shame Donovan darted off like that, but when one of the elders say jump, he hops to it. Even when it’s one of Kamado’s line.” She shrugged. “Rowan’s a good egg, though.”

Matilda looked up from her peanut butter sandwich. “He’s not responsible for his ancestor’s actions. No more than Illya is for her father’s.”

Ritsuka chirped from where she devoured her own spicy meal. “Of course not. Still a blemish, though. And his repayment…” Her tail lashed. “See anything interesting on that map?”

“...maybe,” Illya murmured, looking down at her maps. “What do you guys know about the Grand Underground?”

“Big Underground Cave-slash-Mining System found during the colonization of Sinnoh. Has a buncha unique ecosystems, and is theorized to be connected to the surface directly through some yet unexplored tunnels,” Ritsuka answered idly, flicking one of her ears as Matilda’s feelers settled on her. “What’s the occasion sis?”

“Just keeping you honest sister dear. I do have to occasionally remind you who’s the boss between us.” Matilda grinned back faely.

“Illya.” Ritsuka shot back.

“Touche, sister mine. Touche,” Matilda acknowledged with a shrug. “I’m still above you though.”

As the two Eeveelutions sparred, Illya continued. “The Grand UUnderground connects to a lot of interesting caverns. Caverns which Beni apparently explored, at least somewhat. And he mentioned finding a lot of interesting Pokemon habitats down there.” She flipped the book around. “These days, the ways into the caverns have been blocked off, exploited, or buried. But with our passes, and an Underground Explorer’s license, we could head down there. Earn some money, find some rare or unusual Pokemon, and maybe dig up some artifacts for big sis Cynthia.”

“Probably best to take into account the exits and entrances then. We could use the Grand Underground as an alternative method to travel between some cities, for one.” Shirou mused idly, looking at the map, “Look, there’s a route from Jubilife to Snowpoint. One that takes us under Mt. Coronet.”

“We can double back for that. But the nearest office of the Underground Club is in Oreburgh. That’s also where a Gym is.” She looked down, eyes tracing the map. “So, I say we head to Oreburgh, challenge the gym, get some training and Explorers' licenses, and then head where we wish. You want to challenge the Ice Gym next, or were you hoping to head into Pearl Clan turf?”

“More just pointing out a random interesting route, nee-san.” Shirou shrugged, looking up at her with a small smile, “I’m honestly just happy to follow whichever route you chose. I’ll probably occasionally request deviations, but as a whole I’m happy to go with the flow.”

“Well, at least we have our first stops.” Illya acknowledged, then pulled out her Pokedex. “So… are there any Pokemon we want to hunt down early on?” She traced the electronic map of her Dex. “We could both use more team variety, even if Matilda and Ritsuka have massive coverage at this point.”

“There’s a few Pokemon I wouldn’t mind adding to the team,” Shirou began, a smile making its way onto his face. “A Vulpix would be great, as an example.”

“Mm!” Illya nodded, then looked over at her other Pokemon. “Ah, Fubuki. Enjoying your hands?”

The frosty ghost looked up in the midst of lifting her sandwich to her face. “Immensely. Could we recruit a water or rock type? Something to defeat fire types would be good.”

“If we one across one, sure,” Illya nodded eagerly, pulling out a list on her Pokedex. “I have a list. It’s just a matter of finding the right Pokemon.”

Isabella grinned as the two siblings went over who they hoped to recruit. “Huh, I wonder if I could fill out my team a little bit….” she asked herself. “This will be a good journey, I think.”