Chapter 6: A New Comrade and Nasty Crooks

The light of a new day poured through the windows of Nightscale’s base. Its old furniture had been meticulously cleaned and reorganized in anticipation of a special arrival. 

Ivan sat in his oversized chair, shuffling through papers on his desk. He put on a professional face, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from glowing with excitement. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he stared up at his guest. 

Sitting on a stool before him was a Goodra. She towered over the Grovyle, staring down at him with sea-green eyes. Around her neck was a rose gold necklace with a Luvdisc charm pierced by a metal arrow. The light from a bulb hanging above her reflected off her slick skin, giving it a light violet shimmer. Her body was clean, with only a couple of goo deposits coating skin flaps on her neck and arms. 

Ivan straightened some folders before clearing his throat and meeting the Goodra’s eyes. “Okay, Galena, let’s recap. You’ve rescued on Perla Isle for two years— from that you have some glowing recommendations— and you’re a well-trained fighter. Anything else?” 

Galena shifted awkwardly on her stool before locking eyes with the Grovyle, though she immediately looked away. “No, that’s the gist of it.” Her voice was casual, but it had a mild depth with a serious undertone. 

“Okay, great!” Ivan said with a smile. “I’m impressed, everything looks really good!!”

“Oh. Thank you,” the Goodra replied. She moved her head slightly, causing the slime under her chin to swing like a pendulum. 

Ivan watched it, entranced by the viscous substance. Galena shot him an uncomfortable look, prompting the Grovyle to shake the fixation away. ‘Focus, Ivan. This is an important interview.’

“A-anyway, with all that out of the way, I’d like to get to know you as a person,” he continued. “Tell me about yourself!” 

Galena’s gaze shot to the floor. Her thick tail wriggled anxiously. “Oh… well, I work hard and I’m a team player. Not gonna cause friction or get in the way.”

Ivan frowned and tilted his head. ‘She’s been quiet this whole time. Her recommendations said she was lively and headstrong… maybe it’s just nerves.’

“Right then. Why don’t we try out your moves?” Ivan asked. “I’d like to see how you battle. I have something set up outside.”

The Goodra looked left and right, then finally to the Grovyle. “That sounds good.” 

His smile returned. “Great! Let me grab my things and we’ll go!”

---

They arrived at a small, grassy field just down the road from the base. Above, glistening white clouds floated in front of the lazily rising sun.

Galena nervously scanned the field. She grimaced. “So… you wanna fight, or?”

Ivan shook his head. “I trust you’re good in battle, with your experience. I just want a demonstration on these dummies, that’s all.”

The Grovyle pointed to the edge of the field, which was lined with trees. Ahead stood two scarecrow-like dummies, each bound to the earth with a wood pole. Straw and rags protruded from their old, ramshackle clothes.

“When you’re ready, show me your moves!” he encouraged before walking up beside the dummies.

Galena trudged up next to the Grovyle, her walk more of a waddle. She inspected her targets before nodding. “Got it. For starters…”

The Goodra breathed in deeply before extending out her arms, her eyes hardening as she focused. There was a shimmer in the air before her, which began to spread and solidify into a thick, ethereal shield of magic.

“Protect! I remember reading about that,” Ivan remarked. “What are your other moves like?”

Galena withdrew her arms, and the barrier dissipated into nothing. “O-okay. Next up, Body Slam.” The Goodra widened her stance before pushing off the ground with her feet. She moved slowly at first but quickly gained momentum as she ran toward the first of the dummies. She shouted before ramming it with all her weight, toppling it instantly. Its pole snapped with a loud crack and its straw flew everywhere.

Ivan whistled as he studied the damage. The Goodra turned to him and blushed. 

“Was that good?” she asked.

Ivan chuckled. “Not for the dummy it wasn’t! Keep going!”

Galena sidled over to the second scarecrow. The Goodra tilted her head back and opened her mouth. Purple sparks crackled within it and built up as she donned a fierce expression. The energy surged before she whipped her head forward and spat it out, firing a powerful purple beam. It flew and exploded into the dummy, which spun around like a Ballet dancer. Stopping, it lurched forward in defeat.

Galena looked at Ivan expectantly. The Grovyle smiled in approval. “Dragon Pulse, right?” 

“Yeah. Just my Muddy Water left,” she replied. “Would it be okay if you stepped back?”

Ivan shuffled out of her vicinity. With a sigh, the Goodra eyed the last dummy. She thumped her tail against the ground and pushed her arms out again. After a moment, murky water seeped from the dirt beneath her. It began to surge and build, becoming a small controlled pool of filth. Once it was taller than her, Galena pushed the air and the wave flew toward the dummy with a roar. 

The water crashed into it, creating a loud, wet boom as it engulfed the target. The wave carried it toward the trees before breaking and seeping back into the earth. In what little water was left, the scarecrow bobbed around. When the muck fully drained, it left the dummy soaked and limp, and all the straw within it washed away. 

Ivan grinned as he walked up to admire the destruction. He clapped. “Wow, that was powerful! Can’t get enough of water moves blowing bad guys away.”

Galena eyed Ivan again, but this time she had a smirk on her face. “Impressive, right? Not to brag, but it’s my own technique.”

“It’ll certainly pack a punch. If I were an outlaw, I’d think twice before messing with us!” the Grovyle enthused, raising a fist in confidence.

Galena returned his grin before looking at his amulet, then to his fist. The smile faded, and she broke eye contact. “Uh, yeah. I won’t get cocky in battle, though.”

Ivan’s smile faded too. “Didn’t think you would.” He raised a brow. “Anyway, you’ve convinced me of your potential. Let’s go back to base and talk about pay arrangemen—”

“Over there! You two!” Someone called from behind Ivan and Galena. 

The two turned in surprise to see a Cacturne sprinting from the dirt road across from them, pulling a Leavanny like a rag doll onto the field. 

“Eruca, calm down! You’re hurting my arm!” the Leavanny pleaded in a soft, male voice.

“You calm down, Weaver!” She growled before stopping just short of Ivan. Her voice was as prickly as the needles covering her body. She glared fiercely at the Grovyle. “You! Your scarf— you guys are a rescue team, right!?”

He and Galena exchanged a look before shrugging.

“Well, not a team yet, but we are rescuers,” Ivan corrected. He frowned with worry. “What’s the trouble?”

The Cacturne seethed, and her yellow eyes blazed with anger. “I’ll tell you what the trouble is. These three pieces of—”

“Eruca!” the Leavanny beside her interjected before looking to the other pair. “Sorry for the intrusion. I’m Weaver, and this is my friend Eruca. We have a small problem. We were coming into town to visit friends, and we were—”

“Jumped! These asshole fire types popped up out of nowhere. They said they’d burn us to a crisp if we didn’t fork over all our money!” Eruca yelled. 

“Yes, that,” Weaver sighed, his brown eyes falling to the ground. “It was just ten minutes away from town, I’d say. We were on Torterra Trail, almost out of Eterna forest.” 

Ivan bore a serious expression, but his eyes gleamed with sympathy. “That’s awful, I’m sorry. Can you describe the Pokémon that attacked you?” 

“An Emboar, a Turtonator, and this creepy Lampent,” Eruca spat before rolling her eyes. “They had these dumb black bandanas. Only the Lampent covered their face. Super subtle…”

Ivan nodded. “Got it. That must have been scary, being threatened with fire when you guys are grass types. Almost like—”

“You were targeted,” Galena interrupted. “These guys sound like real bullies.”

Ivan looked up to see a solemn, furious look on the Goodra’s face. 

“You think these guys are still around?” she asked.

Eruca shrugged. “No idea. But If you find ‘em and knock their lights out, that’d be good with me.”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Weaver added. 

“Trouble? I’d love to teach these guys a lesson,” Galena remarked, throwing a fist in the air. But she stopped herself and looked at Ivan. Her features softened. “I mean, if you’d want to.” 

Ivan turned to the Goodra. “I loathe thieves as much as the next guy. And I know we both have experience fighting. But we just met, would you want to do that?”

She looked away. “Your call. I don’t want to disrupt anything you’ve got going.”

“No, it’s fine! It’d be like a test mission,” Ivan assured before turning back toward the victims. “We’ll try to find them and bring them in. If not, we’ll notify the enforcers.”

“Thank you. I hope they’re stopped, not just for our sake, but for the town’s,” Weaver said. He rubbed his chin in preoccupation. “Though if we don’t get our money back, I don’t know how we’d pay you.”

Ivan waved his hand. “Don’t worry, this’ll just be a favor.” He looked at Galena. “We’ll quickly pack and then head down, is that okay?”

Galena crossed her arms before shooting him a determined look. “Let’s get those jerks.”

---

Forest trails snaked down the steep hills of northern Alma and into the verdant forests of Eterna Wilds. Tall evergreens shot up from the rocky soil alongside the occasional grove of tropical trees, the canopies cascading down the cliffs. Shorter oak and birch woodlands blanketed the base of the hills. From this vantage, much of the Isle was visible— its rivers, its meadows, its barrens- the Arcani ocean encircling it all. 

With Galena following behind, Ivan walked down a winding trail, which shot off from the main road leading out of town.

The Grovyle inspected a map in his hands, an off-white parchment with the depiction of the Isle. The large island was shaped like a heart and split in two by a river flowing westward from its top. The two had followed the map for fifteen minutes, though Galena’s size forced them to move at a slower pace.

Ivan squinted and traced the marked trails with a claw, searching for spots where they might be ambushed.

“So we have three fire types,” he muttered before craning his neck to look up at Galena. “I’m weak to fire, but you should fare way better. Any ideas for a strategy?”

The Goodra put her hands on her hips. “I normally take the heat of battles. Guess bad guys think I’m the toughest target, single me out. Fine by me, I can take the hits, and deal some too. You’d probably be free to do the rest of the damage.”

Ivan rubbed his chin. “You draw the attention, while I aggress? Interesting.” 

‘Did her previous teams use those tactics?’ he wondered. An idea sparked and surged to the forefront of his mind— a new conversation topic.

“Must have been useful for your other teams,” the Grovyle remarked. “You guys worked out of Perla, right? What was that like?”

Galena’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, yeah, it was nice. Small. We worked well together, fought a lot of jerks. You know…”

Ivan frowned. ‘ I know, but I wish you’d tell me more. Are you normally this soft-spoken?’

As a silence washed over the two, they arrived at a turn in the trail. Now, the lush forests of Edena had completely given way to tall evergreens. 

‘We must be close,’ Ivan knew. Inhaling, he prepared for whatever was around the corner. He cautiously crept around the turn before studying the path ahead.

It was another straight stretch of dirt. However, something did catch Ivan’s eye- a green and white speck in the air. Or at least in that moment, it was a speck— in the next, it was something larger. It was steadily growing, becoming ever closer.

“Is that a Pokémon?” Ivan muttered as he watched the now visibly ball-like mass careening toward them.

It soon became clear— it was an Eldegoss, frantically swimming through the air as fast as a caffeine-high Skarmory. As she grew close, Ivan heard her shrieking and gasping in distress.

“Hey!” the Grovyle called. “Is everything oka—”

He blinked, and the Eldegoss was already upon them.

“Nonononono! Runrunrunrun!” she screeched as she flew at Ivan. The Grovyle and Galena stepped out of the way just in time to avoid the Eldegoss. The panicked woman stopped and fanned her leaves with all her energy to stay afloat.

“What happened?” Galena pressed, peering into the Eldegoss’s terror-filled eyes.

“Bandits! Robbers! Scoundrels!” She shouted. “They wanted my money and I was like, ‘Nooooo thank you! Buh bye!’”

Ivan opened his mouth to speak, but the Eldegoss flapped her leaves, shooting past them before he could utter a word. 

“Gotta go not get robbed now, goodbye!” she called back without turning or stopping. 

Once the Eldegoss whooshed around the corner and out of sight, Ivan and Galena exchanged a knowing glance.

“Those are our guys, right?” Ivan asked flatly. 

Galena sighed. “She was a grass type.”

“Alright. Let’s get ready,” Ivan replied. He tapped his chin in thought before sporting a confident expression. “Okay, I have a plan.”

---

Ivan walked up, alone and without his scarf, to a clearing in the trail. Small boulders jutted out of the soil around the area’s edges. The Grovyle scanned the area for threats.

‘This should be around where Weaver and Eruca were attacked,’ he knew.

Something caught his eye above—  a dormant black lantern, hanging from a tree branch. It swayed innocently in the breeze. 

Ivan scoffed. ‘Reeeeeal subtle.’ The Grovyle took a deep breath and braced himself. ‘Well, they’re here. Let’s do this.’

The Grovyle slowly snuck into the clearing and surveyed it for the other culprits. There was no sign of them, but his instincts told him he wasn’t alone. He cleared his throat and cupped his snout with his hands.

“Gee, I’m sure glad I’m by myself on this trail! With nothing but all this money to accompany me!” he called. 

A branch snapped loudly in the distance. Ivan spun to see the rustling of vegetation in the tree line, and a large shadow creeping closer. 

“You hear that, babes? More money!” the shadow called in a gruff voice.

The Emboar, a wide, red hulk, emerged from the shadows as fire danced eagerly on his shoulders. He wore a pair of faded jeans, and a black bandana was wrapped around his forehead. There was a twisted grin on his snout and a glimmer of greed in his beady brown eyes.

“Well hello, little guy. What brings you around?” the swine greeted as he stomped up to Ivan, smoke spewing from his snout. 

“Oh, uh,” Ivan uttered nervously as the Emboar’s shadow crawled over him and plunged him into darkness. “I was just passing through and-”

“Antoher sucker already? Today’s our lucky day,”  someone else interrupted in a low, raspy voice. Ivan gazed over at a boulder to find a Turtonator slowly rising from behind it. He grinned evilly, his dark violet eyes boring holes through the Grovyle. As he lumbered around the rock, his bandana, styled like a bow tie around his neck, swung. 

Ivan backed away as the Turtonator crept near. He grimaced as he watched the thieves, both of whom dwarfed him. 

‘This was a bad idea,’ he thought. ‘Might have to call Gal-’

“BOO!” cried a high pitched-voice from behind. 

Ivan yelped and stumbled forward. He turned to see the previously “hidden” Lampent floating before him, their body now alight with spectral blue flames and glowing yellow orbs for eyes. The ghost sported their black bandana over the bottom of their face as though anyone wouldn’t identify them. 

“Good scare, hon!” the Emboar chortled as the three closed in on Ivan. 

The Lampent chuckled and blushed, their cheeks fogging up with blue steam. “Thank you, snookums~!”

“Can I help you?” Ivan asked. Though he still feigned ignorance, a genuine chill ran down his spine. 

The Turtonator shook Ivan down with his glare. “You can help by forking over your bag, your wallet, and that expensive-looking necklace too!”

“And a few of those gnarly teeth!” the Lampent gleefully added. 

Ivan crossed his arms and turned to the ghost. “They’re not gnarly! I had them smoothened last mo— I mean… can we talk about this?

“Certainly,” the Emboar said. “Here’s the offer. You give us your goods. Or, alternatively…” 

He cupped his meaty fist.  “We beat ‘em out of ya.”

“And knock out your teeth! I call the molars~!” the Lampent sang. 

The crooks surrounded Ivan, the enclosure their bodies formed inescapable. 

‘Time to drop the act, ’ Ivan decided. “Galena! NOW!” 

A burst of pulse energy shot out from the trees, arcing toward the Lampent and Emboar. The two turned before throwing themselves back to dodge. The energy missed and erupted on the ground, giving Ivan space to sprint away. Galena barreled out of the brush and into the fray. 

“Pick on someone your own size!” the Goodra shouted before slamming her tail into the dirt. Water bubbled up in front of her and accumulated into a restrained pool. She thrust her arms quickly and the wave flung itself at the trio. 

The deluge washed over them, with the Emboar taking the brunt of the muck. He roared as the impact threw him back. The others cried in surprise before scattering.Ivan saw his opportunity in the confusion and dashed toward the Emboar. 

‘Macho, look out!” the Turtonator yelled as he noticed Ivan sprinting at the dripping-wet boar. The turtle inhaled before firing a series of maroon laser-like beams from his snout.

The Grovyle gasped as he bounded to outrun the beams, the attacks exploding close behind him. 

Macho charged at him, the Emboar’s body engulfed in bright, lashing flames. “How do ya like fire, ya house plant!?”

Ivan sidestepped the attack and spun around the thief, gritting his teeth as the blistering flames swatted him. Once behind the Emboar, Ivan slashed with his blades, digging into the Emboar’s exposed back. He howled from the sharp pain as thin spurts of blood seeped out of his cuts.

Seeing his accomplice in peril, the Turtonator ignited his snout, ready to launch a jet of flames at Ivan. Galena stepped in before he could, firing another energy beam. It exploded into the Turtonator’s chest, his flames dying as he growled and stumbled back. The Goodra ran and slammed him with all her weight, causing him to stagger again. He fell on his hands to keep himself from toppling over.

“My darling Moe! Grrr, take this!” the Lampent yelled, their cerulean flames erupting as they were stoked with rage. The ghost manifested an amorphous blob of dark energy before warping into a spectral ball. They spun and smashed the orb with an arm, launching it at Galena.

After ducking under a swing from Macho’s massive arm, Ivan noticed the shadowy projectile. The Grovyle spat up flames, kindling the dragon fire before spewing it toward the mass. The breath intercepted the orb, knocking it away as it dissipated. 

Taking advantage of the Lampent’s focus on Ivan, Galena turned and fired another pulse, the purple energy bursting into the air. It connected and blasted the ghost, causing them to shriek as they flipped and dropped several feet in the air. 

Macho snarled as he watched the Lampent struggle. “Misery! Damn it, you better not crack that beautiful face!” He eyed the Grovyle circling him and grinned before extending his long long tail. Ivan cried as he tripped over it and rolled on the ground. The Grovlye tried to push himself up, but the Emboar was upon him in an instant. 

The swine rammed Ivan, knocking him back down. He burst into flames as he plowed toward the Grovyle again. Ivan gritted his teeth before pushing himself up and springing toward him. A doppelganger appeared alongside him, with the same fury in its eyes. The Emboar crashed into the copy, incinerating it, but the real Grovyle whirled around and began to slash.

Misery growled as they looked back and forth between the rescuers, wounding and bruising their partners. Their flames raged as their glare settled on Galena. “This fight is too fair! Let’s take you down a level!” 

An orb of hypnotic white light phased through the Lampent’s head and into their arms. They lobbed the mesmerizing sphere, which flew swiftly toward the Goodra. 

The Goodra was wrestling Moe but saw the orb in the corner of her eye. She threw her head back, allowing purple energy to brew in her mouth before spouting some of it into the Turtonator’s chest. He wailed as he was pushed back. Galena puffed out her cheeks, withholding the rest before craning her neck toward Misery and releasing it. The burst flew and struck the orb of light, knocking it back at the Lampent.

“Wha! No!” the ghost screeched as the orb slammed into them and was absorbed into their head. They reeled back and moaned. “I feel dizzy…”

Misery began to rotate and rock as their world did the same. Their spinning grew increasingly rapid before whirling like an airborne spinning top.

“WhoawhoawhoawhoawhoaWHOA!” they cried before arcing in the air, flying erratically around and towards Ivan.

The Grovyle ran past Macho, lashing to brand X-shaped wounds on his side. But he started to slow down, tired and sore from being knocked around.

Macho roared in pain before throwing a hammer arm, which slammed into Ivan’s torso with a thud. The Grovyle wailed as he stumbled back, his midsection burning and his head screaming. 

‘This jerk packs a punch,’ he thought. He glared vindictively at the Emboar still charging at him. ‘Just gotta keep evading and-’

An approaching black and blue blur disrupted Ivan. He craned his neck to see Misery spinning meteorically toward him. He gasped before jumping back. 

Macho lurched to pummel Ivan with a fist, but the Lampent crashed into him, knocking the boar away.

“The hell, Mis!?” the Emboar bellowed as he regained his footing.

“Soooooooooooooorrrrryyyyyyyy!” the ghost cried as they flew away, their course unhindered by the collision. They unwillingly circled back around by Galena and Moe. 

The Turtonator shot more beams at Galena, two of which narrowly missed. But a third hit the Goodra’s chest and exploded. She was thrown back, her feet digging trails in the dirt. A red burn spread across the afflicted area.

“Son of a— urgh!” she uttered as she felt a searing pain pulse through her. “You like Dragon Pulse? I’ll show you Dragon Pulse!”

Galena planted her feet before throwing her head back once more. She inhaled deeply, and purple energy swirled and crackled like a storm in her mouth, building into a devastating attack more volatile than any of the last ones. 

With a knowing grin, Moe turned his spiky back to the Goodra. The Turtonator’s shell began to glow with bright red energy and smoke spewed from its corners. His spikes twitched and extended, eager to skewer the Goodra.

After sidestepping Macho’s punch, Ivan glanced at the scene and gasped in horror.

Disaster was seconds away.

“Galena, wait! STOP!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Galena’s pulse energy grew into a raging tempest. It was too late.

But just as the Goodra was about to unleash it, Misery careened in between her and Moe. 

The pulse erupted from Galena’s mouth, a magnificent beam of purple destruction blasting forward. The attack hit Misery and exploded, the ghost shrieking in surprise as they were launched back. They slammed into Moe’s shell, and its red energy flashed and smoldered. 

BOOM. 

A deafening explosion of fire and smoke engulfed all three Pokémon. Ivan shielded his face as sharp spike fragments flew everywhere like shrapnel.

His eyes widened in terror. “Galena!” he cried as he bolted over, ignoring Macho. 

But as the smoke cleared, the Grovyle skidded to a halt. Galena was still upright and seemingly unscathed as a magical barrier in front of her faded. Across from the Goodra was the Turtonator, face down on the ground, moaning and unconscious. His shell was cracked and smoldering. In between him and Galena was Misery, also sprawled out and unconscious, their flames flickering meekly.

Galena sighed as she inspected the incapacitated crooks. But a second later, she immediately whipped her head toward Ivan before grimacing.

“Ivan, behind you!” she hollered.

Ivan spun around to see Macho rampaging over, fists clenched in fury and a look of anger and distress on his face.

Ivan’s mouth ignited before launching dragon breath at the Emboar’s feet, the fire consuming his leg.

“GAH! THE HELL! ARGH!” Macho cried as he tried to stomp out the flames. Ivan dashed and sliced the Emboar’s ankle with a blade. The swine screamed before tripping and slamming into the ground with a resounding thud. 

As Macho thrashed and struggled to stand, Galena slammed her tail into the ground, beckoning another flood of filth. She commanded it toward the Emboar, and the wave rushed at her will. He gasped and gargled as It crashed over him, pushing him away. 

Macho met Galena’s fiery gaze. He had a look of contempt and sorrow in his eyes. “Screw… arck… you! My partners… our dream home! We were gonna have it all with that money!” 

Galena scowled at the excuse. “That sounds nice, but you had no right tormenting other Pokémon to get it. Now, finish your mud bath.”

The Goodra pointed at Macho in condemnation before a final torrent flowed toward the Emboar. He grimaced and shut his eyes, bracing himself as the water surged near. It blasted him, washing him away and dragging him several feet back. He choked and gargled at first, but as the wave broke and disappeared, he rolled onto his side, falling silent.

Galena exhaled to steady her quickly rising chest, which slowed to its normal rhythm as the adrenaline left her body. She turned to Ivan, who slowly approached. 

The Grovyle sighed. “Phew. Looks like we stopped our perps. Thanks for having my back there.”

“Oh. Yeah, it was nothing,” Galena replied meekly. “Thanks for the heads up on the explosion thing. I promise I don’t normally go around nearly getting blown up.”

“I didn’t think you did,” Ivan replied. 

“Oh. Good,” Galena said with a small, forced smile. 

The Grovyle turned his attention to the fallen crooks, still lying motionless. “I can tell you’ve done this a lot. You got me out of a tight spot and then just wrecked them. You should be proud of that power!”

Galena’s feigned smile grew into a genuine one, and her eyes gleamed like emeralds with pride. She waved a hand in playful dismissal. “That’s just what happens when bullies like them meet a Goodra like me! They got what was coming to them.”

“You’re a force to be reckoned with. I’d love it if you contributed that power to Nightscale!” Ivan said before giving the Goodra a claws-up. 

Her smile fell. “Yeah. Sorry if I’m gloating though…”

Ivan blinked as his thoughts spun in bewilderment. ‘What’s with her being shy, then not? She’s earned some confidence if her battling’s any indication.’ The Grovyle shrugged as he forced the idea into the back of his mind. 

“Anyway, let’s see what we can do with these guys,” he said before digging through his bag. 

Galena frowned. “Oh, yeah. We didn’t bring enforcers with us, did we?”

“Yes, but we didn’t have to,” Ivan remarked as he pulled a round white stone out of his bag. He presented the object to the Goodra. “Since you’re from Perla, I take it you haven’t seen one of these before?”

She squinted to study it. It seemed like an ordinary, if smoothened stone, though engraved with a series of marks in a circle like a clock. It had a singular, golden hand screwed into its center, pointing upward. 

Galena’s antennae flopped around as she shook her head. “No. But how is that rock going to help us?” 

“It’s not just a rock! It’s called a thought compass!” Ivan professed as he spun its metal hand. “It lets you contact Alma’s enforcers. It’s attuned to a frequency only found on Alma, and psychic types can pick up on these frequencies and dispatch help. Just raise it to your forehead, like this—”

He raised the stone to demonstrate. “And you mentally tell it about your location, what you need help with, and the suspects if it’s about a crime. I’ve done that, now we just wait. Neat, huh?” 

Galena nodded. “I stand corrected, pretty cool rock. On Perla, we’d just grab a nearby enforcer. Island’s pretty small so usually there’s some around patrolling. Guess that takes care of that, and our perps should be out for a while anyway.” 

“Thanks to us!” Ivan boasted as he threw a fist out for Galena to tap. But the Goodra flinched and shuffled back. She looked at Ivan frightfully, her eyes landing on his amulet.

Ivan withdrew his hand. ‘Okay, now I know something’s wrong. Why did she recoil?’ 

“Is everything okay?” the Grovyle asked. “I was just offering a fist bump.”

Galena’s eyes widened. She wrung her hands. “I-I’m sorry! Just on edge, nothing’s wrong…”

“You can tell me, really! You’ve been so nervous, and I’d like to know why,” Ivan begged her. 

She silently continued staring at his neck.

Ivan followed her gaze down to the necklace. He clutched its gem, the jewel glinting as his claws fidgeted with it. 

‘My amulet? Wait. People have been giving me strange reactions since I started wearing this. That was right after I became leader…’

The Grovyle’s jaw dropped as he finally came to the realization. He looked back to Galena as his face warped with sheer horror. 

“Do… do you think I’m a terrible Pokémon because of this necklace?” he asked, his voice trembling. 

“N-no!” she blurted out in panic. “I didn’t say that!” 

The fear in her voice told Ivan the truth. The Grovyle’s head fell in shame, and his head leaf drooped. He began to tear up. “This whole time, you’ve been scared of me? You thought I would hurt you if you didn’t do what I said?” 

“Well, honestly?” Galena began, wincing. Her eyes darted around as she contemplated her response. “Word on the street was a crazy Grovyle challenged this monster of a Hydreigon and kicked him off his own team.”

Ivan’s jaw dropped to the ground. His face turned completely pale. “Why would you apply to join me if you thought I was that horrible?”

“I needed to find a team. And I thought you wouldn’t be interested if you were looking for rough and tough types,” Galena explained.

“Oh, Arceus!” Ivan uttered, grasping at his face with his claws. “You thought I did all that for the power, that I was like my boss?” He clasped his hands together and desperately shook them. “I promise I’m not like that! I challenged my boss because it was the right thing to do. My dream is to make Nightscale a force of good, not to scare people and order them around! You don’t have to hide yourself from me— I want to befriend you, not intimidate you!” 

Galena blinked as she processed the story. Her mouth fell open, a deep sigh of relief escaping from it. “Wait, seriously? I’ve been sick to my stomach all day, and you’re just a normal dude?” She began to laugh, bowing her neck to hold her head in embarrassment. “Ugh, I’m such an idiot!”

“No, you’re not!” Ivan assured. “This is my fault. Nightscale has a bad reputation. I… I should have seen this coming. I feel awful about this. That said, this is what I want to change, I want to make a new Nightscale. We can do that together if you’d join me.” 

With his mind spoken and the truth out in the air, Ivan offered his hand to Galena.

“New Nightscale, huh? Sounds ambitious,” the Goodra remarked as she looked at the hand.

She smiled.

“Ah, what the hell. I’m in!” Galena said before she took his hand.

Ivan grinned ear-to-ear in delight as they shook on it. ‘I can’t believe it! My first real teammate! New Nightscale, here we come!’

Once the two finished shaking, they both exhaled, taking in the moment of calm.

“So, after the enforcers throw these jerks behind bars, wanna grab something to eat? And discuss my pay, after that incredible performance?” Galena asked with a chuckle.

Ivan laughed. “Sure! I know this great cafe in the shopping plaza. We’ll go as soon as we give Weaver and Eruca their money back.”

“For sure,” Galena said in agreement. 

A loud rumbling came from the Goodra’s belly. She blushed. “And hopefully, that’s soon.”

---

“Thank you both, this means so much!” Weaver cheered, his voice filled with gratitude. 

Ivan and Galena stood proudly before Leavanny and Eruca. The former was smiling, a big bag of recovered plates gripped securely in his hands. 

Ivan returned the gleeful look in his eyes. “We’re happy to help! Though Galena deserves most of the credit, this wouldn’t be possible without her.”

“Aw, shucks,” the Goodra said before placing a hand on her hip and smirking. 

Eruca rolled her eyes. “The woman has to do everything. Typical. Still, you got our money back and swept the floor with those asswipes. So thanks for that.”

“Of course!” Ivan replied with a nervous chuckle. “It was my first mission as a team leader and our first mission together, so I’m glad it went well.”

Weaved nodded enthusiastically. “I’d say you make a great team. We’ll put in a good word with AIRTA for you later.”

“Speak for yourself, Weave,” the Cacturne scoffed. “I’ve had more than enough stress today. I’m going to my cousin’s to party.”

Her friend frowned as he turned to her. “Eruca, we at least owe them a testimonial. They did nothing short of a miracle for us.”

Eruca eyed his bag of recovered coins and sighed. “You’re right.” The dots of her mouth shifted into a subtle smile. “We’ll do that, then it’s time for Watmel shots.”

“Thank you! That’d mean a lot,” Ivan replied.

“You guys know where to party, huh?” Galena asked the pair with a grin. “Next time you’re in town, look me up. I’ll show you how to let loose.”

“Certainly!” Weaver replied. “We should go, but thank you two again!”

The Leavanny waved before turning to walk down the road. Eruca followed hastily, nearly passing him in her excitement. 

As the two disappeared, Galena looked toward Ivan. “That takes care of that. Grub time?”

“For sure, we earned it. Good work today!” Ivan enthused. “What a start. I can’t wait to see more of the real you on our first real missions!” 

“I can’t wait for you to see me either!” Galena said before playful nudging the Grovyle. “Something tells me this will be a ride. New Nightscale, kicking butts and helping people!”

‘New Nightscale, helping people. Everything I’ve wanted,’ Ivan thought, grinning at the sentiment. “Glad to have you on board! This sounds amazing!” 

‘With someone like you by my side, I know it’s going to be.’