(A/N: Slight change of scheduling plans. I'm going to put the first two chapters of this story out early, as a sort of preview of what's to come. Primarily so I can get feedback from all you guys on the characters, story so far, and what you hope to see from it. Then it's back to the drawing board until January, when we'll pick up with Chapter 3 and the release schedule will begin properly. It will be a biweekly schedule, not weekly as I've doing with Kanto, just to give me more time and peace of mind. Writing a chapter EVERY single week was one of the most stressful things I've ever done; hopefully relaxing that pressure will allow to make this a better story. Anyway, let's roll!)

The Ilex Forest, Johto...

Deep in the Ilex Forest exists a shrine unknown to most of humanity. People who travel through the forest generally pass through without it appearing before them, and it's been many years since a human set foot inside.

The shrine is home to a Legendary Pokémon by the name of Celebi. For years, Celebi has lived in fear of the future, dreading one particular event...one that is now at last upon it.

Celebi felt it before he even woke up, jarred from his sleep. Rising, he floated through the shrine to its central room. There, each sitting upon a pedestal, were five crystals.

The first was a bright pink. Brief pulses of energy flowed along the crystal's lines, like synapses in the brain. Gazing at the crystal, Celebi could hear whispers speaking in his head, reaching out, trying to call to him. He ignored them and moved on to the next.

The second crystal was a shining yellow, electricity sparking chaotically within it. Looking upon it, Celebi felt himself on edge, as if there was a dangerous, but also beautiful, energy in the air.

The third crystal was a pure blue, and if one looked closely, one could see what appeared to be water sloshing within. Looking upon it brought a soothing sense of calm, much needed after the previous crystal.

The fourth crystal was deep black, only getting more and more so the closer to the center one looked. It exuded an aura of mystery and loneliness, as if it wanted to reach out but wasn't quite sure how.

Finally, the last crystal was a fiery red, actual flames burning inside it. Looking at it, Celebi felt pure passion and determination, but also a bit of unpredictability and danger.

All five of them were glowing and floating in the air above their pedestals at the moment.

'It's happened.' Celebi thought. 'The slumber has worn off.'

'We knew this would come to pass.' another more feminine voice answered. 'And you know what comes next.'

'I do.' Celebi ageed, a tone of sadness in his voice. After a moment, the voice spoke up again.

'Are we CERTAIN there is not another way?' it asked

'You know there is not, perhaps even better than I do.' Celebi answered. 'The future holds many possibilities, but some things are irrefutable.' Celebi looked down sadly. 'Be strong, and we will wait for their arrival.'

Celebi wasn't the only one to sense the crystals' awakening. Elsewhere in the region, a tall figure in a dark cloak stood alone. His head was covered in a frozen mask and he held a staff in his hand, becoming frostier up to the icy orb that sat on its tip.

"At long last...it is time." Turning, he slammed his staff to the ground. "Cryoclopes!"

A wave of frost crossed the ground in front of him, and from it rose beings constructed from earth and ice. Each had a single eye on their forehead, turning to face their master.

"The crystals are awake once more." the figure told his newly summoned minions. "And our time of reckoning is almost at hand."

Azalea Town...

A bus pulled into town and slid to a halt, its door opening before a bus stop. Stepping off the bus came a 17-year old girl. She had a tanned complexion and long blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, a few pink streaks running through it, She was dressed in a short white skirt and a pink tank top, a pink backpack hanging from her shoulder and a rolling suitcase being pulled behind her.

"We're here, at last!" she said excitedly, turning back to the bus. "You coming?"

"Kyu!" A Pokémon bounded down the bus steps and jumped off to join her. It almost resembled a doll or puppet and moved like one too, seeming to flop back and forth as it hopped.

"C'mon, let's find someplace to sit down." the girl said. "I promised mom and dad I'd give them a call when we arrived."

Walking down the street, the pair located a public park and took a seat on a bench.

"Don't wander too far." the girl said. "I won't take long." Pulling out a cellphone, she dialed her parents' number and raised it to her ear. After a few rings, the call went through. "Alola, mom. It's me."

While she talked, her Pokémon wandered the nearby area, exploring the park. After a few minutes, it got bored and made its way back, hopping up onto its trainer's lap. The girl laughed and held out a hand, the Pokémon climbing up onto her shoulder.

"I haven't been to the school yet. I told you I'd call you the moment I got here." The Pokémon wandered down her arm as she stretched it out, reaching her hand and springing off into the bushes beside them. "I'll call you again later tonight to let you know how it goes."

"Hey!" The girl looked over in surprise as a boy came marching up. He was about her height with mid-length blonde hair, dressed in blue jeans and a blue jacket over a white t-shirt. "Sorry to interrupt, but I can't let that slide."

"Uh...nothing, mom." the girl said. "I'll call you back later. Bye." Hanging up, she frowned. "Can I help you?"

"You shouldn't just go throwing trash around like that." Moving over, the boy began to search through the bushes beside her. "Though I hesitate to call it such considering it's a pretty decent Pikachu puppet, but if you must dispose of it, you should do so properly." Locating it, he reached out, only for a dark tendril to stretch from underneath and slap at his hand. "Ow! What the...?"

The Pokémon came running out of the bushes, shaking leaves off itself as the boy rubbed at his hand.

"Mimikyu, play nice." the girl told it. "Sorry about that. He's my Pokémon, Mimikyu. They don't like showing their true appearance, so they hide under disguises like that one."

"Oh..." The boy frowned. "Then I'm the one who should be apologizing. I thought I saw you tossing trash in the bushes and jumped to conclusions." He sighed. "And I interrupted your phone call and everything."

"No, no, it was almost done anyway." the girl waved it aside, holding out her hand. "I'm Sally Estelle."

"Phillip Vernon." the boy introduced himself, accepting the handshake. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm new. Just got here from Alola." she told him.

"Alola, huh?" Phillip whistled. "I think I've heard of it, and if I'm right, that's pretty far away."

"Yeah." Sally confirmed. "I'm supposed to being going to Azalea High?"

"Ah, that's my school." Phillip grinned. "I can show you there, if you want."

"That'd be great." Sally stood. "Mimikyu?" Kneeling, the Pokémon hopped up onto her shoulder and sat there. "Let's go."

"We have to go grab my friend first." Phillip told her. "He works the early morning shift at the ice cream and drink stand here." Checking his watch, he nodded. "We've got about ten minutes before he's done, then we can all get on our way."

"Sounds good." Sally nodded. "Lead the way."

Phillip led her through the park to the other side, where they indeed found a stand selling frozen treats and cold drinks. Behind the counter stood a boy with dark brown skin and black hair kept short in a buzz-cut. His red shirt was hidden under a white apron and a red cap hung on the wall behind him.

"Phil, my man!" he greeted as they walked up. "I was wondering what kept you this time." He glanced at Sally. "Who's she?"

"This is Sally and her Pokémon Mimikyu." Phillip introduced them. "She's new around here. Just got into town from some far-off region called 'Alola'."

"Ah, so you must be the foreign exchange student Principal Cross mentioned." the boy nodded. "I'm Richard Franklin. You can call me Rich."

"A pleasure." Sally smiled.

"They told us about a foreign exchange student?" Phillip asked, sounding confused.

"Well, I'd wager money that you were nodding off at the time." Richard told him. "But yes, Principal Cross did let us know she was coming." He snapped his fingers. "Phil, how much time until my shift ends?"

"Uh..." He looked at his watch. "About five, six minutes?"

"Then we have enough." He pointed at Sally. "I'm gonna give you a taste of Johto."

Turning, he searched until he found a bottle of blue juice and a tall glass. Pouring the juice into a blender, he added a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream before mixing it together and filling the glass. Pulling out a straw, he stuck it in and set it before Sally.

"One Shuckleberry Shake, on the house." he grinned.

"Uh...thank you." Sally reached out and took it, putting the straw to her mouth and sipping. As expected, it was cool, but the flavor was a strange mix of sour and sweet, the latter seeming to come in bursts just in time to mellow out the former. "Refreshing. I've never heard of a Shuckleberry, though."

"Oh, Shuckleberries aren't a thing." Richard laughed. "It's just called that because the berries are juiced by a Shuckle."

"A what now?" Sally asked. Richard reached down to his belt and pulled a Pokéball off.

"One of these guys." he said, sending a Shuckle out onto the counter.

"Shuck?" Looking up, it stretched its neck towards Mimikyu curiously.

"Kyu!" Mimikyu hopped down beside it, the two looking each other over.

"Interesting..." Sally said. "He can turn berries to juice?"

"In his shell, yes." Richard nodded. Shuckle retreated its head into a shell and came out with half an Oran Berry on top, offering it to Mimikyu. The disguised Pokémon stretched out a tendril and took it away, pulling it underneath its disguise.

"Sup, losers?" a new voice rang out. Sally glanced over to find two new boys approaching. One was tall and bulky, wearing a green jacket with the sleeves ripped off over a black shirt and blue jeans scuffed with dirt. His brown hair was spiked into green tips and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades. The other was skinner, with short hair so light blonde it was almost white. He was dressed in what seemed to be a business-style suit, the top white and the pants black. A skull-shaped earring dangled from his left ear.

"Sam. David." Richard greeted without much enthusiasm. "Ready for your shift this time?"

"Of course we are!" the boy with the spiked hair, evidently Sam, answered indignantly. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Who's the new chick?" the other, David, asked.

"Sally." she answered, still watching her Mimikyu play with Shuckle.

"Can you look at me when you're talking?" David requested. "I can't understand you when you're staring down with a straw in your mouth."

"Yeah. Don't be rude." Sam shook his head.

"David's deaf." Richard explain. "He needs to read your lips to understand you."

"Oh. I'm so sorry!" Sally turned to face him. "I didn't know...I wasn't trying to be rude. I'm Sally."

"Mmm." David shrugged and walked into the stand, taking the apron from Richard. "Whatever."

"I see you're trying one of our popular Shuckleberry Shakes." Sam noted. "You did use the machine, didn't you, Richard?" He pointed to an ice cream machine behind David.

"No, Sam, I did not." Richard sighed. "Because as I keep telling you, the flavors work better blended with real ice cream instead of haphazardly stirred into that softened gunk."

"Nonsense!" Sam laughed. "It can't even compare!" He turned to David. "Whip her up a REAL one, will you?"

Nodding, David turned and reached out for a nozzle on the machine. Frowning, he twisted at it.

"It's stuck again." he called.

"What!?" Sam pushed past Richard as he exited to get inside. "Let me at that thing."

"I would take a step back if I were you." Richard suggested. Sally turned to find that Phillip already had moved back and followed, Mimikyu and Shuckle hopping down and trailing behind them.

"You just have to give it..." Sam grunted as he twisted. "A good bit of pressure..." The nozzle broke off in his hand, sending soft ice cream and juice squirting all over the pair.

"That's another suit ruined!" David groaned, trying to stop the spray with his hands.

"Rich, buddy, a little help!?" Sam called.

"Sorry guys." Richard held up Phillip's wrist and indicated the watch there. "I gotta get going. Class will be starting soon enough. Maybe you can call the boss and he'll come give you a hand."

Waving, Richard recalled his Shuckle and headed for the park's exit. Sally picked up Mimikyu and she and Phillip followed.

"They seem a bit...odd." Sally remarked.

"Well, they certainly are clumsy." Richard admitted. "And they can be a bit jerkish sometimes, but overall, they're pretty harmless. Unless you're one of those white suits David's so fond of." Sally couldn't help but giggle.

The trio made their way across town to Azalea High, the local school. As they arrived, they noticed a number of firemen scrambling around with Water-type Pokémon in tow and smoke billowing from a window.

"She's done it again." Phillip groaned. "When will she learn?"

"There you are!" A girl came running up to them. She was wearing glasses, sitting askew on her face, and had curly light brown hair. She was wearing a yellow and white striped sweatshirt and tan pants. A bit of a white lab coat peeked out from the backpack she was wearing. "I've been looking all over for you, Rich."

"The lab coat's showing." Richard pointed out.

"Huh?" the girl pulled her backpack off and checked. "Crap!" Stuffing it the rest of the way inside, she zipped the bag fully shut. "Tha..." Richard reached out and straightened her glasses. "Thanks. Do you have your Pokémon with you?"

"Of course I do." Richard drew a Pokéball and sent out a Cyndaquil, firing flaring on its back.

"Good. Good." The girl sent out a Voltorb, the ball-like Pokémon rolling forward to face off with it. "Then let's have a good 'battle'." she said, putting air quotes around the last word.

"What is even going on?" Sally asked in confusion.

"You'll see soon enough." Phillip told her.

"Emma Johnson!" Stomping up to them, a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache and short black hair, dressed a gray suit, growled. "Do I have you to thank for the scorched science lab?"

"No sir, Principal Cross." Emma shook her head. "I've been hanging out with Rich all morning."

"This is true." Richard nodded. "We met Sally here." He pointed his thumb at her. "Just got in from Alola. We've been giving her a bit of a tour, thought we'd show her some Johto Pokémon battling." He indicated the Pokémon they had sent out.

"I see." Principal Cross frowned, looking at Sally. Richard glanced back at her and winked.

"Uh...yeah." she nodded. "They've been showing me around. It couldn't have been her."

"Alright." Principal Cross sighed. "I trust you, Rich, and I've no reason to distrust Sally. But I've got my eyes on you, Ms. Johnson." He glared at her.

"I told you, Principal Cross, I've changed my ways." she told him. "I only do it at home now, I swear."

"Fine." he shook his head. "I'm glad to see you've found your way here, Sally. Rich, she's in your homeroom. I trust you'll keep being her guide?"

"You can count on me." Richard nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Now...I've got problems to deal with at the present." With one last suspicious glance at Emma, he turned and marched away.

Once he was out of earshot, Emma burst out laughing. Richard quickly joined her, the two slapping a high five.

"That was great!" Emma laughed. "You're still the best at covering things up, Rich."

"It's what I do." he chuckled.

"So...you did do...whatever is happening?" Sally asked.

"Yep." Emma grinned. "Not the first time. I probably would've been kicked out of school years ago if it wasn't for Rich." She punched his shoulder fondly. "He's the perfect athlete, the perfect student...and the perfect friend to cover up your mischief!"

"I'd hardly call it mischief." Phillip remarked. "It's definitely beyond that."

"What did you do, exactly?" Sally asked.

"It was an accident!" Emma said. "The chemical composition of one of my raw materials must've gone sour and broken down, because they were NOT supposed to react like that!"

"She builds bombs." Phillip said.

"WHAT!?" Sally gawked at her.

"Not for any nefarious purposes, I promise! It's just a hobby of mine." she grinned. "I find the sciences beyond the process fascinating. There's so many surprising ways to make things go BOOM!"

"Uh-huh..." Sally raised an eyebrow at her slightly manic expression. "And you do this...in school?"

"I don't like to!" Emma said. "But sometimes all my other places to work are shut off to me and I don't have much choice."

"You are seriously addicted to this." Phillip shook his head, grabbing her shoulder. "Come on. We need to have another talk."

"What? But Phil..." Emma protested.

"You clearly did not listen to anything I said about air quality and what smoke like that does to it." He pointed at the smoke billowing from the window, now growing smaller and weaker as it was subdued. "So I'll explain it to you AGAIN." he said, dragging her away.

"Oh, fine. See ya later, Sally!" Emma called, waving to her. "Maybe we'll talk more later!"

"Maybe..." Sally watched them leave, turning to Richard. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah." Richard nodded. "I know what it seems like, but she'd never hurt a fly. She's just...a bit of a thrillseeker, and she gets her adrenaline kick by making and setting off explosives." He shook his head. "But usually it's out in empty fields and the like. Not in places like this. That's just her making a mistake, having an accident."

"Are you certain it's a mistake?" Sally asked.

"I've known her all my life." Richard told her. "If she says it is, then I trust her."

"Alright..." Sally shook her head. "You all are kinda crazy, you know that."

"A bit." RIchard laughed. "Honestly though, right now I feel a bit sorry for her. She'll be stuck with Phil for quite a while."

"What's so bad about that?" Sally asked. "He seems like an okay guy."

"He's great." Richard agreed. "But environmentalism is kind of his thing. He's a pretty laidback guy, but he will lecture you for hours on end if you so much as think of littering."

"Ah..." Sally nodded. "That explains a lot."

"I take it you've already experienced it?" Richard asked.

"Nearly." Sally told him. "He thought Mimikyu was litter." Richard laughed.

"And probably immediately jumped to lecturing about it, right?" Sally nodded in agreement. "Yep, that sounds about right." Chuckling, he looked back to the school. "C'mon." He pointed. "The smoke is cleared out and it looks like they're letting students back in again. I'll show you to homeroom."

Shortly...

After Richard had pointed out a few of the more noteworthy locations in the school, he and Sally made their way to homeroom. There were still five minutes or so until the class officially started and the teacher hadn't shown up yet, so they took seats near the back and waited.

Other students started to fill the room, most of the waving and offering friendly hellos to Richard, which he exchanged. Among them, Phillip and Emma entered, still arguing.

"Look, I told you, those materials must've been bad." Emma insisted. "I've done all I can to reduce smoke emissions while still keeping the same level of kaboom; what more do you want from me?"

"What I want is..." Phillip started.

"Hey, Phil!" Richard broke in. "Can I ask you something?" Sighing, Phillip nodded.

"This isn't over." he told Emma before walking over to take a seat in front of Richard. Emma sat down next to him, in front of Sallly. "What is it, Rich?" Phillip asked, turning in his seat to face back.

"You know that paper is due tommorrow, right?" he asked. "Have you started on it?" Phillip's eyes widened. "Thought not."

"Well, I know what I'm going to write it on." Phillip told him. "I just...haven't found the chance to do it yet." he muttered.

"What are you going to cover?" Richard asked.

"The Vanishing Shrine." Phillip told him. Richard nodded.

"Of course, our local legend." he said.

"What is this shrine?" Sally asked.

"It's a myth that's been around for years." Emma explained. "Supposedly, there's some sort of temple in the forest outside of town. Thing is, everyone who claims to have seen it, when they lead anyone else back there it's just gone."

"Hence, the Vanishing Shrine." Richard said.

"I was thinking I'd go out into the forest some night, see if I can find it." Phillip said. "Of course, I won't because it doesn't exist, but it would make a nice bit for a paper on it."

"Alright, then we'll go tonight." Richard said. "And you can spend the rest of the night writing the paper."

"Can I tag along?" Emma asked.

"If you leave the grenades at home." Phillip told her.

"I'm not going to bring explosives into a beautiful place like the Ilex Forest." Emma rolled her eyes. "What do you take me for?"

"Yeah, c'mon, Phil." Richard laughed. "She's not a monster."

"Sorry." he apologized. "But every time she comes along with us, something ends up exploding. It's just not healthy. I can't help but worry."

"Well, then let me prove you wrong." Emma said. "We'll go on this completely normal outing, and it will be very uneventful. No explosions, no craziness, nothing."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Phillip smirked. "But I look forward to being proven wrong."

"How about you?" Richard asked, turning to Sally. "You wanna come too?"

"Sure." Sally agreed. "Sounds exciting. I did come here to see a new part of the world, after all."

"Then it's a plan." Richard nodded. "Let's meet at..." He looked to Sally. "Where are you staying?"

"The school's paid for a week at the local hotel." she said. "I'm supposed to find somewhere else to stay by the end of it."

"Okay, then we'll meet there." Richard nodded. "Sound good to everyone?" Phillip and Emma both nodded.

As the bell rang, a woman came hurrying in the door.

"Sorry for my almost-tardiness." she apologized. "But I'm sure you all have heard there's been some trouble in the science lab. I was helping deal with it and lost track of time a bit."

The teacher had strawberry-blonde hair reaching her shoulders and was dressed in a brown and white sweatshirt and black jeans. On her hand she wore a gold ring with black z's on it. Setting her bag down, her eyes scanned the room and located Sally.

"Ah, I see our new student is here." she smiled. "I'm Ms. North, your homeroom teacher. Why don't you come up here and introduce yourself to the class?"

Sally rose and walked to the front, turning to face her fellow students.

"Alola, everyone." Smiling, she waved. "I'm Sally Estelle, from the Alola Region. I'm glad to have the chance to come stay here in Johto and see what the region is all about. I've already got to meet a few of you, and I'm hoping to get to know the rest of you better over the course of the year."

"I'm sure we're all very excited to have you here, Sally." Ms. North said as she took her seat behind the desk. "Does anyone have any questions for Sally?" One boy raised his hand. "Yes, Frank?"

"What is that thing on your shoulder?" Frank asked. Sally held out her arm and Mimikyu walked down onto her hand.

"This is Mimikyu, my Pokémon." she told them. "He's very friendly, if a bit shy." She turned to glance back at Ms. North. "I don't have a ball for him, and I wasn't sure what the rules are on it anyway, so..."

"Generally we have a No Pokémon in Class rule." Ms. North told her. "But I'll allow it this once. I expect you to have either a ball for him or a place for him to stay by tommorrow."

"Of course." Sally nodded.

"Why does he look like a Pikachu puppet?" a girl asked.

"Raise your hand, Alicia." Ms. North reminded her.

"LIke I said, he's a bit shy." Sally explained. "His whole species tends to be. Because of this, they like to disguise themselves as other Pokémon." She pointed to the base of the Pokémon. "His actual face is down here, looking through these eyeholes."

"Cool." A boy near the front remarked. Sticking his hand up, he waited until Ms. North nodded to conintue. "What does he actually look like?"

"I don't know." Sally admitted. "He won't show even me. As far as I'm aware, nobody has ever seen a Mimikyu's true form. He does have a ghostly tendril though."

"Ooh, spooky." Alicia grinned. Emma raised her hand.

"Is there a reason he's specifically disguised as Pikachu?" she wanted to know.

"It seems to be the species' preferred look." Sally told everyone. "But he does have others. Want to see?" The whole class gave an affirmative response and Sally walked back towards her seat, opening the rolling suitcase she had with her. "Okay Mimikyu. Do you mind switching to something else?"

"Mi!" Mimikyu hopped inside, its tendril reaching out and pulling the suitcase shut. After a few moments, it opened again and Sally reached a hand down for Mimikyu to climb on.

"It's a Cubone!" Frank laughed.

"Yeah." Sally nodded. Mimikyu was now wearing a puppet resembling a Cubone, down to a fake bone stitched to the side. "That's the idea of this one." Another girl raised her hand and Sally turned to her.

"Hey. I'm Kayla." she said shyly. "I was just wondering, where does he get the disguises from?"

"Well, the Pikachu one he had when I first met him." Sally answered. "I don't know where he came across that one. But the others, I made for him." She smiled. "I thought he might like some variety in how he looks."

"You should make some Johto specific looks for him." Phillip suggested.

"Yeah." Alicia agreed. "We'd be happy to show you some Pokémon that might work."

"That sounds great." Sally nodded. "I'll have to look into that once I get settled in more."

"Yes. Perhaps at the end of the year you can show us what you've come up with." Ms. North suggested. "If you want to."

"I'd be happy to, Ms. North." Sally nodded.

"Well, I think that's enough questions for now." Ms. North said. "Thank you, Sally. You may return to your seat." Sally gave the class one last smile before walking back and sitting down, Mimikyu hopping down onto her desk. "Now, we can't let new students and...mysterious explosions..." She looked to Emma and winked. "Get in the way of learning. So, if you open to page 27..."

"I swear she knows." Emma muttered. "Nothing gets past her."

"Yeah..." Richard agreed. "Even I can't seem to slip one over on her. It's almost like she can read our thoughts..."

"And Richard will be the first to read, since he's so eager to talk." Ms. North finished. Richard blinked.

"See what I mean?" He shook his head and picked up his book, starting to read.

Later...

Once the school day had ended, Richard, Emma, and Sally made their way back across town. Phillip had decided to stay after school and do some extra research on the Vanishing Shrine before they went out looking for it that night.

As they were passing the same park from the morning, a cry rang out.

"Hey, stop, you little rat!" it yelled. "Come back here with those!"

"Sounds like Sam." Richard remarked. "Maybe we should check it out."

As they walked into the park, a small Pokémon came running towards them, clutching an armful of berries. As Sam and David chased in pursuit, it ducked behind Sally's legs and hid.

"I saw that!" Sam snapped. "Get out here and give those berries back, you thief!"

"What is this thing?" Sally asked, looking down at it. Mimikyu hopped down from her shoulder to get a closer look.

"A Larvitar." Richard told her. "Pretty rare species. We don't see very many of them around here."

"There you are." A new figure came walking up to them, looking down at Larvitar. "I told you to stay near me."

"I should've known." Sam growled. "It would've been one of yours."

The new arrival turned to face them. He was wearing a dark grey t-shirt and black jeans, and had long black hair tied back in a ponytail. Sighing, he reached behind him and pulled out a wallet.

"I'm guessing he stole those berries he's eating." he asked. Larvitar bit into one, chewing on it mockingly.

"He sure did!" Sam confirmed. "He's a little menace!"

"How much are they worth?" the boy asked. Sam turned to David and mouthed something the others couldn't hear, David nodding in agreement.

"Cost is 2025 Poké Dollars." Sam said. The new arrival had been opening his wallet, but he stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"I somehow doubt a couple berries are that expensive." he said.

"Welp, they are." Sam smirked. "So, pay up, or we can always call you and your little monster in."

"Sounds suspciously like the price of a broken ice cream machine to me." Richard said innocently. "Perhaps one you don't want the boss to know is broken."

"Nope. Definitely not." Sam shook his head.

"Yeah. The ice cream machine is only 2000 Poké Dollars even." David added.

"That doesn't help." Sam growled. He looked to the new boy. "Well, what'll it be? Payment or cops?"

"You can't just..." Sally started.

"No, they raise a good point." the boy broke in. Reaching down, he pulled a Pokéball off his belt. "In fact, it's so good I think they may want to make it again to my friend."

Clicking the ball open, a Tyranitar sprang out and landed in front of Sam and David, roaring in their faces. The two screamed and turned to flee, tripping and helping each other up as they desperately tried to get away.

"You'll be hearing from our lawyer!" Sam yelled back.

"Yeah, yeah." Richard rolled his eyes. "Not before those two get chewed out by the boss though."

"Thanks, Tara." The new boy nodded to his Tyranitar and returned her to her ball. Turning to Richard, he pulled 25 Poké Dollars from his wallet and held it out. "Here, you work with them, right? This should cover the berries."

"Forget it." Richard shook his head, glancing down at what Larvitar was eating. "Those are the cheapest we have; they're not even worth that. I wouldn't worry much about a few going missing." Shrugging, the boy returned the money to his wallet. "You're Matt, right?"

"Matt Underwood." he nodded. "I've seen you around. Richard, right?"

"Friends call me Rich." Richard told him. "And this is my friend Emma, and my new friend Sally."

"Nice to meet you all." Matt nodded in greeting. Looking down at Larvitar, he frowned. "C'mere, you."

Turning, Larvitar sprang up into Sally's arms, looking back at him and sticking out his tongue. Matt rolled his eyes.

"Larvitar, come on. Don't be a nuisance." he said.

"I think he likes me." Sally said as Larvitar nuzzled against her.

"Yeah, I can see that." Matt shook his head. "Larvitar, we have to get back. The new arrival is due any moment. Don't make me get your sister out again." Seeming to frown, Larvitar hopped down and walked over to him. "Good boy." Looking between him and Sally, he nodded. "Feel free to stop by and see him sometime, Sally. We live just outside town. My last name's over the gate; you can't miss it." Turning, he and Larvitar left as the others watched.

"Do you know him?" Sally asked Richard as they left.

"Vaguely." Richard told her. "He runs some sort of ranch just outside of town. Don't know much else. He tends to keep to himself."

"Mimi?" Mimikyu climbed up onto Sally's shoulder and then onto her head. Richard looked up at it.

"Now there's an idea." he said. "Ms. North said you can't have him in class anymore, and I presume you don't have anyone in mind to watch him, so, we should stop by the Pokémart and get him a ball."

"Good idea." Sally looked up and smiled. "You don't mind staying in a Pokéball for a bit, do you, Mimikyu?"

"Kyuuu..." Mimikyu's Cubone puppet drooped over in front of her face sadly.

"I know, but just while we're in class." she told him. "I promise, I'll take you back out of it as soon as I get out." After a moment, Mimikyu nodded. "Thanks, Mimikyu."

Richard and Emma led her through town to the Poké Mart. Sally looked up at the blue-roofed building in surprise.

"Why are your Poké Centers blue?" she asked.

"They're not." Richard told her. "They're red. This is the mart."

"You mean the mart isn't in the center?" she asked in surprise.

"Uh...no." Emma shook her head. "Is it like that in Alola?"

"Yeah." Sally nodded. "It's a one-stop service for Pokémon Trainers. Why would you keep them in separate buildings?"

"Well..." Richard scratched his head thoughtfully. "I guess we never thought of that here. You should pass the idea along to somebody who could get on that."

As they entered the building, a familiar face from class saw them and waved.

"Hey, Sally. Emma. Rich." Alicia walked over. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Just getting MImikyu a ball to stay in during class." Sally told her. She hadn't gotten much of a look at Alicia in class, being focused on the whole room in general, but now she had more chance to see her. She had long black hair and her nails were painted black as well. She wore a tan jacket over a white t-shirt and had a white skirt that turned pink as it went down.

"Oh, yeah." Alicia nodded. "That makes sense." She looked up to where Mimikyu was still riding on Sally's head. She giggled. "Does he often sit up there?"

"Sometimes." Sally laughed, looking up at him.

"We ran into your mysterious boss." Richard told her.

"Matt?" Alicia nodded. "What's he up to?"

"Trying to corral his Larvitar, it seemed." Emma said.

"Oh, that little guy?" Alicia laughed. "Yeah, he's a bit...energetic, let's say."

"You work on his ranch?" Sally asked. Alicia nodded.

"Yep. Most days, anyway." She held up her hands. "This is my day off though. Wouldn't waste my time doing nails if I was going to work out there."

"What's he do, anyway?" Richard asked. "I've never really bothered to find out."

"Well, the Underwood Ranch is a safe haven for abused or neglected Pokémon." Alicia told them. "They take them in, take care of them, and help them find a new, better place to call home." She shook her head sadly. "You'd be surprised how many people out there mistreat their Pokémon...it's honestly kind of amazing what Matt does."

"It sounds like it." Sally agreed. "I can see why you'd want to help with something like that."

"Yeah." Alicia grinned. "You don't know how good it feels to see one of those poor Pokémon settling in with a new owner who loves them, and knowing you helped get them there." She reached up and wiped at her eyes. "Ah hell, I'm gonna wreck my eyeliner just thinking about it."

"Wouldn't want that." Sally laughed.

"Well, I'll see you guys around." Alicia waved as she headed for the checkout. "You two don't get Sally into any mischief, you hear?"

"Now would I do that?" Richard grinned. Alicia shook her head and turned to the counter.

Sally made her way to the shelves where Pokéballs were kept, selecting a basic one. Glancing over, she could see Emma looking over the medication shelf.

"What are you getting?" she asked, Emma turned and held up a bottle, several others in a basket she held.

"Awakening." she said. "For a Pokémon medication, it can be surprising volatile under the right circumstances."

"Tell me you don't use that in explosives." Sally asked.

"Making bombs, waking Pokémon up; whatever need comes first." Emma stuck the last bottle in her basket as well, looking at Sally staring at her. "What?"

"Can I ask you something?" Sally queried.

"Let me guess." Emma smiled. "You want to know why I'm so obsessed with explosions, right?"

"Well...yeah." Sally shrugged. "I've never really met somebody like that."

"It's alright. I know I'm a bit different." Emma shrugged, then frowned. "Really, it's...it's hard to explain." She bit her lip. "Can you imagine how it feels to see something that's purely chaotic, destructive energy, and to know that, you not only made that, but you control it. It won't go off until you want it to. Understanding the principles behind something like that, holding it in my hand, setting it off...it...it just brings me this unparralled sense of satisfaction." She sighed. "You probably can't understand any of that."

"No." Sally admitted. "But, as long as you're not hurting anybody..." She shrugged. "I suppose I don't see any harm in it."

"I would be appalled to find out I had harmed somebody, I assure you." Emma told her. "This is just something I do because...well, it's me."

"Nothing wrong with that." Sally smiled.

"I've never had anyone really...listen, when I try to explain that." Emma told her. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." Sally nodded. "I like to get to know people. I'm always fascinated by how they think, what makes them tick. When it's something a bit off the beaten path like that...well, that only makes it all the more interesting."

The two made their way to the counter, where Richard was waiting for them.

"You girls ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah." Sally nodded. "We've got what we're looking for."

"Then let's go." Richard stood and headed for the door.

"But, we need to pay for..." Sally started.

"Already done." Richard looked back and grinned. "I was watching what you two got. Consider it a gift." The clerk nodded confirmation, so the two followed him to the door.

"Get used to that." Emma whispered. "He loves to help people like that. Buying things for them, waiving debts...he's always doing that." She chuckled. "Maybe you can figure out what he gets out of that too."

"Maybe." Sally laughed as they followed him.

That night...

Sally lay on the bed in her hotel room, having called her mom again as she promised. She figured she wouldn't get much chance later in the night. She had just finished describing the new friends she had made to her mother.

"Yeah, we're going on a...uh, camping trip in a bit." Sally told her. Somehow, she didn't figure the fact that she was spending her first night in Johto traipsing through the dark forest would go over well. Camping just sounded better.

"Well, you be careful out there." her mom told her. "Be sure to pack plenty of Repels, and take Mimikyu with you."

"Wouldn't think of leaving him behind." Sally assured her. Mimikyu hopped beside her on the bed and Sally grinned, holding out the phone towards him. "Say hi to my mom, Mimikyu."

"Mimi, Kyuu!" Mimikyu called into it. Sally pulled the phone back.

"He says he misses you." Sally told her. "And so do I."

"I know." her mom said sadly. "But you be sure to have fun in Johto. Not a lot of people get an opportunity like you did."

"Yeah." Sally smiled. "I will, mom. Don't worry." There was a knock at her door. "I think that's them. Bye."

"Bye, dear." Sally hung up the phone and stood up from the bed, walking to the door and opening it.

"Hey." Emma was outside. "You ready? The guys are waiting."

"Sure thing." Sally waved and Mimikyu ran over to join her as she closed and locked the door. "How long do you think we'll be out there?" she asked.

"Eh, midnight, at the latest." Emma estimated. "Phil will want some time to actually work on the paper; we can't spend the whole night chasing imaginary shrines."

As they exited the hotel, they found Richard and Phillip waiting for them.

"Hey." Phillip waved. "You ready to 'find' this mystic myth?"

"I'm sure we will." Sally chuckled. "Where's the forest?"

"Just out of town." Richard pointed the way. "C'mon. Let's get a move on!"

The four of them walked through the darkened streets, making their way to the edge of Azalea. As they left the town, they found themselves walking along a fenced field. Sally spotted a gate and a house ahead.

"Is this Matt's ranch?" she asked. Richard looked over at it.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I forgot it was this way too." he said. "In that case, c'mon." He hopped over the fence. "Let's shortcut through it."

"Are you sure about that?" Sally asked.

"He won't mind." Richard shrugged. "Not as long as we aren't hurting the Pokémon, and I don't think anybody here has that intention."

Phillip shrugged and followed Richard over, Emma right behind. Sally decided they must know what they were talking about and followed.

They made their way across the fields, Richard pointing to the forest on the other side.

"That's Ilex." he said. They were now far enough away from the town and its lights that they had to get out flashlights. "Hope everyone's ready to be disappointed."

"Hey, all that matters is we look." Phillip said. "That way, I can write about how we walked over the forest looking to see if the temple was there, and add a little something extra to my report."

As they passed by a barn, they heard a thumping sound. Another followed, much louder, as if something was bashing on the door.

"What is that?" Sally whispered. "Sounds like something wants out of there." With another bash, two horns pierced through the door.

"That doesn't look good." Phillip frowned. "I suggest we pick up the pace."

With a crash, a Tauros came bursting through the door, shaking its head angrily. Spotting them, it bellowed.

"If by that you mean run for it, then I agree!" Emma said, turning and fleeing. Richard, Sally, and Phillip chased after her, the Tauros running after them.

"It's gaining on us!" Sally called, glancing back.

"Watch this one." Emma grinned. Grabbing a Pokéball, she sent out her Voltorb and it rolled to the side. Tauros caught sight of the half-red Pokémon and turned, charging towards it. Voltorb rolled to meet him, being slammed with a Headbutt for his efforts.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sally asked.

"Who, Tauros?" Emma laughed. "Yeah, but he won't be going anywhere."

"I meant Voltorb..." Sally watched as Tauros halted in place, looking surprised to find that it couldn't move. Voltorb rolled after them and Emma scooped it up, the group making it to the forest, hopping the fence and vanishing into the treeline.

"Voltorb's Static ability." Emma explained. "When it's hit, it can paralyze its attacker."

"Well..." Phillip was gasping for breath as he leaned against a tree. "That was certainly exciting."
"Yeah..." Sally reached up and rubbed Mimikyu's head through its disguise. "You alright?" Mimikyu nodded, reaching its tendril out and wrapping her finger reassuringly.

"Wasn't expecting the angry bull." Richard admitted. "Sorry about that. But, we made it. So, let's get hunting."

The group searched the forest for several hours, finding no sign of any shrine, or anything manmade for that matter. Sally found herself wishing she was here during the day, so she could get a better look at the natural beauty of this place. As they traveled in deeper, she also found herself worrying.

"Does anybody know where we are, or where the way out is?" She asked. Phillip simply shrugged and Emma shook her head, staring off in the direction they had come from.

"Don't worry about it." Richard smiled. "I have the exit plan." He reached down and patted one of his Pokéballs. Phillip looked at his watch as it glowed in the dark.

"We've still got an hour left until midnight." he said. "Let's keep looking a while longer."

"Guys..." Emma whispered. "Don't panic, but I think something's been following us for a while now." She pointed to some bushes nearby, which were rustling. Sally realized there was no wind to be doing that.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"I don't know." Emma shook her head.

"I could flush it out..." Richard suggested, when the pushes parted. From them emerged a familiar figure. "Is that the same Larvitar as before?"

"Larv!" Larvitar spotted Sally and ran over, grabbing her leg and hugging it.

"Uh, hey." Kneeling, Sally petted its head. "What are you doing out here, little guy?"

"Larvitar!" a voice rang through the air. "Where did you get off to?"

"Matt?" Sally called. "Hey, he's over here!"

"Sally?" Matt answered back. The four could hear him making a path through the underbrush before he at last appeared out before them. Shining his flashlight around, he looked at the group. "What are you all doing out here this time of night?"

"School project." Phillip said. "What about you?"

"One of the ranch's new arrivals busted out of the barn. He was still a bit traumatized; I wasn't expecting his sedatives to wear off that quickly." He looked down at Larvitar holding onto Sally and growled. "And naturally, in the confusion, this sucker decides to run off again."

"Tar!" Larvitar said stubbornly, ducking behind Sally. Matt sighed.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with him." he said, shaking his head. Looking around at the forest, he frowned. "What kind of school project sends you out into the woods until nearly midnight?"

"Well, that wasn't specifically part of it." Phillip admitted. "I'm doing a report on the Vanishing Shrine, and I thought I should have a look for it myself before doing so."

"That old story?" Matt laughed. "I take it you haven't found anything."

"Nada." Emma agreed.

"Thought so." As Matt talked, Sally noticed something a bit odd; she could see his breath.

"Hey, is it...cold out here?" she asked. Now that she noticed, she felt that she was shivering. "Like, way colder than it should be?"

"Huh?" Richard looked around and shivered as well. "Yeah...yeah, I didn't notice, but it is."

"Feels like winter out here." Emma rubbed her arms. "What's going on? The nights don't get THAT cold this time of year."

A strange green light washed over her face as she talked. Noticing, the five of them turned to find that it was emanating from a point not too much distance away. Richard walked towards it through the underbrush, the others behind him. Matt released his Tyranitar from her ball.

"Tara, take Larvitar back to the ranch and watch him." he commanded. "I'll meet you there when I can." Tara nodded and scooped Larvitar up, turning and carrying him off. Matt ran to catch up to the rest of the group.

"What is that?" Sally asked. "Are there any Pokémon around here that could make a light like that?"

"Not that I know of." Richard told her. "That's why I'm curious..."

The five of them came out into a clearing and found themselves staring up at a two-story building, made out of wood. And not constructed from wood, but actually appearing as if it had grown there. Statues of Celebi ringed the roof of the structure and a deep moat surrounded it, a wooden bridge providing a place to cross.

"Is that...?" Phillip's jaw dropped. "Guys, is this...did we actually find something that doesn't exist?"

"The shrine is always described as a 'natural-grown building'." Richard nodded. "And this thing sure fits the description."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Emma asked, running forward onto the bridge. "Let's check it out!"

"I don't know..." Sally sighed. "Are you sure it's okay for us to just barge in?"

"Hey, people have combed this forest for years and not found this thing." Phillip told her. "If we found it, it wanted us to. So yeah, I'd say it's probably okay to have a look around."

"This is gonna make one hell of a report." Richard laughed as he and Phillip walked forward behind Emma. Sally and Matt followed behind them as they approached the door.

Reaching out, Emma pushed and the door easily slid open, allowing them to walk inside. The interior was not what Sally was expecting. She figured it would be like being inside a tree stump, the walls wood, stuff like that. It was like a full stone temple in here. You couldn't even tell it was in a natural growth.

The five of them wandered around the halls until they found a room that seemed to be the center of the structure.

"What the...?" Richard walked forward. Before them stood five pedestals, and floating above them, five glowing crystals of various colors.

Sally felt an odd compulsion to approach as she looked at one of the crystals. Walking up, she reached out and took the pink one in her hand, looking it over.

"Strange..." Sally turned the crystal over in her hand. "It's almost like...like it's speaking to me."

Emma looked at the yellow crystal and felt a strange tingle all over her. It felt almost like the same rush of setting off an explosion, but somehow different. Naturally, she couldn't resist reaching out and grabbing it.

"This thing's got one hell of a charge." she shuddered as the tingling became several times stronger the second she touched it.

Phillip felt a relaxing, soothing sense of ease as he looked at the blue crystal. Taking it in hand, he felt a sense of calm, getting the feeling that he was holding something of untold purity.

"It's so peaceful..." he sighed as he held it.

Matt found himself drawn to the black crystal and its strange, mysterious aura. Pulling it down, he felt a sense of bittersweet loneliness come over him, as if something wanted to speak to him but wasn't sure how to do that.

"Curious..." he muttered, holding it up.

Richard took the red crystal and watched the fire blazing within it. A feeling of danger came over him, a threat needing dealt with, a determination to push to action.

"What are these things?" he asked.

As the five held them, the crystals began to glow brighter. Energy in each of the crystals' colors flowed up their arms before vanishing within them. The crystals' glows dimmed and went out.

The sound of roars and rumbling shook the group out of their thoughts. The structure shook and they turned to look back the way they had come.

"Let's go see what that's about." Richard suggested, running for the entrance. The others followed behind him, all equally curious what could be happening.

As they came running out the door, they found the clearing full of odd earthen cyclopes, covered in icy crystals. Among them flew a small green figure, pulling a trail of leaves behind it and cutting them down. As it passed, Richard got a look at it.

"Holy Arceus...guys." Richard looked to the others. "That's Celebi, one of the Legendary Pokémon of Johto!"

"Celebi!" A voice of cold authority washed over the clearing. The cyclopes all halted their attacks and turned to bow. Celebi looked towards the new arrival as well as they seemed to hover across the ground.

They were tall, their body hidden under a swirling black cloak. An icy mask covered their face and a frozen staff was clutched in their hand as they came to a halt. Their presence seemed to drop the temperature several degrees; the teenagers realized this guy must've been what they were feeling earlier.

"You knew this day would come." they said in that same flat, emotionless voice. "Hand over the crystals."

'The Eon Crystals slumber still.' Celebi's telepathic voice rang out over the clearing.

"Do not lie to me, Celebi." the figure said. "I can feel them awake the same as you." Looking past them, he spotted the group of teenagers. "Who are they?"

Looking back, Celebi saw them as well.

'About time you showed up.' he said. Turning back to the menacing figure, he folded his arms. 'They are the ones who will take you down, Mask of Ice.'

"Excuse me?" Richard asked. "We'll what?"

"They don't look like much." Mask of Ice remarked. "Cryoclopes, destroy them." He looked back to Celebi. "I will deal with Celebi."

'You can try.' Celebi was surrounded in a green glow as roots grew from the ground, reaching up and around him as he rose into the air. Soon, Celebi was in the middle of a towering, Ent-like wooden golem, glaring down at Mask of Ice.

"I will do more than try." Mask of Ice rose as well, snow swirling around him and ice forming. In moments, he was in an equally massive ice golem. "I will succeed."

As the two enormous figures charged at each other, the Cyroclopes rushed the teens.

"Watch it!" Richard yelled, dodging aside as several of them formed spears out of ice and hurled them. The group managed to avoid getting impaled as the beasts closed in.

Richard punched at the first one to reach him, but it shrugged off his blow with an icy chuckle. He backed up and reached for a Pokéball, but another grabbed his arm from the side, holding it in place. The first Cryoclops punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him before the other hurled him aside.

Emma ducked as one formed a sword of ice in its hand and swung at her. Raising the weapon, it slashed down and she jumped back, rolling to her feet.

"Always be prepared." she muttered, reaching into her pocket and pulling a spherelike object. Clicking a button it, she hurled it towards the group, but they fired icy beams and froze it midair, sending it falling uselessly to the ground. One formed an ice ball and hurled it, striking her in the chest and knocking her back.

"You brought explosives into the...!" Phillip started to yell before a Cryoclops kicked him the back. Springing to his feet, he grabbed a downed branch from the ground and stabbed out with it, but the beast caught it and pulled him in, slamming a headbutt into his forehead. As he staggered back, another Cryoclops formed an ice staff and swept his feet out from under him.

Matt was grabbed and thrown back against a tree, gasping in pain as he shoulder slammed against it. Before he could reach for a Pokéball, an icy beam struck his hand and froze it to the trunk. Another Cryoclops charged and swung a kick up into his stomach.

Mimikyu's tendril reached out from its disguise and slapped at the creatures, but one simply grabbed it and pulled the Pokémon off of Sally's shoulder, tossing it aside.

"Hey!" Sally started to run after him to make sure he was okay, but two more Cryoclopes jumped into her path, punching her back. Growling, she started to run at them when another shoulder-tackled her from the side, knocking her to the ground.

Celebi dodged aside from a punch by the icy golem and grabbed it by the waist, lifting it overhead and hurling it aside. As it rose once more, he glanced down to see the group struggling.

'Concentrate.' he spoke to them. 'Tap into the inner power that has been granted you.'

"What does that mean?" Richard ask as he was flung back and rolled to a stop on the ground. Celebi gave no answer, having gone back to fighting against Mask of Ice as a Cryoclops pinned Richard under its foot. Laughing, it formed a giant ice club and raised it overhead, swinging down.

Richard reached up and caught the club, holding it back as best he could. As the creature struggled against him, he felt his hands becoming hotter. Water started to drip down on him, and he realized the club was shrinking.

The Cryoclops grunted in surprise the club burst apart in its hands. From Richard's palms, a stream of flame blasted up into it, blowing the monster into bits.

Rising, Richard looked at his hands in surprise. A small flame appeared in his palm on command.

The other Cryoclopes got over their surprise and charged him. Dodging away, Richard fired a fiery blast, melting and obliterating several of them.

The Cryoclops who had just kicked Matt grinned as he looked at his pinned arm, forming an icy sword. As he raised it and made to chop through the trapped limb, Matt's foot came down on the tree's shadow and he vanished.

The blade bit into the bark and the Cryoclopes tried to pull it free. From his own shadow behind him, Matt rose up and grabbed his neck, pulling him back and slamming him to the ground. Yanking the frozen sword free, he swung and deflected a thrown spear aside. A Cryoclops punched at him and he ducked, touching its shadow with his free hand and disappearing into it. Across the clearing, he popped out of another surprised monster's shadow and sliced it in two.

A Cryoclopes tackled Phillip and they fell into the moat, sinking beneath the surface of the water. Phillip thrashed and tried to break free as he held his breath, the monster wrapping its arms around him and pulling him deeper.

Soon, his breath ran out and he opened his mouth, expecting to inhale water. He did, but it didn't fill his lungs. Instead, he felt bubbles floating up from his neck.

Reaching up, Phillip rubbed along the spot and felt gills beneath his fingers. Looking at his hands, he found that his fingers had turned webbed, and kicking off his shoes revealed his feet had as well.

Slippling free of the Cryoclops' grasp, he swam around it faster than it could keep up with, slamming it with punches until it broke apart. Shooting towards the surface, he popped out and grabbed ahold of two more that were staring at the water waiting for their ally to come back up.

"Come on in!" Phillip grinned. "The water's fine." Yanking, he pulled them both under the surface.

Emma ducked under a pair of grabbing hands and wrapped her arms around the monster's waist. As it started to pound on her back, her fingers began tingling like crazy.

Lightning sparked between her digits and flowed into the Cryoclops' body, blowing it apart. Emma staggered back and looked at her electrified hands in shock.

Seeing more charging at her, she thrust out her hands and lightning fired from her fingertips, shooting between the different monsters and blowing each to bits as it passed through. Grinning, Emma clapped.

"This is amazing!" She gushed, turning to fire at more.

Sally was trying to duck past a Cryoclops and get to Mimikyu, but it kept adjusting to stand in her way, almost as if mocking her.

"Get out of my way!" She snapped, waving her hand. The Cryoclops yelped in surprise as an invisible force flung it aside, shattering apart as it hit the ground. Sally ran to Mimikyu and scooped him, setting him on her shoulder.

More Cryoclopes charged her and she held out her hands. They all came to a halt, looking around and trying to figure out what was stopping them from moving forward. Realizing that she was doing it, Sally brought her hands together and the group was crushed into each other, all of them shattering apart.

Richard dodged past a Cryoclops and blasted fire into its back, turning to watch Celebi and Mask of Ice's golems battling it out. Igniting both hands, he launched a more powerful stream of flame that hit the ice golem's foot as it went to take a step, melting it away.

As its footless leg came down, the ice golem stumbled and fell, hitting the ground and crushing several Cryoclopes underneath it. Celebi's wooden golem stomped forward and placed a foot on its chest.

'Leave.' Celebi commanded. 'Or you will be destroyed here and now.'

"This isn't over!" Mask of Ice snapped as Celebi raised its golem's foot. in a burst of ice, he vanished from his golem's chest as Celebi stomped down, shattering it into icy shards.

Around the clearing, the last of the Cryoclopes were being dealt with. The others ran up to stand by Richard as Celebi's golem fell apart, its pieces returning to the earth as the Pokémon itself floated down to hover before them.

'Greetings.' he nodded. 'I have been waiting for you.'

"You know who we are?" Sally asked in surprise.

'Sally Estelle, Emma Johnson, Phillip Vernon, Matt Underwood, and Richard Franklin.' Celebi recited. 'As I said, I have been waiting for you.' Turning, he floated back towards the temple. 'Come. We have much to discuss.'

Next time on Poké Rangers: Eon Force...

Celebi: When you touched the Eon Crystals, they bonded to you and granted you special abilities. I have one more gift for you...

Sally: I came here to experience a different part of the world, not get involved in some...mystic battle.

Matt: Larvitar took off again in the night. I need your help.

Mask of Ice: The Eon Crystals are awake, and they are in Azalea Town. I want you to bring them to me.

?: Hand over the Eon Crystal, or I'm gonna turn your little buddies into pulverized pebbles and crushed cloth!

Richard: Let's take them down!

Chapter 2: Ancient Awakenings Part 2

(A/N: Whooo! Season 2 is on! I wasn't planning on doing an early start like this, but I was just...way too excited to wait. Only two chapters written and I'm already in love with this cast and story, and I hope that it continues to be as awesome as I think it can be and that you all will like it as much as I do. By all means, give me your thoughts on the opening chapter. What you liked, what you didn't like, who is your favorite character so far, what you hope to see in the story's future; all that good stuff. That way, I can hopefully identify anything that needs work and improve on it when the Season fully starts. As you can tell, this story is mostly its own thing from Kanto, but it does exist in the same world and it does have some connections; a few characters who have made the transition over to Johto and some concepts that Kanto first introduced. Hopefully it feels like a natural next step for my series; I think it works well, but it's up to you guys at the end of the day. Anyway, that's all from me for now. I'll see you all next week for the other half of the two-part opener. Mewtwo, out!)