Ever since it had been discovered, nobody ever managed to explore Faraway Island in its entirety. Many perished, and even more left as soon as they came, never revealing what they had encountered, but one thing was clear: Faraway Island was dangerous, and likely deadly. As such, the group was more than ready to fight should the need arise.

In spite of the lingering dread, Samuel couldn't deny the beauty of the island. Nature was wild and untamed all around them, a gentle breeze moving trees and bushes, all plentiful of berries. It felt like stepping somewhere time forgot, a picture of the world as it used to be long before they were born.

But the forest was also unnaturally silent, almost like no one but them was there. The quartet didn't lower their guard, with Tony in particular holding a Shadow Ball ready to be thrown.

"So, you say Pokémon life all began here?" Agatha asked, a quirked eyebrow towards the surrounding nature.

Samuel nodded, his attention completely on the path ahead. "Potentially. There are a lot of theories floating around, but what's important is that it's very likely Mew's birthplace. And if it is, and Mew is truly the ancestor of all Pokémon, then this might be exactly what we need."

"You just need some dirt, right? Can't you just pick some of this one and call it a day?" Agatha gave a light kick to the ground, disturbing some grass and uprooting some soil.

Adalbert and Samuel both scrutinized the terrain, and were quick to shake their heads.

"I can tell from a glance that this isn't what we're looking for." Samuel turned back, towards the thicket of trees growing denser in the distance. "We need to find the exact spot of this Island that Mew calls home. Nothing else would do."

"Easier said than done, when no one has ever managed to map out the entirety of this jungle so far," Adalbert said. Samuel failed to hide a grimace at the reminder.

Agatha rolled her eyes, grumbling. "Of course. Asking for a quick and easy trip would've been too much."

Samuel shook his head, clearing his mind of all thoughts. "Let's keep our guard up. We don't know what we might find here," he then said, with all his comrades nodding an affirmative.

The group continued to walk forward, the trees becoming more and more numerous until they started to form a veritable forest around them. Through their march, they were still accompanied by no sound but their own thoughts. The stillness of their surroundings lasted long enough for the dread to morph into an almost pleasant calmness, almost instilling hope that maybe Faraway Island wasn't as dangerous as they thought.

And then Tony tensed up in place, quickly shifting his gaze around, his Shadow Ball growing larger.

"What's wrong, Tony?" Agatha asked, eyes narrowed on her surroundings.

Her brother didn't answer, his guard still up. And then, he turned around and tossed the Shadow Ball right at a tree.

The wood splintered and shattered in several chunks, falling apart and crashing down in just a few seconds, rising a cloud of dust. Nothing ensued, and for a second Samuel wished his old friend was just being paranoid.

And then a slashing sound came, and another tree fell apart, cleanly sliced in half. The quartet's attention turned there, and when the culprit came out, none of them knew what to say.

Ahead of them stood a brown, armored Pokémon with sharp scythes for arms, a vicious stare trained of them. It was a Pokémon none directly saw before, but they all knew what it was. A Pokémon that shouldn't have existed.

Tony took a battle stance as Agatha stepped back. "Is that-"

"A Kabutops. A living one." Samuel bit his lip, drops of sweats forming on his face.

As if one thought-extinct Pokémon weren't enough, from behind the greenery surrounding them came several other creatures, among them an Omastar, an Armaldo, a Tyrantrum, an Archeops, a Tirtouga, a Rampardos, and many other Pokémon from all the known regions. Before they realized it, they were stuck in the middle of several Pokémon, all of them ones that shouldn't have existed, all of them blocking their path, and all of them staring at them as if they were the most delicious meal of all.

Even with the shock, the humans were quick to act: Agatha produced nine Poké Balls from her bag as Tony stared down their opponents, Samuel held one old Ball of his own, and Adalbert readied a Capture Styler.

"How are those still alive? They should've gone extinct!" Agatha narrowed her eyes, fingers ready to open the Balls' twist caps.

"Let's think of that when we aren't surrounded, alright?" Samuel gulped, eyes on the ancient predators as they tentatively stepped ahead.

"I'll try to deal with them now." Adalbert frowned, pointing his device ahead. "Capture Styler, go!"

The Oblivian researcher sent the spinning top on the ground, and he quickly directed it to close circles around the Kabutops and his allies.

Adalbert spun his baton in the air as fast as he could, the Styler growing faster with each motion, closing one, two, three loops around several of the living fossils. It seemed to be going well, perfectly even- until the Kabutops knocked the Styler off track with the flat of his blade. Before his friend could put the Styler back in motion, a stomp from Tyrantrum shattered it in a million little pieces.

Adalbert went wide-eyed in shock, as did the others, and the Kabutops took that moment to leap on the offensive, scythe ready to pierce through the researcher.

And that was when Samuel scowled, tossing his own Ball. "Charizard, Blast Burn!"

The old Ball opened skyward, his oldest partner bursting out with a mighty roar. He then flew straight for the ground, punching it powerfully; shockwaves and flames both travelled underground, all zoning in on Kabutops. The fossil tried to stop, only for the flames to engulf it and sending it writhing on the ground.

Charizard took a deep breath as he slowly recharged his energies, only for a potent Hydro Pump to blast him groundward. The Fire-type tried to get back on its feet, only for several of the fossils to gang up on him and force him on the ground, clawing, biting and blasting at him mercilessly as Samuel's starter tried to break free, to no avail.

Samuel remained still, too in shock to order anything as his starter was continuously brutalized. He had seen more than his fair share of powerful and violent Pokémon in his time as a trainer, but the sheer glee and power these Pokémon displayed in trying to tear his Pokémon apart was something that he truly never saw before.

Nonetheless, Samuel frowned and pointed at his enemies. "Charizard, use-"

The Kantonian researcher ducked suddenly as a Hyper Beam flew over his head, annihilating several trees and rocks behind him. He then had to jump out of the way of a slice from another Kabutops, all while Charizard tried to blast away all the Pokémon keeping him pinned down to no avail. More and more Pokémon started to rush right at them, without giving them even a second to gather their thoughts and plan a counteroffensive.

Samuel still tried, only for one of the Kabutops to knock him down on the dirt and hold it there. The ancient Pokémon's stare bore into him, and it was only then that Samuel could see their assailants' eyes.

What he found was a piercing, cold, wicked stare, not unlike the one the denizens of the Drowning Woods held. But Samuel could notice one difference: those Ghosts-types were intelligent and aware of what they caused, to an almost human level.

These living fossils weren't like that. There was no trace of intelligence in their eyes: it was all pure, feral instinct.

They were hunters, and they were their preys.

And as he realized that, Samuel could only stare in utter fear as the Kabutops held his blade high for the killing blow. And then, it went down.

"Tony, Mean Look!"

The Kabutops' blade froze in mid-air, and so did the rest of his body, his eyes showing surprise and confusion. Samuel blinked, and then realized that all the wild Pokémon that attacked them were in the same condition. It was at that point that he noticed Tony jumping off a pile of Omastar, wearing a prideful little grin. Both Samuel and Adalbert were caught off guard at the turn, even as they slowly broke free from their Pokémon's grasp, and Samuel could see that his Charizard was doing the same, his body filled with scratches, bruises and blood from the assault.

And then, Agatha stepped in, glaring at the two men of science and at the feral Pokémon.

"This won't last forever. You go find your stupid dirt, I'll hold the line here." She held her Poké Ball high, as if to punctuate her statement.

Samuel frowned. "Agatha, it's dangerous-"

"And I'm the Gym Leader of Viridian City." All nine Poké Balls opened at once, revealing Agatha's Arbok, Crobat, Mismagius, and several others of her strongest team. She then gave the two men her back, as Tony joined her side. "We can do this. Go!"

Samuel would've really liked to dissuade her from that idea, until he noticed that the wild Pokémon were all starting to move again ever-so-slightly, with Tony leading the charge of Agatha's Pokémon with a barrage of Shadow Balls as he and his sister started fighting before they could return the favor.

Seeing that, Samuel could only give the Grimm siblings a silent nod of encouragement and recall his Charizard, before locking gazes with Adalbert and nod at once with him. And with that, he and his Oblivian friend rushed away from the forest just as Agatha's battle truly started, right towards the heart of Faraway Island.

Samuel and Adalbert continued to run through the ever-denser forest, trying their best to avoid falling into the rather steep descent right at their left, which was proving difficult as everything was a blur as they ran. Silence had returned, but after the previous ambush neither researcher was willing to lower their guard again.

After several minutes, Adalbert turned around, still not stopping as he frowned behind him. "What was with those Pokémon? They shouldn't exist today, and they were just so-"

"I have a theory." Samuel squinted his eyes, deep in thought. "Mew is the ancestor of all Pokémon, right? Maybe all the other Pokémon of this place descend directly from it. They are just like the first Pokémon that ever walked the Earth, with the aggressivity and hunter mentality of that time. Pokémon as they originally were, pretty much."

Adalbert didn't respond to his friend's musing, but his grimace and worried stare was enough to answer Samuel. It wasn't a theory corroborated by much evidence, but with so much about Mew still unknown, he couldn't rule out such a possibility from being real. And even if that wasn't true, that still wouldn't change how the Pokémon around them were the worst of the worst, the most aggressive Pokémon they could ever meet. A far cry from an angry Bewear chasing two stupid kids.

Samuel briefly contemplated letting his Charizard out again, until he remembered all the ugly bruises and injuries he got from their opponents. He was probably far from being in top shape, and he couldn't risk his life on a gamble against other powerful Pokémon. If they hadn't rushed their expedition to Faraway Island to complete their research, he could've probably afforded to retrain some of his other Pokémon and not be stuck with almost zero options.

The Kantonian's eyes lingered on his friend, fists clenched and grimace still on his face. The tension between them was palpable and obvious, but even with all the worry of the world they knew they couldn't afford to waste time. Not now.

And when the two heard a noise of rustling grass, they stopped dead on their tracks. As quite a few Tyrantrum and some other living fossils surrounded them, both researchers couldn't help but grimace.

Samuel in particular tensed up, staring blankly as one of the Tyrantrum slowly paced towards them. He balled his fists; if his grandfather had been there, he would've found a way to defeat or subdue them all and continue on his path undeterred. He wouldn't have been cornered like that, or felt so powerless and useless.

The Kantonian researcher gulped, turning back at his nearby friend. It was only then that he realized how distant Adalbert's gaze was, as if his mind was elsewhere even with all the strong Pokémon surrounding them.

Before he could ask him what was going on, the Oblivian man sighed, placing a hand inside his backpack.

"Guess there's no other way here." His gaze shifted to Samuel, nudging him ahead. "Go on, Samuel. I'll deal with these guys."

Samuel didn't understand, until he saw his old friend grabbing several berries in his hands, among them several Oran and Sitrus, squeezing them until the juice coated them. Samuel froze, memories flooding by, all while Adalbert stared down the Pokémon ahead of him.

"If you're so hungry, come and get me!" he yelled, waving his juice-drenched arms to grab their attention.

The ancient Pokémon sniffed the air, their attention driven on Adalbert. They bared their fangs and rushed towards him, ready to bite and maul him as the Oblivian remained still.

Samuel clenched his fists and acted on istinct, tackling Adalbert and sending both rolling down the steep incline right in time.

The world spun around the two as they rolled down the small hill, with Samuel pushing Adalbert further down. He could hear the wild Pokémon crash into each other and starting to fight, tearing and slashing at each other, their roars of power and agony sending chills down his spine.

He didn't know how long they rolled down until their backs met a large rock, breaking their descent. Samuel could still hear the Pokémon fighting and tearing each other apart in the distance, and thus raised a finger at his friend to keep quiet, burying his hand in the dirt to mask the juice's smell.

After what felt like an eternity waiting, the Pokémon's cries grew more distant, slowly fading away. Whether they left or they had killed each other was a question Samuel preferred not to linger on.

The researcher sighed in relief, and then stared back at his friend.

"What were you trying to do?" Oak's stare was firm, hands clasped on Adalbert's wrists.

Adalbert averted his gaze from Samuel, frowning. "Grab their attention and allow you to go past them, of course."

"And why did you have to use that berry trick again? You could've just thrown it away. You made yourself the target."

"And I would've deserved it!" Adalbert's stare was back on him, piercing through Sam's own. "Several people died because of the Capture Styler, there's no way I'll ever atone for any of them. The Ranger nations will probably get a better Chief of Technology that reflects what they actually want, and you don't need me to complete our research. If my life can have any use, that was one if them!"

Adalbert's stare only grew harsher as he continued, breathing harshly as he finished. Samuel didn't know what to tell him, until he noticed his eyes: he held the same lost and solemn gaze he saw years before, when they met at the start of the war, a gaze he usually hid under a lot of drive and determination. Were the Rangers' actions too much for him to bear? Did he always plan to get himself killed on the mission? Samuel couldn't tell, but his answer was immediate as he stared down his friend.

"What are you even talking about? We're here to help the whole world, and that includes the Ranger nations. They can't afford to lose one of their most brilliant minds!" His expression turned even harsher, inching closer to Adalbert's face. "And I don't want to lose a friend, either!"

Adalbert blinked in confusion, eyes locked into his friend's again. "Sam..."

"If you really feel the need to atone, even if you didn't kill anyone by your hand, then you must live. Be better. Help others do the same. And little by little, make the world a better place. Dying won't do anything but make things worse." Samuel let go of his friend's arms, offering him a hand. "You're better than this, Adalbert. Don't make these hasty decisions again."

Adalbert fell silent, his eyes wide as he contemplated Samuel's hand. Several conflicting emotions seemed to swirl inside him, as if he didn't know what to say. Sam continued to keep his hand outstretched, hoping he'd take it.

And then, a look of guilt in his face, Adalbert grasped the Kantonian's hand with his own. "Thank you. I don't know what got into me."

"Guilt can hang heavy on people. I know that for a fact," Sam said, helping his friend stand. They shared a brief smile, but they quickly understood that wasn't time for pleasantries. They could sort out any lingering issues afterwards.

Adalbert adjusted his own backpack, frowning once more. "We can think of that later. Right now, we need to understand where we are and-"

Meeeeeee!

A high-pitched, almost playful cry filled the forest, bringing both researchers back to attention.

"What was that?" Adalbert asked.

Samuel furrowed his brow, pointing at a path behind them. "I don't know, but it came from there."

His Oblivian friend turned the same way, staring at the small path leading further into the dark forest. He and Samuel traded a quick nod, the only decision they could take clear. And so, with no further words, the researchers made their way further in, hoping for no other ancient Pokémon to come at them.

Fortunately, none ambushed them on the way, and after a brief walk the thicket of trees opened up in a beautiful, small clearing, with several cattails popping out among the blades of grass. With the sun shining high and framing the small garden in light, the place gave out an almost ethereal sense of beauty, like somewhere no humans had ever set foot until then. Some sort of forbidden sanctuary, maybe even something those ancient Pokémon were trying to protect.

"Incredible... this place feels completely different than the rest of the island," Samuel said, taking a gander of his surroundings with great curiosity.

Adalbert continued to frown, his attention shifting to the grass below. "Do you think this is...?"

"It might be. Only one way to find out." Samuel kneeled towards the ground, placing a hand over the grass and pulling at it.

And then fell on his back as a concentrated blast of psychic energy almost hit him. Samuel froze, fear crawling under his skin as he turned his gaze up, Adalbert doing the same at his side.

In any other occasion, Oak and Hastings would've been overjoyed to see the pink, almost feline floating creature mere feet away from them. A Pokémon so elusive many had thought of it as nothing but a mirage.

But with the angry stare that all but asked what were some intruders doing in the middle of his home, neither of the researchers was particularly willing to express their awe at the Mew. Even moreso as its eyes glowed a faint blue, psychic energy gathering around the Mythical Pokémon.

Adalbert gulped, cold sweat running down his face. "I doubt it has taken us in sympathy here."

Samuel didn't reply, his gaze fixated on the hostile Mew. He couldn't even recognize which attacks it was using against them, but one thing was clear: the Pokémon was truly as powerful as the legends claimed it to be, and they would be completely outmatched even if they had usable Pokémon or Capture Styler. And even if they could face it, nothing guaranteed Mew would yield, either. If only he had been Pallet Oak, none of that would've-

At that point, Samuel clenched his fists, his mind clearing. He couldn't keep comparing himself to his grandfather: as much as he respected him, it wasn't Pallet Oak that was facing Mew, it was Samuel Oak, and he needed to solve that situation in a way only he could, without resorting to strength. Maybe it would've failed, or lead to nothing, but did they really have anything to lose at that point?

And with that, Samuel exhaled, trying to calm himself down as he stepped forward.

"Hey, I know we just barged in your home, but-"

A bolt of psychic energy almost pierced through Samuel, forcing the Kantonian to raise his hands up. "Please, stop! I just want to talk!"

Mew still didn't say anything, whether because it was incapable of speaking human tongue or because it didn't want to dignify them with talk Samuel didn't know, but as the Mew continued to float ahead without trying to attack again, Samuel decided to take his chances. He attempted to think of what to say, only to give up with a sigh midway through. He looked back at the Mythical, and steadied himself.

"We understand, we invaded your home out of nowhere, and you probably think we want to capture you. It makes sense for you to be so wary." He placed a hand over his heart, his stare serious. "But we truly mean no harm to you. We just need a bit of the soil here, to make the world safer for everyone. I can understand if you don't care for humans, but this is very important for us. We aren't going to try to capture or harm your home in any way, and we'll never come back or reveal your location to anyone unless absolutely necessary. So please, please let us take some, even just a bit. We'll leave as soon as we get it."

Samuel joined his hands together, a pleading stare directed to the powerful Psychic-type. The Mew just floated in place, his stare still bearing on Samuel and his colleague. Several heavy seconds passed, no sound but the rustling grass filling the clearing. And then, Mew's eyes glowed again. Both Samuel and Adalbert sweated cold, and then prepared themselves for the strike.

Which was why they were surprised as the Psychic-type shifted its attention to the grass, slicing a rectangular shape on the ground and dropping a hefty chunk of dirt right between the two researchers. Both men observed it wordless, even if the meaning of the gesture was clear.

As Samuel faced the Pokémon again for answers, he just saw the Mew giving him a smile and a nod of encouragement, waving its tail and then floating out of sight with no answer to give. Samuel was alright with it, though, as he stared in the direction the Psychic-type left.

"Thank you, Mew," he said, giving the Mythical Pokémon a smile of his own.

Adalbert stared at the block of ground, and then back to his friend, chuckling happily. "Well, aren't you a master orator, Sam."

"My speech wasn't that good. I just said what I felt was needed." Samuel rubbed his neck, eyes back on the lot of dirt. "I'd say it paid off, though."

The Oblivian researcher nodded, eyeing the path they came from. "The only problem now is bringing it with us. There's a big chance we'll see other hyper-aggressive Pokémon on the way back, and they won't listen to reason."

"Indeed. That's why we need to work." Samuel grinned, ambition overflowing from him.

Adalbert understood immediately what he meant, and without a further word, he pulled out of his backpack what he needed, and started to work alongside his friend. They had some important work to do now.

Agatha Grimm was no stranger to difficult battles, but even for one of the most prominent fighters of the so-called 'Legendary Trainers' it was difficult to handle so many enemies and Pokémon at once, several of her team already recalled out of damage or exhaustion. Nonetheless, the Gym Leader of Viridian City continued to hold the line, dodging attacks towards her as Tony and her Arbok continued to fight alongside her.

"Arbok, Poison Fang!" Agatha yelled, quickly turning back to her brother. "Tony, behind you!"

A Kabutops' slash missed Tony completely as the Gengar dove into the ground, pooling into darkness and sneaking under the fossil. The younger Grimm then materialized behind him, unloading a point-blank Dazzling Gleam on the Water-type and blasting it away, right onto a pile of several other defeated fossils.

Arbok was doing just as well, quickly leaping and coiling itself around a Cradily before it sunk its purple fangs on the Grass-type's rocky flesh. The prehistoric Pokémon thrashed around, but Agatha's Pokémon never let go of its grip.

And then, several Armaldo and Archeops gathered around the Cradily, slamming bodily into the Arbok and keeping it and the Cradily crushed under their weight, seemingly uncaring for the Grass-type so long as Arbok was destroyed. Agatha flinched as her first partner screamed in pain under the Pokémon's weight, enough to recall it back in its Poké Ball, leaving Tony as her only active fighter.

The Gym Leader gave a look around the battlefield: even if they had defeated close to around a hundred fossils, more and more continued to come, as if the entire island's population was converging towards them. Her gaze turned to Tony, her little brother now reaching her side, wheezing and panting even as he tried to keep a brave face, and then to their many healthy and vicious opponents cutting away any escape route.

The older Grimm shook her head, sighing. They had almost no chance of making it.

"Well, I always knew that Sammy would be the death of me, one day." Agatha let out a bitter laugh, her gaze darkening just a bit as she glanced at her brother. "I'm sorry, Tony."

The two siblings grasped the other's hand tightly, trading a look of determination before they focused on the enemies ahead. If that was the end for them, they would've made sure it was a pretty good one at least.

Fortunately, that wasn't bound to happen.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!"

A powerful, searing tongue of flames cut through the air, strong and sudden enough to catch everyone's attention. Agatha and Tony also turned upward, seeing Samuel and Adalbert staring down at the fighters from a nearby vantage point. At her rival's side stood his old Charizard, way too bruised, hurt and tired to be any kind of threat.

And yet, Samuel smiled and rubbed his Pokémon's head. "Thanks, old friend. Rest well."

Her friend recalled his starter, and Agatha understood that he only did it to make everyone focus on them. Why would he do something so suicidal eluded her.

She was quick to squint, confused. "What are you-"

"Adalbert, cover my tracks!" Samuel yelled, turning to his friend.

"Alright!"

Samuel jumped down the vantage point, right in the thick of all the attacking Pokémon. Adalbert followed right in his steps, tossing several berries to the Pokémon to keep them distracted enough for his friend to move on.

Neither of the two Grimm siblings understood what exactly what the scientists were planning to do now, but she understood the gist enough to know several Pokémon all gunning for her friend wouldn't be good for his plans. She traded a glance to Tony and her brother gave her a thumbs up, focusing his stare into another Mean Look, locking the surrounding Pokémon in place just like before, enough for Sam to make his way safely next to her, a relieved smile on his face.

"Thanks, Agatha, I really needed that," Samuel said honestly, taking a deep breath and scanning the blocked crowd of Pokémon around him.

Adalbert did the same, facing his friend again and nodding. "We should be ready now."

"Alright!"

Agatha crooked an eyebrow again, while Tony tilted his head in confusion. "What's gotten into you? Why did you rush right here?"

"It's the one way back, and there's no alternate route." Placing a hand inside his backpack, her friend took out the spherical device he had worked on for so many years. "Let's just say we're gonna need an impromptu test run."

"Here?" Agatha's frown grew even more lost.

Samuel shrugged. "It's either that, or we die. And to be sure this will work, I need to be in the center of everything."

"What?"

Before Agatha could make sense of Samuel's stupid plans, a piercing cry filled the air, and all the fossil Pokémon began moving again, rushing for Samuel and starting to throw a barrage of attacks their way. All three humans moved to dodge the assault, all while Tony did his best to keep the enemies at bay. It was clear who held the advantage, however.

"It's now or never, Sam!" Adalbert yelled, avoiding a Hydro Pump from a nearby Omastar.

Without further ado, Samuel grabbed the prototype close and held it ahead of him, a determined frown on his face. "Let's go!"

Samuel pressed the one button on the device, just as all the Pokémon got ready to converge around him. A large amount of energy started to load around the prototype, all the Pokémon sensing the danger and moving closer and closer. Adalbert stood closer to their friend, ready to defend it, while the Grimm siblings did the same.

Project Coexistence's instrument started to shine. The Pokémon got closer than ever, enough to be ready to strike.

And then, a large blast of energy came from the device. It was a continuous, unstoppable flow of radiation and feelings, something the Pokémon were desperately trying to fight back, all while Sam continued to hold it high and triumphant, almost as if he was powering it up himself.

As the device stabilized, its power output decreased slowly and inexorably, until it settle on a faint, almost inaudible noise with no visible effects. Even the Pokémon stopped fighting back, simply standing in place with vacant stares, as if confused on what to do. Even Tony seemed a bit unnerved, a hand over his forehead as he groaned.

No one dared to say anything, their eyes focused on any of the prehistoric Pokémon's actions.

"Did it work...?" Agatha asked, eyes lingering on the confused form of her brother.

Neither of the researchers replied to her inquiry, still staring at their would-be attackers. Little by little, the Pokémon seemed to come to their senses, eyes back on their future preys.

And then, they just looked at them in confusion, some of them intrigued, others losing interest. None of them attacking on sight. Pacified.

Agatha's eyes fell on Tony, whom had a rather relaxed expression as he stretched his arms high, giving a nod to his sister to confirm he was fine.

Seeing no incoming threat, the most brilliant minds of the Trainer and Ranger nations beamed in happiness.

"Yes!" Samuel yelled, holding the working prototype even higher than before.

"It actually worked, Sam! Project Coexistence works!"

Samuel nodded, his and his friend's looks back on the fruit of years of work. "We can definitely change the world now!"

As the wild Pokémon left them alone and retreated back into Faraway Island, the Grimm siblings smiled as well. Against all odds, those two idiots really found a way to make the world a better place.

As the ship started its slow trip back to Alola and the sky started to turn crimson, Samuel and Adalbert couldn't help but keep checking and taking notes of every element of their now working prototype, just in the off case something went wrong and they had to restart everything from scratch. In the end, they managed to take with them a more than sizable part of the Faraway Island soil, enough to last them until they could find a way to replicate its effects and characteristics.

And so, the two researchers stood on a desk on the ship's deck, writing down entire parchments of notes, all while Agatha and Tony on the side watched with amusement. Even Booker, for all he was busy manning the ship, still gave an approving grin to his brother and Samuel.

"So, with this thing, you can now make sure no more problems with wild Pokémon happen?" Agatha asked, peering at the invention. Tony seemed curious to poke at it, but he refrained from doing so almost immediately.

"That'd be an exaggeration, but it's definitely gonna make life simpler for everyone in the world now, slowly but surely. Less sociopathic Pokémon and less murderous ones." Samuel's gaze turned grim for all of a second, but he quickly regained an enthusiastic grin as he nodded at the Grimm siblings. "Thanks for the help, both of you."

Agatha shook her head. "We were just here to help you fend off some Pokémon. You two are the ones that should be thanked."

Tony agreed, giving both researchers a big smile and a thumbs up. Even if he was still forced to stay a Gengar, knowing that his friend was glad for his results still gave Samuel some peace of mind.

Agatha then folded her arms, her ever-present smirk on her face. "Now you can finally reveal your project to the world, and everything will be sunshine and rainbows, right?"

At that, both Samuel and Adalbert gave pause to their writings, exchanging a few quick glances. Agatha raised an eyebrow, and Oak exhaled before he cleared his throat, shifting between his colleague and his old rival with unease.

"About that..." The Oblivian researcher nodded at him, and Samuel's expression turned serious. "Me and Hastings already agreed that his involvement would remain secret, and the specifics of Project Coexistence wouldn't be divulged."

Agatha, Tony and Booker all turned their heads at him, eyes wide in shock. Both Samuel and Adalbert shook their head; such a reaction was expected, even after all the discussions the researchers had on the topic.

"Why, exactly?" Agatha asked, her tone harsh and her eyes demanding.

"It wasn't an easy choice, trust me." Samuel rubbed the sweat off his face, gazing at the sea. "Our aim was to make the world a better place. If we were to reveal what we did, with both factions still at war, they'd just execute us for treason and never implement what we did. It'd just make all these years of work pointless."

Adalbert nodded, stroking his mustache. "I can feasibly sell Project Coexistence as a sort of 'passive Styler' as far as the Ranger Union goes to apply our research there, so I don't have any issues giving the credit to Samuel so he can help Trainer and neutral nations."

He gave his friend a healthy pat on the back. Samuel appreciated the gesture, even if he didn't feel any less guilty to take the full credit. It was necessary, but still not as ideal as could be.

Samuel still nodded on and smiled at that, a hand over his heart. "I'll make sure to play coy on the important parts. Aside from some conspiracy theories, I'm sure nothing wrong will happen once the results come in."

"So, what you did was pretty much pointless to stop the conflict." Agatha frowned, turning away from her friend.

"Not at all. Me and Adalbert can still work to implement our findings on our own when necessary, we can still partner together, and improve on our research throughout to keep our regions from experiencing further war-inducing accidents. We're just trading away a possibility we can't be sure will go well right now." Samuel placed his hands on his hips, his smile more radiant than before. "It might not be as big an effect as we could ask for, but it's gonna make things better and ensure less tragedies happen in this world. The smiles on everyone's faces is the only reward I need."

Agatha continued to stare down his friend at that, only for her to chuckle out, to everyone's surprise. She gave him a playfully dismissive wave afterwards. "You really ended up becoming just like Pallet Oak, in the end."

"I told you already, right?" Samuel laughed himself. "I'm not Pallet Oak, I'm Samuel Oak. And I made sure to keep my promise."

Agatha, Tony, Adalbert and even Booker all smiled back at him at that, all ultimately approving of everything they did. And with that knowledge and happiness with them, they all turned to the sun as it started to set on the horizon, pulling the curtain down the era of hyper-aggressive Pokémon and leading the way to a much better future.

"I just delivered the package to the Oak Peace Foundation, everything should be fine by now. I've just got a few other commitments to do now."

Samuel nodded to his friend Tracey from the other side of the screen, adjusting his seat in the middle of his Pallet Town Laboratory. "That's okay, I hope you enjoy your time in New Tork City. And thanks a lot for your help."

Tracey smiled and waved the Professor goodbye, and then turned off his videophone, leaving Oak to face the black screen. With how busy he was, it was good to know he could count on people like Tracey to help him out. A shame that he couldn't be his assistant full time.

Still, he was glad that the Decolore branch of the Oak Peace Foundation would now be able to continue their work on Project Coexistence without issue: it took way more time than he wished for to set everything up, handpick every member that joined the effort to pacify wild Pokémon, and generally ensure the organization was able to be as efficient as possible without knowing every single detail of what they had to do, but once everything was sorted out things had for the most part gone smoothly, with only occasional need for his help and input. After how hectic the first few years had been, he was glad that he could finally rest up about that particular area of his work.

As the old Professor shook his head and readied himself to resume work, however, his videophone received another incoming call. The man crooked an eyebrow, until he recognized the tune he had registered for that particular communication channel. He allowed himself a tired grin.

Hasty as ever, Samuel thought as he pressed the required buttons. Thankfully enough, he had already ensured his own study was safe from any bugs or similar devices, and most of his helpers were gone for the day.

And of course, on the other end of the call was a distinguished Professor with a mop of white hair and an impressive mustache of the same color, that still kept all the enthusiasm of his youth with him as he acknowledged his equal.

Samuel adjusted himself on his seat, nodding back at him. "Been a while, Adalbert. How is your progress going? The Decolore branch just received the parts they needed, they should return to normal progress shortly."

"Great to know. Here things are going pretty well, the Ranger Union just pulled off a massive relocation of some endangered species, and I took some time to see if they'd need to be pacified." Hastings' grin grew wider and prouder. "It looks like we won't need that, however."

Samuel sighed in relief. "Good. The more time passes, the less we need to operate on the wild Pokémon population now."

"It's nice to know how much the world has changed thanks to us, don't you think?"

Professor Oak paused, his mind wandering back to four decades before. Once they returned from the Faraway Island trip, he began to make preparations to implement their findings, trying to convince the scientific community and the government heads of the validity of his research. He got a lot of heat and was accused of bogus pseudoscience, but he had built up enough credentials to test out Project Coexistence on a small scale.

Once results came from there, most of his detractors changed their tune very quickly. The governments started to employ his research everywhere, keeping the information on what was being done classified beyond giving Oak the credit, something he was glad for as he kept the more Ranger-derived elements of the project a secret. The effort towards peace also managed to ease up some of the tensions of the Trainer-Ranger War as it neared its end, leading to an armistice and the end of the hostilities between the T.A.T.O and the Ranger Union. Things were still far from being 'better', but it was a good first step.

In the meantime, Project Coexistence's success continued to grow, allowing Oak to reach a previously unthought level of fame and prestige, enough to be able to set up the Oak Peace Foundation to make sure no one, not even he himself, could profit monetarily from it or employ it for anything other than peaceful purposes. All his scientific peers accused him of being an idiot that didn't understand what he was doing, but between what happened with Adalbert and the Capture Styler and some military men already asking if he could create something to increase aggressivity levels to use against the Rangers, he knew he made the right choice.

And with that, even with the occasional pocket of wild Pokémon that were strong willed or stubborn enough to still reject being pacified, which ironically enough included a Spearow flock right next to Pallet, the world slowly changed more and more: with each following generation of Pokémon passing on their new peaceful disposition, trainers were finally able to undertake journeys without fearing for their lives at any turn, the limit of Pokémon one could keep with themselves at any time was reduced to just six, and people and Pokémon's symbiotical relationship grew to unexpected heights, opening the door for more interactions and developments that Oak never thought to be possible.

Among the very few things that didn't change was the relationship between Trainers and Rangers, still locked into a cold war that threatened to blow up at any turn. With less wild Pokémon-related incidents the possibility of hostilities starting again was thankfully mostly low, but the possibility was still tangible almost every day.

And realizing that, Samuel shook his head. "I'm glad for what we did, but I still think we could've done better."

Adalbert didn't reply right away. Samuel figured out he probably had grown tired of his constant dissatisfaction on the matter. However, he then adjusted his coat and stared right at his friend.

"One can always do better, for sure, and do agree that I wish our regions could stop this stupid and backwards hatred for each other." His frown grew harsher, only to slowly morph into one of his trademark grins. "But still, I think we did a lot for the world. Thanks to us, being a Trainer isn't as deadly a path as it used to be, we've reached some measure of peace, and most importantly we've ensured the safety of many people for generations to come. Progress can't happen all at once, but I'd say we were the catalysts of something big."

Samuel shook his head. In the several decades since their fateful research, they had discussed the pros and cons of their approach more than once, and by now the argument felt like running in circles even if he agreed with most of it. He really couldn't say that they didn't do anything to make the world better, but there were many times in which he wondered if they should've revealed that Project Coexistence was the result of Rangers and Trainers working together.

Samuel shook his head and put those thoughts aside. Getting lost in what could've been only brought regrets, and he couldn't afford to feel that way.

"I suppose you're right." With another sigh, Samuel looked back into his friend's eyes. "Do you think we'll manage to see Trainer and Ranger reach a true peace in our lifetimes?"

"Who knows? We're already getting old. Maybe we'll play a part in reaching said peace, maybe it will all be an effort from the next generation, or the one after it. The future is tricky to judge." Adalbert shrugged, but his expression remained serene. "We live in interesting times, with the Bloodliner Baby Boom and so many changes brought forth all around us. I feel something is bound to happen, sooner or later."

Oak sighed once more, managing to pull off a smile of his own. "So, we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah. We can't stop the future from coming after all, and I look forward to where it will lead us."

Samuel thought about that, his eyes going back to the outside of the laboratory, where many Pokémon belonging to many different trainers spent their time together, mostly in harmony. A place like that could've never existed when he and Adalbert were young.

He laughed out at his own worries. Remembering all they managed to achieve always made him realize that Adalbert was right, for as much good they could've still done they still did more than many others in their lifetimes. Perhaps that was okay: they played their part and it was now time for the next generation to make things better, entrusting the future to then just like his grandfather did with his own.

The present was brighter than their past, and he could only hope he and Adalbert could live on to see an even brighter future ahead of them.

And here's it, the second and last part of Oak & Hastings Gaiden. Originally, I wasn't planning on splitting the story, but after seeing that the story ended up at 21k of lenght I preferred splitting it in two parts to be more easy to read, considering past very long one-shots didn't get much traffic. As this is a very crucial one-shot for the setting, I tried to make sure that it was as accessible as possible.

I had quite a lot of fun writing this overall, and to go through the character development Oak got through his friendship with Hastings and his experiences. I was afraid the story would end up confusing since part of said development was already partially covered in Agatha & Sam Gaiden, but I like to think I managed to pull this off pretty well all things considered. As for time markers for the present day scene, it happens roughly concurrently with Tracey Interlude, which alongside Ghosts of Maiden's Peak was a one-shot I used to slowly set the building blocks for this one. It's a reveal that was quite a long time in the making, but I hope it paid off in the end.

I thank Fox McCloude and StormEyeDragons for their reviews, though, just to make it clear, this explanation for what Oak and Hastings did was not only already submitted to Crossoverpairinglover, it was also accepted and is now fully canon after publication, much like every other sidestory. No Reset entry so far has been non-canon unless explicitly labeled as such or as an omake that isn't confirmed canon.

I'm very happy to have managed to complete this important piece of Reset lore right in time for my second anniversary in the setting, and hope to deliver something even better next year for my third! A great thanks to everyone who helped me, my Reset colleagues, my betas, and all of my friends, and I really hope you enjoyed this little jaunt. I'll make sure to continue to produce as many good stories as I can in the meantime, and hope you'll always have fun reading them!

Before finishing this, though, I had two little omakes to share, an ambigously canon one by me starring the grandfather of a certain character that I introduced one year ago that was meant to be in the main story until it was cut to focus on the important parts, and an explicitly non-canon but humorous one by Ander Arias as a response to a discussion we had about this story. Hope you'll enjoy them!

Omake #1: Viroro-kun

Samuel sighed, sitting on the green grass just outside of New Bark Town, his starter Charmeleon joining him in his dissatisfaction. He expected that their small sidetrip to Johto could've been a good way to relax, and the first thing that happened was finding his rival Agatha and her little brother going the same way in Tohjo Falls. One thing led to another, and she goaded him into proving he was stronger than her.

She then crushed him thoroughly, then left while laughing at him and Charmeleon. In their defense, they were quite prepared for a fight and knew what Agatha could've used against him, but she still managed to surprise him by using his own tactics against him.

"Maybe we should look for some new Pokémon for our team," Samuel mused. Charmeleon gave a nod at that suggestion.

Before they could choose which Pokémon to look for, however, an unknown voice called for the boy.

"Howdy, my friend! Pleasant morning out there, isn't it?"

Samuel turned around, and his eyes widened at who was behind him: a man in his late twenties, wearing several layers of elegant and extremely dapper clothing complete of top hat and a monocle. He was pouring some tea in a cup straight from the teapot as he walked towards the kid, like that was the most normal thing of the world.

The trainer and his starter quickly traded a glance before they faced the man again. "Uhm... I guess?"

The strange, finely dressed man just laughed, taking a sip of his tea and then putting it back, all while never stopping pouring it.

"Truly, this is the most wondrous and outstanding meeting of all!" He emphasized his words by dragging the teacup up, uncaring of the spilled drink, until he pointed his finger right at Sam. "For you, my dear friend, have been blessed with the privilege to meet me, the Dude!"

Samuel blinked in confusion. "The Dude?"

"An excellent question, most certaintly. One that deserves a fitting answer." The Dude held the teacup high, pouring some more tea in it as he spoke and getting a nice shower as a result. "I'm the most splendid and handsomely dressed fellow in all of the known regions, the prestigious heir of the ancient tradition of the Dudes, keeper of the lost art of Pokémon capture! Only a few can master it, and even fewer can instruct others on it!"

The man pointed the boiler at Samuel, his expression serious. "You, boy! Do you yearn for glory? Do you want to grasp the sun and use it to shine a path to victory and eternal fame? To toss your legend skyward, higher than ever before, in the cosmos where only true stars burned their stories for the remembrance of eternity?"

"I... suppose so?" Samuel scratched his neck, an eyebrow quirked. "You teach people how to catch Pokémon, pretty much?"

"That is but a gross oversimplification, my dear boy. I am a master of life, fashion, capture, and philosophy both, for capturing Pokémon is like caressing a lover, an act for which passion and finesse is as important as the act itself." The man shook his head as he sipped some of his tea, giving an inquisitive stare to the boy. "But I'm afraid there's much you have to fix for yourself. Your wardrobe, for one. Would you really expect Pokémon to be attracted to someone with such a poor taste in clothing?"

Samuel scowled, looking in confusion at his choice of attire. "What does that have to do with capturing Pokémon?"

"To an untrained eye, it might have nothing to do with it, but it's a crucial part of the entire process." The man quickly turned around, spilling tea left and right. "Now come, for I shall instruct you in the art! Follow my steps to your glorious destiny! I shall be your kingmaker, and by the end of our training, you'll be the King of all Dudes!"

And with that, the man turned around and walked away, still sipping his tea like nothing was wrong, still decanting the glory that waited Samuel in his future after following him.

It took Samuel and Charmeleon all of a glance to decide to hightail it and never look back until they reached Cherrygrove City.

Omake #2: Ander Arias

"It might be. Only one way to find out." Samuel kneeled towards the ground, placing a hand over the grass and pulling at it.

And then fell on his back as a concentrated blast of psychic energy almost hit him. Samuel froze, fear crawling under his skin as he turned his gaze up, Adalbert doing the same at his side.

"The fuck you're doing in my house, you assholes!?" A high pitched, angry voice yelled inside their heads.

As the Oblivian researcher helped his Kantonian partner up, the two of them noticed a small pink Pokemon floating in front of them. The mythical Pokemon known as Mew.

"It's a Mew..." Hastings said in awe. "And he can talk?"

"I believe he's using telepathy to communicate. He's visibly angry, though I didn't expect him to have such a colorful vocabulary," Oak replied. "Okay, let me handle this." He turned at the pink Pokemon, and started to talk, trying to sound as nonthreatening and amicable as possible. "Hey, I know we just barged in your home, but-"

"LIke hell you did," Mew interrupted, as he pulled out what appeared to be a pair of Uzis. "Say hello to my little friends!"

Both researchers noticed that they didn't look like normal firearms. They had eyes to the sides, and an ornate piece of cloth attatched to the magazines.

"Amazing! That's a Doublade Unovan Form! I thought they were extinct!" the brown haired professor said, ignoring the impending danger, as he took a step forward to examine the firearm Pokemon.

Hastings then grabbed Oak by the collar of his shirt and ran away while pulling his friend with him.

"EAT LEAD, MOTHERFUCKERS!" they heard Mew's angry voice shout inside their heads, before the sound of rapid fire gunshots filled the air, and the two reserachers ran for their lives.