After locating the set of keys his mother had used to let them into their new house the day before, Slate locked up and set out with his new Cryote friend by his side. They munched on cereal bars from Professor Larch’s bag of goods as they made the journey down to Marcona Village. Slate’s mingled feelings of excitement, nervousness and fear overwhelmed any taste the breakfast food may have had, but the pup seemed to enjoy his.

In the light of day, Almony Island looked quite different. There was movement here and there, of people and cars heading off to work in the village or the mainland beyond; and the air was full of the smell of seawater, the buzzing and chirping of unseen bug Pokémon, and the flapping wings of distant bird Pokémon in the bright, clear sky. It would have been an idyllic setting if not for the knowledge of the previous night’s events.

Slate wondered how many of the occupants of the nearby houses had seen or heard the fleet of black cars that had rolled in like a storm and taken his mother. Had his new neighbors been aware of the danger of Team Shade? Were things so bad in Nutera that people were afraid to intervene or even speak out? Or had they simply chosen to ignore the ruckus caused by the circling helicopter?

He resolved to find out. Once his mother was safe, Slate would investigate Team Shade and Silph Co., if they were indeed one and the same as Professor Larch hypothesized, and he would gather all the information he could on them. With enough data, his mother would be able to expose them with one of her scathing newspaper articles. Maybe then, things in Nutera would improve and the professor could come out of hiding.

Lost in thought, Slate had not noticed their arrival at the winding road that led down to the village below. Thankfully, as he and the Cryote descended, they did not come across any more Mardupe. However, they did spot several bird Pokémon that Slate did not recognize, which quickly flew away upon sighting the pair, and three small, red bug Pokémon, which did not.

They were gathered near the spot where the Mardupe had attacked. Apparently, Slate had missed a couple of the items that had escaped from his grocery bag. They appeared to be gathering up the remains of a torn packet of dried pasta.

“What are those?” Slate said to himself and the Pokédex attached to the bag strap across his chest came to life with a *ping*. It identified the bug Pokémon and read their entry aloud, then Slate unclipped the Pokédex for a look at their detailed information.

SPECIES

#016 Akant

DERIVATION

Aka (JP: Red) + Ant

CATEGORY

Forager

COLORING

Red

Orange

Yellow

TYPE

Bug

Fire

ABILITIES

Unnerve

Swarm

Strong Jaw

DETAILS

Like soldiers, these Pokémon march single file in search of food to present to their Queen. They are not generally hostile but will attack en masse if their work is interrupted or their colony is threatened.

The larger of the three snapped its pincers in warning as they approached. “Easy, Boy, just let them be,” Slate said to the Cryote at his feet, which had begun growling. It glared at the wild Akant but followed Slate’s lead, walking around them at a safe distance.

They weren’t bothered by any more Pokémon after that, but as they made their way into town, they came across a queue of traffic. Upon turning the corner, Slate could see that the cars were backed up all the way into the distance in the direction of the island’s edge. Rather than take the short cut to Professor Larch’s house, he headed up the high street to see what was causing the unmoving procession of honking cars.

Along the way, Slate noted that there weren’t as many shops as he had thought and none of them were very big. There was, however, an unremarkable-looking Pokémon Gym in the center of town. He’d have mistaken it for any other shop if not for its awning and windows sporting the official Pokémon League logo. On the opposite side of the street, he spotted an herbalist shop but there didn’t appear to be a Pokémon Center anywhere around, which he thought was odd for a town with a Gym. He supposed it was a sign of how reliant the Island was on the regular ferry service.

As Slate reached the coastline, he realized what the problem was. The regular ferry service was out of commission. The port was still blocked by the huge wall of Slugish. A group of angry commuters were gathered outside the dock office, hassling a terrified-looking young man in uniform, who Slate guessed had not been expecting to arrive for work with this to deal with. A single police officer stood between him and the irate mob, attempting to calm them.

Slate’s sympathies turned to his own situation. How were he and April supposed to get to Hazell Town now? With the ferry still unavailable, they—along with the rest of Almony’s inhabitants—were effectively trapped on the island. He headed away from the crowd and the gelatinous obstruction, and toward the professor’s home, picking up his pace a little.

He and the Cryote soon arrived at the right street, climbed the stairs, and knocked on the door. April answered the door and beckoned him in before appearing to check he hadn’t been followed as he entered. She too, was wearing what looked like a new outfit. Like Slate’s, her Pokédex was clipped to the single strap of her well-packed new bag, and she looked ready to leave.

April’s attention went straight to the Cryote. She bent down and stroked it. “What a cutie! Is this the same Cryote from yesterday?” she asked Slate while eying his ensemble approvingly but without comment.

“Yeah, he followed me home and saved my dinner from a couple of Mardupe!” Slate replied wryly, to which the Cryote barked in recognition.

“Mardupe?” April asked in a mocking tone. “You know what they are then? Don’t tell me you fell for one of their tricks?”

Slate flushed with embarrassment. He wasn’t sure how much he liked April. Before he could protest, however, Professor Larch entered the room.

“Ah, Slate, how are you feeling?” she asked kindly.

“I’m good, thanks,” he answered.

“Oh, and who’s this?” She enquired, bending to greet the Cryote. “White fur and pink eyes? My goodness, a Shiny variant!”

“Oh, I thought it looked strange,” April said with an air of understanding in her voice.

“Shiny?” Slate repeated, looking the pup over and trying to ignore April’s noise of exasperation.

“A very rare difference in coloration from the norm,” she explained. “Most Cryote have gray fur and turquoise eyes.”

“I saw some like that,” Slate recounted. “They were attacking this one, so I chased them off.”

“Good on you, Slate!” Professor Larch beamed. “One of the reasons Shiny variants are so rare, is that when they do appear, they are often rejected by others of their kind. By the sound of it, you may well have saved this little one’s life.”

Any lingering doubts Slate had about having intervened with the Cryote were assuaged. It may have delayed him reaching the ferry in time, but he knew he had done the right thing now, and he was sure his mother would have approved.

“Well, are you two ready to go?” the professor asked.

“Yes,” they both said.

“There is a problem, though,” Slate added. “Those Pokémon from yesterday—the Slugish—they’re still blocking the ferry dock. Traffic is backed up all the way out of the village. Nobody can get on or off the island.”

“What?” April exclaimed.

“Oh dear,” said the professor. “I suppose the police must be afraid of interfering with the Slugish while they’re communing. We have Pokémon protection rules about that in Nutera, you see. Slugish swarms gather and connect to exchange nutrients, and it can be harmful to separate them while in that state, not to mention dangerous for those who attempt to. Still, it’s odd for them to commune in such a place and shape…”

“So, what do we do, Mom?” April said after a few moments of silence.

After another period of thought, the professor answered, “Head to the Gym.”

“The Gym?” Slate asked.

“Yes. Almony’s Gym Leader, Bella, is quite knowledgeable on the island’s Pokémon population. She might have some ideas on how to move them along safely.”

“Fine, let’s get going then. I’ll show you the way,” April told Slate bossily.

Knowing full well where the Gym was after passing it earlier, Slate bit back a retort and replied through gritted teeth, “Okay.”

As April moved to open the door, she stopped abruptly. “Almost forgot!” she said, turning and picking up a cushion from the sofa to reveal her Rodenki snoozing softly. She stowed the tiny Pokémon in the hood of her jacket and exited the apartment ahead of Slate and the Cryote.

“Well, sweetie, if everything goes well and Bella helps with the Slugish, send me a message. I guess it could be a day or two before I see you again, so give me a big hug,” the professor said before embracing her daughter on the doorstep. “Good luck, both of you. Look out for each other!”

Slate and April bade the professor goodbye and headed down the stairs and off towards the High Street and the Gym.

“So,” Slate started, suddenly feeling awkward, “Do you know much about the Gym Leader?”

“Bella, you mean?” April answered, “My mom says she used to work as a doctor in Pistachion City Hospital. Apparently, she left to focus on natural medicine.”

“Oh, maybe that’s why I couldn’t see a Pokémon Center anywhere?” Slate wondered aloud. “There was an herbalist shop across from the Gym, too. Maybe she specializes in Grass-Type Pokémon?”

April didn’t seem to want to agree or disagree with his conclusion, perhaps because she didn’t want to admit that she wasn’t sure. Instead, she replied, “Well, in any case, I’m sure she’s very busy, so we’ll have to be polite.”

Slate held his tongue at what he felt sure was another of April’s jabs at him. “We should check out these guys’ Pokédex entries,” Slate proposed, changing the subject.

“Good idea,” April agreed, unclipping her green device, and pointing it at the Cryote, while Slate pointed his red one at April’s Rodenki-filled hood, preceding two resounding *ping*s.

SPECIES

#077 Rodenki

DERIVATION

Rodent + Denki (JP: Electricity)

CATEGORY

Gnawing

COLORING

White

Yellow

Dark Orange

TYPE

Normal

Electric

ABILITIES

Pickup

Cheek Pouch

Static

DETAILS

Due to their undeniably cute appearance, they make popular pets for children. Unfortunately, their favorite thing to gnaw on when hungry is electrical wires, so adults tend to think of them as pests.

SPECIES

#065 Cryote (Shiny)

DERIVATION

Cry + Coyote

CATEGORY

Howling

COLORING

White

Light Gray

Pink

TYPE

Normal

-

ABILITIES

Rattled

Anticipation

Quick Feet

DETAILS

They often travel in packs but are known to communicate with their kin over long distances using cries and howls. Their keen senses give them an advantage in and out of battle.

“Cool. So, how long have you had Rodenki?”

April beamed, “Oh, about six months now. She used to show up at the house every now and then, while my mom was working late at the lab. It was quiet with my brother gone too—and a little lonely—so I would leave food out for her. Eventually, she decided to stick around and keep me company!”

“That’s nice,” Slate remarked. “It’s kind of the same as me and Eevee, though, he’s always been with us. It feels weird not to have him around right now.”

“Don’t worry, my mom will take care of your Eevee. Plus, this Cryote seems to like you,” April reassured him.

Slate smiled down at the pup, and it returned his gaze. Soon, they had passed the Slugish wall and the growing crowd of angry islanders, and arrived at the Gym. Its doors slid open automatically and both Slate and April were surprised to find what appeared to be a large pharmacy. The shop was divided in two, with items for humans on the left and items for Pokémon on the right. Beyond was a counter and a Pokémon examination table.

“Are we sure this is the Gym?” said Slate.

Again, April seemed unwilling to say one way or the other, but she turned around, checked the windows, and stated hesitantly, “that’s definitely the official League Gym logo.”

Suddenly, Rodenki squeaked and jumped down from April’s hood, it’s ears twitching. It then dashed away behind the counter.

“Rodenki? Hey, Rodenki! Come back here!” April commanded as the little Pokémon disappeared through a slightly ajar door, and the Cryote followed soon after.

Slate and April exchanged looks of amazement before pursuing them. On the other side of the door, they were shocked to find a large, empty Pokémon battlefield. Rodenki and the Cryote were already half-way across it and running toward another door on the other end of the room.

“Come back here, Rodenki,” April hissed, “we’re not supposed to be in here!”

“Here, Boy!” Slate beckoned to no avail.

Slate and April resigned to crossing the battlefield to retrieve the mischievous Pokémon. They approached the distant door, when they were startled by raised voices. In the room beyond, they could hear a man yelling, “Just make it obey us, Doc!”

A much softer female voice replied, “You may be able to control the others, but Dokunai is my partner Pokémon, it would never obey anyone but me, and I wouldn’t advise trying to release it again unless you’re prepared to risk serious injury.”

“I’ll make do with her other two Pokémon. That one’s more trouble than it’s worth. Just leave it,” a raspy-voiced woman spat. “We only really needed the one to control the Slugish anyway. Now that the capture team are well and clear, we should get back to headquarters.”

“April,” Slate whispered, “I think it might be Team Shade in there!”

“And it sounds like they have Bella!” April responded, panic-stricken. “What are we going to do?”