| Rio POV |
We're moving fast. Null's practically flying down the route with May on his back, Treecko cradled against my chest like some weird rescue mission cargo, I know that it's foolish to be so close, but honestly? The worse that could happen is me getting a new form or something.
Verdanturf Town finally comes into view, a little too peaceful for the chaos we're hauling in. I don't even bother with a dramatic entrance — we blast through the Pokémon Center doors like we're being chased by a horde of angry Beedrill.
Nurse Joy looks up, smiling that standard-issue Joy smile. "Welcome to the Pokémon Cent—"
"Emergency!" May blurts, cutting her off and pointing to Treecko. "We need help — fast!"
The smile fades in an instant as Joy rushes over. She takes one look at Treecko's flickering, corrupted glow and her face tightens. "Bring her here — now."
I set Treecko gently on the examination table. Machines beep. Scanners whir. Joy works fast, assisted by a swarm of Chansey's that popped in out of nowhere, chanting together as what looks like a light screen isolates me and Treecko from the surrounding, "Not saying I don't understand why you did it, but I still think you're over reacting." I look at the people outside with a deadpan, deciding to just sit by and wait.
"Can't risk you being contaminated..." She sighs and goes back to her screens and buttons, I could probably break through the barrier, but I would feel like shit if I got someone killed just because of ADHD.
"Joy?" May ask, trying to keep her voice steady.
She doesn't look up.
"You did good to bring her here, but... her chances are slim. We've had cases like this pop up every few hours for the last couple of days."
Joy's voice is quiet, grim — like she doesn't want to admit it out loud. My ears twitch, my gut twisting tighter than I'd like.
"Cases like this?" I echo, narrowing my eyes. "You're telling me this isn't the first time a Pokémon showed up glowing like a haunted Christmas ornament?"
Joy hesitates, fingers pausing on the controls. "Not exactly like this. But… similar enough. Contamination we couldn't explain. Energy we couldn't trace. It never ends well."
Null lets out a low rumble beyond the barrier, pacing like he's ready to break it down himself. Combusken's claws tap a rhythm on the floor, her fire dimmed but ready. Ralts clutches the barrier, looking at me like I'm supposed to have all the answers.
I don't. Not this time. I have no idea what this Xenoverse even is. Rotom probably has the answers, but he's floating off in a corner with his screen flickering, mid-update like some possessed Tamagotchi.
"System update at 34%! Installing Ultra-Important-Ultra-Secure-Ultra-Deluxe-Premium Patch! Do not turn off!"
Oh great. Probably downloaded a virus clicking on some shady pop-up promising 'FREE POKECOINS!!!' or whatever the hell distracted him this time.
"Of course you break down now," I mutter, shooting him a look as he spins in a sad little circle, completely useless.
May grips the table edge, glancing between Treecko and Nurse Joy. "So what do we do? What helped in those other cases?"
Joy shakes her head, lips pressed tight. "Nothing did. The contamination spread too fast. We couldn't stop it."
The words hit harder than I expect. Even Null freezes, his tail still for once.
They couldn't, but could I? I don't think the system would give me a mission I had no hope of completing...
[Quest: Forgotten origins]
Objective:
A lone and injured Pokémon is nearby. Find it before it's too late.
Optional Objective:
Don't get it killed, no seriously, don't get it killed.
No. Something's wrong. The quest needed me to find the Pokémon, not necessarily cure it. So why haven't I finished the mission yet?
I clench my fists, cursed energy crackling to life around me, heart pounding. "What am I missing?"
And then—The realization hits. Treecko wasn't the mission.
The next second, I don't think. I move.
With a roar, I smash through the barrier Nurse Joy put up — glass shatters, light screen fizzles out, alarms blare, but I don't care. I tear through the Pokémon Center doors, boots — no, paws — hitting the ground hard. The town blurs around me as I sprint.
Null's howl echoes behind me, May shouting something I can't catch. Let them follow. I can't waste time.
The trail — that energy. I know it now. The way it clung to Treecko's aura like oil on water. Sickly violet, pulsing wrong. I can still feel its echo in the air. I chase it, eyes narrowed, aura senses stretched wide like a net.
Back to the tunnel. Back to where it started.
The world's quiet out here. Too quiet. No wild Pokémon daring to cross my path this time — maybe they feel it too.
I reach the spot we found Treecko. My breath comes hard, cursed energy burning off my fur in flickers of pink light, my pulse loud in my ears.
Focus.
I drop to a knee, press my paw against the earth, and let my aura flow out. The familiar energy signature — warped, heavy, wrong — it's here. But not Treecko's.
Deeper. Fainter. Leading away from where we found her.
My eyes snap open.
The real target's still out there.
And I'm going to find it.
May POV
Null tears off after Rio, his massive form surprisingly quick as his claws dig into the dirt, tail lashing like a whip behind him. Ralts clings to his back, using her powers to push them faster, holding on tight as they disappear down the route, chasing after the pink blur that is my Lucario.
"Wait! Rio! Null—!" I start forward, but they're already gone, dust and wind left in their wake.
I let out a shaky breath, hand pressed to my chest to calm my racing heart. Damn it. He's too fast. They're too fast. I know Null's trying his hardest, but even he can't keep up once Rio has fully pressed down on the gas pedal.
The Pokémon Center doors, or what's left of them anyways, shut behind me as i go back inside. The place feels colder now, emptier somehow without the others.
I glance back at Nurse Joy — she's pale, hands braced against the shattered remains of her light screen, trying to steady herself.
"Joy… are you okay?" I ask softly, stepping over the bits of broken glass and tech.
She exhales, trying to compose herself. "I didn't think he'd break through so easily… I should've known better. That energy coming off him — it was like nothing I've seen."
"Ah? Yeah he calls it cursed energy, turns him pink for some reason too."
Neither of us speaks for a beat. The only sound is the soft beeping of the medical equipment still monitoring Treecko's fragile vitals.
I pull out my PokéNav, fingers trembling just a bit, and hit speed dial. Dad picks up almost instantly — must be early where he is, but he always answers my calls.
"May? What's wrong? You sound out of breath."
"Dad… We need help. It's Treecko — Brendan's Treecko — we found her, but she's in bad shape. Contaminated with something. Nurse Joy said it's energy she's seen before, but she couldn't explain it. Rotom called it X-Energy. Do you— do you know what that is?"
There's silence on the line. My heart sinks a little.
"…X-Energy?" he finally says, voice low, cautious. "No. No, I've never heard of anything like that. Where did it come from? What happened? Is Brendan there too?"
"That's just it. We don't know! She's glowing, pulsing with this sick violet light like something's inside her that doesn't belong. Joy says she's seen it before in other cases — and those Pokémon didn't make it. As for Brendan, we found no sign of him, and he isn't picking up my calls..."
I can hear him moving on the other end. Papers rustling. The creak of his chair. He's in full research mode now, I can tell.
"May, listen to me. Stay at the Center. Keep Treecko stable. Don't go chasing after anything else — not until we know what we're dealing with. And Rio? Where's Rio?"
I glance at the door like I might still spot him. "Gone. It looked like he realized we might be missing something. Null and Ralts followed, but… he's too fast, Dad. I think he's already heading back to where we found Treecko."
Birch mutters under his breath — I can't catch the words. Something like "Not again… always in the middle of it…"
"Dad?"
"I'm contacting some people. Old colleagues, researchers who specialize in… anomalies. Stay put. And May — no heroics. This isn't something we can solve with Potions and Poké Balls."
"…Okay. Okay, we'll wait for your call."
The line goes dead. I let out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding and glance at Treecko through the newly put up barriers, triple layered this time, her breathing shallow but steady for now.
"Hang on. We'll figure this out. I promise."
Word Count: 1515
Do you need a quest marker or something?
MC: Would appreciate it.
You sure you won't just start scaling mountains to get there directly?
MC: What do I look like? A Skyrim player?
...
MC: I 100% will be doing that.