“Cryote? So that’s what they were called, huh?” Slate remarked upon spotting the wild Pokémon. “No, it’s not mine. We met earlier. I guess it must have followed me.” Slate instinctively moved toward the wild Cryote, but it immediately scurried away into the nearest alley.

“Weird,” said April. “Oh well, let’s go inside.”

Slate followed April up the steps and after a rhythmic knock on the door, into her home. There, they were greeted by a worried-looking woman with green spectacles and brown hair tied in a messy bun.

“You’re back quickly, April,” the woman said with concern, emerging from the kitchen wearing a white lab coat over a casual outfit. “Oh, who’s this?”

“This is Slate Davy,” April explained wistfully. “I met him on my way. He was already in town because he was chasing the guys who took Mrs. Davy. We were too late, Mom.”

“They took Heather?” the professor said with alarm. Then, after a moment of anguish, she quickly turned her attention to Slate. “I’m so sorry, Slate. Please, come and sit down.”

As Slate sat in the nearest chair, April’s tiny Pokémon leaped out of her hood and curled up on his lap. Slate absent-mindedly stroked the Rodenki while telling the professor and her daughter exactly what had transpired earlier that day.

“…and then, they just took off with her! The last thing she told me was to find you. I went after them once I realized they might have to wait for the ferry, but I got delayed by a pack of—Cryote, was it? Then, once I got to the ferry there were all those Slugish things!”

“Yeah, that was weird, Mom,” April commented. “More Slugish than I’ve ever seen had formed a wall around the ferry port. Slate would have made it if it weren’t for them.”

“Oh dear,” Professor Larch remarked. “That doesn’t sound like a natural occurrence to me. Slate, the people who took your mother, can you describe them to me?”

“Well, there isn’t much to say. They all looked nearly identical, all dressed in black suits with slicked back hair, and wearing dark glasses—except for the one who attacked me,” Slate recalled. “I’d remember his face if I saw it again. There was something different about his suit, too. He had a patch on the pocket of his suit, like an emblem or a crest.”

“In the shape of an ‘S’?” the professor asked.

“Yeah, I think so!” Slate confirmed. “Does that mean something? Who are they?”

Professor Larch shook her head in dismay and answered, “They’re members of a group known as Team Shade. I believe they are behind the recent acquisition of Silph Co., but I don’t have any concrete proof. I was hoping your mother would be able to help me with that. Oh, this is all my fault. I should never have involved Heather.”

“Mom, you can’t blame yourself!” April piped up. “With everything that’s been happening in Nutera, we need to get the word out somehow, and Mrs. Davy agreed to help.”

This struck a chord with Slate. “That’s right,” he asserted. “My mom didn’t tell me what was going on, but I know that she’s been concerned about whatever you’ve discussed. She never would have quit her job and moved us here otherwise. She never gives up on a story!”

Professor Larch smiled and responded, “Yes, Team Shade must be worried about a journalist of Heather’s caliber nosing around. Unfortunately, I think that’s why she was taken. Still, taking her, buying up the lab and coming for me, these are such aggressive moves for a company trying to stay in the dark. It might indicate that they’re getting ready to act…”

“So, what do we do now? Should I call the police?” Slate asked.

“I’m afraid the Nutera police have been infiltrated, so we can’t rely on them,” the professor advised. “Heather sent you here knowing that. We had a plan, you see. We were going to enlist the two of you to assist us!”

April and Slate looked to each other in confusion before asking in unison, “The two of us?”

“Well, not just you two. I’ve already been in touch with Julian.”

“Julian!” April protested out of the blue.

“April’s older brother—” Professor Larch started to inform Slate.

“Only a year older!” April clarified grumpily.

“—He became a Trainer six months ago. They’re a little competitive.”

Slate nodded in understanding. He had a similar rivalry with his older brother, Jet.

“Anyway, you’re both due to begin your Pokémon journeys. We hoped you would report back any unusual findings as you explore the region,” the professor informed them. “There would be instances where your guise as Trainers would allow you to go places or do things that Heather wouldn’t have been able to alone. What happened to you and your mother today, Slate, proved that Team Shade are at least wary enough not to kidnap a minor. That means that you will be able to travel in relative safety without arising suspicion.”

“But I wasn’t really planning on going now that you might be in danger,” April mumbled, apparently conflicted about her feelings for her mother and her desire to catch up to her brother.

“Nonsense,” the professor replied quickly, “you’ve been wanting to set out on your own for a while now. Honestly, though, I need you to go. Without Heather, I have no way of gathering evidence outside of the apartment except for through you kids, and Julian doesn’t seem to have the knack for this kind of thing. I need you to tell me what’s really going on in Nutera, April.”

“Okay, I understand that. Even so, wouldn’t it be better if,” April hesitated. “If I went alone? He doesn’t know anything about Nutera—I had to stop him touching the Slugish— he’ll slow me down!”

“April!” the professor chastised.

“Sorry, but it’s true!” the girl asserted haughtily.

“Hey!” Slate objected. “I didn’t know they were Pokémon! Besides, I learn fast. I’ll be just fine on my own. It’s my mom I’m worried about.”

“I don’t believe she will be harmed, Slate,” the professor assured him. “Team Shade are smarter than that. I expect they just want to find out what I’ve told her and give her a scare. I’m confident she will be returned any day now, but if we don’t hear anything by the end of the week, I’ll get the word out. I might not have my lab anymore, but I’ve got enough equipment here to make problems for Team Shade if I must.

“As for the two of you, you should head to Pistachion City—together—that’s where the Nutera headquarters of Silph Co. is located. If they really are connected to Team Shade, I expect that’s where Heather’s been taken. I’ll ask Julian to rendezvous with you there.”

April tutted, pouted, and folded her arms at the mention of her brother’s name.

“Is this really what my mom would have wanted?” Slate asked

“Actually, it was her idea! Although Heather thought she would be doing the investigative heavy lifting, so to speak. When she sent you to Hazell Town to find me, thinking I was still operating the Pokémon Laboratory there, she knew I had prepared for your arrival. You were supposed to come together, and we were going to surprise you and April…”

The professor stepped into the kitchen and returned with her arms full.

“As new trainers, you will still need to go to the Hazell Town lab to register for the Pokémon League Trainer Initiative and receive your starter Pokémon, but I have some things for you here that they won’t provide you with. First, new bags!”

“Thank you!” said Slate appreciatively as he accepted a one strapped, red backpack, and April took a matching green one. Rodenki leaped out of his lap into the adjacent chair and watched with curiosity.

Professor Larch beamed at their reactions. “There’s pockets for everything you’ll need and a few bits and pieces are already inside. Secondly, here’s a Poké Glove for each of you!”

“A Poké Glove?” Slate questioned as he took a single black fingerless glove from the professor and April took a white one.

“Yes! A tool of my own invention. This glove can be registered to your Trainer ID and your subsequent Poké Balls. Once done so, it will magnetically return your balls to your hand after you throw them to catch or release your Pokémon!”

“That’s so cool, Mom!” April exclaimed.

“Finally, your Pokédexes!” Professor Larch announced, revealing a Smart-Rotom Phone for each of them, again, red for Slate and green for April. Slate smiled, guessing that his mother had mentioned that red was one of his favorite colors. “You can use them to identify Pokémon, gather data, communicate and more.”

“Won’t they give us one at the lab, though?” April questioned.

“I’m not sure, but whatever they have won’t be as advanced as my Pokédex,” the professor boasted. “Besides, I don’t want you gathering data for Silph Co.”

Slate looked gratefully at the new items in his lap. He was finally going to begin his Pokémon journey. His mother had planned it all out with Professor Larch. He just wished she could be here with him. However, he was somewhat relieved to have a plan. First, he needed to head to Hazell Town, and then on to Pistachion City. If his mother hadn’t been in contact by then, he would storm Silph Co. if he had to.

“I’m afraid I only have two Silph Balls, and one is for Rodenki,” Professor Larch explained as she handed Slate a single capsule device that was colored differently than a regular Poké Ball. “They’ve raised the prices again, so you’ll have to earn some Poké Dollars.”

“Sorry, I only understood about half of that,” Slate joked, mystified by the strange gray and purple colored ball, and distracted by April officially capturing what must have been a pet Rodenki with the ball she was given.

“Oh, of course, that’s something you wouldn’t know about,” Professor Larch answered. “Actually, it’s related to one of the strange issues I’ve been investigating. You see, for some reason, standard Poké Balls don’t work in Nutera. Silph Co. have created a series of working models, but they’ve been profiting off the problem and raising their prices exponentially.”

April interjected at that point, “Instead of the Poké Balls, Great Balls, Ultra Balls and Master Balls you’re probably used to, Silph’s been flogging us their Silph Balls, Super Balls, Hyper Balls and Max Balls. They’re exactly the same if you ask me. The good thing is that as Trainers, we’ll be able to exchange Poké Dollars earned from official League activities for items sold in Poké Marts, including Silph’s balls.”

“That explains it!” Slate exclaimed, jumping to his feet, and reaching into his jacket.

“Explains what?” April asked, startled by his sudden movement.

Slate pulled his classic, red and white Poké Ball from his pocket. “Eevee’s trapped inside! Professor, can you help?”

Professor Larch appeared to wrestle with something before taking Eevee’s ball and replying, “Follow me,” and heading into the kitchen again.

Slate acquiesced and stumbled upon a surprising sight. The small kitchen was packed full of odd machines, computer screens and other electronic equipment. It was a wonder how the Larches ever cooked a meal—if they indeed used the inaccessible oven and other appliances.

Professor Larch loaded the Poké Ball into a device that resembled a Pokémon transfer machine. After some noises and flashes, a screen loaded up and presented a page of data, including a stock photo of an Eevee.

“Hmm. Okay, Slate,” Professor Larch began, “Eevee’s Poké Ball certainly has been affected by the bug. You won’t be able to use this ball in Nutera, even if it wasn’t registered to Heather. I think I can help, though. I recently developed technology that can force a transfer of ownership data on Poké Balls, and I’m sure Heather wouldn’t mind us using it. However, it proposes negative applications. Imagine if thieves got a hold of it. They would be able to steal Pokémon and get away with it. Because of that, I discontinued my research.”

“So, you can’t help?” Slate questioned.

“No, I can, but it will take some time to restore my software. At least a day or two, and I’ll need to hang on to that,” the professor confirmed, indicating to the Silph Ball in Slate’s hand, which he returned to her.

“Should we wait then?” April proposed.

“But my mom…” Slate mouthed.

The professor looked thoughtful for a few minutes before concluding, “No. Slate, you go home and pack your bag with everything you need. Come back tomorrow morning and head to Hazell Town with April. You’ll both register for the Pokémon League, get your Trainer IDs and your starter Pokémon, earn some Poké Dollars, and buy some Silph Balls. Then, head back here when you’re done, I’ll update your Pokédexes and Poké Gloves with your IDs and give you access to my PC network, so your stored Pokémon don’t go to Silph. Hopefully by then, Eevee’s transfer will be complete!”

“Sounds like a plan!” said April.

Slate nodded in agreement, feeling a little better with such a clear plan of action laid out. This was it. His Pokémon journey was about to begin.