Professor Rowan bowed his head to the Alakazam teleporting him, the Psychic Pokémon returning the gesture before disappearing.
That was one of his many favors called in, an old friend who retired from his days as a professional trainer, but still had his team, including a fairly powerful Alakazam.
But this was a discovery that demanded nothing less than extreme urgency, a new Pokémon! A new Pokémon capable of speech!
This was... incredible.
As the years went by, a region would have less and less discoveries of new Pokémon species.
Sure, they were sometimes discovered, but sometimes mistakes were made in identification, or it was merely a mutation, a particularly large Gyarados or an unnaturally muscular Sudowoodo.
Things that at first glance seemed like new species, but upon closer inspection could be easily explained away.
There was a reason regions reestablishing contact with each other were always accompanied by massive waves of research, every professor had a hunger for knowledge.
He began walking towards the building he was teleported in front of, a local League Office.
Walking through the glass door, he saw the Ranger he had been told about waiting for him, he nodded at him, and the Ranger stood up from the plastic chair he was sitting on.
The lobby was sparsely populated, a couple of trainers sitting around, and some others were talking to the receptionist, probably asking for directions or just checking if there was an issue somewhere.
"Professor." The Ranger greeted respectfully. "Akuma is taking one of the tests, he has already passed the psychological evaluation."
Rowan nodded at that, pleased.
Pokémon weren't exactly stupid, but many had trouble grasping human society, the test wasn't hard, failing it wasn't even disqualifying, as the League offered courses for Pokémon that couldn't understand things like traffic laws and property ownership.
"How did you find this Pokémon?" Rowan asked calmly. "Do you know anything about his species? Is there a chance more exist?"
Rowan was glad for his naturally serious expression, it let him hide all the excitement he was feeling.
"Well... he's boisterous, loves to monologue and is very dramatic." The Ranger recounted. "I feel like a lot of what he spoke off were exaggerations or straight up lies, so you have your work cut out for you if you want accurate information."
Rowan hummed at that.
Interesting.
"Thank you." He said genuinely. "Please give my thanks to the Director, too, I left rather rudely last time."
The Ranger laughed at that, waving him off.
"Don't worry about it, we all know how excited new discoveries are." He said cheerfully. "She can handle getting hung up on without any hard feelings."
Rowan nodded gratefully and walked to the nearby chairs, taking out a notebook and a pen as he sat down.
***
30 MINUTES LATER
Rowan heard them before he saw them, a loud cackle broke the monotony of the League Office.
It grew louder as someone approached from one of the corridors, until finally, two birdlike Pokémon entered the lobby.
The larger one was as tall as a person, the smaller one was sitting on the head of his companion.
He thought he recognized the smaller one, a Rookidee?
The larger one had similarities to Corviknight, but it was pure black in color, lacking the metallic armor, and looked slimmer overall.
Its eyes were also clearly different, almost human compared to a Corviknights red glare.
Maybe a regional variant? But there were many Pokémon that looked similar yet weren't even distantly related.
"Ah! I have succeeded!" The Pokémon spoke loudly. "But this is merely the first step towards my inevitable destiny!"
The small Rookidee chirped in excitement, and they both began walking out.
He quickly stood up from his chair, and called out to them.
"Excuse me!" He said, voice loud but polite. "Akuma?"
They both turned towards him, and Akuma's eyes narrowed.
"Ah... an ordinary crow would have dismissed you as a regular human, but I am far beyond them..." The Pokémon began, before pointing at him with one of his wings dramatically. "But I see past your attempts to deceive me, I can sense it, yes..."
Rowan had no idea what was happening.
"You must be a master of disguise! A great foe indeed, hiding yourself away among the common folk, trying to ambush me at my most vulnerable!" He pointed a wing at him. "But such things do not work on me!"
The Ranger had been right, this was going to be difficult.
He was not expecting to be accused of being... an assassin? A spy?
What was this Pokémon even talking about?
"No, I am Professor Rowan." He introduced himself, managing to keep his confusion from showing. "I am here to learn more about you."
A silence stretched out after that, Akuma's expression shifted into a amused one.
"I'm sure you are, do not worry, I shall indulge your request for secrecy." He said confidently. "Do you wish to know my weakness, my innermost turmoil? Feel free to ask, but you shall find that it will not help you."
Professor Rowan stared at the Pokémon, slowly losing hope for any productive conversation.
But he would try his best anyways, science demanded no less!
"Alright..." He started. "I wish to know more about your species, and where you came from."
Akuma's eyes glowed with pride at that, and he opened his mouth-
"Infinite knowledge is locked within my memories, you seek to unravel it? Bold! I admire your courage, so I shall speak of my origins-"
This was going to take a while.
***
"And thus, Sage Mukuro's brutal fighting elevated him to enlightenment, he decided to leave his blood soaked past behind and gathered all the hatchlings, including my father and mother, and hid away, in a dark forest, filled with long forgotten graves...
Rowan looked at the page filled with notes.
It was almost full.
***
"The Watcher proclaimed to him," Akuma solemnly raised his wings skywards, "My realm will be your home. Disease will not touch your people. Wounds of mind and body will be healed. Death will not reach you. You will serve as my messengers and swords." He spoke with utmost reverence, and then shook his head, going back to his usual tone.
"And so, the Crow Clan was taken to the Divine Realm, to serve the Watcher." He nodded to himself, satisfied. "And that is the history of the Crow Clan, with the stage set, we can talk about the more important subject... Me!"
Rowan looked at the notebook he had completely filled with details of Akuma's story.
Theories were scribbled on pages upon pages, connections made between the statements and possible meanings or implications.
But as much as he wanted to hear more, his hand hurt, his wrist ached, and his eyes felt sore.
The worst part is that Akuma's... personality meant he was prone to exaggeration.
That was clear by his second minute of listening to him speak.
'Sage Mukuro killed thousands, blood staining the very ground, the Bunny Swarm was left devastated!' Really? Thousands?
That was obviously exagerated, for the best too, killing happened in the wild, but on that scale it was less killing and more of a massacre.
"That will not be necessary, I think that was enough for today." Rowan said politely.
Akuma didn't seem fazed by this, merely nodding.
"Of course, such a grand tale would go long into the night if I continued." He agreed easily. "I understand that not everyone is imbued with my and my disciple's limitless stamina."
Rowan very politely didn't mention that the Rookidee was asleep on top of his head.
"Indeed." He said dryly. "Well then, I heard you wish to become a Pokémon Trainer?"
"Yes." Akuma said, voice slightly excited. "To fight the strong, to battle through my own weakness! To struggle against destiny itself!" His expression was ecstatic. "I must train, and return to challenge my rival in combat once again."
"I see... well, usually, it is one of my many duties as a professor to support new trainers in their journey." Rowan explained. "So I would like to gift you one of these."
He pulled out a case, and from it, he took a red and white ball, holding it out to Akuma.
A lesser professor would have been caught off guard, but he had prepared both a set of Starters, and an empty Pokéball.
He had predicted all outcomes.
"A Pokéball." He clarified. "Pokémon Trainers traditionally keep their Pokémon inside them, though you will find that most Pokémon are only contained by it through mutual agreement, it offers many advantages to a travelling Trainer, like safety from the elements, easier transportation, and it leaves them rested should the unexpected happen."
Akuma hummed thoughtfully, taking the Pokéball from his hands.
He examined it from all sides, before looking at him again.
"I accept your offering, Master of Disguise." He said and held out a wing. "Give me a second one."
Rowan made a mental note that the wings of this Pokémon were more dexterous than he expected, and either sticky or they had the ability to cling to things, as Akuma held the Pokéball with them.
The ball should not be able to be balanced on a single feather like that.
He used his feathers more like hands.
Ah, right, a second ball.
At this point, he wasn't going to ask for an explanation, he had a guess of what Akuma wanted to do anyway.
He grabbed one of his personal Pokéballs, holding it out for the Pokémon.
Akuma nodded in thanks, and smashed one ball into the sleeping Rookidee's head.
His eyes snapped open as he was sucked in, but a few seconds later, the ball shook, and released the Pokémon again.
Rookidee chirped indignantly at Akuma, who reached down and gently patted his head.
"My disciple, but you are now officially the first member of my team!" Akuma said proudly, before leaning in, threateningly. "So... get in the ball."
And then he grabbed the ball again, and repeated his bludgeoning.
Once more, the smaller bird disappeared into the ball, which began to shake, before stopping.
"An... unusual way of doing things." Rowan remarked with as much tact as possible.
"Yes, to explain my masterfull plan, according to Official League Battle Law 5-A, Chapter 16, Paragraph 34, you are only allowed to use Pokémon registered to yourself, registration, of course, requires a Pokéball."
"You know Official Battle Laws?" Rowan questioned, honestly surprised. "I thought you had no knowledge of trainers or anything related to them."
"I did not, I read through the whole manual yesterday." Akuma said casually.
Ah, this Pokémon was a savant.
What a shame that he did not use his intelect to give more accurate recountings.
"But if I wish to battle myself, instead of using my followers, then I also must have a Pokéball." He continued.
Rowan's eyebrow rose slightly at that.
That was not the reason he expected for Akuma to want the extra ball, he had expected him to use it to prevent anyone else from capturing him, should he be incapacitated and incapable of resisting.
"Interesting... yes, I am not an expert on battle laws, but there is precedence for this." Rowan recalled. "A decade or two ago, a trainer was crippled by an unsafe arena and an overzealous Rhyperior, as revenge, his Gardevoir registered himself as a trainer and... well, it became a big mess, legal and otherwise."
He looked down at Akuma.
"But once the dust settled, and everything was cleared up, the precedent was set." He finished. "As long as Akuma the Pokémon is owned by Akuma the Trainer, you will be able to battle."
Akuma nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, the world will tremble at my passing." He said confidently. "I shall be known across every land, feared and respected, with tales of my strength passing from generation to generation."
Rowan ignored him, it was easier on his mind.
"If you wish, I can give you a satchel and a Pokedex, if you promise to fill it with recordings of your battles, that would be invaluable research material."
"Of course, if you wish to spy on me further, you only need to ask." Akuma said cheerfully. "Do not worry, no matter how much you know about me, I shall remain the superior combatant."
Rowan truly did not understand this Pokémon.
Or rather, he thought he did, but he really didn't want to believe it.
***
3 DAYS LATER
Rowan watched as Akuma strutted into the arena, Rookidee flying around him.
Byron, the Steel-Type Gym Leader of Canalave, stood at the other end, arms crossed over his chest.
He had spoken to Akuma yesterday, after recovering from the hours long lesson on the basic history and lore of his clan, this time, he had come into the conversation with two questions in mind.
One, how did you arrive in this region?
Two, what is your type?
Simple questions, but the answer to them were not.
Akuma didn't know what type he was, in fact, whatever classification of types they used in his home did not match their own, he had claimed to be proficient in all elements, and physical fighting.
Upon further questioning, he discovered that there were 5 elements according to Akuma, Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Lightning.
That matched up very well with the types Ground, Water, Flying, Fire and Electric.
Physical fighting could be Fighting or Normal Type, possibly both.
Of course, he was taking everything Akuma said with a grain of salt, but observation would provide far more reliable data than asking him.
As for the first question...
He claimed that an unknown event had happened, which had resulted in him appearing in front of his rival, he was sent back, also through unknown means, and then, after two months, he had managed to convince the Watcher to send him back to his rival.
Apparently, his rival had no patience for Akuma's boasting, as it ended with him being slammed into the ground, and shortly after, being found by the rangers after fighting a pack of Mankey.
He was curious about this so-called rival, so after a bit of pressing, he revealed his knowledge of the move Transform.
The Pokémon he transformed into was... unfamiliar at the time, but something in the back of his mind had sparked.
When he arrived at his hotel room, he spent hours digging through old papers and studies until he found what he was looking for.
An old thesis written by an archaeology student, about an ancient religion that worshiped Arceus.
The existence of Arceus was already debated hotly, but in that paper, there were 3 sets of murals, depicting a Pokémon that looked just like Akuma's transformation.
It brought more questions, these not so light-hearted like 'What is your type?' or 'How did you get here?', no, this was far more complicated.
Well.
If nothing else, proving the existence of Arceus would be a historical discovery that would shake the world to its core.
If Akuma could find him at least, and if that really was Arceus.
Rowan himself was far too old to go on some journey to find Legendary Pokémon.
"On the blue side! The Gym Leader, Byron!" A voice rang out from above them. "On the red side, the challenger! Akuma!"
The crowd cheered as the speakers riled them up.
This technically was a first badge match, but the novelty had drawn quite a crowd, which seemed to please Akuma greatly.
"Two Pokémon each! Trainers ready? Then... Begin!"
Rowan sat back and prepared his notebook.