Victory Road!

[The URGENT BULLETIN jingle of EV News coming in loud and clear through your PokeGear should be a familiar sound by now, and Reporter Sarah once again appears on screen, her haggard expression suggesting that she wouldn’t blame you if there was a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. But despite looking like she's about to pass out on the desk, she still manages to muster some excitement in her voice.

Breaking news, trainers-- reports are coming in of a once-in-a-lifetime event!

[The screen behind her turns on...and oh, the sights it shows are almost unbelievable.

Raikou and Moltres have settled at the foot of the Bell Tower. Moltres stands majestically with its wings crackling behind its back, while Raikou paces beside it, tail bobbing impatiently. People and Pokemon alike have given them a wide berth, too awestruck to approach, until one of the elder Monks shuffles into view. He stops a respectable distance away and bows on his hands and knees, his words not loud enough to be picked up by the media. Moltres cocks its head while Raikou pauses. When it paces over and nudges the Monk’s bald head back towards the crowd, the volume of the video is turned down so that only the whisper of astonished gasps can be heard.]

The Legendary Raikou and Moltres have appeared in Ecruteak City at the Bell Tower, and do not seem to be budging from this location. While local Monks speculate they are working together to provide protection for a recovering Suicune, the impatient nature of their stances have led some to believe that this unlikely duo may also be waiting for something...or someone.

At this very same moment, similar circumstances have been reported on Olivine Beach!

[The screen’s display shifts - now the steely grey ocean and dull, soft sands play host to Entei and Zapdos. Entei is sitting patiently on the sand, gently lifting intrepid, bundled-up local children off of its body as their parents frantically wave for them to return in the distance. Zapdos circles overhead, letting out a shrill cry with every third circle. It’s almost as if it’s trying to catch the attention of, again, something or someone.]

Pokemon professors and legendary-Pokemon scholars alike have no immediate explanation for this behavior, but EV News will endeavor to continue updating viewers on the situation.

[Hmmm...this is highly suspect. Perhaps, if you’re feeling brave enough, you might want to go out to the Bell Tower to rendezvous with Raikou and Moltres, or Olivine Beach to follow Entei and Zapdos?]

[Ah, the EV News... it has been an informative boon these past couple of months, hasn’t it? That being said, it’s clear from the exhaustion on Reporter Sarah’s face that the tireless coverage of nonstop current events is taking its toll. Ultra Beasts, the Aether Foundation, all those protests outside of Silph Co... even with the hottest of the action settled, it's still been a busy time for those good newscasters. Hopefully, once the last ripples of this most recent flare of chaos have subsided, she puts in for a long and well-deserved vacation. But for now? There is NEWS to report!]

Hello everyone, and welcome to today’s edition of EV News-- starting with an everyday topic that nonetheless affects us all... [She gives the audience her best smile and folds her hands in front of her as a graphic pops up on the screen behind her. “WEATHER WOES”, the title says, flanked by a Rainy Castform and a Snowy Castform, both invoking cold, dreary conditions.]

Johto and Kanto both have been experiencing an early taste of winter this year, as temperatures gradually decrease and rain continues to fall. While routes have luckily avoided wash outs, and towns and cities have yet to report any severe flooding, authorities advise all trainers and travelers to exercise caution. Conditions are slippery and will continue to be so as we move into the end of November. [Sarah sighs softly, echoing the sentiments of many who find this weather intolerable.] Though this time of year always signals the shortening of days, to me it feels almost like they’ve grown too short, too quickly... but, perhaps, that’s the collective exhaustion after October’s intense events talking.

[The graphic behind her shifts to some live footage of Ecruteak City, and while the weather is just as crummy there as it is everywhere else, there’s something trainers might notice right away: the fog that Ho-Oh had blanketed the town AND the Bell Tower with has evaporated at last.]

In some more positive news, the fog has finally lifted from Ecruteak City! [In the bottom-right corner of the screen, a blurry picture of the top of the tower pops up – a vaguely Suicune-like gray smudge can be seen peering over the lip of the building to the world below.] As is sure to relieve the many worried well-wishers, sharp-eyed observers have finally been able to spot Suicune atop the Bell Tower! While the Monks are not offering comment on Suicune's recovery progress, the welcome sight is a relief to all of Johto. We at EV News personally offer our prayers and wishes that Suicune’s condition continues to improve-- without the aid of outside meddling.

[Speaking of such meddling, guess whose face pops up on the screen now! As tired as she is, Sarah manages an air of almost smug satisfaction as footage is played: Lusamine, rumpled and quietly seething as she is escorted from a courthouse by a group of Officer Jennies.]

The Aether Foundation, Alola’s premier conservation organization, is now being charged with several counts of endangerment to the public, among other offenses. While no firm ruling has been brought forth, many legal representatives suggest that a lifelong ban from both the Kanto and Johto regions will be the main punitive action sought from the court. A public statement direct from the Foundation's Alola headquarters has been issued by Assistant Branch Chief Wicke has been issued in regards to the incident:

[A profile picture of an honestly kindly-looking woman appears on screen, and quoted text pops up as a recording plays.] “The widespread fear and damage caused by the actions of our traveling branch are in direct opposition of the ideals at the heart of our Foundation, and I am certain once Miss Lusamine’s senses return to her that she will echo that sentiment. All the same, we acknowledge that even the most sincere apologies could not begin to repair the damage we've wrought or the collective trust we've broken. Even so, we are committed to doing our part to undo the wrongs that have been done.”

[Sarah continues as the screen fades back to her.]

Although investigations are still pending, many of the organization's extended staff, including Miss Wicke, have claimed to be unaware of the extent to which their research was involved in causing the disastrous events plaguing Johto and Kanto in the past two years. Miss Wicke has since authorized a generous donation to be used for the further rehabilitation of the Pokemon recovered from the plane crash earlier this year. Reports received from former employees since the Aether Foundation incident indicate that the Pokemon themselves, while still strongly averse to the unusual creatures associated with the wormholes, have made rapid progress in the last few weeks alone.

[A home video starts to roll, showing a Scorbunny idly playing in someone's living room-- once the camera zooms in, it's clear that it's kicking a live Ember from foot to foot. Sarah's commentary continues, albeit audibly holding back a chuckle as the holder of the camera hastily rushes in to stop the little rabbit from igniting the carpet.]

According to reports from former Aether employees and adoptive trainers alike, the three unknown Pokemon seem to finally be interacting further with the world around them-- even starting to battle in some cases! Trainers’ Pokedex are set to update with new information gleaned from the study of these Pokemon later today, so be on the lookout for that.

[(And, indeed, later on in the day, every Trainer’s Pokedex chimes with an update for entries on your new friends: Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble! Along with space for... evolutions? Ah, but that’s for investigating later! We’ve still got some news to cover!)]

Our last story for today concerns our otherworldly guests...

While they’ve congregated on the Sevii Islands since last month’s events, the Pokemon League is reportedly in talks with the construction crews on Cinnabar Island to create a long-term habitat for them-- or as long-term as necessary. [Shots of Cinnabar Island’s nigh-perpetual construction is shown, as workers place a new sign at the entrance to the site: “COMING SOON: ULTRA BEAST CONSERVATORY”.] As many have been aware, construction on some sort of facility on Cinnabar Island has been stagnated for quite some time, with potential volcanic activity and various ownerships having stalled whatever projects that could have been. Now, with this influx of creatures and no proper home to give them, the League has stepped up to ensure their safety and comfort while scientists work around the clock to find some way to return them to their proper dimensions. Numerous scientific minds unaffiliated with the Aether Foundation or Silph Co have offered bids to head the project, but one thing is most clear: the Pokemon League will allow nothing but the best so these creatures can live their lives unhindered as much as they can while in our dimension.

[Sarah heaves a soft sigh of relief as the ending jingle plays. It’s been a big news day, but for once, nothing catastrophic seems to have happened.]

With that, this is EV News... signing off.