Please note that the following is a way retelling of an event from Professor Rowan's memories.
A family of three sat around a table, a hot meal steaming in the middle. His mother, busy serving portions, set a plate before her toddler sitting in a high chair. The little one clapped their hands together in excitement.
This was Professor Rowan, as a child.
His father had already been served and was carefully cutting his meal into smaller, more manageable pieces. Beneath the table, his mother's Shinx and Pachirisu entertained themselves. Underneath his father's chair, his Gastrodon lay in slumber with a plump belly from a large lunch.
Warm words were shared between the two as they began to eat. His mother progressed much slower in the consumption of her meal, though that could be attributed to splitting her time between feeding her toddler, correcting inappropriate meal play, and eating her own meal.
Every time his parents were busy talking, Shinx and Pachirisu amused little Rowan, tickling his toes and making interesting noises as they scrambled up and down his high chair. Rowan, noticing his mother occupied with enjoying a bite of her meal, sneaked a little food to the two little Pokémon.
Outside, the wind howled fiercely, rattling the door as it buffeted the house. Distantly, a sound that could only be described as a howl rose above the wind, muffled but still noticeable. The family paid it little mind, used to the occasional wild Pokémon noise in the night.
As the storm outside worsened, the meal came to a close.
Rowan's father began collecting the dishes to prepare them for washing. His mother, on the other hand, cleaned him up, wiping away the mess with a wet rag. The wind continued to howl, but it was only when the last dish was placed in the drying rack that the howl returned—this time much closer than before.
His father, now concerned, moved to the window and peered outside. Rowan instinctively followed his movements.
He looked outside too. There was a vast open plain, with Route 202 blocking their view in the distance. The route, located in southwestern Sinnoh, connected Sandgem Town and Jubilife City.
The storm overhead was darkening the landscape, making everything harder to see. Despite all that, or maybe because of the emptiness of the landscape, a white form stood out in stark contrast to the surroundings.
A white, shaggy figure moved through the storm, its red eyes locking with him. The two shared a brief moment of intense eye contact. Then, a flash of lightning struck, illuminating everything for a split second before plunging the world back into darkness. When the flash faded, the creature was gone—vanished as if it had never been there at all.
That was the warning.
Next week is Rowan's birthday. He was going to be three years old. He had his own thoughts and observational abilities.
His mother was walking down a grocery aisle in Sandgem Town when she met up with a friend. They talked about the usual things—the unpredictable weather, how it was sometimes sunny and sometimes stormy.
Once those topics ran dry, however, the two friends started gossiping. The main topic of gossip for the past week had been the sightings of the "walking disaster."
"The walking disaster," one friend claimed, "has eyes as red as a Krabby's shell and the iron will of Girat—"
"Shhh, what are you saying?" she hurriedly cut her off, looking left and right before continuing, "Don't be silly... you—"
This kind of conversation went on for a while, back and forth, but both agreed that the Pokémon was a bad thing to have around. The two ladies discussed where the Pokémon had been seen most, arguing over whether it had been spotted near the SLP-1 nuclear plant or the Sandgem Dam.
This was the first time Rowan started showing interest in the existence of this creature.
Time passed once again.
Night fell, and the family slept deeply in their beds. Silently, the door to the bedroom creaked open, and a ghostly white form slipped inside, moving ever so quietly.
It turned its sad gaze toward the sleeping couple, before a flash of determination hardened its eyes.
Gently, it grasped the child, Rowan, in his pajamas, and carried him in its mouth. Rowan awoke, delighted by the Pokémon in front of him. He stroked its soft fur and played with the fibers dangling from its mane.
"Wow, you're real..." Rowan whispered softly.
Turning toward his parents, the walking disaster prodded them awake with its scythe-like appendage. His mother swallowed a shriek at the sight of the Pokémon at her bedside, waking her husband, Gastrodon, Shinx, and Pachirisu.
Sparks crackled from Shinx's body, while yellow circles of electricity appeared on Pachirisu's cheeks, crackling as they braced themselves to defend against the intruder.
"Gastrodon, use—"
"NOOO!!!" his mother quickly stopped whatever his father was about to do.
Only then did he realize—Rowan was in the creature's mouth. Despair filled them both, but his father wouldn't give up.
Acting on pure instinct, he lunged forward in an attempt to grab his child. The white-cloaked Pokémon merely danced back to the door, its eyes locking with the two humans.
It flicked its gaze toward the entrance of the house, before leaving with Rowan in tow. The family rush after it, as the walking disaster makes a getaway with the little Rowan.
His father had the wit about him to grab the keys, and even his mother grabbed the Pokéballs for Gastrodon, so they didn't have to worry about the Pokémon keeping up. Returning Gastrodon to its Pokéball, Pachirisu hopped onto its trainer's shoulders, while Shinx growled a threatening growl at Absol.
The quartet followed the loping white form up a winding road, heading toward the southwestern hills. The walking disaster led them through the rugged terrain.
As the family went along, they encountered more walking disasters that had also taken other people for an unwilling midnight stroll. Some of the white beasts carried young children, either in their mouths or riding upon their backs.
'It's just like the walking disasters are using the kids as hostages!'
That's what's on everyone's mind right now. Others carry precious belongings or Pokéballs. All in all, it's a proper devastation (a term used to describe a gathering of the Walking Disaster Pokémon) of the white beasts.
Finally, the devastation comes to a plateau of stone far from the town or outlying homes. Those that they have dragged along try to encircle the unwanted beasts, but they deftly dodge and weave through the makeshift attempts to remove their prizes.
Rowan could see his father smouldering with anger, while Pachirisu and Shinx were equally tense. However, their target had eluded every attempt at binding so far. With the child so close to them, they dared not make any rash attacks.
Suddenly, at an unseen signal, the devastation gently lowered their prizes and hostages in unison. It was a very eerie sight.
What was this? Some kind of ritual?
After placing them down, the creatures briefly glanced at the adults before, together, they leaped and began descending the hills in a single, fluid motion.
Rowan saw his mother push his father aside, who was still holding her, to stop him from making any rash moves. As soon as Absol was gone, she shoved him away and ran toward Rowan with all her strength to claim him.
It was an incredibly dramatic sight—parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles crying tears of relief, grateful that nothing had happened to their precious children.
The little ones, who had been taken only moments ago, were now reunited with their families. However, soon all the children realized something was off. Their parents, somehow, didn't feel as warm as they had when they were hostages.
Some of the older children waved goodbye to their captors, but a little girl, a toddler, bawled.
"Waaaaahh!!!"
Her parents, panicked at the outburst, feared this experience might leave a lasting emotional scar.
But to their surprise, the little one's face scrunched up, and her eyes never left where Absol had gone. Her tiny hand reached out, seemingly toward Absol, as if almost pleading, 'Don't go... Stay with me.'
More and more people turned their gaze toward the family with strange expressions, making the little girl's parents feel embarrassed. Her mother wanted to scold her, but before she could do that...
A rolling blackout struck Sandgem Town—or rather, it was far off in the ocean. The bolt was so immense that its flash illuminated the entire area, even reaching the hills where they all stood. After the strike, the town and the hill were suddenly swallowed by darkness.
People scrambled, eager to return to the safety of their homes.
Better to be behind walls, right?
Away from the chaos of the storm and the terrifying unknown.
It didn't take long for them to reach the base of the hill, but as they reached the bottom, something far more troubling awaited them.
A low rumble shook the earth beneath their feet, followed by a deafening roar. From the distant horizon, a massive wave—far larger than anything they had ever seen—surged toward them. They stood just below the hill, not far from Route 202, and if they could see the wave from here…
"Tsunami!!!"
One yelled and panic erupted. Screams filled the air as people turned and rushed back toward the hills, desperate to flee. But the ocean had no mercy.
The colossal wave approached with terrifying speed, its towering form mocking their attempts to escape.
Thankfully, Rowan's little family was at the back of the group, taking their time because they feared Rowan might be traumatized. They were not in a rush, which, in the end, helped them avoid the worst of the tsunami.
However, the three of them saw it.
With a thunderous crash, the wave slammed into Sandgem Town, tearing through the streets and demolishing anything in its path. Buildings crumbled beneath the force of the water, and houses were ripped from their foundations, carried away by the relentless tide.
"Papa!!!" Rowan shouted, pointing toward the family of three—a middle-aged man and woman with a toddler girl, the same one who had been crying earlier.
Without hesitation, Rowan watched as his father exchanged a few words with his mother, his expression serious. Then, he moved swiftly toward the family, stepping forward to offer help.
In the blink of an eye, the peaceful town was consumed by chaos. Streets flooded, and once-familiar places became unrecognizable, swallowed whole by the furious waves. The roar of the tsunami echoed, joined by desperate cries for help.
"Rowan..."
"..."
"ROWAN!!!"
Instantly, the shout from Professor Oak snapped Professor Rowan from his thoughts, and he looked around to see everyone staring at him.
He blinked rapidly, shaking his head to clear the haze from his mind, before turning his attention back to the screen in front of him.
"According to the Pokémon Association's guidelines, any new Pokémon discovery is rewarded, and the Association may offer research grants to support further study of the species. Now, we just need to wait and see if Allen's research will be categorized under Galár or Hoenn. However..." he paused.
He cleared his throat before continuing, "As you know, Allen was the first to discover Milcery's evolution, which aligns with my area of expertise—evolution. So..." Professor Rowan stood up and gave a slight bow to Dracelia and Drayton.
"I owe you both an apology," he said, his tone sincere. "I placed a tracker on Allen's device without consulting you first, as his grandparents. I realize now that it was an invasion of privacy, and I regret not discussing it with you beforehand. My only intention was to ensure his safety, especially with the importance of his research. Please understand, my actions were motivated by a desire to protect him and help with his work."
"And in light of his remarkable discovery, I would like to propose something for Allen's future," Rowan continued. "I'd be honored to sponsor him to attend the Pokémon Trainers' School in Rustboro City."
Rowan waited for a moment, giving them time to process. However, instead of reacting as he expected, Grandma Dracelia seemed more concerned about Allen's safety.
"You said you placed a tracker on him? Can we see where he is now?"
Rowan instantly dismissed his previous thoughts and focused on the current pressing situation. He took a seat in front of the computer, his eyes scanning the data before continuing, "The issue right now is that the signal's down. We can't locate him until the GPS picks up again. For now, we'll just have to wait and hope it's a temporary loss."