Dawn's hair glided in the wind as she and the other turners arrived at the docks of Alola. A dark aura danced around the region as they touched the docks. A hidden secret roamed the region. But despite the dark aura, the region shined with happiness. Kids raced through the streets while adults chatted about events. Elderly sat on benches, discussing various things while people in uniform ran around to their jobs and tasks. May hummed.

"The aura says one thing, the region says another..."

"Corruption?"

"Not a chance. They all look like they're doing their own work."

"Then what is it? If not that, then why does it seem weird?" May thought back to her call with Max a couple years ago.

~!*!~

"After what happened, there's a lot that you'll need to unmask before you can start playing your hand."

~!*!~

She still hadn't figured that out. He hadn't spoken a word since. And all they've gotten was certain packages from him filled with special items that helped others. And then silence. May glanced at the paper. She hoped that this was right. They went to the address that was there. It looked like a small shack, but the aura almost emitted from it. A familiar voice caught May's attention as a group walked outside.

"Layla, I'll say this once, it wasn't me."

"Sure Max."

"Layla, I still don't know what the inside looks like. How would I be able to?"

"It's called broken cords."

"What?"

The group glanced at each other before walking over. It was a group of three consisting of Max and two girls. Max had confusion written across his face as one of the girls, Layla, eyed him. The last girls tossed a pokeball out and a Pidgey appeared. She did some quick motions with her hands and it grabbed the box from her and took off. The other two did the same before glaring at each other. The other girl sighed before noticing them. She went over and May hesitated. She was obviously mute due to the sign language. And that's what she started with. Drew was the savior that time as he signed back. It took May maybe two seconds before she rammed her elbow into his side.

"Hey!"

"Hi. We don't understand as well as you do." He rubbed his head.

"This is Ella, one of the workers here at Nightwinds."

"Nightwinds...?" Dawn's confusion came up easily. May's mind went back to when she called Max before. The lady had started with that name.

"Is it like a company?" The girl paused before signing.

"Sorta. Depending on how you look at it." May hummed.

"We're here for Max. Can we...?" Ella pulled something out of her pocket with a grin and tossed it. It hit Max and he stopped for a good two seconds before turning to her.

"What?"

She signed something before he noted the group. He signed something to her before she went over and hit Layla. They raced inside as he looked at them. May looked over him. He had definitely changed.

Max has grown enough to where he was almost taller than her, which she wasn't truly complaining about. He wore a white jacket with a green back to it. He also wore a pair of dark, forest green pants. His glasses hadn't changed a bit, which was the only thing that made him recognizable. He had a pale blue mask on his chin and a matching pair of gloves. He had a forest green bag strapped around his waist and a matching blanket-like coat draped on his shoulders like a small cape. He had a headset in and something on his arm. His hair had a small fade at the end of it. His eyes were faded a little bit, but other than that, he looked great for aging without his family. He took a steady breath before speaking.

"Hello... May... guys..."

"Look who it is." May paused as Dawn spoke. His tone was different from before. Why did that give her a warning?

"Look who's talking." He murmured before looking his sister in the eye. "What do you need?"

"I came to talk to you Max. If it's not over the phone or you're not coming home to do it, then I was going to come here and do it." He opened his mouth when a shout came from inside.

"Max! You have a call! Are you coming in?"

"What line?" He called back.

"3!" He glanced at them before touching something on his headset.

"Hello?" He paused for a moment. "Can you hold the line until I get there? Right... yeah but-" He glanced at a certain spot in the distance. "When will she-" He gulped. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Tell her to hold the front until I get there." He smiled. "Thank you." He tapped the headset and sighed.

"What was that about?" His face went a little pale as he turned to them. Apparently he had forgotten that they were there.

"Um..." Someone ran over to him and grabbed his hand. It was a girl in a swimsuit with a robe around her shoulders. A straw hat covered her hair and sandals were strapped to her feet as she tugged him away from the group.

"Let's go! One person can't hold the lines!" Fear crossed his face before he slightly escaped her grasps and bolted in front of her.

"Not if I get there first!"

"If she finishes them before we get there-"

"There's three of them! We have a chance!"

"I'll win!"

"Over my dead body!"

May hissed as they ran after the duo. The girl glanced at them before sighing.

"Oh look. You have a fan group."

"You're the one that pulled me away!"

"Please..." She sighed. He growled a bit.

"I'll get her to take you down."

"I'm even with her."

"Ugh!" He picked up speed instantly. "There isn't a chance that..."

"You're in front of me."

"I need to deal with this."

"I'll cover you the best I can." She pulled out a pokeball. "But that means you're there soon."

"Copy that!"

He skidded to a stop while she made a hard right. It was incredible how easy they made it look. He took a second to pull himself together as he pulled something out of his bag. The turners slowed down as he held out a paper.

"I'm not saying any more. Not now. Unlike you guys, who have time to look around, I'm occupied. If you really want answers, you can start at the bottom of the chain. This will have what you need. You're on your own."

May had frozen at his tone. There it was again. Cold, aggressive, and empty. Why was that? Why did it keep coming back? Dawn took the paper and Max ran off. The moment he left their sight, she went down. Drew grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"May?!" She shuddered.

"I... I'm ok..." She whispered as she leaned on him for support. Worry filled his eyes. "It's just..." Her voice dropped as she continued. "Did you hear it?"

"Yeah..." He whispered back.

"Why does that happen? I can't keep going when he does that..."

"We'll figure it out. He said a lot that made no sense."

"Where to start?"

"At the bottom." Dawn looked over the paper.

"I can't..." She handed it to May, who smirked as the handwriting. It seemed Max had upgraded a little. But the paper was almost like a map.

"I can... sorta read it. But that depends on where we start."

"Huh?" The group circled around her as she looked over the paper.

"Yep. Three different groups Chains." She gazed over the paper. "League, Storybook and Darkseid." She frowned. "It says that three leaders look over the three Chains and are in the League Chain."

"We have to start at the bottom anyways. Let's go home and get research on this group." They nodded as they headed back to the boat. A stare seemed to follow them as the boat left. Dawn looked around and met the eyes of the person watching them. Her eyes widened as Paul mouthed something to her.

"Tiden for å redde høyre side er nå. Hold sjansene dine, tilkall din engel og velg din egen frelsesrute."

And he walked into a shadow as the island started to vanish. Her eyes stayed on the spot where he stood and gulped nervously. Max wasn't the only one with secrets.