On the north-eastern border of the Sinnoh region lies a giant island known as the Battle Zone, comprising of three areas known as the Fight Area, the Survival Area and the Resort Area. At the Villa, a luxurious two-storey house situated right at the center of the Resort Area, a new story is about to unfold...

“Dear Mother,

Thank you very much for your many advices. I'm writing to inform you of my progress. My two very good friends, Diamond and Pearl, have set off on their journey. During our battle at the Spear Pillar, we gained access to a notebook from a man called Charon, describing and depicting a number of legendary Pokemon, which Diamond and Pearl have decided to investigate upon. As for me, I am continuing to work towards my goal, and today I shall set foot on the Battle Zone. Being on my own once again, I am extremely anxious, but I will not run from it. Please pray for me that I will meet up with the International Police uneventfully.

Until next time,
Platinum”...

Stepping out from his grand house into the front yard with his three Beldums, Steven Stone takes a final look at his surroundings, and the real estate sales, a young lady probably in her late twenties, wonders if the man has really made up his mind to let go of such a fine Villa. Steven grins that it doesn't bother him at all, and wants to know if the procedures are all complete. The real estate lady assures him that everything has already been taken care of, and hands him the tenant's release document.

As Steven signs his name on the paper, the real estate lady remarks that if her memory serves her right, Steven has come to Sinnoh in search of rare stones. Steven nods, and says it was why he has built the Villa as a place to stay. However, now that he has already found all the stones he sought, including the Odd Keystone, the Shiny Stone, the Dusk Stone and the Dawn Stone, there is really nothing left for a stone collector to do in this region anymore.

Steven makes a call to his father to inform him of his pending return to Hoenn, and sends out his Metagross to go airborne on it. The real estate lady waves goodbye as she sees him hover off, and sighs in bemusement that only rich people can build such luxurious manors in a whim, and then just as easily sell it off. She decides to take a look at the profile of the next tenant, and immediately lets out a gasp when she sees that it is a young lady of equal wealth if not more, being the daughter of a super rich scholar.

Meanwhile, at the Survival Area, fierce battles are taking place inside a building called the Battleground. A young girl with bright pink hair, Mira, zealously orders a Psychic from her Alakazam, while her opponent, a woman with long green braided hair named Cheryl, calmly states that her Pokemon has a naughty behaviour, and retaliates with Blissey's Hyper Beam. On the adjacent stage, Buck, a red-headed boy, exudes confidence as he commands Claydol to use Calm Mind, but his opponent, Marley, a girl dressed in black and white, sneers that she wouldn't lose and has her Arcanine deliver a Flare Blitz.

Outside the window, a man wearing a suit under a long trench coat spies on the four, and murmurs to himself that the Battleground is where highly skilled Pokemon trainers engage in intense fights. Naturally, trainers who hold important information will also gather here. Taking a final sip from his carton of milk, the man decides that he should begin his investigations, and pulls out a pair of goggles named the Excellent Scope, gadget number 1 of the International Police Arms.

The man places the scope over his eyes and starts to zoom in on his view, but before long, the goggles pop without warning and crumble into pieces. The man grunts that leftover sales items are never dependable, and regrets being tricked by their cheap price. He then resorts to sneaking into the building himself, and pulls out gadget number 2 of the International Police Arms, the Invisible Cloak.

Creeping through the front door, the man flattens himself against a brick wall, which pattern is instantly mirrored by the cloak. The man muses that the Battleground isn't so difficult to break into after all, since no one seems to have noticed him, but just as he thinks that, Buck suddenly bolts his head around and calls for a halt in the battle, much to Marley's annoyance.

The red-headed boy quickly hops off-stage, and walks straight up to where the man is, demanding to know the identity of his strange visitor. Buck hollers that his elder brother is one of the Elite Four, and threatens to call upon him if the man plans to cause trouble. However, before he can do anything, the man swiftly moves towards the front door, still under the camouflage of his Invisible Cloak, and in the blink of an eye, dashes out like a breeze, leaving a furious Buck cursing after him.

The man breathes out a sigh of relief, and is slightly taken aback by the young boy's eyesight since ordinary people shouldn't be able to detect his presence. He would still have preferred to gather a bit more information before he meets the new ally he is scheduled to see, but it seems like he had better head towards their scheduled meeting place for now.

A while later, back at the Resort Area, Lady Platinum Berlitz stands next to her Empoleon, Rapidash and Lopunny, and exclaims at the magnificence of the Villa. She believes that it will be the perfect place for her to stay while she challenges the Battle Frontier, and proceeds to sign her name on the new tenant's document of ownership. The real estate manager explains with a grin that the handover procedure is now complete, and wishes Platinum a nice day before excusing herself.

Up on a tree next to the Villa, the man in long trench coat spies on Platinum, and believes that she must be the person he is waiting for since he heard that his new ally would gain ownership and move into the Villa today. Remembering the secret words they have agreed upon for identification, the man decides to confront the girl face to face, and digs out the Variable Rope, gadget number 3 of the International Police Arms.

He hurls the end-hook of the rope to a distant pole, and begins to glide over with the help of a pulley. The moment he gets close, Platinum senses a presence behind her, and quickly bolts around in alert. She order Lopunny to deliver a Focus Blast on the approaching silhouette, but when the dust and ashes stirred up by the attack clears, she only sees a giant piece of rock right in front of her.

Platinum starts to wonder if she was being too sensitive, but then the rock cracks into half, and the man in trench coat emerges from it, explaining that it is gadget number 4 of the International Police Arms, the Protect Rock. Platinum gasps in surprise at the man's unexpected appearance, and her three Pokemon quickly get into combative stances. However, the man looks straight into Platinum's eyes, and begins talking.

Man: The will to think
Platinum: (bolts)...!! Even passing through rocks...
Both: (exclaim) The agreed secret words!

Platinum: You are from the International Police whom I heard will come here today...?
Man: Yes indeed.
Platinum: The real thing?
Man: No coincidence.
Platinum: Did you really take a stroll at the Sandgem Park?
Man: No I did not.
Platinum: Are you really a comedian?
Man: That is not true.

At that point, Platinum jumps in excitement that the secret words all matched, and rejoices with Empoleon, Rapidash and Lopunny that they have successfully met the person they are supposed to see. The man assures Platinum that he is an authentic investigator from the International Police force, and says their job will find them on luxurious liners, in the shadows of towers, and even on top of cable cars. To put it simple, he has companions fighting across the whole world and they will not hesitate to scout every corner of the globe just to fulfill their mission in hunting down the bad guys.

Impressed by the man's passionate attitude towards his work, Platinum puts on a smile and wishes to know a name she could address him with, be it his real one or just a codename. The man reveals his codename to be Looker, and says it is how everyone calls him. Platinum nods in acknowledgement, and proceeds to formally introduce herself, explaining that she is a disciple studying with her father under Prof. Rowan, an authority in the research of Pokemon evolution, as well as being a Pokemon trainer of Sinnoh. The two then shake hands to symbolize the beginning of their companionship, and Platinum hopes that she can learn a lot from Looker.

Gazing out towards the Fight Area, Looker remarks that the Battle Zone has gathered many truly skilled Pokemon trainers, and among them, he is certain that there will be those he is looking for, ones who hold information about the bad guys; and those that Platinum is looking for, ones who hold information about the Distortion World...

(Original Japanese Jokes)
There are no jokes or Manzai in this chapter.