They experienced a critical failure at the bike shop: no manager, whom the sign outside the shop claimed was Rad Rickshaw. There was, however, a pimply-faced intern sweeping the floor.

Hanny pointed at the bike rack. "You will sell us two bikes. Now."

Manny and Mint were ogling the bikes like Houndoom in a meat shop. There is something primordial between a boy and his first bike. It is a mystical connection that transcends person, place and time.

"Hanny, how come you don't want a bike?" Mint asked in the same incredulous tone he would ask why she refused the sweet breath of life.

"I have a Ponyta. Manny has one, too, but his thighs are so sore from riding that he can barely stand."

"Huh! I was wondering why he was walking like he badly needed to use the bathroom."

"I can't sell you any bikes," the intern said in a screechy not-quite-teenager voice. "Rad has the keys."

Hanny had Orric bite the shiny stainless steel lock and chains that bound the anti-walking machines, to no avail.

"Hey, you're not supposed to do that!" the intern whined.

Hanny threw up her arms, turning a shade of purple that made the intern quail. "Where's Rad?"

"He went to the Team Galactic building with some woman with crazy hair. And I mean crazy…"

He was ignored. The three of them went out the door, the girl dragging the two boys who complained that they hadn't gotten a chance to sit on the awesome bikes.

On their way, Mint remembered something. "Manny, Hanny, you've gotta come with me and see the Pokémon statue!"

Without waiting for their inevitably snide remarks, he grabbed both of them and dragged them halfway across the city to the towering statue of a legendary dragon Pokémon.

"My Dad brought me here once. My Mom got so mad at him for taking me out of the house without her permission! He said the name of this Pokémon is 'Porcupine'."

"That doesn't sound…"

Mint grabbed Manny in a headlock. "Listen Manny, my Dad is the smartest Trainer on the planet and the strongest one too; he KNOWS this stuff and you don't, okay?" Mint said in a huff, squeezing his prisoner's neck.

Manny spoke in a tortured voice. "Yes sir. Do you have any other gems of wisdom for us lowly Trainers?"

"Yes! Dad told me that the best way to win Pokémon battles is to make certain all your attacks hit! Avoid enemy attacks for sure!"

"Truly, your father is an endless font of wisdom and knowledge," Hanny said.

"You got that right. Hey Manny, isn't that the same blue-haired guy we saw at Lake Verity?"

"So…" the man in question was talking to the statue, "this is Eterna's Pokémon statue…"

He ruminated for a few moments. Mint let Manny go so they could get nearer.

"Shaping our world are time and space in an intertwining spiral. Revered in Sinnoh are the Pokémon of time and space… Sinnoh's myth… Its truth needs investigation…"

He turned away from the statue, realised he was being watched, and asked the children to stand aside so that he could leave.

"That man is the master of dramatic pauses," Manny said, watching the stranger's long thin shadow move over the ground.

"Do ya think he recognised us?" Mint wondered.

Manny shrugged. "He was more polite than before."

Still, that man, whoever he was, had the same haunted look in his eyes as Charon and seemed to carry an even heavier weight on his mind. He was wearing the same clothes as at Lake Verity, with the same Team Galactic logo, so he was affiliated with the organisation. Did that mean he only wore one outfit, just like everyone else in Sinnoh? Would there ever be a day when Sinnoh would be free of its static fashion sense, where people had to wear the same clothes all the time or no-one would recognise them? Deciding not to speak further, they returned to the matter at hand, walking back the way they came to Team Galactic's HQ.

888

For the umpteenth time during their adventure, the children were accosted by an adult while minding their own business. You'd think adults would have better things to do than stop strange children in the middle of the street and give them 'gifts'. This time it was a gorgeous blonde woman in black clothing. Her eyes were razor sharp and painfully alert, like platinum blades. She looked the three Trainers up, down, sideways and leftways.

"You kids could use the Hidden Machine, 'Cut'!"

"Just like that?" Manny said, trying hard not to be overawed by her presence. Looking into her eyes was like standing on the brink of a high cliff – you didn't know where you stood, and felt terribly uneasy.

"Yes. Just like this," she said, and tossed them a CD. Mint lunged forward to catch it.

"Excuse me; do any of your Pokémon know Earthquake?" Hanny asked. The woman actually blinked. It was like watching a stone wall register surprise.

"Yes."

"Could you have your Pokémon use Earthquake on the Team Galactic building?"

The woman in black raised one perfect, golden eyebrow.

"I have been monitoring them since their inception. What did they do now?"

"I strongly suspect that they've kidnapped the bike shop owner. I really need bikes for these idiots; dragging them from town to town is tiring."

"I am not an idiot!" Manny whined.

"I think, therefore you are," Hanny replied in kind. Mint was busy examining the CD and being inattentive.

"Well, I might as well start shaking things up from now," the blonde woman shrugged, plucking a Pokéball.

"That's an awful pun," Hanny groaned.

The woman smiled. "I know. Aaron warns me not to take myself so seriously."

Hanny raised her eyebrows. "Aaron, as in Elite Four Aaron?" She had suspected something about this woman…

"Don't jump to conclusions! There's more than one Aaron in the world," the woman said, but was no longer smiling. Clearing her throat, she summoned nothing less than a Garchomp. For those of you who have not met one in person, a Garchomp is a six-foot tall, blue and red death machine made entirely of claws, teeth and spikes.

"BIG land shark! So you DO know Aaron! No normal Trainer has a Garchomp!" Hanny said. The woman sighed, petting the ferocious creature who nuzzled her hand.

"Fine. Yes, I do know the Elite Four's Aaron. Me, and the few thousand other Trainers who challenge the Sinnoh Pokémon League! Garchomp, use Earthquake on that building, but don't destroy it!"

"Gar-" the enormous dragon lifted one foot to stamp the earth, "CHOMP!"

Everyone within sixty yards of the building was knocked clear off their feet - everyone but the blonde beauty. The ground continued shaking a few moments longer. It was long enough for every single Galactic goon to vacate the premises in a panic.

"Come on, Manny, I see their leader! She's with some guy who's NOT wearing their ridiculous jumpsuit!"

The three children confronted the Team Galactic commander, clad in the usual black, white, and light grey jumpsuit with the spiky gold "G" emblazoned on her breast. Her hair was a helmet cut, dyed purple with a silly bob on top and bun behind.

"Get out of the way! I am Commander Jupiter and have no intention of dying in a collapsed building with this nimrod!"

"But you kidnapped me!" the nimrod moaned, clutching a frightened Clefairy.

"Hah! I knew it!" Hanny said, blocking her escape with both hands spread wide. "That's not even a real earthquake; I had that lady's Pokémon do it."

Jupiter stared with unabashed envy and awe at the blonde's Garchomp.

"…Very well. I know when I am beaten. You can have the nimrod back, but this won't be the last you've seen of me! I'm a drug dealer in my school! I could kill you if I wanted!"

Jupiter scurried off with her jumpsuit minions. Hanny kicked the nimrod in the shin. He was too busy whimpering about how bad his day was instead of paying attention to her.

"You. Bike shop. Now."

She turned to the blonde beauty in black.

"I didn't catch your name…?"

"I'm Cynthia. I'm off to challenge the Sinnoh League again, but before I go, I'd like you to have this."

Out of thin air she produced a large mottled egg, handing it to Hannah.

She blinked and stuttered. "Which Pokémon is this?" she finally blurted.

Cynthia's eyes glittered. "One of my favourites. It will hatch soon."

"Okay. Thanks, I guess. Good luck with the Elite Four, Cynthia. My name's Hannah, the blonde kid's Mint and the other guy is Manny."

"I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself," said Manny. The moment Cynthia's eyes rested on him the boy got flustered, unable to form coherent sentences and blushing.

"Oh look, it talks back to me now!" Hanny said in mock surprise, placing the egg carefully inside her backpack before she shoved him, Mint and Rad down the road while waving goodbye to Cynthia. The ace Trainer produced a Pokéball, smiling with bemusement at the ragtag group of ten-year-olds herding the grown man towards his own shop.

"Let's go, Garchomp. If living in this insane, illogical world has taught me anything, it's that our fortuitous meeting today means we'll see those kids again… most likely on the field of battle."

888

"Okay, I'll give you kids a free bike for saving me and my Clefairy."

Manny and Mint were climbing all over the bikes in the display case. The intern was spraying bike chains with WD-40; the most perfect product created by human hands (second only to gyroscopes and video games).

"Two bikes. You will give each of them a bike," Hannah told Rad in a tone that brooked no defiance.

"You'd better listen to her before she feeds you to her Grotle in pieces," Manny said, drawing a finger over his throat, arms and legs.

"But Grotle aren't… listen to me, little girl, each of those bikes costs a million Pokédollars!"

"One MILLION dollars? Are you aware that prize money for defeating the current Elite Four Champion amounts to over twelve thousand Pokédollars, with which I could buy not only this store, but you and your underling?"

"I get paid minimum wage!" the underling boasted.

"Shut up, Steve. Now see here, miss, I will not stand for this!"

"Then I shall break your legs. Or would you prefer that Kipp, my Luxio, gnaw them off?"

"I'm calling the police," Rad shook his head, dialing on his cell phone.

"What police? The only officer I've encountered so far is Looker, and he's a paranoiac at best."

"You're right; I don't even have an emergency number. I should have invested in a terrifying Pokémon enforcer of my own!" Rad groaned, gripping his hair with both hands. The only thing terrifying about the Clefairy hiding behind his legs was her inadequacy.

"The laws of natural selection apply to this world. Why do you think the Elite Four keeps the peace, determine which towns have Gyms, which people are fit to lead them? They are our only form of government; a dictatorship!"

"My entire life is a pathetic tale of oppression!" Rad blubbered, waving Steve towards the boys. "I will be nothing until I am a real Pokémon Trainer, and not just some guy who caught a Clefairy because he thought it was cute!"

Hanny rubbed her paws together. "Excellent."

Steve unlocked the bike rack, causing Manny and Mint to salivate uncontrollably.

"Dibs on the red! Hey, you can't have the same colour!" Manny and Mint yelled at the same time, then fell to fisticuffs. After five minutes, four blackened eyes and a Thunder Wave courtesy of Kipp, the scrap ended. Hannah selected a matte maroon bike for Manny and a glossy ruby one for Mint.

"Will these do?" she asked, while Kipp snarled, spiky energised fur bristling.

"Bluhg," they acknowledged.

She smiled equably. "I knew you'd like them." She sprayed the pair with a Paralyse Heal. "Kipp, return." She waved goodbye. "Thank you for the bikes, sir!"

Rad was busy smacking his face into the cash register while his Clefairy watched in dismay.

Steve waved back. "You're welcome!"

Hanny mounted Zeke while her compatriots jumped on their bikes, then fell over.

"You don't know how to ride a bike?" Hannah laughed at them both. The boys turned red and made a second attempt with the same result, arms and legs tangled in the frames and wheels.

"We need to buy helmets and pads for our knees and elbows," Manny said after freeing himself.

"You don't have to. Being injured over and over is part of the learning process."

"Yeah I guess so. You fell off Ponyta lots of times growing up didn't you?"

"No, my Mom and Dad helped me. Your parents won't; they're still mad at you, so suck it up! It's just cuts and bruises!"

"Yeah!" Mint said, trying to pedal but not making it more than one yard before crashing. "Ow! My knee!"

"Is it broken?"

"Nuh uh, let's keep going!"

Hanny snapped her fingers. "Oh, I knew I was forgetting something! We forgot to loot the abandoned Team Galactic HQ."

"You go ahead Hanny, we'll need a few minutes..."

Manny crashed into a wall. The wall was not impressed. "...Maybe more than a few minutes. See ya later!"

Hanny robbed Galactic HQ blind, locating an Up-Grade on the top floor. Zeke waited outside.

"Zeke, why are boys so dumb?"

Zeke offered a snort as she hopped onto the saddle.

"Why can't boys be smart like Rapidash? You're gonna be one someday, aren'cha, Zeke?"

His whinny was noncommittal.

"Oh, don't be like that. You'll be a fine stallion. Considering how much in love Manny is with his bike, I'm sure you'll evolve faster than his mare."

His snort was a bit more optimistic.

Later she and Zeke caught up with the boys at the gates to the Bike Path.

"Learned how to ride yet?"

The boys were covered head to foot in dirt, cuts, scrapes and bruises. Their clothing was torn at the elbows and knees. Their bikes were banged up but still working.

Mint gave a thumbs-up. "We sure did!"

"We're MASTER CYCLISTS now so we're going down this long and dangerous route!"

"Whoa, there, cowgirl, you can't ride Pokémon on the Bike Path!" one of the guards behind the counter yelled as Zeke tromped through.

"Says who?"

"Uh, says me?"

"How are you going to stop me? There isn't a locked gate you have to open, and unless my eyes are failing me, there are motorcyclists tearing up and down your exclusive bicycle path."

"Well, those guys are scary!" another guard whined. "They scared away all the regular cyclists!"

"Trust me, I'm much scarier, and I'm a pyromaniac."

Zeke made a point of stomping a hoof, snorting loudly at the guard, who squeaked.

The other guard wagged her finger. "Go through then, but we're very cross with you!"

Hannah reeled back, her hands fluttering to her chest. "My heart, you have shattered it with your cruel words!" She then laughed. "Come along, li'l doggies, we have bikers to humiliate!"

Hannah rounded up Manny and Mint, leading them forward.