Hey, everybody! Sorry that I've been updating less frequently, but I've been rather busy recently and I will be for the next month or so. But, even though updates will be less frequent, I will still aim to update 1/2 times a week and I still fully enjoy writing this story, so don't worry! I'm not going to abandon it anytime soon, at least!

Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews that you all left on the last chapter. Any questions I received were answered over PM, so please check your PM box and reply if you see the response. Thanks again!

I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review if you liked it! Have a nice day, everybody!

The referee walks over with a small case in hand, the Forest Badge situated comfortably in the middle of it. Gardenia thanks the referee as she extends the case out to Casey, smiling warmly over at her as she does, "Take it, Casey. You've earned it."

Casey reaches out and picks up the badge with her left hand, looking down at it with a broad smile on her face. She glances down at Monferno, who has jumped down from her arms and onto the slightly scorched battlefield, and her smile only grows.

We did it! We got our second badge!

"Ca...! Come o...wa...up!"

Casey groans and rolls over in her bed, burying her face amongst her pillow to try and drown out the voice. She knows who it is, and of course she doesn't want to be rude to them, but she also wants to sleep. Everything's been so hectic lately, what with Brock's Pokemon Egg hatching into a Happiny, and then there was the scandal with the cruise ship just the other day and...well, everything's just been exhausting. Fun and exciting? Definitely, but exhausting all the same, which is why she tries to get some extra sleep when she can.

However, it seems like the person who's trying to wake her up doesn't exactly get the message, as they continue to persist in their attempts to wake her up.

That's it!

Casey sharply turns around and glares up at Ash, who is looking down at her eagerly along with Pikachu, who is perched on his shoulder as per usual, "What is it, Ash?! I'm trying to sleep!"

Ash looks slightly taken aback by Casey's harsh tone, but his excitement erases his hesitation rather quickly, "It's the Champion! She's at Amity Square!"

Maybe it's because she's groggy, but she doesn't fully process what Ash is saying. She responds nonchalantly, "That's great, Ash."

"Great? It's awesome!"

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cries out in agreement.

"Dawn and Brock are already ready to go." Ash explains, "We're gonna go and see Cynthia, and we thought that you'd want to come along."

Casey appreciates that Ash and the others considered her when thinking about their plans, but all she can honestly think about is sleeping. Maybe she can get a few more minutes of sleep in and then catch up with them.

"I'll catch up with you guys." Casey says groggily, turning around and burying her head in her pillow once again, "Go on ahead. I won't be long."

Casey hears the door close after a few moments, signifying that Ash and Pikachu have left the room, likely their excitement becoming too much to wait around with any longer. Casey doesn't blame them. She was excited when she first met Cynthia, and she's excited to see the formidable trainer again, right after she gets a few more minutes of sleep...

Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!

Casey rushes into the main lobby of the Pokemon Center hastily, still putting on her sneakers as she rushes towards the front door. She had only meant to sleep for another five minutes, but she knows for a fact that it's been longer than that. It's been around about forty five minutes to be precise, which is really not good.

"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy!"

Casey looks around, but Nurse Joy is nowhere to be seen. Casey figure that perhaps she has some kind of emergency to deal with so she doesn't blame her, but she could really use some guidance right about now. She actually doesn't have a clue where Amity Square. Usually if she doesn't know where she's going (or if Ash and Dawn don't know either), they can always just turn to Brock and his helpful travellers guide books. Oh, how Casey wishes she had one of those right about now.

"Casey?"

Casey turns around sharply when she hears her name being called, smiling when she sees that it's Dawn. That smile doesn't stay for long though, as the sudden movement combined with the fact that her leg is halfway up off of the ground as she is trying to put on her left sneaker cause her to stumble, crashing down onto the hard wooden floor of the Pokemon Center lobby with a loud thud.

"Ow!"

Dawn rushes over to Casey, looking down at her with concern as she groans in pain, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Casey replies as she moves to sit up, reaching for her left shoe and beginning to put it on as she talks to Dawn, "I was about to come and find you guys. Why aren't you at Amity Square?"

"We've already been."

Casey laces up her left sneaker before jumping up from the ground, looking at Dawn incredulously, "Please tell me that you're joking! You've got to be joking!"

"Sorry, Casey." Dawn says apologetically, "But the thing is, Cynthia's here."

"Cynthia's here?"

Dawn nods, "Right. She's treating Paul's Pokemon since Nurse Joy's dealing with an emergency."

Casey looks at Dawn cluelessly. She doesn't have a clue what's going on, who Paul is, or why his Pokemon are being treated. She only overslept by forty five minutes, so how could she have missed so much?! Dawn seems to understand how clueless Casey is as she is quick to lead her through the Pokemon Center and towards one of the recovery rooms in the back, which just so happens to be where everybody else is.

A boy with mid-length purple hair, clad in a purple and navy blue jacket and grey pants is stood at the side of the room, his head hanging low and his eyes shut. Casey assumes that this is Paul. He must be thinking about something. Casey next notices the Pokemon in the room, most of whom are lying on beds covered in numerous bandages. There's a Chimchar, Weavile and Murkrow as well as a Torterra, who is lying on the floor instead of a bed. Casey's not surprised at that. Torterra is the Continent Pokemon, after all. Its huge size is practically portrayed through its name.

"Hello, Casey." Cynthia crosses the room, smiling welcomingly over at Casey when she reaches the young trainer, "Its been a while. How are you?"

"Wait, the two of you know each other?" Ash says as he and Brock walk over, confusion written across both of their faces, "Have you met before?"

Casey nods, "Yeah. Back at the meadow. It was the day of Dawn's practice contest. That's why I was gone for so long. Cynthia was actually helping me with some training."

"No way! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Casey shrugs, "I didn't think that you guys would believe me."

That's no word of a lie. Casey didn't tell them because of that very reason. If she had heard it from one of them, she doubts that she would've believed it. Besides, she wasn't even sure if she'd run into the Champion again. Obviously she would've been honoured too, but back then she didn't know if it would happen. She's still rather shocked that it has to be honest.

"So, Casey, how are your Pokemon doing?" Cynthia asks.

"They're great, Cynthia! We've been working really hard on that defensive strategy and Elekid even evolved into Electabuzz! My Pokemon are totally awesome!"

"Hmph!" Casey's attention is drawn towards Paul when he makes a noise of amusement, his eyes opening up as he does so, "Just because a Pokemon's evolved, that doesn't mean that it's powerful."

This guy doesn't seem to care about making a good first impression.

As much as Paul's apparent rudeness frustrates Casey she decides to approach him in a more polite manner. She walks over to the purple-haired boy and switches the topic of conversation to his Pokemon instead of her own. Based on what she's seen of Paul so far, she suspects that he'll be more willing to talk about himself than others.

"What happened to your Pokemon?"

"They didn't try hard enough, that's what!"

Casey looks at him skeptically, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?!" Paul snaps, "They didn't try hard enough and they lost! They couldn't do any damage to Garchomp! It was pathetic!"

This guy's insane! If your Pokemon lose in a battle you don't criticise them, you lose that loss to become stronger and learn!

Casey wants to do nothing more than yell at Paul for how ludicrous he's being, but Ash beats her to it, clearly as fired up by Paul's behaviour as she is, "Until you got hit with that Giga Impact, I don't think you cared how many of your Pokemon took a fall!"

"Your point?"

"Come on! How do you think your Pokemon felt about that!" Ash shouts, his frustration growing by the second, "Don't you get it, Paul?! Winning that way is only a win for you!"

"Oh, give me a break! A win is a win!"

"No way! A win is only a real win when you get it along with your Pokemon! Why don't you care about your Pokemon?!"

"Cause then they'll get spoiled. Chimchar's the perfect example of exactly what I mean. A spoiled Pokemon who doesn't try hard enough."

Casey glances over at Paul's Chimchar as Ash continues to argue with Paul. The Chimp Pokemon is sleeping soundly on a bed, the flame on the back of its tail extinguished as it snores softly. Casey can't help but smile over at Chimchar. It reminds her of when she and her Grandfather first began to raise Monferno back when it was still a Chimchar. She's fond of those memories.

"You just keep doing things your way." Paul replies stoically, brushing off Ash's shouts as if they were nothing, "I'll become stronger anyway I choose."

"You want to get stronger?"

Ash and Paul abruptly stops arguing when Cynthia speaks up, the Champion's calm and collected voice ceasing Ash's retaliation instantly. Casey glances over at Cynthia herself, curious as to what the Champion has to say.

"If you do, there's something I want you to see."

Casey and the others stand silently behind Cynthia as she stares at the ruins before them. The Champion led them out of the Pokemon Center and over to Amity Square without much explanation, but the five young trainers followed her regardless. She is the Champion after all, and being the Champion does command a certain amount of respect.

"The words that are written here completely changed my life. Listen while I read them." Cynthia says, directing her attention to the text carved into one of the ruins, "'When every life meets another life, something will be born'."

What in the world does that mean?

"When I was younger, I used to dream of nothing other than becoming powerful through being victorious in battle, and so I trained endlessly. Then I discovered that even the same types of Pokemon have unique personalities."

Casey considers Cynthia's words carefully. She knows for a fact that what the Champion is saying is true. She's met a plethora of Pokemon on her extensive travels, many of them being of the same species, and every single one of them has always been unique. Of course they've had similarities (they are all Pokemon, after all), but at the same time they've always had their differences. It sure is quite the feat to meet them all.

"It was at that moment I decided I wanted to get to know each and every one of them better. And then, after meeting more and more Pokemon, learning more of their ways, something completely new began to stir deep within my soul. I knew meeting new Pokemon was just like meeting new people." Cynthia turns around to face them all, speaking passionately as she does so, "I'm sure because of our meeting today, something powerful has been placed in each one of us. Something important. Something that will make us stronger in our own ways."

"Stronger in our own ways?"

"That's right." Cynthia nods, "My desire to learn about Pokemon has spawned a dream that someday I'll actually meet the legendary Dialga and Palkia. Then, perhaps Ill be able to travel back to the source and find the timeless origin of all Pokemon."

Travel back to the source and find the timeless origin of all Pokemon?

Casey ponders on Cynthia's words once again, suddenly feeling drawn towards the ruins before her. She slowly walks forward and up to the ruin upon which the phrase is depicted and, not even fully aware of what's she's doing, reaches out to touch it. She can't explain it; she simply feels drawn to the ruins.

Argh!

Casey suddenly feels a sharp sensation surge through her body, her eyes snapping shut as she winces in pain. It starts at her left hand, which is still upon the ruin in front of her, before spreading throughout the rest of her body. It's a painful sensation but, at the same time, it's giving her a sudden surge of power and energy. It's unlike anything she's ever experienced before.

"Hey, guys, something's go-."

Casey pauses abruptly when she opens her eyes, only to find that she's no longer in Amity Square. In fact, she has no idea where she is.

"What are your plans for the International Policeman?"

She hears a unfamiliar feminine voice nearby. It sounds echoed, so she assumes that she's in quite a large space. She can't tell exactly where she is as its far too dark. The only source of light is coming from some kind of beacon-like machine in the distance. She can faintly make out a small red object in its beam of light, but she has no idea what it is. It's nothing like anything she's ever seen before.

"The boss has already informed me that he has his own special plans for him."

She hears another voice, a male one. His voice is rough and has an eerie quality to it that sends a chill up her spine.

"Excellent! The boss's plan is finally coming full circle! Soon we'll have the ultimate power under our control!"

She feels as if they must be close. Even if their voices are echoed, they just have to be nearby. That means that maybe she can find out who they are, and what exactly they're talking about. She already doesn't like the sound of it.

She's surprised to find that she can move her legs. She wastes no time in putting that fact to good use and begins to sprint at top speed for the source of light in the distance, which she presumes is the location of the voice. They sound as if they're coming from over there, and it makes the most sense to her if these people, whoever they are, are conversing in a space where they can actually see each other.

She runs and runs until she's breathless, the beacon of light still the same distance away as it was before she even started running. It's as if the beacon of light itself is running away from her. Casey tries to keep running, but she's practically stumbling at this point. All she can hear is a deranged, rough laugh in the distance; it sounds as if it's almost taunting her. She closes her eyes and covers up her ears, doing her best to block out the laughter as it gets louder and louder.

"Nothing will stand in our way!"

Casey yells as her eyes snap open, relief instantly washing over her when she realises that she's back in Amity Square. She feels a hand on her left shoulder; she turns around to see that Ash, Brock and Dawn are looking at her with concern, the latter of the three being the one who has their hand on Casey's shoulder. Cynthia is looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern, whilst Paul looks like he couldn't care less. Casey's not surprised at that. Paul doesn't seem like the caring type.

"Casey, what happened?" Ash asks, confusion settling in across his face.

Casey brushes herself off hastily. She doesn't want to worry them all with what she saw. It was probably just...well, she honestly doesn't know what that was. It was almost like a vision, "It was nothing. I...I just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

Now what do I say!?

"Food!" Casey replies quickly, going with the first thing that she can think of, "I haven't had any food yet! I skipped breakfast, I mean, and it's past lunch by now. How about we eat supper a bit early today? What do you say, Brock?"

"Uh...I suppose I could make someth-."

"Great!" Casey doesn't even let him finish his sentence before she turns around and begins to make her way out of Amity Square, everybody else following hesitantly behind her, "Let's go eat!"

Casey leans back against the tree she's sat by with a sigh, her thoughts trained on what happened back at Amity Square. After arriving back at the Pokemon Center and dealing with Team Rocket, who tried and failed to steal Paul's Chimchar, Brock headed off to prepare some food for everybody. Paul sulked off, but the grumpy trainer promised to stay at the Pokemon Center overnight for his Pokemon's sake upon Cynthia's request. Casey chose to head outside and give herself some space to think about what happened, using the excuse that she wanted to do some private special training to avoid anybody else following her. She honestly doesn't want to worry her friends about it all but, at the same time, she wants to consider exactly what it could be.

She knows that she saw something. It was almost like a vision of some kind. She didn't recognise the place she was at nor the mysterious voices that she heard, but she knows that her vision sure wasn't about a good thing. The way those people were talking...it almost sounded as if they were conspiring against a policeman, and anybody who conspires against the law can't have good intentions.

She also felt a sudden surge of power and energy right before she experienced her vision that she still can't really explain. It was unlike anything she ever experienced before, and in those moments that she felt it, she felt as if she could overcome anything. The question is, what exactly was that sudden surge of power and what caused it to occur?

I hate this! What's wrong with me?!

Casey picks up a small stone before standing up. She groans and throws the stone out in front of her, her anger and frustration making it quite the powerful throw. That would be great, if it wasn't for the fact that Cynthia is approaching, and just so happens to be walking right in the path of the speeding stone.

"Watch out!"

The Champion steps out of the path of the stone effortlessly, it whizzing past her without making any form of contact. Relief washes over Casey at this; the younger trainer is quick to apologize to the Champion for what could've been a disaster.

"Oh, it's fine." Cynthia replies graciously, not remotely bother by what just transpired, "I was just coming out here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? You're leaving?"

Cynthia nods, "That's right. I'm heading over to Solaceon Town. They found the Lustrous Orb there. It's the partner orb to the Adamant Orb, and it's said to be linked to the ruler of space, Palkia."

Casey nods. That makes sense to her. If it has to do with Sinnoh's mythology and history, Cynthia's there. In fact, it would be strange if Cynthia didn't take interest in it.

"That sounds awesome, Cynthia. I hope you get there safely." Casey replies.

Cynthia smiles gratefully in response, "Thank you. Casey. I hope that we meet again soon."

Casey replies agreeably to what Cynthia's saying, although her thoughts aren't as focused on what the Champion is saying as they should be. She feels as if she's coming off as rude to the Champion (which she does not want to do under any circumstances), but she simply can't help it. She can't stop thinking about it.

Cynthia, as calm and understanding as ever, seems to notice Casey's distant demeanour and chooses to take her leave. She begins to walk away from the conflicted trainer, but not before turning around to talk to her one last time, "Talk to them, Casey. Talk to your friends. If something's wrong, you're better off telling them than trying to forget about it."

Does she know?

Casey doesn't get the chance to ask that question as by the time she can fully process what Cynthia's trying to say, the Sinnoh League Champion is already long gone. Whilst Casey doesn't know why Cynthia said what she said, at least she understands what she's trying to say, and she's right. Casey really should tell her friends about what's going on.

She's sure that she'll tell them eventually, but she just doesn't know when that is. Until that time, she has more important things to focus on, such as her and Ash's upcoming battles for their third badges, and not to mention Dawn's upcoming Pokemon Comtests.

So whilst Casey doesn't understand what's going on, at least she has something driving her forwards and motivating her. And, really, that's all you need in times of doubt.