As chance would have it, a Buneary ran into Manny just as he hurdled the gate between Route 208 and Hearthome City.
"Myun!" the Buneary cried, crashing into Manny's legs, knocking the boy over.
"Oh! I'm so glad you stopped my cute little Buneary!" a pretty lady called, running over to them, quite out of breath. "My name's Keira! I'm a Pokémon Contest Judge…"
"Keira? YOUR NAME IS KEIRA?" Hanny shouted. "I named a STARLY Keira, and gave it to this blockhead! You will NOT be associated with the likes of MY Keira!"
Keira blinked, gathering her Buneary in her arms. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand?"
Hannah pointed at the woman, fire in her eyes. "MY Keira is now a Staravia, who is adamant, fast, and brave! You're just some contest judge because you couldn't find any REAL work! CHANGE YOUR NAME THIS INSTANT!"
"How dare you! I happen to be an influential figure in Hearthome City!"
"You hide your sorrow with fame, don't you? Just look at that Buneary! You don't even have control over your OWN Pokémon! You probably don't even have a single Gym Badge, do you?" Hanny viciously accused her. "Living your life as a 'judge', hah! You're a sham, and are not worthy of carrying the name 'Keira'!"
Keira's shoulders slumped. "You're right!" she sobbed. "I just carry this Buneary around so that people will think I care about land Pokémon! It actually belongs to my sister!"
She dug out a notebook from her pocket, showing it to the kids. It was filled with drawings of Water Pokémon, along with scribbled notes of their favourite food, habitats and life cycles.
"See? All I wanted to do was become a marine biologist, but Mother forced me into the family business of Pokémon contests!"
Hannah grabbed the woman's forearms (she was too short to reach the upper arms) and shook her until Keira's teeth rattled. The boys, too shocked to react, shrank back and shielded Togepi's eyes.
"You're a grown woman! Your family does NOT control your hopes and dreams! Take control of your own life! Change your name, and I may forgive you!"
Something clicked into place. Keira stood up straighter and looked around at the children and hospitable Hearthome as though she understood the world for the first time. Her voice was firm when she said, "From now on, my name is 'Puakai', which means 'ocean flower'!"
Puakai dropped her sister's Buneary, which promptly zipped past Manny and out of Hearthome's gate.
"The ocean calls to me! I... I'm finally free!" Puakai rejoiced, ripping the Pokémon judge emblem off her shirt, whipping out a pair of glasses, and racing out of Hearthome towards a better life, her precious notebook pressed against her heart.
"Wow, Hanny. That's the second person today you've successfully manipulated," Manny said.
"I'm still traveling with you two jokers, so that makes four," she sniffed, and went with them to the Pokémon Centre to freshen up.
888
Learning that Fantina the Gym Leader was in the Contest Hall, the Trainers went there to find Manny's mother in the lobby. She was stunning in a navy-blue ballroom gown. Her deep blue hair was adorned with a silver tiara. Manny almost didn't recognise her in those clothes, with all that makeup and jewelry on.
"Hi, Manny!" she said, embracing him to his eternal embarrassment. Mint and Hanny snickered.
"Hi, Manny's Mom! My name's Mint," the blonde kid said, sticking out a hand.
"My name's Johanna," she introduced herself, graciously taking his hand with a curtsy.
"So, your mother DOES have a name!" Hanny winked at Manny, who turned a deeper shade of crimson. "Hi Johanna, my name's Hannah, or Hanny for short."
"You all came here to participate in the Pokémon Contests, right? I came here because I was bored!"
She examined her son with a critical eye, turning him this way and that until he was dizzy.
"You can't be serious about entering contests when you're dressed that way! Your Pokémon will dress up, so you must dress up, too! Put this on for a little glamour," she ordered, handing him a tuxedo. Mint and Hanny couldn't take it any longer; they burst into scandalous laughter.
"Mooooooooooooom!" Manny whined.
"I'm sure it'll look good on you. After all, I chose it myself! Go enjoy the contests, honey!"
"Yes, Manny, listen to your mother," Hanny wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling.
"Mommy's little Prinplup!" Mint hooted. Manny grumbled about betrayal and sedition.
"Contests offer you a variety of challenges, but I'm sure you'll find them to be a lot of fun! Bye, now!"
"Where are you going, Mom?"
"Oh, I made lots of friends in Hearthome since I won their Master Rank Beauty contest."
The jaws of all three children unhinged and plummeted to the floor. They emitted a series of incoherent babbles.
"I'm going to a party at the Pokémon Fan Club, held in MY honour! If you need me, don't call until tomorrow afternoon!"
She kissed Manny on the head before leaving, sweeping out of the lobby like a ballerina.
"Your MOM is better than you!" Hanny exclaimed. "Anyone who can win a Master Rank contest is a better Trainer than any Gym Leader in Sinnoh!"
"She really was bored," Manny whispered in profound awe.
Mint smiled. "You must be really proud of her."
Togepi waggled his paws in agreement.
"Yeah. I guess I am. Wow. Mom's a Master…"
There was another lady in the lobby dressed as though she were attending a ballroom dance, outfitted from head to toe in purple. Her purple shoes, gown and elbow-length gloves were fabulous, but her hair was arranged into four bobs that stuck out of her head, resembling fan blades. When the Trainers approached her out of morbid curiosity, she performed a perfect pirouette on the spot, the lush fabric of her gown glittering.
"Monsieur Manny, Johanna is your mother? You, too, must be a prodigy!" she proclaimed in a thick French accent. She then noticed what was sitting on Mint's head. "Oh, your Togepi! So cute!" she gushed, tickling his little paws to the Pokémon's delight. Mint blushed so furiously he almost got a nosebleed.
"I must apologise; I am not at all interested in Pokémon contests, ma'am," Manny said politely, for once. Her manner of dress certainly commanded respect.
"Ah, yes, they are not for everyone. I love dancing, though, especially with my Pokémon. You are interested in the Gym, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I am Fantina, Hearthome's Gym Leader. If not under the spotlight, then I shall meet you on the field of battle! Au revoir, Manny!"
"Good day, ma'am," Manny bowed at the hip while Fantina glided across the floor, humming as she went.
Hanny smacked him in the back of his head. "I thought you had more backbone that that!"
"She's wearing clothes that cost more than the house I live in! I can't snap at her like she was some idiot Trainer!"
"She also knows his Mom!" Mint leaped to his defense.
Hanny shook her head while walking outside. "When you're done being love-struck, I'll be at the Gym, mopping the floor with her pretty dress."
The automatic sliding doors closed. Mint scratched his head, scratching Togepi's back at the same time. "Why do you figure Hanny's always in such a bad mood?"
"Rowan and her parents abandoned her, forcing her to survive alone in the world with two complete strangers as her companions. She can't go back to school or her childhood friends, she can't go home, and she can't give up, because there's nobody waiting for her at home."
"You don't have anyone waiting for you at home, either!"
"Yeah, but I'm a boy, I never knew my Dad, and I was homeschooled; it's no big deal. You're the same as me, even though your Dad is famous."
"Except I have a Togepi, and you don't. Oooh, burn!" Mint zinged him.
Manny bowed. "May you live forever, Mint."
888
By the time they arrived at the Gym that afternoon, Hanny was leaving with the Relic Badge in hand.
Mint gaped at the shiny trophy. "Are they really that easy?"
"They only use Ghosts; I had two Pokémon with Bite. It wasn't a challenge."
The boys went inside to find the weird sunglasses guy they had met in Eterna's Gym cowering behind one of the Pokémon statues. He yelped when Manny poked him in the shoulder.
"Is that girl gone? She threatened to break my knees with her Grotle if I spoke to her!"
"Yeah, she's gone. So, we just need Dark-type moves in this Gym, huh?"
"Y-yeah. Why do you boys hang out with her?"
"She's fun!" Mint piped up.
"Threatening people with physical violence is fun? What are you kids learning on the Interwebs these days?" he moaned. "Here, take these flashlights. Inside is total darkness. Find the blue floor tile, memorise the symbol, then use the door marked with the corresponding red floor tile symbol!"
"Will do," Manny saluted.
The boys had no trouble whatsoever with the Trainers inside. They spent most of their time getting lost in the dark maze, whose walls were sculpted into the shape of Duskulls. When they located Fantina, the Gym Leader performed yet another pirouette, her gown flashing.
"Ohohoho! Finally, you have arrived!"
Manny bowed. "Hello again."
Mint mimicked him, but Togepi almost fell off, so he just nodded to the lady instead.
"Since I came to this country, always I try to learn new things. They hold Contests in this city? I say to myself, enfin, I will excel. That is why I dress this way. C'est une performance!"
Manny smiled. "I'm sure you do very well."
"Also, I study Pokémon very much. I have come to be Gym Leader. And, uh, so it shall be that you challenge me. But I shall win. That is what a Gym Leader does, non?"
"Oui," Manny replied, summoning his Luxio. Fantina used a Duskull, Haunter, and Mismagius, but Luxio's and Grotle's Bite attacks demolished them. Mint challenged her next, with the same result.
"You two are so fantastically strong, I understand why I lost! I am dumbfounded! So very, very strong! You, your Pokémon, so strong!"
Mint and Manny both blushed brick red.
"Your power is admirable! I shall honour it with these Gym Badges!"
The boys received their shiny Relic Badges, along with an additional gift of the TM for Shadow Claw.
"Remember, boys, there are many more Trainers! You must become stronger, one Trainer at a time!"
"We will! Thank you, ma'am!" they echoed each other. At the Gym entrance, the weird sunglasses guy praised them.
"There seems to be no end to how tough you are getting!"
Manny waved off the comment. "You say that to everyone."
"That's true, but you'll see! Someday you or your rival will be Champ!"
888
Now that they had what they had come for, the boys spent some time wandering the city.
"There sure are a lot of babies here. It's the opposite of Eterna City," Mint said, watching numerous mothers pushing strollers. "None of them seem to have fathers. Do you think this is where they raise the next generation of fatherless Pokémon Trainers?"
"Forget that! These guys have a church," Manny pointed at a building whose stonework was a throwback to medieval times, with a gothic archway and blue crystal dome crowning the imposing structure. Venturing inside, they saw a row of wooden pews on either side of the central blue carpet, which led to a huge stained glass depiction of Mount Coronet and the swirling clouds around its peak.
"Do they worship Mount Coronet?" Mint whispered.
"It sure seems that way."
The people spoke of love, joy, and the relationship of Pokémon to humans. An elderly man stressed that, if the strong did everything, they would take away the opportunity for other folk to contribute.
"Isn't that what the Pokémon League in every region does? Don't they do everything?" Manny argued.
"The Pokémon Leagues only govern the world of Pokémon and the people who use Pokémon; nothing else."
"Their reach extends beyond that! I've seen Pokémon Masters like FabuLance determine environmental policy and take down criminal organisations like Team Rocket. Crime and the environment are supposed to be governmental concerns!"
"You have a point there, young man, but tell me, who pays public servants and runs the commercial sector? Who provides public utilities? What about agriculture and transportation?"
"I agree that the elected government controls the finances and commerce, but Pokémon are involved in every other aspect of human civilisation. Every power plant in every region is littered with Pokémon; some of them are even powered by Pokémon! Oreburgh's coal mine depends on Machop more than human workers. There isn't a farm in the world that's run without Pokémon assistance, and while the government sponsors ferry and train services, why use them when Pokémon can surf or fly you to your destination?"
The old man stroked his white beard.
"What is your point?"
"Those who control Pokémon, control the world. This was never more obvious than when Team Magma and Team Aqua awoke two legendary Pokémon, six years ago."
"Kyogre and Groudon," the old man remembered, shivering. "There was severe drought in Sinnoh, but the seas raged. Everyone felt they were doomed, with no hope on land or sea."
"Salvation came from the sky. Rayquaza descended from the Sky Pillar, forcing them to settle down. What if someone were to take control of Rayquaza?"
"Impossible. No-one has ever captured a legendary Pokémon; no-one!"
"What about ten years ago, the year I was born, when MewTwo created a worldwide hurricane?"
"That was even worse," the old man muttered. "Hearthome was completely destroyed by the stormy winds. Only this church survived, because it's the strongest building here."
"MewTwo would have ended human civilisation then and there, and we wouldn't be standing here, having this conversation, if Ash Ketchum and Mew hadn't changed his mind! What if someone were to capture MewTwo, and use him for their own purposes?"
"Again, it's impossible. You can't subdue a god. Rayquaza calmed Kyogre and Groudon, while Mew reasoned with her clone. Sure, the young Trainers helped, but the gods manage their own affairs. Need I remind you that it was corrupt human scientists who angered MewTwo, and human criminals who angered the gods of land and sea?"
"There are evil humans, but there are noble ones among us."
"No matter how good or evil, you can no more capture one than you can capture the wind or the ocean in a Pokéball."
"They may be mighty, but they're still Pokémon. They CAN be captured, if the Trainer is powerful enough. Chaos theory dictates that, sooner or later, such a Trainer will arise. Maybe even more than one!"
"Blasphemy," the old man shook his head, walking away from Manny. "This conversation is over."
Manny walked with Mint away from the place of worship.
"Is what you said true, Manny? Will there eventually be a Trainer strong enough to catch legendary Pokémon?"
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. For there to be balance in this world, there must be humans who can stand toe-to-toe with the mightiest Pokémon. Ash Ketchum is one such Trainer, and so is Lance."
"You mean FabuLance."
"Shut up! He deserves that title. I'm gonna call Hanny."
"Manny, you contradicted yourself. If there is a Trainer who can capture the legendaries, then the world will be unbalanced. The world will be at the mercy of that Trainer. I think the world, as it is, is already balanced. Humans don't have to overcome the gods in order to find their place in this world. Shouldn't they work with the gods, instead of seeking to dominate them?"
"Don't be so naive, Mint. I plan to capture a legendary one day, not for conquest, but to prove that I can."
"That's not a good reason," Mint muttered.
Manny dialed Hanny.
"You're ignoring the potential of the human spirit. If we can capture them, we can govern this world as we see fit, instead of living in fear of their power. Hello, Hanny? Yeah, we're ready to leave Hearthome. We're at the church. No, Mint didn't swallow his tongue yet."
"But I'm working on it! She said it'd make me a better Trainer!"
"Okay, we'll meet you there."
He put away the phone.
"She's waiting for us in Solaceon Town."
"You go ahead, I'm gonna take a walk with Togepi in Amity Square."
"See you later, then."
They went their separate ways.
888
"Why can't I take Togepi for a walk?" Mint blinked at the woman behind the counter.
"I'm sorry, sir, only your Monferno may accompany you."
"Monferno isn't in the same UNIVERSE of cuteness that Togepi is! No offense, pal."
"Mon-mon," Monferno shrugged it off, knowing full well that Togepi outclassed him by several orders of magnitude on the cuteness scale.
"I enforce the rules, sir, I didn't make them."
"I want to speak with your manager!"
"He's on vacation in the Resort Area… sorry, let me rephrase that: he's always on vacation in the Resort Area. That's why I'm in charge."
"You… you don't want Togepi to cry,do you?" Mint whispered. The lady raised her eyebrows.
"I have been trained to resist the cries of the innocent."
"Uh-oh, he's starting to cry!"
Piteous mewls of sorrow echoed around Amity Park. Every Pokémon and human within the park that heard the lamentation of Togepi became so depressed that they, too, began to cry. They all began filing out of the park. The lady behind the counter began to panic.
"I'll be fired if the manager hears of this! This is the only job where I'm paid for doing nothing all day! You and your Togepi can go in!"
"Brilliant," Mint said, grinning as he strolled victoriously into the park. "I'm beginning to understand why Manny and Hanny like manipulating people so much."
Togepi quit his crying act, chirping with delight that the ruse had worked. Their scheme paid off: lying discarded in the park was an Amulet Coin; the most valuable item any Trainer could possess.
888
Before he left Hearthome, Manny visited the house beside the Pokémon Centre, as a strange smell was coming from it. He soon learned the cause.
"Phew! This place stinks of Eevee droppings!"
"You, boy! Please take an Eevee! Please!" a girl with a blonde ponytail begged, desperation in her eyes. "I've been living with these little monsters for a month because that bastard Bill sent them to me!"
Eevee were crawling over every available inch of her household. The smell was a physical force battering Manny's senses. He held his nose.
"Uh, sure. I wanted a Vaporeon, anyway."
"Your party is full!"
"What?"
"I said, your party of Pokémon is full! Here, you can use my PC to store one of them."
"How does that even work?"
"I'll show you."
She swatted Eevee off her monitor and keyboard. After wirelessly connecting Manny's Pokédex to her PC, she brought up Manny's private storage utility.
"You haven't stored a single Pokémon!"
"I only have six."
"I'll store your Bibarel, then."
To Manny's utter bewilderment, one of the Pokéballs on his belt disappeared in a flash of light. His Bibarel appeared in one of the fourteen storage boxes on the PC.
"How did you DO that?"
"Bluetooth."
She disconnected his Pokédex, grabbed the nearest Eevee and shoved it into his arms. The tiny, filthy creature burbled and wiggled in Manny's hands.
"Thank you SO MUCH! My name's Bebe; I took Bill's Pokémon Storage System and upgraded it. He got so jealous that he sent me a shipping crate FULL of Eevee, pretending they were a gift in recognition of my accomplishment!"
"Then why don't you store them on the computer?"
"I can't buy Pokéballs for all these monsters!" Bebe griped. "You have to put them in a ball before they can be stored online, and being a computer genius doesn't pay much!"
"Uh, right. I'll be going now."
"Please take another one! I beg of you!" she sobbed, clinging to his leg. "You can sell them for their pelts, I don't care!"
"Let go of me!" Manny kicked her off, then fled with his malodorous Eevee. He ran inside the Pokémon Centre to bathe the besmirched beast. When it was dry and sweet-smelling, he shoved a Water Stone in the tiny Pokémon's face.
"How does this thing work? Evolve, already!"
After poking it with the cerulean stone a few times, the Eevee began to shine with the brilliance of the cosmos. What evolved was too heavy for Manny to carry; he had to set him on the ground.
"Excellent; a Vaporeon. You are the final member of my team, and probably the most crucial, since you'll be taught Ice Beam! You will slay dragons!"
"Por?" the mermaid Pokémon tilted his head with uncertainty, tail flapping.
"Return," Manny commanded, popping open a Net Ball. His new Vaporeon became energy, trapped inside the mechanism.
888
Unbeknownst to Manny, his friend Mint, having concluded his walk through Amity Square, ventured into Bebe's house, fascinated by the fantastic smell her dwelling produced. Togepi retreated inside his shell, refusing to come out.
The blonde boy held his nose. "Phew! Right next to a Pokémon Centre, too! You'd think they would complain!"
"Another one!" Bebe cried, bursting out of a pile of squirming Eevee. "In the name of all that is holy, take one!"
She thrust a dirty Eevee into his arms. Mint wrinkled his nose even further, retreating from the house before the stink seeped into his clothing.
"I am SO giving this little guy a bath before we leave Hearthome!" he declared. He not only cleansed the creature, but groomed it until its fur shone. Thus began Mint's relationship with the newest addition to his team.