CONWAY'S STORY

My story begins when I first met Dawn—okay, okay, seriously, I thought I was a goner when I fell into that vat of poison in Ace's gym. Don't blame me! It's a vat of poison; it looks like it belongs in a villain's lair in a faraway region.

Although it didn't hurt – it's like falling in a pool, if the pool is warm and feels like tomat berry soup but smells like if that soup was rotten – I scrunched up my eyes and pretended to faint. Slowking carried me to the Pokémon Center.

Chansey gave me a Soft-Boiled Egg to help me feel better. Nurse Joy told me that I might feel dizzy for the next few minutes, and I'd have the smell up my nose for the next hour or two, but I'd be perfectly fine afterward—as if I hadn't just fallen in a vat of poison. I was going to blow up at Ace, and warmed up by venting about it online. Then I chanced across the conspiracy about Ace and Aaron's exhibition battle. Yes, I chanced across it; I did not browse on Debunking Deoxys Denial or anything like that.

I laughed until I fell off the cot. Chansey offered me another Soft-Boiled Egg.

I stopped laughing when I realized that Dawn wanted to help this Gym Leader. Hanging onto Sigilyph, I flew south toward Pastoria City. I dropped by a rich man's mansion along the way, so a lineup of maids could pamper me and my Pokémon. The pampering didn't last long before they demanded seven consecutive battles against their wretched Clefable. I might have nightmares about Clefable for weeks—maybe months!

...

CYNTHIA'S STORY

I was a woman on a mission. Braviary soared across Solaceon Town and the adjacent farmlands. Cowpokes waved at us from the tall, weedy grass where they tended to their Tauros and Rapidash, while café maids milked fresh Moomoo Milk from a herd of Miltank. I flew through a harsh rainstorm on the way to Veilstone City. My outfit was drenched, so I snuck into Maylene's gym to change before presenting myself to the public. Fortunately, Maylene kept a change of clothes for friendly guests.

My white stiletto boots punctured the cobblestones with the impact of my Garchomp's Draco Meteor. The glittering golden coat billowed behind me, sparkles blinding anyone who looked in my direction. Garchomp and I wore matching sunglasses. We lifted them in unison when we arrived at the Game Corner. As expected, Maylene was there, racking up a series of wins in Voltorb Flip.

Most people in the Game Corner flock to the slot machines, but if you want your money's worth, you'll play where you know you can win. And Maylene, having spent hours of her free time here, flipped cards with expert speed, adding up the rewards and avoiding the cards with Voltorb on them.

She glanced up at me and beamed. "Cynthia!"

Game Corner addicts crowded around us and took pictures. Maylene tossed her winnings across the arcade to distract people as we returned to her gym. "Play before training, train before business. So let's train."

I sent out my newest team member. "I caught Ralts while on a date with Steven Stone. This is a good opportunity for him to train."

Maylene nodded. "It's a good opportunity for my gym trainers, too." She turned around and bellowed, "Listen up, men! Brown belts and higher get to battle the Champion! Do your best!"

Ralts looked up at me. I smiled and nodded encouragingly at him. With a mischievous smirk, Ralts proceeded to cream the brown and black belts' Machoke.

...

KENNY'S STORY

"Hey, Staraptor," I said, holding onto the bird Pokémon borrowed from Ash as we flew down Cycling Road, "I've never had a flying Pokémon before, so go easy on me, okay? Keep a nice, steady pace—"

Staraptor squawked. Rocks tumbled from the cliffs as we approached Oreburgh City. Staraptor tucked in his wings and spiraled to dodge the falling rocks. I wrapped my arms around him, buried my face in his feathers, and screamed all the way to the city.

When Staraptor landed, I flopped off, kneeled next to a scraggly bush, and heaved. Staraptor patted my back with a heavy wing and an apologetic murmur. I returned him to his Poké Ball after my stomach settled.

I almost forgot the bustle of Oreburgh City, the City That Never Sleeps. No one stopped moving here. You don't walk in this city; you jog. Why make one slow trip weighed down with six bags of groceries when you can make six trips running?

I found Roark, the young foreman, in front of the mine. He was in the middle of a conversation with Byron, who looked like an older version of him: the same height but broader, the same tanned skin but with more wrinkles, the same spiky hair but grayer and cut shorter.

Roark laughed. "I'm telling you, Dad, people would be terrified of a machine that simulates legendaries like Giratina and Yveltal."

Byron raised his arms. "That's exactly why we should do it! While Galar's machine doesn't do legendaries, they revived one of the most powerful fossil Pokémon..." He drifted when he saw me. "Do you need something, young man?"

"Um, yeah. I'm Kenny, a Pokémon Coordinator from Twinleaf Town. Did you watch the exhibition battle?"

Roark's eyes widened. "Yeah, that was awesome!"

Byron slung an arm across Roark's shoulders. "You should do one of those with a special someone, too."

Roark rolled his eyes. "Da-a-a-d," he complained, "Roxanne and I broke up months ago."

"Steel type trainers are more reliable, anyway. How about Jasmine, the Gym Leader of Olivine?"

"I think she's dating Volkner. Besides, I want to be with another rock type specialist."

I cleared my throat. "If you watched the exhibition battle, you probably heard the awful rumors about it, right?"

Both Gym Leaders winced. "It's rough," Byron admitted, "but we can't help with that. But since you came all this way, how about a double battle against me and my son?"

Oh, they were going down.

...

ACE'S STORY

I watched my friends fly away, casting toward all four cardinal directions. Paul cocked his head toward my gym. Angry trainers and reporters eager for a story swarmed the entrance.

"I have an idea," Paul said. Electivire rubbed his hands with glee, generating sparks. I had a bad feeling about Paul's idea.

My new friend sent out a gigantic, terrifying Pokémon with a golden ring on his belly. "Ursaring, distract the crowd! Electivire, do it now!"

Ursaring ran at the reporters and trainers, roaring. As the crowd screamed and dispersed, Electivire shattered the back window and then laced his fingers to boost me.

I leaped through the jagged hole, landing with the sparkling shards of glass. Paul landed in a crouch beside me. I glared at him. "This place is still under Fantina's insurance."

Paul shrugged. "She's a strong Pokémon Trainer and a coordinator. The cost won't hurt her. And you're a capable trainer, too; you can pay her back easily."

"Thanks for offering to help with the cost."

"Anytime, Ace," Paul replied, deadpan. "Here's the plan. My team and I will guard the back of the gym. We'll also escort you in and out. Ursaring will break up any crowds."

"The city will get a lot of complaints. Officer Jenny will have our heads."

"That's not even the best part of the plan."

I blinked. "What is?"

I got to find that out when my Pokémon and I needed a break. Paul disguised himself as me, using gel to make his hair spike up, and clipping a miniature Poison Barb onto his right ear. He crossed his arms and yelled at all the trainers to go away.

We'll never hear the end of this.