Come to school early tomorrow.

Liam rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his PokeGear. It was 11:55, and he had been finishing some math homework he had left until the last minute. Getting texts from Orchid in the middle of the night wasn't unusual—she kept very irregular hours, even for a high schooler. Still, Liam wasn't keen on getting up early tomorrow. He wondered whether he could get away with ignoring the message.

"What do you think?" said Liam, looking up at Sneasel, who was perched on his top bunk as usual.

Sneasel ignored him, continuing to gaze out the window at the passing cars on the road outside the apartment complex. Between his knees, Liam felt Espeon purring.

"Yeah, I guess I should," said Liam with a groan. "Gotta look out for the freshmen after all."

He closed his math textbook and got up from his small desk. He could finish that homework during morning break. He nudged his Houndoom, which was curled up at the foot of his bed.

"You're too big for that," said Liam. "I need somewhere to put my legs."

Houndoom snarled and rolled over. From his bookshelf, Murkrow gave a caw that sounded oddly like a chuckle.

"You know, I could start being really strict with you all," said Liam with a yawn.

This time, Sneasel gave a dismissive snort.

"I'm glad you have faith in me," said Liam sarcastically.

Liam caught the very first bus from White Gardens and arrived at school around 6:30. After nearly falling asleep and missing his stop, Liam stopped at a convenience store to buy a bottle of Soda Pop. He found the main gate of the school unlocked and the gate guard's Mightyena lazing in the early morning sunlight.

"Took you l-long enough," said Orchid.

She was standing in front of a white tarp that covered the spot where the Team Power graffiti had been. Liam could tell from the way she was rocking from one foot to the other that she was about to reveal her masterpiece.

"I want you to t-tell me if it's okay," said Orchid.

Liam smiled. He knew Orchid didn't really want his opinion—she was confident in her own artistic abilities. This was just an honor she was granting him, as a friend. With an almost theatrical flourish, Orchid pulled down the tarp and revealed the new mural she had created.

Liam wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly hadn't been this. The left side of the mural was taken up by three fighter planes flying in formation, each with an Incineroar's jaws painted on its nose and a different-colored stripe on its wings: orange for Team Balance, blue for Team Truth, and green for Team Virtue. On the right was Professor Werner, his Skarmory perched dramatically on his shoulder. He was old and wrinkled, like the Professor Werner they had known, but Orchid has also given him an old-fashioned flight jacket.

After staring in silent amazement for a while, Liam noticed that there was writing in the lower left corner. "Flying Incineroars: The Three Teams Are One by Orchid Ng, November 2009." Liam felt a hint of pride that he had helped inspire this beautiful piece.

"It's incredible," said Liam. "Perfect, actually. Not your usual style, though."

"An artist needs to be v-versatile," countered Orchid, but she still took it as the compliment it was.

"So, it's ready for the public?" asked Liam.

Orchid shrugged.

"I guess."

"It's amazing!" squealed Chelsea, pulling her classmate into a very involuntary hug. "Orchid, it's so good. You're such a good artist."

Chelsea's feelings appeared to be representative. A few students thought the juxtaposition of Professor Werner with a squadron of fighters from the Second Pokemon War was a little odd, but most of them were pleased by the interlocking of Nanzo culture and history with the life of their former teacher. Chelsea wasn't the only student who forced an unwanted hug on Orchid, and Liam was surprised to see some older students wiping away tears and mumbling "thank you" as they let go of Orchid. Taylor was one of the few students who seemed to appreciate the mural as art, and he spent a long time admiring the details.

"So, Orchid," said Taylor. "Is this your entry for the talent show?"

Orchid shook her head.

"I'm painting his Houndoom," she said, pointing at Liam without looking at him.

"Sick," said Taylor with relish. "Aw man, I'll be psyched to see it. You gonna come to the talent show, Liam?"

Liam shrugged.

"It's at the youth group, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Taylor, brushing a long strand of black hair out of his face. "But Orchid doesn't come to youth group either, and she'll be there."

Orchid shrugged again.

"Arceus is a myth," she mumbled.

"Me and Marsha are dancing," said Chelsea, "Come on, bro. You're not gonna miss us making complete idiots of ourselves, right?"

Liam pretended to think about it. In reality, the prospect of seeing Chelsea dancing had settled the matter for him, but he didn't want her to know that.

"Okay, okay," said Liam. "Fine. It's on Thursday, right?"

"Yep," said Taylor. "Which means we have… three days to finally pick a song. This can only go so wrong."