Bronius sat down on a large root. The other team plasma members stood behind him. Bianca sat near him. Kenya and I hung back, watching.

"It's unfortunate what they're doing," Bronius said. "They desire power above all else."

"Why would someone do something like that to their pokemon?" Bianca asked. "It looked like it was in so much pain." Bronius nodded.

"It only grants a marginal boost in physical strength. The affected pokemon acts wildly and cannot be controlled. After a certain amount of time, it will revert to a weakened state."

He placed a hand on his forehead.

"It's the weapon of cowards. They have abandoned their ideals in the pursuit of power. Our Lord would have been disgusted by the sight of it." Bianca glanced at Kenya and me over her shoulder.

"That's horrible," She said.

"The true members of team plasma do not condone such torment of pokemon." Bronius stood up. "I must be on my way."

They left.

Bianca sighed and wiped her brow. Kenya smiled sadly.

The three of us returned to Driftveil city. We got something to eat and set ourselves up at the pokemon center for the rest of the night.

Kenya stopped me before I went to my room.

"Hey, dude," Kenya leaned against my doorway. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I lied. "Why do you ask?" I noticed a woman coming down the hallway. She had long green hair.

"You and Blueberry got kidnapped," Kenya said.

"I'm fine." She frowned. The green-haired woman walked behind her. Her eyes met mine. She stopped behind Kenya. I blinked.

"Andrew, whats—"

The woman screamed.

I jumped, falling backward. Kenya hurried to my aide. She helped me up

"What happened? Are you okay?' I pointed at the woman, now standing in the doorway. Kenya turned to the woman and then back to me.

"What are you pointing at?"

I stared blankly at the empty doorway.

It took a while to convince Kenya that I was simply tired. Eventually, she gave in and left the room.

I quietly slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

I got up early the next morning. I sat up in the bed, stretching.

I felt a chill. I bundled up under the covers, but it didn't help. The chill seemed to be deep within me. I hugged myself, shivering.

A weight pressed on me. The weight grew. I tried to get up. There was a voice, barely audible. It was close to me.

For some reason, I reached down into my bag. I felt the cold surface and wrapped my hand around it. I closed my eyes as I lifted the translucent orb from the bag.

I dropped it onto the floor and sat up, panting. The chill wasn't gone. I left the pokemon center heading out into the street.

For a while, I wandered around Driftveil. The sun wasn't up yet.

I remembered the figurine Juniper gave me. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked it over. I turned on my Xtransceiver and called Juniper. Surprisingly, she picked up.

"Andrew? Hello there." Her smiling face appeared on the screen. She was in her lab. She had dark rings under her eyes.

"Hi, professor."

"You're certainly up early. What can I do you for?"

"I-I wanted to ask you something. About my mom." She frowned.

"What is it?"

"Did you know her well?" Juniper moved, taking a seat.

"Not exactly."

"I see." I sat down on a bench under a streetlight. She yawned.

"Where are you?"

"Driftveil." She stared at me for a moment.

"Andrew. Is there anything you want to tell me?" I hesitated, thinking about the experience in the room. Her green eyes met mine.

"Are you talking to someone?" Bianca's voice came from behind me. "Oh, Professor Juniper! Hi!" She leaned over me and waved at Juniper. Juniper smiled. "You look so tired, professor." Juniper laughed.

"I suppose." Juniper wiped her eyes.

Bianca came around the bench and sat down. Audino was standing by the bench, holding the egg.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Andrew." She gave me a stern look. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." She hung up. Bianca leaned back against the bench, stretching.

"What are you doing out this early?" I asked.

"I just got back from Route 6," Bianca said. "I've been training my pokemon." I nodded. "Nurse Joy said this egg is very close to actually hatching." She grinned at me. "Well? What's your excuse?"

"My what?"

"What are you doing out here this early?" She crossed her arms.

"I guess I had a bad dream."

"A bad dream? About what?"

"I-its nothing serious," I quickly corrected. "Just got woken up is all." Bianca's smile faded.

"You and Cheren really are like brothers," she said. "You're more alike than you realize."

"What do you mean?"

"You just—" She paused. "Just stay safe, alright?" She pulled me into a hug. "I care about both of you. But I can't keep falling behind anymore." She got up. "I'll see you and Kenya later, alright?"

"Where are you going?" She fidgeted with her hat, avoiding my eyes.

"I've decided to challenge the Pokemon League." She tapped her chin. "I'm heading back to Striaton to start there. Then my real journey will actually begin!" She took off her hat.

"What? Are you sure that's what you want to do?" I got up.

"Of course." She set the hat on my head, forcing the front down over my eyes.

"Hey!" I leaned back, fixing the hat on my head. "I don't want—"

"You never did tell me why you wanted to battle Drayden, you know?" Bianca said. Her face softened, she tugged at the hem of her shirt.

Her smile vanished.

"I think Cheren knows." I thought about it. "I wish you could be more… Open. But that's okay!" She roughly patted my head a few times. I winced. "I think I understand. At least a little bit."

I went to take the hat off. Bianca pushed my hand away.

"Keep it safe for me. I'll take it when I'm a better trainer." With that, she left. I watched her and Audino disappear down the street.

I was left alone: with a chill, a hat, and my troubled thoughts.