Miguel.

A name Louis never expected he'd hear in this place, spoken by a Pokémon who had no reason to know it.

Louis' heart beat faster and a cold sweat formed on his arms.

'How could that Venusaur know my dad's name?' he thought.

The group, failing to realise that Louis had stopped, quickly returned to the frozen boy.

"Uh...Louis?" spoke Taki, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Louis blinked. His thoughts still overriding his ability to answer. Totodile grew worried of the boy, and, mistakenly thinking he was under a spell, leapt up and bit his arm once again.

The pain awoke Louis like a nerve-splitting alarm. He almost screamed, wide-eyed, instead choosing to bite his other arm to stifle his yelp.

The sudden attack from the little Pokémon startled Taki. She rushed over to pry Totodile from the boy's arm and placed her hands on both sides of the creator's cold, scaly jaw.

"Come on, get off him!" ordered Taki firmly.

The tiny Pokémon relinquished its grip and fell to the ground. Relief swept through Louis' right arm, until he realised he was still being bitten by himself. He relaxed his jaw while still staring at the slumbering Venusaur.

"Please...come back…" the boy overheard.

A plan began to form in Louis' mind.

"Uh...I'll be right back," he whispered. "Stay quiet, okay?"

Taki nodded. As the boy left, she turned to the bitey little Pokémon.

"Will you quit doing that?" she scolded, while Totodile's gaze followed the boy, with a worried expression on its face.

Like a stealthy Rattata, Louis inched closer to the sleeper. A memory broke into his mind.

'Ghost steps...'

Louis' mind flung him six years into the past…

Miguel placed a hand over his closed eyes and began to count. Hide and seek was Louis' favourite game, but Miguel would always find him, much to the disbelief of his son.

"One...two...thre-..." a clambering of footsteps ran down the home's hall, around the corner, and into a bedroom wardrobe. Miguel chuckled. His son was quite loud, playing the noisiest game of hide and seek.

"Louis, get out of the wardrobe and come back here," he laughed.

Louis opened the wardrobe door.

"Aww, how did you know?" yelled Louis, climbing from the not-so-hidden hiding spot, and returning to his father.

"If you ever want to beat me at hide and seek, you need to be quieter, like a Caterpie in the trees," suggested Miguel.

"I don't know how," replied Louis.

Miguel grinned.

"Here, watch this," he said.

Miguel pointed to his feet, with Louis observing. He then silently placed a heel on the ground, then rolled his weight to the side of his foot, before placing the rest of his foot to the floor. He did that again, but with the other foot.

The footsteps made no sound.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Louis."How did you do that? What did you do?"

"I call them Ghost Steps, kid," answered Miguel.

"Heel...side...toe…"

"Heel...side...toe…"

Within ten of these silent ghost steps, Louis arrived at the slumbering Pokémon. It stirred, muttering. Louis knelt and placed a hand on the Venusaur.

"Hey...Venusaur…" he whispered, lightly shaking the resting creature.

"Come on, wake up," he continued.

The grass-type Pokémon's eyes flipped open and stared at Louis.

"...who...who are you?" it asked.

"M-...my name's Louis, and...I overheard you sleep-talking," answered Louis.

The Pokémon's eyes lit up. An expression of surprise played on its features at the boy that could understand it.

"So you're a Ho-Ken too, huh?" questioned the now awake lizard-looking Pokémon.

"I...guess so?" responded Louis.

"Do you remember what you were dreaming about?" he asked. "It sounded like you were looking for someone."

"...I was," answered Venusaur. "There was a boy I used to interact with many moons ago, along with his mother. His name was Miguel."

That name again, the one he overheard the sleeper speak.

"As in...Miguel Serrano?" questioned Louis.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"How do you know the Serranos?" she eventually asked.

"Because..." the boy replied, "...I am one."

Venusaur's jaw dropped.

"What?" it gasped.

A sudden realisation dawned on the young man.

"Wait a minute…" he muttered. "If you knew my dad, and you're aware of the Ho-Ken tribe...then…"

"That's it! My dad must've been a part of the tribe!"

The Venusaur stared at Louis.

"You have the same kind eyes," it said, noting the family resemblance.

"He never told you? That he was a Ho-Ken?" it asked.

"No...not once," replied Louis.

A rustling from the bushes signified Totodile was getting restless. Venusaur stared into the foliage.

"Who's that?" it asked, pointing a vine toward the noise.

"Oh, don't worry," said Louis remembering the rest of his party. He waved them over.

"They're with me," he reassured

The group reformed as the young Totodile ran to Louis' side.

"My my," said Venusaur. "That's a very pretty bow."

"Thank you!" replied Totodile giggling.

Venusaur looked from the Totodile to Louis.

"She thinks very highly of you," it said.

"Actually...she's not mine," replied Louis.

Taki and Tracey approached the group.

"She's Taki's," said Louis pointing at the girl.

Venusaur looked to Taki.

"Are you a Ho-Ken too?" it inquired.

A series of "Venus-aur" noises met Taki's ears. She looked to Louis, confused.

"She is…" Louis responded for Taki. "...she just can't understand Pokémon...yet."

Venusaur smiled and raised a front leg towards Taki, in greeting.

"Saur Venus-aur," said Venusaur.

Louis translated.

"Venusaur said…'Pleased to meet you, Taki'."

Taki reached a hand towards the four-legged Pokémon and shook its cold claw.

Tracey stood aghast at the scene before him. In a single movement, he produced his pad and pencil and furiously sketched the incredible encounter.

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