The boat ride to the Academy seemed to take forever to reach the campus. Unlike the last time Louis travelled on the vessel, there were no interruptions in the ocean. Before long, he grew bored.

'Ugh...how long is this going to take?' the young adult thought.

Soon, after what felt like an eternity, Louis spotted a familiar shape rising on the ocean's horizon. It was the Poké Island, with the Academy grounds appearing as well.

"There it is," said Louis.

Soon after, the Lapras Express docked in front of the familiar stone steps leading up to the main quadrangle. Louis grabbed his supplies from his room and stepped off the boat.

The young adult squinted his eyes as the morning sun, much brighter here, met his tired expression. The traveller retrieved a red and black cap from his pack, and placing it, glanced around the Academy's docks.

"I guess Dad was right to get me this," said Louis.

Louis swallowed the lump in his throat and began his way up the staircase.

'Ok...here we go again,' he thought.

Before taking his first step on the stone steps, Louis noticed someone sitting by the docks, with a fishing line in his hands. Memories of the fisherman that he, Taki and Crocanaw encountered during their adventure in Johto flashed in the young adult's mind as he unconsciously stepped toward the individual.

The youthful fisherman sensed a presence coming toward them. He turned his head to see Louis standing beside him.

"Oh, hey," the young fisherman said. "Did you want a turn?"

"No, thanks," replied Louis. "Just looking."

Suddenly, the young fisherman felt the line being pulled from underwater.

"Hey! I think I caught something," he exclaimed.

As he tried to reel in whatever was caught, the fisherman was starting to lose his grip on the fishing rod, as the amount of force pulling the line was surprisingly powerful.

"It's a big one," said the fisher.

Louis placed his hands on the rod, providing assistance for the individual. They pulled and reeled with all they had, but as the line was brought back to surface, nothing was caught.

"Darn it," groaned the fisherman. "It got away."

"It's not invisible, is it?" joked Louis.

"Hehe, no."

Louis spotted movement in the water, as bubbles floated to the surface. Something was approaching.

"Uh oh," he said.

A small shell, rough as the seas in the night, broke the water's surface. Under it, two beady eyes stared toward the docks.

It was a Shellder, and it was incredibly annoyed.

"Hey! Quit it with the hooks!" it exclaimed. "We're trying to swim in peace."

Only Louis could understand what it was saying.

"Go to the other side of the docks for fish! Ya rookie!"

The Shellder launched a splash of water at the fisherman, drenching him.

"Hey!" he groaned.

The Pokémon turned its attention to Louis, sending a gush of water at him. However, Louis dodged the attack.

"What did I do?" he said.

The Shellder did not answer and went back under the water. Louis glanced at the wet, confused fisher-kid, and stifled a laugh.

"Are you sure you're in the right spot, dude?" he questioned.

"Coach said to fish where the docks meet the sea," the young fisherman answered.

Louis scanned his surroundings before pointing to the near distance.

"You mean like that bit, there?"

Louis squinted.
"The bit with the quite visible fish?"

The second individual turned his head to the direction Louis was looking.

"Oh, that's where Coach meant."

Something the boy said stirred a memory in Louis, and he bit the student farewell.

Coach.

'I wonder how Coach is doing...' Louis thought.

By the time he reached the top, the young adult was panting and gasping for air.

"Just like when I was younger," panted Louis.

Louis stood up, regaining his breath. Before he could continue onward, Louis' eyes widened at the sight before him. Everything he remembered about the academy since his last visit was completely different now. With new statues, fountains, gardens and fields.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "This is different."

Although the new features mesmerised Louis, he had to stay focused on finding his Pokémon and friends. He proceeded in the direction he believed the field was located. But then, along the way, a melody, soft at first, carried on the wind from somewhere in the fields of the Academy's grounds. Delicate and intricate, new chords joined the previous ones and formed a section familiar to Louis.

He stopped on the spot.

He knew that song.

'Where's that coming from?' he thought.

Louis carefully stepped forward, curious about who was playing the music.

As he peered past a tree, Louis saw a man with a Lycanroc laying beside him. The man had long black hair, a short circle beard, brown skin and eyes, and wore eye-glasses, a red headband, two earrings on the left ear, an orange top, with a black vest over it and long denim jeans.

Something about this individual seemed...familiar to the young adult.

A mis-picked string sent an off-key note amidst the beautiful tune, ruining it for the player. He stopped.

"That didn't sound right," said the man. "Did it, Lycanroc?"

The Pokémon shook its head.

"Didn't think so."

Flashbacks of Louis' youth proceeded to emulate in his subconscious as he unknowingly stepped forward.

"Roy?" blurted Louis.

The approaching young adult drew the musician's attention. The player nearly dropped the instrument in shock.

"Louis?!"

Lycanroc copied his trainer, equally surprised at the reunion. The musician stood up, ran toward the young adult and wrapped his arms around him.

"Dude! LOUIS!" he cheered.

"Oof!" winced Louis. "Too tight!"

Roy softened his grip around Louis. Then, the returning trainer laughed in excitement, happy that someone he knew was still at the campus.

"Hehe, look at you!" said Louis. "You're all...grown up."

"Right back at ya', man," joked Roy.

After a while, Roy released his grip around Louis.

"Been a while, kid," Lycanroc spoke.

"Tell me about it," replied Louis.

Roy saw the exchange.

"Good to see you can still talk to 'em," he said.

The sound of someone running and a crunch of leaves under each step drew the party's attention.

"Hey! Roy!" The approaching man yelled.

Roy's face lit up.

"Suzuki! Man, look who it is!" he said, elbowing Louis.

Louis' face now mirrored Roy's.

"Suzuki?!"

The young adult slowly turned to the opposite direction to see the individual standing before him.

The person had spikey blonde hair, but was much neater, and azure blue eyes that peered through thick-framed glasses. He wore a pale-red formal shirt and grey pants.

Both individuals gazed upon one another in shock.

"Louis!"

"Suzuki!"

Both individuals shared a tight embrace. Neither could believe that they would see one another again.

After a while, the two men relinquished their grip on one another.

"Suzuki, what are you doing here?" Louis asked, curiously.

"I thought you graduated," he added.

"I work here now," Suzuki smiled.

"I'm one of the official training coaches here at the academy," he clarified. "I've even got my own training group."

"Really?" said Louis. "That is so cool!"

Then, Louis turned his attention to Roy.

"What about you, Roy?" he inquired. "You work here too?"

"Not really," answered Roy. "I'm doing a voluntary course here. I might consider working here after I finish it."

"I just...kinda like it here," Roy finished.

Louis smiled. Then, there was someone else he remembered was one of his friends here.

"What about Violet?" he inquired. "Is she here?"

Both Roy and Suzuki hesitated to answer.

"Eh...no," the musician answered.

"No? How come?"

"She's probably painting up a storm in Sinnoh," answered Suzuki. "After Violet graduated, she returned there."

Louis pondered the information.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I remember her saying that it was one of her passions."

In the distance, an unknown figure watched on as the three individuals continued their conversation.

"He's back," it muttered.

Suzuki checked the time on his watch.

"Oh, I better get going," he said. "My first session for the day starts in ten minutes."

"Ok," Roy responded. "See ya."

Suzuki sprinted away, not wanting to be late for his lesson. As soon as Suzuki was out of sight, Roy looked at Louis and spoke.

"Hey Louis, did you bring any Pokémon with you?"

"Actually..." Louis paused. "...I was going to look for mine."

"I think your best bet would be going to the Pokémon Lab. They usually keep the Pokémon there for when a student returns."

"I don't even know where that is," Louis mentioned. "Everything is so different now."

Roy pointed out the directions to take in order to reach the lab. Louis thanked his friend and departed. Along the way, Louis began to sense something. Something...recognisable.

"Louis?" a deep voice spoke.

The young adult stopped in place. He spun around.

"Yeah?" he said.

What Louis saw was not what he was expecting. It was a Pokémon.

It was bipedal, had black and blue fur, with a cream-coloured fur on its chest, rounded spikes on its forepaw and torso and red eyes.

The Pokémon seemed to be grinning.

"I had a feeling it was you," it said.

Louis squinted, carefully examining the creature. He noticed a resemblance to a Pokémon he had on his team.

Then, Louis' eyes widened in shock.

"Wait..." he paused. "...Riolu?"

Wow. Talk about a reunion. It's nice to see some old faces.

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