"The greatest moment in a student's life is when they can one day face their mentors and their teachers and be proud that they have something to show for all the years of learning. And for a teacher, their greatest moment is when they can be proud at what they have groomed their students to do and become.
Even though I am not there in person, I see myself as your mentor through the knowledge I have left you in these memoirs that I have kept through all of these years—and I can only hope you feel the same way in return.
I know that because of this, one day, when you and I finally come face to face in battle, it will be just as described above, a meeting between student and teacher, where both of us can be proud of you, and what you have accomplished."
Sam and the others shuffled into the Pokémon Centre with a feeling of great relief. The wilderness was fun, but a warm, soft bed was nice too. They gently piled their stuff in a small corner along the far-left wall until they could check in and get a room.
"Let's call home," Jeremy suggested.
It had been almost too long since they last spoke to their families. No doubt their families would be worried about them and wanting to see how their travels were going.
Sam started punching in numbers. "I'm going to call my grandmother first. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," said Jeremy. "Our families live next door to each other, if anything, you grandmother can invite my parents over."
"Hey, why don't you ever call your parents, Lyss?" asked Sam. "Don't they ever want to hear from you?"
Alyssandra shrugged. "They were on vacation last time. And now they've been invited to Valentina's villa at the Lake Valor Resort."
"You sound impressed," said Niya sarcastically.
Sam hushed the conversation as the phone stopped ringing. But the group was surprised to see, not a kind, old woman smiling on the other end, but Professor Rowan brushing cake crumbs from his beard and moustache.
"Oh, hello children! And it looks like you have a new friend travelling with you."
"Hello, professor, I'm Niya Konstantinova. I'm an old friend of Sam, Jeremy, and Lyss's, we grew up together in Twinleaf."
The professor pondered the name for a moment before it came to him. "Oh yes, you won the Sinnoh Grand Festival a few years back, and you won the Hoenn Grand Festival and Wallace Cup recently too."
"I've heard a lot about you too, Professor. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Professor, could I ask where my grandmother is?" Sam interjected.
"Oh, she's just out in the garden with Jeremy's mother. She's been coming over every day to help her out with the daily chores, and I've been visiting once a week, just like I promised."
Sam felt his chest grow warm with emotion. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Anything for Aurelio's family. I owed him anyway—several unpaid debts. Lost bests and the like. I should've known better after all those years."
Sam laughed. His grandfather would never miss a chance for a good wager—especially with a friend as old as Rowan.
"Actually, it's just perfect that I've run into you all," explained the Professor. "When you all received your Pokémon, I meant to give you a Pokédex, but I had no more at the time. However, I just received a new shipment of the latest model from Professor Oak in Kanto, and I'd like to send them over to you all, if that's all right."
"That'd be perfect," exclaimed Sam. "Thank you very much! We don't have a transfer system at my house though, so you'll have to go to the Pokémon Centre in Twinleaf."
"Very well. I shall send them over to the Pokémon Centre you're at later; so, try not to go anywhere yet. You're just outside Oreburgh Gate I believe?"
Sam nodded.
"Are there any Pokémon that you would like to transfer over to me for study?" asked the Professor.
"Yes, I have a Chimchar, a Turtwig and a Croagunk," Sam listed. "The Chimchar came from…well a not so good trainer, and I've been keeping it with me to try and get it to trust humans again, same with the Croagunk. The Turtwig I caught the other day on our way to Oreburgh Gate."
"Very well, and the rest of you?"
"I have a Piplup, but I deposited that in the PC already, I'm sure you've seen it," said Jeremy.
"That I have," said Professor Rowan. "How about you Alyssandra?"
"I have a Mime Jr., a Bonsly, and a Happiny."
"My, my," said the professor in surprise. "How ever did you come across such rare Pokémon as those? It's not often you find wild Mime Jr., Bonsly and Happiny."
"It's a long story. When we meet next, I'll tell it to you."
"I look forward to it," replied the Professor. "I believe your grandmother, Sam, and your mother, Jeremy, have just returned from the garden. One moment I'll call them over."
The call went silent for a moment before Sam's grandmother and Jeremy's mother rushed to the call.
"Oh, look at you!" cried Jeremy's mother. "You all look like such professionals! It won't be long before Sam is Sinnoh Champion, and Alyssandra is a Top Coordinator and—oh, goodness! Niya, is that you? So good to see you again, dear!"
"Hello!"
Sam's grandmother beamed at her grandson. "Your grandfather would be proud. He would have been so happy to see you become a Pokémon Trainer and challenge the Sinnoh League like he did. Have the rest of the family called you yet?"
"Not yet. But I've been on the move a lot, it only makes sense. I'll stop by the ranch during my travels, it's near Cycling Road, so I'm sure I'll pass by them sometime soon."
"That's good," smiled his grandmother. "I'm sure they all want to see you. They mentioned to me that they had something for you. Your uncle wouldn't say what though."
"I'll find out when I get there," said Sam. "So, how's life at home?"
"Oh, it's normal as always. Jeremy's mother is here helping me, so it's just as easy as when you were here. How is life on the road? I haven't heard from you since you reached Jubilife City."
"You're never going to believe half the things that have happened to us. Jeremy won the Piplup. Then we had a run in with some members of Team Galactic, that's how I got—well I should say rescued—my Croagunk. But—"
"Wait, did you say Team Galactic?" interrupted Professor Rowan.
Sam nodded. "Yeah, Team Galactic. They're—"
"They're an organization bent on stealing people's Pokémon, and using them for their own wicked designs," explained Professor Rowan.
"Yeah, we know that. Officer Jenny told us," said Sam. "They weren't that hard to beat though—really soft if you ask me."
Professor Rowan's jovial demeanour melted away. His exterior hardened. His eyes grew stern. His tone was grave and serious. "Listen to me, Sam, and all of you as well. They may seem harmless, but all you fought are the grunts, the low-level member. Believe me, the higher ups can do a lot more damage than them, and they're a lot more ruthless.
"I've seen what Team Galactic can do. You'd be too young to remember this, but it happened around the time your grandfather passed. They infiltrated a cruise ship and stole every single Pokémon on board When they were finished, they left the cruise ship stranded; they were adrift for weeks. No one knew where they were because Team Galactic's leader had the ship dragged to a previously uncharted area of the ocean."
"Are you sure we're talking about the same Team Galactic?" asked Sam. "Weird clothes, even weirder haircuts?"
"People died out there, Sam! Hundreds of people!" Rowan wasn't messing around or joking. Beneath the stern exterior, Sam could see he was seriously worried. "They are dangerous, and sure, they may just seem like harmless criminals now, but who knows what they're really after; they have an ulterior motive that even the police can't figure out!"
"But Professor—" protested Alyssandra.
"Promise me!" demanded the professor. "They're dangerous, and you can't go chasing after them again. You all have too much ahead of you; you have futures and dreams to realize. They will not hesitate to kill you if you meddle in their plans too much, just please don't get involved anymore, all right?"
There was a tense silence. Jeremy's mother and grandmother said nothing during Rowan's tirade. Even they knew how dangerous Team Galactic could be just from the news stories all those years ago.
Finally, Sam broke it. "We promise."
"Good." Professor Rowan stooped to pick up his briefcase and hat and threw his coat around his shoulders. "Now, I must be off to the Pokémon Centre, and I'm sure you three would like to get to dinner, so I will be going. You will find your Pokédexes with Nurse Joy upon leaving the Pokémon Centre."
The teens thanked the professor and he disappeared. A door closed behind him somewhere off screen.
Jeremy's mother swooped in for a lecture. "Professor Rowan is right. They're dangerous and you need to stay safe, even if it means not playing hero, all right?"
Jeremy nodded. "Yes, mother. We're going to go get food, now. We'll call you later?"
"All right. I'll speak to you all once you reach Oreburgh City."
"And don't forget that if you need anything, to just let us know," added Sam's grandmother. "And we'll be rooting for you."
They hung up the call shortly after. There had been no denying that Professor Rowan's lecture had dampened the mood. The group had ridden that high of playing hero for a few days after leaving Jubilife City, and they had still been quite proud of the good they'd done. But between learning just how dangerous Team Galactic was and being warned to never interfere again had soured that feeling.
They shuffled silently to the check-in counter, left their luggage with Nurse Joy to bring up to their room later, and scuttled over to the dining hall for a late dinner.
"Well, that was certainly a damper to our hero parade," said Niya. I understand why they want us to be safe, but he could have let us enjoy our moment of glory a bit longer."
"They make a good point though," added Alyssandra. "That story he told us about the ship? That was just horrible! I'd never want something like that to happen to us. He's right, we need to stay out of Team Galactic's business."
"You don't really think they'd do that to us, do you?" asked Sam. "Come on, we can take them! They're just a bunch of loud-mouthed punks."
"Who's the loudmouth again?" teased Niya.
"I wonder why Looker and Jenny never told us about how dangerous Team Galactic is," pondered Jeremy. "That seems like a pretty important thing to mention to a bunch of kids."
Sam shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe they were desperate for the help, and they didn't want us freaking out? Looker says he took down Team Rocket with a similar method by using Red in a similar way."
"Rumour has it that Red was taking down Team Rocket because it was the right thing to do, and the police just swooping in afterwards to take all the credit and do all the paperwork," said Niya.
Alyssandra shook her head. "Rumours say a lot of things. But who eve knows where Red is nowadays, so I guess we'll never know the truth."
"Well, whatever it is, I know one thing—" Sam froze completely. He could only stare dumbly at a near empty table across the dining hall.
"What?" asked Jeremy.
Sam pointed.
Jeremy's jaw dropped.
"It can't be," said Alyssandra.
"Here of all places," said Niya in amazement.
"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" asked Sam. "Come on!"
Sam and his friends dashed over to the table. A burly man with long red hair tied into a ponytail and a beard sat at this table, quietly reading, and minding his own business. He had rectangular glasses that sat on the edge of a crooked nose.. His face looked aged, and several lines decorated his forehead. Beside him stay a long trench coat with fur trimmings.
"Professor Alexios?" asked.
"Hmm?"
The man stared blankly for a moment, as if he had just returned to reality from a very nice dream. He blinked a few times, showing no sign of recognizing Sam. Then he spoke.
"Sam Accardi…" he said softly. "And Alyssandra De Rossi, Jeremy De Oliveira Malhotra and Niya Konstantinova! My goodness, some of my former students, my how you've grown!"
"I knew it was you!" exclaimed Sam.
Sam and his friends shuffled into the booth.
"How are you professor?" asked Alyssandra. "We haven't seen you since Pokémon Trainer's School, when we were kids."
"We would've come back to visit, but you closed the school down shortly after we graduated," added Jeremy. "We've missed you."
Alexios put away his book. "Well, that's sweet of you. You know, I was just thinking about all of you too. I was wondering what you were all doing nowadays. So, what brings you guys here?"
"We've finally decided to start a Pokémon journey together," explained Alyssandra.
"That's excellent," said Alexios. "I trust all of my teachings have come in handy?"
"Oh yes," said Niya. "I just signed onto this crazy train, but I recognize a lot of old techniques you've taught them in their battles, I even use some of them when I battle myself."
"Perfect," said Alexios. He quickly cleared some of his papers off the table and shoved them into his briefcase "I'm glad my teaching came in handy."
"So, what have you been doing, Professor Alexios?" asked Sam. "If we remember correctly, you closed down the school and moved because someone offered you a job as a researcher. How'd that go?"
Alexios adjusted his glasses. "Wonderfully; it's just been amazing! My organization gives me all the funding I need, and I study whatever they give me—the deadlines are a bit stiff, but that's just part of the territory I suppose."
"So, what are you researching now?" asked Jeremy. "Was it in those papers you had before?"
Alexios chuckled and scratched his chin. "Well, yes it was actually. Boy, you're observant as ever, Jeremy. But yes, we are studying into the Sinnoh creation myths—in fact, the world creation myths."
"What about them?" asked Niya. "I thought they were just stories?"
"Oh, far from!" declared Alexios. "You see, we've found evidence that a Pokémon called Arceus was the first Pokémon in existence. It created the universe and all the creatures and things in it, but its first job was to create the Pokémon of Space, the Pokémon of Time, and the Pokémon of Dimensions, to help it complete the world. It also created three other Pokémon—I'm sure you've heard of the Guardians of the Lakes—that govern emotions and placed them inside of the caves in the lakes."
"Everyone in Sinnoh knows that story," said Sam. "My grandmother used to tell it to me when I was a kid. What have you found so far?"
"Well, we've found evidence for all of these Pokémon," explained Alexios. "Usually from footprints, or several carved stones that show their names, or describe them and their powers, and some pictures carved into stone ruins across the Pokémon world. From what we can tell, there are objects that can be used to control these Pokémon—but as for their locations, of the items and the Pokémon, and even if these Pokémon are still alive, is still mostly unknown, but we're piecing everything back together slowly."
Alyssandra almost seemed to vibrate with excitement. "If you find these Pokémon you'll be famous! Can you imagine the breakthroughs you'll make in Pokémon science and studies!"
Alexios started to shuffle out of the booth. "Oh yes. Researchers and professors everywhere would seek my advice on these 'Legendary Pokémon'. I'm just sure we'll find something!"
Sam noticed the professor seemed to be inching ever closer from his seat at the table. He looked about ready to leave. "Are you leaving so soon?"
"I'm afraid I must. I was just about to leave before you came by, and I have a meeting with my employer in Oreburgh early in the morning that I must make. I can't keep them waiting."
"We're going to Oreburgh too," explained Sam. "If you're still there when we are, we'll drop by, and we can talk more."
The old professor smiled. "If I am able, I would like that. Send a message to the Budew Inn when you arrive, and I will respond if I am able to meet."
"We wish you all the luck professor," said Jeremy. "I know you'll find something big soon enough."
Alexios smiled one last time, once more readjusting his glasses. "Yes, I would like that very much. I hope we get a chance to meet in Oreburgh, I would love to hear more of your stories and escapades. But until then, I must be off; good day!"
With that Alexios turned on his heal and left the dining hall rather quickly.
"He was kind of jittery, wasn't he?" noted Niya. "He didn't seem right. He started packing the second we arrived."
"That's probably just the stress," suggested Sam.
"I know what you mean Niya," Alyssandra said. "He seemed like he afraid of something, on edge. What do you suppose he's hiding? Do you think he's in some kind of trouble?"
"I don't know, but the Alexios I remember was a strong Pokémon trainer," replied Jeremy. "He wouldn't be threatened so easily."
"Well, whatever the reason is, it's not our business," said Sam. "Come on, let's get some food so we can get our Pokédexes and get up to our rooms."
