"Hahaha!" Kristine placed her hands behind Jason's shoulders as she followed him down the hallway. "We did it Jason! We won it!"

"Our Pokemon did awesome today," Jason laughed. "And you did awesome, too!"

The two have already received their prize winnings of $5,000 each, transferred to a credit chit given to each of them.

"You'd think the Donnovan Twins would be good sports considering how successful they are," Kristine added.

"Eh," Jason shrugged. "If they can't handle a loss, that's their problem."

"It's one criticism about the Power Duo," said the voice of Meeks, as he approached the twins from down the hall. "There are so many better trainers out there than the Donnovan Twins, and they all aim for higher goals. Like both of you, for instance."

"Then I guess we still have a very long way to go," Jason replied.

"And we've barely beaten the Donnovan Twins," Kristine said.

"You do have a long way to go," Meeks continued. "This tournament is nothing compared to the challenges you have faced, and will continue to face."

He walked right between Jason and Kristine, facing the entrance to the battlefield. "Winning this tournament, despite its drawbacks, is proof enough you're capable of the Inventum League. If that wasn't enough, you traveled all the way through the Nappalchan Mountains. That's proof in itself."

He chuckled and faced the twins. "The Pokemon League works in interesting ways. The rules state that the Gym Leader must grant their respective badge to the trainer upon and only upon the trainer's victory in a pokemon battle, except for extreme or special circumstances.

"So I called the Inventum League the old fashioned way. I said, "what if these kids who made it across the Nappalchan Mountains were to win the Power Duo? I think it'd be pointless to battle me when they defeated trainers who have defeated me before." Then my request made it to the board."

Jason and Kristine were trying to figure out where Meeks was going with this.

"The board approved five to four that I have the right to grant you the Power Badge without doing it the old fashioned way," Meeks made his point as he turned around to face the twins. "And you don't seem the type that will accept this outright. So take 'em. I'm not asking."

"You're – you're giving us the badges?" Jason seemed surprised.

"I see your point," Kristine replied. "But I'm not sure about this."

"Look," Meeks said. "I have the highest loss ratio of all Gym Leaders. Ol' Raichu is getting up there in age, and people wonder why I haven't retired yet. The Donnovan Twins defeated me in battle, and you showed them what it means to be a real trainer better than I ever could. And – gosh I can't believe I'm making this pun – you powered your way through the tournament. I would have tested your strength. How would you fight power?"

"With power," Jason replied.

"Speed," Kristine replied at the same time.

"I would no longer be a challenge to you," Meeks continued. "But more of a nuisance. Take the badges."

Meeks pulled two small boxes from his pocket and presented them to the twins. "The Power Badge represents your strength and bravery. Inventum wasn't ready for you, but you showed everyone who you are and you persevered when no one expected you to."

Still hesitant, the twins were not sure how to handle the situation. It almost seemed cheap to the both of them that they would be handed badges. But Meeks made his case clear – he would present them the badges on the basis that he would no longer pose as a significant challenge to the twins, but rather a redundant one. And the slight majority of the Inventum League's committee seemed to agree with him.

Finally, Jason offered his hands before Meeks. "I'd rather fight you, but you understand better than anyone else about our triumphs. And what we did just now was pretty nuts."

Kristine, surprised that Jason made the initial response, decided to follow his lead. "You're the Gym Leader. If you have confidence in us, if we've proven our worth to you, then I accept."

"You've done it and more, kid," Meeks smiled.

Meeks gave Jason and Kristine each the Power Badge. They both opened their boxes, revealing a shining red badge in the shape and outline of Groudon, the sigil of Team Power.

"Alright, badge number three out of the way!" Kristine cheered.

Jason remained silent, but he still expressed a grin on his face.

"Team Power sponsors not just the Power Duo, if that wasn't obvious enough, but veterans of the War," Meeks continued. "I guess you can say Team Power is full of old people retelling war stories, but our proceeds go to good causes."

"Like the half-track at the Central Pokemon Lodge in the Mountains?" Kristine asked.

"Oh, Betty," Meeks recollected. "Yes. We have younger people taking up professions like rangers, rescue operators, and conservationists and will likely be the new faces of Team Power in the near future. And who knows? Maybe Team Power will get a new Gym Leader soon enough. If you stick around this city long enough, you'll find people who are members of Team Power."

"Thank you, Meeks," Jason spoke.

"Sure thing, trooper," Meeks replied. "I'll see you kids around. Don't go spending that prize money in one place, now."

The twins waved goodbye as Meeks began to depart.

"Oh, and one more thing," Meeks turned around. "The media will hound you now."

"I figured as much," Kristine replied.

"Speak of the devil," Meeks saw Yenela approach him.

"Commander Meeks," Yenela acknowledged him. "Came here to personally congratulate the Kyar Twins, eh? Or is there something more to it? Are those badges I see? Oh, interesting developments indeed."

Meeks crossed his arms. "So what if they are?"

"Imagine the backlash if it went public," Yenela continued. "The debates. The talking points. The very legitimacy of the badges themselves. But don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. For now."

"I don't give a rattata's behind about my reputation," Meeks snarled.

"I wasn't referring to you," Yenela smirked. "I was talking about the twins. They just won the Power Duo. Inventum needs to digest that first."

"Like I said," Meeks turned to the twins and pointed at them. "Be careful of the media."

Meeks walked away, with Yenela being the sour note to an otherwise silent badge ceremony. She walked over to the twins. "I just want to congratulate the both of you personally. You've taken Richland Port by storm, and all of Inventum is stunned by your victory. Why don't you stop by our studio tomorrow morning and tell everyone a little bit about yourselves?"

Kristine turned to Jason once more. Jason was hesitant at first, but he gave a nod at his sister.

"Let's do it," she replied.

"Excellent," Yenela acknowledged. "We'll put you in a segment for tomorrow morning's rundown. It'll run at about nine o'clock in the morning. See you then!"

Yenela then swiftly departed.

"Live television, huh?" Jason contemplated.

"We are gaining a foothold in the Inventum League," Kristine added.

"I guess we are," Jason said. "But I'm trying to figure out what the heck just happened.

"Let's get back to the pokemon center and relax," Kristine suggested.

"Good idea," Jason agreed.


The twins made their way towards the VIP exit of the stadium. They were not hounded by the media, to their surprise.

"You'd think they'd be out here snapping photos of us," Kristine said.

Jason shook his head. "Either they're chasing the Donnovan Twins, or Meeks was right. The Power Duo is considered the minor leagues."

"You would think otherwise when so many people attended the battle."

"Think about it sis. You have some cash on you on a weekend night, what are you going to do?"

"You have a point," Kristine accepted. "I'm just starting to think that I like the spotlight."

"Yeah, well, the media can go bother someone else," Jason chuckled.

The twins went out a door disguised as a utility entrance to avoid large crowds gathering at that area. They walked along the sidewalk next to a street congested with vehicle traffic.

"So many cars," Jason seemed amazed by the endless array of vehicles barely moving due to bumper-to-bumper road congestion.

"So that's what they mean by traffic jam," Kristine looked on.

They continued walking, passing by numerous pedestrians along the way.

"Hey!" one male adult turned around, taking notice. "It's the kids who beat the Donnovan Twins!"

Jason and Kristine could see the attention suddenly shifting to them. People were turning to face them.

"Great job, dude!" another male adult gave Jason a high-five.

"Your espeon was on fire!" a female adult gave Kristine a high-five as well.

"Welcome to the coast!" a third male passed by. "Go easy on us now, okay?"

"See you in the big leagues in a couple years, huh?" a fourth male contemplated.

"Great job, Krystal!" a second female cheered as she briefly patted Kristine on the shoulder.

"But it's Kristine…" Kristine muttered, out of the woman's earshot. "And spelled with a k, but you probably got that wrong too."

"They'll get it right," Jason remained upbeat.

"Hey Jacob, good hustle out there my man!" a fifth male approached Jason for a fist bump. Jason put on a fake smile and gave him the fist bump.

"Eventually…" Jason sighed.

More fans congratulated the twins on occassion as they made their way back to the pokemon center. More than a dozen trainers resided in the lobby, likely anticipating the twins' arrival.

"You defeated the Donnovan Twins?" one girl, about the twins' age, stood up. "What's your training like? And your coordination techniques?"

"Uh," Kristine attempted to formulate a response.

"What was the Nappalchan Mountains like?" a boy asked.

Before the twins were bombarded with more questions, they saw a familiar face approach them, standing between them and the inquisitive trainers.

"Okay everyone," Julian stated. "Give them breathing room. You wouldn't want to be bombarded with questions after a hard fought victory either, would you?"

The room remained silent. Jason and Kristine made their way past the lobby and up the nearby staircase, with Julian right behind them.

"Hey, thanks man," Jason expressed his gratitude.

"Yeah no problem," Julian smiled. "The lobby went nuts when you guys won. To them, it was some pair of siblings taking down 'the' twins.

"Our pokemon really need the rest," Kristine replied. "Us too."

"No doubt about that," Julian said. By then, the twins arrived to the door of their room. "You have a good night, and congrats!"

"Thanks again," Jason said.

"Yeah, thanks!" Kristine added.

The twins proceeded inside their room as Julian departed.

"I wonder how long he will stick around?" Jason asked out of curiosity. "I wouldn't mind hanging out with him soon."

"My guess is at least until he gets the Power Badge, if he doesn't have it yet," Kristine gave a light shrug. She then walked over to the communications terminal, taking a seat in front of the desk. "It's time to call Mom."

Jason stood over his sister as she initiated the call. Veronica quickly answered as if she was anticipating the call.

"You have no idea how happy you've made me," Veronica spoke cheerfully.

"I can't believe we did it!" Kristine replied.

"Me neither!" Jason added. "It was nuts!"

"It looked like a close one," Veronica mentioned. "But you and your pokemon pulled it off. Remember what I'm going to tell you, because it will be important in the long run. Trainers are generally praised by the public for their coaching, coordination, and skills, but not so much their pokemon. Your pokemon are out there doing the work, doing the best they can to achieve victory and they will take defeats harder than anyone else. While you have people congratulating you, take a few moments to congratulate your pokemon, and continue to spend time with them. That's how you become a top tier professional trainer."

"We'll brief our pokemon," Jason assured her. "We've all earned this victory."

"Yes you have," Veronica nodded. "Do not forget Magikarp though. If he's as headstrong as you are, then you're going to have to give him a very good reason as to why you have not selected him to fight in the tournament."

"I'll give him the attention he needs," Jason said.

"There's one more thing," Kristine added, knowing it was necessary to tell their mom. "Meeks saw us after the battle. He gave each of us the Power Badge."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Veronica snickered. "He wouldn't have given you those badges if you didn't win tonight. Your father fought him when he was your age, and he still sticks with his raichu from what I've heard. It came down to Jolteon and Raichu, with Jolteon winning. Granted, they say Meeks was tougher back then."

"He told us we'd defeat him anyways," Jason said. "I'd rather fight him, personally."

"There's a thing you'll learn growing up called compromising," Veronica said. "Both of you have already done it to one degree or another and have not realized it yet. Pride defeats the ability to compromise. They say Meeks is too proud to retire, but he wouldn't have rewarded you the badges if that were the case. He saw the potential in both of you and the actions you have displayed tonight, and saw your skills were nothing short of deserving the Power Badge."

"I think we've earned it," Kristine said. "If Meeks and the Inventum League thought so, then I'm okay with it."

"You've earned it," Veronica added. "Now, take some time off and enjoy Richland Port. Keep in touch with me."

"Will do, Mom," Jason gave a nod.

"I love you both!" Veronica waved goodbye.

"Love you too!" the twins replied at the same time.

Veronica then cut the communications.

"I feel like Mom is our coach," Jason mentioned.

"She is our coach," Kristine turned to face her brother. "And a good one at that."

"No doubt about that."

"Let's get a good night's rest," Kristine suggested. "Remember, we have that live interview tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "We should clear our minds too. Who knows what's going on television and the extranet right now."

"For sure."


The twins managed to get a decent amount of sleep before they had to get up the next morning. After putting on their full trainer apparel, they headed towards IPSN's headquarters in downtown Richland Port. It was a black steel building with a slanted roof, standing over twenty stories tall.

They entered a massive lobby with black tiling and white walls, bustling with business people. After passing a security checkpoint, they took an elevator up a dozen floors, and a coordinator directed them to a room with three chairs in the middle of sleek black flooring and walls. Camera crews had at least four angles covered, complete with stationary cameras and lighting.

"Okay," a female coordinator walked up to the two. "You two sit over here, and we'll make sure you're good to go for live TV."

"Huh?" Jason was curious to know what she meant. That was when a makeup artist grabbed his hand and dragged him to one of the seats. Another artist did the same for Kristine.

"What kind of lipstick do you prefer, dear," Kristine's makeup artist asked, presenting a palate of multiple colors.

"Uh," Kristine looked at the palate, dumbfounded. "I don't really wear makeup. I'm twelve."

"These are pokemon trainers, not models!" Yenela could be heard yelling from a distance. "We're putting them on TV as trainers!"

"As you say," the makeup artist walked away. The one tending to Jason did the same thing, but not without polishing up his face.

"She said my face was dirty," he said to Kristine.

Kristine chuckled at the comment.

"One minute to air," one of the cameramen informed Yenela.

"Good," Yenela acknowledged. "On schedule."

She walked over to the twins. "You're both in your trainer gear and have your pokeballs. Great. Quick, get Jolteon and Espeon out!"

"Um…" Jason was hesitant.

"Quickly now, it'll add more character to the both of you!" Yenela insisted.

"Alright," Jason pulled out his Pokeball. "Come on out, Jolteon."

"You too, Espeon," Kristine brought out her pokemon.

Jolteon and Espeon looked around, not sure what to think of the situation. Espeon remained in place and sat down next to Kristine, while Jolteon paced back and forth.

"You're not going to get Jolteon to remain in one place," Jason faced Yenela.

Yenela looked at Jolteon and sighed. "Fine. We'll roll with it."

She sat down across from the twins and began clearing her throat.

"Twenty seconds," the cameraman informed. "Tom has begun the intro."

Yenela could hear the anchorman introducing the segment on her earpiece.

"Keep eye contact on me," Yenela informed the twins. "Eye contact with the camera makes it creepy."

Jason instinctively glanced at the camera because of that comment.

"Ten seconds," the cameraman said.

Jason and Kristine each took a deep breath. By then, Jolteon settled down and sat next to Jason.

Yenela smiled at that moment. "Good," she muttered.

"Five," the cameraman said, then held his fingers up, putting one down by the second.

Jason and Kristine focused on the hand. As soon as there was one finger left, they shifted their eyes to Yenela.

"Thanks Tom," Yenela spoke. "I'm here with the newest champs of the Power Duo, twins Jason and Kristine Kyar, along with their starter pokemon, Jolteon and Espeon."

Jason and Kristine both looked at the camera and waved briefly. Jolteon and Espeon looked around, curious as to what was going on.

"Jason and Kristine, let me say congratulations on your victory here," Yenela continued. "What do you have to say about your victory?"

"Thanks, Yenela," Kristine spoke, remembering to face Yenela. "Jason and I have trained with our pokemon every day for the past five or so months, and it really paid off for us."

"You came all the way from Mountain Spring," Yenela continued. "What were some of the challenges you faced getting to here?"

Jason and Kristine faced each other, and broke into a light laugh.

"We have all sorts of stories," Jason replied.

"I would have to say one of the biggest challenges was getting through day one," Kristine added. "I think we really matured on the first day alone. It took rolling down the hill and spraining my foot to come to that realization."

"I carried her all the way back up the hill," Jason chimed in.

"Oh my," Yenela replied. "So it would be safe to say you have each other's backs?"

"Always," Kristine and Jason said at the same time.

"Jason's headstrong," Kristine added, glancing at her brother. "But he's the type that never gives up. That pushes me to become a better trainer, and a better person, really. He always looks out for me."

"Kristine's the smartest and toughest person I know," Jason said with confidence without even glancing over. "If I can count on anyone, it's her."

"Some say the trust between you as twins would come natural," Yenela continued. "Would your adventures help build upon that trust?"

"Absolutely," Jason nodded.

"I can't replace him for the world," Kristine added. "I just can't imagine life without my twin, really."

"You've traveled 825 miles across the Nappalchan Mountains to get here," Yenela mentioned. "You made it clear that you didn't come from nowhere. What was the biggest challenge you had to face while trekking through the Mountains?"

"I came down with the flu one day," Jason said. "It got really bad. I lost all of my strength one day and collapsed." He faced Kristine, who looked back at him. "Kristine and our pokemon did everything they can to get me to a shelter in the middle of a snowstorm. If it weren't for them, I would have not made it."

"It was a difficult time," Kristine's voice became shaky. But she maintained her confidence, and cleared her throat with a smile. "But it's past us," she faced Yenela. "The important thing is that Jason made a full recovery, and we were able to continue with our dreams of competing in the Inventum League."

"I knew you had challenges to face, but never did I think you'd go through that," Yenela was taken back.

"Well, as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Jason snickered.

"Considering that you got kidnapped by a gastly, nearly drowned by Magikarp, and came down with the flu, no wonder why you're the strongest person I know," Kristine smiled.

"I bet we can have an entire one hour show of you two sharing your stories," Yenela chuckled. "But sadly, we must move on. We have picked some questions from our viewers for you to answer. Let's start with you, Jason."

"Okay," Jason leaned forward.

"The question was this: you registered only five pokemon for the Power Duo, with the only other person to do so was your sister. You two were the only ones without a full team. More so, you registered a magikarp into the tournament. Why?"

"I met Magikarp at Lake Serenity," Jason replied. "I told him that day that I would help him become the strongest magikarp around and help him along his way to evolving. Just because of who he is doesn't mean I'm not going to leave him out of anything. I train with him wherever I can, whenever I can, just like anyone else. He doesn't get any more or any less treatment than the rest of my team."

"Spoken like a top tier trainer," Yenela seemed impressed. "Kristine, here's one for you. Do you consider to be the smart one of the two?"

"Well," Kristine began to explain.

"Yes," Jason interrupted.

"No," Kristine argued.

"Yes," Jason insisted. "You're the smart one."

"I think we have two different approaches on intelligence," Kristine explained. "I'm the strategic thinker. Jason's the tactical thinker. I sit back and analyze the situation, while Jason tackles the situation head on."

"Would you say Jason's not giving himself enough credit?" Yenela asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to pat yourself on the back once in a while," Kristine snickered, facing Jason. "But you're a hard worker who gets things done, and I respect that."

"Thanks, sis," Jason leaned back.

"Last question for the both of you," Yenela continued. "You face each other in the Inventum Cup. Who wins?"

Jason and Kristine looked right at each other.

"We're a long ways away from that," Jason spoke.

"We don't even have a full team right now," Kristine added.

"Okay, how about if you battled right now, who would win?" Yenela rephrased.

"Me," Jason and Kristine both said at the same time.

"But it would be a close one," Jason added.

"For sure," Kristine agreed. "But it's totally me."

Jason rolled his eyes in playful silent banter.

"So there is a rivalry going on," Yenela noticed.

"I guess you can say so," Kristine contemplated.

"Jason, Kristine, thank you very much for coming in today," Yenela closed. "Jason and Kristine will be continuing their adventure across Inventum. Needless to say, we should keep an eye on the newest pair of twins who are taking Inventum by storm. Back to you, Tom."

"And cut," the cameraman declared.

"You kids are burning with passion, I love it!" Yenela spoke as she got up. "And not bad handling the interview. You two are just adorable."

"So I guess we're famous now," Jason shrugged as he and Kristine got up.

"For now," Yenela nodded. "But you can drop off the face of the earth in no time. My suggestion? Keep getting those gym badges. Keep entering those tournaments. And who knows? Maybe I'll be there to interview you again."


Jason and Kristine walked back towards the lobby a short while later.

"So I think I know why Yenela is withholding what she knows about how we got the Power Badge," Kristine said.

"Yeah?" Jason seemed curious.

"She said we can drop off the face of the earth in no time," Kristine mentioned. "It's like she's holding that for the future."

"For what purpose?" Jason asked.

Kristine shrugged. "Dunno."

They walked past the main entryway, only to be greeted by a small crowd of cheering people outside the building. They were surprised to see a group of fans – perhaps no less than two dozen – stand outside to greet them. The twins noted from watching professional matches that fans often wore apparel or accessories of their favorite trainers, but in this case, all these fans could muster was a makeshift sign of a magikarp.

"You guys rock!" one male fan shouted.

"Keep kicking butt out there!" a teenage girl slightly older than the twins added.

A little girl of seven or eight years of age approached Kristine with a pen and notebook. "Miss Kristine, can I have your autograph?" she asked.

Kristine was speechless. She kneeled down to the girl's eyelevel a moment later. "Sure!"

Another moment struck her. She barely practiced cursive writing, nor has she really written her own signature before. But she wanted to make this one great. She knew the one thing she was much better than Jason at was handwriting, and now she could put that into use.

She wrote elegantly, writing her full name in as opposed to the initials, but both Ks dominated the rest of the letters in size. She swished the 'e' and the 'r' all the way to just below each 'K'.

Kristine handed back the pen and notebook to the girl. "Anything is possible out there. Just put in the effort, and you can do anything."

The girl smiled with gleaming joy. "Thanks!" She ran back towards the crowd.

Jason stood there, amazed to see the supporters and the makeshift sign of Magikarp. He and Kristine were able to get moving moments later, heading in the direction of the pokemon center.

"They'll say that Magikarp was registered in a tournament now," Jason contemplated with a smirk on his face. "A few weeks from now, they'll say he went out there. A few months, he was in the final round. A few years, he won it all for us."

Jason chuckled at his own remarks, but he didn't hear anything from his sister. He turned to face her, only to notice that her eyes were glassy and a tear was rolling down her cheek.

"Kristine," Jason got in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Kristine proceeded into a nearby alley for the sake of privacy and motioned Jason to follow her. She leaned back against the building behind her, sniffling. "We've never had that before. I've never had that before."

"What, the crowd?"

"Not just that," Kristine had another tear roll down her other cheek. "A little girl asked for my autograph. The way she smiled and acted was as if it was the best thing to ever happen to her."

She then looked away with a snicker. "Sorry, I guess I'm just getting too emotional."

"Hey," Jason placed his hand on her shoulder.

Kristine looked back at him.

"I understand," Jason smiled. "This is new to the both of us. The interviews, the fans, the fame. This is the result of how well we have done and our pokemon have done. The stadium alone was overwhelming to me at first. We have a responsibility as trainers, to be the very best and to inspire others to be the very best. It's okay to feel what you're feeling. But, to be honest, that might be nothing compared to what is coming. We have a long road ahead of us, sis."

Kristine cheered up, and smiled back. "And a bright one at that."

"Let's relax a little," Jason suggested. "And let's have some fun in town. Like shopping."

"But you hate to shop," Kristine laughed.

"You love it," Jason smirked. "Let's get you that outfit you wanted since before the tournament."

"Sweet, but you do know that I'm going to pick an outfit for you too, right?"

"Deal. I'm not very good at fashion to begin with."

"I have an idea for you. We have the money for it, I think."

The two walked back out on the street and proceeded towards the commercial district where the department store was.

"It's still there," Kristine gleamed with excitement as she put her hands on the glass display of the outfit she desired.

"I'm sure it's not going anywhere anytime soon," Jason chuckled.

Kristine practically bolted inside, and ran towards the left side where the women's trainer apparel resided. She grabbed several pairs of green tops with black outlines, as well as the tight black shorts that came with it. She even picked out the female visor that complimented the outfit, and tried it on. As soon as she saw that her ponytail fit perfectly trough the opening between the strap and the hat itself, she kept it on.

Moments later, she found a pair of shoes in the women's shoe department that she deemed perfect; green sneakers with a black streak going around them. She got several pairs of ankle-length white socks to complete her new look.

"Now," Kristine faced Jason with a smirk. "Your turn."

"What do you have planned?" Jason smirked back.

"Welllll," Kristine circled Jason once. "We've been wearing jeans for months. It's time to go to shorts."

"Won't argue with you there," Jason snickered.

"Shoes…" Kristine briefly looked down. "Black and dark blue would look good."

"Black and blue are my favorite colors."

"Then it's settled," Kristine looked at Jason in conclusion. She then stormed off towards the nearest escalator which would take her upstairs to the men's department.

Jason shrugged, and followed his sister up. Once they arrived, Kristine picked out several black shirts with blue stripes. She then picked up a nearby cap, primarily black with a blue outline, with the sigil of a white pokeball in the center.

"You need a hat," Kristine insisted. "Now pants."

"Can't I just go without pants?" Jason started cracking up.

Kristine simply rolled her eyes at him, and proceeded on.

"White cargo shorts," Kristine picked up several pairs with one arm, while holding her clothes with the other, and shoved them to Jason for him to hold. "Hmm…"

"What's up?" Jason asked.

"I feel like we need a stylish touch."

"Well, if we're dressing for warm, sunny weather, then why not sunglasses?"

"Jason, you're a genius!" Kristine stormed back to the escalator.

"Okay?" Jason followed her down back to the first floor.

Kristine led her brother to the sunglasses display area, where she immediately picked out a pair for herself. She then walked over to the men's sunglasses case and picked out a slick, silver coated modern look for Jason.

"Won't surprise me that you got a green coating for yours," Jason smiled.

"Green is the best color there is," Kristine stated as if it was a fact.

The two proceeded to check out, and it took several minutes for the cashier to ring them up.

"That'll be twenty one hundred dollars," the cashier smiled.

"I don't think I've ever seen that much being spent on clothes before," Jason was taken back.

"We usually get these shopping sprees when someone wins the Power Duo," the cashier replied.

"No kidding," Kristine laughed. "Money well spent. We'll be in warm weather for a while."


After checking out, the twins headed back to their room at the pokemon center.

"Once we leave this city, we have a whole lot of adventures ahead of us," Kristine said.

"Not to mention a whole lot of work to do," Jason added.

"I say we enjoy this city," Kristine suggested. "Let's take a break from traveling. Give our pokemon a break as well. Let's enjoy this city and for all it has to offer us."

"Only question is, for how long?" Jason asked.

Kristine shrugged.

Jason smiled. "Okay, indefinite sounds like a good timeframe."

"Taking an indefinite vacation, huh?" Kristine pondered.

"At least until we feel refreshed and ready to head to Raley City," Jason replied. "Still gotta get those badges, you know."

"All right," Kristine gave a nod. "We stay here indefinitely! There's tournaments, landmarks, and markets to go around here, too."

"Good," Jason smiled. "And who knows? Maybe we'll add a sixth pokemon to your teams while we're here."

"Anything is possible," Kristine added. "Once we're ready to go, the coast will get our names right for sure!"

"We have to keep improving," Jason said. "It's only going to get tougher from here."

"You got that right. But you know slogan."

"All the way!" Jason enthusiastically spoke.

"All the way!" Kristine repeated.


It was a sunny day over Cheron Forest. As a matter of fact, those in the forest would swear the pokemon move Sunny Day was in effect. The weather was warmer than usual, with the ordinary crisp breeze giving way to weather patterns resembling that of a heat wave.

But Cheron Forest wasn't a stranger to recent unusual occurrences. First there was the gastly migration. Most had moved further east and north within the past couple months. Recently, there was the diglett migration, though experts predicted they were just making their way towards the Nappalchan Mountains, where they could thrive. The exact reason for these migrations were still rendered unknown, but theories formulated.

No one could have predicted the scale of the next migration. Within the foothills overlooking Cheron Forest emerged dozens of weary fire type pokemon. The migration herd included various species such as ponyta, rapidash, vulpix, growlithe, magby, magmar, torkoal, charmander, cyndaquil, torchic, and pansear. They all made their way down the hills and into the forest.

The first trainers to encounter these pokemon seemed startled. Anything they may do that would upset a fire type pokemon could be catastrophic for the entire forest. The trainers did the smartest thing they could do and alerted nearby Team Mystic rangers.

The early consensus was to give the fire pokemon room to expand, and not to provoke them. Still, if they wanted to inhabit the forest, it could forever change the entire landscape. The fire pokemon seemed to be left alone for the moment, but soon enough, the herd fanned out, and some expanded into territories claimed by other pokemon.

A magmar, for instance, wandered alone deep into Cheron Forest. Starving, perhaps not having eaten in days, he came across a tree ripe with fresh apples. He walked over and shook the tree.

A pineco suddenly fell from the tree and bonked the magmar on the head. The magmar jumped back, startled, as his right fist glowed bright in flames.

"Pineco pineco pineco!" the pineco seemed displeased.

"Mag magmar mag!" the magmar demanded the apples.

"Pine pineco!" the pineco rejected.

This angered the desperate magmar. "Magmar!" he shot out a stream of flames at the pineco.

The pineco simply rolled out of the way, but the flames struck the apple tree head on. The tree quickly caught on fire.

"Mag!" the magmar attempted to jump up to retrieve the apples before they become burned by his own doing.

Moments later, flames engulfed the apple tree. Both the magmar and pineco had fled the scene as the flames spread to nearby trees and bushes. A crisis had begun, but it was only the beginning.

Other fires began to spread throughout Cheron Forest due to recklessness or provocations involving fire pokemon. Within a few hours, Cheron Forest had already become devastated by a series of massive wildfires threatening to merge into something that could result in a total ecological collapse. One of Inventum's greatest landmarks was in peril, and only a handful of Team Mystic Rangers and trainers on site could do anything about it…


I thought of this chapter as the end of the first major 'arc' of Inventum Adventures, pretty much like a season finale, where the focus of this 'arc' was on the developments of Jason and Kristine as trainers and people. More challenges lie ahead that will further define the twins as well as other characters, and it may be more than just being a pokemon trainer.

Also thanks for your support. From offering suggestions to following to providing feedback, it is all appreciated. Of course, I will continue to be open to suggestions and feedback.