"So, this is Chikorita?" Latias asked, waving to the young Grass-type. "I hadn't had the chance to meet him yet – hello!"

Chikorita waved back, a little shyly. "Hello."

"He's a bit nervous still, I'm afraid," Meganium supplied. "I think it's because – well, this place can be strange at times. Hopefully he'll get over it soon."

"I sure hope you do!" Latias agreed, offering her left hand to shake.

Chikorita took it in his vines, and gave it a shake.

"Thank you," Latias said, nodding her head in thanks – making a guess that Chikorita would react well to that, and getting a similar nod in return.

Latias felt proud of having worked out how to approach the Grass-type.

"So, how have you been today?" Latias added. "I know it's been a bit complicated, with your father getting caught up in a fight and set on fire..."

"That one took some healing," Meganium admitted. "I'm glad I can sort it out."

"Well..." Chikorita began. "I did try out my Egg Move."

Meganium chuckled. "That sounds like a good idea to show Latias, actually! Can you show her what your Egg Move is, Chikorita?"

Chikorita nodded, and walked over to a nearby rock.

"I was quite surprised," Meganium admitted. "But I think most mothers would be glad to know that their children have the ability to keep themselves safe."

"That sounds about right," Latias agreed, nodding in mid-air. "So, what's the move? Don't keep me in the dark…"

Chikorita smiled nervously, then turned to the rock. His vines whipped out, coiling up by his neck.

"Power Whip?" Latias tried. "Constrict?"

"Nope," Meganium said.

Chikorita's left vine glowed blue, and he brought it around with a sudden crack. The end flashed with a brilliant light, and then the rock began to slide gently along a slash mark that went right through to the other side.

"Sacred Sword," he said.

Latias blinked, then grinned. "That's really cool, Chikorita! I bet you'll be great in Pokémon battles, if that's what you decide to do."

"I don't think I know yet."

The Dragon-type accepted that.

"Do you have any friends yet?" she asked.

"Well, I met Mawile earlier," Chikorita told her. "I think she wanted to be my friend. I'm still not sure, though."

"That's fine," Meganium assured him. "Sometimes you need to give a decision some time – but it's always worth being nice, even if you don't decide to be friends."

Chikorita absorbed that with a nod.


"So, here is your first orientation lesson," Mewtwo announced.

He activated the projector, showing a view taken from about a hundred miles up. "This is the view from space. What do you know about space?"

"That is not space," M-002 said. "The boundary of space is the perimeter of the exosphere. Analysis indicates that that photograph was taken from within the thermosphere."

"Sort of," Mewtwo said. "One of the unfortunate things about humanity, as a technological society, is that they have a tendency to call several different things the same thing. In this case, the boundary of space in the Aerospace industry is called the Karman Line, and is at 100 km."

"Updating records," both Mirage Pokémon said in unison.

Mewtwo frowned slightly. "Will you do that every time you are told something?"

"Only when showing attentiveness," M-001 answered promptly.

That made the Genetic Pokémon smile. "A good answer," he said. "Now. The most important thing you will need to know about space is that it is a hard vacuum – an area where the density of particles is extremely low, and where the pressure is essentially zero. The result of this is also that space in the shade including the side of any ship away from the sun – is cold due to the lack of heat replacing what is radiated away, and the combination has major negative effects on almost all physical objects designed to operate in a standard atmosphere."

M-001 raised a paw. "What does that mean for us?"

"Very little," Mewtwo said. "That's one reason why I think you would be perfect for working in space. Your Mirage constructs are physical, but they're defined by information instead of by being formed of actual solid matter – so they can endure hard vacuum."

"understanding_gesture_004," the Mirage Mewtwo told them both.

His fellow Mirage Pokémon gave him a moderately confused look, then sighed.

"We need to fix your social skills plugin."

"That brings up a point I thought I should address," Mewtwo added. "Do either of you have preferred personal pronouns?"

M-002 froze, completely still, then started moving again a second or so later. "Preferences are still at default settings; personal pronouns are standard."

"Hmmm..." Mewtwo considered. "Perhaps we should add idle animations to the list of things to upgrade. In any case – would either of you be offended with the male pronoun?"

They both indicated that that would be fine.

"Excellent. At least now I can fill out the paperwork."

"Why do you use paper?" M-001 asked. "Paper is inefficient compared to electronic forms; therefore it is the inferior option."

"Paper is used for hard copy records, which are harder to tamper with," Mewtwo informed the little digital Pokémon. "In addition, we are dealing with government bureaucracy here. It is always best to have a low tech option."

"Placing order for five hundred cardboard cutouts of Mewtwo," M-002 informed them in reply.

"...why?" Mewtwo asked, thrown.

M-001 started to laugh, then stopped – one paw going to his throat. "What just happened?"

"It was a joke," M-002 told them both. "I have been analysing humour. That is called laughter."

"I did not know I could do that," the Mirage Mew said.

"I'm glad you can," Mewtwo said, smiling. "I've sometimes thought that the ability to laugh is one of the most precious things about being alive – it's the ability to enjoy yourself."

There was a bright pink flash, and Mew appeared.

"Hiya!" the Psychic-type squeaked. "Ooh, I didn't know you had another you, Mewtwo! That's kinda cool. And who's this other me?"

"They are Mirage Pokémon, Mew," Mewtwo told his friend. "I met them recently. I'd like them to come and work with me in space."

"Space is kinda boring," Mew pouted. "Would they get holidays? And ice cream?"

M-001 blinked. "Accessing files on ice cream."

There was a short pause.

"Searching: how to make digital ice cream."


Iris looked up the cliff.

So did Fraxure.

"This is… kind of high," she said, after a long moment.

"You'll live," Denae replied.

"Wait… what?" Iris said, blinking. "I don't understand – I was just making conversation!"

"Nope," Denae shook her head. "I said you had to climb to the top of the mountain today, so up you go!"

"I have to climb the cliff?" Iris said.

She took a step back, and began thinking about how to do it – almost in spite of herself.

"Wow, that must be… what, seventy feet?" she estimated. "More?"

"Closer to ninety," the veteran Dragon Tamer told her. "But the top twenty feet are covered in ice, so they're harder to see from the ground."

Iris did a double-take. "Ice?"

She shivered. "I hate ice!"

"I know!" Denae countered. "So do other Dragon Tamers! So do dragons – but dragons are strong! Dragons can't just give up when they run into a problem they're not suited for!"

She took the rucksack she'd carried up the mountain, and unzipped it – revealing a supply of pitons, some climbing rope, and a harness.

"Yours has the same material in it," the wiry Trainer said, slipping the harness on over her clothes, and dusted off her hands. "My Dragonair will spot for you – catch you if you fall. Now, come on – I'm doing my next lecture on top of the cliff, and I want you and your Pokémon to attend."

Denae took hold of a protruding rock shelf, and hauled herself up onto it. Once she was about a body length above Iris, she drove in the first piton – and looked down.

"You're not allowed to carry them up in Pokéballs," she added. "Now, hurry up!"

Iris could only stare after the Dragon Tamer for several seconds, then shook her head. "Okay, right… so we've all got to get up there."

She looked at Fraxure, who shrugged. Then she sent out Excadrill.

"Were you listening?" she asked.

Excadrill crossed his arms in a huff.

"We've got to do it," Iris told him. "Come on, Excadrill…"

"Ure," Fraxure added. "Fraxxxx-ure."

The Steel-type gave Fraxure a look, then sighed. He grabbed one end of the rope and tied it around his waist, then set off with his claws for natural climbing grips.

"I guess that's a good result..." Iris said, then blinked. "Wait, hold on!"

She clipped her harness on, helped Fraxure get his own on, and then set off after the Steel-type.

It was hard going – the cliff face wasn't sheer, and there were handholds, but none of them were very large – and Iris had to keep checking that Fraxure was managing to make it up as well, as the Dragon-type had a very different body shape to her so sometimes they had to take different routes.

"Slow down a bit, Excadrill!" Iris called, gripping the mountainside with both hands and one foot. "You're going to pull the rope tight! And I don't have time to put in enough pitons!"

Excadrill shrugged, and kept going. When the rope was just shy of being taut, he stopped climbing and got to swiping. His claws carved out a little shelf to rest on easily, sending pebbles raining down to one side of his trainer, and sat in it with a silent movement.

Iris sighed in relief. "Thanks, Excadrill," she said, sincerely, and took the time to drive in two pitons. Then, using them as a support, she looked back to check on Fraxure.

"Wait," she said. "Fraxure, that path won't work – you can't get enough leverage. Go down a bit and head left."

Fraxure nodded. "Fraa!"

It took the Dragon-type a few minutes to work his way back down the cliff, then transfer to the route Iris had indicated. All the time he was doing so, Excadrill made the occasional loud comment and tapped his claws against the rock face.

"All right, Excadrill..." Iris muttered, and began climbing again. "We're not all equipped with giant climbing claws that can cut through rock..."

Excadrill chuckled, moving up as she did.

For the next few minutes, they just kept going up – Iris putting in a piton every so often, Fraxure using his tusks to cut himself foot holds, and Excadrill finding the whole thing very easy.

Then the Steel-type reached the icy section of the cliff. He made the same movements as he had for the rock, and there was a sudden crack – he slid backwards, unable to get purchase on the ice, and fell off the cliff.

"Excadrill!" Iris called. "Fraxure, hold on tight!"

Following her own instructions, Iris took the rope in one hand and made sure she was attached directly to the piton with the other. She braced herself, and then there was an abrupt jerk as Excadrill hit the end of the tether.

Fortunately, Iris had been dilligent with her pitons – the shock made her gasp, but it didn't pull the piton clear despite the weight of the Subterrene Pokémon.

Iris waited a few seconds, just to be sure, then let out a sigh of relief. "Phew..." she said, shaking her head. "Are you okay, Excadrill?"

Looking down, she saw Excadrill swinging back and forth at the other end of the rope – shaking his head to get it clear, then looking up and giving her a slightly shaky wave.

"Good," Iris said. "That's… I was worried."

She managed to swing Excadrill in towards the rock face, and Fraxure caught him before helping him get back on the cliff.


Denae watched with interest as a pair of claws came over the edge of the cliff.

Iris' Excadrill clambered up, still sporting his rope harness, and then only a few seconds later Iris herself did as well.

"Great work, Excadrill," she said, panting, and rubbed her hands together. "Those handrests were really cold..."

She drove in one final piton, this one on the top of the cliff, and then used it as a support to haul upwards and help Fraxure make it over the clifftop as well.

"All right," Iris said, after several seconds of near-silence. "We made it – we all made it. Thanks, Excadrill."

Excadrill nodded, accepting the thanks as his just due.

"...so, what's the lesson?" Iris asked, after a long silence.

"You've already learned it," Denae replied. "Climbing is not a solo activity. If your team can work together, they can scale far greater heights than any one could do alone."


There was a knock at the door.

Karen looked up. "Anything bad?" she asked her Absol.

The Dark-type answered with a shake of her head, then nudged her with a paw.

"All right, I'll get the door," Karen said, shaking her head, and got up. "Umbreon?"

Umbreon raised up off the beanbag, rings lighting up to provide illumination, and Karen used it to find her way to the door of their cinema room. As soon as she had the door open, Umbreon's rings went dark again as they all went back to watching the screen.

Karen chuckled, then made her way to the front door.


When she opened it, Misty was stood there.

"Oh, hi Misty!" Karen said, smiling. "What's up?"

"Well… it was Ash's birthday today," Misty said. "And remember how I said last time there was a Fossil Apocalypse?"

"I do remember that, yeah," Karen agreed. "Did something even worse happen this time?"

"Hard to say if it's worse," Misty admitted. "It's up there, though."

"Come on in and tell me about it," Karen invited.

Misty duly came in, and shook her head. "I just… okay, so there was this guy who'd invented a really revolutionary new kind of science – Mirage Pokémon, which were kind of like holograms but solid. He could make them do any real Pokémon attack, and he designed an artificial intelligence to control them and make them battle."

Karen took a step back, mouth open. "That's… pretty amazing."

"Yeah, it is," Misty agreed. "And then he decided it was the way to create the perfect Pokémon, and made a Mirage Mewtwo attack his own lab while we were there so he could steal the memories from Ash's Pikachu – getting the info he needed to make the perfect Pokémon – then pretend it wasn't him."

Karen shook her head. "You know, I don't think I'd like your life. It sounds exhausting."

"It can be kind of like that," Misty agreed. "But I'm mostly just really offended about how much of a jerk this guy was."

She paused. "I mean, he could at least have tried to go after one of the Pokémon of the Elite Four member."

Her Dark-type specialist friend sniggered suddenly.

"I love that that's what you really took exception to," she explained, shaking her head and giggling. "Or one of them, anyway…"

She looked up. "I guess it's all sorted out, then?"

"Yeah, the guy's been taken away by the police," Misty replied. "And the Mirage Pokémon are… apparently going to Mars or something?"

"That seems quite a long way to send them," Karen said cautiously.

"What?" Misty asked. "Oh. No, Mewtwo's hired them."

"Definitely an odd life," Karen declared.

She spread her hands. "So, was that your day?"

"No, that was more… the morning," Misty answered. "The afternoon was lovely, we had a nice meal and some cake, and I spent a couple of hours teaching a very charming young Manaphy some special hydrokinetic tips."

She snapped her fingers. "One of the good ones I told him to work on was a watery Manaphy."

"But he is a Manaphy, right?" Karen asked. "Wait, no, I think… but… does he know Acid Armour?"

"Exactly!" Misty agreed. "He can shape himself into his own shape, but stay in watery form. It's kind of tricky and he has a tendency to turn back into a puddle, but it'll be kind of useful."

Karen gave her a thumbs-up. "I bet it's a great experience actually teaching a Legendary. You did it with Keldeo too, didn't you?"

"And Suicune," Misty said. "Mostly teaching her how not to fall for the combo I used on her…"

There was a sudden roar from the back room – loud, long, and throbbing through the entire house.

"You're watching a Kaiju film?" Misty asked, once the roar had died down.

"Yeah, one of the really silly ones," Karen confirmed. "I think there's some plot about psychic schoolgirls or something. Want to join in?"

"Sounds good," Misty nodded. "I could use a little silliness that's just on a screen..."


Thousands of miles away, three humans and six Pokémon stood on a small viewing area.

"That's the Skyarrow Bridge!" Keldeo announced, nodding towards it. "I don't know about you, but that's what I call a proper bridge!"

"It is indeed," N said. "What does the guidebook say about it?"

Anthea checked their store-bought guidebook to Unova. "Well… let's see now… it says that it's the biggest, longest bridge in Unova, and the most modern. There's a vehicle section, and a pedestrian section over the top of it – so both people and vehicles can cross in peace – and it's built so high out of the water that even the largest ships can go underneath."

"Truly, a mighty construct," Reshiram announced. "It is noble of intent, and without pretension – it conceals nothing, proudly stating itself to the world."

"In other words, you like it," Terrakion summarized.

"Indeed I do," Reshiram confirmed. "Though I admit, I have a question about it."

Anthea got her guidebook ready. "Go ahead."

Reshiram waved a wing towards it. "How does it work?"

There was silence for a moment.

"I beg you, please clarify," Cobalion said. "It is a bridge. It goes over the water."

"We apologize for our bluntness," Virizion took up the thread. "But what do you mean, how does it work?"

"No disrespect is felt," Reshiram assured them. "But my question is more… I understand how an arch works, for it directs the force down the sides. And I am aware of how a simple span functions, and of course a bridge of boats. But this one seems… odd."

Anthea checked the guidebook.

"...it doesn't have anything about that, I'm afraid," she said. "Do you have any idea, N? Concordia?"

N shook his head. "While I have crossed it on my travels, I do not think I could say how it stays up."

Concordia was more willing to speculate. "I… well, I guess there's a cable between the towers, and the cables hanging down must… well, they're either there to keep it from swinging from side to side or they're there to support it, it could be either."

"Now that's going to bother me all day," Keldeo complained.

N smiled.

Then he looked behind himself, and frowned. "It looks like we should move on. I'm afraid others want to look at the bridge."

At that, the Swords of Justice left at a canter, while N and his siblings took flight on Reshiram. All of them went upriver, heading for the next step of their tour of Unova.

It was at least a minute later that any of the people who'd been watching them dared to step out onto the observation platform.


"Long term research sucks sometimes," Molly Hale said quietly.

"Huh?" Gary asked, looking over. "Oh, right, I forgot what day it is – yeah, it can be kind of annoying when you miss an important day because of it."

He shrugged. "But we can always talk to Ash later. I don't think we'd get another chance to do this."

Molly nodded, a little reluctantly, and picked up her binoculars.

Below them were hundreds of Shellos and Gastrodon, swimming steadily through the sea just to the south of Erimo Point – where Mt. Coronet's long spine finally reached the sea.

All of them were Eastern Sea Shellos, or Eastern Sea Gastrodon, forging southwest towards the nearest place they could contact the western sea.

"Keep an eye on them for a bit, okay?" Gary asked, turning his binoculars to the west. "Based on those reports, the other ones should be… yep, there they are!"

Molly turned to look as well, and saw a distant group of pink Pokémon swimming southeast towards the point as well.

"So this is the only time of year they meet one another?" she asked, checking the time. "Seems kind of lonely."

"I think normally they just live with their own schools," Gary replied absently. "But they meet once a year, or maybe twice a year – that's something we'll want to do some more research on."

"Couldn't you just ask?" Molly said, a little puzzled.

"...oh, right," Gary chuckled. "I keep forgetting that's an option now. Still, it's good to do the research properly as well – it makes sure there's plenty of proof."

He considered for a long moment.

"I think I've got an idea," he said. "Do you think Eevee would be willing to go down there – as Vaporeon – and ask how often they do this?"

Molly exchanged a glance with her Pokémon, who shifted to Vaporeon so they could think about it.

"I think maybe I'd need help getting down there quickly," Vaporeon said. "It's about four miles, right? And… I think it'll be much harder to get back up here than down there..."

Gary listened for a moment to Dee's translation in his ear. "Well, Alakazam's on holiday… Arcanine? Think you'd be able to give Flareon a lift?"

"But I'm – oh, right," Vaporeon said, becoming Flareon. "Better?"

Arcanine gave a confirmatory nod.

Gary chuckled. "I think this means we can put you two down as contributing authors, as well!"

Molly smiled at the idea. "Wouldn't that make her an official scientist?"

"I think it might," Gary answered. "Maybe she should have a lab coat."


At about the same time, Ritchie Getem shook his head.

"Okay, guys, I think it's time to come in!"

Why? Sparky asked. We're having way too much fun.

The Raichu flicked his tail, using Flash again, and flickers of light lit up the night once more. The shimmering energy illuminated the whole of Ritchie's main team, still enjoying the beaches as the sun slipped below the horizon.

Fortune, his Rapidash, was the next to come in. Supporting his own weight on a broad plane of psionic energy, Fortune came storming ashore atop one of the famous Alolan breakers – riding it all the way in, then jumping off and hitting the sand of the beach with a thump.

"Ritchie? Ritchie!"

Ritchie looked back over his shoulder. "Coming, grandmama! I think my Pokémon want to stay out surfing all night, though!"

"Well, it's the pasttime out here," his grandmother chuckled. "Our Raichu can't get enough of it, and she's got a natural surfboard built into her tail!"

"Oh, yeah, I saw her," Ritchie agreed. "I wonder if-"

There was a huge splash, sending water in all directions, and some of it splattered on them.

"What happened?" Ritchie demanded.

I fell off my surfboard, his Charizard explained. I used a Psychic pulse to make sure I didn't get wet.

"Yeah, and you got everyone else wet," Ritchie complained.

"Don't worry about it," the elder human told him. "If there's anything you get used to on Alola, it's getting wet – you remember how much it rains, right?"

"I do, yeah," Ritchie agreed. "But you're lifelong Nisei – I've been busy, you know, doing the Pokémon League in Hoenn."

"And does it not rain in Hoenn?" his grandmother asked, gently. "Anyway – your Pokémon are excited, so let them enjoy themselves. I'm sure they know to come back in when they're getting tired."

She inclined her head towards her house, where Ritchie was staying. "Now, come on. Your grandfather and I want to hear about what you've been doing since your last visit."


The computer made a little ping noise.

"Oh, huh, email," Dawn said, swinging her legs to get off the bed, and moved over to the computer chair.

"Let's see..." she said, opening the mailer program up. "Oh, hey, it's from Serena."

At that, Buneary looked interested. She bounced up from her cushion to the desk, and read along with Dawn.

It had been a few days at least since the last email, and this one was full of plenty of interesting things. Serena and her family had visited the big city at the heart of Kalos, Lumiose, and seen some of the sights – all kinds of glamorous outfits, well-groomed Pokémon, and of course the famous buildings like the Lumiose Museum and the Prism Tower.

They'd been there two days, and by the sounds of things it was a really bustling, living city – not one with many high-rise buildings, so nothing like glittering Kanto, but not like the rustic charm of Johto either.

It just… was itself. And it sounded like Serena had really enjoyed herself there.

"Heh," Dawn chuckled. "It says she saw some Pokémon stylists who were doing great work with a Gogoat. I wonder how all of you guys would look if you got the attention of a stylist."

"Luuup," Piplup mumbled from the floor.

"I think they could do something with your feathers, though," Dawn said. "Maybe put a wavy pattern in them… you know, so your flippers look like rippling water? I think if they did it right it wouldn't mess up your ability to swim."

Buneary fluffed up her fur, posing, and Dawn laughed. "Yes, I'm sure you'd look like a real belle of the ball! But… hm, Pachirisu might be hard, because of all that static on her fur..."

They both thought about Mamoswine.

"I guess maybe some jobs would need more than one stylist," Dawn suggested with a giggle.

Buneary nodded.

"But I guess I'm confused," Dawn went on. "From the sound of this, Serena is really interested in all those stores, but she doesn't have a Pokémon yet. I know this thing that's going on with us is kind of a special case – though it's really cool to be able to work on all these routines before we go back on the road – but I could swear Serena should have started her journey years ago."

As she thought, Pachirisu came down from her nest on top of the bookshelf to inspect the email herself.

"Is this all just me making something out of nothing?" Dawn asked out loud.

"Pip pip," Piplup said promptly.

"Ee-ary," Buneary countered, and shook her head for Dawn to see.

Dawn began tapping a nearby pen on her fingers, trying to miss her nails. "Okay, so I know she does a lot of Rhyhorn racing… but she never sounds enthusiastic about it, it's just a thing she does. But she did sound interested in all those shops..."

Frowning, Dawn began typing – writing out her reactions to all the Lumiose City chat Serena had shared with her, including how her Pokémon had reacted and the funny idea of the stylist shops dealing with Mamoswine.

Once she was done with that, she thought for a moment, then kept going.

By the way, Serena, reading your last letter did remind me about something I've been wondering for a while – I didn't want to ask, but

Dawn deleted the last half-dozen words, and started again from there.

I didn't think to ask it before, but I think I need to ask, at least.

Feel free to say this was too personal of a question, or something. But what I wanted to know is – do you have a Pokémon you haven't mentioned? I don't think you've talked about one. And if not, then that's fine – I just want to know why not, because I'm obviously kind of the opposite about getting Pokémon before I go on my Pokémon Journey.

Again, I hope you don't mind my asking.

Dawn stared at what she'd written for a long time, then nodded to herself.

She began typing again.

Anyway, that was kind of heavy, so here's something to lighten the mood a bit!

With a click and a swipe of her mouse, she added a dozen pictures to the email.

Pachirisu looked at the loading bar, a little confused. "Risu Pachiri?"

Then the mail client showed the first picture, and Pachirisu did a double-take – then turned to stare, horrified, at her trainer.

The electric squirrel dove for the mouse, and Dawn hit send before she could get there. "Too late!"

Pachirisu sat down, groaning, until Dawn gave her a scratch and the Electric-type giggled at the tickle.

The message – and several photographs of Dawn's Pokémon being adorable doofs – flashed across the world to Kalos.


About three minutes later, Serena blinked. "Huh. That was quicker than usual."

She swallowed the last of her croissant, and opened up the email.

Halfway through, she winced. "...oh."

Yeah, this was going to be a hard one to explain.

It wasn't like Mom didn't love her – she did – but… she knew what she wanted from her daughter. And sometimes, Serena felt – she knew – that she wasn't quite… it.

Perhaps that was good, perhaps it was bad, but the important word tended to be awkward.

Then she reached the bottom of the email, and saw a picture of a Pachirisu trying to disguise thirty marshmallows in her mouth.

Serena couldn't help it, and laughed out loud.

The next picture was Piplup, somehow having managed to embed himself in the ground beak-first, with only his feet sticking out.

Then there was one of Dawn's huge Mamoswine trying to roll over, with his tusk stuck in the grass, and Dawn and her other Pokémon all trying to pull him over back the right way up.

"Okay," Serena said out loud. "So these are pretty funny..."


Pikachu sighed, tail flicking from side to side.

"You know, I can't help but feel like I've not been able to show off lately."

Meowth looked up from his apple, which was halfway through being turned into a fruit sculpture of another Meowth. "Hey, we all got problems. Problems just like dat kind'a ting – ya know, one of the downsides of a team our size is that we kinda have problems fittin' everyone in Contests."

He nodded towards Audino. "I mean, Audino's still waiting for his first Contest appearance!"

"It's not as if I mind, though," Audino demurred. "I mean, what would I do? Cook dinner?"

"I think that would be pretty good, actually," Marowak said, thinking about it. "If you can do it in just a few minutes, I mean. I know you normally rely on doing a lot of prep work beforehand, but I could see some time-and-motion studies getting the cook time way down. You can certainly cook, we have TMs for it."

She threw a bone into the air, then caught it. "Perhaps pancakes?"

"That does sound tasty," Cosplay Pikachu admitted. "Those don't take long, and I bet you could do a dozen or so at once."

"There you go," Marowak said. "I'd say give it some thought, Audino."

Audino nodded, sitting back on his beanbag.

"But that does mean that it'll be even longer before I get my next Contest," Cosplaychu sighed. "And I wanted to see how my Breakdancer costume would go over."

Meowth looked up, interested, and put his perfectly-crafted Meowth sculpture to one side. "Breakdancer, huh? What kind'a move does dat give you?"

He tilted his head, tapping his chin with one claw. "Triple Kick?"

"Maybe I could make it do that," Cosplay Pikachu shrugged. "But I was thinking something else."

She jumped down into the suitcase full of her costumes for a moment – one of three – then bounded up again, dressed for the part with a jumpsuit and baseball cap.

"I'm impressed with how quickly you change," Seviper told her. "And this is a snake talking."

Marowak chuckled.

"Okay, so dat's the Breakdancer costume," Meowth said, looking it over. "Not bad, but, uh… one question."

"Go on," the Electric-type invited him.

"Where's da music come from?"

Cosplaychu got a glitter in her eyes which said she'd been waiting for him to ask that question. She jumped forwards, doing a spin on the rug, and her tail flicked up and down just so-

-and there was a sudden loud, bass BOOM.

Meowth jumped. "What the-"

"Boomburst," Cosplay Pikachu told him, flipping back onto her hind legs and snapping her claws in satisfaction. "What do you think?"

"I tink I need earplugs," Meowth answered. "But yeah, dat is pretty cool."

He reached for his apple sculpture, and found nothing.

"Hey!" the Normal-type exclaimed. "Who ate dat?

Arbok's tail sheepishly waved from behind the table.

Meowth sighed. "Ya know, now I'm just gonna have to make another one..."

"Can I have that one too?" Arbok asked, then ducked when Meowth looked like he was about to throw the whole apple at his serpentine comrade.

"Don't worry, Meowth, I'll make you something to take your mind off it," Audino volunteered. "Perhaps I should try out some pancakes… how does one with fruit, ice cream and chocolate spread sound?"

Meowth pushed his jaw shut. "Y-yeah, dat sounds kinda nice..."

Audino chuckled.


A little way away, Jessie frowned,

"Hmmm..." she mused. "So if Abra teleports me away and into shadow at the same time as he teleports Dustox in, it can look as though I've transformed into her. That could add to the whole 'magical' theme of the set."

"So you're going to wear that lovely fairytale dress number I picked up back in Cianwood?" James asked eagerly.

Jessie looked at him as though he was a little bit thick. "No. I'm not."

She gestured to the outfit on the rack next to her. "I'm wearing the tuxedo."

James looked it up and down, then looked her up and down. "That'll work," he decided. "You just need a cape – one with stars on it, I think – and a prop. Maybe a wand or a staff?"

He gasped. "Oh, I know, we could make one with slots for their Pokéballs!"

As James started rummaging through his extensive costume collection, Dustox glanced over at Mime Jr.

"Is it me," she began, "or do our trainers not always have the best idea of what clothes people of different genders actually wear?"

Mime Jr. spread his arms. "Remember, my mom was called Mr Mime."

Dustox considered that. "Point. Very good point."

The Fairy-type looked proud.

"Chimecho found a staff!" Chimecho announced, ringing his bell, and dropped a stout branch on James' foot.

"Ow!"

Chimecho looked anxious. "Oops… Chimecho will make it better."

His bell rang, and a Heal Bell pulsed out around them.

"Thank you, Chimecho," James said, picking up the staff. "Hm… how does this look, Jessie? Might take a bit of work..."

Jessie examined it, and as she did Seviper scratched his head.

"You know, I could swear we're supposed to be criminals of some sort."

There's no challenge when Ash Ketchum isn't involved, Abra countered. Besides, we'll be part of the plot during Sinnoh.

"I suppose you're right," Seviper agreed. "We'll be doing a lot of plotting, trying to work out how to make sure that Cyrus guy stays off our turf."

Yes, that's exactly what I meant, Abra stated. Plotting in that sense.

There was a whoosh overhead, and Moltres came down to land next to them with a flutter of wings.

"Did you get that whole problem sorted out?" Dustox asked.

"Yes, finally," Moltres said, nodding her head. "Told them three times that no, I've not been mindwiped, brainwashed or hypnotized. All the cool Legendaries are letting themselves be caught this decade anyway."

Seviper chuckled.

"Besides, what self-respecting mind control artist would implant a memory of himself in a Moltres wingsuit?" Moltres added.

"...that is a sentence I did not realize I was going to hear," Dustox said faintly.


"It's good to see you," Atsuko said, bowing slightly. "Thank you again for helping with this project."

Todd smiled. "It's all my pleasure – I think this is going to be a lovely piece of photojournalism. Though it certainly helps that I can do some work on the rest of the island as well."

"Yes, Shikoku is a wonderful place," Atsuko agreed, bowing to Sneasel as well as she began assembling the camera stand. "Are you ready?"

"I will be soon," Todd answered. "You may as well call them now."

Atsuko nodded her assent, and put her fingers into her mouth – then produced a piercing whistle.

There was a moment's pause, and then nearly a dozen Eevee came tumbling out of one of the other rooms to surround Todd with a succession of happy yips.

Todd bent down, chuckling, and stroked the Evolution Pokémon with care – moving on from one to the next in quick succession. "They're certainly energetic today!"

"They're used to you, that's why," Atsuko told him with a chuckle. "Now now, boys and girls – settle down!"

She snapped her fingers sharply.

At the sound, the pile of Eevee stopped making quite so much noise, and slowly rearranged themselves into a line.

"That's better," the Trainer said, smiling, and patted the larger Eevee who'd slunk out of the same room. "Now, it's time for today's photos."

Todd picked up the camera's control – he didn't need to look, he knew Sneasel had set it up properly – and waved for the first Eevee to step forwards. "Okay, Leo, you first."

The young Eevee pranced forwards onto the white backing sheet, then sat down on his haunches and smiled up at the camera. It flashed, and he blinked – a little dazzled – then shook the stars out of his eyes and loped over to the other side of the room.

"Sagittaria," Todd said next, and the second Eevee walked slowly up to the camera's aiming area.

Another flash, and she was done for the day as well.

Next it was Pisci, then Scorp, then Aries. One by one, the Eevee were photographed – always on the same background, just as Todd had done the day before.

When Atsuko had asked for his help, he'd loved the idea instantly. Having picture journals for a whole extra-size family of Eevee, as they grew from barely hatched up to their adult forms – and whatever they evolved into – would be a lovely bit of visual art.

And, of course, they were all cute as a button when they wanted to be.


"I'm kind of surprised, actually," Casey said, apropos of nothing obvious.

The Lucario walking alongside her paused. "You mean Pichu?"

"Yes, Pichu," Casey confirmed. "I know that not all Pokémon are eager to evolve, but this seems… well, I didn't realize it was something he wanted."

"I do not think Pichu realized either, until recently," Lucario replied.

They entered a lift, and Casey hit the button for the fourth floor.

"I was talking with him recently about how I felt when I evolved," Lucario went on. "And he asked me some more questions, and… I think he made his decision later that night."

"Okay," Casey said. "That makes sense – and it's not a permanent thing, either."

The lift doors opened, and they walked out into the main floor.

"Huh," the man behind the nearest counter said. "Don't see Lucario often down in Kanto. What are you after?"

"An Everstone, please," Casey answered. "I know you have evolutionary stones here – do you have Everstones as well?"

"We do, young lady," the cashier confirmed. "Let's see now… ah, here we go."

The man straightened up, placing a small grey stone on the counter. "Here it is. That'll be-"

"Hold on a moment," someone said. "I think I remember you – Casey, right?"

Casey looked around. "Who said that – Falkner?"

The Flying-type gym leader waved. "Hey, long time no see. Heard you did pretty well at the Silver Conference."

He offered his hand to Lucario, who took it and shook it.

"I see you've picked up a good team since we had our challenge battle," he added. "Let me guess, all yellow and black?"

"It has sort of become my thing," Casey agreed. "It's nice to meet you again, Falkner. I'm flattered you remember me, actually."

Falkner gave her a thumbs-up. "I try to remember people I do gym battles with. Though sometimes it's just way too easy – I'm never going to forget that Raikou-"

"Ash's one?" Casey interrupted.

"Probably," Falkner agreed. "Sorry, don't let me interrupt your shop – I just wanted to say hi."

"That's – oh, yeah, right!" Casey realized. "I was buying something..."

"Everstone," the man on the counter hinted helpfully.

"That's right," Casey agreed. "Well – later, Falkner!"

The Gym Leader waved, heading off on his own shopping trip.

"You meet the strangest people in shops," Lucario mused.


"Hmmm..." Tracey said, pencil flicking up and down. "So the horns are kind of… not straight, exactly, and there's a glowing one interweaved with each of the matte cream ones..."

He looked up to his subject, then down at the paper, and altered his angle a little.

"And… okay, I'm going to have to do the colours in a second sitting, I think," he admitted. "This one's been going on for a long time already, sorry about that..."

One more check, and he drew in the last few spikes.

"I think this is the sketch phase done," he said, putting down the mechanical pencil he'd been using. "So see how this looks, and then we can start working on the colouring."

His subject lowered her hoof from the rocky outcrop she'd been using to pose, letting out a sigh of relief, and trotted over to look.

"This is… very impressive," she said, bending down for a closer look. "I can see that your reputation is not unfounded in the least."

"Thank you," Tracey said, smiling a little.

It was nice to have a reputation for his art… even if it led to some very unusual conversations.

"I'm surprised, though," she went on. "You didn't draw in the outcrop."

"That's because of the angle I gave it here," Tracey indicated, retracting the pencil lead and indicating sections of the drawing. "Since you've got no support here, then it looks like you're just coming back down again after rearing up."

He frowned. "I think another good trick to do would be to make sure the background's appropriate – I'll have to do a separate sheet blocking that out, I think, so there's new growth coming through all around you at all distances."

"You'd do that?" the Pokémon asked, surprised. "I suppose it would definitely add to the effect..."

"That's why I'd do it," Tracey explained. "It's all about the proper look of the picture."

"I can certainly see," his subject agreed. "Well… if you don't mind, it's a little late, so would you mind continuing tomorrow?"

"Not at all," Tracey confirmed.

The beautiful Pokémon he'd been talking to bowed, antlers glittering with multicoloured light, and then cantered off into the evening mist.

Tracey picked up his sketchbook. "Somehow… I'm sure Ash is to blame for this."

He headed back to Oak's lab, ready for a nice hot drink before bed.

"I never used to get sketch commissions from Xerneas..."


AN:


As per usual, an Ashes Nowhere To Be Found chapter to check in on everyone else.

It's always interesting to see what people are doing, after all...