{Present day}

"Hm…what to wear now?" I stood in a fitting room of a boutique in Kalos' capital, Lumiose City. Kalos was renowned for its fashion, so I often came here to figure out my wardrobe. After much deliberation, I decided to go with a red plaid shirt combo, a matching red cap, red sneakers, and blue jeans.

I could hear someone outside my fitting room starting to complain I'm taking too long. "Hey, so I want to look nice. Is that a crime? Granted, I change my appearance constantly to stay under the radar. But still!"

I took one more look in the mirror to see how I look. Even from my years of physical training, I have not become that muscular, so the clothes formed as straight as a board along my body frame. I took particular care with my hair, though. I usually kept my light brown hair in a very short ponytail, as it fell at about shoulder length if I didn't. For today, I kept the ponytail portion tucked under my cap, while letting my thin bangs fall the way they usually do. "If there's something I could agree with my dad, it's how a good appearance is everything…"

Once I was pleased with my changes, I opened a small portal from my Unbound Rings over my other hand. A pocket-sized scrapbook and a small notebook fell nicely on my hand. With that, I casually walked out of the fitting room, ignoring the guy, who was waiting impatiently and giving me a dirty look. I walked down the streets of Lumiose City and continued a routine I'd done plenty of times before.

I stopped by Café Soleil next. Since the weather was nice, I sat at a table outside. A waiter came by shortly. He was very silent, and by now knew me so well we didn't even talk altogether. Just as usual, we exchanged nods, and then a few minutes later he brought me lemon-ice tea.

Once I was left alone, I pulled out my notebook first. It contained all my to-do lists, from training exercises with my partner Pokémon, to places where I could pester Team Celeste. Today, I checked up on a string of warehouses I had learned Team Celeste was storing Dark Balls. I already checked off the one in Johto I did a couple of days ago. Now I just had the ones in Sinnoh and Kalos left. "I think I'll do the one in Sinnoh next, since a tip I got yesterday said they would be using their Dark Balls in the Great Marshes tomorrow."

I briefly looked up when a mother and child started bickering in public not too far from the café. I saw the mother pulling a little boy's arm, who was struggling to resist.

"But mom! I wanna play Ekans' Hoop Hurl!" whined the boy. He kept trying to pull away, but his mom kept dragging him little by little across the cobblestone.

"Ugh! For the last time, Austin, we don't have time today!" said the mom, very frustrated by this point.

"Why?"

"Because I said so!" she snapped.

The boy started crying, so the mother picked him up to move him along faster. I shook my head and looked back at my notebook. I flipped towards the pages containing items I was personally looking for. I didn't need any more human gear at the moment, but some of my partner Pokémon were long overdue for some upgrades. "I'll need a Leaf Stone, Moon Stone, and Dusk Stone. I believe Celadon Department Store has these things…but they're going to be expensive."

I turned to my scrapbook next. It contained pictures of various locations from the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola. But these weren't glamorous pictures of memorable places. All of them were pictures of alleyways, bushes, and abandoned buildings. I picked one out for Celadon City, getting a good look at it to keep it fresh in my mind. Once that was set, I tucked my hands under the table, opened a small portal, and dropped the books into it. I also quickly opened another small portal to retrieve my wallet. One quick peek later, I pulled out a few Poke Dollars, left them on the table for the waiter, and walked off.

I kept walking until I reached a street between Magenta Plaza and Autumnal Avenue. I stood by the red door to what was formerly Lysandre Café. Ever since a few trainers took down Team Flare a few months ago, the café was abandoned, and nobody liked coming down here much. Except me. I paused to think about the location I wanted to go. Then, after looking to make sure nobody saw me, I opened a portal wide enough for me to quickly slip through.

I closed the portal behind me and found myself where I wanted to be: the basement of the Celadon Game Corner. It used to be a hideout for Team Rocket. But then an eleven-year old trainer stumbled in and exposed them. Now it had been abandoned for years. I smirked. "Young kids are the worst!"

The old secret entrance was sealed off. Fortunately, my partner Pokémon and I had made a new secret entryway to this basement, which led me out to the outskirts of Celadon City. I took the time to check my wallet again. "Hm, I probably have enough Poke Dollars to buy the evolutionary stones, but that's likely going to wipe me out. I still need some insurance for emergency purchases." I sighed. "Looks like I'll have to resort to my grab-bag of tricks."

I walked into Celadon City and straight to the department store. Being the most popular shopping center in Kanto, Celadon Department Store got very busy. And I had come during its busiest time of day. I took the elevator to the fourth floor. As the doors opened, a ding sound went off, followed by the phrase, "4th Floor: Wise Man Gifts. Gifts to Express Yourself!" I could see this floor was as crowded as the others. "Good. I can be more subtle when getting what I need."

I searched around and found a Leaf Stone easily. The Moon Stone and Dusk Stone were less in stock, and notably pricier. Content with my items, I walked up to the counter. A few people stood in line before it was my turn to approach the cashier.

"Hi! Got everything you were looking for?" said the cashier with a smile.

"Sure did, thank you," I replied. I gave the man the evolutionary stones.

The clerk began scanning the items. "Oh, you or someone you know looking to evolve their Pokémon?"

"Yep. I've been thinking it over for quite some time."

"I hear that all the time from customers. There are certain advantages in both evolving and not evolving your Pokémon. Although most choose the former eventually." He rang up the items. "That'll be 8300 Poke Dollars, sir."

"Okay…" I pulled out my wallet. As I fished around for the bills I'm looking for, I continued, "Yeah, I personally like to bring out the untapped power that many people overlook in unevolved Pokémon. But once in a while, I come across a Pokémon that really wants to evolve". I finally pulled out some bills. "So when I return to hang with those Pokémon, I'm going to pull out the stone that will evolve them and watch their eyes light up with excitement. Then I'll say, 'Here, take it'…" I gave the cashier my bills as I say that. "…and watch their reaction."

"Aw, that's so thoughtful of you!" The cashier took the bills without hesitation.

"Well, I must be going, or else the line's going to stretch down the stairs."

"Take care, sir!" he said, slightly distracted.

I took the stairs this time to head back down and out of the department store. "Kind of feel bad that I paid part of my purchase with fake Poke Dollars. I'll be long gone before he or his manager even notices something up with those bills. Guess I'll be staying away from that store for at least a few months." I went to Route 7 and hid among the trees. I opened one portal to stick the evolutionary stones in my storage place. Then I opened another portal to head back near Lumiose City.

I headed back in the direction of a different clothing store, deciding to change early before I went to Sinnoh. Then I saw the same woman with the child who passed by the café earlier. Except the boy wasn't with her. She went from person to person, asking, "Have you seen my boy?" She moved to me next, with a voice of half-desperation by now. "Please, could you keep an eye out for him? He's my only child!"

I sighed, "Yeah, sure ma'am". She nodded and moved on to other people. I continued on until I reached Boutique Couture. I planned on changing into something else before going to Sinnoh. I headed to the second floor, but then paused when I heard muffled crying. I looked into a circle rack of clothes and found the missing boy. His head rested on his knees as he softly cried, and his legs were tucked close to his chest.

I hesitated to even speak to him. "Man, he looks…like me at that age. Maybe I should leave him alone? It's what I would have wanted."I shook my head. Then I broke the silence. "You know, if I wanted to cry alone, I usually pick a place with less background noise".

The boy peaked in surprise, but then buried his face further into his legs and continued sobbing.

I sighed, "I get it. I get it. Mind…if I join you?" When the boy didn't respond, I squeezed between the clothes, pretending to the other shoppers nearby like I wa reaching for something stuck. Then I sat myself down next to the boy. "You came to shop alone?"

"I'm not doing anything. And I'm not going anywhere," the boy said between his crying and pants smothering.

"I'm not here to make you do anything," There was silence for a couple of minutes between us as the boy calmed down. "What's your name, kid?"

"…Austin…"

"What's gotten you upset, Austin?"

The boy finally looked up, but not at me. Tears still streaked down his face. "I…I wanted to keep playing the Ekans' Hoop Hurl…"

"That sounds like a fun game. I take it you didn't play?"

"Mommy…said no…" He started acting up again. "It's…not fair…"

"Get used to saying that a lot, kid!" "So your mom said no to a game. Hoop Hurl…that sounds like a carnival game, right?"

He nodded. "I never saw it before. Maybe…what if I…never see it come up again?"

"Fair point. Does the game have prizes?"

"…Snorlax…I want…the Snorlax Doll…"

"Is that the biggest prize?"

He looked to me now. "It's bigger than me."

"No, no. I mean, is it the best prize?"

He looked confused for a second. "Yes?"

"I see," I positioned myself to face him more directly. "So, here's the thing, Austin. When you play a carnival game, they're a challenge. And once you complete the challenge, you win a prize. You saw other prizes near the game, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't like those. I want the Snorlax Doll." He wiped his eyes to try to clear his tears off his face.

"And having a goal for your challenge is great. But, you see, when you beat that challenge, you only get a small prize first. You want the big prize? The Snorlax Doll? You have to keep doing the same challenge. Over…and over…and over…and it could take a really long time. Do you understand me?"

He looked down, but nodded. "But I really want it!"

I could feel myself getting frustrated with this kid, but I kept going. "Okay, and did your mom tell you why you couldn't play the game anymore?"

Austin thought it over for a second. "No. She just said I could only play once."

"Hm…I see. Did your mom have enough money for you?"

He looked back to me, confused. "Money?"

"Sheeh, what's with this kid's parents? My dad mentioned things like this to me by this age." I pulled my wallet I tucked into my pocket and pulled out a single Poke Dollar. I continued a bit more slowly, "Okay. To be brief, big boys and girls like your mom and myself use paper and coins like these to buy things. A carnival game is no different. You want to play a game? It'll cost you some Poke Dollars. Now, it'd be great if we could just fling these around whenever we want. But we can't. Money isn't easy to come by. And between paying for the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and the other ways your mom tries to show how she loves you, she cannot afford to pay for the amount of times you might have to play in order to get the Snorlax Doll".

"…oh…" He looked at me the whole time I said that, and now he looked crestfallen as he tried to process it all.

"Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I…think so. I never thought about my mom like that."

I reached my hand out to hold his shoulder. But I stopped short of touching him. I sighed and put my hand back down. "Don't worry, Austin. I didn't either…" I got hazy for a split second and refocused. "But I bet your mom is really worried about where you are by now".

"Yeah…" Austin smiled. Then he stood up to a crouching position. "Thanks! Um…mister…" He reached out to hug me.

But I held a hand up between us. I gave him a half-smile. "Please. I don't do great with mushy stuff. But…you're welcome."

Austin gave another cheeky grin before scurrying out from the rack. I leaned back, relieved I was done with the boy. "Finally! And now I'm alone…again. Over…and over…and over. But it's for the best."I took an extra minute to myself within the coat rack, waiting for a clearer opening. "That was a lot harder than I expected without my 'persuasion'. I wonder if this is like how my dad felt talking to me at that age…"

{Approx. 12 years ago}

I pushed my face against the window. I watched as our airship landed by the coast of an island southeast off of the Hoenn mainland. The ship's cloaking shield turned off at this time, although the island was so remote, only those on the island could probably see it. My eyes sparkled as I just barely saw bird Pokémon like Wingull from my viewpoint. "Wow! I can't wait to see Pokemon up close!"

Once the airship finally landed and the hum of the engines died down a bit, I immediately bolted for the exit. On the bottom floors, there was a huge hangar room. There was a huge door that dropped down so people and cargo could walk in and out of the ship. But more often than not, I saw the teleporter pads used. As I approached the entrance to the hangar, I saw my parents in the entryway, talking to another Alchimian Society member. My dad was dressed in his usual suit attire. But my mom was not in her lab coat. Instead, she was dressed in a pink silk dress, looking as sharp as my dad. They both noticed me running toward them and smiled. I smiled back and tried to run passed them.

But Raiden grabbed a hold of the back of my shirt. "Woah there son! What's your hurry? Your mother and I will be ready any minute now."

I still moved in a sprinting motion, looking cheekily back to him. "I've been waiting years for this moment! I can't wait to see my first Pokémon!"

Raiden and Kaylin looked at each other with concern. Then Raiden said to her, "Dear, why don't you finish landing protocols while I have a little father-son chat?"

"Of course, hun," Kaylin led the Alchimian member with her into the hangar.

My dad took me a little to the side and crouched to my level. He spoke to me in a semi-serious tone. "Now William, this is going to be a big step for you. You're five years old now."

"Yes, dad!" I kind of bounced up and down on the balls of my feet, still itching to get off the ship.

"So your mother and I just want to be sure that you understand everything you need to know before we step out into that big wide world. Do you remember what I told you about the outside world?"

I stopped bouncing. "That it's very dangerous and I have to be very careful."

"Very good. And what have I told you about other people we meet?"

"That many might not understand us and could be a threat?"

"Exactly. The books you read may paint a picture of a beautiful world where everything exists in harmony together. But in reality, it isn't. There are many problems humans and Pokémon face. Many of them cause the problems themselves. But that is where we, the Alchimian Society, step in. It is our goal to be at the forefront of technological advancement so we can lead humans and Pokémon alike to a better future. But, of course, there are those who do not, or will not, understand the work that we do. So we must operate in secret, and strive for our goals from the shadows. Do you understand?"

"Yes, dad."

"Great. Now, I know you want to see some Pokémon…"

My grin got bigger. "Yes! Yes, please! How soon can I…"

"…but I think it is best if you see Pokémon in a safe environment…when you're a little older. Children in the Alchimian Society aren't supposed to interact with any Pokémon until they are ten years old. That way, we can arm you with necessary knowledge before you are trusted with a Pokémon.

My smile slowly morphed into a frown. "But…but…

Raiden held a hand up to silence me. "Pokémon are caught to be at our command and to be used to better our goals." He pulled his suit jacket back to show a row of five Poke Balls on his waist belt. My eyes grew wide, as this was the first time I'd ever seen his own Pokémon in their balls. "I got these five after many years of hard work and training. Now, they are at my side whenever I need them." He put his jacket back into place, covering up the Poke Balls and deflating my hopes.

"But…can I at least see them…"

"No," he said sternly. "You will not see any Pokémon unless your mother or I say so!"

I pouted a bit, but then nodded. "…yes, dad…"

"Good. Now there is one final point I must check with you. All those things I taught you: sneaking, hiding, stealing, and sabotage. At first glance, these may seem like evil acts. But no act is ever purely good or evil. What matters is your intentions. Do not use your talents for personal gain. Use them for the betterment of those around you. Use the things we taught you for the good of the Alchimian Society. We work as a team, and we can stay on top of the world. Do you understand?"

"Yes, dad."

He cracked a smile. Then he gave me a quick hug. "Excellent! I think we should be ready to leave the ship and see the lab. Shall we?" He stood back up, took my hand, and I followed.

My father and I met with my mother by the teleport tile. It was decided for us three to go to the new lab first. An Alchimian member began setting the controls on a panel nearby. My mom stood at my left side, while my dad was on the right. Once the settings on the panel were complete, the panel flashed in a white light. "Wow!" This was the first time I'd ever seen something like this. With a mix of fear and excitement, I clasped a hand out to my mom and dad each. Then in a flash, we were on solid ground.

"Wow!" Straight ahead of us was the lab building. It was about half the size of the Alchimian airship. Which was still pretty big. But what I was more amazed by was what was around it. There was a forest forming a semi-circle around the lab building. A stone pathway cut through lush green grass. Behind us, I could hear the ocean waves crash against the cliffs not too far off. And if I listened hard enough, I could hear chirps and screeches of wild Pokémon coming from the forest and ocean. I had let go of my parents' hands and breathed deeply to taste this fresh air of my first outdoor excursion. I so desperately wanted to run off and explore every inch of the island right this second. But my dad quickly put a hand behind my back and led me to follow him to the lab. I sighed and obediently followed.

The three of us got to the entrance of the lab, where a woman greeted us. She wore a similar lab coat and attire that I saw my mom in when she works. Her short hair was a paler blonde than my mom's. When we approached her, she adjusted her glasses before she said, "Welcome to AGB Labs! We're so glad you could come in person". While her demeanor had less conviction than my mom, she seemed just as nice.

"The pleasure is all ours," my father replied courteously. "Please, shall we head to the main lab? If you don't mind, we'd like to meet your husband first and pick up where our conversations left off".

"Oh, o-of course!" she led us into the building through the automatic doors. After a few minutes of stairs and hallways, we made it to the top floor. The woman led us to a particular lab room. This one had papers strewn everywhere, although there was some order among the mess. A pale-blonde haired man in a lab coat stood hunched over a table, looking at some of these papers.

"Hathley, our benefactors are here," the woman said to him.

The man nearly dropped the papers as he was startled from her call. But he regained his composure as he turned around to face us. "Oh, thank you, Heather. And thank you for coming!" He walked up to shake hands with my father. "It's an honor for someone like you to not only partner with us on such an ambitious project, but to help fund it as well."

"Indeed," said my father. "To finally meet with you is a treat as well. I always find collaborating with someone in person to lead to the most success. Is everything we need all set?"

"Oh yes…," Hathley looked around his lab, realized the slight mess, and got a bit flustered. "Well, everything except the Pokémon we need. But my assistants have almost pinned down where to get it".

"All in due time I suppose". My father put a hand on my shoulder. "If you don't mind, my son Will would like to see what we do here. He'll be here to study what my line of work entails. Of course, he need not see our most confidential work, but you know us scientists: we live to observe".

"Not a problem. My own son does the same thing, although the little scamp tends to wander off and vanish at times. I think he's even about Will's age. Anyway, why don't I have my wife give Will a tour around the lab while we discuss our project plans further?"

Raiden glanced to Kaylin, who had been staring intently at Hathley all this time. Kaylin looked back to Raiden. They both held eye contact for a couple of seconds, before Kaylin nodded. "That'd be a great idea," my father said finally. "Before my son goes off, do you mind if I tell him some things for a moment?"

Hathley nodded, then my father took me a few steps away before speaking to me in a low tone. "Alright, son. This is it. Your next few years of learning begins. What's going to happen is you can wander around this lab while I'm here and see whatever you'd like. When we return to the ship after work, your mother or I will give you some personal tutoring on basic school work. Don't be anywhere else except those two places. Do you understand, William?"

"Yes, dad," I nodded.

"Good. Now you're free to go."

Heather beckoned me to follow her out of the room while Hathley continued talking to my parents. On the tour, Heather went to show me machines and equipment I'd all seen before in my mom's lab. She also told me about all kinds of technological projects they'd been working on, which I'd heard my dad talk about with other collaborators during brief eavesdropping. Eventually, I got bored and decided to sneak into a different room when she got busy talking to a coworker.

The room was dark when I closed the door behind me. When I reached to flip the lights on, most of the ceiling lights were missing. Just as I pondered how weird that was, I heard a sudden crash of breaking glass. I jumped and turned to the source of the noise. Standing by a table near the farthest corner of the room was a boy about a year older than me. He had pale-blonde hair like Hathley and Heather.

The boy looked to me like a deer caught in headlights. Then he gave me a mischievous grin. "Oh, hi!" He waved at me, but I looked down at his feet. Glass pieces were strewn all over, as well as wires and metal bits. I looked back up to him as he looked at me curiously. "You're new."

"Yes," I replied. "Did you tear down almost all the lights?"

"Oh, yeah…" He looked back to the table. There was a bundle of wires lying on the table in front of the boy. "I was trying to make my own electric grid out of those, but you kinda startled me. Guess I'll just have to start over again." He made a big grin as he squinted at me. "But I'll have help this time, right friend? What's your name, anyway?"

I took a step back as I waved my hands in front of me. "Woah, woah, wait! How are we friends when we just met?"

"Why not? I'm the only kid on this island…until now. We small fries have to stick together!"

"I…kind of have stuff to do around here" I began to turn around back to the door.

"Hey," the boy put a hand on my shoulder, "aren't you going to at least give your name?"

"Um…" I shrugged his hand off his shoulder. "My dad tells me never to tell anything about myself to strangers."

"Really? You just visiting or something?"

"No, but…"

"Good!" He stuck his smug face close to me. "I always wanted a partner in crime. And if you'll be sticking around this lab, I'll be able to keep an eye on you!"

"I hate this guy already!" "No you won't!" I bolted out the door and ran down the hall. The boy grinned and followed suit. I followed the path opposite to what Heather led me. I ran in circles and darted into other rooms along the way, which got him far enough out of sight for me to bolt up the stairs. Just as I made a run for the lab where my parents were talking to Hathley, a hand reached out from my left. It yanked me into a nearby room, where I stumbled to the floor. I looked up, and the boy stood above me.

He smirked, "Well, my name is Hoth, if that will help make us friends".

I stood back up. "How did you…"

"And when I want something, I will pursue it to no end!"

I swallowed hard. "No, I mean, how did you get here so fast?"

"I live here. My mom and dad head this private lab. So I kinda know my way around."

Suddenly, Heather walked into the room. "Oh, thank goodness! You both are here…" She put a hand over her chest as she sighed in relief.

"Hi, mom!" Hoth grinned as he forced me into an embrace with one arm. "Me and the new kid were just getting to know each other!"

"Oh, that's so sweet! I'm so glad you two got to meet and greet so fast! Will, would you like to finish the tour?"

Hoth looked at me smugly again, which made me cringe. "Well, Will, shall we?"

"Ugh!" I squirmed myself out of Hoth's grasp in a huff. "No, thank you. I think I had enough for one day." I glared at Hoth, who just waved back. I walked out of the room, and decided to just wait the rest of the day in the hallway until my mom or dad were done with work. I saw Hoth walk passed me later with his mom. He flashed a peace sign with his hand before he headed downstairs. I just crossed my arms and pouted. "I've never been caught like this before! Now I'll need to try to watch out for him. He is...the worst…"