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Hey guys. So I totally wanted to get this out on the 15th, but that didn't happen because the next chapter is ridiculously long! (I always write a chapter ahead of what I post) I'm still trying to get out another chapter by the end of this month, but don't hold your breath (that will likely result in death). I'll do my best.

ChaosAngel4us - Yeah, Anita's in a tough spot. Lucky for her so is Liam. I kind of can't help loving Dustin though...

OBR - Ah, can't wait to show you about Jamie and everyone :) Might have to wait a few chaps though. Promise the suspense is worth it though.

japaneserockergirl - I am so glad you reviewed and like this fanfic. I'm doing my very best and promise to keep writing, even if it takes me till after college to finish. I owe it to you amazing readers, to my characters, and to my awesome, dedicated editor.

Thank you to my wonderful readers and reviewers- you guys encourage me to keep at it! Random recommendation of the day: Kusheil's Dart and all the sequels by Jacqueline Carey - great romance fantasy if you're into that kinda thing, but for mature readers.

Without further ado, here's the previously... (kinda long today)

Previously on An Apple A Day:

Mel was adopted by Sparky Storm, gym leader of Cape Caution. Mel's father left him at an early age, when Mel couldn't control his ghost gift and became a ghost for several months. His father believed Mel dead. Professor Chris Blubber lives in Cape Caution; Erin worked for him until he wanted Erin to stay with him in Cape Caution.

Anita arrives in Artemis Town, and runs into the gym leader, Dustin Blavoid, as well as his odd girlfriend, Styx. Styx works at the Pokemon Center and heals Apple's burns, with the side effect of making Apple's fur grow out. Dustin's Zangoose is a renowned barber and cuts Apple's fur.

Dustin arrests Jamie Arkle as soon as he arrives on a boat from Slateport City, suspected of being the leader of Team Glop'emm.

Anita suspects something is odd about Styx, but can't figure out what—Styx can tell when Anita's reading her mind and can understand Pokemon. She thinks Styx may be psychically gifted.

Meanwhile, Liam is forced to use Sticky (Rita's Ditto sent to prove the Forced Transformation Device works) to help transport him, Erin, and Jake to Artemis Town.

Nai Shivicle, gym leader of Winsk City, investigates the appearance of a black haired teen the gym leaders suspect was Liam Mendol in Winsk City. She stops at Professor Seth Robert Hasting's house, where she finds evidence that Professor Hastings may have been holding Mendol hostage. Professor Hastings is arrested.

Styx reveals to Anita that she knows about the Forced Transformation Device, the device Rita Teal invented for the Master that untransforms Pokemon with a single touch. Styx offers to help Anita destroy it.

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Chapter 37: Identification, Please

"Okay," I said. "Back up. How do you know about Liam's untrasforming thingy—what'd you call it—Forced Transformation Device? How do you even know I was traveling with Liam?" Silently, I told Apple, {Get ready to hit that Zangoose and run. I'm not sure you're safe here.}

Apple tensed, preparing to leap off the Auto-Restorer. If the Zangoose took any notice, he failed to show it, continuing to cut her tail fur while dramatically humming, {Now let me show you the shape of my part.} There was a growing mound of fur on the floor.

"The deal is that I don't have to tell you anything about myself or how I acquire information," Styx replied.

"Then how do you expect me to trust you?"

"I healed your Eevee, my boyfriend's a gym leader, and I know your identity." Styx leaned against the sink in the corner of the room.

"My identity?"

"Yes, I know you're Mew."

My eyes widened. Whoa, she thought I was Mew. I would've laughed if this weren't such a serious situation. "You're delusional," I said.

Styx merely smiled. "So do you accept my terms of the deal? No more questions about me, and I'll help you get rid of the Forced Transformation Device."

I was careful not to look at Apple. {What do you think?}

{Whatever,} Apple said.

"Fine," I said.

"Alright. The Forced Transformation Device locates the tiny portion of DNA in your brain that remains the same when you transform, and uses this DNA to reverse the transformation. If the device touches you, you'll turn back to Mew."

I rolled my eyes.

Styx continued, "Liam has recently changed the appearance of the device to make it look like a vaccine."

I watched Styx doubtfully as she twirled a blonde strand of hair around her finger. "Are you sure about that—about whatever sources you're getting this information from?" I asked.

"Absolutely."

"All right, so do you have a plan?"

"Yup. Just stay away from the device tonight and make sure Liam comes with you to the gym tomorrow. I'll take care of everything from there." Styx abruptly rose, nodding to the Zangoose, who had finished cutting Apple's fur. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch date. A Chancey'll be here shortly to escort you to the room Apple can stay in overnight."

Bewildered, I watched her ponytail swish through the doorframe as she exited, followed closely by the Zangoose.

{How'd she know Liam's going to arrive tonight?} I asked.

{How'd she know any of that stuff?} Apple grumbled. She pounced from the top of the Auto-Restorer into the pile of her fur on the floor, causing tufts of fur to float about. {I miss my powers. You should've entered her mind anyway.}

{But she can tell when I'm in her mind. You think she's psychic?}

{Did you feel any power?}

{Err, I don't know. A little? Not like most psychic Pokemon, anyway.}

Apple trotted to my chair, leaping onto my lap. {Then I don't think she's a psychic—unless, of course she's a strong enough psychic to hide her abilities.}

Apple and I contemplated the matter a little longer, but could come to no real conclusion.

As Styx had said, a Chancey arrived within minutes and led us up a set of stairs and down a long hallway. The room Apple would be allowed to stay in through the night was the second from the end. There was a large window overlooking Artemis Town's dome-shaped gym on one end of the room and a small bed near the door. Apple jumped onto the bed. I sat in a plastic chair by the door.

{We need to talk about Liam,} Apple said. {He'll be arriving soon.}

{I have a plan.}

{I know.}

Wait, how could she…oh! {You're starting to recover your powers?} I asked excitedly. Dealing with Liam would be so much easier with her psychic help.

{No, you were flashing me images the whole Lanturn ride.} Apple looked at me with her nose scrunched. {Do you seriously not even notice when you're showing me your thoughts any more, when our minds are connected?}

{Geez, you don't have to go all high and mighty, looking at me like I'm not using my gift right. I mean, we've been sharing thoughts for so long that I do it automatically.}

{The whole point of being a psychic is being able to protect your thoughts and gain information from others. Projecting your own thoughts—}

{Again, Apple, its just with you!} A light bulb shattered. {Damn it,} I swore, though the lighting in the room seemed unaffected. Sunlight beamed into the room from the window.

{Whoever manufactures light bulbs in Acceber must be making a fortune off of you,} Apple commented. {Just be careful, Anita,} Apple said seriously. {It's dangerous to let your guard down when connected to someone's mind—it can even give whoever you're connected to full access to your thoughts and memories.}

Before I could exasperatedly repeat that Apple was the only being I constantly shared thoughts with, Apple reminded me, {Liam. Your plan.}

I put my complaint on hold. {Right.}

{You're going to need to learn telekinesis or rather, you're going to need to control of your telekinesis. From what I saw of your experience with Sparky, you definitely have the ability and power; control is the only issue.}

{You've got until Erin and Liam arrive to teach me,} I said, looking at my PokeTech. I'd be occupied with keeping Liam as far away from this room as possible when he arrived.

{Then let's start. This might be difficult without my powers—it'll be easiest if you remember as best you can every detail of your state of mind when you threw Sparky against a wall.}

{Er, you sure you want that?} I asked.

{Yes.}

{Alright…} Images flashed across my mind: Apple missing from an austere room underground, Apple in the ocean nearly drowned, Apple's fur standing on end as a Celebi hovered—

CRASH

All the glass in the room shattered. Oops.

Apple sighed. {Looks like we have a lot of work to do.}

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Jake held open the Pokemon Center door for me. I glanced at Liam, who was looking at the giant dome-shaped Pokemon gym on our left. "Sometimes I think you should be more like Jake," I said. "For all his obnoxiousness, he's a gentleman."

"That's an outdated point of view," Liam said, turning his attention to our right, where there was a line of shops. He'd seemed especially on guard since we entered Artemis Town.

I smiled at Jake and walked through the Pokemon Center entrance. When Liam followed, Jake let the door fall in his face.

Once inside the Pokemon Center, a Chancey pointed us to the room reservation counter. I'd been to Artemis Town in the past, but I've always been amazed at how well organized the Artemis Pokemon Center was despite its size.

Liam and Jake fell in step behind me.

"And I thought you were decent at one time," Liam muttered to Jake.

"Yeah, well, once it was clear that you have a thing for Erin, all bets were off."

I glanced over my shoulder, smiling. "That's right. Liam and I are very happy together."

"You're an idiot," Liam said to Jake, snickering.

"Remember when I battled you, and you lost?" Jake shot back. That wiped the smirk off of Liam's face. "And for the record, I didn't think there was actually something going on between you and Erin until you spent the ride on the Ditto with your head over Erin's shoulder."

I hadn't noticed—oh. Liam had been reading the poetry book over my shoulder. Evil. I reached behind my head to tighten the drawstrings on my pack. My book. Then I smiled at Liam sweetly, batting my eyelashes—might as well take advantage of his situation's inadvertent outcome.

"Erin's an ass," Liam said. I turned around; we had reached the counter, but I could practically feel Liam's glare on the back of my neck.

"No, but she sure does have a pretty nice—"

"Boys!" I snapped. Behind the counter, a woman with long blonde hair in a high ponytail raised her eyebrows. "Sorry," I told the woman. "May I speak with a Nurse Joy? I'd like to request two rooms."

Across the trainer-filled lobby, a Nurse Joy yelled, "Styx, you're needed in room twelve!"

The blonde woman yelled back, "Just a sec." She turned back to me. "I work here, too. Make this quick. What type of rooms? Let me see your IDs."

"Two doubles," I said, as Jake, Liam, and I flashed our IDs.

"I am not sleeping next to this idiot," Liam said.

"You've slept near me for the past two nights—" Jake started.

"So one single and one triple it is," the woman said, typing into her computer. She pulled out four sets of keys from under the granite counter and handed them to me. "Pokemon to be healed?"

Jake and I put all of our PokeBalls on the counter. The woman turned to Liam, her eyes resting on the PokeBalls clipped to his belt. "Pokemon?" she asked.

"You should probably heal Sticky. That Ditto carried us all afternoon," I said.

Liam placed one PokeBall next to mine and Jake's.

"They'll be ready to be picked up by tomorrow morning," the woman said. She scooped up the PokeBalls and started to walk away from the counter, toward the operating rooms.

"Wait!" I said. "Our friend, Anita Parkwood, probably brought her Eevee here recently. If they're here, can we see them? Or if they got a room, could you tell us which?"

"They're in an overnight care room, and Anita did not book a room for herself. Anita may stay with her Pokemon until eight-o'clock p.m., but general visiting hours are over so I'm afraid I can't let you see them." The blonde woman smiled. "Sorry." She turned away and left through the double doors that led to the operating rooms. The trainers in line behind us looked annoyed, craning their necks in search of someone else to help them.

I pulled Jake and Liam off to the edge of the room, near the stairs that led to the upper levels, where our rooms for the night were. "Alright, give me your stuff. I'll go drop it off in the rooms, and I'll call Anita. You two go find a restaurant to eat at. It'll be super busy this time of day so it might take you guys a bit."

"I'd rather wait for Anita," Liam said. He frowned at Jake.

"Well isn't that sweet," I said. I took Liam's bag from his shoulder. "Call me when you guys find a place." I walked up the stairs, not leaving room for argument. Without anyone checking out the room with me, I could lay claim to the highly sought-after top bunk. Muwahaha.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Liam and Jake walking away. Liam, hunched over with his hands in his pockets suddenly froze. He stared a moment off somewhere I couldn't see, then made a beeline for the exit. It took a moment for Jake to realize Liam had left him, but when he did, he quickly ran after.

Curious, I stepped down a few stairs and looked at what Liam might have seen. There was a tall man—no, teenager—leaning over a counter. Mmm, this guy was good looking, probably about eighteen years old, with nice arms and dirty blond hair. Huh, maybe Liam was into guys. I shrugged and climbed back up the stairs.

Once I found our small triple, I tossed Liam's bag on the floor and rummaged through my shrinkable wardrobe. I pulled out a few pairs of pink underwear and strategically placed them on the top bunk. Then I called Anita via PokeTech.

No answer.

I folded my arms, annoyed. On my way back to the staircase, I spotted a door at the end of the hall that read Employees Only.

I smiled and turned around, heading back to the room.

In a matter of minutes, I returned to the door dressed in a Nurse Joy outfit I'd borrowed from my mother's closet once for a school play. Obviously, I'd never gotten around to actually returning the outfit. I mean, the white skirt was adorable and fit me perfectly. Who wouldn't keep it?

The top was a little big, but it was suitable for this purpose. If anyone asked about my hair, I'd just say I was in too much of a hurry to tie it up in the traditional hair loops.

Unsurprisingly, the door was locked so I walked down the stairs, made my way through the crowd of trainers to where I could slide behind the counter and push through the double doors that led to the operating rooms.

I passed several bustling nurses and Chanceys, none of who questioned me.

In order to find a computer to look up what room Anita was in, I had to go to the checkup rooms on the second floor—I didn't have access to any of the operating rooms. After taking the elevator up a floor, I was dismayed to find the first three rooms I encountered locked. Heading towards the fourth room on my left, I glanced down the hall and saw a general use computer against the wall at the end of the hallway.

As I approached the computer, I heard murmuring from an open doorway. "Sticky, you've got to trust me on this." I peeked through the doorway as I passed and saw the blonde woman who had helped us at the counter. She was speaking to Liam's Ditto, a pink puddle on the floor.

I didn't dare stop walking, but I heard Sticky reply, "Very difficult. Very hard to bel-ieve."

I wondered if there was some kind of new healing method the woman wanted to try on Sticky. Then I wondered how Liam would react if something went wrong and Sticky ended up seriously injured. He obviously didn't like his own Pokemon, nor had he ever shown signs of particularly caring about anyone else's.

But this was Liam—he tried to pretend he didn't care about anything. Who knew if he actually cared?

I reached the computer. Luckily no password was required to gain access. I found a file called "Patient Listing" under the recently accessed folder and quickly found Apple and Anita's room to be room number sixty-four. I closed the program, turned around, and froze.

Walking towards me was the older teenager I'd seen Liam scrambling away from. I relaxed my legs, forcing them to move with confidence, as if I really was a nurse at this Pokemon Center. The guy stopped at the door of the room Sticky was in.

"So whose Pokemon's keeping you late at work, away from me?" the guy asked, leaning against the doorframe. He had lovely golden eyes and—don't laugh at me—the best shaped nose I'd ever seen—not too narrow and with the right amount of roundness at the tip.

Ugh, too bad he was taken. That blonde woman was so lucky.

I walked past the door as the blonde woman answered, "Liam Mendol's Ditto."

"Mendol's here? In Artemis Town?" I slowed my pace, my interest piqued. What did he have to do with Liam? Would it be suspicious if I stopped walking in the middle of the hall? What if they caught me eavesdropping? I wondered how much trouble I'd get in if I were caught impersonating a nurse.

"Shh, Dustin, there's no need to yell. Some patients are sleeping. And how do you know Liam Mendol?" I heard the woman say. I watched the doorway from over my shoulder.

"He's who we've been looking for. Well, who the others have been looking for anyway. You know my view on the situation." Dustin stepped out of the doorway into the hall, with his hands on his head. I wasn't sure if he was looking at me, but I quickened my pace, reached the elevator, and pressed the up button. Calm down, Erin, I thought, trying to ignore my erratic heart. He doesn't know I'm not a nurse. He doesn't know—

"Hey!"

Shit.

I heard his footsteps approaching and pressed the elevator button again. I had to force my eyes from darting back to check how close pretty-guy-what's-his-name—Dustin—was.

"Hey." There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and found myself looking at the guy's Adam's apple. "I think you dropped this." He placed a pen in my hand. I could've laughed in relief. I looked up, meeting his amused gaze.

He frowned. "Aren't you a little young to be a nurse?"

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Thank god. I stepped backwards. "Yup, I'm super young for a nurse, skipped four grades, graduated early, I'm super smart—I can do a crossword puzzles in four minutes and sudokus in three, oops, sorry, but I gotta go check up on a patient—we'll talk again soon, I'm sure, thanks for the pen, bye-bye now."

The elevator doors closed.

I let out a breath and pressed the six button, muttering curses under my breath. I always had trouble acting in front of cute guys.

And how did he know Liam? Hmm, maybe I would dig into this a bit more—for research's sake, of course. I grinned.

When I reached the sixth floor, I found Apple's room easily enough. I twisted the silver door handle.

For a split second, I saw through the door opening a beautiful floating glass ball. The glass moved fluidly, folding upwards so that the ball stretched, like a moving mosaic. Only a moment, did I see the reflections of wild colors through the glass, spattered across the walls and Anita's face—

And then the glass fell, shattering into even smaller pieces across the floor. Anita looked at me, the glow in her eyes fading. Next to Anita, curled on a small bed atop a bundle of blankets, Apple slept. She looked much healthier than when I'd seen her though Anita's PokeTech.

I waved my hand and mouthed, "Come on, dinner."

Anita held up a finger. Her eyes glowed again, and the glass dust on the floor moved as if it was a wave in the ocean, washing up against wall. Then, the pieces shot off into the far corner of the room. Anita tucked Apple under a blanket before getting up to follow me.

As Anita closed the door from outside the room, she said, "Visiting hours are over."

I gestured to my clothing. "Thus, this outfit. Come on, Jake and Liam are waiting for us at some restaurant."

Anita hesitated. "But Apple—"

"Is asleep. She's fine. Plus, you'd have to leave anyway in an hour."

Anita nodded. "Hold on a sec." She pulled out a PokeBall and released Fiery. She gave Fiery a stern look, and after a moment, reopened the door to Apple's room. The Flareon marched in the room, his eyes narrowed in on Apple. Even though Apple appeared to be sleeping, I swear I saw just the barest hint of a smile on her face as Anita closed the door.

"So are you finally getting the hang of your powers?" I asked, walking to the elevator and pressing the down button.

"Kind of. I can't figure out how I moved big things when I was upset, like with Sparky. Little things though—glass bits, dust, whatever—I can get them to stick in barriers I've made, and I've gotten really good at bending barriers." The elevator doors opened. Anita glanced at me. "Hey, don't tell Liam, okay? I want to master it and then surprise him in one of our training sessions."

"Ooh, let me know when that's going to happen. I definitely want to see his face." I widened my eyes and put my hand up to my mouth. "He'll probably look like this."

"Nah." Anita scrunched her nose and opened her mouth wide. "He'll look like this."

We giggled as the elevator doors closed, making faces at each other all through the elevator ride. Needless to say, when the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, half a dozen nurses screamed at our bizarre expressions.

Anita and I decided that face-making would become a tradition on all of our future elevator rides.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Professor Blubber, wait! I can fix it! Professor!"

I continued down the path at a steady pace, attempting to keep my breathing steady. A difficult feat for an angry, overweight man trying to out-walk an idiot research—I mean ex-idiot research assistant. I patted my stomach lightly. Maybe I should consider lying off the cheese for a few months.

"Professor!" Ronny, the idiot assistant, caught up to me, his brown mop of hair bobbing up and down as he slowed his jog.

"Ronny, I told you, you're fired."

"But Professor—"

"You shorted out the electric generator that supplies energy to maintain the proper climate in both Eevee habitats. What do you want me to do?"

"It was an accident!"

"The generator's circuit board is covered in ketchup and PokeBlocks, Ronny," I said exasperatedly. Oh, how I missed Erin. She would have never gone near the generator, much less pour food in it.

"The Eevees like their PokeBlocks in ketchup. And it's not my fault the generator box looks just like the door—"

"Ronny, go back to the lab, pack up your stuff, and leave. You can find another Professor to work for, become a trainer, join the circus—whatever—but you will not be working for me any longer." I'd have to find another young kid interested in research to help me out—the cute middle school teacher, Ilene, could help me pick out potentials. Anyone was better than this boy.

Ronny stopped running, looking dejected. I didn't break stride to turn around and see if he was heading back to the lab; I just continued toward the Cape Caution gym, careful not to look directly at the sun glare off the gym's roof.

I was in luck: Sparky Storm was battling some kid in front of the gym. I wouldn't have to pick my way through his gym's halls, trying not to get killed by trap doors, frenzied robots, or whatever other booby traps Sparky had set up.

"Come on, Rotom! I know an Eevee that learned shadow ball faster than you," the kid yelled. Sparky's Jolteon was toying with the kid's Rotom, shooting off thundershocks just behind the it, and scaring the poor ghost Pokemon into motion.

Sparky spotted me climbing up the hill to his gym and immediately came to meet me, leaving his Jolteon to battle the Rotom unaided. He somehow walked faster than I'd ever seen a man of his age walk; I wondered what his secret was to keeping so fit.

"Professor Blubber, what can I do for you?" he asked, reaching a wrinkled hand out to shake my own. I took it warily, watching a spark dance up his sleeve, disappearing beneath his collar. Sparky was a strange old man—I hadn't been pleased to hear he was to be the new gym leader three years ago. Sparky was showy—always was doing magic tricks for crowds, eager to please. He pulled pranks on those who didn't immediately take a liking to him; I'd once returned to the lab to find my kitchen entirely coated in a thick layer of my homemade cheese.

We didn't share the same sense of humor.

I've never figured out how he managed to cover my entire kitchen with cheese, nor how he makes sparks flutter across his clothing.

However, despite my initial doubts, Sparky has proven over the years to be an effective leader, acting extremely professional when it comes to matters within the city.

I said, "There was an accident in the lab, and now one of my electric generators is broken beyond repair. I need a temporary power source until I get a new one."

Sparky turned around and called over his shoulder, "Hey, Sparkles, you hear that? Stop battling the lad, go back to the lab with Professor Blubber to supply power, and I'll catch up with you soon." The Jolteon nodded and in an instant was by my side. Sparky turned back to me. "Sparkles will be able to supply electricity while I build you a new generator."

I shook my head. "That's completely unnecessary. I can buy—"

"Why buy an overpriced generator when your neighbor will build you one for free, eh?" Sparky elbowed me and winked. "I've been looking to teach my son a thing or two about circuits anyway. Oh, you haven't met my adopted son yet, have you?" Sparky gestured over his shoulder to the blonde boy he'd been battling. "The lad likes ghost Pokemon so I bought him a Rotom as a welcome present—perfect blend of ghost and electricity, right?"

I looked past Sparky's shoulder at the boy. He was scowling at his Rotom, a finger pointed at the Jolteon by my side. Huh, he looked eerily similar to…

Wait. No, it couldn't be. How…?

"That boy," I said uncertainly. I took a few steps forward, squinting.

"Mel," Sparky supplied.

The boy looked directly at me. There was no doubt about it. "He's the one who disappeared years ago. His father—everyone—we thought he was dead. That's Professor Seth Robert Hasting's son."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

I lay flat on my bed, psychically churning the dust behind Erin's unshrunken wardrobe. My hair was wet from a shower and my belly full from the delicious pizza place we'd eaten at. Because Liam was just across the room, reading something off of his PokeTech on his bed, I kept my eyes closed to hide their glow.

Psychically bending barriers feels something like attempting to stretch a taut muscle. When I create a barrier, I rapidly shove psychic energy to a focused area—it's like tensing an arm or leg. To stretch a muscle, I have to relax. Same goes for bending barriers—the more relaxed my mind is, the easier it is to change the barrier's shape.

While practicing with Apple, she had explained that telekinesis was simply tightly wrapping a barrier around an object and then manipulating the barrier in any way the psychic wished. Levitation, for instance.

According to Apple, I'd had little trouble imagining the right shape and size of barriers because I was a very visual person. I struggled, however, in providing power to the objects I was trying to move telekinetically.

{Where do my powers come from?} I'd asked her.

{You were born with them.} Apple licked her paw.

{That's not what I mean. I mean where is it—inside me? Do I convert the food I eat into psychic energy or something?}

{I know what you mean, and the only theories I've heard are complicated, hard to explain, and probably wrong.}

{How can I get to the power if I don't even know where it's coming from?} I'd asked Apple.

Apple rolled her eyes. {At this very moment, you're psychically communicating with me. Do you know where the power to do that is coming from? Just remember what it was like when you used telekinesis in the past, and you'll get it eventually.}

{Does the power come from emotion?}

{No. Emotion is one of several keys that allows access to your psychic abilities, though.}

So I'd tried lifting a pencil psychically. It snapped in half. I'd tried moving a chair. Nothing happened. I'd tried pushing Apple. She yelled at me.

Finally, I'd reverted to practicing my manipulation of normal barriers. To both my and Apple's surprise, a few of the broken glass light bulb bits on the floor had moved with my barrier. Apple said that the pieces were too small to break under the pressure I was exerting and thus when my barrier was formed, it simply surrounded the pieces.

After a few hours of practice, I could easily manipulate a mass of small particles, but when I'd tried to use this technique on Apple's food dish, the dish was sliced in half.

I let the dust settle beneath Erin's wardrobe. If I could slice a dish in half, I could probably slice other things in half. That scared me a little. More than a little. I mean, with that kind of power, I could kill someone—slice right through a person's lungs, heart, or brain. I hadn't talked with Apple about it, but I needed to. What if I lost control and…

No more thoughts like that, I willed. I focused on relaxing my body, starting with my toes. Apple'd recommended practicing relaxing both my mind and body as a psychic exercise.

The bathroom door opened, and Erin exited surrounded by steam, her hair wrapped in a towel. She was wearing her pink fluffy pajamas. "Your turn, Liam," she said.

Liam grunted in response, got up from his bed, and went into the bathroom. I watched the door. He hadn't even removed his PokeBalls or the syringe Styx had told me was the Forced Transformation Device from his belt before entering the bathroom. Tonight, I'd have to keep on guard to make sure Liam didn't leave the room. He couldn't get to Apple. I'd stay up all night if I had to.

There was a knock on the door. Already closest to the door, Erin swung it open.

It really could only be one person.

"Hello, ladies," Jake said, casually leaning an arm up against the doorframe.

"Go to bed, Jake," Erin said.

"Nice pjs."

"I take it back. Go to hell, Jake."

"I just need to have a quick word with Anita."

I reluctantly sat up, careful to duck slightly to avoid hitting my head on the top bunk. I'd already done that twice today. "What do you want?"

"So tomorrow, we're going to the gym, right?"

"I'm going to the gym," I said.

"Well, I thought we should be partners. I'm an awesome trainer and you're decent enough to not get in my way so we'll beat the gym for sure."

"Huh?"

"The Artemis Town gym is run by twins, and they require trainers to challenge the gym in pairs."

"I'm with Erin. Go to hell, Jake."

"I'll give you tonight to think about it." He closed the door.

I turned to Erin. "Let's not wake him up tomorrow."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In nothing but a pair of boxers, I turned the shower's hot water on and crouched on the bathroom floor between the toilet and the shower. It was unfortunate that I'd had to stoop to such measures, but the shower ensured that nobody would overhear my conversation. I plucked the walkie-talkie from my belt and pressed the call button.

"Master?"

"Rita Teal, you have just officially inherited the position of temporary Master."

"I saw on the news, sir."

"Let Jamie Arkle's arrest be a warning to you, Rita. Do not forget who I am. Do not forget my connections. Do not forget my power. I am Team Glop'emm's Master, and you will follow my orders."

"Of course."

"That aside, Rita, I have the utmost respect for your abilities and confidence in your leadership. The FTD is outstanding."

"Th—thank you. Have you found…?"

"I'm close." I paused a moment, considering the rare intuitive nagging at the back of my mind. Not often did I have a so-called "gut" feeling. Some scientists supposed these feelings were reflections of connections made in the subconscious mind, which had not quite blossomed into conscious thoughts. I supposed it couldn't hurt. "Professor Teal, what do you know about Professor Seth Hastings, the author of a poetry book entitled Mysteries of Nature?"

"He's the crazy one who lives in Winsk City, right?"

"Yes."

"That's all I know about him."

"Look into it," I said.

"Master?" Rita hesitated. "Sticky, is she…? If you don't need her any more…"

"She will be sent back tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Master out." I hung up and tucked the walkie back into my belt. I hoped to find Rita Teal more trustworthy than Jamie Arkle. She lacked the ideal ambition necessary for long-term leadership, but she would do for the short period of time I expected necessary to capture Mew before I returned to the position of Master. It was a pity Jamie had betrayed me—a waste.

I showered quickly. By the time I slipped under the covers, Erin was snoring and Anita lying above her covers very still. Perhaps too still for her to be asleep. I listened to her breathing carefully; it was uneven. So not asleep yet.

I'd waited a long time to test the FTD on Anita. I could wait a few more hours.

It was an hour and forty-two minutes before Anita's breathing evened out. By that time the moon was high in the sky, illuminating the bits of silver fibers woven into our room's carpet. A thrill trickled down my spine as I stepped out of my bed into the moonlight. I took a moment to bask, enjoy the warmth building up in my stomach and chest that always accompanied moonlight.

I picked up the Forced Transformation Device from my nightstand and approached Anita silently.

Asleep, Anita was bundled in a large wad of blankets, her hands and face sticking out like limbs of a turtle. As I've noted before, she didn't much resemble a powerful being that could destroy lives in an instant.

But as I've learned time and time again, danger often lurks where unexpected.

In one hand I held a twined PokeBall Rita had designed long ago—the day I'd found out my father had gone after Mew with a hand-made dark net. A twined PokeBall would be much more efficient and left significantly less room for error than the net.

In my other hand, I held the fake syringe. In a few instants, I'd know, and I might, just might… I touched the cool, metal tip of the syringe to the skin of Anita's face up palm. There was a spark and—

Nothing.

Anita opened her eyes. Purple eyes. The color mocked me, laughing at my failure. I'd never hated a color so much.

Anita Parkwood was not Mew.

I swiveled around and left the room. The door slammed behind me.

This was unlike me.

I should've been planning my next move—not running up flights of stairs like a child throwing a temper tantrum. Yet, I continued to run until I reached the Pokemon Center's flat rooftop. Then I swung my legs up onto the ledge and sat facing the sea with my legs dangling, allowing the moon to calm me.

So what, Anita was not Mew.

The breeze cooled my skin and slowly, my heart slowed to a steady beat. I looked at my bare feet; I hadn't even bothered to put on a pair of shoes. The bottoms of my feet stung from the roof's uneven surface.

Who was I kidding? I was angry and disappointed. I'd thought… No, I'd hoped Anita was Mew. The evidence wasn't substantial enough for me to not take other possibilities into consideration, and yet I'd become so focused, narrow-minded, obsessed—

Perhaps after so many years of searching without a lead, I'd jumped at the first clue. My conclusions were hasty.

And maybe, just maybe, I wanted this tireless search to be over. I felt guilty for thinking it—Landon, my mother, my aunt, Lily's parents—they all deserved revenge, and all of mankind needed to be protected against these dangerous legendaries. Ridding the world of Mew would make for a safer world.

But it was a long journey. A journey I wasn't sure I wanted to be life-long.

If Anita was Mew, the journey would've been complete, ended, over, and I would've found out whether capturing and destroying Mew gave me the satisfaction I'd yearned since Landon's funeral. Whether destroying legendary Pokemon was worth devoting my life to.

I knew couldn't bring my cousin back, but this was the least I could do for his unlived life. And if I didn't hunt down legendaries, who would?

Anita wasn't Mew.

Fine. That left Apple and the rest of Anita's Eevee's to be tested. If it wasn't any of them…

I supposed I'd be traveling back to Drape Town, resuming my role as Master until another lead was found. Strangely, I found the thought slightly disheartening.

I heard the door to the roof creak open. Soft, careful footsteps on the concrete roof approached me. Anita, dressed in the large Pokemon League t-shirt she'd worn to bed, running shorts, and tennis shoes, hung her legs over the roof's edge and slid next to me.

We sat in silence for a moment. I watched the moon. She watched me.

"We need to talk."

Perhaps Jamie had been right and it would've been more effective to take Anita in for questioning. I still could, I thought. I could torture her right here, on the roof, or drag her back to Drape Town.

"I know you're looking for Mew," she said calmly.

My eyes snapped to hers. She just… What game was she playing at? "The very fact that you've revealed this to me illustrates that you are indeed somehow linked to Mew," I said, keeping the disbelief I felt out of my voice.

"I know." I watched her carefully as her wide eyes searched mine. Then her gaze shifted past me, to the distant Mint Mountain. "I want to know why, and don't give me that business crap. Now you know that it is very much my business."

Below in Artemis Town, it was very quiet. There were very few people about—a homeless man sleeping on a park bench, a woman in nice clothes clicking her heels down the street, and a couple of teenagers covering the backside of the PokeMarket with graffiti. Noctowls hooted in the trees.

I decided it would be unbeneficial to reveal exactly what my intensions were regarding Mew so I stayed silent.

"Do you want to be the best trainer or something? But you don't even like your own Pokemon."

Again, I said nothing.

Anita kicked a leg in the air and the heel of her shoe bounce against the brick wall we sat atop. "Ugh, you are the most frustrating person I've ever met."

"What gave it away?" I asked.

"I know what that syringe thing on your belt does. That untransformer."

"How?"

She didn't answer. Perhaps she'd read Sticky's mind. I should've foreseen the consequences of testing the Forced Transformation Device on Sticky.

"Is one of your Pokemon Mew?" I asked.

"First of all, it's unfair of you to expect me to answer questions when you won't answer mine." Anita closed her eyes and slid her hands down the ledge, closer to her body. "Second of all, no matter how I answer, you'll suspect them."

"Quite a dilemma," I said tonelessly.

For a long five minutes, we sat in silence. When I finally turned my head to glare at her, the corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "No," she said, mimicking the lack of emotion in my voice. "Not one of my Pokemon is Mew."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No," she said in the same voice.

"This isn't a game for me, you know," I said.

The grin slipped away from Anita's face. "I wish it were." She swung her legs back onto the rooftop. "Come on, let's go to bed. Will you wake up early for a training session? I want to get one in before the battle with Dustin."

If she could be blasé about the whole situation, then so could I. I raised an eyebrow.

"What? I don't mind training—it's helped me in battles and stuff."

I continued to watch her, smirking.

"Enough of that!" Anita grabbed my hand and tugged. "Off to bed—" She suddenly dropped my hand. "Oh, is that what that look was all about?"

I blinked innocently.

"I leave you with Jake for two days and this is what happens," Anita muttered, walking away from me toward the rooftop exit.

I followed her, so many thoughts in my mind, they jumbled around incoherently. I decided just for this night, I wouldn't think.

I fell asleep with the moonlight beaming through the window, softly brushing my face.