The morning sun shone faintly through the curtains of Linus' room, the faint rays of light falling upon his face, causing him to stir. Rolling away and blinking, he slowly began to adjust to the morning light. After a few minutes, he sat up, looking around the hotel's bedroom as he ran a hand through his unkempt brown hair. Getting out of bed, he hobbled groggily over to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes, later he was ready. Slipping on his trademark trench coat, he placed his Pokeballs on his belt and headed down for breakfast.

He found his friends waiting for him outside on the terrace, already having breakfast. Seeing him, Holly laughed. "Morning, sleepyhead!" she said with a giggle. "Seems like you're just in time for breakfast; not that there'll be much left if you don't hurry up!"

Smiling, still only half awake, he sat down beside her, rubbing the sleep out of his right eye. After giving his order to a nearby waiter, he threw his Pokeballs into the air, summoning each of his Pokemon. "Morning everyone!" he said to his team as they all appeared from their capsules. Unlike some trainers, Linus didn't like to keep his Pokemon in their Pokeballs much, preferring to let them accompany him whenever possible. "Go grab a bite to eat along with Holly's Pokemon. It'll be time to head out soon, so make sure you don't go hungry!"

He watched his Pokemon happily go off together to be fed, the waiters bringing out a supply of Pokemon food to cater to each of their different tastes. While Linus cared deeply about each of his Pokemon, Umbra and Bubbles (his Lopunny) were his two favourite. Bubbles had been his first ever Pokemon, given to him by his parents on his 10th birthday, and she had travelled with him ever since. Around her neck she wore a pendant containing a Lopunnite, a rare gem that gave herthe ability to Mega Evolve when combined with the power of Linus' own Mega Stone, which he wore as part of a watch around his wrist.

"So, what shall we do today then?" Holly asked as they ate together.

"Well, I'd been thinking about challenging the Anistar City Gym Leader, Olympia," Linus replied. "I've heard she's one of the strongest psychic-type trainers in the region, and I want to see how we fare against her!" Grinning, he added, "What about you? Any plans for the rest of the day?"

Holly thought for a moment, before smiling. "I guess I'll just do a bit of sightseeing today! I really want to see the sun setting on the Sundial at dusk. I've heard it's so pretty to watch!" Looking over at AZ, she asked, "What about you, AZ?"

Looking up from his meal, the soft spoken giant replied. "I will go to route 18. There are things I must do there…"

Lupin thought nothing strange of AZ's reply. He often slipped away on their travels, as if in constant search for something. Whatever it was, he still hadn't found it. Shrugging, Lupin continued to eat his breakfast, eager for the day ahead.

On the other side of the café, unseen by the companions, two waiters were in discussion. "Yes, the boss said that we're to make plans for tonight," the male waiter whispered.

"Tonight!?" his female co-worker exclaimed. "But he knows we're not ready yet! Can't he put it off to tomorrow?"

The other shook his head. "I asked, but he insisted it must be done this evening. If we don't he'll have our heads and you know that!" The two of them slipped quietly away to the staff room, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves…

As dusk was beginning to fall, Lupin strode out of Anistar City gym, clutching his new badge in his hand. Placing it safely in his badge case, he put it back in his pocket and began making his way towards the sundial. "If I hurry, I can get to the Pokemon centre, then just make it in time to see the sunset with Holly!" he thought to himself as he hurried through the city. His Pokemon had fought hard, and they deserved a rest, none more so than Bubbles and Umbra, who had been the main centres of the battle. While none of his team had fainted, they were all a little weak from the pace of the battles, and Lupin was sure they would be glad of a break.

Suddenly, he stopped, flinching as a loud explosion ripped through the air. Looking on in shock, he saw the sparkling crystal Sundial in the distance, enveloped in a cloud of black smoke. Another explosion shook the city, as the Sundial was again hit by another blast. Forgetting all else, Lupin raced towards the monument, his heart pounding, one thought in his head… "HOLLY!"

Author's note:

Here's chapter 2! In case I seem to be going a little fast, I'm trying to post the first few chapters relatively soon after the other, so as to help the story get rolling. After that, the pace may slow down a little, but I'll still keep updating regularly! I hope you're enjoying it so far, and I look forward to posting the third chapter very soon!