In this chapter and a few others to come, I reference the Paris bombing as a key plot point.

Don't kill me or call me a terrorist or something. If you find this offensive, just don't read the story.

Thank you very much.

Also sorry for not uploading i had a debate tournament and was sick and whatever

~AegislashingAlex

"Welcome to Lumiose!", read a billboard in the front of the city, as I entered.

The outside walls of the city shined with a certain gleam that only comes from the greatest of cities. The city itself was a giant circle, said to be inspired by a shining city of light far away. The iconic Prism Tower at its center was the very symbol of Kalos for other regions. Lumiose CIty was a hub for the entire region, and in it stood both our government and economic center. The city was in a convenient area for the regions fishers, farmers, and miners to ship their goods. Only recently had they added their first airport, and they exported goods to regions all over the world.

I fingered my first badge, a shiny bug-shaped metal trinket. It showed to other trainers that I was at the beginning of my journey, but still a novice. Entering Lumiose was my chance to earn a second badge.

As I walked through the gates, I immediately noticed a few things. For one, the city was a little less populated than I had expected. Many roads were blocked off, and men in suit stood in a line before me. People who walked in were being inspected, then let in

I walked over to an available man. He looked at my badge, then felt me over. Then he let me in.

"What is this all about?", I asked.

"I apologize. We are conducting inspections on everyone who enters the city. Recently, some evil people decided to try to set off an explosion. We are afraid that they may have entered through the gates, and we are trying to prevent another such event from happening once more. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to you or other persons."

An attack. Although I didn't think much of it, the prospect scared me a little. Who would set off an explosion in a peaceful city such as Lumiose? Maybe it was the work of one of the evil teams my father fought off a long time ago.

The first thing I did was find a map. Luckily, I found one near one of the iconic Gogoat stations. I sat down at one of the stations, and mapped my next move. The map showed me some important things. First, Lumiose was under a state of emergency. Citizens were to be off the streets by 9:00. This meant that many of the late night destinations, such as the PR Video Studio, and some restaurants, were off the table. Second, Professor Sycamore's lab was located nearby. I marked that as a destination to visit. There were also famous cafes and a hotel in which I could stay. Third, there were many popular battling clubs in the area, and some had special rules. I would have to visit those as well. The time was 12:30, giving me approximately 8 hours to explore the city.

First, I stopped by the Galette stand to grab a quick bite. Lumiose City, besides Prism Tower, was famous for its galettes. True to common word, they were delicious. Then, I walked over to Professor Sycamore's lab.

The outside of Professor Sycamore's lab looked vaguely old and rustic. His lab, over the years, had started teaching trainers the basics of Pokemon biology and psychology. It now contained classrooms, in which students could study for their degree of choice. Although I didn't really want to become a scientist, I went inside.

The inside was bustling with men and women in white lab coats, some students, and Pokemon of all sorts. To the right, two professors battled while students took notes. A man dressed in a trenchcoat and a dark hat observed two women, pretending not to be noticed. Two young professors talked to each other, while their children compared each other's Pokemon. Middle-aged scientists passionately shouted at one another about their views on Life, the Universe, and Everything. In the front of the room lay an elevator.

To get away from the hubbub, I got into the elevator. There were two buttons, and a keyhole. I went up to the second floor, where the classrooms were. There were six classrooms. I walked into the first one, which was labeled, "Studies of Psychic Pokemon". Most of the classes here were walk-in and free, for the good of anyone who wanted to join.

The professor at the head of the room was an old woman, who was lecturing the class about theories of telepathy, and instructing us on how to communicate with our Psychic Pokemon. As I walked in, she nodded to me and continued with her lecture.

"Although you may feel as if Psychic Pokemon are prying into your mind, many don't have the intention, curiosity, or desire to do so. Many Psychics feel people's thoughts as waves of emotions flowing towards them. Make sure not to feel as if they are looking into your mind, or the emotions flowing off of you will either incite their curiosity or make them uncomfortable and ashamed. Use their Psychic powers to communicate better with your Pokemon".

I had never really thought of Belle and Lance as prying, but I realized that they could read my mind. I just had sort of thought what I wanted to say, and they understood. I took a note.

"Psychic Pokemon are usually more aware of what is right and wrong than others, and end up becoming more human than others. Remember, Psychic Pokemon develop most of their personality by absorbing the emotions of their environment, so try to stay positive."

So far, Belle and Lance had only been exposed to positive emotions. I think I was doing a good job as a trainer.

"Now, let's test our Telepathic skills with our Pokemon. Now, you may not be able to get and receive full words yet, but try to at least send over your emotions. You may get out your Pokemon, and communicate with them.

I took out my Love and Luxury balls, and released Belle and Lance.

"Hi Peter!", said Belle. Lance only nodded.

Everybody turned around in the room. The professor gaped at me and Belle. I was clueless to why.

"Did she just...speak?", the professor stammered.

"Uh...yes?", I replied. "Of course!", Belle exclaimed.

The professor was amazed. "Most Psychic Pokemon only communicate in emotions, and even that isn't always the case. This is something that is only seen among special trainers and special Pokemon. I personally have only seen this in Champion Diantha and Champion Serena". Belle twirled, proud of her talent.

"Does the other one talk?", she asked.

"What do you think?" Lance glared at the professor. The professor looked scared for a second.

"I think you should go upstairs and meet the head of this building". The professor led us out of the room, and back to the elevator. This time, she pulled out a silver key and slid it into the keyhole. It went in with a click. She turned the key, and the elevator headed silently upwards. When we reached the designated floor, she pushed us out of the elevator and went back downwards.

I looked around the room. It was by far the biggest room I had ever seen, and rich mahogany bookcases stacked all the way to the ceiling. The air smelled of a dusty library. I heard the soft flipping of pages around the corner.

I heard a shout. "Aha! Here it is!" We ran around the corner and found an old man sitting at a desk.

The old man had dark black hair which seemed to go every which way. He wore an old lab coat with purple edges, and a pair of bifocals. There was no doubt he was ancient and wise, but his eyes were milky. He held a book, and a pencil hung on his ear. His desk was made of the same mahogany as the bookcases, and was cluttered with all sorts of drawings and diagrams of a Pokemon I had never seen before. At the front of his desk sat a plaque that read PROFESSOR SYCAMORE. A lustrous stone sat on a pedestal in a corner. The stone itself was a wonder. It seemed that a wisp of green and red smoke had been infused in it. On the man's right was a crystal lamp that gave off a soft light. On one portion of the desk sat an unfinished crossword puzzle, and the man attempted to be solving it.

"So the host of Hoenn's Got Talent! was Regina Lentle after all!". He looked up, finally noticing I was there. "Do you happen to know what the capital of 'Yemen' is? I've never even heard of the place".

I cleared my throat.

"A woman sent me here? She led me here because I could talk with my Kirlia, Belle and Lance".

The old man put down his crossword, and looked at me with interest. His eyes cleared up, focused.

"Talk with your Kirlia, you say? Let me see." The man closed his eyes, and focused for a moment. "Oh, of course. I assume she was raised from an egg, and has been with you since birth?"

"What? How do you know?" I was surprised.

"Cause she told me. Now, do you know where Yemen is?" His eyes were cloudy once more.

"Dr. Sycamore, the other professor mentioned Diana and Serena. Do you know who they are?"

Sycamore focused on me again. "Diantha was the former champion of the region, until about 25 years ago. Then, she was beat by a young man and a young woman. Subsequently, she stepped down and let someone else be champion. The man declined, but the woman jumped at the chance. She became the current champion, Serena."

I nodded. "Thank you professor." I hurried out the door.

Serena….