Obligatory Disclaimer – I don't own Pokémon.

Hello again, guys! Once more unto the time of getting distracted and not updating my story for months. I'm sorry!

First off, X and Y is out, and I'm absolutely hooked! I won't be integrating Kalos into the story to any real degree (i.e. we won't be visiting Kalos) but there will be a few references here and there, and expect to see at least Doublade appearing at some point in the future…

Thanks for the reviews, Agent of Fire and Eclipse Wing, and thanks for the praise!

I'm afraid though that we won't be finding out what happened to Brock, Cilan, Dawn, Iris and Lance this time though – that'll have to wait until chapter 25 – coming soon TM . Instead, it's time to catch up with Ash, Cynthia, Hilda and May on their journey through Hoenn. It's worth noting, indeed, that this chapter is set four days after our last encounter with this group, bringing them in line on the timeline with chapter 23 and the Kanto group. As for what they've been up to in that time? Read on to find out!

But first – and ever so briefly – time for something completely different…

(Ghetsis)

His underlings had finally gotten the cooling systems in their base running, pumping mercifully cold air into his chambers and the rest of the complex. It was a welcome relief from the heat that had filled it for days.

…temporary…

It was only temporary, he kept telling himself. Colress would have the focus of their plan operational soon.

…soon…

Until then, Plasma would endure.

Once again, Commander Theta stood before him, looking down at the ground on her knees once more. The only real difference was that she was receiving orders this time, not coming to him in shame.

…for now…

Nor was she even here in person, but through an elaborately constructed hologram matrix connecting both their new base and a Plasma vessel now not very far from its destination.

"To conclude…" He was at the very end of his detailed instructions for the woman now, his breath misting in the air before him as he idly paused. "You will be infiltrating this region. You will not have much time at all, but you must bring back something of value to aid our struggle. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord." She replied, never looking up. Ghetsis killed the hologram and smirked.

He figured that if he let her and her goons loose somewhere, there was a reasonable chance that she'd accidentally stumble upon something useful.

He despised her weakness, her heart that she so poorly tried to hide. She was lucky that he had not purged her with the rest of N's favourites.

…despised…

He examined the picture of the tricolour flag of the place Theta had been sent to for a moment before setting the image aside and standing up from his throne. There was much to do, and much to inspect.

(Ash/Cynthia/Hilda/May)

"Bet you I'm first into the city!" Hilda cried. She didn't even bother to wait for Ash's reply before sprinting away.

"Oh, you're on!" Ash set off after her, Pikachu clinging on for dear life.

"Don't they ever stop running?" May panted, bending down to rest, her hands on her knees as she sought to control her breathing. She had only just caught up with the others when they had shot off again in the direction of the recently-spotted city.

Cynthia looked back and paused, waiting for her to recover with an amused smile. She hadn't even tried to run the last time, but had reached Ash and Hilda much sooner than May.

"They've got too much energy for that. And they egg each other on."

"That's right…" May straightened up at last and the two moved on to catch up.

It had been an eventful journey from Mauville City to the seaside city of Lilycove, and, unlike the first time that Ash and May had made the journey, it had only taken four days.

The first day…

"Well, there's no way I can get the car across that." Cynthia decided as they stared out across the stream separating the outskirts of Mauville City and the east end of Route One-Eighteen. It was calm, but far too deep for a vehicle to cross without suffering some severe waterlogging.

"We could probably get Zekrom to carry-" Hilda started to offer before cutting herself off. Cynthia shook her head and placed a protective hand over the hood of her car. "Never mind. He'd probably drop it anyway…"

"We'll have to walk once we're over it, then. I'll just go park somewhere in Mauville; probably the Pokémon centre. I'll be back soon." Cynthia got back into the car and span around in a three-point turn to return the way they had come.

"Getting over might be a problem though." Ash noted as he recalled the last time they had needed to perform any kind of water crossing, and how it had ended in a full blown argument. That said, this river was nowhere near as imposing as the last.

He turned, and was startled to see that May had somehow already changed into a blue two-piece bathing suit not dissimilar from the one she had worn on occasion when he had travelled with her.

"Want to swim it?" She grinned at him, doing a little twirl.

He realised he was staring and slammed his jaw shut. He didn't notice Hilda pouting off to the side.

"Sure, why not?" He walked off into the nearby trees to get changed.

"Want to join us?" May asked Hilda.

"I can't swim." Hilda frowned.

"Oh. That's unlucky…" May had forgotten this, though the other brunette had only mentioned it in passing once before. "Well, we could-"

"It's… okay." She tossed Zekrom's Poké ball up and the legendary emerged, blinking in the sun. "Zee'll carry me."

The dragon took one look at Hilda, May and the river and its shoulders drooped rather dramatically.

+Not again…+

"Don't worry; it's just me this time." Hilda told it. "We'll wait for Cynthia to get back and then fly across."

Zekrom grunted in relief, straightened and then bent down to allow its trainer to climb atop its back. Ash came back at that moment, swimming trunks on and everything else packed into his backpack.

"Aren't you coming in with us, Hilda?" He asked, staring at Zekrom, puzzled. She blushed a little in return.

"No… It's all right. I'll wait for Cynthia, you guys go on. And I'll take your bags over too so you don't have to worry about them getting wet, either."

"Thanks!" The two loaded up their backpacks onto a stable point on Zekrom's back, and then Ash looked for Pikachu, who had been sitting near the river bank playing in some of the shallower water.

"You coming swimming with us, buddy?" He asked. Pikachu shook the water of his fur, spraying everything nearby, before scurrying over to Zekrom.

"Pika pika!"

"Oh, you want to ride with Hilda instead?"

"Pika!"

Ash looked up at the Unova champion.

"D'ya mind, Hilda?" She shook her head and accepted Pikachu onto her lap as the electric-type was passed up to her. Ash turned back to May.

"All right, let's get swimming! See you in a minute!" He called back to Hilda as he walked down to the edge of the water with May.

It was calm and warm, perfect for a quick swim. Ash jumped straight in, while May was a little more hesitant.

Hilda watched the two grow more accustomed to the water and stared after them as they made their way to the other side of the river. She absently scratched Pikachu's ear, and sighed.

The second day…

"All I'm saying is that this never would have happened-"

"I know, I know!"

May and Hilda paced frantically around as Cynthia knelt down next to Ash, checking to make sure that his bruises were nothing serious and cleaning, disinfecting and binding his cuts and scrapes.

Hilda had dared Ash to climb a particularly tall tree at the top of a rather large hill. Ash had, of course, accepted the dare without any hesitation. With the Weather Institute on the same route, albeit higher up in the mountains, the weather was always at risk of turning at any moment, and they had paused under cover to allow Cynthia the chance to check the forecasts before they went on.

He'd had Sceptile try it first, and had thought it to be safe judging from how easy the grass-type made it appear. Which was probably my first mistake…

Ash made it almost to the top of the tree before a missed footing and a slightly weak branch led to him tumbling down the tree, scratching himself on sharp wooden stumps on the way down, before rolling all the way down the hill they had just climbed.

"I'm fine, seriously guys. I'm really fine!" Ash kept protesting, but Cynthia was having none of it. Pikachu poked and prodded its trainer in an I can't believe you can be this stupid sometimes way.

Cynthia pursed her lips as she finished binding the last of his admittedly minor wounds.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked, holding out her hand with all fingers and the thumb extended.

"… Four and a thumb."

Cynthia shrugged and stood up, offering a hand to pull Ash up too.

"Well, you don't have a concussion, at least. That's a good thing. Let's please try to avoid any major injuries before we reach Lilycove. Look before you leap, hmm?"

Ash accepted the hand, rubbing his head awkwardly.

"Probably a good idea, yeah."

Well, I think I'm making progress with the whole thinking ahead thing… But I'm still pretty rash.

The third day…

"When's the rain supposed to stop again, Cynthia?"

Cynthia looked up from her book and checked her watch for Ash.

"Another hour to go."

They were all sat around a table in the City Pokémon centre, having just finished a hot meal, and were waiting for the rain to stop.

They had been fairly lucky with the weather on the way up. It had been mostly sunny, with an hour or so of painful hail that had forced them to take cover at one point. The black clouds had appeared as they had reached the outskirts of the city, and the spit had only truly turned to rain after they were safely inside the warm centre.

Which of course meant that they were also trapped inside until it ceased.

They used the time to get some proper food down them – camp food without the talents of Brock or Cilan would always be somewhat suspect – as well as feed their Pokémon, which also gave the rest of the group the chance to see the rest of Hilda's Pokémon.

It would've been strange that they hadn't seen them before, but Hilda normally used a special brand of Pokémon food that lasted for a while inside the ball, meaning that she didn't need to have them out as much as the others did.

"Imported." She shrugged when they asked her about it. "But I'm fresh out."

Cynthia admitted to doing much the same.

May in particular watched with interest as Hilda began to pick out her Poké balls and unleash her party; the coordinator's only experiences of Pokémon from Unova were those that she had seen Ash, Cynthia, Hilda and Team Plasma use, so it was all new to her.

First out was her Galvantula, who clicked and crackled with charge appreciatively as it tucked into the bowl in front of it. From the way it acted, this was certainly not the usual way things were done. It was no surprise to the others – they had seen it in action a few days before during the rescue.

Next up was Reuniclus, again, no stranger to the gang. Instead of diving into the bowl or attempting to pick the food out it simply waved its odd arms and levitated the food up to it.

Zekrom was to be last, to avoid attracting too much concern from anyone nearby.

Third, then, was a proud Mandibuzz that regarded them haughtily and swooped into the air to perch on an overhead railing. It remained up there until its trainer threatened to feed its share to Galvantula, who by now had almost finished its own rather large bowl.

"I don't use her that much anymore, if I'm honest." Hilda murmured as the dark/flying dual-type flying tucked in. "She's got a bit of an attitude to her. Moving on..."

She tossed another Pokémon ball to let out her fifth party member, a shy little Maractus who hid behind one of the tables until the champion coaxed it out with kind words and a few pellets. Heracross almost chased it back into cover again before Sceptile and Quilava dog piled him.

Her final Pokémon was also her largest, save Zekrom – an imposing Garbrodor.

"Ewww!" May clutched her nose in shock as Garbrodor reached out to envelop its trainer in a tight bear hug. Ash and Cynthia, having encountered the poison-type before, were a little more composed. "That's just… disgusting!"

"Maybe, but this guy's a champ." Hilda smiled warmly, reaching up to scratch Garbrodor behind the ear as soon as it let go of her. "Garby was my last man standing against N. Even Zekrom went down together with Reshiram."

"We really need to have a real battle at some point, Hilda." Ash said, sizing up her team.

"I'd love to!" She blushed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Hey, let's have it now!"

"Let's wait until we get to Lilycove City, you can have it then. We need to get a move on once the rain… stops." She trailed off, staring outside. They followed her gaze and realised that the bad weather had indeed cleared up already while they had been distracted by Hilda's party.

"One last thing!" Hilda realised just as they prepared to set out again. She hefted her last Poké ball. "Zekrom, dinner time!"

The black dragon erupted out of the ball into the crowded Pokémon centre. There was a moment of silence before people started screaming.

"Cowards." Hilda muttered as they walked out ten minutes later, Zekrom having been fed and Cynthia having spent much of the preceding time trying to desperately calm the crowd and persuade Nurse Joy that they were leaving in a moment anyway and didn't need to be kicked out. She looked back and paled at Cynthia's piercing glare. "Uh… Sorry about all that."

Things had probably been made worse when Zekrom had tried to pitch in and calm the crowd with its telepathy – which, of course, had had the opposite effect.

The end result had been Cynthia getting trampled by the panicked mob.

Ash and May had stood back and watched as the centre had erupted into chaos, and now they did the same as Cynthia stalked off towards the town's small area of shops, muttering something about needing ice cream, while Hilda followed, still apologising.

"She'll be fine after she's had some sugar..." Ash opined, then turned to May. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We can get Hilda to pay for the ice cream?"

"Oh yeah."

Back to the fourth day…

"I'm going to win!" Hilda looked back to taunt Ash as they both rounded the final corner coming up to the city – Ash had sprinted before her, and now she had the upper hand. They passed the welcome sign as the trees began to give way to clearer ground.

"No!" Ash tried to push himself harder, but he was out of it, and he knew it. Pikachu knew it too, from the way he was being poked in the shoulder by the Pokémon on his back. No, wait, Pikachu was trying to direct his attention ahead of them…

"Pikaaaaaa!"

Then he saw it… but she hadn't.

"Hilda, watch out!" He shouted a warning, skidding to a halt himself.

She turned, puzzled.

"Huh?"

CRASH

She bowled straight over the low fence sticking off the path that she had missed, tumbling over and over in the dust. Ash winced as she finally stopped, bruised and scratched, then hurried up to give her a hand.

"Hilda?!" He reached the Unova champion as she lifted her head off the ground, eyes wide, clearly dazed. "Are you all right?"

"The wheels on the bus go round and round…" She sang, her head spinning.

"Come on, snap out of it!" He went to offer a hand to pull her up, but stopped himself – a sudden upwards movement could cause her to faint if she was too dazed.

He heard footsteps back the way they had come, and turned as he heard Cynthia sigh heavily as she approached, May running alongside her.

"Can't we go just five minutes without someone crashing into something?" The Sinnoh champion grumbled as she bent down to examine her Unovan counterpart; Ash stood up to give them some room, and then turned to greet May when she arrived. He quickly noticed that she was bent over, her hands on her knees, panting heavily from the run.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She wheezed. "I just haven't run like this in a while, y'know? Not since I went through Hoenn with you."

"You missed it." He teased gently, but she smiled, blushing slightly.

"I did. But more importantly, I missed you."

"Uh-"

They were interrupted by Cynthia hauling Hilda up to stand, having applied a few plasters and some anti-bacterial ointment to her injuries, as she had with Ash a few days before.

"She'll be fine." Cynthia patted her on the back. "Looks like we're in city limits, now. Let's just take it easy, please. I'd rather that no-one ends up in hospital after walking into a lamppost, if we can avoid it."

She span around and led them into Lilycove City, where the land ended and the sea began.

They spent that early morning in Lilycove taking a quick walk around the city, taking in the location of the art gallery and the shopping centre before finally arriving at the Pokémon Centre. They dropped their bags off in a locked room at the centre, and stopped for a quick bite to eat, before Cynthia reminded them all of the actual reason they had come to Lilycove in the first place.

"Wallace will have left a message with Nurse Joy for us so that we know where to meet him. I'll go find out what he's said." She sidled over to Nurse Joy in the centre once she was unoccupied and started up a casual conversation.

"Think he'll be here already?" May wondered.

Ash thought about it, then shook his head.

"Doubt it. He can't have known when we'd get here. He must be far too busy to wait around hoping we'll show up."

"Think he's learned anything more about that conspiracy he was talking about?" Hilda kept her voice low.

"Let's hope so."

His earlier statement was proven half right a moment later when Cynthia came back to the table and informed them that Wallace was planning on arriving in the seaside city sometime that evening, and would meet them at the Pokémon centre when he did so. Until then, they had the time to themselves.

They thus broke into a discussion about what to do first with that free time.

"The art gallery!" Hilda put her claim in first.

"The beach!" May was next, and the two glared at each other. "It's supposed to be beautiful this time of year, and we didn't get a chance to see it last time."

"A little culture wouldn't do you any harm."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ash, Cynthia and Pikachu watched the back and forth from the side, their heads switching between the two as they spoke during the argument.

"Please stop." Cynthia groaned. Between Ash and Hilda running off and crashing into things on the way up, and Hilda and May's constant arguing, and just Zekrom appearing in Pokémon centres in general, she was at her wit's end. Hilda and May had been better since their little incident with the cave rescue, so much so that they no longer sniped at each other on the road, but they still got into arguments sometimes sparked by the smallest of things.

"Ok, ok." Ash put in, and they both stopped to look at him. "When does the gallery close?"

Cynthia checked her watch.

"2:30 today. Apparently they're doing some renovation work after then."

"We should hurry there then!" Hilda shot up.

"Aww, but we're going to run out of sunlight!" May pouted, but Cynthia quickly pointed out that the tide was in anyway, and they would still have plenty of time after the gallery closed to visit the beach. "Fine. I s'pose it can't be that bad."

For May, all that she could say about the gallery once they had arrived and taken a look around was… not much. The same applied to Ash, who was happy to admit that he was no artist. Even Cynthia only took a cursory walk around the exhibits before being ready to call it a day and hit the beach.

It was clear, really, that this excursion was almost entirely for Hilda's benefit alone, and it certainly had a great impact on her. She insisted on examining each and every painting, most often of Pokémon native to Hoenn. She told them later that she had not even seen many them in person before; this was, after all, her first trip out of Unova.

They were all grandiose works, fantastic and overblown, yet vivid and awe-inspiring at the same time.

"I thought you did video editing and that kind of art?" Ash frowned at one point, recalling their conversation in Mauville City.

"I do." Hilda replied, her eyes not leaving the masterpiece she was presently ogling, her focus so great that she didn't even bother to brush a few stray strands of brown hair out of her eyes. "But that doesn't mean I can appreciate this kind of thing for what it is."

Well, it's not my thing, but I guess I can understand being really enthusiastic about something. Ash pondered.

I still don't know enough about Hilda. Ash decided. I probably know more about Cynthia, and she's been secretive for years. Or, at least, she only disclosed information when it was pertinent and not otherwise.

But Hilda… What are her goals? What does she want to do? She's become the champion, but is she as happy with getting mixed up in all that we're doing as Cynthia is? Thought, then again… Why else would she have started following us around in the first place?

Of course, Ash missed the answer to that last question through some epic level of obliviousness. But, of course, he wasn't to know that.

Oddly enough, from the way it acted in the stuffy exhibition building, Pikachu shared at least some of Hilda's passion for the arts. Its attention was focused on the walls and their offerings as well, so much so that Ash once again allowed it to be carried around by Hilda for the duration of their stay.

It occurred to him that each of his long-term companions had carried Pikachu like that at some time or another. No matter how apart she could sometimes be, he was sure that she was becoming part of the family.

They emerged into the shining sun an hour later, basking in the warmth and enjoying the fresh air. The coordinator in the group immediately strode off towards the beach, and the others followed.

It took Ash a little while to realise that Hilda was dawdling behind, and a little while longer – and a not-so-subtle prod from Cynthia – to get him to find out what was up.

Dropping back, he matched pace with her. Not an easy feat, given the way she was dragging her feet.

"You alright?" He asked.

She looked up, having not noticed him approach.

"Yeah, I'm fine." But her pout she couldn't hide betrayed her on that.

"No, you're not." Ash stated, no longer asking. "What's wrong?"

They kept walking, and for a second he thought that she wouldn't reply.

"I don't really want to go to the beach." She muttered quietly.

Is that it?

"Well, that's not a problem." He said, sure that he could convince May not to bother. Then he and Hilda could have their battle early… But there was still something strange… "But wait; you were so enthusiastic about it back in Mauville City. What changed?"

Hilda sighed and her shoulders drooped. He felt an unexplainable urge to put an arm around the brunette.

It was the same way he felt when May acted similarly, and it annoyed him that he couldn't explain it.

"Well, after that river crossing a couple of days I've been thinking about it more and more. And… it's really embarrassing, you know?" She trailed off, unwilling to make eye contact, her head down as they continued to walk. May was almost off beyond the curve of the street in her haste to get to the shimmering sands she'd heard so much about, and Cynthia was keeping a respectful distance ahead of them, stroking Ash's contented electric-type starter.

"What is?" He pressed the issue.

"… That I can't swim."

A pause.

"Is that it?" He gave voice to the thought this time, staring incredulously at Hilda. The Unova champion looked up at him sharply, blushing. Ash returned her surprised expression with a smirk. "I'm sure we can fix that."

He grabbed her hand and charged up the street, chuckling as she yelped but allowed herself to be pulled along with him. They quickly passed Cynthia and Pikachu, the latter seemingly amused by its trainer's antics, and quickly caught up to May.

They were probably lucky that the streets were mostly empty that day, the last of the celebrations having passed the night before.

The coordinator heard them coming a mile off and turned to stare at the sight.

"Ash- Hilda- what?" That was all the brunette managed before Ash had grabbed her hand too and kept going.

"Come on, guys, we haven't got that much time left!"

"Ash Ketchum, you're unbelievable!"

Cynthia smiled as she watched them disappear out of sight, resigned to the fact that the rest of the day would prove interesting, at least.

They made it back to the Pokémon centre first to change; it was fortunate that it was only another five minutes from the beach. After that, the group headed out onto the expansive sands by the sea.

May had wondered whether Hilda even had a swimsuit, and the champion crossly answered that she did have one packed – she just never normally used it. Both brunettes wore two pieces suits, and both blushed heavily upon meeting Ash in the lobby. Cynthia too wore a bikini, shielded her eyes with sunglasses, carried a deckchair in one hand and a sun reflector in the other, and had draped a yellow towel across her shoulders.

"I'm just going to catch a few rays." She said, setting up the chair near the edge of the beach and stretching out over it. She caught his intrigued eye – he hadn't expected the Sinnoh champion to enjoy such a pursuit – and smirked. "Why else would I have a holiday villa in Unova? You kids have fun."

Ash did a double take at the sight of Pikachu sitting on another deckchair, with a matching pair of sunglasses, cradling a bottle of ketchup, but thought better of questioning it.

"I'm still not sure about this…" Hilda mumbled as the trio walked out towards the waves. She had her hair tied up even more for the occasion, but the reluctance was clear on her face.

"It'll be fine." Ash promised. "We'll at least get you started, alright?"

"…Alright."

"Let's start by just getting you used to the water." Ash suggested. "It's a shame you don't have any water-types, to work with; that was helpful when Mom used to take me to the beach when I was a lot younger…"

They started off then by sitting in the tide and letting it wash across up to their necks. The water was like a cool, yet physical breeze in the face of the sun as they sat and chatted for a little while, until Hilda said that she was ready to move on. She didn't have a fear of water, after all…

They moved out a little further, far enough that they could float just off the underwater sand without too much effort, and not so far that they would be in any danger.

"Ok, when you're ready, just try to push off from the sand at the bottom and float on the water. We're here, you'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly.

She nodded and gave it a shot. Her first few attempts were difficult, having trouble stay balanced in the float and keeping her feet off the bottom. The first time she actually did it, she panicked as her face hit the water, thrashing around until the others grabbed her shoulders and pulled her upright to calm her.

"Any tips for Hilda, May?"

"Don't panic just because your face is going underwater." May said. She looked a bit bored, and Ash could tell that, but he appreciated her help nonetheless. Plus, it was a beautiful day, so she found it difficult to be too downcast. "Just focus on staying balanced, getting used to the water and acting naturally."

The afternoon went on, and by the time they had finished they could certainly say that Hilda had made progress. Having had no instruction as a child had not helped, but she was taking to the water better and better with each attempt, and by the end she was even comfortable with kicking off towards the shore, her face fully submerged.

It was hard work, but Ash and May came away feeling better about having helped a friend, and all three felt closer as a result of their efforts.

Cynthia rewarded them with large ice cream cones upon their return, and they ate them as they trudged back up to the Pokémon centre, feeling the heat dry the salty water off their bodies.

It would have been the perfect end to an almost perfect afternoon.

It was a shame it was about to be ruined so horribly.

They all had showers before getting changed again and meeting up for dinner in the centre's restaurant. The light outside dimmed a little as the afternoon threatened to pass into early evening, but with summer came the advantage of longer days through which to enjoy the sun.

With that in mind, they had a battle to hold before it got too dark.

Ash turned to Hilda as they finished up.

"Ready for that Pokémon battle now?" He asked.

"Rock on! I thought you'd never ask." The trainer and the champion started their way outside, as May and Cynthia packed up the last of their belongings. Pikachu was firmly attached to Ash's shoulder once more.

They were outside and almost at the outdoor Pokémon battle square when Hilda started to speak again. The others were still long out of earshot.

"Look, Ash… Thanks for this afternoon. Thanks to you and May, I actually got to get in the water for a bit! I really don't regret going for it now… And I'd like to do it again sometime."

He turned to face her, and smiled.

"You're welcome! It was great fun, and I'm sure we'll get more chances in the future."

It was her turn to smile, but then she blushed heavily.

"Listen, Ash… There's something I really, really need to ask you."

"Ok, go ahead?" He said. He was a little confused by her sudden hesitance.

She took a deep breath.

"Will you-"

"ASH! HILDA! COME BACK OVER HERE A SEC, WOULD YOU?"

They both looked up, startled. Cynthia had shouted from back where they had come before, around the front of the centre.

"Guess we'd better get back around there, huh?"

Arrgh, I was so close! Hilda cursed inwardly, but followed him around to meet the others. So close!

"What's wrong?"

"Wallace is here." Cynthia gestured along the street and up in the air. Peering upwards, Ash spied an object approaching them; a Staraptor, he quickly realised, with Wallace on the back. "He borrowed Staraptor from me, if you were wondering."

"Makes sense." Ash said, although he hadn't really been thinking about it.

Wallace dismounted down the road from them, and they rushed to meet him, but Ash could tell from the distance that something was wrong. It was either the way the Hoenn champion staggered as he jumped off the mount, the desperation with which he fumbled with the Pokémon ball to return it, or just the dark circles under his eyes that gave it away.

"I'm so sorry, everyone! So very sorry!" He wailed, all the composure he had shown during their other meetings lost. He almost looked like he was about to cry. It was very dramatic, very Wallace. And yet it was also very disturbing.

"You weren't that late." Hilda tried to reassure him, shocked by his appearance.

He looked up sharply, his gaze whipping around their faces before crumpling again. They were lucky that the city was so very quiet at the moment; it would have been quite the scene for someone to see a champion breaking down like this.

"You… You don't even know… I only found out at lunch…"

"Wallace." Cynthia said steely, now deeply concerned. "Tell us what's wrong."

"I'm so very sorry." He whispered.

And he told them about what had happened in Kanto.

Not a true resolution of the chapter before, as I said it wouldn't be, but still tying up a few loose ends. Next time we'll have more of that, plus some travelling, champions, and a battle of sorts.

Finding a card for this one was a challenge, let me tell you…

Even the trivial can inspire.

Pedantic Learning, Odyssey