Noon. The heat stung the back of Ray's neck. Nobody's Pokémon remained outside their balls; even Spolt opted for a break from the day's harsh sun. Not even the green, shady trees surrounding the road between Striaton and Nacrene City could help the heat.
"Let's rest somewhere," Gabe pointed out. Juniper quickly agreed with him.
"There's a cave over there," Ray said, peering through some trees. "Wanna go?"
"Wellspring Cave," Juniper said. "It should be much cooler in there."
A bit off the beaten path, the cave led away from the normal path to Nacrene City. It was definitely worth the shade. Inside, deep-looking pools of water shimmered and faint, unknown sounds echoed. Ray let out Spolt, who clearly enjoyed the cave's cooler air.
"While we're here, we might as well explore a bit," Gabe said.
The three of them ventured farther into the cave, and the temperature pleasantly dropped.
"Many Pokémon should be around here at this time of day," Juniper said. "They're in here for the same reason we are."
They spent a good half hour exploring the cave's structures, but didn't see a single Pokémon. Juniper told them that it was worrying her.
"I think something's wrong," she said, frowning. "The cave seems devoid of Pokémon."
"Where do you think—" Ray began, only to be interrupted by Spolt. It tugged at the bottom of his shirt, looking as uncomfortable as Professor Juniper.
"Maybe we should ask some people," Gabe said.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," Ray said. "Spolt doesn't like it here."
"I think something's up, too," Gabe decided.
Gabe let out Growlithe as they stepped outside. It immediately turned and peered warily into the cave.
"C'mon, let's go, Growlithe," Gabe prodded.
"Professor, what do you think's wrong?" Ray asked, adjusting his hat. "Spolt and Growlithe both don't like it."
"I don't know," Juniper admitted, puzzled. "Let's just move on. I can check it out after the Festival."
Nacrene City was much more lively this time around. Despite the heat, people were taking lunch breaks and spending the time wandering around outside. Ray made his way to the Museum with Gabe and Juniper in tow. Their only stop in Nacrene would be the Gym.
Nacrene City's museum-library-Gym looked completely different when it was filled with visitors. The small exhibits barely poked out from behind the people observing them.
Ray made his way through the crowd to the Gym, but Hawes's thin figure emerged from the crowd and spotted him.
"Hey, it's you two from earlier this week!" he said. "And Professor Juniper!"
"Nice to see you again, Hawes," Juniper greeted. "Busy day?"
"Oh, definitely. Everyone's in here hiding from the heat outside."
"Ray here is planning to challenge the Gym. Is Lenora available?"
"Oh, of course," Hawes said. "I'll tell her right away. You go ahead and wait on the Gym floor, Ray." He nodded once at Ray and took off.
"Well, let's go," Gabe said.
The polished Gym floor looked like a harder surface than the one in Striaton. The familiar observation level was present above it; Gabe and Juniper sat up there—like before—and waited for the match to start.
They didn't have to wait long. Lenora, the Gym Leader, appeared on the Gym floor in a few minutes. She shook hands with Ray displaying her firm grip.
"Pleased to meet you, Ray," she said. Her apron billowed behind her instead of in front, seeming wild and dutiful at the same time. "I'm the Gym Leader here—and the museum director!"
"Hello," Ray greeted. It was a bit weird to meet someone for the first time by having a competitive battle.
"Without further ado, right? We'll be fighting with two Pokémon each, standard rules," Lenora said. "Let's begin!" She sent out her first Pokémon.
"It's a... Watchog," Gabe said to Juniper, looking up the Pokémon in his Dex.
Hawes joined them on the seats above the Gym arena, with a proud smile on his face. "I always watch my wife battle. This'll be good!"
As usual, Ray opened the battle with Spolt. It looked like it was itching to fight a battle style it knew well.
Well, here was its chance.
"Ah, a Manectric!" Lenora said, smiling. Her grin faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "Go get it, Watchog! Put it to sleep!"
Visible waves of hypnosis radiated from the Watchog's glowing eyes.
"Dodge those!" Ray said, giving more of a reminder than an order.
"You can get him!" Lenora urged passionately.
"Get behind and shock it!" Ray said. That one was an order.
Spolt dodged around the Hypnosis attack, moving behind the Watchog. The thin Pokémon focused on its attack and nothing else, and wasn't turning around quickly enough. The electric shock Spolt sent from behind connected, but the Watchog immediately shook it off and resumed its attack. Caught off guard, Spolt finally succumbed to the hypnosis. It blinked twice, lied down shakily, and passed out.
"Did you know that in some battling leagues, sleep is enough to remove a Pokémon from battle?" Lenora said. "I prefer to have the chance to wake them back up."
Ray considered withdrawing Spolt and bringing him out later, but interrupting the opponent's strategy like that was considered a cheap move. It was even an illegal tactic when used in excess.
"Wake up, Spolt!" he yelled.
"He's gonna wake up, so make this one count!" Lenora encouraged. "Super Fang!"
The Watchog bared its fangs, and ruthlessly tore into the inert Spolt.
Ray groaned, shocked at how vicious the Watchog was attacking.
"Super Fang hurts the most when the target isn't very hurt to begin with," Lenora said aloud.
But Spolt had woken up. Within seconds, it began to discharge electricity from its body in self-defense. This apparently hurt the Watchog more than Spolt's previous attack attempt, because it rolled away, dazed.
"Almost there, Spolt!" Ray called. "Thunder Fang!"
Limping slightly from its bite wound, Spolt rushed the immobile Watchog and gave it a bite of its own. With electricity coursing all over the Manectric's body, the attack was more than a bite. The Watchog writhed around desperately in an attempt to get free, but Spolt held fast until the electricity died out. The Watchog was unconscious.
"Goodness," Lenora mumbled. "That was frightening."
"Sorry," Ray said. The violence he had just seen finally processed in his mind, and he was more than a little shocked to know that he was behind it.
"No need to apologize, of course!" Lenora said, her voice regaining its usual cheer. "You were just returning the favor, I guess." She replaced her defeated Watchog with a new Pokémon: a Herdier. It growled menacingly.
"Oh, another Herdier!" Gabe said. "Ray's got this battle easy now!"
"I'm sure there are plenty of differences between Alex's Herdier and Lenora's," Juniper reminded.
"She loves it very much. She's had it a long time," Hawes confided. "Love's a bigger factor than most people think, I'd imagine."
"I agree," Juniper said. "Ray loves his Pokémon a lot, too."
"Really?" Hawes asked, adjusting his glasses. "What Pokémon does he have."
"He has with him a Manectric, Houndoom, Skarmory, and Anorith."
"An Anorith? He's part of the Paleo repopulation program?"
"Presumably, yes. I haven't asked him about all the details."
"We got Felsin from a scientist in Hoenn," Gabe said. "He was taking care of a lot of other Anorith, and other fossil Pokémon, too."
"Interesting," Hawes mused. "Yes, I know the program."
Meanwhile, Ray chose to give Manectric a break. Switching Pokémon as an opponent switched his or hers was perfectly acceptable in just about every ruleset Ray knew. So he withdrew Spolt, and let out Dax. It returned the Herdier's growls with a few quiet snarls.
"A Houndoom!" Lenora exclaimed. "How interesting! I've never seen one in person."
"Oh, I forgot to look up Houndoom in the Pokédex," Gabe said.
"Keep in mind that a Houndoom who's grown up with people is quite different from one in the wild," Juniper said. "A lot of the articles there are studies on wild Pokémon."
"Okay,"said Gabe as he tried to read the Dex and watch the battle at the same time.
"Let's see how it does," Lenora challenged. "Herdier, you know what to do!"
It charged in a way that reminded Ray of his battle with Alex.
"Dodge!" Ray prompted.
Dax dodged to the left as the Herdier approached, but the Herdier slowed just before passing. Before Dax could get away, the Herdier turned and leapt in its direction. Ray expected both Pokémon to be on the floor after the impact, but the Herdier never lost its footing. It continued to tackle Dax, without giving it a chance to recover.
"You can beat it, Dax!" Ray yelled. "You just have to get up!"
Motivated by its Trainer's voice, Dax slid out of the way just before another body slam could land. It backed up as fast as it could, distancing itself from its opponent.
"Your Pokémon listen to you well," Lenora observed. "That's excellent."
"Dax, close in on it with Flame Wheel!"
"Oh, I see," Lenora shrugged, a wide grin on her face. "Herdier, jump through those wheels like the hoops they are!"
Her Herdier leaped through the rings of fire as if it had been trained to do so. It was approaching Dax at an alarming speed.
"Try to close the rings!" Ray urged.
Dax snarled for a moment and caught its breath. It resumed the onslaught of flame, but the rings were tighter. The Herdier still cleared the rings, only with a little less ease this time around. It slowed down considerably, carefully maintaining its footing after every leap through a flame ring.
"Even tighter, Dax! I know you can do it!"
The rings became smaller and smaller, until they became dots of fire. But they were increasing in frequency. The balls became a stream of fire, like the ones Ray had seen strong Pokémon use in movies.
"Flamethrower!" Lenora exclaimed. "I assume he just learned that."
"Yeah," Ray trailed off. "Okay... Dax, do that! With more force! Use Flamethrower!"
The Herdier was upon it, but Dax repelled it with a stream of fire just in time. Waving the fire back and forth, Dax could keep the Herdier at bay for a short while. This time, the Herdier was the one backing up.
"Now charge!" Ray commanded. "Catch it and attack!" He meant that he wanted Dax to attack any way it could once it caught the Herdier.
Baring its teeth, Dax sprang forward, running over the newly-scorched Gym floor. The Herdier was faster, though; it remained safely out of reach of any physical attacks.
But Dax looked determined. Its eyes narrowed in a way Ray had never seen before. With a crouch and a leap, it dashed after the Herdier at an incredible speed.
"What the—?" Gabe said. "What's that?"
"I think that's a common attack among dark-type Pokémon," Juniper said. "I think it's called Pursuit."
Pursuit or not, the attack caught Lenora's Herdier unprotected. With a great smack, the two Pokémon collided. Dax readied another fire attack, but the Herdier wasn't moving anymore. It whined weakly, too exhausted to move.
"I think... that's it," Lenora said. "What a fascinating battle!"
"Your friend Ray is incredible," Hawes said to Gabe and Juniper. "I'm going to go down and speak with him."
"We'll come, too," Gabe said.
"Ray, I have to congratulate you on your victory," Lenora said, meeting him on the sidelines closest to the door. Dax's eyes were fixed on Ray, and everyone else was a respectful distance away. "As an avid researcher, I take pride in my knowledge of Pokémon. I'm no professor"—she glanced at Juniper—"but I know a lot, if I do say so myself. Trust me when I say your Pokémon will do anything for you. You're an exceptional Trainer. I'm sure you'll go far."
"Thanks," Ray said, looking down at Dax. Praise always made him shy, even though he knew he shouldn't be.
"Also—I forgot to mention this—Did you know that your Manectric is of a slightly different color?"
"Yeah, Professor Juniper noticed it too."
"I've read about that before. It's apparently an extremely rare trait that isn't even passed down genetically. Other than that, nobody knows where it comes from."
"That's interesting," Ray said. He didn't really know whether he meant it or not. It was interesting that Spolt was special, but some part of Ray wanted nothing to do with it.
"Anyhow. I'd like you to have this." She reached inside her smallest pocket and retrieved a purple badge. The design was trimmed with gold like several other Unova badges, but the shape was a simple rectangle. It sort of looked like the spine of a book.
"Thank you," Ray said, putting the badge in his case, in its spot next to the Trio Badge.
"That's the Basic Badge," Lenora explained. "An interesting fact of life is that the most basic things can be the most important."
"I'll remember that."
Hawes stepped forward. "Congratulations on your big win, Ray," he said, smiling. "Your friends tell me you are a participant in the Hoenn's fossil program."
"Yeah," Ray said. "Why?"
"Well, you came at the perfect time. We are starting a fossil program of our own. You have the opportunity to be our participant, too."
"Really? It's finally happening?" Juniper asked. "Perfect!"
"So I'm getting another Pokémon?" Ray asked.
"Only if you want to," Lenora said.
"I do! That would be cool."
"Follow me," Hawes said. Everyone, Lenora included, followed.
"Hawes has been working on this program for a while now," Lenora said. "With a bit of help from other regions' scientists, we've managed to get it going."
They were all inside a small room that was off-limits to the normal patrons of the museum-library. In an incubator in the back were four eggs. They were all about as wide as Ray's head.
"I'll give you the one closest to hatching," Hawes said. "Have you taken care of eggs before?" He picked up the egg and cradled it in his arms. It was a sandy color, with very faint patches of blue and red.
"No," Ray said. "My Anorith was already hatched and all when I met it."
"Keep your egg with you at all times. Be gentle with it, of course. You can carry eggs in your bag if it doesn't tip over easily. I also have egg packs if you want one."
"I can carry it in my backpack with no problem," Ray said. "Let me move some stuff into Gabe's bag."
Once the egg was snugly wedged in the backpack's largest opening—the zipper remained open—, Ray, Gabe, and Juniper prepared to leave. It was time to move on towards the Festival in Nimbasa City.
"What kind of Pokémon is inside, anyway?" Gabe asked.
Hawes checked tiny print on a clipboard by the eggs in the incubator. "That one is—"
"It'll be a surprise for when it hatches," Lenora interrupted. "Goodbye!" She waved them off, smiling innocently.
Outside, Ray asked Gabe to check again to see that egg would never fall out of his bag, even if he jumped up and down like a madman. Once that was secure, Ray, Gabe, and Juniper went to heal their Pokémon at the local Pokémon Center. Afterward, they ate a late lunch and hit the road.
The air was much cooler now.
"I can't wait for the egg to hatch," Gabe said.
"Me neither," Ray said. He let out Spolt and Dax. Happy to be done fighting, the two Pokémon relaxed and enjoyed the refreshing air. The smell of coffee floated by, along with the familiar tune of an accordion.
"Ah! I think it moved!"
"Don't worry," Juniper said. "Eggs get much more restless when they're about to hatch." She glanced at the egg. "It is so cute."
Spolt and Dax looked up curiously at Ray's bag, trying to get a good look at this mysterious new egg. After a few minutes of sniffing, they accepted its presence and resumed walking by Ray's side.