Bianca and Cheren have left on the Pidove and everyone around me is packing up – it was Skyla's idea to move camp again, just in case Team Plasma can 'trace the Pidove' back here, I believe her exact words were.

To me, that sounds crazy. But as the leader of the rebellion, I suppose we're better safe than sorry.

"Hey, you guys," I say suddenly, which causes them all to stop what they're doing and stare at me. "Do we know exactly where we're setting up camp next?"

"Nacrene City," offers Chili. "That's where Lenora's gym used to be. We can probably hide out in the museum ruins."

"Lenora … was a gym leader?" asks Touya carefully.

"Was, is, we don't know," Shauntal shrugs. "She was very big on history though, and her husband was an archaeologist."

"Team Plasma took her husband away after they took over," adds Brycen. "But they left the museum pretty much intact, after they ransacked it for valuables. It'll be messy, but that just means no one will look for us there."

"Personally, I think it'll be kind of comforting to stay in a place that documented the long history of love between people and Pokemon," Iris chimes in.

"It sounds like a nice place," I agree. "But how exactly are we going to sneak into this museum if it's in the middle of a city?"

"Touko," Skyla says simply, "Nacrene City is basically a ghost town."

"Sweet!" exclaims Touya, but after everyone glares at him, he pulls his cap over his eyes and mutters, "Sorry. Ghost towns just sound really cool."

We all ignore him, united like a true rebellion. "Let's go," I say instead, and Chili packs up the last couple of things. We fly off.

There's something slightly creepy, but also comforting about Nacrene City. The creepy bit is probably because in the entire city, no one is around, and the entire place seems dusty and dead. But I also notice the little things – dropped toys from kids whose parents must have whisked them away as soon as possible, the OPENsign in a cute little cafe I'd probably like if anyone still worked there. It sort of seems like everyone's gone on vacation and will be back soon.

And, who knows, maybe they could. Once we defeat Team Plasma, people could move here. Maybe I could get my own place right here, and still be able to hang out with Touya, Cheren and Bianca. It actually is pretty close to Nuvema Town.

"Here it is," announces Chili, pointing to a building that was probably once beautiful and eye-catching, but now decaying. "Lenora's Gym, and also the Museum."

Skyla cautiously pushes open the door, and looks extremely relieved when it doesn't fall apart on impact. We walk in on tip-toes, even though no one is close enough to hear us even if we were stomping our feet and screaming.

Brycen was right – the place was messy, but livable. It's not even as dusty as the rest of Nacrene City on the outside.

"I like it," announces Iris, plopping her sleeping bag next to what looks like a dragon Pokemon fossil.

Like a chain reaction, we all murmur in agreement and start setting up to make it feel like home. It's still different, though, probably because we're used to having a tent and being outdoors. Just in case it rains, though, it's nice to have a real roof – though Chili would argue that any second now the roof could cave in on our heads.

I line my sleeping bag up next to Skyla's and fall asleep immediately.

The next morning, over a delicious breakfast of cinnamon French toast, Brycen suggests that we explore the museum – and Lenora's gym, which is on the upper floor – along with the rest of Nacrene City. Since we can't do anything without information from Bianca and Cheren, we agree.

Shauntal and Skyla go off together, at Skyla's insistence. It seems like Shauntal has to be in Skyla's line of vision at all times, or Skyla will go berserk.

Brycen and Iris pair up and head out, and since Chili wants to stay here and 'protect' the camp, that leaves me and Touya.

Unfortunately, Touya and I haven't really had a proper discussion since he kissed me before that battle with the Team Plasma Grunts. I'm not quite sure what to say to him – it's obvious how he feels about me, so what do I say to him?

I can't remember if I kissed him back or not, and if I did, what if it was just in the heat of the moment of being kissed? I honestly don't know how I feel about Touya right now.

"Can we go upstairs?" I ask him. "I want to see what Lenora's gym looks like." Truthfully, I've been dying to know what all the Unova Gyms used to look like, especially since Chili told me how they've been modeled to take after the type the Gym leader specializes in.

"Sure," says Touya, and we walk upstairs awkwardly – first side by side, until Touya just stops and waits for me to get ahead of him. It's strange.

I'm both surprised and disappointed when the gym is just full of bookshelves. "Where did they battle?" I wonder aloud.

"Look," says Touya, causing me to turn my head towards him. He pulls on a book that's slightly sticking out on the shelf. Suddenly, a door opens way in the back of the room. "This is probably where they battle."

I run toward it, and down a short flight of stairs, followed closely by Touya. We're finally in a room that actually looks like a gym. "Wow," I breathe, staring at the floor – clean and shiny and covered in lines, with the Pokeball symbol in the middle. "It's beautiful."

"This must be where people were actually supposed to have battles," says Touya, but I barely hear him because I am mesmerized. "Team Plasma were such idiots to get rid of this."

"I know," I agree. "Touya … do you think maybe I could be a Gym leader after we defeat Team Plasma?"

"Touko," he says seriously, looking me in the eye and I feel my heart start racing, butterflies going crazy in my stomach. So I guess that I do like him. "You can do whatever the fuck you want when we destroy Team Plasma."

"Because I led the rebellion?" I ask, confused.

"Because you have that kick-ass attitude to life. And strong Pokemon. And most importantly, you're you," Touya corrects me, and suddenly we're kissing again. Except I was the one leaning in, closing the space between us. Funny how that kind of stuff happens, huh?

"Sorry," I say immediately, after we break the kiss.

"Don't be sorry," replies Touya, giving me an adorable grin. "I've kind of been wanting that to happen again since our battle with Team Plasma." He fingers his Oshawott's Pokeball absentmindedly.

I lace my fingers through his and drag him out of Lenora's old gym. "Let's head back downstairs before everyone starts worrying about us."

As we make our way through the museum, I trip over a glass display case – on the floor but still perfectly intact. Because Touya and I are holding hands, he topples to the floor with me. Touya picks himself up and dusts himself off, but I stay squatting on the ground, looking intently at the display case that caused our fall.

"What's so interesting?" asks Touya. "Is there something in there?"

I see something on the inside, but all I can tell about it is that it's black. "Step back, Touya," I warn him, picking up the display case.

"Um, Touko, that's probably not the best idea," Touya starts, hastily stepping away from me, but I drop the display case to the floor anyway. It shatters loudly into a million pieces. The black thing on the inside just lands on the floor with a thud, but doesn't break.

"Hey," says Touya, rejoining me on the floor, as I gently pick up the black artifact. "We should save these glass shards. To, like, stab a Grunt in the eye with, or something."

I shoot him a look. Sure, I don't like Grunts but I don't want to maim them. "Just kidding," Touya says with a smile.

I ignore him to look at the black thing again. It's a lot like a stone – smooth and round and almost perfectly oval-shaped. "What is this?"

"A stone?" guesses Touya.

"Duh," I reply, "but what the hell is it doing in a museum? It's just a stone – unless it has magical powers or something."

Touya laughs. "Yeah, I'm sure it's like a summoning stone or something, Touko. A legendary Pokemon is going to come out and crush Team Plasma for us."

"Shut up," I tell him, slipping it into the most protected pocket of my purse. "I bet it really is important. I'm keeping it."

"Museum thief," he teases me, and we head back to where Chili and the others are waiting for us, still holding hands.

"Ooh, what is this?" comments Iris, zeroing in our intertwined hands, as I expected. "Looks like the lovebirds finally got together, huh, Skyla?" She nudges the redhead ex-Gym leader.

Skyla giggles. "Totally, Iris. You two are sooooo cute together!" she squeals.

I roll my eyes at them, since Touya and I aren't even officially 'together'. I don't really have time for a relationship with a rebellion to lead, do I?

Chili's made us something simple – well, simple for Chili anyway – for lunch, grilled cheese. He passes around sandwiches for everyone and we happily dig in. "Find anything interesting while you were exploring?" he asks.

"Actually -" I start, but Iris starts talking over me.

"Look," the excited thick, purple-haired girl exclaims. "Brycen and I found twelve Pokeballs outside! I think there're even Pokemon inside. Brycen says people probably dropped them for Team Plasma in their haste to get out of here."

"We thought it would be a good idea to bring them back," explains Brycen, unloading all the Pokeballs for everyone to see. "We were thinking it would be a good idea for all of us to have more than one Pokemon as back-up."

"That's an excellent idea," agrees Shauntal. "Skyla and I didn't find very much, except we realized that in a ghost town like Nacrene City, there are no places for berries and since no one lives here, no place to buy supplies. I suggest we don't stay here very long."

"Just a couple more days," Chili agrees. "The food supplies we bought that day we dyed our hair can last out that long."

"I found something in the museum," I announce, pulling the little black stone out of my purse. "Do you guys know what it is? I found it in a display case and took it."

"May we see it?" asks Shauntal, and the she and Brycen start examining it like a science project.

"Touko," says Brycen seriously, "I think this might be the Dark Stone."

"The Dark Stone? Oh my Arceus, no way!" I cry dramatically. "Um, what's the Dark Stone?"

"Legend has it that long ago there were two brothers, with one extremely powerful dragon Pokemon, and together the three of them created Unova," Shauntal launches into a story. "But the brothers sought to find two different things – one wanted truth, the other wanted ideals. So they bickered with each other endlessly, and the poor dragon Pokemon who supported and loved them both, split into two. One became the legendary Pokemon Reshirem, representing truth, and the other became the legendary Zekrom, representing ideals."

"And, um, the point of this story is ..." I trailed off, finishing up my grilled cheese.

"Zekrom and Reshiram disappeared," Iris adds on. "But supposedly there are two stones – the Light Stone, that summons Reshiram, and the Dark Stone, that summons Zekrom. But only a hero who truly seeks truth can call upon Reshiram to help them, and only a hero who believes fully in ideals can call upon Zekrom. So if that's truly the Dark Stone, Touko, than you must be the hero who can call upon Zekrom to save Unova from Team Plasma."

Shauntal looks surprised. "How do you know the legend, Iris? Aren't you a bit young?"

Iris shrugs nonchalantly. "My dad was the Dragon-type gym leader. That was pretty much my only bedtime story."

Meanwhile, all this is barely registering in my head. This whole thing was fate, not some crazy choices made by me? I'm supposed to not just lead a rebellion, but become the hero who saves Unova? I get to summon – and battle – with the legendary Zekrom, who nobody still alive has ever even seen before?!

Touya squeezes my hand. "Are you okay, Touko? That really does seem a lot to take in."

"No, I'm fine," I say a little dazedly. I smile teasingly at Touya. "Remember what you said in the museum, about the stone being able to summon a legendary that could destroy Team Plasma for us?You were kidding, but look at that. You're right."

"There's no way we can lose now!" Skyla cries happily, bouncing up and down in her chair. "We have the legendary Zekrom on our side … and our heroine, Touko!"

Chili passes out glasses of homemade pecha berry wine – I have no idea where he got the pecha berries, but it seems he made the wine while we were having a nice history lesson – and raises his glass. "To Touko, Zekrom, and most importantly – the Rebellion!"

We all cheer and raise our glasses for the toast. As the delicious pecha berry taste goes down my esophagus, I can't help thinking that now we have practically no worries at all. What Pokemon could Team Plasma possibly have that could take down Zekrom?