Author's Notes:

Hey everyone! I'm back with a lot of updates! (Hopefully this is the last long pre-chapter AN this summer.) Skip ahead if you aren't an interactive reader.

First off, about the bonus chapter… We didn't do so hot on the name suggestions. Let me clarify a few misconceptions. For any of my submissions as of now, you are NOT limited to one submission. You can submit as many ideas as you want, as often as you want! Also, for those of you who PM me, I often comment on your suggestions. That isn't me shooting down the name. It's just my way of assuring you that I received the suggestion why simultaneously being thought provoking. With that said, I'm not mad that we didn't do so well. It wouldn't be bonus if I expected it. I know many of you just follow along and don't really want to interact for whatever reasons. That's cool too. Truth be told, I don't review stories I read unless I see the disclaimers that neither time of review or harshness of criticism matter, so I don't feel awkward posting a really critical review two years after the story is finished. By the way, I do have such disclaimers in place, so no matter what the circumstances nor the year on the calendar, your reviews are welcome! Then again, this story still has a long ways to go.

So speaking of stories I read, last weekend during my nightmare trip without my laptop, I picked out a story to binge read on my phone. It turned out I deeply regretted my choice. It started out with so much potential, but ultimately never made any sense. Anyways, I don't typically share the stories I read publicly, but if you are really curious about my recommendations, you can PM me. Also, if you have a story you want my feedback on, or simply have a story to recommend, I'd be very interested!

Last news update: Unfortunately, next week is going to be yet another no-show week from yours truly. I deeply apologize for three of these on-off situations in a row, but I'm sure you're all just enjoying the Go craze anyways! Anyways, I'm going to be at Dakota Game Con in the middle of nowhere as I usually am. If by any off chance you'll be there, you'll find me with the others from GCO. We're looking to host some kind of tournament there.

So regarding bonus chapters, I am asking for 5 name suggestions plus meanings along with my usual review requirements for bonus chapters. However, if we meet the usual bonus chapter requirements, I'll update a previous chapter, as long as the chapter you want updated is given in the review or by PM. This might not sound like much right now, but come around next summer, you'll be glad you did it. You can also specify if you want the chapter updated right away, or wait until the beginning of next summer (late May) with any revisions which may have occurred by then.

Phillip Harbindinger: I've done that a few times myself. That's one of the benefits of iterative writing. I tend to catch those things through the multiple re-reads. More often my "mistakes" are forgetting details such as body language, scenery, and time stamps among other things. It's those things that prevent me from finalizing any particular chapter. And sleep is a very good thing! Don't wear yourself out too badly just to get a review out!

So I was really happy with this chapter until I realized I was going back and forth between events happening on Tuesday and events happening on Wednesday. I think I fixed it, but if things feel off, that's why. Over a few more revisions, I'll eventually get it perfectly, but that will take a while, and I need to make sure I get my chapters out on schedule first. Aside from that, this chapter was initially supposed to be a filler before all the big events happened, but it turned out to be a really fun chapter to write! I really think you guys are going to enjoy this one. So if you're on the rush, hold off until you got some time. And if you got some time, grab your favorite snack and maybe a blanket, and enjoy!

Today is 7/23/16 and this chapter is 5200+ words!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, just dream it.

Chapter 24: Holding Out

While the street still consisted of Eon Park Square's cushiony pavement apparently invented by an intelligent alakazam and a malamar according to Leon, the rest of the setting had shifted from bright flashing lights and excited chatter to a peaceful plain decorated with various tree species and fallen leaves. Between these spotted trees were large unique building structures with slanted roofs and an occasional light through a window or attached to the front of the building. A walkway from the street led to a small hotel-room door on the outside of each of these buildings. However, what had caught the attention of the awestruck umbreon was the amount of textures, plants, and decorated walls which sat in peace in the slight breeze under the moonlight. Each flower was arranged so precisely; some worshipped the trees, some leeched from the artificial light from the windows, and still others swayed along the walls in pots waiting to greet the next day's sun. All of these flowers were guarded by the hospitable lilac bushes, many embodying the likeness of different pokemon species, both basic and legendary alike. The buildings themselves were also interesting. Unlike the flat walls in the cities, these buildings were textured in a variety of patterns. Some used colored inclined stripes. Others used perfectly rectangular stones with white outlining grooves. The roofs had the most variety. While some were plainly tiled in a dark hue, others contained magnificent artwork depictions of anything imaginable. Besides basic and legendary pokemon depictions, the artwork included family portraits at picnics, friends at the park across the giant food store, and other scenes unfamiliar to the observing umbreon.

"This place is beautiful!" Kieren marveled. "There's so much color and texture and nature all mixed together so simply."

"Must be some pretty good night-vision you got there," Leon joked.

"You can't see all this?" Kieren asked, awestruck.

"Nope. It's all a bunch of black silhouettes to me," the minun confessed.

"So do you know where we are?" Kieren asked alarmed.

"Yea. I'm not totally blind right now," Leon assured. "Mylan's house is on the next street four houses down."

"These are houses?" Kieren queried.

"Yep! Pretty nice, huh?" Leon beamed as the two rounded the corner onto another street. "See that sign out there? Third house on the left?"

Kieren glanced over and gave a confirming nod.

"That sign says it's for sale. I think they're asking for twenty-seven mil. Certainly in budget if you win that fifty mil tourney you got yourself into," Leon patted the umbreon good-humoredly.

Leon led the way up to the adjacent house's doorway and touched a little button on the side. Kieren could hear a two-pitched bell chime faintly from the inside. The door opened to reveal a very frightened abra who quickly jumped back and fell into a fetal position on the floor. He was violently shaking and mumbling inaudible jumble until Kieren listened more closely.

"Please M-Mr. Umbreon S-Sir. I did n-nothing an-and h-have noth-thing. I wa-will get whatev-ev-whatever you need by uh-uh next week. P-Please! Just don't attack me. I'm weak and defenseless!" the abra pleaded.

Kieren took a step back in shock. How had he frightened the poor thing so badly? The psyduck at the bank wasn't like this. He was hoping this wasn't some sort of prank Leon was pulling. Poor abra! Things only got worse after Kieren had took a step back, as this prompted the abra to get up, scream, and frantically dash back deeper into his house.

Clang clang!

THUMP!

Kieren revealed his startled expression to the adjacent blue-eared tour guide.

"Come in and have a seat in the living room over to your left. I'll go get him," Leon instructed, face red of embarrassment. Kieren did as he was told. As he sat down, he noticed how he could see his reflection in the window. He tried to examine himself in different poses to see if one looked particularly intimidating, which may have accidentally frightened the abra. He could hear Leon talking in the other room. "Mylan. Calm down. Shhhh. It's me, Leon, the minun who lives two blocks down. Everything is fine. I just wanted you to meet this kind umbreon. I think you'll find him rather interesting."

"Um-umbreon, d-dark type, n-not safe," Mylan responded.

"Relax. He's not here to hurt you or attack you or anything like that. You startled him as much as he scared you. Just calm down and say 'hi'. He's new to the city."

Apparently that did the trick, because a still shaken abra entered Kieren's vision accompanied by the minun.

"Kieren, this is Mylan. Mylan, this is Kieren," Leon introduced. Kieren gently lifted a paw, and after a brief pause, the abra accepted it and they shook.

"Nice to meet you," Kieren offered. He watched carefully making sure not to upset the abra further. He smiled genuinely when Mylan's face lifted.

"Mylan, this umbreon here is from the Valley," Leon stated.

"Really?" Mylan perked. "It's an honor to meet you then," the abra bowed. Kieren rolled his eyes, which prompted a nervous look from Mylan to Leon.

"He's got some tricky history with the Eon tribe," Leon suggested. Mylan caught the gist and nodded.

"So I suppose he's maybe moving in next door?" Mylan guessed.

"Maybe if he wins the Cityside Invitational," Leon joked. "Perhaps you saw his posters out in the city this afternoon?"

"That's what that was about? I never bothered to read one. My apologies Kieren," the abra bowed again, this time receiving a more bemused reaction from the umbreon. "Why's he looking at me that way?" Mylan whispered into Leon's ear. Leon smiled with a wispy chuckle.

"Mylan," he began excitedly, "you are not going to believe this!"

Mylan looked at Kieren's tour guide keenly.

"Mylan, Kieren is illiterate," Leon stated as calmly as he could.

The shock reverberated across the poor abras face, this time to Kieren's shameless amusement.

"Really? Is this really true?" Mylan asked the minun, but was answered by Kieren's nearly audible smirk.

"THAT'S INCREDIBLE!"

Kieren craned his head at the outburst. The extreme changes in emotion from the Abra were quite fascinating.

"I suppose I should explain," Leon concluded. "Kieren, Mylan is an academic professional currently writing his dissertation for an illiteracy program, but he has had no way to test his theories."

Kieren's blank look said it all for the abra. Kieren hadn't followed a single bit of that explanation, so Mylan took control of the situation.

"Kieren, I would like to make an offer with you. I will teach you to read and write like us at no charge."

"Really?" Kieren was taken aback. He was about to refuse to avoid Mylan's inconvenience but the abra continued.

"All I ask for is that I can publish your progress and perhaps a little bit of your background. It may not seem like it right now, but this would be very beneficial for me, even if it were for only a week."

"He's not exaggerating," Leon added. "It's not every day you find an illiterate pokemon in the cities, and a dissertation is serious biz."

Kieren tried to comprehend what they were describing, but failed. However, if what they were saying was true, whether he understood it or not, than who was he to refuse?

"Well if what you are saying is true, then it's a win-win situation, right?" Kieren conjectured.

The abra confirmed excitedly.

All doubts left the umbreon's mind. He still had no idea what he was getting himself into, but these kinds of adventures were exactly what he needed in his present state. He reached out with his paw and accepted Mylan's now firm handshake.

"Deal!" he settled.

The sun was having fun making sparkles in the water still trying to wake everyone in the Eon tribe despite the day being almost over already. However, one group was up and about, and at realization of a major hole in their plan.

"Where the heck are we supposed to hide this?" Trent asked Drake for the eighty-sixth time within the last four hours. He remained staring at the giant deck recorder which heavily resembled a DJ system. Drake's head was buried in the sand. Andy and Connor sat pondering the question, hoping to outsmart Trent for once.

"I'm back!" yelled an excited Kat, her tail dragging an open sack full of orans. "Why's Drake's head in the sand?"

Drake groaned in response.

"Drake's plan forgot to consider hiding a giant broken DJ system until we are ready to enact Phase II," Trent answered before laughing at the lapras. Drake was now banging his head repeatedly into the sand.

"I'll just hide it in the cliff cave where I sleep," Kat huffed while shaking her head.

"Cave?" Connor asked.

"Yea. Back in the shadow side behind the blob," Kat revealed casually. "There's plenty of room and light back there, so it should be no problem." She craned her head and began to blush lightly when they gawked at her.

"W-Wait!" Andy stuttered. "You mean to tell me that the white stone under the cliff is actually the blob? Did you know about this Trent?"

"No. I thought they had ridded it completely for safety reasons," Trent answered back, incredulous.

Kat listened in as the two began discussing the politics of the event.

"…but my dad was assigned to have a crew clean it out the following day, so we had assumed someone else took care of it that night," Trent explained.

"Really, I thought your dad had them clean it out early just to be safe?"

"No, my dad never touched it. We assumed Celestia took care of it, because she had been really upset lately, but that was the same time Kat left our class, so maybe that's not what ha…"

"YOU SLEEP WITH THE BLOB MONSTER?!" Connor burst.

To Kat, it was official. The situation before her eyes just transformed from maladroit to hysteria! She started laughing so hard she was completely silent, which was good because that allowed her to hear the scene play out.

"Oh shit! We gotta do something about that thing," Andy informed Trent.

"Are you sure it exists?" Trent asked uncertainly.

"Yea! Remember back when we were playing Three Gambles and you had made the bet of snagging a sitrus berry from that one ariados?"

"Oh. Buck? Yea. He's cool. He was always trying to come up with ways to make those games interesting," Trent recalled fondly.

"Yeah. Well this time you got it and were trying to make your getaway by going Tarzan on the willow vine," Andy reminded. Drake sneered.

"Shut up!" Trent retorted over his shoulder.

"Do you remember when you crashed in how Liz was half covered in Blob and half soaked?" Andy asked.

"Didn't she try to sneak up on Caleb and push him in?" Trent remarked.

"Yea, but then the blob monster bit her leg and dragged her in before tossing her into the lake," Andy exclaimed. "That's why Caleb looked so dazed when you returned. He barely even knew what happened!"

Another wave of silent laughter flowed through Kat as Trent's face soured. Connor was having a shivering contest with the leaves in the wind – and winning. "D-d-d-do you th-think-k we-e-e c-ca-a-an g-get rid-d of it-t-t?"

"Don't worry guys, I already got a plan," Andy told them in hushed voice, prompting the entire group to get in close. "So we wait until evening when the sun is setting when it's tired. Since we have numbers it will be to our advantage. Kat, guard it from escaping up the hill! Drake, guard the shoreline. Trent and I will go on the offensive. Connor, if we run into trouble, it is your job to get backup. As soon as we kill it, Tren…"

"EEEEEEEEK!" Kat shrieked. "Don't kill her!"

"Her?" Andy repeated?

"Don't kill the blob monster!" Kat pleaded in a voice unusually feminine for her.

"We're trying to protect you!" Trent cautioned, his tone revealing both seriousness and concern. Andy and Connor joined him in the pleading stare-down at her.

"Ok. Ok. Stop! Stop it. No games anymore," Kat commanded. "You guys don't seriously believe the blob monster is real, do you?"

"Yeah!" Connor, Andy, and Trent all said in unison. Drake looked completely confuzzled.

Kat was astounded – dumbfounded, bewildered, speechless.

Trent just stood there, probably worried for her safety.

Andy glanced back and forth between her and the cliff, probably still stuck on the fact that she described the "blob monster" as a "her".

Drake – still confuzzled.

Connor was scared out of his wits.

"That was ME!" Kat boomed before collapsing into a giggling fit.

Wednesday morning came right on time for an acclimating umbreon on the 16th floor of the LightWay Hotel off of 14th street and Carmen Drive. He yawned as he crawled his way up on the pillows and out from the covers. The air vent was softly blowing the curtains, morphing the rising sun's shadows on the back walls. Kieren grabbed a hold of a chain next to the window, and with a good yank, the maroon curtain decorated with brown curly branches collapsed to the side. The sun obliterated the morphing shadows into nothing but the color of the walls, which were maroon with a light tan ceiling.

Kieren wandered towards the doorway to his well-furnished hotel room, but took a quick right turn into the small bathroom. He pulled a lever on the wall which revealed a small hole in the floor for him to relieve himself. After that imposition, he flipped the switch back and the hole closed. Next, he stepped into the bathtub, flipped the second lever to get the water to spray, and rinsed out his fur. Once he was satisfied and more awake, he flipped off the water and grabbed two furry white blankets to wrap himself in. He left the bathroom looking more like an unshaved furfrou than an umbreon. The bed sank as Kieren jumped on, grabbed the black box of buttons, hit the top left one, and waited for the psychic human to use future sight on the weather. His plan for today was nearly identical to yesterday's. After he caught the 7 AM weather, he would go downstairs, grab some breakfast, and head out to the golf course to get another practice round in before the tournament tomorrow. It took him a little bit to adjust to his new body during yesterday's round, but soon he found a rhythm and reaped the benefits of his new form's added strength and control. After his practice round, he'd head back for lunch before setting out to Mylan's, possibly helping out the construction workers along the way again.

"1…2…3…Lift!" Trent yelled. The two flareon, two eevee, and lapras all groaned as they managed to lift and move the heavy equipment a few feet before they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Andy? Connor? What the heck are you guys doing?" Paige asked in bewildered annoyance.

Kat gave a warning glance before dropping her corner of the heavy weight.

"We're helping move this to Kat's hideout so she'll show us her secret cave," Connor answered between gasps for air.

"And why does Kat want a broken DJ system in her secret cave?" Paige interrogated.

"I'm right here!" Kat alerted Paige.

"Why wouldn't you want an awesome sound system in your secret cave?" Andy answered for her.

"Because it's broken?" Paige sneered.

"But Kat is studying from Aubrey to become learned, remember?" Andy reminded.

"And what better way to learn than hands-on technology repair?" Drake added, balancing both his energy and his wisdom into his voice.

"Can't argue with the wise," Trent joked. Paige sighed in defeat.

"So are you going to help?" Connor asked, still huffing from the labor his body wasn't ready for.

"Uhhh. About that," Paige began slowly. "Why aren't you just floating the thing over?"

"Because it would require a lot of ice to keep this thing afloat, and the water is too shallow," Drake answered.

"So do you mind helping?" Andy asked.

Paige stood there for a second to think, making Trent believe she was teasing them.

"What the hell. I'm bored," Paige agreed, much to everyone's surprise.

"Really?" Connor asked amazed.

"What happened that night?" Andy asked quizzically. Trent smiled, knowing full well what Andy was on to.

"Hunter lost control like the dumbass he is," Paige cursed. "Where do you want me?"

"Help Connor," Andy answered just before Trent could.

Paige nodded and moved next to Connor in the back. Drake slid over so as to create a more even weight distribution. Trent from the front called out the countdown again.

"1…2…3…Lift!" The two flareon, three eevee, and the lapras lifted the sound equipment and began moving several paces in a slow rhythm. "Keep it up!" Trent encouraged.

"Trent I'm slipping!" Andy panicked.

"Everyone down!" Drake commanded. They all slowly sat the heavy equipment on its wheels again before simultaneously crashing into the sand, exhausted.

"Trent! We're back! Are you ready to build this?" asked the eevee next to her underneath the giant sheet of metal, which rested on their heads and held in place by their tails.

Melody was the first to catch sight of two flareon, three eevee, and a lapras all sprawled out in the sand breathing heavily, with a giant sound system in the middle, wheels stuck in the sand.

"Uh…What the heck are you guys doing?" she asked the group.

"Moving these electronics to Kat's hideout," Trent heaved.

"Why?" Melody asked inquisitively, her voice rising in pitch as she stretched out the word.

"OAI capture, Phase II," Drake answered quickly in a single breath.

Melody paused a second to process what everything meant. "Drake must've found out about OAI," she thought. "That's logical he would have if he's out from his studies. 'Capture' means capturing intelligence, which involves sound equipment because, wait! He's planning to record the conversation! Since the Eon tribe can't read the 'Audio Capture Studio X20' label, I wonder if that's the 'broken' DJ system? But why is Drake helping and not giving answers or researching them?" She must have mumbled the last question loud enough for Caleb to hear, because he reiterated her question out loud.

"Drake! Why are you involved with this? Don't you already know what's going on?"

"Have Trent explain later. But no, I'm almost as clueless as you are," Drake quickly dismissed.

"Can someone please tell me what this OAI stuff is about? I thought this all had to do with Kat getting a sound system!" Paige protested, reminding everyone of her and the others' inability to let the encrypted information exchange pass them.

Trent sighed. "Alright. I'll clear this up." Everyone turned to him in surprise. Melody was about to drop the sheet and pounce him, but Caleb stopped her. "We have a lead on the curse, and initially we thought this lead was enough for Drake to have the answer, but it turns out things aren't so simple. This DJ equipment has parts needed for our next experiment, which will hopefully provide us the answers we're looking for. Since Drake, Kat, Melody, Caleb, and I have been around Kieren enough, we aren't in too big of a risk. However, you three will want to keep your mouth shut about everything that is happening, because if you let word escape, the curse will get you too. That's all I can safely reveal to you."

"And at the end of the day, Kat is still getting an awesome sound system for her secret cave," Drake added, lightening the mood. Everyone paused to refocus on the task at hand.

"And why can't you float that thing?" Caleb asked.

"That's what I asked!" Paige exclaimed.

"Because it would require a lot of ice to keep this thing afloat, and the water is too shallow," Drake repeated. "Now Melody, can we borrow that sheet of metal you have there? If we can tie down the equipment to it, the flat surface will be easier to drag across the sand."

"Yessss!" Connor rejoiced tiredly.

"Nope. Like I said before, that girl is the exception," said the machoke before downing the last of his chocolate moo moo milk.

"So what type does it use?" the umbreon asked, taking a sip of his own. The chocolate was good, but he definitely preferred strawberry the best. The regular white from yesterday was a close second.

"Psychic."

"Kat." Why he had blurted out her name, Kieren wasn't quite sure. He had hardly even noticed the machoke rubbing the back of his neck in an attempt to hide his discomfort with the gym's type.

"Kat?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Nevermind, just an old friend," Kieren shrugged off. "So there was something about getting eight badges and qualifying for something?" Kieren asked, changing the topic.

The machoke relaxed and smiled back. "Yep. Win eight badges, and you qualify for the region's Pokemon League Tournament. It's held every year in Kinedracea City."

"What's the prize?"

"A big trophy and a lot of cash. A lot of cash," the machoke repeated. "But more importantly, the winner gets to challenge the Elite Four and possibly the Champion."

"Elite Four," Kieren thought to himself. "Wait, what was his name? Think, current, criminal organization, got it!"

"Umbreon, you ok?" the machoke asked, waving a hand in front of Kieren's face.

"Umm, yea. The name's Kieren," Kieren answered, waking from his thoughts.

"Michael," said the machoke. "Sorry, I didn't even think to ask."

"Me neither," the umbreon admitted coolly. "Hey, about the Elite Four, do you know someone named Flint?"

The machoke raised his brows, "Yea. He's one of them. Not to be confused with that old Flint guy in Sinnoh 200 years back. The Flint here is actually Sydney's great-great grandson from Hoenn. A few years ago he was almost knocked out of the position, but then he came back with a surprise flareon that started frying mincemeat out of his opponents."

"A flareon?" Kieren asked.

"Yep," said the machoke, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"He's my grandfather," Kieren confessed.

The machoke twitched, grabbed the back of the bench, and flipped over it onto his feet, leaving a vibrating bench plus umbreon in front of him.

"Holy shit! He's your grandfather?" Michael bellowed.

"Holily sh-shit! What did-d you j-just d-do?" Kieren thought.

"Michael! New shipment came in. Can you help us carry to the crane site?" called a machamp holding a beam in each of his four arms.

The red glow subsided next to the bright gray metal slowly losing its shimmer from the setting sun. As they had promised Caleb, Melody and Trent were building a warning sign for the magic moss garden. It wasn't difficult with both of them being fire types. Trent held up another sheet with his tail while Melody flamethrowered a vertical line down the sheet. The two of them quickly bit each side of the metal and ripped the sheet apart down the heat line, creating a slightly smaller rectangle and a narrow vertical strip. Trent softly reheated the vertical strip, while Melody shot a small flamethrower at the rectangle. With hasty precision, Trent placed his heated piece on top of Melody's and began jumping on the two slaps of hot metal unharmed. Afterwards, the two stepped back and allowed the metal pole to fuse with the rectangular slab.

"So what'dja think of Kat's little home?" Trent asked calmly as the two sat down and began watching the sunset.

"Oh my gosh with the waterfall…" Melody answered dreamily. "It was so perfect for her. I can't believe no one knew!"

"I really liked the windows, although I probably was the one who made them from crashing into that wall so many times," he told her while rubbing behind his ear with his front right paw, causing her to giggle. "So did you get any word on Kieren?" Trent asked, changing the subject.

"I did hear a few rumors that a black pokemon - potentially from the valley - has been making rounds through Eon Park Square, but I haven't had time to investigate," Melody admitted. "There's a big golfing tournament being held in the city starting tomorrow, the Eon Invitational. That means a lot of marketing is going on, and my mom thinks we can expand our client base if we play our cards right, so I've been tied up with that." Melody looked down with a wanting gaze. Hopefully once the tournament started, Kieren would be easier to spot. She glanced up to see Trent's baffled expression. He probably understood zero of what she said.

"I need to take you out to the city sometime," Melody declared.

"Wait! What?" Trent asked nervously. Melody could be devious sometimes, but this was pushing it.

"I mean you do plan on taking over your father's role as events officer, right?" Melody queried.

"What does Officer of Events have to do with the city?" Trent demanded.

Melody only smiled at his fear-filled frustration. "Well wouldn't it be nice if, say, you were planning for an event, you could actually go to the city and pick out everything you needed yourself?"

"And how the heck am I supposed to communicate with the humans?" Trent retaliated.

"That's what Eon Park Square is for!" Melody answered. "Saturday morning. It's a date."

"Uh…ok?" Trent stuttered, unable to properly react to the situation.

Melody didn't let him think long enough to back out. "So tell me what you found out from Drake. I still need to be filled in on why Drake is involved in OAI. I'm guessing he was the one who came up with grabbing the broken DJ system since he can read?"

"Does it actually say it's not a DJ system on the equipment?" Trent asked dryly.

"Audio Capture Studio X-twenty," Melody recited. Trent facepalmed.

"Yep, that was Drake," he murmured through his tail.

"And he is orchestrating this why?" Melody pressed.

Trent sighed, removing his tail from his face, glancing away to hide his ill-composure, then finally turned to face Melody again. "He ran into a little domestic impediment, and his research isn't adding up to what is happening."

"Did he say what he found in his research?" Melody inquired.

"No. He didn't want to give out false information and start rumors," Trent answered apologetically. "All he gave me was the species name: umbreon."

"Umbreon?" Melody repeated. "Shit! I recognize that from something. Ugh! I can't remember," she stalled, searching the ground for the answer in her head before giving up. "Thanks Trent. That's all I really needed."

It was evening, and Kieren was starting to get tired. He had just translated his tallied score card from his practice round into numeric, but that was easy because Mylan was a great teacher. It was the long series of life questions that had tired him out. Mylan wasn't interested about his father or the Evelescence Ceremony procedures. Instead, he kept asking about Kieren's personality, habits, interests, and battling skills. All of these were things Kieren had not thought much about in the last ten days, so he was very thankful for Mylan's patience.

"The tournament starts tomorrow," Mylan reminded him.

Kieren nodded sluggishly.

"There's going to be a lot of people there. Try not to get overwhelmed," Mylan encouraged.

"Thanks," Kieren answered impassively. "I suppose I should be going then." He stood up, and began turning towards the exit when Mylan stopped him.

"Kieren, wait!"

"Did I forget something?" Kieren asked, turning back.

"No, I still had one more question."

"Fire away."

"What's your necklace?"

Kieren looked down realizing he had completely forgot he was still wearing it.

"It's a moon shard," Kieren answered. "It's how I evolved."

"And you still have it?"

"I guess so."

"How does it work then? Do you battle with it?"

"Yea, at least that's how I did it," Kieren put in.

"I see. Your tribe has a special ceremony for evolution, doesn't it? How does it handle battle-based evolutions?"

"It doesn't."

"What?"

"It was awkward until my friend tried to intervene," Kieren explained. "I then tricked him into battling."

"But if you don't have battle-based evolutions, that only leaves vaporeon, jolteon, and flareon!" the abra remarked.

"The only evolutions I knew."

"Then how did you…?"

"I didn't. I simply followed procedures," Kieren interrupted, "which was to go find Zach Clesse and have him decide my evolution since I was to become the next Lunar Alpha. He gave me the moon shard, told me it would give me the perfect evolution once I battled while wearing it, and told my friend my evolution would be a surprise."

Mylan sat there, digesting all the information Kieren spat at him. After a short moment of silence, he began punching the information into his com-thing-a-ter. Mylan did that a lot, especially when he left Kieren to study the numerals next to the tallies. He had explained it was his personal note-keeping tool, and that only the pertinent results would actually be published. Kieren sat patiently observing, wondering what kind of notes the abra would be taking.

"Mind if I ask a potentially dangerous question?" the abra requested.

Kieren honestly did not mind at this point. The abra was both intelligent and helpful. In two days, Kieren could already read numbers and tell time from a digital clock, the latter being an incredibly useful skill no matter what Kieren did down the road. It was only fair that he told the abra what he knew. Besides, he only had to stick around for a few more days.

"Why not?" Kieren challenged.

"How did your tribe react when you evolved?"

"Do you really want to know?" Kieren teased.

Mylan gulped, but nodded anyways. Kieren prepared himself, knowing he would catch the abra by surprise with his next disclosure.

"Mylan, I'm an exile," he admitted. "That's the reason I'm here, and that's the reason I'm in the tournament. As soon as the tournament's over I am going to say goodbye to my friends, find a trainer, and start a new life."

Kieren expected Mylan to gasp, flinch, or something, but much to his surprise, the abra remained calm.

"I understand," he said. "Well then I suppose this will be our last meeting. I appreciate you answering all of my questions."

Unlike Mylan, Kieren wasn't prepared for the response. It wasn't that soon, was it?

"Mylan, I'm not going to find a trainer right away," Kieren coaxed, patting the abra softly on the shoulder. "I would still appreciate it if we can continue this until I do find one. It is incredibly practical information, and you're a good teacher."

Mylan's face lit up, his eyes refilled with hope.

"You bet! Kieren!" Mylan answered with a thumbs-up. "Should I expect to see you tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not."

"Great! Have a good night and good luck in the tournament!" Mylan wished him.

"Thanks."

The exhausted umbreon made his way out the door, through the city, and back to his hotel room where he plopped on the bed, struck a nerve on the pillow, and was out.

Author's Notes: Well, what did you think? Did I do well? Was it good enough to get some name suggestions? Are we going to get a bonus chapter? Is there a chapter you want to see re-written? This summer is flying by. I'm just glad I'm away from my cousin who's putting fairy gyms all over the place (shiver). Though I do find it funny how many people don't realize that fairy wasn't one of the original types. Life is weird, so I'll see you all in two weeks if not sooner. ~Dreaming I'm Latios