His town hadn't changed in the slightest. It was as though the entire area was fixed in an eternal time loop, never to develop, never to change despite the months he'd been gone. Not even the snow had melted, and it was April; the start of Summer. His house was in the same place.
"Hi, Mom," Manny called out, a bit dizzy and overawed from his first flight.
"Hi, Manny! I just made lunch."
"It's good to be home," he said, sitting at the table while a mouthwatering scent of marinara sauce filled his head. "My Staravia flew me here."
"That's not physically possible, honey! A thirty-four pound bird can't carry an eighty-five pound boy!"
"But… I just flew over here with her… it was so beautiful and I felt weightless and I was a superhero and I could save the whole world..."
"Here, have some lasagna!"
"Oh boy, lasagna!"
The broken law of physics forgotten, Manny dug into the lasagna until he was fat and happy. He released his Pokémon so that his Mom could feed them, too.
"Your Pokémon are looking tough! Nothing can stop you now!" his mother praised him. Manny blushed. She lifted a finger. "Do you polish your Gym Badges?"
"Nah, I'd have to polish them every day, so I'm letting a nice layer of rust settle on them."
"Let me show you my Gym Badges and Contest Ribbons!"
She flounced out of the room. When she returned she whirled around, her hands full: she had all eight Badges, along with the Normal, Great, Ultra and Master Rank Beauty Ribbons. She had polished them all to a mirror finish, reflecting his wide eyes.
That Master ribbon meant the woman standing before him, his mother whom he only thought he knew, had bested every Breeder in the region. This ranked her above the likes of the legendary Elite Four. It took Manny's breath away and he had to remember to speak. "I know you were an Ace Trainer before Dad got you pregnant with me. You didn't try any Contests whatsoever until I went missing in January?"
"I needed something to distract me. I couldn't very well sit at home all day chatting with Mint's Mom about the two of you; I'd get fat!"
"Mom!"
"Sorry dear but it's the truth."
Her Persian, who had won all those Ribbons, slunk into the kitchen from outside. The weight of years was gone; now she moved with the serene grace of a dancer. Unlike the aging feline Manny had known for the past ten years, Persian was now a queen; a truly gorgeous specimen. Her golden tan fur was so smooth and bright it resembled heavy silk in touch and feel as she purred loudly, nuzzling Manny's shoulder while he sat at the table. Now she was just as big as Manny and weighed almost as much. Her ruby eyes were fiery and intense; her whiskers resembled scimitars; her teeth were brilliant ivory blades. Manny had to stare. Even the circular gem between Persian's eyes was clearer and glinted with inner crimson flame.
"Persian was nowhere near this big or beautiful when I left home. She's... an empress."
"I fed her dry Poffins; she loves them the most. I made the Poffins with Fantina who you met and another young lady named Cynthia. They also helped me groom her for Contests and even chose a dress for me to wear!"
"It wasn't just them Mom. You're a great Trainer too!"
"Oh Manny you're making me blush!"
Her face was colouring like a rose. Persian rubbed against her Trainer who petted her fondly.
"I feel the same way I did when I was ten years old and just caught a tiny little Meowth."
"Giddy?"
"That's the word!"
Manny stopped. He ran over what his mother had just said and made some fast calculations.
"Wait… your Pokédex says you caught Persian fifteen years ago, right? So that means you had me…"
"When I was fifteen, yes."
Manny balked, his eyes threatening to explode. "Mom, you're TWENTY-FIVE years old?"
She placed her arms akimbo. "Hey, going on a Pokémon adventure and getting pregnant ages you prematurely okay?"
"You look the same age as Mint's Mom!"
"That's because Mint's Mom is the same age as me!"
At this point Manny fainted.
888
When he awoke, Manny was in his bed wearing home clothes. Judging by the light outside it was evening. His Mom was downstairs chatting with Mint's Mom who was stroking the vermillion gem between Persian's eyes. The latter was purring so loudly she made the floorboards vibrate.
"Hi Manny we were just talking about you!" Mint's Mom said, running a hand through her brown hair.
"I can't believe you both got pregnant at the same time," Manny blurted most irreverently, but the women didn't seem to mind. In fact, they shared a secret smile.
"Johanna and I started our Pokémon journey together," Mint's Mom said, looking at Manny's Mom. "After four and a half years, we met a pair of boys who had also started their journey together around the same time we did."
"That was Palmer and your dad, Manny," his mother explained. "After getting her pregnant Palmer married Mint's Mom and built the Battle Tower in the Fight Area."
Mint's Mom frowned at Manny. "That father of yours didn't even marry Johanna! When she told him she was pregnant he ran away somewhere. He could have easily been a Battle Tower Tycoon like my husband!"
"So Palmer, Mint's dad, knows where my Dad is?"
"Doubtful. He was too busy building his Tower to keep tabs on his friends or family," Mint's mother said with the air of a woman accustomed to disappointment. "He wasn't even around when Mint was born!"
Manny rubbed his eyes. "This… this is way too much. Mom, where are my Pokémon?"
"They're outside playing with the neighbours."
Manny balled his fists. "My Pokémon do not play! They are engines of destruction!" he said, running upstairs so that he could change into his traveling clothes. After slinging his backpack over his shoulder he bolted out the door with barely a word of farewell to both women.
He set about gathering his six Pokémon, who were making fast friends with the neighbours: Grotle gave Keira and some lady a ride on his back; Vaporeon watered another lady's garden; Alakazam juggled for a small, cheering crowd; Ponyta stoked a barbeque pit; Luxio helped some homeowners drive Rattata out of their kitchen. Manny returned them all after their tasks were completed.
"Come back soon so we can have more fun with them, Manny!" one of his neighbours called out.
"I've been living here for ten years and I haven't learned any of your names."
"That's okay; we're accustomed to being written off!" another neighbour laughed. "We're the designated hometown, after all!"
Manny hopped onto his Staravia, ignoring the fact that the bird was less than half his weight. They flew all the way back to Veilstone City. The second flight of his life wasn't as magical as the first but he held his left fist back and pointed his right fist all the way forward, singing the Superman theme all the way. Upon landing he headed south along Route 214.
888
After surviving the ubiquitous tall grassy patches and Trainers spoiling for a fight he saw on his Town Map that he was near Lake Valor. Blocking the entrance to the lake however were two cameramen, one of whom suffered from insufferable smugness.
"I filmed the red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage!" he boasted to Manny.
"The one Lance caught?"
"The very same."
"That has over a billion views on YouTube."
The cameraman growled. "And I am richer for it? No! That's why I'm hanging around here, hoping to film the legendary Pokémon said to inhabit this lake!"
"Hey!" the other cameraman rounded on his companion. "You said you were here to film nature!"
"The legendary Pokémon IS a part of nature!"
"That shot belongs to me!" the second cameraman yelled, punching him in the face. While the men fell to fisticuffs, taking care not to damage their very expensive recording equipment while inflicting maximum damage on each other, Manny hurried further south to Valor Lakefront.
This hilly area was home to the elite upper-class of Sinnoh, boasting perfectly manicured lawns, topiaries and white marble walkways. No villa's door was locked so Manny chose one at random. Inside there was a lone man staring out a window, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Good evening sir."
The man turned. He was short, wore a brown shirt, black slacks, and had fine black windswept hair. His black eyes were unnatural. Every adult Manny had ever encountered during his short lifespan had looked at him with either condescension or adoration. This man however was looking at him… with clarity. The man did not see through him as a condescending adult would, only seeing his faults; neither did he look at Manny with clouded vision, as his mother always did, unable to see his faults. He looked at Manny in a straightforward guileless manner; his steady gaze accepting and embracing both the good and the bad aspects of the boy.
"Hi, I'm the game director!"
"Oh, cool! What kind of games?"
"The one you are playing right now."
"But I left my Nintendo DS at home."
The man smiled. As to the meaning of that mysterious smile, Manny could only speculate.
"Return to me when you complete the Sinnoh Pokédex. Return to me a second time when you complete the National Pokédex."
"Uh, okay. I'll be going, then. Capturing every Pokémon on Earth is going to take some time. Maybe the legendaries will cooperate when I tell them you sent me."
The man gave a Mona Lisa smile. "Until we meet again, Manny."
It was not until Manny was ten paces away from the villa did he realise that he hadn't told the man his name. He paused, reasoned that the gentleman had seen him on Jubilife TV, and moved on.
The Seven Stars Restaurant was a fine place for Manny to have dinner and several Trainer battles. Thanks to the high level of these Trainers, Manny's Luxio evolved into Luxray, and Vaporeon, with his mighty Ice Beam, fought his fair share. As the sun set, he rested inside Hotel Grand Lake with his newly evolved Pokémon. Unfortunately, the hotel had no vacancies, thus he was forced to seek boarding elsewhere.
He tried going east along Route 222 towards Sunyshore City, but a guard stopped him, claiming that the city was suffering from a blackout.
"Sir, why do they call the place 'Sunyshore' and not 'Sunnyshore'?"
"They ran out of room."
"Room for what?"
"The name. They're keeping the extra 'n' in case of emergencies."
"What emergencies?"
"Young man, I do not question the ancestors, I only honour them."
Having run out of options and hours left in the day, Manny mounted his bicycle to coast downhill along Route 213 towards Pastoria City.
888
For the second time during his journey, Manny arrived at the ocean. He paused to suck in deep breaths of salty air while contemplating the unfathomable vast blue yonder upon which the drowning sun cast its golden veil. The tide was high so he had to hug the rock wall while pedaling west along it. The Dowsing Machine on his Pokétch revealed several large pearls and a Heart Scale hidden in the fine sand. Further up the beach was a house built on sand with a billboard that advertised the residence of a 'Dr. Footstep'. Even though it was nightfall Manny knocked and entered.
"Good night. Dr. Footstep, I presume?"
"You presume correctly. I can determine the relationship between you and your Pokémon by looking at their footsteps. Have your Pokémon walk before me."
Manny did so. Dr. Footstep grunted to himself, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"Manny… is a remarkable human and Trainer. With him, we can always be the best Grotle, Staravia, Luxray, Alakazam and Ponyta that we can be. We notice wild Pokémon eyeing us with envy."
Manny felt his ears burning.
"They really say all that?"
"Yes, except for your Vaporeon; he has neutral feelings for you. The rest of your Pokémon deserve a Footstep Ribbon each!"
Despite their various physiological features – especially Ponyta, who required a fireproof medal – Dr. Footstep fastened a Footstep Ribbon to each of them.
"Manny, you have raised your Pokémon with love and they return your affection in equal measure, even though you have not ridden Ponyta since you got your bike."
"Whoa, you learned that from watching her walk?"
"No, it's because I was once a little boy myself."
Manny stroked her neck. "I'm sorry Ponyta. I'll evolve you, I promise!"
His mare whinnied happily. Dr. Footstep grunted approval.
"Return to me when you bond with Vaporeon."
"Thank you sir. If you don't mind me asking, how do you support yourself? You didn't charge me any money to perform your unique ability."
"Oh, you are but a child. It is the adults who come to me that I swindle out of house and home, especially those aristocrats at Valor Lakefront. They are so desperate for recognition, even from their own Pokémon, that they visit me night and day to find out whether their Pokémon love them. You won't believe how many lonely women I see on a daily basis, trying to replace a failed marriage with Pokémon."
When Manny left the house and was alone with his Pokémon, the emotions that had burned his ears bright red found expression.
"Group hug!"
They were only too happy to comply, except for Vaporeon who gave a half-hearted attempt at nosing Manny.
"I haven't said it before, but I love you guys," Manny sniffled, letting the tears fall. "At first, I didn't care; I just wanted my videogames back, but I've been through so much with you all except Vaporeon, of course. No offense, Vaporeon."
"Va-por," he replied equably.
"I didn't realise how much I cared for you all until Dr. Footstep told me what you all felt for me. I'm not gonna make that mistake again! I'll be sure to let you all know how much I appreciate you from now on! Uh, except when Hanny and Mint are watching. I do have an illusion of independent machismo to maintain."
Manny returned them to their Pokéballs, realising for the second time that an adult had divined his name without prior introduction.
"They must have watched the same Jubilife TV program,on the same day at the same minute all those months ago, and remembered me since then," Manny reasoned in his mind. With his beloved Pokémon, he took down all the Trainers littering the beach before heading into Pastoria proper. He walked with a spring in his step, for his heart was light.
He was a superhero.