When Hanny returned, she found Mint and Manny loafing about doing nothing. They were sprawled out on the docks, their feet dangling over the edge, still eating lunch. Togetic was brooding over the remains of his Pokémon food, visibly dissatisfied. He began pecking at Mint's sandwich bag.

"Hey," Manny lifted one hand with languor. He gestured towards the library while chewing a sandwich. "Dawn and Rowan showed up, but they wanted to meet with everybody, so we've been waiting for you to show up."

"These tuna sandwiches are made of Win," Mint proclaimed, chewing until his jaws ached. Togetic stole half a sandwich from the bag and flew away with it. Hanny stood with arms akimbo.

"I came back here, fully intending to say something nice to you boys, but here you are lounging around like two Slaking on a Sunday afternoon!"

"We just really like these sandwiches," Manny spoke through a full mouth. He proffered the sandwich bag to her. "You want one?"

Hanny stormed off to the library. "UGH! And I was going to show off Zeke, too!"

"Did he get a haircut?" Mint called behind her. Manny smacked the boy with his bottle of mineral water.

888

Having polished off the remainder of their lunch, the boys headed north to Canalave Library. A sullen Hanny greeted them at the doors.

"I'm still mad at you, but I wanted you to have these, Mint."

In either hand, she presented Riley's Pokémon egg and her Shiny Stone. Mint's eyes lit up like Cherrim at dawn.

"Hanny, I love you!"

"Good grief, I hope not," she grimaced, flinching away from him.

Mint inserted the egg into his backpack before calling Togetic. "I have a surprise for you!"

Togetic abandoned the ruins of the tuna sandwich by the docks to heed his Trainer's call.

"Tic?" he enquired.

"Hold this."

Togetic held the Shiny Stone between his tiny paws. "Toge… tic…" he cheeped with wonder, staring into the dazzling depths of the stone, his beady little eyes reflecting its luster. The three Trainers were rendered sightless by the wave of light and energy that radiated from the small Pokémon. Between the slats of their fingers, they perceived that Togetic was morphing.

"Togekiss!" sounded the exultant cry.

Joy ran in rivulets down Mint's cheeks. Manny and Hanny were embarrassed for him.

"You really ARE an angel, now!" he cried, hugging the Pokémon that was now bigger than he. Gone were its tiny paws, replaced by splendid white wings. The former spikes on its head were now a three-point crest, whose left spike was tipped in blue, and the right spike, in red. Togekiss was almost exactly the same weight as Mint, now.

Manny and Hanny briefly wondered how on Earth a Pokémon could gain so much weight in one evolution; the very process defied the first law of thermodynamics: energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Perhaps a star had gone out somewhere in the universe to compensate for equivalent exchange? They dismissed the troubling thought; such nonsense was the domain of Professor Rowan, whom awaited them.

"Uh, we're gonna meet Dawn and the Professor," Manny said. "You coming?"

"No way, I gotta show off Togekiss to Mom, and give her the Pokémon egg."

"I thought you love baby Pokémon?" Hanny said.

"Oh, I do, but Mom's feeling sad that Manny's Mom is tearing up the Contest scene while she's stuck at home, minding an empty house. She called me and said so."

"It's true," Manny said. "He had her on speakerphone."

"Whatever Pokémon this is, it's gonna be a Contest champion, just like Persian!"

"Heh, that means your Mom will make you wear a tuxedo!"

"Really? That's even better!" Mint smiled while climbing aboard Togekiss. "See you guys later!"

Togekiss swooped away with astonishing speed, leaving a brisk wind in his wake.

"I'm a little jealous," Manny admitted.

"That both your Moms will have more fame and glory than you will ever have?"

"No, that he's got a Pokémon that will learn Aura Sphere. It's, like, the best move ever."

Hanny rolled her eyes to the zenith, asking for the umpteenth time why she had to suffer such fools. The heavens kept their counsel, so Hanny followed Manny to the top floor of the library where Dawn and the Professor were waiting.

888

When the children were seated, Professor Rowan addressed them, clasping his hands behind his back in a self-important manner.

"Manny, everyone, listen. You may have forgotten, but I study Pokémon evolution…"

"Really?" Hanny gasped. "I thought you studied ornithology!"

Manny crossed his arms with a frown. "I could have sworn he was a lapidary!"

"NO WAY!" Dawn yelled, slamming her hands on the polished table. "You're not a chiropodist?!"

Rowan glared at the children who were now suffering from a near-fatal case of the giggles.

"Harrumph!" Rowan cleared his throat with a disgusting sound. "The more I study the evolution of Pokémon, the more mysteries appear and multiply. This is where you three come in: I want you to study the mirage Pokémon of the three lakes in Sinnoh. Dawn goes to Lake Verity, Hanny goes to Lake Acuity, and Manny to Lake Valor."

DDDOOOMMM!

Rowan fell over while the three children screamed and ducked under the table, their chairs skating across the floor as books tumbled off shelves and library patrons panicked. The ensuing dust cloud from the disturbance of long-untouched books caused one patron to have a severe asthma attack, while another's tachycardia flared up in all the excitement. Other than that, it was a fairly standard gigantic explosion, and the two incapacitated people were rushed to the hospital.

888

Home in TwinLeaf, Mint had just handed over the egg to his mother when the sound and tremor from the explosion arrived. Mint ran outside, looking to the east where a thick pillar of black smoke rose heavenward.

"What the funky fresh was that?"

"Mom, you're swearing again."

"I'm sorry, Mint, I was surprised," she said, finally walking outside to gaze at the dark cloud.

"Roserade!" her Pokémon exclaimed, hopping up and down all a-twitter, causing a most pleasant fragrance to suffuse the area.

"I'm actually terrified! I haven't felt this alive since my days as a Trainer with Johanna!"

"Mom, please take care of Hanny's… I mean, my egg. She got it from some guy named Riley."

"Oh, that sexy devil!"

"MOM!" Mint protested, scandalised.

"Oh, there I go, using naughty words again! I watch him on TV all the time!"

"He has a TV show?"

"No, he's so dashing and handsome that Jubilife TV stalks him everywhere he goes. That's why he took up training on Iron Island; to escape the media."

"He is not that handsome."

Mint's Mom's eyes became half-lidded while she purred in a husky voice, "Oh yes he is."

"AUGH! MOM!" Mint screamed, fleeing from his chortling parent on Togekiss. Roserade waved goodbye. Mint was pretty much his son, too, considering he had helped raise the boy in his father's absence.

Mint's Mom waved goodbye. "Don't worry, honey, I'll take care of your egg! Raising a Pokémon is easier than raising a human boy!"

888

A sailor outside the library told Rowan and company that there had been a huge explosion at Lake Valor, but that everything was fine now; it was just a lot of noise; no-one was injured.

"That explosion shook this library, which is on THE OTHER SIDE OF SINNOH. How could it have NOT hurt anyone?" Manny argued. "It must have obliterated Valor Lakefront, at least!"

Hanny clapped him on the back. "Keep your hopes up, Manny. Maybe lots of people really are dead, and it's a horrible catastrophe."

"It had better be," Manny sulked.

"Okay then," Rowan said after staring at Manny for a few uncomfortable moments. "I think the best idea-"

"YOU GUYS!"

Mint jumped off Togekiss, colliding with Manny to break his fall.

"MINT used TAKEDOWN! What happened, you guys?"

"Get off me!"

"Lake Valor asploded," Hanny said.

"You mean 'exploded','" Dawn corrected her.

"No, I don't. Anyhow, this sailor dude claims that no-one was injured."

"I saw it on TV, so it must be true!" the sailor nodded.

"GET OFF ME!"

Mint stepped off Manny's ribcage and onto Togekiss again.

"I'm going to Lake Valor. I know Team Galactic is behind this!"

"Or it could be terrorists," Rowan suggested as Togekiss swooped away.

Hanny arched an eyebrow at him. "Really? A bomb that sounded and felt like a volcano erupting, had no casualties? Was it a gigantic shaped charge?"

"Oh, alright, fine, it's those Galactic goons. Dawn and I shall go to Lake Verity. Hanny, you take Manny and follow Mint before he gets hurt."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, what with Team Galactic's nonlethal explosives and their incredibly stupid tendency to use Pokémon instead of firearms."

"Aren't we the ones who tricked them into doing that?" Manny asked.

"That doesn't make them less stupid."