There was only one challenge left: the Battle Tower. At the foot, the three Trainers stared up at the monumental structure, got vertigo and almost fell over. Both boys knew their fathers awaited them at the top.

"I'm going to hang out with Cynthia and Aaron. They're vacationing with the rest of the Elite Four in Canalave City. They said something about visiting islands of the moon."

"Don't you want to see us defeat our fathers?" Mint asked.

"It will make the headlines!" Manny tempted her.

Hannah patted their heads. "Girls, girls, you're both pretty."

Hannah boarded Tori, the prettiest Vibrava in the world, and sped westward on aerodynamically-unsound diamond wings.

The boys grumbled under their breaths as they headed into the lobby.

"Manny, I just wanna let you know, it's been an honour fighting with you all these months."

"Mint, you say that as if we were parting ways."

"I dunno, Manny. Beating our Dads will change everything. Maybe… maybe I won't wanna be a Trainer, anymore!"

Manny slapped Mint in the back of his head. Mint recovered, rubbing his blonde head.

"Thanks, Manny, I needed that."

Manny slapped him again.

"Ow! Manny, I got the message!"

"Oh, that wasn't a message; I just like doing that."

Manny selected Torterra, Vaporeon and Keira for their epic ascent. Mint chose Infernape, Espeon and Electivire.

"Are you sure Electivire is up to it?"

"I ran away from Mom sometimes to train him against the Elite Four. He's become almost as powerful as the rest of my team."

"Oh, so that's why the Four need the vacation. You kept pestering them for battles!"

"They did groan when I showed up the third day in a row. Hey, do you think Lance came back?"

Manny's face lit up. "I sure hope so! Let's find out!"

Together, their team of six vanquished the Trainer pairs all the way up to the 21st floor. Indeed, Palmer awaited them, but not with Manny's hero.

"Carrot Top?" Manny uttered in disgust. "You're not Lance or my father!"

Flint thumbed his nose at the younger Trainer. "Well excuuuuuuuse me."

Palmer wielded a Rhyperior, Milotic and Dragonite. Flint carried his trusty Infernape, Rapidash and Magmortar. Vaporeon destroyed Rhyperior and Infernape with a single Surf, while Espeon's high Special Defense allowed him to weather the tidal wave (how a 30 kilogram feline seadragon generates a tsunami on dry land is, of course, best left to one's imagination). Mint's Electivire, who had plenty experience fighting Cynthia's Milotic, dealt with Palmer's using two Thunderbolts, suffering a hefty Ice Beam from his opponent.

Vaporeon cleared the field yet again with a devastating Surf (perhaps the little blue creature was directly connected to the elemental plane of water?), knocking out both Magmortar and Electivire. Vaporeon took out Dragonite with a single Ice Beam, but suffered first from Dragonite's Thunderbolt, and thus did not survive Rapidash's Mega Horn. However, Keira returned the favour with Brave Bird, slamming Rapidash into the wall. The battle was won, and Palmer shook his son's hand.

"I knew you had it in you, Mint. See you on the forty-ninth floor."

Flint shook Manny's hand.

"Hey, that was a lot of fun. Why aren't you smiling, kid? Didn't you have fun?"

"NO FUN ALLOWED!" Manny yelled, running for the elevator.

"I'm sorry, he has issues," Mint apologised, following his battle buddy.

Palmer glanced at Flint. "When did Pokémon become serious business for ten-year-olds?"

"I dunno, I'm twenty-something and I still remember to laugh. I still choose my Pokémon depending on how much I like them."

Palmer gave a gasp of mock horror. "No variety? No careful breeding? No Effort Values?"

"None!"

"You filthy casual!"

The men laughed.

888

With great impatience, the boys pounded their ways up the ranks to floor number 49. Waiting for them with Palmer, was a brown-skinned man wearing a blue T-shirt printed with a white letter 'Q'. His thumbs were hooked into his red three-quarter track pants. He slouched there, in his brown sandals, peering at Manny. His eyes and hair were very dark brown, almost black, just like Manny's.

Or rather, Manny looked just like him.

"My child," the man greeted him.

"You're my Dad?"

"That's what Johanna keeps telling me."

"Why did you leave us?"

Manny's father straightened, looking at Palmer, then back at the boys. His hands and voice stirred with deep, lonely emotion:

"After I met your mother, I had dreams that I would travel the Darfou Region and fight the great, evil Pokémon; Naahrin. I would adventure with a younger Trainer named Tovy, who would vanquish Naahrin once and for all with the help of the holy Pokémon; Kaithos, the Unconquered Sun."

His eyes sparkled; whether with madness or passion, the boys could not tell.

"Those dreams never came true. Perhaps I dreamed of another world? Donovan, the leader of Team Twilight, with his beautiful Commander Lola… a woman I loved… do they exist? I spent ten years trying to find them, Manny!"

Mint's eyebrows joined his hairline. He whispered to Manny, "Does your Dad really like Pokémon fanfiction?"

Manny ignored Mint and addressed his father. "You're insane. That region, those Pokémon and those people don't exist. You left your family to pursue a dream?"

"Didn't you leave your family to pursue yours?"

"I gave Mom a villa to live in. You gave her child support cheques!"

"The dreams were so real, Manny. I wanted them so badly to be real, but they weren't. This is the reality I live in, now; a reality where my family hates me."

"At least you're honest," Manny snapped. "Torterra, I choose you!"

Bewildered, Mint summoned Infernape. Manny's father fell back into his habitual slouch, hooking one thumb into one pocket, cradling a Pokéball with his other hand. It was a really beat-up Pokéball, nothing like Palmer's professional, polished décor.

"Junglebunny, I choose you!"

An Umbreon appeared, wearing Black Glasses that arced upward in the shape of a wide 'V'. The Glasses, boosting Dark-type moves by twenty percent, had a single green spiral carved onto the right lens. A spiral eye.

"Heatran, get ready for battle!"

Palmer's volcano god materialised. It roared, thumping the floor with one clubfoot. The boys jumped.

Mint gaped and pointed. "YOU stole my legendary Pokémon!"

"Yoink!"

"DAD!" Mint yelled. "No fair!"

"Torterra, use Stone Edge on Junglebunny!"

"Junglebunny, use Confuse Ray!"

Torterra hurt himself! Manny's Dad laughed, his teeth showing like an Arbok's bare fangs.

"Infernape, attack Heatran with Brick Break!"

Far outpaced, Heatran nearly shattered from the impact of the punch.

"Heatran, respond with Earth Power!"

That spelled doom for Infernape, who was flung into the ceiling when the ground below him exploded in a fiery magma plume.

"But that looks like a Fire-type attack!" Mint protested.

"Magma is of the Earth!" Palmer rejoined.

"Magma is molten ROCK! How did it summon magma, anyway? We're hundreds of feet off the ground floor!"

"Pah, semantics! Your Infernape lost!"

"But your Heatran was weakened! I choose you, Espeon!"

"Junglebunny, use Confuse Ray on Espeon!"

"AUGH!" Mint wrung his hair as Espeon burbled, stumbling about cross-eyed, hurting himself. The background noise was laughter from than crazy man.

"Torterra, return! Come on out, Vaporeon! Hit that Umbreon with Ice Beam!"

Junglebunny bent double under the icy blast.

"Confuse Ray!"

"ARGH!" Manny gritted his teeth. Vaporeon's tongue lolled out as he tripped over his own tail.

Manny's father just would not stop laughing. "Use Faint Attack on Espeon!"

The speedy Dark-type attack smashed the confused Espeon into the confused Vaporeon. The former was rendered unconscious.

"Heatran, use Stone Edge on Vaporeon!"

The feline seadragon was crushed into oblivion. The boys returned their hapless Pokémon.

"Keira, come on out! Use Aerial Ace on Junglebunny!"

The swift bird tackled Junglebunny, breaking the far wall, sending the Black Glasses flying. The Umbreon was down for the count. Meanwhile, Mint was down to his last Pokémon.

"Electivire, we need your help! Use Low Kick on Heatran!"

The Fighting-type attack dealt more damage to heavier opponents as it knocked them off their feet. Heatran, who weighed almost one ton, passed out on her back.

"Am I bugging you?" Manny's Dad grinned in a most insufferable manner. "Raoh the Conqueror, I summon thee!"

A fearsome Scizor flashed into existence, wearing a Choice Band on its head like a Japanese Kamikaze headband.

Mint whispered, "First fanfiction and now anime references? Your Dad's loony!"

"Shut up, Mint!"

"Bullet Punch!" the lunatic shouted.

Not a single Trainer in the room comprehended the speed and power of the attack. All they knew was that Keira now decorated the opposite wall with her feathers.

"For my next trick," interrupted Palmer, "I summon Cresselia!"

A vision of beauty swam before their eyes: Cresselia had a blue, swan-like body with a yellow underside, and two magenta tufts that formed an arc across her chest. Yellow crescent moons adorned the sides of her head. She levitated on soft, glowing, pink, ring-like wings. This was the Pokémon who embodied the crescent moon; the bringer of joyful dreams.

Mint's jaw hung ajar. "Oh COME ON! TWO legendary Pokémon? That's cheating!"

"Screw the rules, I'm the Tower Tycoon! Cresselia, use Psychic on Electivire!"

Electivire held his head in agony, falling to his knees, then onto his face, accepting the sweet embrace of darkness. Mint was out of the battle! Manny, however, was too enraged to accept defeat.

"Keira, return! Come on out, Torterra! Use Earthquake!"

The giant turtle, having had a few moments inside his ball to clear his head, understood his Trainer's command, and broke the floor, knocking Scizor out of the competition but not Cresselia, who floated above it all in serene, ineffable grace.

"Another Psychic, Cresselia."

Torterra, already distressed by self-inflicted injury, could not withstand the mental blast. He sank to his knees and knew nothing more.

"Victory," said Manny's father, returning his Pokémon. "Your Tower record is broken, son. Go home."

Hot tears of shame fell to the floor. Manny fled the room with his fallen champions. Mint, dry-eyed, nodded to his father.

"It was a good battle."

"I had fun, son. Thank you."

Mint turned to the crazy man, then bowed at the hip. "Good day to you, sir," he muttered before scampering off at full speed behind his friend.

Manny's Dad glanced at Palmer. "Are you sure you aren't Tovy?"

Palmer facepalmed. "Come off it, man. If you start writing friendfiction I will end you."