"So what I need to work out is how to get Turtonator faster," Kiawe said. "Is that right?"

He looked up at Marowak, who was waiting patiently some distance away. "That Marowak is fast, but… am I thinking about this right?"

"I think it's a great way to think about it," Ash assured him. "There's no type advantage going on based on raw types, because Turtonator's also a Dragon type and Marowak's also a Ghost type, but if Turtonator doesn't have a good move to attack Marowak then you might need to think about that as she might have the advantage… but then again, if you want to attack her you either need a good ranged move or a good way to catch up to her."

"I do have a Dragon type move," Turtonator volunteered, as over in the distance Chimchar began having a chat with Marowak. "But it's Dragon Tail, so I think it's up to Kiawe if he'd prefer me to work on close range or long range moves."

"That is a good point," Kiawe admitted. "Well… it'd be helpful if you were faster for more than just this specific situation, right? And it would let you dodge out of the way as well as letting you get into combat. So it feels like that would be more generally useful."

"Right!" Ash said. "Okay, so there's a few ideas, and I guess it depends on Turtonator. Actually – hey, Lana, Mallow, Sophocles, Lillie, see if you can help with this!"

The other four students crowded around, and Ash resumed. "So what we're looking for is a way to make Turtonator faster," he said. "A way that fits with how Turtonator works as a battling Pokémon, that is. And there's lots of ways I can think of that might work, but I wanted to see if any of you had an idea for one that you thought would work."

"Huh," Mallow frowned, thinking. "So he's a Fire type… can't some of them use fire to propel themselves around?"

Turtonator's eyes went a little glazed, mostly because of near-prophetic visions of repeatedly slamming himself against the ground, trees, other Pokémon and anything else that happened to be in the way, and Ash considered that before nodding.

"It's an option!" he said. "Though a lot of Turtonator's flame comes out of his mouth or from his back, so it's more really useful for going in directions he's not looking. It could work though!"

Sophocles went next. "There's a move called Shell Smash," he said. "It's for Pokémon with shells, or, mostly it is, and Turtonator has a shell. It makes the Pokémon faster and better at attacking, but it does also make it a lot easier to hurt them in return."

"Are you okay, Turtonator?" Kiawe asked. "You seem like you're a bit nervous."

"I am a bit, yes," Turtonator agreed. "You would be too if people kept making suggestions like these ones."

"Dragon Tail throws Pokémon around, doesn't it?" was Lillie's suggestion. "So maybe Turtonator can use it on himself to knock himself around?"

"I'm a Dragon-type!" Turtonator complained. "That would be worse for me than Marowak!"

"Or… hang on, what's it called?" Lana asked. "There's that one that makes fast Pokémon slower and slow Pokémon faster."

"Trick Room?" Steenee asked.

"That's the one!" Lana agreed. "Could Turtonator use that? That way he'd be faster than Marowak instead of slower."

"Well, it's the first one that's not sounded actively painful," Turtonator admitted. "Couldn't I learn whatever Snorlax does?"

"Hmm," Snorlax said, levering himself up on one arm and inspecting Turtonator. "How hungry are you?"

"Um… not especially? A bit?" Turtonator replied. "I'd quite like dinner some time today, but I'm ready for battle."

"Then probably not," Snorlax said, lying back down again. "You must learn to strive."

"What about Dragon Dance?" Sophocles asked. "That's less extreme than Shell Smash, but Turtonator is a dragon…"

"All right, Marowak, we're ready!" Kiawe called, some minutes later.

The rest of the festival had been completed to the point that the people and Pokémon not involved were getting started on dinner, but Kiawe's classmates were still all watching the battle that was about to happen – as was Ash.

"Very well, then," Marowak said, holding up her bone and lighting it on both ends. "Show me how skilled you are, Pokémon trainer."

"Turtonator, onto your back!" Kiawe said.

Marowak's stance changed from ready to confused as she watched Turtonator flip himself upside down. "Um."

"Now, Trick Room!" Kiawe added, and a shimmering field of energy pulsed out from the Dragon-type.

All of about six inches.

"That doesn't seem to have worked," she said.

"No, this is actually great," Kiawe countered. "Now, Dragon Tail!"

Turtonator used Dragon Tail, which meant he started spinning around very quickly indeed as Trick Room turned his normal slow solidity into blurring rapidity. He also began to wobble a bit, precessing around an axis instead of spinning straight up and down.

"And… Shell Trap!" Kiawe finished.

One of Turtonator's shell spikes exploded while it was facing mostly away from Marowak, catapulting Turtonator in Marowak's direction and forcing the Fire-type to abruptly pay a lot of attention to what was going on. She lit her bone up with Shadow Bone, holding it out in a blocking position, and it went whang whang whang as Turtonator's Dragon Tail collided with it three times before she was able to dodge out of the way.

"Where did this come from?" she asked. "You just talked for fifteen minutes and then this is happening?"

"It's applying what we've been learning in school!" Turtonator replied. "Though I will be level with you right now: I cannot see where you are. Or much of anything. It's all a bit of a blur."

"Then how are you-"

"Shell Trap!" Kiawe called, and another of Turtonator's spikes exploded. Again, it launched him spinning towards Marowak, and this time she wasn't able to use her bone to block all the blows – three got through, the combination knocking her halfway across the area to send her landing with a whud.

"Keep it up, Turtonator!" Kiawe praised.

"Better you than me!" his Charizard agreed.

"Thanks," Turtonator said. "Is she still battling? Am I sliding downhill? I assume you'd mention things if they were important!"

With Marowak not precisely defeated so much as conceding, partly because otherwise there was a serious danger that one of Turtonator's side-spins would land on her without him realizing it, she agreed to join Kiawe's team.

"Good to have you," Charizard said.

Turtonator made a slight noise of disagreement, but he wasn't very eloquent about it partly because as far as he was concerned the whole of Akala kept spinning.

"So, what is with that trainer with the Pikachu, anyway?" Marowak added, looking over and realizing for the first time just how diverse Ash's team was. "And the… um… everything else."

"If you know, please tell me," Kiawe said. "I think everyone in several regions has been trying to work that one out…"

He stretched, then shook his head. "It's weird in his lessons. You get the impression that it's like… hey, Charizard, remember that time we got a real scare at Brooklet Hill?"

Charizard shivered. "Yeah, not a happy memory."

"What happened?" Marowak asked.

"Flying's weird," Kiawe explained. "There was this one time – just once, just after Charizard evolved – that I went out flying in foggy weather without either staying slow and low or climbing way out of the fog entirely, and Charizard and I got ourselves turned around and upside down. We were doing a loop without realizing it, so I wasn't falling out of the saddle or anything, then we suddenly spotted a lake that looked like it was above us and managed to stop just in time."

Kiawe shrugged. "That kind of totally weird realization that the world's upside down compared to what you thought? That's a typical lesson with Mr. Ketchum."

Meanwhile, in Hoenn, Dawn checked through some notes.

"So… right, we know it's in between one and two years, right?" she said.

Pichu nodded. "Yep. Age makes that one easy enough."

"And we know that at least some of us went with you, but others didn't," Piplup provided. "But you didn't bother to leave any information on who."

"Yeah, sorry, I'd say I have to have left better notes but I didn't so I can't," Dawn shrugged. "I hope everyone comes with me, but I know that's not really going to be possible because it didn't happen, unless I fabricated the details in the notes we found."

"It's a delicate art," Pichu said, sagely. "You don't want to end up making something retroactively impossible because you gave too much information."

"We'll be ready for the challenge," Riolu said.

"Agreed," Quilava nodded. "Though if I go then I'll have to go thunderstorm chasing, it's far more convenient to tap into mains electricity which wasn't a thing in the past. Unless I've thoroughly misunderstood."

"Yeah, I don't think you misunderstood," Pichu confirmed. "That said, there's going to be a lot of Electric-types! Including our trainer, come to that."

Nickit cast a side-eye at Azelf. "Aren't you going to say anything about what happened? I assume you know."

"And interfere with the absolutely amazing display of willpower and determination on display?" Azelf replied, sounding shocked. "Besides, she'll have did great."

"I hate time travel verbs," Nickit said, paws over her muzzle.

Dawn patted her Dark-type. "Don't worry about it, it'll make sense once it's happened. I assume."

"That's a very big assumption given how some of our adventures have gone."

Luxio stretched. "I wonder if we'll invent the Contest."

"I think that's Hoenn, right?" Swinub said. "That's why we're here… mind you, what happens if we invent Contests in Hoenn and then invent them again separately somewhere else?"

Togekiss hummed. "I think at that point we discover how Mr. Sukizo does it."

Azelf drifted over and whispered into Nickit's ear.

The ear twitched.

"Really?" she said. "I wonder if I could steal that… anyone want to guess what Origin Nickit would look like?"

And, in Lumiose City, Paul sent out his Gabite.

"Get ready," he warned.

"Biiite!" Gabite called.

"J'accord," a speaker system said.

"What was that?" Paul asked, then shook his head. "No, never mind. What's your first Pokémon?"

"I'm using Dedenne!" Clemont replied, sending out the Electric-type from the Pokéball he already had ready. "He's sort of my sister's Pokémon, but we agreed it was all right because I'm the official trainer and she's not gone on her journey yet – she's too young."

Dedenne nodded, cheeks sparking.

"Hmm," Paul frowned. "Fairy type. Right. Watch out for Fairy moves, Gabite."

Gabite nodded, going down to a three-point stance with his talons making up the third point.

"Begin," Clemont added. "Sunny Day!"

"Bulldoze," Paul called. "Why Sunny Day?"

"Dedee!" Dedenne called, dodging out of the way with a flick of his tail before sending a flare of Sunny Day up into the gym room. His antennae sparkled, and some strange patterns began to form in the light.

"Zénith," the speakers said.

"Now, Gabite, Sand Tomb," Paul instructed. "Keep it around yourself to fend off the Solarbeam that's coming."

Dedenne didn't use Solarbeam, though, and Paul frowned. "Attack!"

Gabite charged in to use Metal Claw, and Dedenne used a brief pulse of electricity to jolt himself out of the way. Then Paul shaded his eyes slightly as Dedenne began to glow brightly.

"Denne-edeee!" Dedenne announced, tail flicking out, and lit up with Dazzling Gleam.

"Solaire thermique à concentration," the speakers said, over the sound of Gabite skidding rapidly backwards to collide with the nearest wall.

"Wait," Paul said. "I request a time out."

"Oh, sure!" Clemont agreed. "Is something wrong?"

"Well-" Paul began, but then Dark Clembot leaned around the door.

"Bonnie was playing fetch with Tyrantrum and threw the ball out the window by mistake," the robot reported. "Tyrantrum stopped before falling through the hole and they are both sorry."

"I'll fix it later," Clemont decided. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Paul began to tick off on his fingers. "I don't think Sunny Day works like that, I'm fairly sure your gym's speaker system is translating Pokémon words into a language I don't speak, your younger sister has a Tyrantrum despite not being old enough to go on a Pokémon journey, and that's a robot. I just wanted to ask… how did you enjoy your journey with Ash Ketchum?"

"It was a lot of fun!" Clemont replied. "I never would have got the Translation Gear working without his inspiration!"

"Thought so," Paul muttered. "Okay, Gabite, get ready for us to resume."

AN:

Paul is able to recognize the pattern.