Operation GEAR: The Angel of Reckoning

by The Great Butler

A girl and her friends set out on a search for truth in a land torn apart by political and religious strife. However, they are unaware of what they are stepping into: the grasp of a terrifying, inescapable enemy that aims to bring down mankind's greatest achievement, the Pokemon League. Soon, the truth becomes clouded, and a desperate struggle for survival begins.

18. Winter of Discontent

And here we go, the long-awaited Ecruteak arc begins. Buckle up, the ride gets a little bumpy now.

Special thanks to JXValentine for the assistance she provided on the characterization of Bill, Audrey and Mako.

-:-

CHAPTER 18: Winter of Discontent

-:-

Olivia went to bed after about an hour and a half of watching her old home videos, or that had been what she had told Matt and Bunny. In reality, she was hiding under the blankets of her bed in the fetal position, clutching the sky-blue Pokégear Nekou purchased for her when they arrived in Ecruteak.

A single photograph was on the phone's screen, and she could not pull her eyes from it. She'd taken it as a keepsake. In it, she and Monroe were smiling and making peace signs directly into the camera, while Nekou was visible in the background pulling up her collar to avoid having her picture taken.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled to herself. "I can't go back. There's no going back… just remembering stuff that already happened means all the work I've put in to come this far was for nothing." Olivia curled into an even tighter ball. "But then what am I supposed to do with myself? If I can't feel good in what happened in the past, then what is there?"

Suddenly, a realization hit her, thanks to her continuing to stare at the photograph. She took a single sharp breath as the thought filled her mind, then let a small smile reach her face.

"That's why I got you after all," she said to the Pokégear. "The past is just parts of the future that already happened. I'll make that future even better than what happened for me before, and I'll keep every last bit of it. That's what I'll do."

Satisfied with her plan, she shut off the phone. Its light faded into darkness, leaving her alone with her thoughts as she let herself drift off into sleep.

-:-

At the same time that Olivia was musing to herself, Nekou was similarly awake. Unlike Olivia, however, Nekou wasn't keeping herself from sleeping. She was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened that she couldn't rest.

"Aw, shit," she swore, realizing that she'd drawn every last drop from the beer can in her hand. She flung it across the room, where it crashed into a pile with five other empty cans, then pulled another from under her sheets and opened it. "Of all the fucking nights I can't just drink myself into oblivion…"

Nekou spent several minutes rocking back and forth on the edge of her bed, drinking the beer as she stared blankly at the wall. Her breathing grew increasingly shallow with time. Once the can ran empty, she threw it into the pile and threw herself back on the bed. She rolled around to tangle her hair around herself, ultimately settling on her back. Had someone walked in and seen the suggestive position she was in, she wouldn't have even cared.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck… why do you gotta make this shit so fucking hard?" The image of Matt admitting his demons to her earlier that night refused to leave her mind. Seeing him in such a way forced her to confront the thoughts underneath her sarcastic facade. Though she hated to admit it to herself, she pitied him and identified with him on top of her existing sympathies for Olivia. "This would be so much fucking easier if I didn't have to see my own fucking face in you! There's a reason I hate having my fucking picture taken…"

Nekou rolled over on her side and fumbled out yet another beer can, which she opened.

"Never get attached," she recited to herself. "Never sympathize. All who are not Team Rocket are against Team Rocket. Steal Pokémon for profit. Exploit Pokémon for profit. All Pokémon exist for the glory of Team Rocket. Raid on the city, knock out, evil tusks. All that shit they drive into you in training, right, Maman? And yet…"

A sudden shaking overtook her body as she opened her mouth to gasp for air. Her eyes widened as they sunk back into her head.

"Fuck… I don't know what to do anymore. It used to always be so easy. Go in, steal what's necessary, go in a closet with some fuck at a bar if you have to, get out and you win. I'm in too deep, I can't get out of this. This job was too long. I can't get out now. I know what I'm trained to do, and I know what I have to do… but I can't bring myself to hurt them!" Nekou snapped the can across the room to join the others. "Fuck! No matter how I think about this, I have to fucking do something I don't want to!"

"Sometimes it's best to not think about what to do," Ariana's voice echoed in her head. "Put aside all thoughts when you have to and do what you want to."

"Olivia doesn't deserve to be in the middle of this shit, she's just a kid… but… but I like her, for real. I have to help her. She never deserved any of this. And Matt…" Nekou bit her lip and arched herself upward slightly. "Don't you think if I could, I would have already? I'm fucking compromised enough already, it's not worth losing all I know just for the thrill of breaking some little scout's morals!" As the rush subsided, Nekou started gasping for air again. "What the fuck is wrong with me… I'm actually scared of some little sadsack shithead like him?"

After several minutes of deep breathing, Nekou managed to stabilize herself.

"This is who you are," she said to herself. "This is the life you know. Take whatever the fuck you want and make your life what you deserve. Now just figure out what exactly it is you want here."

-:-

Though the next morning in Ecruteak City was a sunny one, the air carried a bitter chill. The Team Rocket members assembled in the nearby woods - Jessie, James, Meowth, Pierce, Ada, Trevor, Ariana, Petrel and Proton - all were forced to wear their coats to stand the cold. They stood rigidly at attention as Giovanni addressed them, fighting against showing even a slight shiver.

"I do not have to repeat again the importance of this mission," the Team Rocket leader sternly explained to his followers with his arms crossed behind his back. "Operation Atlas must lead to the downfall of Polaris. Otherwise, the odds of Team Rocket's continued survival will become zero, and there will be none left to stand against their plans of destruction."

These words brought a somber wave over those they were directed at. Though the importance of their mission was something they were all aware of, the fact that the time was now at hand ate at their nerves. James couldn't help himself from rocking back and forth slightly as he gripped his arm, while Jessie could feel her hands sweating under her gloves. Pierce remained stone-faced as he often did, but had his fists clenched so tightly his fingers were pressing into his palms. The only one not standing in some level of formality was Ariana, who seemed dazed.

"Now, I will give you your respective assignments for this stage of the mission. Jessie, James, Meowth, you three will be my personal bodyguards." As soon as they heard this task, their eyes brightened. "I plan to enter the Battle Hall tournament as the Gym Leader of Viridian City to provide an alibi and misdirect from what we really plan to do. You three will be planted in the audience to observe the proceedings."

"You got it, Boss!" Meowth beamed in response. "We'll guard you so good not even air gets past!"

"Wouldn't that be a little much?" James sarcastically said to Meowth.

"You know what I meant!"

"It's like what we did at the Battle Arcade, but for the Boss," Jessie realized before confidently adding, "We got this, no problem."

Turning his head, Giovanni next directed, "Pierce, you, Proton and Petrel will go undercover to scout out Central Square, where Polaris's speech will be held tomorrow. See if you can observe and document anything about their movements that may give us an advantage in the battle to come."

"Sir!" all three of them exclaimed at once.

"And finally…" before finishing his statement, Giovanni walked over to stand directly in front of Ariana and stare right into her eyes. "...Ariana, you will stay here with Ada and Trevor to maintain a base of operations. Continue communications with Zager and Rosalie to gather intelligence from RChannel and our satellite."

"Uh, Boss, a-about that…" Ada stuttered. She opened her mouth to say more, but no words came out. Instead, she keyed a command into her laptop, using it to create a holographic projection screen with Zager's face on it a few inches away.

"Zager?" Giovanni wondered. "Why have you contacted us now?"

"You must listen to me," Zager said, his voice filled with urgency. "I have conducted preliminary analysis on the drive retrieved from the Battle Factory. While I must investigate it more to understand what exactly they were doing, Polaris was exploiting the Battle Factory to accrue massive amounts of data on Pokémon battling. I'm not sure what they intend to use it for, but everything - every Pokémon generated, every move used, every battle fought - all of it was recorded and sent to their Adenosine Base for some purpose. And that Adenosine Base… I've figured out where it is."

Zager waited to continue until he saw that all of the assembled Team Rocket members, including Giovanni, were looking at him.

"Based on data in the drive, combined with the likely track that the ship was taking, the Adenosine Base is the Altru Northstar oil rig in the Whirl Islands."

"Are you serious?" Trevor gasped. "There's no way that's possible, right?"

"Someone want to explain what this means?" Jessie demanded.

"Based on this analysis of the ship's course," Ada started to explain, "Zager's guess is likely right. Unless we don't know something, the Altru Northstar is the only facility anywhere in that area that could host laboratories of the kind they'd need. It's a massive oil drilling facility that was built over the Whirl Islands several years ago when a huge deposit was found there. The thing is, while the rig itself was designed by Altru Inc., in order to cut down on overhead costs, they avoided having to send staff all the way from Almia by partnering with the Angel Corporation in a profit-sharing deal. In other words, Altru built it, the Angel Corporation runs it."

"Runs it?" Petrel said. "You mean it was still open?"

"It was… it was never closed."

"Then Polaris may have infiltrated the Angel Corporation at the highest levels," Giovanni decided, "if they're operating a laboratory on that oil rig. We have to acknowledge the possibility that Polaris is much more well funded than we initially thought."

"I'll continue my work," Zager said before the transmission ended.

"That must underline the urgency of our mission," Giovanni told the others with his eyes closed. "We are facing an enemy that may have the power of one of the world's largest corporations in their pocket. If that's the case, we must consider that wherever we go, Polaris has eyes on us. Remember that they are not just a pharmaceutical company. They have their hands in literally every large industry on Earth. We must hit hard and fast. The only way to defeat a giant is to be too small for it to strike. Now, to your respective positions. This will be the most glorious time in Team Rocket history!"

"Hail Giovanni!" they all cried, snapping to attention.

-:-

"All our preparations are in place, Lady Finansielle." Ghetsis's fist shook as he looked up at Finansielle's face on his screen. He loathed addressing her with respect, but he wasn't going to risk his plans to act on his true opinion of her. "Tomorrow is the day. The fire of Polaris's ambition will burn Ecruteak down before spreading to this entire nation!"

"The fire of our ambition or of yours?" Finansielle said, knowing she was taunting him. "Just kidding. What of Team Rocket and those trash terrorists?"

"I do not anticipate Team Rocket giving me much trouble. Even if they try to stage an attack even bigger than the one on Goldenrod, they're dealing with me, not my useless henchmen. As for the Tenganists…" Ghetsis's mouth twisted into a wicked smirk as his eye glittered in the light of the screen. "...I will take great delight in tearing them limb from limb and burning the survivors just as they burned their witches. Let them try their worst on me. I will relish the chance to destroy them all."

Finansielle hesitated before she spoke again, but Ghetsis was too far into his violent fantasy to even notice. "Don't screw it up," she warned, before adding, "Of course, I don't have to tell you that. I know you won't."

At that point, Finansielle disappeared from the screen. Finally free to release his anger, Ghetsis slammed his fist down on the armrest of the chair, then banged his cane against the floor repeatedly.

"Lord Ghetsis!" Darkness interrupted Ghetsis's tantrum, appearing next to him. "Everything's set. We are waiting for your order."

"Excellent. Just one more day and I'll finally get what's mine…"

-:-

Shortly after her conversation with Ghetsis, Finansielle was conferencing with Colress via the video screen on the control panel of his airship.

"I just had some words with Ghetsis," she said. "I don't know if I can rely on him. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"Don't you worry, Lady Finansielle, I'll keep him in line." Colress smiled smugly and pushed up his visor. "Ghetsis is too big for his silly black britches. He only sees one outcome, complete domination in his own name. He fails to see the nobility of our work. Since he considers Pokémon to be nothing but his tools, he doesn't realize what we can really accomplish by drawing out their true strength."

"Remember your role, Colress. You're going there to observe and document everything that happens."

"And I'll be there in just a few minutes to do exactly that. I'll be sure to gather up some fantastic battle data while I'm at it."

-:-

The Prophet was standing outside the entrance to the Sinjoh Ruins cave, her robes and the coat underneath shielding her from the cold. She was with one of her followers, a young woman who wore a robe that matched her flowing, silvery hair.

"You're doing well," the Prophet told her, setting a hand on her shoulder as she remained locked in her Transcendence prayer. "Your power is important to what we're going to do. Tell me what kind of weather we'll be expecting for the operation."

"I… I see cold, I'm sure of that. Cold and… clear… it should be clear…"

The young woman could sustain her focus no longer and collapsed into her leader's arms. The Prophet gently stroked her head.

"That's good. It's more than enough. Go rest up before we have to go."

Jacob appeared in the entrance to the cave just as the follower entered. He looked back at her in confusion, then turned back to the Prophet.

"What was all that about?" he asked, shivering. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Sylpha. She's one of the newest Tenganists I've taken into my protection…" The Prophet looked away from Jacob, unwilling to let him see the shame in her face. "Her village was one of the last Ghetsis destroyed. She's just a kid, she doesn't deserve to be caught up in all this…"

"What were you doing out here, though?"

"Sylpha's Transcendence, we call it 'The Forecaster.' She can see upcoming weather patterns, but because she only recently developed her powers, she can't see beyond a day or two at the most into the future. I needed to know what kind of weather is going to be in Ecruteak City tomorrow, because war is coming between us and Polaris."

"Is there any way I can…"

"No," the Prophet cut him off. "You can't stop me from going through with this. Ghetsis and all of Polaris will pay their price for what they did to me… to us."

"Then let me come along!" Jacob begged.

"Even if I was willing to do that, which I'm not, why would you even want to catch yourself up in all this? You will have to return to prison when this is over to continue serving your time for the murders you committed, yet you're willing to make it worse by joining our terrorist war against Polaris?"

"Look at me," Jacob said, spreading his arms to allow his ragged clothing to drape on his thin body. "I'm an old man. I haven't got long left anyway. I've lived the past sixty years in shame for surviving what happened that day Saeko Oryo swallowed the stone… it should have been Sutter and I, not all those innocent people who died that day. We're the ones who caused everything that happened… it's only right that I do what I can to atone to your people for our actions."

The Prophet stood as still as a statue for several long moments. When she finally moved, she grabbed Jacob by the arm.

"You listen to me," she snapped. She reconsidered her tone, however, and softened her voice to say, "Jacob, listen to me. What happened all those years ago was nobody's fault but the witch Saeko Oryo's. She's the one who carried out the sin of misusing the Jewel of Life… You were just archeologists looking for mythology. You were innocent."

Suddenly, the Prophet giggled softly to herself, leaving Jacob confused.

"What was that? I've never seen you…"

"I was just thinking about how you really are more like Sutter's grandson more than I ever thought. Pay me no mind. Did you send Xatu to Bunny?"

"Some time ago."

When the Prophet looked down from Jacob's face, a realization hit her. "Where are the warmer clothes I left you? Why aren't you wearing them?"

"I looked for them, but they were gone…"

Jacob's response drew a tired grin from the Prophet. "Oh, that. That's the work of a Pokémon that lives here with us. Its powers allow us to hide this place from Polaris, but it likes to play pranks and steal things too. I'll do something, don't worry."

"What kind of Pokémon is that?"

"One I bet you've never seen before. I'll introduce you."

-:-

"So how have your Pokémon been doing?" Amanda's Zoroark appeared in the corner of the videophone screen and rubbed against her leg, prompting her to begin petting the Dark-type.

Disturbed by the noise of the busy Pokémon Center lobby behind him, Matt leaned closer to the screen. "They're well, I just felt like having you send over a few changes. How's everything on your end?"

"I've been making a lot of progress with that Boldore of yours."

"Boldore? What's that?"

Catching her mistake, Amanda giggled. "Manticore, that Roggenrola you sent me that you said was misbehaving? I've been making some good progress with it, and it even evolved into Boldore. That means it got stronger, you know? Oh, and I did some research and found that Boldore can evolve again, into Gigalith. Maybe by the time I send it back to you, it'll have evolved again."

"I'd be happy if you did that," Matt said, reflexively smiling even though he knew Amanda couldn't see him. "How is Anabel, while I'm talking to you?"

"She's…" Amanda's already cloudy expression became even more dim. "She's the same as always. I do what I can to take care of her, but I can't be a replacement for what she wants."

Matt clasped his hands together and leaned forward into them, but did not say anything.

"Anyway, big brother, I've got some classwork to prepare. Have fun at the Battle Hall and give Olivia my best, alright? Oh, before I go, I caught a new Pokémon for you. When you get to Olivine, I'll let you have it. See you."

Amanda hung up the phone on her end of the discussion, causing the video stream to cut off. Matt slouched against the back of his chair, then stood, picked up his bag and began walking toward the other end of the lobby. Olivia, Nekou, Bunny, Monroe and Dante were there, sitting at a table where they were clustered around a television screen.

"Olivia, did you finish setting up your Gym battle?" Matt asked.

"Yeah!" she sharply replied, bringing her finger to her lips before gesturing to the screen.

Following Olivia's guidance, Matt set his eye upon the news broadcast the others were watching. A female reporter was addressing her viewers with a microphone in her hand. Rust-colored trees formed a backdrop for her.

"We're here live in Ecruteak City's Central Square, where the spokesman for the Polaris organization is set to give a speech tomorrow. Now, this is quite a widely anticipated event. Interest in Polaris has increased dramatically in the days following their speech in Goldenrod City, which ended with interference from Team Rocket. The public wants to know the truth behind how Polaris's cause can bring change to Johto, and we'll be there on the front lines as that truth comes out. Right now we've got a supporter of Polaris here who has agreed to speak to us…"

The camera pulled back, allowing a spiky-haired, thick-eyebrowed young man into view alongside the reporter. He was dressed in thick clothing including a heavy coat and boots, all colored in various earthy tones.

As soon as she saw him, Nekou scowled. None of the others noticed her, as they were too invested in paying attention to the broadcast.

"What is your name, and where are you from?"

"I'm Dino, and I'm from Castelia City," the young man replied, putting his gloved hands in his coat pockets.

"Can you tell us about why you support Polaris?"

"Because they're looking out for the little guys like me out there. Believe me, when the only shot you have in life is becoming a trainer, but you have to live from battle to battle, that's an unlivable situation. You just can't survive when you have to decide whether to spend the lousy pocket change you can get from a couple of battles on food or on Poké Balls so you can win more."

"Have you been in that situation before? Is that why you support them?"

"Yes and yes. I had a very difficult life in my hometown. I finally managed to pull myself out and gain some success, but I never could forget how it was growing up, you know? Eventually I learned of Polaris and I came to understand that their cause is something that could have given me a hand up when I needed it. I support them because nobody should have to live the childhood I did."

"Dino, was it? Thank you for your time." The reporter shook Dino's hand, then he disappeared from view as she turned back to face the camera directly. "As you can see, Polaris's ideals have garnered some very real interest, and tomorrow we will learn fully about their goals."

"We don't need to hear the speech," Nekou grumbled to herself. "We already know what Polaris is about…"

"I suggest we get our business done and get out of this city right away," Bunny commented.

Dante tightened his grip on the handle of his cane, slowly turned to the others, and said, "Perhaps it is for the better that you are here right now. Whatever Ghetsis is planning, it is not good. You were the ones who defeated Polaris in Goldenrod City. If anyone can prevent Ghetsis's treachery, it's you."

"Treachery?"

"When Ghetsis was the leader of Team Plasma, he even betrayed his own men," Nekou explained in response to Olivia's question. "He portrayed himself as a wise, kindhearted sage serving their king. In reality, he was manipulating the so-called king for his own interests, and intended to dispose of his entire team save for a few trusted loyalists once he had come to power. His endgame? He wanted to use the mythology of Unova to convince all people to release their Pokémon using the cause of Pokémon liberation, but his true goal was to make himself the only one with any Pokémon and thus the unopposed ruler of the world. Loyalty doesn't mean shit to him. For all we know, he could be planning to turn on Polaris to do it all again."

"I don't understand why they trust him," Dante added. "Perhaps they are using him? Regardless, he is a threat, and I cannot think of anyone better to oppose him than you lot. Like I said at the Battle Cafe, I am convinced of your strength now."

"A-Are you sure that's a good idea?" Monroe nervously questioned. "He's pretty scary…"

"And Nekou can be pretty scary too," Olivia said. "We'll be fine."

"I'd at least try too, you know…" thought Matt, his lip curling slightly.

"But what about you?" Bunny asked of Dante.

"I have work to do here in this Pokémon Center. Gabriella's got me looking into a potential formula for a new medicine she's funding. If it pays off, we could be looking at dramatic process fighting some very real diseases."

"Good luck with that, it's important work." Matt took out and opened his pocketwatch, then looked to the rest of his group. "We have to get going if we're going to visit the Dance Theater before we split up."

Following Matt's direction, Olivia, Monroe, Bunny and Nekou stood and left the table. Dante also followed them, however, much to their surprise.

"I thought you were working here today?"

"Not right this moment, my dear Olivia." A wide grin formed through Dante's beard. "I'm waiting for a very important package to arrive. I can't begin my work without it."

The group of six headed for the exit of the Pokémon Center, finding themselves in agreement on what they would do. When the glass doors slid open in front of them, a gust of cool air blew through, making Matt and Monroe shiver.

"Oh, right," Matt mumbled, his body creaking from the cold. "It's the first day of winter today. I knew I sewed this coat up for a reason…"

A loud snarl suddenly caught their ears, causing the group to freeze just outside the Pokémon Center. It belonged to an Absol that was charging straight toward them, seemingly fixed on causing a collision.

"Watch out!" Bunny cried.

While Bunny and Matt jumped aside, Nekou and Dante both stepped back toward the doors. Monroe attempted to push Olivia out of the way, but despite his efforts, the Absol seemed to alter its course, now targeting Olivia specifically.

"Olivia!" This time, the cry was made from the collected voices of Matt, Nekou and Bunny.

Despite their shock, however, they were powerless to stop the attack. The Absol violently collided with Olivia, and she screamed as she fell backwards with a wide gash on her leg.

"Absol…" the Dark-type Pokémon growled, briefly stopping to turn back and look at its victim. Its horn was stained with blood, which dripped down onto its shaggy white fur.

"You fucker!" Nekou screamed at it.

The Absol simply ignored her, however, and ran off. Seeing no point in giving chase, Matt instead hurried to Olivia's side and leaned down.

"I've got bandages in my bag. Are you going to be alright?"

"I…" Olivia was shaking, but she fought to compose herself. "Screw it, I don't care. Just cover that."

-:-

Ariana was slouched in the back of Team Rocket's car, sipping coffee and eating doughnuts, while Ada worked on her laptop under Trevor's observation.

"That kid on the broadcast," Trevor said, "I know him. He's a known associate of Team Plasma."

"I don't have a feed here. Who is it?"

In response to Zager's question, Ada keyed in a command that made several data windows including a photograph appear on her screen.

"H-his name is Dino," she said.

"Oh, hell, are you serious?" Zager choked. "I didn't anticipate them bringing in actual troops."

"Want to cut me in on what you're talking about?" Ariana interrupted.

"This kid was a member of Team Plasma back in the old days of the war in Unova," Trevor explained. "He was a typical Castelia street rat, grew up poor and was in and out of the clink for petty crimes. Most of the time I'd pity someone like that, but when he was looking at a three year bid for one too many burglary charges, Ghetsis sprang him and enlisted him into Team Plasma."

"H-He fit the profile," Ada stammered, furthering the story. "Ghetsis was looking for recruits susceptible to his ideology. Young, poor and angry at the world… he was an ideal soldier for the cause. Ghetsis fixed him up and set him off on the Unova League path as an undercover agent, and he even made the semifinals of the Vertress Conference."

"In other words," Rosalie piped up from her own window, "not a guy we want to mess with. If Ghetsis is gathering what remains of his loyal following from back then, he's not just planning a speech. He's planning a revolution in the streets of Ecruteak, probably not just against us but against Polaris too."

-:-

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ghetsis fumed, slamming his cane on the floor as he looked up at the news broadcast with Dino's image. "They sent him? That's the trainer Athleta decided to send?"

"Lord Ghetsis…" Darkness quietly said, standing near Ghetsis's chair with his brothers flanking him.

"This is a direct challenge to my authority!" Ghetsis didn't even hear his follower addressing him beneath his shouting. "Taking a former adherent of Team Plasma, filling his head with all that trash Father teaches and turning him against me? I will not stand for this!"

"You don't have to, Lord Ghetsis." This time, Darkness's voice was louder and more assertive. "Shall we take him out?"

Breathing deeply, Ghetsis gripped his cane so tightly it nearly cracked in his hand. "No. No, not yet. Let him live for today. It will send a message to watch him be caught up in my flames tomorrow."

"Of course, Lord Ghetsis."

-:-

The Dance Hall, situated just north of the Pokémon Center, was a building constructed in the style of a bygone era. Elegant paper lanterns hung outside, while lamps lit the interior with a warm, golden glow.

An audience of several people was sitting on cushions in front of a wooden stage. On the stage, five young women dressed in kimonos of varying colors observed as two similarly-clothed trainers faced off. Avril was one of them, and the other had thick, brown pigtails.

"Staryu, Flash Cannon!" Avril called out to the starfish Pokémon standing before her.

"Eevee, please use Quick Attack!" her opponent countered.

The Eevee began dashing toward Staryu, weaving back and forth to avoid the bursts of light it shot at him. Before he could collide with his target, however, Staryu managed to catch him and knock him back.

"Alright, Staryu, bring that Eevee down! You know what to do!"

With Eevee close in its sights, Staryu had a perfect vantage point for its attack. It needed no further prompting from its trainer to know what to do. Eevee was engulfed by the stream of bubbles Staryu sent out; they harshly battered his body as they pushed him back, and when the assault finally ended, he let out a soft, weak cry before collapsing.

"This battle has concluded," the sister in the blue kimono calmly announced. "The challenger Avril has defeated our apprentice Furisode Girl."

"We did it, Staryu!" Avril cheered. She allowed her Pokémon to leap into her arms, where it happily chattered back at her. "Scratch this stop off the list. I can't wait to…" When Avril turned her head to the spectators, she saw Olivia watching with Monroe and the others save for Dante. "Well, speak of the devil."

While the Eevee trainer she'd just beaten left the stage, Avril jumped down to confront Olivia. As soon as the two girls locked eyes, their faces twisted into nearly identical scowls.

"Look what the Meowth dragged in," Avril taunted. "Sitting at the big kids' lunch table yet?"

"Yu!" Staryu sharply added, wriggling around in Avril's arms as if it was laughing.

"Oh, stuff it," Olivia replied. "I have two Badges now, so take that attitude and…"

"Just two?" Avril couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I have four! Violet, Azalea, Goldenrod, Ecruteak… all of them!"

As Olivia shrank back, embarrassed by the way her cockiness had backfired, Monroe took a step forward.

"C-come on, Avril," he stuttered. "Let's not take this too far…"

"I'm just teasing your girlfriend here." Avril put her hands on her hips and smirked as both her brother and Olivia flushed. After a moment, she turned back to Olivia. "All that aside, I owe you an apology, you. I didn't mean to do what I did at the Gym with your dad."

Olivia slouched and her lip began quivering, but she forced a brave face. "Whatever. I believe you, I guess."

"Avril, what are you doing here?" Matt asked, looking to change the subject. "If you already got Ecruteak Gym's Badge…"

"Everyone has to see the Dance Hall when they visit Ecruteak, of course. I came here after the Gym because…" Avril hesitated, her words becoming stuck in her throat. "...well, Olivine's Gym Leader makes me nervous. I don't know if I can beat her yet, so I had to get stronger."

"I'd say you're on the right track, then!" a cheerful voice intervened.

The man who had interrupted the conversation approached the group from across the room, his hands tucked snugly inside the pockets of his cream-colored dress pants. Clinging to his side was the Furisode Girl who Avril had just beaten. Matt, Olivia and the others quickly guessed that the two were related, owing to the man's slightly unkempt hair matching hers in color.

"You said your name was Avril, right? I like how you're able to battle and still keep an emotional connection to your Pokémon. I could tell that Staryu trusts you." Tapping the girl on the shoulder, he asked, "Audrey, don't you agree?"

"My brother's right…" she quietly said. "I think Eevee could tell, too."

Matt stared at the man and adjusted his glasses. "Wait, haven't I seen your face somewhere before?"

"Oh, probably," he said with a chuckle. "I'm sorry I was rude, let me introduce myself. The name's Bill, and this is my little sister Audrey."

"Hi…" Audrey nervously added.

"She's a little shy," Bill confessed, smiling.

"Doesn't bother me." Olivia extended a hand to Audrey and said, "I'm Olivia."

Audrey hesitated at first, but eventually met Olivia's offer with a weak handshake. Bill smiled as he watched his sister.

"That's good, Audrey. It's important to make friends when you become a trainer. Nobody can always do everything alone." Suddenly feeling obligated to explain his words to the others, Bill elaborated to them, "Audrey just started out as a trainer, and she hasn't really found her calling, so she's been practicing here."

"Our mom was a Kimono Girl a long time ago," Audrey piped up, "so I became an apprentice Furisode Girl…"

"So your mom was someone important too? Mine is the Frontier Society's commissioner…"

When she heard what Olivia said, Audrey's eyes brightened. "So you're really strong, then? Can I see your Pokémon?"

"Olivia, we don't have time right now," Matt informed her. "We're already a little behind."

"Isn't it wonderful when people can be brought together? I want Audrey to really understand how important it is to connect with others, so I'm happy we met." Turning to Matt, Bill asked, "And why have you come here, Matt? Are you friends with Avril?"

"I don't know if I'd say that…" Matt said, laughing nervously to himself. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

"I'd be hard pressed to think of a scientist who doesn't know your name, Matt." In an instant, Bill's face had begun to glow just as his younger sister's was. "It's quite a wonder, the mixture of man and machine. I've been fascinated by how it could be made real ever since I read about it in the scientific journals. It's something I never thought I'd see outside of movies… I mean, sure, I've worked on developing conversion of living matter into data and transferring it long distances electronically, but there's always something to be said for the first look at a new innovation, wouldn't you agree?"

Matt's eyebrow and hands were twitching as he took a shaky step back. While he appreciated Bill's enthusiasm, it was overwhelming for him to deal with.

"Y...yeah, I s-suppose. I… I came here to talk to the Kimono Girls about an old legend."

"Unfortunately, we will be unable to provide you with that service today." The blue-clad Kimono Girl had walked to the edge of the stage and overheard the conversation. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kuni, the oldest sister of the five Kimono Girls. I am in charge of this theater."

"My name is Matt," he replied, "and these are my friends Nekou and Bunny, my student Olivia, and her friend Monroe. We…" Matt blinked, having noticed something wrong. "Wait, where's Dante?"

"I'm right here!" Having just arrived, Dante crossed the room to join the others as fast as his aged legs would let him. A Xatu was alongside him. "Sorry, I had to run back to the Pokémon Center and take care of something with much haste. Have I missed much?"

"Apparently we're not hearing about the Oberon legend today." Matt said with a shrug.

Kuni's eyes widened slightly when she heard Matt mention the Oberon. "So that is what you wish to learn about? Very well, that is something we can tell you. However, we are going to need some time to prepare. Please bear with us and return tomorrow."

Looking again at his pocketwatch, Matt decided, "That's not a bad idea. We've got other things to do today anyway. We'll return, I promise."

While the others were talking, the Xatu that followed Dante approached Bunny and began pecking her arm. Once he had her attention, he gestured with his wing to a small pouch slung around him.

"Xatu…" Bunny said out loud. She gasped when she realized what the Pokémon's presence meant, then immediately snatched a piece of paper from within the pouch.

"Bunny?" Matt asked. "What's going on?"

"This is Jacob's Xatu," she hurriedly said, fumbling with the letter. "He must have sent this to me."

"What does it say?"

As a response to Nekou's question, Bunny began to read the letter aloud.

"Bunny, my dear Bunny, I can only pray with every ounce of life left in these old bones that this letter reaches you safely. I am one of two survivors of the bombing of the Magnet Train; the other is your detective friend, Looker. We are currently being held in an unknown location by a radical band of Tenganist terrorists, but they have gone out of their way to heal us and make us comfortable. They claim that we were not the target of their bombing, that they had been intending to bomb a train carrying cargo for Polaris. I do not know if this is the truth yet, but I feel I can trust them.

You must be extremely careful. Polaris is planning something terrible, and it appears that it involves the mythology of the Tenganists. I cannot do my own investigation right now, so I must rely on you. I know you will turn your nose up at that proposal, but I beg you, please listen to me. You must find out what the secret of the Coronet Rosary is."

"The Coronet Rosary…?" Kuni uttered in shock.

"You know about it?" Bunny quickly asked.

"It is a forbidden part of Tenganist mythology." Kuni's eyes had become cold. She spoke in a flat voice as she looked down on the group from the stage. "We will tell you nothing. If you want to find anything about it, go to the Burned Tower."

With that, Kuni turned and stormed off, her sisters following closely behind her. Bunny, Matt and the others looked at each other, trying to make sense of her sudden anger.

"The Coronet Rosary?" Bill wondered, rubbing his chin. "I wonder if our mother knew anything about it. Maybe her old Tenganist artifacts had something on it. Anyway, what will you be doing now?"

"I'll go to the Burned Tower, I guess." Bunny turned her head as she made this announcement, settling her gaze on the collapsed tower visible in the distance.

"Bunny, I'm going with you," Nekou reflexively said, prompting Bunny to sigh.

"Guess I have a companion, huh?" she thought.

"I'm going off to the Battle Hall with Dante," Matt revealed.

"May I come along with you?" requested Bill. "My older sister, Mako, she's competing there today. I'd like to see her."

"Sure. The more the merrier, I guess."

"Hey, Audrey," Olivia addressed her new friend, "How'd you like to come with Monroe and me to the Gym? You might have fun watching me."

"That does sound pretty fun, actually…" A small smile worked its way onto Audrey's face.

Olivia left the Dance Hall with Audrey and Monroe at that point. Avril, having nothing else to do, followed them. Bunny and Nekou departed next, but before they did, Bunny used a Poké Ball in Xatu's pouch to claim ownership of the Psychic-and-Flying-type Pokémon. Matt, Dante and Bill went last.

Avril spent the next few minutes trailing behind her brother, Audrey and Olivia as they walked to the west, toward the Gym. At first, there was no conversation between any of them, so the still, cold air remained quiet.

"I know you're there," Olivia suddenly said, even though she didn't turn her head to look at Avril. "What do you want?"

At first, Avril opened her mouth, but no words came out. When she did manage to speak, she uttered, "Checking out the competition. I'd have to be crazy to not stay up on what you're doing."

"I thought I wasn't as good as you because I only have two Badges," Olivia shot back, grinning.

"When you don't stay on top of threats, they get out of control on you!" Avril protested.

"Things always like this?" Audrey asked Monroe, the two of them having started to trail back when Avril and Olivia's bickering began.

"She can be mean sometimes, but…" Monroe pushed his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground. "I wouldn't give her up. We learned to live with each other, the two of us and our older sister Helena. Our dad's away for work several times a year, so we have to take care of each other."

"Kind of… that kind of reminds me of me," Audrey quietly said as she hunched over slightly. "My brother and sister are really neat people but they're busy a lot. When I even get to go shopping with them it's nice."

While Monroe and Audrey talked to each other, Olivia and Avril had continued their arguing.

"Did you even bother to reserve your battle?" Avril snapped. "This Gym makes you…"

"Of course I did," Olivia countered. "You think I'm stupid? I know what I'm doing!"

Audrey and Monroe could only watch as Olivia and Avril crossed their arms and turned their heads away from each other.

-:-

While Ada continued working on her laptop to analyze the streams of information she was receiving, Trevor and Ariana were talking to each other in the back of the car.

"I'm worried about telling her," Ariana said, rocking back and forth on her seat. "Do you think she'll be able to keep going?"

"I know I have faith in her," Trevor replied. He stared intently into Ariana's widened eyes, emphasizing every one of his words. "Nekou's tough, you know that."

"She's only tough because I made her that way." Ariana's lip quivered the entire time she offered her counter to Trevor's words. "She needs the source of her strength."

Ada, having been eavesdropping on the conversation, silently biting her lip and glaring at them through lowered eyes. She was brought back to attention, however, when Pierce suddenly appeared on her laptop.

"Executive Ariana!" he boomed. "Trevor, Ada!"

"What?" Ariana wearily groaned. "What happened?"

"We have a problem. Dino is not the only member of Team Plasma Ghetsis has brought in here. We spotted that girl he used to use in his speeches."

"You mean that one who had a different story every time he trotted her out?" Ariana asked, concentrating on the subject as much as she could.

"T-that's her," Ada confirmed. "We don't know who she is or where she came from, so we call her Lucky, the name Ghetsis used to refer to her. All we could figure out is that she's a real believer in his cause, so much so that he used her as a supporter of his ideals in his speeches."

"If she's here too," Trevor added, "then Ghetsis is really going all out. This is where he's making his stand."

Ada pressed her fingers into her forehead. "How should we handle this? What do we do?"

"Keep up your observation of Central Square," Ariana directed Pierce, taking a deep breath part of the way through the sentence. "I don't expect Ghetsis to make any moves today, but be vigilant."

"Roger."

Once Pierce ended his contact with Ada's computer, Ariana slouched on her seat and shut her eyes.

-:-

A huge, tent-like building north of the Pokémon Center and Dance Hall towered over the rest of Ecruteak's eastern half. The modern structure stood out like a sore thumb amidst its rustic surroundings, its mismatched presence made even more noticeable by the multicolored spotlights surrounding it. A digital billboard expressing welcome to those visiting the Battle Hall was displayed next to a line of sliding glass entry doors.

While scores of spectators cycled in, the competing trainers awaited the beginning of the tournament in a posh lounge just outside the arena. Nando and several others were seated at a bar, while Colress lurked in a corner, leaning against the wall. Giovanni watched the scientist warily, using his fedora to hide his glare.

Another of the tournament's trainers was a certain red-haired young man. When he came through the doorway, he saw Giovanni and almost instantly became overcome with rage. He approached his father with slow, deliberate steps, each one accompanied by an intensifying of his angry memories.

"You!" Silver growled, causing his father to abruptly turn around. "Showing your face here… how could you?!"

"You're as misbehaved as ever, Silver," Giovanni coldly replied. "You must learn when to pick your fights. Now is a bad time for your agenda."

Clenching his fists so tightly that his arms shook, Silver threatened, "I see plenty of people around me who had trouble from your gang. All of us against you. You like those odds, old man?"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Putting his hands in his pockets, Giovanni continued, "There are people in this room that I guarantee you would stand with me against."

"Do you want to bet money on it?" the red-haired young man sneered.

"Perhaps another time, I would."

While Giovanni and Silver's argument unfolded, Matt had entered the lounge. After taking a quick look around, he sat down at the bar next to Nando and quietly ordered a drink.

"So how did your visit to the Dance Hall go?" the minstrel asked. He had altered his appearance with makeup to thicken his eyelashes, along with wearing a golden shoulder plate and a feather in his hat. "I am sure that the Kimono Girls were able to tell you what you needed."

"Not yet," Matt glumly replied, staring into the bar. "They told me they needed a day to prepare."

"I see," Nando said. He calmly strummed the strings of the larger harp he carried, modeled on a pair of Mew instead of just one. "Perhaps I will be able to join you tomorrow then."

"I think that can be arranged."

While Matt and Nando spoke, Dino entered the room and quietly walked to Colress, striking up a hushed conversation.

Moments later, Matt felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. He found himself being addressed by a young woman wearing a dark gray, buttoned-up top and matching skirt, both of which bore purple accent lines. Her dark boots went up to her knees, where long socks took over the rest of the way up her legs.

Recognizing the girl for the brown hair that spilled from under her cream-colored hat and her slight yet warm smile,, Matt said, "You know, I shouldn't be surprised you're here."

"Well met, Miss Trista," Nando added. "It is good to see you again. I hope we get to battle once more."

"I'd enjoy battling you both here," Trista said, before lowering her voice and gesturing to the still-arguing Giovanni and Silver. Despite what she was speaking of, her voice remained somewhat flat, as if she was bored. "Isn't that the boss of Team Rocket, though? You know, the one who attacked the Indigo Plateau while we were there?"

Matt squinted at Giovanni. The angle he was at didn't afford him a good view, but he managed to come around quickly. "Yeah, it is, I think. What's he doing here?"

"He's still the Viridian City Gym Leader," Trista mused, lowering his eyes in disappointment. "I'm guessing he's using that as an excuse. You would think they'd figure him out by now."

Feeling his heart sinking, Matt rubbed his chin and whispered, "But why did he come here? He didn't come here as a Gym Leader, you know that as well as I do. What's he really after?"

Before they could come to a conclusion on Giovanni's motives, still another Gym Leader approached them. Though he'd traded his traditional clothing for a dark brown leather pilot's jacket, Falkner still wore his hair over his right eye, and Matt immediately recognized him as a result.

"Imagine, seeing you here!" the Violet Gym Leader greeted Matt. He had his hands planted deeply into his pockets, carrying himself with a casual attitude. As a result, he fit in well with the ordinary trainers around him, instead of standing out as a Gym Leader. "I assume these are friends of yours, then?"

"Yeah," Matt answered, smiling as he relaxed his body slightly. "Trista and Nando, they're both old friends I met years ago who do both Gym battles and Contests."

"Interesting. I hope when I go back home to Violet City you'll come visit my Gym."

"You're away right now?" Trista asked. "For more than just this tournament, I mean."

"Yeah," Falkner replied with a short nod. "I decided to close my Gym for a while and resume training on the road to make my Flying-type Pokémon even stronger. Speaking of which, Matt, where is Olivia?"

"She's off at Ecruteak's Gym now."

"Morty's a tough Gym Leader. I hope she's up to the challenge."

-:-

Ecruteak Gym was an odd entity within the city. Neither modern nor rustic, it held a strange charm all its own. Its appearance, based on an old mansion, left Olivia feeling slightly nervous as she approached with Monroe, Audrey and Avril. A bead of sweat rolled down her face despite the chill in the air.

"Not exactly a welcoming place, is it?" she said out loud, her voice shaking.

"What's the matter, you scared?" Avril taunted her.

Olivia's face flushed. "No, I'm not scared at all!" she shouted. Despite her protestations, however, she knew Avril was at least somewhat right. The Gym menaced her, and the dirt under her feet crunched as she rocked slightly back and forth.

"This is a weird Gym," Monroe said to interrupt Olivia's fearful thoughts. "A lot of people have so much trouble here, yet others… well, I had a pretty easy time, at least."

"Well I guess we're not getting anything done just standing around." Olivia took out her Pokégear and gestured to the others. "Come here. I want to take a picture."

Avril complied along with her brother and their new friend, but as she approached she asked, "Taking a picture? For what?"

"I decided I'm going to record as much as I can about what I'm doing," Olivia explained, her tone becoming wistful as she thought about her memories. "I want to make a lot of new things worth remembering, so I don't have to live with the old ones anymore."

"That's a cool idea…" Audrey quietly said.

The group lined up with each other, pushing close enough to all fit on the Pokégear's camera. Audrey was the most eager to get in the picture, while Monroe and Avril hesitated at first due to embarrassment, albeit over different reasons.

After taking the picture, Olivia smiled, took a deep breath to build her resolve and stepped forcefully toward the Gym's entrance. To move the heavy wood doors she had to push with as much strength as she could muster against their golden handles. They slowly opened accompanied by loud creaking, eventually giving way to allow Olivia and the others inside.

Beyond the doorway, a dark parlor greeted them. Their steps were absorbed by the soft, blood-red rug running straight from the door to the far wall, where a large painting was hung over an unlit fireplace. There was a single door flanking each side of the fireplace.

A shiver ran down Olivia's body, and she crossed her arms to ward it off. It wasn't the air in the Gym that was cold, it was the gaze of the many portraits lining the walls. Though they all were just works of art, she felt as if the men and women on the canvases were watching her every move.

"It sure feels like a Ghost-type Gym…" Olivia nervously murmured, recalling Nando's words regarding it.

All of a sudden, a voice filled the room. "So you've come at last…"

Startled by the abrupt shattering of the silence in the Gym, Olivia screamed and jumped back. Audrey flinched, too, but Avril and Monroe just looked at each other and smiled.

"Don't worry about that," Monroe said in an attempt to calm Olivia down. "It's nothing. He did it to Avril and I too."

A man with blonde hair barely kept orderly by a purple headband had appeared on the video screen over the fireplace, its masquerade as a painting no longer necessary. He looked down on his guests with lazy, half-closed eyes and cracked a slight smile.

"Welcome back, Avril, Monroe," he said, his voice breathy and calm. "I see you've brought your friend for her battle, just as you said you would." Both Monroe and Avril flushed when the man revealed that they'd called Olivia their friend to him. "Olivia, it's good to see you here as well. I have been looking forward to seeing you since you made your appointment. Let's formalize this. I'm Morty, the Gym Leader of Ecruteak City's Gym. It is said that a rainbow-colored Pokémon will appear to a strong trainer that fights for justice. That's a myth of this city. I grew up listening to it, so I've trained my Ghost-type Pokémon to become strong enough to fight for the people here. What do you think? Do you have such an ideal in mind, Olivia?"

"I'm still figuring it out," Olivia admitted, lowering her head. "The thing is, no matter what it is I end up doing, I want it to be something that my dad would have been proud of if he was still around. You know that Polaris gang that's been on the news a lot lately? I want to stand up against them and prevent them from ruining what my dad would have wanted."

"That's admirable, your courage. I admit, I've been a bit concerned about Polaris as well. Their campaign has been roiling Ecruteak City for some time now. I have respect for someone like you who is willing to stand up against such a force. If it comes to such, I will need allies to stand alongside me against them. Let's get started and find out if you possess that potential, shall we?"

"Alright!" Olivia agreed, her mood brightening considerably.

"Very well. Monroe, Avril, and…"

"Audrey," Bill's sister identified herself.

"...Audrey, hello. You three remain in the parlor and watch Olivia battle on the screen. Olivia, what you must do to reach me is this: in each of the rooms ahead of you, one of my Pokémon awaits. You will have a one-on-one fight with that Pokémon, then, whether you win or lose, you must go to another room and fight another Pokémon with a new Pokémon of your own. You can't reuse a Pokémon until you've used all three. If you can beat two rooms before losing all three of your Pokémon, you may bring all of your remaining Pokémon to go against my Gengar in the grand hall. Do you understand?"

Olivia took a moment to absorb all the directions Morty had given her, then nodded.

"Excellent. One additional rule… based on the Pokémon you informed me you possess when making your appointment today, I have equipped each room to contain an item or prize that you can use to make the fight easier. If you find yourself struggling, you should seek it out during the fight."

"Alright, thanks."

"So let us begin. Olivia, on your left is the doorway to the armory room, and on your right is the greenhouse. Choose your path, challenger. I wish you luck."

-:-

A sellout crowd packed the Battle Hall's arena, surrounding the stage that played host to its battlefield. Four rows from the front, Dante and Bill sat side-by-side. While the former sat and stared dispassionately at the stage, Bill fidgeted nervously. The deafening noise of the crowd around him irritated his nerves.

The assembled audience went silent, however, when the lights went down in the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Frontier Society's Battle Hall!" an announcer declared. "One of the toughest tournaments in the entire Frontier Society is about to get underway. Here as your guide to this monumental event is the Frontier Brain of the Battle Hall, our very own Hall Matron, Kate!"

Several huge spotlights illuminated a figure standing in the doorway below the arena's massive video screen, and the crowd immediately began cheering more loudly than ever. After striking a pose, the violet-haired woman swaggered down the catwalk connecting the passageway to the stage. The lights glittered against her red clothing and polished black boots.

"Welcome, welcome to you all!" Kate beamed once she reached center stage. "Yes, as you just heard, what you are about to witness is one of the greatest shows the Frontier Society can present. In just a few minutes, sixteen trainers will face off in a sudden death showdown to determine who can stand at the top. Sixteen trainers, sixteen types of Pokémon… only one of them will have the star power to make it through the fray and stand before me to conquer this facility. Aren't you ready to find out who it will be?"

Following a resounding cheer from the crowd, Kate turned around and faced the video screen. Almost immediately, Dante spotted something and leaned forward on his cane.

"Bill, look at that," he said, pointing forward. "On her headset."

Indeed, there was something embedded in the left-hand headphone of Kate's headset. It was a circular, blue-and-yellow object bearing a double helix pattern within it.

Bill had to squint to see it, but when he did, he gasped. "A Key Stone, right? Doesn't that mean she can…"

"Mega Evolution," Dante confirmed. "I had heard a rumor that there was a Frontier Brain capable of using it. Now only to find out what Pokémon it is that she's accomplished it with."

"I've never seen a Mega Evolution before!" Bill cheerfully said, his nerves having melted away thanks to his enthusiasm. "I mean, I only just started learning about it, but the whole idea of a Pokémon temporarily evolving even further is exciting, don't you think? I always was fascinated by Eevee but this just takes it to a whole other level."

"You sure seem into it, my friend," Dante joked.

"Take a look at our big board!" Kate urged the crowd. On the screen, mugshots of the trainers for the tournament were displayed, along with tags reading different types. "As you can see, sixteen types, all there for the taking. Each type designates at least one type of that trainer's sole Pokémon. Are you ready to begin?" When her question was answered by a mighty cheer, she continued, "Alright, that's the answer I wanted to hear! Let's shuffle them all up and see who will be facing who in the first round!"

While the crowd's noise level lowered to a consistent murmur, the portraits on the screen flipped over and began to mix around. After several seconds, they stopped and turned back over, posting the trainers in eight pairs.

Matt and Dino, tagged with the Psychic and Ghost types respectively, were paired together. Nando and his Grass-type were slated to battle Trista and her Dragon-type, while Colress, Falkner, Giovanni and Silver were placed into their own matches against other trainers.

"And there we have it, everyone!" Kate boomed, turning back to face the crowd. "The last man standing at the end of this will face me in a championship match. There's a lot of battling to get done, so let's get to meet our first two competitors! Hailing from Goldenrod City and representing the Electric type, Mako!"

Kate gestured toward the right side of the stage, where a woman was approaching via another catwalk. Her dark brown, gold-lined coat flowed elegantly around her slacks just above her tall boots. She carried herself with calm, fluid motions that gave her an almost otherworldly air.

"Go for it, Mako!" Bill called out to his sister from his seat. "I know you can win!"

Mako flashed her brother a brief smile as she stepped into her box on the stage. Once she was in position, Kate turned around and stretched her arm toward the opposite pathway.

"Opposing Mako and her Electric-type Pokémon is the representative of the Ice-type, hailing from Mossdeep City, Abner!"

When the lights shined on the left-hand catwalk, a shaggy-haired, unshaven man wearing hiking clothes and a huge yellow backpack appeared in the doorway. He stood for a moment and smiled smugly, bathing in the audience's praise. Though he took his time, he eventually joined Kate and Mako on the stage.

"Oi, a real cutie for my first fight, it looks like?" After winking at Mako, he continued, "I ain't gonna be going easy on you, nope, not at all. Try not to let yourself get too hurt!"

"Some real trash talk from Abner!" Kate shouted, deliberately stoking the playful hostility between the two trainers. "Does Mako have something to say about that?"

Mako reached up and clutched her necklace, then closed her eyes. "I'm not too worried about getting hurt," she calmly said.

"Mako's showing real confidence, but who will be the one to stand on top?" Kate thrust her hand into the air and cried out, "Let the battle begin!"

"Froslass, let's go!" Abner announced, throwing the Poké Ball he'd taken from his backpack.

After drawing out her own Poké Ball, Mako extended her arm in a fluid motion, causing the bracelets she was wearing to tap against each other. She took a deep breath, then threw the ball and called out, "Jolteon, let's win this!"

Once they had appeared from their respective capsules, Jolteon and Froslass took time to carefully examine each other. Jolteon lowered himself nearer to the ground and slowly circled toward his opponent, who was forced to drift in the opposite direction to avoid letting him get an opening against her.

"Defense and then offense should win the day, Froslass. Hail!"

Mako smirked. "Snow Cloak, as I thought. Looks like I'm going to need some fortune of my own. Jolteon, Thunderbolt!"

Froslass spread her arms, and a soft white aura surrounded her. Clouds began to form above the battlefield, but before anything could happen, Jolteon unleashed a blast of electricity from his body and shocked her. She lost her focus as she reeled back in midair, her once-gentle cry twisting into a distressed shriek.

"Jolteon strikes first with a devastating Thunderbolt!" the announcer boomed over the crowd's cheering. As Froslass sank to the floor, her body convulsing from the electric shock, he added, "And it appears that Froslass has been stricken by paralysis!"

"F-Froslass…" Abner stumbled.

"And now I call check." Mako thrust her arm forward. Her bracelets hit each other once more, and the spotlights glistened on the ring she wore. "Shadow Ball!"

With a sharp growl, Jolteon leapt into the air. A dark, glowing sphere took shape in front of his mouth, and by shaking his head, he flung it straight down at Froslass's prone body. It exploded when it made contact with Froslass, and when the smoke from the blast faded, the Ice-and-Ghost-type Pokémon was sprawled face-down on the stage.

"Froslass is unable to battle!" Kate announced. "The winners of this battle are Mako and Jolteon!"

The crowd erupted into raucous cheering once more, so loud that Bill didn't notice Dante speaking to him until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"What…?"

"I said your sister really is impressive. After that, I want to see her and Matt go at it. I'd bet on her, though."

Mako and Abner shook hands at center stage, their Pokémon at their sides. He hastily scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed to her, and as they separated to leave the arena, she tucked it into a pocket inside her coat.

"That was just the kind of battle we needed to start this tournament out, I'd say," Kate cheerfully said to the audience. "What do you say we kick it up even further? Huh?" When her question was met with deafening cheers, her smile widened. "Alright, let's go for it! Up next we have two trainers who have also met several times on the field of Pokémon Contests. They've both had their share of glory against each other, but which of them will stand on top this time? Introducing the representative of the Grass type, from Alamos Town, Nando! And against him, hailing from Whitegold City and carrying the Dragon type, Trista!"

Nando and Trista entered the arena from opposite ends; while she carried herself with a hardened determination that reflected on her face, he was simply smiling in the same gentle manner he usually had. His mind was still on the battle, though, it just manifested itself in the tight grip he had on his giant harp.

"So we meet in combat once more, Trista," he calmly said, his eyes closed. "I look forward to seeing how our battle will turn out."

Trista took a wide stance and leaned forward, never taking her eyes away from her opponent. "I'm going to beat you this time, I'll warn you now."

"I hoped to hear that from you." Slowly opening his eyes, Nando quietly but firmly added, "Go all out. I will as well."

"It's time to can the talk and get to fighting!" Kate thrust her hand into the air, then sharply brought it down. "Battle begin!"

Nando pulled a soft note from his harp, then removed a Poké Ball from his bag. "Roserade, make your entrance!"

The light from Nando's Poké Ball broke apart like fireworks, providing fanfare for Roserade as he took shape on the field. He held his arms in a cross in front of himself and stood perfectly still with his eyes closed, serenely waiting for the Pokémon he would face.

"When I saw you in the Grass category, I thought you'd be using Roserade," Trista said, her face rigid. "I came prepared. Dorothy, let's go!"

A Kingdra appeared from the Poké Ball Trista threw, floating just above the floor as if she was in her natural water habitat. She looked down on Roserade with cold eyes; the two had met before, and they shared a mutual sense of competition against each other.

-:-

Meanwhile, as the Battle Hall's first round had begun to unfold, Olivia's challenge of Ecruteak Gym had also begun. She had taken the left-hand door, which led to the mansion's armory. As a result, she found herself against Morty's Yamask, a Pokémon that resembled a small black ghost attached to a golden mask. While her Minccino sprinted around the room, using the many suits of armor scattered around as cover from Yamask's Will-O-Wisp attacks, Olivia was frantically searching the furniture.

"It seems we're at a stalemate here, Olivia," Morty commented, his face displayed on a screen much like the one in the parlor. "Yamask can only do residual damage to Minccino, but Minccino can stay away from Yamask. On the other hand, though, if you don't get close, you can't damage Yamask either. What will you do?"

"You said…" Olivia was interrupted when she pulled a drawer on an old desk open, sending a cloud of dust into her face. She coughed several times before finally saying, "You said there was something in here that would help me win!"

"I didn't lie. You only have to find it." After waiting a moment to allow Olivia to continue her search, Morty moved closer to the camera transmitting his image. "Yamask, continue using Will-O-Wisp!"

Olivia could hear Minccino's frantic cries behind her, accompanied by the noise of the armor as it crashed down around the Pokémon. She knew that Minccino wouldn't be able to run forever.

"Hold on, Minccino, just a little longer…" she thought. Sweat rolled down her face as she moved on to search the chest next to the desk, even though the air in the Gym carried a strong chill. "I'll get you out of this… just hold on…"

In spite of Olivia's determination, however, the chest contained nothing but another cloud of dust. She pulled her head back in time to avoid inhaling it. The noise of Yamask chasing Minccino forced her to quickly turn around in order to figure out what she was dealing with, but as she watched the pursuit, a glint from an empty flower pot across the room caught her eye.

Olivia reflexively raised her brows, and a glitter filled her eyes. "Minccino, run to where I am now! Just keep dodging Yamask a little longer!"

Minccino looked toward Olivia, and after responding with an energetic cry, turned sharply in her direction. One of Yamask's Will-O-Wisps just barely missed her head, breaking apart the armor it hit. Olivia deftly danced around the combat, weaving her way past the flying flames and rushing Pokémon, reaching the pot within seconds.

When she reached inside, the only thing she felt was an egg-shaped object. A chill ran up her arm when her hand grazed it, but she still didn't hesitate to pull it out.

It was a transparent stone that glowed brightly from within. As she realized what it was, Olivia's eyes widened, and the stone's brilliance glowed in them.

"Ah, well done!" Morty praised her. "I see you found the Shiny Stone I left for you. You passed the test, so go ahead and use it." Moving his head slightly, he directed, "Yamask, back off for a minute."

"Ya," the Ghost-type Pokémon answered, floating back as he had been told to.

"Minccino, you know what this means, right?" Olivia asked, her voice radiating with excitement. She was clutching the stone so tightly her knuckles were whitening. "Now we can step up to the…"

Locking eyes with Minccino gave Olivia pause, and she stopped walking toward the Pokémon.

"If I force Minccino into this..." she thought, her mind suddenly locking up. "That would be wrong. Herdier and Dewott, when they evolved, it was up to them. I have no right to take that choice away from Minccino…"

Minccino stared at Olivia, gasping for breath as she recovered her strength. She knew what her trainer was holding and understood its purpose. What puzzled, her, though, was the fact that Olivia wasn't using it. She asked herself in her mind why Olivia was hesitating, why she couldn't see just how badly Minccino wanted to take Yamask down.

Olivia was lost in thought until she felt a tug on her leg. When she looked down, she saw Minccino climbing up her body, fixated on the stone. Minccino climbed onto her arm, grabbed her hand before she could react, and pulled the stone from her grasp.

By the time Minccino reached the floor again, both she and the Shiny Stone were enveloped in bright light. She absorbed the stone and grew larger, and long tufts of fur emerged from her head to wrap around her body. Her tail also changed, becoming very similar in appearance to the new, fluffy growths. When the light faded a few moments later, a different Pokémon stood where Minccino once had been.

"Cin-ci!" the newly evolved Cinccino cried, putting her paws on her hips to show off her appearance.

"You wanted to…?" Olivia uttered, dumbfounded. "Somehow I didn't think…"

Cinccino sighed and turned away from Olivia, deciding that the battle was more important than trying to get through to her. She waved her paw at Yamask, taunting him.

"Congratulations on your Minccino evolving," Morty calmly said. His voice then turned much more serious as he added, "Don't think it means I'm going to make this easy on you, though. Yamask, go back on the attack! Will-O-Wisp!"

In an instant, Yamask formed two more orbs of blue flame, one in each of his hands. Cinccino waited for a direction from Olivia, but one never came, so she shot down the flares by flinging a pair of small rocks at them with her tail.

"Cin-cii!" the Normal-type Pokémon shrilly reproached her trainer.

Cinccino's admonishment finally snapped Olivia back to reality. "Th-that's right, sorry, Cinccino… that wasn't an attack I've seen you use before." Olivia took out her Pokédex and pointed it at Cinccino, browsing through the pages until she reached its known moves. "Rock Blast… and you learned Bullet Seed, too, I see. Let's give him a taste! Bullet Seed!"

"Block it, then use Disable," Morty commanded.

After carefully aiming at Yamask, Cinccino spit four round, pellet-like seeds at him, one at a time. Yamask didn't flinch, even when they got near to him. He simply held up his golden mask like a shield, causing them to bounce away with little effect. He then flashed a purple light in his eyes, and the same light briefly flashed around Cinccino's body.

"No more Bullet Seed for now," Olivia mumbled through clenched teeth. "I need an out right now…"

Olivia thought back to what her Pokédex told her about Yamask at the beginning of the battle. "These Pokémon arose from the spirits of people interred in graves. Each retains memories of its former life. Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry."

After another quick look over her surroundings, Olivia felt an idea suddenly hit her. She hesitated only a brief moment to wonder why she hadn't thought of it earlier before making her move.

"Cinccino, rush Yamask!"

"You're not giving up, are you?" Morty taunted, unaware of what was about to happen. "Yamask, stay on Minccino and use Will-O-Wisp!"

Olivia grinned. "Just what I wanted," she said under her breath. She then raised her voice and ordered, "Hurry, dodge under the armor, then use Aqua Tail!"

Cinccino turned at a sharp angle and sprinted under the legs of a nearby suit of armor. Yamask followed, but the Will-O-Wisp he threw hit the floor and dissipated harmlessly. Though Cinccino was out of his sight after that, he could hear her jump up and strike the back of the armor, which collapsed over him in a heap.

"Ci cino!" the Normal-type Pokémon laughed as she stood over the wreckage.

"Good job!" Olivia called out, pumping her fist into the air. "That'll turn things around!"

"Do I sense overconfidence now, Olivia?" In spite of what he said, Morty raised a brow. "She wouldn't get that upbeat if she wasn't up to something… but what…"

The top of Yamask's head phased through the metal, allowing him to peer over at Cinccino, who was staring at him intently. He growled to himself, angered by how his home in the Gym had been used against him, then continued to float upward.

Suddenly, he felt a slight tug on the bottom of his body. The armor pieces beneath him shifted, and when he exerted more effort in order to free himself, he shot upward into the air. His mask was no longer attached to him, and when he realized it, he began to flail around and cry.

Morty's eyes widened, and his mouth slowly fell open. "So that's what you were…"

"That's right," Olivia bragged, "Yamask might be a ghost, but that mask is solid. So obviously, ghosts can go through solid objects, but other solid objects can't! And now you have no defense either, so eat this! Rock Blast!"

Grinning widely, Cinccino jumped toward the now-vulnerable Yamask with several rocks in her tail. He stopped thrashing, but only to watch in helpless, wide-eyed terror as Cinccino flung the stones at him. His body was weak without the protection the mask provided, and after the fourth stone cut into him, he crumpled to the floor with one last whimper.

"Impressive, Olivia!" Morty complimented her. Now smiling, he pressed a button on his side of the screen, activating the wall-mounted Poké Ball to call Yamask back. "That was the first step on Ecruteak Gym's challenge. What do you think so far?"

"It was…" Olivia almost said 'easy,' but caught herself and realized the untruth of that statement before she finished. "It was tough, but I think I had fun."

"You did a pretty good job juggling the scavenger hunt with keeping your battle in line, too." Looking down, Morty added, "And of course, I have to give you credit as well, Cinccino. You're the one who did the fighting, after all."

Pleased with herself as the result of Morty's praise, Cinccino once again took her paws-on-hips pose and smirked. Both the Gym Leader and Olivia couldn't resist laughing at her playfully cocky attitude.

"Anyway," Morty continued, "You now have to move on to the next room. As before, there are two doors." Lights came up on the passages upon Morty's prompt. "On the left is the mansion's toy room, on the right, the dining room. Which one will it be?"

Almost immediately, Olivia answered, "The toy room sounds like fun. Let's go there."

"See you there."

Morty nodded gently before his face disappeared from the screen. After scratching Cinccino behind the ears one last time, Olivia recalled her, then walked for the left-hand door.

"A toy room, huh? He's a Ghost-type Pokémon user, so I should expect…"

Before she even realized it, Olivia found herself standing just inside the next room of her challenge. It was just as dimly lit as the armory, but instead of the cold presence of the suits, it was filled with all sorts of wooden and plush toys strewn about. Olivia felt her muscles automatically relax slightly in response to the more comforting surroundings.

"Welcome, Olivia!" Morty greeted her after his face appeared on the toy room's screen. "Are you ready to meet the Pokémon that guards this room?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Olivia responded. She had her Poké Ball prepared already, even though she hadn't seen what Morty would go with yet.

"Alright. I like your nerve, I have to say that. Anyway, here we go, Shuppet!"

Morty pressed another of the buttons before him, and the Poké Ball near the screen burst open. The Shuppet that emerged hung limply in the air, though her eyes burned with life.

"I think my choice is a good one," Olivia said to herself as she pulled her arm back to throw the ball. "Herdier, let's play!"

-:-

"Now, for our next battle… it's Matt from Snowpoint City versus Dino from Castelia City!"

Matt had his eye wide open as he walked to the stage on Kate's cue, but his mind was elsewhere. It was the only way he could prevent himself from falling apart in front of the crowd. To force thoughts of them from his mind, he stared at the floor and considered the battles that had come before him as he walked.

Nando and Trista's battle hadn't been long. Roserade tried to outmaneuver Dorothy early, but Trista's Kingdra was well prepared to face her old foe once again, and quickly overwhelmed him using Ice Beam. Colress fought a bodybuilder and her Swalot using his Klinklang in the third match, and easily won as a result of his Steel-type's superiority over the Poison-type. After him, Falkner and Pidgeot managed to defeat a Gligar in a closely-fought aerial battle. Matt and Dino were the fifth match, and after him, Giovanni and Silver had slated battles using their Normal and Water-type Pokémon respectively.

A bead of sweat rolled down Matt's face as he thought about his competition. The Battle Hall's focus on a single Pokémon dramatically limited his options, and even though he had more faith than ever in his Sigilyph thanks to her performance at the Battle Cafe, he knew just how much every factor in a one-on-one battle mattered. Colress in particular worried him; the man's cold, calculating nature combined with his Steel-type Klinklang's ability to trump Sigilyph on type left Matt well aware of the threat Colress posed.

Matt was so lost in thought that he actually stepped just past his mark. He didn't realize it until he noticed both Kate and Dino staring at him from their appropriate places.

"Shit," he thought, feeling a nervous shock running through his body as he returned to where he should have been.

"Well now that everyone is in their places..." Kate loudly remarked, her sarcasm only making Matt even more nervous, "...it's time to get this battle started! It's the Psychic-type versus the Ghost-type! Battle begin!"

"Don't fold now… you came this far," Matt mumbled to himself, clutching the Poké Ball in his bag for a moment before throwing it. "Cordelia, make your mark!"

When Cordelia materialized in front of Matt, Dino shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned. "Interesting, so you went with your Sigilyph like you did at the Battle Cafe. This ought to be interesting."

"How… how do you know about that?" Matt choked.

Dino removed his hands from his pockets and shrugged. "There are television shows that cover notable battles at the Frontier Society facilities. Someone fighting tooth and nail to reach Lyra only to lose spectacularly makes for a good show, you know? Anyway, let's get started. I've been waiting to get a shot at you since I first saw coverage of you."

By that point, Matt was completely frozen. The idea of his battles attracting attention even outside those watching him in person brought his stage fright to a whole new level, and the only response he could muster was the all too familiar twitch that returned to his fingers.

"Now for my Pokémon," Dino declared, pulling a Poké Ball of his own from his pocket. "Trevenant, let's go!"

When the ball burst open, a Pokémon completely alien to Matt emerged. He heavily resembled a dead tree, with several places on his body rotted away to expose something black underneath. His thin, outstretched arms ended in sharply hooked claws, and he supported his weight on six thick roots bent like spider legs.

Matt shivered under the Trevenant's cold glare. "A Ghost-type might be trouble," he reasoned to himself as he worked his tablet from his bag, "but it looks like it might be a Grass-type too…"

"Trevenant, the Elder Tree Pokémon. Type is Ghost and Grass." Matt relaxed slightly once his suspicions were confirmed. "It can control trees at will. It will trap people who harm the forest, so they can never leave. Using its roots as a nervous system, it controls the trees in the forest. It's kind to the Pokémon that reside in its body."

"Yeah, I think I can handle this…"

The truth was that Matt knew he was lying to himself, however. He could feel the heat from hundreds of pairs of eyes searing into his skin, and when he factored in the countless people not watching in person, he felt like he was baking inside his coat. He briefly considered removing it between rounds, but he remembered that he couldn't get even a little cold and let go of the idea.

"That's good and all," Dino said, "but what matters is what happens on the battlefield. That's where you can become anyone you want."

"Both trainers have potential type advantages over each other," Kate thundered, her words pumping up the energy of the crowd. "How will this situation play out? Is it as even as it looks, or does one side hold an advantage we don't yet see? Let us find out! Let the battle begin!"

"Cordelia, Air Slash!" Matt called out the moment the battle started.

"Alright, Trevenant, use your legs to boost off the Air Slash, then use Shadow Claw!"

Just before the blade of air struck Trevenant, he pushed himself up on his legs. Cordelia's attack swept under him, creating an updraft that pushed Trevenant skyward. He lunged forward in midair and swung with his glowing-black claw, but failed to do more than graze Cordelia's body. She flopped backward but quickly recovered and lowered her eye at her foe.

"You just made one mistake," Matt said, confidence bracing him for the first time. "Now that I know how you respond to my Flying-type moves, I just need to stop you from doing that. Cordelia, Ice Beam!"

Despite his disadvantage, Dino didn't lose his composure. He calmly directed, "Trevenant, knock it away with Shadow Claw."

While Cordelia immediately started chilling the air in front of her body, Trevenant hesitated to follow Dino's command. He stared up at the Pokémon facing him, and even though it was only for a brief moment, it was enough for Matt to take notice of it. He raised an eyebrow just as Cordelia overran Trevenant's arm with ice, freezing it.

"Again, Cordelia! Ice Beam!"

Though Matt was decisive in calling his next move, he felt doubt creeping up again. It was an unpleasant sensation rising through his arms as if they were still his natural ones; though he was familiar with the feeling he never had gotten used to it.

Dino wasn't responding to him and giving directions to Trevenant anymore. Whether it was because he knew he had lost, Matt wasn't sure. All he knew was that Trevenant feebly tried to block the Ice Beam with his other arm, only for it to get frozen as well. Cordelia didn't relent, either, quickly following it up with a third Ice Beam that froze Trevenant's feet in place.

"Trevenant is completely frozen still!" the announcer blared, giving words to accompany the visual. "Is this the end for Dino already?"

Matt sighed, his thoughts focusing on one goal - to escape from the increasingly uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible. "Cordelia, finish this up with Air Slash."

"Nothing you can do when you're beaten," Dino thought to himself, clutching the Poké Ball in his pocket even before Cordelia moved.

-:-

Much had changed about Ecruteak City over the years. For a long time, the entire city was like the eastern half of its modern incarnation, filled with quaint, traditional buildings. In fact, it was more like a village, even though it had always been called a city.

When change came, it took hold hard and fast. Ecruteak's western half evolved into a dense, run-down urban space over the course of only around a decade, coming to resemble Goldenrod City more than itself. All of the swift change was brought on by society's rapidly increasing interest in Pokémon training and battling. It was the Angel Corporation behind that paradigm shift, through their ad campaigns promoting the then-impending arrival of the Frontier Society in tandem with the migration of Pokémon from foreign lands. Among young people, these acts led to a dramatic spike in interest in the career of a traveling trainer. Other facilities, such as Pokémon Centers and Gyms, also saw greatly increased activity. In the end, even an ancient, traditional city like Ecruteak could not completely escape the change.

One trait about Ecruteak that hadn't changed over the years was the city's symbol, their two towers. The Bell Tower was one, and to its east, located exactly on the borderline between the traditional and modern halves of the city, was the other. It had once been called the Brass Tower, but after burning down well over a century earlier, it came to be known more simply as the Burned Tower. Unlike its counterpart, it was fully open to the public, a fact that Bunny and Nekou were taking full advantage of.

Bunny would have been shivering from the cold air flowing through the ruins if she hadn't had Balin out with her. The Ninetales was exhaling a small, gentle flame from his mouth, providing both heat and light to his trainer, who was leaning down and examining pieces of a broken wall. She was carefully copying down the writing on the wall in a notebook.

"So glad I didn't have to look long to find this…" Bunny thought to herself. "Not really in the mood to dig around in the cold, quiet dark today…" Realizing what she had thought, she stopped writing and said out loud, "Wait, quiet? With Nekou around?"

Bunny stood and turned around, and discovered that what she noticed actually was true. Nekou was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, that's weird. I wonder where she went. I guess we'll meet up again later… she'll be alright."

Satisfied with that conclusion, Bunny went back to her work transcribing the strange writing. Because of how the wall had been damaged, a good deal of it was incomplete and out of order.

Several minutes passed in peaceful silence, allowing Bunny to devote her full attention to what she was doing. All of a sudden, however, a bright light appeared over her, causing her to drop her pen and notebook as she sprang up in shock and turned around.

Behind her, a ghostly creature floated, shining the light from within her pumpkin body. A black spirit bearing yellow eyes and a small, fanged mouth grew from inside the pumpkin as well.

"What the hell is…"

"Having fun, Pumpkaboo?" Nekou abruptly appeared, grinning broadly. The Pokémon giggled in response, prompting Nekou to laugh slightly as well. "I see you've met my new Pokémon, Bunny."

"Is that where you went?" Bunny demanded, pointing her finger at Nekou. "You go off and disappear and then you've got another of your troublemakers. I shouldn't be surprised at this point, should I?"

"Nope," Nekou replied, her voice a monotone. "You know me well enough by now. You should know how things go with me."

"You know what, you're right." Bunny lowered her eyelids and the tone of her voice to match Nekou's eyes and voice. "I do know how you get."

While Nekou and Bunny talked, Pumpkaboo floated over to Balin and settled on his head. The Ninetales immediately became irritated and shook around to remove her, then began growling once he got Pumpkaboo off.

Bunny sighed and brought her hand to her face. "Can you try not to disrupt me from doing this? It's kind of important."

"Alright, alright," Nekou answered, waving her hand dismissively. "I'll be good. Just let me watch."

For the next few minutes, Bunny quietly continued working on copying the writing, though she was irritated by the feeling of Nekou hovering mere inches away from her.

"Huh?" Suddenly, Bunny stopped writing. "What's this?"

Nekou peered slightly over Bunny's shoulder. "Something got you confused?"

"Right here," Bunny said, running her hand over a section of the wall. Instead of text, it appeared to be part of a spherical shape carved into the stone.

-:-

As Olivia pushed the great doors of the Gym's main hall open, light flooded her eyes. She couldn't help but instinctively close them and raise her arm up until she got used to it. Once she was able to fully appreciate her surroundings, she realized the grandiosity of where she was.

The hall could not have been any more unlike the other rooms in the mansion. They had been dim, dusty and cramped, while the final chamber was spacious and well-furnished. Paintings in ornate frames lined the walls beneath marble arches, while a grand crystal chandelier hung over the checkered ballroom floor at the center of the space.

After drawing inside by a few more steps, Olivia could see Morty standing at the far end of the room. He had his back to her and was staring into a video screen, evidently the one he'd been broadcasting from all along.

"I'm impressed with how easily you made it past Shuppet, Olivia." Morty slowly turned to face her, his arms crossed and his face bearing a wide, gentle smile. "Your Herdier was quite impressive indeed."

"Well, I raised it well," Olivia replied, grinning. "I know what I'm doing."

"I agree, you do. Now…" As he descended the short staircase to the battlefield, Morty started tossing a Poké Ball in his right hand. "Because you advanced through the first two rooms you visited and did not lose a single Pokémon, you may use Cinccino, Herdier and one more Pokémon against my ultimate Pokémon. This will be a straightforward battle, no tricks or hidden bonuses. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Olivia said, steeling herself and grasping her own Poké Ball. "Bring it on."

"Very well. The Fog Badge is at stake, so let's begin!"

Morty put his left hand behind his back and threw the Poké Ball with a sweeping motion of his right. When it burst open, a dark figure emerged from the light, quickly congealing into the form of a Gengar. He stood in front of his trainer with a slouched posture that only made his grin even more sinister.

"I think I might have guessed that was what it would be…" Olivia admitted. She met Gengar's gaze head-on, but she felt a chill run through her body nevertheless. "I want to try something a little different. It might not work out, but I want to try. Mr. Mime, let's play!"

Morty took a step back when he learned of Olivia's choice. He had expected Herdier to return, owing to his knowing Crunch to use against Ghost-types. On top of that, though, he also never thought Olivia would choose a Psychic-type due to their own natural weakness against Ghosts.

"I guess it makes sense, though," he thought. "Gengar is part Poison-type, and she did say she expected it."

"Mr. Mime, are you ready to go?" Olivia asked.

To Olivia's surprise, Mr. Mime replied with nothing but a weak, emotionless groan. He looked up at his enemy, but stood with his arms hung limply at his sides.

"I suppose I will take the first move," Morty declared. As he raised his arm, he expressed a silent hope that his attack would reveal what was wrong with Olivia's Pokémon. "Shadow Punch!"

"Mr. Mime, use Mimic!"

Morty immediately understood the kind of strategy Olivia had planned while he watched Gengar lunge toward Mr. Mime. The Ghost-and-Poison type struck Mr. Mime with his glowing, black arm, forcing Olivia's Pokémon back. As Mr. Mime stumbled, however, his body glowed with golden light.

"Carrying Mimic in order to take Ghost-type moves, which will work well against Ghost-types… it's risky, but a clever strategy nevertheless." Though he was complimenting Olivia, in his mind Morty was still questioning what was going on. "I want you to show me what your full convictions are capable of. Gengar, Night Shade!"

"You know what you have to do, Mr. Mime!" Olivia hoped that if she showed determination in her voice, whatever was upsetting Mr. Mime would alleviate itself. "Shadow Punch!"

Mr. Mime lifted his fist and focused the same dark energy Gengar used around it, but he acted so sluggishly that he did not take any further movements. He simply stood and allowed Gengar to overrun him with beams of black light fired from his eyes.

With a weak, frustrated groan, Mr. Mime slouched to the floor in a heap. He could be heard sobbing softly, and he refused to lift his head to either Olivia or Morty.

"Stop, this isn't working!" Olivia ran out onto the battlefield and got between Mr. Mime and Gengar, waving her arms as she went. "I don't totally understand why, but I get it, Mr. Mime doesn't want to fight." Turning around and leaning down, she asked her Pokémon, "Is that right?"

The only response Olivia got was a frustrated, quiet murmur.

"I think I understand," Morty intervened, drawing Olivia's attention. "I won't force you to make Mr. Mime fight any further, but I hope you understand that I have to count this as a knockout."

Olivia rose back to her full height, but she couldn't find words to say right away. Deep down inside, she knew that the right thing to do would be to accept the penalty and let Mr. Mime have his rest. Yet, part of her wanted to refuse the deal and try to turn things around.

"No, I can't do that!" she snapped to herself in her mind. "What kind of person would I be if…"

Refusing to allow herself to finish the stomach-turning thought, Olivia nodded her assent to Morty's offer. She then took Mr. Mime's hand and carefully led him him to the sidelines. It was almost entirely her own effort that moved the two of them; Mr. Mime barely moved a muscle.

Once she had deposited him on the sidelines, Olivia started on her way back to the battlefield. She could feel Mr. Mime's presence like a burning flame on her back, and it made her hang her head. It horrified her that she could even have entertained such thoughts. By the time she was back in place, she was more concerned with asking herself how she could be so blind to Mr. Mime's needs.

Morty noticed Olivia's eyes twitching, but decided to try and work her through it by focusing her back on her goals. "I will be ready to begin again as soon as you decide which Pokémon you wish to go with. Will it be Herdier or Cinccino?"

"Cinccino's still a bit tired from fighting Yamask, so…" Her mind made up, Olivia took out Herdier's Poké Ball and threw it, calling out his name as she did so.

-:-

Matt stormed through the tunnels behind the Battle Hall's stage, his heavy footsteps echoing loudly in the metal corridors. There weren't any other people around with him, but even if there had been, he wouldn't have cared if he disturbed them. His one impulse to handle his frustration - jamming his left fist into his pocket while clutching a bottle of Soda Pop with his right - barely helped.

The source of his stress was the newly-announced slate of matchups for the second round of the tournament. Silver and Giovanni, who had won their matches using Persian and Feraligatr, respectively, were matched against each other. Matt found himself amused in a dark way by that, but when he learned of who he was to battle, all humor disappeared.

It was Colress. Matt had feared having to deal with a Steel-type, and knowing that he now had to go against Colress's mighty Klinklang, his goal of pulling information on Reshiram from Kate felt further away than ever.

"Maybe I can talk to her even if I can't reach her," he mentally reasoned. His mood brightened briefly, but quickly fell again. "She's too famous, though. It would be like trying to get a private autograph from Trevor Hastings. Back when he was around, anyway…"

Matt's frustration with his situation abated a small amount as his mind wandered to the man he'd seen during the battle on the Magnet Train. He swore that it looked like a someone he knew from one of his favorite films, but the idea of a once-famous actor being in Team Rocket's ranks confused him.

Suddenly, as he neared a corner, he could hear voices talking just around the bend. Recognizing one of them as Dino's, he abruptly stopped and pressed himself against the wall. He knew eavesdropping on Dino's conversation was wrong, but felt strangely nervous about passing by it.

"I owe you an apology, Doctor," Dino said. "Trevenant didn't work out the way we hoped."

"It's no big deal," the other party to the conversation replied. "Experiments aren't experiments if they don't sometimes fail. We'll just try again with another subject."

"That voice…!"

Matt immediately knew that his odd bout of nerves was justified. He recognized the second voice as Colress's, and realized that something strange was going on. Feeling a great need to know more, he edged slightly closer to the corner.

"Finansielle won't be terribly pleased," Colress continued, "but then again she's always such a miser. Even a failed experiment produces valuable data that moves the project forward."

"Is it really okay that you talk about her like that?" Dino said, somewhat shocked by what he was hearing.

"It doesn't matter," the scientist laughed, spreading his arms and tossing his coat open. "I'm just having a little fun. In the end, my work on Pokémon strength is exactly what the doctor ordered. Literally. Go ahead and release that Trevenant outside the city."

All of a sudden, Matt could hear footsteps as Colress and Dino separated. One set was fading away down the hall, but the other was drawing closer.

"...oh, shit!"

Matt's mind filled with panic, and he tried to move away. However, before he was even completely away from the wall, he found himself staring face-to-face with his soon-to-be second round opponent.

"Well, Matt, I didn't expect to see you off the battlefield." Colress flashed a disarming smile as he pushed up his visor, though it did little to alleviate the feeling of terrified embarrassment Matt felt. "Taking a break?"

"Y-yeah," Matt stammered. "I… I went to get some Soda Pop, you know?"

"That stuff will rot your teeth." Laughing, Colress stuck his hands into the pockets of his coat. When he saw Matt cringe, he said, "Please, forgive me. Just trying to make a joke. If I might ask, how is your friend, Miss Hammond?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Miss...Hammond? Who are you talking about?"

"That lady friend of yours with the black hair and the glasses. Jane Hammond."

"You mean Nekou? I don't know any Jane Hammond."

Colress stepped back. "Nekou…? I see. She must be someone who just resembles that person I know. Jane Hammond was a scientist I met a few years ago at a function at my father's laboratory in Unova. I thought I might get to reconnect with her."

"Well…" The entire situation was getting too strange, and Matt was beginning to become desperate to escape. "I hope you manage to meet up with her again." Extending his hand to Colress, he asked, "See you on the battlefield, I guess?"

Without hesitation, Colress gave Matt a hearty handshake. "Thank you, and I wish you luck later."

Due to his nerves, Matt felt a sudden jolt go through his arm, causing him tighten his grip on Colress's hand. He quickly pulled away and apologized, and though Colress assured him to not worry, as he turned and walked away he could feel sweat brought on by the entire encounter rolling down his forehead.

Colress, on the other hand, merely stood still with his hands in his pockets and watched Matt walk away. Once they were separated by a sufficient distance, the scientist went back around the corner, took his unfolding tablet out of his pocket and tapped its screen several times.

"Lady Finansielle," he quietly said to his superior, who had materialized on the computer.

"Colress, if you're contacting me in the middle of your little data-gathering project, something must have gone wrong." Finansielle's voice was full of irritation, though Colress sensed it wasn't genuine. "What went wrong?"

"That fellow you're interested in, Matt Chiaki… I think he knows something. He might have overheard me talking to Athleta's trainer."

"Is that seriously it?" Dropping her feigned anger, Finansielle smiled. "I am not concerned about him in the least. He's not half the man his grandfather was. There is nothing he can do that is outside of my expectations. Tell me, though, did you rat out his little girlfriend?"

"I put some feelers out there, you know? I asked him about her old alias from the last time I met her. He didn't seem to know a thing."

"As I thought, he's totally in the dark. Don't bother telling him, he'll find out soon enough. Just finish your work at the Battle Hall and get ready for the mission tomorrow."

"Understood." Colress shut off the tablet and put it away, then looked back down the hall and pushed up his visor once more. "I always do love the beauty of an experiment on an unwitting subject."

-:-

"You can't evade me forever! Gengar, use Toxic again!"

"Just watch me! Herdier, you know what to do!"

Morty's Gengar spit up a ball of thick, purple sludge, but Herdier sprinted out of the way and avoided its effects. They'd been locked in this dance since their battle began, with Herdier sprinting around the battlefield while Gengar tried to bog him down using Toxic.

Even though she and Herdier had been holding out for some time, though, Olivia knew it couldn't last forever. While she was working through ideas and holding her increasingly aching head, Morty suddenly changed the situation himself.

"Alright, Olivia, if this isn't working, I guess it means I have to try something else. Gengar, go in and use Shadow Punch."

"I finally wore him out!" Olivia gleefully thought. "He's making a mistake!" Throwing her hand forward, she ordered, "Herdier, use Crunch!"

When Gengar arrived in front of Herdier and began to bring his fist down, the Normal-type Pokémon simply bit through the shadows surrounding it and clasped onto the phantom himself. Herdier held Gengar with all his might, but even in the face of the critically effective move, Gengar never stopped grinning.

It was at that point Olivia put her hands over her mouth, gasped and realized that she, not Morty, was the one making the mistake.

"You won't get away now!" Morty bellowed, his voice much louder than Olivia had gotten used to. "Toxic!"

Herdier released Gengar and attempted to push himself back, but both he and Olivia knew that Morty's words were true. Gengar opened his mouth and spit up sludge once more, this time covering Herdier's body in it. Almost instantly, Herdier began shuddering as the poison took hold over him.

"There's one thing I can do about that!" Olivia declared, taking out a Poké Ball and pointing at Herdier. "Herdier, come back!"

"Ah, good thinking, Olivia," Morty complimented her as she called Herdier back. "Unfortunately, I think you'll find that I'm more than ready to do this for a long time. Send Cinccino out and let's get started."

Olivia froze. She hadn't considered what Morty's strategy could have been for long; the immediate conclusion she'd arrived at being that he aimed to use severe poison to help him finish off her Pokémon more quickly than usual. Never had it crossed her mind that he was trying to do the opposite, to sit back and take his time while the strength of her Pokémon slowly faded away.

She could only stare forward at Gengar and Morty as she felt her mind begin to weaken. Her body began to shake, and the same feeling from when she blacked out in Azalea Gym began to return.

"No, not this time!" Her thoughts were spoken in her own growling within her mind. She quickly turned to verbalizing her fury, saying, "I know I've got a way out of this! I know it! Cinccino, let's play!"

Morty barely waited for Cinccino to appear from her Poké Ball before he gave his next direction to Gengar. "Alright, Gengar, use Curse."

With a sharp cry, Gengar spread his arms and formed a spike of light above his head. The spike slowly drove itself down into Gengar's body, causing him to shake and groan more and more with every bit it descended. Each inch also brought on an increasingly intense purple aura around Cinccino, indicative of the curse the move was named for taking hold.

"Cinccino, don't worry," Olivia said to reassure her Pokémon. The seeds of an idea were already taking shape in her mind. "Take it easy. Just take it easy and use Rock Blast."

Overcoming the pinching feeling the curse induced in her muscles, Cinccino jumped into the air and began spinning. Five uneven spheres of energy formed into stones in her tail, which she then flung downward to buffet Gengar. Each impact forced a small grunt from the ghost, and his shadowy body showed the scrapes from them despite its composure.

Seconds later, Cinccino was overcome by the sensation of the curse, shuddering violently as it sapped a large deal of her strength. Morty wasn't satisfied by just this, however, and slowly extended his arm toward Olivia.

"Hit Cinccino with Toxic now!"

With his enemy seemingly prone before him, Gengar grinned even wider, believing that he had an easy target. Just before he spit up another wave of slime, though, he saw a glint in Cinccino's eye that made him realize he was wrong.

"Aqua Tail!"

Cinccino roared back to life and dove toward Gengar, but when he released the Toxic, she quickly twisted out of the way. The sludge sailed harmlessly past her, but she also failed to reach Gengar for her own strike and suffered the affliction of the Curse once again.

"Oh, that's right," Olivia recalled, "Cinccino doesn't like getting dirty."

Olivia took a step back both mentally and physically to look over her options. It would be difficult to get Cinccino in close enough for Aqua Tail to work with Toxic acting effectively as a deterrent. Gengar was immune to Tail Slap, and Bullet Seed would barely be effective against him thanks to his Poison-type. That only left Rock Blast, but Olivia was unsure if she felt confident enough that it would finish the fight. She could see the physical damage all over Gengar's body and thought she noticed his stance weakening, but she wanted to be sure that she could win.

There was one other option, and before she knew it, she had subconsciously selected it and begun raising up Cinccino's Poké Ball.

"Cinccino, come back!"

"Not bad, thinking on your feet," Morty said, grinning gently once again. "Herdier's still poisoned, though."

"I know," Olivia countered, flashing determination through every bit of her face she could. "But I also know you can't use Curse again, or Gengar will take itself out! Herdier, let's finish this!"

As Herdier returned to the battlefield, Morty raised his head slightly and looked downward at Olivia.

"You really are pretty good, Olivia. You've outwitted me. With your Normal-types keeping my best moves in check, I can't put this over the finish line, and Gengar getting worn out quickly means I can't stall as I'd like..."

Before Morty knew it, Olivia had called for Crunch and Herdier was dashing toward Gengar. He could see that Olivia was looking to him for his next move, but he had no intention of denying her the victory she had rightfully won.

"Gengar, you've fought well," he uttered, resigning himself to defeat and beginning down the stairs before Gengar even was hit. By the time Herdier released his grip on Gengar and the ghostly Pokémon fell, the Gym Leader was already just a few feet away.

"I did it," Olivia uttered in shock. Her body started to go limp in the time it took for her victory to sink in. When Herdier turned around and barked at her, the true meaning of her accomplishment finally took hold, and her strength returned in a great rush. "I did it! I won! Three Badges now!"

Olivia pumped her fists into the air repeatedly. Each swing brought an increasing sense of exertion, creating a self-fulfilling cycle where she felt more energy after expending some. Once she was able to bring herself down from her high, she turned to Morty, who was scratching his Gengar behind the ear.

"Bravo, Olivia, that was quite a show."

While his trainer approached Morty, Herdier went up to Gengar. He stared up into the ghost's eyes, and found himself greeted with what seemed to be seething hate. Moments later, though, Gengar grinned and slapped Herdier on the shoulder. He cheerfully said his name as a gesture of congratulations to a worthy opponent like the Normal-type Pokémon, while Herdier just cringed.

"Thank you, Morty," Olivia said, smiling weakly. "I enjoyed it."

"You definitely appear like you did. Here, this is yours." Extending his open hand, Morty showed Olivia a Badge in the shape of a purple ghost. "The Fog Badge. You've proven yourself more than worthy of it, so I am honored to give it to you."

Olivia was lost in the emotional weight of her victory, and as a result did not reach out immediately to claim the Badge. When she finally snapped out of her daze, she took it from Morty and stared at it in her palm.

"I know I'll have memories of this," she thought. "Every one of these is worth remembering…"

-:-

"Viridian City's Gym Leader continues his dominating performance! Will he soon put this away or will Silver be able to turn this battle around?"

A gust of wind created by Giovanni's Persian hitting Feraligatr in the chest with a Power Gem blast swept over the arena. Silver had to put up his arm to shield his eyes, but the force caused his hair and clothing to blow around violently.

The wind wasn't Silver's primary source of discomfort, though. He had his teeth so tightly clenched that the muscles in his neck were cramping up. It wasn't something he was consciously doing, but facing his father was bringing up such intense emotion in Silver that he couldn't help his rage.

"After all this time, is this all you're capable of, boy?" Giovanni taunted his son. He was well aware of what the meeting was making Silver feel. "If you still aren't capable of standing on my level, then I'm going to remove you from this stage."

"I don't… I don't care what you say," Silver growled. "You're still only showing your strength when it's in front of others… you're still the same, and I'm not going to fall short after coming this far!"

"Actually, yes, you are. Persian, Seed Bomb."

"Feraligatr, knock them away with Ice Punch!"

Persian rapidly spun around in a circle, kicking up a number of large, round seeds. Feraligatr attempted to bat them down by swinging his cold fists, but each one exploded as he hit it. Their force caused Feraligatr to fall behind the pace of Persian's attack, and left him to get buffeted by the bursting seeds.

Unable to continue standing with his body bruised and battered by the explosions, Feraligatr groaned weakly and fell backward, hitting the ground with a great crash.

"No!" Silver shouted in dismay. "It can't…"

"Feraligatr is unable to battle!" Kate announced from her position at mid-field. "The winners of this battle are Giovanni and Persian!"

"I thought it would go like this," Giovanni coldly said, putting his left hand deep into his coat pocket and holding his hat with his right. Persian sat and meowed contently, rubbing in his victory much like his trainer was doing. "Listen, boy, your anger is clouding your judgment. Face me again when you can remain cool headed on the battlefield."

Silver held up Feraligatr's Poké Ball, but then he froze. As much as he was loathe to admit it, something about his father's words was resonating with him. Usually, he was able to remain fairly held together when battling, but when he stepped onto the stage with Giovanni, he felt his vision for battle draining away. Subconsciously he had been well aware of how his obsession with his father had clouded his judgment, and he had to admit he knew that was why he lost.

Finally, after calling Feraligatr back to his Poké Ball, he mumbled, "I get it. I'll see you next time."

As Giovanni and Silver departed the stage, the former walked past Matt, who had been watching from one of the tunnels leading to the battlefield. Matt didn't say anything, but Giovanni still stopped next to him.

"Don't trust anyone," he warned, whispering to Matt. "Least of all that next opponent of yours. Polaris is everywhere."

While Giovanni walked off, Matt froze in fear. He was already nervous about facing Colress, and the decisive nature of Mako's victory over Falkner and Trista's victory over a hulking sailor with a Primeape didn't help those matters at all. There also were the nagging concerns about the strange conversation he'd overheard between Colress and Dino earlier. Matt didn't need anything more to worry about, and Giovanni's sudden warning gave him exactly that.

"And now coming out for his second battle, the Psychic-type representative, Matt from Snowpoint City!"

It took several seconds for Matt to fully realize that Kate was calling him out. When he finally snapped back into reality, he could see Colress standing in the distance, already positioned on the far side of the stage and waiting with a smug grin on his face.

"I have to get my shit together!" he mentally choked, stumbling down the catwalk.

Up in the stands, the crowd's cheering lessened somewhat due to Matt's clumsy entrance. Bill and Dante cringed at the sight.

"If you ask me, he needs to get over his stage fright," the elderly scientist remarked, his voice containing a hint of a joking tone.

"I have to admit I've been looking forward to this, Matt," Colress called across the stage. "I've been intrigued by you since I saw fight Dahlia, not to mention that your stand against the Battle Factory was something too. I'd like to learn for myself what kind of strength you have."

Matt fidgeted where he stood, repeatedly tightening his grip on his bag's strap and breathing heavily. The pressure he felt to keep advancing was getting overwhelming. Looking at Kate both encouraged and demoralized him; never had his goal of learning about Reshiram felt both so close and so far away.

"Alright, trainers, send out your Pokémon!" Kate declared, throwing her hand skyward. "Let the battle begin!"

Resolving to take some initiative, Matt swiftly threw his Poké Ball, calling out, "Cordelia, make your mark!"

Colress didn't respond to the appearance of Matt's Sigilyph with any words. Instead, he simply lifted his hand from his pocket and gently tossed his own Poké Ball, calling forth his Klinklang in a burst of light.

"Alright, so I don't have any move a Steel-type doesn't resist," Matt thought as the noise from the crowd began to lessen, "so what are my options here? If I look at it objectively… the only thing there is is to try crippling it." Crossing his arms, Matt called out, "Cordelia, see if you can freeze it. Ice Beam!"

"You can weather that, Klinklang," Colress said. He had once again unfolded his tablet, and was tapping its screen as he watched the Pokémon. "Take it and then use Shift Gear."

Wobbling slightly forward in the air, Klinklang braced itself. Cordelia's Ice Beam hit it in the outer rim surrounding its body, and though the cold ran through Klinklang, its recovery was swift. It then began spinning its gears at an escalated speed, surrounding itself with a silvery glow.

"Klinklang's raised its attack power and dramatically increased its speed!" Though he had knowledge of what Shift Gear's effect was, Matt found himself mentally appreciating the announcer's note. "Will that increased strength spell a rapid end to Matt's challenge?"

"If freezing didn't work, maybe flinching will! Cordelia, use Air Slash!"

"Just use Shift Gear again, Klinklang."

Cordelia swung her wings to direct blades of air at Klinklang, but the Steel-type Pokémon simply rotated its gears even faster than ever, breaking the Air Slash apart.

Groaning, Matt tilted his head back and ran his hand through his hair. He realized that not only had he been right to fear Colress in the tournament, but the truth of his situation was worse than he had ever figured. None of the moves he had at his disposal could do much to Klinklang, and it was exponentially stronger than it was when the fight started.

Matt looked up at Cordelia and saw that she was looking back at him. Realizing that his Pokémon needed his help gave him enough strength to make another command. "I guess you could try weakening it with Psychic, Cordelia. Give it a shot."

This time, Colress didn't even give an order in response to Matt's. Grinning and tapping on the screen of his tablet, he stood by as the purple light from Cordelia's eye surrounded his Pokémon.

After several seconds of the light pulling at Klinklang's body, Colress finally said, "I think I've analyzed you enough. You aren't living up to what I'd hoped for. Klinklang, put an end to this with one shot! Wild Charge!"

Klinklang abruptly stopped rotating its gears, causing its body to shake. It slowly tilted back so its gaze would be angled directly at Cordelia, and even though the expressions on its two faces didn't change, Matt understood the passion that was flowing through it. One more glance from Klinklang to Kate forced him to resign himself to his fate, and he shut his eye.

As bright yellow electricity enveloped Klinklang, it set its stare evenly with Cordelia's. Like her trainer, she could see the burning spirit in the Steel-type Pokémon's mechanical eyes. By that point she had already come to understand how little her moves could do to it. Mimicking her trainer, she closed her eye and waited for the crushing blow of Wild Charge to come.

When Klinklang collided with Cordelia, the electricity in its body discharged, causing an explosion. Cordelia was flung down to the floor like a rocket, her body sparking with the energy that had just been used to cut her down.

"Sigilyph is unable to continue battling! The winners of this round are Colress and Klinklang!"

Even though he had been hoping to win, something about hearing Kate declare him the loser had a cathartic effect. Matt's mind eased, even if only slightly since the audience was once again cheering at a deafening volume.

"Matt!" Colress called across the stage, prompting him to lift his head. "I know it was quick, but I have to say thank you for facing me. I aim to discover what brings out the true strength of Pokémon. In a way, that makes us kind of similar, I suppose. Battling you puts me one step closer to that goal."

Matt found himself somewhat lost over Colress's rambling. Not wishing to pursue the subject while he was still in the middle of the crowd's attention, though, he opted to quietly recall Cordelia and nod to his victorious foe.

"You're welcome, I guess. Good luck in the next rounds."

Up in the stands, Bill said to Dante, "I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. I was kind of looking forward to seeing him battle my sister."

"Sometimes wishes don't come true," Dante replied. "I know he's capable after what I saw at the Battle Cafe. I guess the one-on-one format just caused him to come up short."

-:-

Though it was a sunny and clear, the air in Ecruteak had gotten colder as the day went on. While walking to the Battle Hall from the Gym with her friends, Olivia found herself thanking the luck that had led her to her new, warm coat.

A puff of air floated from her mouth with every breath she took, and her hand shivered around her Pokégear. She wasn't paying much attention to the cold, though. Her attention was instead fixated on the photo she had just taken with the device, in which she posed with Audrey, Monroe and Avril to show off her new Fog Badge.

"You did… you did really well, Olivia." For once, Monroe's stuttering wasn't because of his nerves, but instead because of the chilly air. "Like I said before, I didn't have too much trouble beating Morty, but lots of people say they do."

A slight grin played onto Olivia's face as she looked toward him. "Thanks. I think I just got lucky having the right Pokémon to use against him. Those status moves of his could have been really hard to deal with if my Pokémon could get damaged by his actual attacks too."

"Cinccino and Herdier did all the lifting, don't fool yourself," Avril remarked, walking with her arms crossed behind her head. "I don't know why you didn't just go with Dewott third. Mr. Mime was at a disadvantage from the start."

"Stop being such a buzzkill. So I didn't do it perfectly."

While Avril and Olivia glared at each other through the sides of their eyes, Audrey stepped closer to them and said, "I think Avril has a point this time, Olivia. Was something wrong with Mr. Mime that he wouldn't fight, though?"

"You know…" Olivia put away the Pokégear and took out Mr. Mime's Poké Ball, then stared sadly into its surface. "I'm not sure. I thought he would enjoy battling more after the Goldenrod Gym and Battle Cafe."

"Do you want to know what's wrong with Mr. Mime? I can tell you."

Olivia, Avril, Monroe and Audrey all jumped. None of them had noticed Nikolai approach them, let alone realized that he was walking alongside them.

"Who are you?" Audrey blurted out.

"Calm down," Olivia said, "I know him." Turning to face Nikolai, she asked, "What are you doing here? What's wrong with Mr. Mime?"

"I will answer your questions one at a time. First, I was traveling outside the city when I saw Polaris capturing Pokémon outside of Mt. Mortar. I followed them into Ecruteak but then I lost their trail and while I was walking around I could hear your Mr. Mime's voice…"

"Does he always talk this fast?" Audrey whispered to Olivia.

"You get used to it."

"But I'm getting ahead of myself," Nikolai continued rambling, seemingly unaware that Audrey and Olivia had been talking about him. "Please, let Mr. Mime out of the Poké Ball."

Seeing no reason not to comply with Nikolai's request, Olivia pressed the button on the center of the ball, causing it to pop open and release Mr. Mime. Almost immediately upon being summoned, he looked around at his surroundings, then slumped to the ground once again.

"I can hear the anguish…" Extending his hand toward Mr. Mime, Nikolai intoned, "Tell me what is causing you such pain. Transcend the confines of time and space."

"What's he doing?" Avril wondered, while the four of them watched Nikolai's eyes and palm begin to glow.

"He's got some kind of powers or something," answered Olivia. "You'd probably have to ask Matt for the details, but he says he can hear the thoughts of Pokémon."

For the next minute, Olivia, Avril, Monroe and Audrey watched in awe as Nikolai stood rigidly still, occasionally mumbling something as if he was conversing with Mr. Mime. Once he was done, he lowered his hand, causing his eyes to return to normal.

"Mr. Mime no longer wishes to battle with you," he flatly said.

Olivia could feel her heart sink when she heard this news. "But why? I don't understand!"

"Mr. Mime was taken from somewhere quite far from here to be given away as a prize at the Game Corner," Nikolai explained, his disgust evident in his tone. "At first he did not mind working with you, but losing to a Fighting-type like Hitmonchan at the Battle Cafe caused him to become demoralized. He couldn't fight at the Gym because he now wishes to go back home to where he came from."

"I-Is…" Unable to speak without facing her Pokémon, Olivia walked around to stand in front of Mr. Mime and stared deeply into his eyes. "Is that true, Mr. Mime?"

"Mime, mime…" the Pokémon said sadly.

"Olivia, w-what will you do?"

Olivia waited to respond to Monroe, allowing herself time to consider what her possible options were. She didn't need long, though. Almost immediately one particular idea jumped to the front of her mind, where it stayed.

Standing back up straight, she finally answered, "I'll help Mr. Mime go back home. He can tell me when we reach the right place."

"You're doing the right thing, Olivia," Nikolai happily said.

None of the five assembled humans, nor the Pokémon with them, noticed that they were being watched. A pair of black eyes with a cloud of yellow wool behind them were peering out from the grass near the road.

"Reep…"

-:-

A deafening roar of a gasp filled the air of the Battle Hall as the final match reached its climax. Colress's Klinklang and Trista's Kingdra were locked in a close struggle, twisting around each other as they looked for openings to attack each other.

Both of the trainers were coming off of strong performances in the third round. Much like his fights against the bodybuilder's Swalot and Matt's Sigilyph, Colress had an easy time against Giovanni thanks to the vast type advantage Klinklang held over Persian. Though Persian had put in plenty of effort, and did manage to at least put up a fight using Dark Pulse, he couldn't keep up with Klinklang after the Steel-type had boosted itself with Shift Gear. As for Trista, her battle with Mako had been the closest of the entire tournament to that point. Mako's Jolteon attacked hard and fast like he had in the previous rounds, but Kingdra's bulky body was able to endure Jolteon's electrical attacks so she could wear him down.

In their current fight, Klinklang was gradually overcoming Kingdra's attempts to escape its attacks thanks to the power of Shift Gear granting it more speed. The two Pokémon continued to jockey for position over each other, but Klinklang was edging Kingdra out.

"You're doing just fine, Klinklang," Colress said, tapping his tablet's screen. His visor was recording the battle and streaming the data directly to the device. "I'd like to try to finish this up now, though. Wild Charge!"

Trista clenched her teeth, and a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She hadn't expected Klinklang to pose such a challenge. "Dodge and see if you can stop it with Surf, Dorothy!"

Klinklang cloaked itself in electricity and rushed at Dorothy, but the Kingdra managed to twist away again, though she only escaped by a razor's edge margin. She took the opportunity presented by Klinklang slowing down to wash a tidal wave of water over it.

While watching Klinklang shake the water off, Colress noticed the leftover electricity still on it sparking through the drops. Seeing this gave him an idea, and he smiled.

"I know the path to victory, Klinklang. Use Shift Gear again."

Fully recovering from the shock of Dorothy's Surf, Klinklang sharply turned around and accelerated the rotation of its gears even more, further elevating its attacking power and speed.

Trista narrowed her eyes and allowed an annoyed grunt to escape her throat. She knew very well what Colress was capable of once Klinklang had boosted itself so many times over, and she also knew that allowing Klinklang to get close would be too much of a risk.

"You've got to keep Klinklang at bay, Dorothy!" Trista warned. "Hold it back with Surf!"

Colress's smile became a little bit wider once Trista's words hit his ears. Pushing up his visor, he immediately said, "I know you're a Coordinator too, so watch this combination move. Klinklang, dive right into the Surf while you use Wild Charge!"

Dorothy surrounded her body with water, and from there another powerful wave took shape. This time, Klinklang did not make any effort to avoid it. Instead, the Steel-type Pokémon simply threw another of its electrically-charged tackles straight into the swell.

Klinklang was able to push about halfway through the surge of water before the current became too strong for it to counter. That didn't stop what Colress had been aiming to do, though; in fact, it was exactly what he had hoped for. The electricity from Wild Charge reacted with the water and flowed through it, creating a deadly trap for Dorothy. The entire hall lit up with the light from the electrical cage, and the Kingdra could be heard crying out from within it.

Seconds later, the water dissipated, causing the electrical cage to collapse. In the midst of the still-sparking droplets, Dorothy reeled back, let out a sickly groan and fell down to the floor. Trista was left in shock at how quickly her fortunes had turned.

"Kingdra is unable to continue battling!" Kate announced. "The winners of this round and of the Battle Hall tournament… Colress and Klinklang!"

The crowd went wild, having been whipped into a frenzy by the non-stop, fast-paced battles that had unfolded. Their praise showered down on Colress and Klinklang like a waterfall, and while Klinklang robotically but cheerfully chattered its pleasure, his trainer scoffed at the attention.

"Of course they love me," he thought, once again pushing up his visor. "I'm a genius beyond compare!"

Not everyone in the Battle Hall shared the general mood over Colress's victory. Trista, though she felt disappointment as she left the stage, wasn't upset over her loss. Both Matt and Giovanni, however, felt misgivings over the situation, but for different reasons. In Matt's case, it was because he was still unsure of what Colress's motives were, as well as his continuing frustration over having not been able to reach Kate. His mind had been obsessively focused on Reshiram following his loss, and as a result he had barely paid attention to any of the battles before the final round.

Giovanni, on the other hand, knew exactly what was driving Colress, or at least had a strong hunch about it. The presence of a Polaris member at the Battle Hall worried him, especially after the betrayal of Thorton to their side. He trusted in the abilities of his subordinates to monitor all of Polaris's activity, but the feeling of powerlessness he felt immediately at the tournament enraged him. All he could do was pull his hat down over his eyes and wait.

Out on the stage, Kate approached Colress and produced a medicine contained within a yellow box with a spray nozzle on it.

"Congratulations on winning the Battle Hall tournament," she said to him.

"You're very welcome, my dear."

"As you know, the next step in your quest is a battle with me, the Hall Matron. If you can best me you can receive the medal for the Battle Hall. In order to make this a fair fight, here's a Full Restore to put your Klinklang back in tip-top shape."

Kate handed Colress the medicine, then turned and began walking toward the empty box on one side of the battlefield. By the time she arrived, Colress had already sprayed it on his Pokémon, instantly revitalizing its strength. Klinklang floated alongside Colress, clicking away as it waited for its final fight to begin.

"Alright, Colress, it's time for the grand finale to get underway! You won your way through all your opponents with your Steel-type Pokémon to stand before me. Only one question remains… do you have the star power to shine the brightest of all? Only one can come out on top as this Battle Hall's superstar. Are you worthy of that spotlight? Show me right here, right now!"

"The Battle Hall's Frontier Brain challenge! The challenger Colress… versus the Hall Matron Kate! Let the battle begin!"

"Come on out, my dear superstar! Take the stage and show off your brilliance!"

The crowd had already been energized by the announcer's words, but when Kate threw her Poké Ball, they erupted. A Venusaur stomped out of the light of the ball and roared, his voice loud enough to even quiet the audience.

Bill and Dante both found their attention drawn to a leather strap that was tied onto Kate's Venusaur's front left leg. They could see a gray stone bearing a red and blue helix set into it.

"I knew it!" Bill exclaimed. "Kate has the Key Stone in her headset… and Venusaur has a Mega Stone. That means she'll Mega Evolve it!"

"Sounds like you're going to get a chance to see your first Mega Evolution today," Dante said, wryly winking at him.

The two scientists in the stands weren't the only ones who were keenly aware of what Kate and Venusaur possessed. Colress knew what the stone meant as well.

"I get to see a Mega Evolution and battle it head-on… working with Polaris really has paid off for my research!" After gesturing to prompt Klinklang forth, Colress said to Kate, "I can see the Venusaurite your Venusaur is wearing, and I've seen the Key Stone on your headset. I know what those mean, so don't take it easy! Show me everything you've got!"

"I have every intention of showing you all my talents." Kate touched two fingers of her left hand to the Key Stone, causing both it and Venusaur's Mega Stone to begin glowing. "Our ultimate showstopper… Venusaur, Mega Evolve!"

Bright light flooded the entire stadium, causing much of the crowd to have to cover their eyes. Even the losing trainers in the backstage lounge, who were watching on closed-circuit television, had to look away. Venusaur's mighty roar once again echoed through the hall during the entire process.

The light suddenly broke away, revealing that Venusaur had transformed. His body had gained a significant amount of bulk, mainly to support the jungle-like growths sprouted around the giant flower on his back. Smaller pink flowers had appeared on both his forehead and rear. To conclude the Mega Evolution, the helix sigil that both the Key Stone and Mega Stone bore briefly lighted up over Venusaur. The crowd instantly began cheering more loudly than ever, and even Bill and Dante were too fascinated by the Mega Evolution to be bothered by the noise.

Colress looked down at his tablet, where he could see energy readings dramatically increasing. "It's exactly what I've been looking for, this energy…" Though he found it difficult, he managed to force down his excitement enough to engage in battle, telling Klinklang, "Get started with Shift Gear!"

"Oh no you don't!" Kate intervened with a sweep of her arm. "I know how you do this. Venusaur, stop it with Leech Seed!"

Klinklang started to rotate its gears at a higher speed, just as it had done in all the other fights, but Kate had a tactic up her sleeve to stop it. A light appeared in the center of Venusaur's giant flower and fired diagonally toward the Steel-type, and once they hit, the lights faded to reveal large seeds. These seeds then sprouted vines that wrapped around Klinklang's body, jamming it from using Shift Gear. Moments later, Klinklang shuddered and briefly glowed green as the vines drained some of its energy.

"That's clever," Colress said, grinning mischievously. "Of course, I should expect no less from a Frontier Brain, especially a superstar like yourself."

Kate knew that Colress was trying to butter her up. Instead of saying as much, though, she pretended to fall for it by returning his grin and saying, "I guess you really know what you've gotten into."

"But the question is, do you?" Having fallen for Kate's deception, Colress became more openly cocky than ever. "Klinklang, use Wild Charge to escape!"

Though it was still unable to rotate its gears, Klinklang was able to throw another of its electrically-charged tackles. By the time it collided with Venusaur, the electricity had burned away the seeds and vines. The impact caused Klinklang to be thrown back, but Venusaur barely shifted due to his resistance to Electric-type attacks.

"Alright, Venusaur, time for the reprisal act! Leech Seed!"

Klinklang hadn't pulled away in time, and as a result, Venusaur was able to cover it in Leech Seeds again at nearly point-blank range. The Steel-type Pokémon reeled back as strength was sapped from its body into Venusaur, who roared powerfully.

"Did you really think that would work when I just showed you how I can break out of it?" The stage lights glistened on Colress's visor as he thrust his finger forward and called out, "Wild Charge!"

Colress was too caught up in his confidence to notice the wicked smirk that had come onto Kate's face. Knowing she had full control of the battle, she stood back and didn't give Venusaur any orders. He had a perfect grasp on what she was doing, and with full trust in his trainer, he stood fast against the charging Klinklang.

While the vines fell off of Klinklang for the second time, Kate decided to make her move. "Venusaur, Frenzy Plant!" she cried out.

Venusaur's body became outlined by green light seconds before he stomped the ground with incredible force. The ground began to shake as his power flowed through it.

All of a sudden, giant roots erupted from the floor beneath where Klinklang was floating. It had no time to even try to move. As a result, the roots tore over it and became entangled in its gears, once again crippling its ability to rotate them.

The audience collectively gasped, but Colress remained cool and confident. "I don't think you'll overwhelm me with a type disadvantage. And shall I remind you that Frenzy Plant makes your Pokémon need to rest? You just gave me an opening! Klinklang, Wild Charge!"

Klinklang grumbled in a mechanical fashion, then started to charge its body with electricity and attempted to move. The vines of Frenzy Plant were far thicker than their Leech Seed counterparts, however. As a result, Klinklang couldn't break free this time. It struggled mightily, but all it could accomplish was making its body shudder and spark.

"What?" For the first time, Colress's cockiness faded. He was reduced to a wide-eyed wreck with his mouth hung open. "I can't break through?"

"That's what'll happen when you underestimate me." Kate accentuated her cheerful taunt with a wink. "Feel free to try and get out of that, though. With how thick those Frenzy Plant vines are, you're going to need all the luck you can get."

Colress lowered his head slightly. Though he was loathe to admit it, he knew that Kate was right. Without its usual mobility, Klinklang was crippled.

"Give it all you've got, Klinklang!" Colress called up to his immobilized Pokémon. "Throw all your power into Shift Gear!"

Though it put as much strength as it could into trying to move, Klinklang could manage nothing beyond a ragged shaking. Its voice came out in a weak gurgle as it did so.

All around him, Colress could hear the audience beginning to become riled up once again. The meaning of this wasn't lost on him - they sensed that the victory of their beloved Frontier Brain was near, and he knew it just as well as they did.

"Klinklang, you've got one last chance to turn this around," he advised. "Take it up to a Gear Grind! See if that works!"

As soon as it heard Colress's order, Klinklang abruptly reversed the direction it was attempting to rotate in. It didn't amount to much, though, for even though Klinklang managed to move a slight bit more, the vines held fast.

"Gear Grind, one more time!"

Kate adjusted her glasses and smugly said in response, "It's the end of the show. Venusaur, Earthquake!"

While Klinklang continued to hopelessly try to move, Venusaur reared back onto his hind legs, then brought down his massive weight onto the stage. The resulting shockwave traveled through the floor before being channeled up through the vines, which allowed it to violently impact Klinklang's body. The Steel-type Pokémon was torn from the vines' grasp by the force and thrown into the air before coming crashing down onto the ground.

"That's it!" the announcer declared over the thunderous roaring of the crowd. "The Battle Hall tournament is over, and the victor of the final battle… is the Hall Matron, Kate!"

For several moments, Colress stood still and silent. Once the shock of his stunning reversal of fortune sank in, he sighed contently.

"I got enough data, Finansielle will be pleased," he thought while tapping the screen of his tablet a few more times before putting it away in his coat.

Klinklang slowly picked itself up, but stopped when it felt Colress's hand on the top of its largest gear. It uttered a noise of defeat, but the scientist didn't stop smiling.

"You did well enough, sweeping through all those other rounds," he said. "Can't win 'em a…"

Colress was abruptly cut off when he felt his arm being pulled upward. Kate was standing next to him, having approached without notice, and was now showing him off to the crowd.

"A big hand for our tournament winner, Colress!" she beamed, inciting the crowd even further. Colress could only stare at her, dumbfounded. "He didn't beat me, but he put on a great show for you all, so show him your love!"

"I appreciate your sense of theatricality," he finally said, though he could barely hear himself speak above the crowd's cheering.

"Thank you," Kate answered, "And I do mean it, I enjoyed facing you."

-:-

A short while later, Matt was leaving the arena. He was by himself, but cared little, preferring to remain lost in his thoughts than to be carrying on a conversation. With his head low and his hands firmly planted in the pockets of his coat, he was in a fog over once again failing to reach his goal.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even keep doing this," he mused out loud as he walked. "These trainers are way outside my capability, to say nothing of the Frontier Brains themselves…"

"But you beat Dahlia, no?"

Matt froze when he heard Dante's voice, and it was only then that he realized that he had completely failed to notice the elderly scientist standing with Bill. In fact, he had nearly walked past them altogether.

"I-I-I…" The sudden meeting had thrown Matt, and he found himself struggling to speak as a result. "I don't know, I guess that's true. It just feels shitty to be on such a losing streak, you know?"

"It's good to know one's limits," Bill offered, scratching his chin. "Believe me, I know. I've lost whole weeks at a time working without knowing when to stop."

"So have I," Matt playfully shot back. "My grandfather used to have to carry me back to my dorm in Rustboro all the time. I'd fall asleep everywhere else while overworking myself."

"Fucking hell, you sure are full of new stories all the time."

Nekou's voice attracted the attention of Matt, Bill and Dante to the direction of the Battle Hall's entrance. The other two groups had since reunited, and Nekou was approaching them with Bunny, Olivia, Audrey, Monroe, Avril and Nikolai behind her.

"You heard that?" Matt chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I didn't take care of myself too well…"

"Judging by your mood I'm guessing you lost."

"You always have been able to read me pretty well, I guess," he replied, scratching the back of his head. Shifting his gaze slightly, he asked Olivia, "And how did you do at the Gym?"

"See for yourself," Olivia said with a broad smile. She took her Pokégear out of her pocket and showed the photograph of herself with the Fog Badge to her friends. "And guess what, Minccino evolved into Cinccino during the battle too!"

"Ah, well done, Olivia," Dante complimented. "You've always kept on impressing me, ever since we met. Your drive reminds me of my own daughter… she used to be such a hard worker…"

"Oh boy, here he goes with one of his stories again…" Nekou mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Bunny, tell them what you found."

Bunny drew a sharp, irritated breath, then took a step forward and said, "There was something written on the walls of the Burned Tower's basement in the ancient Tenganist language, but… it was incomplete. Broken apart. It's going to need some time to be translated, and even then, it won't tell us the whole story."

"You wrote it down, right?"

"Come on, Matt, you know me," Bunny groaned. "Of course I did. Working on my own, though, it won't be a fast process."

"You know, Bunny…" Bill interjected, "I've done some research into into Tenganist history myself. Our mother used to be one of the Kimono Girls, so it interests me. Think you could give me a look at what you found sometime?"

"I…"

"I thought you were going to ask that flower girl to be your...ahem...assistant?"

Bill's face flushed from Mako's joke, as his older sister approached alongside Kate. Both of them were wearing wry grins. When Bunny realized the meaning of what Mako said, she turned red as well.

"Don't get the wrong idea!" Bunny fumbled.

"Mako, I wish you wouldn't joke like that…"

Instead of backing off, Mako laughed and threw her arm around her brother, making him cringe. "You know it's all in good fun, Bill. Maybe you'd loosen up a little if you had someone looking after you."

Sensing an opportunity to cause mischief, Nekou slid in with the same sneaky expression Mako had, adding, "Yeah, listen to your sister."

"Two of you now?!"

While Nekou and Mako teased Bill, Matt approached Kate. "Why are you here?"

"To talk to you about Reshiram, silly," Kate said with a gentle, weary smile. "I know you're wondering how I know about that right now. Us Frontier Brains talk a lot, so I heard you were coming my way from Lyra."

After making a mental note to thank Lyra if he ever saw her again, Matt asked Kate, "So what is it? Are you able to tell me anything?"

"I'm the Hall Matron!" Kate laughed. "I'm a star who's been around the world! Of course I can tell you." Relaxing her body and lowering her voice, she explained, "It's something I learned when I was performing in Unova. I think the legend went something like this… the king of Unova in ancient times had two sons, twin princes who were greatly admired by their subjects. One prince sought to build a world based on the truth, and believed in this cause with all his heart. One day, his dedication to knowledge and truth caused a mysterious white orb to appear before him."

"The Light Stone?" Matt guessed.

"That's what it's called now. The prince did not know he was even looking for it - it was as if the Light Stone found him, not the other way around. Confirming the prince's dedication to the righteousness of truth, the Light Stone transformed, giving rise to Reshiram. From that day forward, Reshiram served at the prince's side, and the truths the prince sought would reveal themselves in Reshiram's flames."

"That's all stuff we already know, though," Bunny blankly said to Matt while rubbing her fingers on her forehead.

"Actually, no, it's not," he replied, lowering his head and running his hand over his rough chin. "I caught one detail I hadn't heard before. From the sound of it, that Light Stone doesn't actually have a fixed location. It sounds like the prince found it because he wanted to, not because he tracked down its actual location."

"That's the way I interpret it," Kate agreed. "Of course, it's an old legend. You don't really know how much of it is true, but I hope it was at least helpful."

"I think so. Thanks for taking the time to tell me."

-:-

Viridian City's nighttime skyline cast a vivid glow through the towering windows of Gabriella's office on the top floor of the Angel Corporation's building, especially in the crystal-clear waters of her pool in the suite. The bright colors of the neon signs and spotlights glittered over her body and bobbed hair as she calmly and deliberately pushed her way from one end of the pool to the other.

The quiet in the room was broken when the grand doors leading inside creaked open.

"President Bouchard, I've come as per your req…" Dominic said as he entered the office. When he realized that Gabriella was in the pool and staring straight at him, he flushed and tried to hide his eyes. "Please forgive me! I didn't…"

Gabriella laughed and playfully splashed the water. "Oh come on, Dominic, you have three kids. It ain't like this is something you haven't seen before."

"With my wife, not my boss!"

"Alright, calm down. I'm sorry." Gabriella swam over to where she had a neatly folded robe placed, climbed from the water, and slipped it on. She then sat down at the pool's edge and said, "You can look now."

Dominic was hesitant to look at her, so he first peeked out of the corner of his eye. He only turned when he realized she was out of the water. "Bit late for a swim, isn't it?"

"A nice dip is a good thing after a hard day's work," she answered, sipping at a cup of tea that had been next to the robe. "Cools the body down, clears the mind."

"I wish you would have warned me before you called me up here." Dominic sighed, then asked, "Why did you call me anyway?"

"Look on my desk over there, see that case?" Gabriella gestured toward her dark wooden desk, on which a metallic silver briefcase was resting. "Go look in there."

Without a word, Dominic followed his boss's orders. He walked across the room to the desk, which bore the same logo of the letter 'A' within a halo that was on the bottom of Gabriella's pool, and pressed his thumb against the scanner on the case to open it. Within it was a stack of papers.

"Those are the documents I need Matt Chiaki to sign to complete the Angel Corporation's licensing of his ALEA system and officiate the beginning of the prototype construction in Roseridge City. Since I know you're going to see your daughter in Olivine City, I want you to deliver those papers to him and get them finished up."

"I can do that, President Bouchard. Leave it to me."

"Good. Oh, before I forget, I slipped in a little gift for Helena. See that red button in the corner? Press it."

Dominic quickly located the button within the case and pressed it. Once he did, the tray holding the papers flipped up into the case's lid, revealing something hidden beneath. Almost instantly, Dominic's eyes widened."

"A-Are you sure we can have this?" he stuttered. "This is something very important! Shouldn't someone who works for the company have this?"

"It's better that a good kid like Helena use it. We can get data from it regardless, so why should it rot not being used by someone who would really want it?"

"Thank you, President Bouchard! I'll make sure to tell her how kind and generous you've been!"

"Stop trying to be so proper. Lighten up, or I might invite you to swim with me."

Though Gabriella had been joking, her comment was enough to get Dominic to do what she wanted by relaxing his body.

-:-

The members of Team Rocket had set up a camp around their car on the outskirts of Ecruteak City. While their subordinates sat nearby and ate by a fire, Giovanni and Ariana were sharing a bottle of champagne while Rosalie smoked her pipe. Both women noticed the way Giovanni was staring emptily out into the trees, though they also both hesitated to be the one to address it first.

"There something wrong?" Ariana eventually asked, deciding to take the plunge herself. "This isn't like you."

"Something that that kid said to me at the Battle Hall has been eating at me," he said without turning his head to face them. "He said I still only show my true strength when it's in front of others."

"And since when do you listen to what he says?" Rosalie scoffed between drags on her pipe. "Hell, I still remember when I pulled him out of you, Ari. Kid was screaming like a little bitch. Always figured we all stopped listening to him at that point."

"That's the thing," Giovanni uttered, "in the past I think I would just see it as more of his whining. Right now, though, it bothers me. With everything that's happening, I wonder if he's right. I should be using my full strength at all times right now."

"I don't see anything wrong with that…" Ariana said. "What has you so worked up over it? Is it that Silver said it?"

Unwilling to admit his concern for Silver's words, Giovanni instead reached into his pocket and removed a Poké Ball, which he handed over to Rosalie.

"What's this?" the scientist asked, keeping her pipe held in her mouth.

"Keep him safe tomorrow. I don't want him to be in the middle of this."

-:-

The public areas of Ecruteak's Pokémon Center had largely emptied out by the nighttime hours. Only the nurse and occupants of a few scattered tables were still around.

The quiet didn't bother Matt, though. He was sitting at one of the videophones in the lobby, wearing his eyepatch and night clothes despite the fact that he was conducting a business call with Gabriella.

"I've sent an Angel Corporation suit toward Olivine to deliver the papers to you," she explained. "He's someone you know already. Can you guess who it is?" Gabriella didn't even allow Matt a chance to think about it before revealing, "It's Dominic! I'm sure you guys will be glad to see each other again!"

"Oh, you bet," Matt said, grimacing. "I'll get everything signed, cut and printed as soon as I can. Thanks for backing my project."

"No prob, it's nothing. What good would my money be if I wasn't putting it towards helping people? But whatever. I'll see you soon."

Gabriella hung up, causing her image to disappear from the screen. Once she was gone, Matt stood up, took a deep breath, turned around and started to walk back toward the hotel area of the Pokémon Center. He hadn't gone far, though, when he caught Nekou sitting at one of the tables out of the corner of his eye. She was alone, reading something on her computer while sipping at a cup of tea.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, causing her to jump as he approached.

"Stop fucking sneaking up on people, for one," she said sarcastically. "I'm just reading a book and enjoying some tea. Relaxing. You know, why don't you try it?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"Consider it one."

Matt hesitated. He was caught off guard by Nekou actually asking him to stay. Sensing that something was wrong as he sat down, he asked her, "What's going on? This isn't like you."

"The fuck are you talking about?" she demanded, raising her eyebrow.

"Inviting me to sit down while you're having tea and reading. You've never done that before."

Nekou's fingers tensed around the handle of her teacup. Though she hadn't planned out the way the conversation had gone, she realized that he was right. She did, on some level, want him to sit down.

"Fine, you got me," she said with a sigh. She closed her computer and took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm worried about tomorrow. You know, Polaris's speech and all."

"I don't think there's anything to be afraid of." Even though she knew Matt meant well, Nekou couldn't help but cringe at how ignorant he was of the truth she knew. "We're minding our own business. If we keep our noses to ourselves, why would they bother us?"

"Forgive me for saying this, but what the fuck is wrong with you?! We're likely number one on Polaris's shit list after what happened in Goldenrod City!" Nekou expected Matt to flinch when she slammed her fist on the table, but he did not. She took the brief pause to note the irony in what she said. "And besides, do you really trust what someone like Ghetsis says? He's dangerous, very, very dangerous."

"Honestly…" Matt slunk down in his seat. "What does it even matter? This whole thing with Reshiram and the Frontier Society, it's all a farce I'm dragging myself through to avoid admitting how shitty my existence is. Ghetsis can't do anything to me I don't intend to do to myself later."

In that instant, Nekou's emotion toward Matt turned from anger to pity. She could read the hopelessness in every inch of his face, from the wrinkles around his tired mouth to the glassed-over look in his one visible eye. It was then that she understood the exact meaning of why Matt was challenging the Fronter Society's facilities instead of just seeking out conversation with the Frontier Brains - he was using the competitions as a form of self-validation.

"You need to take care of yourself more," she finally said, her voice becoming gentle and compassionate. "This isn't living, dragging yourself through each day. You need to find something that motivates you to truly want to keep going."

"I don't know anymore… will you help me, please?"

"Doesn't that go without saying?" Nekou automatically replied, her instincts running well ahead of her mind. When she caught up to herself, she quickly added, "Just make sure you have my back too."

"You've supported me through so much already, so there's no other answer I can give. Of course I'm going to stick by you. If there's one thing I do right it's that I'm loyal to my friends."

In response to this, Nekou silently drew her teacup back up to her lips and sipped the hot, aromatic liquid.

END of CHAPTER 18