Creation began on 01-16-25
Creation ended on 01-24-25
Neon Genesis Evangelion
To the Lumiose Conference!
The only thing that made time preparing for the Lumiose Conference go by quicker was the fact that Shinji had plenty of time to relax at the same time he was training his Pokémon. With Hanmyo and her cats as his primary company while Kensuke and the rest were back in their dimension, he made a short trip to the Poké Ball Factory that was north of Laverre City.
"I've never really been to this place, Shinji," Hanmyo says as they stand outside the large facility. "Even the Poké Balls you lent me didn't inspire me to come here."
"Well, since we're not really doing anything right now," Shinji states, "we should see if they're doing anything tour-related. It puzzles the mind at how Poké Balls are made en masse for commercial use by people all over the world."
Hanmyo has to admit that Shinji is right; it did puzzle certain people at how Poké Balls were produced by a company or individual for the purpose of catching and containing Pokémon. The concepts of mass and spatial manipulation and things that seem to belong to science fiction were the norm of this world due to research and development going back decades. But while she never did visit this factory that likely made Poké Balls for every use, she did know a little about specific types of Poké Balls that were often used…and hoped to know a little more about the ones that were still being researched.
"Say, Shinji," she goes, "what do you know about the Poké Balls that haven't been on the market for commercial use?"
Shinji turns his head to look at her.
"Whatever anyone else has heard, probably," he says. "Just urban rumors and such."
"Do you believe there's such a thing as a Poké Ball that can catch any Pokémon without fail?"
"If that were true, and it was out in the world, and some shady people had possession of it, that would be a disaster upon the rest of us."
Hanmyo frowns upon realization that, while this was true, she feels that Shinji knows a bit more than he was letting on. But because she respects him, she wasn't going to press him for more information than what he willingly shared with her now.
"That's true," she agrees with him. "It would enable some shady characters to look for some really rare and powerful Pokémon to catch without the difficulty that is inherent in looking for them. That would be disastrous."
"And we'd be the ones paying for such a disaster to happen."
-x-
"Shinji definitely knows something that he's not telling anyone," Antonio says as he monitors the tracking of Shinji on the screens in the research room.
"He may know about the fabled Master Ball that few humans covet," Tama Pāru suggests.
"The Master Ball?" One of the younger researchers goes and questions. "What kind of Poké Ball is that?"
"The one that can catch any wild Pokémon without fail. It's a tangible myth with many hands reaching out to grasp its power and influence upon others."
"If Shinji does know about a Poké Ball like that, it would make sense not to brag about having it," Antonio realizes. "Even if he were to have just one Poké Ball like that, he would likely not keep it on him. The very fact that he would have something like that would put a target on his back if some shady characters wanted it."
Watching as Shinji and Hanmyo enter the Poké Ball Factory, Antonio hates that he and practically everyone else were in recovery from the last time they were in medical comas to see him; he wouldn't have minded blowing time in a factory where Poké Balls were produced, and he suspects that everyone else would have enjoyed it, too.
"Electrode!" Boomer utters, hopping over to the console beside Antonio. "Trode!"
"I should try to bring you with us the next time we go back?" He questions, and Boomer produces small sparks surrounding its ball-shaped form. "We don't know how to induce a coma for Ball Pokémon yet, Boomer. But now, we have to look into it."
"Electrode!"
-x-
It was a childish instruction, but the class was into it. The teacher wanted each student to draw themselves with a Pokémon they wished to have based off what they had seen from the video posts. So far, most students wanted a large Pokémon, while others wanted small ones. Even the teacher had drawn his Pokémon of choice: A Chansey.
"I honestly didn't take you for the Chansey type, sir," Toji tells him, handing over his drawing of himself with a Hitmonchan. "Why Chansey?"
"Their eggs have nutritional value, and they can lay them almost everyday. But most of all, just one Chansey will give you good luck and happiness if it likes you. Who wouldn't want good luck and happiness?"
Toji couldn't fault him for his claims; Chansey were said to bring good luck to those that had them, and they were commonly seen in Pokémon Centers in some of the regions Shinji and Kensuke visited.
"Hopefully," he says, "one day, everyone here will get one."
"In the end, hoping is what I do," the teacher responds. "Hitmonchan, huh?"
"They're incredible hitters, among the best of Fighting-Type Pokémon."
Hikari comes over and hands over her drawing.
"Is that a Cubone?" Toji asks.
"Uh, yeah," she admits. "They're tiny and cute."
"What does the Pokédex say about them?" The teacher asks.
"That…they get a bad rep due to their background."
Hikari couldn't bring herself to say the truth about Cubone because it was mostly a tortured soul among the Pokémon that they learned about from Shinji and Kensuke.
"Maybe one day, their rep will change, too," the teacher suggests.
-x-
The size of the machines responsible for assembling the Poké Balls were amazing! So efficient, so sleek, and mesmerizing. Not to mention the scanners and lasers that were used to check each ball upon completion and determine whether or not they were suited for commercial use. And the fact that each section of the factory had its own system of which Poké Balls to manufacture so that there were no mixups.
"I can't believe you're able to make so many of them in just one day," Shinji tells the man that is leading him and Hanmyo around the factory.
"A few years ago, we were only able to produce four-thousand a week," the man in the white coat explains, "but now that technology has improved, we can produce that many in just a day."
As they walked beside a conveyor belt of completed Ultra Balls, Hanmyo picks one up and sniffs it, admiring the fact that it was just finished.
"It's even got that new smell to it," she says, and puts it back down on the belt.
"Eevo…eee…eevo…" Misato goes, and Shinji notices that she's wobbling around, looking dizzy. "Eevo…"
He picks up and feels her head.
"Must be the different chemical scents around here," the man suggests to him.
"Yeah," Shinji agrees; he couldn't smell these chemicals that his Eevee could, but it didn't change the fact that she was affected by them and could get sick if not removed from the place they were affecting her. "Sorry, Misato."
"Eee…"
They walked over to the factory's rec room and let the Eevee rest for a while.
Shinji set down a small bowl of water for her and sat beside her.
"Are you two heading to the Lumiose Conference in Lumiose City?" The worker asks Shinji and Hanmyo as the young girl's Meowstic were floating in the air.
"Uh, yes," Hanmyo says. "Shinji here is going to try and win the Kalos League now that he has all eight badges to compete in it."
"Congratulations."
"Thank you," Shinji replies.
"You're going to do great."
-x-
It was surprising to see Rei choose a Gyarados for her Pokémon of choice if she had one, but it was another thing to hear her say that it was because Shinji inspired her with his own.
"I wouldn't mind traveling with one at my side," she tells Asuka and the others as they walk down the street to the research station; just because they couldn't go see Shinji yet until they had recovered from their last sojourn, it didn't mean that they couldn't be up to date with his exploits from Mr. Giovanni.
"What do you suppose are the chances that Shinji will swap out most of his Pokémon currently on hand with the ones he used in his previous matches?" Toji asks them.
"I don't think Shinji will be using any Pokémon other than the ones he caught in Kalos this time around," Kensuke suggests. "He put in the work and brought out their true strengths. In the end, most of them all evolved and became stronger because of his faith. I think his Gogoat, Trevenant, Tyrantrum, Pyroar and Talonflame will be the powerhouses he and his Eevee need to win the conference. They're the best combination of Grass, Fire, Ghost, Flying, Rock, Dragon and Normal-Types he has used since he swapped out most of his other Pokémon for the ones he caught in Kalos."
As they got set to cross a street, they halt as they see Gendo on the other side.
"Kensuke, do you have Brute-Chan with you?" Hikari asks.
"Always," he says, reaching into his left pocket for his Poké Ball.
"Hold on," went Rei, noticing something off with the man. "He's not wearing his glasses."
That was a surprising feature to see Gendo no longer sporting. Then, to see him cover his eyes a little bit from the sun's rays, as if unadjusted to seeing without corrective lenses, it was as though he were trying to adjust to a new setting.
"Some people spend more time indoors than they do outdoors," Toji says, and the crossing sign turns green.
They cross the street, closing the minor gap between themselves and Gendo.
"I just have a question to ask," they hear him say to them.
"A question?" Asuka responds.
"Is Shinji…heading towards the Lumiose Conference?"
That was a question none of them expected to hear from the likes of Gendo. Such questions they did think of being likely to hear from him were whether or not Shinji had found his way back to their world yet…or if he caught another Pokémon of rare quality and power nobody else has been able to acquire for a long time. But to hear the question of Shinji heading towards the Lumiose Conference…was actually the first time in quite a long time that he ever actually asked about what Shinji was up to without it sounding so…half-and-half or so.
"Yes," Kensuke answers him, wrapping his fingers around the Poké Ball in his pocket, just in case he needs to let out Brute-Chan. "He only needs eight badges to participate, and he met the requirements. If he wins it, it's just another championship title that he'll have earned because he put in the work to get where he is."
"His past trials speak for themselves," Gendo states. "Will he be using the Pyroar that he has had difficulty controlling since it evolved?"
"Probably," Asuka says. "Leo is among his strongest Kalos Region Pokémon. And now that Shinji has eight badges, Leo has no recurring issues with listening to Shinji."
"And his…recovery from that one time one of his wayward Pokémon made a conscious decision to come after him after it was unnecessarily dealt with?"
This was a question they didn't expect to hear him ask, either. It had been a considerable amount of time since Nageku, the Ursaring that got killed, had tried to kill Shinji and almost succeeded, and their friend, while still not back to his previous state of life before the attempt on his life, was still able to smile and laugh.
"Even though it wasn't his fault Nageku was constantly hostile towards all else around him," Rei explains, "Shinji has recovered considerably well in the time since the day he was attacked."
"Nageku? He actually nicknamed the Pokémon that tried to kill him…after the word for 'lament'? Why use that word?"
"According to Shinji," Hikari responds, "ever since he caught him, Nageku had done nothing but lament over what he thought Shinji took from him. Lament is an ancient word for what it means to live."
"Living…with regret, knowing everything you've done…and everyone you've either hurt…or lost…or pushed away…of your own free will."
"But Shinji didn't let Nageku break him," Toji tells Gendo, shaking his head in the negative. "Sure, he chased after Shinji, hurt a bunch of people and Pokémon in the process, even landed a blow that would've been the end were it not for an extraordinary miracle that came moments after…but Shinji didn't let Nageku break him. Some people say that he's got a heart of gold…"
"And a soul of silver. But what of his will to persevere?"
"A will of diamond," Rei suggests with confidence, which surprises them all to hear her say. "Diamond is said to be unbreakable…and if one's will is as strong as diamond…then Shinji is in possession of such a will to persevere, even after such an ordeal."
Gendo nods his head in understanding.
"When you see him over there," he tells them, "can you tell him his father will be watching the posts and live streams of his time in the conference?"
The teens all look at each other before looking back at Gendo.
"Uh, sure," Kensuke answers him.
"Thank you."
They walk past the man, a little freaked out by his request.
"What was that about?" Toji asks. "I mean, he rarely asks about Shinji…at least like this."
"Maybe he's finally found the time to let go of his resentment towards Shinji," Asuka suggests as a possibility. "I mean, really found the time to let go of his resentment towards him. It was strange to hear him ask about how he progressed since the Ursaring attack. Maybe he's in that way, too."
"In what way?" Hikari questions.
"He's lamenting."
"If that's true," Rei states, "we should let Shinji know. Maybe his father will be rooting for him to do his best to win the conference."
"That would be something to know," Kensuke says. "If his father is rooting for him, that's gotta be a sign of change."
-x-
"…Eevo, eevo," went Misato as she relaxes on large ball modeled after the Luxury Ball. "Eevo, eevo."
"She sounds like she's feeling better," Hanmyo tells Shinji, who, for some odd reason, was in the bathroom puking. "Uh, Shinji?"
"Actually, Hanmyo," he replies, "she feels exactly as I do right now. As it turns out, she wasn't the one feeling under the weather because of the fumes generated from the production. Haaurgh! Aaaurgh! Phhpt!"
"No way! It was you?"
Wiping the bile from his lips, Shinji looks up to her and gives a half-hearted smile.
"Sometimes, I can't tell a good smell from a bad smell in one place or another," he explains as he stands up, looking a little better.
"Ouch. How are you feeling now?"
"A little bit better, but I'm going to visit the hospital in Laverre City when we get there. Gotta stay up to date on my health."
"Yeah, that's right. We can't have you overdo yourself."
"Eevo," adds in Misato.
"So, how was the rest of the rest of the tour for you and your cats?" Shinji asks Hanmyo as he sits down beside his Eevee and opens a bottle of water for himself.
"Aside from the three standard Poké Balls they pump out everyday," she replies, holding up a Poké Ball in her left hand, twirling it on her middle finger, "the one Poké Ball they produce that's probably their most coveted one by far is the Heal Ball."
Shinji recognizes the ball in her possession as the ball she was talking about.
"Please, tell me they gave that to you," he utters, and she chuckles.
"They did," she reveals, and then holds up another Poké Ball in her right hand and tosses it to him. "You're easy to get for when you have more than one favorite."
It was a Great Ball…with a custom engraving that read, "To Greater Days".
"Thanks, Hanmyo," he praises her.
-x-
"…I didn't think factory smells could make Shinji unsteady," went Toji as he and the others were watching him and Hanmyo through the feed.
"Most of the time, they don't really bother him," Kensuke says, "but I'm guessing the Poké Ball Factory has smells that he was being bothered by but wasn't letting dampen his mood."
"And who wouldn't want to visit the Poké Ball Factory?" Asuka questions. "That's like, Pokémon Trainer equipment capital of the world of Pokémon right there. Every type of Poké Ball you can ask for, right there, freshly produced and ready to be used."
"One time," Antonio tells them, "I visited a car production plant…and I tossed my crackers because of the new car smell."
"That must've been terrible," Hikari responds, feeling sympathetic.
"Terrible for me, but a complete disaster for the guy whose boots I tossed my crackers on."
"I'm guessing the guy sued," Toji utters.
"He tried to, except it was an occupational hazard to have visitors puke at random times. He was fortunate that I didn't puke on the new car."
"You once mentioned that Shinji claimed to despise the scent of fossil reserves mixed with high amounts of iron deposits, did you not?" Tama Pāru asks the teens.
Put quite simply, Shinji dislikes the smell of oil and blood.
"Yeah," Asuka answers. "One of the few things from his childhood that stems from bad choices."
"On the plus side, though, it is something nobody will have to worry about for quite a long time," Hikari reminds them.
-x-
"How do you feel?" Ritsuko asks Fuyutsuki when he walks out of the examination room after being given an injection of synthesized Super Potion mixed with Antidote.
Flexing his left arm that had been injected with the recent concoction, the commander responds, "Like I just got a vaccination shot. This makes how many people trying this out now?"
"Twenty-three," went Maya. "So far, we've gotten no complaints about any type of side-effects."
"And I got the same type of injection as everyone else did?"
"That's right," Ritsuko states.
However, since Fuyutsuki was the oldest subject to be injected with the synthetic substance, they couldn't be sure how his body would react to the new concoction.
"And how long until we're all able to go back?" Fuyutsuki questions, mainly because he, like everyone else that hated the wait.
"Another day," Maya sighs. "Short time to wait…but it feels like a long time."
"The Lumiose Conference. It may be the best conference of any Pokémon League we have seen Shinji take part in…excluding the Unova one that he has to wait on."
Fuyutsuki then widens his eyes as the pupils dilate, his perception seeing a combination of a galaxy and neurons firing across the sky around himself.
"I think I'm experiencing an elevated high," he tells them. "Has anyone else said anything about this as a side-effect?"
"You're actually the sixth person to describe a feeling of heightened euphoria," Ritsuko explains. "Seeing galaxies? Neurons?"
"Oh, yeah."
"It'll pass after a few minutes."
"That's going to be a buzzkill."
"Yeah, they said the same thing, too."
-x-
Laverre City was starting to resemble a little bit of a ghost town as Shinji and Hanmyo walk through the streets. There were few people around and the welcoming feeling they had from the previous time didn't feel present this time around.
"Did something happen while we were gone?" Hanmyo wonders.
"Uh, excuse me, ma'am," Shinji utters to get a nearby woman's attention. "Did something happen to this place? It looks like it's been emptied out recently."
"Oh, that's because most of the people left to attend the conference in Lumiose City," she explains. "It'll probably be like this in every other town and city. It's going to be a rager."
"Are…are the medical centers here still open?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
"Thank you, ma'am."
With such information verified, Shinji leads the way to the Pokémon Center to have their Pokémon evaluated before planning his own journey to the hospital.
"What a surprise to see you two here again," Nurse Joy greets the pair. "Oh? Where's the rest of your group?"
"Just in the wind for a bit," Hanmyo says. "We're to meet with them in Lumiose City."
"I hope they get vaccinated for when you meet up with them; there's been a recent wave of the flu in the last three weeks. Muscle aches, fatigue, nausea with some vomiting, headaches, elevated temperatures…"
"Please, tell me that we can still get the vaccine here," Shinji requests, a look of desperation on his face.
"They're still giving the vaccine at the memorial hospital, but due to the decrease in their staff, they close at eight in the evening."
Shinji checks his Pokégear and finds that there's still time to get a booster.
"We'll be right back!" He tells Nurse Joy as he leaves Misato and his other Pokémon to be looked at, picking up Hanmyo and dashing towards the hospital.
-x-
"…Whoa," Antonio gasps as they watch Shinji run out the Pokémon Center. "I ain't never seen anyone run like that for a booster shot."
"Yeah, that's our Shinji," went Misato as she watches him run towards the hospital he hadn't been back to since his attack when he was there for his sixth badge. "He's committed."
"He's faster than a car," Toji expresses.
On the screens, they could see Shinji moving so fast that it looks more like he was soaring across the ground on his way to the memorial hospital.
"Oh, my goodness," they hear a female nurse gasp upon seeing him and Hanmyo burst into the front entrance of the hospital.
"Are…are…flu shots…still…" Shinji pants, clearly out of breath in front of her.
"Flu vaccine shots?"
He nods and points to himself and Hanmyo.
"You're in luck. Right this way, please."
"The drive to get something done," utters Tama Pāru as Shinji and Hanmyo are being taken to separate rooms for their vaccination shots. "Just as Pokémon demonstrate such a drive to accomplish something that stands in their way, humans will pursue their list of minor goals to achieve a wonder and obtain a higher level of success."
"Electrode!" Boomer says.
"Yap!" Pen-Pen squawks upon seeing Shinji being stuck in his arm by a nurse holding a syringe.
"I'm guessing he doesn't like needles?" Antonio asks Misato.
"It's complicated," she responds.
"Let me guess: A previous job in the past, some work that was done and didn't meet the expectations of the people in charge, a bad attempt was made, you were there, and you made a choice to spring him?"
Misato smiles and waves him the peace sign.
"You're good, Antonio," she tells him.
-x-
The walk back to the Pokémon Center after getting the flu shots was quiet, but Shinji didn't mind the silence; it helped him to get his thoughts in order.
Hanmyo, on the other hand, found the silence to be annoying due to how left alone the two of them were without their Pokémon around. The quiet might've been something she enjoyed a little when she was an assassin for Anten Seven and Kei Pirate Guild, but for being grounded in a world where human society was different from what she knew, this type of quiet was just troubling and the opposite of soothing.
"It's unsettling more so than usual, isn't it?" Shinji asks her.
"What do you mean?" Hanmyo responds.
"The silence. It feels like you can't think without any loud noises."
"Yeah."
"The conference will be packed with many people cheering, screaming, hollering at the Pokémon Trainers they want to see make it to the top."
"How are you able to do it, Shinji?"
"Do what?"
"You get around the intensity of a situation, you face an unknown that is different from what you have faced before, and yet…you get to the next day…and you still have this sense of hope that it'll be just as good as the previous day."
"I have a happy-go-lucky attitude from what I'm told these days."
"You have luck, skill and determination."
"Conviction pays off if you have the will to go anywhere."
"Clearly, you're bound for greatness."
"But not on my own is greatness granted."
Again, Shinji was refusing to take what he knew for granted and be humble of how he achieved the recognition he obtained for training his Pokémon. As they made it back to the Pokémon Center, they spotted his Eevee lapping up a bowl of warm milk.
"You look like you're doing better than I am, Misato," Shinji greets her.
"Eee!" She chirps.
-x-
Oh, it was beyond inevitable that they would meet in Lumiose City. This was undeniable to Ash now that he and his Greninja had mastered the Bond Phenomenon; he was certain to surprise Shinji with his skills. But based upon what he and the others had learned of Shinji's exploits, the older Pokémon Trainer had achieved more experience and the Pokémon he had currently were deemed powerhouses in their own right. None of them were capable of Mega Evolution, but most had become stronger shortly after evolving, and based on what Serena had shown him on her tablet, four of them, his Talonflame, Trevenant, Pyroar and Tyrantrum were gigantic, something that was a bit intimidating.
"With the exception of his Talonflame," went Bonnie, "this Shinji Ikari has Pokémon that are different from yours, Ash. He probably needed a Ghost Pokémon to help him deal with what happened with the ghost of his Ursaring that came after him. It would be pretty odd if you both used the same Pokémon if you faced each other."
But Ash knows Shinji wouldn't use the same Pokémon as he would, even if they had at least one Pokémon that was the same. Their styles were different, their approaches were different, even their ranges of experience were different. The only similarity between them may have been the passion towards Pokémon and wanting to be among the best Pokemon Trainers possible.
"You're going to do great, Ash," Serena had told him once more. "When you get there, you may not even get to face this Shinji in the first round. You may get to face each other later on, and when you do, you'll both be at your best."
Still, Ash can't help but feel concern that when he meets with Shinji for the first time…he'll be unable to handle the fact that this Pokémon Trainer, having spent less time as a Pokémon Trainer than he did more than five years ago, was likely more experienced and much stronger and more knowledgeable than he was due to being fourteen when he started out, as opposed to he himself when he was ten.
"He's looking forward to meeting you in the future," Prof. Oak had told him regarding Shinji.
The fact that Shinji was looking forward to meeting him in the future still enables Ash to swallow his doubts and muster his own courage to face the man that had lasted longer than he had in the previous Pokémon League conferences he participated in on his own journeys in the past regions.
"I'm looking forward to meeting you, Shinji Ikari," he tells himself.
-x-
Sitting out on the training field at the Pokémon Center, Shinji, a little restless, imagines himself facing Ash Ketchum again, and smiles at the exhilaration he feels.
"I'm looking forward to the real experience," he utters.
-x-
Tokyo-3 had seen its share of foggy, misty weather conditions, and this morning was no exception. As the day was starting for some, it was a different kind of start for a handful, as the research station was hyped with excitement for those about to go back to the Pokémon world and meet with Shinji for the Lumiose Conference.
"Ooh!" Toji shudders beside Hikari and Kensuke. "I'm so excited."
"Champ," Brute-Chan expresses.
"Electrode!" Boomer adds in as it rolls over the room, sporting a patch on its body.
"The Lumiose Conference," went Antonio with a chuckle. "Here's to hoping that we all get there…and get to see Shinji rise up to greatness again."
"Let's do this," Asuka cheers.
"Let's do it!" The Bridge Bunnies add.
-x-
Lumiose City was abuzz with activity as the Lumiose Conference had yet to begin, but as Shinji and Hanmyo enter the newly-built stadium, they are mesmerized by the number of people that came to see the Pokémon Trainers that number only in the double digits instead of the triple digits. It was bound to be a conference that would last only a few days instead of a few weeks.
"Wow," Shinji says, seeing that the stadium is thrice as big as the Lily of the Valley Conference stadium in Sinnoh and filling up with twice as many people as he read was at the last Vertress Conference in Unova. "This place is going to be packed to the brim."
"No kidding," Hanmyo agrees with him, impressed by the many, many people that came to watch the matches. "What do you think are your chances, Shinji?"
"Of what?"
"Of winning."
"I'm not betting against the hands of fate. The odds are stacked against everyone here. The only thing for sure…is that we're all gonna give our best to reach the top."
"Amen, Shinji!" They hear the voice of Misato as they turn around, seeing the large group of friends and fans. "Looks like we arrived on time."
"Electrode!" Shinji and Hanmyo notice an Electrode beside Antonio.
"Boomer?" Shinji asks.
"Yeah," Antonio reveals. "We found something that could work in a manner similar to the medical barbiturates we use to induce and maintain medical comas."
"Some sort of electrical-based stimulation?"
"Electrically conducting barbiturates and feeding the surge through a patch on the side," went Ritsuko. "But, yeah, it is a form of electrical stimulation."
"Electrode," Boomer utters.
"Amazing," Shinji praises. "Nice to meet you in person, Boomer."
"Electrode!"
"Eevo!" Shinji's Eevee greets.
"Electrode!"
"Oh, Shinji, you won't believe the message we were asked to give you," Asuka tells him.
"A message? From whom?"
"Your father," Rei reveals.
"My father? What did he say?"
"He says that…he'll be watching the posts and live streams of your time here during the conference," Hikari informs him, which surprises him to hear.
"He said that?"
"It's probably nothing," went Fuyutsuki to Shinji, "but he's probably found the time to process everything that has happened."
Shinji, while he doesn't want to be deceived into believing that his father was likely to observe any of his actions unless he was after something that he could benefit from or try to manipulate to his advantage, did have to admit that it would be nice to know that his father would be watching a live stream of his matches here.
-x-
"We're here now," went Ash, unable to contain his excitement about being back in Lumiose City and at the conference. "Let's give it our all, Pikachu."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees with him.
To be continued…
A/N: Oh, they're so close, but not yet in each other's presence. The next chapter will bring them together for the first time in their respective lives as Pokémon Trainers. Get excited!
