Sam spends the flight in an uncomfortable half-sleep. If he didn't know better, he'd swear the sky was closing around them. The initial excitement he had had to go on the school trip quickly dispersed, getting exchamged with dreadful silence. Old King's had a few air-ships meant to transport students during the trip, but even that wasn't enough to get the boy excited. During the boarding he managed to keep close to Dean, deciding to sit with him. Apparently, Joe asserted that they'd be going on this trip, and the other group decided they wanted to join. Sam didn't mind it. Andrei ended up sitting down with him and and Dean. Behind them were Lesley, who bugged them constantly, and Ace, who refused to utter a word. Joe sat further down the back, surprisingly with Ves and Teo, while Marc and Henry sat right behind them. Sam was pretty sure the boy found it mandatory to sit with his own teammates, even though he was definitely gravitating towards the other two boys. The three didn't talk amongst themselves, opting to communicate through Marc and Henry instead.

To make matters worse, Stanley was on the trip as well. Not Stanley, Bo, that's what the guy was called, they informed him. Sam did his best not to look his way, but he couldn't help but notice him and his teammates glancing over at them. They only told him what had happened in short notes, but he knew enough.

With nothing much to do he spent the rest of the flight overthinking things. Much to his own surprise, he didn't think about his teammates to much. No, that matter was settled for sure, they didn't like him and he did not belong. During their flight to Sinnoh, he dreaded going home. He had already decided, and his stuff was already packed, since he's already visiting his home region, after the trip is over he'll be taking a trip back to Twinleaf instead of going back to Old King's. The other four boys would apparently be going back to their own homes for the weekend as well.

With the things as they are right now, Sam had spent most of his free time talking to Peter. Mostly about Fred, who still hadn't thought to message or call. About Liam as well, who did remember to shoot Sam a quick message at least. It was a strange momentum of his life, as he had found himslef coming short of the things to say ever so often. Even with Peter, who did talk to him regularly, he struggled to talk. It felt as if this boy he had known for his entire life was turning into stranger before his eyes. As if any following word could prove itself empty enough for them both to realise there was nothing left between them.

"Hey, what's going on", Dean asked leaning over his shoulder. Instinctively, Sam hid his phone screen, that had stayed open on his chat woth Peter. Not that there was much to hide other than small talk. "You seem out of it", Dean persists. The boy, with his hair in thrown up in a messy bun and an oversized hoodie looks like a breath of fresh air. Dean was certainly the most approachable person Sam had met in this school. Most importantly, he was certain Dean wouldn't try to get them expelled.

"I'm fine", Sam says, putting his phone away.

"Still stressed about that thing with the points", Dean lowers his voice so Ace wouldn't hear him, "how are things now?".

"Well, as you can see, no one's talking to me", Sam says with a bitter laugh, "well, except for you, that is".

"They'll forget about it soon enough, no worries", Dean tries offering some comfort.

"Not so sure about it, you know, I'm pretty sure they can keep this going for the entire year", Sam says. He wants to note how hellish it would be if things stayed like this for the whole 4 years, but he remembered he's probably not going to stick around for that long.

"They'll relax eventually, I'm sure about it", Dean says, "I mean, as soon as the tournament starts, the things will start moving".

"Yeah, right", Sam avoids saying that the tournament might end up making things even worse.

He did spend a lots of time thinking. Despite everyone trying to pass on their own, he knew that they could still advance as a team. Theoretically. It was just that Ace and Joe didn't have too much faith in the rest of them. Neither did Ves. Teo was still hard to read, but Sam was sure he would be trying to pass on his own as well. That was Sam's goal as well, but only half-heartedly so. Being ranked at the 300th place, getting into top 50 would be a nearly impossible task. He already knew he was not the best academically, and his battling prowess wouldn't push him far enough either.

"Honestly, I think it would be for the best if I just dropped out now", Sam admits quickly. He did think about it, there was not really too much hope to hang on to.

"That's nonsense", Dean says softly, "you didn't fail yet".

"But I'm as good as gone", Sam persists. With things as they are, he didn't have motivation to train. Sure, he went for the runs and tried working on Yamper's Thunderbolt, but his efforts weren't much. Especially since the only sort of conversation he had had with anyone for the past week was that one time Joe scolded him for making Yamper forget Nuzzle in order to learn Thunderbolt.

"Look, the year has barely began", Dean starts.

"And I'm already failing", Sam points out.

"And there are 4 tournaments in front of us, not to mention 2 rounds of exams", Dean quiets him with a wave of a hand, "there's more than enough time to catch up, I don't know why all of you are stuck on this one tournament".

"I mean, yeah, but you don't get it", Sam attempts, "everyone else will be getting points as well, so you know...".

"Right, well, you just need to do well in the tournaments, still", Dean shrugs, "I mean, you'll need to advance a few rounds further than it's expected, but it's not an impossible task".

"Well, it depends on how the points will be distributed as well", Sam points out, "and then there are the match-ups as well".

"You're thinking too much about it", Dean sighs, "right, even if you fail, so what".

"Well, then I won't be a pokemon trainer", Sam says taken back by Dean's statement.

"I mean, you can still do the gym challenge when you're 18", Dean shrugs, "it's a wait, sure, but it's not like all the hope is lost".

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Sam scratches his head uncomfortably.

"I mean, it's not the end of the world, my mom was a trainer you know", Dean says, "it took her a while, but she almost got into the Ultra league".

"Really?", Sam says in surprise, "but she couldn't make it?".

"I don't know", Dean shrugs, "I mean, she met my dad, they had me, and she kind of just gave up on it, I guess".

"Oh, really", Sam says, "does she regret it?".

"I think I regret it more than she does", Dean laughs.

"For real?", Sam rasies his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I mean, it was her decision to give up that path for the sake of starting a family, and she's happy with her decision", Dean states.

"But you regret it?", Sam asks.

"Well, sometimes I wonder, if she never had me, where she would be right now, what her life would look like", Dean's voice turns a bit distant, "I don't know, it's strange, sometimes I wonder if it's even fair for me to chase this dream, when she gave it up for me".

"Yeah, I get it", Sam nods.

"I mean, I wonder sometimes", Dean goes on, "now that I'm here, does she think me selfish, does she regret it now, or what if I actually make it and she starts regretting it... you know".

"Yeah, I get it", Sam nods, "but you know, she made her choice, and you get to make your own".

"Right, I know that", Dean sighs, "well, sorry about that, what's with your parents, are they into pokemon as well?".

"Not at all", Sam says, "Mom works at a bakery and dad's a mechanic".

"Oh, so you're the first generation then", Dean nods, "they support you?".

"Well, yeah, they always did", Sam says, "don't see why they wouldn't".

"I mean, not all parents are supportive", Dean says, "it's not exactly a steady or a safe job".

"Yeah, I forget this is technically a job", Sam says.

"Me too", Dean admits, "but, at the end of the day, it is".

"Right, well, this might not be a job for me after all", Sam laugh weakly.

"I mean, you got in", Dean shrugs, "just make the best of it, you'll still learn something during this year, I guess".

"Right, maybe you're right", Sam nods.

"We're supposed to be in Canalave in 30 minutes", Dean notes, "we'll get to meet an elite 4 member, you know, not too many people get a chance like that".

"So maybe I absorb some of that elite 4 skill", Sam laughs.

"A guy can dream", Dean chucles, "but maybe just settle for taking advice".

*****

Canalave city gym is nothing like on TV. To be perfectly fair, Sam had only ever seen the inside of the gym on TV, the battlefield, to be specific. The outside felt underwhelming, it was a square building done in mismatched steely plates. It might've represented the pokemon type the gym specialised in well, but it lacked any architectural merit besides that.

Professor Nolan gave his best attmept at making them all walk into the building in a neat row, but ended up failing miserably, as the small crowd of students chaotically shuffled inside. Confused on the topic on who he's supposed to be with, Sam stumbled around. Dean went along with Andrei and Lesley, so the boy didn't exactly want to insert himself. Joe, Teo and Ves strutted forward together with Hemry and Marc. Sam had no idea what kind of a set-up that was, but he knew he would be staying away from Teo and Ves at all costs. Instead, he hesitantly walked up to Ace, who was going in alone.

As they passed through to the main battlefield, Sam noted the rest of the building wasn't particularly interesting to look at. The grey walls were clean and had a blue-ish hue to them, making the space feel much wider than it actually was. The battlefield was nothing out of the ordinary, yet it was the most poignant part of the gym. High-hanging ceiling carried rows of fluorescent panels that gave the world beneath it a sanitary look. The field itself was well taken care off, clean and wothout any signs of battle. Sam could only guess at how hard it was keeping a pokemon battlefield in a pitch perfect shape. Stands on the other hand looked worned out, with every row missing at least 2 of the blue chairs. Against one of the entrances to the field, a high platform was set up. A few people were up there already, casually chatting amongst themselves, with a few tuening around to greet the students. As they lined in front of the platform, Sam was reluctant to stand next to his teammates. He did so anyways. Refusing to look at them, his eyes followed professor Nolan as the man walked up on the platform, greeting the people up there.

One of them was Rex, who Sam knew as a Canalave gym leader. Contrary to his rough sounding name, the man was very tame looking. Dressed in jeans and a casual button-down, it was hard to believe Rex was a pokemon trainer at all. Other than his fully unremarkable fashion style, he was tall and scrawny looking, with his upper body leaning slightly forward. He looked a lot like Teo, Sam thought, if Teo was a whimp. He couldn't even guess what professor Nolan and the gym leader were talking about, but he had hoped the former would suggest a trip to Home Depot to get some decorations. Who the rest of the people up on the platform, Sam had no clue. He heard Joe and Henry guessing around, and the two conluded they must be gym trainers. Perhaps even part of the management. The two that caught Sam's attention were a boy and a girl, seemingly only a few years older than them. They came up to professor Nolan, greeted him quickly and proceeded to patiently stand by his side as he convered with the gym leader. He wore a plaid shirt, and her hair was pitch black a lushious, Sam noticed. Neither of them seemed like gym trainers, and they were probably too young to be a part of management. Frankly, Sam was not sure why they caught his attetnion. Maybe he was uncomfortable to be near his teammates, and he desperately needed a distraction.

A few moments later, another man showed up on the platform, one that Sam recognised instantly. He stood in sharp contrast to everyone else in the room, for a multitude of reasons. The dude is jacked, was Sam's first thought. So much glitter, was the second thing he noticed. Hercule, the bug type elite 4 member was a peculiar sight. The man was clearly well over 45, yet he looked as if his favourite hobby was bench-pressing Snorlaxes. His muscles tightened against his skinny jeans, which Sam was not sure how he had gotten into. Even his face was contradictory, square features and a small mustache gave it a very masculine look, but the pink glitter splattered across told a different tale. Most remarkable was his jacket, a true fashionista phenomenon the man was known for. It was made from soft pink leather. The word of the tabloids was that it was made from the Wigglytuff skin. The thing was covered in tons of glitter as well and sported a giant picture of pink Heracross on the backside. It was Hercule's worldwide famous Ace, Hera. Lo and behold, it was a shiny pokemon, an easy way to garner strange looks. Shinies were a true rarity, and the opinion on them were truly divisive. There were those who absolutely loved them, spending their time or resources to find them. And there were others, who didn't particularly care about shiny pokemon, but hated the people who were obsessed with burning vigour. As for Sam, he found shiny pokemon to be neat.

"Oh my", was Teo's automatic reaction upon noticing the man, "too much".

"You...you think he's...you know?", Ves says, reluctantly limping his hand.

"Maybe he just watches TLC?", Joe offers flatly.

"Ah, there's the eternal paradox", Ace sighs.

"Look what we're seeing", Teo motions sharply towards the platform, as if he's trying to make prove his point.

"What are we seeing?", Joe raises a judgmental eyebrow at him.

"Is he gay?", Ves whisper yells, having had enough of this charade.

"Or European?", Ace adds with a chuckle, earning himself a sharp look from both Joe and Teo. "What, the joke set itself up", the boy shrugs.

"Um, what's an European?", Sam manages to utter.

The boys look at each other in complete confusion. "Well, I have no idea", Ace admits, "probably just something they made up for Legally Blonde: The Musical".

"Could be", Ves nods along with Ace's explanation.

"Oh, we could ask professor Nolan", Sam announces.

"Slow down there buddy", Teo raises his hands, "we're not talking to you, remember, or to Nolan".

"But we are talking right now", Sam blurts out.

"Yeah that was just so we could do a very bad comedic bit", Ace rolls his eyes, "it's a one time thing".

"Oh, like breaking the fourth wall?", Sam says, remembering what his teammates had explained to him last week.

"No, not like breaking the fourth wall", Joe sighs, "that's not how that works".

"Hwy, what walls are we breaking", Mark says from behind them.

"Oh, so there's this thing called the fourth wall and...", Sam starts.

"Hey, shut up", Ves quickly smacks him over the head.

"Yeah, you can't explain the fourth wall thing to the side characters", Ace hisses.

"Oh, oh right", Sam nods, "so... that's kind of our thing then, the fourth wall, I mean?".

"We don't have a thing", Teo sighs, "just stop talking".

"Yeah Sam", Joe says, "don't mention that to anyone, and please do not ever break the fourth wall on your own".

"Why not, I thought I could do that?", Sam scratches his head.

"I mean, you can, but it doesn't mean you should", Joe sighs.

"Yeah, you might fuck something up, so just don't do it", Ace nods, "ever".

"Yeah, leave it to the professionals", Teo says confidently.

"You ain't a professional", Joe says, "you've never even broken the fourth wall on your own".

"Yeah, well, that's just because I didn't get my chapter yet", Teo rolls his eyes, "but my time will come, I assure you".

"Hey, so", Leasley leans in towards them, "could you guys save your wall breaking and relationship drama for later, the lecture starting".

"Wait, Lesley, I still don't know what wall they are talking about, or what's an European", Marc chimmes in, "also, I'm kind of into the relationship drama".

"Marc", Henry says calmly, "please".

"Dude, I wanna know what's going on", Marc says innocently, "you know Joe never wants to talk about it, all he ever wants to do is train and battle".

"You mind that?", Sam notices Joe flinch a bit.

"I mean, no, but like, we could talk about other stuff sometimes too", Marc says swinging his arms backwards, "I mean, you and Henry are both strong and cool, but you never talk about anything besides school".

It was a strange idea to Sam, that Marc thought that way about Joe. Weren't they friends? When he looked at his teammates again, they seemed much paler than usual, felt much more real. Were the four of them just always like that? Cold. He let the word cross his mind freely for the first times. Although he had a rather conflicting feelings about his teammates, and had used many words to try and describe them, ranging from cool to assholes, he never let himself fully immerse himself into the idea that they were completely, truly, cold-hearted. It had seemed like too big of a judgement.

"Quiet", Lesley scolds them all, and this time they listen.

At first, Sam tries focusing on the speech, but it ends up boring him rather quickly. Rex has that kind of low and raspy voice that makes you want to fall asleep, and he lets it float and echo around the room in perfect monotony. He talks about school, how it's important, a good way to get ahead. Then he proceeds to talk about how the gym works. Turn out most of those people on the platform are, in fact, gym trainers. He lets them have a word as well, but they all say mostly the same thing. Even before they get to talking about steel type pokemon, Sam's ears start turning off. He can almost sense his teammates. Without even looking he knows where they are, as if he's perfectly feeling the brimming distance between them. And he knows they are not looking at him, the fact drives into him, sharper than ever. Maybe they are just themselves, ever so unfortunately.

Truth is, Sam had grown up in Twinleaf town. Back home, people were different. Twinleaf had its own problems, yes, but people were different. Everyone knew each other. At least. Standing there, his hometown started seeming like the warmest place. The smallest place in the world, but a place that felt kind, a place that knew him, that wanted to know him. He tried imagining, what would it look like if his teammates grew up in Twinleaf as well. Would they be nicer, kinder people? Maybe, if they all knew each other when they were 6, they would be friends. Maybe Teo would like setting up traps for the wild Starley's with Fred and him. Peter and Joe would probably get along, as well as Ace. Liam and Ves might've been friends as well, Ves seemed like a sporty type. It drilled into his head, the idea of it all. As if his past was twisting and turning in front of his eyes he started seeing new shapes. Darkening, they showed different kind of images. Maybe Fred would think Teo was much cooler than Sam. Maybe Peter would like Ace and Joe much more than Sam. Liam and Ves might've gotten along too well. At the end of the day, Sam might've just ended up on the sidelines. In fairness, Fred didn't talk to him ever since the summer ended. Liam barealy talked to him. Peter was trying, at least

He only faintly noticed when Hercule started talking, mostly because his deep voice drwaned out his thoughts for a second. He tried to bring himself back to reality, take Dean's advice and listen. Thinking about Dean proved to be a mistake. All of a sudden, he was scared to turn around and see if he was there. He wiped away the sweat from his hands. His mouth felt as dry as a desert. He didn't bring water with him. Joe and Ace probably had some on them, but he felt stupid to ask. Dean probably had some as well, he seemed like a responsible type. He couldn't bring himself to turn around and just ask. Dean had his own teammates, and, unlike them, they actually seemed to be getting along. Maybe he was just talking to Sam to be nice. Maybe he just felt sorry for him. Did it even matter? Next year, Sam wouldn't be there, so why would Dean want to waste time on striking a friendship with him. Being nice wasn't the same thing as being open to friendship.

The time seemed to drag along, and Sam felt every passing second as if it was draining energy from his body. It was probably just thirst, but he could swear the seconds were intent on torturing him. His heart pulsed in his chest, spreading uncomfortable feeling further and further, and it grew louder and louder. He felt something cold touching his hand. Turning his head, he saw Henry handing him a water bottle.

"You don't seem well", the boy explains quietly.

"Thanks", Sam whispers back to him, before taking a giant gulp. He has to restrain himself from downing the whole bottle. Maybe Henry would hate him for it.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Having a drink does make him feel better, but it doesn't help quiet down his mind. Unsure of what kind of a fucked up mental hallway he had found himslef in, he kept listening to his own hearbeat. It was pulsing lower this time around, in his stomach. When Hercule was done speaking a wave of relief hit, only ever so slightly. He didn't catch too much, from bits and pieces he had gathered, Sam concluded it was the same formulaic speech everyone always gave, just presented with much more vigour than usual. Dean had told him he should listen an learn. Perhaps there was nothing to learn, he thought. Come to think of it, everyone always spouted the same type of bullshit: "never give up" and "understand your pokemon" always topped off with "keep working hard". But what was it for? No one ever gave any practical advice, a real way to improve. So maybe there was nothing to lear, maybe people are born with something in them, innate knowledge or skill that made them good at something. A quick glance at Joe only confirmed Sam's suspicion - he was born with it, and that was that. They were all just born with it. Sam, on the other hand, just lucked out.

"Well, I will be off then", Teo is the first one to practically run away from the group.

"Try not to get arrested", Joe says unenthusiastically behind him, but the boy's already out of the earshot.

"I'll be going as well", Ace says inexplicably, before hastily stumbling out of the room. Before Sam can even notice it, the 5 boys from the other team are gone as well. It's just Ves, Joe and Sam now.

"Guess I'll just go sightseeing", Joe shrugs, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Sam notices his hand is still reddish, but at least he's taken off the bandage.

Sam's not sure what he wants to do with himself. Ves is not his favourite. And he's not Ves's favourite. Both boys let their gaze wonder aimlessly across the room, both spotting Dean at the same moment. He's standing near the platform, along with a smaller group of students. They're seemingly talking with Rex and Hercule. Ves steps out first.

"I'll be over there", he gives a short notice, before blasting off towards Sam's only way out.

Remaining all alone, the boy continues to look around himself, but the world seems to be coming to him only in segments, small and disconnected. The stands are there, the walls, they all start to seem like misplaced puzzle pieces, there without any rhyme or reason. Other people as well, seem unreal, as if they are not really there.

A hand brushing against his shoulder brings him back. He turns around to see Stanley, grinning at him. No, not Stanley, Bo, he reminds himslef. He's with another scrawny looking boy. Otto, he supposes. "Hey, buddy, just came over to say hi", Bo says with forced sweetness.

"You really shouldn't have", Sam rolls his eyes. Rarely does he feel the need to strike at anyone, but Bo definitely brings out that side of him.

"Well, we're buddies, it's only polite", Bo shrugs innocently.

"We're no buddies", Sam says, almost feverishly looking for a way out that does not include getting physical, "just go away, Bo".

"Nervous much, huh", Bo laughs, "calm down, no need sweating the small stuff".

"You almost got me kicked out", Sam blurts out.

"Look, bud, it was nothing personal", Bo raises his hands up in the air, "besides, you could say I was saving you from wasting your time".

"You could definitely not say that", Sam scoffs at him.

"Well, you could", Bo says simply, "I mean, you're not graduating, even if you somehow made it past the first year, you wouldn't make it all the way through".

"And what do you know?", Sam sighs, still looking for the way out.

"Well, I know a few things", Bo says, "mostly, I know how Illusion works".

"Makes Zorua appear as another pokemon", Sam rolls his eyes, "I know that as well".

"Yeah, and mind you, it gets broken as soon as Zorua takes one hit", Bo points out, "and you couldn't even do that, you know".

Flinching, Sam takes a step back. "Well, I couldn't have known it was Zorua", he tries.

"You know that's not what I'm saying", Bo chuckles, "you couldn't land a single hit on me, that's the point, you really should just drop out and pick a different carrier".

"Well, Joe best you", Sam points out desperately, "both of you, right? So you should go home as well".

"Technically, that other guy beat me", Otto chimmes in.

"Yeah, and Vinnie did the most of the work on me", Bo scoffs, "that's what chivalry get you".

"Well, then, you should go home as well", Sam crosses his arms.

"Hey, we'll go if it comes to that", Bo shrugs, "but, for your information, that's not happening any time soon".

"You sure about that?", Sam trues giving him a sharp look.

"Only a few people managed to beat me", Bo shrugs, "and those few are my three teammates, who are ranked at the first three spots, mind you, and your little friends, who I'm not even counting, since they ambushed us in a 4v3 battle".

"And you still lost", Sam points out.

"Yeah, but then again, did you ever win against any of them?", Bo says. Sam swallows the insult down, knowing full well he had never won against anyone, save for knocking Leah out that one time.

"Just go away, Bo", the boy sighs.

"Right, I'll leave you alone", the boy shrugs, "maybe you could go and hang out with your teammates?".

Looking over Bo's shoulder, Sam spots professor Nolan, walking down from the platform, together with those two trainers he noticed earlier. "Whatever, I'll just go if you wanna keep being a nuisance", Sam says, making a quick way past Bo and Otto. He hears them comment something behind him, but doesn't care enough to register what they're saying.

Hurriedly walking towards professor Nolan he takes a better look at the two people standing with him. Truly, both of them look young, they could even be seniors at Old King's. The boy's messy brown hair and rectangular glasses made him look studious, which was only comolemented by a formal looking button down tucked into a pair of perfectly ironed beige pants. The girl looked nothing short of picture perfect, pitch black hair lined her face perfectly. With sharp features, a spark in her eyes, she looked as if she could be a model. Sam couldn't help noticing the way her hips curved, a soft oval shape, only punctuated by the thight jeans she was wearing. Her blouse was more flowy, but it didn't conceal much facts. Trying not to stare at her, Sam kept his focus on professor Nolan.

"Hi", the boy coughs up, "I mean, good afternoon professor".

"Oh, good afternoon, Sam", the professor gives him a small nod of acknowledgement, "may I help you with something?".

Sam's not sure why he even approached them. Mostly to get away from Bo. But truly, he had no idea what he was supposed to do now that the lecture was over. He question his reason for being here at all, since he ended up not even listening to the lecture. "Um, actually", an idea quickly formed itself in his head, "I was wondering, since I'll be going home straight from here, is it okay if I leave early?". It was a perfect solution. He'd get to leave here, spend more time in Twinleaf.

"Why, has the Canalave not peaked your interest", professor chukles lightly, and Sam has to restrain himself from pointing out how dull and industrial the place looked.

"No, I'm just, I want to have some more time at home, that's all", he says slowly.

"You don't even want to go and try catching a pokemon?", Nolan raises a questioning eyebrow, "think about it, I mean, you can always go on another trip, but most students don't really do that once the tests and tournaments start rolling in".

"Um, I might do that some other time", Sam tries sounding confident. Truth be told, he wanted to catch a new pokemon, but he was unsure if he could handle training two pokemon at the same time.

"Well, it's a shame to cut a trip early, but if that is what you want", the man's exoression changes, his eyes are basically piercing through Sam, making the boy shudder. "Just don't tell me this is about your teammates", the man says knowingly.

"Um, no, no, really, it's not", Sam says hastily.

"Really?", professor Nolan raises an eyebrow at him.

"Well, maybe a little", Sam admits, "but it's not like anything happened, they... all just went doing things".

The girl suddenly laughs, making Sam instantly blush. Did he say something wrong?

"Oh, Brian, please, do you remember this", she places her hand on the boy's shoulder, "remember our first year? You were just like this".

"We met in second year, Vanessa", came the boy's cold reply.

"Oh, now, it doesn't matter", she responds playfully, "most of people were a little bit lost, so I'm just assuming, you know".

"Assume factually next time", Brian's lips split into a small smile.

"Oh, don't act all professionals now", she says, "just cause we graduated doesn't mean we have to pretend we were all so great when we were first years".

"Whatever", Brian replies, but Sam's already making the connections.

"Sam, these are Vanessa and Brian, as I assume you caught on", professor Nolan cuts them off, "they both graduated last year".

"So, you are pokemon trainers?", Sam says excitedly.

"Not really", Brian says, "I mean, we came in with a dream...".

"But we fell in love with history along the way", Vanessa cuts him off, taking a step towards Sam, who freezes on spot.

"And now we help professor Nolan with his research", Brian sounds a bit bitter about getting interrupted.

"Yeah, we're sort of assistants, disciples", Vanessa asserts.

"Oh, so you gave up on being trainers? Even though you graduated?", Sam found it hard to understand. Graduating from Old King's basically granted you a career as a trainer.

"Well, gave up is a harsh word", Vanessa explains, "it just sort of happened, that we found a different path and decided to take it".

"But it's a long story", Brian nudges her, "don't bore the kid to death".

"Oh come on, Bri, look at him", Vamessa's hand reaches out, pinching Sam's cheek, "look how cute he is, cmon, I remember when you were this cute, you know?".

"Oh, you thought I was cute?", Brian scoffs.

"Well, you were", Vanessa's voice rises.

Sam can only keep blushing, as she leans forward, inching her face closer to him. The scent of lillies envelops her, only further fogging Sam's mind. "Besides", she lowers her voice, "I'm not boring him, right, Sam?".

"Um, no, no", Sam stutters, "I...this is interesting stuff".

"Not only is he cute, he's also polite", she says, pulling back as suddenly as she came forward. Sam's left with echoes of her smell, quickly averting his gaze towards the professor, as to not stare at her.

"He's also a minor, Vanessa", Brian comments, and Sam wishes he would shut up.

"God, Brian, you take things so seriously", Vanessa rolls her eyes, "I'm just trying to help him ease up a bit".

"I'm pretty sure you're not getting the desired effect", Brian rasies his eyebrow at Sam. The boy pretends he doesn't feel his blood rushing towards all the wrong places.

"Well, Sam", Nolan decides to cut off the charade, "you are free to go home if that's what you want to do".

"I would like that", the boy clears his throat, grateful for the distraction.

"However, the three of us will be going on to the local museum, and you are free to join us as well, if you'd like", the man gestures towards his two assistants, "as you can see, I'm grateful to taking in any students that show interst in my subject".

"Oh, right", Sam doesn't really know how to react to that. "Yeah, that sounds good, I will come along", he says, quickly deciding that rejecting the offer wouldn't be the best option. Especially since Nolan already stood up for them with the school board, this would be a good way to repay the debt. And Vanessa was there as well.

"It's a small exhibition, we won't be long, so you'll still get to leave for Twinleaf early", professor peeks over his shoulder, "and since our hosts seem to have their hands full with your classmates, we could get on our way".

Sam, knowing Ves is there, doesn't want to turn around, opting instead to trail behind professor Nolan and his assistants. He does his best not to look at Vanessa, but ends up failing every now and again. Keeping quiet, he listens in to their little chat. The exhibition is called "Into the Distortion World", Sam found out, and it's supposed to be an "elegantly presented mixture of mythos and physics", as pofessor Nolan worded it.

The trip to the museum was short lived, as the structure was only 3 streets down from the gym. Sam was thankful he didn't have to feast his eyes on even more Canalave architecture. The museum, unlike most of the buildings in this town, looked decent. Either that, or everything else seemed so devoid of life that the museum stood like a breath of fresh air. The white walls were clean, giving the triangular shaped building a look of importance. The style reminscent of baroque was clearly made milder to fit with the cityscape, yet it still brought forward a small sense of greatness.

Inside was awfully quiet, as museums often were. Not that Sam had frequented them. The boy kept quiet, feeling as if any senseless word would only break the sacred feeling of the place. They made their way through the entrance hall quickly, Sam makimg sure his steps are as quiet as possible. Inside the wide oval-shaped room, not too many people resided. The walls were lined with pictures, painting and schemes, it was all to hard for Sam to connect. Alongside them, the marble beams stood, reminding him of professor Nolan's office, each carrying a statue, or some weird looking thing.

"This is not a well researched topic", Brian must've noticed the look of confusion on the boy's face, "it's somewhere between research and fiction, frankly, so some things you're seeing are just props and theories".

"But others are real?", Sam stares at a giant statue of what he assumes is a pokemon, the same one he saw on professor Nolan's desk.

"Yes, others are real", Brian confirms.

Sam tries making some sense of the creature made out of marble that stands before him. It's body is round, spiking at each end. The creatures wings look as if they could be made out of smoke, their curvature, the way they look shapeless makes no sense. Sam wonders, how did someone do that with a marble. Six strong looking legs carry the body, but the most poignant thing about the creature is its head. Over it is an unusual formation, that reminds Sam of a crescent moon-shaped crown. At the very least, Sam can say the creature looks important.

"That's Giratina", Vanessa whispers into his ears, sending shivers down his spine.

"Now, I believe this is a story you are yet to hear", professor Nolan says.

"Oh, no, professor, you're getting into the lecture mode", Vanessa says, "I will disappear now".

"Oh, well, if you find my lectures too boring", professor looks after her as she leaves. "I suppose I can skip them", he looks at Sam expectantly.

"Um, no, I'd like to hear about it", Sam says, partly out of respect, partly true to honest curiosity.

"Splendid", professor claps his hands, "I am always happy to introduce young minds to the story of creation".

"The story of creation?", Sam questions.

"You see, in the beginning, there was an egg", professor's voice drawns in importance. "From that egg, Arceus came to be", he said, making sure Sam is following along.

"What's an Arceus?", Sam tilts his head.

"Arceus is also a part of the legend, believed to be the first pokemon", the man explain, "though I'm much more interested in the one that came after him, one that Arceus himself created".

"Giratina", Sam nodded.

"Exactly", professor Nolan nods, "after appearing, Arceus first created three pokemon".

"Three?", Sam asks in utter confusion. Wasn't it supposed to be just about Giratina?

"Yes, three", professor says, "Dialga, the being of time, Palkia, the being of space, and Giratina, the being of anti-matter".

"The...being of anti-matter?", Sam still finds it hard to assign any importance to any of that.

"Yes, anti-matter, not that I can tell you much about the concept itself, that's the domain of physics", Nolan laughs at his own remark, "however, I can recount the legend, if you'll allow me to do so".

"Oh, I'm sorry", Sam says.

"Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were tasked upon creating the world as we know it, giving it shape, meaning, and order", Nolan says, "upon finishing their task, Arceus created a dimension for each of them, one they reside to this day".

"Oh, so there are other dimensions?", Sam says excitedly, "and there are, like, Gods, in those other dimensions?".

"Perhaps, that's the legend at least", Nolan nods, "of course, we can't say for sure how much of it is real"..

"Well, is it?", Sam asks.

Nolan lets his hand fly across the room, as if he was showing Sam a piece of art. "For ages, different people have worshipped these Gods", he says, "there are things in this room connected to those creatures, and there are many more, still burried into this earth, forgotten by time".

"Right, so these things are relics then?", Sam says, suddenly feeling stupid.

"Some of them, yes", Nolan nods, "some are just replicas, made by pictures and descriptions from books".

"Right, right", Sam remembers Brian already told him that.

"This for example", professor Nolan points to metalic sculpture that looked like a crescent moon. It was similar to the one draped over the creature's, Giratina's head, but somewhat more stylised, as it bore three more spikes, blooming upwards. "This is believed to be a symbol of 'Fallen Sun' cult, a group that is believed to have worshiped Giratina".

"A cult?", Sam looks at the professor worriedly.

"No need to sweat it, it's not a dangerous word", professor Nolan laughs, "it's just used when a religion isn't formal or widely accepted, most of the religions from ages ago are called cults nowdays".

"Oh, alright", Sam calms down. How stupid of him to be scared of a word. "So they worshipped Giratina", he says, "but why?".

"They believed that the things needed to be balanced", professor Nolan explains, "you see, Dialga and Palkia ruled over space and time, but anti-matter is, in simplest terms the thing that keeps the fabric of the universe tightly woven together".

"That's... nice", Sam says, not knowing how else to react.

"Anti-matter is the thing that ties everything together, like a thread, used to sew the fabric of our world", professor catches onto the boy's confusion, "the physicist don't even know much about it, so don't expect a better explanation from me".

"Yeah, no, I think I get it", Sam nods, still not getting it. "But, how did that keep things balanced, I mean, what was in disbalance in the first place?".

"Life, Sam", professor Nolan says, "life was disbalanced, perhaps it still is sometimes".

"What do you mean, life is disbalanced", Sam scratches his head. The legend itself is fun, an interesting thing to think about, but the boy was unsure what professor Nolan saw behind that whole story. He's seen the way professor's eyes glisten, the way his face becomes plagued by shadows when he talks about it, yet he couldn't understand the importance.

"Arceus later created the the trio of pokemon known as 'lake guardinas', from whom every other pokemon became", professor said, not answering Sam's question at all. His eyes pierce through the boynyet again, as if they are digging themselves into his skin: "but how did humans come to be, Sam?".

"Um, evolution?", the boy stutters, unsure what does that have to do with anything.

"Well, most people believe that, so perhaps that's the truth", Nolan nods in understanding, "either way, Arceus did not create humans, only pokemon".

"Yeah, right, obviously Arceus didn't create us", Sam would laugh at the idea, if professor Nolan didn't have a gravely seriou look on his face.

"My question, Sam, is", the man spoke again, his voice low and raspy, "if Arceus created pokemon but not humans, were we ever meants to exist alongside each other?".

Sam's head felt light all of a sudden, dizziness spreading across his body. Even his hands have gone stiff with uncomfort. How does he answer this question? He never really thought about it, pokemon were just a fact of life. Other people as well. "I mean, we exist, so I guess... maybe?", he stumbles over his word. Multiple thought were taking shape in his mind, but he never got to see them to their full extent.

"Yes, we do", professor thinks about it, "however, many things exist in this world, perhaps not all of them were meant to".

"You think humans shouldn't exist?", Sam blurts out.

Professor's laugh fills out the wide space for a second: "no, God, no".

"Um, but you just said Arceus created the world, and the humans just...became, I guess", Sam says. All of this was too much for him to wrap his head around.

"Well, that's what the legend says", professor's still smiling, "not everything is necessarily true".

"Well, what do you mean then?", Sam's had enough of not understanding.

The man scratches his beard carefully. "Perhaps, Arceus creted the world for pokemon, and humans came to be in that world", he speaks in a formal tone. After a pause he adds: "however, since humans came to be on their own, one could argue that they would appear even if pokemon never were created".

"So, what you're saying is either humans were a mistake, or pokemon were?", Sam hates such a rhetoric.

"I am not calling anything a mistake", professor's mouth twists into a smile, "though, you could view it as such, we evolved from the organisms Arecus did not create".

"You think that shouldn't have happened then?", Saam persists.

"See, Sam, either those organisms we came from were never meant to exist, or that egg Arceus came from never meant to exist", professor says, "in this world that is, what I mean is, perhaps pokemon and humans were never meant to coexist".

"Why would we not be meant to coexist?", Sam scratches his head, "I mean, the world is alright, I guess".

"Is it?", Nolan raises a questioning eyebrow, "how do pokemon treat humans?".

"I mean, they are our friends", Sam notes.

"Some of them, perhaps", Nolan nods, "the wild ones cause trouble though, that's why pokemon trainers exist in the first place".

"So you think pokemon shouldn't exist?", Sam concludes.

"It's much more complicated than that, boy", professor laughs again, "how do humans treat pokemon?".

"They are our friends", Sam offers.

"I would argue friends are not to be kept in pokeballs and used for battle", Nolan notes, "would you agree?".

"Well", Sam finds himself at loss for words, "I guess that's not cool". He latches onto Yamper's pokeball, suddenly wanting to release his partner.

"Just look at your little friend, Joe", professor continues, "would you say he treats pokemon like friends?".

"Um, I don't know", Sam remembers how Riolu's always at Joe's side, "I guess, I mean, he always gets him snacks".

Professor Nolan laughs at the idea yet again. "Snacks are fine, but wild pokemon can find food for themselves as well", the man notes. "I refereed the battle for him few days ago, you weren't there to watch", the man continues, "but from what I've seen, he doesn't treat his own pokemon as a friend, let alone anyone else's".

It comes to Sam's mind the way Joe is ruthless in battle. Even to his own pokemon. Didn't he let Riolu take two attacks once, just so he could win? Hell, wasn't Ves the same way too? Didn't he attack Dean's Petilil without hesitation, even though the small grass type clearly stood no chance? Ace too, didn't really understand his partner, didn't even try to. And Teo, Teo couldn't even function with his partner. The thought flashes through his mind, that Absol's can sense negative enrgy. The thougth's quickly removed to the back of his head, replaced by a sting of shame. Wasn't he the same way, to some extent? Wasn't he just a little bit dissapointed in Yamper due to his shortcomings.

"So you think we shouldn't coexist?", Sam says quietly.

"The followers of the Fallen Sun believed we weren't meant to coexist", Nolan nods, "we weren't made from the same material, we were never created to be equal or balanced".

"So... one of us shouldn't exist?", Sam swallows the uncomfortable feeling.

"The ancient people believed Giratina could solve the problem", professor Nolan ignores his question, "a pokemon that's meant to control distorsions, they thought it was supposed to fix the issue".

"Why didn't it fix it in the first place?", Sam inquiers.

"Giratina went off to the distorsion world much before humans came to be", professor explains, "it was never there to fix it".

"Oh, I understand, so they were praying to Giratina because of that", Sam thinks he finally understands.

"They were not only praying, they were trying to summon it", professor Nolan starts walking away, and Sam has no other choice but to follow along. The man stops before a beam that carries a round object made of copper. For a brief moment, he stands there, admiring it im silence. "This is a Talisman of Creation", his voice comes out distant, "the ancient people considered it to be the key to the distorsion world".

"Key to dostorsion world?", Sam repeats.

"Legend has it, it was made in the ancient times", he makes his way closer to the artifact. Sam notices the metalic surface is split in two parts by a carved wavy line, both sides carrying a stone, one milky white, the other clear as glass. "It is said to hold pieces of Dialga and Palkia", professor continues, "supposedly, it opens the doors to the world of Giratina, and has the ability to summon the creture, that's what they believed, at least".

Sam finds himself gravitating towards the artifact, as if he's being sucked in. He has the urge to touch it, but restrains himself. "So, this can summon a God?", he finally asks.

Professor Nolan laughs. "Of course not", he says, "this is just a replica". From the pocket of his trench coat, he pulls out a necklace. Sam quickly deduces that it's another talisman, the same one that's being displayed. The man notices the look of awe. "Talisman of Creation is one of the rare things that's well documented in books", he explains, "many replicas exist, I've bought this one a few years ago, wanted to see how similar they looked".

"They look pretty similar", Sam notices, "the one you have is smaller though, and it has more carvings, it also looks much older".

"Yeah, well, I think they aged up this one so they can pretend it was dug up from the ground", professor says curiously, "got it from some merchants near the archeological site here in Sinnoh, they were certsinly scammers".

"But you fell for it, professor" Sam wants to laughs.

"Not really, I drowe their price down", he says, "truth be told, I would've bought it anyways, for me these things are worth it, even if they are but replicas".

"Really? You care about this that much?", Sam wonders.

The professor's expression shift a bit, his voice coming off as an echo: "I believe the world needs to be more balanced, that's all".

"Right, so you believe in Giratina then", Sam concludes.

"Perhaps I do", the man responds, "much more important, I believe we all have the duty to try and change the world".

"And the Talisman of Creation reminds you of that", Sam nods, "it's like a... like a reminder".

"Exactly", the man says, "besides, it is also said that it balances the energy of its wearer, the real one does anyways?".

"It does that?", Sam says, slightly amazed.

"Guess you need to be well put together if you want to summon a God", professor Nolan shrugs. Turning the necklace around in his hand, he offers it to Sam: "I think I would like it if you held on to this one for me".

Reluctantly, Sam takes the souvenir, immediately noticing that it's much colder than he had expected, much heavier as well. "You're giving it away just like that?", Sam finds himself confused yet again.

"Don't sweat it, I have at least 10 more replicas back in my office", Nolan waves him off, "besides, I believe you could use something to help balance those energies around you".

"I don't believe jewlery can solve that", Sam smiles, "but thank you amyways".

"You never know", professor nods, "at least it might cause a placebo effect".

"Yeah, that's true", Sam says. "Professor?", an idea comes to his mind all of a sudden.

"Yes?", the man looks at him curiously.

"How come you are so nice to me?", Sam asks, "I mean, I broke the rules just a few days ago, so why are you helping me out now?".

"Well, firstly, believe it or not, I remember what it feels like to be a teenager", professor says. "Secondly, it's not like you're the only one I blame", he says, "although, you do take the most of the blame".

"Who else do you blame then?", Sam says, "oh, by the way, I know the name of the guy who I battled now, it's Bo".

"It doesn't matter now", professor waves him off, "I doubt the school board would take any action on it now, especially if the only proof they have is your word".

"But, I know who I battled, um whom I battled", Sam say, "why would I lie, and why would they do nothing?".

"The only proof there is is the video, and in the said video, you are the only student that can be seen", professor Nolan shrugs, "I mean, I can inquire with the board, but I firmly believe that matter's already settled".

"Alright, but please, check anyways", Sam says.

"Uh, well, besides, the other guy is not the only one I'm blaming either", Nolan says, "your teammates are to blame as well, if you ask me".

"Why, they didn't do anything?", Sam says, realising he can't even remember everything that they did.

"Exactly because they didn't do anything", professor gives him a stern look, "part of the reason we put you kids in teams is so you can take care of each other, which I can see your team has much trouble with".

"Well, they are... trying... sometimes", Sam says carefully.

"Sam, I was a student once as well, and I've been working with kids for a long time now, no need to reassure me", professor Nolan smiles. "Either way, hold on to that talisman for me, if nothing else, let it be a reminder that you can, in fact, turn to me, or any of your professors if you need help", he says, "regardless of what other students, and especially those teammates will have you believing, we usually want what's best for our students".

Slowly putting the talisman on, Sam feels its weight around his neck. "Thanks, professor, for today", he tries to make his voice formal, "I really had no idea where to go or what to do, so I really appreciate this".

"Well, you're welcome to stay with us a bit longer", professor Nolan nods.

Looking around the room, Sam notices Vanessa on the other side, looking at some picture up on the wall. "Thank you", he says, "but I think I'll be on my way home now".