As we finally make our way across the long bridge that signals the end of the eastern half of Route 205, and our final approach to Eterna City, my friends turn to me expectantly.

I look between them with some confusion. "Do you guys need something?"

"You mentioned that you are an Eterna City local, correct?" Ursula asks enthusiastically.

I scratch the back of my head. "I guess? It's where I live, and what I put down for registering as a trainer in Sinnoh, but my actual hometown is Vi-"

She cuts me off with a wave of her hand. "Details. What is important here is that neither Lucas nor myself have been here before. Which means despite your common tendencies, you should conduct yourself as a proper hostess and introduce us to all the sights and sounds of this city."

Say what now? Surely, Lucas doesn't need me to play tour guide. "You want a tour of the city too?" I direct my question at him.

He seems more sheepish, but no less eager. "It would be nice to have someone show us around. After all, Eterna City is known for being one of the oldest settlements in Sinnoh. It must be brimming with historical style."

"Besides," Ursula tacks on, "We have plenty of time. The authorities have already been notified of the plot in Eterna Forest at the last Pokémon Center, the Nurse Joy said to take Porygon to the one in Eterna, and if our positions were reversed, we would be doing the same for you. Right, Lucas?"

He shrugs. "Sure. If you two ever come by Twinleaf Town, I'll show you around Lake Verity, and take you to the spot where my friends and I used to look for the legendary Pokémon of the lake."

It seems I've been outvoted. That doesn't mean I'm going to kowtow to all of their demands. "If I'm the hostess while we're here, that means you two need to listen to whatever I say. Got it?"

"Got it!" they both say back, far too easily, which makes me suspicious. What are they planning…

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"Wow, look at these sidewalks! Can you imagine how much work it took for the people and Pokémon to cut the stone and fit them together perfectly, to the point that we can still walk on them today?"

"Oh, I know! These trees are amazing as well. Do you see how tall they are? They must have been planted hundreds of years ago!"

Apparently, part one of their scheme to annoy me to no end is by fawning over each and every thing in Eterna City, from the architecture, to the flora, even to the cute little ponds that people had in their yards, where they could raise fish Pokémon. Maybe it's because I've lived here and seen all of this; none of this is impressive to my eye.

Part two comes about once Lucas and Ursula start to realize that quite a few of the people on the street recognize me. That means they have to stop and ask friendly passersby for some stories. Most of it isn't too bad, but when they start chatting with one talkative old lady, I want to liquify into a puddle when I remember who she was.

"Oh, of course I know Luna. You should have seen the poor girl when I first met her. She looked like a Pichu, her cheeks were so red! The sweetie had gotten lost, you see, and it was such a cold night that day, I had to invite her back to my home and warm her up with my Torkoal and some hot cocoa before I could send Luna on her way."

Ok, so maybe I was a teensy bit lost that day. But it was only my second day here! I totally could have found my way home. Eventually. The only reason I took up this old lady's offer was because I wanted some hot chocolate, that's all!

I hastily interrupt her when I realize that she doesn't plan on stopping with her story. "Nice to catch up with you but we have a lot of stuff to see in one day ok bye!"

I steer my friends away in a hurry. As mortifying as that story was, it's not even half the tale. I'd never heard the end of it had that lady had blabbed about how my mom went to the police, saying that I had been missing for several hours, and I eventually had to be escorted back home by an Officer Jenny, riding like some kid in the sidecar of her motorcycle.

Thankfully, I know just the thing to get their attention. I drag them right past the Pokémon Center to look at a massive watercolor painting of a Pokémon. In my hometown, this would be some spray painted street art, but Eterna wouldn't abide by that. I assume they're as impressed as I was when I first saw it by their stunned silence.

"What… what is that?"

"This place is owned by, well, I don't actually know his real name, he's known as Mr. Underground, or Mr. G for short. Or people call him gramps. He used to be a famous explorer back in the day, digging underground with his Pokémon for buried treasure."

"Another old fossil collecting them like that Gym Leader in Oreburgh?" Ursula says sourly.

"Actually, while he has dug up more than a few fossils, he primarily was searching for jewels and other precious artifacts… and she's gone." Ursula didn't even let me finish before she bolts inside, though Lucas still continues to stare at the mural in intense interest.

"You didn't say what Pokémon this painting is of."

"I was getting there. This is a painting of a mythical Pokémon called Diancie. It's apparently made of diamonds, and according to Mr. G, he caught a glimpse of one whilst spelunking one day. He thinks that it's either an evolution or another of a Pokémon called Carbink, though he might have been seeing things."

"A mythical Pokémon that no one knows how to evolve," Lucas breathes, still totally fixated on the mural. I wave a hand in front of his face to break his trance after a few seconds.

"Is anyone in there?"

That finally shakes him out of his stupor, though he can barely string a sentence together with how excited he is. "I'm sorry. That thing is. Well. I-"

"Take a breath before you talk, man," I urge him. He takes two for good measure.

"Right. What I'm trying to say is that's what I want for my project," he states, gesturing triumphantly at the stained glass.

I blink. "You want a Diancie? I mean, I want one too, considering they're made of diamonds and all. The only problem is, there's only been one half-sighting of one, and we don't know that it actually exists."

"Not a Diancie specifically," he corrects. But there are Pokémon that once existed in Sinnoh, but have been lost to time, to the point they've now become myths." He drops his voice as if someone was listening in. "Like the Kleavor we saw in Eterna Forest. I want to be the one who finds a consistent way to bring one back."

Sounds like a crazy idea, but also an incredibly exciting one. Something akin to going into your backyard with a shovel and digging a bunch of holes hoping you'd uncover a dinosaur skeleton. Except here, we'd be bringing that extinct creature back to this world, and not through fossil restoration. Which raises a whole host of questions, so much so that I start waving my hands excitedly.

"How do you even start a project like this? Does every single Pokémon potentially have an unknown form lost to time?"

"Now who's the one getting excited?" Lucas chuckles. "As much as I want and will probably need your help, this is my responsibility in the end. I don't want you pulling your hair out like I likely will be throughout this process. Let me discuss all of this with Professor Rowan first. Hopefully, he can put me on the right track, and we can brainstorm ideas after you win your gym battle."

I nod at his fair statement. Rediscovering a Pokémon is going to be insanely time-consuming, too much so if I plan on taking the gym challenge. And the last thing I want to do is steal some of Lucas's shine, even if he's in this for the pursuit of knowledge instead of for the glory.

"For now," he says, "I really want to meet this underground man."

We push open the doors to one of my favorite places in Eterna. It's not really a store, though most of the stuff can be purchased, but more of a shrine to all of Mr. G's adventures. He's got younger pictures of himself, newspaper articles of his discoveries, and prize ribbons plastered all over the walls, a giant bookshelf filled with everything ranging from children's picture books to guides on the quality grades of gemstones to catching and raising manuals of Pokémon like Aron and Roggenrola, and biographies of famous explorers, including his own.

"Hey Mr. G!" I greet him, as he looks away from where Ursula is perusing all the low grade jewelry he sells to see who else just walked in. A grin breaks over his weathered face.

"Welcome back, kid! You finally gonna buy something from me, or ya gonna waste my time window shopping as usual?"

I turn my pockets inside out as a response. "Sorry. I still ain't got no money."

He scoffs at that. "I might be old, but I'm not senile. I caught the replay of your match against my old apprentice, Roark. Damn good show you two put on. If you battle like that, kid, you're on your way to becoming a hell of a trainer."

The earnest compliment has my stomach feeling all warm and fuzzy. "Thanks. These are, uh, my friends, Lucas and Ursula, and they were interested in that painting outside." I walk over and lower my voice conspiratorially so Ursula can't hear. "The inspiration, if you get me."

He nods knowingly. "I get you." He raises his voice to get Ursula's attention. "Hey lassie, if you want to see some real gems, come follow me." Mr. G curses bitterly as he goes for his cane. "Damn this hip. Can't even walk right no more."

I wince as I watch him struggle."You want us to grab the chair?"

"I hate that thing," he admits, though he jerks his head to the door behind him. Lucas helps me pull out the wheelchair and he settles in it heavily. I debate whether he's more receptive now than he was before I left as I wheel him through and around his wares.

"You could always get that hip replacement surgery," I try.

"I told you this a hundred times, I'm too old for that. I've only got a few years left. I don't wanna go through surgery, and then rehab, and then learn how to walk again! Let me finish out my days in peace."

All I can do is bow my head. Sixty-five isn't that old. He still has plenty of good years left. My worry is that he'll fall over one day and since he lives alone, no one will find him sprawled and injured on the floor. I've tried and tried, but how am I supposed to convince this stubborn, proud man to have a change of heart?

We all look away as he pushes a few buttons with his cane. A door slides open, and we walk into a heavily darkened room, probably meant to imitate an underground cave. The only thing here is one measly pillar with a conical gray rock studded with giant, glittering diamonds, placed on a velvet cushion.

"Oh my," Ursula says, hands coming up to her checks. "This must be worth millions of dollars! I cannot believe you have it here without any security!" You'd think she'd never seen a diamond before, with the way she hovers over it. "Can I touch it?"

"Course you can," Mr. G replies, giving nothing away. "All it is is a rock, after all."

As soon as she touches one of the diamonds, Carbink's blue eyes pop open and the Jewel Pokémon starts hovering in the air. Ursula shrieks in surprise, tripping and falling right on her behind. She swiftly grows red as we have a laugh at her expense.

"Well, if you think I wanted to buy something from this dingy store, you're sadly mistaken!" she huffs angrily.

"Sorry lass, I had to get ya like I did yer friend a while back. For being a good sport about it, I'll give you a ten-percent discount on any one item in the store." She smooths out the wrinkles in her skirt with a huff, but the calculating look on her face tells me she already has something in mind.

We all crowd around to stare at the diamond-laden Pokémon, who seems quite unperturbed by all the attention it's getting. "It definitely looks like that painting you had outside. You think this Pokémon evolves into Diancie?" Lucas asks.

"I don't know anything kid, other than what I seen with my own two eyes. Maybe Carbink evolves into Diancie, though I've had this one for a while and she hasn't yet. Maybe Diancie is an alternate form, where the carbon was compressed for even longer at higher temperatures than Carbink here. I know that Pokémon exists, though. My wife didn't like me saying this, which is probably why she left me, but that Diancie was the prettiest thing I've ever seen. Way prettier than that Adamant Orb that has all the city officials falling over themselves. They're building a whole museum to house it, if you can believe it. Broke ground a few days ago."

Did he just say Adamant Orb? As in, the one that belongs to Dialga? Lucas beats me to the punch before I can ask for more information. "Oh, I heard about that on the news the other day. Galactic Energy is funding the whole thing, right?"

"Spot on, kid. I think Galactic Energy is in it as a way to apologize for that ugly spaceship of a building they built here. It's up north, near the statue, because the City Council has dreams of turning that whole area into some sort of history and art district. Sure would bring some tourists around here, and hopefully revive some of the culture and festivals that've been fadin' away. Not that they'd come to my place," he finishes sadly.

Sorry Mr. G. We got bigger fish to fry around here. I don't think the Adamant Orb is anything more than a powerful artifact, but Team Galactic having access to it can't be a good thing. Looks like that's the next stop on our tour.

Ursula buys a cute crystal bracelet and Lucas drops his Porygon off at the Pokémon Center, and then I march them straight to the site of the museum. Sure enough, it's nothing more than a fenced off large square of packed earth with assorted building materials scattered on the perimeter. As with most construction sites, there's a large poster showing what it will look like when it's finished, the building company, the expected opening date sometime next year, and finally, in miniscule letters at the bottom, what I'm looking for.

The Adamant Orb is currently being studied at Galactic Energy's research lab here in Eterna City until its home is fully built.

Team Galactic's building looms large, with the ridiculous UFO on top they somehow built while I was out journeying. I turn to my friends. "Time for lunch, and then we can try and see that Adamant Orb in the Galactic building."

"What about the famous statue?" Ursula complains.

"You don't need me to show you a statue, do you? I promise it won't turn into a Pokémon this time."

----------------------------------------

"Alright Lucas, you remember the plan?"

He pulls at his collar awkwardly, probably missing his scarf. "I understand it, I'm just not sure why we need to go through all of this trouble." He gestures down at the outfit I asked to borrow.

I straighten his clip-on tie before I respond. "Of course we need to disguise ourselves. We both battled Team Galactic before, so we can't walk in there in our normal outfits in case Galactic Energy and Team Galactic are related."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"I find it hard to believe they are," he mutters. "Why resort to such buffoonery when you're the wealthiest corporation in all of Sinnoh?" Why indeed. This excursion hopefully would reveal something, that I could hold onto as proof, other than the word of one man, of them being one and the same.

"Besides," I tell him, "this is good practice for when you become a big name scientist. You'll have to dress up all formal and schmooze up to wealthy donors, like a big corporation."

Ursula scoffs in amusement. "If you ever do manage to achieve that, ensure that you contact me and not her. Else you will look as you do now; baggy pants, a miscolored tie, and a wrinkled shirt."

"I'd like to see you haggle at the thrift store," I snark back, ushering Lucas to the front door before she starts to comment on my outfit. "Let me do the talking, Lucas."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he mumbles under his breath as the sliding doors open for us.

My first impressions of the place are kind of underwhelming, in all honesty. It looks just like any regular office building, with a reception desk, a lounge with some cushy chairs, and a couple of security guards lounging near a water fountain and a snack bar. Doesn't exactly scream evil team lair. Lucas points out a sign right next to the entrance saying that the Adamant Orb is unable for viewing by the public at this time. Seems I'm not the first person to try and get a peek.

I also may have expected everyone to be walking around in space gear, but that's not the case, with everyone being business casual or better. The lady at the reception desk keeps throwing glances in our direction. If that's what you want, lady, you better be ready for what's coming.

Lucas follows me as I walk over, muttering quietly to me about how this is a bad idea. The receptionist gives me an unimpressed lookover and a practiced company speech.

"Welcome to Galactic Energy. Soliciting and advertising is prohibited on our premises. We are currently not accepting any product promotions at this time. Now, how may I be of assistance?"

I throw one arm over the desk in order to look like I belong. "We're here to apply for positions in your company."

She gives the tiniest of scoffs, pushing my arm off her counter with the capped end of her pen. "Galactic Energy doesn't accept applications from anyone under the age of eighteen. Even if you were that age, you are grossly unqualified."

"That's where you're wrong," I reply, winking at her. "I'm a pretty skilled Pokémon trainer, and that means I'm very qualified for your other department." I stress the last couple of words, wondering if I should show the receptionist my one whole gym badge. I can't exactly tell her I ruined all their plans at Valley Windworks. Maybe I should challenge her to a battle?

Regardless of what I might do to convince her, the front desk lady remains defiant. "Perhaps you did not hear me the first time. There are no positions within Galactic Energy for children. Now, leave before I have you thrown out by force."

"We need to go before you make a scene," Lucas says worriedly behind me, as I brush him off and pull out my trump card. I had already beaten Mars, so she probably wasn't in charge here. Next in line is…

"I have a recommendation from Commander Jupiter!" I search her for a reaction, and while I might be projecting, I swear the name registers by the way emotion flashes across her face.

Her stubbornness is to be commended, however. "No individual with that name works here," she grits while clenching her teeth, then gesturing to her left. "Security!"

"Of course she doesn't, it's a fake name. You already know that, don't you," I press, trying to get her to break and spill the beans.

Unfortunately, I'm not intimidating enough. She refuses to engage with me further, and I finally turn at Lucas's serious urging to see the two security guards have traded their powdered donuts for Ultra Balls. They release two Pokémon in judo outfits, one tall, lean, and blue, while the other is squat, buffed, and red. Sawk and Throh both move toward me, intentions clear.

Fine. I really don't feel like getting dropkicked and body slammed today, so I will concede this round to you, Galactic receptionist. Much to Lucas's relief, I call for a tactical retreat. We show ourselves out, immediately starting to remove clothing as soon as we can. Lucas takes off his tie, throws his massive suit jacket over his shoulder and unbuttons the top of his shirt with a sigh. I wiggle my toes and massage my bare feet once they are removed from their heeled prisons.

Ursula strides up to us, raising an eyebrow. "How did the information gathering go, exactly?"

"I don't think we learned a thing," Lucas admits, copying me and taking his dress shoes off, revealing his ankle-high socks.

I wouldn't go that far. That receptionist was on the ropes. A couple more minutes and I'd have squeezed her into berry juice. Moreover, I've learned about how to approach these things in the future. The patented in-game approach of waltz through the front door, kick everyone's butt and foil the nefarious plot with insane ease is not going to cut it. Either I need to catch them in a dastardly act, or I need to sneak through the back door of one of their hideouts.

I store that in my brain for later, picking up my too small heels with one hand. "Come on. We still got plenty of daylight, and the whole south side of the city to explore."

----------------------------------------

We thankfully change into our normal clothes before we start walking again. I show Lucas and Ursula all of my favorite spots, including my preferred restaurant for every type of cuisine, along with the best bakery and ice cream parlor in town. We slowly meander along, and stop every one in a while to look at the remnants of history that can be found scattered throughout the city. The truth is though, Eterna has been fading into obscurity for a while. Right now it's a mismatch of old and new. No wonder city leadership is so eager to modernize, to create a consistent image to market.

Finally, we reach the Eterna City Gym, which is within viewing distance of the bike rental store that signifies the north end of the Cycling Road, the fastest way out of the city.

"What is with these Gym Leaders and their atrocious sense of design?" Ursula critics, as we all take in the stadium where my second gym badge will be earned.

"If you think this is bad, wait until you see Gardenia's sense of fashion," I laugh. "Anyways, I like what she's done with the place. It's a Grass-type gym, so she's more than welcome to have it overgrown with moss on all sides, and these giant vines that reach all the way to the roof all around the circumference."

"It's got the same vibe as the last one. Wild and untamed. Perfect for a Pokémon Gym." Lucas tilts his head back. "This roof must open up like the last one."

"I assume so. It's covered in grass, which is unique."

"I assume they have a floating lawnmower as well then," Ursula says sarcastically.

"Oh, they don't cut it," I tell her. "Gardenia lets it grow out as long as possible. She wants as much of this place to be inhabitable by Pokémon as she can." I wave to two Pokémon holding flowers eavesdropping on our conversation, who giggle and disappear into the rows of what appear to be Floaroma Town blossoms that line the walkway to the gym. Gardenia does all this so she can meet the maximum number of Grass-type Pokémon, although I bet she didn't expect a bunch of Flabébé and Floette to make this their home.

Unlike my last interaction with a receptionist, this one is all friendly. "Luna!" she greets me, getting up from her chair to embrace me in a hug.

I return it, trying my best not to sneeze at her strong perfume, realizing that there is more of the glasses-wearing brunette than when I left. In a good way. "Hi, Jane. Are you…" I gesture vaguely to her round belly.

"Five months," she tells me happily. "I was pregnant before you left, actually, but I wasn't showing, so we never told anyone. Here to register for your gym battle?"

"Yup." I slide over my trainer ID and hold up my index finger for the follow-up question.

Jane starts clicking away, and I try again for some information gathering under the guise of small talk. "How's Ludicolo doing?" I ask, referring to her ace Pokémon.

She gives me a wide grin. "Fantastic. He's been coming up with a whole new set of dances to entertain the baby once it's born."

"Any chance I'll see something similar pretty soon?

Jane giggles behind her hand as she stops working. "Gardenia swore us all to secrecy, including your mother. We're not to tell you anything about what she has prepared for you."

Foiled again. "Drat. I figured at least I could get a nugget from each of you and piece together her plan that way."

The Gym Trainer chuckles. "Gardenia really wants to beat you, you know. I'm paraphrasing, but it's because she wants to keep you around for as long as possible so she can fawn over the most adorable Oddish she's ever seen."

"She says that about every Grass-type she sees," I groan. I'm surprised she hasn't run out and demanded to see Oddish yet. Speaking of which, where is everyone? I pose the question to Jane, whose expression finally drops.

"We've been working nonstop to resolve this whole Eterna Forest situation. We've been going for a while now, ever since Gardenia noticed that there were foreign Pokémon creating havoc, to catch and rehome them, but to know that we were only scratching the surface of what was going on is hitting everyone hard. Your mother can tell you more details, she's there far more often. I'm basically glued to this chair for now. They finished quite early today, so Tropius should have flown her back by now, if you went looking for her earlier."

"That was actually going to be my last stop. We've been wandering around the city all day, and it lined up perfectly, considering it's right next to here…" I start mumbling the last few words as Jane gives me a chiding look behind her glasses.

"Luna," the expecting mother tells me firmly. "That should have always been your first stop. I know you are with your friends and your Pokémon, but that doesn't mean your mother doesn't worry about you. Don't ever feel like you have become too big and strong to go back home."

Maybe I've been putting this off because I'm nervous, stupid as that sounds, to see my mom? We used to be so close, and over the past few years I feel like we've been drifting apart. What's all this time away done to our relationship? Some of my reluctance must show on my face, because when Jane speaks again, it's in a much kinder tone.

"I think you two will be just fine. Now, go and don't come back until Saturday at three."

The last line gets me out of my head. "Isn't Saturday the day Gardenia closes the gym so she can spend all day traipsing around in Eterna Forest?"

"She's coming back early this time. Everyone's off as usual, so we can all come to your battle and see you live."

Great. We've even got an audience for this one. Jane hands my trainer card back to me and waves us goodbye, ushering us out the way we came.

"How far is your home, exactly? You mentioned it was rather close and it is getting late," Ursula questions.

"It's literally across the street." I point out a townhouse with a green roof, blue door, and a pond in the front yard, one of a cluster that was built in the shadow of a tall apartment building.

"How convenient," Lucas says, impressed.

It wasn't all that hard of a decision to pick this one. Gym trainers have their pick of the litter of where they want to live, but why take a long commute as opposed to being able to walk right over? The only reason would be that you hated your job, and wanted to get away, but then you were probably in the wrong profession in the first place.

Not even five minutes later we're in the front yard. Mom's Water-type emerges from her pond like a mermaid, and the conspicuous banana tree in the garden makes a trumpet sound, lumbering over to greet me as well.

"Hi, Tropius. Hi, Vaporeon." I narrow my eyes at a cotton puffball trying to hide under one of Tropius's giant leafy wings. "Hi, Whimsicott."

The troublemaking Grass-type pops up with a wicked smile, delighted to see her favorite target, though I meet her gaze calmly. I got Pokémon of my own now, strong ones, and if Whimsicott wants to steal some of my socks or mess with my hair, she won't be getting away so easily.

"Is Mom inside?" I ask, to which Tropius gives me a nod, flicking his wing. Whimsicott jumps off Tropius's back and is at the door in flash, squeezing through the tiny gap in the bottom to inform her of our arrival. Vaporeon walks up expectantly, flicking her finned tail at my pocket in eagerness. I bet this mother-daughter reunion will go off without a hitch.

My prediction is proven right when I release Glaceon. She immediately goes over and bumps noses with Vaporeon, and then both Eeveelutions lift their upper bodies slightly so they can embrace while rubbing cheeks happily. I watch them with a mix of happiness and jealousy, as the front door opens and my own mother walks out with Serperior next to her.

She… looks terrible. Like someone who's been working such long hours that there's almost no time left to take care of themselves. At least, that's the impression I'm getting from her red eyes, messy hair and wrinkled clothes. Still, the knot in my stomach starts to loosen when I see her smile upon seeing me.

"Welcome home, Luna." she utters softly. At her side, Serperior gives me the tiniest of nods, which is a major acknowledgement for such a proud and haughty Pokémon.

"Thanks, Mom," I reply, trying to play it cool. "These are my friends, who've decided to accompany me on my journey." I gesture to the tallest first. "This is Lucas. We met at Professor Rowan's lab, where he works as an assistant."

"Nice to meet you," Lucas greets.

"And this is Ursula. She's a rising coordinator star that we met in Jubilife City," I introduce, being very generous with the compliments. Of course, some people can never be pleased.

"Future Top Coordinator," she corrects me, before giving a quick and formal curtsy. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am."

The look on my mom's face tells me that she's thinking the same thing I was the first time I met Ursula.

Is this girl for real?

I still ask myself that same question to this day.

"Right," she says with an eyebrow raised. "I'm not much for formality, so you can just call me Sera, or Miss Sera if you must. Any friends of my daughter are welcome to stay here as long as they like."

Is this super awkward and formal? It sure feels like it. If Glaceon and Vaporeon are any indication, Pokémon seem to be the way to get around this stupid social anxiety I'm suffering from.

"Do you want to meet my Pokémon team?" I ask without preamble, and release all my other Pokémon all at once.

"This is Spewpa," I say, as his eyes immediately go huge upon seeing a new person, and a bunch of unfamiliar and powerful looking Pokémon. As usual, his first instinct is to scoot behind me and peer out behind the relative safety of my leg. "We met in Eterna Forest a few days ago. He's still afraid of… everything," I admit, a statement that my newest Pokémon does not refute. "We're working on it, though."

How are we doing that? For now, it means ignoring Spewpa's 'please let me go back to my Pokeball' expression in favor of introducing my second Pokémon. "Charmeleon I met in Sandgem Town, as a Charmander in Professor Rowan's lab." I notice that he isn't reacting to my words, and instead is staring at something. I follow his gaze and instantly tap him on the shoulder when I realize what he's looking at.

"Quit it," I whisper. "'Serperior's glare turns you to stone!" He turns back quickly when he realizes I'm telling him a half-truth, but Charmeleon can't get Serperior to meet his gaze anymore. In fairness to me, it does paralyze, so I don't feel too bad interrupting his newest rivalry or whatever.

"Finally, this is Oddish. We met in between Jubilife and Oreburgh-"

"How long ago was that?" my mom suddenly interjects. She crouches down to inspect my Pokémon with an expert eye.

"Uh, like a little over a week after I left here. Why? Is something wrong?" I ask worriedly. I know I'm not a Grass-type expert, far from it, but it always seemed to me that Oddish was making great progress.

Mom shakes her head and rises in one motion. "No. She's growing like a weed." She then switches her gaze to me and holds out her arms slightly as Oddish jumps up and down. "Both of you."

That might have been a compliment ideal for a plant, but it works on me just as well. I barely restrain myself from running over, instead speed-walking to meet her embrace, which I reciprocate.

Mom holds me tightly as she whispers in my ear. "I mean it, Luna. I'm so, so proud of how far you've come. I'll always be here cheering you on, as your biggest fan, understand?"

She gives me one more squeeze as I nod, and then releases me. "Pretty soon they'll be calling you to deal with problems like the one in Eterna Forest instead of me."

"Oh, we heard about that," comes Lucas's voice behind me. "Can you tell us what the cleanup process entails, or is that classified?"

My mother pulls two Net Balls out that don't belong to her and turns them over while she considers her reply. "Mostly it involves catching the invasive Pokémon, restoring habitats so the native Pokémon eventually return, and rehoming these ones we've captured."

"Can you ascertain from where these Pokémon were taken from?" Ursula follows up.

"Even if we could make more than an educated guess, we can't send them back to their native habitats in this state. These Pokémon will be turned over to trainers. This Armaldo I caught will be sent to the Cyllage City Gym in Kalos, whose leader is as much a specialist in fossil Pokémon as Roark is, while this Scolipede will be going to Azalea Town."

I look back at Lucas in amusement. "Is it because of fairness that they go to gyms? So some random trainer doesn't get a powerful Pokémon for free?" I question.

"Not so much because of fairness as opposed to Gym Leader's having an ideal situation," she responds. "Gym Leaders are powerful type-specialists, so there are plenty of Pokémon capable of pacifying and defeating an angry, distraught newcomer. Gym leaders love to collect Pokémon, and they're not restricted by the League's six Pokémon per trainer rule. It's a natural fit."

Mom chuckles briefly. "We ran into a pretty powerful trainer today, actually, which is why we finished so early. Even though Gardenia insisted on having a Roserade against Roserade one-on-one before we began."

You can't tell me that Gardenia got into an impromptu battle without telling me the result! I think Mom sees the question on my lips and answers before I can pose it. "It was close until it wasn't," she reminisces.

"Gardenia must have stopped playing around," I think aloud. The small smile on her face tells me I've missed something, but I have other things on my mind. "Will Roserade be ready by Saturday, then?"

Mom doesn't take the bait. "Maybe." She then changes the subject. "I've basically been going out every single night since this whole thing has started, so I don't have anything for you all to eat. Why don't you freshen up, and then we can go get dinner? On me."

Food sounds good to me. Seeing how well everyone is getting along, Lucas and Ursula release their Pokémon to mingle, although Meowth gets a quick lecture about conducting himself properly in another's home.

That's a relief, at least. We all stop in the doorway as my mother clears her throat. "Why don't you take Ursula to your room, Luna. You must share a room all the time on the road anyways. Lucas can take the guest room, and that way no one has to sleep on the couch."

I'd be fine relegating Ursula to the couch, personally. Yeah, we share a room on the road, but Pokémon Center lodgings are rather spartan by nature, and they aren't filled with my personal stuff.

My mom's face brooks no argument, so I stomp up the stairs to make my feelings known, Ursula taunting me the entire way. "Yes Luna, be a good hostess and let me witness what your missing sense of design has wrought."

I don't bother answering that. Instead I usher her in while holding open the door, plotting how I'm going to get even for the second time today. She turns in a circle twice, taking it all in. "It's about what I expected. Your taste in color schemes is atrocious." She waves one hand at my bed sheets as supposed proof. "And who are those no names you have plastered on your wall?"

Admittedly, black, purple, and neon green probably don't go well together, but it looked crazy cool, and that's enough for me. As for the posters…

"That's Elesa, she's a supermodel and a gym leader and an icon, so you can't slander her even if you tried. The guy on the right is Marlon. He's just an expert surfer now, but he'll be a gym leader pretty soon. Marlon's way too strong of a trainer not to be." I then level a finger at the coordinator. "Listen, you. Yeah, I might have to cater to your every whim, but you gotta obey my rules too, since this is my house-"

"It's not your house yet, young lady!" echoes below me from downstairs.

Ok, mom hearing is uncanny. Still, I continue with no less gusto. "That means I don't want to see a Meowth. A Meowth's hair. A Meowth's chew toy. Anywhere in this room. Got it?"

"Very well," she sniffs. "Your terms are acceptable. Now, where is the washroom?"

"Over there," I jerk my head to the wrong door. Ursula taps her foot expectantly, clearly wanting me to open it, which I expected. I don't give anything away when I swing it open and reveal a darkened room. As soon as she steps across the threshold, I hip-check her into the closet, shut the door and lean on it with my full weight, holding the knob so she can't break out.

I ignore her infuriated sounds and sigh in content as I take in my room in its entirety.

It's good to be home.