The Tale of Lucas

There were pros and cons with working with someone so close to where you were staying. The pros were that Bebe's house was only a couple blocks away from the Pokémon Center, so he could sleep in, get ready, and be at work in a matter of minutes. The problem was that Bebe often liked to work him all the way past sunset, for that very same reason.

It would be worth it, Lucas told himself. Bebe, with her huge personality and her giant internet presence, seemed to have contacts all over the world, and assured him that she'd pay him back for his hard work by putting in a great recommendation with someone she promised would have a Pokémon that evolved into a Hisuian one.

Lucas's ringing of her doorbell was answered by Bebe's yell that the door was open. Bebe's bright hair usually stuck out like a beacon, so it was strange not to see her when we walked in.

"Are you in here?" Lucas called.

"Yeah!" came the reply, though it sounded funny to Lucas's ear. "I'm near the back!"

"I still don't see you?" Lucas said, as he picked his way through the organized chaos that his temporary superior assured him was nothing compared to one of her friends in Hoenn.

"Down here! I'm down here!"

Lucas looked down, rubbed his eyes, and stared at what was in front of him. There was an Eevee in front of him, in all its cute, fluffy glory. A talking one. Somehow, this wasn't even the first talking Pokémon he'd ever run into.

"What's the matter, Lucas? It's me, Bebe the Eevee!"

"You're not an Eevee," he retorted.

"Yes I am!" the Eevee insisted. "Remember that machine that we've been working on, and finally finished yesterday? The one that my friend Bill sent me the blueprints for? It turns you into a Pokémon! Hit the run button on the computer when I go inside, and I'll turn back!"

Lucas watched the Eevee run straight into the supposed transformation machine. Lucas had no idea what it did, because Bebe had been rather tight-lipped about it, other than insisting she absolutely needed his help getting it up and running. Surely though, it didn't turn people into Pokémon.

He hit the run button, and was immediately blinded by the flashing lights on the machine. White smoke emerged from every pore and orifice of the machine, and by the time Lucas was done coughing and waving it out of his face, Bebe was in front of him, and not an Eevee.

"See!" she said proudly. "Back to being human! Now do you believe me?"

"No," Lucas told her bluntly. "I don't know where that Eevee came from, but it wasn't you. You have clothes on, and the Eevee didn't. Unless you're going to tell me that they turned into Eevee's fur?"

"Wow," Bebe said teasingly. "Have you been thinking about me without my clothes on, Lucas?" She started posing suggestively. "I know I'm easy on the eyes, but it's kinda rude to fantasize about your boss, you know."

Lucas covered his eyes with his hand. "Stop that. You know that isn't what I meant. I've been working on this machine nonstop, the least you could do is tell me what it actually does.

"I'm telling you, it turns you into a Pokémon! Why don't you try it, and see for yourself!

Bebe didn't even give him a chance to argue, grabbing him and marching him straight toward the machine. Lucas was sure she would have stuffed him in there had he not dug his heels in. "Assuming this thing does turn me into a Pokémon, how does that even work? Some Pokémon like Magnemite are made out of metal!"

"Luckily for you," Bebe replied easily, "This thing comes with an instruction manual!" Lucas went cross-eyed as a book with a blue cover and an illustration of a Pokéball was thrust into his face. He barely was able to make out the title before Bebe pulled it back. "This is a personality checker, that correlates exactly to what Pokémon you'll be!"

"You don't really believe in Pokémon fortune telling, do you?" Lucas asked, gesturing to the book cover.

"Well, the last person certainly did," Bebe said thoughtfully. "They absolutely wore this book out reading it! Anyways, no time to waste. Get in there!"

There was actually an okay amount of room inside, good enough for a small child. That didn't save his head from being right against the ceiling, and Lucas could already feel his muscles cry out in protest as he tried to contort himself to fit inside. At least he didn't have claustrophobia.

Bebe's voice floated down, sounding almost ethereal. "Welcome! This is a portal that will take you to a world of only Pokémon! It will be full of excitement and adventure, but first I need to ask you a few questions about who you are. Be truthful when you answer them. Now, are you ready?"

"I want you to know this is ridiculous," Lucas said into the darkness of the metal box, but Bebe ignored him.

"I'm taking that as a yes," she informed him. "First, do you think it's important to be fashionably late?"

What kind of stupid questions were these? "No, I'd rather be on time."

He distinctly heard the sound of pages being furiously flipped. "You find a wallet with several cards and a sizable amount of cash on the ground! What do you do?"

"I try to look for an ID, and if I can't return it personally, I give it to someone at the police station or Pokémon Center."

"You're on your morning stroll when a TV crew pounces on you and starts asking you a bunch of questions! How do you answer?"

"To the best of my ability." Lucas answered. He didn't want to be someone who lost their mind as soon as they were put in front of a camera.

"Your friend wants to go on the biggest roller coaster with you, but they're too scared! How do you build up their confidence?"

"Probably by starting with a smaller ride and then building our way up."

"You notice that something you bought yesterday has been marked down to half-price today, and you can't get a refund! How do you feel?"

"Slightly annoyed, but you can't get too angry about bad luck, can you? How many more of these do you need to determine my personality, anyways?"

"Subject… does not have much patience," Bebe snarked back. "Aliens have descended and are conquering the world ruthlessly! Do you join the resistance or look out for yourself?"

"Join the resistance."

"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and admired how cool you are?"

"Uh, not really?"

"One day in class, while your teacher is giving a lecture, you have to go to the bathroom? What do you do?"

"I ask for permission to go to the bathroom?"

"While walking, you see a stranger slip and faceplant. What's your first reaction?"

I'd go to check if they were alright."

"Do you consider yourself someone that has good study habits?"

"I'd like to think so, yes."

"And finally, Fire, Water, or Grass?"

"Fire," Lucas said immediately, thinking back to the time when he had selected a Chimchar as his partner. "Is that it, then?"

"Not quite," came Bebe's voice. "We need to analyze your aura as well. This might be a little uncomfortable, but you'll be alright." As she said that, the lights came on, blinding Lucas with their intensity, with his eyes having adjusted to being in the dark. The smoke that he had seen earlier also started to trickle in, and the whole machine started to rattle.

It was like being caught in a sudden thunderstorm, with all of his senses being pounded into submission all at once. Lucas could barely hear his own voice, as he pleaded for Bebe to let him out, but he finally blacked out. When he came to, it was to Bebe speaking again, and the door opening.

"You are… the serious type. It's not that you can't have fun, or find things funny, but you don't go out of your way to inject humor into every situation. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, but some may find your line of thinking old-fashioned as a result. You're a great friend, and someone people can rely on. A serious and driven type like you is…"

There was clearly a mirror in front of him. But instead of his own reflection, Lucas saw…

"The Pokémon Growlithe!" Bebe finished. "So, what do you think? Pretty awesome, huh!"

It was unbelievable. Lucas could barely crawl out of the machine, and his reflection followed him, both of them walking forward. He stumbled right as they were nose to nose, but instead of hitting his head on the mirror, Lucas's face passed through air.

Wait.

Bebe's uncontrolled laughter was the second clue, and when Lucas finally took a look at his hand, it was as human and normal as ever. He stumbled to his feet and fixed the doubled-over laughing Bebe with his most furious glare. The older girl could barely point a trembling finger to something behind him.

It looked like a camera which had a picture of a Pokémon in it. Lucas waved his hand in front and the Growlithe in front of him, which had looked so realistic, like a real image in a mirror, wavered as its source was being interrupted.

"A hologram," Lucas said in disbelief. "The Eevee was a hologram too? I've been working on a hologram machine this whole time? What's all the lights and smoke for? And the whole personality quiz?"

"To make you believe that you turned into a Pokémon, obviously," Bebe, having somewhat calmed down, explained. "Now that we know it even worked on you, every kid in Hearthome is going to love it! Since you've been such a help, I'll put in a call with my friend Hayley, who owns a Pokémon ranch in Solaceon Town. She'll have a Pokémon for you by the time you get there, guaranteed!"

Lucas thought Bebe was extending her hand to shake on a job well done, but he was handed a screwdriver instead. "Why do I need this?"

"You've got to take it apart and reassemble it in the contest hall! Don't tell me you thought this thing was going to stay in my house!"

He sighed internally. It was all going to be worth it, Lucas told himself.

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

The Tale of Bellossom and Luna

Bellossom knew that most of her teammates weren't the jealous type, but she couldn't help but feel proud. Of all of them, she was the one that got to go on an exclusive tour of the prettiest place in the whole city with their trainer.

They just needed to convince this lady to let them in.

"Can you really look at my Pokémon with a straight face and say that she isn't one of the cutest you've ever seen?"

"Yeah!" Bellossom agreed. "I'm super cute!" She even did her cutest dance to try and sway the person in front of them, but the human remained stalwart.

"Amity Square is the most exclusive park in all of Hearthome City, frequented by our most important city officials and guests. We only let in trainers who own Pokémon of a certain standard, and you do not possess any of them," the lady replied, in a bored voice that indicated she had said this multiple times to other trainers as well.

"But your criteria is subjective," Luna tried again. "Cuteness varies depending on what the person's definition of cute is. I know a lady who thinks Cacnea and Victreebel are cute Pokémon."

"The list of Pokémon allowed in the park was voted on by the most prominent members of our city. If you want the list changed, I suggest you prepare and present your case to one of them."

"We can go somewhere else," Bellossom said, looking up at her trainer.

Luna hesitated a bit before finally agreeing. "I'm sorry, Bellossom. I know I hyped up Amity Square as this perfect place, and promised to show it to you, but I guess it'll have to wait until Glaceon gets better. She should be able to get us in."

"It's fine," Bellossom replied. "I only wanted to go because you seemed so excited about it."

Bellossom was on a mission. Everyone on the team was downcast, and she was here to make sure they perked up. There was only so she could do with her teammates in the Pokémon Center. Absol and Glaceon were polite listeners, but there was a time limit on what Charmeleon would tolerate, of anything, even her efforts to cheer him up.

The Grass-type knew that Glaceon and Charmeleon, and even Vivillon, to some extent, still thought of her as the naive Oddish that had met an interesting human one day and decided to follow her, and was having the time of her life without a care in the world.

In many ways, Bellossom was still like that at heart. What was often overlooked by her friends was that she knew how it felt to be sad. Downright miserable, even. She didn't wish that on anyone, and looked to improve their mood whenever and however she could.

It certainly helped that she had a newfound appreciation for entertaining people and Pokémon ever since she had evolved, as well.

So far, her efforts hadn't been very effective on Luna, but Bellossom wasn't one to give up so easily! Everyone was so happy here! There had to be something they were doing to make them that way.

"Why don't you pick the next thing we're going to see," Luna told Bellossom.

"I was just about to suggest that," Bellossom chirped happily, taking off so that her trainer had to jog to keep up. Every place Bellossom stopped at and considered looked fun, but finally she found one that spoke to her very soul.

"How about here?" The human and Pokémon on the poster sure looked like they were having a good time, even though she couldn't read what they were saying.

The Grass-type started to quiver in excitement as her trainer translated for her, in slight disbelief. "Pokémon Dancing Studios? Teach your Pokémon how to dance. First lesson half-off." Luna narrowed her eyes. "How did you pick this place?"

"We have to check it out," Bellssom said in her most serious voice.

"What's even the point of this," Luna muttered. "You're already great at dancing. There's nothing these people could teach you." She finally relented as Belossom widened her eyes beggingly. "I guess one lesson, if it's half price, couldn't hurt."

The human who greeted them immediately started fawning over Bellossom, much to her delight. "Aren't you a complete cutie! You look like a natural dancer too!"

"That's what I'm saying," Luna mumbled under her breath.

"Well, we've got plenty of classes here. You and your trainer and take a peek at each one before you join in!"

"What do you mean I'm joining in also," Luna interjected. "I thought these classes were for Pokémon."

"They are," she was informed, "but we strongly encourage trainers to join in the lesson as well. It's more enjoyable for everyone, and really helps trainers forge a stronger connection with their Pokémon."

"Come on," Bellossom chimed in, highly desiring a dance partner. "It'll be fun!"

Luna looked utterly conflicted, but she finally gave a resigned sigh. "Please don't pick anything difficult, Bellossom. I can't dance, even if my life depended on it," she admitted.

"Then it's a good thing we're here!" the Grass-type replied brightly. The first class was led by a tall, composed Pokémon, with two blades as its arms. This dance seemed to be showcasing the blades in a series of forms, and the other Pokémon were imitating it with their own weapons, be it claws, horns, or even teeth, for one Pokémon about her size with massive jaws hanging on its back.

The humans even had wooden swords to play along. The whole thing was done in silence, and while Belossom was confident she could replicate it, she felt Absol, silent as he often was, and with a true weapon to replicate the forms, might be better suited to it than she was.

In contrast, the second room was loud and boisterous. The instructor here was a large, blue reptilian Pokémon, and the focus of this dance seemed to be on raising your fighting spirit.

"Gallade I get as a dance instructor," Luna said, "but why do they have a dancing Feraligatr?"

Despite its bulk, Feraligatr was leading the class well. The small Dragon-types, that Bellossom recognized as being much like Gible, were gleefully following Feraligatr's steps; many of the moves involved loosening their limbs, flexing their muscles, and howling to the sky.

Charmeleon would probably flourish here, but Bellossom didn't feel like it was for her.

The third class though, Bellossom instantly felt a connection. Her trainer, not so much.

"Really? That Spinda can barely stand on its two feet without falling over! How is going to teach anyone to dance?"

Still, Bellossom could recognize a pattern in Spinda's movement. There was a fluid grace to how it managed to stay upright at the last second, right where a less coordinated Pokémon would have fallen, even during complicated spins.

She quickly joined the class and started copying the Spinda. And despite Luna's grumbling that she had two left feet, her hesitant movement and her stiff posture, she eventually joined in as well.

Bellossom enjoyed the lesson greatly. All of her practice with Petal Dance helped her not get as dizzy despite the odd positions she found herself in, the rapid reverses of direction and the multitude of spins she was expected to do.

There was a strange energy associated with the dance as well, that Bellossom initially didn't pick up on when she began, but as she got more into the dance, it became more apparent.

The human instructor clapped her hands together. "That was awesome, everyone! Next, find a partner, and test out your dancing skills on them. If you perform it correctly, you should be able to enchant them into copying you!"

Bellossom ended up against a portly pink and black Pokémon, with gleaming obsidian pearls on its belly and head. "Do you want to try first or should I?" Grumpig asked.

"I want to try it out," Bellossom said. She pictures Spinda's movements in her head and lets the energy flow around her, naturally shifting it with her moves. Pretty soon, Grumpig's eyes were glazed over, and Bellossom gave a whoop as the other Pokémon imitated her, even out of his own mind.

"Did you just confuse that Grumpig?" Luna asked, sounding very surprised.

Bellossom shrugged before continuing her routine. "I guess so?" When she glanced back, her trainer's eyes were focused somewhere else, and she was clearly thinking hard.

"Teach your Pokémon how to dance, huh?" Luna wondered aloud, before chuckling.

When class was finished, they headed up to the instructor and their Spinda to pay what they owed. "Your Pokémon certainly looked to be enjoying my class. I hope you did as well!"

"I was skeptical," Luna admitted. "But I'm glad we came. In fact, I think we'll be back, because some of my other Pokémon could use some dance lessons as well."

"Hurray!" Bellossom cheered. Not just because everyone was going to learn how to dance. But also because Luna was smiling widely and Bellossom could see her spirit returning.

"Which ones were you planning on signing up for?" The instructor asked in interest.

"I think we're going to sign up for them all," Luna replied.

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

The Tale of Cynthia

Amity Square had always had a special place in Cynthia's heart. In part because this was where her Togekiss had first hatched as a Togepi. But also, it was one of the few places in Sinnoh where the public could see the passion she held dearest to herself, equal to Pokémon battling.

There weren't many historical sites that were open to the public, unfortunately, which was something that she was working on changing. The paintings in Celestic Town were only accessible with her grandmother's permission, and the Snowpoint Temple was the same way, except with the temple caretakers. While she had managed to catch a glimpse of Mesprit in her travels, she hadn't seen either Uxie or Azelf, and no one else had seen any of the three, as far as she knew. Which meant to the public, the three great lakes of Sinnoh were only lakes, and not spiritual sites.

Only the very brave tried to ascend Mt. Coronet to uncover its secrets, and the Solaceon Ruins had only just opened, with her constant encouragement. The uncovering of the Adamant Orb inspired the most awe in the scientists and history buffs such as her; most people saw it as a giant, sparkling stone to glance at in a museum. In many ways, the statue in Eterna and the ruins in Amity Square were the only places people of her homeland could see the rich history of the region.

Cynthia was well aware that there would be no crowd at the Amity Square ruins had she not been spotted here viewing them. The people, tourists and locals alike, would be spending most of their time at the lake, or at the fountains, or the gardens. Well, Cynthia wasn't above using her prestige to nudge people into appreciating history more. Now, if only they would stop focusing on her and focus on these amazing ruins instead…

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Wow, I can't believe Cynthia's really here!"

"What are the odds that I'd see the Pokémon Champion!"

"She glows even more naturally in real life than she does on TV!"

"Sometimes, Brock, I worry about you."

Her back was to the crowd, so Cynthia didn't know why the excited shouts of seeing her turned to hushed murmurings, until it was finally broken by a confident voice.

"You're the most powerful trainer in Sinnoh."

Cynthia turned around to see a young trainer with intense eyes and dark purple hair. "That title is usually given to the champion, yes," she replied, smiling.

The trainer didn't react to her humor. "My name is Paul, and I hail from Veilstone City. I'm here to challenge you to a battle. I'm sure you must be a busy person, so three-on-three works for me."

The crowd immediately started gossiping again, most of it directed at Paul.

"The nerve of this guy! Who does he think he is?"

"You can't simply walk up and challenge the Champion to a battle!"

"This guy has balls, but he sure doesn't have brains, does he?"

A field challenge from a trainer was certainly a rare occurrence for Cynthia, considering most people were too intimidated, too in awe of her, or too scared that their Pokémon could get seriously injured. Which was ridiculous, because even though Garchomp specifically was a powerhouse of unprecedented proportions, all of her Pokémon knew when to give it her all and when to hold back.

Her first instincts about this being a very confident trainer seemed to be confirmed. Upon closer inspection, Cynthia could see a strong family resemblance to Reginald, or Reggie, a former Sinnoh League winner, especially in this boy's face. That was several years ago, when she was still a relatively new champion, back before Lucian, Flint, and Aaron had been a part of the Elite Four. Reggie had eventually lost to Bertha in his fourth match, and Cynthia had offered him a spot when one of the old guard had decided to retire. Reggie declined, instead choosing to hone his skills in other regions before returning to Sinnoh and trying to challenge the Elite Four again.

Except, that challenge never came. Despite his successes in the other regions, Reggie all but disappeared after a few years, and only recently popped up as a Pokémon breeder in his hometown, claiming to have retired from battling. Still, if this trainer was related to Reggie, he had to be skilled.

He had the look of someone who knew what they were getting into, challenging her. "Very well then. I accept your challenge!"

The crowd moved with them as they stepped away from the ruins, including three individuals that Paul was blatantly ignoring, despite their constant starting.

"What's wrong, Ash?" the girl of the group asked a boy with a Pikachu riding on his shoulder. "I thought for sure you'd have something to say about your rival."

A bit of a one-sided rivalry, Cynthia noted, considering Paul wasn't reacting to Ash's presence. He then waved off a volunteer referee, insisting he didn't need one. This was getting even more curious.

Best not to keep the people waiting then. Cynthia called upon her oldest friend first. "Now Garchomp, battle dance!"

"Chimchar, stand by for battle!"

Cynthia almost couldn't believe her ears. She was certain that Paul had plenty of experience, to have better matchups against Garchomp than Chimchar had. The Fire-type quivered in fear at Garchomp's appearance, but when it looked back at Paul, it froze, and turned around to stand at its full height.

Paul gave her a curt nod when she offered him the first move. "Chimchar, use Fire Spin!"

A powerful funnel of fire enveloped Garchomp, though Cynthia wasn't concerned. The Gible line loved heat, and warm places, cold-blooded as they were, even if her draconic nature didn't already make her resistant to fire.

"Now use Dig!" Chimchar burrowed underground, using Garchomp's restricted vision as an opportunity to get in a sneaky attack. But going underground against a Ground-type was never a good idea.

"Use Earthquake, Garchomp." Mindful of all the people watching, Garchomp picked up and stomped her foot on the ground, causing a small tremor to spread outwards. No one fell down, thankfully, but Chimchar was forced out of the ground prematurely, and collapsed in a heap.

Garchomp burst out of the Fire Spin for show, even though Cynthia knew her Pokémon would have liked to stay in there for longer. Paul recalled his Pokémon and glared at its Pokéball. "You ought to be ashamed of a performance like that."

Well, that certainly wasn't like Reggie, who was famously close to his Pokémon, which suited him in his new profession. Paul seemed to be taking the opposite approach, holding them at arm's distance. How strange.

Paul was already moving on. "Weavile, stand by for battle!"

That's more like it. "Weavile is an excellent pick to go against my Garchomp. Wise choice."

The young man didn't acknowledge her praise. "Icicle Crash!"

Weavile breathed out a stream of icy particles that coalesced into a cloud over Garchomp's head. Seconds later, several icicles threatened to rain down on her head.

Garchomp definitely felt pain from Ice-type attacks, even though they had conditioned her to not show any discomfort, knowing the psychological advantage it gave you when your greatest weakness seemed to not exist. This time, though… "Garchomp, Fire Blast!"

The ice melted away before it could connect against their attack, and the cloud dissipated as well. Paul narrowed his eyes. "Use Ice Punch!"

"Garchomp, Brick Break!"

Both Pokémon surged forward, but while Weavile was faster, it hesitated in surprise when Garchomp took the super-effective hit without so much as flinching. On the other hand, Brick Break threw Weavile backwards several feet, where it too, could not get up.

By now, most of the crowd had started to walk off, the allure and mystique of seeing the champion battle in person ruined by the fact that the battle was utterly uncompetitive. Still, a few stayed, including those three that had a prior relationship with Paul.

She had a feeling, confirmed when Paul sent out his third Pokémon, that the young trainer still had more to show. "Torterra, stand by for battle!"

This was an impressive specimen. The size and health of the tree on Torterra's back let you know everything you needed to know about a Torterra, and while this one wasn't that old, despite Paul's controversial training style, it was extremely well raised.

"Giga Drain!" Paul ordered. Tendrils erupted from Torterra's back spikes and flew toward Garchomp, looking to drain her energy and fuel Torterra's own attacks.

"Poison Jab," Cynthia said calmly. Her Pokémon's claws dripped purple, and it lashed at the offending tendrils, forcing them all back.

"Now, Fire Blast!"

"Torterra, Stone Edge!" Torterra's shower of pointed stones cut through Garchomp's attack like butter, forcing her to raise a wing to shield herself from the onslaught of rocks. Still, Cynthia hadn't really broken a sweat. Three battles in, and Garchomp wasn't showing any signs of fatigue.

"Your Garchomp lives up to its reputation," Paul finally said, and in fact the only thing he had said other than giving his Pokémon commands. "But we have an attack that will put down even the strongest of opponents. Frenzy Plant, go!"

The most powerful Grass-type move in existence, Cynthia thought in admiration. Only the very best of Grass-types could hope to master such a move. Paul's Torterra was truly something special. Twenty or so enormous vines and roots erupted from the ground, causing some screams from what was left of the audience, and at Paul's command, Torterra directed every one of them at Garchomp.

"Garchomp, jump and use Dragon Rush!" The plants missed as Garchomp leapt into the air and started gathering a blue sphere of energy around herself. She extended her wings and jetted forwards, though Paul wasn't quite done.

"Change direction, now!"

Torterra, with great strain on its face, pulled back the roots and vines and sent them flying up to meet Garchomp's attack, battering away.

The Dragon-type energy around Garchomp staved off the attacks until the plants finally retreated back into the earth, Torterra having expended too much of its strength to try and control them. Garchomp crashed into Torterra, and while a lesser Pokémon would have been felled right there, Torterra managed to stay standing on wobbly legs.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow at Paul, but he wasn't admitting his Pokémon was all but finished. She let out a small sigh. "Garchomp, Dragon Claw."

Paul finally conceded his defeat after his Pokémon was knocked out. "Torterra, return."

"You as well, Garchomp. Great battling today."

The conclusion of the battle, though a landslide in her favor, sent the rest of the crowd scattering back to the more popular places in Amity Square, chattering happily about having seen the Champion's strength in-person, until it was her, Paul, and Ash and his two companions remaining.

Ash and his Pikachu complemented Paul on his battle, and her opponent dipped his head in respect. "I'll challenge you again later on. Thank you for your time."

"I look forward to it," Cynthia told him honestly. Paul ignored Ash completely and turned around to walk off.

"Hey Paul, wait up!" Ash called after him. "You're going to take your Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, aren't you?"

"I'll treat my Pokémon myself," Paul said without looking back. "I must get stronger, and I haven't got any time to waste. And that's what rehashing the same stupid arguments with you is."

Ash clenched his fists as Paul brusquely dismissed him. Clearly, this was a contentious rivalry. Perhaps some words of wisdom from the Champion herself would help bridge the chasm between them. And get them excited about Sinnoh history.

Paul stopped in his tracks as Cynthia called out for him. "So, you want to get stronger, young man? I'd like to give you some advice, and show you something you all should know." Her opponent reluctantly came back to hear what she had to say.

"Can you all indulge me and take a look at this stone for a moment?"

"It's showing the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh," the girl of the group said, flushing slightly when everyone looked at her. "That's Dialga and Palkia, and around them are Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, right? I recognize that one as Mesprit, since I saw it at Lake Verity once." Cynthia's composure almost slipped as she heard the girl offhandedly mention that she had caught a glimpse of a legendary Pokémon. I don't recognize the Pokémon at the top, and I'm not sure why there's an empty space in between Dialga and Palkia."

"You know Dawn, I don't think I've ever seen that Pokémon either. Do you know what it is, Cynthia?" the oldest and tallest of the group asked her.

"The empty space is probably the result of some thief running off with a gemstone, or a result of years being exposed to the elements," Paul hypothesized, his eyes telling Cynthia that he wanted her to get to the point of this.

Unfortunately, much like the empty space, Cynthia was drawing a blank on what it could represent. It felt familiar, like she had read about it somewhere, but whenever she tried to recall the information, it slipped through her fingers. It was like a void, in her head. "You're probably right about the empty space. The Pokémon at the top is Arceus, the Original One, who created all Pokémon."

"Created all Pokémon?" Ash repeated. "But why do we need to know about Arceus?"

"Let me read to you the words inscribed at the bottom," Cynthia explained. It was in a language that had long been lost to time, that Cynthia had managed to painstakingly learn.

"In the beginning, when the world was new, They created two great powers to hold domain over the world. One to rule time, and one to rule space. Then were created the guardians, who filled the world with emotion, knowledge, and willpower."

"From the meeting of these great beings, bonds were formed, and everything began to be formed. Love, friendship, humans and Pokémon, all came and will continue being through the bonds we form with others. For when two beings meet, something special is born. From the greatest of powers, to ordinary beings such as you and me."

"These words changed my life," Cynthia told her small audience. "I truly believe that every meeting happens for a reason. And every time one does, a connection is created. Between all Pokémon and humans. You are welcome to tread your own path, Paul. But I believe in those connections, and my strength comes from the special bonds I have with all of my friends, Pokémon or otherwise."

Paul didn't seem convinced, though he dipped his head again respectfully and left without a word.

"That was great!" Ash cheered. "I'm going to go work on building bonds with my Pokémon right now!" The boy ran off, though Cynthia tapped Dawn on the shoulder before she could follow him.

"Yes?"

"When you go back to the Pokémon Center, I'm going to have something special waiting for you. It's a Pokémon Egg, and I've been waiting for the right person to take care of it. You see, the first person the Pokémon sees imprints as its mother."

Dawn pointed to herself. "Me? Am I really the right person for that?"

Cynthia nodded, and gave the girl a kind smile. After all, if Mesprit had deemed Dawn worthy to show itself to her, who was she to argue?

"I think I know what Pokémon you are talking about, and I have some experience with it. We'll make sure it's raised well," the older boy told her.

Cynthia waved them off, happy to have made an impression on the younger generation. She then frowned, looking back at the inscription. She had left a part out, after all.

Of course, where there is love, there is hatred, and where there is friendship, there is cruelty. Darkness was born out of the Original One as well, and will be formed out of those same bonds until the world ceases to exist. But that is the way the world is meant to be.

The darkness was almost certainly represented by the empty space in front of the mural, between Dialga and Palkia.

Cynthia just had to figure out what it was.

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

The Tale of Ursula

Finally being able to arrive in Hearthome City should have been a memorable event for Ursula.

It was, but not in the way she wanted it to be. Not ten seconds after she stepped out of the welcome gate to admire it did someone running at full speed crashed into her backside and knocked her over.

The worst part was, the fool actually thought it was her fault!

The blonde boy, about her age, talked so fast it was a wonder anyone could understand him at all. "What are you doing standing in the middle of the road like that? I've got places to go and things to do. That's it, I'm fining you a million dollars for interrupting me getting to my gym battle!"

"Are you daft?" Ursula questioned incredulously. "You're the fool who can't see where he's going! I should be fining you!"

"I'd stay and argue with you, but I have a gym leader to challenge. Just stay out of my way. If you slow me down again, I'll fine you ten million for your second offense!"

Ursula couldn't even get another word in before the boy was gone in a flash, leaving only a cloud of dust in his wake. "The nerve of some people," she muttered spitefully, brushing off her dress with her hands, and checking her reflection in the mirror.

Loathe as she was to admit it, the fool did have a point. As much as she wanted to enjoy herself, that could come after. The contest was her foremost priority. Especially because that evil brat of a girl Edith would be there, not to mention that worthless runt Dawn. She could show off her Pokémon at the fan club, or enjoy a few shows as a celebration after her victory. Right now, what she needed to do was perfect her appeal and practice some more double battles.

The Hearthome Pokémon Center was massive, to accommodate one of the largest cities in the region, but Ursula had no other choice, unless she wanted to go back out into the wilderness to practice. There were an absurd amount of people honing their moves everywhere, far more than she would have expected, even for a large contest. She managed to find a somewhat isolated spot near the back where a ridiculously dressed coordinator that she recognized was boasting loudly about her accomplishments.

"Top coordinator Jessilina is here to stay! I've got every contest from this one to the Grand Festival in the bag! Which means all that's left for me to do is get my hair and nails done, and deal with the dimwits who so obviously led me astray during the Jubilife Contest."

"What do you mean deal with?" One of her assistants asked, a man with purple hair, a dark suit, and equally dark sunglasses.

"You two are fired as my contest consultants," Jessilina clarified for him." I'm clearly a master coordinator, and therefore I don't need to listen to a word either of you say."

"You's ain't never listen to us in the foist place!" the second, extremely short assistant complained.

Jessilina ignored him. "I'll knock out all those other contest hussies like bowling pins! Ahahahahaha!" The two assistants followed her as she strode off, whispering to each other.

"She can't possibly blame us if she loses now, can she?"

"You know as well as I do that a nutcase like her don't see no reason, Jimbo."

We will see about that. I don't plan to finish anywhere but first, Ursula thought upon hearing Jessilina's words. Having been granted a place to practice, Ursula quickly summoned her Pokémon, and assigned them all tasks.

"Helioptile, Gible, we are going to practice appeals some more. Meowth, I want you scouring the perimeter. We cannot have anyone spying on our techniques. Masquerain, assist me with the appeals. Helioptile is new at this, and Gible hasn't done an appeal in a very long time.

Meowth slunk away immediately, Gible and Helioptile cheered, and her second Pokémon agreed to be another pair of eyes, though her actual eyes, and not the patterns on her wings, seemed a little sad.

Ursula winced slightly. "I know. I promise you will have a chance to show that appeal we have been working on, Masquerain. All of your effort and training won't be for nothing, I promise. For now, I need your help on getting these two ready."

That perked her Pokémon up, and they quickly got to work. Ursula didn't have a wealth of time on her hands, so their appeal played to her Pokémon strengths. First, she had Gible use Sandstorm, and then Helioptile used its Shock Wave to melt the sand into a funnel of glass. From there, she had Gible send a Dragon Rage through the funnel creating a bit of a kaleidoscope effect as the projectile traveled through the glass.

She had found out during her training that Helioptile could be rather loud, when he wanted to be, and she had incorporated that into the training as well. When the Dragon Rage reached the apex of the funnel, her Electric-type used a move called Hyper Voice to shatter the entire glass structure, and the Dragon Rage with it. It pulverized the whole thing into a shimmering dust that Ursula thought was quite beautiful. The finale of her appeal was using the move that had drawn her to Helioptile, Parabolic Charge.

When used amongst the glass dust, the tendrils of electricity jumping in every direction would create a spectacular light show that left her jaw dropped the first time they had gotten the timing right. She could only imagine how the audience would react.

They rehearsed the appeal three times for good measures, and Ursula congratulated her Pokémon with some treats and praise. She considered what more they could do as her Pokémon enjoyed their well-earned break.

One more thing that had drawn her attention, as she had been getting to know Helioptile, and what he was capable of, was a move called Electrify, where Helioptile would enchant his partner, so that could attack with electricity. That was the sort of unique combination that she wanted to be able to perform. How to actually accomplish it, was what eluded her.

Her internal musings were cut short by the familiar yowl of a Pokémon. A tall, purple haired lady came into view, holding Meowth by the scruff of his neck. When she spoke, it was with a rich, foreign accent that immediately had Ursula straightening her posture. This was likely someone of extreme importance.

Then a warning sign flashed in her head. There certainly were a fair share of adults who participated in contests, even though she didn't recognize this lady. This could be one of her competitors.

"Excuse me," the woman asked politely. "This is your Pokémon, non?" I heard someone practicing nearby, and I could not help but to see it for myself, when this Meowth came up and started acting hostile."

"Goodness, I could not imagine what would have possessed him to act in such a manner! Perhaps it was something you ate, Meowth? You should return to your Pokéball until you get over it."

The lady let Meowth escape from her clutches and into her Pokéball, and chose to not bring it up again. "I did see a portion of your appeal, and I was very impressed. I look forward to your performance at the contest."

"Thank you," Ursula replied, keeping up the facade of small talk until she learned if this person was actually a threat to her. "Will you be competing at the contest as well?"

The woman laughed, and Ursula lowered her guard slightly. "No, as much as I would like to, I have a different calling. Perhaps one day, I will be able to return to the contest circuit, but not any time soon. For now, I simply enjoy watching them."

"Well, you will not see one more exciting than this," Ursula told her. "Hearthome City will attract talent from all over Sinnoh. This double performance is something unique as well."

"Unique in Sinnoh," the foreign woman corrected her. "It is quite the normal occurrence in other regions. If it is your first time, may I offer you a suggestion? I have been helping every coordinator I can meet, because I wish for this to be a spectacle extraordinaire.

"I would not be opposed to some advice," Ursula finally conceded. She had already resigned herself to making concessions so she would do well at this double performance.

"Superb! I noticed that while you are layering your Pokémon's moves upon one another beautifully, you have not combined them in any fashion."

"Combining moves?" Ursula asked, in slight confusion.

"Exactly," the woman confirmed. "Certain moves, with the right properties, and the right timing, can be combined to magnificent effect, both for battle and for show. Let me demonstrate for you. Typhlosion, if you would?"

The Pokémon that was released certainly looked like a Typhlosion, though it was unlike any Ursula had seen. Its face was mellow, and the mantle of flames that plumed from its neck were a ghostly purple with a red center instead of the standard orange and yellow. She and her Pokémon still took several steps back, because this was clearly a powerful Pokémon.

The older lady pointed to the ground. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower!" The flames it breathed were still orange, anyhow, and they created a pulsating ring of fire on the ground.

They were not done demonstrating. "Now, use Shadow Ball!" The flames rose to catch the Ghost-type attack hungrily, and instead of exploding on the ground, its energy was consumed into the flames, turning them blue.

Ursula shivered at the display, despite the heat. Fire was meant to consume, both kindling and oxygen, but somehow, this fire looked like it wanted to consume the energy of living beings. She had no doubt had one of her Pokémon stepped into that fiery circle, its energy would be sapped away.

"I have named this one Spirit Fire, a perfect combination of a ghost move and a fire move," the lady said, looking upon her creation fondly. "We found it somewhat lacking in battle, being an easily avoided area, after all, so we made sure that we were able to do this as well. Typhlosion?"

Her Pokémon lazily lifted its arm, and the fire rose into the air with it. To Ursula's amazement, it started shifting into a shape, with four legs, and a snarling skull. She realized it was meant to be a Houndour right before Typhlosion let it go. The fiery hound burst forward until it exploded in a pillar of blue flame.

The woman turned towards Ursula expectantly, and Usrula could not help but give the demonstration the accolades that it was due. "That was truly incredible. I do not think I have ever seen a display quite like that one."

"You must be willing to accept failure before you can achieve something like this, but the end result is quite beautiful." Ursula bit her tongue at the words. "I will leave you to your training, and again, I look forward to seeing you perform." With that the woman left, and Ursula turned to her Pokémon with a newfound purpose.

"We are going to create a combination move that surpasses even that one shown to us," she told her Pokémon. "Who would like to begin? Helioptile? Perhaps you would like to combine some of your moves?"

Her Electric-type cocked his head at her in utter confusion, like he could not fathom a word she was saying. Which was odd, because he had just followed her commands in their practice perfectly. What had changed in the past few minutes?

Ursula turned to Gible when Helioptile continued to not take any action. This was another setback, that was all. She had already had her full share of failure, and she wasn't intending to repeat it again.

This would be her moment to ascend to greatness. She would have it no other way.

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

The Tale of Vivillon

"What are you still doing here, anyways?"

Vivillon startled from his perch to look down on the speaker. Charmeleon, as he had for most of this extended bed rest and recovery, had a surly expression on his face.

"Oh! I was keeping you two company, that's all!" Vivillon told him.

"We don't need your company," Charmeleon said. "We get visited every single day anyways. Absol's already out of here, and we aren't far behind. Last night I made it all the way across the training room without falling over once."

"You still can get bored, though," Vivillon tried.

"All the boredom has passed," Charmeleon dismissed. "I'm super motivated to get the heck out of here and start the new training regimen that Bellossom keeps blabbing about. If our positions were switched, I sure as heck wouldn't spend most of my time in a hospital."

Somehow, Vivillon didn't think Charmeleon would be too enthused when he found out that he would be learning how to dance.

"Rare as it is, he and I are in agreement, Vivillon," Glaceon chimed in. "You should literally spread your wings and see what the city has to offer."

"W-well, how am I supposed to get out? None of us can open the door without breaking something!"

It took Charmeleon a lot of effort, but the Fire-type's strength was returning to him. He grunted and pushed the nearest window up, and gestured to the outside.

"Get out of here, and don't come back until it's dark. Okay?"

Vivillon liked, no, loved flying. He really did. He was fine when he was fluttering along with Luna and Bellossom. It's just that the one time he tried to go out by himself, a scary bird with a long, pointy beak had swooped down out of nowhere and attacked him!

It was persistent, as well. No matter how many times Vivillon dodged its beak, the Pokémon continued to come after him! It was only when Vivillon remembered that, wait, I know some attacking moves now, and struck the bird with several Air Cutters that it finally retreated to look for someone who would put up less of a fight.

In the moment, the whole experience was absolutely exhilarating. Then reality struck him and he decided it was better to wait in the safe hospital room instead of going out by himself.

Now that Charmeleon and Glaceon had insisted, Vivillon couldn't even enjoy his favorite pastime. He constantly was on the lookout for something ready to strike, and he couldn't let down his guard for one second.

It was a good thing he was being so attentive, because out of the corner of his eye, Vivillon spotted a shape towards him. He whirled around to confront his attacker, mind clear and sharp.

"Ahh!"

He stopped his Psybeam cold when he actually saw his opposed assailant. "You're not a bird Pokémon," he managed dumbly.

"I most certainly am not!" the other Vivillon said hotly. "I saw you flying about, and I'd never seen your pattern before, so I thought I would come say hello and introduce myself! And instead, you try to greet me by attacking?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Vivillon apologized profusely. "A bird with a long, pointy beak came out of nowhere and attacked me the other day, so when I realized someone was approaching, I um." Viviloon trailed off. "Like I said, I'm really sorry. You don't look anything like that Pokémon."

It was true. This Vivillon's wings were different shades of green, with only a hint of red in the pattern. Vivillon also realized his opposite was female. The other Pokémon circled him like a Sharpedo. "You fought off old Fearow? You're even more interesting than I thought! Tell me, stranger. What kind of pattern is that?"

"I was born on an island, in the ocean, actually," Vivillon told her.

She stopped circling him and looked a bit confused. "Did you really fly all the way here? You're a really long way from home, considering there aren't any oceans anywhere near us."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Vivillon said, not really wanting to rehash the gory details of his life story to a stranger. "I'm with a human, actually following her around."

That got his opposite to giggle. "Really? Humans are so silly though! Come on, let me show you what they like to do."

The green-winged Vivillon took off, and he had to fly at top speed to follow her, eventually perching on top of a ledge belonging to a gray, domed building on the western side of the city, that gave them both a view of the inside and outside.

He was hushed by the other Pokémon before he could even open his mouth and ask a question.

"Wait and watch, alright? I'll show you how silly they are once the humans are finished."

That's precisely what they did. An assortment of people filed into the building, but the focus seemed to be on two women dressed in white, who were slowly walking up the aisle with flowers thrown in front. They held hands and stared into each other's eyes on a raised stage for quite a long time, as an official looking man in robes asked them a series of questions, until they finally moved in so that their lips were touching.

It was all very weird to Vivillon, but maybe because he had spent more time staring at his green winged companion than at the proceedings.

Sure enough, as the two women started walking back towards the entrance of the building, his partner for the day urged him into the air. The humans were headed to a bunch of tables where an assortment of food was placed, including the largest cake Vivillon had ever seen. The green Vivillon and started flying in circles over the humans, and he quickly followed suit.

The reaction was almost instant. As soon as they caught sight of them, the humans started laughing and cheering and clapping in glee. They did a few more circles to the humans' delight before flying off.

"Why were they so happy?" Vivillon asked his companion.

"Who knows? That's just humans for you. They always seem happy when I come out after they finish whatever they were doing. I think they were extra happy this time that there were two of us!"

Vivillon realized it was getting dark, and that he was supposed to go back to the Pokémon Center, so he wished his new friend a sad goodbye. "Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime?"

The green Vivillon hummed. "Why leave it up to chance? I still have so many questions to ask you. Let's make that building we went to our meeting place. Does tomorrow morning work for you?"

His dance classes with Venomoth were in the afternoon, so Vivillon quickly agreed. "Sure thing. See you then!"

It was kind of amazing how being with that other Pokémon basically drew his mind away from all the fears that still sometimes crept on him, Vivillon mused to himself, as he flew back. The window he had left out of was still open, and he flew straight in, perching himself on top of Charmeleon's bed.

The Fire-type looked at him in surprise. "When I said don't come back until the sun sets, I didn't actually expect you to make it that long. How'd you manage it?"

"I guess I found something interesting, and lost track of time?" Vivillon replied.

It was the truth. Even now, all he could think about were those beautiful green wings.