The Eon Academy [S.S. Wishmaker Side-Story]

[[Desolate Divine]]

Season 5 Prologue: Inevitability

Spoiler:

“This feels wrong…” Dylan said, only half joking. He sat at the kitchen table in Jon and Alyssa’s cottage, Jon and Alyssa sitting either side of him, and Amelia sitting on the other side of the table, engrossed in an episode of Super Sylveon Smile Squad that was playing on the tablet in front of her. Dylan had learned to tune out the high pitched voices of Amelia’s favourite show, and the constant dialogue about the magic of friendship. In front of him sat his laptop, open to the online banking portal of the Lilycove Bank.

“Don’t worry, I felt the same way five years ago…” Jon said with a weak laugh. His left hand remained in his pocket, with Amelia in the room. Whilst he had told himself he’d let her see it eventually, it had been nearly nine months, and hiding it had become second nature. Dylan grimaced a little at how weak Jon’s laugh was. He knew Jon had another seizure that morning, and though he didn’t see it, he saw the effect it had on Jon. His short term memory from before the seizure was always foggy, and sometimes never cleared. Additionally, he’d have a splitting headache until he had a chance to sleep it off, and the nausea usually knocked him around for a few hours. On this particular morning he had taken medication for the nausea.

It was late May, less than two weeks before the Eon Academy would run its fourth summer program, which would have been the fifth if not for the Spiritwater Crisis the year prior. Seven months since the curse placed on Jon activated, causing him to have a severe stroke, which whilst it was stopped and the vascular damage healed by Cassandra, the bleed had been enough to cause minor brain damage, which left Jon unaffected most of the time. However, within an hour of the stroke, he had his first seizure.

The second seizure didn’t happen for another six weeks, right when all at the Eon Academy had started to believe that the first was simply in response to the earlier stroke. Jon had been with Willow in the Stadium, working with Marshadow to try and rehabilitate the Pokemon formerly belonging to Agatha when it happened. The third was six weeks after that, one night, shortly after he laid down in he and Alyssa’s bed to sleep for the night. The fourth was five weeks later, as Jon and Dylan were painting the new third floor of the staff lodge, which had been built to accommodate the five original interns, as well as Cassandra, Violet, Jarena and Willow. Five weeks later, the fourth occurred, whilst Jon was watching Super Sylveon Smile Squad with Amelia, terrifying the young girl. Even with the explanation from Alyssa that ’Daddy is sick’ it had taken days before their daughter could bring herself to sit next to him and watch TV again, much to Jon’s heartbreak. This had been the turning point for Jon to seek out a specialist neurologist, in order to seek medication, however given the fact Jon was going weeks at a time without a seizure, medication was not recommended. The doctor had explained that the medication that would ideally prevent the seizures had a very fine line in terms or dosage. Too little and it wouldn't have a strong enough effect. Too much, and there would be considerable side effects. The only safe way to determine the dosage would be to start low, and see if the seizures stop, however the medication would take time to take effect. Jon's seizures were occuring not even once a month, and needed to be more frequent and predictable before they could truly determine whether the medication was working, or the dosage needed adjus

The fifth occurred four weeks later, during one of Jon and Steven’s weekly training sessions, and the sixth had only occurred that morning, whilst Jon had been training Cassandra in her mission to compete again, and win legitimately. The trend was obvious though. They were becoming more frequent…

“Still, are you sure I’m doing the right thing?” Dylan asked. “I’ve never spent this much money before…”

“Your car cost the same amount?” Alyssa noted.

“I was spending the military’s money since their little science experiment blew up my old car,” Dylan retorted. “This is all the money I got paid from Alola last summer, and everything else I’ve saved…”

"Dylan, you'll be owning a property that is only going to go up in value, starting a business which will be subject to grants and League sponsorship, with a service only you can offer, which will be revolutionary to the market, and you're not even twenty-two yet…" Jon laughed. "If that's a bad decision, nearly everyone else your age is making terrible decisions…"

"Correction," Dylan retorted, half kidding. "The bank will own the property, which I'll be paying off every week for the next twenty-five years…"

"If your business doesn't do well enough that you can pay it off early," Jon answered back.

"Besides, even if things change considerably between now and then, you aren't committed to anything in terms of finance," Alyssa said. "The land hasn't titled yet, and this is just a deposit so you have first crack at buying it when it does, subject to finance."

Jon nodded.

"Exactly," Jon agreed. "We've all looked over the agreement. If you pay the deposit and then realise that the Unova Government had been using the land to dump toxic waste, you can pull out and get your deposit back, minus whatever dishonour fee the broker deducts…"

Dylan knew that any more protests would raise questions, and resurrect arguments Jon had shut down numerous times. He wanted to go ahead with it. The land was large enough that he could open his Pokemon breeding business, with enough space to potentially lease a section of land to a tenant. And it was half an hour drive from Nimbasa City, where Abbee lived, and worked as a Gym Trainer in the Electric Type Pokemon Gym. It was also in central Unova, which would ideally bring a lot more business for him than almost anywhere else.

However, knowing that Jon had another seizure that very morning, and seeing the state he was in, even with mediation for the nausea, made the idea of leaving the Eon Academy for Jon to run without his skills and help, not sit right with him. Jon knew that this worried Dylan, and had made it abundantly clear that he would cope without Dylan as his right-hand man, and that he wanted Dylan to take this opportunity, that he had been wanting for years.

“Still…” Dylan said, looking at the fourty-thousand dollars that was waiting for his approval to transfer. “It’s a lot of money…”

“Do you want us to press the button?” Jon asked, knowing all the verification and security checks that came with requesting a transfer for that much money were completed, and all that was left was to approve the transfer. “I imagine it’d be quite nice pressing the spend button on that much of somebody else’s money…”

“No, I’ll do it…”

Jon grinned as Alyssa laughed, while Dylan, taking in a deep breath, cautiously moved his mouse over to the Approve button on screen.

“You know, you probably took that long that they want to confirm it’s you again,” Jon noted.

“I hope not,” Dylan replied. “I didn’t know it was that hard to prove that I am me…”

Knowing it was now or never, Dylan pressed the button, causing the page to load with a processing icon. After a few intense seconds, the spinning circle morphed into a tick, as Dylan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Congratulations,” Alyssa said, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him towards her.

“Don’t congratulate me yet,” Dylan said with a weak laugh. “I still need to convince the bank to lend a twenty-one year old, who is planning on leaving his job, another five hundred thousand…”

“They’ll give it to you,” Alyssa said reassuringly. “You’ve still got other savings, and no big expenses. While you’re here, food and board is part of your income. No money owed on your car. The biggest expense you have is probably your insurance. Even as a twenty-one year old, that is pretty good…”

“You’ll join us in the debt-gang,” Jon joked. “Even if you couldn’t afford to keep making repayments, the value of that land will only go up once you build on it, and when the Nimbasa suburbs expand closer to it. It would be like an investment for them, since selling it in ten years would get them their money back and then some…”

“That’s really comforting,” Dylan said sarcastically, as Alyssa rolled her eyes at her husband.

“I’m just saying,” Jon said as he stood up and walked to the fridge to grab a celebratory beer. “Even if on paper, your age and the fact you’re leaving here is a risk, the bank themselves don’t have anything to lose lending you the money. They’ll either make a profit on the interest they charge, or make a profit selling the land when the value goes up. They have no reason to reject you…”

Dylan didn’t respond, however realised what Jon was doing. It was five in the afternoon on a Saturday, and Dylan wasn’t opposed to having a beer at that time. However…

“I’m good Jon,” Dylan said, nodding to the beer Jon was withdrawing from the fridge. Jon looked between Dylan and the glass bottle he held.

“You sure?” Jon asked. “It’s a special occasion…”

“I’m sure,” Dylan said, before lying. “My stomach’s a mess from the nervousness, so I’m gonna take it easy…”

Alcohol was a potential trigger for seizures in some people who suffered from them, and whilst Jon’s were inconsistent enough to make it hard to tell if they were affected by it, made more difficult by the fact they were increasing in rate on their own, there was also the risk that either alcohol itself, or withdrawals, even those so minor that Jon wouldn’t be aware he was even having them, would cause side effects with the medication he would be put on, if the seizures became prevalent enough to actually be able to figure out the dosage. As such, Jon hadn’t had a beer in three or four months, and despite knowing Jon would object to this if he knew, Dylan had made a point of not having any in front of Jon, especially knowing Latios would likely be having them in front of him.

Knowing that Dylan wasn’t being completely honest, but not wanting to press the matter, Jon put the beer away, before looking out the window to the lodge, now featuring a third floor, where Cassandra, Violet, Jarena and Willow lived. He sighed.

“I better go see how Cass is doing after this morning,” Jon said. “Despite everything she’s seen, I think it still shakes her up a little…”

Dylan and Alyssa nodded, before Jon departed out the back door, making his way towards the lodge. Unknowingly, Dylan watched through the window, looking past Amelia where she sat watching Super Sylveon Smile Squad, waiting until Jon stepped inside the lodge, on the chance that he had another seizure, though right now he was having them once every four weeks on average, and would likely not have another until sometime during the summer.

“I’m glad that you’re always looking out for him,” Alyssa said, getting Dylan’s attention. “Heck, I’m glad he has so many people looking out for him now. Honestly, before all the fiasco on the S.S. Wishmaker, outside of when my family or his grandparents visited, it was just us most of the time…”

“What about Steven?” Dylan asked, somewhat surprised.

“Steven was just a commanding officer for Jon before then. A work colleague, like I had mine. Besides, Jon was more comfortable around his Pokemon than other people,” Alyssa explained. “They didn’t really become actual friends until Jon and I moved to Mossdeep. Before the S.S. Wishmaker, Jon was a lot more worried about his past finding him, so was a lot more private, which made it hard to actually make friends…”

Dylan nodded in understanding, however Alyssa continued.

“But, I know why you’re so worried about putting down the deposit and buying the land,” Alyssa continued. “And I appreciate it, really. But I know Jon wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he knew that you were wanting to put your dreams off for his sake. And as much as I appreciate you wanting to help him, I wouldn’t want that for you either…”

“But it might not just be me leaving…” Dylan said. “I am almost certain Justin won’t be back after this summer, and the others…”

“Willow will be here for a fair while yet, and Steven loves being on Mossdeep, and helping Jon with the Academy,” Alyssa answered. “And even if Cass, Violet and Jarena don’t want to be here forever, they’ll likely be around long enough that Jon can source enough help before they move on…”

Dylan remained silent, so Alyssa continued.

“Don’t worry about us,” Alyssa said gently. “It’s our job to worry about you. So go and give us reason to worry…”

Whilst Dylan would normally have grinned at Alyssa’s instruction, he couldn’t. He looked at his phone, and pretended to remember something.

“I promised Abbee I’d call her as soon as I made the transfer…” Dylan lied, before standing to his feet. “I’ll see you at dinner…”

Alyssa nodded, as Dylan walked out the door that Jon had walked out of a few minutes earlier. When she was certain he was out of earshot, she sighed, before looking at Amelia, who was entranced by the show she was watching.

“At least I have a fair few years before you’ll worry me like that,” Alyssa said with a weak laugh. “Maybe by then, we’ll know what to do, hey Lili?”

Amelia looked up, hearing her nickname, giving Alyssa a confused look, causing her to grin.

Dylan made his way to the lodge, and entered what had become his permanent room on the second floor. Normally he would only live in the lodge during the summer, and spend the rest of the year living in the third bedroom of Jon and Alyssa’s cottage, so Jon wasn’t paying to power the entire lodge for a single person. However, he had moved into the lodge in preparation for the summer program the year before that hadn’t happened, and upon returning to Mossdeep, with Cassandra, Violet, Jarena and Willow all planning on staying, Dylan had remained in the lodge himself, where he had more room, and a little more independence than he did in the cottage. He became thankful for that when it became apparent Jon’s seizures were becoming more frequent, knowing he and Alyssa would value privacy during this time.

He had been thankful to avoid Jon on his way to his room, having heard Jon speaking to Cassandra in the lounge on the first floor as he made his way in, figuring if Alyssa could tell why Dylan was apprehensive about making the transfer, Jon would be able to as well.

Once he was in his room, he sat on the bed, as his shadow flickered, and a black form separated from it, standing on the other side of the room, eyeing off half a block of chocolate that sat on Dylan’s desk.

“Go for it,” Dylan said to Darkrai, who didn’t wait for a second offer, and gratefully at the sweet. As it did, Dylan got his phone, and pressed the button, causing the screen to light up. The lock screen image was a selfie Abbee had taken of the pair of them when he visited her in Nimbasa City over New Year’s Eve. They were both rugged up in scarves and beanies, with a thin layer of snow on each of them, and the lit up Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel in the distance behind them. He looked awkwardly at the camera in shock, as Abbee had sneakily kissed him on the cheek as she took the photo. He quickly unlocked the phone, before finding Abbee’s contact.

”Hey!” Abbee said cheerfully.

“Hey,” Dylan answered back. “Got a minute?”

”Yeah, I can talk, not for too long though,” Abbee said, as Dylan heard a lot of movement on the other end of the line. Through the line, Dylan heard Abbee call out, presumably to Victini, ”Have you seen my keys?”

Dylan heard in the background Victini’s faint cry, which he couldn’t understand, having not been turned into a Pokemon like Jon and Abbee had, and Abbee call back. ”No, they’re not in my pocket…”

“If now’s a bad time, I can call back later?” Dylan offered, though Abbee dismissed it.

”No, it’s fine,” Abbee said. ”Elesa invited me out for a drink tonight, and I’m just running a little late…”

Through the line, Dylan heard Victini’s voice again, before Abbee translated ”Victini says hi.”

“Hey Victini,” Dylan said, as Abbee finally found her keys. “Anyway, I made the transfer today. The deposit is paid, so once the land titles, if I have the loan sorted, I can buy the property…”

”Dylan, that’s amazing! I’m so proud!” Abbee said, as she closed the door behind her. Little did Dylan know, though he should have expected, Victini sat on her shoulder as she walked out of the apartment, ear placed against the mobile phone she held against her head. The Mythical Pokemon was too used to eavesdropping with its telepathy, which phone conversations didn’t afford. ”How does it feel?”

“Honestly,” Dylan said, trying to find the words. “Underwhelming, and uncertain…”

Dylan heard through the line, the ding of the elevator bell, as it began to descend, carrying Abbee to the ground floor of her apartment building.

“Is this because of Jon?”

Jon had asked Dylan not to mention his condition to the others, though had given permission for him to tell Abbee, not wanting to be the reason that Dylan kept secrets from his now-girlfriend. Especially considering how hard Dylan seemed to be taking the situation, and knowing how he did have a tendency to not talk about how he felt. It had taken a lot of encouragement from Jon and Alyssa for Dylan to start seeing a psychologist in the wake of the Spiritwater Crisis. Cassandra had quietly informed Jon that most nights, Dylan barely slept, being able to hear him from her own room.

Dylan’s silence had been answer enough for Abbee who continued.

”Jon is probably happier for you now than he was when he bought the Academy,” Abbee said.

“You haven’t seen him have one of these seizures, Abbee,” Dylan said quietly, not wanting to be overheard. “Or what he is like after one…”

He was right. Despite Abbee having visited twice since last summer, she hadn’t been present for any of Jon’s seizures, only having heard about it through Dylan.

”Look, I know that you’re worried about what’s going to happen to the Academy, and to Jon once you leave,” Abbee said. ”The fact you’re even considering it is one of the reasons I love you. But whatever happens, Jon can handle it. The fact that he can rely on you now as much as he does, and you can fill in for him when he isn’t well, is because he taught you almost everything you know. But you aren’t the only one…”

Dylan was silent again, knowing Abbee was right, but not believing it himself.

”Crap, the bus is early,” Abbee said, as he heard her begin to quicken her pace. ”I have to go, but I’ll video call you when I get home. Try not to let all this get you down. What you’ve done is a good thing!”

“I’ll try,” Dylan said. “Love you…”

“I love you too,” Abbee replied, as she hung up the phone. She pocketed it, before increasing her pace again, as the bus, which had rounded a corner a few blocks away, was getting closer to the bus stop that she normally caught it from.

Whilst busses in Nimbasa City were frequent, this offer for a drink with Elesa had been a last minute invite, and Abbee had not had a great deal of time to get home, get changed into something that was appropriate for the sort of establishments Elesa drank at, and make her way to the bar, especially considering that she hadn’t bothered with a car, living in the city.

She made it to the bus stop with moments to spare, before climbing on, and scanning her ticket as she did. Finding a seat, she collapsed, rather ungracefully, onto one that was against the window, sighing a deep breath from the exertion of running for the bus, especially in the outfit she had picked out. She wore a dress, cream in colour above the waist with floral patterns embroidered into it, with the skirt being a navy blue, sitting a little above her knees. She thanked Arceus she had worn flats…

The sun moved closer to the horizon, and was not far from setting when Abbee got off the bus, Victini still on her shoulder. She made her way to the bar Elesa had nominated to be their meeting place, though quickly realised it looked more like a club, despite it only being seven in the evening. The line of people waiting to be let in by the bouncers was close to stretching around the corner, causing Abbee to sigh. She walked past the bouncers, getting her phone from her bag to text Elesa to say she would be late.

“Miss Strauss!”

Abbee was surprised to hear her name called out, and turned to see it was the bouncer who had called it. She gave him a puzzled look, causing him to wonder if he had made a mistake.

“You are Abbee Strauss, aren’t you?” the bouncer asked.

“Yes,” Abbee answered, somewhat puzzled. She had quite a following on Instagram, and had been approached by fans in the street before. Except they were normally teenage girls, and, much to her dismay, men in their late twenties and thirties, sadly even more frequently since she turned eighteen. However, a middle aged, well built bouncer, was not normally the sort to approach her. “Can I help you?”

“You’re on Elesa’s list,” the bouncer said, before opening the rope barrier, and stepping aside to allow Abbee past. “She’s in a private booth at the back…”

Abbee noticed some glares from people waiting in line, who she figured had been waiting a long time, which she pretended to ignore. Victini however, couldn’t help but smirk directly at those jealous figures who had fixed their gaze on his trainer.

“God, I haven’t been fast-tracked into a club since Cass was famous,” Victini said with a laugh.

“I’ve never been fast-tracked, or normal-tracked into a club,” Abbee laughed in return.

Being early in the evening, the music wasn’t too loud, and the lights weren’t too dim yet, so she didn’t struggle to find Elesa’s booth in the back of the club. Elesa, as always, was dressed to impress, and Abbee would not have been surprised if the shoes she wore cost more than Abbee’s entire outfit. Despite the booth comfortably fitting half a dozen people, and cramming ten, Elesa sat by herself, a bottle of champagne in a glass ice bucket to her side and two empty glasses on the table in front of her.

”She’s going to try and get you drunk, isn’t she…” Victini asked with a sigh. Abbee grinned, thankful he had the tact to ask the question telepathically, though as far as she knew Elesa couldn’t understand Victini verbally anyway.

“Elesa,” Abbee called out, as Elesa looked up from her phone, a wide smile gracing her face. Abbee stopped at the rope barrier, where another bouncer waited. Given that it was early in the night and Abbee was obviously sober, he hadn’t stepped between her and the barrier, hearing Abbee call out to the Gym Leader in such a familiar fashion. When Elesa greeted her warmly, the bouncer lifted the rope barrier, granting Abbee passage. She took a seat, as Victini climbed off her shoulder, making himself comfortable on the booth next to Abbee.

“Let me pour you a drink,” Elesa said, looking as if she had been waiting for Abbee to arrive to open the bottle of champagne, as to not be seen drinking alone. Abbee raised her hands in a placating gesture.

“Just a small glass,” Abbee said quickly. “I’m a little bit of a lightweight, and haven’t had a chance to eat yet…”

“Then we’ll get some food brought over…”

Upon beginning to work under Elesa at the Nimbasa City Gym, Abbee had been surprised at Elesa’s friendliness. Despite being the most popular Gym Leader on all social media, and knowing exactly what to say and do in front of the cameras, Elesa had been known to be less than friendly with fans who approached her in her day to day life. Not to say she was rude or antagonistic, but simply lacked patience, and would not hesitate to put someone in their place if she perceived they deserved it. Abbee realised very quickly however, this was simply what Elesa had needed to do in order to have any measure of privacy or independence in the outside world. Elesa had told Abbee that she had made it her standard to not interact with fans as if they are fans outside of events where she was acting as Elesa the Gym Leader, treating herself as a normal person, and them as strangers. As such, when she was approached on the street by a dozen fans before she even reached the end of her block, she was just as annoyed by the constant attention as a normal person would be by strangers pestering them. Apparently the turning point was having to move home three times in six months, due to fans, embarrassingly Abbee’s demographic, setting up camp outside her apartment building hoping to get a photo or an autograph.

Given the fact the order was made by Elesa, the various grazing plates of different food were brought to the table at priority speed, with more than the trio, even considering Victini’s enormous appetite, could hope to finish themselves. Abbee had offered to pay her and Victini’s share, however Elesa had waved the offer away stating that this was technically a work meeting, so it could be paid for by the League. Confused, Abbee didn’t question it, as Elesa continued to share a story of another night she had spent at this venue with a bunch of her other high profile friends. Abbee at first was surprised that Elesa considered her to be high profile or a friend which had been noticed by Elesa, who had been quick to reassure her of both of those.

Despite the flattery of Elesa’s evaluation of her, Abbee was curious to know exactly why she had been invited out, especially since, despite having worked for Elesa for a few months shy of two years, she had never been invited out individually by Elesa before. That and Elesa had referred to this as a work meeting, and knowing her, Abbee figured it could be a work meeting, or just an excuse to spend the League’s money. However, she also knew Elesa well enough to know to simply let her talk. She had learnt pretty quickly that having to put on a somewhat cold persona in public, went pretty against Elesa’s natural extrovertedness, so when she could relax with friends, she enjoyed talking. Finally, Elesa said the words Abbee had been waiting for.

“So you’re probably wondering why we’re here,” Elesa said, as she began to pour two glasses of champagne, filling both to the brim. “And why I’ve got the champagne…”

“Hadn’t even wondered,” Abbee lied politely, though Elesa, having done the same thing plenty of times, saw straight through it and grinned.

“You’ll make a good Gym Leader being that diplomatic,” Elesa said casually, before handing Abbee the glass, before she could process what Elesa had just said. “Cheers!”

She clinked her glass against Abbee’s and took a drink as Abbee’s eyes widened at the implication of what she said.

“Wait, what?” Abbee asked, the professional composure she held having cracked from the surprise.

“I’m retiring,” Elesa said. “From Gym Leading, at least. Focus on other ventures. And you will be my successor!”

Abbee looked at Elesa in shock, as she realised the gravity of what Elesa had just said, and quickly took a drink from her glass, polishing off most of the contents, earning a laugh from Elesa.

“What other ventures?” Abbee asked through a hiccup, as Elesa, without being asked, poured her another drink, earning a glare from Victini, who sat next to Abbee, full from the food that had been on offer. Elesa didn’t notice, before continuing talking.

“I’ve modelled for almost as long as I’ve been Gym Leader, and done a few commercials. And I’ve been offered movie roles the entire time, however have never been able to take them because of my commitment to the Gym,” Elesa explained. “Well, come September, my contract ends, and I’ve decided not to renew it, and see where the film industry takes me!”

“Congratulations,” Abbee said, though Elesa laughed.

“I should be congratulating you!” Elesa retorted. Abbee however, wasn’t as sure.

“Why me?” Abbee asked. “I’m flattered, and I’m more than wanting to do it. But Tessa and Blake have been at the Gym far longer than I have-”

“Well for starters, even without Victini you could beat both of them single handedly with your eyes closed and not saying a word,” Elesa said, matter-of-factly. She was exaggerating, of course, though Abbee knew that she wasn’t wrong. Being Jon’s student for as many years as she had been, and having been taught by her father, who was a legendary battler in his own right, meant that Abbee’s natural talent had every opportunity it needed to grow, and whilst Abbee would never say it, Elesa was confident than in a proper battle, with both trainers using whatever Pokemon they were comfortable with, and no holding back, Abbee would beat her as well.

“Still, they know how the Gym runs better than I do,” Abbee suggested, though Elesa scoffed.

“Please, they make it up as they go, and get it wrong half the time anyway,” Elesa answered. “Honestly, even if there weren’t such a huge gap in skill between you and them, they’re so smug in their belief that one of them will be made Gym Leader once I leave, it makes me sick. The sort of attitude they have, isn’t who I want replacing me and representing the Gym…”

Abbee was shocked to hear Elesa talk so bluntly about Tessa and Blake that way, though had to admit she had noticed the same attitude about the two more senior Gym Trainers.

“I’m not telling you this as my employee. I’m telling you this as my equal, and my successor. What qualities of a good Gym Leader they lack, you have in spades. It’s an easy decision for me,” Elesa said, her tone a little more serious. “You came to Nimbasa, hoping to become the Gym Leader one day?”

Abbee had never said it, and began to stutter in protest as Elesa grinned.

“Everyone who signs up to be a Gym Trainer is gunning for their Gym Leader’s job,” Elesa explained. “Nothing to be ashamed of…”

“I spoke to Candice a few years back, when I was thinking I might like to be a Gym Leader,” Abbee explained, deciding to be honest. “She said my best bet was to become a Gym Trainer where the Gym Leader has been in their role for a few years, and is either old enough that they’re looking to retire completely, or young enough that they are getting to the point of wanting to do something new while they still could…”

“Good advice,” Elesa answered with a laugh. “So when you saw I was hiring?”

“I jumped on it…”

“Well, when I retire, Candice will have the record for Gym Leader with the most followers,” Elesa answered. “But when you take over, I doubt it will take long for you to win that record off her…”

Abbee laughed, however knew that they could spend hours making jokes and not get anywhere.

“So what about this summer?” Abbee asked.

“What about it?”

“Well I was planning on spending it at the Eon Academy. My flight is next week…” Abbee explained.

“I don’t see why that needs to change,” Elesa answered with a shrug, before pouring herself another glass of champagne.

“I don’t need formal Gym Leader training?”

“If I were handing over to Blake or Tessa, I’d want six months just to get them in line, but honestly, there will be two weeks between you getting back, and me leaving, which should be plenty,” Elesa explained. “Besides, I know how much you love being there, and considering last summer, you decided to go be a hero in Alola and missed out, I wouldn’t want to take that from you. Especially with this being the last one…”

Abbee had known that once she became Gym Leader, she couldn’t keep taking summers off to return to the Academy. However now that Elesa said it, suddenly it became a whole lot more real.

“So take summer off, learn a heap of new tricks, and come back in September,” Elesa continued. “But after that, you’ll be Nimbasa City’s next Gym Leader…”

It was only 9pm when Abbee left the club, as the music grew louder and the dance floor got fuller, despite Elesa wanting to order a third bottle of champagne. She felt a little tipsy, as she made her way to the bus stop, ready to head home, and be in her pyjamas by 10pm. She had told Dylan she’d video call him, and knew that’d keep her awake another hour at least. As she walked to the bus stop, Victini remained vigilant, sitting on her shoulder and watching those who passed by.

Once they were on the bus, Abbee finally spoke quietly.

“I can’t believe it,” Abbee said quietly to Victini. “I’m going to be Gym Leader…”

“Will I be allowed to battle?” Victini asked, having only been allowed in battles against some of the strongest trainers to visit the Gym, who requested a battle against a Mythical Pokemon. All of them regretted it.

“I’ll check with Elesa on Monday,” Abbee said, as she got her phone out. “I imagine you could if you used mostly electric attacks…”

“Well I got a new one learnt…” Victini replied, as she looked down at Abbee’s phone. “You telling Dylan?”

“I’ll tell him when I get home,” Abbee explained. “Just wanted to let Charlotte know…”

It was mid afternoon in Jubilife City, when Charlotte heard her phone chime with her text tone. She stood in the empty stadium of Jubilife City, which she had booked for that afternoon in particular. Her last competition before the summer was in this very arena a week from then, and as a competitor, she had been granted use of the arena for training. In the air in front of her floated Deoxys is its defensive form. It was not taking any attacks, however for this exercise, it was the best suited form.

Underneath the ground, Gengar hid, popping up from the ground in random places at random times. Deoxys was tasked with stunning Gengar with a weak Thunderbolt attack. Its defensive form reduced its attack power to a fraction of what it could be, as well as reducing its speed as much as possible. However, Deoxys was also tasked with not relying on its telepathy in order to locate Gengar, instead, its other senses, and sheer instincts. Whilst Deoxys had what it takes to beat most Ghost type Pokemon, Dark Types would prove to be more challenging, being immune to Deoxys psychic attacks and telepathy. And Charlotte knew that her best bet to catch an opponent off guard was to turn their advantage into her own.

Hearing the chime, she called for the two Pokemon to pause, before making her way towards her phone, where it sat on the bench off to the side of the battlefield. She quickly unlocked it, finding a message from Abbee.

”It isn’t public yet, so keep it between us, but Elesa just told me she is retiring, and wants me to be her successor. As of September, I will be the Nimbasa City Gym Leader…”

Charlotte’s eyes widened as she read the words in front of her.

“Holy s**t…” Charlotte said in shock. Abbee was only nineteen at the start of that year, placing her amongst some of the youngest people to become Gym Leaders, however Charlotte knew that shouldn’t surprise her. She was the first of the Eon Academy students to get a Legendary Pokemon, being only fifteen at the time, and having only turned eighteen a few months earlier, could not have been much younger and still been an operative in Alola the year before.

”Congratulations! You’re going to kill it!” Charlotte typed, however, before she could hit send, her phone buzzed in her hand, as the text conversation in front of her disappeared, being replaced by an incoming call from an unsaved number, with an area code in Kanto. She quickly slid the green bar across the screen to accept the call.

“Charlotte speaking,” Charlotte answered, and heard a woman's voice on the other end of the phone.

”Charlotte Jones?” the woman asked, though didn’t wait for a reply. ”My name is Maxine Parks, and I’m the Events Manager at Seafoam Cruises. Is now a good time to talk?”

The name didn’t ring a bell, however the company she represented did. Seafoam Cruises were the company that owned and operated the S.S. Wishmaker…

“Yeah, I’ve got a minute,” Charlotte said, before waving to Deoxys, who diligently floated in place, indicating it could take a break, and that this may take a while. It slowly descended to the ground. “What can I do for you?”

Charlotte asked the question, having a hunch. If the Events Manager from the company that operated the S.S. Wishmaker were contacting her, there was a very solid possibility it was in regard to what she thought it was.

“I’m calling to discuss the High Seas Tournament…”

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat. This was the last thing she had been expecting.

”Given the popularity of the tournament, all applicants are screened for their performance history in other official Pokemon League tournaments, and only the top thirty applicants are invited to compete,” Maxine explained, all this Charlotte knew. This was why she hadn’t applied. Despite taking first in almost every tournament, especially seeing as Chris, to her surprise, hadn’t competed in nearly six months, she knew that having taken time off competing while she recovered from the stab wound in her shoulder that she received in Goldenrod Medium Security Prison the summer before, and having not competed at all during that summer, having not registered for any tournaments due to her expectation of being in Mossdeep, she would not be in that top thirty, and that it wasn’t worth even applying. However, this confused her…

“Aren’t there normally thirty-two participants?” Charlotte asked. “And I haven’t applied to compete?”

”That is the reason for our call,” Maxine answered. [i]”The two additional places are wild-card entries, based on public nominations, within reason. If someone who has no history battling at the level demanded by the High Seas Tournament is nominated, they will not be considered, however, if someone battles at the appropriate level, but hasn’t made the cut, and is nominated with enough votes, they get offered a position. And you, Charlotte Jones, are one of the two trainers who are being offered the wild-card entry…”

Taken by surprise, Charlotte accidentally dropped the phone, which was caught telekinetically by Deoxys. Charlotte nodded at the stoic Legendary Pokemon with thanks, and picked up the phone.

”This will be the first High Seas Tournament on The S.S. Wishmaker II,” Maxine continued. ”The sheer amount of damage the S.S. Wishmaker took last summer justified giving the ship an overhaul, including a new state of the art stadium. And because of that, as well as your presence in the High Seas Tournament, as well as the other wild-card entry, should he accept, we honestly believe it will go down in history, second only to the first…”

The first High Seas Tournament had been the one in which the Diamond Ladies had been exposed as cheaters, and Jon Drake, practically unknown at the time, had taken the championship title, beginning the story of the Eon Academy, and from there, stories of victory in others. Charlotte’s own skill and reputation, as well as those of her friends, were consequences of that very first High Seas Tournament. However a thought clicked into place in Charlotte, as she considered what had just been said.

“The other wild-card entry is Justin Collins, isn’t it?”

The professional demeanour Maxine had dissolved for a moment, in shock that Charlotte had guessed it.

“Going off social media popularity, most competitors who are likely to match or exceed me in the popular vote are either former Champions, like Jon Drake, or would have made the top thirty by their performance throughout the last season’s tournaments,” Charlotte explained. “The only one who battles at the level you require, without qualifying for the tournament normally, is Justin Collins…”

”I technically shouldn’t be answering, but you’re correct,” Maxine answered in disbelief. ”Justin Collins took the most votes in the public nominations wild-card entry, and you took the second most…”

Charlotte couldn’t help but grin. Justin wasn’t fond of the fame he had, yet somehow, had become the most famous of all the Eon Academy interns, much to Charlotte’s amusement.

“I’m seeing Justin tonight, but I can all but guarantee you, he won’t accept,” Charlotte explained. “He hasn’t wanted to battle competitively in years, and has other plans he is finally able to put into place that this would clash with…”

”I’ll speak to him this afternoon if I get the chance, and make the offer myself. But what about you? Do you wish to take the offer, and compete in the fifth High Seas Tournament?”

Charlotte went silent. Since the tournament began, and seeing the broadcast of it herself as a teenager, it had been a dream of hers to compete in the High Seas Tournament one day. And once she felt like her days of spending summers at the Eon Academy were over, she had planned on applying to compete. And now, the opportunity was in front of her. Beyond that, the wild-card entry winning the High Seas Tournament would be unprecedented, and would likely not happen again for a very long time. However, the tournament, and all the preparation it would require, would cause her to miss this summer’s program at the Eon Academy. She took a breath, hardening her resolve, before speaking.

“Unfortunately, Miss Parks, I will have to decline the offer, as I already have plans for the summer, that I am not wanting to move,” Charlotte began. “However, I have a counter-offer…”

”And that is?” Maxine asked, amused at Charlotte’s attempt to negotiate.

“You give my place this year to whoever came in fourth on the popular vote, seeing as I can almost guarantee you Justin will turn down the offer as well, and his place will need to be given to third,” Charlotte explained. “However, my wild-card offer will be instead for next year, and I will sign an agreement today if I have to, promising to be there and competing…”

”Miss Jones, what you are offering is unconventional, to risk making an understatement…” Maxine replied. ”Some would even argue that it is unfair…”

“Just like they argued how it was unfair that despite Cassandra Silver’s cheating her first three wins in a knockout style tournament, Freddy Davis, who Cassandra beat in the quarter-final match, wasn’t allowed a battle against Avery Miller, and by extension, an opportunity at the grand final match?”

It was a low blow, Charlotte knew, and she heard Maxine stuttering on the other end. Charlotte knew, like in a Pokemon battle, when her opponent's footing had been shaken by a quick and unexpected attack, that was the time to land the heavy hits.

“Listen, Maxine,” Charlotte said, not giving her a chance to answer. “Here is how I see it. If you say no, next year, I’ll apply through the standard channels, and I can almost guarantee you that I will make the cut-”

”Your current ranking indicates otherwise,” Maxine retorted, as Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh.

“My current ranking is affected by an injury I sustained last summer, as well as not competing during the summer. Don’t look at my overall score, but check out my win to participation ratio since I moved up from junior leagues…” Charlotte said, knowing it was 0.9725, higher than Jon’s was before the first High Seas Tournament. She heard Maxine typing, as she continued. “So with that in mind, if I were to set my sights on competing, I am certain I would make the cut. And I’d get what I like, being able to compete, without Seafoam Cruises getting any of the benefits of agreeing to my proposal…”

”And those benefits are?” Maxine asked, having stopped typing, and able to see the ratio Charlotte had referenced.

“Publicity,” Charlotte answered evenly. “I know for a fact that Jon Drake has been pestered for years to attend the High Seas Tournament as a special guest, all in the name of a publicity stunt. I also know that the only reason he accepted last year, was so he had an excuse to be in Alola for the operation to stop Agatha. Now, given how little time there was between him accepting the offer, and the tournament itself, I imagine there was little change to ticket sales compared to previous years?”

Maxine realised where Charlotte was going, and listened as she continued.

“Now consider this. Let’s say that the High Seas Tournament ends, and at that moment you are able to announce that next year, making her High Seas Tournament debut, is student of the original High Seas Champion, Jon Drake, who, having concluded her time as his student, is now ready to take his title…” Charlotte explained. “You’d have almost a year to promote that, and fans of mine who otherwise wouldn’t be invested enough to come on the S.S. Wishmaker for the High Seas Tournament, will either snap up the early bird tickets, or make a point of saving to buy tickets that they otherwise wouldn’t…”

”And you’re sure you have enough fans to make that worth our while?”

“I obviously have enough that offering me a spot this year is worth your while…”

Maxine remained silent for a minute, not fond of the shift in the balance of power that had occurred. She was used to being the person with the authority, that held the bargaining chips the other person wanted. However, Charlotte had quickly reversed that, and she was unused to it.

”We will consider it,” Maxine answered. ”I’ll be in touch…”

Charlotte had a hunch she knew what that meant. Maxine would be seeing if she could recruit Justin for this year, before making the decision. Potentially even making the offer to him that Charlotte had just proposed, knowing that she could capitalise on both trainers being pre-booked to compete.

“You know where to find me…”

The call ended, and Charlotte quickly sent Justin a text.

”You’re about to get a very interesting phone call. See you tonight…”

Justin read the text, as he walked out of the Jubilife University Library, having returned all the books he had borrowed. If he forgot to return them then, and all went to plan, he’d likely wind up with a large fine from the library. Granted it would be hard to forget them. His apartment in Jubilife City was mostly packed, with only the bare essentials needed to survive before he took his flight to Mossdeep City, left over. Before he left, he would put everything into a storage unit in Jubilife, and from there, what happened next hinged on circumstances outside of his control. Technically speaking, when his current lease ended in a fortnight, he would be homeless, however, what should be his last summer at the Eon Academy would keep a roof over his head.

He avoided treating this summer as his last with any certainty, because there was one key factor that could allow him to return next summer. Being rejected to join the Sinnoh Police Department.

The previous nine months had been stressful to say the least. Knowing that the application process took the good part of a year at the best of times, Justin had applied to join the police force in the autumn of the year before. First had been the eligibility checks, which hadn’t concerned him, given he had not even had a speeding fine, and although technically he had been arrested in Mossdeep four years prior, due to him not starting the fight, and acting largely in self-defence, it had not been put on his record. The entrance exam, which had come next, was where the stress really began, although if he failed that, he would only have to wait six months to attempt it again.

Despite never considering himself an academic, he passed the exam with flying colours, something he attributed to the skills he had to pick up in order to survive in his Bachelor of Law. However from there, things were even more stressful, because there were many steps to the recruitment process, and from then on, rejection at any would require a twelve month wait before he could reapply. However, one by one, Justin passed them all, from the physical evaluation, to the psychological evaluation, until two weeks ago, he reached the final stage of the recruitment process. The panel interview.

Anxiety was an understatement when describing how he felt during the interview with two senior recruiters, and that anxiety was amplified by the fact that no feedback was given. He would only know weeks later when he received the email, either rejecting him, or offering a place in the Academy. Having come so far, and knowing rejection would result in another twelve months before he could even start again, although bypassing the entrance exam, he was anxious to know the outcome, good or bad. Good, and he would have a place in the Sinnoh Police Academy in Jubilife City for their autumn intake. Bad, and he would return to Jubilife after summer to gather his belongings, and from there, move to Snowpoint until he could reapply.

“Justin!”

He was pulled from his anxious thoughts by someone calling out to him. He turned to see David Fraser, one of his professors, making his way towards him. Justin had only seen him an hour earlier, during what was the final exam of his Bachelor of Law. Already worried about having not received the email from the Sinnoh Police Department, his thoughts immediately shifted to him having made some mistake with his exam, such as using the wrong colour pen, and the whole assessment now being null and void, and needing to be retaken. David noticed this, and quickly raised his hands in a placating gesture. He was in his early fifties, slightly rounded, with greying black hair and brown eyes. He wore a plain pair of slacks and a white button up shirt.

“Everything’s fine Justin,” David said reassuringly as he reached him, extending a friendly hand for Justin to shake. “You think I’ve got bad news?”

“Sorry,” Justin said, giving a weak grin.

“You look like an anxious wreck,” David noted, a tinge of concern in his voice. He had been one of Justin’s first tutors at Jubilife University, and when Justin had been slandered by Silver Wing News two summers before, David, who still practised law occasionally, had offered to represent Justin should he decide to sue for defamation. Justin had appreciated David’s relaxed and reasonable demeanour, whilst David had appreciated Justin’s work-ethic. Despite the content not coming to Justin as easily as other students, he still excelled from sheer determination and willingness to try. “Has this exam got you stressed?”

“Surprisingly, no,” Justin laughed. “I barely worried about the exam because I was too worried about other stuff…”

Seeing a frown of concern on David’s face, Justin realised he needed to explain himself.

“The email to tell me whether or not I’ll be able to join the police,” Justin explained. “It’s due any day now…”

Realisation dawned on David as he couldn’t help but grin.

“You’ll likely be the most overqualified cop in Sinnoh,” David joked. “Law degree, and training under Jon Drake for five years…”

“Four technically,” Justin answered. “Last year I didn’t get to Mossdeep…”

David nodded, before asking another question.

“So when they accept you, what happens next?”

“I specifically requested to be in the autumn intake, so I’ll be at the Eon Academy during the summer, and after that, spending a little over six months at the Jubilife Police Academy. Then, if all goes to plan, I’ll be placed in Snowpoint City to begin work there,” Justin explained. “If I don’t pass any of this semester’s classes, I’ll defer my degree for a year, and once I’m settled, complete them online. No point in not finishing my degree when I’m this far through…”

“Well if it makes you feel any better…” David said, before looking around and lowering his voice when he was content nobody was listening. “All your other subjects this semester, you have passed. And I had a quick look at the exam you just completed before I came here, and it's the same level of work that you’ve been delivering. I’d be willing to bet anything that you’ve passed…”

Justin sighed a little with relief.

“So is that why you called out?”

“Not directly, no,” David explained. “However, I knew that you had your heart set on joining the police, and that once you finished, I likely wouldn’t have you as a student again. Unless you felt like getting your masters degree whilst you worked…”

“Yeah, I don’t see that in the cards for me,” Justin laughed, as David nodded, holding out his hand again.

“I figured as much. So I just wanted to see you off myself. Chances are, you won’t be able to be here for graduation with your training. So I wanted to wish you all the best now, and thank you for being such a great student…”

“What can I say?” Justin asked. “I had a great teacher. But remember, I might not make it, so I may still see you at graduation come autumn…”

Before David could respond, Justin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and the notification of an email being received chimed. His heart skipping a beat, Justin’s hand instinctively fell to his pocket, before realising it would be impolite to check now, and resisting the urge. David noticed this and grinned, knowing exactly what Justin was thinking.

“Check it,” David said. Justin quickly retrieved the phone from his pocket, and without looking at the subject or the preview, tapped on the email, before placing his thumb against the finger-print scanner, unlocking the phone. The screen was white for a moment as the content flashed, and Justin quickly recognised the logo of the Sinnoh Police Department. He only had to read the first few sentences….

”Dear Mr. Collins.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Sinnoh Police Department, pending training. Your training will begin on September 19th, 2022, at the Jubilife City Police Academy…”

“I got in…” Justin said breathlessly, almost unable to believe it himself. David grinned.

“Told you,” David replied. “Most overqualified cop in all of Sinnoh…”

Justin spent the next two hours making his way across the city to the cafe where he and Charlotte had agreed to grab dinner that evening. In light of his news, he had forgotten about Charlotte’s vague text message when the call from an unsaved number in Kanto appeared on his phone. He sat in a quiet bus, which had stopped for the driver to switch with another beginning his shift. A woman by the name of Maxine Parks was on the line, explaining to Justin that he had been nominated and received the most votes to compete as the wild-card entry in the sixth High Seas Tournament. He quickly explained that he did not wish to compete, and would not be available to compete anyway. In response, he was promptly offered a definite position in the following year's High Seas Tournament, to which he also promptly rejected, before ending the call, leaving Maxine Parks in disbelief. On any other day, the offer would have shocked him beyond belief, however he was already shocked beyond belief, and numbed to the shock of the offer to compete in the High Seas Tournament.

It was early evening when Justin and Charlotte sat in a cafe in the northern edge of Jubilife City, and Justin gave Charlotte his news.

“So this will be your last summer at the Academy?” Charlotte asked. Justin nodded.

“If I had been rejected, I wouldn’t have been allowed to apply for another twelve months, so could have gone next summer as well,” Justin explained. “But I guess you guys will just have to go on without me…”

“See, you’re slightly off base there…” Charlotte explained with a smirk. She wasn’t going to spoil Abbee’s news, however she had her own, which had only been confirmed minutes earlier, by a call from Maxine Parks, accepting her proposal from earlier in the day, and confirming Charlotte’s place in next year’s High Seas Tournament. Justin gave her a confused look, as her smirk widened into a smile.

“You’re not the only one who got offered the wild-card entry to the High Seas Tournament…”

Justin looked at Charlotte in surprise. He hadn’t mentioned the call to her, knowing that she had wanted to compete in that herself, and didn’t want to risk making her jealous, considering the popularity he had, which he hated, had given him an opportunity she had been working hard towards. However, suddenly it clicked.

“Wait, if you took the wild-card entry, you won’t be able to be at the Academy this summer?” Justin replied, confirming to Charlotte that he had received the same call.

“I convinced them to give me a place in next year's one. That it would help them sell tickets if the moment this year's tournament entered, they could publicise I’d be competing in next years,” Charlotte laughed. “They said they’d think about it, but I knew that they’d realised they could probably sell more tickets if they did that with you, and that they’d ask you first…”

“Yeah, they offered me a place in this year’s tournament, and when I turned it down, offered me a place in next year’s,” Justin explained. “I don’t think they expected to be rejected so quickly…”

“And once you did that, they called me back, accepting my offer, and trying to do everything they could to get an agreement sent to me and signed before I could change my mind,” Charlotte said with a grin. “So this summer will be my last one as well…”

Justin’s phone, which sat on the table between them, began to ring, and both trainers instinctively looked at the screen.

’Side-piece.’

Charlotte gave Justin a look of concern, as Justin sighed. He answered the call, leaving the phone on the table, and pressed the loud-speaker button.

“Hello Christopher,” Justin said evenly, as Charlotte choked on a laugh, realising that Chris likely set that contact name himself, and Justin never changed it. “You’re on loudspeaker with Charlotte…”

“Hey Side-piece,” Charlotte said, before looking at Justin. “Has Candice seen this?”

“She thinks it’s hilarious…” Justin said, thankful his girlfriend was not the sort to jump too far to conclusions, even when Chris’ joke didn’t require much jumping at all.

On the other end of the line, Chris, not used to being called by his full name, realised what had happened, and began to laugh.

”I didn’t realise the two of you were together,” Chris said. ”That works well. I have a question for you both.”

“And that is?” Charlotte asked.

”What flight have you guys got booked from Jubilife?” Chris asked. ”I haven’t got mine booked yet, and realised I am running out of time…”

Chris had mentioned to both Justin and Charlotte late last year that he’d be coming to the Eon Academy again, though didn’t give any specific reason why. However, Chris’ call raised another question.

“You’re in Sinnoh?” Charlotte asked, before continuing without waiting for a response. “You haven’t competed in six months!”

”I told you, I’m working on something…” Chris explained.

“Yeah, so I figured you’d be at home in Blackthorn?”

“If you were in Sinnoh, why not let us know?” Justin asked, a little taken aback by the fact that his best friend had been geographically closer to him than he had been in months and hadn’t mentioned anything.

”I just did,” Chris answered. ”Besides, if I told you earlier, I’d have given away the surprise…”

“The surprise being?” Charlotte asked.

”Nice try,” Chris answered. ”The surprise being what I have been working on…”

“I’ll forward you the flight number once I get off the phone,” Justin answered.

”Thanks,” Chris replied, before asking his own question. ”Why are you two together?”

Both trainers looked at eachother, before Charlotte pressed the mute button.

“I don’t want to tell anyone else until I sign the agreement,” Charlotte said quietly. “What about you?”

“I’m accepted now,” Justin answered, before unmuting the phone.

”You guys there?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, we’re here. Lost signal for a second,” Justin explained. “Just celebrating because I got accepted into the police…”

Patrons at nearby tables glared at Justin and Charlotte, as loud noises of Chris’ cheering came through the phone, causing Justin to quickly turn the volume down.

“He sounds a lot more like his old self…” Charlotte whispered.

“Let’s hope seeing Abbee and Dylan doesn’t change that…” Justin murmured.

“Well in that case, let’s go get a drink,” Chris suggested.

“When?” Justin asked.

”Tonight?”

“You’re in Jubilife?” Charlotte asked in disbelief.

”Yeah,” Chris said, not waiting for either trainer to object. ”I’ll send a place through. Be there at nine…”

Chris ended the call as the pair looked at each other in disbelief.

“I didn’t know he was here…” Charlotte said. “He just said he was working on something, but I figured he was at home if he wasn’t travelling. I mean, if he isn’t competing, it’s not like he can afford to live out of home…”

“Same,” Justin said in confused shock. “Maybe we can get an answer out of him later?”

On the other side of the city, Chris sat in the dorm-room he had been allocated at the College of the North Wind. It was larger than his room at the Eon Academy, and whilst the furnishings seemed to be more expensive, they were less modern, and seemed to be there more so for the aesthetic than any practical reason.

On his desk sat a laptop, open to a webpage editor, on a site that was not live yet. The url in the address bar read projectstn.com, and the site appeared to be simple in nature. At the top, was a countdown, showing years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. The countdown however, was paused at one year remaining, which would begin when the site went live. At the bottom on the screen, was a placeholder for an embedded YouTube video, which was programmed to pull the most recent video from a YouTube channel that had not been made live itself yet. Between the player and the countdown was a thirteen across, seven down table, each space containing a small image of a person, that could be expanded if the mouse hovered over it, though some on the right hand side were empty. Three down and four across contained Elesa, though Chris was unaware that would soon change. Four down, and eight and thirteen across were Candice and Cynthia respectively. Five down and thirteen across was Steven, and six down, eight across was his own sister, Clair.

After having competed for a year, between his third, and what would have been his fourth summer at the Academy if not for other circumstances, Chris soon became bored. He rarely lost, and when he did, most of the time, it was against the same person. Charlotte. However, from said boredom, an idea came to him. An idea that if achieved, would put Chris in the history books. An idea that if achieved would cement Chris’ name as a master trainer, completely separate from Jon, Clair, and Lance. A goal that when Chris had visited Mossdeep eight months prior, and spoken to Jon of this, had even shocked Jon.

Chris planned to conquer all seven regional Pokemon Leagues in under a year. Galar, Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. Roughly a badge, or an Elite Four Challenge per week. To this day, nobody has conquered all of them, and to do it in a year, would set a record with Chris as the first holder, and very few ever being able to beat it.

Knowing that Jon’s specialty was three-on-three tournament battling, which would not be enough to help him achieve this goal on its own, Chris had sought out Camilla Blakely, former Sinnoh Champion, and founder of the College of the North Wind, the graduates of which made up many Elite Four members worldwide, and by extension, many of Chris’ targets. It was no secret that her curriculum focused on beating regional Leagues. After explaining his goal to Camilla, and proving his resolve to it in a series of matches against her current five best students, as well as Camilla herself, Camilla agreed to spend the six months between then and summer, tutoring Chris personally.

Now however, Chris was ready to leave the College. He hadn’t battled Charlotte in six months, and despite planning on stepping away from the competitive circuit to focus on Gyms and the Elite Four, he was still eager to see if he had pulled ahead, however knew Charlotte also had the same six months to improve.

Having taken his bike to the shipping company, and it now already on its way to Hoenn, Chris knew he would need to be quick if he wanted to get to the bar he had sent Justin and Charlotte on time. He considered telling them about ProjectSTN when he saw them, but figured he’d wait. He had a hunch that he and Justin weren’t the only ones who were not going to be returning to the Academy after that summer, and wanted to wait a little longer. He quickly grabbed a light jacket, as well as his phone and wallet, not bothering with his keys. Despite the age of the building, the dorms of the College of the Northwind used electronic locks with keycards, and without his bike, his keys were another thing to lose. Granted, he would not be drinking anywhere near as much as he had last time he had gone to a bar with his friends. He quickly shook off the humiliating memory as he made his way to the laptop. Despite knowing that nobody would enter his room while he was gone, he still didn’t want to risk ProjectSTN being leaked before its time. He glanced one more time at the banner at the top of the webpage, taking in the title, before closing the laptop.

Project: Second To None…’