“Finally, to summarise the most important points: The mineral mega stones come from form a wide variety of different crystalline structures. The most common of these structures allow the transfer of energy to the other structures. By either a remarkable coincidence or from factors we have not discovered yet, some of these structures resonate with specific Pokémon species, permitting them to absorb that energy in such a way that forces something akin to an evolution. The main difference being, naturally, that it is temporary. I will now be taking questions.”

  Professor Leaf finished his talk to great applause. I’d only understood the parts he simplified for his less educated audience, but as soon as he got into the more technical aspects of crystal lattices and chemical bonds he completely lost me.

  When the questions were over, Godfrey, helped by both of my companions – traitors – pushed me to go up to the professor to say I was a fan of his daughter. Despite the crushing embarrassment, I ended up walking down the lecture hall with them and stood face to face with Professor Leaf.

  “Hi Professor,” said Godfrey.

  “Godfrey, glad you could make it. And these are?”

  He was tall, I’d guess as tall as Daddy, and looked down at us through thin rimmed, round spectacles scratching his goatee. He was almost bald but for tufts of hair spiking out from the sides, and his suit and red tie did nothing to buff out his skinny frame.

  “This is my sister, Calla, and her friends, Sunny and Darren. Their all on their first-year journey.”

  “Pleased to meet you all. I hope you enjoyed the talk.”

  “It was very informative,” said Darren. “It’s always a wonder to find out a little more about the mysteries in our world.”

  “Professor, my sister has something she would like to say, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course, Calla, was it? What is it?”

  I shot my brother a glare, then schooled my expression trying not to look like a startled Whimpod.

  “It’s not that impo- I mean, I just want to say I’m a big fan of Elaine. I think she’s really cool and she’s a big inspiration for me and- oh, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  I covered my face in with hands, even Comfey lifting herself from her around my neck to pat my cheek.

  “She’d be very glad to hear it,” said Professor Leaf, ignoring my nerves. “Would you like to meet her?”

  “I couldn’t possibly!” I said, truly panicking now. “I’m sure she has more important things to do.”

  “Nonsense,” said the professor. “She’s at home these days lazing around. It’d be good for her to speak to people.”

  So it was, that I found myself in Professor Leaf’s lab, being guided to meet my idol. We were led through a room with scientists and all sorts of funky machines beeping and whirring constantly to the glasshouse. I call it a glasshouse because that’s what the professor said it was. It wasn’t like the one we had back home – a little shed with windows for a roof. Instead, it was a massive glass dome with what looked like an entire jungle inside. Pokémon of all different types raced around the trees, their cries creating a cacophony echoing in the confined space. Somewhere, the sound of a waterfall joined in, making it truly difficult to believe we were still in the middle of a city.

  “Wow,” said Sunny, expressing what we were all feeling.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it? We need suitable habitats for all the Pokémon we study in the lab. Elaine loves it here, so I’m guessing it’s where she is,” said Professor Leaf. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled through them.

  “Elaine! There are people here to see you.”

  “I’m not talking to more reporters Dad!” came the reply. “I’m on vacation.”

  “It’s not reporters this time. It’s some fans that would like to meet you.”

  “Fans? I have fans?”

  A moment later, hooves thundered through the earth and a Gogoat burst out of the bushes before us. Riding on him was a girl only a year older than me, but who had achieved more than most even dream of doing in their entire lives. She had black hair cut into a short mullet, a wide grin and amber eyes. She jumped from the back of her Gogoat, swinging from his horn and dusted her tracksuit.

  “Hi there,” she said. “Are you all my fans?”

  “It’s an honour for all of us to meet you, but the one who was really dying to do so is Calla here,” said Darren.

  Her eyes zeroed in on me. She hopped closer, taking a deep breath.

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  “Is that a Comfey? Smells good.”

  “Elaine, what have I told you about respecting people’s personal space?” said Professor Leaf. Thankfully she backed off before I did something embarrassing like squeaking, or fainting. With the amount of blood rushing to my face I was surprised I hadn’t already.

  “This is my student, Godfrey, and his sister, Calla, and her friends, Darren and Sunny.”

  “I remember,” said Elaine looking at Godfrey. “You were there when I did my exhibition match at the college. That was fun.”

  “It was a good battle,” agreed Godfrey.

  “I don’t know about that,” said Elaine. “It was fun, but not very good. I was a bit all over the place.”

  “Really? I didn’t notice. I thought you won handily.”

  Elaine shrugged and turned her focus to Hector who was cradled in Sunny’s arms.

  “And who’s this little guy. Can I touch him?”

  She didn’t wait for a reply before squishing his cheek.

  “Careful, the slimes a little toxic,” said Sunny. Elaine waved her off.

  “That’s okay. Worth it.”

  “True,” said Sunny with a mighty smug smile on her face.

  “Do you have any Pokémon?” Elaine asked Darren. “Can I see them?”

  He was a little taken aback but released Auri anyway. Elaine squealed.

  “A Larvitar! How exciting,” she said. “I’ve only seen one once before. Where did you find her?”

  “At the foot of Mt Silver in Johto. It was a pretty lucky encounter.”

  “Of course it was. Hey, do you all want to come meet my team? Calla, come ride Gogoat with me.”

  Within a couple of moments where I was bundled around in a daze, I was sitting on the grass-type, holding onto his horns for dear life as we rushed through the dense foliage of the artificial jungle. Elaine was behind me, and a quick glance told me she was leaning back casually.

  “Having fun?” she asked.

  I nodded, too nervous to open my mouth. It wasn’t long till we stopped at a clearing where five other Pokémon were lying in the sun. Or, at least, three were, and the other two were under the shade of some large-leafed tree I didn’t recognise.

  “Hey guys, say hi to Calla. Calla, these are Mawhile, Sableye, Glimmora, Slaking and Volcarona. And you’re sitting on Gogoat. I’ll introduce them more once the others get here. So tell me about yourself while we wait. Do you have any other Pokémon?”

  I forced myself away from looking at her team. I’d seen them on the TV, crushing their opponents like it was nothing. Whether it was the trickiness of her two known mischief makers – Mawhile and Sableye – the beauty of Glimmora, currently rooted to a rock, her petals unfolded and glittering in the sun, or the majesty of Volcarona puffing her fluff out in the heat, these were some of the most powerful Pokémon in Silín. Finally, I found my tongue and told Elaine I also had Mareep. She was all over my starter when I took her out, and Mareep enjoyed the attention immensely.

  “I’ve been with her since we were little, my parents own a Mareep farm, and she was one that got attached to me.”

  The rest of our group finally caught up to us and Elaine began passionately talking about her team. She knew Gogoat from when she was a child, Glimmora was a lab Pokémon her father had brought in to study – something about terastalizing, she befriended Mawhile and Sableye on a research trip she accompanied him on to Echoing Caves, and Slaking and Volcarona she caught when she finally left on her journey – Slaking as a Vigoroth in a woodlands near Orangefall Village, and Volcarona in the Bagatelle caves. At some point, the professor left – perhaps he never followed us in the first place, I don’t think I would have noticed. Godfrey too said he had to go back to study and told me not to hesitate to contact him if I needed anything. Not long after, Darren left to do some intense training before the tournament and Sunny went with him. I was about to go with them too, but, maybe sensing my reluctance, Elaine invited me to stay a bit longer. Happily, I took her up on her offer.

  “I’m glad you decided to stay,” she said. “It’s not often I get to talk to trainers my age. Or fans, for that matter.”

  She was cuddled up to Slaking, stroking the white fur on his chest. He had a massive arm protectively around her and regarded our conversation with what I could only think of as faint amusement. Comfey had gone off to play with Mawhile and Sableye and the rest of us we sitting in the sun.

  “I’m sure there are loads of people who would love to talk to you,” I said.

  “You’d be surprised. I get more hatemail than fanmail. My parents try to filter it out, but I know what they say about me.”

  “That’s so unfair. I think you could have definitely beaten Killian.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe on a good day. On a good day we can do anything. On a bad day, we can barely get it together to get out of bed. Isn’t that right, Slaking? How many times did you fall asleep on me in the middle of a battle?”

  Slaking grunted and shrugged, the motion making a slow wave that rippled across his shoulders.

  “He’s not the only one either. I know Slaking have a reputation, but the rest of us are all volatile in our own way too. It makes things fun, but I’d never bet on us for anything. I’ll tell you what really annoys me, though. All these people saying they’d like to see me face him, as if I didn’t even have a chance. I’d like to face Killian. I don’t care about my chances of winning; I want to battle him. But no, he just disappears. Ten years as the uncontested champion of the region. Then, when I want to challenge him, he’s nowhere to be found.”

  “What do you mean he disappeared? I know he forfeited, but I never heard anything else.”

  “Yeah, well, he sent a letter to the league with his forfeiture and also that he would be going on a personal journey or something. Noone has seen him since. If I knew where to start to track him down and demand a battle, I would.”

  “That is strange,” I said.

  “It gets worse,” said Elaine. “Now that I’m champion, I can’t enter any tournaments. I’m only allowed to do some exhibition matches every once in a while. I can’t do any bounty hunting either. Did you hear what’s been happening lately? An endless storm over Lake Aria, nonstop earthquakes destroying Bagatelle, and hurricane wind speeds in Povar Valley. I should be there. As a champion. But no. Mom says I’m too young for bounty hunting, Dad says it’s dangerous, and the press says I’ve an image to maintain. An image! What we need to maintain is our strength. Look at us, resting on our laurels. I’m going to be fat and retired before I’m sixteen. Sorry. You probably didn’t come just to hear me complain. I’m just restless.”

  “I get it,” I said. “Being the Champion is complicated.”

  “It’s not though. It’s boring. I know, you’re going to enter the tournament in a few days, yes? I’ll help you train. How about it?”