Day 257

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

Firebrand and Bugsy's Scyther make short work of the cages holding the Slowpoke. Scyther's sharp claws slice the bars apart like rice paper, while Firebrand melts the locks off the doors. In no time at all, the Slowpoke are all freed, although being Slowpoke, it takes some of them a while to realize that they're not imprisoned anymore.

Not long after the last cage is broken open, Bugsy's Spinarak returns, seemingly empty-handed. It stops just in front of the stricken Kurt and loudly clicks its mandibles, and a moment later, much to my astonishment, a wild Abra suddenly appears out of nowhere right next to it. Tentatively, it hovers over to Kurt and takes his hand. “Much obliged,” says the old man with a smile, and a moment later both he and the Abra are gone.

“Nice work, Spinarak,” says Bugsy. “You too, Scyther.” He recalls the two Pokémon, then turns to me. “I guess we should get out of here too, huh?” He gestures in the direction of the ladder up to the surface. “After you.”

“Thank you.” I recall Firebrand, and the two of us climb back out of the well. Kurt is waiting for us at the top along with the Abra, which seems to have fallen fast asleep. I guess the effort of using Teleport twice in the space of a minute has tired the poor thing out.

“I'm gonna walk Kurt over to the hospital,” says Bugsy. “I guess maybe I should've told Spinarak to tell Abra to Teleport him straight there, but...” He shrugs awkwardly. “What are you going to do now, Ryan?”

“I guess I'm gonna have to wait for you,” I say. “I came here to challenge you, you see. You're this town's Gym Leader, right?”

Bugsy puffs out his chest. “That's right,” he says. “Sorry you had to come here at such an inconvenient time, but no matter. You can head on over to the Gym, and I'll be there as soon as I can.”

“Alright,” I say, nodding. “I'll see you later, then.”

While Bugsy heads off with Kurt towards the hospital, I follow the road signs and make my way south, towards the Azalea Gym. It's still closed when I get there; the lights are off and the double doors are shut tight. There are a few others gathered around outside, presumably students of Bugsy's waiting to be let back in. We battle to pass the time, and as is becoming the norm, I beat all of them.

It had been nice and sunny when I first arrived in Azalea Town, but it seems to have gotten a lot cloudier since I came out of Slowpoke Well, and as Bugsy finally arrives at the Gym, the first few raindrops start to fall from the heavens. “Sorry for the wait,” says Bugsy, fishing in his pocket for the door keys. “Looks like I got here just in time, huh?”

Bugsy unlocks the gym doors and throws them wide open, and we all take shelter inside as the rain starts to get heavier. It's odd how the rain seems to have arrived out of the blue like this, and I can't help commenting about it. “What's up with the weather?” I ask Bugsy. “It was nice and sunny when I got here, but now it's suddenly pouring it down.”

Bugsy smiles knowingly. “There's an old legend in this town,” he says. “It's said that a Slowpoke's yawn can bring rain, and that a terrible drought 400 years ago was ended when a Slowpoke yawned, causing the rains to fall again. That's why we built Slowpoke Well: as a home for the Pokémon that saved our town 400 years ago.”

“I see. So the escaped Slowpoke yawned, and that's why it's raining?”

“It looks that way,” said Bugsy. “Anyway, now that you're here, let's get started, shall we?”

I nod eagerly. “Let's.”

Bugsy and I take our places on either side of the arena in the centre of the Gym. Bugsy's students all gather around to watch as their teacher prepares to take me on. “You may have saved me back at Slowpoke Well,” he says, “but don't think that means I'll go easy on you here!”

My grip tightens around Firebrand's Poké Ball, and I can feel a familiar warmth emanating from it. Firebrand is as eager for this as I am. “I wouldn't have it any other way,” I tell him.

Bugsy smiles. “Good,” he says. “Go, Metapod!”

Bugsy sends out his first Pokémon, and I can't help breathing a sigh of relief. A Metapod is a far less chalenging opponent than I'd been expecting. I decide to give Firebrand a rest for now. “Go, Dizzy!” I say, grabbing his Poké Ball instead. “Use Water Gun!” Dizzy obliges, spraying Metapod with a powerful jet of water that pushes it backwards across the arena. All Metapod can do is feebly fire its silken strings at Dizzy to try and slow him down, but Dizzy is barely hampered and Metapod goes down without much of a fight.

Bugsy's next Pokémon isn't much of a challenge either. “Go, Kakuna!” I keep Dizzy out, using Water Gun as before. Kakuna tries to harden itself against the attacks, and when that doesn't work, it resorts to firing its poisoned stingers at Dizzy. The first hit has no effect, but the second one clearly poisons him. Fortunately, Kakuna is already pretty weak by this time, and Dizzy knocks it out before the poison has any real effect.

“Good work, Dizzy,” I say, recalling him. Poison or no poison, I would have recalled him anyway, because I know what's coming next.

“You've done well so far, I'll admit,” says Bugsy. “But now comes the real challenge! Go, Scyther!” As Scyther bursts out of its Poké Ball, I find myself pitted against the very Pokémon that a short time ago I had been helping. The one capable of slicing through metal bars like they're made of paper. Even with Firebrand at my side, this is going to be a tough fight.

“Go, Firebrand!” Firebrand bursts out of his Poké Ball, immediately firing a blast of flame at Scyther. Scyther uses its forearm scythes to deflect the worst of the blaze, but still cries out in pain. In retaliation, it swings its scythes at Firebrand, but only succeeds in landing a glancing blow. As it lines up another, Firebrand unleashes another burst of fire that sends it staggering back with a screech.

Scyther is pretty badly burned by now, but it doesn't seem willing to give up just yet. “Use Quick Attack!” calls out Bugsy. Scyther readies its scythes, then before Firebrand has a chance to react, it unleashes a blindingly-fast attack that sends Firebrand sprawling. Undeterred, Firebrand gets back up again and with one last blow, Scyther falls. Victory is mine.

As he recalls his defeated Scyther, Bugsy gives me an impressed look. “Nice work,” he says. “I expected nothing less from you, after the way you handled Team Rocket back at Slowpoke Well. Your Quilava definitely gave you the edge as well.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a round badge shaped like a Ledyba's back. “Here,” he says, handing it to me. “You've earned this. It's the Pokémon League Hive Badge.”

Smiling, I pin the badge to my lapel. That's two badges down, six to go. “Thank you,” I say.

“You know, the Hive Badge isn't just for show,” Bugsy says. “If any of your Pokémon know the move Cut, they'll be able to use it outside of battle now. Oh, and here: I also want you to have this.” Bugsy pulls out a small CD that I now recognize as a TM, like the one Falkner game me. “You're familiar with TMs, right?”

“Yep,” I say, taking the disc. “Falkner gave me one back in Violet City.”

Bugsy nods. “Of course,” he says. “Well, that TM contains Fury Cutter. It's a special move I discovered together with my Scyther. The more times you use it in a row, the more its power increases, so it's great for longer battles. Of course, I didn't get the chance to show it off today, but maybe you'll be able to make good use of it in the future.”

“We'll see,” I say. “Thank you.”

Looking outside, the rain is still pouring down. “It's raining pretty heavily out there,” says Bugsy. “Would you like to stay here until it calms down a bit?”

“That'd be great,” I say. “Thank you.” I don't really feel like getting soaked.

Day 256 [Back to the Future Day Special!]

[from StarLight]

Sanae stared blankly at the newcomer for a moment, then uttered a flat, “What.”

White Star grinned. “Don't worry,” she said, “I remember how confused I was the first time this happened! Actually, this is kinda weird for me too, because I heard myself say all this stuff and now I'm the one saying it, and I heard you say the thing I already said… wow, this is really trippy. I know how this entire conversation goes.” White Star suddenly assumed a manly pose. “'Your next line is going to be...'”

“Who are you?” asked Sanae.

“Called it!” said White Star. “I'm you, from the future!”

“You're me?” repeated Sanae.

“And I am you,” said White Star cryptically, before snapping back into serious mode. “But enough references for now. I came back from Monday evening so I can go to the parade in your place, while you take your exam!”

Upon hearing this, Sanae suddenly perked up. “Hey, that's a great idea!” she said. “Why didn't we think of that?”

“Actually, that's what I was about to suggest,” said Kousen. “But if I never got round to suggesting it, then-”

Before Kousen could finish point out the inherent paradox, Sanae interrupted. “Wait!” she said. “Why do I have to take the test? Why can't you take it?”

“Because I already did,” said White Star.

“Wait, what?” said Sanae. “Ugh, this is too confusing!”

“Yeah, I remember,” said White Star. “Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Uhh… how did I explain this the first time round? Oh yeah!” Walking over to a whiteboard and easel in the corner of the room, White Star pulled out a black whiteboard marker. “Let me illustrate it,” she said. She drew a horizontal line across the board. “This line represents the flow of time. This end is today – Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 – and this end is next Monday.”

“I was about to ask where you got the whiteboard from,” interrupted Sanae, “but I think I already know the answer.”

“If you were thinking 'magic' – and I know you were, because I was you once – then congratulations! You get a gold star!” said White Star.

“Can I get a white star instead?” asked Sanae, cheekily sticking her tongue out. “Ba dum tiss.”

“Can I finish my explanation first?” asked White Star. “Gosh, now I know what Kousen has to put up with.”

Kousen smiled smugly. “You could learn a few things from your future self, Sanae,” she said.

White Star cleared her throat. “Anyway,” she said. “You are currently here, at this precise moment in time.” She began drawing another line parallel to the first one, this time in blue. “You'll progress naturally through the next few days, then on Monday morning, you'll go into school as usual and take that test. That evening, we'll meet on top of Fujitsu Tower to say goodbye, and then you'll travel back in time to now.” White Star drew third line, this time in green, leading diagonally back to the left-hand side of the board.

“And then I'll be you?” said Sanae.

“Now you're getting it!” said White Star. “I'll stay at home playing video games and teaching Kousen some more about the 21st Century, so I don't screw up the space-time continuum or anything. Then, on Monday morning, I'll travel to the parade in your place!” She drew a third line, parallel to the first two. “After Monday evening, you will have travelled back in time to become me, and there'll be only one Sanae Hikari again! It's foolproof!”

Sanae nodded. “Now I get it!” she said. “Yeah, that seems like the perfect plan! Nice thinking, Kousen!”

“Well, technically, I-” At this point, Kousen decided it would be better not to think about the apparent paradox and just roll with it. “I guess you're welcome. But I should warn you, a spell this powerful will consume an awful lot of energy.”

“One-point-twenty-one jiggawatts, to be precise,” said White Star.

“Don't you mean '1.21 gigawatts'?” asked Sanae.

“No,” said White Star. “Anyway, I don't think that'll be a problem, since I already made the jump.”

“That's true,” said Kousen. “But it will have taken a lot of power out of your Emblem, and it will take time for that power to recharge.”

“How long exactly?” asked White Star.

Kousen thought about it for a moment. “Probably until Monday night,” she said. “You already lived that time period once: were there any monster attacks during that time?”

“Nope!” said White Star. “And even if there were, the past me would have taken care of them for me! So everything should be totally fine!”

“Fair enough,” said Kousen. “This plan does seem almost too perfect, if I'm honest, but let's wait and see how it all pans out.”

“Come on, Kousen,” said Sanae. “It's just a little time travel. What could possibly go wrong?”

Day 255

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

As I eat, I mull over the conversation I've just overheard. From the sounds of it, Team Rocket are the ones who have been cutting off Slowpoke's tails and selling them. Of course, I've heard of Team Rocket: everyone has. They're a notorious criminal group that suddenly appeared in neighbouring Kanto three years ago, carrying out a region-wide crime wave. Law enforcement were only able to stop them with the help of a ten-year-old trainer named Red, who reportedly stormed two of Team Rocket's hideouts single-handedly. Well… not exactly single-handedly. He had his Pokémon to help him, of course. But you know what I mean. Anyway, it sounds like they've re-surfaced here in Johto, which is not good.

It also sounds like the local Gym is closed for now. It doesn't take me long to decide what to do in the meantime. I can't let something Team Rocket's slide. I still remember my disgust at being offered a Slowpoke Tail out on Route 32. I'm not sure what exactly I can do to put a stop to them, but I'm still going to try.

After finishing my lunch, I head off, and it doesn't take me long to locate the well, on the northeastern edge of town. To my surprise, however, it seems completely deserted: no Slowpoke, no Team Rocket, nothing. Strange. There's a ladder leading down into the well itself, and with my curiosity taking hold, I decide to head down into it and find out exactly what's going on.

The “well” turns out to be an entrance to a large underground cavern, with a deep pool of water to one side. Looking around, it occurs to me that this cavern is where the Slowpoke have been living. They've all been rounded up, however, and herded into tiny cages in the far corner of the cavern. Gathered near the cages are several thugs who are clearly wearing Team Rocket uniforms. As I watch, one of them crams a tail-less Slowpoke back into its cage while another, wielding a machete, dangled a bloodstained appendage from his free hand and cackles. It's despicable.

As one of the man shifts slightly, I can suddenly make out two people that have been bound, gagged, and set down next to the cavern wall. One of them is an ageing man with grey hair, who appears to be in a lot of pain. The other appears to be a teenage girl, wearing a green shirt and shorts. Could she be the town's Gym Leader? It would make sense for her to go after Team Rocket, and it would explain why the Gym is closed.

I start to make my way through the cavern, and it's not long before I'm spotted. “Hey, there's a kid in here!” one of the thugs yells.

“Don't worry,” calls out another, “I'll take care of him.” He quickly advances towards me, plucking a Poké Ball from his belt. “You lost, kid?” he asks intimidatingly. “Run along home to your parents. There ain't nothing to see here.”

A week ago, I probably would have done as he asked. But after the things I've seen these past few days, it'll take more than just a big guy with a Pokémon to rattle me. “I beg to differ,” I retort, plucking Firebrand's Poké Ball from my belt.

“Oh, you wanna go, kid?” says the man, amused. “We already took out the old man and the Gym Leader! You really think you can do better than them?”

“No,” I admit. It sounds pretty bad when he says it out loud like that. “But what you're doing is sick and wrong, and I'm not just going to stand back and let you get away with it.”

The man smirks. “Have it your way,” he says. “Go, Rattata!”

I almost laugh when the man sends out his Rattata. I've taken out dozens of these without breaking a sweat. “Go, Banshee!” Banshee swoops in, and in a few Bites the Rattata is down. The man, undaunted, then sends out another Rattata, and I really am trying to contain my laughter at this point. I don't know what's worse, the fact these guys or supposedly master criminals, or the fact that they somehow beat both Kurt and the town's Gym Leader. I switch Banshee out for Firebrand and the second Rattata goes down in a single blast of flame.

The man is left reeling with shock, as though he hadn't realized his two Rattata were no match for a decently-trained set of Pokémon. “Uhh… guys, we got a problem,” he says.

A long-haired woman snorts and makes her way over. “What problem?” she sneers. “Come on, it's just one snot-nosed little kid! You can handle one little kid, ri-” She pauses upon seeing his fainted Rattata, then bursts out laughing. “You god-damn pussy,” she says, shoving him out of the way while choking back her laughter. “I'll show you how it's done. Go, Zubat!”

Still not exactly the strongest opposition. “Go, Firebrand!” The female thug's Zubat fires supersonic waves at Firebrand to try to confuse him, but Firebrand just shrugs them off and blasts the Pokémon out of the air. Next out is an Ekans, but still Firebrand is undaunted, knocking out the Ekans with two swift bursts of fire.

By now there's confusion and alarm among the ranks of the Team Rocket members, and the rest of them are quickly hurrying over to me. The woman is left in as much shock as the other thug had been. “What?!” she exclaims. “What the hell kinda kid are you?”

“The kind that won't stand for crimes like this,” I declare defiantly.

The man carrying the machete steps forward, and this time I really am intimidated. Well, it's hard not to be: he's six feet tall and carrying a machete smeared with Slowpoke blood. “The only crime here,” he declares, “was when our leader abandoned us three years ago. Even since then we've been preparing to rebuild our criminal empire, and we're not about to let some kid get in the way of that. Lucky for you, I don't believe in harming kids...” Just to make his point, he sheathes his machete and picks up a Great Ball from his pocket. “...so I'll take you on the old-fashioned way. Go, Koffing!”

As the man sends out his Pokémon, I relax a little and get back into the battling mindset. “Go, Firebrand!” Firebrand bursts out his Poké Ball and is immediately struck full-on by the Koffing. He resists, however, forcing it backward with a blast of fire. The Koffing aims a cloud of poisonous gas at Firebrand, but the Quilava dodges it and strikes again, leaving the gas-filled Pokémon looking badly injured. In desperation it launches another Tackle at Firebrand but Firebrand merely responds in kind, and the Koffing, unable to take any more punishment, collapses to the cavern floor.

By now, the whole of Team Rocket is in shock. “Holy crap!” “He just beat our leader!” “What is this kid?!” One of the thugs clenches his fists and starts towards me, snarling, “Let's get 'im!”, but the machete-wielding man hauls him back by the collar.

“Let's just go for now,” he says, recalling his fainted Koffing. “We got bigger fish to fry than these Slowpoke.” The thugs beat a hasty retreat towards the exit, looking decided sore about their defeat. I can't help noticing that some of them are carrying bags over their shoulders, no doubt full of severed Slowpoke Tails that they're going to sell. I guess there's nothing I can do about that; I can't exactly reattach the tails they've already cut off. But at least they won't be cutting off any more.

With Team Rocket successfully driven out of the well, I turn my attention to the two captives. I untie Kurt first, removing the gag from his mouth. “Are you alright?” I ask him. “What happened to you?”

The man manages to grin up at me in spite of the pain etched onto his face. “It's the darnedest thing,” he says. “I was climbing down the ladder, itching to give Team Rocket a piece of my mind, and I slipped and fell down hard onto my back! I was a sitting duck for those thugs. Bugsy came in after me, but-” Kurt suddenly twinges in pain, doubling over and grimacing. “Agh! Oh geez… I don't suppose you got any painkillers on you, kid?”

I shake my head. “No, sorry,” I say. “We'll have to get you to a hospital. Alright?”

Kurt nods. “Sure, whatever,” he says. “Oh, by the way, nice job taking out those thugs. What'd you say your name was again?”

“Ryan,” I tell him.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ryan,” he says. “Name's Kurt. I make a living making Poké Balls out of Apricorns. Come see me once we get outta here, and I'll give you one on the house, as a token of my thanks.”

Other people's generosity always warms my heart. “Thank you, sir.” Having rescued Kurt, I now turn my attention to Bugsy, who's waiting a little impatiently for me to untie her. “Are you alright, miss?” I ask as I remove the gag.

Bugsy gives me a look halfway between confusion and offence. “Miss?”

Kurt lets out a hearty chuckle that's cut off partway through by another twinge of pain. “Bugsy's a guy,” he points out.

As I take a closer look at Bugsy, I suddenly realize my mistake: “she” is indeed a he. “I-I'm so sorry!” I quickly blurt out. “I honestly thought you were a girl...”

As Bugsy frowns at me, Kurt lets out another chuckle. “Don't let it bug ya,” he says. “One of those Team Rocket goons made the same mistake!”

“I don't even look like a girl!” Bugsy complains, pouting in what I have to admit is a rather girly fashion.

“...well, anyway, let's get you both outta here,” I say, as I start to untie Bugsy. “We should probably get those Slowpoke out of those cages as well.”

“Good idea,” says Bugsy. “I'll send my Spinarak out to get help for Kurt.” Once I've untied Bugsy, he heads over to a desk, on which several Poké Balls are scattered. Presumably, they belong to him and Kurt, and were confiscated when they were captured. He sends out two of the Pokémon within them: a Spinarak and a Scyther. “Spinarak,” he says, “go find help. We need to get Kurt out of here. Maybe you can find an Abra on Route 34 that can teleport him out of here.” Spinarak duly scuttles off, and Bugsy turns to Scyther. “Scyther, bust open those cages!”

Scyther lets out a loud cry, crosses rapidly to the nearest cage, and with a hefty slash of its arm blades it rends the bars in two.

Day 254

[from StarLight]

Bank robbery is a difficult crime to pull off. Often, a heist requires weeks of planning, intimate staking-out of the venue, and a foolproof getaway plan. Either this, or as the villain of our piece is about to demonstrate, you could simply waltz through the front door wearing a plastic demon mask and carrying an automatic rifle, and hope for the best.

As the man entered, he pointed the rifle at the ceiling and fired. Unused to the recoil, his arm quickly swung backwards until it was pointing behind him, the momentum almost throwing him off-balance. The man swiftly released the trigger and, satisfied that he had captured the attention of everyone present, stepped forward, brushing flakes of fallen plaster from his hair. “Everybody on the ground now!” he declared. “This is a bank robbery!”

The scared bank patrons swiftly complied, most of them holding their hands in the air as they did so. The man looked around to make sure everyone was on the ground, then said, “Nobody try anything funny! That means you!” He pointed the gun at a man in clown make-up, who nodded sadly and put down the pie he had been about to shove in a woman's face.

With the customers subdued, the man strode confidently towards the counter. The bank teller also had her hands in the air, in spite of the pane of bulletproof glass behind which she sat. “Alright, you know the drill,” the man said. “Gimme all your money!”

The frightened teller caved in immediately. “Uhh… y-yes, sir,” she said. “Umm… do you have a bag for us to put the money in?”

The man paused for a moment, as though only just realizing he hadn't brought a bag, before slapping himself in the side of the head. “Oh, darn it!” he exclaimed. “I knew I'd forgotten something! Uhh… could you just transfer the money into my account instead? I do have an account here-”

“I'm afraid your account has just been frozen.”

The man looked round, startled, to see White Star standing in the entrance to the bank, posing heroically in the sunlight. “W-White Star!” he exclaimed. “How did you get here so fast?”

“I was hungry, and the narrator mentioned there was pie here,” said White Star, in the same heroic tone as before. “Now, I'm going to have to ask you to stop robbing this bank.”

The man continued to stare incredulously at White Star for a moment, then sneered, “And just how are you going to stop me? You're just a girl, and I have a gun!” He pointed said gun at White Star, as though to prove his point.

White Star couldn't help feeling a little nervous – after all, she'd never been held at gunpoint before – but she held her ground. “I'm not just a girl,” said White Star, pouting and folding her arms. “I'm a magical girl. Don't you read the news or anything?”

The man still wasn't impressed. “I bet your magic can't stop bullets!” he declared, and with that he opened fire. Technically, the man was right: White Star's magic did not stop the bullets. The bullets did, however, deflect around her and fly past her into the glass front of the building, shattering the panes. Fortunately, nobody had been passing behind her on the street at the time, otherwise they could have ended up being struck by a ricocheting bullet.

The stream of bullets was over almost as soon as it had begun, and White Star awkwardly surveyed the damage that the ricocheting bullets had caused. “Maybe it would have been better if I had stopped the bullets,” she remarked. “Probably would have looked cooler, too.”

The man's eyes widened with shock, his hand shaking as he lowered the rifle. For the first time, he began to appreciate the true threat that White Star posed. “Wh… what the hell are you?!” he gasped.

White Star sighed and rolled her eyes. “I told you,” she said. “Ma. Gi. Cal. Girl. Which part of that is not sinking in? It better not be the 'girl' part.”

The man, perhaps wisely, decided it might be better if he cut his losses. “I should get outta here,” he said, and with that he sprinted towards the shattered front windows. White Star, however, was not about to let the man get away so easily.

“Not so fast,” she said. “Rope Snare!” A length of rope shot out of the White Star Wand and wrapped itself neatly around the man's legs, sending him crashing to the floor. With the robber incapacitated, it was not just a matter of waiting for the police to arrive and arrest him. “Job well done, I think,” White Star remarked to herself, glancing down at the would-be criminal. “Now to have me some of that pie.”

***

Later that day, after White Star had eaten her pie, she was summoned to City Hall, where the mayor of Mitsuzawa apparently had a big announcement to make. The magical girl was invited up on stage to thunderous applause from the crowd that had gathered outside the building to hear the mayor's announcement.

“We, the people of Mitsuzawa, owe a great debt to you, White Star,” said the mayor. “Over the past few weeks, you have stopped a number of monster attacks within the city, saving countless lives and preventing all kinds of horrendous damage. Only today, you stopped a bank robber from potentially getting away with millions of yen in cash.”

'The past few weeks'?, White Star thought to herself. It feels more like it's been several months. Out loud, she said, “It's nothing, really. It's all part of the job.”

“It's not nothing to us, though,” said the mayor. “I believe it's time that this city, and I as its representative, gave something back to you. And therefore, to honour your selfless deeds and tireless commitment to protecting this city, I'm delighted to announce that this Monday we will be hosting a parade in your honour, right here in the city, with your esteemed self as our guest of honour!”

White Star hadn't been expecting this. “A parade?” she repeated. “For me? Oh, please, you don't have to go through so much trouble for little old-” The flattered smile suddenly froze on her face. “Wait, did you say Monday?”

“That's right!” said the mayor. “The parade will start at 10am and last until 3pm, when we'll be holding a special presentation ceremony here at City Hall. That won't be a problem, will it? I mean, you will be expected to attend.”

“Oh no, that's no problem at all!” said White Star hurriedly, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. “I'll be there, no problem…. Hehehe...”

***

“We have a major problem.”

As Sanae sat despondently on the edge of her bed, Kousen was surprised to see her so down. “What's the problem?” asked Kousen. “I can understand you not wanting the mayor to make such a fuss about you, but...”

“No, it's not that!” said Sanae. “I don't mind going at all, but the thing is, I have a major test on Monday at 11am, and the parade starts at 10am! I can't miss the test, or my grades will plummet, but I can't not show up to the parade or I'll be letting the entire city down!”

“Couldn't you show up to the parade, then leave at 11 to go take your exam?” suggested Kousen.

“Well, I guess I could do that...” said Sanae.

***

Sanae entered Class 2-2 and gave her classmates a jaunty wave. “Good morning everyone!” she said. “I'm here to take the test!”

Inaba-sensei immediately bore down upon her. “Where were you for the first two hours of school?” she asked, flashing Sanae a menacing smile. Sanae let out a startled yelp and took a step backwards.

Suddenly, there was a chorus of clicking and flashing behind her, and Sanae turned round to find a wall of paparazzi standing in the doorway to Class 2-2, cameras eagerly flashing away. “You join me at Mitsuzawa High School,” said a news reporter, “where we followed White Star after she snuck out of today's parade honouring her! We can now exclusively reveal that White Star's secret identity is none other than-”

***

“Uwaaah!” As the scenario played out in her head, Sanae became increasingly alarmed until she cut off the dream sequence with a startled cry. “No good!” she exclaimed. “That won't work either! Oh… what should I do? I can't be in two places at once…!”

Kousen suddenly looked thoughtful. “Hmm…”

“What is it, Kousen?” asked Sanae.

“Well… there might actually be a way for you to attend both events at the same time,” she said. “However, I've never tried it myself, so I don't know whether it would actually work-”

Kousen was cut off by a sudden flash of light, accompanied by a loud crackling sound. She and Sanae turned round, alarmed, to see a large ball of light floating in the middle of the room, with sparks and bolts of lightning shooting off of it at regular intervals. A white silhouette suddenly appeared around the ball of light, and gradually solidified until the light disappeared in a blinding flash. When Sanae and Kousen looked again, they saw to their surprise that standing in the spot where the ball of light had been was none other than White Star herself. She looked around the bedroom for a moment, a little confused, then raised her hands in triumph.

“It worked!” White Star exclaimed.

Day 253

[from Pokémon: Shattered Crystal]

After booking a hotel room for the night, I try to get some sleep, but I can't. Dusk's death still haunts me. If Dusk could go that easily, what's to stop my other Pokémon from falling that easily? Firebrand will be able to take on the Azalea Gym all by himself, I'm certain of that, but my other Pokémon are still very weak in comparison. Tomorrow I'll have to hold another training session, just like I did prior to taking on the Violet Gym.

As soon as the sun comes up, I get out of bed and head to the Azalea Poké Mart to buy some more supplies. I then head out onto Route 33, revisiting the place were Dusk fell. Her grave is still there, along with the scorch marks from where Firebrand killed that Machop. Strangely, I don't feel as remorseful about that as I thought I would. I guess I can rationalize it as Firebrand's murder, and not my own, not to mention it having been revenge. Whichever way you look at it, though, I can't deny it: I killed another trainer's Pokémon. I'm going to have to live with that. But then, so is that Machop's owner. I wonder where he is now.

Well, in any case, it's no use thinking about those things now. I need to focus on the future: namely, strengthening my team and getting that Azalea Gym Badge. There's not much grass on the route, but I make-do, taking on any wild Pokémon that happens to cross my path. I can sense my team growing stronger with every vanquished foe, and at the same time, I feel the bonds between us strengthening. In spite of what happened to Dusk, my remaining Pokémon still trust me, and I'm indebted to them for that.

Not long into my training, I receive a call from Wade, out on Route 31. He's found some rare-looking Berries, and he wants to share them with me. I figure that I could always train along the way, and it beats standing around in one place all morning, so I decide to head over there and see what he's found. It turns out to be a cache of Cheri Berries, which he duly shares with me. I thank him, and head off on my way. Halfway through Route 32, however, I hear a sudden cracking sound.

“The egg!” Quickly, but carefully, I take off my backpack, put it on the ground, and unzip the main compartment. The egg within is starting to crack: it's undeniably hatching. I pick it up as delicately as I can and place it on the ground. As I do so, I feel the weakened shell flex beneath my fingers. Smiley, who's been the main beneficiary of my training, peers curiously at the egg as the cracks grow ever longer, spreading across the entire surface of the egg.

Just as I'm thinking that I should probably phone Professor Elm about this, the top half of the egg smashes completely, and there, sat before me, is an entirely new Pokémon the likes of which I've never seen before. It's a small, creamy-yellow Pokémon, with a rounded body that seems to still be stuck in the lower half of its egg. It has two stubby little arms and legs that stick out from the shell, and two beady black eyes with which it looks up at me in curiosity. A ring of five spikes stick out from the top of its head, forming a sort of crown. It takes a tottering step towards me, then lets out a high-pitched cry.

It's adorable. I kneel down and pick up the newly-hatched Pokémon. “Well, hello there, little guy,” I say. Well, I assume it's a guy. Honestly, I have no way of knowing, since its shell is still covering a certain area. “What kind of Pokémon are you, huh…? Professor Elm will be really excited to see you~ Oh, right-”

I put the Pokémon back down again, take out my Pokégear, and as the new arrival watches on with interest, I dial Professor Elm's number. He picks up pretty quickly. “Hello?” he says. “Ryan? Is everything alright?

“Professor, the egg's hatched,” I tell him.

This seems to catch Professor Elm by surprised. “...what?” he says. “It's hatched?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I was down on Route 32, I heard a cracking noise coming from my backpack, I opened it up, and it just… hatched right in front of me.” As I say this, the Pokémon begins to chirp happily below me.

“That's excellent news!” says the professor. “Well? What kind of Pokémon is it?”

“I don't know,” I admit. “I've never seen one like it before.”

“Is that so?” says Prof. Elm. “In that case, could you come and show me it at my lab, please? I'd love to see it!”

“Sure thing, Professor.” It's always a pleasure to help the professor out, plus I'll get to do a little more training at the same time. That being said, this Pokémon is definitely not ready for any battles. I'll have to tread carefully.

“Thanks, Ryan,” says Prof. Elm. “I'll see you soon.”

I hang up, put the Pokégear away, and take out a spare Poké Ball. “You'll be safe in here, buddy,” I say. Actually, that reminds me: I should give him a name. It doesn't take me long to think of one: Dawn. This Pokémon was brought into the world the day after Dusk was wrenched from it, so somehow, it just feels… right. The light after the darkness. I press the button on the Poké Ball, and Dawn is sucked within, safe from harm.

It doesn't take me too long to make it back to New Bark Town. It's strange to be back home: it feels like forever since I was last here. I pay my mom a brief visit, then head straight to Elm's lab. He's sitting at his desk, as usual. “Hey, Ryan!” he says. “You look great. I'm sorry I couldn't come and see you at the hospital, but I had my research to be getting on with.”

“I understand, Professor,” I say. “It's no big deal, really.”

With the formalities over with, Professor Elm decided to get down to business. “Alright then,” he says, getting up from his desk. “Care to show me this unknown Pokémon of yours?”

I nod, pluck Dawn's Poké Ball from my belt, and send him out. The professor certainly seems surprised at the Pokémon's appearance. “So this is it...” he mutters aloud, crouching down to get a better look at the Pokémon. “Undeniable proof that Pokémon really are hatched from eggs… or at least, some of them are. We can't say for certain that all Pokémon hatch from eggs. There's really a lot of research still to be done.”

After staring thoughtfully at Dawn for a few moments, Prof. Elm straightens up to look at me. “Anyway, thanks, Ryan!” he says. “You're really helping me out a whole bunch here! I've learned a lot thanks to you!”

It's weird to hear a world-renowned Pokémon researcher tell me he's learned a lot from me, but I guess he has. Hearing him say it fills me with pride, and I suddenly feel happier than I have for the last few days. “Thanks, Professor,” I say. “It's always a pleasure to be able to help you out.”

“You're a good kid, Ryan,” says Professor Elm. “I know you'll make an excellent trainer. Here.” The Professor reaches into one of the pockets of his lab coat and pulls out a smooth, rounded grey stone. “As a token of my appreciation, I want you to have this. It's an Everstone. If you give it to a Pokémon to hold, it'll stop that Pokémon from evolving.”

I don't see how this could possibly be useful, but if it's a gift from the professor, I'll keep hold of it anyway. “Thanks, Professor,” I say, slipping it into my pocket.

“Well, if that's all, I guess I'll let you be on your way,” says Prof. Elm. “You've got the Azalea Gym to take on next, right?” I nod. “I'm sure you'll do fine. Good luck, Ryan.”

“Thanks, Professor. See you later.” I recall Dawn into his Poké Ball, wave goodbye to the professor, and set off on my way.

It's a bit of a walk back to Azalea Town, but I make it there without any further problems. I am starving, though, so after healing my party as usual, I head to a café to get some lunch. While there, however, I overhear an interesting snippet of conversation:

“Did you hear what's happening over in Slowpoke Well, on the edge of town?”

“You mean those guys claiming to be Team Rocket?”

“Yeah. You hear what they're doing to those poor Slowpoke?”

“Yeah. It's disgusting. Why hasn't anybody tried to stop them?”

“Funnily enough, I heard Kurt went over there this morning to check it out, but apparently he hasn't come back yet. I just checked and his Apricorn shop's still shut, as is the Gym.”

“That's odd. I woulda thought Kurt would clear 'em out in five seconds flat. Speaking of odd… didn't Team Rocket split up three years ago, after that kid broke up their organization? What was his name… it was all over the news… Red, wasn't it? What ever happened to that kid, anyway? He broke up the biggest criminal organization Kanto's ever seen, and then just vanished into thin air...”

NEW COMPANION: DAWN THE TOGEPI (Lvl.5, Route 32)

Day 252

[from StarLight]

“First things first...” White Star raised her wand and proceeded to blast herself in the face with a jet of cold water, forcibly waking herself up. She gasped, then shook the excess water out of her hair. “Ahh, that's much better,” she said. “Now I can actually focus on what I'm doing-”

“Excuse me! White Star!” someone suddenly called out from below. “Could I get a quick interview for-”

“Not now!” White Star yelled back. The reporter slunk away, and Sanae turned her attention back to fighting the strange spider monster, which was continuing to cause havoc in the town. “Man, life was so much easier before I became a magical girl… but I guess it still has its perks. Now then...”

With her renewed focus, White Star was finally able to aim properly at the monster. “Star Shower!” Once more, a stream of star-shaped projectiles burst forth from the White Star Wand, but this time they all found their mark, striking the monster's body. However, it seemed merely to shrug off the blows, and kept right on charging at White Star. “Well, that didn't work,” she remarked.

At the last second, White Star dodged out of the way of the charging monster, ducking underneath its body and passing between its legs. She swiftly turned round to pursue it, pondering how to bring it down. “Hmm… I'm going to have to slow this thing down somehow,” she thought aloud. “Every second I spend not destroying it is a second it spends wrecking up the place.”

“How do you plan on slowing it down?” asked Kousen.

“I've got an idea,” said White Star. “I'm gonna try taking out the legs, so it can't run.”

“Good idea,” said Kousen. “Just be careful that when it falls over, it doesn't cause any mo-”

But White Star, not listening, had already flown ahead to put her plan into action. If I create a magical rope that stretches all the way across the street, when the monster runs into it, it'll trip over the rope and fall over! Then I can quickly White Star Beam it into oblivion before it gets back up again! Simple! Having pulled out a large lead over the monster, White Star turned round to make sure it was still following her, then with a wave of her wand she cried, “Hideyoshi Attack!” A long, glistening white rope appeared from thin air, stretching across the width of the street in front of her, ready to trip the monster up when it arrived.

However, there was something White Star had not considered. As the monster approached, it suddenly took a left turning, heading towards the river and missing the rope trap completely. White Star looked on blankly as she realized her trap had failed. “Didn't see that coming,” she remarked. “Guess I'll have to try something else.”

White Star headed off once more in pursuit of the monster. Seeing that it was heading towards the river, she had another idea. “I've got it!” she said. “Arctic Blast!”

A flurry of snowflakes shot out of the White Star Wand and struck the ground in front of the monster, causing it to freeze over. As the monster reached the frozen patch of road, it lost all its grip and was sent hurtling out of control, its legs skidding and sliding as it frantically tried to regain some kind of traction. Ultimately, the monster was sent skidding straight into the river, crashing straight through the metal barrier and falling into the waters below with an almighty crash.

The sound of the monster falling into the river caught the attention of Black Star, who by now had realized that White Star was not in fact at the park as she had been promised. “Found you,” she muttered to herself, before flying off in the direction of the spray.

Meanwhile, White Star arrived at the river, ready to finish the monster off. “Here's one of the perks of being a magical girl: getting to fire off a quick pun before you finish off your opponent!” she declared. “Something like, uhh...” White Star promptly fell silent, her look of smugness freezing awkwardly on her face as she struggled to come up with a suitably pithy remark. After a few moments of mental struggle, she sighed and gave up. “I got nothing,” she admitted. “James Rond makes this look so easy… ah well, let's just get this over with.”

As the monster rose back up from the river, White Star pointed her wand directly at it. “White Star Beam!” she cried, and a beam of brilliant white shot out of the White Star Wand and blasted straight through the monster, obliterating it. As the beam faded away, all that was left was the monster's Black Heart, which dropped into the river and sank with a plop.

Having used a significant amount of energy to fire the White Star Beam, Sanae's exhaustion suddenly caught up with her and she drifted back down to the ground, yawning heavily. “Man, that fight took a lot outta me,” she said. “I think I might just… have a little nap...”

***

A short time later, Black Star arrived at the riverbank, spoiling for a fight. “Aha! I finally found you, White Star!” she exclaimed, upon spotting her rival. “It's time we finally faced off to prove which of us is truly the- huh?!”

Black Star had arrived too late: White Star was fast asleep, slumped against the broken guard rail with her wand still clutched tightly in her hand. “She's asleep?” muttered Black Star incredulously. “How am I supposed to fight her if she's asleep?!” She let out a half-sigh, half-moan. “And I was so looking forward to fighting her again… guess I'll have to just head back to the r-” Black Star's eyes suddenly jolted open in panic. “Oh crap! The roof! I gotta get back up there before Sanae realizes I'm gone!”

In a flash, Black Star hurtled off through the skies back towards Mitsuzawa High School. The noise woke up White Star, who looked around confused for a moment. “...eh? I thought I heard-” Her eyes suddenly shot open in panic as she realized the same thing Amaya had. “Oh crap! Amaya! I gotta get back up to the roof before she realizes I'm gone!” White Star raced off, unwittingly following Black Star back towards the high school.

When Black Star arrived back at the rooftop, she found Sanae slumped just where she had been, fast asleep. Black Star breathed a sigh of relief, and as she stowed the Emblem away, she transformed back into her normal self. That was a close one, she thought to herself.

***

“Wait!” said Hitomi, looking confused. “How did Sanae get back to the rooftop before Amaya?”

Mio shrugged, looking equally confused. “Well, you've got me,” she said. “By all accounts, it doesn't make sense.”