“Gary, are you okay?” Prof. Oak asked.

I nodded. “Yes. I'm okay.”

“I got off the phone with your mother just the other day,” Prof. Oak said sternly. “What has gotten into you these days? You're truly surprising me with what I’ve heard from your mother about the way you've been speaking to her. She was very upset and partially blamed me.”

“You?” I said, surprised.

“Yes, well, I am a Pokemon Professor. You're on a journey, in part, because of me. She is getting very upset at your worsening attitude towards her and she is blaming me for giving you your first Pokemon, to begin with. Of course, she was the one who allowed you to go in the first place, and she is also mad at herself for ever allowing it, but she is quite livid with me.”

“Prof. Oak, I'm so sorry. I spoke to her harshly because she supported Team Solace. I couldn't believe it!”

“I understand why you'd be so upset, Gary,” Prof. Oak nodded. “Team Solace must be stopped by all means. I just hope the police can get to them before they cause any further pain.”

“They've caused another attack, Professor,” I told him. “In Cloud City, where I am. They removed the belts from a Machamp and Machoke and let them loose. The two Pokemon died, but only after wrecking a lot of buildings and some people died.”

Prof. Oak's eyes closed and he lowered his head, sighing. He looked up at me after a while, sternly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, sir,” I nodded. “And, sir, it's all thanks to Kiwi.”

Prof. Oak's eyes nearly popped from his skull. “Did you say Kiwi???”

I nodded solemnly. “Yes. June and I met Kiwi. Her Haunter saved us against the Machoke and Machamp. She told us she's been in seclusion and hasn't wanted to speak to anybody after what occurred in Saffron City. And... She’s changed. She's cold and still broken from having lost her Pidgeotto. She asked me to tell you to just give her a bit more time. She plans on calling you all real soon. She's just been suffering from a lot. She asks that you understand. She's okay, though.”

Prof. Oak nodded. “I see. Did you mention Aly to her?”

“I did, Professor.”

Prof. Oak stared at me seriously. “And how did she react?”

“She was...” My eyes lowered as I remembered the punch I received. “Pretty upset. She... ran from me, hurt. I don't know where she is or anything. This... all just happened last night.”

“Hmm. I see.” Prof. Oak didn't say much, closing his eyes, thinking. He opened his eyes. “I'll be sure to inform her mother of this.”

“Right.”

“So, you're no longer in Dark City?”

“No, sir. I defeated Cleopatra and Charmeleon evolved into Charizard,” I replied quickly, grateful to get off of the depressing topic we were on.

“Really?” Prof. Oak said, surprised, his face softening. “Congratulations, Gary! You're doing well on your journey. I truly am proud of you, my boy.” His face hardened again. “However, I still do not have too many Pokemon from you.”

I gulped. “I'm sorry, sir. I'll try harder. I really am trying! Honest! I didn't think it'd be so difficult!”

“Well, try harder!” Prof. Oak said impatiently. “This is very important! The Pokemon you catch may be the exact same ones I have in my lab, but they may be different in some special way. We can discover new evolutions or information about them. All the Pokemon Professors of the world are counting on you!”

Way to build on the pressure, Professor, I thought. “I'll catch them all!” I declared.

“Good,” Professor Oak said. “How's Porygon-Z and Ivysaur been?”

“Ivysaur and I are still working on stuff, but we're not too bad,” I answered. “I see what you meant about Porygon-Z. It's pretty crazy! What a headache!”

“Has it done that screeching thing to you?” Prof. Oak asked.

“Yes! But, it's a really good battler. I think me and it can get along well enough in time. It's a good Pokemon at heart.”

“I’m sure it's a good Pokemon, no doubt. It just needs a bit of training. So, what are your next plans?”

“I'm headed for Azure City to get my seventh Badge.”

“So, you're looking for Gale!” Prof. Oak responded. “She isn't far from Cloud City at all! She's the Flying type Gym Leader. Good luck against her.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Well, you get focused on your training. Keep an eye for Kiwi. And catch more Pokemon!”

My face fell as his face vanished from the screen.

“Hey!” June shouted angrily. “You promised me you'd let me talk to Prof. Oak after you were done!”

“He hung up on me!”

“And I waited so patiently!” June scowled.

I stood up. “I don't have time for this, June. We have to get to Azure City and battle the Gym Leader there. Apparently, she's a Flying type Trainer.”

“I told you that,” June said, sounding bothered. “You never listen to me.”

“I heard you, June. I was just saying.”

June rolled her eyes.

I led the way out of the Pokemon Center.

We had just about reached the door.

“Awww, look who it is,” a voice rang out.

I stopped and looked around, June turning to see where the voice came from, too.

“If it isn't my little Sugar Lumps,” the voice spoke.

I grabbed the door handle, thinking the voice was speaking to somebody else, but suddenly, she appeared. The pink hair. The pretty face. The sweet smile.

“Courtney!” June and I cried out in shock.

Courtney smiled brightly. “Hey there, Sugar,” she winked at me.

“Don't call me that!” I snapped.

“Oh,” she replied, looking down at June innocently. “We're not dating. Please, don't get jealous.”

June growled at Courtney.

“We... are... NOT DATING EITHER!!!” I barked.

“Oh. Right,” Courtney waved sarcastically. “You two just travel together platonically.” She rolled her eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I asked impatiently.

“I'm just passing through,” Courtney said. “I just got here not long ago, and am on my way out. Apparently there was some kind of attack here involving a few Machamp or something. Either way, I've gotta get out of here and keep up my journey.”

“How many Badges do you have?”

“Don't you worry about it, Sugar,” she smirked. “Just keep sharp and focus on your own Badges.” She turned and walked out of the Pokemon Center.

I ran after her, June following behind me. “Are you headed for Azure City?”

Courtney stopped and turned to me. “No. Are you?”

“Yeah.”

“It's not far from here.” Courtney pointed to the right. “Just head down this way and in the next town or two, you'll be right there.”

“Really?” That sounded right to me. The map said Azure City wasn't far from here, and so did Prof. Oak. “Thanks!”

“Whatever,” she waved. She reached out and pinched my cheek. “Good luck, Sugar Lumps.” She giggled and walked away.

I rubbed my cheek angrily. “STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

June grumbled beside me.

“Anyway, at least we know where to head from here,” I mumbled. “Let's go, June.” I looked around at the police cars still surrounding the area. As far as I knew, they hadn't found any signs of Dave or Team Solace anywhere. With a sigh, I led the way, walking where Courtney had pointed us.

Together, June and I exited Cloud City.

This didn't look like the area we saw on the surveillance camera with Officer Jenny last night. It was a more mountainous area, lined with thin forest. Our trek almost immediately started uphill.

“Guess we're climbing mountains today,” June complained.

“Yeah,” I muttered.

It was very early, about eight in the morning.

June and I hadn't slept too much the night before. We were ready to just continue our journey. Sleep wasn't too easy to find after what we'd just been through.

“You know, June,” I said after a while of walking, breathing hard. “I don't like how you treated my Porygon-Z. You hit it and made it sad.”

“Listen, Gary,” June gasped, already very exhausted. “That thing got in my face. It's weird and I don't like it very much. Give me a break.”

“How can you be so mean? You assaulted my Pokemon!”

“You don't like Bug types!” June argued. “If a Bug got in your face, you'd react the same way!”

“Porygon-Z is a Normal type! You own an Eevee! You are not afraid of Normal types.”

“I didn't say I was! I said I don't like Porygon-Z. It's weird. The end. Drop it!”

We were quiet for a moment.

“You should apologize for smacking it. That was uncalled for. Completely.”

“Whatever. Just keep climbing. I do not like climbing mountains.”

“Then go back to Azure City or something.”

“You want me to?!” June shouted.

“June, stop taking things so personally. I just don't like how you abused my Pokemon, okay?”

“If you want me to leave, I'll leave!”

“June, shut up and stay, okay?”

“Then don't tell me to leave! Because I will leave!!”

“If you want to go, then go!” I screamed, losing it. “I said I don't want you to go, so if you choose to go, I'm not gonna stop you!”

“FINE!” June shrieked. “THEN I'LL FREAKING STAY!”

“FINE!”

“GOOD!!”

June and I grumbled as we continued climbing up higher. We didn't speak for the rest of the climb up.

The sun began to rise in the air, shining down upon us, raising the temperature dramatically. The path was curving strongly as we continued.

I gazed over the edge of the mountain and saw the enormous drop. Feeling dizzy and unsafe, my gaze remained on the path.

It now had to have been late morning, or maybe early afternoon, as the sun continued to beam stronger, causing me to unzip my coat.

June and I finally reached the top of the mountain and I collapsed, thirsty and gasping for air. I felt like commenting on our climb, but I was still angry and didn't want to talk to June.

June kept her eyes on the ground, panting heavily.

I took out a bottle of water and drank it all down without taking a breath, gasping loudly when the bottle was empty, placing it back in my bag.

June drank much more slowly from her bottle. She stopped and inhaled heavily once her bottle was halfway done, and then continued to drink from it again, almost emptying it. She placed the bottle in her bag and turned to me, immediately looking away.

I turned away, too, and stood up, stretching.

A cave sat several feet away, its dark, open mouth aimed at us. Beyond it, a path led downhill.

Is Azure City lying just ahead? I wondered, and started forward, heading towards the cave, my eyes focused on the downhill path. As I walked past the cave, I heard a low cry from inside.

Not a cry. More like a moan of some sort. It echoed from deep inside of the cave.

I stopped and looked back.

June was staring suspiciously inside of the opening.

She turned to me and then looked back inside.

As we waited, another low moan came out from within.

June and I exchanged worried glances.

I joined up with June and we both stared inside.

Gnats and mosquitos buzzed just outside the entrance in a disgusting collective.

A sudden cry shot out from within the dark place, which made us gasp, and me back up.

June turned to me in fear, her eyes wide in shock. “What was that?”

“I don't know,” I replied, my heart pounding.

We both looked back into the cave.

The low moaning continued again.

“Someone, or something, is in there,” June whispered.

I turned to June. “Maybe it's a Pokemon?” I suggested.

“Or something else,” June replied.

A loud shriek made me and June scream out and back away.

Several loud screeches continued out at us.

“Something's coming!” June warned.

We both screamed and ducked, covering our heads, as a large group of Zubat flew out of the cave, screeching at us.

It wasn’t long before silence.

Cautiously, I looked around, but saw no more Zubat. My eyes fell upon the cave. “Something's in there.”

June stood up. “Yeah, but what?”

“We should find out.” Getting up, I brushed off my jeans.

“Why?” June questioned in a panic.

I turned to her. “Because we don't know what's in there.”

“All the more reason for us to mind our own business!” June insisted.

“All the more reason to worry,” I shot back. “Somebody could need our help! I can't just walk away after hearing that loud cry.”

“Maybe it was just the Zubat,” June tried.

“Crap! If you wanna wait out here, fine. But there could be something important in there!” I walked ahead and neared the cave.

“Pikachu, go!”

“Pika Pikaaaa!” Pikachu cried out happily, appearing in front of me.

From behind me, June smiled and winked. “Flash attack!”

Pikachu charged up and lit himself up.

June walked past me. “Lead the way, Pikachu!” June said strongly.

“Pika...” Pikachu lit the path up for us to follow him, growling as he waved at the little bugs in the air.

The cave was wide open and the path was straight forward. It was so much cooler inside of this cave compared to outside, even though it was still kind of muggy, heavy, moist, and warm. A breeding ground and lure for all kinds of horrible bugs.

It didn't take long before I heard the moaning noise ahead. Only, it wasn't moaning, I soon realized. It was a voice. I couldn't understand the words, but we were getting closer to what was going on.

June and I remained silent as we followed the sound, Pikachu leading the way, his ears perking up every couple of seconds to the noise.

A shadowy figure appeared up ahead, hunched over.

June stopped and grabbed my arm, covering her own mouth with her hand.

I stopped, my mouth hanging open in horror.

Pikachu froze in place.

We had finally reached the end of the cave. To our surprise, the cave was filled with children!

Kids lined the end of the cave wall, some lying on their face on the dirty ground, some with their backs laying against the wall, sitting on the floor, some standing up. The kids who weren’t facedown were gazing straight ahead at the hunched over figure who was waving a pendulum in front of them.

I took a deep breath and swallowed. A pulled away from June and stepped forward. “HEY!”

The figure stopped swinging the pendulum and turned around. It glared at us in shock and cried out angrily.

June, Pikachu, and I, screamed.

The being charged at us quickly!

“Pikachu, Thunderbolt!” June ordered.

“PiiiiiiiiikaaaaaaCHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!” Electricity was forced from his body, electrifying the opponent.

The foe wailed out and hit the floor, but quickly got back up to its feet.

“Wait! That's a Pokemon!” I pulled out my Pokedex.

Hypno. The Hypnosis Pokemon and the evolved form of Drowzee. Hypno can induce sleepiness on opponents in as little as three seconds. They favor the dreams of children, as the taste of their dreams are more pleasant.

“Gary! That kid!” June pointed.

I stared past Hypno at a boy with curly black hair.

His braces were barely visible in his mouth, his lips slightly apart, sleeping on the floor.

I turned to June in confusion.

“He was on the news! He's one of the missing children!” June insisted. “The house where we saw the Kangaskhan. His face was on the TV screen!”

I squinted at him, not really remembering his face.

“I've been noticing all of these missing kids on the news lately, Gary,” June continued. “A couple of these kids look kind of familiar to me. I think this is where the kids were taken!”

I looked around at the children and stopped on a boy with wavy black hair, his eyes gazing out, under a hypnotic trance. “Hey...” His picture was on a poster outside of Innocence Town where June and I had reunited Banette with its owner!

All of these children were missing.

“Hypno has been holding these kids hostage?” I questioned. “Why??”

“Remember what your Pokedex said? I think... Hypno's been feeding off of their dreams! Living off of them. Like, hoarding desserts or something! How... sssick!”

“HYPNO!” Hypno pointed at June, me, and Pikachu.

The children who had been staring at Hypno stood up behind it instantly and stared at us.

“Hyyyyypnoooooo!”

The kids all screamed at once and charged at us angrily!

June, Pikachu, and I backed up, unsure of what to do against the raging children.

They all leaped up, furious looks on their faces, and took us down to the ground, swinging, kicking, and biting at us.

“STOP IT!” June pleaded.

“AAAAAUUUGGHHH!” I struggled.

“Pika Pika Pika!!!” Pikachu wailed, getting angry.

“Pikachuuuu!!” June begged. “Don't shock the children! Pleeeeease!”

“Chaaaaa!” Pikachu whined helplessly as the kids mercilessly stomped and beat him up.

“I'll save you, Pikachu!” June called desperately.

I struggled to knock the kids off of me, but somehow, they were incredibly strong! I couldn't even hold one down!

The kids punched and bit at me, holding me down with ease and jumping on my stomach.

I gazed over at Hypno to see its eyes glowing blue. Hypno is controlling the kids, I understood. It has them under its control and is giving them the power to beat us. “June! Let Pikachu shock them! It might break them free!”

“NO!”

“June, don't be stupid! Just let him shock them once! These kids are gonna kill us! AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” I yelled as a kid took a huge bite into my arm and tugged, trying to tear my skin off, other kids now clawing at me like crazed animals! “JUUUUNE!!”

“I CAN'T, GARY!”

“PIKAAAAAAA!!!!!” Pikachu screeched painfully.

“WE'RE GONNA FREAKING DIIIIIIIIE!!!” I let out at the top of my lungs.

“THE KIDS WILL DIE IF I SHOCK THEM! LOOK AT THEM!!!”

I reached up and grabbed a young boy whose teeth were going for my neck and held him back with all of my strength.

The other kids attacked me, biting my arms and legs, causing blood to break through from my skin and smear a couple of their faces and hands.

But I saw what June was talking about now.

These kids looked ghastly. They weren't healthy at all. They were deprived of light, skinny from no food, and looked ready to die. Yet they were literally killing Pikachu, me, and June. One electric shock might wake these kids up from their trance, but it might be enough to kill them.

June let out an ear piercing shriek that nearly stopped my heart. “Pikachu, attack them then! DO IT! SAVE US!”

“Pi Pika...” Pikachu growled.

The light from its Flash attack faded, and we were all shrouded in darkness.

The voices of June, me, and the snarling children were all that was heard, our noisy struggle continuing in the darkness.

“CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!” Pikachu’s attack illuminated the cave in an incredible blast of light.

Everyone in the room screamed, the kids crying out and falling off of me.

I closed my eyes tight, but the bright light was blinding me even with my eyes closed, forcing me to curl up into a ball, my body aching where the kids had been hitting me.

“PIKACHUUUUUUU!!!!!”

I couldn't see what he was attacking, but I heard him using one of his Electric attacks.

Hypno screamed.

I couldn't even begin to open my eyes, so I just closed them as tight as I could, waiting for the light to dim.

After a while, there were cries of confusion, which soon turned into loud screams. All from the kids!

I opened my eyes very slowly, still squinting. I could just make out a few of the children staring around, frightful looks on their faces.

A few of them were on the ground, bawling loudly. A couple of kids sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, looking weak and unable to move.

I closed my eyes and rubbed them again, opening them slowly, squinting still.

June crawled slowly over to her glowing Pikachu, who was glaring at Hypno.

Hypno lay on the ground on its back, struggling to push itself back to its feet.

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu shocked it again with a strong Electric blast.

Hypno collapsed.

June scooped up Pikachu and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, sweetie! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you found a way to stop the kids without hurting them. I love you so much.” She kissed and squeezed her Pikachu even tighter.

I stood up, still squinting and blinking, getting used to the light.

A little girl with long, messy black hair walked up to me slowly, cautiously. “Excuse me? Where am I?” she asked innocently. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed against my legs.

I gasped and helped her up.

She was so frail.

“We have to get these kids out of here and to the nearest city,” I told June urgently.

June nodded determinedly. “Let's round them up and get back to Cloud City. We don't know how close Azure City is from here. We can't risk taking these kids on a much longer journey. And we know there's a police station there for sure.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, and turned to the children all around us uncertainly. “How do we gather all of these kids up? Some of them aren't even conscious anymore, and some are just crying. We can't just carry all of these kids back.”

June thought for a moment.

I thought along with her.

The kids continued crying and panicking in the cave.

One child ran past June and I, towards the exit.

“Hey!” I called out to the scared child.

He reached the mouth of the cave and a large, shadowy figure appeared, blocking the path.

“Hypno!” June and I burst out. We hadn't even noticed it had disappeared from its spot on the floor.

Hypno stared down at the child and then looked at all of us, its body coated in scary shadows, scaring me deep down to my bones.

The children screamed in horror, echoing all around the cave.

The Hypnosis Pokemon lifted its pendulum.

“NNOOOOOOOOO!” In a panic I threw a Poke Ball, desperate to do something, anything, to not be a victim of Hypno's.

June screamed and curled up around her Pikachu, on the floor.

My Poke Ball burst open and sent out a Pokemon I hadn't chosen on purpose. Just the one I had desperately grabbed at to help us out.

Hypno's pendulum swung once before Porygon-Z popped out and let out its typical, loud shriek, which was much louder inside of the cave, amplified.

Everyone screamed out and covered their ears, hitting the ground.

Hypno covered its ears and fell to its knees, wailing out. “HYYYYPNO!” It used Zen Headbutt on Porygon-Z!

Porygon-Z dodged the move, but it wasn't even paying attention to Hypno! It moved away at the last second because it was heading towards the little kid on the ground in front of Hypno.

Hypno soared over Porygon-Z and fell to its face.

The kid stared at Porygon-Z in confusion.

Porygon-Z let out a happy cry and circled the kid's head as the child spun around in circles, trying to keep an eye on it.

The kid fell over, dizzy.

Porygon-Z let out some kind of electric whining noise that almost resembled a bizarre laugh, and started to shiver in place.

The kid started to giggle, watching Porygon-Z.

Porygon-Z hung upside down and started to tumble in place, spinning in all kinds of directions.

The little boy laughed and clapped his hands happily.

“Hyyyypno!” Hypno tossed a Shadow Ball at the duo, barely missing the young kid, the attack soaring just over his head.

The boy stopped laughing and looked over at Hypno in fright. He began to cry again.

Hypno charged up another Shadow Ball and tossed it with an angry yell.

Porygon-Z turned to Hypno and gave it an angry look.

I'd never seen that look on Porygon-Z's face before.

With a very angry and loud scream, Porygon-Z charged into the Shadow Ball attack. The Ghost type move hit, but didn't affect Porygon-Z since it was a Normal type. My Pokemon continued to fly at Hypno.

Hypno lifted its pendulum and swung it.

Porygon-Z didn't stop and continued towards Hypno.

Hypno's pendulum swung again, now glowing red.

A transparent, clear wall appeared in front of Porygon-Z, which then started to glow red.

Hypno froze in place, its pendulum no longer swinging or glowing, a shocked look on its face.

Porygon-Z stood still and gazed at Hypno silently.

“What move is that?” June whispered.

Magic Coat. The user reflects back any non damaging status moves used against it.

“Hypno's under Hypnosis!” I watched the drowsy Hypno for a moment, not believing what I was seeing. “I know what to do...” I took off my backpack and dug around through it, finally pulling out a Poke Ball. I looked up with a smile. My smile faded as I witnessed Porygon-Z release Hypno from its hypnotic hold and go back to the child to play!

“Poke Ball, go!” I threw the Poke Ball.

Hypno turned its head back and swung its pendulum skillfully at the Poke Ball, smacking it back at me.

I caught the Poke Ball in my hand, shocked, as Hypno's yellow body flashed bright and blinded me.

Everyone screamed, followed by Porygon-Z screeching loudly, causing everyone to scream even louder!

I covered my ears over the extra noise.

Porygon-Z screeched yet again, making everyone scream once more!

“SHUT THE HELL UP, PORYGON-Z!!!” I bellowed.

Porygon-Z screeched again, and we all wailed again in pain, unable to take the sharp noise tearing through our ears.

Kids were crying.

I managed to squint through my eyes and looked for Porygon-Z.

It was on the ground, twitching and shaking hard on the floor.

It let out another cry, stunning all of us in the cave as we screamed even louder.

“DAMN IT, SHUT UUUUUUUP!!!” I demanded.

Porygon-Z's loud noise prevented me from being able to remove my hands from my ears and returning it to its Poke Ball. Suddenly, it seemed to stop and pay attention to the boy crying next to it. Porygon-Z let out a low whine and floated over to the boy, nuzzling against him happily.

The boy lowered his hands from his ears and shook his head. His head must have still been hurting, because he reached up and grabbed it, closing his eyes. After a minute, he looked at Porygon-Z and smiled weakly, still holding his head.

I looked around for Hypno.

It was nowhere in the cave.

The kids were all on the floor, some crying loudly, some just sniffling, others with silent tears running down their faces, the remaining few on the floor passed out, including the girl lying by me.

June had a Poke Ball in her hand, the letter 'P' on it. Her Pikachu's Poke Ball.

Pikachu was nowhere in sight, presumably in the Poke Ball.

It got away, I thought with disappointment. Hypno used Flash and escaped. Now what are we gonna do about these kids?

A little boy and girl slowly approached Porygon-Z and the kid it was playing with, intrigued by the funny, spinning Pokemon that made such odd noises.

Porygon-Z stopped spinning and turned to the two new kids and flew towards them.

The two’s eyes and mouths widened and they froze.

Porygon-Z circled them both widely and then let out a happy whine. It hung upside down and spun like a top in the air.

The two kids giggled and jumped for joy.

A few of the other kids walked over to Porygon-Z, interested.

Some of the other kids just stared from a distance, looking exhausted.

I turned to June. “Hey.”

June turned to me.

I grabbed a Poke Ball in my hand and smiled at it before looking back up at her. “I think I have an idea.”

*

I gazed up into the afternoon sky, wondering how it must feel to fly.

Charizard roared overheard, three little kids on his back cheering happily.

I held onto the little girl with messy black hair in my arms, slung over my shoulder.

June held one passed out child in her arms, struggling to hold him as we walked.

Porygon-Z led the remaining several children down the mountain and back to Cloud City, its head spinning rapidly in complete circles nonstop, its separated body spinning freely in the opposite direction, happily whining and whirring away, tumbling in the air to the children’s delight as they ran after it, jumping and trying to grab it as it hovered above them.

I turned to June and smiled, and she smiled back wearily.

We reached Cloud City pretty quickly, especially since this was a downhill walk and it was a rather fun journey, considering what we'd been through. We entered Cloud City, people stopping and focusing on us in confusion as they gazed at the bizarre circus led by Porygon-Z and the kids, June and I holding one child each, and Charizard overheard holding three cheering children.

“Hey,” June grunted desperately to me. She was ready to drop the poor kid on the ground! “Let's get these kids to Nurse Joy, first. It's closer.” She let out a short laugh.

I nodded eagerly.

We reached the Pokemon Center but were stopped by several Officer Jennys who formed a line and block our path. “Excuse me, but what exactly is this?” one of them asked me.

“We found the children,” I explained.

The little girl in my arms stirred and looked around, her eyes barely open. “Mommy...?” she whispered. Her eyes closed again and she passed out.

One Officer Jenny inhaled sharply. “Mary! One of the missing children!”

Immediately, June and I were surrounded.

The children were all taken by the police, many of the kids crying.

All of the kids who had to leave Porygon-Z were screaming and struggling in the arms of the police, not wanting to go.

I grabbed Porygon-Z in my arms as it started to chase after the kids and hugged it tightly. “It's time to say goodbye, Porygon-Z,” I said sadly.

Porygon-Z struggled in my arms, and finally, it just cried loudly.

I rocked it gently and held it close. “Sshhh,” I whispered. “It'll be okay.”

Porygon-Z suddenly stopped crying and struggled in my arms, looking at something behind me.

I let go and watched it fly towards June!

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” June shrieked, and ran away from it. “KEEP IT AWAY KEEP IT AWAY KEEP IT AWAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!”

The police near us watched, some in shock, some amused, as Porygon-Z chased June around the area, June terrified of it.

“GARYYYY!!!! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!! PUT IT BACK NOOOOOOOWW!!!!” June pleaded.

I sighed. “I don't see what Porygon-Z sees in you at all.”

“GARYYYY!!!”

“Porygon-Z, leave her alone,” I told it.

Porygon-Z stopped and collapsed to the ground, crying loudly, smacking at the ground frantically with its appendages.

I walked over to it, knelt down, and pet its head. “Don't worry about her. She's just a-”

Porygon-Z screeched loudly and caused us all to cover our ears and cry out. Once the screeching was over, Porygon-Z wasn't where I saw it last! I looked around and quickly spotted it behind an Officer Jenny.

She didn't seem to notice it and was rubbing her head from the screeching Porygon-Z had done.

Porygon-Z kept its face near her neck and slowly descended her body. It reached her short skirt and stopped.

“PORYGON-Z, STOP IT!!” I reached for its Poke Ball.

“Huh?” Officer Jenny turned, watching me running towards her. She looked down as Porygon-Z innocently poked its nose underneath her skirt.

Officer Jenny shrieked for her life.

Porygon-Z quickly moved away from her and began to screech.

Everyone screamed and covered their ears, hitting the ground.

*

“Well, here we are again,” June told me. She looked up into the night sky.

I stared up at the stars twinkling above us.

After finally getting Porygon-Z back in its Poke Ball and a very enraged Officer Jenny being dragged away from strangling me by her colleagues, June and I were questioned about the kids we found. It took a couple of hours, but eventually we were let go and June and I ate lunch together in a Chinese restaurant while our Pokemon rested at the Pokemon Center. The news crews interrupted our lunch, and neither of us were in the mood for their questions. We just wanted to eat in peace. Taking our food in a doggie bag, we were followed by them despite how much we yelled at them and refused to answer any of their questions. Luckily, several Officer Jennys demanded the camera crews and reporters to clear the way and escorted us quickly to the Pokemon Center to get our Pokemon so we could finally leave Cloud City for good.

We climbed the mountain to the top, the police waving us off, thanking us again, the reporters held back by other officers, and we were now staring up at the stars from the top of the mountain, just feet from the cave where the Hypno had the children held.

“Romantic, isn't it?” June asked, nudging me.

“One day you'll grow up,” I said, staring back down and walking away from her.

She sucked her teeth and walked after me.

We were heading downhill now, getting closer to Azure City.

“What do you think happened to that Hypno?” June asked.

I shrugged. “You know, I'll bet similar things like this have happened.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! There are plenty of Hypno out there. And their pre-evolved form, Drowzee, too. No way this hasn't happened in the past, and will continue to happen again.”

June stared ahead, thinking about what I said as we both picked up speed, heading downhill rapidly. “I'm just glad those kids are gonna be alright.” She smiled.

I nodded. “Good thing we went in there.”

“Yeah. You made a brave and good decision, Gary. You're a hero.” She stopped me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“There's no time for that,” I said grumpily, running faster downhill, away from her, unsure of where she was going with this and not caring to find out. “I've got a Badge to win. Let's move it!”

“Gary!” June growled and gave chase after me.

We'd be off this mountain in no time.

My Gym battle was closer than ever.

But it'd be like nothing I'd ever expected.

And in its own way.

Like no battle I'd ever have again.