It had to be at least one hundred degrees outside today, and the humidity was absurd. I felt like I was walking through a sauna, inhaling the thick smell of… I suppose it was just boiling air. I could hardly breathe as I trudged underneath a burning sun through the sand of a beach.

June was walking next to me, but a few feet away. She moved through the heat as if it was a beautiful, mild temperature spring day, only, she was scowling dangerously. Since Courtney had left the other day, June had nearly gotten into a few fights with me. Physically. After Courtney had revealed that she knew why June and her Electivire weren’t getting along, June had made me feel unsafe around her. The rest of the day following Courtney’s departure was loud and furious as June barked at me and advanced on me several times.

I was certain she would swing at me if she got close enough, and I moved away whenever she got too close, having no defense or answer for her strong words.

There was cursing, threats, and hurt tones used as she raged at me for the rest of that day, into the night.

I deserved every bit of it. I couldn’t believe I had told Courtney about June’s Electivire. What had come over me? I remembered Courtney’s kiss and shook my head angrily. I wasn’t even surprised that Courtney had told June what she knew, to be honest. The fact that I had told Courtney anything at all was the truly confusing thing for me. What the hell is wrong with me? I thought irritably.

By the time morning had come, me only getting about an hour’s sleep due to my fear of being eaten by a wild, prowling June, June had arguably calmed down a little bit. She was only yelling at me once every fifteen minutes for about five minutes, it seemed.

I was due for another appointment any minute now. The ocean to my right sparkled incredibly underneath the baking sun, stretching out further than I would ever be able to see. I couldn’t truly take in the beauty, though. I was too busy being scared for my life. I wondered how long it would be before I could breathe easy and get a good night’s sleep.

The sound of a motor or something similar grabbed my attention, but I refused to look to my right, in the direction the sound was coming from.

Where June stood.

I could feel a negative energy focused on me for a while now, and I knew it was June stirring up more things to scream at me, or maybe just lunge at me. From out the corner of my eye, I noticed June come to a stop, and I felt forced to stop as well and I turned to her.

She was staring out at the water, a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun.

I also raised my hand to block out the sun and saw something interesting.

The sound I was hearing was coming from something flying high in the air, and I could just barely make out a black cord attached to the thing and leading into the water below, the water rippling apart as the cord traveled through it.

What’s that? I wondered. Someone parasailing? No… There’s no boat. But what’s the motor noise I’m hearing? I kept my eyes on the thing flying through the air and the cord ripping through the water, staring at each thing in turn, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

“Is that a helicopter…?” June suddenly muttered.

My eyes widened in realization. It is! I thought. A helicopter. But what is it doing? My mouth dropped open as the helicopter got closer, and I gasped. “No!”

The top half of the flying vehicle was a deep silver, the bottom half of it pitch-black.

“Gary!” June gasped.

“Team Solace!” I exclaimed.

We both backed up as the helicopter flew closer to the shore.

Not them again, I thought with a mix of fear and anger. Can it really be them? Team Solace? Out here? Why?

Something popped out of the water and landed on the sand heavily. It was a large, square container. It seemed to be made out of glass, the contents visible through the clear walls that gave off a light blue glow. The corners were black, made possibly of a separate material, like plastic or metal. Inside of the box were several small blue creatures!

“What are they doing with those poor things?” June uttered in a panic.

The helicopter slowed down as it approached the land and hovered, the propellers billowing up the sand into the air.

June and I backed away quickly, raising our arms to block out the sand that was flying everywhere.

The sound from the helicopter’s propellers was deafening and made my ears hurt.

I closed my eyes as sand got into them and I rubbed at them frantically, desperate to keep my eyes on Team Solace. My eyes were tearing, naturally trying to flush out the sand in them as I lowered my head.

June cried out.

The loud noise from the helicopter started to lessen, and I continued to rub my eyes as I looked up at the machine as it ascended into the sky.

“Where are they going?” I shouted up to the craft. That was when I noticed the three people next to the box as the helicopter rose even higher.

One of them stood facing June and I, while the other two members were knelt down next to the box, examining it as the blue beings inside called out in fright. The two people then stood up tall. They were both taller than the person who was originally facing us, the short guy only coming up to his companions’ waists.

One of the two taller people was male with crimson hair that came down his back.

The only female in the group had short, periwinkle hair that just barely reached her shoulders.

The short guy of the group was bald and had a sinister look on his face as he smiled at us. In his hands was some kind of remote control.

The men wore buttoned up gray shirts, gray pants, and shiny black shoes.

The woman wore a gray, button up shirt and white, high heeled, knee length boots that stopped just inches below her gray miniskirt.

“Team Solace,” I growled. I pulled out my Pokedex and pointed it at the box full of Pokemon.

Manaphy. The Seafaring Pokemon. This Mythical Pokemon has the power to bond with any Pokemon and allows people and Pokemon to switch perspectives with its special move.

Phione. The Sea Drifter Pokemon. If Manaphy reproduces in waters warmer than it is native to, the offspring will become Phione. It can always find its way back home, no matter how far off it goes.

“Phione and Manaphy?” I muttered, staring at the several Phione and one Manaphy in the tank. I glared up at the trio. “What are you guys doing with those Pokemon?”

The taller of the two men snickered at me. “Relax, boy,” he spoke in sharp voice. “There’s no need to prepare for trouble. We got what we came for, and now, we are on our way.”

“Team Solace is no good, and you three aren’t going anywhere!” June dropped her bag to the ground and glared at the trio.

“We’re done here,” the woman snickered in a rather sophisticated voice.

The three grabbed the black cord attached to the helicopter and the box holding the Pokemon, and the short guy played with the remote control, which seemed to cause the helicopter to rise even quicker and lifted the three, along with the tank with the Manaphy and Phione inside, into the air.

“What are they doing with the Manaphy and Phione?” I wondered out loud. “Team Solace, get back here!” At my shout, I choked on more sand that flew throughout the air and closed my eyes as sand blew into them. I grabbed Charizard’s Poke Ball blindly. “I won’t let you guys get away!” I yelled out. I spit out sand but was unable to open my eyes as my free hand rubbed at them, trying to clear them as my tears tried to get rid of what was irritating them. My eyes were starting to burn and I groaned in frustration. “Get back here!” I shouted in vain.

“Wait! I think that’s the boy the boss has told us about!” the shorter man said loudly in a voice reminiscent of what was typically referred to as a Brookelane accent. A tone of voice filled with attitude and a squirt of sass in a cool, smooth, slick coating. “That’s the kid! It’s Gary!”

My eyes popped open and I squinted through the pain in them, my eyes blinking continuously as I stared up in confusion at the trio.

The shorter man was pointing at me with a serious look on his face, his partners also staring at me suspiciously, the three of them easily hanging to the black cord tightly.

Their helicopter was suspended in the air, no longer rising.

“Leave him for now!” the taller man insisted. “These Pokemon are far more important. We must deliver them.”

The shorter man nodded in agreement.

My heart was beating like crazy in my chest as the three stared directly at me. Do these guys from Team Solace actually know me? None of them looked familiar to me at all. I was certain I had never seen them a day in my life. But how do they know my name? They know me!

“We have to stop them from stealing those Pokemon! Whatever Team Solace wants with them can’t be any good!” June growled for a moment. “Electivire, I’m counting on you! GO!” June screamed.

My eyes widened at the sound of June’s Pokemon’s name. I turned and watched as June tossed a Poke Ball in the air.

The Poke Ball reached up to the square holding the captive Pokemon before popping open, sending out Electivire in a flash of white light in the middle of the air. “Electivire!” Electivire cried out as he landed on the object containing the Pokemon. “Vire? Vire?” Electivire looked around in surprise, taking in everything as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

“June, what are you doing?” I turned to her in shock. “Why did you send out Electivire? That’s reckless!”

June kept her eyes on Electivire determinedly.

Electivire looked down at June.

“June!” I shouted at her.

“Electivire, Thunder Punch, now! Break that container apart!” She pointed into the sky at the helicopter.

“Vire!” Electivire’s horns flashed with electricity, and then his entire body flashed and a beam of lightning came down from him and zapped both June and I.

We both screamed from the stunning pain and collapsed to the sand weakly.

“Wh-wh-what the hell i-i-is g-g-g-g-g-going thr-through y-y-your head?” I stammered at June as sparks flew off from my body. “C-call him back!”

June lifted her head from the sand and looked up at Electivire desperately, her red hair pointing straight up at the sky. “E-Electivire… You can do it!” she called out to him pleadingly, her body giving a tremble as sparks were released from her. “Please… I need you to understand me! Electivire!”

Electivire’s body sparked dangerously, warning us of another oncoming attack he was about to hit us with.

I shivered on the ground and awaited the next blast.

“Looks like we’ve got a stowaway,” the tiny guy of the group stated, and he pressed his remote.

From the top of the tank holding the Phione and Manaphy, a clear beam shot upward and hit Electivire.

Electivire gasped as his body was enclosed by a clear case like what was holding the Manaphy and Phione. Grunting uncomfortably, he struggled against the case, kicking and punching at it wildly, but he couldn’t break free.

“Electivire!!” June shrieked, getting to her feet shakily.

I was glued to the sandy ground, my eyes on Electivire as his prism was filled with a bright blast of electricity that did nothing to set him free.

He swung more punches at the tank he was trapped in that sat on top of the Manaphy and Phione tank, but nothing was working.

“We’re outta here. We can dump this large yellow thing in the middle of the ocean,” the short man said, shrugging heartlessly.

“We should make sure we can’t use it at a later date, first,” the lady told the short man. “We’ll hold onto it until we get word from the boss on what we should do with it.”

The three nodded.

“Let’s go,” the tall man told the shorter guy.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” My body was shaking hard, but I forced myself onto my feet, stumbling as I lost my balance, but I caught it at the very last second. My fist tightened around Charizard’s Poke Ball that was still in my hand.

The three people looked down at me with matching smirks.

I was breathing hard, my body giving off occasional, painful sparks as I looked up angrily at the three. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THOSE POKEMON???” I shouted as loudly as I could. I breathed heavily for a moment as I prepared my next questions. “HOW DO YOU KNOW MEEEEEEEE????? WHO ARE YOU??? WHO’S AFTER ME???”

They all laughed at me.

“Good questions, but unfortunately for you, obtaining the answers requires a reach that extends to the stars above,” the lady told me mysteriously.

“And speaking of dat, watch us ascend!” The small man pressed a button on his remote.

The helicopter rose into the air, Manaphy calling out desperately, the Phione crying, and Electivire trying to force his way free with brute strength.

“Electivire!! Give me back my Electivirrrrre!!” June dropped to her knees and dug through her bag.

I gripped Charizard’s Poke Ball even tighter in my hand. “They’re not going anywhere!” I told June determinedly.

“Manaaaaaaaa!!” Manaphy’s antennae glowed pink.

A line of pink energy flowed from each antenna, going right through the tank it was in. One line reached through Electivire’s tank and touched him, and the sparks he was letting off inside of the tank stopped.

He closed his eyes, his body letting off a pink glow.

The other pink line from Manaphy dropped down quickly towards June and I!

I backed up cautiously as the pink beam neared me, but it made a quick turn and touched June!

She closed her eyes and gave a hard shake, her body outlined in pink.

“June!” I called out to her.

She opened her eyes and turned to me. Her eyes were now a ghastly blue color, the pink around her body now gone.

“June…?” I asked warily in a low voice, backing up a couple of feet further.

She opened her mouth and a strange gurgle escaped her throat. She stared down at herself in confusion and let out a weird cry. June’s voice was now deep and angry, every noise that she made coming out in a kind of growl.

“June! What the-?”

June let out a weird, throaty scream and waved her arms frantically.

I didn’t even know what to say as I watched her.

Her eyes were closed, screaming and raging and stomping through the sand furiously, her arms swinging wildly.

“June, what’s going on?” I called out to her. I looked up into the sky to see that Team Solace was getting much further away. “Electivire…”

The pink glow around Electivire’s body was gone, but as I stared into his eyes, I could see that they were the same ghastly blue color as June’s! He was looking at his huge hands with a confused look. Electivire looked around at the strange compartment he was in, and then he gazed down at me and June.

No more time to waste! I knew. I pulled back my arm to throw Charizard’s Poke Ball. A weird cry from June was what I heard before I turned to her and saw her fist coming at me. “Uuuuggh!” I exclaimed as I was punched in my forehead and I collapsed onto my back, Charizard’s Poke Ball flying from my hand. “What the hell, June?!” I screamed at her. I couldn’t see her clearly from the hit I just took to the head, multiple Junes appearing to be spinning before me. I closed my eyes and shook my head, but it only made my already throbbing forehead hurt even more. Groaning, I opened my eyes.

June’s eyes were closed, her body scrunched up a little bit with tight fists raised close to her face, grunting and groaning.

What is she doing? I looked up at Team Solace. We have to stop those guys! I stood up and watched as they got further away. No good. They’re too far away. Charizard is the only one who can get them! I looked down to Charizard’s Poke Ball that had fallen out of my hand. Before I could move to pick it up, a loud, familiar scream made me stop. “June…?” I looked up at the helicopter that was escaping, and gasped.

Electivire was the one screaming! His mouth was wide open, letting out a feminine scream that kind of matched June’s!

June started rambling mindlessly and screaming up at the helicopter.

“Wait a minute…” I murmured as I slowly turned to June. “Electivire?”

June continued screaming in a voice that was oddly similar to Electivire’s!

I stared up at Electivire, and then back down to June, back and forth continuously. “What’s going on here?!”

Electivire stared down at June and I.

June was looking up at Electivire as he and Team Solace were getting tinier and tinier by the second.

Just as Electivire and Team Solace became too small to see, Electivire closed his eyes and screamed in June’s voice. He lit up like lightning.

June screamed next to me in Electivire’s voice, a mix of nonsense. A foreign language.

All that I could see in the sky now was a tiny glimmer on top of a black speck and a bright, yellow glow underneath.

“No!” I scooped up Charizard’s Poke Ball from the ground. I can’t believe I let them get away! I thought angrily, and I pulled back my arm to toss the Poke Ball as high into the air as I could.

An explosion made me and June jump, and we both saw the fireball where the helicopter had just been, blazing with the sun.

“Electivire…? The Pokemon!!” My Poke Ball dropped from my hand as I stared up in horror at the sky. “No…!”

June said something in her bizarre voice.

The fireball disappeared after a moment, and I could no longer see anything but the sun and a few clouds in the blue sky.

I started to tremble as I squinted at the sun glaring upon me. Electivire. Manaphy. The Phione. Team Solace… What happened up there…? I turned to June, but I was unable to speak.

June kept her startled eyes above.

My eyes returned back up. The mixture of heat and the panic filling my shaking body made me feel ready to fall. Oh, no… I thought fearfully. The Pokemon. I swallowed hard as I thought of June’s Electivire. I wasn’t able to spend much more time thinking about this as something gleamed in the sky.

An object was coming down!

June made her unintelligible noise next to me and pointed up.

I shielded my eyes from the sun with my hands as I squinted in disbelief. “It’s back!”

The helicopter from Team Solace was flying towards the ground! As it got close enough to identify the silver top and black bottom clearly, three other objects fell from the helicopter.

With a separate grunt, the three members of Team Solace slammed into the sand.

“Oy vey,” the short guy groaned painfully.

I turned my eyes back to the helicopter and gasped. “Electivire!”

June cried out and jumped up and down repeatedly, pointing at the helicopter.

Electivire was freed from his box! He was now standing on top of the box holding Manaphy and the Phione, a focused look on his face as he stared at the remote in his hands that the little guy from Team Solace had been holding, pressing down on one button.

Manaphy and the Phione were all screaming in terror.

The propellers were spinning wildly as the helicopter slammed into the sand and slid to a stop, raising a wave of sand that came down upon all of us.

I choked on the sand and spit it out of my mouth, wiping it from my face and shaking my head hard. As I sputtered and opened my eyes, I saw the helicopter sitting still several feet away from me, the propellers motionless.

Electivire grunted in his now light voice as he jumped from the box the Phione and Manaphy were in. With a growl, he turned to the Team Solace trio.

The three leaped to their feet and backed away with fearful cries.

“That thing’s a lot smarter than it looks!” the taller man cried shakily, smiling pleadingly at Electivire.

“In all fairness, that remote doesn’t require a rocket scientist to figure out how to use it, team,” the woman whimpered.

“In all fairness, our mission shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to complete!” the smaller man whined.

Electivire dropped the remote to the ground and then closed his eyes tightly, furrowing his eyebrows strongly. With a threatening growl, his knees bent, his fists tightened, and his arms flexed his muscles powerfully. The Electric type’s horns lit up, and soon afterwards, wailing wildly as he raised his head to the sky, his entire body sparked. He zapped Team Solace with Thunder, his powerful blast also connecting with their helicopter.

The trio screamed, and June and I backed away quickly.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

The helicopter exploded, the force flinging me and June backwards through the air.

I rolled head over heels through the sand before finally coming to a stop on my stomach. I kept my eyes closed as sand poured all over me continuously.

The sound of falling sand matched that of rain.

June grunted strongly in her new voice.

I groaned and shook my head, and then slowly got to my feet and cautiously opened my eyes.

There was a humongous hole in the sand where the helicopter had once been.

Team Solace was nowhere in sight.

The sand stopped pouring down.

Electivire was breathing heavily, staring solemnly at June.

The Manaphy and Phione were still in their container.

I looked up into the sky and saw something gleam like a star before it disappeared completely.

Electivire grunted and bent over to pick up the remote. He turned it over curiously in his hand. Slowly, his finger on his other hand poked a light blue button, one of only a few buttons on the item.

With a strange, mechanical noise, the object holding the Manaphy and the Phione slowly vanished from around them!

The Pokemon stared around in shock, murmuring amongst themselves.

“Mana! Mana!” Manaphy cried out joyously.

The Phione all cried out and bounced around Manaphy happily.

I sighed with relief and a small smile spread over my face.

Electivire growled and gripped the remote in his hands.

June, Manaphy, the Phione, and I all stared at Electivire as he grunted and growled.

CRACK! The remote was now in two pieces in his hands.

Electivire dropped the remote and turned to the Manaphy and Phione. He smiled at the Pokemon, and then turned to June, and his smile faded away. In his new voice, in his strange, new language, he said something shortly to June, his voice low.

June stared back at Electivire silently.

I was beyond confused at this point as I watched them.

June growled at Electivire, staring at him angrily.

Electivire took a step towards June and spoke again. He raised one hand slowly towards her.

June growled even louder and let out an angry yell, taking a step back. She glared at her Pokemon’s hand and then looked back up at Electivire’s face.

I must be losing my mind, I told myself. I’ve gone off the deep end. I’m dreaming. That must be it! I’m asleep right now. Or perhaps, I’m hallucinating from this heat. All of those options made a lot of sense to me right now. But were any of them true?

Electivire made some more noises.

June lowered her angry eyes, and then they closed tightly. Her hands covered her eyes.

Is she crying? I wondered, my wide eyes on her.

June rubbed at her eyes and lowered her hands, her now open eyes glistening behind what were indeed tears. She sniffled, her eyebrows furrowed, and she cried out at Electivire.

Electivire stared silently at June for a moment. Without a word, he opened his arms wide, as if he were requesting a hug.

June glared at Electivire without budging from her spot.

The Manaphy and Phione were watching all of this silently.

The Phione stared with wide-eyed innocence.

Manaphy watched with an adorable smile.

For some reason, I was taken by surprise, and at the same time, relieved, as June took a careful step forward, towards Electivire.

A smile crept over Electivire’s face, and his eyes instantly began to shed tears.

June’s face broke into sadness and she began to cry.

Electivire said something to June that I couldn’t understand.

June moved quicker to Electivire.

Electivire wrapped his arms around June and closed his eyes, tears disappearing into the fur on his face.

June hugged her Pokemon back tightly and let out a gurgle, closing her eyes as she pressed her face against Electivire’s furry chest.

I was absolutely amazed, but my confusion was not put at ease. June and Electivire are actually hugging, I thought. Everything’s okay, now? Why can’t they speak? Something’s still wrong.

“Manaaaa,” Manaphy said softly, and the ends of its antennae glowed pink. A pink beam from each antenna reached out, one touching June, the other landing on Electivire, and their bodies were outlined in pink for a moment before it went away, Manaphy’s antennae reverting back to their normal blue color.

“I love you-aaaahhh!!” June took herself, as well as me and Electivire, by immense surprise at the sound of her normal voice!

She and Electivire stumbled back away from each other.

“Vire!” Electivire pointed at his Trainer in surprise, and then his eyes bulged. “Vire!!” Electivire cried out in greater surprise at the fact that he had his own voice back!

I noticed that both June and Electivire’s eyes were no longer the strange blue color they had been, but were now back to normal.

“Electivire,” June whispered softly.

“Vire…” Electivire spoke back in a low voice. Suddenly, the antennae on his head sparked.

“Electivire?” June took a step back, her eyes wide.

“No…” I said in disbelief, my shoulders slumping.

The Phione and Manaphy stared at Electivire in shock.

A sinister grin came over Electivire’s face, and he shocked June with Thunderbolt, sending a jolt from the horns on his head.

June screamed, making me and the Phione and Manaphy gasp. She fell onto her back as Electivire continued zapping her.

“June!” I shouted out. What do I do? I wondered desperately as I looked down at her on the ground being electrocuted by her own Pokemon. I had to blink twice at what I saw next, and I was certain I couldn’t possibly be hearing what I had heard.

June was in the sand, rolling around on her back with a huge smile on her face! She was no longer screaming, but was now laughing!

She’s been electrocuted out of her mind, I reasoned. That must be it. She’s taken so many shocks from her Pokemon that she’s now completely insane. Right?

Electivire was also smiling, but not sinisterly like before. He wore a cheerful smile, now!

I’d never seen this kind of smile on June’s Electivire’s face.

“Vire! Vire! Vire!” he laughed as he continued to shock June.

“Manaaa!” Manaphy cried out happily.

The Phione were smiling at each other and laughing.

Electivire stopped zapping June and walked over to her. He extended out his large palm.

June, her hair standing up on end worse than ever, looked up at her Pokemon lovingly with a big smile. “E-E-Electiv-v-vire.” She took her Pokemon’s hand and was pulled to her feet. She twitched as her body gave off a spark, and then she jumped onto her Pokemon and tackled him into the sand with a huge smile. “Electivire!” She covered her Pokemon’s face with kisses and squeezed her arms around his neck. “I love you, Electivire! I love you! Muah! Muah! Mmmmmmuaaaahh!!”

Electivire smiled and struggled underneath June, trying to get free, but June overpowered him and kept him down. Logically speaking, Electivire probably wasn’t trying all that hard to get away.

“Mana! Manaaaaaa!”

I turned at the sound of Manaphy and realized that it and the Phione were no longer standing in the same spot they had just been.

Most of the Phione had jumped into the ocean and were swimming away.

Manaphy and one Phione stood at the shore.

The last Phione jumped into the water and drifted off after the others.

Manaphy was waving at us.

June turned to Manaphy and climbed off of Electivire, getting to her feet. “Thank you, Manaphyyyyy!!” she called out to it, waving her arms. “Thank you for everything! Thank you so much, Manaphyyy!!”

Electivire also got to his feet, his arms hanging at his sides as he stared at Manaphy blankly. He nodded at Manaphy. “Electivire!” A small smile crossed his face.

“Manaaaa!” Manaphy jumped backwards into the ocean, disappearing underwater. It popped up at the surface just seconds later, swimming after the Phione. It was quick and got ahead of the Phione easily and began to lead the way. “Manaaaaaaa!!” Manaphy leaped into the air and dove down underwater.

The Phione all cried out and leaped high, diving underwater as well.

June smiled at the ocean where the Phione and Manaphy had left. She turned to her Electivire, her smile removed instantly and replaced with sadness. “Electivire. I’m so sorry about-”

“Electivire…” Electivire raised one hand and silenced June, shaking his head. He then nodded at her. “Electivire. Vire. Elec-”

June grabbed Electivire’s large hand with two of her own, interrupting her Pokemon, shaking her head at him. “Hey, now. I understand, too. We both do, now.”

Electivire smiled and nodded. “Vire.”

June wrapped her arms around her Pokemon and buried her face into his chest.

Electivire held her back.

June turned to me and laughed. “Everything’s okay, now, Gary! Isn’t this great?”

I snickered and lowered my eyes, nodding. “Yeah, that’s awesome, June,” I laughed lightly, looking back at her and her Pokemon. “I just have one little question, though.”

“What’s that?” June beamed at me, releasing her Pokemon.

“What the hell just happened??”

June giggled and then she looked out to the ocean.

Electivire kept his eyes on June.

“Thanks to Manaphy, Electivire and I got a much better understanding of our situation we were going through,” June explained. “Your Pokedex said that Manaphy has a special power to exchange the perspectives of people and Pokemon. The second I heard that, I acted off of impulse, just a little bit. I figured Electivire could be a great deal of help to us to stop Team Solace so we could save the Pokemon they were after, and maybe, after freeing them, Manaphy could get us to understand each other better with that power. I didn’t think it meant me and Electivire switching bodies like that, but-”

“So that’s what happened?” I gasped, shocked. “You two switched bodies??”

June nodded, keeping her eyes on the ocean. “Yes. And so much more. It was weird, being in such a powerful body, being able to control electricity like that, but, I was also inside of Electivire’s head, too. And his heart… I can’t explain it. It’s something you’d have to go through to fully understand. But, it helped me to see Electivire in a light I thought I understood, but I didn’t. And, I can assume that Electivire saw the same thing in me.” She turned to Electivire and smiled. “But it’s all okay, now. Right?”

“Electivire!” Electivire nodded.

I stared up into the sky, several large, puffy clouds moving throughout it.

One of the clouds covered the sun, blocking out the focus of heat that the sun had for me.

I still had to squint as I stared at the cloud that moved so slowly. “What do you think those guys wanted with the Phione and Manaphy, though? Why do you think they were trying to steal them? For some kind of use in another sick plot of theirs to prove Pokemon are evil?”

“What else,” June said shortly, turning to me, and I turned to look back at her. “That’s all they ever do. But this time, they were stopped before any harm could be done, whatever they were planning.” She looked at her Electivire and smiled, Electivire staring back at her with a blank face. “After all these years, everything is back to how it used to be.”

Electivire smiled at June.

June smiled even brighter.

My heart was suddenly filled with dread. “But… Those guys recognized me… They know who I am! How?” I stared worriedly at June.

June turned from her Pokemon and they both stared at me seriously. “Is it really that much of a surprise? There’s a lot of people who know who you are due to your history with Team Solace. You know this, Gary. You’ve been stopped a number of times in Unova just for what you went through in Kanto. Are you really that shocked that Team Solace knows your face, as well?”

I swallowed hard, realizing the horrible truth behind June’s words.

“But, at least for now…” June squinted up into the sky as the cloud moved away from the sun, allowing it to beam harshly on us again, Electivire also turning his head up. Somehow, June managed to smile just slightly.

Hopefully.

Promisingly.

“Looks like those creeps from Team Solace got blasted off.”

I squinted up with them. “That’s not gonna be a soft landing for those guys,” I commented.

June nodded. “That’s right.”