Mistralto City in the dead of night is a place of music, lights and people celebrating life like there’s no tomorrow. In between, there are cars in traffic jams, although there are hardly any in the region and I think most of them are people on their way home.

  Looking out of the window, I try to distract myself with my new surroundings so as not to think about my team or Amethio. The tightness in my chest makes every breath difficult and although I want to insist that I’m sure of my decision, I can’t overcome the strange feeling of loneliness. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been alone for a very long time. No matter where I went, in the end, Ying was always by my side. Now she isn’t and I can’t help but miss her and the rest of my Pokémon at every careless moment.

  N sits silently beside me, looking out the window at his side, no less lost in thought than I am. Ghetsis holds the wheel, still visually unwilling to fit behind it, but I think I can get used to anything at this point.

  Even when the car stops, the world doesn’t seem to clear up. Instead, N gets out and all I can do is watch indecisively while Ghetsis doesn’t lift a finger.

  “Why are we stopping?” All I can do is ask.

  “You and Harmonia will stay here until you’re needed. A few final preparations need to be made so that no one can pursue the wicked idea of getting in our way at the most important moment.” Ghetsis glances briefly over his shoulder. “The costs are covered, but don’t think about leaving the room or even the city.”

  He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Running away would only cause problems. Who knows what will become of my team then – not to mention that N’s life is in my hands. So I give Ghetsis a nod to let him know I’m not planning anything stupid and finally get out, too. N is already waiting for me.

  Together we stand motionless on the pavement while Ghetsis puts the car back on the road and the traffic jam gains another participant. I would like to smile at him for this, but there is nothing humorous about either his or my situation.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Ultimately, it’s N who takes my attention away from all the baseless thoughts and makes me look at him. His eyes linger on me like I’m a wounded Pokémon, so I give him a small smile. “Sure. Why?”

  At a leisurely pace, we walk side by side, both with our heads halfway in the clouds – in a place that isn’t here and yet somehow seems similar. A bit as if we are living one of many lives, with the possibility of slipping into another at any time.

  “You’re unhappy,” N realises. “I know my father. Sometimes he tends to use drastic methods because he has to do the right thing. He probably took your friends away from you and forced you to join me.”

  Lying to him when he more than obviously already knows better seems insulting. I don’t have to tell him everything, but I’m happy to give him part of the truth.

  “More or less.” I casually rub a hand over my upper arm. The cold in my bones has subsided thanks to the car heater, but I’m still freezing and I’m still tired. “He made me go with him. I didn’t know he was going to take me to you, though. I have to admit, I’m glad I ended up here with you.”

  He immediately looks at me, and after a moment of observation, he puts on a smile. “I was happy to see you, too.” His gaze shifts to the front again. “You ... are the first person with a different view than mine who has taken the trouble to discuss it with me. Most of the time, you see the same thing on the streets. You bring up a different opinion and ... people smile at you or refuse to have a conversation because they don’t want to talk to a ‘crazy person’.”

  “I think I’m a bit crazy myself. That’s probably why our conversation went so well.”

  Soft laughter escapes him. It’s the first time I’ve seen him like this, and the sting in my chest grows stronger. N’s wounds and the way he clings to little things only to have them snatched away allow him little joy. If I could, I would give him more of it. But everything that comes to mind sounds forced.

  Then, suddenly, he takes me by the hand as soon as we cross the threshold of the hotel. “That makes us ... real friends, doesn’t it?”

  “Probably.” A smile creeps onto my lips. In those seconds, N seems to resemble a little boy.

  “Maybe I can teach you how to talk to Pokémon. If you’re able to understand the legendaries among them, then surely you can learn to talk to the others, too.” His optimism awakens new life in him, almost as if he can hardly bear the excitement. “My friends once told me Pokémon all speak the same language, despite their unique sounds. However, Legendary Pokémon have a different aura, which is why they sometimes even talk to ordinary people. So if you can understand them without them trying to impose their thoughts on you, I’m sure you’ll eventually understand them as I do.”

  The thought is tempting. If I’m ever able to understand my team the way I did Lunala, then nothing can stop us. I want to believe we might then explore paths no other person has ever considered. On top, I would know immediately if there is a problem or if my team doesn’t know what to do. Then I would only have to ask questions and everything would find its place.

  》WHISPERS《

  Rain drums against the windowpanes of our room. N has opened the one next to his bed slightly. The gentle breeze of the wet outside has a slightly earthy scent and as I wait, legs drawn up, sitting on my bed leaning against the wall, N’s gaze hangs somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

  “How long do you think we’ll have to wait here?” I twist a strand of hair with my index finger. The hotel has washed my clothes twice in the last three days and I think I can hold out a little longer in this state.

  A powerful roar of thunder causes me to flinch. The dark sky shines brightly for a moment and N’s eyes widen as if he is about to see his favourite Pokémon.

  It takes a while before he finally addresses my question.

  “I don’t know. When my father comes to pick us up ... that’s the time.”

  His father. Ghetsis. That slimy Slugma that wants to see the world go up in flames. Since we’ve been waiting here, N’s condition has improved. His bruises are almost healed. We eat together, play cards, tell each other stories, and he often confides in me. He has told me about the castle where he grew up in and about his bedroom, which has never changed. In between, he talked about his adopted sisters, his first encounter with Zorua, and the fact he was never allowed to leave the house alone until he was twenty. It’s been a year since then – in fact, it was his twenty-first birthday when Ghetsis brought me to him – and he’s seen less of Unova than he’d like.

  Sometimes he dreams of an adventure where obligations don’t matter. Then he imagines how beautiful the world would be if they could all be friends. And sometimes he tells me about the moments when Ghetsis lashes out and hits him. Sometimes in the face, other times in the stomach. Now and again he hurts N simply with words and I don’t know why he hasn’t run away yet.

  Briefly, I close my eyes and let the next thunderclap wash over me before I turn my thoughts in another direction. My team is missing. When I think of Ying, Raya or Mirra, I feel like crying. Then there’s Coro, who’s already struggling with a broken heart and doesn’t need to lose me, too. Lum probably doesn’t mind the circumstances, but I want to believe that he thinks about me now and then.

  “I hope they’re all right...”

  “I’m sure your team is being well looked after.” Out of nowhere, N catches my words. “They weren’t happy to be with my father, but ... he’ll treat them well. I’m sure of it.”

  “You heard them? Even though they were in their balls?” My brows lift. He’s tried more than once to teach me the language of Pokémon – a sort of lesson in learning to open my heart and get excited about new things, but I’ve failed. Although I love the unknown, I couldn’t find that little spark of connection within me.

  “Sometimes, when Pokémon are loud enough, I can hear them in their balls,” N replies slowly. “It’s like there’s a door between them and me.”

  “And they weren’t happy to be with Ghetsis,” I repeat his words. I should be playing my part and pretending to be content with the circumstances, but knowing that my team feels the same way I do gives me unexpected warmth.

  “You miss them a lot, don’t you?”

  “How could I not? I spent a lot of time with them.”

  “And they with you.” N’s gaze wanders shortly in my direction. “Sometimes I find it hard to believe the Pokémon really feel that way; that they’re not just saying all that because they just don’t know any different.” His eyelids droop. “And then there are times when I find it hard to believe they can really be happy out there when they’ve found a friend in a trainer.”

  “Is that why you want to face the dragons?”

  There are probably a thousand reasons for him to face that legend and look at the world from a different angle. There are probably so many things overlapping in his head that he hardly knows how to categorise it all. Letting a Pokémon decide is the easiest step. He probably longs for someone to choose for him.

  “I want to see which path is open to me. Maybe my father is wrong. Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe we’re all wrong. I don’t know.” Without further ado, he looks out of the window again, into the darkness, which is illuminated by bright flashes of lightning for only a breath before the rumbling follows. The rain is now beating much harder against the glass.

  Finally, I look out too and watch as a few people run across the streets, their hoods tightly wrapped around them. Compared to me, they seem to fight for their lives to avoid being blown away. “I can appreciate rain, but ... I much prefer sunshine.”

  “I love all kinds of weather,” replies N. “It makes you feel like you’re not alone with your ... observations and feelings, even when there’s no other soul near.”

  “You mean ... because nature expresses its emotions through the weather?”

  “It’s a ... nice thought, isn’t it?” A thin smile spreads across his features. “When the sun shines, the world is fine. When it shines so strongly that we think we’re going to burn, maybe the world is angry.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “And when it’s stormy?”

  “Maybe it’s unhappy.” He tilts his head. “Or distressed. And frustrated. Because it doesn’t know what to do ... or everything is always the same, no matter how much it tries to change.”

  A barely audible hum escapes my throat as I let my gaze drift over the rooftops and listen to the rain. N is right. There are many reasons the weather might be the way it is. Maybe it has a life of its own and emotions. It could even be a Pokémon responsible for all these changes. Or it could simply be a phenomenon that belongs to our planet and can be explained by simple physics. Spinel would certainly explain all of this long and carefully before giving us more examples and yet still sinking a little into the childish fantasy of emotions. Amethio would surely just look up at the sky and say “probably” - as long as what I say sounds halfway plausible.

  My lips press together. I don’t want to say I miss my room and Amethio and Spinel a little, but it would be a lie to claim otherwise. After all, I like being at the Explorers’ side. All the paths and doors that open up when I can go exploring with them are incredibly valuable. They are also opportunities to get closer to them and that is something I appreciate.

  With a sigh, I try to shake off the thoughts, but fail. Part of me would like to know if Amethio is trying to look after his health, or if he is making sure he gets sick again. I’d also like to know if there’s anything new from Spinel – if only via a few messages on the Rotom Phone, so I don’t break my promise with Amethio. There’s also Lillie, who I’d love to share so much with. I haven’t got to send her the Dream Mist yet.

  I urgently need to think about something else. Anything, really. But my brain can’t come up with a topic. Not even a suggestion I can latch onto or a really stupid idea I can philosophise about. Instead, I’m alone with my thoughts, my sadness, and the knot in my stomach. It doesn’t change my plan, but whenever I think about N’s life being in my hands, a cold sweat spreads across my skin.

  “Domino?” N, his gaze still glued to the flashes of the outside world, slips between my thoughts, and part of me wants to hope he’s holding some distraction for me. “What did you think the first time you saw me?”

  I want to answer immediately, but I can’t find the words. Instead, the images of our first meeting come into view and I remember how I listened to the almost insane words back then, only to realise some people are crazy. The moment N spoke to me was one of those moments I will probably remember for longer than necessary. Perhaps because he was the only person I could talk to about this topic in those seconds.

  “Not much,” I confess. “I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the things that were preached and ... when you approached me, I was actually a bit surprised. Our conversation was met with my disapproval, I remember. At a certain point, I no longer saw any value in talking about it because it all seemed so radical and one-sided.” I gently rest my chin on my upper arm. “That’s why I left. Why do you ask?”

  A smirk marks him as he turns his attention to me. “When I saw you there in the crowd, I thought I already knew you, even though I’d never had the chance to meet anyone from outside before.” His eyelids lower. “But when I saw you ... I just knew I had to get to know you. That you might be ... familiar.”

  My eyebrows rise. The thought of having met N once in my life has never occurred to me before. In fact, there was no immediate desire to run away when he spoke to me and our conversation quickly turned into something natural. It was a bit like we’d known each other forever – just as he describes it, and yet completely different.

  “Maybe we’ve met before. I ... can’t say.” My memory is no help.

  But N shakes his head. “We haven’t met before. But my friends once told me that a feeling like mine ... the thought that we’ve known each other for ages can be caused by encounters in other dimensions.”

  “Other dimensions?”

  “And other worlds, too.” He lets out a soundless laugh. “I can’t explain to you how the universe is constructed, I didn’t really understand it myself back then, but ... it’s supposed to be something big. And humans, like Pokémon, are said to exist in almost every world and almost every universe out there. Some of them even more than once – especially humans,” he continues. “They told me that everything is connected and ... the closer the worlds in a universe are, the greater the likelihood of carrying flawed memories and emotions. If we’ve met there before and become friends ... that would explain why I feel like we’ve known each other since forever.”

  I don’t know what to say. Thanks to Lunala and Nihilego, I know there’s a lot more out there than our world and our universe. We probably all live on a grain of rice, surrounded by a thousand other grains, trapped in a packet next to a thousand other packets – all made on a different day. This is probably the closest we can get to the theory of one world, in one universe of many; timelines and inter-dimensions included.

  “It made my mind a lot easier sometimes when I was younger,” N continues. “Back then, I thought I was remembering things that never happened. For example, days I spent with another child. We ran through flower meadows and laughed ... and when my father punished us ... at least there were two of us. Sometimes I told my sisters about it and they had to remind me that all of that are just dreams of distant worlds.”

  Slowly, I rest my head on my bent knees. “Do you still have those dreams?”

  He shakes his head. “They stopped after I ... after someone called Colress realised I was no good for his research.”

  Whatever he means by that, I find it hard to believe it means anything good. If Ghetsis isn’t good to him and looks at him like something that can just be thrown away, I don’t want to know how other acquaintances turned out. If there had been even one good one among them, someone would surely have freed him from the clutches of Plasma.

  “You know, one day I’d like to see more of Unova than what I know. And then ... I’d like to get to know the Pokémon of the world. All the regions I haven’t been to and ... all the places no one else has ever seen.” He closes his eyes briefly as he leans back, almost as if he’s lost in his dreams. “Have you seen much of this world yet?”

  I would love to tell him about all the things I have already experienced. But the truth is I can only tell him about Alola. All the memories I made there have stayed with me. They weren’t just washed away as if they were a danger to me and my well-being. However, they are also a beginning. It’s an experience that I got through and that shaped me. An event I learnt from before I ended up here. And telling N about it is almost better than I expected.

  The words flow out so quickly I sometimes get tangled up and stutter. Still, it doesn’t stop me from telling him about my escape, my encounter with the Explorers and, of course, how I and my team came together. In between, the story about Lillie’s mum; people I’ve met who were also looking for something special in life they couldn’t achieve.

  And then I tell him about Amethio; about our argument on Poni Island and the brief fight in the Lush Jungle. I also mention his desire to fight the black Rayquaza and win, while the Pokémon in question is looking for someone. Added to this is the tense atmosphere on both sides, which could make another clash dangerous.

  N follows all that, nodding occasionally and looking at me with a gleam in his eye that gives him the air of a little boy listening to a bedtime story. He doesn’t interrupt me once. Only when I finish does he ask questions.

  “What made you decide to go travelling?” His brows draw together. “You ran away from home because you were looking for an adventure, but ... was that all? Was that enough to get you this far?”

  “For the most part,” I reply. “I guess whenever I had the thought of turning round and going home, my pride got in the way. I didn’t want to give my father that satisfaction. Besides, at some point, I took an interest in being a professor and then there’s the problem with my memories.”

  He nods sympathetically before putting a hand to his chin. “And what made you decide to stay with the Explorers? They allowed you to go your own way, didn’t they? So why go with them ... when you could have seen so much more than waiting here in Unova, at their headquarters, all this time?”

  A fair question and I can’t think of an answer straight away. Of course, I could explain to him I decided this way because I appreciate being with Zir, Conia, and Amethio and that I enjoy working in a team. I could also mention I feel safer when I don’t have to face the world alone. But I think the truth is I value the comfort.

  “I think I stayed with the Explorers because they cover all my expenses. Plus, I get a monthly salary and that’s ... quite a motivation when you have nothing else.” I grimace briefly. “Besides, I’m not a talented trainer. I do my best for my team, but thanks to my memory, I know a lot less about some things than other people. I’ve used most of my time here to learn so I can become part of the whole. And I think somewhere in between I realised I don’t want to be alone. I have my team, but I also like to have human company – especially when I don’t know what to do with myself.”

  “You value friendships.” The smile on N’s lips seems so sweet that I want to laugh. But my bones ache, I feel like I’m trapped, and overall I don’t think laughing would be a good idea here and now. So I stick to smiling while I take two breaths.

  “Is all this also the reason you ... kept going even though Mimikyu was badly injured?”

  I pull the duvet up a little higher so I can snuggle closer to the warmth of the fabric. Simultaneously, I swallow the small lump in my throat, reminding me of all the chaos in Alola.

  “No,” I then reply. “I kept going because giving up was never an option. Sure, I thought about it once or twice, but in the end, it was never really a choice.” I slowly turn my gaze to the buildings outside our room. “Besides, I owe it to my team to always go the extra mile. I promised Trumbeak I’d take him on trips with me. The same goes for Growlithe. She should be allowed to discover the world without being bound by my fears. And I have Mimikyu with me because we are less alone together. I want to show her that no matter what happens, no matter what sets us back ... no matter what mistakes she makes ... it won’t stop us. We’ll just keep going until we all feel it’s okay to stop.”

  “And what if you disagree? If one of you ... doesn’t want to go any further, but the rest do?”

  I swallow dryly. “Then it’s up to me to decide what’s best. If someone wants to finish their journey with me, then ... I’ll allow it.”

  “Even if you don’t want to?”

  “Even if it breaks my heart.”

  For a moment, N looks at me as if he’s searching for a lie, or at least uncertainty in my words. But he can’t find anything. And I’m serious. If I have no other choice, I want to do what’s best for my Pokémon. Even if I end up having to go on all alone.

  “Do you think ... many people are like you?” Unable to find an answer in my eyes, N tries to cling to my words.

  “I don’t know if many would act like me,” I reply. “But I know many people out there would do a lot for their Pokémon. Whatever is possible ... some go that route to make a loyal friend happy.”

  He exhales shakily, nods again, seems to be sorting out his thoughts, and just as he tries to say something, it’s the clicking of his Rotom Phone interrupting our conversation. For a blink, it vibrates on the bedside table next to his bed before it rises leisurely into the air and flies in his direction. N takes it in his hands far too carefully before he dares to look at the display and his eyelids droop slightly.

  “What happened?” I probably shouldn’t ask, because most of Team Plasma’s machinations are none of my business, but it’s worth a try.

  “Father wrote to me,” he replies. “They’ve got the last piece to our success. They’re sending us a car. We’re supposed to make sure we can leave here in an hour.”

  I can think of better things to do. Like staying in a warm bed and sipping a few more cups of tea. But Ghetsis has plans, and it’s not like I can send N ahead alone, hoping nothing happens. Having collected their final piece of the puzzle, Plasma is ready to conjure up a change. A spectacle I can’t just let happen.

  “Where will the car take us?” Reluctantly, I peel myself out of the sheets to slip into my shoes.

  “The destination is the Dragonspiral Tower.” His attention shifts to me. “That’s a good two hours from here if we change to a plane in the middle.”

  A snort escapes my throat. That means we’ll arrive around midnight, so everything can take place in secret while the world sleeps and prepares for the next day. What’s more, Ghetsis plans to continue his game in a place known for its history. Amethio went through the key data with me a little while ago. The story about Unova couldn’t hold my interest, but I could keep a few things in mind, and no matter how I look at it: Right now, I’d really like to have my team within reach.

  “Is everything all right?”

  N must have noticed my gloomy expression. He’s leant forward in his bed, his brows drawn together, so I wave him off. “Everything’s fine.”

  “You’d like to be with your team now, wouldn’t you?” He looks through me like I’m the daily newspaper. A bit like Amethio. Maybe I really am just obvious. “You don’t have to worry. If anything occurs, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. You don’t need Pokémon to be safe.”

  “That’s nice of you.” But it’s not enough for me. It’s not what I want and we both know that. Still, there’s no point getting hung up on things that can’t be changed, so I put my hands on my hips and take a deep breath. “Still, I’d like to have them with me.”

  “You regret not taking them from my father?”

  “I regret even thinking for a moment that waiting is a good idea in this case.” Turning, I face N. “Do you feel any different? Do you want to push your friends away in hope they’ll forget you? Have you ever asked them?”

  His shoulders tense. “Often, but you know ... they would say a lot to make me happy.”

  “Maybe that’s love you have to accept.” My posture loosens. “And you know what? When everything is back to normal and I’m a professor ... then I’m going to specialise in what can be done to stop our friend's suffering. Especially in battle.” It’s like a cloud clears in my head. The thing I hate most is seeing my team hurt. “I want to put an end to this suffering, so I’m going to study Pokémon battles and Pokémon biology.”

  “But you’ll have to test a lot of things...” N’s eyes widen. “Won’t that hurt a lot of them?”

  “Not if I can test all this myself first to ensure safety.”

  “And you think this will work?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Even if it doesn’t, I’ll just make it happen.” It’s the one thing I’m sure of, and I’ll do everything I can to make it work. So I go one step further and throw myself head over heels into self-made restraints. “I promise.”