A month had passed since the conversation about their future goals. During that time, all the teens had learned several important lessons on Pokémon growth, type matchups, and type energy. Today marked the start of their official training.

  Out on the training fields, Ben worked with Gabe on mastering Rapid Spin. According to Mr. Boon, the move came naturally to Gabe, and it was a solid starting point for learning how to manipulate Type Energy—especially since Normal TE was considered the easiest to control.

  Gabe, who had seemed like an endless source of energy until now, was finally starting to get tired—but he didn’t mind. Determined to keep going, he launched himself into another spin, striking a rock and cracking it slightly. Gabe broke into a dance, thrilled at the result.

  “Hey, little guy, that was great! You deserve a break. Want to go play with Tana?” Ben asked with a smile.

  Gabe agreed immediately. Tana was his best friend. Despite their differences—him a hyperactive Ground-type, her a reserved Electric-type—they got along better than anyone else. Gabe was all chaos and excitement; Tana, Nathan once joked, was a drama queen cloaked in wool and mystery. Gabe didn’t mind. He liked her oddness.

  Still buzzing with excitement, Gabe’s eyes sparkled. He ran in tight circles around Ben, nearly tripping over his own feet.

  “Drill, Drilburrr!” he chirped.

  Ben laughed, watching his partner with a warm fondness. The bond was unmistakable now. Gabe might be trouble, but he looked to Ben for guidance. That meant everything.

  “Alright, go on,” Ben said, patting Gabe’s head.

  Gabe let out a happy squeal and darted off toward Tana.

  Since Nathan’s speech in class, Ben had grown closer to him again. The three of them—Ben, Nathan, and Mike—used to be inseparable as kids, but after the attack, Nathan had pulled away. At nine, Ben hadn’t understood why. He assumed Nathan just didn’t want to be friends anymore, so he’d stopped trying.

  But lately, Nathan was opening up. The school psychologist had clearly helped, and now Nathan had rejoined the group. He talked more—shared things from the books he read, especially about the Western continent and its unique Pokémon culture. His knowledge was vast and strange, and the others were finally starting to appreciate how much he’d kept bottled up.

  Ben looked over and said, “Gabe managed to use Normal TE and pulled off Rapid Spin. Mr. Boon said that Ground TE’s harder to control since it interacts with the environment more. Gabe’s all physical, so he struggles to regenerate Earth TE—unlike Tana or Emberly. They’ve been using theirs since birth.”

  Nathan shrugged. “What can I say? Tana’s awesome. I get why people keep Mareep for cattle—wool, meat—but they’re seriously cool Pokémon.”

  He paused, then leaned in a little. “Okay, secret time, but don’t tell anyone.”

  Ben nodded solemnly.

  “At first, I was kind of bummed about getting a Mareep. I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole cattle thing. But during one of my therapy sessions, Dora—my psychologist—showed me a Conference battle. The trainer had an Ampharos. It was... incredible. Watching that match changed everything for me. Since then, I’ve been proud of her. She might be a little dramatic, but I love that about her.”

  Nathan chuckled, though it faded quickly.

  “Sorry. I’ve already said too much.”

  Ben smiled. He understood. They wouldn’t have access to the full PokéNet until they were 16. Conference battles were locked behind League permissions, but gym battles were fair game. He made a mental note to check some out soon.

  Ben’s eyes wandered. Emberly was still busy burning things—John had stopped trying to stop her. He’d started to enjoy watching the flames. Ben frowned slightly. Maybe he should talk to the school psychiatrist too.

  Amy was training with Hiro. She’d gotten more muscular lately, clearly enjoying the physical training sessions.

  Reed had taken a deep dive into church teachings. It made some conversations... interesting. But he was still fun to be around.

  Meanwhile, Gabe and Tana were off to the side, having their own dramatic exchange.

  “Tana, Tana, Tana!” Gabe called out cheerfully.

  Tana huffed. “Please, Gabe, can you not interrupt while I fix my wool? I need to electrify it to keep it fluffy. I’m concentrating.”

  Gabe ignored her completely. “I used Normal TE today, but I’m sooo tired. How do you do it so easily?”

  Tana raised an eyebrow. “How? I’m Tana, the queen. My power is endless. Electricity is my nature.”

  Gabe rolled his eyes at her usual flair. She was dramatic—but that was Tana.

  As the two continued bickering affectionately, the day’s training came to an end.

  “I want to train too! I want a Pokémon so bad,” Mike huffed, crossing his arms. “Can they just stop teaching me stuff I don’t care about? I don’t need math—I’ll be a pro trainer and hire someone to do it for me.”

  Ever since Ben got Gabe, Mike’s desire for a Pokémon had only grown stronger. It was all he could think about. Watching Ben train every day, working with Gabe and actually making progress, just made it worse. It wasn’t fair.

  “Mike, just wait. I had to, and everyone else did too,” Ben said, trying to sound patient.

  “Oh, please.” Mike scoffed. “You think kids from big families wait? No way. They probably get their Pokémon at ten or something.”

  Ben sighed. He’d heard this argument before. “You know there are a few of them in school. Usually, we don’t mix much, but if you’re that curious, go ask them yourself.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Mike groaned and threw his head back. “There you go again, being all logical. Can’t you just let me vent in peace?” He shot Ben a look. “Why do you always flip personalities like this? One second you’re chill, the next you’re lecturing me. Maybe you should join Nathan in his meetings.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. He knew how badly Mike wanted a Pokémon—it had been his dream even before the attack.

  Mike’s mother, Rose, wasn’t the strongest trainer, but she had completed Victory Road. Though she never advanced past the house stage of the Conference, her achievements earned her enough recognition to start a tutoring business. She trained up-and-coming trainers, helping them refine their skills.

  Mike had been just eight at the time—too young to understand what made a good trainer—but that hadn’t stopped him from watching his mother with admiration. He’d spent hours glued to her lessons, fascinated by the way she worked with different Pokémon. Even if he didn’t grasp every detail, he soaked up what he could, determined to one day surpass her.

  Three months had passed since they’d begun official training, and Gabe had made remarkable progress with Type Energy. He had learned several key moves: Mud-Slap, Dig, Scratch, Metal Claw, and surprisingly, Thunder Wave.

  That last one had caught Ben off guard.

  While playing with Tana one day, she’d used Thunder Wave on Gabe. Somehow, he not only resisted it—he learned it. Curious and concerned, Ben had gone to Mr. Boon for answers. According to him, the Drilbur line shouldn’t be able to learn Electric-type moves at all. The only explanation was genetics—one of Gabe’s parents might’ve been an Electric-type, giving him an affinity for the element. Even so, it was highly unusual for a pure Ground-type to learn Thunder Wave.

  In the end, Mr. Boon simply congratulated Ben. “You’ve got a special one,” he said. “Strong genes.”

  As for Dig, it was a move Gabe had known since birth—but it had changed. Gabe now had to use Ground TE on both himself and the ground to dig properly. It drained him quickly, but he didn’t care. He dug whenever he had energy, over and over, until he was too tired to move.

  Ben admired that determination. He was even thinking about teaching Gabe a move to refill the holes after digging. It would help Gabe train his control even further.

  That night, the group met in Reed and John’s room, like they always did.

  “Nathan, how are you doing?” someone asked—same as always. Every meeting seemed to start that way now.

  Nathan groaned. “You guys really need to stop asking me that.” His tone wasn’t harsh, more tired than anything. “I get it, and I appreciate it, really. But I’m okay. Not perfect, but okay.”

  He gave a small smile and looked at Tana, who was trotting in circles, sparks gently flickering from her wool as she tried to impress Gabe. “Her nonsense helps more than it should.”

  There was a beat of quiet before Ben spoke up. “So… have you decided where you want to go?”

  Nathan nodded, slowly. “Yeah. I think I’m going to Johto.”

  John perked up. “Oh? Why there?” His tone was casual, maybe a little too casual, like he was trying not to sound too interested.

  Nathan shrugged, fiddling with a loose string on his sleeve. “I don’t know. It just feels... less complicated, maybe. They’ve got more tradition or whatever. I kind of want to see what that’s like.”

  John nodded slowly, trying to keep his voice neutral. “You mean like... the stuff they say about the ‘old ways’?”

  “Maybe.” Nathan didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. “I just think there’s a lot we don’t get told here. I’m not saying I don’t trust the League or anything, just... I want to see things for myself.”

  Amy tilted her head. “Is this about what happened... you know, with the attack?”

  Nathan hesitated, then gave a quiet nod. “Yeah. It’s like... they said it was the Cult. But we don’t really know, do we? And every time I ask questions, people just... look away. Like I shouldn’t be asking.”

  John frowned. “I mean... maybe there’s a reason they don’t tell us. We’re not even official trainers yet.”

  “Maybe,” Nathan said. “But shouldn’t we know what happened to our own town?”

  The room went quiet for a moment.

  Amy sighed. “It’s probably not something we can fix by talking in circles. But yeah... I get it.”

  Ben hadn’t said much, but now his thoughts were racing. The Cult. The League. His goal. All of it had seemed so clear. But suddenly, it didn’t feel so simple anymore.

  What if they never got the full truth?

  Meanwhile, Reed was sitting off to the side, his eyes focused on something in his hands. He’d been quieter lately—especially about his beliefs. Over the past few weeks, he had started paying more attention to his faith. He would sit by himself, reading books and whispering prayers. It wasn’t something he talked about much, but it was obvious he was searching for answers in his own way.

  Ben noticed, but didn’t say anything. Reed wasn’t one to open up easily, and Ben knew that if Reed was ready to talk, he would. But it was clear—Reed, like all of them, was trying to find his place in a world that didn’t make much sense.

  Nathan broke the silence. “I don’t know. I just feel like I need to get out of here. I need to see Johto—try to find some answers... Maybe things will make more sense there.”

  Reed, still quiet, spoke up in his usual calm, steady way. “Maybe we’re not meant to have all the answers right now. We’re still learning. Sometimes, it’s okay not to know everything. We just have to trust Aru—that he’ll bring the answers when we’re ready for them.”

  The room grew still again.

  Ben felt Reed’s words land heavier than expected. He respected Reed’s belief in Aru, but he didn’t know how to process it. It was hard for him to imagine that faith alone could make sense of everything.

  Nathan gave a slow nod. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. I just wish someone would explain things to us. But... I guess we’ll have to figure it out on our own.”

  After a few moments of quiet, Amy clapped her hands together and grinned. “Are you guys finally done being all serious? Good! Because I have an announcement—I’ve decided to become a Fighting-type specialist!”

  Nathan smirked. “So, what—you’re going to be Professor Muscle Brain now?”

  “Hey!” Amy huffed, crossing her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean? I just really like training with Hiro! And I want to study how Fighting-types develop different combat styles.”

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “And that fits into becoming a professor... how exactly?”

  Amy puffed up with confidence. “Easy! Fighting-types are perfect for studying instinct and discipline. They’re always pushing themselves—not just for battles, but because they want to. There’s a lot we can learn from that.”

  As Amy dove into her impassioned explanation, the heavy mood shifted. Before long, the group was laughing again, joking around like they always did.

  After the meeting, Ben found himself pacing the hallway alone, thinking.

  He realized, again, how narrow his focus had become. He’d spent so long chasing the idea of becoming a cult hunter that everything else had blurred around it. His tunnel vision had made things harder—not just for him, but maybe for the people around him too.

  It was time to change that.

  He decided to start simple: he’d go to the library. Maybe join Nathan for a few sessions. He could also talk to Mr. Boon—if anyone could connect him with someone who’d actually worked as a cult hunter, it was the school. Ben needed more than just ambition. He needed understanding.

  Right now, the only information available was surface level: the cult was dangerous, active in Kanto and other regions, and nearly impossible to track. But why hadn’t the League stopped them? How far did their influence reach? What regions did they operate in—and how? The more he thought about it, the more the questions piled up.

  So many questions, so few answers.

  Ben knew he had to convince Mr. Boon to help.

  Beyond that, there was still the question of which region to start his journey in. Reed had his heart set on Sinnoh, Nathan on Johto. Both had done their research. They’d studied what little information was publicly available, and for what they wanted, it was enough.

  But not for Ben.

  Something had been lit inside him. Maybe it was sudden, maybe it wasn’t—but it burned now, and it wasn’t going away. He needed to understand more.

  What exactly were Johto’s “old ways,” and why did Mr. Boon say they made the region weak? What was Hoenn’s political structure, and how did it shape the trainers who grew up there? And Sinnoh—if it was so tied to the Church, did that mean the League there was religious too? How much influence did the Church actually have?

  He didn’t have answers. Not yet.

  But if he wanted to make the right choice—if he wanted to survive what came next—he needed to start learning now.