She takes my hand roughly and drags me forcefully away from the gym. She walks with purpose towards a nearby shop. As she swings open the door and the bell over the entrance rings cheerfully, my nose is assaulted by the creamy scent of milk and chocolate. Shauna sits down at a window booth, finally releasing her vice grip on my hand.

I shake it out before sitting down next to her. "You didn't have to hold it so harshly, you know." When she turns away, not replying, I ask, "Are you okay?"

She bites her lip and laughs uncertainly. "Well, no point in lying, is there?"

I shuffle my legs quietly and ask, "So, why this place?"

"Well, for one, if I ever needed a hot chocolate, now would be the time. Besides, nothing drowns out a conversation like white noise." she says with an uneasy smile, her pale green eyes intent on the window. Her breath fogs it up, creating a layer of fog that disappears quickly, retreating back into nothingness. "Sorry. We should get right to it."

She leans in, and for a second I'm worried she's going to kiss me again. I can hear my heart beating fast in my chest and my whole body is on the edge of shaking. I pull back slightly and she notices how nervous I am.

"Oh. Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to..."

"Shauna." I stand. "If this is about anything romantic, I'm here for you, but it's not going to work out."

She bites her lip. "I was going to whisper. I'm such an idiot." She looks up at the nearby waiter as we sit back down.

"Can I get you two anything?" asks the waiter, her Pokemon (a Minccino) over her shoulder, tail waving.

"I'll have a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows." Shauna says.

I sit back down. "Same here."

She nods cheerfully before walking away. I turn back to Shauna, still anxious, and ask, "Alright. What's this really about?"

"Well..." she passes me her Pokedex. "I got this the other day."

Shauna-

We know who you are. Have been tracking for a while. You are Kalos's last hope. Meet outside Lysandre Cafe in Lumiose City in three days. Will be there. Please RSVP to this.

Bring no one. Don't know who we can trust.

-Diantha

"Diantha?"

"The champion, Lilly. The champion of the entire Kalos region." Shauna says in awe.

"'Have been tracking?' Does that mean she knows you're travelling with us?" I ask, anxiety building in my throat as my heart races faster and faster.

"I don't know what she knows. She's a Champion, so doubtless she knows lots of things. This is going to seem cruel, but... Lilly, that's not the point. The point is that I've been doing research and something terrible is about to happen."

"Research?"

"Do you know about Lysandre Labs?"

I shake my head. "Lysandre's a Goldeneye, right?"

"He is?"

"Korrina didn't tell you?"

"She didn't!"

"He and Diancie- I mean Diantha-"

"Diantha is a legendary Goldeneye?!"

I look around, noticing a security camera on the wall with a scowl. "Keep your voice down."

She nods. "They won't be checking those anyways. Point being... what?!"
"She's a Goldeneye. He's a Goldeneye. Sycamore is in cahoots with them both."

"Oh Arceus, oh Mew, oh Zygarde..." Shauna begins shooting off legendary names at a far faster pace than I've ever seen anyone manage. Her hand still trembling with shock, she types in something into the Pokedex.

I glare into the brightly lit screen and read a news article.

Lysandre Labs To Reveal New Invention In Three Days

"A product that will shake the world as we know it!"

"You don't think..." I gasp.

"We're being lured into this. The Champion of Kalos is asking for our help. Cahoots or not, I don't think Diantha is going along with this as much as she says he is. If Lysandre is going to try anything dangerous, she wouldn't have sounded so scared. 'Kalos's last hope?' Please."

"It could also be a ploy. What if Lysandre is pressing in the messages."

"It's verified!" Shauna says, thrusting the caller ID in my face. "I've seen this number before!"
"Why?" I ask. "Kind of a specific thing to know."

She looks at me as if I had fallen out of the sky. "Every little girl in Kalos tried to call her up at least once. She's everyone's idol!"
"I didn't grow up here, remember?" I say hastily, barely meeting her gaze. Though I'm glad for the break in tension, it's awkward to discuss the topic of my 'youth'.

"Oh. Right." She laughs nervously before taking another sip of her hot chocolate. "I forget a lot."

"Me too." I say. "Lately, it's getting cloudy up in here." I tap my head with two fingers that used to feel alien to me but now function so well that I might as well have been born with them. Though it comes in handy, the notion that some part of me is irreversibly human is disconcerting.

"Same." she sighs, swirling her hot cocoa with her spoon. "Anyways, the last important thing is the man. He's a man with white hair who shows up in my nightmares, calling a name in a language I don't know. He's massive and bulky, but he's so frail. The night after I got the message, he was begging for me to save him. Lilly... I remember him. When I was a Floette, everything was cloudy, but I know I remember his face. If there's any memories for me to salvage, I want to have them back."

I think of Ashley and the team. Even now, the images are bright and vivid in my mind. If I close my eyes I can visualize Johto. Due to my undying determination to return home, I can remember the shape of the landscapes, even if old details are beginning to escape me.
What would I do if I couldn't remember any of it?

What would I do if someone gave me that chance?
My whole body is alight with electricity as I think about it. I grasp the rubber edge of the table so I don't accidentally start generating sparks.

"Are you okay?" Shauna asks.

"Shauna. You have my support." I say, but then a wondrous idea comes to mind. "You're not just going to have me. If they want Goldeneyes, we're going to go in there and blow the place open."

"What are you saying?"

I hand her my Pokeballs. "Let the team start training. I have some phone calls to make."

(((aahhh it's short. don't kill me. the whole team's coming back together for the next segment. who are you most excited to see? post below in the comments!)))