May 22

20 Days until Torrent Day

18 Days until the Dynamax Meteor Shower

Dear Reader,

If you're reading this, you might have noticed something a bit different with the countdown on the top right hand corner. I'm worried. Yesterday, I met up with my group and went through with training. My mind wasn't in the right spot, but I don't think it showed. No one seemed suspicious, but then again, I think everyone's mind was directed somewhere else.

Asher is still angry with me. He hardly listened to me, and he did everything with a glare, making the other members of the group question what's going on. I could tell because some tried to ask questions that I refused to answer.

I'm at a loss. I had no choice but to do what I did. We are days away from a crisis. In less than three weeks, we will be dealing with two major problems: Torrent Day and the Dynamax Meteor Shower. That's what I've been calling the phenomenon that Brook and Scott warned me about. It's what we were going to try and prevent so that Torrent Day doesn't get out of hand. My mind has been wondering about that thought. For all we know, the world could be ending, and it could be our fault if something were to happen.

There's no one I can talk to in Team Magma. I can't talk to Asher. Even during lunch when I walked over towards his table out of force of habit, he took his tray and walked to another table. His boyfriend followed. Everyone at the table followed Asher. I didn't even sit down. At first, I wanted to say that they were done eating, but it had to have been with how I ran things with the group because they sat down on the other side of the cafeteria and continued eating their meal.

Without a roommate, I don't have anyone I could even make small talk to. Lynne wasn't in my group, so I could talk to her if I wanted to, but every time I saw her, she'd just give a salute before scurrying away. It made me worry about what was going on. Did Asher tell her what happened? Did he tell everyone what happened? Was that why my group seemed a bit hesitant about me? I thought Asher would understand that what I was doing was for the good of Team Magma, nothing more.

I wasn't in the wrong, was I?

It hurts so much, and I'm the one who's supposed to be the emotionless robot. I've overheard that's what the grunts under my command called me when I wasn't looking. They didn't even have me as their leader for two full days, and they were already degrading me as a leader. It hurts.

It hurts so much that I just can't take it. I could before, but not having anyone to talk to made a big difference. Today, after lunch, I called off any meetings, group work, and other things that were going on so that I could take a breather. Maxie didn't need to know my true reasons. In my report I gave to him on progress, I just explained that the group needed to work more as, well, a group, so I gave them the afternoon off to do just that. And, don't think I didn't lie to my superior because I truly think they needed to learn how to work better as a group as well. I just happen to have another reason for why I did that.

One of those reasons was so I could finally look up what was going on with that meteor shower. I knew there was no way I could do that at the library in the Magma headquarters. Being that Slateport had a bigger library, I traveled there to see if they had anything. Yes, I got permission to use someone's Crobat to fly there—and hanging onto dear life for that was not fun, mind you—and got there in a timely manner.

Something about being in a place full of books was just so calming. Everything was lined up so neatly and orderly that it was easy to find things. I grabbed every book I thought could help, whether it be about Galar's history, meteor showers, meteor showers in Hoenn, or anything of the sorts. In the end, I found nearly forty books that I had stacked up on a table in the far corner of the library where I started piecing together the information.

Shoving myself in my work was the only way I could think about to avoid the pain of how Asher was treating me. While it usually worked, it somehow didn't. Not when I ended up plopping my head down on a book in frustration for someone to see.

Someone who I wanted to avoid.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Yes, dear reader, you can probably guess as to who it was that came to a library. The only person that I seemed to run into the library as of late. With Team Magma having their own private library, no one I knew would come here. At least, not when most members swore all the answers lied there. I knew differently, and apparently, so did that member of Team Aqua, Brook.

No matter how much I tried to ignore him, he just stayed, eventually pulling a chair closer to me so he could sit and read my research. Probably not the best decision being that we were working on opposite sides, but it was my third notebook in which I decided to use just for research for the Dynamax Meteor Shower. Being that he was in on that, well, that was the only reason why I didn't fight him.

That and I was exhausted from the way I was being treated. I mean, I should've realized it. I should have known that Asher would've taken things to the extreme. I just wanted some respect. That's all I was asking from my group, but they weren't even working with one another. Asher, who was my best friend, wasn't even trying, and the only person who was listening to me was the one girl from Team Magma who seemed to have something against me.

Now I was working with members of Team Aqua. Dear Mew, this world was truly coming to an end.

Brook didn't seem to let that bother him as he just studied my notes before reaching for my pen and pointed at something on the page.

"How long have you been researching all of this?" he asked.

I didn't even notice how much time had gone by as I looked at my watch. Yes, that's not a part of the Magma uniform. No, I didn't go out in my Magma uniform, especially now that I have a specialized one that screams that I'm an admin rather than a grunt anymore. I was incognito, wearing my gray sweater over a green dress that ran just below the knees. The only reason I wore it was because I needed a change from the Magma uniform, and the gray sweater was much fuzzier than it looked.

Today, I really needed that comfort, especially when I found out that I had been doing research for four hours straight without taking a break.

"I need to know what we're up against and how much I can truly trust you guys," I told him after telling him how long I'd been there. "I don't know who I can put my trust into anymore."

That last line was something I didn't think I said out loud. I swore I didn't say anything out loud. Apparently, I did because Brook snapped his head over from my work to look me right in the eyes.

"Did something happen at work?" he asked.

"That would be classified information I'm not disclosing with anyone," I told him.

"So something did happen at work," Brook confirmed before he stood up. "I won't pry, but let's try to get our mind off of work for a bit."

Now that I think about it, the fact that he said that makes me wonder if he had something going on with him at work. I mean, was that the reason why he came to the library earlier today, so that he could get his mind off of work like me? Or was there some other reason he was there? At the time, I didn't realize it, so I didn't ask. Now, I'm just wondering if it was more for himself than it was me. After all, he didn't drag me out of the library (thank goodness) but he did do something that was more for himself.

He took me to the fiction section of the library, which was on the other side. Bookshelves spread across from me on both sides, showing off some of my old friends. For a moment, I was distracted. I should've been doing my research, making sure that I got all the facts straightened out before I even let myself have a break. But I didn't. Instead, I let Brook pull me away and into my favorite part of the library. Not because it was a part of the library full of fictional books. He could've literally pulled me into an area that was full of non-fiction books and I would've said the same thing. What made it special was that the books that surrounded me were books I wasn't familiar with.

Seeing new books was like seeing the new possibilities just waiting to be explored. For all I know, one of those books on one of those bookshelves could've been my next favorite book. While I stood there, looking at the backs of the books, skimming what each one was about, I had forgotten about what happened that day.

Until I came across a book that I didn't see before. It was a sequel to Summers' book. The one book that I absolutely hated. I made sure that Brook was far away when I opened it as curiosity ate me alive as to what happened to those two characters that were forced into a relationship. To my surprise, the first chapter started out with a fight between the two.

Sure, the two characters in Summers' book seemed forced together, but I couldn't help but to start thinking about that fight with Asher. Or more so, how he treated me.

He ignored me. I mean, I should've expected that to happen, but it was more than just that. It was the fact that he would turn away every time he saw me. I thought he'd understand that I just needed a break until after Torrent Day came around. We needed to work together as colleagues until then, and not be distracted by our friendship. Didn't he understand that?

Asher purposely wouldn't listen to me either. I mean, that was what I was trying to prevent with the entire group. Earlier today, during training, I gave him a correction, but he kept doing what he was doing without trying. I know Asher, and he would at least attempt to improve.

Why was this so hard for me?

"Weren't you the one who said Summers' prequel to that was just awful?" I heard Brook ask.

I should've known he would've snuck up on me like that. "I was just looking at it."

"You were looking at it for a long time," Brook pointed out as he zipped up his blue sweatshirt and pushed his hands into his pockets. Now that I think about it, he too, wasn't in his uniform, which would explain why no one was giving us a second glance when we were in the library or anywhere in Slateport.

Yes, anywhere in Slateport, but I'll get to that in a moment.

He took the book from me and looked at the page I was reading. It was then that he frowned, figuring out what was going on with me. I don't know how he could do that, but he seemed to have this second sense that could figure me out.

"It's sad the two main characters had to get in a fight in the beginning," Brook pointed out, "especially since she wanted was to be left alone."

"But did she?" I asked. "I mean, what if...what if she said something she didn't really mean, but then it spiraled out of control that her boyfriend just took it too far? I mean, is there anyway that the girl could fix it?"

Brook nodded his head. "She could always apologize and explain further why she felt that way. I mean, I get it, she was having nightmares, and later on, it would warp into this—oh, I probably shouldn't give you spoilers since this book was much more well written than the first. Anyways, I think it would have easily been solved if she had just talked to him the next day, explained what happened, and apologized. Not everyone works that way though."

Could this be my answer on how to fix things with Asher? I mean, I'm thinking about how this entire thing happened with Brook, but it was almost as if he was telling me how I could fix things with my friend without truly knowing. I mean, he did, he had to. How else would he have known?

True, I haven't read that book by Summers—I might have checked it out to see what the hype was all about—but he couldn't have been talking about the damn book, could he?

Gosh, that book better be good, or else I'll give Brook a piece of my mind about it.

He watched me as I closed that book and tucked it under my arm. I remember seeing that grin slide up on his face, almost as if he was one of Lynn's newborn Poochyena who had just been given a new toy.

"If you like that book, let me know. I have other suggestions as to books you might like," he told me, listing a good chunk at that moment. While I don't remember a lot of them, I did seem to memorize a few.

For example: if I liked that Summers' main characters were superheroes, I might have liked Spinarak-Man: Power and Responsibility since it was also about many different kinds of superheroes. Only, in this book, the main characters had super powers. If it was more the complicated relationships that were built into it that I enjoyed, I should read a book by Brandi Evans, who wrote about a girl who was living a secret life since her best friend had no idea that girl was his old friend, Wally.

Of course, he gave me other suggestions too that had nothing to do with Summers' book, but he enjoyed them and thought I would too. Well, they weren't really books as much as they were author's I should really look into when finding a new book. For instance, the first author he referenced was a mystery writer named Celeste Schreiber who wrote a book about Wendy Volara, a very famous Pokémon Ranger. While he said that book was particularly good, he said I couldn't go wrong with any of Schreiber's work. Another author he talked about was Zelda Imberson, who was famous for a book she wrote about Steven Stone's life before he became the Hoenn champion. Leaked rumors of a possible sequel must've been confirmed to be true, which got Brook excited.

Now, just because he told me to read them doesn't mean I will. It all depends on how well Summers' sequel ends up being. I will admit, it has been hard finding a good book lately, but I think that's more because of what's been going on. Every time I want to read a book, I'm reminded of the responsibilities I've been given. After all, I had to worry about preventing Torrent Day from coming when I was a grunt. Now, I have to worry about preventing that and the Dynamax Meteor Shower. Who has time to read and enjoy anymore?

Somehow, I ended up checking out that book, along with a couple of the books I was doing research on. After all, it was getting late, and the library was close to closing by the time I was done doing some more research with Brook. Surprisingly, he was actually kind of helpful, pointing out some mistakes that I had interpreted when it came to Galar history or even the Dynamaxing itself. That didn't mean I didn't teach him a few things. I mean, I'm not stupid as I was able to give some insight on the meteor shower itself and how it could spiral into mass chaos if something wasn't done.

We agreed not to tell our higher-ups about our research.

Or at least, he did.

Eventually we were kicked out of the library though, but it was poorly timed as my stomach growled. I was planning on ignoring it until Brook left; however, he noticed it, and yes, took me to a food stand where we ordered a quick dinner. Before you think too hard on it, dear reader, no, I didn't let him pay for my food. He offered, but that would make me feel more indebted to him. Not that I felt that way already. After all, it was just a list of books he gave me to read, nothing more. Besides, I was helping him and Scott help prevent a meteor shower from happening. There was no way I was going to let Team Aqua have the upper hand in anything, and seeing how they seemed to have thought the same thing, except know the severity of it all, well, we were working together on that. Nothing more.

Besides, I had other things to worry about. I had to figure out what I was going to do with my group, how I was going to use them to stop Torrent Day, figure a way to prevent the Wishing Starts from the meteor shower from being used, and somehow, getting Asher to understand.

Will Asher understand I just wanted what was best for the team?

Gosh, and to think he said writing my feelings out in this stinking journal would help. If anything, I wasted a good ten pages on nothing.

Signing Off,

E. Flame

Long Important Author's Note:

Hello everyone! I'll be honest and say I wanted this particular chapter out on Valentine's Day; however, that didn't happen. Whoopsie. It was a lot getting the last chapter out by Valentine's Day. Hopefully, one of these days, there will be more frequent updates, but until then, this little writer just has to keep writing.

If you didn't notice, this chapter had a few nods to some other stories. I want to say that it should be pretty clear as to what Summers' books are, but for this chapter's question, I want to know: Did you recognize any of the books/writers mentioned? Have you read any of them?

Answers as to what books are mentioned throughout the entire story will be in a chapter called "Book References" which will explain who the author's/books that are mentioned, facts about them, why I changed the titles/author's names (no worries though, I got the okay from writers to do so), and hopefully, maybe you'll all find a new book that you will enjoy. I'll admit, I haven't read all the stories that are mentioned, but my hope is that there will be at least one or two books that you don't recognize and will hopefully pique your interest.

That's all I have for you right now. Hope y'all are doing well. Til next time, take care!