Gabe sat in the daycare with a warm cup of cocoa in his hand and a worn out feline in his lap. The battle had been fierce, however, it was very rewarding as evidenced by the newly inhabited Ultra Ball he had on his belt. It had been a while since he had fought a battle that hard before. This was just another reminder to Gabe that the games and his new reality were completely different.

This Hakamo-o is fast... Gabe mused as he stroked Jamie behind the ears as she snoozed.

Jamie was having a hard time keeping up with him... I almost forgot how strong pseudo-legendaries were, even in their second stage.

"Something on your mind Barry?" Anna asked the youth, observing his contemplative expression.

"Huh? oh, no. Sorry, I was just spacing out a bit. That battle took a lot out of me," Gabe replied.

"So Barry, are you taking the league challenge? you seem to be a well-rounded trainer, at least from what I saw of your battle with Hakamo-o. Your Luxio is well trained," Cindy chirped, sipping her cup of cocoa as well.

Gabe smiled broadly and nodded.

"You bet I am!" Gabe said proudly. "Jamie and I intend to go all the way to the very top."

"A lofty goal young man. You're very sure of yourself aren't you?" Anna inputted, studying Gabe's expression closely.

"The way I see it, setting goals that are readily obtainable isn't enough. If I wanna be ambitious... if I wanna really wanna move mountains and become the best that I, no... that my team and I can be, we need to shoot for the moon, no... higher than the moon. It's not enough to settle for anything less than our best," Gabe answered in a confident tone.

"I see... you seem to believe in yourself and your partners a great deal. I believe I have something that may help you in that endeavor. It's something that came with Hakamo-o when he was just a hatching," Anna added as she stood up to make her way into her bedroom.

After a few moments, Anna returned with a small decorative, wooden chest. She sat down and opened it for Gabe to see. What he beheld nearly blew his mind.

No way... these are--

"From the look on your face, I'll venture to guess that you are familiar with what these are," Anna smirked.

"Well... I mean, I know a little about them. I just never expected to actually see them," Gabe replied as he looked the items over.

A Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal! Not only that, it's a Kommonium Z! That's awesome! Gabe exclaimed inwardly as he analyzed the items presented to him.

"They are yours to take with you on your journey. They are a gift from the man who delivered Hakamo-o to us," Anna beamed, holding out the bracelet and the crystal that went with it for Gabe to take.

Gabe took the bracelet and placed it on his wrist. Looking down at the Z-Crystal in his hand, he smiled.

I may not be able to use this yet, but I'm okay with that. It'll give me time to create a bond with Hakamo-o in the meantime...

Placing it in his pocket, he polished off his cocoa before getting up to leave.

"Thanks for letting me rest for a bit. I think I'm ready to get going," Gabe said while stretching.

"It was no trouble at all Barry. You may come back anytime you wish," Anna added sincerely.

"Thanks! I definitely will. Oh, and thanks for the gifts too," Gabe beamed. "I'll take good care of them."

"I'm sure you will. Have a safe journey young man," Anna encouraged him.

"Bye Barry! come back soon!" Cindy called out as Gabe took off running through the town, apologizing over his shoulder after nearly knocking over someone on their bike as he bolted out of town.

"How frustrating," said a very disgruntled Looker as he sat across the table from Cynthia. "No matter how many times I go over it, I keep coming up empty-handed..."

The two sat inside the Veilstone Vineyard, a local favorite dining spot know for its spicy cuisines.

"On top of the recent investigations, I've come to find that the group I'm tracking, known as Team Galactic, has been peculiarly silent around here as of late," Looker added, stroking his chin as he pondered what to do about his current predicament.

"You're right, they have been a lot less productive since the incident in Floaroma. You mentioned that their top executives have been seen lately, correct? One, I believe, if memory serves me correctly, had entered the tournament and was partnered with Barry," Cynthia pointed out.

"Affirmative. Jupiter right? Yes... she's a bit of an enigma from what I understand. According to my previous findings, she's the closest to their ring leader, Cyrus, and a top official in their ranks, marking her a very dangerous woman. And that's not even taking her skill with Pokémon into account. She has a background in jujitsu, and other forms of combat," Looker prattled on, getting a long whistle from Cynthia.

"Sounds dangerous alright. I've had some fighting experience myself," Cynthia added while taking a bite of her curry.

"No use pulling the modesty card Champion. Or need I remind you of your other absurd records aside from being this regions uncontested Champion?" Looker smirked.

Cynthia chuckled into her hand and shook her head.

"There's no need for that, detective," Cynthia replied politely.

"As I thought. At any rate, Team Galactic is based here in Veilstone. However, due to their lack of activity, I'll be hard pressed to find anything worth noting at this point. And with the amount of pull they have here," Looker trailed off.

"It'll be that much harder to deal with them. And seeing how big they're becoming," Cynthia paused, "taking down an organization of that size won't be that simple..." 

As the two conversed, a man wearing a blue winter coat and jeans with black boots, stood up and adjusted his winter hat and scarf before leaving a tip on the table and making an exit. Upon making it outside, he moved away from the restaurant, and walked through the crowded streets, past the Pokémon Center, and up the cobblestone steps to a large large building brazenly  bearing the name Galactic Headquarters.

The man stepped inside and removed his hat and loosened his scarf, breathing a relieved sigh. As he did so, he was approached by a young woman with short red hair wearing a Galactic uniform. The man smiled at her once their eyes met.

"Hey midget, miss me?" Saturn grinned.

"H-Hey! I said not to call me that you dork!" Mars exclaimed in a flustered manner, crossing her arms with a huff.

Saturn chuckled and walked up to her, placing his hands around her waist to draw her in. Her face flushing from embarrassment, she looked up at Saturn and draped her arms around his neck.

"S-So how did everything go with the meeting?" Mars asked curiously.

"It went better than expected. The client seemed eager to join our ranks. His team is fairly impressive to say the least. Oh, and while I was there, I came across the Champion and that investigator that's been tailing us," Saturn informed her.

"Sounds eventful. Did the prospect consider the offer? And what of the Champion and the detective? Anything to worry about?" Mars wondered.

"Not really. He's still chasing supposed leads while trying to figure out what we're up to," Saturn shrugged and ran a hand through her hair while simultaneously grabbing her rear with a quick squeeze, causing her to stifle a gasp so as not to be heard.

"Asshole!" She hissed quietly into his ear. "Wait til later you dork..."

"You know I have a hard time with that," Saturn smirked. "But it will indeed need to wait. I have to go check on Charon's progress with our other projects," Saturn sighed.

"Dammit..." Mars mumbled, pressing her lips hard onto his to get a quick taste of him before he left. "Oh... and if you cop a feel in public again, I'll squeeze your gonads like Grepa Berries," she added darkly, pulling away to saunter off towards the elevator.

Saturn rubbed the back of his head nervously as she walked off and got in the elevator. He waved to her as the doors closed before heading to the stairs that led down to the lab.

The sun was beginning to set on Veilstone City, and Gabe had finally managed to make it before it got too dark.

"Here we are Jamie. Veilstone City!" Gabe exclaimed excitedly.

Jamie looked up from her position in his arms and drank in the sights with her big yellow eyes. Streetlights were lit and children were out in the snow either sledding through the streets on trashcan lids or having snowball fights with friends and Pokémon.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. What do you say we stop off at the Pokémon Center and then go grab a bite to eat?" Gabe beamed, ruffling her fur a little.

"Lux!" Jamie replied cheerfully, purring as she was scratched behind the ears.

"Alright then, it's settled. Let's eat!" Gabe declared.

And with a spring in his step, Gabe made for the Pokémon Center with hopes of filling his stomach and relaxing in mind. It had been a long day, and he would need plenty of rest before he challenged the Gym.