(6 Hours Later)

"Kids, time for dinner," Mr. Daines called. Jacob, Natalie, Josh, and Megan all came running down the stairs to the dinner table. "So, Josh and Megan, what do you like to eat," Mr. Daines asked them. "Anything, really," Josh said. "Well, tonight we have fried Combusken. Are you alright with that?" "Yeah, I'm fine with that," Josh said. "As am I," Megan added. "Well, sit down then, dinner is almost ready." Josh and Megan sat across from Natalie and Jacob, respectively.

They started to discuss some things, like their route through Unova, or why they nicknamed their Pokémon what they did. "Well, Togekiss is called the Jubilee Pokémon, so I thought to name it after a type of festival. I chose Mardi Gras as the base, and thus, my Togepi is named Mardi," Natalie said. "Alright, everyone, dinner is ready," Mr. Daines said. He brought the plate of fried Combusken to the table, and everyone took a piece.

When dinner was over, the kids decided to train their new team members. Jacob continued to try and teach Voltaire Earthquake, Josh taught Arthur how to use Shadow Sneak, and Megan did some examinations of her team members, from her Clefable's Magic Guard and Wish + Baton Pass combo, to her Miltank's Heal Bell and Scrappy + Body Slam combo. Most unique, however, was Natalie, training Corona and herself at the same time, trying to redirect and control Corona's fire with little success.

By sunset, however, Natalie had learned how to make small curves in the path of a stream of fire, that almost immediately fixed itself. "Well, you at least made a little improvement," Jacob told her. "Yeah, I know. Hey, we should make a bonfire tonight! We have a Magmortar to help us," Natalie said, pointing to Corona. "Yeah, that sounds fun! Let's do it," Josh said, returning Arthur.

The bonfire was large and powerful, it's fires stretching up into the sky. They had spent an hour or so getting the stones to make a fire circle, the wood for fuel, and sharpening pencils and branches for tinder. But, it was all worth it in the end, as they had a warm beacon of light in their backyard. At around 7:00, the grandparents said goodbye and took off, heading back to Kanto.

The bonfire raged on for several more hours, accompanying the kids as they talked about their pasts, and their plans for the future. Eventually, though, as the moon rose into the sky, they decided to put out the bonfire and the kids decided to sleep beneath the stars. They got out the sleeping bags, laid down, and talked for a bit, before falling asleep under the night sky.

Jacob woke up in the middle of the night, anxiety running through him. He had a dream that he knew couldn't be real, but still terrified him nonetheless. He dreamt that Josh and Megan were kidnapped, and transformed into Pokémon. He decided to go to his secret place, to clear his head. He grabbed Voltaire's Pokéball, just in case, and started walking into the woods, unaware that someone was watching and following him.

After around 5 minutes of walking, Jacob made it to his secret place. He frequently came here when he needed a place to think, or to just calm down. His secret place was a large lake, the source of the river that ran through Aspertia City, with many Pokémon living here. He sat against the largest tree, like he always did, and just watched the Pokémon in the moonlight. But, as he did that, he heard a sound, a twig cracking under someone's weight.

He got up and looked around, fists up, ready to defend himself. "Who are you! I know that you're here!" The person came out of the shadows, their hands up, and Jacob put his hands down. It was just Megan, who had followed him here. "You scared the living daylights out of me," Megan said. "Good, then the feeling is mutual," Jacob replied. They laughed and sat next to each other at the shores of the lake.

"Man, it's so beautiful up here. The running water, the pale moonlight, it's just all so pretty," Megan said. "Yeah, but when you've come here as much as I have, you get used to it." "Well, if you are done looking at the scenery, maybe you could look at the Pokémon. Look over there.", Megan said, pointing to a Marill and a Poliwhirl sitting together, much like they were. "Yes, a Marill and Poliwhirl. What is so special about that?" "Well, can't you see how much they care for one another?" He looked back at them, and saw that they truly loved each other, despite being two different species of Pokémon.

"Yeah, they're two different species of Pokémon, yet they're in love with each other." "Exactly, and from what I can hear, the Marill's parents don't understand how their child can love a Pokémon of a different species. The Poliwhirl's, however, know what their child is going through. They know what it's like to love a Pokémon of a different species." "Hmm, that's interesting to think about. I may not be able to talk directly to Pokémon, but I can tell that those two over there are truly in love."

"How can you tell?", Megan asked. "Well, look at them! They don't care that they're different species, and because of that, they can let their love flourish. Only then is the love between beings true." Megan had a shocked expression on her face. "Wow, I never thought that a comment as philosophical as that could come out of someone as young as you," Megan said.

Just then, a group of Tympole appeared in the lake. "Oh, wow, a Tympole symphony! I never thought I'd get to see this," Megan exclaimed. She then remembered the translator in her pocket, and pulled it out. "Here, Jacob, put this in your ear. It's a Pokémon translator, and it should allow you to hear the song." Jacob put the translator in his ear, and began to hear the Tympole's song. "Megan, get up. I would like to do something." Megan stood up, a puzzled look on her face. Jacob was analyzing the song, before moving Megan's hand to his shoulder.

"But, Jacob, I don't know how to dance." Jacob just put one of his hands on her hip, and grabbed her other hand with his other hand. "It's alright, just follow my lead," he said, looking into her deep green eyes. He waited for a movement repeat in the song, before they started. They danced slowly, circling each other as the song of the Tympole played. When it finished, Megan pulled Jacob into an embrace. "Thank you, Jacob, that was truly magical."

As he embraced her, Jacob felt a weird feeling. The kind of feeling he felt when he was holding his Soul Dew. He felt it coming from a charm on the necklace around Megan's neck. "Wait a second. Something feels off." Jacob grabbed the necklace, and moved the charm to where he could see it.