Dawn isn’t much of a fan of her namesake. I’m up with the first sun as always and poke her but she just continues cuddling Piplup and snuggles deeper into her blanket. Akari was never this lazy. What three generations of coddling lifestyle does to people.

  Mes is also sleepy and I tuck her in with Dawn and Piplup then leave the room.

  After a shower with Lili both of us helping wash each others' backs, I start making pancakes with berry slices in the dough for breakfast. Gligar is sitting on the kitchen table and sharpening his claws with a whetstone. Lili helps him hold it in place.

  I really need to look for a bigger place to live so I can let out Giratina and Lulu any time I want. Maybe I can rent something with my Lab-Trainer wage.

  I set out the pancakes for Gligar, Dad, and myself. He got into the shower just after me and needs to leave for work soon. There's a big stack for Dawn and her Pokémon as well as Mes in the oven to keep warm. As I dig in I start to look through the paperwork from the Lab. The list of currently ongoing research projects that I could join in isn't too long.

  Professor Rowan is working on causes of evolution in general. A few other researchers have specialized projects for some specific species under him and from what it looks like he's currently trying to understand the energies involved in changing a Pokémon's body during evolution. There's even someone looking into the form changes of Castform and Cherrim in weather and comparing the energies involved with evolution.

  Then there's some people working on Move research but those are few and far between. They're looking to work together with others on figuring out typings and sub-typings. The research grant is for working out if Pokémon with wide spread Move pools could be designated to have more than two typings. It would be interesting if they have anything that'll help me figure out how to use more than two Types at once but I just figured that bit out so I'm not too interested. Gotta settle the fundamentals first.

  Last but not least are the habitat researchers. They're split into Lab Researchers working on artificial habitat creation and Field Researchers observing natural habitats and migration. That last one sounds a lot like what I've been doing under Professor Laventon so I'm definitely interested. I note it down for later as the door to my bedroom finally opens.

  "Good morning," Dawn yawns as she comes in then blinks around the room.

  "Morning, Dawn. There's warm pancakes in the oven. Help yourself. And feel free to let out your team. I made a lot."

  She nods after a moment then yawns again as Piplup jumps out of her arms. He's at the oven in moments and Lili quickly steps up to help him carry the plate over to the table. Dad walks in just then and greets Dawn.

  "I'll show you to the bathroom," I say "Do you need a towel? Shampoo?"

  "Thanks. A towel would be good. I got everything but drying the towel is annoying."

  I smile and start towards the bathroom.

  "Here it is. Towel's in the cupboard over there. Just pick one."

  "Thanks, Zoe," Dawn says and I leave her to it.

  I go back to the paperwork and then remember Professor Rowan wanted to send me everything per e-mail as well. I quickly make my way to my bedroom and grab my phone.

  There are a lot of messages that I didn't check over the last few days. Nothing immediately important just my friends sending pictures of their Pokémon or asking for advice on something. I quickly answer them and take a moment to admire Mel's Lumineon in the middle of a jump. The way she lights up the water around her with her natural illumination is gorgeous. I always had a soft spot for this Pokémon but fish-like Water Types are much weaker inland so I never had one for long.

  A few other people sent me some messages mostly some of my classmates wanting to congratulate me on my Badges. I quickly skim over those but still send a quick thanks to everyone.

  Then, I get to my mail. My e-mail account is very much overrun with a massive backlog. I groan as I realise I never checked it since I returned. I completely forgot about it. There's a whole lot of stuff from HP High asking where I am or sending material in case I can read but not send. I quickly delete a few spam mails which are luckily sparse and there's not a single one since I returned.

  I shrug and move on to the business-seeming addresses. I have two mails from the League and Police from when I was missing asking where I was and then a bunch of stuff from after that. A digital flyer about my new League ID and how to unlock its online functionalities, the same for my PSIL-ID and the updated Lab-Trainer version. There are two more e-mails from the League about my sign-up for the Circuit and how to challenge Gyms which are just generic information.

  Then there's the interesting stuff. Cynthia sent me a mail from her personal address just greeting me and telling me that I can message her if I need anything. The Lab sent over a guide on how to access their servers through a Porygon VPN which claims I need to get a Porygon to move into any device I want to access the servers from. That one has an attachment that's letting off a soft glow outside the screen which I tap only to have a short blackscreen before my phone reboots. It's never done that since I got to the past even when Arceus used it to crack open the secret pathways to the Lake Spirits.

  The boot screen shows the spiked golden double-ring that's around Arceus torso with the four gems in the outer ring slowly going through all 18 Types. I admire it for a moment before they flash a bright white and the image zooms into the centre of the ring. Arceus eyes show up at the top of the screen shrouded in a bright mist and some text pops up below.

  'Arc Phone update 1.1' it reads. Below that is a golden button reading changelog. I click it.

  'The Arc Phone 1.1 update provides global Porygon VPN functionality and allows for remote connection with other nearby devices. Simply send a text to 4RC3U5 with 'C0NN3C7' and point the Arc Phone's screen at the device you wish to connect to.'

  I snort and tap the screen. The update message disappears and I'm back to my home screen. I quickly go into my contacts and look at the details of Arceus. Sure enough their phone number is saved as 4RC3U5. I decide to send them a quick message.

  'If you're lonely you can always call me. Or we can pick the Dream Training back up. How about once a week for now? It's always a little exhausting.'

  I barely clicked send when the answer already comes in.

  'That would be wonderful. Do feel free to join me in your dreams whenever you wish. We need not keep to a schedule. You are always welcome here.'

  I smile and send back a thumbs up.

  I get back to my mails and see another three from the League about some kind of training camp but before I can get to it there's a knock on the door frame. Dawn is leaning on it watching me work. Her hair is still damp from the shower.

  "Hey," I greet "Found everything?"

  "Yep. No problem at all. What are you doing?"

  "Going through mail stuff. I kinda forgot I had an account."

  She laughs.

  "Seriously? Wow. Never heard anything like that."

  "You spend 20 years with the only use for your phone being a map and tell me you'd remember."

  "Fair," she nods "But how would a map help you? There's no satellites to locate your position with GPS, right?"

  I roll my eyes.

  "People used maps before GPS was a thing. And I had an up-to-date one thanks to Arceus."

  "... who?"

  I wave her off.

  "The Pokémon that brought me back in time. Don't worry about it."

  She blinks and shakes her head. I hear her mumble something about Dialga but I ignore it.

  "Pip!" her Pokémon says between bites of pancake and she lights up.

  "Is it good?" Dawn asks.

  Soon she's seated and even lets out her Buneary and Pachirisu. I share a smile with Dad as they dig in.

  “Where’s Mes?” I ask and Dawn blinks.

  “I, uh… don’t know. She just said there was something to do and Teleported out.”

  I grin.

  “That just means more pancakes for us, so dig in!”

  The morning passes comfortably with a bit of small talk. Dad hasn't been following the contest scene but even he's heard of Dawn and he ends up asking a whole bunch of things about it. I'm wondering if he'll pick it up himself with how much they're talking but he's probably just being polite.

  I end up digging through the paperwork from the Lab and fill out a form for a field research project to look into the Hisuian Goodra population. They were last sighted on the eastern slopes of Coronet Highlands so I'm going to start there and climb the mountains. I also fill out a form for a long-term project of habitat changes. I want to take a comprehensive look at which Pokémon can still be found in Sinnoh, which are no longer there, and which might be new arrivals thanks to global travel picking up. But that'll probably take a few years which I note down for the Professor.

  All this paperwork makes me think of my time with the Galaxy Expedition Team. Cyllene was pretty good at organising the Survey Corps and while there was paperwork to do, it was pretty quick most of the time. She just remembered what everyone was doing and we only wrote down results. No wonder that Abra had taken a liking to her.

  Professor Laventon on the other hand... Well, he was organised but he also had a distinct scientific distractedness about him that made working with him an adventure even when we just researched Bidoof food sources. He always wanted to see things first-hand. That enthusiasm has definitely rubbed off on me. I really love just living in the wild with the Pokémon no matter how dangerous it can be.

  Not long after Dad has to leave for work Dawn also says her goodbyes. I tell her I'll be watching the Oreburgh Contest and we agree to meet then for some tea.

  Now that I'm all alone again I can finally get to exploring. Goopy is likely still around. Dragons and Steel Types both are very long-lived if they stay healthy. I'm stopped again when I try to figure out how to get the paperwork to Professor Rowan until I remember the postal service still exists. The Security Corps trained a bunch of Staravia and Staraptor to travel between camps and settlements for less important messages. The big stuff was still teleported using Abra.

  Hold on, wasn't there something in the stuff Rowan sent me? I skim through it again and sure enough there are instructions on how to submit a research paper. Postal service is listed there as well as in-person delivery for those working at the Lab. It also says that a project has to be approved by the Professor or the research leader of the primary research project you want to work with.

  With a shrug, I pick up Gligar and Lili in their Poké Balls and focus for a few seconds to Teleport to the Lab.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  It ended up being really easy to get my research projects approved. Field Researchers work directly under Rowan and simply publicise their findings after a short review. It's mostly just internal to distribute data for other research projects to use so the requirements are a lot less stringent than for the 'big' stuff. Like how Evolution works. Or how Moves work.

  In short, I'm now getting paid to travel the wilderness and look for Pokémon as well as study their behaviour. It's honestly a lot of money but Professor Rowan told me that I'm getting paid a danger bonus due to the area I'm exploring being somewhere only few people can cross safely. I'm also expected to buy equipment for the trip. The research project is going to run for six months. I'm not expected to travel for that long but I need to make multiple trips to confirm some of my initial sightings are consistent and not just temporary migration patterns.

  Interestingly I'm not expected to study seasonal differences. That's a separate study done over years based on shorter field research like what I'll be doing now.

  My long-term project was also approved. I've got a schedule of five years to put together what I remember from the past (which I have in my hand-written Pokédex) and make some initial observations about any changes. Then Professor Rowan is going to review what I found and some Lab Researchers will cross-reference my information with what's already been collected by modern explorers. I was almost expecting another two-decade journey through the region but I'm no longer the only one willing to travel the wilderness. We have modern surveyors that are both capable and willing to go deep. Like Lukas.

  By the end of all that I'm kinda exhausted from all the information. It's interesting to work a new job but it's also a lot to learn even if I've done mostly similar things over in the past.

  It's a good thing I don't plan to start today. I have to double-check my bag and prep my team for the trip. But all that can happen later.

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath just drinking in the warmth of the summer sun. My thoughts settle and I sink into a light meditative trance. The Psychic Type Energy comes to me easily and fills me from scalp to toes. I can easily feel the minds of the people nearby paying attention to me. It's no wonder that Psychic Types are often very proud beings. Their nature alone makes other minds look at them unless they hide. They are always naturally the centre of attention. I'm honestly curious if anyone ever used that for contests. I'll make sure to ask Mel or Dawn when I next see them.

  Once my thoughts are settled completely and my mind is free from distractions Teleport comes to me even easier than normally. It's almost back to how quick it was before I returned to the present. I feel reality blink for a moment, then it pays attention to me again and I'm standing somewhere else. No minds take notice of me as I let the remaining Psychic TE burn off in a simple telepathic scan, then I open my eyes.

  The colours bring a smile to my face as does the scent. Blues, yellows, reds, oranges, even a bunch of green mix with honey, nectar, and sap. The buzzing of insects and the occasional Bug or Grass Type fill the flower fields with a gentle background noise. They're big. A lot bigger than I remember. Instead of a small camp with a few people taking care of the gracidea fields there's a whole town of folks living for all kinds of flowers. The gracideas are still where I remember but even their patch has grown significantly. Instead of standing on the edge of it I'm closer to the centre.

  Angry chirping pulls my attention to my feet and I smile as I see an irritated bun covered in leaves and flowers with a cute nose poking out. It's squeaking at my soles that are standing on top of a flower. I step aside careful not to flatten another flower and kneel down to the Pokémon.

  "I'm sorry little blossom. I didn't know the fields grew this much. Last time I was here this part was still a simple meadow at the edge of the gracidea field."

  The Shaymin squeaks at me with its nose raised high as its Grass TE flows into the flower I just flattened and restores it.

  "I know. I should've been more careful. It's been a very long time since I last was here."

  It glares at me for a moment then nods imperiously and looks over the restored flower. I grin at the little happy dance of its tippy-tappy feet and only barely hold back my squeal. Shaymin is a super rare species but they're always the absolutely cutest Pokémon right after Petilil and Vulpix.

  "Shay!" it demands and turns around to walk off. I follow it and it nods with satisfaction once it checks if I'm there. Or more probably at the fact that I'm carefully weaving through the flowers without trampling any of them.

  We make our way through the gracideas to a little clearing and then past if to a sharp cliff. I know this place. I've been here often since that day. I wonder...

  I only notice that Shaymin stopped when I'm already halfway to the secret entrance to its cave.

  "Shhh!" it hisses and I give it a smile.

  "Don't worry. A friend showed me this place a long time ago."

  It mumbles, satisfied with something. Then it nods and gives me a short glare.

  "Go ahead," I say.

  "Shaymin," it snubs then steps into its den with a pointed glance at me.

  I follow and we step into a small-for-a-human cave covered in comfortable moss blooming pink and yellow in between clovers and other small leafs. A single gracidea lays plucked and as if frozen in time on top of a mound at the back. My heart skips a beat the moment I spot it. It hasn't moved a bit. Not since I placed it there almost 200 years ago. My breath hitches and I feel my eyes tearing up. The emotions well up inside me to break the walls I so carefully built. I slowly step up and kneel in the moss in front of the mound.

  My hand reaches for the flower before I notice and stops halfway there. I feel a thin smile forming on my lips as the memories come back. A single Shaymin had befriended a girl from Jubilife Village. Together, they had started the tradition that is until now being kept up. The Festival of Gratitude celebrating the founding of Floaroma town by the two of them. It seems like the species of Shaymin are still attached to this place.

  I turn to look at the one that brought me here and bow my head in gratitude.

  "Thank you," I say.

  It hums gently and its expressions softens. Shaymin sidles up to my side and together we look at the flower once again. The one I placed on the grave of Medi, Floaroma's founder. In place of its friend who passed just a year prior. Both of them are buried in this cave side by side just like they always were in life.

  We simply sit there in silence for a while. Between this and talking about Akari all of yesterday I have to accept that I... well, I don't regret that I travelled back to the future. But I miss the people I met in the past. I expected this. I was hoping I'd be fine. But now I'm crying.

  A pop-hiss barely registers at the edge of my mind and then Lili's arms are wrapped around me. I lean into her and hug Shaymin who stepped onto my lap. I sink into their comfort and just let go. My tears flow freely and the pain of loss floods me in that pleasantly uncomfortable sting of acceptance. I've lost a lot when I went to the past. I deliberately avoided making any too-deep connections. And yet, I failed. But it's okay. I have my memories of them. I still have some friends from back then. I even met Akari's great-granddaughter.

  My tears run out as my thoughts turn to the present. I still have them with me in my heart. And some of them I have here right by my side. I nuzzle Lili's chest and she hugs me. And beyond the past I have what I came back for. My family.

  "Mum," I whisper to myself. Lili props me up and gives me an encouraging nod. I look down at the Shaymin in my lap and can't help but chuckle at its slightly offended look. I quickly loosen my grip and let it go.

  "Thank you, Shaymin. That really helped me come to terms with some things. Now I need to go meet with my Mum. I forgot about her yesterday even though I really shouldn't have. And I need to hit up Rob and see how he's holding up… And I should spend more time with dad… and my friends," I nod to myself "Yes. I'll do that. I'll do what I came back for."

  Shaymin blinks shyly and I rub its little head. It cringes out of the way but doesn't look completely offended. With one last look at the time-frozen gracidea I stand up and make my way out of the cave, Lili on my tail.

  I end up being accompanied by the little Pokémon all the way to the edge of the gracidea field where it turns into a bright carpet of all kinds of other flowers. It looks a little hesitant but pumps itself up after a moment and glares at me.

  "Shay. Shaymin," it says.

  I bow.

  "Yes, of course. I'll come back to visit them. I trust you'll keep guard of the cave. As will those coming after you. Thank you for allowing me to see the grave again."

  It nods its acceptance and turns around. I barely notice the glance back it gives me just before disappearing in the flowers.

  I look at Lili and grab her leaf-hand. She chirps happily and we start making our way through the fields. There are even a few paths now that we're out of the gracideas so it's quite easy to avoid stepping on the flowers. A few people are walking around that give us looks but nobody approaches. Everyone is simply enjoying the flowers or taking care of them.

  Floaroma itself is a beautiful little town. It hasn't grown much since I last saw it but most of the houses look a little more modern. I can see cafés, flower shops, berry shops, and a few inns all facing the flower fields. The roads are paved with bricks and lined with flower beds. Grass, Bug, and Water Types are all over taking care of the flowers or enjoying them. In between are the people going about their day.

  I take in all the little details of modern life as we walk down the street. The facades are clean plaster and patterned after flowers instead of carved wood. Lights are electric instead of paper lanterns, torches, and oil lamps. People are wearing shirts and pants instead of kimonos and yukatas. It's all very different and yet when I look at the faces life here hasn't changed at all. It's still the place in Sinnoh where everyone comes together to rest their worries. It's not Eterna or Jubilife where people work all day and then party all night long but the town where you go to find a few days of peace separated from everything else.

  We didn't make plans but Mum told me where she's staying so I make my way over to the little hotel tucked away into a corner of the town. It's a wooden building, almost like a log cabin but with a modernized design. The walls are covered in blooming vines and there's a garden around the back and sides. A second smaller building in the same style is hidden away further back. A sign above the entrance reads 'The Sappy Meadow'.

  I step inside and find a small reception area with an open dining area to one side and a staircase to the other side.

  "Welcome to The Sappy Meadow," a cheery young woman greets me as she turns around from a wall covered in key-chains "Here to dine or... Oh..."

  I raise an eyebrow and smirk. Lili holds her leaf in front of her mouth and giggles.

  "Sorry. I didn't expect... So, food or a room?"

  "Neither. Well, maybe food in a bit. I'm looking for someone. Serena Crones. She's staying here?"

  "Huh. Mrs Crones said her daughter would come by but I didn't expect that connection. She's in room 212, just up the stairs and then left."

  "Thanks," I nod and Lili and I make our way up.

  I find the room quickly and raise my hand to knock only to freeze as the door opens and a man stares at me. He's young, in his twenties at most and stands a full head taller than me. I raise an eyebrow and look around his side to see Mum sitting at a desk while feeding Nadya some Poké Chow.

  "Hey, Mum!" I grin "Anything I need to know about?" I smirk.

  She looks between me and the man and scowls but doesn't get embarrassed which is answer enough for me. I glance up at him as I push past to rush into Mum's arms. She laughs at my enthusiasm.

  "Zoe! Stop. The chair is falling!"

  I let off for a moment and let her get up then give her a proper hug. For a few moments we just stand there. I hold her tight and enjoy the warmth of being home. Even if it's a random hotel room and there's a random guy standing in the door I just don't care right now.

  "I'm sorry, Mum," I whisper.

  "It's okay, Sweetie. It's okay."

  "Uhmm..." the guy makes an uncomfortable sound but Lili chirps in admonishment and he shuts up.

  Eventually, we separate and make ourselves comfortable. There are only two chairs next to the little desk so only Mum and I sit down. I indicate at the guy and turn to Mum.

  "So, who's this?"

  "Ah, right. Zoe, this is Simon Berret. A Field Researcher I met near the end of Ravaged Path. He's helped me make take care of Nadya and make some plans for my future team. Simon, this is my daughter Zoe."

  "Nice to meet you," I say "Zoe Crones, Lab-Trainer and Field Researcher as well since today."

  That stumps him again until Lili pushes past him and leans on my back her leaves wrapped around me.

  "Okay. Right. Nice to meet you too?" he tries then shakes his head "I mean it is. I was just about to get the last supplies for my trip so..."

  "Go ahead. I need to catch up with Mum anyways."

  He blinks and rubs his temples before meeting my eyes again.

  "Right. Thanks. Bye," he says and makes like a startled Starly.

  "Are you stringing him along?" I ask after a moment. Mum looks at me incredulously.

  "No. Zoe, what...?"

  "That's fine then," I nod "I didn't think you were but I wanted to make sure."

  "Right..."

  A slightly unpleasant silence spreads for a moment. Lili steps around and looks between us then shakes her head and turns to chat with Nadya. I let out a deep sigh.

  "I'm sorry, Mum," I say "I don't really know why but when I got back... I don't think I really got back. It took some time to understand that the past is now so far away."

  I look up to see her soft expression. It's not quite a smile but it's encouraging enough to make me smile.

  "I won't stop doing what I love but I honestly haven't even started properly yet. You'll just have to make sure to make me come back to civilisation regularly. I'll have my school friends do the same. Maybe I won't disappear for months at a time to explore the deepest depths of the Region."

  "You're going to explore the wilderness," she states. Her eyes search my face for something. She seems to find it and nods.

  "You're still my daughter, Zoe. I'll have you visit me every weekend and call me once a day. You can Teleport so no talking yourself out of this. I want to spend time with this new you. You're so mature it's feels like I missed you growing up. I want to know the woman who is also the girl I brought into the world."

  I lean over and put my head on her shoulder.

  "I will. And," I look over to our Pokémon "I want to be there when you and Rob and Min get your badges. And all the other things you do. I came back because I missed you. Though I can't promise I'll call every day. When I'm out I might not find the time between camping and working with the wild Pokémon."

  She rubs my hair and kisses my forehead.

  "That's okay. You might not have reception everywhere so I expected that. But try okay?"

  I chuckle.

  "My phone is a little special. I will have reception. Just send me a message if there's something urgent. A picture if you want me to Teleport over."

  "I distinctly remember buying you a normal Rotom phone. Did you take your Rotom out and train it?"

  "No, it kinda stayed back. I think? I don't know. Arceus did something with it when they brought me to the past."

  "Right," Mum says "Then I'll expect your calls or at least a message every day."

  I tighten the hug for a moment before pulling back. Our eyes meet and I can't help but smile. I'm back home. It's real now. Even if my trip to the past has thrown our family into a more turbulent constellation with only Dad really staying home. Change is okay, expected even. I'm just glad that I'll always just be one Teleport away from seeing my family and my friends.

  "Now tell me about your battles. I want to hear everything."

  "Didn't you watch the recordings?" I ask with a smirk.

  Mum laughs and nods. Soon we're sitting on her bed rewatching the matches as I explain my preparation and my thoughts and actions in the moment. It'll do a lot of good for her own battles. She's taking plenty of notes as well.

  Lili meanwhile is sitting next to the window taking in the sun. She occasionally chips in with a chirp especially when we get to the match with Maylene where she was in the Trainer spot.

  The day passes quickly after some lunch at the hotel restaurant where Simon joins us. We talk a bit about research and I'm tempted to join him going through Eterna Forest. There should still be a Kleavor somewhere in there or at least a Weirdeer roaming in and around it. But I have my own research and I want to spend more time with my friends and family so I decide against it.

  In the evening, I Teleport back home to Oreburgh. Dad can use the company with everyone else out of the house. Thinking of him, I kind of don't want to look for a bigger place now. I'd feel bad for leaving him behind. Something to consider… I'm finally starting to feel like I'm back home. There's no need to break things up immediately. I only need space for Lulu and Giratina to stretch their legs.