Chapter 11 – Heart of the City

“Ahh… Sure is good to be back home, isn’t it?” Jal’tai asked.

Home… it seemed a peculiar notion to Solonn as his eyes took in the scene of the Grand Suite once again. He had only resided there for just under two weeks, after all; there were plenty of aspects of living in this place – not to mention this body – that he was still getting used to. And yet… he could not deny that the suite was taking on a sense of familiarity… at times, even comfort. Home it had become indeed, it seemed.

“Suppose so,” he responded, semi-absently raking the fingers of his left hand through hair slightly dampened with the rain that the wind had cast upon him in spite of his umbrella.

Jal’tai smiled at him. “Here, let me take your coat,” he offered. Solonn allowed the Latios to do just that; then, still quite taxed from his recent hospitalization, the former Glalie made his way straight to the armchair in the den and dropped himself onto it, letting his weary body sink deep into the upholstery.

After putting Solonn’s coat in its right place, Jal’tai disappeared into the kitchen; a moment later, there came the loud, unpleasant whirring of the blender in use. It fell silent shortly thereafter, and then Jal’tai drifted back into the den, a glass of something opaque and pale purple clutched in one of his talons.

“Here,” the Dragon offered, handing the glass to Solonn. “It’s one of my specialties. It has something of an energizing property to it – the effect isn’t quite as strong for Humans as it is for Pokémon, but it still ought to put a little of the vigor back into you. Plus, it’s quite tasty,” he added with a grin.

Experimentally, Solonn sniffed at the drink. The beverage smelled rather pleasantly of berries, the blue and violet varieties of which he had long been quite fond. Perhaps Jal’tai had somehow learned that he fancied such flavors… though more likely, Solonn reckoned, the Latios had simply made a good guess. After all, since he had never explicitly told the Dragon that he liked it, the only way that Jal’tai could have figured this out was if he had read Solonn’s mind. And Solonn had not seen any evidence that Jal’tai was a mind reader in the time that he had known him.

Curious to try it now, Solonn sampled the beverage. It had a pleasant, creamy texture to it, and just as the scent of it had suggested, it had a strong berry flavor that Solonn immediately and greatly liked. He looked up from the drink to voice his approval of it to Jal’tai – but where his eyes should have met the scarlet gaze of the Dragon, they were instead greeted by empty air. “Jal’tai?” he called out, throwing a perplexed gaze about. His searching eyes landed on the wall bearing the lens and keypad for the transport tile, just in time to see a green flash there.

Puzzled, Solonn stared at the space where Jal’tai had just been, then set about wondering what the cause for Jal’tai’s abrupt and unexplained departure could possibly have been, nursing the berry smoothie as he did so. Before he could come up with any real possible explanations, however, the Dragon came back, as suddenly and unexpectedly as he had left.

“Sorry to have just popped out and back without warning,” Jal’tai said, clearly noticing the somewhat bewildered look on the face of the Human before him. “I’d meant to swing by my house and pick this up on the way here, but it slipped my mind.”

Before Solonn could ask what it was that the Latios had just procured, the thing in question was placed under his nose for him to see. It was a paperback book; its title instantly caught Solonn’s attention and bemused him slightly, and he took it at once to perhaps confirm the impression he’d immediately gotten from it and try to make sense of it.

“Parent’s Choice: The Very Best Names for Your Baby?” Solonn read the title of the book aloud, a funny expression overtaking his face.

The Latios gave a confirming nod. “You’re going to be selecting a name from this book to use as your own from now on.”

“Is that really necessary?” Solonn questioned. “What’s wrong with the name I already have?”

“Nothing, of course,” Jal’tai answered. “However, it’s still a good idea for you to take on a Human name. It will help to reinforce your Human identity.”

Solonn’s brow furrowed skeptically as he set what remained of his smoothie on the table beside him and opened the book, rifling through its pages without really pausing to look at its contents. “I still don’t quite see the need for it… I don’t think anyone outside my –” He nearly said “my own species”, but caught himself short as he remembered that such a statement was technically no longer true. Managing with an effort not to get too ensnared by that matter, he rectified, “No one other than Snorunt and Glalie would be likely to recognize it as something other than a Human name, and what are the odds of one of them showing up here?”

“Considerable enough,” Jal’tai replied seriously. “Your position here will present the possibility of encounters with any number of races. It’s best to be prepared for anything, Solonn. And furthermore, any effort that can be made towards the integrity of your new identity is a step worth taking. Your new occupation and your new life will be much easier to conduct if those with whom you work, especially outside the city, are given as few reasons to ask questions as possible. A name that strikes Humans as unusual is one that might lead them to inquire about its origins – about your origins, Solonn. Do you wish to be faced with those kinds of questions?”

“No,” Solonn answered promptly. “No, I wouldn’t.” Considering that he still had a fair deal of work to do in getting used to the idea of being Human, he suspected that he might be less than able to construct a history for himself as though he had been Human all his life, and so hoped to never be put in a position of having to do so.

Not that he was exactly thrilled or eager about the prospect of changing his name, of course. Though he understood the necessity of doing so in this situation, he still didn’t quite agree with it. He hadn’t been especially keen on the notion of being renamed back when Morgan had tried to do so, either, and his lack of enthusiasm towards the matter was about more than just how ridiculous he’d found the name she had tried to give him. His name was a pure aspect of who he was; he disliked the notion of having to conceal it, for it was one truth which, in an ideal world, he should be not only allowed but also entitled to never have to betray.

But then, this was not an ideal world. And after what he had experienced in Lilycove and all that he had learned in Convergence, he knew that denying this fact was a dangerous luxury, indulgence in which his newfound duty to society forbade him.

Resigned to what must be, he opened the book again, this time bothering to read through it from its beginning. The names were arranged alphabetically, and as he perused one “A”-name after another, none of them seemed to be striking his interest – but then…

“Angela?” he read aloud, somewhat liking the way it rolled off of his tongue. “That one’s kind of interesting…” He looked up at Jal’tai to solicit his opinion and saw the Dragon wearing an odd, bemused expression. Then, somewhat alarmingly, the Latios exploded into laughter. “Oh, what?” Solonn queried, baffled by Jal’tai’s reaction.

With a slight difficulty, Jal’tai managed to stem the flow of chuckles enough to let words out, though he still sounded slightly breathless. “My dear boy… you’re looking at the names for girls.”

Stupefied, Solonn stared at the Dragon for a moment, then let out an embarrassed groan. He immediately began flipping through the pages in search of the male Human names, trying with only mild success to tune out Jal’tai’s resumed laughter as he did so. The names for men were not really any better than the names for women; he saw nothing among them that he particularly liked, per se, only a couple with which he figured he might be willing to make do if nothing better was found.

Minutes wore on as he continued perusing the names, then hours, his pace slowed by the waning of enthusiasm that was virtually non-existent in the first place. All the while, Jal’tai hovered silently nearby, clearly making an effort to do nothing that might disturb the Human’s decision-making. Solonn couldn’t help but wonder about the limits of the Dragon’s patience, however, and was mindful of Jal’tai’s presence, all the while imagining that crimson gaze bearing down upon him regardless of whether or not it actually was. The feeling of being watched expectantly did nothing to make the experience any more enjoyable.

Finally, Solonn grew so weary of the whole matter that not even midway through the “M”-names, he decided to simply settle on the next one he came across that was at all acceptable, and announced his selection to Jal’tai the moment it was made.

“Michael,” he declared, meeting Jal’tai’s gaze steadily enough, his voice succeeding in projecting more confidence and like of his final choice than was truly present. “I’ll take that one.”

Jal’tai gave him an inquisitive look, cocking his head slightly. “Are you sure?” he questioned brightly.

Solonn only just managed to stifle a wince. Those damned words… “Absolutely,” he replied at once, wanting to get the matter sealed and behind him as soon as he could.

The Latios smiled, nodding approvingly. “A fine choice, I say. Common enough, yet also very stately, in my opinion.” Solonn rolled his eyes in mild embarrassment at Jal’tai’s choice of words. “Well, then. For our next matter of business, it would be a good idea to choose at least one middle name for yourself.”

Inwardly, Solonn groaned in exasperation. From his time spent with Morgan and her Pokémon, he had learned (mostly from Sei) that unlike his own kind, many races did not find it necessary to give their children more than a single personal name and some sort of family designation, if even that much. Sei possessed only two names, while Oth had just one. Morgan, however, had a middle name just as he did, one that he had only heard once and had managed to forget. It seemed that her kind and his own were similarly cursed.

Solonn had never seen any real point in having a middle name, and still did not. His belief as a child had been that the middle name existed solely as a typically revolting name that parents could use as a weapon with which to embarrass their child severely whenever they were particularly displeased with him, her, or it; to this day, he had not found a theory regarding such that he believed or liked more. He would have rather liked to be able to do away with having one, but Jal’tai was not really offering such as an option… although, he hadn’t explicitly said no to such…

Figuring that it was at least worth a try, “Do I actually have to have a middle name, exactly?” Solonn inquired tentatively. “I mean, do Humans have to have one?”

Another of those inquisitive looks crossed the Dragon’s face (Solonn dearly hoped that Jal’tai wasn’t about to break out those words again). “Well, no,” Jal’tai answered. “Plenty of Human cultures don’t use them, as a matter of fact. You don’t have to yourself; I just thought I’d offer it as an option.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Solonn said promptly. “I’d prefer to do without.”

“Very well,” Jal’tai concurred. Something of a relief suffused through Solonn at this – being allowed to forego adding something to his new name that he neither needed nor wanted made it a little easier to accept. At least it wasn’t quite as reflective of something he disliked as it could be. At least he’d been given a considerable say on what it would be.

All that was left now was to take on a Human surname – a name to represent a Human family that he did not have. The notion of it bothered Solonn, and he could not quite pretend that it didn’t. It wasn’t that he wasn’t convinced of the necessity of such deceptions in what was becoming his position – it was just a matter about which he didn’t feel very comfortable lying. It was, after all, essentially a matter of denying his family, his mother… denying someone whom he loved…

Denying doesn’t have to mean forgetting, something inside him seemed to say then. This much was true, and he did recognize that as soon as the notion had come. The need to take on a new name was required for where he was going, but he could still keep something of where he had been – his memories. Though he did not really like having to do this and imagined that he never entirely would, he nonetheless understood and accepted it, recognizing this as just part of the change of what he was, but not whom he was.

With that settled, he listened as Jal’tai began to suggest various Human surnames to him, and stopped the Latios when one was mentioned of which he actually rather liked the sound. Jal’tai voiced his approval, commenting on how nicely he thought the names sounded together. By comparison, Solonn didn’t think that the combination was really great, exactly, but thought it wasn’t half bad, either. And so it was that on that day, Solonn Zgil-Al became Michael Layne.

“Whew,” Jal’tai exhaled, casting an eye towards the clock. “Well, that certainly took a fair amount of time. Expected it would, though.”

“Yeah, well…” Solonn uttered, not really knowing how else to respond. Of course it should take a while for someone to choose a name for himself, herself, or itself – who would want a name they disliked or regretted following them around wherever he, she, or it went? Thoughts of that matter made something occur to him, something that interested him enough to provoke him to ask about it at once. “So, did you have a hard time choosing your Human name?”

So fleetingly that it could have easily been imagined, a peculiar, inscrutable look pervaded the Dragon’s features. “Actually, not really,” he answered with only the slightest delay. “I came by the decision quite readily.”

“Hm.” Not really sure of what he thought of that, if anything, Solonn dismissed the matter.

“Well, what matters is that we have gotten this taken care of now,” Jal’tai said pleasantly. “Now, you’ve got a Human name to match your Human appearance – a name under which I can enroll you for your further education at Convergence Academy,” he added.

The look Solonn gave him in response was in an odd phase between puzzlement and amusement. “You’re going to do what?” he inquired, a little additional amusement showing through his voice.

“You’ll be going to school, Solonn. A place for education, fashioned very much like the sort that Humans use. Are you at all familiar with such places?”

“In a way, I suppose,” Solonn answered. “I mean, I’ve never been to one, no, but I know what you’re talking about. Morgan used to tell me of some of the things she did at her school.” A strange little smile curved across his lips. “She described it as… kind of boring at times…”

Jal’tai laughed. “A common perception of school,” he said. “I do hope you’ll find your experience at the Academy interesting and engaging, though, at least during most of your time there. I’ve enlisted the services of a very capable instructor, one who’ll impart upon you the knowledge and skills you’ll need when you go into office. Systan Exeter, your future educator, knows you have a lot to learn, and is sure to keep you very busy… I don’t mean this to intimidate you, of course,” he added with a sort of self-conscious little chuckle.

Solonn gave a dismissive shake of his head, unsurprised by the notion of having a heady education lying before him. He’d known from the outset that this was an undertaking that would require a lot from him, and that therefore he could expect to have a significant amount to learn. He was a little surprised to learn that much of his training would not be given by Jal’tai himself, but supposed that he shouldn’t be; Jal’tai did have a city to run, after all. He couldn’t be expected to tend to all of his successor’s needs. Solonn only hoped that this “Exeter” would be likeable enough, and hopefully not too strict.

“Now, I won’t be shipping you off to school just yet,” Jal’tai told him then. “You’ve been through a great deal these past few days, and I think you’re very entitled to have some time to rest and recuperate before taking on something so major.”

The Latios cast a look at the now-empty glass that sat on the table beside Solonn. “Would you like for me to make you another smoothie before I go?”

“Hmm? No, that’s okay,” Solonn answered. “Thanks anyway, though.”

Jal’tai nodded in acknowledgement of the Human’s reply, but took the glass in his talon anyway. “It ought to at least be washed,” he said, indicating the pale purple film beginning to dry on the inner surface of the glass, then took the glass into the kitchen. Very shortly thereafter, the sound of the blender was heard again, puzzling Solonn. It seemed that his polite refusal had slipped from the Dragon’s mind.

Sure enough, there was a fresh glass of the purple berry beverage in the Latios’s talon when he came back into the den. He set it down beside Solonn with a funny sort of apologetic smile. “Sorry – I just couldn’t resist,” Jal’tai said. “I could tell you really liked the last one, so…” He shrugged.

“Uh… thanks,” the Human replied politely, albeit a bit awkwardly.

“Anyway,” Jal’tai began, stretching his arms out and flexing his neck in the manner of someone ready to hit the trail, “I’ll be bringing you to the Academy on, oh, the Monday after next, I think. I’ll let you have a tour of the facilities and meet Exeter, and you can probably start your classes the next day.

“Now, I won’t lie to you – the workload will seem a bit heavy at times during the course of your education. But I truly do feel that you’ll be able to handle it. And I do have a lot of faith in Exeter – you will be under the tutelage of one of the greatest and most important minds in all of Convergence, someone who’ll make sure that you stay on course and are fully prepared for the responsibilities that lie in your future. You have absolutely nothing to worry about – you’re going to be in excellent hands… well, in a manner of speaking, that is,” he amended, and laughed about it for some peculiar reason.

“In the meantime, though, I just want you to relax,” Jal’tai told Solonn earnestly, warmly. “Yes, you’ve got quite a road ahead of you, but it’s nothing to fear, nothing to be stressed about. I think you’ll find that your life will become richer and better as you begin to truly apply yourself to your purpose. Coming into your role is something to look forward to, my boy. Keep that in mind and be at ease in it in your days to come. Of course, Neleng can help you keep your nerves about you – she’ll be here in just over an hour, and again, she can come to visit any evening you wish. Until we meet again, take care.” And with those sentiments, Jal’tai went to the transport tile and exited the suite, leaving Solonn alone with a berry smoothie and plenty on his mind.

* * *

A week passed, and then another. The final Sunday night preceding Solonn’s first visit to the Academy arrived, and he went to bed at its close thinking exclusively of what would await him the next day.

What he most certainly did not expect to be awaiting him the next morning was a feathered Dragon holding a tray of hot, buttered pancakes, hovering almost directly over him.

“Rise and shine!” Jal’tai greeted him cheerfully, as if the recipient of that greeting wasn’t peacefully, obliviously asleep. As it happened, Solonn was exactly that – until the Dragon’s sudden, exuberant utterance startled him awake, and startled him badly.

“BWAAA!” the Human exclaimed, flailing momentarily in the confusion of his shattered sleep. He very nearly knocked the pancakes right out of Jal’tai’s hands; admirably concealing his amusement, the Latios backed up and watched patiently as the Human untangled himself from his sheets. Sweeping a handful of matted black hair out of his face and trying to will his hammering heart to calm down, Solonn shot a bewildered, incredulous look at Jal’tai. “Good gods… why on Earth did you think that was a good idea?!” he gasped.

The Dragon shrugged. “I figured that if you were anything like me, an ordinary alarm clock wouldn’t do the trick, so…” He held out the tray in front of Solonn with a lopsided, hopeful smile.

Still frazzled by the unexpected wake-up call, Solonn took the tray from Jal’tai without a word and started in on the pancakes. They were still quite warm, quite fresh; he vaguely wondered how Jal’tai had managed to slip in and cook breakfast without the smell awakening him. When he had nearly finished his breakfast, he asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s 5:00 a.m.,” Jal’tai replied.

“…Oh, you have got to be joking,” Solonn half-groaned, suddenly feeling quite drowsy again at the mention of the hour. The clock had read around 10:00, 9:00 at the earliest, when he’d awoke on the past several mornings. “I don’t think I got even seven hours of sleep last night…”

“Well, I did advise you to get to bed early on the night before I’d take you to the Academy, you know,” the Latios pointed out.

“Which I did,” Solonn informed him. “A whole hour and a half earlier, in fact. I knew I’d be getting up early, but not this early… I bet the sun isn’t even out yet, is it?”

“It’s about to be,” Jal’tai said. “Anyway, you will need to get used to early mornings. You’ll need plenty of time each day for the lessons you are to learn and the work you’ll be given, and so, the school day cannot start late. You should be glad you’re going to be given so many hours each day with which to learn. You’ll be able to get through your courses much more quickly than you would if you were taught at a more leisurely pace.”

“Lucky me,” Solonn muttered, still somewhat irritable from having been jolted awake. He stirred the remaining maple syrup on his plate about with his fork for a brief while, tracing vague little patterns in it, not quite energized enough to think of anything better or more involving to do. “So, how long until we leave?” he asked eventually.

“In about three hours,” Jal’tai answered.

“…What? You mean, you woke me up before the sun, and we’re not even leaving for another three hours?”

Despite Solonn’s agitation, Jal’tai kept a remarkably even temperament. “This is the time at which you’ll be waking nearly every day from now on,” he told Solonn. “When you begin attending classes tomorrow, you’ll be leaving an hour earlier than we’ll leave today. I felt it was a good idea for you to start getting used to being up and around at this hour.

“Now, the idea of waking up hours before you have to leave might seem silly to you, but it’s important to have ample time to get yourself ready for where you’re going. You should be able to shower, get dressed, have a nice breakfast, and even have a little time to just sit back and relax before you leave each day. Rushing to an appointment is never a good idea; it can have very sloppy results. Why, you wouldn’t want to arrive there only to find you’d forgotten your trousers, now would you?”

A crooked smile crept across Jal’tai’s semi-avian face, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter, unable to help himself. Solonn only stared bemused at him for a moment, failing (or perhaps refusing) to see the humor in the little hypothetical, pantsless situation that the Latios had just illustrated. Slightly weirded-out, he pushed his tray to the foot of the bed, then climbed off and departed the room to go take a shower, leaving the Dragon still laughing at his own joke.

Solonn emerged from the shower minutes later, trying in vain to calm the static in his newly dried hair (Thank the gods for hairspray, he thought to himself, eager to finish taming his hair soon) as he stepped out of the bathroom. There was Jal’tai in the den, perched oddly in the armchair, listening to his favorite jazz station, with Solonn in his line of sight – he presently seemed not to be paying the Human any mind, but still, Solonn was feeling quite grateful at that moment for the bathrobe that he kept on a hook inside the bathroom door.

A sudden, brief fanfare sounded seemingly out of nowhere, clashing with the music issuing from the radio. In a swift series of motions, Jal’tai silenced the radio and snatched something from the table nearby – a tiny, silver cell phone, which he answered just as it rang again. “Hello? …Ah, good morning, Ms. Kal!” he brightly greeted the person on the other end of the line. Semi-idly, Solonn stopped on his way to the closet, wondering about the occasion for the call and who this “Ms. Kal” might be.

“Is that right… So, the idea just struck you out of the blue, did it?” Jal’tai asked of Ms. Kal. There was a pause as she responded; then, the Dragon gave a short laugh. “I’m sure they’ll do just fine, and I know he’s going to appreciate this. This was a very nice thing to decide to do, you know, especially on such short notice.” Another pause. “Well, we’ll be seeing you shortly. Goodbye.”

The Latios terminated the conversation and put down the phone. His eyes then shifted directly to Solonn, and he raised a questioning eyebrow. Solonn could tell from the way that Jal’tai was looking at him that he Dragon had probably not just noticed him then, and the notion that he was known to have been eavesdropping - in his bathrobe, no less - was one that swiftly made him quite uneasy. Embarrassed, he hastened to get out of the Dragon’s sight and dress himself.

He put on a simple white dress shirt and grey slacks, along with dark brown leather shoes and a matching belt. Once dressed, he walked into the den to get Jal’tai’s opinion of the outfit; the Latios noticed him with a slight delay, and then looked him over for perhaps a second and a half at most.

“You forgot your tie,” he then informed Solonn.

The former Glalie made a face at Jal’tai. Ties were easily his least favorite aspect of Human-style attire; he found them utterly ridiculous-looking. He sometimes wondered just what kind of a lunatic could have decided that wearing a purposeless strip of fabric hanging from one’s throat looked even remotely good, and how equally mad other Humans at the time must have been to agree with that person.

“Come on, now. It’s important to make a good first impression whenever introducing yourself somewhere new – hence the importance of dressing like a gentleman. My videos illustrated that point; do you not remember?” Jal’tai reminded him.

“Right, right…” Solonn acquiesced blandly, turning back towards the closet.

“Hey, at least it’s only a tie you need to bother with,” Jal’tai called after him. Solonn turned to face him with a slightly dull expression. “Be grateful that you aren’t a lady,” the Latios said with a wink.

Having absolutely nothing to say to that, Solonn shot Jal’tai a sanity-questioning look before departing the Dragon’s company to finish getting himself ready to leave.

* * *

Convergence Academy was one of those buildings that had a boldness and distinction of presence more befitting a living entity than a mere structure of masonry and steel – it seemed almost as if it could be breathing, and watching those who drew near it with awareness and, one hoped, hospitality. Solonn had only ever laid eyes on one building that had been more impressive: the extravagant Contest Hall back in Lilycove.

The grounds before the building itself were sprawling. Through them, a fairly new-looking, barely-worn, cobblestone path wound, lined on either side by small saplings. Older, majestic trees grew here and there in the expansive field, their leaves ablaze in the scarlets and golds of autumn.

Solonn walked along the path, accompanied by a presently Human Jal’tai. As the two approached the Academy itself, its size and magnificence impressed themselves upon Solonn more and more with each step closer to those great front doors. It was a very broad, six-story building of rich red brick, at each landing of which there were marble panels stretching across each wall. They depicted both Human and Pokémon personages who were historically associated with wisdom, invention, and the arts, carved in exquisitely detailed relief. Atop the roof, a multitude of flags waved in the wind, lined up in a neat row and representing many different regions, and also the International Pokémon League. In the very center of them all, on a pole longer than those on which the other flags waved, the flag of Convergence itself was flown proudly over the school, bearing the Unown character “C” in black over a background of silver and gold colors that intertwined into a spiraling shape.

At last, they arrived at the entrance, on either side of which a large marble statue stood. One of them depicted an elderly Human man with flowing robes and a long, curly beard, while the other was carved in the form of a wingless, five-horned Dragon Pokémon with diamond-shaped scales. The two figures each had an arm outstretched towards the other.

“Aphilicus, a great Human philosopher, and Meron, an Emyril known to numerous Pokémon cultures as the Father of Wisdom,” Jal’tai identified the two statues after noticing the intrigued expression with which Solonn was regarding them. “Two of the greatest minds in history, and therefore fitting icons to represent one of the most important educational facilities in the world. Now,” he said then, drawing Solonn’s attention from the statues, “I’ll remind you that you should make a conscious effort to speak Human language most of the time. Almost exclusively, in fact. It seems much more fitting, much more natural for a Human to speak in the fashion of his kind as a habit, Speech or no Speech, you understand?”

“Right,” Solonn acknowledged, nodding.

Looking pleased with Solonn’s understanding, Jal’tai then motioned him to enter the school alongside him. The two passed through the doors and into a vast foyer. A handsome and nearly full trophy case stood against the far wall adjacent to the doors, while the other walls were covered in plaques with the names and achievements of star pupils engraved in gold, and banners that sported mottos like “Knowledge Is Power!”. There was a round symbol emblazoned in the center of the foyer on the linoleum floor, bearing the intertwining spiral of gold and silver from the Convergence flag.

Footsteps sounded from the hall to the right, heavy-sounding with a faint clicking that suggested claws on the hard floor. Turning towards the sound, Solonn saw a stocky, plated, blue-and-beige creature making an approach. The Pokémon soon reached Solonn and Jal’tai and stopped before them, smiling eagerly with sparkling, hazel eyes.

“Ah, hello, Ms. Kal,” Jal’tai greeted in a friendly tone.

“Hello to you too, sir!” the Nidoqueen returned enthusiastically. Her gaze shifted to the unfamiliar Human at Jal’tai’s side. “And this must be Mr. Layne, right?”

“Correct,” Jal’tai confirmed.

Ms. Kal’s eyes brightened further. “Hello, Mr. Layne. It’s so nice to meet you,” she greeted merrily.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Solonn responded. Remembering some of the etiquette lessons from Jal’tai’s instructional videos, he extended his hand to the Nidoqueen. He knew that this custom was mostly just practiced by Humans, but knew also that it was widely expected for Humans to automatically do this as a habit when greeting someone new, regardless of the species of the one to whom they were offering the gesture. Ms. Kal seemed indeed to have expected him to do this; she took his hand readily in one of her own and shook it with a surprisingly strong grip.

“So, have they got it all set, then?” Jal’tai inquired then of the Nidoqueen.

“Oh, yes,” Ms. Kal confirmed, beaming. “They’re all ready to go.”

Jal’tai nodded and smiled. He turned to Solonn and said, “Ms. Kal is in charge of educating some the Academy’s younger students. She will not be teaching you. However… she and her class would certainly like to meet you. Come, let’s go and say hello to the children. Lead the way, madam!”

Eagerly, Ms. Kal turned back towards the hall from whence she’d come and began plodding forward. Jal’tai and Solonn followed her, the latter being especially careful to not follow too closely behind to avoid stepping on the Nidoqueen’s long, thick, spiked tail. They soon reached a door with a placard that read “GRADE 1 (P) – MS. KAL”… but curiously, they were led right past it. Though perplexed as to why the Nidoqueen might have passed by her own classroom, Solonn guessed that she probably knew what she was doing, and so, he kept silent.

Ms. Kal rounded a corner and continued onward, leading Jal’tai and Solonn behind her until she arrived at the entrance to a gymnasium. Seeming almost giddy with an unexplained excitement, she opened the doors…

“Welcome, Mr. Layne!” shouted a chorus of voices in less-than-perfect unison. The source of the greeting was a small horde of children representing numerous species – all Pokémon, Solonn noted – perched upon rows of bleachers. The children in front held signs that mirrored the spoken welcome – or were supposed to, anyway. The “l” and the first “e” in “Welcome” were in the reverse order; the “y” in “Layne” was upside-down; and the student holding the “M” in “Mr.” forgot to turn up his sign until after all the other students had put theirs down.

Ms. Kal’s eyes shifted swiftly towards Solonn and Jal’tai, holding an alarmed and very apologetic look. “Mr. Layne is very pleased by your excellent welcome,” she said merrily, albeit rather hurriedly to the children. She cast a quick look at Solonn, a hopeful yet urgent look that seemed to say, “Right? Right?” Solonn took the cue and nodded in concurrence, smiling warmly and managing not to look as vicariously embarrassed as he felt.

An Aipom in the third row of the bleachers lifted a hand to gain the teacher’s attention – the hand on her tail, specifically.

“Yes, Ms. Chibbles?” Ms. Kal acknowledged her.

“Is he gonna be our new teacher? Did you get fired?” asked Chibbles.

Ms. Kal made an incredibly flustered face, her cheeks turning from denim blue to a shade befitting a bruised Oran berry. “No, no, of course not, Ms. Chibbles,” she said hastily. “Mr. Layne is going to be a new student here.”

Wondering gazes and whispers flittered about amid the students. “A grown-up’s coming to our class? He must not be very smart…” a Totodile in the back row said very loudly, without raising his hand.

Ms. Kal winced and blushed even further, giving Solonn and Jal’tai another repentant look. “Please don’t speak out of turn, Mr. Cuomo,” she reprimanded the Totodile, her tone falling quite short of assertive. “And no, Mr. Layne will be taught by Systan Exeter.”

The whispering among the students suddenly fell silent. Ms. Kal smiled in relief, seeming to believe that she’d recaptured the respect and orderliness of the students, but it appeared to Solonn that it was actually the mention of Exeter’s name that had brought the hush over the crowd. He wondered just what sort of a person Exeter could be for the mere mention of his, her, or its name to command silence.

“Well, then,” Jal’tai spoke up suddenly, clapping a hand onto Solonn’s shoulder and startling him so badly that the Human nearly jumped at the utterance and contact, “I’m certain that Mr. Layne enjoyed your surprise greeting and had a lovely time meeting you all.” Again, Solonn recognized the cue and nodded very consciously. “Have a nice day students! You too, Ms. Kal!” Jal’tai said in farewell.

“Bye!” she responded cheerfully, waving heartily. As Solonn departed the gymnasium with Jal’tai, he turned briefly and saw Cuomo standing up in the bleachers, mocking the Nidoqueen’s voice and the way she waggled her rear end when she waved. Ms. Kal was utterly oblivious to the Totodile’s actions.

“Wasn’t that a lovely little thing that she decided to do there?” Jal’tai remarked. “Just a spur-of-the-moment, random act of kindness; she said the idea just hit her last Friday, and she simply had to try and pull it off for you. She’s a good person, that Ms. Kal. She’s only recently begun teaching here, but I think that given time, she’ll really come into her own here. The children certainly do seem to like her, that’s for certain.”

They seemed to like her, all right – in that she unintentionally amused them. Solonn’s thoughts did not linger long upon the Nidoqueen and her class, however, instead turning to the matter of the one who would be his own educator. “What do you know about Exeter?” he inquired of Jal’tai.

“That’s Systan Exeter to you,” Jal’tai corrected him, but not harshly. “You should keep due etiquette in mind for the one who’ll be preparing you for the important tasks that lie ahead of you in life. Anyway, I know quite a lot about Exeter, actually,” the Latios said, the white mustache of his Human guise turning up in a smile. “Exeter is an old friend of mine, and one of the primary forefathers of the Convergence Project. It provided a great deal of research into Human industry and technology, as well as a number of other key fields, research that was vital to the conception and creation of this city and that remains invaluable to Convergence and its citizens to this day. Exeter’s is a brilliant mind, and the unique abilities and properties of its kind give it unparalleled access to some very rich resources and broad spectrums of information.”

Learning of Exeter’s intelligence and importance had rather the effect of stoking unease in Solonn regarding his new teacher. If Exeter was really as smart as Jal’tai claimed it to be, surely its classes would be at a particularly challenging level. “Just how difficult are Systan Exeter’s classes going to be?” he asked.

“I’ll be perfectly honest with you, Solonn: What you are about to undertake is a very intensive and demanding education. Exeter usually only tutors Psychic students, particularly those of especially sophisticated mental development. It took very little convincing to get it to agree to tutor you exclusively for as long as is necessary. Knowing your reason for being here, it seemed glad enough to put aside its classes for a while in order to take you on; it cherishes the welfare and future of this city as much as I do.

“Exeter’s are tough courses, yes, the most rigorous ones provided by this school. But Exeter itself is not harsh at all – it’s one of the most patient and pleasant people you will ever meet. It wants you to learn all that you need to know and is willing to invest as much time and effort in your education as it must. All that it will ask is that you are willing to invest the same in yourself. Will you give it – and yourself – that much?”

Solonn nodded silently. He was still somewhat nervous, but now not about his teacher so much as the magnitude of his undertaking, which seemed to be looming larger as he prepared to confront it directly. “You know… I still can’t completely believe I’m doing this,” he said quietly. “I still can’t quite picture myself in charge of an entire city…”

“You needn’t try so hard to grasp these things all at once,” Jal’tai reassured him warmly. “Everything you’re meant to be will come about in time.”

Solonn turned to look at Jal’tai, to regard the kindly, presently Human face that smiled comfortingly back at him. He almost spoke, only to realize just as quickly that he didn’t really have anything to say. He gave a smile that was less than earnest, feeling that Jal’tai’s smile somehow demanded reciprocation, and then turned away, swallowing against a sudden lump in his throat.

The two walked through the halls of the Academy in silence broken only when a stream of young adolescent Human students emerged from a classroom they passed, the students chatting animatedly as they diverged and made for their next classes. Noise filled the air as the same event occurred in several locations throughout the building simultaneously. Several of the passing students shot looks at Jal’tai, clearly recognizing him – or recognizing Mayor Whitley, rather. Most of them kept going, continuing to look back at him over their shoulders but nonetheless intent on getting to their classes in time. A small handful of them did not, however, and they stopped before him and Solonn.

“Is it really you?” one of them, a short blonde boy, asked incredulously.

“Well, I’ve always been me, as far back as I remember,” Jal’tai responded, and laughed. Solonn nearly laughed, as well, but not at the joke itself so much as the irony of it. Jal’tai was being recognized for not being himself; the students would never know who the “me” to whom Jal’tai referred actually was.

The blonde boy’s eyes widened, and he exchanged significant looks with the other students. “What are you doing here?” he then asked, apparently the unofficial spokesman of the group.

“Well, young man, Mr. Layne here and I have a very important appointment with the staff to get to. I’m afraid we really must be moving along, as a matter of fact… Good day to you all, students!” he said, bidding them farewell as he began to lead Solonn away.

“Bye!” the blonde boy called after Jal’tai. A couple of the other students echoed the farewell. Solonn looked over his shoulder and saw a few of them waving at him and Jal’tai, and he waved back.

As the halls began to empty once more, Solonn found himself brought before the doors of an elevator.

“Systan Exeter’s class is on the top floor,” Jal’tai informed him. “Many of his old Psychic students would simply Teleport up there, but we’ll just have to make do with the elevator.” The doors opened after the press of a button and the passage of a few moments, and the two stepped inside. “Just be glad you’re not being made to take the stairs,” Jal’tai said with a small laugh.

They arrived at the sixth floor, and Solonn found his anxiety peaking as they approached Exeter’s classroom. He could not bring himself to say anything, his mind having gone almost totally blank and his throat having gone almost totally dry. Blessedly, Jal’tai did not try to spark a conversation at this point; Solonn couldn’t imagine being able to join in on one anyway. He tried to distract himself with his surroundings, his eyes darting over the framed photographs that lined the walls, depicting noteworthy people, from past and present educators at the Academy to important figures in Convergence to people who had worldwide fame or accolade. His mind failed to truly take in anything he saw, and instead directed his eyes forward and locked them there, upon the fastly approaching door that stood between himself and the place where he would soon undergo the most stringent training he had ever known.

“SYSTAN EXETER – INTENSIVE EDUCATION,” read the placard on the door. Jal’tai gave Solonn one last reassuring smile (which only slightly succeeded in its aim), and then pressed a button beside the doorknob. A faint tone sounded within the classroom.

“Come in,” a voice called from behind the door a moment later. The quality of the voice surprised Solonn a bit; it bore striking similarity to the soft chime of the doorbell that Jal’tai had just pressed.

Taking the cue, Jal’tai opened the door and stepped inside. He stood just within the room for a moment, beckoning Solonn into the classroom ahead of him. With no small measure of apprehension, Solonn did as he was directed, passing through the door gingerly. Once he was completely inside the classroom, he saw Jal’tai close the door behind him; involuntarily, he imagined it sealing itself shut and melting into the wall, trapping him inside.

Shaking such thoughts from his mind with only scant success, Solonn swept his gaze over the classroom. It was much smaller than he had expected, with walls of a soft, powdery blue and a deep carpet of a dark navy shade. There were no windows, nothing at all on the walls. The classroom was almost entirely bare, in fact; it contained only a single desk and chair near the center, a longer desk up near the front on which sat a broad array of computer equipment, and a vast screen mounted on the wall above that desk.

There, hovering before that screen, was Systan Exeter itself. Solonn hadn’t really had any idea of quite what to expect his new teacher would actually be, but he was certain that what he now beheld would have never crossed his mind. Exeter was small and brightly colored, the surface of its body so perfectly smooth and glossy that it almost appeared as though Exeter were made of some kind of gel or even liquid, impossibly suspended and contained in shape. Its bright pink form was vaguely avian in form – very vaguely – with equally bright blue projections at its sides that might have been limbs, one on the back that might have been a tail, and one on its face that might have been a beak.

With no preamble, Exeter glided effortlessly towards Solonn, who went stock still as the Porygon2 approached him. “Welcome, Mr. Layne,” it said in its chiming, androgynous voice as it stopped before him. Neither its “beak” nor any other part of its face moved when it spoke; it appeared to have nothing at all in the way of a mouth. Solonn found himself rather reminded of Oth, who had not spoken with a mouth, either – Exeter was even genderless like Oth. At least, unlike Oth, this creature’s audible speech was comprehensible; it did not need to resort to telepathy to be understood.

Solonn knew he could not shake hands with Exeter, seeing as how it did not possess any. At a loss for any other way to greet the teacher, “…Hi,” he said, somewhat awkwardly.

The Porygon2 cocked its head slightly at Solonn, staring appraisingly at him through large, bright eyes. Finally, it lowered its head respectfully; when it looked up once more, there was something peculiar playing about its eyes, almost suggesting a smile, only without the involvement of a mouth. “I’m most glad to meet you, Mr. Layne, and I’m even more pleased to be able to teach you.”

“…Thanks,” Solonn said, still gathering his wits.

Exeter made an odd, jingling sound that might have been laughter. It then turned its attention towards Jal’tai. “You’re looking well today, Mr. Jal’tai,” it commented.

“Why, thank you. You’re looking quite well, yourself,” Jal’tai returned.

It was then that Solonn realized something very significant in what the Porygon2 had said – it had referred to Jal’tai by his true name, his Lati name, not the Human name that Jal’tai normally used in public. Solonn turned towards Jal’tai… and saw that the Latios had done away with his Human mirage and was now hovering there in his true, draconic form. He stared speechlessly at the Dragon in surprise – Jal’tai revealed himself as he truly was to virtually no one, Humans and Pokémon alike, such was his strict maintenance of his Human disguise and identity.

The Dragon noticed the way Solonn was staring at him and clearly interpreted it correctly. “No need to worry, Michael,” he assured him. “As I said, Systan Exeter and I go back quite a long way. It knows me for whom and what I truly am; it’s one of the very few here who do.”

Solonn’s eyes shifted between Jal’tai and Exeter, and he found himself feeling strangely singled-out of a sudden. Those two knew each other by name, as he knew them. The only identity that was not known by everyone present was his own. Jal’tai had only referred to him by his Human name in the Porygon2’s presence. Exeter did not and would likely never know the true identity of its new student.

“Say… why don’t you give him a little preview of what you have to offer him?” Jal’tai suggested then.

The Porygon2 gave another of its odd, mouthless smiles. “Certainly!” it agreed brightly. It glided over to its desk and set itself down on a flat, grey, circular pad in the very midst of the devices arranged there, resembling nothing so much as a whimsical bird sitting in a nest of jet-black components. Its eyes closed, and then, much to Solonn’s surprise, its form sparkled, grew transparent, and then disappeared completely.

“What? …Where did it go?” Solonn hissed at Jal’tai.

The screen over the desk suddenly came awake with an image of Exeter in front of a flowing, liquid-looking, emerald green background. “I’m right here!” the Porygon2 exclaimed cheerfully, its melodious voice magnified greatly.

Solonn could only stare at the screen that impossibly contained the teacher. He might have asked Exeter how it had done such a thing, but found his brain and his mouth refusing to cooperate for some reason.

Exeter gave another of its peculiar little laughs at Solonn’s plain bewilderment. “Give me a subject,” it then said suddenly.

Solonn supposed that the teacher was addressing him, and tried to think of something, but was still a bit discombobulated, and no suggestions came to him with any speed.

“How about… Dragons?” Jal’tai suggested once it seemed clear to him that Solonn was drawing a blank.

Apparently, Jal’tai’s suggestion of a subject was something that Exeter found particularly amusing; its musical laughter tinkled on for several seconds before subsiding. Once it managed to fall silent once more, the Porygon2 nodded in acknowledgement. Exeter’s form then darkened to the deep green shade that surrounded it, its outline fading until the Porygon2 blended into the background completely and vanished. A second later, the flowing green field was replaced by an image of a majestic mountain range. Sweeping classical music began to play as a large, powerful-looking, blue-and-red Dragon Pokémon suddenly surged upward from behind the mountains and began soaring over their peaks. The Dragon rushed across the screen, filling its view completely; when it cleared, a desert scene was revealed, through which green, somewhat insectoid Dragons sped in a pack, their wings buzzing.

A few more cinematic scenes depicting different varieties of Dragon Pokémon in their natural environments played, then gave way to a screen on which small, fully dimensional representatives of numerous draconic species perched along the sides. Exeter returned to this screen at its center; some of the tiny Dragons turned their heads towards it, while others among them hissed at it in disdain.

“Please select a species of Dragon for further discussion,” the Porygon2 prompted in its pleasant voice.

“Let’s have a look at the Dragonite,” Jal’tai suggested.

Exeter acknowledged this, and then turned towards the tiny Dragonite at the upper right corner of the screen. The teacher, along with all the other Dragons, vanished from the screen as the Dragonite increased in size until it took up most of the screen. It came to stand at the center, where it remained as Exeter began to describe the species’ various qualities from offscreen. As the Porygon2 continued narrating, the camera focused on the Dragonite from several angles, and then replaced the model of the Dragon with a series of video clips of its species in action.

Exeter was also asked to provide brief packages of information on the Salamence and Drathlon species before Jal’tai decided that that was enough for the day. The Porygon2 terminated the Dragon program, and then rematerialized within the classroom as the screen went blank once more.

“That was only a small example of the sort of lessons Systan Exeter has in store for you,” Jal’tai told Solonn then. “Now, this is not the only method that it will employ; it will provide a variety of different types of lessons. Also, I’m afraid that Dragons will not be a focal point of your education. I just… really happen to like that program,” he admitted, and chuckled. “Figured you might like it, too.”

Solonn did think that it was fairly interesting, even if he wasn’t overly interested in Dragons. It seemed that learning under Systan Exeter might not be quite so unpleasant as he had anticipated. At the very least, it looked as though it wouldn’t be as boring as he might have expected. Given the Porygon2’s pleasant, even cheerful demeanor and its interesting and unusual methods of teaching, the experience ahead of him might actually even be kind of enjoyable.

“Well, I suppose we’ll be taking our leave now,” Jal’tai said. “I’ll let Michael here have a look around the Academy for a while longer, and then it’s off to enjoy a nice, relaxing evening.”

Exeter turned towards Solonn and smiled with its eyes once again. “I hope you’ll enjoy your time here, Mr. Layne,” it said. “Farewell, and I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Goodbye,” Solonn returned, and then followed Jal’tai out the door.

* * *

Solonn had never quite managed to really guess what he could expect from his education with any certainty. As it turned out, neither the example he’d learned of secondhand from Morgan nor the demonstrations shown him when he first visited the Academy were altogether representative of the experience into which he entered when he began attending Systan Exeter’s classes.

The main difference that he came to recognize between his own experience at school and what he’d seen of others’ experience was the schedule that was demanded of him. A day’s work at school for him was nearly twice as long as those Morgan had to endure, and unlike her, he had to attend classes seven days a week. He learned also that most of the students were offered vacations during the late winter and the spring, as well as a long one spanning nearly three months over the summer, but he would not be given such long breaks. He would only be given the option of taking up to four days off each month; beyond that, he would only be excused by illness.

Solonn had learned of his demanding new schedule on the very first day he began attending classes at the Academy, and had initially disliked it. He knew that he was being prepared for a very major responsibility, and it did make sense to him that such an undertaking would require a lot of time and effort spent to adequately prepare him. Yet still, he felt it was a bit unfair for him to be made to work so hard with so little reprieve in the midst of that work. At the very least, he thought he should have a nice, long break every so often, something more than just the equivalent of a long weekend. He found the sheer volume of time that he was to devote to his education rather daunting, and knew not how he was going to endure it mentally. He was concerned that his mind might fry and turn to mush from being made to do almost nothing but study and work.

Indeed, he did find his new schedule overwhelming at first. This was the most time and energy he had ever had to put into anything, even more than he’d given back in the days when he’d rehearsed for contest performances for hours on end. At least when he’d been practicing his cryokinetic routines, the work had brought that most gratifying sense of synergy with his element as an added incentive to apply himself to the training. With the schoolwork, however, there was little to gain from it beyond what it was meant to teach – it was less an experience than a series of tasks.

However, there were factors that, in time, combined to make the new daily routine more tolerable. Systan Exeter was someone who clearly enjoyed its job, and as such, it seemed infinitely patient and determined in its endeavor to see to it that its student would come to enjoy the classes at least somewhat as much as it did. Its teaching methods were, to its credit, not boring. Exeter’s lessons were delivered in a number of engaging and even occasionally entertaining manners, sometimes using its ability to manifest itself through interactive educational programs, other times involving Solonn in more practical forms of learning. While the time spent in class was undeniably long, the variety in the lessons, as well as the enthusiasm, patience, and understanding of the teacher, made the hours less monotonous than they could have been, at least.

Another thing which helped make the long sessions at school more endurable, and helped greatly, was the hour or so each evening spent in the presence of the Chimecho Neleng and her therapeutic mindsongs. Following an appointment with her, the stress and exhaustion that came from being forced to adjust to longer, busier hours was greatly alleviated, leaving Solonn in a revitalized and much clearer state of mind and body, allowing him to enjoy the rest of the evening in peace and calm and to awaken the next morning far more ready to face the day’s work than he would have been otherwise. Solonn suspected that his new schedule would erode his sanity if it weren’t for the mental oasis that Neleng provided every night, and for her aid, he was very grateful. He didn’t want to go a single day without her services, and she was all too happy to oblige.

To Solonn’s surprise, it was not Exeter alone who educated him; there were lessons of certain natures that the Porygon2 could not teach, typically requiring a type of hands-on teaching that it simply could not provide, wherein other tutors were brought in to momentarily take the helm. On rare occasions, usually during Solonn’s short breaks from schoolwork, Jal’tai himself would instruct him, most often with regards to etiquette, culture, and the arts. The Latios liked to take Solonn on “field trips” throughout Convergence in order to get his successor as acquainted with the city as possible, and always had stories and anecdotes to tell about the sites visited, having witnessed the birth of many of these places firsthand.

Solonn’s education consisted of training in a wide variety of skills and subjects, ranging from very basic to very advanced. He was taught far more than he had ever expected to need to know, much of which he came to find quite fascinating, and he found a number of the skills he learned to be quite enjoyable. He was exposed to a number of Human languages, which his possession of the Speech allowed him to acquire swiftly and adroitly. He was instructed with a particular emphasis on the history and inner workings of the International Pokémon League, the powerful organization that funded and managed the Convergence Project, and to which he would one day be in direct service.

For nearly four years, Solonn was trained in this way. Finally, the day came when he was declared ready by both the staff at the Academy and by Jal’tai. According to them, he was now sufficiently prepared to take on this office… this new life… even if he himself could barely believe it.

One late morning the following week found him in what was presently Jal’tai’s office and what was soon to be his own, pacing back and forth across the round room in a navy blue suit that he disliked, awaiting the arrival of those who were to witness the event that was about to transpire here.

“You needn’t be working yourself into a frenzy, now,” Jal’tai told him evenly, perched oddly over his chair behind his desk. When the witnesses arrived, he would need to don his Human disguise, but he seemed utterly unconcerned about the matter for the time being. He had no reason to worry, and he knew it – he would be given fair warning when his guests showed up; no one was allowed to simply barge into the mayor’s office unannounced, after all. He only wished that the Human in his company could be at the same ease as he was. “I’ve already explained to you what’s going to happen; it’s not going to be any big deal, really, I assure you.”

Solonn only grunted distractedly in response. There was a mantra of sorts that he was determinedly maintaining in a continuous loop through his mind, trying to keep himself focused and his nerves in check, to only moderate success. He hoped that he would be able to stave off any possibility of fainting or otherwise embarrassing himself in the presence of the very important persons who would soon be here. Jal’tai had indeed outlined what he could expect from what was about to happen here today, and it was, as the Latios had said, really a very simple and quiet affair. Its lack of extravagance did not diminish the significance of the turn his life was about to take, however, and the magnitude of this day seemingly would not be coaxed off of his shoulders, no matter how he tried.

It was a small mercy when the witnesses finally arrived – though the significance of what he was about to do still attended Solonn’s thoughts diligently, he no longer had to endure the anticipation of the deed any longer, at least. Four Humans were admitted into the office; Solonn recognized them immediately as senior members of the IPL, very powerful and important people. There were two men and two women, all of them older, expensively dressed persons. To his surprise, they were accompanied by none other than Exeter, who smiled brightly and proudly in its mouthless fashion as it hovered alongside the League representatives.

Jal’tai, now disguised as Rolf Whitley, appeared to rise from his chair and greeted his colleagues heartily. The representatives took a couple of minutes to exchange a few friendly words with him, and to greet Solonn as well. Then, one of them produced a portfolio, within which there were a number of documents. Solonn looked with a mild amazement at the humble sheets of paper as they were taken out of the portfolio. It still seemed incredible to him that within these pages lay the power to transfer the leadership of an entire city.

The documents were handed to Solonn for him to read. They outlined a contract of sorts, binding him to the authority of the League and to service to their Convergence Project, while bestowing upon him the right and authority to govern Convergence as a community that was independent from the rest of Hoenn. The documents also contained an oath of service unto the city, and Solonn was made to read this as well as all of the terms illustrated within those documents aloud in order to prove that he acknowledged and understood it all.

Once Solonn had finished reciting the contents of the documents, he was told to set them down upon the desk. Jal’tai rearranged them so that the last page sat on top of the stack. One by one, the League members each signed their name on the topmost sheet. Even Systan Exeter came forward and signed the document, dipping the end of its “beak” in a small pot of ink and quickly rendering its name in Unown-script.

Solonn was rather intrigued by the fact that Exeter was acting alongside powerful League members as an apparent equal. He had learned much about the IPL, including the identities of those who comprised it and the varying degrees of authority that they all held. Nowhere among their number was Exeter mentioned, and no indication had been given to suggest that it was a part of the League. The closest involvement Exeter had had with League business was its part in the development of and continuing research for the Convergence Project, but that did not truly constitute League membership.

Before Solonn could give that matter any more thought, his turn to sign the document had come. Jal’tai handed him the pen, and Solonn stepped forward, allowing his gaze to fall upon the empty line beneath the sweeping signature that spelled out Jal’tai’s Human name. He could feel the first, slightest slick of sweat forming between his fingers and the pen, and the space around him seemed to have gone preternaturally silent save for the strong, persistent rhythm of his pulse pounding in his ears. He hoped that the others in attendance weren’t too aware of his anxiety.

Convergence, and the future of relations among the world’s peoples, would present a considerable duty unto him in the years to come. For now, though, all that was being asked of him was a name written on piece of paper. Bearing this in mind in an effort to keep things in perspective, he drew a breath and set the pen to the paper. He did not exhale until his signature was rendered there by his hand, shining back up at him in fresh, still-glistening ink. He frowned minutely at it; it was not particularly tidy, especially not compared to Jal’tai’s. Solonn didn’t even think it actually resembled the way his name looked in writing. Jal’tai had told him before that it was all right, that many people’s signatures only marginally resembled their written names. Still, the semi-legibility of his own signature bothered Solonn, if only as much as he allowed in order to distract him from other, more pressing feelings.

“There you have it,” Jal’tai said softly then from Solonn’s side. He took a rubber stamp that sat on his desk into his Human mirage-hand, pressed it into an inkpad, and stamped a blank space on the document with the stylized Poké Ball emblem of the IPL in red ink. To the room at large, the Latios said, “Let the records show that on this day, August the 26th, 2022, authority was hereby transferred from myself, Rolf Alan Whitley, to Michael Layne.”

The words reached Solonn through a hazy delay, as did the smattering of polite, reserved applause that arose around him. With one simple act on his part, he had literally signed his life away to this city and the cause for which it stood. In a rather unceremonious ceremony that had not even lasted the span of half an hour, he had been given the reins of an entire community – a duty to a mission that could, conceivably, bring about reform in societies across the globe and secure an everlasting place for himself in history.

Was that really it? he couldn’t help but wonder.

After a round of congratulations and farewells from the League representatives, as well as from Exeter, the guests departed. Jal’tai resumed his true form, his birdlike face smiling as broadly as it could manage.

“I’m more proud of you than I quite know how to express, my boy,” the Dragon said, almost breathless with joy.

“You’re proud of the fact that I read a few sheets of paper and then scribbled a name on it?” Solonn questioned jokingly.

“Oh, you know better than that,” Jal’tai scolded lightheartedly, cuffing the Human about the shoulder. “You’ve come a considerable way to get to this point, given years of your life to prepare yourself for this day. Your dedication to our cause is nothing short of beautiful,” he said rather dreamily.

Solonn gave the gushing Latios a funny look. “Whatever you say,” he responded, leaning backwards against the desk and staring at his shoes.

“Here,” Jal’tai offered pleasantly, “why don’t you take a seat?” He gestured towards the large, comfortable-looking chair behind the desk. “It is yours now, after all.”

“Yes,” Solonn acknowledged, feeling oddly weary and giddy at the same time, “it is, isn’t it?” Semi-absently, he strode around the desk and sat down in the chair. It wasn’t quite as comfortable as it had looked, but it felt better than just standing. His eyes swept over the desk; it was very tidy, and much of what was there showed at least some sign of belonging to Jal’tai. Solonn distantly wondered what the desk might look like after a few months in his possession.

“So, then. Have you memorized what you’re going to say?” Jal’tai asked then.

“Yes, I have,” Solonn responded promptly, managing to resist the urge to bite his tongue. He was truthfully fairly good at memorizing things, and that which he had had to memorize for the occasion that would be upon him very soon was really quite short and simple. Nonetheless, nothing quite struck at his certainty like another person questioning it. He knew it was only meant as a friendly reminder, but it still bred in him at least some doubt about his sureness. To avoid letting his mind stick on the matter, “How soon ‘til they arrive?” he asked then.

“Probably well within the next hour. They’ll want to get this done fairly soon so that it can be given the post-production treatment it’ll need,” Jal’tai answered.

“And this’ll air tonight?”

“Yes, they’ll be showing it on the evening news, as well as the nightly news. It will also air during commercial breaks in other programming over the next few days,” Jal’tai told him.

“Hm. Terrific,” the former Glalie said dryly. He noticed that his ponytail had fallen over his shoulder, and he idly fiddled with the hair for a moment before tossing it back behind himself. He had allowed it to grow quite a bit longer in recent months than he had once worn it; it now hung a fair distance between his shoulder blades. He didn’t particularly like having it pulled back as it now was, but wearing it this way was just one of those things that, for whatever silly, arbitrary reason, was considered more befitting of an authority figure. Much like the crisp, ridiculous suit he was presently wearing. Solonn had come to reckon that the occasional submission to absurdity and things one couldn’t care less about was simply one of the costs of being in a position of authority.

He mused on this and other scattered, silly thoughts as he waited for his next task to be upon him, trying not to overanalyze what he was about to have to do. He was left alone for part of this time after Jal’tai excused himself for a few minutes; the Latios had only just returned when the next guests to the office arrived.

Entering the large, round room was a small camera crew, consisting of a couple of Humans and one Pokémon, a Blaziken cameraman who wore a rather ratty blue baseball cap backwards and chewed gum. Lights were set up around the desk, where Solonn remained sitting while Jal’tai positioned himself near the door, out of the shot. There was a brief moment of annoyance as one of the Humans came around the desk and, without warning, attacked Solonn’s face with a bit of makeup, then stared at him scrutinizingly for a second before she scampered away. Solonn tried hard not to look at the makeup artist as if she was mad, but failed.

It was a strange notion, that an entire city would see what he was about to do, perhaps even seeing it more than once. The thought of it threatened to unnerve him, but he reminded himself that the eyes of the city were not present here in this office. They’re not here, he reminded himself silently. Don’t think about them.

He was grateful for the brevity of the statement he was about to give; as one of the Humans nearby began a countdown, he quickly reviewed it in his head. He was also grateful that Jal’tai had offered to compose these words for him; it definitely helped to take some of the pressure off of the former Glalie.

The countdown ended, and the camera that was trained on Solonn began filming. Steeling himself imperceptibly, the Human looked directly into the lens and spoke his very first words to the city as its leader.

“Hello, Convergence,” he said evenly, congenially. “My name is Michael Layne. On August 26th, I was appointed as your new mayor. In taking on this office, I have pledged myself to the continuing efforts not only to keep this city alive and prospering, but also towards the ultimate goal of bettering the entire world by our example here.

“I swear that I will ensure the maintenance of our city’s unparalleled harmony among all peoples, and I will lead us in our endeavor to promote equality in civilizations beyond Convergence. I am fully dedicated to our local well-being, as well as to our city’s purpose on a greater scale.

“Though young and a newcomer to public office, I am ready, willing, and able to serve you. Rest assured that I will do all in my ability to meet your needs and expectations. We now enter a new era in the history of Convergence, and we enter it together. Best wishes to you all, and to our future.”

Oh, thank the gods… Solonn breathed a sigh of relief as the crew ceased filming, grateful that he’d managed to avoid tripping on his words. Now, he could only hope that he hadn’t unwittingly pulled an odd face, or that the makeup lady didn’t decide that he didn’t look right, or that anything else could happen that would force him to do that again today. Blessedly, everyone seemed pleased with his performance, and left without demanding another take from him.

“See? Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Jal’tai said.

“Meh,” Solonn responded. “Of course, that isn’t the last time I’ll have to make an appearance on TV, now is it?”

“No, it certainly isn’t. I’m afraid many occasions of public speaking lie in your future, televised or otherwise,” Jal’tai replied. “But then, you’ve known what came along with the job description for some time now, have you not?”

“I know…” Solonn responded airily. “I’m just glad I don’t have to do any more such things today…” He sighed and reclined as best as the design of his chair would allow. “I cannot wait for Neleng tonight, let me tell you…” he exhaled.

“Oh… Well… I’m afraid that your appointment with Neleng will have to be cancelled for tonight,” Jal’tai informed him regretfully.

Solonn frowned worriedly. “What? Why?”

“Something has come up,” Jal’tai answered noncommittally.

The former Glalie gave Jal’tai a concerned and rather suspicious look. “Why don’t I like the sound of this?”

“I haven’t a clue, but I suspect that like everything else you’ve been through today, it won’t be quite the tribulation you might imagine.” The Latios turned and made for the door, resuming his Human appearance as he stopped before it. “Don’t worry about it for now, all right? Why don’t we go get some nice lunch, hmm?”

Still a bit wary of what was going on, whatever it was that the Dragon was conspicuously omitting from discussion, Solonn didn’t respond to Jal’tai’s offer right away. Finally, “Sure,” he acquiesced, and rose from his seat. As he accompanied Jal’tai out of the office, Solonn wondered if he might somehow manage to extract information from the Latios over lunch about what had usurped his schedule for the evening.

* * *

It was late afternoon, and Solonn was sitting alone back at his suite with the television on, though not really paying any attention to it. He had had no luck in finding out what had changed his plans for the night; Jal’tai had simply perched there during lunch, smiling in a rather annoyingly knowing manner at Solonn over first his sandwiches and then his parfait, somehow managing to redirect the conversation whenever it tried to turn towards the coming evening.

Jal’tai’s evasiveness had persisted throughout the rest of the day, all the way up to the point when he had brought Solonn back to the Serenity Inn; then, vaguely mentioning that he had very important things to attend to, the Latios had departed his company.

Now, Solonn found nothing else to do but sit there with an abysmally boring, Human-made sitcom blaring at him (nothing presently on any of the 350 other stations was really any better, though, dismally enough), with the same host of questions endlessly circling his mind like gnats. He wondered what in the world could be happening this night. It was apparently so important that he’d had to cancel anything else he’d wanted to do, yet no one had felt it necessary to let him in on exactly what it was for which he’d had to put everything on hold. He wondered how much longer he would continue living in this hotel suite now that he was the mayor. He wondered why whoever it was that made sitcoms like the one presently playing had thought that adding blatantly fake laughter to the program would make it seem any funnier.

Finally unable to endure any more of it, Solonn turned the television off. Just as soon as he’d done so, he received a peculiar message from the mechanized voice of the suite.

“Please stand on the transport tile and wait,” it instructed him.

Perplexed, Solonn was initially unsure about following the instructions, vaguely wondering why he was being asked to do such a thing. He decided fairly quickly that he might as well go along with it, however, and soon came to stand directly on top of the tile just as he was told.

The tile activated, and he found himself in the corridor outside… and not alone. Standing there was a uniformed man with salt-and-pepper hair – one whom Solonn recognized as the chauffeur who was employed to transport him and Jal’tai around town.

“Follow me, sir,” the chauffeur said simply, and turned and made for the nearby elevator with no further instruction or explanation. Though growing more baffled by the second by what was going on, Solonn nonetheless quickly followed the man onto the elevator, and then out of the hotel to the waiting vehicle.

Solonn found himself driven across town, eventually arriving at a relatively modest but nonetheless stately mansion. Having been brought here several times over the past couple of years, Solonn recognized this place at once. This was where Jal’tai lived.

The chauffeur exited the vehicle, and then let Solonn out, as well. He escorted Solonn up the walkway, stepping aside only when they reached the front doors. Almost as soon as they’d stopped there, the doors opened unexpectedly – and Solonn was immediately blasted by an explosion of confetti and the shouted word, “SURPRISE!”

For a very long moment, Solonn only stared wildly at the mirage-Human standing right inside the door. Then, he shook off the black and gold flecks of paper covering him (most of them, anyway), spat out a few more of them, and demanded, “What in the world was that for?!”

Very slowly, a smile crept across Jal’tai’s presently Human face, spreading into a full Cheshire grin. He then burst into uproarious laughter. “You silly boy, it’s for you! Come on in,” he beckoned then, stepping back a bit from the door. Still eyeing Jal’tai warily, Solonn stepped into the mansion.

Thankfully, there were no more startling surprises once he entered Jal’tai’s home. There were surprises of a more pleasant nature about, however. Jal’tai always kept a nice, elegant household, but on this night, it was even more impressive than usual. Everything in sight had been splendidly yet tastefully decorated in black, silver, and gold. As he was brought further into the house, he saw that there were many other people about, some of whom he knew and recognized either as people he knew locally or as League representatives, while others among the crowd were totally unfamiliar. Solonn guessed that these must be friends of Jal’tai whom he hadn’t met before.

He heard music that grew louder as he continued to follow Jal’tai, and he found its source as they entered a spacious living room. At one end of the room, a seven-piece, multispecies band was playing light, easygoing jazz of the sort that Jal’tai liked. The moment Solonn entered the room, however, they stopped playing; the chattering of the guests ceased a split-second after, and soon all eyes were on Jal’tai and Solonn, who had made their way to the center of the room.

“Our guest of honor has arrived!” Jal’tai announced unnecessarily, beaming at the crowd of surrounding guests. The moment the words left his mouth, the guests all erupted into applause. Solonn winced involuntarily, expecting another confetti attack or some other, equally bizarre surprise from the guests, but luckily they seemed content to merely applaud him – until Jal’tai decided to lead them in a cheer, which Solonn endured with a somewhat forced smile.

At Jal’tai’s cue, the band resumed playing, striking up a somewhat livelier tune than they’d been playing previously, and the guests seemed to go back to milling amongst themselves. Jal’tai took a few moments to systematically hunt down every person to whom Solonn had not yet been introduced and rectify that unfamiliarity, then shepherded the former Glalie over to a presently unoccupied sofa, asking the nearest person to them to go fetch a couple of drinks as he sat down beside Solonn.

“So. What do you think of this little surprise I put together for you, hmm?” Jal’tai asked Solonn the moment the two were both seated.

It was kind of an odd surprise, was what Solonn thought. But, it was the thought that counted, after all, so, “It’s nice,” he replied, nodding approvingly. “How long were you planning this?”

“Well, I always knew I wanted to do something special for you when this day finally arrived,” Jal’tai answered, smiling. “As for the elements of the party itself, the invitations were sent out just over a week ago, around the time the decorations were purchased, and I booked the band over the weekend. Saved them from having to play another wedding, the lucky souls,” he added with a laugh.

Solonn responded wordlessly in acknowledgement, and the two were silent for a little while after that, watching the band, watching the crowd. The man who’d been sent after drinks returned; Jal’tai and Solonn received them from him and thanked him as he left their side. Jal’tai stared into his drink for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. He took a small sip of it, and then turned to Solonn with an unreadable expression.

“I’ll be leaving town tomorrow morning,” Jal’tai told him, his voice strangely hoarse.

It took a moment for those words to sink into Solonn’s mind. When they did, he was somewhat at a loss for how to react. He’d known for quite a while that Jal’tai had planned to leave Convergence once he was no longer its leader… but Solonn hadn’t expected that he would leave quite so soon after stepping down from office.

“After I leave, this will be your home, of course,” Jal’tai went on. “I’ll help you move in tomorrow. It won’t be any real trouble for me – I’ve decided to leave much of what’s here to you, so it’s not as though I’ll really have much in the way of moving myself out to bother with.”

Somewhat overwhelmed, Solonn merely sat silently, seemingly unable to respond to what Jal’tai was saying. The way things were unfolding was strangely difficult for him to quite get his head around… after years spent in preparation for the life he was only just entering, everything suddenly seemed to be happening so fast…

“Are you all right, my boy?” Jal’tai asked concernedly.

“…I’m fine,” Solonn responded after a pause. He hesitated again, then said, “Part of me does kind of wish I’d known when you were leaving a little further in advance, though…”

Jal’tai smiled sadly. “I would certainly have told you, had I been sure of it myself.” He sighed. “I’ll admit that I’d been procrastinating over the matter for longer than I really should have. I’ve been… quite reluctant to leave my city,” he all but whispered. “In the end, I knew that if I didn’t simply go, then I might not be able to bring myself to do it... hence the last minute decision. I’m terribly sorry if this inconveniences you in any way…”

“No… no, it’s not a problem at all,” Solonn assured him quickly. It was very plain to see that the decision to leave Convergence behind had been a supremely difficult one for Jal’tai; though the Human mirage the former mayor wore revealed only moderate sadness, Solonn strongly suspected that the Dragon behind that façade was on the verge of tears. He did not want to let the Latios feel even remotely guilty for springing this news on him on such short notice; Solonn was rather sorry for even mentioning that the lack of advance warning had bothered him. He also did not have the heart to question why the Latios found it necessary to leave, though he certainly did wonder. Knowing as he did how having a resolution questioned can shake it apart, Solonn mindfully kept that question to himself.

Jal’tai held Solonn’s gaze with a look of faint relief, then gave an earnest, albeit weary smile, grateful for the former Glalie’s understanding. The Human at his side would never realize just how much of his unspoken compassion was recognized by the Latios, having been kept ignorant of the Dragon’s Psychic qualities ever since having his memory rewritten. But, it was recognized indeed, and greatly appreciated.

“Oh, look at me,” Jal’tai said then, still sounding a bit constrained, “glooming up your nice party like that, shame on me! Come on,” he suggested in a slightly brighter tone as he stood, “why don’t we go mingle a bit more?”

Though still somewhat concerned for Jal’tai, knowing that the matter of his departure surely must still be weighing upon him, Solonn nonetheless humored the Latios’s pretense of revivified mirth. Throughout the remainder of that evening and well into the night, he chatted with the guests, took in the music, and accepted the gifts that the attendees had brought for him, and he allowed himself to enjoy it all, or at least to appear to do so. All the while, however, the better part of his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of what was soon to befall both himself and the Latios who had preceded him… what one would gain, and what the other would lose.

* * *

The August sun shone brightly, bearing down on Convergence from high in the sky. It was just before noon, but to Solonn it felt like it could have been almost any daylight hour; he had not slept the night before.

He stood there in front of the mansion that was soon to be his own, distantly staring at the lone moving truck that was parked at the end of the driveway, and the plain, nondescript black car parked behind it. A pair of movers made trips back and forth between the truck and the house, taking a few of Solonn’s things from the truck, then returning to it with a few of Jal’tai’s things. It was not long at all before the job was done completely; Solonn did not own terribly many possessions, and there were very few of Jal’tai’s that the Dragon had not opted to leave behind.

Shortly after the last of Solonn’s possessions were brought into the mansion, Jal’tai emerged wordlessly alongside the movers. He stopped beside Solonn, remaining silent for moments on end, staring pensively into the sky.

“My Goddess… how I’m going to miss this place,” he finally whispered.

Solonn said nothing in response, casting a somber gaze downward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a very faint shimmering; when he looked toward its source, he saw that Jal’tai had resumed his true form.

“I’ve taken the veil off of your eyes only,” Jal’tai assured Solonn before any concerns could be raised about his decision to drop the mirage. “This is most likely the last we will ever see of one another… I want your final memories of me to be as I truly am.”

He laid his taloned hands upon Solonn’s shoulders and sighed heavily. His scarlet eyes shone with unshed tears as he held the Human’s gaze, and slowly, a warm, broad smile curved across his face. “You’ve come such a long way from the day when I first met you,” he said wistfully. “You have made me so very proud, my dear boy, prouder than I’ve ever been of anyone in my entire life. I know in my heart that you’ll take good care of my city… that you’ll serve and guide it with as much love and devotion as I always did…”

At these words, the Latios could hold back his tears no longer. In a sudden motion, he wrapped his arms around Solonn in a long embrace. Solonn closed his eyes, feeling his own tears escape from them as he held on to the silently weeping Dragon.

“I will miss my city,” Jal’tai breathed, “but I will miss you even more.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” Solonn responded truthfully, realizing now more than ever just how much he would miss the Latios once he was gone.

At length, Jal’tai finally let go of Solonn, drifting slowly back from him. There was sorrow shining plainly through his features… but there was also pride, and it shone brighter still. “Take care, my boy,” he said softly. “You are the heart of this city now.”

Solonn nodded in acknowledgement. “You take care, too,” he said, his voice brittle.

Jal’tai smiled at him. “Farewell,” he said.

“Farewell,” Solonn returned.

Slowly, reluctantly, the Latios turned away. He glided silently over the driveway, stopping to hover above the black car, invisible to all but Solonn, as a Human mirage was seen to enter the vehicle by all others present at the scene. The engines of the two vehicles hummed to life, and they began to move out. Jal’tai gave one last, wistful look behind, and then followed them away.

Through tears, Solonn watched Jal’tai vanish into the horizon. His predecessor, his mentor… his closest friend had just left his life, most likely never to return. With Jal’tai gone, Convergence had truly fallen into Solonn’s hands, and he felt the weight of that burden more than ever now that he carried it alone. As he turned away and entered his new home, he could not help but disagree with some of Jal’tai’s parting words. Solonn was now the leader of this city. But he knew that, in truth, Jal’tai would always be its heart.

A/N: Yes, Emyril and Drathlon are both invented Dragon Pokémon species. They are Dragon/Rock-type and Dragon/Fighting-type, respectively. Neither of them really has any further relevance to the story beyond those passing references, though, I’m afraid.

Next time: Solonn finds himself in a place that he had not expected to see again – and what transpires there is even less expected. See you then!