Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Planes of Existence

Chapter 1 — Genesis Day 1507
====================================================================================

​

Pelame had once again finished reading her favorite story, having found a bit of time to while her parents got themselves ready for the Genesis Day Festival. She had already gotten her supplies together, although she wasn't particularly anxious to get to the festival. Whatever the situation, she always enjoyed reading the story of Jirachi's Final Wish.

"Thanks again, Grandmother Albero," she thought to herself as she gazed at the writing in the back cover. The writing read, "To Pelame, my favorite granddaughter. May you solve this book's mystery and also earn a place in here." She then placed the storybook in her backpack and went to the front door of her house. Her parents eventually caught up, and the family was ready to go.

"Caught up on some reading, Pelame?" said the mother Glaceon to her Eevee daughter.

"We're not that slow, are we?" added the father Vaporeon.

"Just a little bit," Pelame joked. "But there's no hurry. The festival goes on for nine more hours. Ah, the upsides of having a holiday end at the stroke of midnight."

"Well, let's not keep Grandmother Albero waiting. Let's get going!"

And so, the family of Eeveelutions left their home and went in the direction of the forest past the town's park.

======================================================================================​

Normally, the forest on the edge of the town of Promised Land was of no interest to the young Eevee nor her family. But whenever New Year's Day was a Monday, it suddenly became a tradition to go there. More specifically, to a clearing Albero loved going to when she was alive. On this special day, known to the world as Genesis Day, Albero's spirit was allowed to visit the clearing and speak to Pelame and her family. On this day, souls of the dead could communicate with the living ones they were close to. It was one of many ways the world celebrated this sacred day dedicated to appreciating existence itself. And so, Pelame and her family reached the clearing in the middle of the forest, where the spirit of an elderly Leafeon was waiting.

"Good afternoon, Pelame," Albero said. "Are you, Pinna, and Neve ready for a fun festival?"

"We certainly are, Grandma," Pelame responded. "I just hate having to wait seven years for the next time New Year's is on a Monday, if you know what I mean."

"Well, there is the occasional time where it's only six years. But I agree; the wait to see you just about re-kills me. But I can pass the time well enough. Paradise offers lots to do in addition to watching over you, my son, and my daughter-in-law. Although I always feel like I'm missing out on the perks of mortality. The world certainly has come far."

"Yep, it sure has," Pinna responded. "I'd hug whoever invented cars for four-legged Pokémon like myself."

"Yeah, there's lots of inventors your son would love to hug," Neve said to Albero.

"Personally," Pelame continued. "I'm just waiting for a film of Jirachi's Final Wish to be made. I'd wait until the next Genesis Day after its release just so you and I can go see it together."

"Oh, you don't need to wait that long, dear," Albero responded. "If it comes out, see it. I'll observe your happiness from Paradise."

"By the way, I'm sorry to say that I'm not any closer to finding out why the book's first few chapters are blank. However, I've thought about applying at the Llyria Academy. Maybe I could get help from there in figuring that out."

"That's an excellent idea, Pelame. You're such a smart girl, they'd be fools to turn you away."
Pelame simply blushed and giggled at that remark.

"You'll go far, dear. I know you will. But for now, you deserve a break. You've got a whole Genesis Day to celebrate. I'm sure there's something at the festival you'll enjoy."

"Oh, certainly. There always is." Pelame then addressed her parents. "Would it be okay if I went ahead to the festival?"

"It's fine with me," Pinna said to his daughter.

"And me, too," Neve added. "We'll catch up once we're done visiting with Grandma Albero."

"Okay. Thanks!" Pelame answered. She then turned back to Albero and said, "Happy Genesis Day, Grandma! I'll see you again next time!"

"Have lots of fun, Pelame!" Albero said to her granddaughter.

=====================================================================================​

The time was now four o'clock in the afternoon. So as not to cause any section of the planet to miss out or catch sneak previews, Genesis Day operated on one single time zone. Four o'clock PM in the Twilight Kingdom would also be four o'clock PM everywhere else, but only on this day. Each nation had their own method of celebrating this sacred day, and a festival was how the town of Promised Land, located in the country known as the Twilight Kingdom, celebrated it.

It was the year 1507, within which would be Pelame's ninth year of life. Yet this was the first she was allowed to be at the festival alone, having only been two years old last time Genesis Day happened. This was indeed a special day for her, although the best was yet to come.

It had been heavily publicized that the ruler of the Twilight Kingdom would be attending the festival this year, along with the captain of his guards. For the preceding month or so, advertisements in paper, television commercial breaks, billboards, and even commercials preceding feature films at the theatre had been hyping this occasion up. Pelame didn't mind the resulting crowds all that much, though she did find herself frequently glancing back at her backpack to make sure she wasn't pickpocketed. But Promised Land was known to have a rather low crime rate. Still, she liked being safer than sorrier.

Somehow, none of her supplies in her pack included a suitable dinner for her. But she had brought her wallet along, so she was set. She found the food stand with the shortest line she could see, and got into it. The line seemed to take eternities to move mere inches, almost tempting her to just leave and join a longer line that moved faster. It took lots of her will to remain where she was, in spite of her growling stomach. Her patience paid off at last once she reached the stand. She took her wallet out of her backpack. Before she could make her order, though, a Sneasel came out of nowhere, running at high speeds. The Sneasel didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going, so she collided directly into Pelame, knocking her over. She stood right back up and kept on running.

"Look where you're going!" Pelame shouted toward the runner. "You could hurt someone or yourself!" Somehow, Pelame hadn't been moved out of the line, so she was still in the right spot to make her order to the employee Medicham. "I'd like to have an Oran Berry Salad with an Enigma Berry Shake on the side, please."

"Certainly. That'll be a total of 6 Pokéns and 79 Parts," said the waiter.

It was then that Pelame noticed her wallet was missing. "Go ahead and cancel my order," she said sadly to the waiter. "My money's been stolen."

"Sorry about that, miss," the waiter responded with pity. "You ought to go see security about that. I've heard there's been a thief on the loose lately. To think a nice girl like you would be targeted like that, and on Genesis Day, of all days. That thief better hope he or she doesn't run into Captain Keldeo."

"Thanks, sir." Pelame then went on her way to the security office.

======================================================================================​

"And then, when I made my order, I found that my wallet was gone," Pelame concluded. "I can't believe I didn't notice until it was too late."

"Please don't blame yourself, miss Pelame," said the security guard Vigoroth. "It's no one's fault but the thief's. Don't worry; we'll do all we can. To be honest, we've heard of this thief before, the Sneasel with the big hips. She's struck at least four times today already, but we still haven't caught up to her. But we will. And when we do, we'll return your wallet to you."

"Thanks, officer."

"You're welcome. Until we catch up to that little big-rumped klepto, try to have a nice Genesis Day."

"You, too." With that, Pelame left the office. Just as soon as she did, a young Riolu entered the office, bringing with him a Sneasel who was tied up and gagged with an Aspear Scarf.

"Officer Vigoroth," he said. "I caught this one running off with a wallet, among other things."

"I can see that," officer Vigoroth replied. "Thanks a lot, kiddo. Although, you should have left the restraining to us." He inspected the bound thief and confiscated her possessions. "You sure did a great job, though. Where'd you learn how to do this?"

"Enemy capture techniques as taught by Captain Keldeo," the Riolu boy answered. "That guy's amazing; I'm learning all his secrets. By the way, could I return that wallet to that Eevee girl?"

"Well, sure, I guess. But only because you've shown some trustworthiness by capturing this one. And also because she hasn't gone too far."

"Okay. Thank you, officer. Happy Genesis Day!" The young Riolu boy then started after Pelame to return her stolen wallet.

Officer Vigoroth untied the scarf from around the Sneasel's mouth. "One more day, and you would've had a theft spree of four consecutive months. But it's over now. You're under arrest."

"Well, wouldn't be my first time in jail," Sneasel retorted as she continued struggling against the ropes binding her. "Though I'm not excited to spend it trussed up like this."

"Those are staying on until you get to the cell. Then you'll be wearing a nice pair of PP-Zero Bracelets."

======================================================================================​

Just one amigiri roll wasn't nearly enough to satisfy Pelame's hunger, but the recent mishap left her no other choice. What was set to be a fun Genesis Day nearly instantly went downhill into misery.

"Hello there," a voice said to her. She looked up to see a young Riolu boy holding her wallet. "Is this yours?"

"It is!" Pelame squealed, taking it back instantly. "Where'd you find it?!"

"In the wrong hands. A Sneasel with big hips was running off with it. I just so happen to have tripped her by accident and then I saw all that stuff."

"Wow, that was lucky and awesome!"

"Well, it may not have been that accidental. I did see her knock you over. But anyway, you don't need to worry about that big-rumped klepto anymore. She's in custody now." Saying that reminded him of something. He then turned back to the security office and gave officer Vigoroth a thumbs-up to signal that the wallet had been returned.

At that moment, an announcement played over the festival's PA system.

"Attention all festival guests," Vigoroth said through the speakers. "The kleptomaniacal Sneasel with the big hips has been apprehended, and everything she's stolen is here in the security office for pickup. For this you all have that young Riolu boy from the tournament to thank. Be sure to get his name, too, because I foolishly forgot to. Too focused on jailing the little two-claw discount shopper. Happy Genesis Day!"

"By the way, my name is Pugno," the Riolu boy introduced. "What's yours?"

"I'm Pelame," Pelame returned the formality.

Pugno developed a moderate smile on his face. "That is an absolutely adorable name," he mused. "It really fits a little cutie like you."

"Cutie???" Pelame laughed. "You think I'm cute?"

"Yes, I do. Anyone with working eyesight ought to be able to see that you are. Do you mind if I hang around with you for about an hour? My next match isn't until then."

"Sure! I'd love that!"

And so the two youngsters spent the next half hour having the time of their lives at the festival. They rode as many rides, played as many games, and ate as much food as they could in the allotted time. All this fun ended up making the two of them hungry, though. It was dinner time, after all. And as they both knew, meals were a good time to socialize and get to know one another.

"So, what was the big deal about that Charmeleon plush you had your eye on?" Pugno asked. "Oh, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to win it for you."

"It's fine, Pugno. As for who that guy is, he's Taiyang," Pelame answered. "Have you ever heard the story Jirachi's Final Wish?"

"I have not, unfortunately."

"Oh, it's such a fantastic story! If we only had more time, I'd read it to you right now. But I'll give you the basic gist of the story."

"I'm fine, thanks. I'd like to experience it myself."

"Good idea. But that's why I wanted that plush so badly. He's the main character of that story. It's actually a true story, too. It's not just a fairy tale."

"Well, I'll definitely check that story out sometime."

"So, do you have any heroes?"

"Ten, actually." Pugno took a deep breath and listed off his ten heroes. "Seti, Leona, Walton, Sugimori, Patra, Antoinette, Value, Galileo, Hearst, and Captain Keldeo. Especially Captain Keldeo! He's just about the entire reason I am who I am! You know that special restraining technique I used on that Sneasel thief?"

"Did you learn it from him?"

"Yeah. Actually, it's more like I copied it from a training video he made. But still, he's the single biggest inspiration to me. I'd love to be a part of the Twilight Kingdom Royal Guard one day." Pugno had shared his dream. But with time growing short, he decided to let Pelame have her turn. "So, how about you? Do you have any dreams?"

"History. I want to be a historian. See this?" Pelame got out her history book and showed it to Pugno. "This is an anthology of historical accounts concerning the Legendary Pokémon. All kinds of stories are in here. But as you can see, this entire section here is all blank. It has to be the space of four or so chapters."

"What in the world happened to it?" Pugno couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Was it like this when you got it?"

"Yes, it was. In fact, my grandmother said that every single copy of this book had this happen to them, too. She said she saw it when she bought this copy for me."

"Wow." Pugno was just as lost as Pelame was on this issue. "That must drive every historian in the world insane. It would be great if you could be the one to solve this one."

"You think I could do it? It is the reason I'm going to apply to Llyria Academy."

"It's worth a try."

Their recreational binge was broken by an announcement over the park's intercom.

"ALL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT FINALISTS PLEASE RETURN TO THE STADIUM. YOUR MATCH IS IN FIFTEEN MINUTES. FAILURE TO ARRIVE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION. REPEAT, THE FINAL MATCH WILL START IN FIFTEEN MINUTES. FAILURE TO ARRIVE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION."

"And that's my cue," Pugno said, finishing his slice of Sitrus Cake. "Wish me luck, Pelame."

"Good luck," Pelame responded. "I'll be watching."

"You will?"

"Sure. It's the least I can do to thank you for your help."

"Then you'd better hurry. Those seats fill up faster than a Dodrio's top running speed. If there's even any seats left, that would be a miracle. Now let's go!"

And so the two went in the direction of the park's Recreation Hall, where the tournament was being held. Luckily, Pelame was able to find an empty seat. And even more coincidentally, Pinna and Neve were saving that seat just for her.

"Hi mom, hi dad," Pelame said, taking her seat. "How's Genesis Day been for you two so far?"

"Well, there hasn't yet been a boring moment of any Genesis Day," Pinna answered. "Every year tops the prior. Your mom and I have been having a wonderful time, especially when she proved my victory in the game that won us this!" Pinna showed Pelame a plush of a Charmeleon. "For you."

Pelame snatched the doll practically out of Pinna's paws. "Oh, thank you so much! You're the best!"

"You're welcome. Happy Genesis Day."

"So, how was your day, dear?" Neve asked her daughter. Pelame then explained her experiences.

"To be honest, it didn't start out that well. I got pickpocketed by a shapely Sneasel and was flat broke for a little while, with only the one amigiri I brought with me as my only ration of food. But then things got way better as soon as I met a young Riolu boy named Pugno. He's fighting in this tournament, by the way. He caught that thief and had her jailed, and I got back my wallet. And even better, everyone else got their stuff back, too. He and I spent the day riding rides, playing games, and shopping around. And now, as I promised, I'm here watching him fight his final fight."

"Well, this certainly was a fun day for all of us overall, then," Neve responded. "Well, I hope that Pugno boy wins. I'd love to meet him, too."

"Shush! The match is about to start!" Pinna said.

An Exploud entered the ring, bringing no microphone with him. He cleared his throat and made his announcement.

"1507 HAS BEEN A GENESIS DAY TO STAND OUT AMONG THEM! WE'VE HAD QUITE A GREAT SCHEDULE THIS YEAR, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE HISTORIC VISIT PAID TO US BY NONE OTHER THAN THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM'S OWN MONARCH HIMSELF, KING KANGASKHAN II!!"

At that, every Pokémon in the building gave a standing ovation to welcome their King, who entered on that introductory cue.

"AND ALONG WITH HIM IS HIS CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND HEAD OF THE KINGDOM'S LAW ENFORCEMENT, CAPTAIN KELDEO!!!"

The ovation picked up right where it left off as the captain also entered.

"THE TWO OF THEM ARE OUR HONORED GUESTS THIS YEAR, SO LET US NOW MEET THE TOURNAMENT FINALISTS THAT WILL SURELY WOW THEM WITH A GREAT SHOWDOWN! IN THE RED CORNER IS THE FINALIST OF THE RED BRACKET! HAILING FROM PUMBLOOMBERG, OUR NEIGHBOR TO THE EAST, IS THE STRATEGIC AND PRECISE COMBAT OVERTHINKER, SPICY!!!"

The Infernape standing in the Red Corner waved to the cheering crowd.

"AND IN THE GREEN CORNER IS THE FINALIST OF THE GREEN BRACKET, AND I MUST ADMIT, ONE OF MY FAVORITE FIGHTERS I'VE EVER SEEN IN ALL MY YEARS AT THIS EVENT, LET ALONE THE ENTIRE SPORT OF Pokémon BATTLING!! HAILING FROM OUR VERY OWN TOWN OF PROMISED LAND, THE NEWLY-RISEN PRIDE OF THE PARK, PUGNO!!!"

Pugno waved to the cheering crowd, as well as giving a thumbs-up to Pelame. He briefly did a double-take when he noticed who she was sitting next to.

"Pinna?! Pinna's her father???" he thought to himself. His mind soon returned to the ring.

"Would you like to give the starting signal, Your Majesty?" Exploud asked. The King nodded in agreement as he accepted the unused microphone from the hammy announcer.

"Citizens of the Twilight Kingdom," King Kangaskhan II began, addressing his subjects. "You have all made me a proud Pokémon. I would never be who I am without help from all of you. I am honored to have spent this fine Genesis Day among such great company. And so, I am looking forward to seeing a spectacular final match between these two fierce combatants. And as a special prize to the winner, he will receive a chance to engage my very own Captain Keldeo in a special match. Is that okay with you, Captain?"

"Definitely!" Captain Keldeo answered. "Peacetime doesn't give me much exercise!"

"And now, let the final match begin!"

At the sound of the bell, the two combatants were immediately at it. Spicy began with a Stone Edge attack, which Pugno avoided by jumping over. Upon his landing, he triggered a hard-hitting Earthquake attack. Landing inches in front of his adversary did some heavy damage to the opposing Infernape, who wasn't conceding an inch. He took his chance to strike the young Riolu's legs with a Low Sweep. As soon as he fell to the ground, Spicy used Stone Edge once more to deal more damage to the boy, knocking him into the air. He got his Flame Charge ready to finish the match with. As soon as the Flame Charge made contact, Pugno Countered it, dealing another heavy hit and knocking him to the ground flat on his back. Exploud, who was also serving as the referee, began his count.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,..."

Spicy was up on the count of six, and the match continued.

"Well, no combat slouch can keep up with me," Spicy said, complimenting Pugno.

"Same to you, Mister Spicy," Pugno returned. "The King ought to be proud."

With those encouraging words exchanged, the two resumed their fight. Spicy took note of Pugno's Counter, and so decided to start on a special note by using Flamethrower. The flames came too quickly to respond to, putting Pugno in quite a predicament, especially since multiple blasts came one after another. It was risky, but he decided to chance his just-thought-up idea anyway, out of desperation to stop that salvo. He ran directly into Spicy's Flamethrower attack and aimed an Ice Punch directly at his opponent's mouth. Spicy's mouth froze shut, giving Pugno the chance to do a follow-up attack. And with another Earthquake attack, Spicy was down on the ground once again.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5,..."

Spicy was quite persistent. Even now, he didn't back down, not even with his mouth frozen shut. He had to admit to being surprised that this had worked out so well for his opponent. The ice muzzling him was only remotely budging is response to his body flames. He had only his lowered stamina to blame for not being able to raise the temperature high enough to melt it faster. But there was no time to mull over that. He could still fight with his chosen physical moves. And so he began with another Flame Charge. But Pugno was in overall better shape. He could afford to take another one of those, so he prepared to Counter it. Spicy stopped just before colliding into Pugno, opting instead to do another Low Sweep attack. He did so with such speed that Pugno ended up on the ground with a rather painful landing.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,..."

"Pugno, you've got this!" Pelame shouted from the stands. "Get up!"

"9,..."

Encouraged by the young Eevee's words, Pugno rose to his feet one count away from losing. The match was still on. And he knew just what to do. He noticed the ice muzzle on his opponent was weakening, and if it did, the resulting Flamethrower would put an end to his winning streak. He rushed to his opponent to try another point-blank Earthquake attack, which was avoided with a jump. But this was what he was hoping for. He then jumped after Spicy, who had just finally undone the ice muzzle. Just as he got ready to launch another Flamethrower, Pugno connected with another Ice Punch, muzzling him all over again. A Brick Break attack followed it, sending Spicy to the ground, shattering his ice muzzle on contact with the ground. The Exploud referee came forward with the results.

"TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT! PUGNO WINS!!"

The room's entire attendance erupted in absolute ecstasy at the match. It certainly was a sight for them to have beheld. Pugno could hardly believe it himself. Even Spicy was applauding him.

"Great going, little boy," he said. "I never thought I'd lose to a kid. But that sure was a great Genesis Day memory you gave me."

"Oh, thanks, sir," Pugno responded. "For a minute there, I thought you were gonna beat me."

"Me, too. If you can, give the King my best regards. And for the record, I used to think Kangaskhans could only be born female."

"Yeah, that's usually the case. He's actually the third Kangaskhan in the entire world's history to have been born male. But, if I can, I'll tell him you said 'hello.' I'm sure he was impressed by your fighting skills."

"Not as impressed as I'm sure he was of yours."

The two shook hands, and then Spicy left the ring.

"AS THE KING PROMISED, THERE WILL BE ONE FINAL MATCH FOR OUR NEW CHAMPION! SO EVERYONE PLEASE RETURN HERE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES! YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!"

======================================================================================​

"This is the best Genesis Day ever," Pugno thought to himself as he stretched himself out on the bench outside the Recreation Hall's front door to rest for a bit.

"Hi, Pugno!"

The young Riolu turned his head to face Pelame, whose face was beaming with excitement.

"That was epic!" she complimented. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?!"

"Same way anyone would, by lots of rigorous training," Pugno answered. "My parents told me I'd have to if I wanted to be a part of the Twilight Kingdom Guard, so I wasted no time in seeking out teachers to teach me. That, and that training video Captain Keldeo starred in. By the way, Pelame, you never mentioned Pinna's your father."
Pelame was confused. "I didn't?"

"Nope."

"Goodness, that sure was absentminded of me. Sorry."

"It's okay. But with someone like him as your father, I'm sure you'd have been a finalist in this tournament, too."

"Well, I'm flattered," Pinna said, overhearing that part of the conversation as he walked by them on his way inside the Hall. "You know of me?"

Pugno immediately hopped off the bench and went to shake Pinna's paw. "Of course I know of you! Captain Keldeo's my greatest hero, so of course I'd know of his right-hoof Lieutenant Pinna, too!"

"Me? A hero?" Pinna blushed at the compliment.

"THE SPECIAL MATCH IS BEGINNING IN FIVE MINUTES! EVERYONE, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS! COMBATANTS, PLEASE RETURN TO THE RING!"

"Sounds like you're up," Pinna said to Pugno. "By the way, thanks for showing my daughter a great time! And tell my old Captain I said 'hello!'"

"Will do!"

======================================================================================​

"AND NOW FOR A BRAND-NEW EVENT! PUGNO, OUR GENESIS DAY TOURNAMENT CHAMPION, SHALL BE TAKING ON THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM'S VERY OWN CAPTAIN KELDEO! ALTHOUGH THIS MATCH HAS NO PRIZE OTHER THAN BRAGGING RIGHTS SHOULD PUGNO WIN, THIS SURE WILL BE ONE TO STAY HANGING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEATS FOR! THIS MATCH WILL STILL ADHERE TO Pokémon BATTLE RULES: ONLY FOUR MOVES OUT OF THE COMBATANTS' KNOWN MOVES MAY BE USED! AND NOW, THE COMBATANTS ENTER!!"

Pugno entered the ring from the green side while Keldeo entered from the red side. The two met in the center.
Pugno had to work hard to still his pounding heart.

"I've waited my entire life to meet you, sir," Pugno said, managing to stay calm. "It's such an honor."

"It's always nice to meet a fan," Keldeo responded kindly. "Especially one as skilled as yourself. I may be an icon to you, but please don't hold back."

"I won't, sir!"

"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!" The bell sounded, and the match was on.

Pugno knew his hero well, but he still wasn't prepared for this. His famous Aqua Jet and Sacred Sword combo got Pugno on the word "go," knocking him to the ropes. Keldeo sure didn't become the Captain for no reason, after all. Pugno sure had his work cut out for him. But he had promised not to hold back against his hero, though it was now clear that any less than his best wouldn't be enough for this fight. So, when Keldeo came back around for another Sacred Sword strike, Pugno Countered it. But that only worked to only remotely slow the Captain down, as he turned around sharply and lashed out with an Aqua Tail attack. Though the Captain's tail was cut short, it still hurt a lot to be hit by it. Or, it would have if Pugno was any slower than he was. He managed to duck under it just in time, and he then landed a Brick Break attack, hitting the Captain's rear end. He briefly flinched in pain, giving his biggest fan a chance to land another Brick Break attack on him, knocking him to the ground.

"1,..."

But this was nowhere near adequate enough to win the fight with. And as soon as he got back up, all it took was one Close Combat attack to knock Pugno to the ground.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,..."

"Don't hold back!" Pelame called again from the stands. "Give him your best shot!"

"9, 10!"

But Pugno couldn't rise to his feet in time, not after a vicious blow like that. His time was up.

"CAPTAIN KELDEO WINS! BOY WAS THAT AN EXCITING MATCH! ONE FULL MINUTE OF NONSTOP EXCITEMENT! I DIDN'T THINK THAT KID WOULD LAST HALF THAT LONG AGAINST THE CAPTAIN!! HOW ABOUT A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR HIM?!"

The crowd responded accordingly with a loud applause. Both combatants left the ring with high spirits.

"Well, what chance did I have against him anyway?" Pugno thought to himself. "Still, that was amazing!" As soon as he reached the entry hall, someone called out to him.

"Pugno, wait a second!"

Captain Keldeo had followed him.

"Captain? Shouldn't you be with the King?" Pugno inquired.

"In a sec," he answered. "I just wanted to congratulate you for giving me a decent workout. It's not every fan that can last a full sixty seconds in battle against me."

"Thanks, sir. Though, honestly, you outclass me so thoroughly, an Onix has a better chance swimming in Lake Llyria."

Keldeo let out a small chuckle at that quip. "Well, I wouldn't put it that drastically. Oh, and by the way, nice shot." He gestured toward his behind. "I think I'll be feeling that tomorrow morning."

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's fine. Like I said, you gave me a decent workout. With more training, you could make it into the Royal Guard easily."

"I could?!"

"Certainly. Now then, I'd like to give you a special gift for you to remember this day by. Smile."
Pugno did as told. The Captain then leaned down, smiled, and turned toward a passing Furfrou with a Kabuki cut and a camera. "Sugimori! Picture, please."

"Yes, sir," responded the Furfrou. The picture was taken and printed out the slot on the camera's front. After about a minute, it developed. Keldeo then took a pen out of his side pack and signed the bottom border of it. He then flipped it over and wrote something on the back of it. He then gave the photo to Pugno.

"For you," he said, bestowing the photo to his loyal fan. "Happy Genesis Day!"

"Happy Genesis Day to you, too!" Pugno cried. "Thank you so much!" He then gave the Captain a big hug.

"No. Thank you so much!" And with that, the Captain went back to accompany the King, followed by his loyal Furfrou guard.

=======================================================================================​

"Well, Pugno, I only just met you today, but I'm already jealous!" Pelame admitted after hearing Pugno recount his meeting with Captain Keldeo.

"Oh no!" Pugno cried. "I forgot to tell him you said 'hi' to him, Pinna!"

Pinna simply laughed in response to that. "It's no big deal, kid. It wasn't that important."

"Well, it seems like you two hit it off," Neve summarized. "Want to exchange phone numbers?"

"I'd love to!" Pugno and Pelame both responded. And so, they gave each other their phone numbers.

"Well, I gotta be going home now," Pugno said. "Happy Genesis Day!"

"See you later, Pugno!" Pelame called after him. "Happy Genesis Day to you, too!" With nothing else to do, Pelame and her parents returned home. All the way home, Pelame couldn't get that nice Riolu boy off her mind. And on the other side of Promised Land, Pugno couldn't stop thinking about that cute Eevee girl. It sure looked like the beginning of a great friendship.