Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

Wallace wiped his mouth and turned toward Asher.

”Now that the pleasantries are over, Mr. Asher, you deliberately used a vacation as an excuse to come here. I assume you have another reason for visiting?”

”Mm.”

Asher leaned back in his chair.

”Team Plasma has recently become active in the Unova region again. They’re developing an energy device capable of forcibly activating the latent energy inside Pokémon.”

Wallace frowned.

”Team Plasma... If I remember correctly, their leader, Ghetsis, was already arrested, wasn’t he?”

”That’s right. Afterward, a young man reorganized Team Plasma. For now, they’ve only been openly operating in Unova, but according to the information I’ve received, they’ve begun establishing experimental sites in other regions as well.”

Asher lifted his teacup and took a sip.

”I did come to Hoenn partly because I wanted to investigate the leads here.”

”No wonder you agreed to this vacation so readily.”

Elesa crossed her arms.

”The vacation is my primary objective. Investigating the leads is merely something I’m doing along the way.”

Asher’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

”Brother Asher, that’s where you’re wrong.”

Steven set down his glass, becoming unusually serious.

”If you came here to investigate, that’s even more reason to let me help you.”

”Steven has finally said something sensible today.”

Wallace nodded in agreement.

”I’m always sensible!”

After protesting to Wallace, Steven turned back toward Asher.

”Brother Asher, you don’t need to carry all of this alone. You still have brothers like us.”

”You two...”

Asher looked at Steven, then at Wallace.

Finally, he smiled.

”Since both of you have said that, I won’t refuse your help.”

”That’s more like it.”

Steven released a relieved breath.

”Don’t worry, Brother Asher. We’ll help you with this. I’ll also notify you immediately if we discover anything.”

”All right.”

Asher nodded.

”For now, let’s finish eating.”

”Exactly! Eating is more important! The food will get cold if we wait any longer!”

Steven picked up his chopsticks and urged everyone to continue eating.

”By the way, how has Miori been lately? Why didn’t you bring her along on your vacation?”

”She’s intelligent and capable, so I handed the Gym over to her ahead of schedule.”

Elesa smiled.

The corner of Wallace’s mouth twitched.

Good grief. It turned out these two were absentee managers just like Steven.

Steven set down his chopsticks, sat upright in his chair, and cleared his throat.

”Something this important requires a proper gift from her uncle.”

”Mr. Steven, that really isn’t necessary...”

Elesa put down her glass and was about to decline.

Steven immediately raised a hand to interrupt her, his expression completely serious.

”Sister-in-law, there’s no need to say anything else! I recently caught another Shiny Beldum. I also have a Mega Stone and a Key Stone that would be perfect for Miori!”

Elesa looked toward Asher.

”But...”

”It’s fine.”

Asher nodded.

”It’s Steven’s way of showing that he cares. Let Miori accept them.”

”Exactly!”

Steven nodded enthusiastically.

”Should I have someone deliver everything to Unova, or should Miori come to Hoenn to collect them herself?”

Asher placed down his teacup and considered the question.

”Have Miori come to Hoenn and collect them herself.”

”Excellent!”

Steven nodded excitedly.

”I’ll wait for her in Rustboro City! I’ll make sure to show her around properly. She can also visit the habitat where the Devon Corporation raises its Beldum!”

”You had better genuinely take her to the Beldum habitat instead of dragging her down into a mine.”

Asher stared at him expressionlessly.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Valerie]: Steven giving Miori a Shiny Beldum isn’t particularly surprising. He is Asher’s close friend in the parallel world, after all. But why make Miori travel all the way to Hoenn to collect it? It feels like they’re deliberately trying to bring her there.

[Gary]: Asher agreed to it as well, which means he must have his own reasons.

[Brock]: Asher is planning something again. He just mentioned that Team Plasma has an experimental site in Hoenn, and now he’s sending Miori there. That absolutely isn’t a coincidence.

[Lance]: Are you suggesting that Asher wants Miori to investigate Team Plasma’s activities in Hoenn?

[Brock]: Not investigate—gain experience. Haven’t the previous two episodes followed the same pattern? Raina had the Whirl Islands, Tiana had Mount Coronet, and now it’s Miori’s turn to face something in Hoenn.

[Alder]: Team Plasma... I never expected the parallel-world Ghetsis to have already been arrested. I wonder who this young man who rebuilt Team Plasma could be.

[Lance]: Let’s continue watching for now.

The video continued playing.

The doors of Nimbasa Gym were tightly shut, with a sign hanging outside:

”Closed for Lunch. Please Do Not Disturb.”

Miori had drawn a crying Emolga reaction image on the sign and added a smaller line beneath it:

”If you knock again, Emolga will come out and electrocute you.”

At that moment, Miori was lying across the appointment ledger at the Gym’s reception desk, fast asleep.

Emolga was curled up on top of her head, its tail hanging down over her eyes like a sleep mask.

The telephone began ringing.

Without lifting her head, Miori extended one hand and blindly felt around the desk.

Emolga poked her ear with its tail.

Only then did she reluctantly raise her head and pick up the receiver.

”Nimbasa Gym. We’re closed this afternoon.”

Her voice still carried the nasal tone of someone who had just awakened from a nap.

”Mio, sweetheart! It’s Mommy!”

The instant Elesa’s voice came through, Miori jolted upright.

”...Mom, could you please stop calling during my lunch break?”

Miori pulled Emolga back on top of her head.

”Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to be a Gym Leader?”

”Of course Mommy knows! That’s why I specifically called to check on you.”

Hearing that, Miori immediately became suspicious.

”Mom, do you need something? If not, I’m hanging up.”

”Wait, wait!”

Elesa hurriedly stopped her.

”This really is good news! Your Uncle Steven wants to give you a Shiny Beldum!”

Miori’s eyes immediately lit up.

”Really?”

”But you’ll need to come to Hoenn and collect it yourself. Uncle Steven will meet you at the harbor. That’s everything! Mommy loves you! Bye-bye!”

The screen went black.

Miori stared at the communicator for several seconds before expressionlessly slapping it down on the desk.

She took a deep breath, then abruptly turned around.

”All right, I’m going!”

The sudden force of her declaration startled Emolga into jumping half a step backward.

”I’ve been a Gym Leader for so long. Isn’t it finally my turn to enjoy myself? Hoenn, right? Beaches, right?”

Miori charged into her bedroom.

”I’m coming!”

Once inside, Miori decisively pulled open the bottom drawer.

There was only one piece of clothing inside.

It was a graphic T-shirt with an enormous picture of Emolga’s face printed across it.

”This is the one.”

Miori pulled out the shirt and shook it open.

When Emolga saw its own face printed across the fabric, the entire mouse froze.

”No one in Hoenn knows me anyway.”

Miori pulled on the Emolga shirt, then found a pair of denim shorts and sneakers. Finally, she took a pair of sunglasses from her bedside table and placed them on her nose.

She examined herself in the mirror.

Long black hair, sunglasses, and Emolga’s enormous face positioned directly in the center of her chest.

”Perfect.”

She gave her reflection a thumbs-up.

”I unmistakably look like someone going on vacation.”

Emolga covered its face with both wings and released an extraordinarily complicated sigh.

”Don’t sigh. You’re joining me.”

Miori pulled a miniature matching shirt from the drawer and forcibly dressed Emolga in it.

She then rummaged through another drawer, found a tiny sun hat, and placed it on Luxio’s head.

”The entire family needs to match,” Miori declared.

Before leaving, Miori returned to the Gym’s entrance and flipped over the Closed for Lunch sign.

On the reverse side, she used a marker to write a new message in enormous letters:

”GYM LEADER AWAY FOR TRAINING. RETURN DATE UNKNOWN.”

”All right, let’s go!”