Pokémon Mars

Chapter 44: The Discovery

'No way!'

Natsumi ran off into the lab. A long line formed behind her to peer in to the microscope, though the results were there on the screen. Jin tested the organic material he found preserved in the opals to reveal that over two billion years ago, the Magby and Binacle families did indeed inhabit the Olivine Canyon.

'And, I mean, where there's one Pokémon, there are way more than five. Pokémon did live here! I knew it! Joshua knew it! Where's Callie?! She's gotta hear this! And Betty! Someone call Betty!'

'This is insane.'

Natsumi shook her head. 'On all our expeditions, we never found a single bone, yet here's evidence of life on Mars in opals, of all things...'

'To be fair,' Firmino said, 'A lot of our explorers died right as they were about to make a discovery...'

Jin's smile finally faltered.

'Yeah... and I guess Joshua was just another one to add to the list... 'cause this is his discovery, really, not mine...'

'No,' Natsumi replied, 'It is Joshua's discovery, of course, but it's yours as well. Everyone else had given up. We thought Joshua was mad – or just desperate and miserable. You didn't. You kept going, even though your own friends doubted you. Where is Callerya? She might've been the biggest doubter of all! Just wait 'til she hears you were right! But she'll be glad, really.'

'She's with that guy...'

Thalassa sighed. 'The man of her dreams...'

At the pizza parlour with the creepy Smeargle statue, Callerya's voice was hoarse after talking about Orre and football, nonstop, for almost four hours. Praise didn't have much to contribute. He dreamed of becoming a famous linebacker after watching old Orre Prospectors footage, but he hadn't even seen that many different games. He knew nothing about Orre itself. There was little to say about his life on Mars that he thought Callerya would find interesting.

No man had ever listened to her for that long. She was talking about her interests. She never actually mentioned Mars once, but at the same time, she talked with such fervour because she was full of bottled-up disappointment and rage towards Mars and the Ares program.

'So,' Praise finally said when she paused to gulp down her ninth cup of grape soda, 'You used to play football, right?'

'Yep! I was a running back! Lassa was a wide receiver! And our mate Nereida was the QB! She still is, actually.'

Her turquoise-painted nails suddenly pierced the empty cup as she crushed it.

'And we always whipped the boys!'

'Wow... that's amazing.'

'Damn right! I miss it...'

'Why don't you play here?'

'There's no women's team.'

'Can't you make one? Or join our team?'

'I guess I could ask to join your team, but I'm like, 5'04". I don't think they'll have me.'

Her radio beeped.

'Callerya! This is Natsumi from Team Aqua. I won't spoil it for you, but you need to get to the lab, now!'

'Oh...'

'It's OK,' Praise said, 'I have to go to work later.'

'Oh... what do you do for a living, then?'

'I'm an expedition leader.'

'Ooh! How old are you again?'

'I'm 33 years old.'

'You must've been on loads of cool expeditions! Who's team are you on? Next time we meet, you gotta tell me all about your life!'

'I would still like to hear more about Orre and the other places you travelled to on Earth.'

'So we totally are gonna meet again, right? How about right here, tomorrow at five? Before your football practice?'

Praise smiled. 'That would be nice.'

'Here's my number!'

Callerya scribbled her number on the crushed cup. Praise was busy copying his number from his shiny new phone, so Callerya gave her sticky scrap to his Armaldo.

'We should battle some time, too!'

He introduced her to all of his Pokémon: Armaldo, Spiritomb, Aggron, Gengar and two Buzzwole. They seemed excited about a potential battle. Though Callerya was convinced the attraction was mutual, since Praise seemed equally excited to see her again, he looked baffled and mildly embarrassed when she kissed him on the cheek.

'Lovely to meet you! See you here tomorrow at five!'

'Nice to meet you too. See you tomorrow.'

Callerya hurried off towards the lab. She collided with someone who stopped in front of her. As her bottom hit the floor, she heard and felt a stomach-churning rrrrip. Her increasingly uncomfortable jeans finally split. She found herself staring up at Senior Inspector Hope Verbeek, whose cold eyes looked like they just locked on to a murderer.

'Um...'

'Miss Mesquite Magnolia. Who was that man you just ate breakfast with?'

'W-why...?'

She tried to wriggle away when Hope's Bisharp seized her wrists to haul her to her feet. She couldn't stand up. Her jeans split. She didn't want to explain that to the chief of the Martian division of the Interplanetary Police. She feigned a sprained ankle. That was unlikely. No-one who endured astronaut training sprained anything so easily. It only reinforced Hope's frown.

'What was his name?'

'Praise... why?'

'What did you discuss?'

'Just... football and Orre, where I'm from...'

'What kind of football?'

'Gridiron football... but why?!'

'Why did you meet him? How?'

'I met him at one of the uni campuses last night... at the metro station... he was coming back from football practice... I tried to hold the train for him by blocking the doors with my bag, but it just spat my bag out... he came here to bring it back, but I thought he was hot, so I invited him for pizza...'

'Did you agree to meet again?'

'Yeah... here, tomorrow, at five... why? Is he a bad guy or what?!'

'Explanations can wait.'

Hope sprinted off. When she reached the crossroads to see that Praise was long gone, she and Bisharp took off on her Skarmory.