Only the first day of the official circuit in August and I'm experiencing challenges. Despite the fact that specialty battles are rewarded more, I have no idea what someone would like to look at. Especially at such a weak stage where custom moves are not even used. Quite frankly, even if they were they would suck. If they waited until the 3rd or 4th badge I might understand but until then people mostly use moves with well defined effects.

  With custom moves, the sky’s the limit though. With tons of free time on my hands I designed tons of moves that I put in a very thick binder dubbed “Max’s Guide to Moves.” This binder had everything from ideas about a Banette creating a spiritual giant puppet that hangs over it and copies its moves to the best rune progression to train a Tyrunt to use fmethrower. Like I said, the sky’s the limit when you get good enough. I was fresh outta sky though and had no idea what to train those two on.

  The next morning I make the hard call and decide to leave Ian and Puff with Zac and Hannah while I figure something out.

  After a lot of searching I find the public library with all the books I could ever dream of. There is almost no one in the library except for the librarian and this other guy who is in his early forties and homeless as far as I can tell. There could be more, this pce is massive after all. It's perfect.

  While I’m still checking the pce out, the homeless guy snores a bit and the librarian keeps clicking away on her computer. I move over to the ancient tales section and start browsing. Tale of the Two Tailed, Venusaur's Garden of Life, Arthur's Medieval Tactics.

  I pick the st one as I vaguely remember Arthur being a conqueror who united Kanto and Johto for the first time with his foreign Pokemon. See, I do like history, but it’s the stories from older times that really entice me back. I couldn't tell you one thing about Arthur's political policies or why Hoenn took over the Alon isnds before it was destroyed but I loved tales of how a kalosian ncer rode a Gogoat against an army of 1000 and won. Every time I had a problem with my creativity I looked back in history because I know someone, somewhere, at some time was in a situation that could help me now.

  I start reading at a back table that is far away from others and gnce through the book a bit. I pause near the end, a smile forming on my lips due to the situation rather than the text.

  It mostly seems to be talking about his siege tactics of unching rock types into psychic barriers with fighting types and how his second strongest Pokemon, a Dugtrio, used substitute to such an amazing degree that he could have an army of dozens at his hip in an apricot pokeball to combat rger numbers.

  It wasn't what I was looking for but it gave me another idea to look into. I picked up another book titled Famous Double Battles in History.

  This process continued until I saw a book on a coffee table beled A Guide to Pokémon Hierarchies in the Yon Dynasty of Ult. There was a man in his te 20s or early 30s sitting there but he was focused on a different book at the moment.

  "Excuse me but can I borrow that book from you?" I asked.

  "Sorry but that one is actually a book I brought here myself. You can read it here but I can't risk it getting lost" he responded, looking up at me after I picked up the book I was referring to.

  "That's fine with me" I say, sitting down.

  I start looking through it, enjoying this peaceful paradise for a time and simply staring at a page. It brings me back, the process so simir yet in a different pce.

  I shake my head and focus. It describes a Dragonite who was 30 feet tall and in charge of more Dragons who also majestically rge. The lead Dragonite was named Miracreas, something quite rare, and it could even speak to humans. Miracreas was known to give visible shields out to his minions that enhanced a dragon type through the excess energy. These Pokemon doubled their strength until the shields ran out and they were weakened greatly for hours.

  I start forming an idea in my mind when I read about the visibility tactics the rebels used against them with ice types when the guy interrupts my thinking.

  "You seem really focused there, what are you in here for? Aren't you old enough to be a trainer yet?" he asks.

  "I'm trying to jumpstart some thoughts for my gym challenge since that old witch went on strike week" I expin. I turn back to my book when he ughs.

  "Old witch is right on the money, haha. My name is Henry Johnson, what's your beef with her? Mine is her protectiveness of the Strange Forest's ruins as I'm an archeologist of sorts."

  I write down my idea on the flyer I got from the gym before I answer with my real feelings "I'm Max and what she should be protecting are the people in the forest. My vilge has had it rough the past couple years and the Pokémon attacks are weekly."

  "Ah you're a vilger" he holds up his hand when he sees me about to say something "I don't mean it in a bad way. I know a lot of people who are from small vilges. The organization I work for looks for people from smaller pces almost exclusively so I mean no disrespect."

  Vilger? I guess I would be one "What's this organization called and what does it do?"

  "Good questions but I can only say that its name is Dawn and that it's interested in wild Pokémon for research purposes" he says. "I'm actually here doing research on a group called alpha Pokémon which is our main focus."

  "Neat, what are they...if you can answer that" I joke. I'm more interested in this guy now after his organization's weird recruitment profile. I mean I know people from my vilge are all super strong but surely there are stronger people from the city. There's so many more of them that there are probably a hundred people from a city as strong as grandmother.

  "Oh definitely, in fact I can teach you about them if you help with a bit of reading I need to do. I'm searching for two things really, one references to pces where they reside or have resided in the past. The other thing I don't think will be in any of these books but I hope to learn more about is something called the crown of the first alpha."

  I nod "That would expin a bit more if they are what I think they are. In this book Miracreas is massive, was he an alpha? Like one of those totem Pokemon in Alo?"

  "Yes, they are usually different from the rest of their species like totem Pokemon. Sometimes they get huge with additional might or they could have any number of alterations. Fun fact is that they were once normal Pokémon who received more recognition from the world."

  I had a feeling of goose bumps running over me as if that one word meant something "Can you repeat that, there was something wrong with the way you said recognition."

  "There was nothing wrong with the way I said it. It's a term used that is part of the world order and all words like it have the same effect" he grins "By defeating other Pokémon or otherwise gaining fame alphas earn this recognition and are eventually noticed by the world."

  A second word that feels like it has power. "So they get stronger by getting noticed?"

  "Yes, but you don't have enough knowledge to use the word. Your understanding falters but maybe by the end of our talk you will."

  "Sounds good. Now" I smile, pausing a second "teach me about alpha Pokemon."

  He grins back and he starts expining what the basics of alpha Pokemon. They started as normal Pokemon. Then through accomplishments they gather this recognition (I pick up the effect about halfway through and it even affects my thoughts now) to get noticed and turn into what is called a beta. They also get a longer life span because of this transformation and alphas get an even longer one.

  From there they get promoted into alphas who are even more powerful by gaining even more recognition and completing a feat(an act that is so skillful or great retive to the power of the Pokemon that the world recognizes it, like winning against an opponent of a higher rank by itself, healing hundreds of Pokemon back from the brink to full of energy, or most things that are at the very fringes of possible.)

  "That's amazing, why aren't these Pokemon caught and used by trainers. You told me that trainers can capture betas but why not alphas?" I ask.

  He shakes his head and ughs in condescending tone "Ahaha my ignorant friend no amount of recognition can upset the fact that the trainer is above the Pokémon in the retionship we share. They lose their rank because they aren't an alpha anymore, at least that's my theory. Let's let that be the st question for now, you have to hold up your end too and I need to leave at around 4 for a meeting."

  "Ok, at least tell me how to contact you though. I might be willing to make another one of these trades" I was a little nervous, I hadn't even met him that long ago and I was already comparing him to the reader part of myself, learning from books using the knowledge to improve a project.

  "I can give you my phone number, its-. Wait give me your pokedex instead."

  I do and he types in stuff for a couple minutes before handing it back to me "I added a call additional function to it with a promo code. I realized you probably don't have a phone and I apologize for asking that while knowing where you are from. I am used to calling everyone I know, hard to remember not everyone has it so easy."

  I thank him, accept the apology, and get to reading.

  As I read up on the books he has collected and keep reading even as he goes to get a few more. I stumble upon 3 locations, two really old and one more recent of a hundred years ago. Surprisingly they are all from the Strange Forest, but I guess we are right next to the thing and it is massive. I wonder how I never saw any of them before. I knew about huge Pokemon and their counterpart of tiny Pokemon but I never saw any that were too different outside variants. Nothing like a white fme Pyroar or Lurantis that mesmerizes everyone who sees it.

  I don't want to ask him about it as he seems really intent on his current book like he was before I showed up and I'd hate to break his focus. I have started to think he's a nice guy who shares some of my interests as he wandered to other historical topics sometimes. I find one more location before he stood up and started packing his books away while separating out the library ones.

  "Here's the locations I could find. Thank you for the lesson and the upgrade, it was really interesting" I say, handing him the st book.

  He moves to shake my hand and as I take it he says "No problem Max, call me if you ever want to join Dawn but know we require a bit of power first. We like to keep Dawn smaller scale, so get 4 badges and then we can talk about it. Oh and if you ever see anything to do with the first alpha let me know. And DO NOT go out looking for alphas you hear."

  "Will do Henry, I will call the number you added, its left left up and Henry Johnson right?"

  "Spot on, I wrote it down in your notes section which is right arrow of course. Now, if you will excuse me I have a meeting in a few minutes, have a great day and good luck on that contest battle" he says as he waves and walks away. I realize that I already have what I came here for and need to leave too but I don't want to make it awkward. I walk in a different direction before heading towards the library entrance.

  It's time to start training again.