"Hello — is that Nolan?"
In the Pokémon Center in Lilycove City, Vance had got hold of Nolan in Vermilion City first, to find out how certain things stood.
"Vance! What are you doing in the Hoenn region? I looked at where the call was coming from and couldn't think who it could be — I don't know anybody over in Hoenn. Anyway, is Hoenn any fun?"
Nolan knew the voice at once and knew the caller was Vance.
"Something went wrong. I've ended up in Hoenn."
"Went wrong? How do you mean? Is there anything you need from me?"
Hearing that, Nolan felt there was something off about it as well.
"You know about Wilder... Now I need a favour. Find out how things stand over in Celadon City for me — look into Division Commander Draven, and how the Pokémon Cottage is doing."
Vance went over the business briefly.
"No problem. I'll get back to you later."
"Right. Thanks."
Only then did Vance hang up. The main point of the call to Nolan was to get a few things straight.
How matters stood in Celadon City lately, and whether anything there was working against him — better to know early than to go charging in blind.
It was convenient that he had come to know Nolan; he could send him to ask around.
The next day Vance had Nolan's message.
Nolan had pulled a few strings for the information, and there were several buried matters in it.
"So Ambrose and Emery are all right. That's something. And this Division Commander Draven is sitting quietly in his office minding his manners — no moves lately, then."
Vance had read the lot through quickly and learned that Ambrose and Emery had not been killed, and he was glad for them.
"So, Division Commander Draven. You go and get your affairs in order, and wait."
Vance said it with cold eyes. A share of the credit for the mortal danger he had just been through belonged to this man.
Having done it, he would have to take the consequences.
He had tried to put Vance in his grave; he would have to take what came back.
Still, for all the danger, Vance had got something out of it.
Coming through the crisis, the Pokémon had all made some progress, more or less.
The Slaking and the Gyarados had both reached level 48, the Zweilous had gone from 45 to 47, the Aerodactyl had reached 45 as well, and the Blaziken, now evolved, had reached 38.
That fight with the Dusknoir had been a savage one, and under that kind of pressure it had forced the Pokémon's potential out of them.
Vance's own fighting strength had risen a good deal because of it.
By his rough reckoning, everything he and his Pokémon had, let out together, now came to roughly the fighting strength of one Elite-Four-class. Against the Dusknoir of that day he would not be in such a sorry state now — on the contrary, he could kill it back!
Aboard the cargo ship, Vance had done more than swap tall stories with Steven. There had been a good many sparring matches between their Pokémon too.
At the same level the two sides won and lost about evenly, but fighting above their tier was another matter, because Steven's Pokémon were no ordinary ones either: their aptitude and the resources they had enjoyed were no worse than the Gyarados and the others had had — a good deal better, in fact.
It broadened the horizons of the Gyarados and the rest of them, too. So fighting above your tier depended on who you were fighting; there were differences between one Pokémon and another.
Vance also had Steven send out an Elite-Four-class Pokémon for a simulated battle, and took the field himself, working together with his Pokémon to test himself against it.
The result? A defeat, naturally. You did not have to fight to the end to know it.
It was only a simulation, but he got a great deal out of it.
Steven offered a great deal of advice as well, and coached him through it.
Chances to fight an Elite-Four-class do not come often, and Vance made the most of this one. He fought many times, and improved noticeably with every one.
After all those simulated battles he arrived at a rough figure: he plus his Pokémon came to roughly the fighting strength of one Elite-Four-class.
And that was where Vance's confidence for his revenge came from.
Even standing in front of Branch Chief Bram, the man would have to be civil to him.
He had reason on his side, and evidence, and now strength as well.
Vance did not believe that going back to Celadon City would leave him unable to settle the score.
This time he was going to flex his muscles a little. A man cannot keep his head down for ever.
Two days later Vance boarded a flight back to the Kanto region.
Even in the Pokémon world the aeroplane is an important way to get about, and there are high-speed trains and underground railways as well.
Ticket checked and boarded, Vance sat down in his seat and picked up a newspaper to read.
"Steven Stone has responded, confirming that he will contest this year's Hoenn Elite Four selection. Will he take a seat among the Elite Four? Analysis follows..."
"Strange activity at Mt. Chimney in recent days — Team Magma suspected!"
"The S.S. Anne has resumed her voyage and will reach Lilycove City in seven days."
"According to a public-spirited Trainer, an unidentified group has appeared in the Hoenn region — powerful, strangely dressed, and carrying out work connected with Legendary Pokémon."
He picked it up and looked through it: a great many stories of the day, on every subject.
On another page there was news from the Kanto region as well.
"A mysterious group? Connected with Legendary Pokémon? Isn't that stating the obvious? Which organisation isn't after Legendary Pokémon?"
Vance smiled to himself. Team Magma longed for Groudon, Team Aqua for Kyogre, and even the League paid particular attention to the Legendaries.
Legendary Pokémon were also the object of hard study by any number of dark organisations, because the power of a Legendary is simply too great. Even Team Rocket was studying them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the flight is about to depart. Please prepare for take-off."
Vance let it go straight past him and went on with the paper. The Pokémon Contests were in it too, and a picture of Wallace appeared with them.
Trainers have a branch of their own as well: Pokémon Coordinators. And the Contests are the Coordinators' stage — the equivalent of a Trainers' conference.
Vance put the paper down and looked out of the window. Outside the aircraft the sun was blazing in a clear and cloudless sky. It was fine weather.
Weather as good as that put Vance in a considerably better mood.
When they came out over a wide stretch of open sea, that changed. Away to the west a great mass of black cloud was gathering, lightning flickering inside it, and those banks of black cloud were moving.
And the direction they were moving in was exactly where their aircraft was.
"Hm? What's going on?"
The tangle of forces in the air broke Vance out of his quiet sitting.
Even from a distance Vance could feel a pressure he knew. It seemed to be the Zapdos's presence.
That was it — the Zapdos. He had seen it only days ago, and the memory was still fresh.
"Rumble, rumble—"
Bolt after bolt of lightning tore the sky open and crashed down on several Pokémon figures inside the mass of black cloud.
Inside that cloud there was more than the Zapdos alone. Several powerful Pokémon had it ringed in.
"Boom—"
In all that broken air the aircraft shook without stopping and lost its heading.
"Damn it. Don't tell me I have to do the whole One Piece routine all over again?"