The Pantheon

The Speech

The Wallace Cup had ended weeks ago, yet its aftershocks still followed Wallace wherever he went. That was evident the moment Wallace stepped into the convention center hosting the Pokémon Awareness Conference.

The building itself favored clean lines and wide corridors, designed to move people efficiently rather than impress them. Bright banners hung overhead, each marked with the emblem of the League and the conference title, their purpose informational rather than decorative.

Journalists filled the front half of the hall, many already seated with devices open and fingers poised, voices low but constant. Scientists clustered near display boards and modular stands, discussing data sets, ecological surveys, and long-term studies with focused intensity. Gym trainers were present, but they were outnumbered.

Wallace began to make his way through the conference. Some heads turned, a few murmurs followed him down the corridor, but the cameras stayed lowered. He was not the main event of the day, and everyone seemed to understand that.

The first section of the hall was dedicated to conservation initiatives. One stand displayed detailed maps of migratory Pokémon routes across Kanto and Johto, annotated with notes about habitat loss and seasonal disruption. Another focused on marine ecosystems, complete with tanks housing coral samples and interactive projections that showed population shifts over the past decade.

Further along, food and drink stations were set along the outer ring of the hall, practical in design and generous in quantity. Coffee brewed continuously, the scent cutting through the sterile air of the conference center. Trays of pastries sat beside bowls of fruit, and insulated dispensers offered tea and electrolyte water. Wallace accepted a cup of coffee from a volunteer and nodded his thanks before continuing.

At a stand near the center, a group of young researchers demonstrated a device designed to monitor stress responses in Pokémon during competitive environments. Wallace watched quietly as one explained how elevated heart rates and cortisol markers appeared not only in battle scenarios, but also in high-pressure contest appeals.

“Performance environments,” the researcher said, gesturing toward a graph, “create stress patterns similar to combat situations when the bond between trainer and Pokémon is misaligned.”

Wallace stayed there to listen for a few more minutes, before he moved on, the grip on his cup tightening slightly.

The conference floor grew louder as more attendees arrived. Conversations overlapped. Journalists compared schedules and speculated about keynote speakers. Several discussed rumored presentations involving evolutionary anomalies, though none spoke with certainty. Wallace caught fragments of names, regions, and unfinished theories.

One name surfaced more than once.

Ashley.

Wallace slowed his pace.

He had been aware she would be speaking. Wallace glanced toward the main auditorium doors, still closed as staff prepared the stage inside.

Lance had attempted to stop him from attending. He had raised an eyebrow and asked whether Wallace truly needed to be present for a conference that leaned so heavily toward research rather than League matters. Wallace had responded with a smile, he knew Lance found it infuriating, and made sure his secretary cleared up his schedule for the day.

As if he would allow anyone, even Lance, to stop him from seeing Ashley in action. After the Wallace Cup and her masterful performance, he was sure that her level as a coordinator would one day be higher than his.

That day might even be closer than any of them thought.

Wallace needed to hear her speak.

He continued his rounds, stopping at a stand focused on cross-regional Pokémon behavior. The presenter explained how Pokémon exposed to multiple climates showed adaptive patterns that challenged existing evolutionary models. Wallace asked a single question about long-term behavioral stability, and the answer he got was cautious and incomplete.