Yannick would agree with all of the stoic young ranger’s guidelines, making sure that his employees had heard them. The group would follow all precautions laid out to the t. They set off at a reasonably quick pace. The ice crunched under the footfall of Yannick’s heavy hiking boots. He wasn’t much suited to the life of a ranger himself, the outdoors adventuring was not his strong point. He didn’t complain about the forced march but it wasn’t quite sustainable for him. One upside was that he wouldn’t be getting cold with all this effort.

They hit a slight incline, the exertion bringing his breathing under duress. Hefty exhales brought hot air straight from his innards and projected it into the brisk wind, condensing in front of his face before it was carried away.

He trudged to the top of the hill and was rewarded with a view of the Icelands. It was all a brilliant white. Even now, he could tell that this was once a lush valley encased in a range of hills.

“Wow. What a spectacular view.” He stopped to gaze into the purity. “I suppose you get to see scenes like this all the time, do you Mr Blackwell? It’s times like these that make me think that maybe I should take more breaks from the office.” It was an empty statement, he knew nothing would drag him away from his work, especially the dangers of the Hoenn wilds.

Griselda brought up the rear, finally making it to the top minutes after the rest. There was a constant background noise of her grumbling, like a combustion engine was powering her every step. Hammond pointed out where they were going, the forest at the base of the next hill.

Once they had all caught their breath, Yannick would start down the hill. “It’s quite a career you have here. Out here with the weather and the pokemon. What would make you choose this over a cushy office in the middle of Slateport?”

The group would eventually make it to a frozen forest. The scent of pine leached through the air. Ice clung to the branches of the trees, like ornaments made of the Solette family’s own gemstones. The wind gently rustled them, making the sun’s rays glint through them.

Kazoom whirred and buzzed, floating slowly sideways to capture a cinematic shot. Zooming out, Josh and his magnificent beast was painted against the frozen wasteland of the Silent Icelands in the distance. Grace grinned and gave Yannick a thumbs up. They had the footage, she was saying. She had enough to stitch together the story in post-production.

A somber story it was, with the effects still lingering, leaving its mark on the entire region. The one highlight was the confidence that the gym leader had in the League’s approach in the days leading up to it. Yannick was glad that it seemed that some of those big people up there had a clue what was going on and had a handle of the situation. However the businessman could not staunch his cynicism and wondered if this retelling was painted to look better for the League. That being said, he had no place to question those on the front lines who, after all being said and done, had dragged Hoenn out of a cataclysm.

“That is fantastic. I know I speak for the people when I say how thankful we all are for the League’s response. For you and your colleagues to fight on our behalf is something we cannot repay.”

“Let’s wrap up by talking about the epilogue. How did it feel once it was all over for you and others? It must have been quite the relief.”

“And looking forward, what does the future look like? Are there any lessons that we can learn? Maybe we can prepare better for the seas ahead.”

Geology was a science that he had familiarity with, what with it being so close to his family’s interests. Land shifted and metamorphosed into different states constantly, like a chef stirring a pot of chunky stew. The heat and pressure that resulted would bring about the raw materials of his life’s work. The shining minerals valued by many. It was clear that the curator had a slightly different approach to this knowledge. She posited the consequence of the amber as an end to the story of an entire landscape. In the earth hid a tale of times long gone, not just rocks to put on fingers.

"Alright, Miss Higashi, then." Yannick laughed. She was insistent on her name being used which was fair, it was clear his overly friendly approach wasn’t appreciated.

“Yeah, seems like there’s all sorts in that swamp. Half the stuff could be of some sort of historical importance and I wouldn’t even notice. One of our guys has a collection of old shoes that have been spit out of our refinement process. If it takes your fancy, you could sort through them to find any ancient, lost soles.” He chuckled again, lightly teasing the young curator.

“I would be happy if it is of use to someone, it would just take up space in my warehouse otherwise. It sounds like it will be the talk of the historical town, will it? A window into the past, if you will.” From the sounds of it, they had something potentially quite valuable with them. The opportunist within Yannick did consider that maybe he had given the piece over too easily but he quickly discarded the notion. It was possible he could find some estate to buy the amber but it really wasn’t worth the hassle. He would take the photo opportunity any day.

Speaking of public relations, Yannick looked around. “Did the media arrive yet?”

Yannick couldn’t imagine what it was like to be a gym leader during that time. Gym leaders were pillars of the community, symbols of order and power who protected the people from the greatest threats. This was something that no person could conceivably deal with. Having that weight of responsibility with no answers available must have been tough.

A party for the end of the world. This is what he was describing. Definitely something Yannick wouldn’t be able to face. He would prefer a dingy room with the curtain pulled down any apocalypse of the week. “It says something about the human spirit, doesn’t it. When faced with certain death, we look to live as much as we can with what time we have left. It’s a reminder that even though we have made it through, we should not forget that our time is still precious. We can still live to the fullest.” The words rolled off his tongue without him thinking about them first, as if he was mirroring a sentiment he had seen expressed somewhere else. But did he believe those words? His own life suggested the answer was no.

“We won’t push you to say anything you don’t want to. And we thank you for your time.” Except they did want any juicy detail that Josh could spare. “Just a few more questions then. Without revealing any important secrets, could you give us a small taste of what the League itself was feeling during those times? Were officials also experiencing the same sort of hopelessness, or was there some other outlook? How were these feelings expressed?”

And with the sound, the earth that surrounded him began to vibrate. No, not just that, it began to fall down around him. The little burrow that he had found had begun to collapse. The dread set in thick and fast. His heart jumped into his mouth and he became desperate. He began to scrabble at the direction that he had thought he had come in. All the while, the metal beasts continued their pursuits.

THUNK THUNK THUNK

They were massive hydraulics that fired out spears of steel, much to the same effect as a jackhammer. The idea was to break up the solid stone so that the excavators could come in and clear away the mountainside, getting to the valuable insides. However Yannick at this moment only cared for his own insides. The metal beasts were only getting closer. Their teeth were hell-bent on crunching down on little boy bones.

THUNK THUNK THUNK

His desperation grew, chunks of dirt falling into his eyes and mouth, making the task impossible. He twisted and turned, finding himself upside down and digging even deeper. He screamed and cried as much as he could. The stone that surrounded him began to squeeze. He was certain that he would be buried alive in that moment. He was sorry. Sorry for the disobedience, sorry for the impulsivity, sorry for daring to do anything else than stay on the path that his parents had carved out for him. He was sorry for everything. If only he could make it out of here, he would be the best son his father could ever wish for.

And then, amongst the chaos, a wisp of white and red smoke curled toward him. He clutched at it, the ethereal life line. There he saw, a small crack of blue in between the rocks. That is where the smoke lead. With a burst of adrenaline, he scrambled upward. He kept grasping at the tendril, hoping that this would be his saviour.

Finally, one hand breached the surface. But it had come too late, the stone around him had been reduced to gravel and sand, the likes of which had buried every crevice completely. There was no room to find purchase. No space to exploit the leverage necessary to get any further. There he was, one second away from salvation.

Large fingers pushed through the earth toward his face. Grabbing his collar, his body was pulled clean from the rubble. It was his father. Yannick was shocked, the prospect of surviving had been abandoned. This was a second chance he didn't think he would get. He burst into tears. The streams of stress carved rivers down his dirty cheeks. The beratement started. His father would continue to yell at him for the rest of the holiday. But he was happy, accepting everything as his punishment and just being glad to be alive. He would be able to return to his family for their white Christmas.

The scenery around Yannick began to change. Disembodied thoughts began to assemble. He realised that this was his consciousness that seemed to persist through the experience.

"I guess this is where my motivation stemmed from. The devotion to the company, the legacy of my family."

It all made sense. This experience had let him relive that time again with all of the visceral emotions intact. Of course he would be such a good boy after that, it felt like he had made a promise to the heavens. His first holiday wish, if you like. Then after it looked like it had been granted, he felt compelled to keep his end of the deal. The series of events had become muddled in his memory but the feelings persisted.

Another late night at the office. The clock tick-tick-ticked away in the background, bleeding time away. His fatigue was catching up to him, blurring the midspace of the room. From one dark corner in particular, a figure stepped out from seemingly nowhere. In a full black coat and an Unown D beside him, he was quite the imposing figure.

He spoke, while Yannick listened. The incredulity of the situation froze him in place. The shadowy man talked about timelines and second chances. None of it made any sense. But that didn’t stop him from conjuring a portal and sending the businessman through it.

THUNK THUNK THUNK

The sounds from those times still haunted him. The odd night he would wake up in a cold sweat, remembering the days of holidays past. And that one night. He was no more than ten. The family had moved to an old mountainside chateau for the holidays. Even on such a special holiday, his father would not give up his work. The nearby mountain range was currently being excavated by the Bijoux Solette company and he would travel out to the site for most of the day.

As boys of his age did, Yannick would make his escape. He would stow away in the back of his father's truck and travel to the mining site. Upon arriving, he would be found. An inexcusable disobedience, of course. This time, me would run. With an endless barrage of hatred and negativity flowing from dad's mouth, he needed to get away.

Anywhere was better than there. What he found was a small crevice in the mountainside in between two pine trees. He crawled inside but the sound was still approaching. He had to go deeper. Finally, there was peace. Not only sound, but light had also left him. He sighed, able to relax at once. It wasn't so bad down here. No responsibilities, no standards, no timetables. This would have been many people's phobia, being down here in a tiny space. Yannick felt freer here than on the surface.

It was good for a time, but only for a short time. In the distance, a whirring could be heard. And then somewhere close, someplace on the other side of all of this earth, he could hear the machinery begin to pound away at the stone.

THUNK THUNK THUNK

“Oh I can assure you that it’s real, I mean, what else could it be? But go ahead, be my guest.”

Yannick decided it wasn’t worth feeling any sort of way about the admins' scrutiny. A squad of inhabited labcoats scuttled out and began fawning over the specimen. They were doing all sorts of different activities with all manner of instruments. He watched in confusion for a moment before his curiosity took a nosedive after realising he would not be able to decipher their actions.

Then his attention turned to the small crowd that had gathered. Yannick started toward them before being interrupted by a young brown-haired woman. She was a curator who wanted to know more about where the amber came from.

“Well I can’t give you a first-hand account of how it was found but my prospectors did give quite a detailed report. We have an excavation project in the swamps west of Pastoria City. I know that the work conditions there can get quite difficult, what with digging through the marshy earth. Bringing machinery in is hard, a lot of the work is done by specialised teams and pokemon. With how the swamp preserves whatever is packed into the muck, digging through that soil is like going back in time. About twenty metres down we hit material from a dense fossilised forest. And in the middle of the wood-turned-stone was this beauty.”

Yannick grinned, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. He was hopeful that someone would appreciate the effort that his company had gone to with shipping this thing across the seas. Surely there would be some kudos to be earned, maybe an article in the paper, maybe a plaque with his name on it.

“What do you think, Miss Curator?”

The memories were coming back from those times while Josh recounted the past. To be honest, he had tried to block out as much of the goings-on as possible. After all, what could he possibly do? Being trapped on the island with everyone else. It was funny, he hadn’t thought of leaving before but as soon as the choice was taken away from him, suddenly it was all he could think about.

Instead, he did what he did best. Work, work and work some more. Not that many of his employees had the same idea. Yannick would turn up to boardroom meetings with all the chairs empty. He raised the issues, took the minutes and assigned himself action items. Busy hands and a busy brain got him through the day.

The last thing he wanted to do was go home to Kou. The frustration with not being able to fix anything was immeasurable. She would be curled up in bed, panic-stricken. He could hold her, but that wasn’t going to change their fate. So he turned a blind eye to her. Being reminded of that time by the gym leader would make him reflect on that. Would he really have been okay with spending his last days like this? What did this say about him as a person? Mostly it just made him regret not being where he should have been.

Grace nudged him. That’s right, there was an interview to conduct. Kazoom’s lenses focussed on a close-up shot of Josh.

“A new gym leader in a foreign and now threatening land. I can imagine that people would turn to you in such a time like this. What was running through your mind when this all began? The weight of responsibility, it must have been quite a burden.” Unlike himself, maybe the gym leader was in a position to do something. No, more than that, people would expect something from him. This was an opportunity to see the event through his eyes

“I remember the panic. An existential dread had captured the public psyche. You say people started living like the end of the world, was there anything specific that you saw people do or experience that showed you just how desperate they were?” Yannick was fishing for the personal touch, something that would connect to people’s hearts. The larger picture was needed to capture the gravity, but humans would only be able to empathise on an individual level.

“To be honest, I tried to stay away from the news as much as possible. Could you tell me more about the meteor?”

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Yannick stood on a small plateau just outside Oldae town, awaiting his guest. He was sure that this would prove to be a very important meeting. The date had been very difficult to set up, what with both of their schedules being packed. Finding time that they both had free was difficult. But here he was regardless, at the end of the afternoon, dressed in his sharpest suit.

Behind him was an airship that he had chartered out for the day. It came with its own crew, the likes of which were behind him, tending to the aircraft. A great oval balloon with a cabin at the bottom. One section up front for the pilot, another for the staff and kitchen, and then a large luxurious room at the back for the guests.

All of this was more than necessary in Yannick's mind. His job was to impress a councilwoman whose rubber stamp would be required to begin work in the Icelands. It would be a difficult conversation to have, putting it mildly. It was a year since the Meteno event and the Icelands still held a kind of reverence in the hearts of the people of Hoenn.

The minerals underneath the ice had proven to be very valuable to Yannick's company. His management staff had urged him to make a play for the resource. The young CEO was in two minds about whether this would be a good idea. In the end, he had been convinced by dozens of reports and presentations that this move needed to be made if he were to fulfil his duty to the company.

So here he stood, awaiting his guest. Would he get his way, using his guile and charm to woo, or would the councilwoman be able to fend him off?

By the time the truck had found a park in the loading bay, several museum staff members had already come out to meet them. Yannick popped open the door and gave a wave and a smile like he was some world leader on an international excursion. He hopped down from the truck, catching his foot on the door and unceremoniously pirouetting onto the cement.

“Ah Mr Solette. We have much anticipated your arrival. I hope that it was an uneventful trip from Sinnoh.”

A middle-aged woman walked forward to greet him, speaking nothing of his awkward entrance. She was stout with a plume of white hair intermingled with her black, dressed in a formal grey outfit. This was an administrator that Yannick had corresponded with.

“Ms Deseret, I presume. Oh well, I myself didn’t go to Sinnoh but-” The admins eyes dug into him but her smile didn’t budge. “Oh you meant the amber. Yes, it’s all in one piece. Perfectly intact. Just like me, aha. Don’t worry, I take better care of my stones than I do of myself.”

Ms Deseret was silent for a few seconds and blinked twice. “Well then, we would love to see what you have for us.”

“Yes, let’s.” Yannick agreed before turning back to the truck. The back of the truck had opened and the workers piled out.

“Where would you like us to put it, boss?” Haymitch asked.

“Just put it here for now, they will want to have a look at it first.”

Doing what was asked of them, the handymen, with help from the gurdurr, would carefully wheel the massive piece of amber off the truck. The orange shard would glitter as soon as it was exposed to the smallest source of light. Yannick smiled, watching the reactions of the museum staff.

“So, what do you plan to do with it?”