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Baruti awoke from his dream to a loud bang. The impact was such that it knocked a few photographs off the wall. They were in older frames that splintered as they hit the floor. Small clouds of dust shot into the air and the glass that protected the memories of the past shattered and spread across the hardwood floor like splinters of ice. He cleared his throat and looked around. Everything was a blur and he couldn't make out what was happening. "What's going on?!" He said to himself. The commotion was getting louder and the sounds of pounding footsteps could be heard racing up the stairway to his quarters. The door to his bedroom swung open wildly knocking another photo off the wall. This one, a portrait of an older man standing with a giant bird. It's frame was much larger than the others and as it hit the floor it sounded with a dense thud. The glass cracked in the lower left corner and fell back onto the wall it had just been dislodged from. Baruti reached over to his night stand and grabbed his glasses.

He placed the thin wired frames on his structured face. They rested on the lower edge of his nose and he looked down towards the door through the thick lenses. His sight cleared and before him stood two young teens. Adam, a little on the heavier side, picked up the waist of his khaki pants and stepped back and forth as he worked them back up into proper position. His stripped shirt was dusty and the under-arms wet with perspiration. He had a mop of brown hair that topped the crown of his head and the look on his face was covered in anticipation. The second of the two was Chloe. A rail of a girl, thin and tall. Her lengthy build looked as if it would fold with a strong breeze. She wore blue shorts and red tank top. Her hair was pulled back into what was supposed to be a ponytail.  Strands had fallen loose from the rubber band that held her hair in place and fell into her face. She brushed back the golden locks that covered her right eye and placed it back over her ear.  "Professor!" They both shouted in unison.

The professor composed himself. The covers were disheveled and a couple of pillows laid on the floor. He looked over to the wall where the pictures had fallen. He thought to himself about the new frames he was going to need to replace the old and that perhaps it was better that they had broken. He planned on getting new ones soon anyway. He looked at the the larger frame and stiffened his lower lip. It was a photograph of his father. A tall man, lengthy and strong. He was dressed in a suit. His tie was loosened and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up his forearms. He had suspenders that kept his pants up and his jacket hung over his left arm. The right was resting on a cane.  He wore similar glasses to the professor. The bird next to him had its head reared back as if calling out some victorious cry . Its wings spread wide and filled the background.  He had never really got the complete story as to when or where the photo was taken but he liked it. The large frame was still in tact and he thought about the time it would take to replace the glass and if it had damaged the image. He often was lost in thought and ignored the first attempt to grab his attention. "Professor!" The two yelled once more.

"Oh?! What is the matter?!" stated Baruti. He spoke with a strong accent. His tone was low and direct.

"Professor Baobab!" Adam called out. This time alone. His voiced cracked and he looked away to the floor. He twisted his right foot back and forth and examined his shoe. It was untied.

"Yes Adam, go ahead. What is this all about?" He turned and sat at the edge of the bed. He slipped his feet into some leather house shoes and grabbed his cane. It was the one that his father held in the old photo. He stood up and towered over the two teens in front of him. He walked over to the right of the room where his clothes were laid out on top of a large, well-worn leather reading chair.

"Well," interrupted Chloe, who was always so informed and rather proud. She spoke so matter-of-fact. "We leave in approximately three hours, thirty minutes and…" she looked to the watch on her left hand "forty-two seconds. Give or take a few seconds."

"Ah ha!" exclaimed the Professor. "I suppose that is good enough reason to barge into my room at such an early hour and knock the pictures from the walls." he had reprimanded them both as he stared down his nose at the two young trainers. "I guess I should of been up anyway. Let us go make some breakfast!. We certainly can't travel on an empty stomach."

Adam and Chloe looked to each other with a bit of an embarrassed expression. They surveyed the damage caused by their entrance and turned away from each other. The Professor stepped from behind a room divider as he buttoned his bright red shirt. It was covered in tropical flowers that were a darker red and was a stark contrast to his white undershirt. He noticed that Adam and Chloe were looking at their mess and chuckled. "Don't worry you two. It's nothing you can't clean up after we eat!" He smiled and started out of the room and down the stairs. "You also left the front door open and where is Drew?" The two teens turned to each other quickly, unsure of what to say and followed the professor.

As they sat down for breakfast, Baruti continued with his questioning. "Where is Andrew?"

Chloe looked at Adam and kicked him from underneath the table. "Tell him." she mentioned from under her breath.

Adam shook his head and refused. He looked to his plate, stuffed his mouth with egg, and smiled at Chloe. "Mouff's full!"

Chloe glared back with disdain, "Well, Andrew, he uh…" She trailed off a bit. "We don't know exactly."

"You don't know?" asked the professor. "Where could he have gone? Is he going to be late?"

Chloe coughed and took a sip of her orange juice. "Well," she regained her composure and a bit of courage "He said that he wanted a head start and left earlier this morning." she said quickly in a short breath and immediately winced.

"WHAT!" Baruti turned to the table. "He what?"

Adam coughed from the reaction. He tried to keep the bacon from flying out of his mouth.

"He said he wanted a head start, and left earlier this morning." Chloe repeated, this time more slowly "He took his Torchic and pack and left."

"Left to where? He has no idea where we are headed. We must find him before the guides arrive!" Baruti headed out of the kitchen to the entry way and picked up a small leather satchel. "Quickly, you two grab your things and meet me at the gates in twenty minutes. We have no time to waste!" and with that, he headed out the door.

Chloe stood up with excitement. "An adventure before the adventure! Brilliant." she started out of the kitchen and stopped. "Are you coming or what? We only have twenty minutes to meet the Professor!"

Adam looked at her and replied, "Plenty of time to finish breakfast," as he took a bite from a croissant. "Besides, I already have my Pokemon with me. I just need to pick up my pack I left with the merchant at the tailor."

Chloe turned and ran out the door as Adam finished his plate. As he stood up, he grabbed a few more strips of bacon and left, making sure to close the door behind him.