Renamon, massaging her temples as she contemplated the massive headache, spoke first. “You can’t have three of the same Actor. You can’t just leave alternate timelines ‘on pause’. But most importantly, this whole thing is killing the Plausibility levels, Narrator!”


    <Don’t raise your voice to me; I am not the cheese-brained, incompetently malicious, self-centered moppet who pulled us into this precarious situation!>


    “I mean… They don’t have to be part of the Story. Can’t they just stay here in Lumiose?” Real-Chad asked, eyeing Buff-Chad and Psy-Chad pitifully. Somehow, the question managed to upset everyone, almost equally, for completely individual reasons. The shouting died down when the Sylveon from earlier came over, requested they leave, and highly suggested Dragonair return to work. Dragonair returned to waiting tables, after The Lady informed them the squad would meet up again tomorrow to discuss their next operation.


    “So, having said my part, what do you two think? I mean, I can guess because I was both of you a few days ago, but I would think you’d be interested in just peacing out here?” Real-Chad suggested, eyeing his muscular and floating counterparts.


    “I mean, maybe? Once Team Flare are gone, Kalos seems one of the better places to put down roots, by the looks of things.” Psy-Chad commented, appreciating the architecture as they strode past. “And maybe it’s the stockholm syndrome talking, but I’ve been… enjoying my time here, I guess.”


    “True, all true, but hear me out–” Buff-Chad started, bubbling with excitement within his sphere of protective energy. “What if we go to Italy instead? Also pretty, no world-ending bad guys, and most importantly: Italian Cuisine.” He noticed a woman openly staring at him from across the way, giving her a smile and cheerful wave. The orb flashed a bright pink and her pokemon immediately fainted, causing the woman to panic.


    “What is Italy called here anyway? We could look it up at the pokemon center.” Real-Chad offered, ignoring the whispers from behind him from the other four. “But that could be great; I still need to talk with Dragonair more, figure out what they’d like to do. Assuming we end up together, that is.”


    “Don’t worry about that, you saved us from being erased into nothingness; we can find our own special someones!” Buff-Chad reassured himself, attempting to drape one of his thick arms across his flying-type self’s shoulders only to be stopped by the protective force field. Psy-Chad nodded in agreement while patting Real-Chad on the back.


    “And I believe this is where we part ways,” Psy-Chad declared, as the group reached a three-way intersection. “Chad, thanks for saving us. If you’re ever in a bind, the Narrator should be able to let us know. Hopefully I’ll have mastered Teleport by then.” The three shared one final group hug, followed up by an oddly emotional hug for Buff-Chad’s protective ball from Lucielle, who had to be pulled away by Ginette rather forcefully. Alexandre offered a fist-bump and a smirk for Psy-Chad, who returned the gesture. Keanu, not holding any emotional attachments, simply left down the path towards the fields, the rest of the team following in his wake. Psy-Chad and Buff-Chad waved goodbye before heading down the opposite way.


    I’m gonna need better names for them if they show up again.


    <By now, the sun had fully vanished below the horizon, leading to the city being illuminated by its network of electrical lights. The fields were mostly empty, as many a trainer had run home for dinner, leaving the five unbothered and free to do as they pleased.>


    “So, Keanu, I guess I’ll start us with introductions. I’m Chad, fire flying type, and I specialize in all-out assault. You spoke with Ginette earlier, she’s currently just a water type but should gain a dark typing soon based on what I researched online, and tends to be a ranged evasion battler. Next to her, also someone you know, Lucielle who is fighting steel, but I am unsure of her fighting style…”


    “Mixed bruiser with technician. Always up-close and personal, but I can beat them black and blue with more than just my fists.” She supplied, as Ginette enjoyed the minor joke.


    “Right, and lastly is Alexandre, poison and ground, mix between a raw tank and a staller-”


    “If my fists don’t do you in, you won’t be standing long anyway,” he supplied viciously, pounding his fists together to punctuate the statement.


    “Yea… Gaston will rejoin us for the conference, but his style may change between now and then so no comment there. With that said, how about you?”


    The brown and white bipedal owl stood up straight, whipping out an extended wing with the other covering his chest in a respectful bow. “Alola; Keanu, grass and ghost type, ranged attacker with a focus on hit-and-run tactics. I have more battle experience than the rest of you combined, and request you respect that fact.”


    <With introductions complete, Keanu demonstrated his techniques to the group, offering to assist Ginette with her progress on Shadow Sneak, as well as introduce her to Nasty Plot– Wait a minute, this move didn’t even exist in gen 6!>


    Just go with it, Narrator. Unless you would argue Ginette doesn’t already fit the concept?


    <I shudder to contemplate what that mischievous tosser would even attempt if they could affect me.>


    She’d probably start by replacing your tea with decaf.


    <Monstrous. Following the demonstration, the group recognized how late it was and returned to the pokemon center, where the night shift nurse was able to register Keanu to Chad’s team. One restful night later, Chad left the other four to continue practicing and planning for their upcoming gym challenges while he completed the last session of flight school. The group couldn’t stay long in Lumiose, and for their final evening went back to Eevee’s choice. Much to Chad’s dismay, Dragonair was not working that night; however, thanks to Alexandre’s popularity, the Nidoking was offered a free meal for his table if he put on the bow tie again for a few hours.>Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    <The team set out the following morning, heading north along Route 14 and into the swamplands. Wanting to help her along, Ginette was designated the primary battler as the team took all challengers along the way. The opportunity allowed her to work on mastering another move from Keanu’s set; Swift. It was tough, and Ginette was exhausted from her effort, but when the warm light of evolution enveloped her the team showed their support.>


    The dark blue frog took in her new form, barely able to examine much beyond her arms before being captured in a big hug by an excited jackal. The two were now roughly equal in height, and the energy became infectious as both celebrated the achievement.


    <Ah, one moment, Lucielle; I need to have Ginette make a quick call. A familiar white circular cloud begins to appear. The center flows outwards, opening a view into a familiar cafe in Lumiose City, where a certain Froakie sits at a table, mystified by what she sees.>


    Remembering the event vividly, Ginette replicates the offensive gesture before shouting at her past self. “Stop being an idiot and take the deal! Don''t make me come back in time and smack myself for being so short-sighted!”


    <The clouds and window to the past fade away on the wind, closing the loop.>


    “Sounds like someone needed a little motivation originally, hmm?” Lucielle teased, reappearing to embrace her frog.


    “His sales pitch was caca at first. But, after being informed of the compensation package… Let’s just say I’m glad I accepted.” She replied while leaning in for a peck on her girlfriend’s cheek.


    <The group continued northward until night fell, whereupon they set up camp beneath an old tree. Keanu offered to take the night watch, and Chad offered to let Lucielle and Ginette claim the tent for the evening. Alexandre proceeded to make some rude gestures before he was recalled to his pokeball, to which Chad apologized and returned himself as well.>


    <The next morning, after reviewing the map, the troupe set forth, with a focus on giving Lucielle and Alexandre the focus for any battles that day- >


    “Chad,” Keanu called out from his perch in the trees above, drawing the attention of the orange dragon below. “I have two questions following the events of yesterday.” Nodding, Chad motioned for him to continue as they walked. “First, it seems like every wild pokemon in the area is actively avoiding us-” To which Chad shrugged. “Second, if you went through all the trouble for a flying license, why are we walking?”


    Ginette’s ball vibrated to signal her interest in the second question. “Simple; we need to battle trainers for both practice and money. And most trainers can’t fly, or at least the ones willing to battle won’t be.” Chad clarified with a response, ducking below a relatively low-hanging branch. “The flight license is for the parts when we don’t want to be walking, like Route 17 which is pure snow and cold.”


    <At that opportune moment, a trainer emerged from between the trees, readying a pokeball in challenge only to falter upon seeing Chad’s scarf. Chad nodded, pulling a pokeball from his own belt and matching the trainer’s pose. I could describe this thrashing where an experienced trainer trounces a poor child for what is effectively their lunch money, but we all know just how unfair this match was going to be.>


    <Towards the end of the day, Keanu notices a slip of paper flutter through the wind, barely visible in the setting sun. Before he can discard it, Chad insists the owl keep it about his person, commenting on the odd power it exudes. Chad and crew finally arrive in Laverre City, awed by the sight of the towering tree towards the north end of the town. Oddly, the city seems to have departed from Kalosian architecture, with all of the buildings in the city appearing to have been built following Kantoan or Johtoan styles.>


    <Before dusk faded to night, Chad managed to convince the perceptive pokecenter nurse to give the team a normal room, as well as book a gym battle in a few days. The town was much more relaxed than Lumiose, or maybe the trainers delayed by the Lumiose power outages were still following the western loop? Who could say, but for now Chad welcomed another location where they wouldn’t be confined to their pokeballs to sleep.>


    With Keanu nesting in one of the chairs, and the duo of Lucielle and Ginette hogging the bed, Chad and Alexandre once again found themselves attempting to make the floor tolerably comfortable. By arranging all of the soft pokemon beds in a pseudo-mattress, the two were once again left with an uncomfortable situation. “I miss him,” Alexandre admitted unprompted, gently attempting to lie down with his head on one of the few remaining intact beds; the others scattered around him torn or shredded by his spines.


    “I know, but this will be good for him. He’ll be so strong next time we see him, maybe he can solo our whole team.” Chad encouraged, holding his tail in his claws to keep the flame away from anything flammable. “Plus, with his new evolution I doubt he’ll fit inside these tiny rooms anymore.” Both chuckled lightly, doing their best not to disturb the others.


    Alexandre stared at the ceiling, thinking, before he frowned. “I mean, maybe he will fit? The rooms seem to get bigger as we go.” Chad eyed the rhino suspiciously, before standing up and attempting to reach the ceiling.


    And failing to get close.


    <Ah, someone noticed. Yes, the snug size of these cubbyholes weren’t intended to allow a trainer access to their full team, especially not if they’re evolved like you lot. Without some, creative arrangement, barely the ladies would be able to fit in here outside of a pokeball.>


    “I remember scraping the ceiling when I evolved, pretty sure Alexandre did too. Are we that big?” Chad inquired, eyeing his teammate in suspicion.


    <Have you not noticed that Alexandre seems to grow bigger when he enters battle? Or how none of you have experienced difficulty navigating a singular door frame despite being twice as wide as a human? Let us not forget the fact we’ve been hand-waving over or outright ignoring food, or any of your other biological needs.>


    “Right; it can be quite easy to skip over the mundane events when people aren’t looking for them. But why the size thing?”


    <Because without those adjustments, you would be spending almost eighty percent of this story stuck inside a pokeball. This world, despite being built for your kind, only has human civilizations, who design their buildings and infrastructure for other humans.>


    “So why not make one for pokemon?” Alexandre suggested, lying on his back while having managed to avoid skewering another pillow. “Sounds rather fun, raising up a whole new kingdom from the dirt. One where humans are just the guests who come to visit…” The two lie in silence while the idea takes root in the world.


    <Alexandre, I believe we should have a conversation, later. First, I believe you owe an apology.>


    The pink rhino sighed to the degree his soul nearly left his body, turning one eye to look upon Chad without rotating his head from the comfy position. “Yea, I do. My behavior towards you back when we first met was rude, and I made an assumption about you that was clearly untrue. I shouldn’t have been so disrespectful, and I will endeavor to do better.”


    Chad rotated his head to lock eyes with his teammate, stunned by the change in personality. “What brought this up?”


    “I saw the way you embraced that long dragon back at the cafe; how it made you cry-”


    “I didn’t cry.”


    Yes, you did; now let him finish.


    “...I saw how badly you were craving the touch of another. It made me think back on how often I too initiated some form of physical contact with others; and not just to punch them into submission.” There was a pause, a light ‘eep’ from the bed where one of the girls accidentally sleep-tickled the other. “You just didn’t want to feel alone.” His eye went back to the ceiling, staring into space. “I’m sorry.”


    Chad shifted his head to also stare at the ceiling, his horns proving to be a hindrance and angling his skull slightly forward. “Thanks; even though I have you guys as teammates, there’s a difference between a team and a family. And then there’s a further distance between a family member and a loved one.” He paused, chewing over his words before continuing. “Even if I had almost a hundred teammates, if none of them are someone special to me, I’d still feel like I was on an island waiting for rescue.”


    “Couldn’t you just fly? I could swim, I bet.” Alexandre commented, the metaphor seemingly lost on him.


    “In this case no, you’d be stuck on this figurative island. Because even if you could leave, there’s no guarantee you found another piece of land– or a boat– before you got tired and sunk into the depths.”


    Silence hung over the pair, broken by an innocent question from the rabbit. “Is this because of the lovebirds?”


    “No, it’s been a thing since before I even met Ginette. I spent my first two years here surrounded by people who made me feel valued and loved... only to learn it was their scripted ''characters'' and not how they truly felt.” Chad shut his eyes and huffed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be trauma-dumping on you. I accept and appreciate your apology. Let’s get some sleep so you can go punch more people tomorrow.”


    Alexandre smiled, closing his own eyes and likely dreaming of himself going on a rampage across Kalos as pokemon and trainer alike feared his mighty strength.