《Generic Pokemon Title》


 First Day

    Sometimes when I got bored, I would imagine what death would feel like.


    Would there be a heaven or a hell? Perhaps an endless void of nothingness?


    Reincarnation perhaps, Where the mind lays to rest and the soul recycles itself through another life.


    I never thought that when I died I would immediately find myself awake once more in the middle of a forest clearing.


    I also look slightly younger, perhaps by four years or so.


    Now I''m not fat or ugly by any means. I''m actually very tall and naturally skinny. My Grandfather even recommended I start playing Basketball to train my body.


    But when you live 21 years of your life slowly growing taller little by little, you notice when you suddenly get shorter.


    Now I''m still very tall, But 6 centimeters are noticeable when they disappear suddenly.


    Checking my pockets, I''m shocked to find them empty.


    No Wallet or Phone, Only a small red and white ball the size of those rubber bouncy balls you get from the machines outside of stores.


    And with a closer look at the small ball, I notice a button. Thinking nothing of it, I click the button and-


    "Holy Shit" I utter out loud as the small ball expands to fit into the palm of my hand.


    And now that it''s big enough to look at closely, I recognize the ball.


    A Pokeball.


    A device used by trainers in the Pokemon game series to catch the wonderful creatures known as Pokemon.


    I try to open the Pokeball to see if anything is caught inside, but instead of a creature flying out of the ball in a flash of light, It opens up to showcase a hollow interior with unique technical work that I cannot be bothered to understand. So I pocket the ball.


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    Checking my other pockets, I pull out an ID Card that states I''m a trainer, So I should be allowed to capture pokemon with no problem.


    It also states that my name is now simply Dishon, with no last name, my current Age is 17 and I live in a region called Paldea.


    Never heard of it.


    After checking my other pockets only to find them empty, I pocket the ID and start walking west, Toward the sunset, hoping to find some form of civilization.


    <hr>


    And as I walked through the forest, I started thinking back to what I know about Pokemon.


    I haven''t played the last two generations, or the Sun and Moon remaster, Although I heard mixed reviews for all of them.


    I did play the Lets Go games, specifically the Eevee once, So My knowledge of the Kanto region should be sharper than the rest, sadly I''m in a place called Paldea, and I have no knowledge of that region.


    I do know that my favorite Pokemon was introduced in the Hoenn games, and I know that Cynthia has a lot of artwork about her, I know Pikachu isn''t as competitively viable as the TV show wants you to believe, and I know that the world is always under threat of villainous organizations.


    Villain groups that want to use the powers of the legendary pokemon on the box-art of the game in order to fulfill their evil plans.


    With danger always on the horizon of which villain team will pop up next to disturb the peace.


    That''s where the protagonist comes in, The character you play in the games, going around fighting the gym to collect badges, only to have constant run ins with the villain team of the game, and only you are talented enough to bring them down!


    Yeah, I''m not dealing with that.


    And why should I? This is a brand new world, with supernatural creatures and breathtaking vistas to explore. I''m not going to be going around fighting baddies, I''ll be too busy going around looking at everything.


    I already have a course charted out for me, Once I''m done with Paldea I''ll go to Johto, do Kanto after, before taking a trip to Alola, go visit Sinnoh, travel through Hoenn, and finish it off back where it all started, A Paldea rerun!


    Maybe I''ll go through Unova and Kalos if I feel like it later down the line, but it doesn''t matter!


    The World is my oyster, filled Beautiful sights and even prettier women.


    This could be a wonderful adventure! No evil teams to deal with, no legendary monsters breathing on my back.


    Only me, my Pokemon partners, and a wallet filled with cash.


    Yes, It''s all coming together.


    And what a better team to have than a team full of Shiny Pokemon, They won''t need to be competitively viable, they''ll be pretty and beautiful instead.


    "Yes, That right!" I say out loud as I look down at my pants pocket, the one holding the Pokeball.


    My Pokemon team will be absolutely breathtaking in their beauty.


    <hr>


    I still need to get out of this forest and find a source of Income.


    Is making games a good Idea? I know that Cave Story was made by a single person, And I know how to write code.


    It''s not plagiarizing is it? The game doesn''t exist in this world, right?


    New Plan! Spend a few months remaking Cave Story and sell it on the game market, use the revenue I get from the game to fund my journey!


    What a Foolproof plan, truly! My genius knows no bounds.

 First Capture

    "I don''t know what I''ve been told" I sing as I continue walking west, getting a response of different sounds from the forest around me. I can hear buzzing, skittering, and even a few bird noises.


    "A frog man''s money is good as gold" Bzz bzz bzz chirp chirp bzz bzz.


    "Sound off!"


    Bzz Bzz


    "Sound off!"


    Chirp Chirp


    "Sound off!"


    Bzz Bzz Chirp Bzz Bzz Chirp Chirp!


    "Yeah, You guys got it!" I call out as I finish my marching song, getting a few more noises in return.


    So far no pokemon made itself visible to me other than a few small insects which I decided to ignore.


    I saw a small red and white bird fly by not too long ago, so I know that there are flying types in the area, but not which kind.


    After another hour of walking through the forest, I reach a cliff facing the ocean.


    "Well, This isn''t good," I say in response to the fact that I just walked for more than an hour only to reach a dead end.


    Wait a moment!


    "Is that?" I say to myself as I spot a sign with directions.


    With a joyful jump in my steps, I walk closer in order to read the sign.


    It has two arrows pointing in two different Directions.


    One arrow is pointing toward a cave, the other is toward a dirt path.


    "Alfronda /Alfronda Cavern - 5 kilometers, or Cortondo - 11 Kilometers," I read what was written on the sign.


    "If I go through this cave, I should reach is Alfroda place, or I could take a long walk towards this Cortondo place, The answer here seems pretty easy," I say as I stretch my shoulders and walk towards the cave entrance.


    <hr>


    Alfronda Cavern, The place that connect the town of Alfronda with the rest of Paldea through the cliff-sides of the region.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Titled as one of the most gorgeous view in the region, Alfronda has become a tourist city, famed for the ocean-view cliffs and breathtaking caves around it.


    Not only is Alfronda a popular tourist attraction, It is also the location of Paldea''s Psychic type gym, run by the eccentric Gym Leader Lorenz, The Town receives a large number of trainers passing through it each year.


    None of that information is relevant to the situation I find myself in right now.


    Standing in front of a rope bridge over a deep dark chasm inside Alfronda Cavern. Fifty meters of rope, hanging above a chasm so deep you can''t see its bottom.


    "Yeah, Maybe I should turn back, Cortondo sounds like a good place to visit right about now." I chuckle nervously as I slowly take a step forward, placing my right foot on a wooden plank.


    "Hey, This isn''t so bad" I say when the bridge doesn''t move, slowly but surely I place my left foot on to the bridge, my knuckles turning white from how strong I''m holding on to the rope.


    "Just a few more steps, not so bad, right?" "Sal!"


    I stop, not expecting to get a reaction to talking to myself, the echo in this cave isn''t that strong, after all. I look in the direction of the voice, my foot.


    "Sal? Sala!" A white lizard with a black head voices as it''s small claws grab on to my pants.


    That pokemon is one that I recognize, and one that almost makes my blood freeze.


    A Salandit, a Fire/Poison type pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon, I personally never used one, but I know that they''re not supposed to be white.


    "Didn''t I say that I''ll only be capturing shinies? Is this like a sign or something?" I ask no one as I look at the Shiny Salandit holding on to my pants leg. "Salandit Sal!" It says as it stats to climb my pants, clawing into the fibers of my clothes, leaving small holes on them.


    "Hey! Wait wait wait!" I yell as the small lizard starts climbing up my shirt, I try and grab the pokemon but it slithers and crawls around my torso so it''s holding on to my lower back.


    I give up on trying to catch the Lizard with my hands so I quickly take out the only Pokeball I have from my pocket.


    "That''s right, easy does it" I whisper to myself more than anything, as I enlarge the ball and slowly pull my hand towards where the Salandit is holding on.


    "Sala?" I hear before my hand stops as the ball I''m holding bumps into something, a click sounds and my back is suddenly five kilo''s lighter.


    I pull my hand back, the ball now wriggling in my grasp as the Salandit tries to leave the ball.


    One shake, a second shake, and a ding. The ball once more shrinks as it stops shaking!


    <u>SALANDIT HAS BEEN CAUGHT!</u>


    "Yes! A Shiny starter! Lets go! Who''s the man? I''m th-" I get interrupted once more, now because of the rope bridge shaking and moving from the little fiasco that left small needle sized holes in my shirt.


    I should probably start moving...


    <hr>


    After an hour of following the lamps lighting up the cave, I finally reach its exit.


    Alfronda, My first town here, and hopefully my new base of operations until I get the money to start actually moving around.


    I see the town in the distance, tall buildings, people walking the streets together with their pokemon. Such a picturesque view after almost falling off a rope bridge.


    Now all I need is to buy a room at a hotel and- Wait a moment...


    Buy a room?


    I put my hands into my pockets once more, hoping to find out that whichever Random Omnipotent Being that placed me in this world also gave me enough money to actually buy a room for a night.


    And I come out empty of anything, anything other than my Trainer ID and a Pokeball holding a shiny Salandit...


    Great...

 First Night

    "I Have no money," I uttered for what must be the fourth time since the hard truth hit me.


    I know enough coding to make money by recreating old video games, but I need a computer to do so, And I need money to get a computer, and I need a job to get that money to make more money.


    It''s an endless cycle of money!


    "You wouldn''t happen to have any money on you, would you?" I ask the bike-sized lizard creature next to me, I''m sitting on a bench next to a bike stop outside Alfronda, there''s a roof over my head, and a bench for my back.


    That is to say, I found where I''m going to be sleeping tonight.


    Who knew being Homeless would be difficult?


    "Cyclizar," The green lizard answered, obviously not having any money on hand to give.


    What can I do? It''s getting late so I can''t do much now, I''ll have to wait for tomorrow to find a job. Maybe IT? Who knows...


    "Do you have anything to say?" I ask the nearby parrot, It has a pompadour-shaped plume on top of its head and a nice coat of green feathers.


    "Skwa?" The bird squawked before looking at me as if I said something hurtful "Squawkabilly! Skwa!" It yells in its bird language a bit more before flapping off into the distance.


    "Cy?" The Lizard tilts its head as we both watch the parrot fly away.


    "Yeah, I guess some people are just rude, huh buddy?" I say to the green bike lizard. It closes its eyes and nods its head as if agreeing with me.


    As I''m sitting on the bench, I feel a vibration in my pocket, as If I''m on a bumpy road and my currently nonexistent phone is threatening to fall out. "What is it now?" I whisper as I pull out my Pokeball.


    I still haven''t released Salandit from its ball, Afraid it will either run away or be stolen from me.


    Are shiny pokemon even rare in this world? Are they one out of eight thousand or one out of four thousand, or is there a different ratio for shiny pokemon?


    But, seeing as I''m sitting on a bench outside of town with my only company being a bike lizard, It should be fine to take Salandit out of their ball.


    I still don''t know if they''re a boy or a girl.


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    So without further ado, I click the ball. And as it enlarges, a beam of red light shoots out before revealing the form of the white Salandit.


    "Sal? Salandit!" It yells in a rough yet slithery voice one might expect to hear from a talking reptile before it climbs up my shirt and hangs on to my lower back as it did on the rope bridge in the cave.


    "Hey, come on, That''s my only shirt, stop putting little holes in it," I complain as the Salandit''s fingers create a new set of holes in my shirt. I don''t have any replacement clothes with me, and I don''t have any money to buy new clothes.


    "Sal!" The Fire/Poison type yells as it wraps its tail around my waist to hold itself like some sort of living fanny pack.


    "Okay, As I wanted to say, Hello," I start introducing myself to my first Pokemon "My name is Dishon, and I am your Trainer, I hope we can get to work well together"


    "Sal?" It asks as it slowly crawls around my waist, sharp fingers poking into my skin before its head pops from under my armpit and it looks up at my face.


    "Yep, I caught you in a Pokeball, I really hope you don''t mind," I show the Salandit the ball in question.


    It looks at the ball, It looks back at me, It looks back at the ball, back at me, to the ball, and then back at my face.


    Several times the shiny switched from looking at its new ball to me before it seemingly came to a conclusion.


    That conclusion is that my lower back is more comfortable to grab onto than my front. If the ''Mon crawling back to its fanny pack position is anything to go by.


    "Sal! Salalandit Sala Dit!" It hissed loudly before tightening around my body. I have no idea if they agreed to be my partner, or if they''re calling me an idiot.


    "Zar Cyclizar," The Bike spoke as it looked at Salandit, who instead of answering whatever the pokemon said, simply pulled its tongue out of its mouth and blew a raspberry.


    "Salan-Dit!" It yelled, before slapping me lightly on the back with the palm of its scaled hand.


    So here I am, Sitting on a bench next to a bicycle stop, a shiny Salandit hanging on to me like a fanny pack and a green bike lizard looking at the situation I am in as if it''s a television show. Or whatever the guy is thinking, I don''t really know the bike.


    <hr>


    The beautiful chorus of angels singing woke me up from my sleep, ready to take on the new day in front of me.


    Or I would be if angels actually woke me up.


    Instead Salandit decided to slap my face with its tail and yell at me what I can only surmise be Salanditese for "Wake up!"


    "Sala!" Slap "Sala!" Slap "Sala!" Slap


    "I''m awake! Stop hitting me!" I shout at the white lizard, who simply nods its head smugly with its tiny arms crossed before trying to weakly push me off the bench.


    "Salandit," It said once I finally stood up, stretching my aching back from sleeping on a bench.


    Salandit climbed up my clothing, leaving more tiny holes where its fingers were before it took its place on my back.


    As I stretched a bit more, Preparing to go into Alfronda and hopefully find a job, and something to eat, and a better place to sleep than a stiff bench, and a lot of other important stuff.


    I said a soft goodbye to the still sleeping bike lizard, and started walking toward Alfronda proper.


    And as I was walking the short distance between the Bike stop and the first real building of the city, I realized a perfect name for my new Salandit!


    "I''m going to call you Fanny," I stated as I tried to pat the head of the newly named Fanny.


    "Salandit?"

 Jobless on a Bench

    Getting a job is easier than many people think. All you have to do is walk up to a store or office, ask if they have a job opening for a guy that knows a lot about computers, and hope that they don''t kick you out because you have holes in your clothes and a poison type pokemon glued to your back.


    Maybe I should put Fanny back in their ball?


    I still don''t know if they''re a male or female...


    "-and don''t come back!" A shout interrupted my thought process before I was once again kicked out of the workplace.


    Who knew getting a job when you aren''t dressed to impress could be so hard?


    "Sal?" Fanny asks as we once more start our search for the mystical treasure known as financial stability. "Sorry Fanny, We''re gonna have to keep searching-" A loud grumble interrupts me, as I feel my stomach twist in hunger "-on second thought, Begging on the side of the road sounds like a good idea right about now. Just need a cardboard sign that says ''Need Food'' and we''re all set."


    <hr>


    I drag myself to a nearby bench, and a flock of small yellow birds flies away as I approach and take a seat.


    "Sala?" Fanny crawls from behind my back so they''re seated on my legs as I lean back on the bench. A few of the yellow birds fly back and start pecking the floor and jumping around.


    "Wattrel?" One of them says as it lands on the backrest of the bench.


    "I need a job, food, and money, you know?" I tell the bird, it simply tilts its head at me, staring forward with its large dopey eyes, not a thought going through its small bird brain.


    "So like, if you know anybody who has trouble with computers and is hiring, like, point them my way or something?" I ask the bird before leaning forward and placing my head in my hands. Fanny crawls up my legs until they''re resting under my chin, my head above them.


    "Who am I kidding, you''re a bird, you probably don''t even know what money is." I groan into my hands as I slowly slid down the bench until only my head is on it, the rest of my body on the floor, using the bench like an uncomfortable backrest or pillow.


    The Shiny Salandit in my care climbs up to sit on the bench before it stands right on top of my head. Leaning forward a bit so it can look me in the eyes from above before it slapped my forehead with its tail, a mischievous glint in its smokey purple eyes.


    It slapped my head with its tail again before weakly pushing my head off the bench.


    Now I''m lying on the dirty floor, my Pokemon lying on its side on the bench, its chin held up by a small arm, striking a pose as if it owns not only the bench it pushed me off but the entirety of the small park we found ourselves sitting at.


    "Sal Salan Dit," It said as it stretched its tiny reptile body on the bench, trying to take in both as much sunlight from the sky and amusement from my current predicament.


    Maybe I should have skipped Fanny? Get a shiny starter that isn''t a poison type?


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Nah, I''ll just get used to their shenanigans sooner or later.


    I try to take a peek at Fanny as I weakly lift my head from the ground, only to instead be met face-to-face with what I could only describe as Marvin the Martian if he didn''t have a body.


    "Falinks!" It yelled, followed by five lighter "Links!" as it stared at me.


    "Trooper, Did you find something?" a young woman calls out before the sound of steps quickly getting closer is heard.


    Pushing myself off the ground to not embarrass myself further by being seen by a human being, I sit back on the bench, ignoring Fanny''s weak attempt to push me off of it again.


    Soon the source of the footsteps appears from behind a bend in the form of a teenage girl that seems to be around my new age, that is 17, wearing a black track outfit with yellow highlights near the cuffs of the jacket. Her long black her tied in a messy ponytail on the top of her head with two long bangs parting over the sides of her face, highlighting her fiery orange eyes.


    As soon as she spots me, or more likely, my disheveled appearance, or shiny Salandit, she pauses. Takes a long look at me, before opening her mouth and asking,


    <hr>


    "Are you okay?" The girl asks, And I know that although I know she''s probably trying to be nice, I can''t help but feel weird having a total stranger ask me that question, because "No, I''m not okay"


    She looks at me a bit more before taking a seat on the other side of the bench, leaving a salandit-sized gap between the two of us.


    "Do you want to talk about it? My dad always says that talking about our problems makes us feels better," She said softly as she looked down at her knees, likely too embarrassed to look me in the eyes.


    I take a moment to think about what she just said, should I talk to her, a random stranger, about my problems?


    I feel a nudge on my thigh, I look down to see Fanny pushing me, their purple eyes locked on to mine as they push my leg.


    As the shiny Salandit pushes me, both Physically and metaphorically, I nod my head.


    "I''m homeless," I start, my left hand reaching out to pull Fanny closer to me, holding them in a soft one-armed hug, "I don''t have a job, I don''t have money, I don''t have food" And I keep talking, "I''m good with computers but nobody will hire me because I look and smell like shit," And I continue to talk, "But I can''t buy clothes or a shower because I don''t have money because I don''t have a job which I don''t have because of the previous reason,"


    And as I ramble about what''s going on with my situation, how I''m low on cash and have to sleep on a bench, using Fanny as a heat-pack to keep myself warm through the night, the girl just sits there, listening to my problems, not interrupting when I accidentally go off-topic, not chastising me for being a crybaby.


    She just keeps quietly listening.


    <hr>


    After what feels like an hour but was probably just ten minutes, I stop talking and hug Fanny a bit closer.


    "Okay," The girl begins to say as she stands up from the bench, stretching her shoulders and twisting her back loose, "I know a place that''s looking for a computer guy just like you. The pay isn''t much but it comes with employee living quarters," She leans down and stretches her legs, her fingers reaching for her toes as she bends her knee, "So follow me," She says as she jumps up from her crouched stretching position and lands on her feet with her back straight.


    "Because I can get you a job," And the closed eye smile she''s giving me right now will probably be stuck in my head for the rest of my life, with the sun reflecting off her hair, the small beads of sweat on her brow, and the bright shine from her teeth.


    I think I might cry.


    She grabs me by the hand and pulls me up from the bench, Fanny quickly climbs back onto my back before we get too far, and she starts dragging me out of the park and deeper into the bustling streets of the tourist town.


    "Oh, I never got your name did I?" She suddenly stops and turns to look at me, a look of shock on her face if her wide eyes and shrunken pupils are anything to go by. A complete one-eighty from her demeanor not even ten minutes ago.


    "Dishon," I respond, "My name is Dishon."


    "Dishon huh? Nice to meet you, Dishon," She smiles as she practices saying the name a couple of times, most likely to remember it better before she looks me straight in the eyes and says,


    "My name is Dendra,"

 Getting Hired

    After being dragged by Dendra through the tourist city of Alfronda for ten minutes, passing by ancient buildings that were refurbished for modern living, a small archeology park with different mosaics and pillars out on display, we even pass a street magician and his short bipedal green cat assistant.


    Soon she lets go of my arm as we reach a large brick building, covered by a domed roof with purple stones, and a large open field behind it. A total contrast to the square, metal and glass building, with a nondescript purple Pokeball logo on its front that stands as the neighboring building.


    All in all, after getting a good look at the town, it reminds me very much of my hometown back on Earth. A real Mediterranean feel to the place.


    "Here is the place!" Dendra announces as she lifts her arms towards the large purple-roofed building.


    "You sure? This place looks expensive and I-" "Stop right there!" Dendra interrupts me before pointing her finger right between my eyes.


    "You''re my friend! And you need a job and place to stay, I know the owners so it''s no problem!" She smiles as she pulls away her finger before posing confidently, closed fists resting on her hips as she stands tall. But what she said gave me pause.


    "I''m your friend?"


    "Of course you are! You told me your problems and opened up your heart to me, Dad said only friends do that, or therapists, but I''m not a therapist so therefore we are friends!" Such simple logic.


    I don''t understand, but if I''m good at anything that isn''t playing video games and programming, it is going with the flow, So I''ll just flow with the go, ya know?


    "C''mon! Let me introduce you to the boss!" She said and once more grabbed my arm, and without further delay, dragged me into the building.


    If the outside had a rustic Mediterranean look, the inside looked like the plaza for an expensive hotel. The reflective marble floor and tall pillars on the sides of the entrance lead us like a path toward an expensive wooden desk, a short grey pokemon sits on a chair behind the desk, spinning around on its wheels. Two downward-turning spiral horns extend from the side of its head.


    When we reach the desk the Pokemon stops spinning on the chair and turns to look at us. Or more specifically at me.


    It stared at me for a few seconds before turning to face Dendra, its face instantly smiling.


    "Indeedee!" It yelled before the horns on the side of its head glowed with a purple aura. Soon another similar creature entered the room from a nearby door, its body and head a different shape but still unquestionably the same species.


    "Indeed? Indeedee," The other pokemon saw us, nodded its head, and returned through the door it came from.


    "He went to call Orchid, the owner of this place," Dendra explained as she noticed me looking at the door the pokemon just left through. I turned back to Dendra to ask a question I got after looking at this building from both outside and in.


    "What is this place?"


    This place is way too extravagant to be a normal business, I need to know what I''m getting myself into.


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    "This is the Alfronda Psychic gym," A Gruff voice answered from behind us. We turn to look and I see what I could only describe as a bodybuilder cosplaying as a magician.


    He stands at nearly 190 centimeters, wearing a magician''s outfit that is clearly too tight on him, a large purple striped top hat, and thick round glasses sitting on his head, ending it all with a zigzagging black mustache. similar to what a certain short yellow-themed Italian go-kart racer has.


    "Or more specifically, The Original Gym," The man continued, "Now the league has their boring box buildings act as the gym, but this place is where the actual action takes place," A large toothy smile spread on the man''s face.


    "And I''m its leader, Lorenz! Of the Alfronda gym!" The Man proclaimed, his legs spread apart and his hand pointing forward as if posing for the cover of a comic book.


    He stays in that pose as I look on dumbfoundedly, Dendra clapping her hands like she just finished watching a show.


    "Thank you Dendra dear, Tulip should be back soon." The man, Lorenz, told Dendra as he walked around us and jumped over the desk, landing on its other side, and takes a chair to sit next to the grey pokemon, Indeedee I believe it called itself.


    "So," Lorenz started as he began looking me in the eyes, or at least I think he is, I can''t see past those thick grasses of his, "What are you here for?" He asked.


    I turn to look at Dendra but she just gives me a pat on the shoulder and a thumbs up. Fanny isn''t doing much either, still silently holding on to me like their namesake. I turn back to Lorenz before I begin.


    "I''m looking for a job, I-" And before I can continue, he makes a stop motion and asks another question.


    "Do you know how to train and take care of Pokemon?" He asks, I shake my head.


    "Do you know how to battle with Pokemon?" I shake my head once more.


    "Do you have any past experience working with Pokemon or other trainers?" I shake my head again, eyes on the floor.


    "Then let me ask you, What can you do?" He asks softly. And I know that if he doesn''t like my answer I might need to sleep on the bench again.


    Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I feel Fanny slowly rubbing my back with their tail, and I answer.


    "I''m good with computers an-" "That''s enough" Lorenz interrupts me once more. And the entire room goes silent.


    The Indeedee stops spinning in her chair, Fanny stops rubbing my back, and even the subtle sound of pokemon battles outside seems to be muted.


    Lorenz slowly rises from the chair, towering over me. He looks down and opens his mouth, I already feel my legs turn to jello from the oppressiveness of the situation.


    "You," Lorenz begins, my heart is pounding in my chest, "Are Hired! Welcome aboard!" He exclaims and my heart almost stopped for a moment.


    I''m hired...


    I got the job...


    "Hey kid, I''m sorry I scared you with that, please don''t cry." I hear Lorenz say as my legs give out on me and I drop to the floor. I didn''t even notice tears coming out of my eyes...


    I got the job...


    I won''t need to sleep on a bench again...


    My thought process is interrupted by the door the other Indeedee went through slamming open, A tall and slender woman with wavy purple hair rolling down her shoulders enters the lobby, wearing a white and purple striped summer dress, the second Indeedee following after her, a sharp glare on his face.


    "Lorenz, I don''t know what you did but Twiddle here sensed fear!" The woman yelled as she marched up to the large gym leader, "You know how negative emotions like that mess with the Empathic ''mons! How many times do I need to tell you to quit it!" She continued, poking the tanned gym leader in the chest with a slender finger.


    "Orchid, sweety, Let me introduce to you our new Computer guy, This Kid!" Lorenz said, pointing the angry woman toward me.


    "What are you- Oh Hello Dendra, Tulip isn''t here right now, she''ll be back soon, would you like a cup of tea in the meantime?" The lady did a sharp one-eighty upon seeing Dendra.


    "Sure thing boss lady!" Denda exclaimed loudly, before grabbing me by the arm and yanking me back to my feet, "You wouldn''t mind if Dishon joins us, would you? He''s homeless!" Wow, Thanks for telling everyone.


    Just because it is true, doesn''t mean I like hearing it being said.


    "Sure thing sweetie, let us just get you some replacement clothes and a shower, you both are covered in sweat," Orchid said, as she turned back to the Indeedee that came with her, before nodding her head and looking back to me.


    "Okay dear, let''s get you cleaned up. We''ll fill your stomach after. Follow me" Orchid said before turning around, giving a nod to the Indeedee on the spinning chair, and walking back towards the doors she came from.


    "You heard the boss lady, Dishon, Let''s go!" And with that, Dendra once more started dragging me around.

 Sleeping on a bed

    You really don''t know how much a shower helps after sleeping outside on a bench until you get one.


    "Indeedee," The pokemon accompanying me says as he watches me step out of the shower. Pointing to a pile of clothes.


    "Thank you Twiddle," I reply as I wear the clothes given to me. mostly plain clothes, beige and white in color. Only a single T-shirt has a purple stripe going down vertically on the left side of the shirt.


    Clothes that other employees left behind when they quit, hand-me-downs as a matter of sorts.


    "Indee," Twiddle nods as he watches me put on the shirts.


    According to Orchid, my new boss, the old Alfronda gym was an old hotel before it was bought by her great grandfather who turned it into a Psychic gym. Explaining all the rooms and expensive interiors of the building.


    Now that Pokemon battling is turning into a more serious sport, the Pokemon League in Paldea is taking a more hands-on approach with the Gyms of the region.


    "Indeedee?" Twiddle points to my ID card and Pokeball sitting next to the pile of clothes, reminding me not to forget them. I nod in thanks.


    Where was I? Yes, Now with the League taking a more hands-on approach, The Old Hotel has become an unofficial gym, the real gym is the office building next door.


    However, They have their own staffers and workers, paid for by the league of course.


    The Hotel turned Gym, under Orchid''s care, still works as a Hotel and Pokemon Gym, with the agreement that all badges given be registered with the official League Gym.


    So I''m not actually working at a Pokemon Gym, more of a trainer battle spot, that also acts as a Gym on occasion.


    Something like the Battle Chateau in Kalos.


    Is it still confusing? Great, because I need to manage the computers here.


    Computers, in plural? Yep, I''m the only IT guy here.


    "At least that means the pay is good," I whisper to myself before opening Fanny''s pokeball to let them out.


    They quickly climb my new set of clothes, luckily thicker than my previous set in order to save on the number of holes Fanny makes.


    "I still don''t know your gender," I say as Fanny ties themself to my lower back once more.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Indeedee?" Twiddle hurries me up, so I quickly put on some sandals and exit the shower, into my new room. Mostly empty with only a bed, a desk, a small laptop, and a closet for clothes.


    Food is communal in the lounge. Or in the dining hall, seeing as this used to be a hotel.


    I follow the Indeedee out into the corridor and pass by a few pokemon in the halls on our way to my new boss. before we finally reach the door.


    "In Indeedee Indeed," Twiddle points at the door, motioning me to enter, before opening it for me.


    "Oh, thank you again," I mumble in reply, before stepping into the room.


    The first thing that catches my eye is the large open balcony on the other end of the room. Next are the two couches facing each other with a small coffee table between them. And Lastly are the three figures sitting on the couches.


    Dendra, the energetic girl who got me this job.


    Orchid, The purple-haired woman who''s now my employer and boss.


    And lastly, a pokemon I don''t recognize. It looks like it''s wearing a black and red knight helmet, has a small humanoid flaming body, and two flaming blue eyes, and is calmly drinking a cup of what I can only guess is orange juice.


    It''s also the first person to spot me enter the room if it raising its arm to wave hello at me is anything to go by.


    It also spilled its orange juice in the process.


    "Charcadet!" The red pokemon yells as it waves excitedly at me, ignoring the splash of juice leaving a stain on the sofa.


    "Dishon! You don''t smell like a bench!" Dendra also yelled excitedly as I made my way to the couch, taking a seat when Orchid invites me to.


    Taking a cushion on the couch in front of my new boss also means taking a seat next to Dendra, who from what I managed to gather from knowing her for maybe an hour, is physical energy personified.


    "So, how is your new room? Pretty snazzy right? Tulip and I always used to play in her room when we were younger. Being surrounded by all these cool pokemon really got my blood pumping, ya''know?" Dendra, I don''t know what you''re talking about. Was that even a question?


    "Tulip is my daughter," Orchid adds to the conversation before sipping from an unidentified warm drink. Dendra simply shakes her head excitedly before returning to her story.


    Midway through, Twiddle comes by with a plate of sandwiches. "Indeedee," He says as he lowers the plate onto the table.


    "Please, Have a bite you two. You must be famished." Orchid tells us as she leans back on her couch, the Charcadet and Dendra grabbing a sandwich for themselves.


    "Sal?" Fanny voices as they crawl from behind me, grabbing a spot between me and Dendra.


    "Is this your pokemon? A Variant color Salandit, And what a beauty she is," Orchid says as Fanny and I lean to grab ourselves a sandwich. Revealing to me in the process that Fanny is a girl.


    "Sal!" My newly discovered female Salandit says in pride, one claw on her forehead as she tilts is back like a model flipping her hair.


    I''m starting to think my pokemon is a bit too spoiled.


    And I only had her for 24 hours.


    <hr>


    After the food, Orchid and Twiddle gave me a more thorough tour of the gym, showing me the computer room where I''ll be working from, the employee lounge, and even where the indoor battles take place during days when you can''t fight inside,


    Overall, the place looked like a hotel. The Pokemon are interesting and I''ll definitely need to look up more knowledge on the world and the Paldea region when I''m free, but for my second day in this world, this isn''t a bad place to end it.


    Taking off my clothes and putting them neatly in a pile next to my work clothes for tomorrow, I slip into my new bed.


    I proceed to get nudged aside by a spoiled princess of a pokemon, by I make room for Fanny regardless.


    I close my eyes.


    Ignore the fire-breathing white lizard sleeping next to me.


    And go to sleep.

 After a week

    Wake up at six o''clock, get dressed and ready, nudge Fanny awake, let her climb me, go and eat a quick breakfast, and enter the computer room.


    "Sal?"


    After four hours of brain-numbing office work, I take a half-hour break to grab lunch.


    "Indeedee?"


    I take a plate and fill it with buttered bread, beans, plain pasta, and some leafy salad on the side. This world will have me walking around a lot when I''m off the job and have the money to do so, I need to start eating healthier earlier than later.


    "Dit Salandit!"


    After lunch, I return to the computer room and continue working until four in the afternoon, making it a nine-hour work day from Seven in the morning to Four o''clock.


    It''s basically a nine-to-five but with an extra hour.


    And not from nine to five.


    "Indeed?"


    After finishing my work, I take an hour to run around the town. I make it to the bike stop and say hello to the Cyclizar that lives there before running back to the Hotel.


    Getting back to my room, I take a quick shower to wash the smell off before I log on to the small computer I was given for personal use, spending my time working on recreating Cave Story.


    It''s a lot harder than it seems with me not knowing which application is best used, so I had to spend several hours researching coding software and gaming publishers.


    It might take a few more months before I have something playable.


    The original creator took five years using technology from the late 90s to the early 2000s, with me knowing what the final product will look like and having years of coding knowledge, I should have a final product in half a year.


    "Salandit..."


    And when the money starts rolling in from selling such a hit game, I would have the financial freedom to travel the world and catch shiny Pokemon along the way.


    I will definitely go to Alola.


    "Salandit!" I felt something slap my back.


    "OW!" I yelled as I rolled over to look at whoever slapped me, spotting Fanny looking down at me as if I''m an idiot.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Why is my starter such a toxic poison-type?" I whisper to myself.


    Sadly I wasn''t whispering quietly enough because Fanny proceeded to climb up my pants and into my shirt, poking her head out of the neck of my shirt while I''m still wearing it, making it look like I''m a single father who can''t afford a stroller for his baby lizard princess.


    "The things I do for love..." I despair comedically, making a reference that none but me will understand. I turn around with my princess in my shirt and head outside of my room to grab us both something to eat.


    Twiddle, The Indeedee that''s been making sure I do my job for the last few days joins us once I leave the room, He''s been standing near the door-frame chatting with Fanny for who knows how long.


    I wonder what They''re speaking about.


    It doesn''t matter, All Twiddle really does during my work hours is check up on me every hour to see that I''m doing my job before he goes to take care of something else at the hotel.


    Grabbing a few slices of bread, I start making sandwiches for me and the two ''mons.


    A nice vegetable sandwich for myself and Twiddle, with lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.


    And something meatier for Fanny, which means either a few slices of Lechonk Pork or Magikarp slices and If I''m feeling fancy I''ll give her Swanna liver.


    And soon we all had our sandwiches, four vegetables for me and the Indeedee, two pork for the White Salandit.


    And sitting down on the stools of what once must have been a bar for stayers at the hotel, we sat and enjoyed our lunch.


    I''m so glad that it''s the weekend and I don''t have to work today or tomorrow.


    45-hour a week is a nightmare on the back, and apparently the Levincia gym is Open six days a week instead of five like the rest of the gyms.


    "They''re slave drivers over in that Electric Gym, huh guys?" I ask my two companions.


    "Sal?" Fanny voices with a mouth full of mushed bread and chewed meat.


    "Indee," My Bosses Pokemon answered instead, making it sound like he was agreeing with me even though I don''t know what he was saying. Thankfully he swallowed his food before talking.


    "Sal!" Yes, I''m looking at you.


    <hr>


    After finishing our light lunch and washing the dishes, that is to say that Twiddle and I washed while Fanny pretended to work, We exited the employee lounge and made our way outside.


    "Indeedee," Twiddle said before waving at us and going in a separate direction, likely having been called over by his sister.


    She''s cute, his sister being Dee, the receptionist who span on her chair when I first arrived here at the Alfronda Battle Hotel. She''s way less serious than her brother and acts way more childish.


    Like spinning on a chair for example.


    Pokemon are quirky like that.


    "Landit!" Fanny slapped my back with her tail, already back in her iconic position on my waist, urging me to keep walking.


    And so I do.


    Alfronda isn''t a big city. At least not in the scale of my previous world.


    In the Pokemon world Scale, Alfronda is a pretty major city, being the fifth largest city in Paldea, overtaken by Zapapico, Medali, Cascarrafa, Mesagoza, and with the previously mentioned Levincia taking the first place.


    And with how fast the population is rising, Porto Marinda is scheduled to surpass Alfronda in three years.


    Do any of these trivia facts matter? Not really, I just need something to think about whilst walking aimlessly in the city.


    And so I spend the rest of my afternoon simply walking aimlessly with a Salandit wrapped around my midsection.


    For an end to my first week in this new world, not so bad.


    It definitely could have been worse.

 Electric Day Off

    I don''t know why I''m doing this, but here is the summary of what''s going on.


    Yesterday, Orchid, My boss, told me that a group of wealthy investors are going to visit the Battle Hotel and that I should take the day off.


    Seeing as she''s the one who''s giving me work, food, sleep, and money, I immediately took her up on the offer.


    "I can get a lot of work done on my video game," I told myself at the time, something that my lovely partner who could do no harm disagreed with.


    Seeing as when I woke up and got ready to spend hours coding an indie game, Fanny wouldn''t allow it.


    "Let us go outside," She presumably said, if her "Sal," and "Landit Sal!" were anything to go by.


    But there''s not much to do outside, so I quickly opened the pokemon equivalent of Google and looked for stuff to do.


    "Maybe we can go to the pottery club?" I asked my white Salandit, who shook her head in refusal.


    "Maybe we can check out the ancient ruins at the edge of town?" She pondered for a moment, but quickly jumped on to my lap and grabbed the mouse and keyboard instead.


    She surfed the web, or at least I think she did? She just smashed her claws on the keyboard before she moved the mouse around with her tail, probably copied that technique by watching me use the computer.


    After five minutes of tapping random keys, we reached a news site talking about the most recent technological developments.


    "New revolutionary app?" I read the title of one of the articles on the site, clicking on it to read more, Fanny climbing on to my shoulder like a scarf to make room.


    And as I continued reading the article, a thought came to me.


    "This is just Twitch," Followed closely by me asking Fanny "Wanna just video blog a walk through the city?"


    Suffice to say, Fanny and I found out what we were doing for our day off.


    <hr>


    On the other side of Paldea, in the major city of Levincia, A young girl was hiding underneath a fort of pillows and blankets, playing a make-believe game with her Pokemon.


    "Come on Agent Misdreavus, Agent Bellibolt is in great danger!" The child whisper-yelled to her starter Pokemon, the kid''s unique teal and pink colored hair was tied into a large bun resembling a light bulb, courtesy of her mother.


    "Miii," The ghost Pokemon cried as she floated through the impenetrable wall of cotton and wool, on her way to save secret agent Bellibolt from the evil clutches of the cunning yet beautiful Professor Luxio, who used her feminine charms to lure Agent Bellibolt into a trap!


    OH NO!


    But worry not! For Agent Misdreavus has a wonderful plan to save Agent Bellibolt. By using the help of her wonderful trainer, Iono "the one-and-only" and the calculating mind of the great Doctor Wattrel in order to defeat Professor Luxio and save Bellibolt, saving the world all the while.


    "IONO IT''S TIME TO GO TO SCHOOL!"


    A sigh of disappointment left her trainer''s lips, and Misdreavus couldn''t help but join her in her sour mood.


    "Guess this is it guys, Bellibolt is doomed," Iono sighed as she crawled out of her pillow-fort, her words causing a squishy green Pokemon to gasp in shock and look at himself in horror.


    "B-be-bellibolt?" He asked, tears threatening to run down his small eyes, causing the small bird in the room to land on the top of his head and explain to him that he isn''t actually doomed, just the secret-agent make-believe version of him.


    "Wattrel Watt," And that''s that.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Exiting her room, and putting on her shoes, Iono got ready for another horrible day at school, pulling her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs whilst leaving Misdreavus out, content to let her partner hang around in her shadow.


    Her walk to school was short, but it felt aggravatingly long.


    Once more, Iono was getting ready for another day of the other kids making fun of her hair, saying mean words behind her back, and even joking about how she doesn''t have any friends.


    Jokes on them! Iono doesn''t need friends! She has her wonderfully cute and amazing Pokemon.


    And just as she feared, another horrible day at school came and went. Same as all the other days.


    Sitting on a bench in a quiet corner of one of the city parks, Iono took out her phone and started browsing through her apps.


    "Daily reward collected already," She said as she passed over a number of games, "No new messages, I know," She said in disappointment as she checked her empty social media apps.


    "Oh, What''s this?" She whispered to herself when she found something going on in a new app she downloaded a few days earlier because it seemed interesting at the time. an app that lets someone film themselves and upload it live on the internet while they were still filming.


    "''Fanny and Dishon, Alfronda walk''? What?" Iono clicked the video in the app, getting into a better position to watch what''s going on. Soon joined by Misdreavus and her Wattrel as she waiting for the stream to buffer.


    "Maybe I should get a better pho- Ooh It''s starting," And so the stream did.


    On the screen of her phone, She saw the beautiful view from the cliffs outside of Alfronda city, the western sea being a deep blue, contrasting greatly with the tropical blue of Levincia''s seawater.


    "-because if you fall I won''t be able to catch you," She heard the person filming talking to his Pokemon, their appearance still hidden form the camera as the beautiful vistas of the afternoon setting sun painting a pleasant yellow sky on the horizon over Alfronda.


    "Salandit sal!" She heard the cameraman''s Pokemon cry out, causing him to sigh, the camera shaking as his body moved before the camera itself turned to film the Pokemon.


    The most unique Salandit Iono has ever seen, with beautiful white scales contrasting with her black head, the searing orange line on her back standing out on the white background of the Pokemon''s skin.


    "I didn''t know Salandit could be white," Iono whispered to herself, looking at the screen as the cameraman extended his arm towards the mon, who quickly grabbed onto him and climbed up it before going down his torso and tying herself around his waist.


    "Come on Fanny, It''s getting late," He said, pointing the Camera to the Pokemon resting on his waist, like a fanny pa-So that''s where the name comes from!


    "Sal," She hissed and with a tap from the Cameraman on the screen, the camera switched, now filming his face as he talked to the screen, his small audience of less than 10 people seeing his face for likely the first time.


    "This was a fun thing to check out, may try and do another whenever I have the time, but I have work tomorrow so This is where I''ll end the stream, Thank you all for watching, ho-" He was started to end the stream.


    "Wait!" Iono yelled, quickly pulling her phone closer to herself as she started writing a message to send to the young man.


    "-Oh, a chat message, I didn''t expect to get any. Let''s read it out before we end shall we?" he asked the audience, not waiting for an answer before he started reading the message.


    "''Do people bully your Salandit for being different? And if so, how do I deal with them?''-" Iono winced when she noticed the typo at the end there but quickly returned to the screen when the streamer stopped to think.


    He looked around himself before walking to a nearby bench and sat down, his Salandit now looking at the camera from over his shoulder.


    "Do people bully Fanny? No, Not that I know of, She''s a beautiful girl, if a bit toxic at times-" "Sal," "-but I never saw anyone bully her. To be frank, I only had Fanny for two weeks, so I wouldn''t know if it happened to her in the wild-" "Sal!" Fanny shook her head, "-Well there you have it." He concluded his statement before his eyes shifted from the look of a goofy teenager to the eyes of a serious young adult, "But if anybody is bullying you or someone you care about, be they a Pokemon, a Family member, a Friend, or even yourself, you should go to an adult and ask for help." He told the screen, in all seriousness.


    Iono looked on as he continued talking, but none of his words were registered in her. She quickly typed another chat message and leaned in closer to the screen, oblivious to the fact that the rest of her Pokemon left their balls and were huddled around her.


    "''Thank you, Please stream again soon''" He read out loud, looking contemplative before the serious look in his eyes relaxed, replacing itself with the gentle eyes of an older sibling.


    "Sure thing Electroghost03, I''ll try and do another stream this weekend, just because you asked." And with a gentle smile on his face, one hand holding the phone filming the live stream while the other scratching the head of his Salandit, the stream froze.


    [This Stream Has Ended]


    "Misdreavus?" Iono''s starter asked her, hugging her trainer.


    "Huh? When did you-?" Iono tried asking as she noticed that all her Pokemon were now outside of their pokeballs, hugging her.


    "You guys?" She asked, feeling a warm feeling grow inside her stomach as she felt the hugs from all of her best friends.


    Her eyes drifted back to the screen, where Dishon''s gentle smile could still be seen behind the words indicating the stream ended.


    "Hey guys," She started, gaining the ear of her Pokemon,


    "Do you think this app could work on Video games?"

 The Return of the Princess

    "Bronzong use Gyro Ball!" Lorenz, The buff Gym Leader of the Alfornda Gym yelled as his final mon'' battled against today''s challenger for the badge.


    "Arcanine! Hit him head-on with our most powerful Flare Blitz!" The challenger trainer yelled and threw out his arm pointing forward, his large flaming dog barking in approval before running towards the psychic-steel type Pokemon of the Gym Leader.


    And with a fiery explosion and the sound of a heavy bell, the battle was over.


    "Bronzong is unable to battle! The victor is Jacq from Mesagoza!" Dendra yells and lifts a flag in the direction of the young man.


    "We did it Guys, Only one more badge to go," He whispers to his Pokeballs after he returns his Arcanine and shakes hands with Lorenz.


    Seeing that the fight is over, I turn away from the screen in the computer room connected to the cameras around the Battle Hotel and start working on the aftermath of the battle.


    Fixing the gym for challenge battles is thankfully paid for by the Pokemon League, however since the Battle Hotel is a private company that simply host''s the Alfrona Gym fights, the actual fixing of the battlefield is done by us.


    "Salandit Sal," Fanny says as she laid on her stomach on a nearby chair, lazing about like the lizard that she is.


    "This was the third challenger this week, and it''s only the first day. Must be all those Uva Academy students finishing up on their yearly treasure hunt, huh?" I tell my starter, who replies with a simple "Sal," Before changing her position of lying on the chair.


    "Yeah, I''m also bored, But bored is good, it means that not much is happening, which means less work for us to do," I say as I reach toward her with my hand. intent on petting her.


    She squirms weakly on her chair, trying to put in minimal effort into avoiding my hand, which ultimately leads to her defeat and subsequent capture by the claws of her devilish trainer as I scratch her head near the back of her neck where the black bandana flaps protrude.


    "Landit Saaaal~" She growls weakly, almost like a purr, as her scaled body melts into the heavenly scratches and pets.


    <hr>


    In the Kitchen of the Battle Hotel, a certain Indeedee is making sandwiches for his coworkers, assisted in his task by the young Charcadet his trainer hatched a few months prior.


    "Do not burn the bread, just toast them lightly," Twiddle tells the small fire type as he watches them try and fail to warm the bread slices.


    "But it''s so hard, Mom makes it look so easy..." The young Charcadet says as he picks up a new slice of bread to work on.


    "That would make sense, your mother is a Ceruledge, she toasts the bread while she''s cutting it," The Indeedee tells him, continuing in his task of making a filling afternoon meal for the employees of the Battle Hotel.


    "Now remember, Tulip is coming back from her business trip today, so I want you to be on your best behavior. Understood?" Twiddle sternly tells the young Charcadet, not taking his eyes off the spread of ingredients as he does.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Best behavior, yes." The fire type replies with a nod of their head, before picking up a slice of ham and placing it on the sandwich.


    "Yes, best behavior, so whatever you do, don''t do what our new resident Salandit would do," Twiddle says as he spreads mayo on the sandwich he was working on before adding tomatoes and cucumbers.


    "Why not?" Charcadet asks, "Fanny is really cool,"


    Twiddle pauses in his work and turns slowly to look at the fire type he shares a kitchen with.


    "What about that slob of a poison-type seems cool to you?" He asks with no real venom in his words, simply stating it as a matter of fact.


    That Salandit is not cool.


    Charcadet pauses his work on the sandwiches, turning to look at the Indeedee, "She''s pretty," Twiddle could give him that, but that wouldn''t change his opinion.


    It was well known that female Salandit seemed pretty even to other pokemon species, them both being fire-type simply made Charcadet more aware of that aspect of her species.


    "Her scales are really shiny,"


    Twiddle could agree that Fanny''s scales were shiny and clean, but that is less on her and more on her trainer being a caring person.


    He still remembers Dishon''s first week at the Battle Hotel, it wasn''t that long ago even, he spent a lot of his time searching on the computer for different ways to take care of Salandit, Poison types, fire types, and even how rare finding variant colored pokemon, or "Shinies" as he calls them.


    So by far, the two examples given are something that is prevalent in all female Salandit,  And that her trainer is good at taking care of her.


    Not really enough to sell the Indeedee on why she isn''t a lazy slob.


    "Umm.. Eh... I think her trainer is nice?" It seems even Charcadet couldn''t find a third example.


    "Go back to making the sandwiches," Twiddle flatly told him before turning back to his part of the kitchen.


    They them proceeded to quietly work on making the food.


    <hr>


    "Ah, it''s good to be home, isn''t that right Florges?" A tan-skinned woman with short purple hair and heavy makeup said as she stepped foot into the lobby of the Battle Hotel, followed by her starter.


    Ignoring the desk and the Indeedee spinning on a chair behind it, The young woman enters one of the doors leading into the Hotel part of the Battle Hotel.


    As she makes her way down the corridor of the old hotel, she passes by several rooms.


    From a kitchen where her mom''s Pokemon can be seen making food, to a waiting room leading to the arena on the other side of the building, where her father does his duty as a Gym Leader for the town.


    She passes by a room labeled "Dendra," Knowing that her childhood friend barely uses it, choosing to instead stay with her parents on the other side of Alfronda.


    She stops to look at a door leading to a room labeled "Dishon," But moves on quickly after.


    And lastly, she reaches a door labeled "Tulip," Followed by a small image of a flower she drew with crayons back when she was a child.


    "Yes," She tells herself as she takes out a key from her purse before unlocking the door, "It is good to be home," and enters the room, followed by her Florges, and a small line of levitating suitcases.


    "Florges Flor," Her starter says, and the young woman couldn''t help but smile as she threw her shoes off her feet to a corner of the room, took off the blazer above her shirt, using it as a towel to wipe the sweat and makeup off her face before throwing it as well into a corner of the room without care, before dropping into the cream and purple bed laid in front of her.


    And as she lay on her bed, her prim and proper look from before was replaced with the look of a teenager ready to eat junk food and binge an entire season of a show she only just learned about.


    "Florges," Her fairy-type Pokemon trilled as she floated closer to her trainer, holding a remote to a gaming console in her tiny hands.


    Tulip couldn''t help but smile as she scooched over on her bed, making space for her Pokemon to sit next to her.


    "So, what are we playing? Super Mario Galaxy or are we finishing Skyward Sword?"


    That''s right, the daughter of Orchid and Lorenz, Dendra''s childhood friend, and the girl who will one day inherit the job of the Alfronda Gym Leader.


    "No! Why did you throw that blue shell!?"


    Is a gamer.

 Post-Midnight Snack

    It was at two in the morning when I stood up from my chair in front of the laptop given to me by Orchid, stretching my back as I stood up for what must have been the first time in hours.


    I was busy working on a section of Cave Story and seeing as it was almost done, I decided to push through and finish it tonight.


    Evidently, I did it, but now I''m hungry and tired and it''s past midnight.


    "I''m going to grab something to eat, I''ll be back shortly," I whisper to my sleeping Partner Salandit as I grab my phone and put on a pair of second-hand slippers before kissing Fanny gently on the head and quietly exiting the room.


    Time for a post-midnight snack.


    <hr>


    On the other side of the hallway connecting the rooms for the Battle Hotel staff, a certain psychic-type specialist was having a blast.


    Both in the case of her having fun, but also in how she was drinking straight from a bottle of Pecha Berry Soda.


    Tulip was sitting on the floor of her room, her back leaning against the bed frame as she sat in her undergarments, sipping soda and munching from a bowl of popcorn as she watched the television in front of her.


    Most of her team were already asleep, save for her wonderful Florges of a partner, and seeing as they chose to sleep in their balls and the rooms were soundproofed, she was allowed to be as loud as she wanted.


    "NOO! TAKASHI DON''T DO IT!" She yelled whilst shoving handfuls of popcorn into her mouth, "DON''T GO WITH CHIKA! KOKOMI IS OBVIOUSLY BEST GIRL!!!" Yelling at a character from a Kantonian cartoon.


    "Florges," Her partner added her opinion, which caused the psychic-type makeup artist to turn around wildly to look at her, spilling the popcorn bowl all over the floor.


    "No! Kokomi is sweet and obviously wants the best for him, she is the perfect waifu! The only reason Chika is winning this Tauros-shit is that the author of the manga opened a poll asking readers to vote for who Takashi will end up with." Tulip told her Fairy-type partner, "It was obviously botted, anyway I''m going to grab more Popcorn, clean this up before I''m back," Tulip said before taking a large swig from her soda bottle and leaving the room.


    "... Flor..."


    <hr>


    Tulip was walking down the corridors of the Battle Hotel intent on reaching the kitchen, her body swaying as she walked from how tired she was, but she kept going, fueled almost entirely by the sugar and caffeine from the soda, and a closet-nerd''s need to watch a show they loved.


    She passed by her Parent''s room, the room kept for the Pokemon staff, and even Dendra''s unused room. She took a pause as she looked at the new room with "Dishon" written on the door, but decided that whoever they were, were probably asleep by now and weren''t a problem for her reputation.


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    She was Tulip, daughter of the Psychic-gym leader and the owner of the Alfronda Battle Hotel, she was also a successful makeup artist who already worked on several Paldean celebrities, She was an Elite 4 ranked trainer as well.


    All that to say, While Tulip might be a nerd, she also had a very important image of herself that she had to keep.


    Taking another chug from her large soda bottle, she waddled her way in the direction of the kitchen before stopping as she heard a voice.


    "The Salandits have a carnivorous diet, comprised mostly of bug pokemon that they lure by emanating a poisonous gas similar to the move Sweet-scent. Here we can see this adolescent Male leaving the nest to go on his first hunt-" It was the sound of a documentary about Salandits.


    Tulip slowly crept towards the kitchen and the source of the sound, before she stopped right outside the doorway. A few more steps and she would see whoever is making the sounds.


    "Unfortunately, this young male has spotted himself a Spinda, a more mature specimen would choose to leave and find a different hunting ground, but this young Salandit hasn''t yet learned why the Spinda are considered the natural enemy of Salandit," The Documentary in the kitchen continued, Tulip could also faintly hear the sounds of food being cut on a chopping board and footsteps on the floor.


    She took another swig of her soda, enough to empty the bottle, and turned the corner to confront the person who was awake.


    Hearing her entering the Kitchen, the young man paused the documentary he was listening to and put down the knife he was using to cut fruit, and turned to look at her.


    His face grew as red as a Tamato berry as he quickly turned his head to look away from her.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here," Tulip asked as she took a number of steps towards the man, seeing as he didn''t have any Pokeballs on him, she grabbed him by the collar and pushed him up against the wall, hoping to threaten him.


    "I- I''m Dishon, The new computer person here, I- I just wanted to grab something to eat before I returned to my room," He stammered out, keeping his gaze glued to the ceiling of the kitchen and away from Tulip.


    "Why aren''t you looking at me? You have something to hide?" Tulip rattled his collar, forcing him to look her in the eyes, she could see his blue-grey eyes clearly contrast with his short light brown hair, the short stubble on his face clearly showing he only shaves once a week instead of daily.


    and most importantly? Tulip could see herself reflected in his eyes, and suddenly she understood why he was looking away from her.


    She was still mostly naked, wearing only a bra and panties to keep some semblance of modesty.


    Tulip blushed as red as his face at that moment, if not redder.


    "I- I *Cough* I''m sorry for assaulting you..." She quickly let go of his collar, her eyes darting around the kitchen before she spotted what she was looking for.


    She threw the empty plastic bottle into the garbage bin, quickly opened the fridge and took a new bottle of soda, grabbed a small pile of snacks in her arms, and ran out of the kitchen, back to her room.


    Leaving Dishon confused and bewildered at what just happened, before he too resumed his documentary on Salandit and made another serving of his fruit salad.


    <hr>


    A few hours later, Tulip, now dressed in her usual attire, entered the Kitchen and opened the fridge to grab something to eat for a late breakfast.


    Her mind was fuzzy and she could swear something embarrassing happened that night previously, but she was too tired to remember.


    Looking inside the fridge, she spotted a bowl of fruit salad and whipped cream under a plastic container with a small note attached to it.


    "To Purple, sorry about yesterday," it read.


    Tulip blinked slowly before the events of the night prior suddenly resurfaced in her mind, causing her to blush heavily.


    At least she had a fruit salad for breakfast that day.

 Gym Leaders special day off

    Lorenz woke up earlier than usual.


    Being a gym leader in the major circuit means he needs to wake up early to get ready for the morning challenges, and he still needs to balance time to train his own Pokemon and deal with the league officials breathing down his neck, all the while juggling being a loving husband and father.


    It was that last reason he took a day off to get some things ready, things he can''t let his wife and daughter find out about.


    The large tanned man quietly sneaked out of his room, making sure to make as minimal noise as he could as he made his way to the kitchens.


    He has a long day ahead of him, and he won''t be having time to eat for the next few hours.


    It was when he was eating a sandwich and a protein shake that he remembered that his employees have the weekends off, meaning that the two of them should be able to help him.


    He sent a quick message on his phone to the two employees, before sending another to his wife telling her he won''t be home till the afternoon.


    And then he waited.


    And he continued to wait.


    "Bossman! What is the super secret mission you called me for?!" His first employee yelled as she entered the lobby of the Battle Hotel, her loud voice echoing in the building.


    "Dendra dear, not so loud, Orchid and Tulip are still sleeping," He chastised her, his hand twirling his mustache as he started tapping his foot waiting for the second employee.


    "Oh! Sorry..." Dendra apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, "But why did you call me here?"


    "Just a moment dear," Lorenz turned to look at the hallway he came from, his second employee walking quickly towards them, his Salandit wrapped around his waist and his hands rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.


    "Good Morning Lorenz," Dishon told him, yawning immediately after, "What is it that you needed to call us here so early," Dishon paused and looked at his phone, "It''s five in the morning,"


    "Good morning Dishon!" Dendra greeted him loudly, causing him to flinch and rub his head.


    Lorenz paused as he looked at his two employees, A loud and energetic girl who grew up as his daughter''s best friend, and a homeless kid his wife practically adopted in all but name.


    An Elite level trainer who specializes in fighting types, and a novice who hasn''t had a Pokemon battle in his life, content with simply doing his job and catching any "Shiny" Pokemon he spots.


    Something that obviously won''t be happening much considering he only goes outside of the gym on weekends and early mornings.


    Sighing to himself, Lorenz looked at the two teens, "They''re almost eighteen, they''re already considered adults in many regions," He reminded himself before opening his mouth.


    "The reason I called you all here is super important, no matter what, Orchid and Tulip must not find out about it," He told the two, looking them all in the eyes.


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    Dishon gulped nervously while he and Dendra straightened their backs, the tired and playful energy the two had was replaced with the serious demeanor of an employee speaking to their boss.


    "Tomorrow," He began to say as the tension in the lobby rose, "Is going to be-" "Indeedee!" He was interrupted.


    Looking towards the corridor where the call was coming from, he saw the door open and out walked the male Indeedee of the family.


    "Twiddle what are you doing here?" He asked the psychic-type, who answered by looking at Dendra and Dishon.


    "Right, you''re an Empath," The gym leader whispered to himself as he took on the disapproving stare of the short Pokemon.


    "Indeedee Dee," He said, waving his arms  around and gesturing at him and the corridor.


    Lorenz sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing his forehead.


    "Twiddle, It''s my twenty-nine year anniversary tomorrow, I need to get everything ready in advance," He told the Indeedee, ignoring the gasp of surprise from Dendra behind him.


    "If you could, just keep Orchid and Tulip off my case for today?" Lorenz tilted his head.


    Twiddle tapped his feet on the floor, moving his head to and fro as if in thought.


    "I''ll buy you a pack of Katy''s Muffins," "Indeedee!" "Fine, I''ll buy you two," The Gym leader grumbled


    Nodding his head triumphantly, the Empath Pokemon turned back to the corridor he came from and walked back into the Battle Hotel.


    Lorenz turned back to look at his employees, One of them was vibrating in excitement while the other was still struggling to stay awake, the Salandit on his waist rubbing her tail along his back in an effort to keep him from falling back to sleep.


    After taking a moment to readjust his purple suit and magician''s top hat, Lorenz opened his mouth.


    "As you heard, tomorrow is my anniversary, I have a list of stuff I need to get ready before the end of the day, you two will help me. Any questions?"


    Dendra immediatly raised her hand in the air, standing on the tips of her toes to look higher.


    "Yes, Will we also need to work tomorrow? I had plans and I''d feel bad if I had to cancel." Instead of letting Dendra ask, Dishon asked his own question.


    When the fighting type specialist turned to look at him in shock, the computers expert merely said "This isn''t a school, just ask your questions next time,"


    Lorenz hid a smirk at that small exchange, "No, tomorrow will still be free for the two of you, in fact, I''ll be paying you overtime for today seeing as this should also be a day off for the both of you,"


    Lorenz finished talking and Dendra asked her own question, "How was the wedding like? How did you and the Boss Lady meet? Was it before or after you became a gym leader? Who was the champion at the time?" She continued to blast him with a rapid stream of questions, And he smiled.


    "I''ll tell you on the way there, first we need to get to the flying taxi," Lorenz smiled wider when he spotted Dishon pause for a moment.


    "Flying taxi?" He asked rigidly, the sleep gone from his face.


    "You never used the flying taxi before? Did you live outside of Paldea or something?! Everybody uses the flying taxi," Dendra told him.


    "I''m from outside of Paldea, yes, and I never used a flying taxi before," Dishon said.


    "Welp, There''s a first time for everything," Lorenz told him, and Dendra pumped her fist in the air.


    "Yosh! Let''s go Dishon!" She grabbed his arm and started running out of the Battle Hotel, dragging her poor coworker behind her.


    Lorenz sighed reminiscently as he watched the two of them run to the Flying Taxi.


    "Ah, to be young again," He said before throwing out one of his Pokeballs, In a flash of light his starter appeared next to him, the heavy clang of metal that came out of the heavy ''mon was muted after years of training.


    "C''mon Bronzong, let''s get to the taxi before those two kids beat us to there, eh?" He said as he put his hand on his partner''s metallic arms, and with an ethereal glow in its eyes and a gentle ringing sound, the Steel-Psychic type disappeared behind a bubble of blue energy before levitating swiftly out of the Battle Hotel, the gym leader riding his pokemon as it floated quickly down the streets of Alfronda.


    "What?!" He heard Dendra yell when she spotted him passing by and overtaking her.


    "Ah, To be young again," He said once more, leaning into his starter as it picked up speed, Floating in the direction of the Flying Taxi landing pad.

 Lets get this bread!

    The Flying Taxi isn''t what I imagined it to be.


    In a world where teleportation technology exists in villain bases, weapons of mass destruction can be built to use Legendary Pokemon as batteries.


    I expected something more.


    Maybe a taxi with wings was too much, but a small plane that''s easy to fly would have been enough.


    "This is just a box carried by birds," I say as I look at the flying taxi, Imagine a helicopter, but now remove the propeller and tail, leaving only the hull and landing gear, and attached to the roof are a bunch of Squawkabilly.


    "I''ll have you know, this Taxi has been in service for twenty years and it''s not close to breaking down!" The pilot, a middle-aged man wearing pilot''s gear and a hard-hat helmet said.


    Those words don''t fill me with a lot of confidence.


    "You two kids will be taking this Taxi to Cortondo, I''ll be meeting you there later," Lorenz said before giving me and Dendra a list of items. "You''ll be buying whatever you can find on this list. Use this card," He gave Dendra a credit card, "It''s connected to the Gym''s banking system and has ten-thousand Pokedollars, If you manage to buy everything and still have money saved in it, you can buy yourselves something," Lorenz turned to walk away before looking Dendra in the eye.


    "Don''t lose it," and walked away.


    Leaving Dendra and me alone to fly on this deathtrap of a taxi to Cortondo and buy- I Look at the list for a moment -Chocolate cupcakes, Blueberry muffins, and other sorts of baked goods.


    I feel a strong slap on the back which almost pushes me to the floor, I turn to look at Dendra beaming at me.


    "You heard him Dishon!" She said loudly, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me to the Flying Taxi.


    "If we work fast, we can buy ourselves some food! Maybe you''ll find a Pokemon you''d like to catch as well so we could buy you some Pokeballs, Oh! Maybe The New Gym leader lady has her store open, I heard she''s a Baker or something that makes cakes." Dendra continued to ramble on about the new Gym Leader Katy as the Squawkabilly on the roof started to flap their wings and lifted the flying taxi from the ground.


    <hr>


    I will tell you now, I am not scared of flying.


    Don''t get me wrong, I''d much rather not get on a plane if I had the option, but I''m not scared of planes either.


    I''m instead scared of heights.


    Being on the roof of a building without a railway, being at the top of a cliff, or even being in a hot air balloon.


    I am scared of heights.


    So I can say for certain, That once I get back to Alfronda, I''m getting my drivers license, Just so I won''t be forced to use these stupid flying taxis ever again!


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    "Yosh, Dishon, Take a deep breath and let it out slowly," Dendra told me as she dragged me to a bench and sat me down near the small helipad for the taxi.


    She rubbed my back as I took deep breaths, trying to stop myself from collapsing onto the floor and shaking.


    It was SO terrifying! Who designed these death traps?!


    "That''s it, That''s it," And why is Dendra so good at this?


    After five minutes, my breathing smoothed out and I calmed down.


    God, I hate heights.


    "Yosh! Everything better?" She asked, a toothy smile on her face as she rubbed my back. I nodded to confirm that I wasn''t going to throw up anytime soon, and then a sound popped from my belt, and Fanny climbed back onto her favorite spot.


    "hey girl," I smiled down at my Salandit as I scratched her beneath the bandana, "Sorry for putting you back in your ball, But it was safer in there,"


    Instead of responding with a syllable from her name, she started slapping my back repeatedly with her tail.


    And that was fine, I''m already used to Fanny acting like a spoiled Poison-type, so I smiled through the abuse.


    "That''s so cute!" Dendra exclaimed as she looked at Fanny and I''s interaction, She leaned her head closer to Fanny, a wide smile on her face, only to start coughing when the Salandit huffed a cloud of smoke into her face.


    "Maybe we should start our work?" I asked Dendra, taking the list of stuff from my pocket and reading it over once more.


    "What does it say?" She asked, taking her spot next to me on the bench.


    "Three loaves of Sourdough bread," I read out loud, getting a resolute nod from Dendra, before she once again grabbed me by the shoulder and started running into the city, forcing me to run and catch up with her or have my arm ripped off by the Fit Trainer.


    <hr>


    Patisserie Soapberry was the place we were told to collect and pay for the orders on the list.


    The job seemed simple enough, Go in, talk with the owner, show the list and card, and then the order will come tomorrow, easy right?


    WRONG!


    The place was closed, and with it being the selling point of the city, outside of the Bug Gym of course, meant that the number of rival bakeries could be counted on no fingers.


    Because there were none.


    "Welp, This isn''t good," Dendra said nonchalantly as she looked at the "CLOSED" sign on the door.


    "You can say that again," I muttered as I looked past the sign on the door and at my reflection in the glass.


    "Again? Welp, This isn''t good," God dammit Dendra, You''re the best.


    "Salandit Sal?" Fanny asked, and I shook my head.


    "Sorry girl, With this place closed, we''re pretty much stuck doing nothing." I tell my White Salandit, "Better call the boss and tell him what''s going on?"


    "What''s going on where?" A voice suddenly asked, stopping me from reaching for my phone.


    We all turn to look at the new voice, seeing in front of us a young woman, most likely in her mid-to-late twenties, with light mint-green hair tied in a sideways bun.


    Dendra and I both stare at the new addition to the conversation in confusion, before the woman blinks in realization and starts waving her hands around in a panic.


    "Oh, Uh I didn''t mean to listen in, It''s just that the two of you were standing there and looking so despondent so I wanted to check what was going on, I''m not a sneak! I promise!" The woman cried and I started to feel bad for her.


    Dendra blinks slowly before turning to look at me, and then turned back to the woman, A smile on her face, "No problem!" She yelled, her fists resting on her hips, "We were just bummed out that the Bakery was closed,"


    I nodded and explained further, "Yeah, You see, Our boss had an order for the place he asked us to get confirmation on, but we can''t do that with the place closed."


    The woman stopped panicking and nodded her head in understanding, a hand holding her chin as she closed her eyes and hummed.


    "Then it''s a good thing I arrived when I did," The woman said before opening her eyes and looking at the both of us, "Because I''m the owner of this bakery!" The woman yelled, a small "Teddiursa" Joining her with a cheer.


    Dendra and I blinked slowly once again, before Dendra smiled and pumped a fist in the air.


    "Yosh! Let''s get this bread!"

 A Day in Cortondo

    "So you run this whole place by yourself?"


    The owner of the bakery paused in thought before she shook her head at my question.


    "No, I actually have my Pokemon help me out, Spidops are you here?" She told me before calling into the building as she flicked a switch and turned on the lights.


    As the light turned on, I could see a green and brown bug-type pokemon walk towards us, carrying a puffy hat in his arms.


    The owner of the bakery picked up the hat and put it on her head, turning back to look at us with a smile.


    "So, what was it that you needed?" She asked, and I gave her the list that Lorenz gave us.


    "Oh... I can do this, Sure, Will you be paying upfront or after?" She asked as she hanged the note near the kitchen, where she will see it.


    "We''ll be paying now, If possible," Dendra said and passed her the card.


    A quick transaction later, and we were practically free to leave.


    "I''ll send these over to the Alfronda gym when everything is done, don''t worry," She smiled at us and started quickly moving around the kitchen.


    "You two can go enjoy yourselves for now, I''ll send your number a text when it''s done, just to let you two know," She smiled as she put on an apron and started washing her hands, Her Spidops slowly pushing us outside the bakery so she could focus on her work.


    "Ursa!" The small Teddiursa waved us goodbye before the Spidops closed the door behind him, flipping the sign so that it would say closed.


    "..."


    "...Wanna grab something to eat?" Dendra asked.


    "Sure."


    <hr>


    "Okay, so what''s the deal here with sandwiches?"


    Dendra blinked as she looked up from her bite, her Pokemon sitting in the grass next to us eating their own food.


    "I mean, I''ve only really been in Paldea for a month and I see Sandwich places everywhere, is it like a cultural thing or...?" I took a bite of my own sandwich.


    I''m not complaining or anything, just curious.


    "That''s right!" Dendra suddenly exclaimed, pointed a finger at me with her signature confident smile on her face, "You''re from outside of Paldea!"


    "...Yeah, I''ve said as such. Are you trying to change the topic?"


    "What?! pfft, NO! I just remembered that we haven''t really hung out that much since you joined the gym, and I don''t know where you''re from."


    "I''m from Unova, now let us get back to my question." I make up an answer that is sure to fool her, I can''t tell her that I''m from a different universe.


    "I didn''t know you were from Unova!" She exclaimed with a smile.


    "...yeah, We made that clear beforehand." I told her blankly, before a thought popped in my head.


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    "Dendra, are you changing the topic because you''re interested in me or is it because you also don''t know the deal with sandwiches here?"


    "..."


    "That''s what I thought," I smirk and get back to eating.


    <hr>


    "Do you see that?" Dendra asked as she pointed to an open plain of grass just outside of Cortondo.


    "Do I see what?"


    "Hehe, Sewaddle..." Dendra giggled, and I was really confused as to why.


    <hr>


    Hearing a bell sounding at the entrance of her store, the owner of Patisserie Soapberry turned away from her job for just a moment to see who entered her shop.


    "Oh, Hello Lorenz, The order your workers brought is almost done, Are you here to pick it up yourself?" She asked with a smile as she saw the tall Psychic Gym Leader.


    "Yes, And also two of those Pokemon healthy cakes you have lying around," The Gym Leader leaned on his elbows as he waited for the orders to finish.


    "I hope this wasn''t too much of a hassle for you, kid," The mustache sporting macho man said as he smelled the sweet scent of cookies and cakes being made.


    "It was no problem," The younger gym leader told him, "And also don''t call me kid! I''m not that same girl that Kofu had running around, I''m twenty-six."


    "Heh, Sorry but no can do. To me, it''s once a kid, always a kid." Lorenz chuckled, "And again, twenty-six is still a child when you compare it to the old leaders like Kofu and I,"


    "I guess your right," The baker sighed, "Speaking of age..."


    "Yep," The tone of the conversation took a change, the soft and warm environment of the bakery became almost business-like in an instant, "Grapa is planning to retire, leaving his Son to take over the gym, and then there''s that new kid who managed to join the Elite 4 in her late teens, And all of that is not even taking into account that we only got a new Top Champion last year."


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if by the time Tulip takes over the gym, Kofu and Hassel will be the last of us around," The gym leader sighed, "Sorry for getting the mood down, I''ll be back in an hour, Gonna have to check up on the twerps."


    "Take your time Lorenz, these muffins aren''t running away," The baker told him.


    "Aye, But my life is, See ya in the Circuit meeting Katy," Lorenz said before exiting the bakery and started making his way to search for his employees.


    And as he walked down the streets of Cortondo, thinking about all the other Gym Leaders and Elite 4 members that were replaced recently, he couldn''t help but release a sigh.


    "Ah, To be young again,"


    <hr>


    "What are you searching?" Dendra asked as she looked over my shoulder at me searching on the internet.


    "I''m looking up stuff about the ruins near Alfronda, I''m planning on vlogging it live with Fanny tomorrow, I need to know what the rules are about the place beforehand," I explained to her, Fanny perking up on my lap as the prospect of the two of us filming a day out once again makes itself into her head.


    "Oh those places, They''re a great place to train!" Dendra said before flexing her bicep, slapping it with her palm.


    I stare blankly at her enthusiastic reaction before turning back to reading about the ruins.


    "Maybe I could show you some stuff over there, You''ll need some protection in case a Tinkatuff tries anything," Dendra says, looking at me from her vantage point of standing instead of sitting.


    I turn to look at her, "If you want to join us you can just ask," I tell her, a small smile on my face, "No need to beat around the bush,"


    "Oh... Yosh! Then tomorrow we''re going to the Alfronda ruins!" She cheered, soon joined by her Falinks and Medicham in a little improvised victory dance.


    "Sure," I say before smirking, "It''s a date," I pick myself up and walk towards a water fountain.


    "What?" Dendra stopped when my words entered her ears, "Hey wait a minute!"


    <hr>


    "Now you two remember, don''t tell Orchid or Tulip anything," Our boss told us as our group appeared at the plaza outside the Gym, Arriving back to the Battle Hotel with a Teleport as soon as he picked us back up, before he placed his hand on his Bronzong and disappeared in a flash of light.


    "...Why didn''t we teleport to Cortondo in the first place?" I ask as I think back to the horrible ride on the Flying Taxi from this morning.


    "...Hey Dishon," Dendra said.


    "Yes, Dendra?" I replied.


    "I''m not good at keeping secrets," She said.


    "And you''re telling me this because?" I ask.


    "Good luck keeping Tulip in the dark!" She yelled before running away, likely to avoid telling her friend about the super secret muffin collecting job that we had.


    "Sal?" Fanny asked as she poked me in the back after I stood there staring at where Dendra ran off to.


    "Yeah, Let''s get some dinner in you," I smile at my shiny Salandit and walk back into the Battle Hotel.


    I''ll leave coding more Cave Story for tomorrow, I''m already tired.


    "Salandit?"


    "You betcha''"

 The Alfronda Ruins

    It was finally the weekend, and Iono was stoked to tune in to Fanny and Dishon''s newest live stream on Pokelive.


    "Come on guys!" She called out to her Pokemon as she grabbed a bag of chips and a large bottle of Soda, hurrying over to her computer.


    "Misdreavus," Her starter chimed at her as she floated over, quickly followed by her Wattrel, Luxio, and Bellibolt.


    The Girl from Levincia quickly logged into her account and opened her following page, consisting of her alt-account she made for streaming and her first follow, "Fanny and Dishon,"


    And as Iono sat in front of her screen, the clock on her table ticked down, until the empty screen suddenly turned on and the stream started.


    "Dendra give me my phone back!" Only for the screen to show someone else''s face.


    "Huh?" Iono questioned, not expecting to see a woman on screen, only for the camera to get snatched out of her hands, revealing the face she expected to see. That of Dishon, of course.


    "You can''t just grab stuff out of people''s hands, especially not super expensive stuff like phones," He chided her, as he turned the camera away from himself so he could see the screen. The camera pointed down to his legs, and a small black claw could be seen from where his Salandit was hanging on to his waist.


    "Sorry!" Dendra shouted as she quickly jumped onto Dishon''s shoulders, looking over them at the screen he was holding, "But I was so excited! You''re telling me there are people watching you through this phone now?"


    Dishon sighed as he nodded his head, shaking the girl off his shoulders, "Yes, This is now streaming live all the footage that the camera and microphone are catching," He told her.


    "Huh? Tulip will love something like this," The Girl said, introducing another person to the talk, serving only to confuse Iono further.


    "Sure," Dishon answered nonchalantly before turning the camera back to himself.


    "So, Last week somebody asked me to stream again, so here we are," He said with a smile.


    Iono vibrated on her seat as she pointed at the screen, "It''s me! I''m the one who asked him!" she shouted, receiving a "Wattrel Watt," and a slap on the top of the head from the wing of her flying type.


    "Sorry," Iono whispered, rubbing the top of her head.


    The Stream continued, "Today I decided to go check out the old ruins just outside of Alfronda, and hearing that I won''t be staying inside doing nothing all day, my good friend here-" He lifted his hand to introduce the black-haired girl with him "-Decided she would be joining me, as Security from wild pokemon," He explained before pointing the Camera at her.


    "Dendra, would you like to introduce yourself?" He asked the girl in the black and yellow tracksuit.


    "Yosh!" The girl shouted, gaining a head tilt from most of the people watching the stream, "My name is Dendra! I''m a Fighting-type specialist! And Dishon said this is going to be a date!" She yelled, gaining a spit-take from Dishon which caused him to almost drop the camera.


    And a laugh from the audience.


    "That, ahem, Was a joke," Dishon quickly added, the Camera still pointing at Dendra, and at her wide smirk, "That Dendra, such a jokester huh?"


    "I don''t know," She said, the Camera still pointed at her, "I remember it almost as if it was yesterday," She said as she looked up at the clouds, ignoring Dishon saying that it was, in fact, Yesterday.


    "We were sitting in Cortondo," Ignoring Dishon saying that she was standing and he was the one sitting, "And you asked me to join you on your mission to survey the ruins," That didn''t happen, "And I agreed, why wouldn''t I help one of my best friends," Dishon coughed loudly, as if in pain, "And you said how much you would be looking forward to our date! Hahaha!"


    Dishon coughed and turned the camera away from the Fighting-type specialist.


    "Okay, Let''s just start walking, It''ll be twenty minutes by foot to reach the ruins," He said as he started moving away from the girl.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Iono was laughing hysterically at the comedic back-and-forth between the two older teenagers.


    It wasn''t long before the small stream of ten or so viewers grew to have around forty different people watching, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the travel-vlog-like stream that Dishon was doing, mixed with the unique Comedy that Dendra brought to the screen.


    But Dishon wasn''t looking at the numbers, he was looking at the ruins outside of Alfronda, where an ancient city from thousands of years ago once stood, now only broken husks remained.


    A sign reading "NO GRAFFITI" was placed in front of a tall fence surrounding a gate, taking over a large part of the mountaintop outside the city.


    "''Ello there," A voice called out to the two trainers with the camera, which quickly pointed down in order to hide the identity of the person, which resulted in the audio for the next few minutes being slightly off, but once the camera was back, Dishon explained what just happened.


    "So, That was a ranger," He told the camera, "He just gave us a quick rundown of what''s allowed and what''s not in this area," He looked over at Dendra who was off-screen, one of her Pokemon already out of its ball.


    "He said we''re allowed to film, there''s nothing against that, but we do need to still respect other visitors'' privacy," He looked left and right before continuing to walk, "Catching Pokemon is fine, as long as you don''t harm the archeology of the area, as this is a sort of preserve," He explained.


    Iono nodded her head at the screen, already understanding how these types of places worked. For all intents and purposes, they were still part of the wild, meaning trainers were allowed to catch Pokemon or pick berries, and even hold battles. But by making the area a preserve, that means that you can''t cut down any trees, break any boulders, or destroy the ruins.


    Unless you want to get fined, of course.


    "Belli!" Iono looked back at the screen as her Bellibolt pointed at something, A small pink creature walking near the side of the dirt road.


    The Camera moved to the small Pokemon, which paused and looked up at the two trainers, Its Steel colored eyes gleamed as it held a baby-rattle-sized hammer made of scraps of metal it must have found on the ground.


    "HOW ADORABLE!" Iono squealed as the camera focused on the tiny Mon, only to freeze as she heard her mother yell at her to be quiet.


    "Hey there little one," Dishon said as he got closer to the ground, his voice softening as he sat in front of the small pink Pokemon while still keeping his distance from the tiny thing.


    "Tinka!" The small Mon sounded as it locked eyes with him, waving its arms around in an attempt to appear threatening.


    Something it desperately failed at doing considering its size, color, and voice.


    "Sorry pipsqueak," Dishon said to the Pokemon as he stood back up and took a few steps away from the Mon, something that must have been the wrong thing to say to it, as the Mon started running at him.


    Very slowly, as a result of its tiny legs, but running altogether.


    "Dendra!" Dishon yelled to his friend, who responded by allowing her Pokemon to move and stand in the tiny Pokemon''s way.


    "Falinks Falinks Falinks Links!" The head of the squad yelled, repeated by his followers, as the Tinkatink stopped in its mad dash.


    Iono looked at the fighting type on the screen, Admiring how strong it looked.


    "Lux," Her Luxio scoffed as it looked at the Fighting type, sure that she could beat it.


    Back on the screen, the tiny Tinkatink looked at the wall of Pokemon standing in front of her and quickly came up with a plan on how to deal with it.


    It cried.


    Iono cringed as the Fairy-Steel-type Pokemon cried, small tears rolling down its eyes, causing Dishon to start panicking.


    "Dendra! I told you to stop the little thing, not make it cry!" He yelled as he quickly pointed the Camera at his friend who stood there in shock, horror on her face.


    "Dishon, we need to get out of here," She told him, her voice serious as she took another Pokeball out, revealing a large, muscular Tauros, its black fur surrounding its head like a mane of a lion, its three tails hanging behind it, and five blue marks were under its head, shaped like water-droplets.


    "Dendra, what''s going on?" He asked her as she quickly grabbed him and walked him towards her Tauros, the Camera still rolling.


    "Tinka!" A Pokemon yelled near the road, catching the attention of everybody in the vicinity.


    The Camera quickly moved to capture what it was, but quickly had to point elsewhere as a small rock was thrown at it, luckily missing it but causing Dendra to start working faster, quickly returning her Falinks to their ball and climbing onto her Tauros, lifting Dishon up behind her.


    It was then that the Camera caught what made her so panicky.


    "Tinkaton!" A Smiling pink Pokemon, holding a gigantic hammer in her hands, as it threw another small rock into the air, hitting it like a baseball, and shooting the projectile toward the two trainers, fortunately missing them and rolling to a stop in front of the Fighting-water type Tauros.


    "Uh oh..." Iono said as she leaned towards the screen, seeing the Tinkaton readying another hammer swing, and even worse, a small army of Tinkatuff and Tinkatink walking out of the nearby woods.


    "There are way too many Tinkatinks in here," She could vaguely hear Dendra telling Dishon as the Tauros started to run away back to the entrance of the site, the Camera still filming the small army of Fairy-Steel types.


    "I think we''ll be ending this stream here," She could quietly hear Dishon over the sound of the Tauros running, "Thank you for joining, hopefully, you''ll be back next week,"


    And just like that, the stream ended.


    "But it was getting exciting!" Iono cried as she slumped down on her chair, her Bellibolt waddling over to hug her.


    "Next week?" She asked her mons as she moved her hand to grab a bag of chips.


    "Misdreavus" "Watt" "Luxio" "Bolt!" Her friends nodded their heads and Iono smiled, before grabbing the mouse and opening a game.


    It was still the weekend, after all, time to have fun!


    Only to suddenly pause in thought as she remembered something from earlier in the stream.


    "Are they dating or was it a joke?"

 Start of an Inspection

    Closing the stream she was watching, A certain young woman stood up from her chair and dialed a specific number.


    "Hello, Hassel, It''s me. I have an errand to take care of, Watch after things for a day." And without waiting for the person on the other end to respond, she hang up, walked out of her office, and headed to the ground floor.


    She had ancient Ruins to investigate.


    <hr>


    As soon as Dendra and I returned to Alfronda and got off her Tauros, we sat down on a bench and laid back.


    "That was a lot of Tinkatink," Dendra mubled.


    "Uhuh," I nodded in agreement, Fanny already rubbing my back with her tail.


    "There should not have been that many Tinkatink in that area," She said, and I once more nodded my head in agreement.


    "I''m sorry you couldn''t get to film the ruins," She then said, and I finally noticed how out of it she seemed.


    The always loud and boisterous Dendra was sitting down, barely saying a word, talking at a normal volume.


    That isn''t how Dendra is supposed to act.


    "Are you okay?" I ask her, and she turns her head to look at me.


    "Am I okay? You''re the one who wanted to go to the ruins! You''re the one who had to evacuate because of those Tinkatink! Why are you asking me?!" She asked loudly, tears pooling in her eyes.


    "Yeah, I''m the one who wanted to visit the place, but right now it looks like you''re the one who''s taking this experience worse than me," I told her.


    After looking at my face for a few seconds, Dendra sighed and turned her head away.


    "I should have dealt with that situation better," She whispered, "Maybe if I gave Trooper better instructions, we wouldn''t have had to leave,"


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After she said that, the two of us simply sat on that bench in silence for a few minutes, not saying a word.


    Before a thought came to me suddenly.


    "You wanna, Grab some coffee?" I asked her, and she coughed in surprise as she turned to look at me.


    "Wha?" She tried to ask a question but her brain short-circuited or something, so I continued.


    "I mean, I don''t really get my paycheck ''till next week, so You''re the one who''ll have to pay," I told her before smiling slightly, "But I mean, I think it would make you feel better," I paused when I felt my cheeks flush before looking away, "Or something," I mumbled that last part.


    "..."


    "..."


    And as the two of us sat on that bench, the only sound being the Salandit on my back moving her tail around, Dendra broke out a small chuckle.


    And then a laugh.


    And then she slapped my shoulder and pulled me in to a sideways hug, a large smile on her face as she laughed all the while.


    "Yosh! Tomorrow after work, I''ll pick you up!" She said with a smile before leaping off the bench, her bright and boisterous smile back on her face as she looked down at me.


    I smiled up at her, glad to see that my friend is feeling better at the expense of my embarrassment.


    "Its a date then," I told her.


    And she nodded.


    "Its a date."


    And after that exchange, we parted way.


    With Dendra going back to her Dad''s house, and me back to the Battle Hotel.


    "Salandit?"


    "Sure thing Fanny, I''ll put on that documentary for you when we''re back,"


    And that was how my first month in Paldea ended,


    With plans to grab coffee with a good friend.


    <hr>


    Hearing the doors to the Battle Hotel open, Dee turned her head to look at who walked in, Not expecting someone to visit this late in the day.


    "Indeedee?" She asked the tall woman entered the building with a surprisingly genuine smile.


    "Hello, Can I speak to Lorenz?" The black-haired woman asked the short Psychic type receptionist, her Blue and Yellow eyes looking at the Pokemon.


    "Indeedee," The Pokemon nodded her head before lifting her ears as if they were Antennae, her eyes glowing a soft purple.


    And as she waited in the lobby of the Battle Hotel, The woman took out her phone and scrolled into her videos app, re-watching a short clip she saved from earlier in the day.


    A clip showcasing two trainers running away from an army of Tinkatink outside of the Alfronda Ruins.


    "How troublesome," She whispered as she re-watched the clip, trying to count how many of the Tinkaton line she could see.


    After a few minutes of counting, she closed the app and tucked her phone away, Content to wait in silence for the Psychic Gym Leader to show up.


    And she was content to wait however long she may need,


    Because if ''Top Champion "La Primera" Geeta'' was anything,


    it was Patient.

 Continuation of an Inspection

    Calmly tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair, Geeta waited patiently for the Gym Leader of Alfronda to meet up with her.


    Perhaps she should have scheduled an appointment instead of rushing off so fast, but she''s still getting the hang of being a Top Champion, she''s allowed to make a few mistakes along the way.


    "Indeedee?" One of the Pokemon of the gym asked her as he brought over a plate of butter cookies and a cup of tea.


    "Thank you," Geeta nodded to the psychic-type Pokemon as he placed the plate in front of her before turning to take his leave.


    Taking a sip from the cup, Geeta thought over how she should address the issue she needed to bring up to Lorenz.


    "Good evening Twiddle," The champion perked up a bit when she heard another person speak to the Pokemon, before quickly recognizing the voice of the man.


    "Excuse me," She called out to him, "Would you mind sitting with me for a few minutes?"


    "Salandit?" Geeta straightened up in her chair when she heard the sound of the young man''s partner Pokemon.


    "Twiddle is somebody else here?" She heard him ask the Psychic-type.


    "Indeedee Dee,"


    Hearing the Psychic-type, the man called out to her, "Just a moment," Before quickly walking away, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the quiet halls of the Battle Hotel.


    And hearing his footsteps grow farther and farther away, Geeta relaxed in her chair.


    "I can wait," And with a small smile on her face, she ate one of the cookies.


    <hr>


    Closing the door to my room, I start moving about quickly.


    "Fanny, Grab me some clothes!" I yell as I quickly take my shirt off and throw it to the floor, followed quickly by my pants as I stumble my way towards the bathroom, turning on the water as I get a quick shower going.


    "Landit Sal!" She yelled as she quickly jumped off my waist, landed on the bed, and quickly moved to the dresser, poking small holes in the mattress as she went.


    As I quickly wipe the sweat and dust off my body, My mind goes into overdrive.


    "Why is this the day someone comes to the Hotel?! On the one day I''m stuck here alone!" I yell in my mind.


    "I can''t get Lorenz or Orchid here because they''re celebrating their anniversary. I can''t get Dendra because she lives with her dad! I''m doomed!!!"


    Turning off the shower, I dry myself and wear the clothes that Fanny quickly picked for me before quickly exiting my room.


    And promptly walked into a mountain of flowers, stumbled back in surprise, hit my head on the wall behind me, and fell to the ground.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Knocked out.


    <hr>


    "What did you do!" The white Salandit screamed out in Pokespeak as her trainer fell to the ground in front of her, her eyes climbing over to the tall, stunned Fairy-Type Pokemon that looked down at her trainer in shock.


    "I didn''t do anything!" The Florges tried to defend herself, her arms moving to hide her face.


    "You Did! You killed him, see!" Fanny yelled at the Florges, a claw pointing at her downed trainer.


    "I-I killed him?!" The Florges started panicking before loud footsteps were heard rushing in their direction.


    "What is going on... Oh no." The Florges'' trainer made herself known, the makeup on her face a mess as a line of lipstick spread across her cheek like a crooked scar.


    <hr>


    Tulip looked down at the man laying on the floor in front of her, the white Salandit standing protectively over his body as he lay in the hallway.


    Tulip quickly turned to look at her Florges, and seeing how flustered she looked, decided to call out to the one Pokemon in the Hotel that she knew she could rely on, ever since she was a little girl.


    "Twiddle!"


    Hearing the quiet "Indeedee!" Echo out from afar told her that one of her mother''s Pokemon was still here, ready to help.


    "Sala Salandit Sal!" The white Pokemon yelled at the Trainer/Florges duo, not moving a step away from her trainer.


    Tulip groaned at having to deal with such a situation this late in the day, before the light at the end of the tunnel caught her eye.


    Literally, That is. She spotted one of the rooms down the hallway with its lights turned on.


    "Stay here," She told her Florges before slowly and quietly walking towards the room, the sounds of the Poison-type and the Fairy-type behind her bouncing off her back as her hand neared a Pokeball attached to a lace flower on her pale-purple dress.


    And as she turned her head to peek into the room, she paused when she saw a recognizable face sitting in one of the chairs.


    "Hello, Tulip was it?" The Top Champion of the Paldea Pokemon League asked the daughter of the Psychic-Gym Leader.


    "Uh, Hi?" Tulip immediately punched herself in her mind at such an embarrassing response.


    If Geeta found her response amusing or not, she didn''t show it on her face, keeping a small smile on as she beckoned Tulip to take the seat in front of her.


    "I apologize for the inconvenience, But is Lorenz in?" Geeta asked, her smile giving off a bewitching aura that vastly clashed with Tulip''s fairy-like charm.


    And Tulip knew, that once she became Gym Leader, this woman in front of her will be a major problem.


    For her modeling and makeup career, of course.


    How troublesome...


    "No," The future Alfronda gym leader answered the Champion, "He''s out today and won''t be back until later tomorrow,"


    Geeta closed her eyes and sighed, her hand lifting to hold her cheek as she contemplated what to do now that she knows that the Gym Leader wasn''t in.


    "Would you mind passing along a message, in that case?" She asked when she opened her eyes, the yellow spots in her eyes refracting the light as she said so, causing her to look almost otherworldly in her beauty.


    Tulip hid the scoff she wanted to make from her face.


    "Of course," Tulip smiled, her pink and purple makeup causing her smile to gleam beautifully, a sharp contrast to the darker blues of the Top Champion.


    "Thank you, I will return on Thursday, Make sure he keeps his schedule clear for that day, yes? Thank you." Geeta told Tulip, causing the younger woman to smile and nod her head.


    Leaving the two women in a peculiar sort of silence.


    From the eighteen-year-old Psychic-type trainer''s perspective, the silence was awkward and stifling.


    However, to the twenty-one-year-old Champion, the silence was comfortable and relaxing.


    And the two trainers sat silently in the room, Tulip waiting for Geeta to leave, and Geeta calmly eating from the cookies the Indeedee gave her.


    <hr>


    Twiddle sighed tiredly as he looked at the small Poison-Fire-type yell at the tall Fairy-type, somehow cowing her into a crying mess in the corner.


    He looked down at the unconscious trainer on the floor of the hallway, and couldn''t help but wish he was in that same situation.


    Alas, he was the only reliable Pokemon in the Battle Hotel right now, so he had to act like the Adult he was.


    And with a clap of his hands and a purple glow to his eyes, he got to work.

 Waking Up

    Twiddle clapped his hands together and let go of the levitating trainer he carried with his psychic powers, dropping the young man''s unconscious body onto his bed.


    "Don''t drop him like that!" The Indeedee scrunched his face as the small white Salandit yelled into his ear, "You need to fix him!"


    "I''m fixing him," Twiddle ground out before turning to Tulip''s Florges, "You can use Aromatherapy, right?"


    Florges paused for a moment before looking down and answering, "I''m sorry, I don''t know Aromatherapy," She said sadly, the red and pink flowers on her head drooping sadly.


    "THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!" Fanny screeched at the Fairy-type, causing the larger Pokemon to start sniveling as tears threatened to fall.


    "I- I''m sorry..." Florges sniffed, causing the Indeedee to rub his brow in exasperation before a new plan came to him.


    "Wait a minute, Florges," He called out to the Fairy type, "You know Misty Terrain, right?"


    Florges wiped the tears from her eyes before weakly nodding her head, "I do, but that move won''t wake him up, It only stops us from falling asleep." She explained weakly, ignoring the glare from the Poison-Fire type in the room.


    "That''s fine, We will be helping you wake him up." The Indeedee nodded his head and started explaining his plan, causing the two other Pokemon in the room to start nodding along to his plan.


    "Everybody ready?" Twiddle asked as soon as the two other Pokemon got into position.


    "We are," Florges said Gently.


    "Don''t talk for me!" Fanny snapped at the Fairy type, "I''m ready!"


    "Okay," Twiddle nodded his head, "Three, Two, One," He counted down, "Zero." And with a pulse of white energy, his hands moved other to give Florges a weak slap on her shoulders, causing the white energy to move from the Indeedee and flow into the Florges.


    "Helping Hand!" He cried out as the energy changed host, and Florges''s flowers started glowing with pink energy.


    "Misty Terrain!" She cried out as an empowered move left her, covering the entire hotel with a field of soft pink energy.


    "It''s my turn!" Fanny yelled with a large smile on her face before her tail smacked down onto Dishon''s face.


    "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" She yelled at her trainer as she kept slapping her tail into his face.


    "I didn''t know Salandit could learn Torment before evolving..." Florges whispered in awe as she watched the tiny Poison-Fire type torment her trainer in his sleep.


    "Neither did I..." Twiddle answered as the two Pokemon watched on as the Shiny Salandit Tormented her trainer.


    <hr>


    Tulip, who was barely holding on to consciousness, blinked away all of her sleep the moment a field of soft pink energy entered the room where she and the champion were sitting.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Misty Terrain, at this hour?" She heard Geeta speak before the champion took another bite from the plate of cookies that Twiddle gave her.


    Tulip stood up from her sofa, hiding away the embarrassment on her face from nearly falling asleep whilst waiting for Geeta to leave her home.


    Tulip walked out of the room, leaving Geeta to finish her late evening snack, and marched down the corridor to check on what her partner was doing to create such a widespread Misty Terrain that it would reach her.


    Walking down the corridor, she stopped in front of the room of one of her Coworkers, one she only had one real interaction with, one that she would try to erase from her memory.


    "What are they doing in there?" She whispered to herself as the sounds of Pokemon speaking with each other were faintly heard through the door, the Pink mist of the Fairy-type move floating from beneath the door and spreading outward in the corridor.


    Tulip took a deep breath before she opened the door and... watched on as a surprisingly fit young man was leaning over his desk, his eyes glued to the computer on the table in front of him as his hands moved in an almost fluid motion.


    Tulip knew those were the hands of someone who played video games, but she ignored that tidbit of information as she kept silently looking in intrigue.


    Another thing that pulled her attention, was what was on the screen of the computer. It looked like a coding software, with a small window inside the software showcasing what looked like some sort of 2D Platformer, one that she did not recognize.


    But most noticeable about the scene in front of her was that her Coworker''s chest was exposed, as the button-up shirt he wore was open, showcasing a surprisingly toned midriff.


    Tulip wasn''t Looking, she swears!


    "What the hell is going on in here?" She asked out loud, looking away from the Human with Salandit wrapped around his waist and to her Partner.


    "Florges Ges Flor Ges Ges Flor," Tulip nodded at what her Partner was trying to convey, understanding the motions she made with her hands and the tone of her voice.


    "Let me get this straight, You tried to wake him up?" Tulip asked Florges to clarify.


    "Flor,"


    "And so you had Twiddle here use Helping Hand on your use of Misty Terrain."


    "Florges Flor," The Fairy nodded her head, a few red and pink petals falling out of her head and landing on the ground, causing the fairy to float down to pick them up.


    "And then his Salandit started Tormenting him?"


    "Florges," "Indeedee," The Fairy-Type and the Psychic-type answered, The Indeedee turned to look at the white Salandit wrapped around her trainer''s waist like a fanny pack, her eyes closed with a content smile on her face, her trainer still working on the computer as if possessed.


    "And now that he''s awake, he hasn''t stopped working..." Tulip said as she turned to look once more at the computer screen, and at the game her coworker was developing.


    "Indeedee Dee," Twiddle said, waving his hand at that.


    Tulip let out a tired sigh before she turned back to the door, ready to catch some sleep for herself.


    "You got some of it on your cheek," She paused when the other Human in the room suddenly spoke up, his eyes still not leaving the computer screen as his fingers moved at lightning speeds.


    "What?" Tulip asked, her eyes turning to look at Dishon.


    "Your Makeup," He said, his left hand moving to point to his cheek, next to where his lips were, "You have some smeared lipstick on your cheek,"


    Tulip blinked at that, her hand slowly moving to touch her cheek where she felt a slightly sticky substance.


    She quickly dashed into his bathroom and looked herself in the mirror, noticing the scar-looking line of lipstick on her left cheek.


    Tulip let out a scream.


    <hr>


    Geeta smiled faintly to herself before she took a sip from a cup of coffee, her Gogoat eating from the leftover pile of cookies.


    "So she finally noticed, huh. I didn''t want to bring it up..." Geeta said with a smile before she held out her hand and a cookie fell into it, courtesy of one of the Hotel Pokemon.


    "Gotharita," The Psychic said, another plate of food levitating onto the table in front of the Top-Champion.


    "Well, Don''t mind if I do indulge myself, Thank You," La Primera thanked the Psychic-type and ate some more.

 Staying Awake

    "What are you even working on?" Tulip asked her coworker once she fixed her makeup and exited his shower.


    "A game," Her new coworker, Dishon, answered simply, his eyes still glued onto the computer screen in front of him.


    "What''s it about?" Tulip continued asking as she took a seat on his bed, seeing as she currently had nothing better to do than simply look at whatever he was doing.


    "It''s a platformer about a robot inside a cave," He answered her, and Tulip got ready to ask more questions to deal with the incoming boredom that usually happens when she''s hit by her Partner''s Misty Terrain.


    "I''ve been working on this almost twelve hours every week for the past month in order to get it ready enough to upload a demo clip onto a Kickstarter website and start raising money," Dishon told her, causing Tulip to hold her questions as her coworker kept speaking.


    "If everything goes well, I''ll be able to give myself a bit of promotion on Fanny and I''s weekly blogs, making it visible to a small audience who will hopefully spread the word about it," Tulip stood up from the bed and walked to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder at the screen to see him typing line upon lines of code. Her eyes slowly moved down to catch a glimpse of his exposed chest before she caught herself and looked back to the screen.


    "Why are you making a game, if you mind me asking?" Tulip asked as she placed her elbows on his shoulder, leaning forward to rest her head over his shoulder, her eyes already getting tired as Misty Terrain kept her from falling asleep.


    Dishon paused as he felt Tulip''s soft breath reach his neck as she leaned next to him, resting on his body, before he continued typing, moving his leg to roll the computer chair that was next to him over so Tulip could take a seat.


    She pouted seeing her coworker not fall for her tease before she grabbed the chair and sat down.


    "Money," Dishon said as soon as Tulip took the chair, "I''m making this game for money,"


    "That''s it?" Tulip scowled at that reasoning, "You don''t care about the game itself, just make money?"


    Dishon stopped typing as he slowly turned to look at Tulip, who couldn''t help but squirm under the gaze of the taller man.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "Of course I care about the game," He told her, "I love Video Games, If I didn''t care about games I wouldn''t have gone into coding in the first place," He crossed his arms as he looked at her.


    "I just really need money, and making a video game for that reason seemed like a good idea at the time. I probably could have made something much quicker and cheaper in a week, but it wouldn''t have had the same impact," He said as he looked away from her and towards the White Salandit sleeping on his bed, claws poking holes into his mattress.


    "Taking care of Pokemon isn''t cheap, and there are so many things I still want to do in life, and to do them I need money," He explained to her as he smiled at the image of the sleeping Salandit.


    Tulip looked at him in thought before she went back to asking him more questions, "What about the money you saved from your journey?"


    "I never went on one," He answered her simply before he turned back to the computer, saved his progress, and exited the software before moving to sit on his bed, his hand moving to gently scratch the back of his Salandit''s neck.


    "You never went on a Journey?!" Tulip exclaimed loudly.


    "Nope," Dishon answered, continuing to play with his sleeping starter.


    "Wow... I never met a trainer that never gone on a Journey... You''re from Unova, right?" Tulip asked.


    "Yep, Opelucid city," Dishon bullshitted without batting an eye, repeating the backstory he came up with.


    "Opelucid City... Isn''t that where-" Tulip began.


    "Where Team Plasma froze everything? Yeah..." Dishon said, slowing down his scratches on the Salandit, "I was in Virbank City at the time, so I can''t speak much about how things went,"


    "Damn... You still play games?" Tulip asked, quickly changing the subject.


    "I don''t have any of my consoles, my phone was issued by the Battle Hotel, and I spend most of my time either working on the computers here or on Fanny, I haven''t played a Video Game in weeks," Dishon told her, still petting his sleeping Salandit, and still not bothering to button up his shirt.


    "Okay then, Final question-" Tulip began, ignoring Dishon asking "Is this a game show?"


    "Do you wanna'' play some Super Mario 3D World?"


    "Sure," Dishon answered and stood up, following Tulip as she went back to her room, her eyes drooping tiredly yet unable to sleep as the Helping Hand powered Misty Terrain lingered on her like perfume.


    <hr>


    In the morning, Tulip and Dishon will both be found passed out on a couch in front of the TV in Tulip''s room, Wii U controllers in hand, and a paused game of Super Mario 3D World on the screen.


    But that is a story for another time.


    "I''m going to kill him," Lorenz whispered to Orchid, who responded by slapping the back of his head and telling him to "Leave the kids alone, They''re adults now,"


    "She''ll always be a kid to me..." Lorenz whispered to himself as he walked away to his Gym, leaving Orchid behind to cover the two sleeping trainers with a blanket, allowing them to sleep in.


    "Good Morning Boss Lady! Did you see Dishon or Tulip anywhere- What the heck?!" Dendra yelled.

 The Start of a Not-So-Generic Date

    "Dendra, This is not what it looks like..." Tulip said as she sat in front of her best friend in her room, Her coworker Dishon was sitting on the floor while Tulip took the Bed, leaving Dendra on the couch.


    "Tulip, This looks like you were sleeping with my boyfriend," Dendra told her best friend, causing both Tulip and Dishon to perk up.


    "I''m your boyfriend?!" Dishon exclaimed as Tulip turned to look at him in shock, prying her eyes away from his still-unbuttoned shirt and his toned abs.


    Tulip doesn''t have a thing for muscles she swears!


    "Yeah," Dendra said nonchalantly, "You''re my friend and you''re a boy, That makes you my Boyfriend, right?"


    Tulip looked back to Dendra as Dishon burst into laughter on the floor, His Salandit slapping him with her tail before he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.


    "Dendra," Tulip tried to say, "That''s not what Boyfriend means, And it''s also not what happened."


    But Dendra stopped her by continuing to speak, "And We had a date planned and everything," She pouted.


    "I''m sorry Dendra," Dishon said from his spot on Tulip''s floor, "But Tulip preyed on me," He chuckled as he held his Salandit in the air like a parent playing with their child, "She used her Nerdy charms to steal me away,"


    Dendra gasped at that and looked wide-eyed at Tulip, "How could you?"


    "Dammit stop trying to make this harder than it needs to be!" Tulip yelled at her coworker he responded by throwing his Salandit into the air and catching her.


    "Sa-lan-dit! Sa-lan-dit!"


    Dishon finally caught his Salandit and placed her on the floor before standing up, Waiting for his partner to climb his pants and wrap around his waist.


    "So," He looked to Dendra with a small smirk, "Are the plans still on?" He asked.


    "Huh? Oh yeah sure," Dendra smiled back.


    "Cool, See you then," He said and walked passed the two girls on his way to exit the room, jumping slightly when Dendra gave his buttocks a flick.


    Tulip simply watched with wide eyes as he left her room and started his work for the day.


    "Did you just- And he- What the- Huh?" Tulip tried to make sense of things.


    "Yosh! Back to the topic at hand," Dendra casually said and leaned into the couch, as if she didn''t just physically flirt with Dishon, "I know this wonderful Cafe spot near Kiln street," She lifted her finger and pointed it at Tulip, "I''ll forgive you if you meet up with me there later today and pay for me," She smiled at her Best Friend.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "You know what?" Tulip looked into her best friend''s eyes, "Fine! I''ll be there!"


    "Yosh!" Dendra celebrated by throwing her fist into the air, "I''ll be there at four-thirty, you wait for me there, I might be a bit late, Give or take five minutes,"


    "Four-thirty? I''ll be there," Tulip nodded her head at that, "And then we can forget you ever found us like this,"


    "Found you like what?" Dendra asked, and Tulip smiled.


    "Exactly,"


    <hr>


    "You know," Lorenz said as he hovered over Dishon''s shoulder in the mostly empty computer room of the Battle Hotel, "When you said there was something I needed to look at, I expected it to be something small that you simply didn''t know how to deal with,"


    The Alfronda Gym Leader looked at the screen his employee was showing him, and the request from Champion Geeta for a meeting regarding an investigation into the nearby Ruins, and nodded his head.


    "Good work kid," He said as he took a step away from the computer, "And I wanted to ask you something," As he said those words, the atmosphere of the room changed completely.


    "Your Paycheck is being deposited into your Trainer Account tomorrow," He grabbed an unused chair and sat down next to Dishon, "What will you do with that money?"


    Dishon looked him in the eye before he turned his head to look at his Salandit.


    "I''ll probably start with buying new clothes," He said as he extended his arm to scratch the back of Fanny''s neck, "These lost-and-founds I''m wearing are nice and all, but I need actual clothes,"


    "And what else?" Lorenz asked him to continue.


    "Other than clothes? I''ll probably buy a Pokeball or two, never know when a random Shiny might appear in front of me," Hearing that Lorenz looked at Dishon''s Salandit, and at the white scales on her body.


    "And the rest?" Dishon asked himself out loud, "I''ll probably store for the future, Don''t know when I might need extra money,"


    Unknown to Lorenz, Dishon was lying.


    He was planning on saving that money for a car.


    No more Flying taxis for him!


    "I see," The Gym Leader nodded his head and stood up, "Keep up the good work," He ground out before he turned and left.


    "Sure thing Sir!" Dishon called out to him but was ignored as Lorenz slammed the door behind him.


    <hr>


    "You know," Tulip said as she looked at the Duo in front of her, "When you told me to be here, I didn''t expect you to bring Him along," She pointed a finger at Dishon.


    "Why not?" Dendra asked with a smile before she grabbed a chair and sat at the table, ignoring the looks she was receiving from her two best friends, "This is a group date!"


    Tulip blinked her eyes at what Dendra said before turning to look at Dishon, whose steel blue eyes were wide open with shock at what Dendra just said, his light-brown hair swaying slightly in the light breeze of the afternoon, his biceps under his short-sleeved flannel caused her eyes to- NO!


    She will not be distracted!


    "I don''t know about this Dendra," Dishon said as he took his seat at the table, "I don''t really know what''s going on but if Tulip isn''t into it I don''t feel comfortable,"


    "Hey!" Tulip pointed a perfectly manicured fingernail at Dishon, "Don''t talk for me, I can defend myself!" Dishon put his hands in the air as a show of surrender before he pulled the menu toward himself.


    "Yosh! Now that it''s all out of the way, let this three-person Date Begin!" Dendra cheered, her plan to create a group that she will later learn is called a ''Throuple'' was moving along.


    "So," Dendra asked the two other trainers at the table with her,


    "What are we ordering?"

 Park Benches and Bleeding Heads

    "Wait, Tulip is paying for this?" Dishon asked Dendra as he looked away from the Menu of the small Cafe at the corner of Kiln Street.


    "Sadly yes," the purple-haired girl said, her tone and posture far different from last night, "Dendra pulled me into this as payback for ''Sleeping with you''"


    "Huh, Great!" Dishon said as he looked back at the menu, "I think I''ll be having an apple strudel with a Motostoke Roast, What about you two?"


    "I''ll be having an iced tea with a Parmesan Bagel," Dendra said before her hand reached to her belt and she released her team of Pokemon.


    Four different Fighting-types appeared in around the table, immediately crowding the street.


    "Falinks Falinks Falinks Links!" Her Falinks yelled as the large Fighting/Water Tauros almost stepped on them.


    "Dendra! Put them back!" Tulip yelled in alarm as a Hariyama tripped onto a flower pot, sending it flying onto the floor.


    "SORRY!" The Fighting-type specialist cried in alarm as three of the four Pokemon returned to their balls.


    "Medicham," The last pokemon nodded her head at her trainer before jumping onto the roof and running in the direction of the Gym.


    "It''s too late now," Tulip sighed as she took out one of her own Pokeball''s and released the ''mon inside.


    "Flittle Flit!" A Small and frilly Psychic-type popped out of the ball, her little eyes looking around for her trainer before she spotted her sitting at a table with two other people.


    "Hey Cleo," Tulip smiled softly at the little Flittle.


    "Flittle! Flittle flit!" The small Psychic-type levitated to sit on her trainers lap.


    "Aww, She''s adorable," Dishon said as he looked at the tiny Pokemon.


    "Flit!" The Pokemon in question preened at the attention she was getting.


    "Ahem!" A voice cut into their conversation, everyone turning to look to an unamused Waiter. "I''m going to kindly ask you all to leave," He said, pointing at the potted plant that Dendra''s Hariyama knocked over.


    "Oh..." Dendra said, before she looked at the two other people sitting with her. "Right away," She quickly bowed in apology before dashing away, leaving Tulip and Dishon behind.


    "That''ll be 500 Pokebucks, by the way," The waiter said as he looked at the two remaining trainers.


    "Ah yes, Of course," Dishon nodded at him before he quickly turned to Tulip, "You do have 500 bucks with you, right?"


    "Who do you take me for?" Tulip bit back as she took out her trainer card to pay, "I''m a region famous model and makeup guru, of course I have the money."


    "You''re famous?" Dishon tilted his head.


    "Wha- Of course I''m famous! Have you been living under a rock?!" Tulip yelled at him.


    Dishon shrugged his shoulders before standing up from his chair and heading to the street, stopping to wait for Tulip to catch up with him before they walked away from the Cafe.


    <hr>


    "Hey you!" Fanny hissed from her place around her trainers waist, "Yeah I''m talking to you!" She glared at the tiny Flittle levitating along between the two trainers.


    "Yes?" Cleo the Flittle asked as she looked down at the Poison/Fire type.


    "Stay away from my Human! He''s mine!" Fanny hissed, her claws tightening their grip around her trainer.


    "Oh?" Cleo tilted her head, "And what will you do if I do... This?" The small Psychic type asked before levitating herself upwards and landing on Dishon''s shoulder, her small eyes looking down at the Shiny Pokemon.


    "Oh..." Fanny whispered as she looked at the Psychic-type, "This means War..."


    <hr>


    "Where the hell did Dendra go?" Dishon asked after ten minutes of walking down the street with Tulip, looking around for any signs of the energetic trainer.


    "Flittle flit!" Cleo chirped from her rest on Dishon''s right shoulder, her small body turning to look at her trainer before she chirped some more.


    "Salandit!" Fanny snapped at the Psychic-type before turning her head in the other direction.


    "And what''s up with these two?" Dishon asked.


    "They''re just playing," Tulip said, "You''ll understand after enough time working with Pokemon."


    Dishon nodded at her response before he turned into the Alfronda Park, an idea in his head.


    "So, Where are we heading?" Tulip asked as she walked beside him down the path going through the park.


    "To a very special bench," Dishon cryptically replied as he kept walking, stopping to let a small family of Tarountula to pass in front of him before the duo kept walking.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "And why are we looking for a Bench?" Tulip asked as she flicked some strands of hair off her face.


    "Because that''s where Dendra and I first met," Dishon smiled at Tulip, reminding her of a Pawmo with how he was acting right now, a far difference from his actions last night.


    What Pokemon did he remind her of last night? A Beheeyem perhaps?


    "Hey watch where you''re going!" His voice suddenly cut into her thoughts as she felt an arm wrap around her and pull her back.


    "Swablooo!" A chorus of Swablu chirped loudly before flying away.


    Tulip widened her eyes as she looked at the cloud-like feathers on the ground and at the flock of Pokemon flying away from where they were previously sitting.


    "Oh... I wasn''t looking," Tulip whispered as she looked at the cloud of Swablu flying in a circle around the park before they floated down and landed on the other side of a the park, away from the trainers.


    Tulip looked away from the Swablu and to the surprisingly fit arm holding her, her hands slowly creeping up to grope it.


    "OH! I''m so sorry!" Dishon quickly exclaimed, pulling his arm away before Tulip could grab hold, "I tried calling to you but you weren''t listening,"


    "Fittle Flit!"


    "I see..." Tulip straightened her back and wiped some dust off her dress, "Let us continue," She said before she resumed walking down the path, looking away from Dishon.


    "Sal?" Fanny questioned from her place before Cleo levitated off Dishon''s shoulder and went after her trainer.


    "I don''t know, girl," Dishon told Fanny as he scratched the back of her neck, "Is it something I said?"


    Fanny rolled her eyes at her trainer before climbing higher up his body and wrapping herself around his shoulders like a scaly scarf.


    <hr>


    "Flittle?" Cleo asked as she landed on her trainer''s head.


    "Cleo," Tulip whispered as she walked down the park path, "I don''t know what to do,"


    "Flit?"


    "You saw him, right? He''s basically my type, but he''s also dating Dendra, I can''t stand him!" Tulip whispered loudly, sitting down on the nearest park bench as she leaned back, "And then Dendra invited me over to her date with him, and acts as if that''s totally normal?!" Tulip grabbed the Flittle on her head and held it in front of her, "What am I supposed to feel?"


    "Maybe try going out with him?"


    "But Cleo, He''s dating Dendra, I can''t just steal her boyfriend like that," Tulip told her Flittle.


    "So why don''t you try dating Dendra too?"


    "D-Date two people at once?! Cleo how scandalous! What will my fans think? Dad will kill me if he finds out!" Tulip squished the little Psychic-type between her hands.


    "Flittle?" Cleo chirped, her eyes looking at something behind Tulip.


    "Just don''t let him find out," Tulip turned her head and screamed as the face of her best friend jumpscared her.


    "Yosh! I see my plan was perfect!" Dendra shouted with a smile as she jumped over the bench and landed next to Tulip, "I like you, but I also like Dishon, Dishon likes me, But you also like Dishon. All I need to do is get Dishon to like you, and you to like me, And everyone is happy!" Dendra said as if it was the most basic thing in the world.


    "DENDRA!" Tulip screamed, her hand quickly slapping Dendra in the forehead and knocking her back.


    "Ouch!" Dendra yelled as her hands held her forehead quickly, a small line of red trickling from between her fingers.


    "Wha- Dendra you''re bleeding!" Tulip screamed and took a bag of tissues out of her purse.


    "Hey, I heard yelling and- OH MY GOD DENDRA YOU''RE BLEEDING!" Dishon screamed as he saw the two trainers, quickly running to grab water from a nearby fountain.


    "Guys, It''s not that bad, Just a scratch," Dendra tried to calm the two trainers down, something that was clearly not working thanks to the stream of blood flowing down her face from where Tulip''s fingernails scratched her in her slap.


    "Farigiraf, Come out!" Tulip yelled as she threw a Pokeball out, a tall Giraffe appearing in the park.


    "Raf?" The Normal/Psychic type asked as he read his trainer''s thought, nodding his head before levitating the bleeding trainer off the bench and taking her back to the Battle Hotel.


    <hr>


    "Everything seems to be fine," Orchid said softly as she cleaned the injury on Dendra''s forehead, "It might leave a scar, but it''s nothing serious,"


    "Rabsca," A small Bug/Psychic type said as he levitated tools around the room, cleaning up after his trainer as she left.


    Now with Orchid and her Pokemon out of the room, Tulip pulled Dendra into a tight hug.


    "Don''t scare me like that!" She yelled, pulling away from the hug to look at the cloth covering Dendra''s new scar.


    "Why did you run away?" Dishon asked in a softer tone as he grabbed a chair and sat down next to the two girls.


    "Umm, I don''t remember," Dendra said awkwardly before quickly holding her hands up, "Wait! I can explain!"


    "We''re listening," Tulip said and Dishon nodded, the two trainers looking at Dendra.


    "Okay, The truth is... I have a crush on Tulip!" Dendra yelled, and Tulip quickly jumped towards the door to close it, making sure nobody heard her.


    "So why did you accept to go out with me If you like Tulip?" Dishon asked, a frown on his face.


    "Because I also like you!" Dendra explained as if it was the simplest idea in the world, "So when I had the chance to go on a date with both the people I like, I took it!"


    Dishon looked at Dendra before he stood up and walked away, passing Tulip as he opened the door and exited the room.


    "I have work to do," He said as he left the two trainers behind.


    "Did I do something wrong?" Dendra asked as she looked at her second best friend walk away.


    Tulip sighed in exhaustion as she turned to her best friend, a weak smile on her face as she tried to think of how to explain in the nicest way possible that she messed up.


    <hr>


    Closing the door to the computer room behind him, Dishon turned on the main computer he worked on, and started typing.


    Documents were passed along, messages were answered, calls were returned, and meetings were arranged.


    But most importantly, Dishon worked hard. Harder than he had during his time on the job. And in just two hours of sitting in front of the computer, he finished a week''s worth of work.


    "Sal?" Fanny asked quietly as she crawled onto his lap, her smoky purple eyes looking up at him.


    "I''m not the smartest guy," Dishon told her, his eyes not leaving the computer as he kept working, "Computer software? I''m a genius. People? I''m as dumb as a brick," He told her, his legs starting to move as he lifted his heels up and down repeatedly, giving Fanny a makeshift massage.


    "But what Dendra pulled?" He paused and looked down at his Salandit, "It''s not cool," he grabbed Fanny and pulled her into a hug.


    "You don''t agree to go on a date and just bring another person, Nobody wants to third wheel," He told her as he rubbed his hand across her white-scaled back, his finger passing over the fire line.


    "Salandit?" Fanny quietly started rubbing her tail across his back, something she already learned calmed her trainer down.


    "Yeah, Maybe I shouldn''t date Coworkers," He smiled weakly as he hugged his partner Pokemon.


    "Maybe once Cave Story kicks off and I get enough money to go on a trip around the world, I''ll meet someone who likes me," He said as he let go of Fanny and returned to work.


    "So until then, Romance is off the table," He said with a smile, his fingers already moving like lightning as he moved.


    "Sal?"


    "I''ll send Orchid a message, This is still me working overtime," Dishon said as he pointed at the computer.


    "Salandit..."


    "Yeah, It sucks, but that''s life," Dishon smiled down at Fanny, "Sometimes things Suck, But sometimes things are wonderful," He scratched Fanny near the bottom of her Bandana, "For every Gorgeous Shiny Salandit I find, there''s going to be a shitty date and bleeding foreheads,"


    "That''s the beauty of life," Dishon smiled widely at Fanny, "And no matter how ugly or sad things get, They''ll always get better later,"


    "Because That''s what life is,"

 A Fathers Worries

    "I don''t like this," Gym Leader Lorenz said as he watched the person in front of him sipping from a cup of spicy tea.


    "Liking it or not won''t change that an investigation into the Mass Outbreak of the Tinkatink line is required, Not only to find a solution to the overpopulation of the Pokemon but also to find the reason it is happening," The person sitting in front of Lorenz said as she lay the cup she was drinking from down,


    Lorenz frowned at that, "Fine, But I can''t handle the investigation right now, with the end of the school year coming along an influx of challenges for the badge has arrived," He explained with a grim face, "I''m fully booked for at least the next two weeks,"


    "That''s fine, You do have gym trainers that could assist us in your place," The person said as she crossed her knees and relaxed on her chair.


    "Yes..." Lorenz said as he looked down, the large magician''s hat on his head hiding his eyes as he thought of what to do.


    "I have one worker who should be available, but I''m unsure how much a Fighting-type specialist will help against Fairy-types. My second worker is out of the question, he''s never been in a Pokemon battle, he''s our computers guy..." Lorenz sighed to himself for a moment.


    "I can get Dendra to go with you, I can try and convince Tulip but I can''t force her. I won''t even try with Dishon. Is that acceptable?" He asked.


    Uncrossing her legs and standing up, Top Champion ''La Primera'' Geeta smiled at the older Gym Leader.


    "That is acceptable, I will come back tomorrow," She told him as she stood up and left the room.


    Leaving Lorenz alone with his thoughts.


    He grabbed the hat off his head and held it in his hands, His hand going into his hat as he pulled out a Pokeball and clicked it open.


    In a flash of red light, one of his Team members floated beside him.


    "Chimecho~" The psychic type trilled a melody of greeting as she floated beside her trainer.


    "I''m happy to see you too, dear," He smiled at the Wind Chime Pokemon, "But we have work to do," He said with a sad smile.


    "Chime?"


    "I need you to call Tulip over, think you can do that?"


    "Chime?" The Pokemon asked with an offended look on her face, "Chime! Chimecho Echo!" Her long tail extended with an elaborate use of the move ''Wrap'' as she grabbed her trainer''s phone from the table and tapped on the screen. A visible frown on her face.


    Lorenz stared blankly at his phone before he turned to look at his Pokemon with a sheepish smile.


    "Did I ever tell you how smart you are?" He asked sheepishly as he grabbed the phone and turned it on.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Chimecho!"


    <hr>


    Lorenz clapped his hands as his entire team of Pokemon sat on the floor of one the many Pokemon Battle rings outside the Battle Hotel.


    "Listen up guys, We have a very busy few weeks ahead of us, so we need to be ready!" He told his team, The Six Pokemon he called his ''Elites'' sat listening.


    "Indeedee?" Dee the Indeedee asked with a smile on her face.


    "Of course, you can remain at the reception table, I''m just notifying you that you might have to fight.


    "Deedee," She nodded in understanding before she laid back and rested on the floor.


    "Bronzong." His Starter''s voice rang out, Eliciting a nod of the Gym Leader''s head.


    "That''s right buddy," The man said with a toothy smile, "After this, We''re starting Tulip''s training!"


    That caused the rest of his team to perk up.


    "Chimecho!?" Exclaimed the wind chime Pokemon, a glare on her tiny face as she floated up to match her trainer''s height, her tail wrapping around his bicep as she rang out loudly.


    "I know, I know," The Gym Leader tried to placate her, "She''s busy with all that modeling stuff, But she needs to take over the gym in the next five years, we all know that..." Lorenz''s words caused Chimecho to release him, a weak glare on her face as she stared at him with disapproval.


    "Oran," Another member of the team raised a thought as he moved his hands to speak with Sign Language.


    "Believe me Oranguru, I want her to be happy just like everyone else, but she needs to start taking her Gym position seriously." He told his second Psychic/Normal Pokemon, "I don''t want the League to get some corporate brown nose to replace us,"


    "Guru, Oranguru Oran," The Sage Pokemon said as he continued to sign at Lorenz, the words he signed causing the psychic gym Leader to drop his shoulders and sigh in defeat.


    "Okay Fine... We''ll continue this discussion later, You can all return to what you were all doing beforehand," Lorenz told his Team and they all stood up, most returning to where they were, Leaving Chimecho and Bronzong behind with their trainer.


    "Echo." The sixty-centimeter-tall Pokemon said as she floated next to the Body Building Magician''s head.


    "You''re right girl, you''re always right..." Lorenz said sadly as he sat down on a nearby bench, the sound of young trainers battling each other in nearby courts filling the background with a soothing sound to the man''s ears.


    "It''s just... She''s growing up so fast." He released a sigh as he felt his body melt into the bench, "She''s already 18, Has a flourishing modeling and makeup career, A Strong team of Pokemon who support her, and she''s even hanging out with..." Lorenz''s face transformed into a Grimace, "Boys..." His mind went to how he found her yesterday morning, sleeping on a couch with the hotel''s newest employee.


    That boy was lucky nothing happened between the two, else he''d be having a very different discussion right now.


    "Chimecho echo..." The Pokemon trilled at him, her tail holding her cheek as she smiled at the Idea of the little girl who used to listen to her sing so long ago finally growing up.


    "Get that smile off your face! nothing happened!" Lorenz laughed loudly as he swung his arms up, trying to catch the levitating Wind Chime.


    And as the Pokemon and Trainer kept arguing about Tulip, Bronzong watched the two. A spark of joy passed by his ever-open eyes as he watched his Trainer and teammate play.


    "Gong~" His voice echoed loudly in the yard, causing both Trainer and Pokemon to turn and look at him.


    Lorenz sniffed as he let go of Chimecho, scratching his nose with an embarrassed smile.


    "Yeah yeah, I love you all too." The Gym Leader said, "Now let''s go back inside, We have a match scheduled in thirty minutes,"


    "Echo! Chimecho!" The Wind Chime Pokemon trilled loudly, her face an excited glare as she looked down at her trainer.


    "Sure, I''ll let you fight soon," He smiled at her, his hand moving toward a Pokeball-looking device on his hip, "We need to test this somewhere," He patted the device.


    As the small group walked back to the Battle Hotel, he pondered the utility of using the device and what it meant for the future of Paldean Pokemon Battles.


    "To Terastallize anytime... How unique."

 Mass Outbreak: Start!

    Tulip''s eye twitched in annoyance as she looked at the trainer standing beside her.


    "Yosh! Let''s stop these Tinkatink!" No, Not that trainer.


    "While I would gladly share in your enthusiasm, This mission is that of investigation first and foremost, And so if everything goes well, Fighting should remain minimal." Tulip hated her, not for her personality, but for her looks.


    "How can she look so beautiful with so little makeup?!" Tulip wanted to scream in anger, but she remained silent as "La Primera" kept talking.


    "I will once again go over the plan," The newest Top Champion of Paldea told the two trainers, "Once we reach the Ruins, we split into groups of three and spread out, we will each clear out a third of the site from as many Tinkaton and Tinkatuff as we may come across, before grouping back together at the rise on the other side of the ruins and investigate any irregularities we may come across." Geeta told Dendra and Tulip, "I''ll assume you brought your radios with you, keep them powered at all times so we may keep in contact,"


    Tulip begrudgingly nodded her head at the Champion''s plan while Dendra shook excitedly.


    "Now without further ado, Let the investigation into the Mass Outbreak, Commence!"


    <hr>


    "And there," Dishon smiled to himself as he looked at the short trailer he created for Cave Story, He looked down at the Shiny Salandit lying on the table beside him, "Now all we have to do is Upload this video to this funding website, and promote it when we stream next weekend, and We should be getting money," He reached out to scratch his Partner.


    "Landit?" Fanny asked as she flipped herself over to lay on her back, letting Dishon scratch her stomach as she melted into his fingers.


    "Yep, We''ll be able to buy more clothes, Hopefully we''ll be able to afford a new phone, and if everything goes well, A Car or vehicle of some sort so we won''t ever have to use that damned flying taxi ever again," He told her with a smile.


    "Sal..." Fanny nodded and Dishon smiled at her.


    "Yep, Now let''s go buy some clothes, Our Paycheck came in and I need a new wardrobe,"


    "Salanidit Sal!" The Spoiled Pokemon immediately perked up at the mention of going outside. Quickly climbing onto her trainer''s waist and wrapping around him like a Belt, or a Fanny Pack.


    <hr>


    "Hariyama! Don''t let them take you down! Counter!" Dendra yelled as a group of four Tinkatuff jumped at her Starter Pokemon after a few minutes of walking.


    "Hari-" The Bulky fighting-type shouted as his muscles tensed at the ready for the incoming attack from the Fairy-Steel types.


    "Tinka!" The Largest Tinkatuff of the group screamed as she jumped into the air, the hammer in her hands glowing with Steel-Type energy before slamming into Hariyama''s exposed belly.


    "-YAMA!!!" Hariyama yelled as his body exploded with red Fighting-Type energy, the damage inflicted upon him by the Tinkatuff bouncing back at the fairy-type with twice the power.


    "Tink!" She yelled as the Orange/Red energy slammed into her, sending her flying into a nearby tree and knocking her out.


    The three other Fairy-types looked at their sibling, knocked out and defeated, before coming to a conclusion.


    "Tinka?" "Tuff tuff," "Katink!" With a nod to each other, the three Fairy-types ran away from Dendra and Hariyama, grabbing their fallen friend as they ran back into the tree line and away from the path the Fighting-type specialist was walking down.


    "Hariyama! After them! Don''t let them get away!" Dendra yelled as she started running after the runaway Tinkatuff, Her Starter running after her on his short yet muscular legs.


    <hr>


    "That will be 26,450 Pokebucks,"


    Nodding to the cashier, Dishon flipped out his Trainer ID, which luckily also acted as a sort of Credit Card. And paid for the bag of clothes he just bought.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Leaving the Clothing Store, Dishon looked down at his partner still wrapped around his waist and reached down to scratch her neck.


    "How about we go buy something nice to eat? I''m thinking Ice Cream, what about you?"


    "Salandit Sal!" Fanny exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of a sweet treat for the hot spring day.


    "Atta'' girl," Dishon scratched her neck as the two started heading for the nearest Ice Cream shop.


    As the Trainer and his partner walked, a bag of newly bought clothing in hand, Dishon remembered hearing from Orchid that Dendra and Tulip had some work they had to do nearby regarding the Ruins and the overpopulation of Tinkatink.


    "I wonder how the girls are doing?"


    <hr>


    "Kirlia, Teleport away from them! Florges, Petal Blizzard! Cleo, try and hold them in place with Psychic! Farigiraf, Keep that Reflect up and use Crunch and Twin Beam on them if they get close!" Tulip was already breathing heavily.


    After the three trainers split up, with Dendra going South and Geeta going directly East, Tulip was left to go the Northern path.


    On any other day, this path would be home to the regular Pokemon usually found at the Alfronda Ruins, from the common Hypno line to the less common Bronzong line or the occasional Sinistea.


    Today, however? The usually calm and relaxing dirt road was crowded with Tinkatink, Tinkatuff, and even several Tinkaton.


    "Tinka!" Tulip had to quickly call all of her team out to help her fend off the small army of the Tinkaton line.


    "Grr, We need to get the Tinkaton with Rock Throw!" She yelled loudly to make sure her team heard her over the cries of the many Fairy-Steel types.


    "Kirl!" Her Kirlia agreed with her, her slim form elegantly teleporting around the battlefield, blasting the nearby Tinka''s with Confusion and Psybeam. Another Teleport allowed her to quickly dodge the soccerball-sized rock that flew towards her.


    "Tinka-" The Largest Tinkaton in the area held her hammer like a Baseball Bat, A nearby Tinkatuff threw a rock into the air for her to hit, "-TON!!!"


    With the velocity of a speeding car, the rock flew over the heads of the territorial Fairies and crashed onto the invisible Wall of Farigiraf''s Reflect.


    "Far!" The Normal-Psychic type cried as some of the shattered remains of the rock passed through his barrier and struck him on his armored head.


    "ENOUGH!" Tulip yelled angrily, "CLEO! SHADOW-BALL THAT TINKATON!!!" Her makeup was undone, her hair was ruined, and she had to work with Geeta on the same mission.


    Tulip was done playing around!


    "FLITTLE FLIT!!!!!" With a cry of effort, the small Psychic type floated above the rest of the Pokemon, rays of colorful light escaping the frills on its body as an orb of Ghost-type energy formed in front of her eyes, crackling with power before being shot like a cannonball at the Rock Throwing Tinkaton.


    "Tinka-" An Explosion engulfed the Fairy-Steel type, Destroying the rock she planned to hit and throwing her back into a nearby pond.


    "Tinka?" Tuff tuff!" "Tuff Tinka..." "Tinka Katink!?"


    Many of the smaller Pokemon stopped fighting as the loud explosion echoed between the trees. They looked at each other with apprehension before turning back to the enraged Psychic-type specialist.


    "ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO TRY SOMETHING?" Tulip yelled angrily at the silent crowd of Fairy-types.


    "Tinka! Tinkaton!" One of the smaller Tinkaton cried as she raised her arms up, her hammer waving behind her as she ran away from the terrifying human, Followed by her many sisters. They stopped by the pond on their way to grab their bigger Sister and a random Arrokuda out of the water before continuing their clumsy escape.


    Breathing deeply and angrily, Tulip took out a portable mirror from her pocket and started reapplying her makeup.


    "Damn that Champion..." She growled to herself as she looked at her ruined face in the tiny mirror.


    "Wait..." She paused as she leaned closer to the mirror, thinking she saw something in the reflection.


    "Is that-" Tulip quickly turned around and spotted what she saw.


    Just above the tree line, looking down at her from afar was a Golbat.


    Now, to many trainers around the world, having a wild Golbat following you isn''t really something much to write home about.


    Except for two very important things to take notice of.


    One. Golbat are rarely active during the day.


    And much more pressing; Two. Golbat aren''t native to Paldea.


    Which could only mean one of two things.


    That somehow a Wild Golbat flew all the way from a neighboring Region and to the Alfronda Ruins, which seeing as how Alfronda is the south-westernmost town of Paldea and borders no other regions, should be highly unlikely.


    Or the second option...


    Tulip quickly grabbed the radio Geeta gave Her and Dendra before pressing the button to contact the other two trainers.


    "Notice! I got a Golbat in my sight, A Foreign Trainer is in the vicinity. I repeat, A Foreign trainer is somewhere in the vicinity!" Tulip yelled at the radio, her eyes not leaving the mysterious Golbat.


    Before long her Radio buzzed as La Primera answered her.


    "Follow that Golbat, Keep constant updates coming in, I will catch up with you in a few minutes," Geeta told her through the radio, sounds of battle echoing through the machine.


    "Understood," Tulip frowned at the new set of orders, but followed them regardless.


    She might not like Geeta, but she''s still her boss.


    "You heard her Girls!-" Tulip cried, her Farigiraf huffing at being excluded, "-Follow that Golbat!"


    "Flit!" "Kirl!" "Flor!" "Fari!"


    <hr>


    Licking his Ice Cream and looking at the Shiny Salandit beside him, her mouth covered in strawberry ice cream as she devoured her treat like a starving man with a source of water.


    Dishon smiled at Fanny before grabbing a napkin to clean her up.


    "Whatever the girls are doing, I''m sure they''re fine," He smiled at the idea as he wiped the smeared Ice Cream off his partner''s mouth.

 Mass Outbreak: Part Two!

    "Charca~"


    In the Alfronda Battle Hotel, A Trainer and a small group of Pokemon were playing a relaxing card game.


    "Sorry Kiddo, But It looks like you lost this round," The Human of the group, Dishon, said as he placed the cards he held on the table, showing off four different Six cards and a single eight of spades.


    "Four of a kind, I win," Dishon smiled as he moved to grab the bowl of snacks in the middle of the table and collect his winnings, only to find it unmoving as a purple psychic barrier surrounded it.


    "Indeedee!" Dee the female Indeedee exclaimed with a wide smile on her face as she slammed her tiny paw on the table, showing off her cards.


    A Ten of Hearts, A Jack of Hearts, A Queen of Hearts, A King of Hearts, and an Ace of Hearts.


    A Royal Flush.


    "Dammit..." Dishon whispered as he let go of the bowl filled with salted snacks and let the Winner of the game get her spoils.


    "Salandit..." Fanny hissed from her stool next to Dishon, having already been disqualified from the game several rounds ago.


    "Indeedee Dee!" Dee smiled at everyone as her horns glowed with purple light, and the snacks levitated out of the bowl and towards the other Pokemon at the table.


    "Aww, That''s nice. Thank''s Dee." Dishon smiled at his Bosses Pokemon before taking a bite of a Crisp.


    And as the small group of Pokemon and the Human ate their snacks in calm enjoyment, outside the city of Alfronda a different situation was taking place.


    <hr>


    "Kirlia! Don''t lose that Golbat!" Tulip yelled to Pokemon as she and her team ran through the small forest surrounding the Alfronda Ruins.


    "Kirl!" Her Pokemon exclaimed as her body glowed white before teleporting forward, her speed matching that of the foreign Poison/Flying Pokemon.


    "Gol~ BAT!" Seeing as the Psychic-trainer and her team were catching up and getting closer, the Foreign Pokemon flapped its wings, a series of razor-sharp blades of wind flying from it as it used the move Air Cutter. Cutting off the branches of the trees below it in an attempt to slow down Tulip.


    But the Golbat''s attempt was useless, as with a glow to his horns, Tulip''s Farigiraf caught the wood in a psychic hold before throwing them all off to the side, clearing the way for his Trainer and Teammates.


    "Tinka!" As the group chased the Golbat, passing by many of the Tinkatink overpopulating the Ruins, A Wild Tinkatuff jumped out of the bushes, metal hammer raised at the ready as it glowed with Steel-Type energy.


    Only to then fly back into the bush with a cry as an explosive Shadow Ball hit her in the face, courtesy of Cleo the Flittle, "Tuff~"


    "Kirlia Kirl!" Tulip clicked her tongue in annoyance as her Kirlia cried in alarm, watching as a sudden tailwind appeared behind the Golbat, speeding up its escape from the group.


    "NO!" Tulip yelled in anger as the Golbat left the range of her Pokemon.


    Only to widen her eyes as a silver ball slammed into the Golbat at high speeds and threw it down to the ground.


    "Was that..." Tulip didn''t finish that thought, as when she came up to where the Golbat fell down, she spotted Dendra, a healthy sheen of sweat on her brow, and an excited group of Falinks beside her,


    "Nice Smart Strike guys," Dendra said cheerfully to her Falinks before turning to smile widely at Tulip.


    "Yosh! Tulip we did it! We stopped the Golbat!" Dendra said loudly, pumping her fist in the air with a cheer.


    "Dendra, We were following the Golbat to search for its trainer, We weren''t supposed to bring it down," Tulip exhaustingly told her energetic friend.


    "Oh..." Dendra lowered her arm sheepishly before scratching her forehead, next to where the new scar from a few days ago sat, "Ehe, Sorry~"


    "Don''t apologize Dendra, you didn''t do anything wrong," Tulip sighed before taking out a bottle of water and replenishing her thirst.


    "You know, You can join me when I work out," Dendra smiled at her friend, watching as she drank an entire bottle of water, "Some Cardio will be good for-" Dendra was cut off as her Medicham yelled out loud, pointing to the downed Golbat.


    Or more specifically, where the Golbat used to be.


    "WHAT?!" Dendra yelled in shock as the Golbat disappeared from right under her nose, "Medicham, where did they go?!"


    Medicham answered quickly by jumping into a nearby bush, her forehead glowing with Psychic energy as it Zen Headbutted something behind the bush.


    "Medi!"


    Running passed the bush, the two trainers widened their eyes in shock at what Medicham hit.


    "It''s a trainer!" Dendra yelled loudly, causing Tulip to cringe as her ears rang.


    "I can see that, Call Geeta over, we might have the biggest clue we could find for this Mass Outbreak," Tulip told Dendra as she stood over and looked down at the unconscious trainer, a Great Ball clutched in his hand holding a Golbat inside it.


    "Let''s see who you are..." She whispered as she grabbed the trainer''s shoulder and turned him around.


    <hr>


    Slamming her fist onto a computer desk, A young woman with blue hair tied into rings on the side of her head snarled in anger as she watched the video filmed through a hidden camera in the forest surrounding the Alfronda Ruins.


    "Dang it! What the heck was he doing out there?!" The young woman shouted in anger her face quickly transitioning into sadness as she started crying into her hands.


    "~Ooh Aliana is going to make so much fun of me~" She cried, tears trailing down her face from beneath the visor she wore over her eyes.


    "Erm, Boss? Should we start evacuating?" A Young Man in an orange outfit asked her, standing a distance away from his younger superior.


    "EVACUATE?!" The young lady screamed loudly, the tears that previously left her eyes seemingly gone as she energetically stood up from her chair and marched to the man, waving her finger at him.


    "Listen here Grunt, We are going to figure out the secrets of the Terastral phenomenon and how to use it, then we take that research back to HQ and the Boss will tell everyone that my research is the best! Not that ASSHOLE CELOSIA! With my research into Tera Crystals, Nobody could stop us!" She yelled at the young man, glaring at him from beneath her visor as she poked his chest roughly with her slim finger.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "So we''re not going to Evacuate?" The grunt asked her, scratching his head of orange hair in confusion as to what his current boss was talking about.


    "~Nghhh NO! We aren''t evacuating! Now tell the other grunts to start our Terastal Absorption machine! We have an entire base here, they only have three trainers!" The blue-haired woman yelled at her underling, sharply turning around and returning to the computer screen.


    "Now Leave! I have more research to finish!"


    <hr>


    La Primera frowned as she stood next to the two other trainers with her, looking at the still-unconscious Trainer before her.


    "Why is he knocked out?" She asked simply, receiving a chuckle from Dendra in response as the Fighting-type specialist shuffled her feet in embarrassment.


    "Never mind then," La Primera said calmly before she clicked her fingers, Her Gogoat walked up to the downed trainer before shaking his head at the downed trainer, his horns glowing with Normal-type energy before a spray of white liquid shot out from its horns and onto the trainers face.


    With a gasp, the trainer bolted up and coughed out, the rejuvenating white liquid of Gogoat staining his face as Milk Drink woke him up.


    "You''re awake, Good job Gogoat," Geeta smiled calmly down at the trainer as he looked around him, his orange suit dirty and wet from a mixture of smeared grass and dripping milk.


    Gogoat huffed at the trainer, who squealed in fear as he crawled backward away from the tall Grass type.


    The Trainer froze as a clean black shoe slammed into the tree behind him, right next to his head.


    Following the slender leg beside his face, the trainer paled as he watched the sun disappear behind the head of the tall woman above him.


    "Hello, I apologize for your current treatment but you can understand the troublesome situation we all find ourselves in," The Top Champion of Paldea, ''La Primera'' Geeta, smiled patiently at the man below her.


    "I hope you can answer some questions I have," Geeta said blankly, her patient smile never leaving her face as her deep Blue and Yellow eyes bore into the trainer.


    But before the trainer could talk back, the ground beneath them all shook.


    "Woah!" Dendra yelled as she held on to her Medicham, holding Tulip in her other arm as the two trainers tried to stay on their feet.


    "Flit!" Cleo cried out as a loose branch fell towards her, a psychic barrier stopping it as Farigiraf pulled her closer to him.


    "GO!" Geeta''s Gogoat yelled loudly, His body briefly glowing with Fighting-type energy before he bulked up, growing larger and firmer than before, his trainer holding on to one of his horns as the ground continued to shake.


    <hr>


    Somewhere underground, near the Alfronda Ruins, A Blue-Haired young woman smiled wildly beneath her visor as she stared at a complicated machine she and her team built, watching as small shining particles of Terastal energy were absorbed into the machine, glowing with a rainbow of colors as small patches of crystal started growing out of the natural stone walls of the cave the used as a hideout.


    "YES!!!" The Woman screamed in joy as the machine absorbed more and more Terastal Energy.


    "Boss! The Mass Outbreak Side Effect is happening all over Paldea! Shouldn''t we slow down?!" One of the grunts in the cave yelled over the loud whir of the shaking machine as he watched a computer screen, seeing spires of Tera Crystals popping up from the ground all over the Paldea Region.


    "SLOW DOWN?!" The young woman yelled at the Grunt who shrunk back beneath her gaze, "ARE YOU STUPID?! THIS IS WHAT WE WANT!" She screamed over the loud shaking of the ground, an excited smile on her blue-lipped face as she turned back to the large rumbling machine, "THIS WILL HELP OUR LEADER CREATE A BEAUTIFUL WORLD!"


    The Grunt on the Computer wanted to retort but nodded his head instead.


    "Of course!" He looked back to the computer screen, watching as all over Paldea Pokemon started Terastallizing at an unprecedented rate.


    <hr>


    In The Alfronda Battle Hotel, Dishon and the other Pokemon he played cards with quickly ran outside as the Earthquake shook the building.


    "Indeedee?!" Dee cried out as a psychic barrier surrounded the group of Pokemon.


    Charcadet stayed close to the older Pokemon and the trainer, holding on to the Human''s pant leg as his tiny legs shook on the ground.


    Dishon held on to Fanny and Dee, keeping close to the Pokemon as the group ran out into the middle of the road, far enough away from the nearby buildings to count as a safe zone.


    "Sal~" Fanny hissed as her body shook, looking around as more and more trainers and Pokemon exited the buildings and went to an open area.


    Her body shaking harder, Fanny let go of her trainer and started heaving as if she needed to throw up.


    As she felt something come out of her throat, her body glowed with rainbow-colored particles as a purple skull and crossbones appeared above her head, a layer of thin purple crystals covering her body like a new layer of skin before the rainbow-colored particles exploded off her body, leaving the Poison/Fire type breathing deeply on the floor as her body shone with power.


    "Sal~" She growled, feeling the energy from the crystals empower her she looked around, "Salindit Sal!" She cried to her trainer, quickly running back to him and climbing up his clothes so she could stand on his shoulders and look around at Alfronda around her.


    "What in the-" Dishon exclaimed as the newly Terastallized Fanny grabbed the sides of his head in order to hold on better.


    "Dishon!" Turning his head to the side, Dishon saw his boss and her husband run out of the Battle Hotel, followed by Bronzong and Twiddle.


    "Char!" Charcadet let go of Dee and ran over to Orchid, jumping into her for a hug.


    "Miss Orchid! What is going on?" Dishon asked his boss as the purple-haired lady quickly walked up to the young trainer, Lorenz and his team rushed around the street behind her, helping up trainers and their Pokemon who fell over from the Earthquake.


    "I don''t know, but I need you to try and call Tulip or Dendra, My phone is out of batteries," Orchid told Dishon, a thin psychic barrier surrounding her as Twiddle''s eyes shone in a purple light.


    Taking his phone out of his pocket, Dishon dialed Tulip, holding the phone close to his ear as he waited for the call to connect.


    <hr>


    "Flit!" Cleo chirped loudly as she heard Tulip''s phone ring in her bag, calling her trainer''s attention to it.


    "Wha-" Tulip quickly pulled her phone out and saw a photo of a shiny Salandit as the caller, quickly answering the phone she yelled "What is it?!"


    "Tulip listen-" Whatever Dishon was about to say was cut short as his phone was pulled from his hand and a new person started speaking.


    "Tulip dear, Are you safe? Is everything Okay? Is Dendra there with you?!" Tulip heard her Mom speak quickly into the phone.


    "Mom! Everything''s fine, Dendra and Geeta are here with me, I''m alright," She reassured her mom as she kept holding on to Dendra, her legs shaking as she struggled to stay on her feet with the ground shaking as is.


    "That''s great, Wonderful even, Don''t worry Tulip, Daddy is coming over to help you," Orchid said from the other side of the line and Tulip closed her eyes in annoyance for a bried moment before opening them and nodding.


    "Okay, We''re still in the forest outside the Alfronda Ruins, we caught someone who might be connected to the Tinkatink issue," Tulip told her mom and her heart lightened and relaxed when she heard Orchid take a relaxed sigh on the other side of the call.


    "Okay, I''ll tell him, He''ll be right over soon enough~ LORENZ!-" And the phone cut off.


    Tulip put her phone back into her bag and turned back to the Champion, watching as she also put her phone back into her pocket.


    "Listen up you two," The Champion said, her legs holding firm as the Earthquake began to settle, "We have a new objective here," She quickly snapped her leg forward, kicking it into the Orange Haired trainer and knocking him back into unconsciousness, cracking his sunglasses in the process, "A Group of Trainers is conducting illegal research into Terastallization and are the ones responsible for the Tinkatink Outbreak," Geeta told the two younger women.


    "Our new job is to find their hideout and stop them from continuing their research, Hassel of the Elite Four will meet up with us in an hour, and if I heard correctly so will Gym Leader Lorenz, That should make a strong enough team to take them down and stop their plans," Geeta stared at the two trainers, the patient smile she always seemed to have on her face was gone, replaced by a neutral frown.


    "How are we going to find their Hideout?" Dendra asked, her team beside them all nodding their heads at the question.


    The small neutral frown on Geeta''s face was steadily replaced by a smile spreading on her cheeks as her blue gloved hand picked out a Pokeball from the inside of her suit, And with a flash of red light, the pokemon inside the ball appeared in front of the group.


    "Glimmo~ora~" A Blue Flower made of crystallized poison floated before the group, its beady yellow eyes looking around before noticing its trainer and squinting happily at her.


    "Glimmora here can sense Tera Crystals and find them easily," Geeta explained as she placed a gloved hand on the Pokemon''s head and stroked it, "If we find the largest collection of Tera Crystals in the area, we''d likely also find our targets,"


    Tulip and Dendra nodded their heads at that explanation before Tulip brought up her own question.


    "Who are these people anyway? Why are they here of all places?" Tulip asked and Geeta nodded at the question.


    "These people are a team from our neighbors in Kalos, They call themselves-"


    <hr>


    "TEAM FLARE, READY UP!" One of the Five Scientists of Team Flare yelled cheerfully, her body twirling around the cave in a little dance, Her tall orange boots kicking the ground as she tried to twirl like a ballerina, her ringed blue hair slapping the sides of her head, "While this machine is absorbing all the Tera Particles from the area, Some big meanies from Paldea are going to try and stop us, WE DON''T WANT THAT!"


    She stopped her improvised dance and glared at the group of Orange Trainers in front of her, "SO YOU GO STOP THEM!!! FOR OUR BEAUTIFUL WORLD!!!!!"


    "For our Beautiful World!"

 Mass Outbreak: The Third Part!

    In a cave below the Alfronda Ruins, The Blue Haired scientist of Team Flare smiled with giddy excitement as she watched rainbow-colored particles getting sucked into a complex-looking machine.


    "Ma''am, We really should slow down the Tera Absorption Rate," One of the trainers looking over the machine called out to her, the computer screen in front of him showcasing distressing imagery, "At this speed, the next Earthquake will destabilize the machine''s scaffolding, it might even go critical!"


    "I already said, WE AREN''T SLOWING DOWN!!!" Team Flare Scientist, Mable, Screamed at her grunt. Her face quickly twisted from anger into a cutesy display reminiscent of a teenage girl dreaming about love.


    "When our Leader sees my wonderful work, he''ll undoubtedly agree that my research is much more advantageous to our cause than Celosia''s, He''ll be all like ''Amazing Work Mable, here''s that raise you always wanted'' And then I''ll say ''No need Boss! Just doing my Job!'' And then he''ll give me the raise anyway! Ahahaha!" Mable laughed to herself as the Team Flare Grunts looked at each other awkwardly.


    "Ma''am! A team of Trainers is headed this way!" A Grunt suddenly yelled as he turned a corner of the cave, a tablet in his hand showing hidden camera footage from the entrance of the cave, where a group of trainers and their Pokemon could be seen approaching the entrance of the cave.


    "Everybody get in position!" Mable yelled loudly, The Tera Absorption machine behind her shaking and rumbling, "Don''t let them stop our machine! For a Beautiful World!"


    "For a Beautiful World!"


    <hr>


    Watching Lorenz and Bronzong teleport away after Orchid told him what to do, I turned to her as she started giving me orders.


    "Dishon, I need to get to the Mayor''s office to help deal with all that''s happening, I want you to walk around the Hotel and check if anybody inside is injured, okay?" She told me, looking me in the eyes to convey how serious the situation was.


    And I could agree with her, this Earthquake might not have been very destructive, but with all the Pokemon Terastallizing at Random, it could only be a matter of time before a Charcadet used ember and burned their house down.


    "Yes Ma''am, Understood!" I nodded my head, Fanny still holding on to my shirt as her head looked all around her at the crystal-covered Pokemon. "But, what if an aftershock occurs while I''m inside? Do the Gotharita know Teleport?"


    Orchid thought my words over for a moment before nodding her head, "Good point, that''s why we hired you, Take Rabsca with you, he can get you out if something happens," She tossed out a Pokeball, and with a flash of light the Bug/Psychic Rolling Pokemon popped out.


    "Did you hear me Rabsca dear?" She asked the Pokemon, who didn''t visually respond, but Orchid nodded her head anyway, "Okay. Now you two go ahead, Make sure all the Staff are counted for,"


    "Yes Ma''am!" I straightened my back and she nodded before turning away and quickly walking in the direction of the City Hall.


    "You heard her Fanny," I tap my partner on her claw as she crawled back to her spot around my waist, Now covered in sparkling Tera crystals, "Let''s go check on the staff!"


    "Salandit!" She hissed as her tail started slapping my back.


    "Okay Fine! I''m going I''m going! No need to be rude..."


    "Sal!"


    "You''re right, I can''t hate you..." I smirk and I run back to the Hotel.


    "..." Standing on the floor behind me, Rabsca slowly moved to roll after me before lunging high into the air, moving several meters at a time as he followed.


    <hr>


    Standing outside the mouth of a cave, A Trio of trainers and their Pokemon looked at the Security Camera filming them on the ceiling of the cave.


    "Good Job Glimmora," La Primera Geeta told her partner as she returned him to his Pokeball, turning her head to nod to her Gogoat.


    "This is where the Tera Energy is being absorbed?" Dendra asked as Her Team stood behind her ready to take action against any possible threat.


    "Doesn''t look like much," She nodded at her astute observation, eliciting a small smile from the Top Champion of Paldea and a roll of the Eyes from her Childhood Friend.


    "I imagine the rest of Team Flare are inside this cave," Tulip said as she massaged her shoulder, Cleo sitting on her head like a Bird in a Nest.


    "That would seem to be the case," Geeta answered the two Trainers, Stepping Back as her Gogoat bulked up in size, his horns glowing with Pink Energy as he took point in entering the cave, the glow from his horns illuminating the stone walls.


    With a short update sent from her phone, Geeta walked into the cave, followed by Dendra and Tulip.


    "Be careful, Team Flare already knows we are here and has almost certainly readied for our arrival," She told the two Gym Trainers, her face a mask of calm as her blue eyes looked around for any sign of the group from Kalos.


    "Okay gang, you heard the champ! Let''s take these Team Flare guys down!" Dendra yelled excitedly as she threw her fist into the air, her boisterous voice echoing down the cave for all to hear.


    "Hehe, Whoops," Dendra smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck, "Sorry."


    Tulip felt her brow twitching as her already ruinous day was close to becoming worse.


    Luckily for her, Taking down these orange Clowns should be a piece of cake.


    "Poochyena Go!" And luckily for her, the clowns were running towards her, no need to go searching.


    With a smirk on her lips and a flap of her lashes, Tulip ordered her Pokemon.


    "Florges," She called out calmly, looking down at the Team Flare grunts throwing their Pokemon deeper in the cave, "Petal Blizzard,"


    And Team Flare soon learned how a future Gym Leader fought.


    <hr>


    Fanny and I stared at the Arena in the center of the Alfronda Battle Hotel, Where the Gym Battles take place. The dirt of the Pokemon Arena was cracked and thrown all over the place when the Earthquake hit, but we weren''t looking at that.


    The Funnels of water going around the edges of the Arena for Water Type Pokemon were empty, likely drained when a pipe was hit during the quake, but that also wasn''t what we were looking at.


    A Large Red Crystal, glowing with Tera Energy was standing in the middle of the arena, the same kind of crystals that were sprouting in the street as the Pokemon started Terastallizing at random, but even that wasn''t what we were looking at.


    "..." Even Rabsca was looking where we were looking.


    "Goth..." High above the floor, on top of the Ceiling Lamps that illuminated the Arena, The Hotel Staff were sitting on top of the metal covers of the lights, Looking down at us after they must have teleported to the safest spot they could think of as the Earthquake Hit.


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    Twelve Gothorita, A Gothita, and the Gothitelle that mothered all of them collectively stared down at us from their safe space near the ceiling.


    "Salandit Sal..." Fanny said blankly as we all shared a moment of awkward silence looking at the Psychic Type Pokemon hanging from the Ceiling lights.


    "Well, This was quicker than expected," I said as we waited for the psychic types to levitate themselves down to the floor, "I fully expected to need to go door to door searching for everyone but no, they''re all here." I gestured at the Staff.


    "I guess we should call Orchid and ask what to do now," I took out my phone only to click my tongue in annoyance, "No signal. Ah, man..."


    "Landit!" I nodded at Fanny''s exclamation.


    "Yep, Let''s just head back outside for now, If any of the neighbors looks like they need help we''ll assist them, at least until cell service gets back online," And with a new plan, Me, Fanny, My Boss''s Rabsca, and all the Pokemon Staff of the Alfronda Battle Hotel headed outside.


    <hr>


    "Wha- What is this?!" Deep in the Cave next to the Alfronda Ruins, With her face glued to the screen in front of her, Team Flare Scientist Extraordinaire, Mable, Grabbed the rings of hair at the side of her head and pulled at them in frustration as she watched three trainers beat up her Grunts, quickly making their way to where she and her Machine were.


    "No No No! This isn''t supposed to happen!" Mable quickly tapped the keys on her board, frowning as she looked through the many cameras she set up, watching the three trainers effortlessly blitz through her grunts.


    "Arrggh! Fine!" Mable yelled as he tapped a few more keys, her eyes quickly turning to the loud shaking machine in the center of the cave, Her frown transforming into a smile of childish glee as she watched a thin layer of crystal grow on the cave floor directly below the Machine, and with one more tap of her finger on a keyboard, the machine momentarily paused.


    Silence passed through the cave as the loud hum of the Tera Absorption machine was silenced.


    Only for it to roar back to life louder than ever as Mable turned the machine on to the fastest it could go.


    "Once those Idiots are done getting stomped by those other Idiots, The Tera Absorption would be long complete and I''d be out of here, Hahaha!" Mable laughed as she leapt off the chair next to the computer, twirling around like a ballerina doing a happy dance, before suddenly throwing out her two Pokeballs.


    "Houndoom! Weavile! Get Ready!" She yelled loudly, her two Pokemon standing at attention as a wave of Tera Energy rolled out of the machine, Passing over the two Dark-Types, causing Mable to smile widely.


    Seeing the Crowns of Fire and Ice-type Energy above her Pokemon''s head.


    <hr>


    "Golbat No!!!" A Team Flare grunt yelled as his Pokemon was hit with a powerful Zen Headbutt, knocking it out.


    "There''s no end of these guys!" Dendra yelled as she stood back, Letting her Medicham and Falinks deal with the Pokemon, Hariyama and Tauros back in their balls as the cave got more cramped the deeper the group went.


    "Do not worry," Geeta said calmly as she watched her Gogoat defeat several Pokemon by himself, she didn''t even need to let out another of team members from their Balls, "These Trainers might be many, but they are not powerful enough to prove a threat. Once Hassel and Lorenz get here, we will quickly move past them and put an end to whatever they are planning,"


    Dendra nodded her head at the Champion''s words before turning to look at her best friend, who seemed to be having a wonderful time.


    "Kyrlia use Psychic! Florges another Moonblast! Cleo throw more Shadow Balls at them! Farigiraf don''t stop Using Twin Beam!" The Psychic-Type specialist yelled with glee, watching her entire team demolish swathes of Team Flare Grunts.


    "She''ll be fine," Dendra told herself and turned back to look at her team, only to widen her eyes in alarm and yelp as the ground shook once more.


    Small pieces of rock came tumbling down from loose dents in the wall, Small growths of Crystals came up from the ground as a hidden family of Carbink dug out of the ground and ran out of the cave.


    The Fighting stopped as the ground continued to shake, More and More rocks fell loose, and Wild Pokemon left their hiding spots as they ran outside of the cave.


    "Get back!" A Bald Team Flare member with a white suit yelled as he ran deeper into the cave, A Swoobat flying above him catching the small rocks falling from the cave.


    "Hold on," Geeta said as she grabbed hold of Dendra and Tulip, pulling the two trainers closer as the cave kept shaking.


    Above them, a Loose stone broke off from the Ceiling of the cave and started falling toward the trio of trainers.


    Dendra widened her eyes in fear as she yelled for Medicham and Falinks to get closer to her.


    Only for a Loud voice to break through the chaos caused, A flash of Red Light illuminated the back of the group as a Pokeball was thrown and a Move was yelled.


    "Oranguru! Trick Room! Don''t let that Boulder fall on my Daughter!"


    It seems The Alfronda City Gym Leader, Lorenz, arrived just in the nick of time.


    "Oran!" His Pokemon yelled as he waved his fan, A Field of Psychic Energy spread across the Cave as the Falling stones all slowed down, now descending at a Shuckles Speed, allowing Gogoat to break it apart with a Zen Headbutt.


    "Dad! When did you-" Tulip wanted to ask but suddenly found herself enveloped in a powerful hug.


    "Don''t worry, Daddy''s here, everything is going to be alright," he said as he cooed at Tulip, rubbing his hand up and down her back as if trying to relax a baby.


    "Let go!" Tulip struggled to escape Lorenz''s hold.


    "Great Timing Gym Leader," Geeta said as she approached the Family of Psychic-type Specialists.


    "Hmm?" Lorenz blinked as he turned to see Dendra and Geeta look at him, "Of course I got here on time!" He said loudly, "My Baby was in danger!" The magician hat on his head tilted to the side with how fast he raised his head to look at his Employee and his Boss.


    Finally pushing her father off of her, Tulip looked around to see her team already busy clearing out the slow rocks falling from the cave ceiling.


    "Bronzong..." The Gym Leader''s ace voiced in his signature blank tone as he reminded his partner that they had a job to do.


    "Oh Yes, Sorry..." Lorenz rubbed his mustache sheepishly before turning to Geeta, "So, What''s the issue we''re looking at?" He asked.


    Geeta calmly smiled up at the older man, "Follow me and I''ll explain," She said as she rolled her wrists to alleviate some tension.


    "Have you heard of Team Flare?"


    <hr>


    "It''s just that the Video Game scene here is incredibly lacking, there''s basically no PC Games, and Nintendo is the only real gaming company, It makes no sense for there to be this little,"


    Fanny tapped her claw to the Purple Crystal Skull and Bones that sat over her head as she watched her trainer talk to one of the Gothorita.


    "At first I found it weird, but now that I''ve had time to look into it, I find it making no sense, you get me?" He grabbed the Gothorita and held her above his shoulders, letting the Psychic look into a birdhouse, shaking her head down at him to indicate nobody was inside before he let her down.


    "There There," The Staff member said in Pokespeak as she patted Dishon on the shoulder, Causing Fanny to roll her eyes at how stupid her trainer could be sometimes.


    Only to cry loudly and run back up his clothes as the ground shook once more, The Silent Rabsca jumped onto his head before glowing with bright pink energy as a bubble of telekinetic power shielded Her trainer, the Gothorita, the Rabsca, and Herself.


    "Another one?!" Her trainer yelled in alarm as the ground shook beneath his legs, his eyes widening as more Tera Crystals forcefully emerged from the ground.


    "Hey now," The Gothorita calmly said as her body was enveloped in Tera Crystals, A Large Diamond appeared over her head indicating her Normal Tera-Type.


    "Even More Terastallizing?!" Fanny heard her trainer yell over the loud shaking of the ground.


    "Do not worry," Gotharita jumped up to pat his head before she gently landed back on her feet.


    "Don''t touch him like that!" Fanny yelled at the psychic type, "Only I''m allowed to pet him!"


    "Oh, I am sorry," The Gotharita bowed her head to Fanny.


    "Don''t Apologize! I can''t be angry at you if you''re sorry!" Fanny screeched, and Gothorita didn''t know how to answer.


    "I see, I am sorry..." She slowly bowed again, causing Fanny to grow hotter as she glared at the psychic type.


    "Hey, It seems to have stopped Shaking," Dishon said as the ground stopped rumbling, Rabsca took down the bubble that surrounded the group, giving them a clearer view of the surrounding street.


    "Oh no..." Dishon whispered and Fanny immediately started rubbing his back with her tail, it seemed to help him relax so Fanny didn''t mind working for a bit.


    If Previously the extent of the Damage caused by the Earthquake was a few fallen branches, now it was entire trees falling down.


    Street Lamps fell to the floor, The Road was cracked with more Tera Crystals piercing the Cement, and Even the Pokemon Battle Rings outside the Hotel weren''t safe as the earthquake destroyed them too.


    Luckily it seemed that none of the buildings themselves collapsed, but an inspection of the structural integrity would be needed regardless.


    "Is Everyone Okay?!" Dishon yelled, receiving calls of affirmation from the rest of the Hotel Staff who all seemed unharmed.


    "Good, That''s good..." Dishon nodded at that, before taking another look at the destroyed street around him.


    "...Well fuck,"


    <hr>


    "HAHAHAHA! IT WORKS!" Cackling maniacally like an evil scientist, Mable watched the Tera Absorption Machine fill up.


    "EAT SHIT CELOSIA! I''M THE BETTER SCIENTIST! HAHAHAHA!" She definitely didn''t seem unstable.


    "Boss! The Trainers that got here-" The Bald Team Flare Admin that accompanied her tried to speak, only to be cut off.


    "SHUT UP! I TOLD YOU TO DEAL WITH THEM SO YOU''RE GOING TO DEAL WITH THEM! NOW!!!" She pointed a finger at the Admin as her Visor glowed with Blue Light, causing the Admin to flinch back.


    "I''m sorry Boss!" He cried in apology before running back into the cave, His Swoobat flapping his wings as it followed.


    "YES! APOLOGIZE TO ME!!!" Team Flare Scientist Extraordinaire, Mable, Said in a calm and definitely not alarming tone.


    "HAHAHAHA!!!"


    Yes, Definitely not crazy.

 Mass Outbreak: Finish!

    An explosion of purple and blue energy sounded in the cave beneath the Alfronda Ruins, courtesy of a powerful Psychic attack.


    "Tinka?" Above ground, A Large group of Tinkaton and their pre-evolution wandered around bored. Confused as to where the trainers they fought ran off to.


    "Tinka Tink!" The biggest Tinkaton of the group yelled to get everyone''s attention, Holding in front of her a large metal bowl filled with water, An Arrokuda poking his head out of the improvised fishbowl.


    "Tuff?" A Fairy/Steel type asked, before the leader Tinkaton pointed her free hand at a cave entrance behind her.


    "Ton! Tinkaton Ton Tinka!" She yelled, like a General motivating her army, Before she turned to the cave, Arrokuda in one arm and Hammer in the other, and ran towards the source of the annoying sounds.


    """Tinka!""" Her Army of little sisters yelled as they all ran after her.


    "Arrokuda..." The sole water type sighed as he watched the Tinkaton that kidnapped him take him farther away from his Pond than he''d ever been before.


    <hr>


    "How much do you think repairs will cost?"


    Staring at the ruined street in front of him for a moment, Dishon turned to look at the Battle Hotel before cringing as he saw the many cracks in the windows and the many chairs thrown on the floor in the lobby of the building.


    "I''m sure Insurance covers this but sheesh, I''m glad we were out here and not in there," He nodded to the three Pokemon who stood beside him watching the scene.


    Taking out his phone, Dishon tsked as he saw that there was no signal.


    "Something must have happened to the local antennae after the last quake, Guess we need to wait for Orchid to come back," He shook his head as his Partner Salandit climbed back onto his waist, her body still covered with Poison Tera Crystals.


    "Goth..." Gothorita nodded her head at those words, her body still covered in Normal Tera Crystals as she raised her arm and levitated a nearby bench back into its spot so the group could all sit down as they waited.


    As the group consisting of a Human, his Poison Salamander Partner, His Boss''s Psychic Beetle, and his Purple Gothic Psychic Coworker, Dishon let out an exhausted Sigh as his mind went back to the events of the day prior.


    "Fanny, Do you think Dendra is mad at me?" He asked the Shiny Salandit, his hand moving to scratch the back of her neck.


    "Sal?"


    "I mean, There''s not much else to talk about, what else are we going to do? Talk about the Earthquake? Not much to say, it''s an Earthquake," Dishon rolled his eyes as he spoke.


    "Salandit..." Fanny purred as she stuck out her tongue and gave Dishon''s hand a lick, leaving a soft red mark on his skin, as if that portion of his hand just hovered over a cloud of steam for a bit too long.


    "But seriously, think about it. We had this whole emotional moment, it was cute and everything, we planned on going on a date and all," The Human started explaining.


    "Goth?" Gothorita stood up and climbed onto the back of the bench, slowly tip-toeing on it before standing on top of the human''s shoulders, a faint glow of Psychic Energy keeping her balanced.


    "But when the time comes, it turns out Dendra invites Tulip to join," Dishon continues, ignoring the Psychic-type on his shoulders, "So I thought, ''Oh, I guess this isn''t a date and we''re just going out as friends,''" He shrugs his shoulders, Causing Gothorita to temporarily levitate herself in order to not fall off before she sat down on his shoulders, her arms wrapping around his head like a glittery crown.


    "But then her Hariyama accidentally broke a flower pot, so the restaurant asked us to leave, Which is understandable, But she just dashes away, leaving Me and Tulip behind to pay for the damages," He continued petting his Pokemon, not noticing the small crowd gathering around him.


    "Gothorita?"


    "Gothita Goth..."


    "Goooth..."


    "I dunno," Dishon sighed as he slumped down on the bench, "I Like her and everything, but that''s a dick move to do, right? And then when we find her she''s bleeding from the forehead, So obviously Tulip and I are panicking and we rush her back to the Hotel to stop the bleeding,"


    "Goth..." The Gothitelle of the group said as she joined her children in listening to her coworker talk about his relationship problems.


    "I''m rambling, you were there," He gave Fanny a tap on the cheek, "You know what happened, I''m just wondering..." Dishon paused for a moment and took and exhaled tiredly, sighing to himself.


    "Was I too rough on Dendra? I know she likes me, And I like her, but she also likes Tulip, and I barely know Tulip, and-" And on and on he kept talking, receiving nods of understanding and tilts of the head from the small crowd of Psychic-types.


    Before All of a Sudden, he stopped talking, stiff as a statue, as the voice of an old man sounded out in the minds of all the nearby Pokemon.


    "What are you, A Corvisquire? Just tell her you like her you dramatic Oaf,"


    "Goth!" The Gothitelle stood up from the crowd, a frown on her face as she glared at the Rabsca who sat on the bench.


    "What? We were all thinking it! Don''t act like you weren''t ya'' old hag!" Rabsca yelled Telepathically, his voice sounding annoyed.


    "Gothitelle!" The Gothitelle widened her eyes in alarm as she flinched back from the Rabsca.


    "Don''t yell at me," Rabsca grumbled at Gothitelle before he turned to look at an Alarmed Dishon, "Listen, Kid, You like Dendra, Dendra likes you, You don''t seem to dislike Tulip, and Tulip doesn''t seem to dislike you either, Just go for it! What''s the worst that could happen?"


    "You- You can speak?!" Dishon yelled as he stared at the Bug/Psychic type.


    "That''s your takeaway from this entire conversation? Wow, you really are an Oaf. I''m a Rabsca, I have Telepathy, Catch on Kiddo," Rabsca rolled his eyes at the Trainer before he jumped onto his head, "Now look sharp kid, She''s coming."


    "Wha- Wait a minute don''t skip ahead, what are you talking about-" Dishon stammered as he quickly stood up, Fanny latching on to his waist like a Purple Diamond Belt, Gothorita still sitting on his shoulders like a child covered in Light colored Crystals.


    "No time, She''s here," Rabsca told him before a flash of light appeared beside him, revealing a tired Kirlia gasping for breath.


    "Kirl... Lia..."


    "What the hell is going on?!" Dishon exclaimed as the Kirlia placed her hand on his shoulder, and with a burst of Psychic-type Energy, The Four Pokemon and the Human disappeared.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...Gothita?"


    <hr>


    Ten Minutes Earlier.


    <hr>


    "And That''s the situation,"


    Walking deeper into the Cave, not bothering to give orders to their Pokemon as the hordes of Team Flare Pokemon threw themselves at them only to be defeated swiftly by the powerful Pokemon, Geeta gave Lorenz an explanation of the events.


    "I see." The Alfronda City Gym Leader nodded his head, finally caught up on what Geeta discovered of the situation, "Team Flare is trying to absorb Tera Particles for their Illegal activities," He stroked his chin for a moment before he stopped, "Question,"


    "Yes?" Geeta raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at the older man from the corner of her eye, Making sure not to step on an unconscious Team Flare Grunt and his Zubat.


    "Why haven''t we noticed anything they''ve been doing here, Have the Rangers been neglecting their duties?" He frowned at the thought such a scandal could cause.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "It is a much simpler explanation, sadly," Geeta shook her head as she stepped over another unconscious body, "The local Rangers are Team Flare,"


    "What?!" Lorenz shouted, his eyes widening in shock at such a preposterous idea.


    "I didn''t want to believe it myself, but it is true," Geeta said calmly, "The Tinkaton Overpopulation Issue, Team Flare, the lack of any warning from the Rangers, and most incriminatingly," Geeta stopped over the body of a bald Team Flare member, opening his suit and retrieving a small badge he had on an inside pocket.


    "Is that-"


    "Yes," Geeta quickly cut him off as she hoisted the badge, "A Paldean Wildlife Rangers Badge," She read the small letters on the badge surrounding a green Arboliva.


    "Bronzong!" A Gonging Metal sound came from in front of the two trainers, causing them to turn back to the matter at hand.


    The Cave the group of Trainers walked down opened up into a large room, a metal machine in the center of it sparkling with an aurora of colors.


    "WHAT?! How did you get in here!" On the other side of the Cavern, Behind a table of computers connecting to the machine in the center, stood one last Team Flare member.


    "It doesn''t matter," Tulip said as she stood beside her team, watching her father and boss enter the Cavern behind her from the corner of her eye as she stared at the Team Flare member. "You''ve been caught, surrender yourself quietly," Tulip wished she didn''t, she had a lot of stress to take out as of late.


    "Yosh! You show her Tultul!" The other trainer, Dendra, cheered a few meters away, Her Falinks and Medicham standing beside her, ready to burst into action at a moment''s notice.


    "SHUT UP!" The Team Flare Scientist on the other side of the machine yelled, "I had like Thirty People here! You can''t just walk in here like that, IT''S NOT FAIR!!!"


    "Enough playing around," Geeta said as she walked ahead of the group, "I am placing you under arrest," She shook her head as her gloved hand went to another Pokeball in her suit, ready to pull out another member of her team in case the scientist tried anything.


    "NO! You can''t arrest me!" Mable screamed as she grabbed the loops of hair on the side of her head and pulled, "Not when I''m so close to proving myself!" In almost an instant, the fierce scowl on her face transformed into a feral smile as she slammed her hand on the table in front of her, hitting a button on one of the computers.


    "There," She said in a calm voice that didn''t fit her enraged face, taking a few steps back, "I''ve just won, You can''t capture me now," Her voice bounced around the cavern as a holographic barrier surrounded her, appearing around her like a bubble, silencing the trainers as she confidently crossed her arms over her chest.


    "But..." Tulip paused as she looked at the barrier surrounding the other side of the wide cavern, "But your computers and machine aren''t with you now," She felt a headache approach her as she pointed at the table of electronics and computers, clearly not inside the range of her high-tech barrier.


    "..." Mable said nothing as she turned her head to look at the computer that controls her Tera Absorption Machine, A Meter away from her Barrier.


    "...Fuck why didn''t I see that..." She whispered to herself, her quiet voice still loud enough to echo across the cavern to be heard by the Trainers.


    Geeta pointed a finger at the computer, "Shut down that machine!" She ordered, Dendra following her finger and running to the Computer.


    "WHAT?! NO!!! Weavile! Houndoom! Do Something!" Mable yelled as she banged her fists on the barrier, trying to somehow reach the computer before the Trainers Did.


    "She has Pokemon?!" Lorenz shouted as he quickly turned around to see a pair of terastallized Pokemon jump his Bronzong.


    "Bronzong! Shake them off with a Gyro Ball," The Alfronda Gym Leader yelled as the two powerful Dark Type Pokemon attacked his Partner.


    <hr>


    Dendra jumped over the table holding the computers, Her back to the barrier as she looked at the screen in front of her.


    "...Tulip help me!" She yelled out, her best friend and Crush quickly arriving beside her.


    "What is it- You don''t know how to use the Computer, do you..." Tulip didn''t even ask, she simply accepted her friend like that as she pushed her to the side and took a look at the screen.


    "So, What do we do?" Dendra asked as she leaned beside her, staring at the messy screen of numbers and letters.


    "How should I know? I''m not a programmer, I have no idea what I''m looking at here," Tulip said before she turned around, glaring at the Team Flare Scientist who was smearing her face on the barrier like a petulant child.


    "You! How do we turn this off?!" The Makeup Artist yelled at the Team Flare Scientist.


    "Huh?" Mable turned away from watching her Pokemon beat up a team with a type disadvantage, "You talking to me?" She blinked in confusion.


    "Of course, I''m talking to you! You built this machine! How do we turn it off!" Tulip yelled, punching the barrier in anger.


    "Heh, I''m not telling," Mable said smugly before returning to her Pokemon, the smug look on her face immediately wiping off of her as she watched an Oranguru hit her Weavile with a Focus Blast.


    "Dammit, Geeta! Do you know programming?" Tulip yelled at the Champion who calmly walked towards her and looked at the screen as well.


    "I''m sorry to say that I do not," She shook her head and looked at Lorenz, watching as his team beat up the two remaining Pokemon of Team Flare before asking him the same question,


    "Programming?! I Can''t send an email! That''s why I hired Dishon!" He yelled before striking a pose, his Magician''s cape fluttering behind him as an explosion as a powerful Dazzling Gleam hit the Houndoom and sent her and the Weavile flying into the wall knocked out.


    "Indeedee!" Dee cheered as her attack won the battle, joining her trainer in striking a cute post.


    "Well we need to shut off this machine soon, or who knows how many more earthquakes will hit!" Tulip slammed her fist on the table, her eyes suddenly widening as an Idea entered her mind.


    "That''s it!" She turned to her Kirlia, seeing the Psychic type already tired from all the fighting, but still up and standing, "I know how we can turn off this machine!"


    "You do?" Dendra tilted her head like a Yamper as she asked that question.


    "Of course, Dad just said it, didn''t he? We need a programmer who can read what''s going on this screen, and we have a Programmer just like that at home!" Tulip said as a smile stretched on her face.


    "If you know someone, go get them," Geeta nodded her head in acceptance of the plan, "We might not have time if this machine keeps destabilizing the environment," Her eyes turned to the Tera Absorption Machine, watching it shake and spark with colorful energy as a layer of tiny crystals started growing on the floor below it.


    "Great, Kirlia," Tulip turned to her Pokemon, "Do you think you can Teleport to Alfronda and Back? We need Dishon," She said, watching her Pokemon nod her head before teleporting away in a burst of light.


    Only to return a minute later panting in exhaustion as she fell to the ground, Followed by a Human, a Terastallized Salandit, a Terastallized Gothorita, and a Rabsca.


    <hr>


    "What the hell is going on?!" I yelled as I fell onto a cold stone floor, Three small objects impacting on my back soon after. The Kirlia that dragged me here disappeared in a beam of light as she returned to her Pokeball.


    "There''s no time to explain, We need you to turn off this machine," I looked to the side to see Tulip, Dendra, Lorenz, and the Champion of Paldea.


    "Okay, Just turn off a machine and-" I stop as I look at a barrier of hard light in front of me, staring at the blue-haired woman with the Visor over her eyes and a bright orange outfit.


    "Is that Team Flare?" I asked before blinking that thought away, "You know what, I''m not paid enough to question this, Let''s see what you need me to-" I once again paused, my eyes widening at the sight in front of me.


    Looking like a larger version of that one machine from Cloudy and a Chance of Meatballs, I watch as colorful crystal dust gets absorbed by the bottom of the machine, filling up a tank of colorful energy at the top.


    "Ha!" The Team Flare Scientist, who was definitely in the games but I don''t remember her name, barked a laugh, "Are your eyes enraptured by the Beauty of my mind? Isn''t it a wonderful sight, My miracle of Scientific research? You won''t be able to stop our plan! The Beautiful World will-" I shut her monologue out as I turned to the computer screen in front of me, years of coding and Computer Science coming to the front of my mind before I nodded to myself.


    "It will take you weeks to figure out how my amazing prowess works! You won''t be able to shut this off in even a month! I have already Won this-"


    "Oh, this is easy, It''ll only take a minute or two," I interrupted whatever the Lady was about to say as my fingers started dancing on the keyboard.


    "WHAT?! Nuh huh!" The Team Flare lady yelled at me.


    "What do you mean Nuh huh? This is child''s play, This language hasn''t been used in mainline systems in years, this code is practically a Fossil," I said, eyes not leaving the screen as the lines of code changed as my fingers danced on the keys.


    Like Moses parting the Red Sea, The lines of Commands, numbers, and letters, parted away before my eyes.


    "NO! You can''t just shut off my machine like that!" The Team Flare lady banged her fists on the barrier as she watched me effortlessly dismantle what must have been months of coding for her.


    "I just did," I say as I finish my work and press enter confirm on the prompt that popped up, watching on as the machine in the center of the room rumbled on for a bit before the lights on it turned off, quieting down.


    "Salandit Sal!" Fanny slapped my back with her tail as she cheered.


    "Good Job, Dishon, You really saved our hide right now," Lorenz smiled at me as he slapped his hand onto my back, "You''ll be getting a bonus at the end of the month,"


    Whatever complaints I was ready to bring up at being forced into this situation were immediately discarded at the prospect of a Bonus.


    "Just doing my job, sir." I gave a mock salute as I turned away from the console, eyes quickly moving over Tulip and Geeta, staying just a second longer on Dendra, before I looked at the Team Flare Lady who was busy angrily tapping buttons on a remote.


    "Come on come on, AHAH!" She yelled from the other side of the barrier, "You think you''ve defeated me!" She yelled as she pointed at me, her finger slamming into the barrier as if she was poking a window.


    "Are- Are you pointing at me or...?" I turned to look at the four other trainers surrounding the barrier, all of whom were much more powerful than me.


    I don''t even know all of the Moves Fanny knows yet!


    "Of course I''m talking to you! You who dared insult my masterful machine!" It wasn''t that good "You who called me a fossil!" I called the programming language you used a fossil, not you.


    "And you who dared insinuate a Child could do what I did!" Just because I called it Child''s play, doesn''t mean I think a child could do it.


    Did this chick never learn what a figure of speech was?


    "And you!" She turned and pointed at the Champion, "I''ll never be taken in by you! You and your slim legs and long hair and your hot suit and your stupid sexy eyes! You think you''re better than me?!"


    Geeta froze as she looked at her gloves, a complicated expression on her face.


    "Ha! Eat shit Losers! For A Beautiful World!" And with a final yell, she tapped a button on her remote and disappeared in a flash of light.


    Leaving behind nothing, as even her Pokemon teleported with her.


    "...So that just happened," Dendra chimed in and I had to agree with the audible groan that left Tulip.


    The Awkward Silence that followed was broken by a horde of short Pink Pokemon running into the room, flailing hammers over their head as they all leaped at the machine in the middle of the Cavern, hitting it with hammers.


    "Ton Ton Tinkaton!"


    "Tinka Tinka Tinkatuff!"


    "So..." I started talking, my eyes looking away from the pile of Fairy/Steel types, "I''m just gonna'' head out now, The Goths need help fixing the plaza, So Yeah, See you back at the hotel I guess," I waved to the other trainers, receiving a nod from Lorenz as I just left the cave, briefly locking eyes with an Arrokuda that was being dragged around in a metal fishbowl before the Tinkaton that carried him ran into the cavern to join the others.


    As I walked out of the cave, following the directions Rabsca was giving me, My Partner Pokemon wrapped around my waist with a Gothorita on my shoulders, I opened my mouth and said what was on my mind.


    "What the actual fuck just happened?"

 Im Homeless Again

    "Here you go, Your Pokemon are fine and healthy," A Pink haired woman said as she returned me the Pokeball holding Fanny, Gothorita and Rabsca following after her on foot.


    "Thank you very much," I smiled before opening back the Pokeball, A Shiny Salandit popped out of her ball in a flash of red light.


    "Let''s go girl, The nurse says you''re good," I told her as she climbed back to her spot, wrapping her tail around my waist.


    "Sal," Fanny hissed tiredly, closing her eyes as she rested against my body like a Fanny Pack, soft breaths leaving her nose as she slept.


    "Goth," The Psychic type said as she levitated back onto my shoulders once we all exited the Alfronda Pokemon Center.


    This world is amazing! It has Free Healthcare for everyone, Pokemon and Humans, and it doesn''t suck!


    "Gah, I needed that," The Bug/Psychic said with his Telepathy as he bounced up to my shoulder, "So, Kid, Back to the Hotel we go, Chop chop." He tapped me on the back of the head with one of his legs as we all went back to the hotel.


    <hr>


    "There''s no sign of the Scientist?"


    Outside the Alfronda Ruins, Champion Geeta stood over the many captured Team Flare Members as she talked with one of her Elite 4 members.


    "Nothing that we could find with the time we had," A blonde man shook his head at the question, His Noivern mimicking him as it too shook its head.


    Geeta thought for a moment before she too shook her head, "It doesn''t matter at this point, We have enough evidence and witnesses to convict those here and request an arrest from Kalos."


    "We''ll see what we can do," The blonde Dragon trainer nodded at his boss, "In other news, I heard Lorenz''s replacement was with you here, how was she?"


    "She was fine," Geeta turned to look at the city of Alfronda, a short distance of twenty or so minutes of walking between her and the nearest building, "I''m sure once she has all 6 members for her Elite team, she''d be ready to take Alfronda''s Gym," She turned to look at Hassel of the E4, "However that is still months away, And we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with,"


    "Yes, Grapa is retiring at the end of the circuit, with his Son scheduled to replace him as the Gym Leader of Glaseado, and if the way things are going, I''d give it three or four more years before Thyme also steps down from the Montenevera Gym. With you only becoming Champion last year, and with Rika joining our ranks just a few months ago, The coming few years seem to be a headache and a half," He said tiredly, the look on the usually emotional Trainer reminding Geeta of the Gym Leader of Medali.


    "That only means we must stay strong," Geeta told Hassel, ignoring the pained groans coming from the Team Flare grunts underneath her, "Once we get passed this tumultuous time, it shall be a smooth ride,"


    "You''re right, Oh how mistaken could I have been?!" Hassel suddenly yelled, "To be so worried about our future, the Present is what matters most! Oh Geeta! Thank you so much! I have an Idea for a wonderful symphony that I must compose post haste! I leave the rest to you!" And with a flourish of his coat, The Dragon Specialist of the Elite Four turned around and hopped onto his Noivern, flying away at the speed of sound.


    Geeta stared at his retreating back with a calm expression on her face, her eyes moving to the only Team Flare member who dressed differently.


    The Bald man shook as he tried to hug his Swoobat closer to himself, trying his best to avoid the cold stare in the Champion''s eyes.


    "Now, Where were we?" She asked as she stepped closer to the Team Flare Admin, who could do nothing but shriek in fright.


    "Swoobat help me!!!" He cried into his partner''s blue fur, The Psychic/Flying type''s tail wrapping around his arm as it too shivered in fear.


    They were Prey, And she was the Predator.


    <hr>


    Once we got back to the Hotel, One of the Gothorita gave me a bag filled with my clothes and laptop.


    "Thank you," I nodded to the Psychic-type as I took the bag from her hands, already seeing what she prepared the bag for.


    All around the city, groups of construction workers started fixing the streets and buildings that were damaged in the earthquake.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Dishon, There you are," With a wide smile on her face, Orchid walked up to me and pulled me into a hug, Rabsca jumping off of my shoulder and landing on hers.


    "Miss Orchid," I say as I stand there awkwardly, the older woman letting go of the one-sided hug before she puts a hand on her cheek.


    "I''m glad you''re all fine, But I have some bad news," She sighed as Rabsca started styling her long purple hair, "The Hotel will be going through renovations to make sure that nothing integral was broken, So the place is going to be closed for at least three weeks," I nodded in understanding, It made sense.


    The workers would need to go through each room to find everything that must have broke, and if it was a gas pipe it could be disastrous if we keep sleeping here.


    "The Goth''s already packed your things, I''ll send a bonus to your bank account in a day or two, but until the Hotel is back up and running, you''re going to need to find another place to sleep," She said sadly before she pulled me into another hug, rubbing my hair as if I was a little kid, and not a young man a head taller than her.


    "I know you don''t have a place to sleep, But you''re a smart boy, You''ll find a small hotel to spend the night at I''m sure, I called an old friend of mine in Cascarrafa and she''s willing to let you stay in one of her guest rooms if you help her restaurant, I''ll pass you her number soon, Good luck sweetie, I''ll give you a call when everything is cleared and its fine to come back. LORENZ!-" And with those quick words, My Boss let go of me and turned to yell at her husband.


    I took a moment to let those words sink in, before I felt a small smile grow on my face.


    This is what I wanted, A Chance to go explore the world! It might not be an actual journey, but a trip to Cascarrafa for a few days will let me see more sights, I might even spot another Shiny Pokemon!


    I quickly bid Orchid and Lorenz farewell as I walked into Alfronda Proper, hoping to find an open store that sells camping equipment.


    I wonder how much those Silph-Co Space Bending Tents cost...


    <hr>


    With a new set of equipment on hand and a few thousand bucks poorer, I stood at the Edge of Alfronda, Staring at the cave on the other side of the dirt road. The path I took when I first came here.


    "Tomorrow we''re leaving on foot, Fanny," I say out loud, talking to myself more than anything, "We''ll walk through the Alfronda Cavern, taking the cliffside path overlooking the Sea, Then we''ll pass through the Wind Turbine path and once we''re through, the rest of the path is downhill from there," I smile as I imagine how many wonderful sights I''d see on the way there.


    I stocked up on enough food ingredients that should last us a week, Tomorrow morning I''ll make food for the road before we leave, and I''ll restock again once we''re in Cascarrafa.


    "We might need to spend a night on the road, depending on how tired we are, but this shouldn''t take more than two days." I scratch Fanny on the back of the neck before I start hearing quick steps heading towards me.


    "WAIT FOR ME!!!" I turn around quickly, eyes widening as I feel myself get tackled to the ground by a black-haired muscle-head.


    "Don''t go yet, I needed time to prepare!" Dendra yells into my face as she sits on my waist, Her face centimeters from my own as she breathes heavily onto me, sweat covering her face, causing the setting sun to reflect off her skin. Her black tracksuit was open, showing her sweat-covered abs beneath, her arms each at the sides of my head, holding her above me as her Fiery brown eyes stared into my own Bluish-Grey.


    I felt my brain fizzle for a moment as the sight fully registered in my mind, My face engulfed in a fierce red Blush, Fanny crawling from around the Fighting Specialist as she hissed in annoyance at the girl who took her favorite spot.


    "Dendra," I squeaked, cursing the voice crack as I looked away from the woman in front of me, "Please get off of me," I wanted to shove my face into my arms, I was so embarrassed.


    Dendra blinked at that before she looked at me again, noticing the position she was in and how it might look to someone from afar.


    "Oh..." She said dully, before a cheeky smile crossed her face, "You never had a strong girl sit on top of you?" She smirked as her face moved closer to my own, the teasing smile on her face only growing as my face turned as red as an Occa berry.


    I was too embarrassed to respond, my brain turning on and off again and again as the sight of Dendra''s cute face- and wonderful abs -filled my vision.


    "I''m just joshing ya''!" She laughed as she stood up and let go of me, Not understanding that now standing, the back of her head was highlighted by the setting sun, causing her to look even better.


    Forgive me, God, for I am down horrendous.


    "But I couldn''t just let you leave without me, If You''re going to Cascarrafa, then I''m going with you!" She gave me a thumbs-up and a toothy grin, and I took that moment to clear my thoughts and stand up as well.


    "Dendra, I''m not going to Cascarrafa yet, I still need to spend the night here," I told her as I wiped the dirt and dust off my shirt, Fanny quickly climbing back up to her spot now that the intruder was gone.


    "...What?" Dendra asked.


    "The sun is already setting, I can''t start my travel only to set up camp for the night an hour later," I tell her as I pat my new Silph-Co Bag, "I''m going to spend a night here on this bench before leaving in the morning," I point over my shoulder to a bench behind me, An old Cyclizar waving his tail in greeting.


    "Oh..." Now it was Dendra''s turn to be embarrassed, "Wait, Why not just spend the night at my place? I''m sure Dad wouldn''t mind letting you stay," Her cheeks slowly turned red as she looked away from me.


    And I was reminded, that While technically we were both adults via the standards of the Pokemon world, We were also still Teenagers, Two Young adults who haven''t had much luck with social situations. Me especially seeing as I am reliving my late teens.


    "Landit Sal!" Fanny slaps my back with her tail to snap me back to reality.


    "Sure," I tell Dendra, "If you''ll have me," I smile at her.


    "Yosh! Let me show you the way," And without further wait, Dendra, with a wide smile on her face, grabbed me by the hand and dragged me back into Alfronda.


    And even though the Hotel was under renovation, I might be Homeless for another few days, A Long trek was ahead of me, and I might have earned the ire of a Crazy Team Flare leader, Life was good.


    I looked down at my hand, seeing the rough yet thin fingers of this beautiful girl wrapped around my own, I gave it a gentle squeeze.


    With my other hand, I started scratching Fanny''s neck, hearing his hiss like a Cat''s purr, her body melting into my touch, and I smiled.


    Yes, Life was good.


    "Salandit..."

 Meeting the Father

    Dendra''s house, or should I say her parents'' house, was a simple suburban home at the edge of the city.


    One story tall, picket fence at the front, wide yard in the back. As basic as a suburban home could get.


    "Yosh! Here we are!" Dendra cheered as we reached the small gate at the front of her house, her arms throwing themselves into the air with a yell.


    Seeing as my hand was held in Dendra''s, however, the act of throwing her hands into the air caused a chain reaction. Pulling me along with her hands, causing me to trip into her, throwing the two of us onto the grass of her front lawn.


    Dendra on her back, and me above her, my hands holding me upright as I stopped myself from falling on top of her, palms on the side of her head, meaning that to someone with an outside perspective, we looked like...


    We looked like...!


    "What do you think you''re doing to my daughter!" I quickly stood up and took a step back, my eyes turning to look at the black-haired man with a pencil mustache standing at the open door to the house, A Hitmontop standing a step behind him.


    "Dad!" Dendra yelled before she jumped up to her feet, showing off her athleticism, "This is Dishon, the coworker I told you about."


    "Oh... the Novio..." He said as he walked out of the house, leaving the Hitmontop at the door, he walked past Dendra and stood in front of me.


    The height difference forced me to look down to meet his eyes.


    He silently stared at me, unblinking, as he looked me in the eyes.


    As we looked into each other''s eyes, The two of us reached a silent agreement, not as a defensive father and the guy his daughter brought home, but as Two Men.


    An agreement that every man can understand the implications of.


    An agreement that I lost as I blinked first.


    As I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds, his palm landed on my shoulder, holding me tightly as he turned back to his house and dragged me inside.


    "You, Nino, have a lot more to prove..." He said with a toothy grin as he walked me into his living room and sat me on the couch, where Dendra soon joined me as her Father took the sofa on the other side of the room.


    "So, as I said, Dishon needs a place to sleep for the night, it''s only one night, that''s not going to be a problem, right?" Dendra noticed the stiff atmosphere that surrounded the living room.


    "..." Her father nodded silently, "One night? He can sleep outside..."


    "Dad!" Dendra yelled at her father, who immediately seemed to have a change of heart.


    "I''m joking! My sweet querida I''m joking! Please, do not be angry at me, we were merely joking, right?" As he asked that, he focused on me, forcing me to nod along.


    "Yes, Haha, your father was merely joking," I felt Fanny climb up to my shoulders, her tongue flicking in and out of her mouth quickly as he tasted the sweat on my cheek.


    That taste was the taste of a liar!


    "Salandit!" Fanny yelled as she quickly slapped me on the cheek with her tail, before turning her tiny black head to Dendra''s father, hissing at him.


    "Do not play along with him, Dishon," Dendra said softly as she grabbed my hand in hers before turning back to her father, "And you, Dad, need to stop being so protective of me, I''m an adult!"


    "Ellas crecen tan rapido..." Her father said quietly, a hand covering his eyes as he cried.


    "Dishon will be sleeping here, and that''s final!" Dendra said, standing up from the couch and dragging me along with her as she walked me deeper into the House.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Cari?ito, please, Don''t be mad at me!" Her father cried back in the living room as he watched us walk away.


    "Ignore him," Dendra whispered to me with a smile, "He''s just being dramatic,"


    I just nodded along, my mind already confused as so many things happened in such a short amount of time.


    Soon I found myself sitting on a spare mattress laying on the floor of a Bedroom.


    The walls were painted yellow, and the bed looked old and used, On the wall were several framed medals and trophies, and on a small table in the corner was a photo of what I could only assume was a much younger Dendra, smiling up at the camera, showing off the braces on her teeth.


    "I used to wear braces..." Dendra said softly as she sat down next to me on the floor, her eyes also looking at the photo.


    A calm silence then followed as the two of us simply sat on the floor, the silence only being interrupted by Fanny trying to make her corner of the mattress comfortable.


    "I want to apologize-" "I want to say sorry-" The two of us spoke up at the same time, breaking the silence.


    "You go first," I give Dendra the go-ahead.


    "No, You go first," Dendra shook her head and gave me the lead.


    "No, I insist, You should go-" Seeing where this was heading, Fanny did the smart thing and slapped me on the back with her tail, "Actually, yeah, I''ll go first," I said with a smile as I pulled Fanny onto my lap, petting her like a scale-covered Cat.


    I took a deep breath to collect my thoughts for a moment before I said, "I wanted to apologize for how I reacted after our date, You were being incredibly nice and my reaction was uncalled for," I paused for a moment to take another breath, feeling Fanny''s temperature rise slightly in an effort to calm me from her spot in my lap.


    "It''s just... When you said that our visit to the Cafe was going to be a date, I thought you were serious," I let my fingers scratch the bandana flaps around Fanny''s neck, "But when Tulip showed up, I thought ''Oh, this isn''t an actual date, she just called it that to be teasing'' so while I was kind of hurt by that, It was still fine, But then when we return to the Hotel, I find out that it actually was a Date, and I think that was enough for that day, I stormed off, worrying about my own feelings, when the one I should have been worrying about instead was bleeding from her head in front of me,"


    "So I''m sorry for that, I hope you can forgive me... By paying for a second date once we reach Cascarrafa?" I asked with a hopeful tilt in my voice as I turned back to look at Dendra, seeing the Energetic girl vibrating on her spot, eyes wide and glistening.


    "OF COURSE!!!" She yelled happily as she pulled me into a hug, her arms wrapping around my torso, constricting my arms in a vice-grip.


    "Can''t... Breath..." I manage to choke out before quickly taking in gulps of air as Dendra let go of me.


    "Ehehe, Oops?"


    As soon as I got my breathing back under control, I turned back to Dendra, "So, what was it that you wanted to say sorry about?"


    "Oh... Yeah... I''m sorry for not telling you about Tulip joining the date," Dendra sheepishly looked away from me, "After you left us, we had a talk and she explained some social rules to me, and I think I broke many of them that day... So I apologize for that... You don''t mind dating Tulip, though, right?"


    "Not really," I answer simply, receiving a wide-eyed look of shock from the girl.


    "Really?! I thought It''d take much longer to try and convince you in order for my super secret plan to work." Dendra said.


    "It''s fine, I had a talk about this with a Telepathic Beetle earlier today, actually. So I don''t really have a problem with a throuple... Although I do not do Open-relationships, Those are a no-go for me."


    "Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool..." Dendra nodded her head as she quickly said ''Cool'' over and over again, "So now I just need to get Tulip on board and everything is set..."


    As I watched Dendra scheme her plan to slowly become a Harem protagonist, A knock on the door our attention.


    "Querida, I''m sorry..." Dendra''s father said from the other side of the door, "I made some of your favorite Gazpacho... And I made a bowl for your Amigo too..."


    Dendra and I stared at the door for a moment before Dendra sighed and stood up, "Let''s go eat dinner," She smiled softly at the door before pulling me to my feet.


    And just like that, we ate dinner.


    <hr>


    Not even an hour passed before I had to throw up into the toilet bowl, I think the food was poisoned.


    "You are simply weak, Chico, not everyone can understand the culinary depth of my famous Gazpacho!" Dendra''s dad smirked down at me as he stood by the door to the bathroom, watching me puke into his toilet.


    "I''m not weak..." I manage to croak out, "Your cooking just sucks..." I quickly returned to retching.


    "Hmmph, well then, Next time Dendra brings you here, Why don''t you show me how to cook? It''ll be a nice little competencia, show you why I''m the father here,"


    God, I want to say "Your daughter calls me Daddy too," so badly, but I know that not only is that a bald-faced lie, Dendra''s dad will probably just kill me.


    "I don''t even know your name..." I croak out instead.


    "Hmmph, Did I not tell you? I am Hernan, but while In my house, you will call me Sir..." Dendra''s dad said, and I weakly nodded.


    "Sure thing, Hernan,"


    "Why you little-" He ground at me before scoffing and turning away, "Be lucky that you leave tomorrow, Nino, Because I''ll be in a much better mood when I''m not forced to see you..."


    I nodded, knowing that I shouldn''t anger the head of the house more than necessary.


    I''m too tired to argue.


    <hr>


    At seven in the morning, A pair of trainers left Alfronda, making their way towards the Alfronda Cavern to the west.


    "Yosh! Cascarrafa, here we come!"

 Back In The Alfronda Cavern

    "Here''s the plan, We will be making two stops for the night on our way to Cascarrafa. One when we reach the Crossroads that splits towards Cascarrafa and Cortondo, while the second stop will be at the Pokemon Center just a few Kilometers from Cascaraffa itself. So we''ll be able to make it to the city on the morning of our third day. Today we''ll be passing through the Alfronda Cavern and the Cliffside Walkway looking over the Edges of the South Paldean Sea, There''ll be a lot of walking, Today.


    Tomorrow we''ll be taking it slower, we''ll make a stop at the top of Windmill Hills for a lunch picnic, take a couple of photos of the sights, and have a relaxing walk downhill until we reach the Pokecenter.


    According to the forecast, We should be having a nice sunny day with only minor winds coming in once we start getting closer to Asado.


    Any Questions?"


    I look away from the note app on my phone to check if Dendra and our Pokemon got all of that.


    "Yosh! I got it all! We''ll run all the way through the Cavern and the cliffs! And once we reach the crossroads we''ll make a huge campfire!" Dendra nodded excitedly, having heard what I said but obviously putting her own plans in place.


    "No. We''ll be walking, at a walking pace. With the Earthquake recently, many of the Wild Pokemon will be frightened by loud noises and sharp movements, we don''t want a Dugtrio to pull us into a hole because they thought we might be Predators." I told Dendra who seemed to deflate at the idea of not running past the Cavern.


    "And besides, This Cavern is where Fanny and I met, I''d like to get a bit of a closer look at  the place, seeing as last time I was here I was too busy trying to make my way to Alfronda." I smile as I scratch the neck of the Salandit wrapped around my waist, "Isn''t that right Girl?"


    "Sal..." Hissed in her cat-like manner, her tail rubbing my back as a little cloud of smoke left her nostrils.


    "Medi Medicham!" I turned away from my partner to see Dendra being given a stern talking to by her Medicham, the short Pokemon almost towering over her trainer as she wagged her finger at her.


    Seeing as there wasn''t much more to say, I double-checked our food and water for the trip, Made sure all the camping gear was in place, And went to say goodbye to my very best friend in Alfronda.


    The Old Cyclizar that lives by the bike stop.


    "Skwa!" A group of Squawkabilly cawed at me before flying away, leaving me a few minutes to sit down on the bench beside the Cyclizar.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Salandit Sal," Fanny said as we sat on the bench, Watching Dendra seemingly be questioned by her own Team.


    At least that''s what it looks like from here. Although I think Tauros seems to be laughing at something, but it''s unimportant.


    We have a few minutes to sit down and relax before we start our journey.


    "Heh, A Journey,"  I couldn''t help stop the smile from climbing my face, It might not be an actual Pokemon Journey where we travel the region and fight gym leaders, but In this world, where we have these wonderful and majestic creatures known as Pokemon, Even a three-day walk between two cities could be a sight to behold.


    "Sal?" Fanny looked up at me as I huffed in amusement.


    I smiled down at my Spoiled Poisonous Princess "Come on Fanny, Let''s get this show on the road,"


    <hr>


    "I haven''t used the Walking Path to reach Alfronda in a long time," Dendra said as the two of us walked through the Alfronda Cavern, Flashlights in hand, following the path illuminated by the reflective signs, "I usually take the Flying Taxi nowadays,"


    We look at the brown and grey rock that made up our surroundings, spotting a family of Yungoos in the distance making their way towards the exit of the cavern.


    Unfortunately, there was one large problem standing in our path.


    And that One large problem was made of both rope and wood.


    "Okay Fanny, I''ll be putting you back in your ball for now, I''ll let you out once We''re done here," I try and put on a face that shows that I''m not afraid, Fanny rolling her eyes at me as a flash of red energy dragged her into her Pokeball.


    Did I already talk about my fear of falling? Because I hate Rope Bridges.


    "Yosh! Get over here Dishon, The Bridge is stable!" Dendra yelled from the other side of the long bridge, her voice echoing around the cavern, causing a Toxel somewhere in the distance to start crying.


    "Just a second!" I yell over the gap between us and take a deep breath, slowly placing one foot on the wooden planks of the bridge, hands gripping tight the rope at my sides.


    "Yeah! That''s the spirit! Kick that Fear of heights in the face!" Dendra, your cheering is really appreciated, but please stop.


    "Dishon Dishon he''s our man! If he can''t do it no one can!" Stop, Please, This is embarrassing me much more than it''s scaring me!


    And with a face flushed red in embarrassment, I crossed the bridge as fast as I safely could, just so I could place my hand over Dendra''s mouth to stop her from yelling more embarrassing cheers.


    She just winked at me before placing her own hand over my mouth.


    I stared blankly at her, using my other hand to release Fanny from her ball as I raised an eyebrow at Dendra.


    We stayed like that for another ten seconds before I let go of her mouth, allowing me to see the cheeky smirk on her face.


    "See, There was nothing to fear, The Bridge didn''t collapse," She told me before she too took her hand off my mouth.


    I merely blinked slowly at her before taking a long, deep breath.


    "Let''s just leave this cave already," I said, feeling Fanny rub her tail on my back as Dendra pat my shoulder.


    "Yosh! Let''s get out of here!"

 Cliff-side Walkway

    The Alfronda Cavern has three entrances.


    One to Alfronda itself.


    One to a road leading north, towards Cortondo and the Windmill Hills.


    And One leading to a scenic walkway overlooking the western edge of the South Sea.


    For our trip to Cascarrafa, I chose to take the scenic route by the cliffs.


    "Salandit Sal!" Fanny slapped my back with her tail as she pointed a clawed finger at a Crane-looking Pokemon in the distance. A Bombirdier.


    "Yep, Better stay away from that one," I scratched her on the back of the neck, feeling the Salandit purr into my touch before I turned around to check on Dendra.


    "Yosh! Let''s Go to the beach!" Dendra pumped her fist in the air, her enthusiasm almost infecting me.


    Almost.


    "No can do Dendra, We need to reach the Pokemon Center at the Cortondo Crossroads before sundown so can still have time to make camp and eat dinner," I told the Fighting-Type specialist.


    "Awww," She slumped over for a moment before jumping back up to full height, "Yosh! So next time we get time off, We''ll go to the beach!"


    "Maybe not next time," I smiled at her, "How about when the Academy is on summer break and Trainers stop coming to challenge the gym," Also, I don''t have a swimsuit.


    "Yosh! Already planning a date for the future? Wow, I really got this whole Girlfriend thing down spat!" Dendra smiled brightly, her fists on her hips as she struck a confident pose.


    I didn''t have the heart to tell her that it''s "Down Pat" and not "Down Spat"


    <hr>


    Making our way down the cliff-side road wasn''t as stressful as I first imagined.


    There were handrails to stop tourists from falling, there were small balconies with binoculars and benches for people to stop at, and there were even signs giving some fun facts about the local Pokemon population.


    Did you know that the lack of their usual prey caused the local Gumshoos population to adapt to eating Water-type Pokemon? There''s apparently a rivalry going on with the local Gumshoos and Floatzel populations that has been ongoing for a few decades by now.


    "Dishon, I''m hungry!" Dendra groaned as she lay on a nearby bench while I read the sign on the local Gumshoos.


    "We can stop for lunch If you want," I told her, hearing Dendra give a groan of acceptance as she rolled off the bench, landed in a push-up position, and jumped back up to her feet with a quick burpee.


    "What food did you make?" She leaned on me, her chin resting on my shoulder as her eyes bore into mine.


    "I made some sandwiches, a leaf and vegetable salad, and some cooked vegetables," I told her as I pushed her chin off my shoulder and took off my new Silph-Co Travel bag.


    "That''s all?" She asked as she walked around me and placed her chin on my other shoulder.


    "Yep, I made sure to make enough food for us to last five days," Thanks to space-bending technology, Silph-Co bags can store a shipping container''s worth of items and keep them in good condition thanks to technology that I really don''t understand.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I understand software engineering, not physics-defying technology. But it''s enough to say that our food will not go bad.


    Taking out the Pokemon food first, Dendra released her team so they could start eating and stretch their legs.


    "Falinks! Links links!"


    "Hariyama!"


    "Taur..."


    "Medi..."


    Dendra''s Pokemon cheered at being let out of their balls, Tauros and Medicham sitting down on the ground and tasting the food while Hariyama and the Falinks ran over to the edge of the cliff, holding on to the fence as they looked at the waves crashing far below them.


    "Yama..." Dendra''s starter looked to be especially awed by the view.


    "Salandit Sal!" Fanny slapped me weakly again, pulling my attention to her so I could see her point at her stomach, place her claw over it, and mimic rubbing her belly, "Sal!"


    I smiled at her and pulled out a special sandwich I made just for her, with Swanna Liver, Dried Scatterbug, Tomato slices and Lettuce leaves.


    "Landit!" Fanny smiled and licked my face, leaving a spot of red where my skin was slightly burnt by her tongue, before she grabbed the sandwich, took off the top layer of bread, and started to take the Scatterbugs out to save for later.


    For how needy Fanny is sometimes, She''s still my adorable little princess.


    "Here, Dendra, Catch," I take out two more Sandwiches, these with Vegetables and an egg omelet, and toss one over to Dendra, "The egg should still be somewhat warm thanks to Silph-Co technology,"  I told her before taking a bite from my food.


    "Yosh! Let''s eat!" Dendra caught the Sandwich with one hand, peeled the napkin I wrapped around it off, took a large bite, and then froze.


    I paused from my own bite, swallowing the bread in my mouth, and turned to look at Dendra, wondering if something was wrong.


    "Tauros?" The Fighting/Water type turned his head to look at his trainer in worry.


    "Hariyama?" The Sumo fighter turned away from looking at the view and also stared at his trainer.


    "Medi?" Medicham daintily swallowed the food in her mouth before turning to look at her trainer also, showing a bit more class than her teammates.


    And as every one of us looked at Dendra, she slowly swallowed the food in her mouth.


    "Dishon?" She asked, her eyes slowly turning to look my way.


    "Yes, Dendra?" I ask slowly, worried if my cooking was somehow bad. Something that by all means should be impossible seeing how Hernan is her father and he can''t cook real food.


    I still think he tried to poison me with that Gazpacho, there was no other explanation for how bad it was.


    "This food..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, And we all waited with bated breath to see where she was going.


    "Links?" The lead Falinks waddled up to her and rested his head on her legs in an attempt to comfort her somehow.


    An action that was unnecessary as Dendra immediately opened her eyes, two orange orbs burning with Passion as she yelled out "This is the tastiest food in the world! Yosh!" Before quickly taking several more bites, like a hungry Mightyena feasting on a Linoone, Dendra devoured the sandwich I made for her in less than a minute.


    "Dishon! You need to make me lunch every day from now on! It''s your new duty as my Boyfriend!" Dendra yelled the moment she swallowed the last bite of her sandwich, pointing her finger at me, not even bothering to wipe her mouth with the napkin.


    "I don''t think I can make your lunch every day, But once the Hotel is back and running, I can try and do once a week," I smiled weakly, unable to contest the intensity displayed by my Girlfriend.


    And isn''t that a weird word to use, "My Girlfriend," I''m going to have to get used to using that word a lot more.


    "Yosh! So it''s settled! Now toss me another sandwich!" I chuckled at Dendra''s enthusiasm as I tossed her a Lechonk ham and Gogoat cheese sandwich.


    And seeing nothing was wrong, the Pokemon simply chuckled and returned to eating.


    "Sal!" Only for us all to turn to see Fanny in a tug-of-war match with a wild Wattrel, The small Flying-type trying to snatch one of her Dried Scatterbug.


    "Fanny! Hit him with a Smog!" I yelled at my starter, watching her smirk as she opened her mouth and spat a cloud of acrid smoke at the Wild Pokemon, who let go of the Scatterbug, coughing to himself as he flew away.


    "Landit Sal!" Fanny cheered, waving the Scatterbug above her head in victory, only to let out a loud yelp as the Scatterbug was snatched out of her hand by another Wattrel.


    "Lan..." Fanny hissed sadly as she crawled back over to me, climbing onto my lap and laying there sadly.


    I merely grabbed another dried Scatterbug and held it in front of her mouth, letting my Partner open her mouth and allowing me to place the Bug on her tongue, letting Fanny close her mouth and chew her food as I slowly finished my own sandwich, occasionally feeding my Partner more bugs.


    <hr>


    Once we finished eating, We took a group selfie with the sea behind us, packed up our bags, and resumed our walk.


    The cliff walkway continued on for another thirty minutes before we reached the grassy ground, the Ocean now behind us, and the road leading up to Cortondo ahead of us.


    It''s time for the final stretch of walking for our first day.


    "Yosh! Let''s go!"

 Camps and Plays

    Walking north along the road leading toward Windmill Hills, I couldn''t help but smile at the serene sounds of nature.


    Now that we were far enough away from the Cities and towns, I could really see what the World of Pokemon was about, the walks through the forest with your friends, the green of the trees hiding the homes of hundreds of different creatures, all amazing in their own right.


    From the Nymble jumping between the bushes nearby to the family of Capsakids lying near the sides of this dirt road, using the lack of trees directly above them to sunbathe, and even the Bombirdier in the distance, cackling at the loud sounds it was creating.


    All of these Pokemon are magnificent in their own unique way!


    "Hey Dishon, Look! I think I can see the Pokecenter from over here! Let''s run!" Not even Dendra''s energetic yelling could ruin the serene nature of this little walk.


    "Let''s not run," I told her, Stopping in the middle of the road and closing my eyes, taking a deep breath to try and truly feel the smell of nature.


    "Huh, Why not?" Dendra leaned over, the smell of her shampoo mixing with the earthy smells of the forest.


    "Because I''m enjoying nature," I told her, still keeping my eyes closed as I absorbed the world with my other senses.


    The spicy smell of the nearby Capsikids, The sounds of the rocks being dropped by the Bombirdier high in the sky, even the sound of the wind tearing as the Nymble leaped around us like a martial artist in an old Kung Fu movie, all wonderful parts of this worlds natural order.


    It was nice to simply close my eyes for a moment and zone out, forgetting about all the things that happened in just the last two days.


    From finding out Team Flare was somehow active in Paldea, to an Earthquake causing the Hotel to close for a while, to finally getting a girlfriend, to almost dying thanks to Hernan''s horrible cooking, to once again crossing that accursed bridge in the cave, to even a small thing like giving Fanny instructions as a Trainer, when I told her to use Smog on that Wattrel.


    It was all so much in so little time, It''s just... Nice to take a deep breath and have a moment.


    "Sal?" Fanny, however, seemed to have other plans in store, as she started poking me with her fingers, "Landit Landit Landit!"


    "Okay Okay!" I swiped my hand over where her claws were, missing her entirely but still hearing a raspy chuckle from the Salamander Bandit, "I''ll keep moving, It is getting late after all, We can finish this last little leg of the journey for today, and then make camp," I opened my eyes for the simple purpose of rolling them.


    "Come on Dishon! You can enjoy nature later! We still need to get our tents set up!" Dendra slapped me on the shoulder before she rushed ahead, followed by her Falinks and Hariyama.


    Her Medicham turned to look at me, showed what I could only describe as an apologetic smile, pat me on the back, and went ahead to join her trainer and teammates.


    Leaving Fanny and I behind with the last member of her team.


    "So, Big guy, You''re not going to run after them?" I turned to look at the Fighting/Water type, Fanny climbing up my back so she could rest her chin on my shoulder, giving the Tauros a smug look, as if she was trying to tell him "I''m light enough to hang off his body,", causing me to smile at her silly display of superiority and scratch her chin.


    She is a poison type, after all.


    Tauros huffed and shook his head, motioning for us to start moving along before starting to walk after his trainer, content to take things slow in the back with us.


    "Sal!" Fanny slapped the side of my shoulder with her claw, pointing forward with her other claw as if I was some sort of ancient colossal and she was a princess riding on the shoulders of her titanic protector.


    Yep, She is my toxic little princess, after all.


    <hr>


    Finding ourselves a nice spot of flat ground, roughly two hundred and fifty meters from the Pokemon Center, Dendra and I started making our tents for the night.


    And it wasn''t only us, Looking around, we could see more tents being propped up by different trainers and their Pokemon, some of them Students from the Academy going on their yearly treasure hunt, some looked like independent trainers going to challenge the gyms, and one group seemed to be an older man taking his children on a trip.


    "It seems we weren''t the only ones who picked this spot for the night," I heard Dendra say as she walked up to stand beside me, hands on her hips as we both stood in front of our tents, looking at the slowly growing mass of tents that littered the area around the Pokemon Center.


    "This is a good spot," I nodded, "Close enough to the Pokemon Center in case the ''mons need something, while also being further enough from both Alfronda and Cortondo that the city lights aren''t a bother."


    "And if anything does go bad, both towns are close enough that someone could get there if they ran." Dendra pointed out with a nod of her own.


    "Yep," I gave one final nod to the sight of the camp before I turned to the area behind our tents, ready to start getting our dinner out, only to pause when I heard a small voice call out to me.


    "Excuse me... Can I place my tent here?"


    Turning my head to see who was asking, I am greeted by the sight of Dendra trying to stop herself, and failing horribly, from cooing at the person who walked up to us.


    It was a child, maybe only ten years old, give or take a few months, easily the youngest we''ve seen tonight.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Well, The youngest without adult supervision, at least.


    "It''s just that, There''s a hole in my tent and I don''t want any wild Pokemon trying to take what''s inside while I''m sleeping..." The young girl said, her brown eyes flicking away to the side in shyness, her hand moving to play with her black hair for a moment before she stomped her foot on the ground, "I''m sorry! I''ll go place my tent somewhere else!" She yelled before turning away from us and running to an empty spot a few meters away.


    "Dishon! Look what you did!" Dendra exclaimed as she turned to stare at me in horror, "I thought you were good with children!"


    "What made you think that?!" I sputtered out as I widened my eyes at Dendra, looking at her as if she was crazy.


    "You''re always soft-spoken with the younger Pokemon at the Hotel!" She pointed a finger at me, "And you have this Older Brother type of feel whenever you talk to your phone on the weekends!" She raised another finger, now using both fingers as a finger gun, her second hand moving to hold the finger gun, her arms starting to tremble.


    "Don''t make me do this!" She cried dramatically, finger gun shaking in her grasp as she tried to tear her eyes away from me, unwilling to look at the carnage she would make.


    I hid the smirk that was growing on my face as whatever stupid idea Dendra had was quickly starting to unravel as her plan began to make sense in my mind,


    "Dendra put the gun down, I can explain..." I tried to disarm the situation, raising both hands to show that I was unarmed.


    A quick look to the side told me that the little girl was watching the goings-on with intrigue, good.


    "You''re not acting yourself, Scaring away a little girl like that? What happened to the man who was crying on that bench in the park so long ago? Where is he?" Tears started to roll down Dendra''s eyes, her voice breaking and flaring the dramatic tension between us.


    "There''s an explanation for all of it!" I exclaimed, taking a heavy step forward, causing Dendra to take a step back, "I just... I can''t explain it yet!" I turned away from her with dramatic speed, "I need more time to gather..."


    "Gather what?" Dendra whispered in question, her breath calming down as the finger gun steadied in her hands.


    A brief look to the side told me that the kid was watching the two of us with eyes wide open, enjoying the makeshift show.


    Time for the twist.


    "...The money..." I whispered, turning my neck in order to look at Dendra from over my shoulder, "You need to understand, Dendra, all I did, from the honest lies and broken promises, I did it for us! You need to trust me on this... Please... Do it for me..."


    Dendra took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Why do you need the money?"


    The kid was nodding her head along with the question, her young mind already invested in the scene in front of her.


    "Don Paisano has my sister hostage..." I whispered out, "He said he''ll kill her if I don''t bring him ten million... And then he''ll kill me." I quickly turned back to fully look at Dendra, crocodile tears slowly dripping from my eyes.


    "You''ve been working for Don Paisano... this whole time?!" Dendra yelled at me, her hold on the Finger Gun seeming to tighten worse than before, "That man killed my Mom!"


    Before I could move to the next line, Dendra opened her mouth and said "Bang!", Her hand moving as she fired the finger gun.


    I froze, my right hand quickly moving to cover my heart as I stared with wide eyes at my killer... My knees buckled as I collapsed onto my back, rasped breath escaping me as I stared at the twilight sky, the last sight I''d likely ever see...


    Dendra quickly rushed to sit beside me, The kid also took a few steps closer so she could hear the following lines.


    "Why..." I coughed, "Why did you..." I coughed again, "Why... Why did you say the word Bang?"


    Dendra rolled onto her back and burst into laughter, followed by her Falinks and Hariyama, who were all silently watching the scene.


    "SALANDIT?!" Fanny, who stayed silent during the show, slammed her tail into my shoulder, angry that I ruined the scene.


    "Why are you angry at me for?" I smile at Fanny before I roll onto my stomach and push myself back onto my feet, "She''s the one who said Bang," I turned to Dendra, "Why didn''t you just make a Pew sound with your mouth, Bang? Really?"


    Dendra didn''t respond, too busy laughing at my horrible final words.


    I rolled my eyes at her and turned to the kid, "Yeah, you can place your tent here, sorry for not responding fast enough earlier, I just didn''t expect something like that,"


    The girl widened her eyes and nodded her head, "Oh, thank you! I promise I won''t be a bother!"


    "It''s fine," I smiled at her, "I''m Dishon by the way. And the goofball rolling on the floor here is Dendra, we''re on our way to Cascarrafa," I poke Dendra with my foot, "What about you?"


    "Oh, Eh... I''m also on my way to Cascarrafa, I need to challenge the Gym leader there for my second badge!" The kid smiled widely at the mention of challenging the gym.


    Now, I know that anyone can challenge the gym as long as they have a trainer license, And I know that in Pokemon the characters are pretty young. But I still find it hard to believe that children as young as ten can just go and challenge the world with minimal supervision.


    Just goes to show you how safe this place is. Parents feel no issues with letting their children travel the region on their own. Crime is so low that most crooks just get caught by other trainers, and the only real dangers posed to people are wild Pokemon off the beaten path, in areas that you''d need to be a strong enough trainer to even reach.


    With Silph-co Technology, there''s no fear of trainers dying of starvation or to the elements. With Pokecenters dotted everywhere, if there''s an emergency there''ll always be a safe spot just a day away.


    Really, as long as there isn''t an Evil Team running around the region causing havoc, The world of Pokemon is almost surprisingly safe.


    "Oh no! I almost forgot to introduce myself!" The kid suddenly slapped the sides of her face, turned around quickly, and started rummaging through her bag.


    After a few seconds, the kid turned back with a colorful pink and blue mask covering her face, a platinum blonde wig over her head, and a Pokeball raised high above her head as she struck a pose while releasing the Pokemon inside.


    The light from the Pokeball illuminated the kid as she smiled widely, her mask stretching along her face, "I''m Eri the Great! Uwaagh!" She gave what I could only describe as a ten-year-old''s attempt at a wrestler war cry, like something you''d hear in the WWE.


    "Mankey!" Her Pokemon popped out of the light from his Pokeball and joined his trainer in their Wrestler pose.


    "Ha! Hariyama!" We then turned to look at Dendra''s Hariyama attempting to copy the pose.


    "Fa! Links Links Links!" The Energetic members of Dendra''s team soon joined in the posing, Leaving Fanny and Tauros as the only two Pokemon not part of the commotion.


    While the Pokemon did their thing, and Dendra lay on the ground, I helped Eri get her tent set up, the younger trainer asking me different questions about the Pokemon in our group. It wasn''t long before a specific question was raised.


    "You... You don''t mind if I join you two on the way to Cascarrafa, right? It''s just, It''s only me, Mankey, and my Dad''s old Passimian... So it gets kind of boring just walking on the road..." Eri asked as she fluffed her sleeping bag, taking her mask and wig off before placing them back in her bag, placing the bag beside her sleeping bag, on the other side from an old tear in the tent, small enough to be covered up by some patchwork, but still big enough that a small Pokemon might climb inside and try and snatch something.


    "Sure," I smile softly at the kid, "Dendra and I are making another stop outside of Cascarrafa tomorrow, but we should be there by the morning after tomorrow," I told her Dendra and I''s travel plan, "I hope it''s no problem."


    "Oh! No problem at all!" Eri quickly said, "It''s actually... Umm, Do you think Dendra can help me with my Pokemon? She''s a fighting type, right?"


    "I''m sure she''d be happy to once you ask her, The two of you''ll be able to talk about something tomorrow," I pat the kid on the shoulder before I exited her tent, "We have some extra food as well, If you''d like to join us for dinner," I raise an eyebrow at the kid.


    And if the drool slowly dripping from her mouth at the mention of the word "Dinner" is anything to go by, I already know what the answer will be.


    Suffice it to say, Our little party gained a new member for the time being.

 Lets Go Uphill!

    I woke up early in the morning to the sounds of singing Swablu, I carefully crawled out of my tent, making sure not to nudge Fanny too much, before I stood up and stretched my back, feeling the knots caused by sleeping on the floor slowly melt away as I did some morning stretches.


    "Pass..." I looked to my right, seeing a large Monkey lying outside a small tent with a hole in the side, the Passimian having stayed outside all night also woke up early.


    "Hey there big guy," I nodded at the Fighting type, the Pokemon tiredly nodding back, his head resting on his elbows as he lay on his stomach.


    I looked to my left, watching a pair of large Fighting types, A Tauros and a Hariyama, both snoring quietly as they lay on the grass, "I guess the Falinks and Medicham are inside..." I noted before taking one final stretch, hearing a comfortable popping sound escaping from my neck.


    Crawling back into my tent to check the time on my phone, I see that it''s already seven fifteen in the morning, A time at which I''m usually already awake and at work.


    "Get up," I nudge the sleeping Poison-type that was laying spread-eagle on her back like a scaly white corpse, "You know that sleeping position isn''t good for you, come on girl, wake up," I shake her a bit, letting her front claws tiredly try to slap my hand away before she finally opened her eyes, a hissing groan leaving her throat before she tiredly spun onto her stomach, her eyes glaring at me before she opened her mouth wide, letting out a long and relaxed yawn before she finally closed her mouth, licking her lips and slapping her tail on my sleeping bag before she finally moved her legs, quickly making her way halfway up my body before she wrapped around my waist like a fanny pack, closed her eyes once more and returned to sleep.


    "...You''re lucky I love you." I told the Salandit, smirking at the soft "Sal" that escaped her lips after I said that.


    Having decided to let my partner sleep some more, I started packing up my tent, enjoying the ease of use of my new Silph-Co bag.


    "I''m going to fill up these water bottles," I raised a trio of empty two-liter water bottles, showing them to the old Passimian, "Think you can watch the fort for a bit longer?"


    "Simian..." The Pokemon grumbled with a slow nod, I nodded back before I started making my way to the outside water tap beside the nearby Pokemon Center.


    <hr>


    After filling the bottles up, I decided to step inside the Pokecenter, just to give Fanny a checkup. I know she''s as healthy as could be, or at least as healthy as a Salandit who doesn''t train could be, but the Pokecenter was free, so there were no real downsides to not getting a checkup.


    "Good Morning~" As I stepped through the automatic doors of the red-roofed building that was the Pokemon Center, I was greeted by a very tired-looking nurse with short purple hair wearing the regular Pokemon Center uniform, an exhausted yawn leaving her mouth as her head rested on the desk in front of her.


    "Bliss~" A Large pink Pokemon joined the nurse in letting out a yawn as she waddled over and outstretched her stubby little arms, making a "Gimme" motion.


    "Just a moment," I smiled at the Blissey as I pried Fanny off of me and passed her over to the Happiness Pokemon.


    "Landit~" Fanny hissed quietly as the Blissey took her through a pair of doors and into the back of the Pokemon Center, Looking over the desk the nurse sat at I could see the Blissey place Fanny on a machine through the open wall behind the nurse. A measure created to allow trainers to see their Pokemon while taking a basic checkup.


    "It seems everyone''s still tired," I mused to myself as I sat down in a chair in the corner near the entrance, letting me watch the trainers outside slowly packing up their own tents as I opened up a nearby newspaper, catching up with things going on in the Region.


    "More news about Gym Leader Grapa''s successor, I''ll read that later, Rumors about Gym Leader Tyme considering retirement, still only rumors, Online streamer in Levincia gaining rapid popularity, that''s cute, A Youngster from Zapapico completed the Gym Circuit in his first year at the Academy and is planning on challenging the Elite 4, Good luck to that kid, Oh, here we are, Southwest Paldea is recovering from Earthquake, Tera Crystals forming on the surface, an Increase in Wild Pokemon Terastallization~" I hummed to myself as I continued reading the article, noting down the estimated damages from both the Earthquake and the Powered-up Pokemon.


    We won''t be getting a full image of things until the Rangers map out all the areas affected, which includes going off the beaten path, there could theoretically be a Terastallized Clodsire terrorizing a lake somewhere and we wouldn''t notice until weeks later when some Trainers go there and find the place empty. A Wild Terasstalized Pokemon is an Ecological time bomb, luckily most of the time the Terastal Phenomenon dissipates after enough time passes, and usually there''s only one Terastallized Wild Pokemon at a time, but this increase could spell a lot of work for the Pokemon League to take care of, the danger posed could slow down repairs to things like roads and bridges.


    "Salandit!" I turn away from the Newspaper to watch Fanny crawling out of the doors leading to the Back, rubbing at her eyes as she climbed up the chair I sat in and curled up on my lap like a kitten.


    "Bliss~" The Blissey that accompanied her smiled tiredly at me as she gave me a document detailing all I needed to know about Fanny''s health.


    To make a boring story short, My Princess was fine. There was a note to have her do some physical exercises like running or climbing to work on her muscles, pointing out that she was starting to get fat for her species.


    "Dit?" I smiled at my Partner Pokemon.


    "The Doctor''s saying you''re gaining weight~" I told her, watching with amusement as her eyes widened in horror before she grabbed her stomach with her claws, a look of terror on her face as she watched her tiny hands sink a bit into her flesh.


    "Salandit! Landit Sal!" She cried, grabbing onto my shirt and slapping me with her tail.


    "There there~" I pat her head, "You''re not going to be fat, all you need to do is run around a bit more, maybe join me for my jogs and stretches as a participant instead of an accessory~"


    <hr>


    "Nooo! I don''t want to exercise! I want to be carried and taken care of! Don''t make me take care of myself, that''s supposed to be your job!" Fanny cried as she shook her trainer''s shirt, "Stop smiling at me like that!"


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    <hr>


    "Good morning, Eri." The girl in question turned behind her to see one of the older trainers she decided to join on the journey to her Gym walk up to her, His white Salandit hanging onto his shoulders while slapping his back with her tail.


    "Oh, Good morning Mister Dishon!" The girl said, straightening her back to look more adult next to the young man.


    "Please, Just call me Dishon, Mister makes me feel old, and I already feel older than I am, soon I''ll start feeling like a zombie." Eri giggled at the face the trainer made at being called "Mister"


    "Sure thing!" She smiled as she returned to packing up her tent, watching Dishon from the corner of her eye as he sat down on the grass, his Salandit climbing off of him and running around him in circles, her face almost looking like she was crying.


    "When do we start going?" Eri asked as she was folding her old tent, her Mankey helping her shove the tarp into her bag by pressing down on it.


    "To Cascarrafa? After we eat our breakfast and pack our tents," Dishon told her, Eri nodding as she joined her Mankey in pushing the tent into her bag, smiling at the popping sound that came out when the Silph-co technology finally activated and shrunk the tent into a carryable size and weight.


    "But before we do all that, you''re going to need to call your parents," Eri paused at that, the girl turning to look at the older teenager.


    "Why?" She asked, her Mankey tilting his head as he mimicked his trainer.


    "To tell them you''re traveling with us, of course," Dishon smiled at her, a soft and brotherly expression on his face, "When was the last time you called them? Did you call them after the earthquake? If you didn''t then they could be worried sick about you. It''s only natural for parent to worry about their child''s well being, It''ll also be nice to update them and tell them that you''re travelling with Dendra and I, just so they''ll know you''re not getting into trouble with other trainers,"


    "Passimian..." If Dishon''s words didn''t convince Eri that she needed to update her parents, her Dad''s old Passimian did.


    "Fine..." Eri grumbled with a pout, "Let''s go call Dad..." She groaned, making it obvious she didn''t want to call her parents but had to because the adult in the group told her to.


    "Simian Pa~" The Monkey nodded as he patted the girl on the back, staying behind to keep watching over the last tent in the small camp as two of the three trainers walked towards the Pokemon Center.


    <hr>


    "I didn''t know you were Gym Trainers!" Eri bounced on her feet as she walked with Dishon out of the Pokecenter after using the connection there to call her parents.


    "It''s a bit more complicated than that, but that''s basically what we are, at least it is for Dendra~" Dishon smiled as he walked back towards the now mostly empty campsite, "We actually work for the Battle Hotel, but the Hotel is basically the Psychic Gym because of how the Paldean League works, so while we aren''t official Gym Trainers, We are by technicality." He fished out his phone to show Eri a picture that was taken on the day he got hired, showing a tired-looking Dishon wearing a white and purple shirt, standing beside Dendra wearing her usual attire, and a pair of older people, a skinny woman with wavy purple hair and a large tanned man Eri could recognize as the Gym Leader of Alfronda.


    "Awesome..." She whispered as she looked at the Picture before Dishon returned the phone to his pocket, "Does that mean both of you are like... Super strong trainers?!"


    "Not at all!" Dishon laughed at the young girl''s exclamation, "Dendra is, But not me," He chuckled, a sprinkling of amusement showering him as he watched the confusion on Eri''s face, "I''m not a battler, Fanny is my only Pokemon, and to be truthful, I think you and Mankey could easily beat us, it wouldn''t even be close~"


    "SALANDIT?!"


    "Wha- But you''re a gym trainer!"


    "By technicality, I do behind the scene stuff, I don''t do Pokemon battles, That''s Dendra''s job," Dishon pointed out as the two finally returned to their campsite, watching the older Fighting-type specialist make the finishing touches on packing up her tent.


    "Yo! Dishon! Check out this cool rock I found!" Eri watched the Older trainer take a smooth rock out of her pocket and show it to Dishon, the second trainer just smiling and saying "That''s indeed a cool-looking rock,"


    "... Grown-ups are weird." Eri concluded as she turned away from the two older trainers and gave her back one final comb-over.


    "Mank!" Her partner hopped from leg to leg, excited about continuing their journey.


    "Hey, Kiddo," Eri turned away from her Mankey only to find Dishon passing her a sandwich, "Eat up, we''re back on the road once we''re done,"


    "...Thank you." Eri smiled and took a bit from the Breakfast handed to her.


    She''s going to need to eat a lot in order to become a world-class ultimate wrestler! She''s Eri the Great! Uwaagh!


    <hr>


    "Come on come on come on! Let''s go!" Dendra was running in place, her legs kicking at the ground as she waited for the two other trainers that made up her group to join her already.


    "Slow down Dendra, Stop hurrying all the time!" Dishon called out to her, slowly making his way uphill so he wouldn''t need to shout to be heard by her.


    "But it''s flower season! I want to see the Petilil!" She yelled at her travel partner, "You might even be able to capture a Lilligant!"


    "Only if it''s shiny," Dishon pointed to her, reminding the girl of the rule he gave himself in regards to catching Pokemon.


    "It could happen!" Dendra yelled.


    "What''s Flower season?" Eri asked once she and Dishon finally caught up with the energetic Fighting-specialist.


    "Twice a year, many grass and fairy types, and other Pokemon that have a connection with flowers, like the Lilligant, Florges, Lurantis, and even the Combee line, Migrate in a clockwise pattern around Paldea, It''s a few weeks in Fall and Spring, where these Pokemon travel South for the Winter and North for the summer in order to keep the climates they''re living in at the correct humidity and temperature," Dishon explained, "I never saw the migration myself, but apparently the unified movement of all these Flower related Pokemon causes the Flora of wherever they pass to grow beautifully,"


    "Yep~ Tulip caught Florges during Flower Season, she was still a tiny little Flabebe at the time, but Flower Season made it so she passed directly beneath Alfronda," Dendra added on, "If it was any other season, Tulip would have had to walk up to where we are right now in order to catch her,"


    "I see..." Eri nodded as she listened to the explanation from the two trainers, "So there''s going to be a lot of Grass types around?"


    "Sure, if you want to look at it this way," Dishon shrugged, "Usually you won''t find the Tsareena or Lurantis line here in the West, they usually stay either in the South or North of Paldea, but because it''s flower season, we should theoretically be able to find a bunch of them making their way north for the summer."


    "Interesting... You hear that Mankey?! We can find some rare Pokemon to test our strength against!" Eri turned to her partner, the Fighting-type echoing his trainer''s excitement.


    "What about you Dishon, You have any Pokemon in mind?" Dendra asked, "I know you only catch ones like Fanny who have different colors and all, but do you have a preference?"


    "Not really," Dishon shrugged at that question, "As long as they''re not too much trouble to take care of I''ll be happy with pretty much anything," He paused for a moment, "Although, I guess they do need to be small enough to fit inside, A Shiny Buizel could be fun I guess, but I wouldn''t really complain if I get a Shellder or a Stunfisk either," He shrugged again.


    "Ooh, A Buizel sound fun!" Dendra pumped her fist in the air, "Yosh! Here''s the plan, We''re not going to sleep until we find a Shiny for you to catch!"


    "That''s not a plan!" Dishon exclaimed, "We already have a plan for the day Dendra, we''re taking a look at the Windmills, have a picnic halfway through, and then steadily make our downhill to Cascarrafa, where we''ll then be stopping for the night a few Kilometers out of town next to the Pokecenter,"


    "Boo! Come on! Let''s find a Shiny Buizel!" Dendra cheered before she ran forward, half her team following after her in differing states of excitement.


    "...Aren''t we going to run after her?" Eri asked as she watched the older trainer run ahead.


    "Nah, she''s a big girl, she can take care of herself," Dishon shook his head, "Let''s go take a look at the windmills, make Dendra disappointed she didn''t stick with us, yeah?" He pointed his hand at Eri, balling it into a fist.


    "...Yeah!" Eri balled her own hand into a fist before she gave Dishon''s fist a bump, "Let''s do this!"


    "Mankey!"


    And so the group split up, With Dendra running ahead in her excitement, leaving Eri to take her place as the person who''ll enjoy the windmill hills with Dishon instead.

 Flowers and Rivers

    "How come you''re already tired?"


    Fanny ignored the fighting type''s question, she was a proud and virtuous Salandit! Her elegant beauty and humble demeanor was much too rare for a common Mankey to stare at! She was the perfect specimen for her species, a model that all other Salandits must strive to become-


    "The nurse told her that she was getting fat, Brat probably never walked for more than ten minutes at a time, Now that she''s trying to lose weight, she''s already out of breath," Fanny ignored the old Passimian''s words, he knew nothing! He was ugly!


    "Oh..." The Mankey nodded in understanding, "Why didn''t she train? Doesn''t she know that training makes us super strong? Is she stupid?"


    "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Fanny turned and screamed at the Fighting Type.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Whoops, someone''s getting grumpy, up we go~," Dishon said with a smile as he picked his Starter off the ground, the Shiny Salandit slithering out of his grasp in order to wrap herself around his waist, her purple eyes glaring at the two Fighting Types that still walked on the ground.


    Eri watched her Mankey shrug and turn to look at her, as if asking "What did I do?", causing her to shrug in return.


    The two trainers were making their way towards a bridge passing over a river pouring down the melted snow from the top of the nearby mountain. Stopping every once in a while so Dishon could take photos of the wild Pokemon they passed along the way.


    "I just think they''re neat~" Was his explanation when Eri asked why he was taking a picture of some Skiddo.


    "Are you sure Ms Dendra is going to be fine?" Eri asked Dishon as the sound of the upcoming river entered her ears, the muffled voice of Dendra shouting commands to her team could be heard further ahead, followed by the sounds of rocks smashing apart and Psyduck running away.


    "Her team is stronger than they seem, you don''t have to worry about her." Dishon waved her concern away before pointing at something in the opposite direction of where Dendra was, "Look there," he told her, causing Eri to turn her head and look, her eyes widening at the sight.


    "Is that-" She didn''t finish her sentence, staring in awe at the sight before her.


    Hundreds of colorful Pokemon were running around and playing with each other, all walking together like a moving field of flowers as they made their way north.


    "Flower Season~" Dishon smiled at the sight, taking a picture of the distant Pokemon with his phone before turning to look at Eri, "Wanna get a closer look?"


    "Do I?! Let''s go!" Eri pumped her fist in the air, followed by her Mankey before the trainer and starter pair started running towards the colorful field of flower Pokemon.


    "Passimian..." The older Fighting type grumbled as he followed the young trainer.


    "Come on girl, to your feet, we''re back to walking." Fanny hissed in annoyance as she crawled down from her trainer''s waist and started walking beside him.


    "Sal!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Sliding down to reach the edge of the river, Medicham grabbed onto a rock jutting from the ground before she flipped over to sit on top of it, watching her trainer and teammates battle a bunch of water types a bit further upstream.


    "Ayo Chica, You come here a lot?" Medicham looked down at the water, seeing a pair of orange weasel-like Pokemon sticking their heads out of the water, the yellow collar around their neck floating like a pool toy, keeping their heads out of the water. Buizel.


    "Not interested." Medicham lazily told the two water types, one of which rolled his eyes as his friends snickered at him.


    "Why not? The water''s nice!" The first Buizel told her, his paw poking out of the water and motioning her to come in, "Everyone should take a good swim every once in a while~" He said before licking his lips and diving back into the water, poking his head a bit further back from where he previously was.


    "We''re just making sure you''re enjoying yourself, Chica~" The second Buizel said with a smirk as his tail spun behind him, pushing him closer to the rock Medicham was sitting upon, "We know how to treat a girl~"


    "I''m on the lookout for Pokemon with different colors that they normally should have." Medicham ignored the two Buizel''s advancements, "Like a Salandit that''s white instead of Black, have the two of you seen anything similar nearby."


    "Ooh~ Playing hard to catch, eh?" The second Buizel smirked as he slapped the rock she sat on, "That''s fine with me, me gusta un desafio~"


    "Wasn''t that one bloke from upstream a bit bluer than usual?" The first Buizel asked.


    "He was hit with Powder Snow, that doesn''t count," The second Buizel told him before he returned to Medicham, "By the way, how long can you hold your breath?"


    "You look a bit skinny, is there no fat on those arms?" The first Buizel asked with a smirk, "Your legs on the other hand... You should try and dive to touch the river floor, It''s a wonderful exercise, we promise, Hehehe~" He licked his lips before diving into the water, emerging on the other side of the rock Medicham sat upon, opposite of the other Buizel.


    "If you don''t know anything then there''s no reason to keep talking to you." Medicham told the two before standing up, preparing to leave.


    "Hey hey, Leaving so soon? Why don''t you join us for lunch, Chica?" The first Buizel asked, a quiet growl escaping his mouth as his tails started swirling underneath the water.


    "Yeah Yeah~ We got so much food~" The second Buizel''s tail started spinning as well, his eyes focusing on the fighting type.


    "All you gotta do to eat something around here..." The first Buizel''s tail spun like the propeller of a torpedo, shooting him out of the water, "Is to get in the water and drown already!"


    "I never ate a Medicham before! How exciting!" The second Buizel joined his friend as he too torpedoed out of the water, the two Weasel-Otters shooting towards the Fighting/Psychic from the opposite direction, prepared to strike.


    "Taste our double Aqua Jet!" The two water types shouted simultaneously as their tales propelled them in mid-air, their bodies surrounding themselves with Water as they shot at Medicham in a pincer attack.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Seeing the two wild pokemon attack her, Medicham only had a single thought in her head as the Aqua Jets got closer.


    "What a waste of time..."


    As the closer Aqua Jet entered her range, her fist shot towards it, surrounding with yellow energy, lightning bouncing between her knuckles.


    "Wai-!" The first Buizel tried to change direction in order to avoid the Thunder Punch, but it was no use. Even though his body managed to avoid the punch, the water surrounding him didn''t.


    Perhaps if he used Quick Attack instead of Aqua Jet, the outcome could have been different, but as the electricity channeled through Medicham''s fist and into the water of the Aqua Jet, Buizel let out a scream of pain as he fell back into the river below before his head floated back above the water, his eyes faded and swirling.


    "No, Hermano!" The second Buizel managed to correct his trajectory to avoid the range of Medicham''s arms, "You''ll pay for this!" He yelled as he stopped his Aqua Jet outside of Medicham''s reach, his tails spinning in the air and keeping him aloft.


    Medicham lazily stared at the Buizel, wondering what he was going to do now that his friend was so easily beaten.


    "I''ve been working on this move for weeks now!" He yelled as he held his arm out, water gathering at his palm and extending forward like a blade, his tails gaining speed before he charged towards Medicham, using Liquidation to turn his arm into a blade of water, "What will you do now?! I have the reach! You lose- ack!" His cry of victory turned into a choke of defeat as Medicham''s foot connected with his forehead, pushing the Buizel back into the river, the blade of water falling apart as Medicham used his head as a springboard to jump back onto solid ground.


    "...Amateurs." Medicham lazily stared at the two unconscious Buizel floating in the river before she shook her head and started to make her way back to her trainer.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Woah... I''ve never seen so many Grass Types in one place before..." Eri whispered in awe as she and Dishon sat a bit to the side of the procession of Flower Pokemon. Watching the many colorful creatures making their way north of the summer.


    "They''re all very pretty..." Dishon said as he sat on the grassy ground, surrounded by a small swarm of Hoppip that the wind carried in his direction.


    "Hop?" One of the grass-types asked with a smile as Dishon started petting the friendly mons.


    "Yes, you''re all pretty."


    "Hoppip!" One of the Hoppip cheered before a gentle gust of wind carried it away.


    "Hop Hop!" The rest of the Pokemon voiced with smiles as the wind picked them up to join their friend in following the migration of flowers.


    "Umm, Dishon?" Eri turned to ask the older trainer, "Are any of these Pokemon Fighting types?"


    "Hmm, Let''s see..." Dishon looked over the many Pokemon in the sea of flowers, "The Tsareena and Lilligant lines are both solely Grass types, same with the Lurantis line... The Florges line, despite what some might think, is solely a Fairy type. The Jumpluff line that was just here are Grass/Flying, and the Vespiqueen line is Bug/Flying. Sorry kiddo, I don''t think any of these Pokemon are fighting types."


    "Bummer... Do you think we can beat some of them?" Eri looked at her partner, "It''s just, Mankey and Passimian are good and all, but Cascarrafa is going to be our third gym badge. I want to get a new member for my team before I challenge Kofu..."


    "You''re saying that as if you need to challenge the gym as soon as you get there." Dishon told her, "You can always do a detour towards Porto Marinada, I heard that place has a bunch of different Fighting types you can capture."


    "Take a detour?" Eri asked.


    "Yeah, Take a short trip a bit west of Cascarrafa, find a cool pokemon you that''s willing to join you, and then come back to challenge the gym once you''re ready," Dishon explained before standing up, "You don''t need to challenge Kofu right away, take your time until you feel like you''re ready..." Dishon squinted his eyes as he looked into the large group of different flower Pokemon.


    "Sal?"


    "Oh, it''s nothing. Just thought I saw something, no need to worry." Dishon chuckled as Fanny climbed up his clothing before reaching his shoulders, grabbing onto them and looking at what he was staring at from a higher vantage point.


    "Sal! Salandit Sal!" She yelled in his ear, her tail starting to slap his back repeatedly.


    "You sure? It could also just be a regular flower, It doesn''t have to-" "SALANDIT!" "-Fine! Stop yelling at me!"


    "What''s going on?" Eri asked as she stood up as well, trying to look into the crowd of colorful Pokemon to see what got both Fanny and Dishon so worked up.


    "What''s going on?" Dishon repeated the question, his hand now shuffling around his bag before he pulled out a white Pokeball with a red line separating the top and bottom of the ball, a white button in the center of the red line, "Well, let''s find out, shall we?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    "Did you find it?" Laying on her back, Dendra looked at the clouds above as she waited for the good news from her team to reach her.


    "Medicham..." Her Pokemon told her, causing the Trainer to release a sigh of exhaustion.


    "Darnit, We even said we''d find a shiny Buizel and everything..." Dendra breathed tiredly as her Medicham popped her head into her line of sight, looking down at her trainer, a single brow raised in question.


    "Don''t look at me like that!" Dendra tried to smack her Pokemon away, "When you say you''re gonna do something, you need to see it through. I said I''d find a Shiny Buizel, I can''t just return empty-handed."


    "Cham Medi..."


    "But Buizel are adorable! Why would Dishon not want one on his team?!"


    "Medicham Cham!"


    Dendra groaned before she kicked the air with both legs, using the force of her kick to propel herself onto her feet, "Let''s just go deliver the bad news." She started walking towards the two approaching trainers.


    "Falinks?"


    "Sorry guys, the hunt is over..." Dendra sadly shook her head, her Hariyama and Falinks letting out sighs of disappointment while her Medicham and Tauros stared at her blankly.


    "Why the sad look?" The taller of the two trainers asked.


    "Because we couldn''t find a Buizel for your-" Dendra stopped mid-sentence as she turned to look at Dishon, the sight of the other trainer giving her a bit of a pause, "-What is that on your head?"


    "This?" Dishon asked as he pointed at the small green and yellow being on his head, "This is Lemon, I just caught her like... Five minutes ago?" He raised his hands above his head and cupped the small Pokemon, "I probably would have ignored her if Fanny didn''t use Torment on me,"


    "She does do that a lot..." Dendra pointed out before her eyes widened in realization, "Wait! Does this mean-"


    "That I got a new Mon for my team?" Dishon asked as he stared at the Pokemon cupped in his hands, the thick green leaves that surrounded the green flower bud looked like hair on top of a soft yellow head, a pair of glossy green eyes staring into his own as four green petals extended from the collar of green leaves around the Pokemon''s neck, each ending with tips of white, surrounding the soft yellow body of the small critter, "Yep, I love her already~"


    "SAL?!"


    "Don''t worry, You''re still number one~" Dishon said as he placed the green and yellow Pokemon back on top of his head, the small critter closing its eyes as it seemed to fall asleep the moment it nestled itself on top of his head, using its front petals to latch onto his light-brown hair as their body spread open like a green and yellow flower.


    "Mr. Dishon captured a new teammate while you were off fighting Psyduck~" Eri giggled at the look Dendra was giving the other trainer.


    "Eri, I told you to not call me Mister," Dishon groaned exaggeratedly, "It makes me feel old.."


    "You... You caught a new Pokemon?" Dendra asked.


    "Yes, That''s what we both just said-" Dishon told Dendra only to choke as the Energetic trainer pulled him into a tight hug, forcing the Salandit wrapped around his waist to climb onto his shoulders in order to avoid getting crushed.


    "Oooh! That''s so awesome! Yosh! We need to celebrate this!" Dendra said with cheer, her Falinks and Hariyama echoing her excitement.


    "We can celebrate this after we reach Cascarrafa and get setteled, we still need to reach the Pokemon Center before the sun sets, Dendra. We have a schedule." Dishon told her as he peeled her off.


    "Schedules are meant to be ignored!" Dendra pumped her fist into the air as she cheered.


    "Yeah!" Eri mimicked her.


    "No! Stop teaching her bad lessons! Schedules are important!" Dishon cried as he found himself surrounded by fighting types.


    "Salandit Sal!" Fanny started slapping her tail on his Dishon''s back, urging him to keep moving so she could go to sleep.


    And on top of his head, with her green eyes silently peeking open to look at the commotion around her, the newest member of Dishon''s team took in the colorful sight before she returned to sleep, using her new trainer''s head as a bed.


    "Fomantis..."

 Talking and Tea

    Leading the march of the flowers, a certain Pokemon felt something shift in the air, a smell she hadn''t smelled in centuries. A prickling sensation, like static electricity trying to rush through her body.


    With the winds of spring hiding her behind the aromatic veil of flowers and love, the Pokemon turned to look at the direction the smell was arriving from, her face scrunching in confusion as she tried to recognize what it was.


    "That trainer..." She whispered to herself, her eyes squinting as she looked far behind her, focusing on a trainer kneeling down on the grass to offer a premier ball to a uniquely colored Fomantis, "He reeks of Ultra Space..."


    "What a curious little discovery..." And with her curiosity peaked, the Pokemon returned to leading her procession of flowers, her mind working up a plan to keep sight of the unique trainer. Now that she has caught the alien smell emanating from his body, It''s doubtful that he''ll be able to escape her senses in the future.


    "I''ll be watching you with great interest, Human~" And with a gust of wind from the gentle spring breeze, she disappeared from the field of flowers as if she was never there.


    <hr>


    Climbing her way out of her sleeping bag in the early hours of the morning, Eri made it out of her tent with a yawn exiting her mouth and warm pajamas on her body.


    Yesterday, she and the two trainers she joined up with, reached the Pokemon Center outside of Cascarrafa, having placed their tents on the western side of the road, in view of the cliffs that lead to the Asado desert below.


    Taking a look around, Eri noticed that once again she wasn''t the first to wake up.


    "Good morning, Eri." One of the two trainers, Dishon, said as he spotted her exiting her tent.


    "Good morning~" Eri let out a yawn before stretching her arms and back, unwinding her body from sleeping on the rough ground.


    There was only so much a sleeping bag could do.


    "What are you doing?" She asked the trainer as she walked over and sat down on a rock beside him.


    "Heating up breakfast," Dishon told her, messing with some device she couldn''t remember its name but knew her dad also had.


    "This early?" Eri looked at the sky, the stars were still shining above and the sun hadn''t yet risen.


    "Yeah, I want to watch the sunrise, and take some pictures of it climbing over Area Zero." Dishon pointed at the stony cliffs jutting from the ground in the distance, creating a giant wall that surrounded the center of the Region. "The sun is already shining on the eastern coast, but thanks to The Great Crater and Glaseado Mountain blocking the view, It''s still dark here and for large portions of the western half of the Region,"


    "Oh..." Eri turned to look at the cliffs of The Great Crater of Paldea, spotting the light emanating from the other side of the natural wall, "Cool..."


    "I also think we need to talk," Dishon said, pulling her out of her staring competition against a cliff.


    "Talk?" Eri repeated as she looked at the older trainer, a small smile on her face as she spotted the yellow Fomantis latching onto his head like a hairclip.


    "Yeah~" Dishon poked something on the device he was fiddling with, steam coming out of the top like a boiling kettle before he turned something on the device and grabbed a handle, lifting the kettle up and pulling over a cup before pouring some yellow tea into it, "Here, have some while it''s still warm,"


    "Thank you..." Eri gently grabbed the small cup and took a sip, recoiling at the boiling heat before deciding that it would be smarter to blow on it until it was a bit cooler.


    "We''re reaching Cascarrafa today," Dishon spoke up after taking a sip of his own tea, holding the cup like a hand warmer.


    "Mhm," Eri nodded quietly, trying to take another sip of the tea now that it wasn''t as hot.


    "It''s only an hour and a half walk from here, so we''ll reach it before lunch." Dishon continued, "But I want to know what your plan is once we get there," Dishon took another sip of his tea before pouring himself another cup.


    "I... I want to catch a new team member before I challenge the gym," Eri started, "I only have Mankey and Passimian with me, and Passimian is my Dad''s Pokemon so I can''t keep him if I want to do a full circuit," Eri sipped from her tea, "Dad''s only allowing me to go up till the fourth badge, he wants me to go back home after that. So, I won''t challenge the gym immediately, I know I''ll lose if I do, Even with Passimian''s Seed Bomb, and I don''t want to rely on him too much," Eri paused for a moment to think her words over, the small girl staring at the tea in her cup, her face reflected back at her.


    "I think... I want to cross the Asado Desert," Eri looked away from her tea and into the other trainer''s eyes, "I think that it''ll be the perfect place for me and Mankey to train, and I want to catch a Pokemon that''ll help me beat Kofu... There should be Croagunk south of the big lake there-"This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Casseroya Lake," Dishon helpfully reminded Eri of the name of the lake.


    "Yes, that one." Eri paused for a few seconds, her eyes turning back to looking into her tea, "My Mom had a Toxicroak, and she was super strong, and I know they''re supposed to be good against Water Types, so that''s my plan for now."


    "Crossing Asado with only two badges could be difficult, you know." Dishon pointed out to her, his head turning to look at the Great Crater in the distance, the top of the cliffs seeming brighter than before.


    "I know, but that''s what I decided. I want a Croagunk." Eri said, a resolute tone in her voice.


    "I''ll see if I can get Dendra to accompany you, make sure you''ll make it through the desert without problem," Dishon told her as he took out his phone and turned it on, entering the camera app and pointing it at the cliffs of the Great Crater.


    "Wha- Why? I thought we were splitting up after reaching Cascarrafa!" Eri exclaimed, her eyes widening in panic as she noticed how loud she was, quickly turning her volume down to not wake up the others, "Why?"


    "Because I''d feel bad letting a little girl travel through a desert on her own," Dishon told her, "And we are splitting up, I''m staying in Cascarrafa,"


    "Wha- If you''re staying in Cascarrafa, why would Dendra go with me? Why not you too?"


    "Because unlike you and Dendra, I don''t have a safety net to catch me if I fall." Dishon said, his eyes looking at his phone before he put it down in his lap, turning back to look into Eri''s eyes, "You and Dendra both have parents, if you ever run out of money, if you need a place to sleep, if you need anything really, they''ll help you out." Dishon took a deep breath, "I don''t have such luxury," He smiled weakly.


    "What do you mean?" Eri asked.


    "I might not look it, but I''m homeless, Eri. I don''t have a family that pays my bills and keeps me fed, and right now I''m also out of a job until the Battle Hotel is finished with renovations." Dishon sighed tiredly, "I want to travel the world, see all these wonderful sights, and watch gorgeous Pokemon, I want to visit Kalos and see the Anistar Sundial and Reflection Cave. I want to walk through Galar and see the sights of Glimwood Tangle and the Crown Tundra. I want to visit Alola, participate in the local festivities, and catch a glimpse of one of the Tapus. I want to visit the many ancient towers of Johto, and relax in Hoenn''s volcanic springs." Dishon smiled as he talked about all the things he wanted to do.


    "But I can''t do any of those without a safety net, Eri. I don''t have Family, I don''t have a house, I don''t even have a Car. The closest thing I have to such a safety net is the Battle Hotel, and they have been more than generous to me." Dishon chuckled sadly to himself as a thought crossed his mind, "Hell, I actually feel bad working there. Orchid has given me a place to sleep, a well-paying job, and even now she''s making sure I have a place in Cascarrafa to stay in, and I really don''t deserve all the help she''s given me." Dishon sighed.


    "That''s..." Eri didn''t know what to say.


    "I''m rambling again, sorry, I talk a bit too much when I get stressed, and I guess trying to explain this just... I''ll go back to the topic." Dishon chuckled the sad topic from before clashing with the trainer Eri saw in front of her, the tall and positive young man with the sleeping Fomantis on his head.


    "What I''m getting at is that the closest thing to that safety net I was talking about before is money. I can''t travel because I need money for food and lodging, and I can''t run out of money because I don''t have any family to fall back on once that happens." Dishon paused, "Now that I''m thinking about it, Maybe I shouldn''t be speaking about this with a kid like you..."


    Eri stared at Dishon for a moment, watching him scratch the fuzzy hair on his cheek, his smile faltering as he whispered something about needing to shave again, before she stood up, walked over to the older trainer, and wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug.


    "Oh. What''s the occasion?" Dishon asked as Eri, still wearing her pajamas, hugged him.


    "Dad always hugs me when I''m feeling down," Eri explained, her logic making perfect sense in her mind.


    "Okay then." Dishon didn''t bother arguing with a child, merely patting the girl on the back in an awkward display.


    The two stayed that way for a few more seconds before Dishon tapped Eri on the shoulder, causing her to end the hug and follow to where his finger was pointing.


    "Woah..." Eri whispered as the sun rose over the top of the Great Crater''s cliffs, the shadows on the ground rapidly escaping the sun''s rays as daylight finally graced the western half of Paldea.


    "Aren''t you going to take a picture?" Eri asked, her eyes briefly flicking to the phone on his lap.


    "...Nah," Dishon shook his head, "If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don''t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it." He chuckled to himself, the sentence sounding as if he was quoting it from somewhere else.


    "God, I love that movie..." And there was the confirmation Eri needed.


    The two of them stared at the sunrise for a few minutes longer, silently enjoying the view, before Dishon started packing the Tea kit, pulled a Pokeball out of his pocket, and returned Lemon to it.


    "Well, I''m going to the Pokemon Center to clean up and shave, I''m leaving the camp in your care, kiddo." Dishon told Eri as he stretched his back, "Also, you don''t need to keep pretending to sleep Big Guy, you stopped snoring a while ago, I know you''re awake."


    At his words, the large Tauros that lay next to Dendra''s tent stood up, snorting loudly and whipping his tails against his back.


    "Yeah yeah, I''ll see you all soon," Dishon halfheartedly waved the two goodbye before he started making his way to the Pokemon center.


    "..." Eri watched him walk away before she turned to look at the large Fighting/Water type.


    "Taur..."


    <hr>


    Walking back to the camp with a freshly shaven face and a dash of cologne, Dishon found himself suddenly dragged into a bone-crushing hug.


    "Ow... With this reaction, I assume you were listening in to my talk with Eri," Dishon managed to say as he felt his body get crushed between the arms of Dendra.


    "No clue what you''re talking about, I just felt like hugging you!" Dendra said, her tone of voice indicating a blatant lie, "Anyways, I want to reach Cascarrafa before lunch, we''ll eat at a restaurant, I''m paying too! Hurry up! Osu!"


    "Osu?" Dishon asked.


    "Osu! Yosh! Let''s get to it!" Dendra let go of the hug and ran back to her tent, starting the process of packing it up.


    Dishon smiled to himself and started his own process of packing up his tent.


    He might not be able to travel the world and do all the things he wants to do right now.


    "Salandit Sal!" His partner yelled at him as she ran over, climbed up his pants, and wrapped herself around his waist.


    But he can still enjoy the little things that can happen, and besides...


    "Are you ready to reach Cascarrafa, Fanny?"


    "Sal!"


    It''s the little things that count.

 Welcome to Cascarrafa

    Cascarrafa, The City of Water. Creative name, I know. It is the location of Paldea''s Water Type Gym, and my current place to stay for the foreseeable future.


    The City itself is made up of three levels, with elevators attached to the cliffs to take passengers up and down the stair-like city.


    It was an aesthetically beautiful city with buildings of white and blue, giving off a heavy Mediterranean feel that reminds me of my past life, although the beauty of the city is offset by the major and glaring architectural design flaws that are obvious to anyone with eyes.


    "Why did they not build any stairs?" I asked for what must have been the tenth time since our little group arrived in the city.


    The only way to move from one level of the city to another is through the previously mentioned elevators. There are no stairs, there are no slopes, nothing.


    I get it, Paldea doesn''t have as good a road network as other regions, mainly Galar and Unova, but what if someone bought a shipment from outside the city? How is a truck going to make it from the middle level to the bottom?


    It''s a travesty of city design and I already dread needing to take these elevators every time I need to switch a level.


    "Well... At least the view of the desert is nice, And I can almost see the ocean if I look hard enough..." I sighed, feeling Fanny''s tail already slap against my back, her weak usage of Torment doing nothing more than to pull me out of my bummed-out thoughts and focus on the two other trainers in our group.


    "Yosh! Let''s eat lunch!" Dendra said loudly, her arms swinging back and forth as she marched down the street like a soldier in boot camp, her eyes staring straight ahead. Most of her team returned to their Pokeballs once we entered the city, with only Medicham staying outside, mostly because she causes the least amount of trouble.


    "Where?" Eri, the ten-year-old trainer that temporarily joined our group asked, her Passimian back in his ball, Mankey staying close to her to not accidentally bump into other people or Pokemon on the street, "There are so many options..."


    "Some place that''s fit for lunch, surely," I told Eri. Fanny climbing up my back and laying her chin on my shoulder so she could look ahead, "A cafe could be nice, not too heavy, not too expensive, just right in the middle,"


    "No! A Cafe is for Brunch or an afternoon snack," Dendra said loudly, sharply turning around to stare at Eri and me.


    "It was just a suggestion... Also, you''re the one who''s paying." I told her, "You get to choose where we eat." My hand reached into my pocket, starting to fidget with the shrunken-down premier ball with a tiny Fomantis resting inside, rolling the small ball between my fingers.


    "Right, I get to choose!" Dendra said with renewed vigor, once more turning her back on Eri and I as she returned to marching down the street in search of a restaurant of her choice.


    "Medicham..." The Figthing/Psychic type gave us a look of apology before she ran ahead to catch up with her trainer.


    "Welp, Let''s not let her run away." I told Eri, the little girl nodding as the two of us resumed our walk down the street, her Mankey glaring at the many Murkrow and Squawkabilly that lived on the nearby roofs.


    <hr>


    Dendra decided we would eat at a restaurant on the bottom level of the city, which meant we got the privilege of taking the large elevator down a step.


    The restaurant itself was a place called Jade Palace Garden, which sold the Paldean attempt at making Kantonian cuisine.


    It was an "Asian Restaurant"


    Dendra and Eri both ordered the Ramen bowls, while I ordered the Pepper Steak with a side of Pickled Toedscool and Cucumbers.


    "Are you sure you want to pay for everything? You know I can pay for my own meal, you don-" I tried to ask Dednra, but the fighting-type specialist merely shook her head and said not to worry about it.


    The food itself was fine, the juice from the Pepper Steak soaked into the rice that came with the meal, giving it a juicy flavor, and the pickles were a nice palate cleanser to wash away the oily meal.


    I left a bit of the Pepper Steak for Fanny to eat while I left to go to the bathroom, returning to find Mankey eating the leftovers from Eri''s bowl.


    "Whew~ That was good," Dendra said once we left the restaurant, her hands on her hips as she stretched her back, "What should we have for dessert?"


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Ice Cream!" Eri immediately answered, her eyes wide and sparkling in the way only a little girl could make them, her Mankey joining her in giving Dendra the puppy-dog eyes.


    "I think dessert should be saved for dinner," I told the girls, "Right now, you two need to find a hotel for the night, while I need to update Miss Orchid to tell her that I made it to Cascarrafa," I stretched my arms as I started walking to a quiet bench at the side of the road, the only sound nearby coming from a group of young trainers battling each other several meters away.


    "Fine, we''ll get ice cream after dinner," Dendra said with disappointment before she pointed ahead, placed her hand on Eri''s shoulder, and started marching away, "Let''s go find a hotel! Osu!"


    "O- Osu!" Eri mimicked Dendra, struggling to keep up with the older girl''s longer legs.


    "I''ll meet you at the plaza on the second layer at Five!" I called out to the girls, and Eri turned to give me a thumbs up to notify me that she heard me and would tell Dendra.


    <hr>


    "Gotho... Rita?"


    Outside the Alfronda Battle Hotel, a young psychic-type Pokemon turned her head to look at a small device ringing beside her, sticking out of the small bag that her boss carried around.


    "Go?" She said as she levitated the ringing device out of the bag to look at it, recognizing the device as a phone.


    Two questions popped into her mind, one went along the lines of "Should I go call Orchid?"


    The other went in the opposite direction.


    So of course, she chose the second option.


    "Gothorita~" She said as her small hand clicked on the green button that appeared on the phone''s screen, placing the device next to her ear.


    "Gothorita?" She heard the voice from the other side of the device repeat, her eyes widening as she recognized the voice on the other side of the phone.


    "Ri Rita!" She said with a smile as she started walking in circles around the plaza outside the hotel, ignoring the stares her family was giving her.


    "Look, Gothorita, I need to speak with Orchid, can you give her the phone?" Dishon asked from the other side of the device.


    "Gothi!" Gothorita gave a small salute before she turned to where Orchid was standing, speaking with a few construction workers who were busy taking down a wall from the hotel, needing to apparently replace all the piping in that section of the building.


    <hr>


    I waited patiently with my ear to my phone, listening as Gothorita gave the phone to Orchid, who seemed to be in the middle of a discussion with someone else.


    "Who is- Dishon! Sweetie, how is everything going? All good I hope~" Orchid said the moment she picked up the phone, her tone switching instantaneously when she realized I was the one calling her.


    "Everything is fine here, Miss Orchid, I was just calling to let you know that we made it to Cascarrafa," I told my boss and landlady.


    "Really? I''ll update my friend Isabella, She''s the one I spoke to you about," Orchid told me.


    "About the guest room, yes I remember, It was only three days ago," I told her.


    "Only three days? It feels like an entire year passed since we talked about it... Just joking~" Orchid chuckled from the other side of the phone, "I''ll text you her address once I finish giving her a call of my own, I already sent your bonus to the bank, both for the repairs and for helping take down those Team Flare ruffians~" She distanced the phone from herself for a moment, letting me hear her shout at some people that were too far to be heard, "Anyways, I want you to give me a call tomorrow evening as well, update me on everything, okay Sweetie? See you in three weeks~"


    Before I could respond to her request, she already hung up on me, likely to speak to this Isabella friend of hers.


    Five minutes later, I received the text with the address.


    "Well, let''s go introduce ourselves~" I told Fanny as I stood up, the poison type climbing back up my body and wrapping around my waist, a flash of light from a premier ball absorbing Lemon back into her ball.


    The address led to a house on the west side of the bottom layer of Cascarrafa, which was close to where we already were so there wasn''t much walking required. It was a two-story building with white-painted walls and a sloped roof painted blue, it had a small fenced-off garden behind it that bordered the Asado Desert.


    Beyond the fence and into the desert, I could spot several Capsakids running around in the sand, tripping and dropping their teeth before returning to their game of chase.


    I looked at the door, took a deep breath, grabbed the strap of the new bag I carried, and pressed the doorbell.


    As the door opened, a small boy popped out, roughly the same age as Eri.


    "Yo, are you the guy Mom said will be staying for a few weeks?" The boy asked, the toothy grin on his face contrasting with his lidded eyes, giving him a slightly creepy look.


    "Ehh... Yes?" I ignored the slaps on my back courtesy of Fanny, "Is your Mom here?"


    "Nah, She''s at the Rant, that''s short for Restaurant, but she told me to show you to the guest room once you get here," He led me inside, "Dijon, right? What is that? Kalosian?"


    "It''s Dishon actually, and I''m from Unova originally," I told the kid as we went up the stairs onto the second floor, before stopping at a door at the end of a small corridor.


    "Doesn''t sound Unovan, but I don''t judge~" The kid shrugged his shoulders, "This here''s your room, It has its own shower and bathroom attached, you can thank Dad for that one~ Set your things down, Mom will be back at eight and Dad will get here in an hour or two, yo~" He told me as I opened the door to the guest room and took a look inside.


    "Also, Mom will expect to speak with you once she''s back, so be here before eight if you plan on going out," The kid said with a smirk as I took a look around the room, checking in on the bathroom that was on the other side of the room.


    "Good to know." I told him, "By the way, do you know of any good Ice Cream places around here? I told some friends that we''ll have Ice Cream after dinner."


    "Do I know? Heh~ Don''t sweat it, I''ll show you all the places that are worth memorizing here in the city~" He smiled to himself before he pointed a finger at my face, "Yo! I''m Giacomo! At the deck, I go by DJ Vice! Call me whichever- It''s a vibe either way~"


    "Pawniard!" A Small Pokemon jumped out from behind him, joining the kid in pointing at my face as if they were trying to copy a pose from some cartoon they watched.


    And looking at them, I couldn''t help but note to myself that the next three weeks until the hotel was fixed, were not going to be calm or normal.


    But I guess I should have expected something lively to happen, after all, this is the wonderful world of Pokemon.

 No Longer Homeless

    After I set my things down in the guest room at the house I was staying at, Giacomo decided to give me a tour of Cascarrafa until his Dad returns from work.


    "That over there is where the library is," The young boy said as we walked through the white and blue streets of the city, "And that over there is the police station, over there is the flying taxi station, and over there-"


    I nodded along as I followed the boy, the baseball cap on my head shifting slightly as a shiny Fomantis poked her tiny head from under the brim, her arms grabbing onto my head like hair clips.


    There''s so much I haven''t shown you yet, but it''s boring stuff nobody really cares about, so I''ll skip it~" The kid said as he crossed his arms, his Pawniard following suit.


    "So that''s it for the tour, what do ya'' think? Awesome? I know~" The boy grinned confidently. "Come on! Dad should be home by now. He''ll probably want to get to know you before mom gets here~" And with that decision, my short tour of the City of Water came to an end.


    <hr>


    "We''re so close, let''s try again! Mankey, use Karate Chop!" In a training area outside a cheap hotel, Eri and her team decided to get some time in, to ready themselves for their upcoming trek through the desert.


    "Mannn-" The small Fighting Type howled as he glared at the training dummy, his hand rising above his head as it began to glow with orange Fighting-Type energy. "-Key!!!!" The hand struck down at the dummy with a sharp chopping motion, only for the fighting-type energy to fizzle away before the attack made contact, turning the move into a simple slap.


    "Mankey..." The Pokemon said in disappointment, his tail drooping to the ground before his glare hardened. He let out a yell, angrily thrashing the dummy with all of his body.


    Eri let out a sigh as she watched the move fail for what felt like the hundredth time, but before the disappointment could get to her, she slapped both her hands onto her cheeks and shook her head, grabbed her nearby bag and pulled out a wig and mask.


    "This isn''t the time to get angry! It''s time to succeed!" The little girl yelled excitedly, trying to deepen her voice to make herself sound older, "Mankey! Follow my lead!" She yelled at her partner before raising her own hand and doing a Karate Chop of her own.


    "Man?" The Pokemon turned to its trainer, his eyes starting to water as he watched the girl perform the move on her own. "Mankey Key Key!" With a fire ignited in his heart, Mankey returned to the dummy, practicing his own Karate Chop.


    "Osu! Never give up! Never surrender!" Eri cheered her partner on as the duo continued performing the move.


    "Osu! Yosh! That''s the way to do it!" Dendra cheered the duo on from the other side of the training field, sweatbands on her head and wrists as she did her own exercise, alternating between push-ups, sit-ups, and running in place.


    "Medicham."


    Dendra turned to watch her Pokemon hold her phone up to her, pointing at the time.


    It was already five-thirty.


    "WHAT?!" Dendra yelped loudly, snatching her phone from her Pokemon and taking a closer look, her eyes widening as she looked at the notifications, ignoring all the unimportant spam notices that she told herself she''ll clean up but never actually got around to and instead focused on her messenger app.


    "Hey, I''m at the meeting place, where are you?" The first message read.


    "It''s been ten minutes, are you coming?" The next message was sent ten minutes after the first one.


    Next came a picture of a shiny Salandit posing next to a fountain, followed by another picture of that same Salandit, now edited to have a tiny pair of sunglasses over her eyes, small stickers of hearts of diamonds floated around her.


    "Look at how cute she is!" The accompanying message read out.


    The next message was an address, with the message that followed explaining that''s where he''ll be staying for the next three weeks.


    The next picture was of Dishon holding up a cup of freshly squeezed fruit juice, accompanied by a child with a Pawniard, and an older man who looked like what the child would look like in thirty years.


    "These are Giacomo and Frank, We''re having juice." The message read simply, accompanied by an emoji depicting a cup with a straw next to an emoji of a cantaloupe, a banana, and a kiwi.


    The last message was sent two minutes ago.


    "Are you coming or what? Please answer soon so I''ll know whether to wait or return to the house."


    "Eri! We forgot to meet up with Dishon!" She called out to the young girl, who was still cheering on as she and her Mankey were chopping their hands.


    "It''s now?!" The girl turned to Dendra, "You said we had time to train!"


    "I did, we just happened to go over time, no big problem, right? Hehe~" Dendra rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, only for her Medicham to jump and give her a weak slap on the head, pointing her hand at the phone once she landed.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Right!" Dendra nodded to her Pokemon before she quickly sent Dishon a message telling him Eri and she were on the way.


    "Let''s go put our stuff back in our room and wash our faces before heading out," Dendra told Eri as the little girl took off her mask and wig, shoving the two objects into her backpack before swiftly making her way back into the hotel to clean up.


    <hr>


    "It has been four days..."


    Sitting at his office on the top floor of a high-rise tower, a man with wild orange hair stared at the computer screen in front of him, the large window that covered the entire wall behind him letting the setting sun illuminate his back, while inadvertently casting a shadow over the rest of the room, making it difficult for the other people in the room to directly look at him, lest they get the sun in their eyes.


    The table the man sat in extended further into the room, giving it the appearance of a meeting room more than a regular office.


    "I believe we can say that her experiment caught the attention of the local authorities and she was captured, as we already predicted would happen." A balding man said as fixed the small glasses he wore over his eyes.


    "So lame. That''s just so lame." A purple-haired woman said as she shook her head, "We told her that leaving the region will put her at extra risk, and look what she did..." The lady sighed tiredly, not taking the issue at hand as seriously as the others in the room.


    "The probability of her capture was low enough that we allowed her to go regardless," A woman with green hair reminded the group, a single finger of hers moving to push the large green visor on her face further up her nose. "I suggest we cut our losses with her and move on ahead with the plan, we already got most of what we need. We''re just waiting for the excavation team to make sure the project is running as needed."


    "Just abandoning her on her own like that? That''s lame even for you." The purple-haired lady told the green-haired woman, her head lazily bobbing from side to side in an attempt to keep herself awake.


    "We''re not abandoning her," A young woman with short orange hair and a large visor over her eyes told the two other women before she turned to the man with the mane of orange hair, "My work on the project is already complete, there''s no problem with me going to Paldea to pick her up myself, is there?"


    The balding man turned to the man who owned the office they were all sitting in, "She has a point. Despite her immaturity, Mable has been a part of our team since the start. It would be needlessly cruel to just abandon her in another region." He told him, "On the other hand, with the project nearing its completion, we''ll need as many hands as we can get to stay here and make sure everything is going as planned, we don''t need those brats butting in to throw a wrench in our plan again," He took out a rubber glove from his pocked and started putting it over a white glove on his left hand.


    "At the end of the day, it''s your decision, Boss." He stared calmly at the man with the mane.


    The man with the orange mane stayed silent for a moment, the only sound coming from him being the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on the table in front of him.


    After a full minute of silence, the tapping stopped and the man focused on the woman with orange hair, "Aliana," He told her, "You are to go to Paldea and find Mable, Once you make contact with her, make sure to keep her out of trouble with the locals and await further orders," His blue eyes stared into the thin lines of the visor covering her eyes, "You are dismissed."


    Nodding her head, Aliana stood up from her spot at the meeting table and made her way out of the room.


    "Hey, Ali, get me a souvenir when you''re coming back~" The purple-haired lady told her, no longer bothering to try and keep her eyes on who she was speaking to as she stared at the ceiling, entranced by an expensive lamp.


    "Don''t forget to grab the notes she took on her experiments. The probability of them being useful isn''t high, but it''s still better than zero." The green-haired woman told Aliana.


    Aliana stared blankly at the two women for a moment, before she burst into laughter, "Ah ha ha! You two are so funny sometimes~" She covered her mouth with a gloved hand as she laughed, swiftly calming herself down and telling the two women, "Don''t tell me what to do."


    "Enough." The balding man raised his voice, shutting the trio of women up, "Aliana, you have your mission, go."


    Aliana clicked her tongue as she turned around and left the room, the door closing behind her as she kept walking down a dimly lit corridor, making her way towards the elevator at the end.


    Stepping into the elevator, Aliana pressed a series of buttons seemingly at random before the elevator started making its way down.


    Aliana took the time in the elevator to take off her Visor, blinking her green eyes rapidly as they quickly adjusted to their new vision before she placed a small pair of glasses over her eyes, letting out a sigh as she once again had her regular vision back.


    Holding the visor in her hands, Aliana stepped out of the elevator as it stopped on a subterranean floor of the building that was inaccessible to normal employees.


    Making her way through the subterranean level, she entered a small private office and locked the door behind her, quickly taking off her bright red outfit and switching to a much less eye-catching set of clothes.


    Finally, she picked up a suitcase she had prepared days prior before stepping out of the office and locking it behind her before she began to walk to the exit from the building.


    Finally reaching the exit and climbing up a few more stairs before walking out into an alleyway, Aliana took a moment to look at the orange sky above her head before focusing back on her mission.


    She took out a phone she received a few weeks prior and called the only number that it had.


    "..." She waited patiently for the other side to pick up.


    "..." She waited a bit longer, beginning to tap her foot on the ground to pass the time.


    A few seconds later, the person on the other side finally answered the phone.


    "...You''re finally thinking about my offer?" The man on the other side asked her.


    "Yeah," Aliana answered simply, "But I''m adding a condition to me going along with this," she told him.


    "This better be something I can explain to the higher ups," The man said, "What do you want?"


    "Recently, A coworker of mine got stranded in Paldea, I am currently making my way to meet up with her. What I want is for your offer to extend to her as well," Aliana told the man.


    "...You''re talking about Mable? Look, she''s going to be harder to convince the higher ups to-"


    "I don''t care! If I''m getting out, I''m bringing her with me. Either find a way to convince your bosses that-"


    "Okay! Okay, relax. I''ll do it, I can pull a few favors, and with the information you already promised us, I''m sure the higher ups will be ready to look the other way. Fine." The man on the other side of the phone told her, "Once you find Mable, make sure to stay in Paldea, someone will pick you up from there. We''ll be tracking the phone, so don''t lose it."


    "Fine, don''t call me back unless it''s with confirmation that your bosses accepted my request," Aliana told him before hanging up the call.


    She spent a moment staring at the black screen of the phone.


    "...Ah ha ha!" She laughed, her smile wide and excited, "Yes! I did it!" After an excited pump of her fist into the air, Aliana quickly calmed down, picked up her suitcase, and began making her way towards the train station.


    She had a boat to catch.


    <hr>


    On the other side of the city, Agent Looker of the International Police placed one of his phones down on the table in front of him and began to rub at his temple.


    "I can already feel the headache coming..." He groaned before he picked up a different phone and began making calls.


    He had some favors to call in.