This was it.

Following the end of Professor Damocles's humorously wise words, every graduating student and starting Pokémon partner pumped their arms and appendages into the air out of sheer excitement. Of course, the good professor had a mind to officially hand them their own Pokédex before leaving, which also had their respective Trainer IDs. They were officially registered and free to go about as they pleased. And with that matter of business taken care of, everyone had already bolted out of the classroom to either immediately begin traveling or to bid a farewell to their families.

Standing outside of the Lumiose Trainer Academy front entrance were Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino. The aspiring DJ and his starter Pokémon were already at a distance from his three friends.

"Later, homies!" Nino waved along with Squirtle, preparing to run off. "I'm gonna stop by my folks' place and then I'm finally on my way."

"Gotta catch ya later, bro!" Adrien yelled back.

Marinette couldn't help but stifle a girlish giggle, which wound up sounding like an unladylike snort, much to her personal embarrassment, while Alya rolled her eyes despite having a good-natured smirk.

"Really should've seen that coming," Alya commented dryly before muttering something else under her breath out of earshot. "You're lucky Marinette's madly in love with you to overlook those ridiculous puns you toss out time to time."

"So… uh… you're not traveling with Nino… Adrien?" Marinette managed to ask in spite of her nervousness.

"Nah, as much as I love the guy, we're rivals now," Adrien replied. "Maybe not the type of rivals with opposing ideals that would fight to the bitter end, but friendly rivals that keep pushing each other to do their best. So of course we'd have to go our separate ways to see how much we've grown from the last time we see each other. You know, Marinette, that includes you and me if you're also going to collect badges for the Pokémon League."

"Oh… right, I see," Marinette nodded, appearing a bit dejected for some reason as Adrien could perceive.

"Is there something wrong, Marinette?" Adrien asked in concern.

The dark-haired designer immediately froze up from the question. The reason for her despair was thinking that Adrien didn't want to travel alongside her and Alya based off his reasoning on Nino, even though she was aware that their current goals would pit them against each other at several points during their journey. Had she had the courage to admit her true feelings to him while they were still in the Academy and by the very microscopic chance that he reciprocated them, maybe they could've been another power couple just like Ivan and Mylène.

This was sadly not the case for her.

"You know, Adrien, Marinette and I are gonna travel together around Kalos, at least until I pick up a trail of a suspiciously hot scoop and would have to leave the little lady all by her lonesome self for the time being," Alya spoke up. Marinette felt a suspicious chill crawl up her back, pulling her out of her silence and placing her on edge. "We were both hoping that a gentleman such as yourself would at least accompany us to the first gym, likely at Santalune City, if you're also planning to go solo."

Adrien appeared pensive and looked away as to think about the question while Marinette skidded up to the brunette journalist, panic evident in her widened bluebell eyes. Alya observed her bestie with an amused look.

"Alya, what are you doing?!" Marinette whispered in a sharp hiss, tugging down on her pigtails in distress.

"What does it look like? I know you've wanted to travel together with Adrien for the longest time, but of course, you've lost the nerve to ask at each moment."

"But I don't want him to join us like this! By guilt tripping him!"

"It's… not so much as to 'guilt trip' him into joining us, but more like… finding a shared interest and working together under a common cause."

"B-But what if Adrien thinks that this is a trick and that we were messing with him just to throw him off his game for the Kalos League?! He'll think that we were trying to put him at an unfair advantage! He'll never take me seriously again, he won't ever want to take me out on dates or romantic strolls through the flower fields, he'll curbstomp me at every battle without mercy, I won't be able to start a Pokémon daycare center with him, and I'll wind up growing old bitter and alone!"

"Your worst case scenarios are always so over-the-top, Marinette."

"… And you're enjoying this a little too much, aren't 'cha, Alya?"

"You know you love it, girl," Alya winked back. "You're so incorrigible sometimes. What would you do without me?"

"I'd rather not answer," Marinette mumbled in defeat.

"Hey, you two," Adrien called over, giving the girls a heads up on his approach. "Not to sound indecisive, but I'm still debating about it. I'm going to walk around the city for a bit if you girls are still going to be around."

"We need to say au revoir to our families first before we head out," Alya explained. "Why don't you join us while we visit them while you think about the offer?"

Both young girls knew that the blond prodigy didn't really have anyone to say good-bye to in Lumiose City as his father had a lot of pressing duties keeping him away and that anyone else that tended to him also weren't in town. Even his personal assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur, had been given new responsibilities now that Adrien was of age to travel independently. Marinette could tell that Alya sounded a bit hesitant when asking Adrien, but she didn't want him to go just yet, even if it was just for her sake. There was honestly no reason for him to stay around longer than he needed to, and the sight of them saying good-bye to their families might make him uncomfortable.

"I guess there's no harm," Adrien shrugged, casually overlapping his arms behind his head. "It's honestly better than having Chloé getting on my case about it."

"Sounds like a good thing that she's ambitious for her journey," Marinette muttered sarcastically; she was super grateful on the inside that the brat didn't persist in getting the love of her life to travel with her instead.

"We're still bound to run into her and Sabrina at some point, along with some of our old classmates," Alya added, shaking her head. "Anyway, let's stop by my family's place first. My mom got time off from work and no doubt my younger sisters are in a frenzy right now that their old sister is officially off on a journey."

"They'll likely Scatterbug you to call each week on any new Pokémon you catch," Adrien joked. Marinette unconsciously felt her lips expand into a goofy grin on that pun; the manner her love had delivered it was just so endearing. "We'll definitely have to maintain regular contact just to trade stories, and possibly some Pokémon along the way."

"You've read my mind, A," Alya grinned, holding up and wiggling the smartphone in her hand. "Has Nino even checked in with you?"

"No notification so far, not that I already miss him," Adrien sighed.

"Aww, someone's getting lonely like a Cubone," Alya teased, leaning close to the blonde boy and poked him on the chest a few times before turning a predatory-like gaze upon her confused best friend. Marinette was fearful over the brunette journalist's next plan of attack. "Say Adrien, I'm actually going to take a while with the fam. Why don't you accompany Marinette over to her parents' place?"

"N-No-no!" Marinette stumbled, attempting to turn down the gesture with waving hands. "… Um, I don't mind… uh… going on my own, but… um… you can walk w-with me if you want… I mean, this is the path of life we're walking on… and, uh, everyone walks the life path differently, but sometimes together… Not to mention that there's the Pokémon path, which is supposed to be symbolic on why we became Pokémon Trainers in the first place, and now I'm rambling yet again…"

"That's alright, Marinette," Adrien said, walking up to her while Plagg climbed up onto his shoulder. He didn't really understand why she was easily nervous and flustered around him during their time at Lumiose Trainer Academy, but hopefully by spending some alone time with her, he might get to understand her tics and quirks better. "I don't mind walking with you either. I really enjoy your company."

Right as he ended his statement with a kind smile, Marinette felt a sudden familiar buildup of warmth in her chest whenever she was positively received by the boy of her dreams. She couldn't help but nod rather numbly to accept his temporary companionship to her family bakery. As such, Alya and her Elekid gave her a push in the right direction to where the bakery was located, knowing that the dark-haired girl would flub it by not looking where she was walking while doing it in front of Adrien.

"Let's meet up at the front of Prism Tower once we've said our good-byes to the fams in about half to an hour!" Alya proposed before taking her leave.

With Alya out of the scene for now, Marinette and Adrien wound up walking side by side with their partner Pokémon perched upon their shoulders. The walk to her family's bakery wasn't far from the Academy, but the two of them were quiet along the way. Marinette was still wrapping around her mind that she and the boy of her dreams were alone together while Adrien entertained himself with the various sights and activities around Lumiose City as he felt that his friend needed some space in preparation for departing from her parents.

It really didn't take long as they entered the boulevard where Marinette lived. And as if on cue, both of her parents stood outside of the front entrance of their bakery, waving over to their daughter.

"Mama! Papa!" Marinette bellowed, waving back and running ahead with Tikki flying by her side.

"I can't believe this day has actually come," Tom Dupain said, grinning widely while trying to fight back tears. "My baby girl will be traveling Kalos all by herself, catching every Pokémon she sees, and conquering every gym she finds. She'll finally become a Pokémon Master!"

"Papa, I'm not that ambitious," Marinette groaned playfully. "And I don't care about being a Master. I just want to be a top Pokémon fashion designer. There are others who are more deserving than I am of the fancy title."

"Oh, you mean like that charming friend of yours over there?" Sabine Cheng teased, smiling at the distant Adrien and prompting him to give a friendly wave back.

"Mom!" Marinette whined, the area on her face that her youthful freckles decorated giving off a bright red blush while she anxiously stomped her feet back and forth.

It became increasingly difficult to control her wild emotions as her father beckoned Adrien over with a jolly wave of the hand. And being the polite, upstanding young man he was raised to be, Adrien calmly traveled over to the Dupain-Cheng family as requested.

"You must be one of Marinette's classmates from the Academy," Tom greeted, extending a large hand for Adrien to shake. "I'm her father, Tom Dupain. But please feel free to call me Tom instead."

"My name is Adrien, sir," Adrien responded, firmly grasping the handshake. "The pleasure is all mine."

"No seriously, call me Tom, my boy," Tom grinned.

"And I'm Sabine, Marinette's mother," Sabine stepped in with a warm smile. "Tom and I are very happy that Marinette has such a nice friend like you looking after her, aside from Alya and her little Tikki that is."

"Um, thanks," Adrien replied sheepishly; were her parents not around at the moment, Marinette would be gushing over how adorable Adrien looked as a shy boy, but now she felt even more embarrassed because of them hovering over him. "I'm just trying my best and all."

"Gonna compete for the Kalos League, eh?" Tom asked. "That means both you and Marinette are rivals."

"We established that last chapter already, Papa," Marinette mumbled in annoyance.

"That's a cute little Purrloin you have there," Sabine said, walking up to the Devious Pokémon lazing on Adrien's shoulder and giving him a gentle pat on the head. Plagg was receptive to the attention, even though eating some cheese right now would be better than being called 'cute.' "Is this your starter?"

"I know, it's kinda unusual starting out with a Purrloin," Adrien agreed, receiving a disgruntled glare from Plagg. "I was fine with receiving the standard starter Pokémon offered by the other regions, including Kalos, but when I encountered Plagg back at Professor Damocles's reserve, we just felt an instant connection. So basically, we chose each other as our new partners, if that made any sense."

"More or less," Tom commented. "Then again, the only Pokémon we have at the bakery helping us out are Fletchling and Makuhita."

"Makuhita is good at flattening out the dough with Tom as well as making long-distanced deliveries," Sabine explained. "And Fletchling… well, let's just say our little Flying-type is Marinette's favorite alarm clock."

"MOM!" Marinette wailed, the urge to find a Pokémon that knew Dig and have it bury her six feet under right now to hide her burning shame bursting at the peak. "This… cannot… be happening…!"

"Sounds like there's never a dull moment in your lives," Adrien remarked softly. "I'm glad for you."

"What about you, Adrien?" Sabine inquired. "How's home like for you?"

The blond prodigy felt himself stiffen at the question. As far as Marinette knew of her crush according to Alya, Nino, and her own private investigations that cannot be legally proved as stalking whatsoever provided, Adrien didn't have the most spectacular life growing up despite growing up wealthy, at least when it came to his mother going missing a few years back before any of them turned ten. At least before she disappeared, his father was said to have spent more time with the family, but now he was neglected and all alone. Simply thinking about was enough to twist and torture her heart. She was worried on how Adrien was going to react.

"It's… mostly quiet," the Agreste model replied, struggling to keep his good-natured smile, but both Tom and Sabine could tell that this was a particularly sensitive topic for him and quickly backed off, for his and Marinette's sakes.

"Well, aren't you glad now that you will experience a ton of excitement once you and Marinette step out of Lumiose City?" Tom offered as to cheer the younger boy up. "I was quite the Trainer back in the day, even if I hadn't won a Pokémon League. But my greatest accomplishment in life has always been settling down with this wonderful lady standing next to me and having a beautiful daughter pursuing her dreams."

"Oh, Tom, you're still the hopeless romantic I remembered when we first met," Sabine cooed, allowing her small frame to be wrapped by her husband's huge arm. "Then again, I was also a hopeless dork back then. It really was meant to be, and I'm happy that it was."

Ugh, as if them suffocating Adrien was bad enough, now they're in lovey-dovey mode, Marinette mentally moaned, wondering how much redder her face could get from all this embarrassment. Adrien's bound to think I'm some sort of desperate love-starved freak because of them.

Adrien, on the other hand, seemed to take their behavior in stride as he watched their interactions with quiet fascination. Had Marinette been paying closer attention, she would have been able to pick out the bit of longing from his gorgeous green eyes. Instead, she worked on getting her bearings together after some prodding from Tikki.

"Ree Reh-di," Tikki hummed.

"I know, Tikki, and I still love them no matter what," Marinette replied. "I just hope they haven't scared Adrien from wanting to go out with me… not that he'd want to ask me out anytime soon."

"Ree," Tikki frowned, raising a brow while folding all three pairs of limbs.

"True, if Adrien was scared off by my parents, he might've done so already because he's straight like that, but he's just so good staying all calm, cool, and collected almost all the time, which is everything I'm not," Marinette huffed. "It's hard to tell if he's just being polite or if he actually enjoys being around my parents. I suppose that it'd be a good thing in the long run if I'm to make him mine."

"Ree Ree Reh-di," Tikki continued.

"You're right, it's time for us to get back on track," Marinette said, holding a tight fist close to her chest as a resolute metaphorical fire burned behind her bluebell eyes. "If Adrien can handle the attention my parents throw at him, then I, too, will survive through anything that's thrown my way so that one day he and I will be together."

Right as Marinette was about to enter into the conversation Adrien was in with her parents, both Tom and Sabine surprised them by ushering the blond, green-eyed boy to join them inside their personal bakery. Marinette blinked blankly a few times before slumping her shoulders forward in frustration.

So much for the hyped-up bravado she was going to show.

Making her way inside, Marinette found her parents sharing a small box filled with a variety of cookies, macarons, Poké Puffs, and a handful of croissants inside to Adrien. It didn't surprise her that they managed to fit quite a bundle of goodies in their bakery-brand containment units. This was what she would call their special Dupain-Cheng care package.

"Please take this for the road, Adrien," Tom requested, handing him the box. "It's on the house."

"I can't just… do that," Adrien replied with a nervous chuckle. "Let me pay for some of it, at least."

"Nonsense!" Sabine exclaimed. "You're skinnier than a Sudowoodo and as light as a Gastly! I don't know what goes on in your home, but I do know growing boys like you have to eat. Please! We insist."

"Heh… I… really don't know what to say," Adrien said as his lips formed a soft, grateful smile. "Thank you so much. It's just that… I'm capable of getting anything what I want, but I don't really use that privilege much. Home-baked goods, however, are always appreciated and nice."

"We get ya, son," Tom grinned, sending a hefty pat onto Adrien's back and nearly causing the poor boy to topple over and Plagg falling off his shoulder and land face first into the ground. "But an honest man like you shouldn't live below your privileges. You clearly know the value of work and responsibility, just like our dear Marinette."

"You know, she could really use someone like you in her life," Sabine added with a giggle.

"Okay, that's enough from the both of you," Marinette grumbled, entering the scene with Tikki back on her shoulder. "You're going to suffocate him at this rate."

"You're right," Tom responded, giving his daughter a thumbs-up. "That should be up to you, shouldn't it?"

"Dad," Marinette warned, even though she couldn't help but break out into an amused smile despite trying to maintain a serious façade.

"You know your dad loves you, sweetie," Sabine intervened. "Anyway, we just gave Adrien some extra treats we had that didn't sell today for the road. We have extra care packages like that prepared for you and Alya. Is she still in the city?"

"She's still giving her farewell to her family," Marinette explained. "We promised to meet back up in front of Prism Tower in less than an hour."

"It's almost been half an hour since we split off," Adrien pointed out, quickly checking the time on his cell phone. "Should we start heading over there now?"

"E-Ee-yeah," Marinette managed to answer. "… If you're ready to leave, that is. I'll go with you there too, and then… uh, we'll plan our next… course of action! Y-Yeah…"

"I should probably give you a moment with your parents first," Adrien suggested, patting the dark-haired girl on her free shoulder. Marinette felt her internal temperature spike up and the area where Adrien briefly placed his hand tingled soothingly from his touch. "I'll wait for you outside. Plagg, let's go."

Plagg, who had been on the floor since Tom's affectionate gesture towards his Trainer, stood on his hind legs and walked with him with a bored expression on his face. It was only when Adrien pulled out a bite-sized plastic-wrapped cube of Moomoo Farm cheese from his bag that Plagg appeared more lively as they exited the bakery.

"~Arceus bless that handsome boy," Marinette whispered ingenuously as she watched him leave with a tender smile on her face and placed a hand over the shoulder that he touched.

"He's a strong, thoughtful boy," Sabine commented, pulling her daughter back to reality.

"I'd say he's a keeper, that one," Tom chuckled, pretending to stand on one knee as though he was proposing. "Marinette, you must speak up now before someone else does. S'il vous plait!"

"You two really know how to drive me nuts," Marinette sighed, having become accustomed to her parents' behavior instead of freaking out. "But I still love you lots."

"We love you too, sweetie," Sabine replied, bringing the whole Dupain-Cheng family for a wholehearted group hug.

Tom easily wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter, practically lifting them up in joy as a result. Tikki dotingly watched the interaction from the air, pleased that her Trainer came from such a loving family. Marinette laughed playfully while a few tears were shed from her eyes. She certainly made it possible to laugh and cry at the same time, only because she was going to leave her family for a long period of time.

Only upon returning to Lumiose City to challenge its tough gym could she see them again, and that would require a minimum of four badges to get in. Of course, there would be certain moments in which she would have to cross through the city multiple times in order to access different sections of Kalos. So missing her family wouldn't be too bad since there will be many opportunities to pass through Lumiose City and visit while on her journey.

"We only tease you because we love you so much, Marinette," Tom said, placing his girls back on their feet. "But I can tell that Adrien has a big heart and a good head on his shoulders. Take care of each other, even if you go your separate ways."

"… Thanks… Papa," Marinette sniffled, the reality of her finally embarking on a Pokémon journey sinking in as she ran up to him and gave him another big hug.

"We're so proud of you, Marinette," Sabine added, tapping under her eyes with a handkerchief to wipe away her own motherly tears. "And we'll always be proud of you no matter what."

"Take Kalos by storm!" Tom declared with a manly blubber, pumping his fist high into the air. "Show them all what you're made of! Marinette Dupain-Cheng style! Boo-yah!"

"Got it!" Marinette exclaimed, drying up her tears and taking one of her parents' care packages while Tikki took care of the other for Alya.

"Don't forget to stay in contact," Sabine reminded as her daughter was near the door. "Call us at least once a week, preferably at a Pokémon Center. It'll be easier that way."

"You better have some fun stories ready to share," Tom concurred.

"Ha, love ya!" Marinette called back, passing the door and stepping forth to the outside.

She found Adrien waiting patiently as he had promised. He looked into the distance, clearly eager to roam around to his heart's content. Marinette couldn't help but fawn over his form projected under the morning sun. His hair was shining like the rays of sun that lightly caressed his slightly tanned skin. The quiet summer breeze played with the buoyancy of his fluffy blond hair. She wouldn't mind eating up this visage for hours on end.

"Hey, Marinette, you ready to go?" Adrien asked, having noticed that she's outside now.

Marinette stumbled from the sudden question out of fear of being caught staring, nearly dropping her personal care package. Fortunately, she was quick to recover and quick to nod her answer while wearing an awkward smile. Unsure how to react to the gesture, Adrien sent a smile back her way and prompted her to join him as they left for Prism Tower.

"Um… hey… uh… sorry for taking so long," Marinette said as an attempt for conversation.

"Don't worry about it," Adrien reassured with a pleasant smile. "If anything, Alya would probably message you if you somehow took too long."

"Y-Yeah."

"By the way, is that package Tikki is holding for her?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"I think it's really cool how you and your parents look out for your friends. Also, I snagged a cookie from my box. Couldn't help it."

"N-No, it's okay. It's yours after all."

"Thanks. It's very delicious, by the way. Your parents are remarkable bakers."

"Yeah, they are…"

"Do you bake too, Marinette? It wouldn't surprise me if you did. You are very talented, after all."

"O-Oh, no… I mean, yeah… I'm baked… I mean, I helped bake a lot and still did while at the Academy. It's nothing special… really."

"Given that you live close by, like I said, that's not surprising. You're pretty amazing, you know."

"Eh heh heh… yeah…"

Marinette couldn't help but mentally berate herself for not being as composed as she should while at the same time congratulate herself for being able to hold something of a decent conversation with Adrien, even if her responses were rather short and cutoff. A dreadful thought soon arrived in her mind that Adrien might think that she was being short with him and think that she didn't like him at all. She outwardly grimaced at the traumatizing idea and attempted to silently call upon as much willpower as she could to act somewhat normal around him, at least so that he wouldn't get the wrong idea of her feelings for him.

Of course, her plan to win back Adrien's heart would have to be postponed for a while.

"Hey, guys!" Alya beckoned, waving over to them from the wide front of Prism Tower. Her Elekid was next to her, holding up three thin plastic containers in his arms. "Over here!"

Marinette exhaled again, upset that her best friend had disrupted her concentration. Fortunately, she was able to brush the feeling aside upon sensing Adrien's gaze upon her. Bearing an infectious eager smile, Marinette felt pumped to reunite with Alya from exchanging glances with her blond crush. They synchronously nodded as though they read each other's thoughts, running up to Alya to get this show on the road.

"Alya! I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," Marinette responded, slightly out of breath and flushed from the run alongside Adrien.

"Nah, I thought I was going to hold you guys back with the way my sisters clung onto me," Alya waved off, casting her attention upon the sole male of their group. "So Adrien, how did meeting Marinette's parents go?"

"They were really nice," Adrien said, moving a hand to fix his hair from his sprint. "Funny you should mention her parents as they also have a gift for you."

"For moi?" Alya gasped, even though she practically feigned her surprised look out of amusement.

"Tikki, if you please," Marinette requested.

Her Ledyba flew over to the brunette journalist, cradling her entrusted care package with the use of four limbs. Alya graciously accepted the box and gave an affectionate pat on her antennae.

"Tikki is such a sweetie," Alya grinned, securing the box of pastries under an arm while the Five Star Pokémon went back to Marinette's side. "And a thousand thanks to your parents for the sweets! I actually got something for you guys too." She snapped her fingers, prompting Elekid to expertly fling two of his boxes into Marinette's and Adrien's hands. "Lunch, courtesy of Marlena Césaire, head chef of Hotel Richissime and my dear ol' mother. I told my mom that I was going to meet up with you two, so she packed us these lunches for us so that we'd have a grand start."

"You sure you didn't want to stay and eat with them instead?" Adrien inquired, confused by the logic that she wouldn't want to spend more time with her family.

"Positive, they all understood and it would've been harder for my sisters to let go of me if I stayed any longer," Alya winked. "Thanks for taking that into consideration though, Adrien. For that, you get extra parmesan cheese on your pasta."

"Please, no more cheese," Adrien groaned. "I already have enough cheesy problems thanks to Plagg."

"Well, I've got to make it up to you somehow," Alya smirked mischievously, sending a glance Marinette's way. The dark-haired designer steeled herself for her best friend's next plan in setting them up together. "Hey, A, have you thought about our offer to join us on the way to Santalune?"

Before Adrien could speak up, the blond prodigy felt his cell phone vibrate silently in his pocket. He held a finger up to signify to wait one moment as he answered the notification.

"It's Nino," Adrien said, quietly reading the new message as Marinette and Alya gathered behind him out of curiosity. "Hmm… It's a reminder to check into a Pokémon Center in order to officially register for the Kalos League. It'll save us a ton of grief in the long run. Nino said that he almost forgot to do it as he was about to leave Lumiose City."

"Hmph, wonder why he didn't bother letting us know about it too," Alya grumbled along with Marinette, only for their phones to go off vibrating as a coincidental twist of fate. Both girls simultaneously checked their messages and indeed, Nino had texted them his reminder. "Whoops, spoke too soon."

"I didn't think you'd care, Alya," Marinette wondered. "You said you didn't care about competing in the Kalos League."

"I said I would consider it, and… it would've been nice if he did include me," Alya mumbled, looking away.

A playful grin soon found its way upon Marinette's face as she went behind the brunette journalist and softly grabbed her shoulders. Alya knew what she was thinking and turned away, not planning to give her the time of day.

"You really do like Nino, don't you, Alya," Marinette teased. A grumble rumbled in the back of Alya's throat. She could tell that her tanned face sported a mild blush. "Of all the times you made fun of me with Adrien, karma's finally doing you some justice."

"Karma's doing what to whom?" Adrien asked, startling Marinette big time; now both girls bore pink blushes on their faces. It appeared that he only caught the last few words from her statement. "Did Nino also send you that message?"

"Yep, glad to know he still remembers us, even though it's been about an hour or so since we last saw each other," Alya replied. "This is moving all too fast, to be honest."

"Speaking of moving, I'm got to head over to the Pokémon Center and register," Adrien announced, his body facing the specified location's direction. "I'll catch you girls lat−."

"Adrien, wait."

This time, it was Marinette who interceded the scene, eliciting surprised, gaping looks from both Adrien and Alya. It was rare for the bluebell-eyed girl to speak out like that, the few cases she did so when she was pushed to her limits by Chloé. However, there was no trace of anger or righteous indignation upon her face. Her expression was rather calm, though her bluebell eyes held an emotionally fiery passion that couldn't be described as easily as it looked. Rather, it took a number of adjectives to describe it.

Determined.

Compassionate.

Pleading.

It wasn't uncommon for Adrien to see her like this, but as far as he recalled his previous interactions with her, she just seemed nervous, antsy, and was only putting up with him for their friends. He didn't blame her if she still thought ill of him from their very first experience, but he was happy when he felt that she forgave him of the incident and that they became friends, more or less.

"Marinette?" Adrien pressed. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't answer Alya's question," Marinette responded. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. It was time she took a chance, even if it was killing her on the inside. "Will you… join us… to Santalune City?"

Alya wanted to film this moment for future posterity, to remember how her little girl was taking her first big step into young womanhood. Marinette was never this brave or daring with Adrien before since she fell in love with him. She could only imagine the amount of effort and will it took to do this, given her best friend's clumsy nature and unlucky streak. She wanted to scream at Adrien to accept, but this was his choice to make. He had no obligation to accept, even though it was clear that Marinette wanted to be around him a bit longer.

Adrien blinked a few times. His face remained unreadable. Plagg was looking up at him with those sly enigmatic eyes of his, as though he was staring deeply into his soul. Whatever his answer would be was bound to hold interesting consequences.

It was then that Adrien finally gave his answer.


And his answer will come next chapter. Who knows what Pokémon they will wind up catching very soon, even though I already know. As you could imagine, this is probably going to be a big project. If I stay consistent and lucky, I should be able to update at a regular weekly basis before school starts again the fall, the longest being up to two weeks. Hopefully I'll stay updating twice to once per week.

Also, I found a cool Miraculous Ladybug x Pokémon AU pic on Tumblr that I want to use as this story's cover, mainly with Marinette and Adrien with their signature Pokémon, but I have no idea on how to contact the owners on there to get the permission. How should I go about doing this? I don't want to post a cover without permission, and of course I'm willing to give credit where it's due; I just don't know where exactly, probably on my profile page so that it's public. Any suggestions, insights, or methods I can find their contact information would be helpful.

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