"Whew! We made it!"

Marinette had let out a huge sigh of relief as the Mamoswine had reached the end of the trail. Alya placed a comforting hand on one of her shoulders, letting her know that she was pleased with how she handled their rented Mamoswine.

"Girl, I told ya that you were a natural with ride Pokémon," Alya grinned. "You really should come with me to Alola one of these days. You'll be able to ride many more Pokémon like Tauros, Lapras, and even Charizard just to get around the islands."

"Let's finish the journey through Kalos first, Alya," Marinette smiled. "We'll have time to think about the future another day."

Their ride Mamoswine was gradually slowing down upon approaching the caretaker stationed on the Anistar City side of Route 17. The journey to Anistar City had smoothed out after the Team Akuma encounter in Frost Cavern the previous day. After using the rest of yesterday to recuperate from the ordeal, Marinette was more than willing to take the lead in navigating through Mamoswine Road. Now that the task was done, Marinette and Alya had changed out of their winter clothes upon reaching warmer levels nearing Anistar City.

"It's so hard to believe this, but girl, this is gonna be the site of your seventh Gym battle and badge," Alya remarked as they trekked closer to their destination. "You think you're ready?"

"We'll see what happens," Marinette shrugged. "You mentioned the Anistar Gym specializing in Psychic-types. That means Dark and Ghost-types will have the advantage, right?"

"Of course that's right," Alya concurred. "Don't start doubting yourself again, Marinette. You're smarter than you think you are."

"Well, if I'm so smart, then why haven't I figured out what's going on between me and Gardevoir?" Marinette huffed wistfully, to which Alya let out a sigh before keeping quiet as she knew this was still a problem.

Though Marinette and her Gardevoir still suffered from premature time out for their Mega Evolution, Alya knew that Marinette wasn't going to let it weigh her down for long. Her BFF wasn't the kind of person that would weigh herself down with past regrets. After all, if she did, she wouldn't have been capable of remarkable feats as the budding Pokémon Trainer and aspiring fashion designer that she was. She had a decent win record, was currently two badges away from qualifying for the Kalos League, and had gotten started on Rose and Juleka's Master Class dresses the night before. And unknown to Alya, Marinette was the masked heroine that protected Kalos alongside Liepard Noir, Lady Ledian.

But that's okay. It's not like Marinette knew her secret despite her expressing her desire to see the new heroine, Delphox Rouge, for herself one day. Alya certainly had a 'fun' time trying to keep her off her trail. Alya feared that she was going to wind up as panicky as her BFF if Marinette picked up on her trail, but that was a matter for her to remain quick on her feet to avoid spilling the beans.

And of course, there was the fact that Marinette wasn't alone in her journey. Aside from Tikki and the rest of her loyal Pokémon, Alya walked beside her every step of the way, or at least did her best to keep up now that she was an intern for Lumiose Press. Astonishing enough, Marinette didn't expect Alya's own progress to be the way it was following their reunion the previous day after the Akuma incident at Frost Cavern.

According to Alya, Trixx had evolved into a Delphox during another training session back home and interestingly enough, Alya had acquired her own Key Stone, which was currently dangling from her cell phone as a cute yet simple charm. When Marinette had asked about where and how her best friend also obtained a Key Stone, Alya simply said that it was a gift. What Marinette didn't know was that Alya wasn't sure who provided the Key Stone in the first place as the higher-ups at Lumiose Press explained that it was from an 'old acquaintance' of theirs intending it for her. In any case, Alya wanted to have a Mega Evolved one-on-one battle with Marinette's Gardevoir against her own Medicham, but respected Marinette's decision to postpone the battle due to her and Gardevoir's current condition.

Perhaps setting foot in Anistar City would enlighten them on what they needed to do next. A key landmark within this starry timekeeping city was the enigmatic Sundial situated north of the city. Previous scientific reports concerning the Anistar Sundial, according to Professor Damocles, have established a rather unique relationship between it and Mega Evolution due to the special properties of its crystalline structure. The power within this unusual megalith was determined to be incredibly similar to the power used in Mega Evolution, but as far as Alya could find, the research behind this powerful phenomenon was still in progress.

"Wow, this is a beautiful place," Alya whistled, gazing over the city's horizon. It was small compared to other Kalosian cities they visited, but its placement by a huge body of water certainly gave it a quaint background. "And look! There's the Sundial!"

"I see it, too, Alya!" Marinette beamed, admiring how the sunlight refracted from its spikes, giving the giant structure quite the magnificent sheen. Before she could think about visiting the Sundial, a low rumble echoed among them. The sound originated from her thin stomach, much to Marinette's embarrassment. "Oh… Uh, can we get something to eat first? Hee hee…" Another growl was heard. "Huh?"

"You and me both, girl," Alya grinned bashfully, placing a hand over her empty belly while her other hand held up her phone. "According to the Anistar City guide, there's a popular café nearby called Anistar Café. Original name, right? Anyway, we don't get to eat out often aside from what we cook up on the road and whatever the Pokémon Center serves."

"I think I have enough money for the both of us and our Pokémon," Marinette pondered, trying to recall how much she saved and earned from previous Trainer battles during her journey.

"Nonsense, we'll split the bill," Alya placed a hand on her BFF's shoulder to push her along. "We'll pay for as much as we can eat, our Pokémon included. Let's stop worrying about it. Otherwise, we'll be too hungry to even get to the café."

"Sounds good to me," Marinette said, letting Alya take the lead to locate this café she recommended.

As small as Anistar City was geographically compared to other cities, the place was considered rather lively due to the interactions between visitors and locals. It was easy to tell that most of the people and Pokémon that Marinette and Alya passed along the way to the café were not from around Anistar City. They all shared that sightseeing look in their eyes, taking in the sights Anistar City had to offer, although the main attractions within the city were its Sundial, its Pokémon Gym, and its theater hosting Rookie Class Pokémon Showcases time to time.

Speaking of Pokémon Showcases, though it wasn't too long ago that Marinette and several friends watched the Dendemille Showcase and Juleka's victory a few days ago, the next scheduled Showcase was coincidentally going to be hosted here in Anistar City within two days. Interestingly enough, Rose and Juleka were strangely quiet as Rose would send out a public group message to their class to root for them ahead of time.

But before they could think about the upcoming Anistar Showcase, Marinette and Alya's stomachs were pressuring them to reach Anistar Café now to be satiated. It didn't take too long for the girls to find the small building located north of the city. A few minutes later, they had cut through the center of Anistar City and arrived at its quaint entrance patio, populated with a few couples sharing freshly brewed drinks.

"Oh, and it's also a hotspot for couples outside of Lumiose," Alya remarked.

"Did you really have to point that out?" Marinette asked wryly. "I think you're making fun of me now."

"Just giving you ideas when you return to Anistar with your one and only Ace Trainer," Alya winked. "You know I'm nothing but supportive."

"If only that was actually possible," Marinette sighed wistfully, glancing over the city to where the Sundial was situated. "Just think about it, Alya. If Adrien does finally give me the time of day, this would be one of our many stops of retouring Kalos together and enjoying the views without the pressures of competing in the Pokémon League driving anyone crazy. Anistar City is said to be one of the many locations that André visits outside of Lumiose City, mainly because of how the Sundial's said to glow so beautifully under the evening sun."

"Ah, yes, the classic ice cream romance scene," Alya grinned. The reputation of the legendary and jolly Kalosian ice cream maker, aided by his cute Vanillite mascot, was widespread in bringing many couples together through special frozen dairy treats. He would craft his ice cream with the help of Vanillite's powers, surprising many who haven't heard of him before of how incredible his self-made ice cream truly was and how it was even possible to make ice cream with help from a Vanillite. "Didn't your dad propose to your mom through sharing André's ice cream?"

"When they returned from a trip to Hoenn and stumbled upon his stand by Prism Tower that evening when it was alight, it was then and there that my dad decided to finally tie the knot," Marinette beamed, clasping her hands and resting them upon a side of her face as she recalled her father's romantic ventures. "He said he already had an engagement ring prepared for her, but he didn't know the best way how to propose until they heard about a man starting his ice cream business for couples deeply in love. Even then, André was working his magic and brought my parents together."

"Funny how this hasn't been talked about much until now," Alya remarked.

"What I was thinking about aside from how my parents got together was when you mentioned that the café we're visiting is popular with couples too," Marinette continued, laying out the imaginary framework of a possible future date. She was already getting teary-eyed thinking about it. "Adrien and I would first enjoy a warm meal after a long fun trip to Anistar City and have a good old time just before the sun sets. Then if timed just right, then we'd find André waiting for us at the Anistar Sundial, where we'll finally share our first ice cream together! The Sundial would sparkle a warm celestial glow, blessing our union as we feed each other scoop after tasty scoop! And after we take in the gorgeous sight, Adrien will start with, 'Hey, Marinette? My darling?' And I'll be like, 'Yes, my sunshine?' And then, he'll smile and prep me for the big moment, by surprising me with a random Poké Ball, no, a Cherish Ball! And then! And then! He'll sing in his wonderful talented tones, 'I choose you! I choose you. What else can I do~? We're just too good together to part~.' Right as the Cherish Ball opens, revealing his engagement ring! And I'll be swooning like, 'What we've shared from the start feels like one—.'"

"Whoa there! Slow your roll, girl," Alya laughed, holding her hands up to gesture to Marinette to calm down. "I understand you have that much figured out, but let's try to get through today first before our stomachs eat us alive. By the way, love that song."

"Nyeh!" Marinette stuck her tongue out playfully, feeling silly for getting wrapped up in another romance fantasy. "Sorry, not sorry!"

They went inside Anistar Café after passing a Trainer coincidentally holding the door open for them, thanking her in a hurry without looking. Neither of them noticed the dark-blue-haired girl with sharp brown eyes they passed was the same Pokémon Trainer they witnessed taking the open invitation in challenging Luka for the Fairy Badge near the end of the seasonal Laverre fashion show. Kagami kept to herself as she briefly watched Marinette and Alya taking in the café as if it was their first time being in one before leaving without a word.

"Not bad, right, Marinette?" Alya prompted.

"I can see why this place is pretty popular," Marinette commented. "It's so friendly and accommodating, just like my parents' bakery. The interior is simple with the classic wood design, promoting warmth and comfort like someone's well-kept home. You can really tell the environment is super chill and all with how the employees carry themselves. And even with the casual atmosphere, the boys are wearing white-collared shirts and fancy vests and the girls are wearing black low-cut skirts. And they seem to be genuine, too."

"Not only that, but a few weeks ago, the café started something new," a passerby boy suddenly spoke. "Sorry for listening in, by the way. I'm a regular here and I like helping these guys out in advertising their café to newcomers. And the way you were looking around, I can tell this is the first time you've set foot in Anistar Café."

"What makes it so special?" Alya asked.

"Aside from it being a popular place for Trainers and Pokémon to rest outside of the Pokémon Center, as well as being quite the dating hotspot, the café owner found a new employee that's been spicing things up here in Anistar Café," the passerby boy continued, closing his eyes and smiling warmly towards Marinette, much to her surprise. "But I'll let you figure that out."

"Oh, um, well, I'm… not interested," Marinette replied as gently and firmly as she could, but instead of disappointment as she might've expected, confusion showed from the boy's face.

"Interested? Oh, sorry! I wasn't trying to come onto you," the passerby boy waved his hands frantically, blushing upon realizing the implications. "You're really cute, though, but I'm with someone now."

"Ok, now I feel utterly lame," Marinette muttered, looking away shamefacedly as to hide her increasingly reddened face.

"Don't worry about it," Alya reassured with a quick hug before facing the helpful boy. "She's also into someone, but has a bit of problem getting him to look at her."

"I understand," the passerby boy nodded. "But when you do finally get him to notice you, you guys should definitely come back to this place. It's pretty worthwhile if you're looking for excitement outside of Lumiose City. Anyway, to check out the 'new thing' I was talking about, just request a drink along with your order. You'll see what I mean."

"Thanks, dude!" Alya waved as he took his leave before tending back to Marinette. "Hey, cheer up, girl. At least you know that other guys do find you cute."

"I guess, but I'd rather hear it from Adrien," Marinette straightened herself from the previous moment. "Though in my state, I'm still not sure if I can handle any compliment from him, assuming I'm any good for one."

"Stop it, girl, you know you're cute and awesome and always will be in my book," Alya reassured. "And you know Adrien knows it too. We just need to keep working on that fickle confidence factor of yours and it'll all fall into place. Anyway, let's place our orders. You'll feel better with a full belly. I know I will."

"Right," Marinette nodded. "And that boy said order a drink to see their new promotion thingy?"

"I think the cashier will answer better than I can," Alya suggested.

The girls were fortunate that there wasn't a long line as most of the customers have settled in or left after finishing their lunch. There were simple menu options for sandwiches and salads, as well as additional Pokémon food for the Pokémon. Nothing too fancy, after all. Of course, after what that regularly visiting boy had said, ordering a café special drink was a must. According to the menu, there appeared to be a variety of juices, teas, lattes, and smoothies. Of course, there was still water, soda, regular coffee, and fresh Moomoo milk, but those were sectioned separately.

"Which one would you want, Alya?" Marinette asked. "I think I'll keep it simple with Rawst-Nanab, though part of me wants to try the Liechi Blend they just added."

"I'm craving Pinap Juice," Alya replied. "Maybe with a hint of Mago if they can do that. It's a specialty I've had from home. And if you're still uncertain, I'd recommend the Roserade Tea. It's really good for the nerves and it has a nice aroma."

They approached the counter with the cashier looking expectant as he observed them making their decisions regarding their latest juice menu. Truth be told, he was curious on how this order was going to turn out, but if it needed be, he would intervene before things became messy.

"Welcome to our little Anistar Café," the cashier greeted. "You girls ready to order? Judging by the way you were looking at our menu, you must've been told of our specialized drinks."

"Yep!" Marinette responded as she and Alya gave their lunch order for themselves and their Pokémon, just so that they wouldn't be left out. "What makes your drinks so special anyway?"

"Our newest little 'employee' makes them fresh by hand," the cashier winked before turning behind to a counter littered with cups and various fruits and berries. "You're on deck!"

At that sudden call, a small adorable head popped up next to him. Marinette couldn't help but squeal over the cute Pokémon wearing a blue bowtie as the Pokémon took the written order to read for itself.

"Spin?" the Pokémon mumbled, tilting his head to the side.

"Ohmigosh! That's a Spinda!" Marinette tittered, grabbing Alya and shaking the startled bespectacled girl frantically as she continued suffering from cuteness overload. "Spinda's the new employee you were talking about?!"

"This little fellow knows how to shake up a good shake, among other beverages," the cashier explained. "Basically, Spinda makes some very tasty juice with whatever Berry or Berries you give him. And don't be fooled by the floral-spotted pattern Spinda has on his face. He's a boy."

The words of the café cashier spoke true as he, Marinette, and Alya watched the Spinda stagger his way to the juice counter situated behind the cash register, next to the table were the food was prepared. The Spinda had a unique placement of red patch spots on his body, though the distinguishing pattern was the spots around his right eye loosely resembling petals of a flower. Despite the implication that the Spinda could've been female, he had enough common sense to wear the bow upon his collar instead of on top of his head as to denote the gender preference.

They watched Spinda get to work on the drinks, gathering the ingredients with surprising swiftness and dexterity, betraying his species' known innate clumsiness. He went to work pounding the fruit and ice, extracting the juices into a cup before closing the opening with the lid and shaking it wildly over his head, again not knocking into anything as he tumbled about in the process. Spinda's performance was remarkably timely as he finished Marinette and Alya's drink orders before their actual food was finished.

"So fascinating," Alya remarked.

"Spinda, give them here," the cashier prompted. "I'll do it."

Spinda adamantly shook his head while a frown momentarily appeared. The cashier sighed, knowing that Spinda wanted to be the one to hand deliver the drinks himself to new customers.

"What's going on?" Marinette asked.

"You girls better duck," the cashier warned before shuffling away.

"Why?" Marinette raised a brow, though she received her answer soon enough in the form of a sticky sweet shower of fresh Berry juices while Alya reacted quickly enough to step out of range of the droplets. "Why… me…?"

It seemed that outside of making his own drinks, Spinda still has the inelegance of his kind in everything else, including the transporting of the drinks from the back counter to the front, where the customers were located. There wasn't too much space in the work area to classify it as very spacious, but it was enough for the workers to move freely through. In the case of Spinda, his attempt to deliver the beverages himself ended in disaster despite taking a step away from his workstation.

"The only huge drawback in having an excellent juice maker is that he can't take a couple of steps without spilling his hard work for us to mop," the cashier resumed, already armed with a spare clean cloth for Marinette to wipe herself. "But it's not just the drinks. Any order Spinda decides to carry to the customer end up on the floor before a table. Unless the customer is eating from the floor, which makes no sense."

"Spin-da," Spinda rubbed the back of his head in shame, having thought he could've gotten the drinks delivered himself without a hitch this time.

At the meantime, Alya took the cloth from the cashier while Marinette snagged a quick taste of the juices still dripping from her head with a finger. She licked her fingertip for good measure, her bluebell eyes widening at the sensations titillating her taste buds.

"Mmm! It's really sweet!" Marinette commented before Alya proceeded to wipe her head clean. "And Spinda did it himself?"

"Ironically, it's because of Spinda's erratic movements that produce such smooth and sweet results, the ones that are dripping from your head, basically," the cashier surmised. "There have been a few miracles where Spinda has been able to deliver his drinks without accident."

"Where did you guys even find Spinda anyway?" Alya asked.

"That's a story for the café owner to tell you," the cashier replied. "Oh, speak of the dude…"

A young adult, appearing in his mid twenties, walked in from the back, also wearing a white-collared shirt with a black vest, yet his pants were casual jeans. His hair was long enough to cover his ears and he had light stubble under his jawline. His eyes went from Spinda to Marinette, who was now trying to seize the towel from Alya to dry herself, but Alya insisted on finishing her work, leading to a somewhat comical altercation that guaranteed that neither girl was going to get hurt in.

"Spinda, not again," the café owner sighed, placing a hand on the side of his face, though it was out of exasperation more than frustration. "This is why we can't have nice things. We wind up not charging customers because of this. I'm terribly sorry, girls, and I'm sure Spinda is sorry, too."

"Spin-Spinda!" Spinda prostrated himself and bowed repeatedly.

"Gah, it's nothing to worry about," Marinette responded, pulling off from Alya and the accursed cloth. "Knowing my luck, that was bound to happen. And I can't get mad at Spinda, not when we're really alike."

"Oh?" the café owner raised a brow.

"I'm also really clumsy, so I can relate to Spinda," Marinette explained. "No injuries, at least. And it's just a drink."

"Spin!" Spinda cheered, getting back up and ran to Marinette out of appreciation for her forgiveness before tripping and tumbling into her. The force of his roll into her legs unfortunately threw Marinette off balance and knocked her down. "Spinda?"

"Girl, you okay down there?" Alya asked, clearly not having anticipated that turn of events.

Though she appeared initially shocked from being sent down to her butt, Marinette wound up laughing despite the back-to-back series of unfortunate events. But as she had stated, no injuries or lasting damage occurred. Spinda pulled his head back up to see the twin-tailed girl laughing, confused at why she was taking his mishaps in stride instead of being furious like other customers in the past. Not that this change in attitude was unwelcomed, but it was different than what Spinda was used to.

It was nice.

"Yes, I'm okay," Marinette said, taking Alya's hand to pull herself back on her feet.

"I'm impressed with your patience, Ms…?" the café owner prompted.

"Oh, my name is Marinette," Marinette filled in the blank.

"And I'm Alya," Alya followed.

"Tell you what," the café owner began. "You're really nice girls to put up with Spinda's antics, and since I'm also about to have lunch myself, consider yours on the house for you and your Pokémon. The least I can do if you'd be willing to join me."

"We'd love to!" Marinette exclaimed. "Thank you so much, sir!"

The commotion in the café had settled down and Marinette and Alya got their food free of charge, with Marinette considering the whole act a serendipitous stroke of good luck. And of course, she wasn't upset over the drinks spilled all over her as she could easily relate to Spinda, given that she had been in plenty self-made mishaps of her own. Marinette cleaned up easily and since there were no serious injuries, then no reason to even remain angry. She and Alya were then seated at a table with the café owner with their Pokémon outside of their Poké Balls enjoying their meals around them.

Once they had settled in, further introductions were shared regarding Marinette and Alya's ongoing journey through the Kalos region, as well as both girls sharing their dreams when the café owner asked. He learned of Marinette's dream to be a famous fashion designer like Champion Gabriel Agreste, along with her side goal of competing in the Kalos League with the main reason intentionally left out, and Alya's dream to work as a full-time journalist for Lumiose Press. Likewise, he shared a brief summary on how he had initially been on a Pokémon journey of his own before connections with friends led him to eventually own this simple café in Anistar City. He commentated on how life was strange and far from what he expected, but he was pleased with where he ended up after seeing the contentment of his café customers.

"Excuse me, sir, but the cashier guy said to ask you about Spinda's story," Alya requested after swallowing a bite of her sandwich.

"Ah, yes, the Anistar Café's own juice master," the café owner chuckled. "It was nearly a month ago. I was traveling around Kalos in search of new ingredients to try for the café's menu. As it so happens, I was leaving Snowbelle City and wound up in Route 21, though you might know it as Dernière Way. It's a rough mountainous path filled with fierce Pokémon, but that's what happens when the location of the official Kalos League HQ is located further down that road. And believe it or not, I met Spinda during my travel."

"Really?" Marinette inquired. "A cute Pokémon like Spinda getting mixed in fierce wild Pokémon?"

"Spinda live in the mountains, girl," Alya explained. "And given that they're Spinda, they have to be pretty tough and clever to survive."

"Spinda use clumsy movements to confuse their enemies," the café owner added as he turned his head to the Spinda calmly polishing a glass like a patient bartender at a counter. "And normally, they live in groups. But this little guy was alone, took a liking to me when we crossed paths, and followed me all the way back to Anistar City, somehow able to keep up and track me down."

"Have you figured out why Spinda followed you to the café?" Alya asked.

"Not a clue," the café owner mumbled. "Spinda is still a mystery to me up to this day. A bit of an odd one, at that. When he first barged into our café by rolling into the front door, a lot of our customers were surprised, of course, but they quickly took a liking to the cute Pokémon. And when Spinda saw our fresh ingredients for juice, he jumped right into work and shook up a cup for us to taste. Spinda somehow knew the right technique for making a smooth and delectable drink capable of lifting a sullen spirit down on their luck and in need to drown their sorrows. He did it better than any appliance we had before, which was why we took him in as our own and he became an instant hit."

"That's such a lovely story," Marinette remarked. "I think Spinda wanted excitement in his life and thought that by following you, he'd have a purpose to his life."

"Come to think of it, it's not uncommon for wild Pokémon to deviate from their usual lifestyles in search for new adventure," Alya mused. "Though hopefully, it's not to the extreme of a Magikarp suddenly flying in the air or a Pidgey swimming in the deep blue."

"As likely as that explanation sounds, Marinette, it's best not to look too deep into it," the café owner advised. "As far as I know, there are some Pokémon behaviors that can't be fully explained. Even as something as unusual as a wild Spinda following me back to civilization. As long as he doesn't intentionally harm others, then by all means."

"That's so cool," Marinette smiled, reaching out to her phone placed next to her plate. "What time is it n—OW-WOW-OWOWOW!"

Alya and the café owner were certainly caught off guard when electricity had suddenly flared from Marinette's body to the point that the voltage was causing her tied tails to puff up into individual afros on top of the rest of her hair puffing up. Knowing what was going on, Alya slapped a hand over her forehead while the café owner immediately went to Marinette's aid.

"Rotom, get out of Marinette's phone," Alya ordered, clearly sounding annoyed as this wasn't the first time Rotom possessed an electric device just to mess with Marinette. "At least Trixx isn't pranking her as often anymore." Though the Fox Pokémon wasn't helping her case with her poorly disguised giggles behind her paw. "… I've really got my work cut out for me."

Her best friend's phone soon levitated in the air before modifying its outer appearance to reflect Rotom currently inhabiting the electronic device, which included the orange casing and electro-plasmic aura. The touch screen lit up with Rotom's round eyes and cheeky smile as it cackled at another successful prank in shocking that Deerling-eyed girl silly.

"It's all good, Alya," Marinette responded, shaking herself clean and restoring herself in a matter of seconds. "I'm practically developing immunity with every electrocution. And I know Rotom isn't trying to hurt me." Rotom freed itself from her phone, dropping it into her hand while floating near her face, grinning as some means of gratitude for Marinette being a good sport. "But Rotom, I'd really appreciate if you'd not do it in public."

"Even with weak electrocutions meant to prank you, I doubt all those shocks are good for your heart," the café owner commented.

"It's fine, but thanks for your concern," Marinette smiled.

"Girl, you say it like that as if you're not gonna bother with Rotom pushing you around," Alya frowned.

"Well, I can't exactly force Rotom to change its personality altogether," Marinette reasoned, watching as the Plasma Pokémon zipped about in the air to harass the rest of their Pokémon with random jumpscares. Most of them, primarily Alya's team due to having it as their teammate, as well as Gardevoir and Leavanny, took Rotom's antics in stride like Marinette would. Interestingly, Rotom got along well with Alya's Porygon-Z, who's naivety to the physical world outside the private cyber space owned by Lumiose Press it used to reside made it easily amused by Rotom's behavior, the best. Tikki, Togetic, and Feebas, on the other hand, were a little more on edge in dealing with Rotom and its desire for amusement, but could they be blamed for it? Them and electricity never mixed well. "Anyway, I trust you in keeping Rotom under control, Alya. Compared to how it was after we left the Lost Hotel, Rotom is actually pretty tame now."

"You can be too forgiving for your own good sometimes, y'know," Alya quipped.

"Someone's got to," Marinette winked, to which Alya relented with a casual shrug.

"Never change, girl. Never change."

The café owner observed Marinette with interest throughout the lunch conversation. Through his few years in running a small café in Anistar City, he met many good people and Pokémon as customers and associates. If only the rest of the world would be like this, then life would be so simple. But there was something about Marinette that made her radiate from the rest of the faces he knew. The kindness and empathy she shared with others, especially towards Spinda, was inspiring. Most customers that dealt with Spinda's clumsiness in the café were also gracious, but out of social politeness rather than genuine concern.

However, there was Marinette, who claimed to be just as a big of a klutz as the Spot Panda Pokémon. Yet judging by how she treated her Pokémon during lunch, not to mention their current conditions, it was clear to him that she was an outstanding Pokémon Trainer to raise such a healthy team. She was well-aware of her weaknesses, limits, and imperfections, but she held quite the optimistic outlook on life, seeing its true beauty for all its worthy. Never before was the café owner attentive to a one-time customer, though before he could continue ruminating over the dark-bluenette designer, a loud smashing of glass and porcelain snapped him out of his thoughts and pulled him towards the latest accident.

The downside of hiring a wild Spinda as their drink maker was the occasional shattering of glass cups and possibly dishes if Spinda was zealous enough to deliver a customer's entire order.

And to make matters worse, the accident took place by a table seated with unpleasant looking punks not too different than the ones Marinette and Alya encountered back at the Lost Hotel. They were a trio suspiciously similar to the punks the girls ran into upon entering the abandoned building in search of the Twirling Whirlwind. Spinda was cowering behind a busgirl, who was also intimidated by the flaring frustration of the agitated punk Trainers as they rose out of their seats.

"Oi, what kinda shoddy service are ya runnin' here, lady?!" the taller male punk with the particularly spiky mohawk growled. "Throwin food at me and my friends? Is that how it's done deez days?!"

"S-Sir, I am sorry for what happened, but please understand that Spinda didn't do it on purpose," the busgirl attempted to pacify the punks, but reflexively took a step back when they were stepping away from their table.

"We've heard interesting things about this place, mostly because of that Spinda and its so-called wicked drinks," the sole punk girl hissed. "We behaved ourselves, yet your klutz of a Pokémon gave us major disrespect! And you expect us to behave after that? Nuh-uh!"

"Give us our money back!" the third and portly punk guy demanded.

"Uhh, we can replace your order and have someone more… qualified deliver it free of charge," the busgirl offered.

"Oh? We talkin about makin deals now?" the punk guy sneered. "Then how's about ya let us 'teach' a lesson to dat Spinda of yours, if ya know what I mean."

"No!" the busgirl shouted, instantly holding her arms up as a defense to prevent the punk couple from getting their hands on Spinda. "I can't let you do that! I have to ask you to leave!"

"You think we're gonna listen to some chick that cleans tables?" the portly punk guy taunted, holding up a Poké Ball.

"You and your stupid Spinda humiliated us!" the punk girl exclaimed, also taking out a Poké Ball threateningly.

"We're taking over, got that?" the leading punk declared. "Time to show you our brand of swift service!"

"You two should listen," the café owner warned, stepping in with Marinette and Alya flanking him. "This café doesn't tolerate rowdy behavior. We offered compensation and I was willing to be open for negotiation, but threatening my employees has closed the door, I'm afraid."

"Look at you, big shot of some dinky café," the leading punk continued, taking up a Poké Ball of his own to cause trouble. "Whatcha gonna do about it, fancy pants?"

"He doesn't have to," Marinette intervened with Alya by her side, prompting Spinda to look up from his hiding place behind the busgirl's legs.

"As responsible and upstanding citizens, we can't let you trash a public café," Alya added. "Hasn't anyone taught you how to be decent people?"

"Wait a minute, your faces… They ring some bells," the leading punk scrutinized over the two girls. "I remember now! You kids were with that skating amateur from the Lost Hotel!"

"What happened?" Marinette questioned until the memory dawned upon her. "Oh, no, you guys?!"

"They're the hoodlums we dealt with when we visited the Lost Hotel," Alya surmised, smirking upon recalling the end result. "Or at least Rotom dealt with."

At the call of its name, Rotom zipped around the company in an electro-blue and orange blur, chittering its high-pitched reverberating laugh as the punks watched on in confusion before being startled by a sudden huge visage of the Plasma Pokémon's face. Rotom then flew back to Alya's side, knowing the direction the confrontation was going to take.

"Argh! Of course you brats wind up catching the pest that fried us last time," the leading punk scoffed.

"Time for payback," the punk girl glared.

"You kids won't be lucky like last t-IIIME!" the portly punk found the wind being knocked out of him before falling flat on his back as something round bounced right out of his gut.

Or rather, someone bounced out as Spinda leapt through the air following the bounce and stuck the landing with surprising grace as the multicolored glow on his right paw dimmed into nothing.

"What the?!" the leading punk yelped before Spinda went after him while the punk girl attempted to run away, only to trip over her fallen friend.

"You just witnessed Spinda's Dizzy Punch," the café owner announced, folding his arms. "Interesting."

"Why?" Marinette asked.

"Spinda isn't normally a confrontational Pokémon, even when threatened by angry customers," the café owner explained, looking Marinette in the eye. "I think Spinda was inspired to take a stand for himself."

"Maybe Spinda had enough being pushed around," Marinette guessed. "Just because he's clumsy and accidentally breaks glasses and dishes doesn't mean others have the right to push him around."

"Eh, that might be part of it," the café owner mused. Probably because he saw something out of you that reminded him of himself.

"Ow-Ow! Get this Spinda off me!" the punk guy yelled, struggling to pull the Spot Panda Pokémon pounding the top of his head with a couple of fists. "Hey! That's hurts!"

"I got this!" the punk girl declared, grabbing onto Spinda and attempting to pull him off her fellow punk, but was doing more harm than good as Spinda was holding onto the punk leader's face. "C'mon!"

"This is really upsetting the customers," the café owner sighed as he saw some seated people edging to the sides of the café to get as physically far away from the conflict while those closer to the exit fled quickly.

"Let us handle them, sir," Marinette announced as Tikki flew to her side.

"We took these punks on no problem before," Alya added with Rotom eagerly discharging sparks.

"Girls, I appreciate your bravery, but I'd rather not have the violence escalate," the café owner said, pulling a Poké Ball out of his pocket and opening it up to release a Miltank. Marinette and Alya weren't expecting to see a Miltank, much less one belonging to their new older friend. "Let's see if I still got it. Heal Bell!"

Miltank lifted her tail and began to ring her bell with the orb end, glowing blue and emitting soothing chime noises for all to hear. The aggressive moods and wild movements among the punks and Spinda were slowing down. They looked up upon hearing the Heal Bell, confused about what was going on before falling into relaxed postures and expressions.

"Waa… That sounds niiiiice~," the leading punk drawled.

"I feel good about myself for once~!" the punk girl giggled.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh…," the portly punk still on the floor mumbled, affected by Heal Bell, but hadn't bothered to do much of anything else. "What they said."

Spinda slid off the punk he was attacking, haphazardly bouncing on the ground before rolling to a stop before Marinette's feet. It was hard to tell how the Spot Panda Pokémon was feeling, considering that his eyes were naturally swirly. However, it took Marinette kneeling close to Spinda to pick him up to tell that the little fellow was exhausted from all the excitement that happened.

"Time for you to be on your way," the café owner ushered the punks out with no resistance. "Thank you for coming. Please be on your best behavior the next time you visit."

"We will!" all three punks waved gleefully while fortunately still under the Heal Bell's influence.

"That was… amazing!" Marinette exclaimed as the café owner and Miltank returned to them. "It's so amazing that you resolved it nonviolently!"

"Aw, and I was looking forward to beating those punks back in their place," Alya huffed.

"Alya!" Marinette scolded, only to receive a nonchalant shrug in return.

"I consider battling as the last resort," the café owner said, looking to his Miltank. "If negotiating doesn't work and the customer becomes rowdy, then Miltank uses her Heal Bell to calm them down for another chance. If that doesn't work, well, it's too bad, really. The point of this simple café was to provide food and relief to people in and outside of Anistar City, not drive them out."

"Guess Spinda didn't know," Marinette commented, gazing upon the Spot Panda Pokémon in her arms.

"Oh, no, Spinda knew," the café owner disagreed. "But the lack of direction I gave him didn't help him figure out how to pacify customers whenever Spinda wound up destroying a plate. Because he wasn't allowed to fight back, he cowered instead and apologized the best he could. And sometimes, the apology hasn't been enough."

"Well, Spinda can't help that he's naturally clumsy," Alya noted.

"I don't want to kick Spinda out because he doesn't really have anywhere to go," the café owner continued. "Technically, he's still a wild Pokémon. I never officially captured Spinda and none of my employees were interested in catching him."

"But what about his old home at Route 21?" Marinette inquired. "Couldn't he just go back?"

"A few days after Spinda started to work here, I offered him the chance to leave and return to where he came from, but he didn't look like he understood what I was trying to say," the café owner rubbed the back of his head. "Either Spinda was ignoring the question or he really didn't want to go back. But…" His eyes switched from Spinda to Marinette. "I believe I know of the best solution for Spinda's growth."

"You do?" Marinette responded instinctively.

"Marinette, you're a kindhearted girl who helps out people and Pokémon," the café owner began. "You naturally sympathize with those in need. And as far as I've noticed, you've been one of the few to accept Spinda for who he is."

"More than Spinda being the café's cute mascot?" Alya remarked.

"Where are you going with this, sir?" Marinette prompted as Spinda started to stir in her arms. Spinda lifted his head up, only to be greeted by the sight of Marinette's sunny smile when his vision came to. "Hey there, Spinda. Are you feeling okay?"

"Spin-Spinda," Spinda mumbled.

"I'm saying is that Spinda may be better off with you, Marinette," the café owner explained, much to her shock. "While we ate, I noticed how healthy and happy your Pokémon are. You're an exceptional Trainer to raise them as such."

"Oh, um, I don't know if I'd go that far to say 'exceptional,' but I do my best," Marinette replied with a mild blush.

"Girl, you're awesome," Alya patted her firmly on the shoulder. "Just take the flipping compliments for once! You're so modest."

"Aha ha… Thank you," Marinette grinned.

"It's because of your aptitude as a Pokémon Trainer that I'm more than happy to entrust Spinda in your care," the café owner resumed.

"B-But what about your café?" Marinette asked. "What about the expertly crafted drinks and juices Spinda makes for the menu?"

"We'll just have to put a hold on those special beverages until we can truly emulate them," the café owner shrugged. "Of course, whatever imitation we can come up with, it'll certainly pale in comparison to Spinda's creations. Probably best if we make them seasonal. That way, we won't have to worry about the issue as much."

"Well, I don't have any objections, but…," Marinette looked upon Spinda, who glanced back curiously. "What do you have to say about all this, Spinda?"

Spinda appeared thoughtful. While the look made him absolutely adorable, Marinette resisted snuggling him long enough for Spinda to think for himself. As far as the Spot Panda Pokémon was ever concerned, he followed the Anistar Café owner to human civilization for a variety of reasons. Nothing to hold on to from his old home, curiosity over human affairs, or even on a whim, not even Spinda remembered the main reason. There were humans that appreciated his talents at the juice bar, but at the same time disliked his honest attempts of hand-delivering his drinks to the customer just because he couldn't walk like everyone else barring his own species.

If anything, Spinda regarded everyone else crazy for their judgmental views on top of how differently they walked. Spinda knew enough that every life walked their own path, so why was there a need to judge or criticize? The human girl with her dark hair tied into two tails understood and even claimed to relate to him on a personal level. Even when his previous accident spilt her drink order all over her, she was one of the few that didn't throw a fit over getting dirty as she was grateful enough that no one got injured. If there were more people like her out there in the world, Spinda felt compelled to see it for himself, once more being pulled along by whim.

Which made his next action all the more interesting as he pushed himself out of Marinette's arms with more force than necessary.

"Now what's Spinda doing?" Alya questioned.

"Spinda is… raising his fists at me?" Marinette noted as Spinda was hopping in place, as though he wanted to suddenly brawl.

"Remember that Spinda is a wild Pokémon," the café owner chuckled. "You Trainers know what you must do when encountering them during your journey, right?"

"Ah, battle!" Marinette answered.

"If that's the case, please take it outside," the café owner ushered.


In a few short moments, Marinette found herself staring down against an equally determined Spinda with Leavanny positioned in front of her to fight in an empty street in front of the café. Many bystanders circled around them to witness the impending battle for themselves. The rest of Marinette's Pokémon were with Alya and the Anistar Café owner, eagerly waiting the battle to begin.

"I'm not going to hold anything back, Spinda!" Marinette declared. "Show me how tough you really are. Leavanny, let's go!"

"Vanny!" Leavanny nodded.

"Start off with Energy Ball!"

The vibrant green orb quickly formed in front of Leavanny's mouth before being launched. Spinda didn't appear to even try to move until the very last second. It felt like slow motion for the Spot Panda Pokémon as he casually leaned to the side, permitting the Energy Ball to barely fly over his left shoulder without so much as a graze before exploding into the ground behind him.

"That was some dodge!" Alya gasped. Spinda then nearly lost his footing for leaning over too much before forcing his left leg down to rebalance himself. "Should've known…"

"Grrr… Leavanny, String Shot!"

The Nurturing Pokémon unleashed a widespread stream of silk web from her mouth with the intent to entangle Spinda. However, Spinda provided to be even wilier than expected as he took some staggering steps forward. His erratic movements somehow weaved him through the String Shot's gaps, no pun intended… maybe.

"Spi-hih-hih!" Spinda giggled.

"That Spinda just can't hold still," Marinette frowned. "Let's try taking things up close and personal. Leavanny, use X-Scissor!"

Leavanny crossed her leaf arm cutters as she empowered them, giving them a light blue glow before running after Spinda. She was fast, but even with her speed capable of catching up to Spinda, her opponent was just too unpredictable to land a direct strike. Believing that Marinette would order her to keep attacking until she landed a hit, Leavanny kept going.

Spinda jumped. Spinda dove. Spinda tumbled into a clumsy cartwheel, all the while wearing down Leavanny as every failed attack was draining her of her stamina and leaving her out of breath. An unexpected glint shone in Spinda's swirly left eye as he seized his opportunity, winding up his right paw for a Dizzy Punch and landing it against the side of Leavanny's face.

"Lea-van," Leavanny stumbled back, but shook off the pain as she brandished her cutters.

"Hang in there, Leavanny!" Marinette yelled before considering her next battle plan. "There must be some way to lure Spinda in, but how? Hmm… Leavanny, Energy Ball!"

Her Pokémon conjured another Energy Ball and lobbed to towards Spinda, only for him to suddenly emit a bright energy aura from his body and perform a flip to avoid the attack. Marinette noticed where he landed was within a gap of Leavanny's String Shot remnants. A strategy started to formulate in her mind, but Marinette was momentarily thrown off guard when Spinda somehow created an Energy Ball of his own and threw it inelegantly towards Leavanny, surprising the spectating crowd.

"That's Spinda using Copycat," the café owner commented. "Copycat mimics the very last move used before it, which in this case was Leavanny's Energy Ball."

"Man, how many tricks does that Spinda have up in his sleeve?" Alya questioned.

"Leavanny, watch out!" Marinette alerted.

Fortunately, Leavanny reacted quickly enough to slice Spinda's Copycat Energy Ball with X-Scissor. On the downside, Spinda performed another Copycat flip as his paws were covered in long blue energy scythes, crossing them to perform an X-Scissor of his own. This demand for a clash gave Leavanny an opportunity to finally land one solid hit on Spinda as she leapt forward with her currently active X-Scissor.

A sharp audible clang was heard upon their midair collision. The rebounding force pushed the two of them back as they landed back on the ground and resume clashing their X-Scissor attacks back to back. Marinette critically observed Spinda's movements as he vigorously matched X-Scissor with X-Scissor, which permitted him enough liberty to move about on the open gaps of the String Shot web remnants. He avoided landing into the strands that would slow and trap him.

"You knew Spinda was this capable in a Pokémon battle, didn't you?" Alya accused.

"I had a hunch, but I saw no reason to provoke Spinda," the café owner shrugged. "I accepted the fact that Spinda came from a tough environment and let the little guy speak for himself."

"Leavanny, time to shift gears!" Marinette announced. "Use String Shot! Spray it all over!"

Following the final clash that pushed both Pokémon back to their respective sides, Leavanny took in a deep breath and sprayed a widespread silk net to ensnare Spinda. The Spot Panda Pokémon was still too unpredictable to strike from a distance as his natural movements maneuvered him away from String Shot's range.

"The girl's up to something," Alya muttered. "I know that look on her face. She isn't having Leavanny overuse String Shot for nothing."

"I see it," the café owner realized. "The ground."

Leavanny continued her spray, allowing layer upon layer of sticky silk to cover the ground. She caught on to Marinette's plan and appeared to blindly aim for Spinda. Her opponent's evasive patterns were becoming predictable. A direct hit wouldn't work on Spinda. However, nothing was stated for setting a trap under the guise of an assault as in his determination to avoid getting caught in the silk net, Spinda soon discovered that he was stuck in place, unable to pull a foot up.

"S-Spinda?!" Spinda trembled.

He lost track of the safe zones on the ground, having been distracted by Leavanny the entire time to the point that he became even more careless than he characteristically was. And that would be saying something. Leavanny had carefully covered the entire fighting area with sticky silk, leaving no gaps or spaces whatsoever. Had Spinda caught on sooner, he would have escaped to safer ground.

"Let him have it, Leavanny!" Marinette yelled triumphantly. "Use X-Scissor!"

Leavanny was fast on her feet. Somehow, she appeared even faster before everyone's eyes as she instantly reappeared behind Spinda and disengaged her X-Scissor formation with a flourish. Spinda collapsed face first within a second after.

"Atta girl!" Alya cheered. "Do it now!"

"No more insane dodging for you, little Spinda!" Marinette wound up her arm for her Poké Ball throw. "Time to capture you!"

The moment of truth was at hand the moment the spherical capturing containment unit bounced upon the back of Spinda's head and siphoned him inside. The Poké Ball safely landed upon the dirt where Spinda previously laid, wobbling and blinking red as a sign of struggle. The small populace of bystanders that watched the entire fight waited with held anxious breaths. The tension was strong.

The second wobble came off forceful.

Third time was the charm, the Ball didn't open back after another wobble.

But then…

It calmed.

A shower of stars discharged from the center button. The satisfying sound of a captured ding filled Marinette with enough elation to lift her head up to the clouds, but not as high as being close to Adrien would, as she went over to claim her prize.

"Miraculous Ledian!" Marinette held her latest capture high above her head. "I caught a Spinda!"

Marinette broke out of her victory pose, startled by the sudden applause and cheering. She had been focused on the battle with Spinda that she hadn't realized she was watched by people other than Alya and the Anistar Café owner. At times like these, Marinette's default reaction was to smile and wave meekly as her cheeks lit up with a bit of a self-conscious blush. She didn't feel as nervous in front of people as Alya came to her side and pulled her into a big congratulatory hug. Marinette's other Pokémon had followed along, but kept their distance for the two best friends to enjoy each other's company.

"Awesome as always, Marinette!" Alya lauded, keeping an arm upon her BFF's shoulders. "You're totes getting better with your battling style. That plan of yours to distract Spinda while making a huge web out of the ground with Leavanny's String Shot? Simple and super effective."

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette beamed before turning her head to face the approaching café owner. "Hi there. Um, did you enjoy the battle?"

"I did, actually," the café owner replied. "You and Spinda both shared your hearts with each other during the battle. It wasn't simply a matter of outsmarting or overpowering the Pokémon you fight against. Pokémon battling has been the traditional form of understanding feelings, for the battlers and even for those that have witnessed the battle. This only proves that you are truly the right person to entrust Spinda's growth to."

"Well, like I said, I'll do my best for me and my Pokémon," Marinette reminded, looking over to them. "Hey! I just realized I now have six Pokémon!"

"Join the club, girl!" Alya laughed. "You have a full team like me! And best of all, you have a professional juice maker for a Pokemon!"

"Time for the newest member to get acquainted with the Dupain-Cheng Pokémon family," Marinette giggled, holding out the Poké Ball in her hand. "Spinda, come out!"

Spinda immediately fell flat on his butt upon release after a moment of shaking disorientation. It was hard to tell if he was exhausted from the battle or if it was Spinda just being Spinda. In any case, Marinette knelt down to his level and offered a hand.

"Spinda?" Spinda asked.

"Welcome to the team, Spinda," Marinette greeted. "I promise that we'll both have fun and grow stronger along the way. It doesn't matter if we're both klutzes. I've seen what you can do. And you'll soon find that this klutz is going to qualify for the Kalos League and become the love of her life's equal."

"You'll also soon find that your new Trainer is an ambitious daydreamer," Alya smirked.

"Alya!" Marinette tried to scold, but her attempt broke into laughter soon joined by the rest of her Pokémon and Alya herself.

Spinda's mouth was slightly agape for a few seconds, confused on whatever inside joke had occurred. But realizing that he now belonged to a human Trainer who related to him through many levels, Spinda couldn't help but express his mirth and leapt into Marinette's arms. And of course, the sudden display of affection caused Marinette to catch him before her heels slipped from under her, which led to her falling on her back.

Or she would've had her Pokémon not interfered and cushioned her fall by placing themselves behind her. The contagious joy hadn't left as Marinette, though sitting on the ground, seized the chance to bring her full team for one big group hug, cementing the friendships they've all formed with one another since joining Marinette on her Pokémon journey.


Two days later…

"No turning back, I suppose…"

Adrien glanced back in the direction of Anistar City, knowing full well that a Pokémon Showcase was about to begin in less than half an hour. This time, there was no time for him to even backtrack Route 18, also known as Vallée Étroite Way, and making it in time. And besides, there was no notification from either Rose or Juleka that they were competing in this Rookie Class Showcase. Yet he had the strangest feeling that they might be competing despite the lack of messaging.

He had been worried if something happened that they didn't have time to make the announcement like they, mostly Rose, would usually do. However, he feared that he might've somehow been screened out of future messages because of a possible offense he could've committed against them and didn't remember.

And to make his situation stranger than it sounded, there was his father. The Kalos Champion and successful fashion mogul that's often too busy to even spend time with his own son was calling him periodically, not only to check on his current journey progress but to tell him to stay safe in a gentle tone that Adrien nearly forgot that once made him so fatherly. Adrien knew he should be grateful for at least that much of parental love, but this sudden behavior change just seemed off to him. Many Trainers were still picking fights with him as a result of the ongoing declaration months ago, but now Adrien didn't feel as pressured to cover Kalos quickly and earn his eight badges.

He had already won his seventh badge from the Anistar City Gym. Plagg and the last Pokémon he caught to make his full team really helped him out at that Gym. Feeling that he owed his father that much for showing a sliver of compassion as of recent, Adrien figured that it wouldn't hurt to move on and camp out in the middle of traversing Route 18 last night after dealing with a few more Pokémon Trainer encounters. At least, that much was predictable.

"I have found you… Adrien Agreste! Son of Champion Gabriel Agreste!"

"… Ah, geez."

Then why was this challenger's voice, beckoning him from behind and filling him with apprehension, came off as majorly unpredictable?


So, who has found Adrien this time? We'll get to see next chapter, of course. A focus on Adrien's side of the story was what many of you wanted, so we'll see what happens.

Marinette's new Spinda (Let's face it, Spinda is obviously her type of Pokémon and was chosen from the very beginning) found at a café is meant to Spinda's Café from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (I loved that game and enjoyed the special episodes it got to feature, particularly Here Comes Team Charm! and In the Future of Darkness. I loved the music found in the latter). However, having Spinda as the juice maker (or whatever those guys are really called, not necessarily bartenders) in this context was inspired by Oranguru from the Sun and Moon anime (the one who helped Mallow out at one point and serves Pinap Juice at its bar). I had initially imagined Spinda being a Pokémon that can relate to Marinette the most due to obvious reasons while polishing a glass, bartender style, and watching her drown her sorrows in Pinap Juice (not that she'd actually do it in this story, but the foundational concept was kind of amusing in my head). Though I will admit the execution of her getting Spinda like this wasn't my best work, but what's done is done.

Final order of business: this story is now two years old. We've come a long way, haven't we?

Please review!

Edit: Typing error fixed. Thanks for the heads-up.