Marion clicked her nails against her mahogany desk, flipping through the textbook she'd found in her father's bookshelf. It was filled with pictures of every pokémon from Galar, likely stored from his old trainer days before he met Mom.

Most of the pokémon were unavailable to catch here, but that wasn't what Marion was looking for. What she was looking for was a certain page on Milcery, and how they evolved. Her father had mentioned offhandedly once that Andres would be able to evolve, and Marion was curious about what he would look like.

She shot a cursory glance at the clock before she sped up her pace. It was the middle of break, and there wasn't much time before she had to head back to work. The others would surely be expecting her soon.

Finally, she found the correct page. Depicted on it was not only a Milcery, but it's evolution, Alcreamie. Marion cooed at the picture of Alcreamie, admiring the elegant design. Andres could become that someday.

Speaking of which...

Marion turned her head to where Andres. He was in the midst of poking through a stack of books by her small bed, looking for a comic book. Kicking off the wall, Marion skidded across her floor on her rolling chair until she came to a stop next to Andres.

"Alright Andres, according to this book, you need something called a 'Sweet' in order to evolve." Marion explained.

Andres looked over her shoulder at the book. Next to the picture of Alcreamie, there were seven pictures of the various Sweets they would need to evolve. Beside each picture was a footnote on where they could be obtained.

"It looks like you can only find Sweets in Galar at the moment," Marion said. "I suppose it makes sense, seeing that Alcreamie lives there exclusively.

She tapped her temple, and tilted her head. "You think it would be rude to ask Uncle Aaron to send me a Sweet from there? He already gifted me you for my birthday last year.

Andres shrugged, and Marion sighed. "Good point. I can just order one from the internet. Which one do you like the best? The star and ribbon seem hard to find, but the other five are quite common."

She placed the book on her desk, allowing Andres to examine the pages. He appeared to have as much trouble as she did. After awhile, he shrugged his shoulders. Marion sighed. Emilie was still helping her father with delivering orders, so it was time for Plan B.

Marion grabbed some scrap paper from her desk. She quickly scratched some names down, creating a spinner with five sections. After that, she grabbed a paper clip.

"Time to let fate decide," she joked, spinning the paper clip around.

The paper clip slowed quickly, and came to a stop on the side with the words 'STRAWBERRY SWEET.'

"Well then, Lady Luck has made her choice," Marion said. "Strawberry Sweet it is. Glad that's over. I hate decisions.

Andres let out a weak laugh, prompting Marion to look at him. "What's wrong Andres?"

He held up the textbook, pointing to a different page. This was one filled with Alcreamie in all sorts of colours. Some had gradients with bright colours, while others were barely tinted a pastel shade.

"Yikes," Marion sighed. "As if we didn't have enough trouble deciding which Sweet to even get. I just assumed that there was only the Vanilla Form like the one Uncle Aaron has.

She slumped down onto her chair again. "How the heck are we going to choose?"

Andres didn't have an answer for that. He sat down on Marion's lap, holding his hand to his chin. Marion sat for a bit, watching the clock's hands move. She'd have to come to a decision before her break was over.

An idea sprung into her mind, and she snapped her fingers. "I know! We'll call Will!"

After grabbing her X-Transceiver, Marion quickly dialed Will's phone number, only for it to ring to voicemail. Marion frowned.

"Right, it's not that late there. He's probably still on the road.

She shrugged. "I'll just call him later. I've gotta get back to work anyways."

"Marion! I'm sorry for missing your call earlier!"

Marion rubbed her forehead. Work was finally over for the day, and she was in the middle of doing some work when he dialed her for a video chat. "It's fine Wi- What the hell happened to your face?"

Will's looked away, his cheeks pinking under the numerous neon blue bandages covering his face. "I accidentally fell down a hill or two during a battle with Lydia."

"How do you accidentally fall down a hill or two?" Marion said. "You're usually quite coordinated, no?"

Will's voice was barely above a whisper. "I got blasted by a Hydro Pump from Lydia's Samurott."

Marion was silent for a few moments, before she shrieked, "You got WHAT?!"

"It was an accident! She meant to aim for my Braviary! Both Lydia and her Samurott apologized afterwards! She even patched me up!" Will deflected, waving both his hands. "Really, I'm perfectly fine!"

"If you say so," Marion muttered, "I've got a question for you."

"Eh? What is it?"

Marion pulled out her book, shoving it in front of the camera. "Which one looks the best to you? Between Andres and I, we can't decide. Emilie had trouble choosing too."

"Lemme see... It's kinda blurry from here..." Will muttered. "Wow, that's a lot of forms! Do they affect how Andres can battle?"

"No, it's purely aesthetic," Marion explained. "I guess there is the gigantimax form, but that only works in Galar, with those trainers who have Dynamax Bands or something."

"I don't know then," Will said, looking at the book closely. "How about Caramel Swirl? Looks nice to me."

Marion pulled the book back from the camera, looking at the form. "Sounds good. What do you think Andres?"

Andres took a look at the page, and nodded. Marion smiled. "It's a plan. Thanks Will!"

"No problem!"

Marion was in the middle of ringing up a customer when her X-transceiver buzzed in her pocket. She let out a squeak, eliciting an odd look from the customer. Marion gave him her best customer service smile, and stuffed a handful of change into his hands.

After he left, Marion tapped her co-worker, Erica, on the shoulder. "Could you run the counter for a sec? I need to use the washroom."

Erica's eyes fell on the buzzing X-transceiver in her bag, and gave Marion a knowing look.

"I'll be back in five minutes." Marion promised.

Erica smiled, wiggling her eyebrows before she took over the register. Marion grinned, and hurried to the bathroom. Sitting down on the closed toilet lid, Marion pulled her X-transceiver out of her pocket, tapping the call button. Will's face appeared on the screen.

His face furrowed in confusion. "Marion, why are you in your bathroom?"

"Because you called me right when I was working, you idiot!" Marion answered.

Will winced. "Oh, oops. Sorry about that. Quick talk then?"

"Yeah. I can probably stay here for five minutes, top." Marion sighed, taking her plastic gloves off and throwing them into the trash beside her. She'd have to get new ones when she went back to work. "Good news for you, we were in a lull."

"In the summer?" Will said, "Likely story."

"Okay, we were a bit busy," Marion admitted, "How's the gyms going? Fifth badge, right?"

"Yup! Roxie's going to be a tough one," Will said, "I have Excadrill, but I don't think he'll be enough. So it's back to training!"

"Sounds good," Marion replied, "I presume Cheren is after her?"

Will nodded. "I'm looking forward to that one. I'll be battling one of the Pokédex Holders themselves!"

"Will, almost every trainer has a Pokédex these days. You have a Pokédex." Marion said.

'"You know what I'm referring to!" Will protested. "He was an important part of modern Unovan history!"

"Fair enough," Marion said. "Say though you don't hear about Pokédex Holders much these days."

"Well, it has been awhile since they were in action. Ten years or something, right? After that weird incident in Kanto-Johto?" Will said.

"Yeah, I think so. Can't remember it too clearly. After all, I was six," Marion replied. "I suppose after cleaning up the world's messes for the thousandth time, they'd finally had enough."

"Maybe I'll ask Cheren after I get his badge."

"You sure that's a good idea? Seems like a sensitive piece of information."

"It'll be fiiinnnneeee. Besides, don't you have to get back to work?"

"Good point. It's been fun talking!"

Marion ended the call, and quickly washed her hands. After snapping on a new pair of plastic gloves, she ran back out to the storefront, ready to deliver more orders. Alan gave her a knowing look, and Marion's cheeks flushed. She ducked her head down, quickly getting back to work.

"Hey Andres! The package finally came!"

Andres bobbed over to Marion, and excited look on his face. Marion grinned, and opened the cardboard box containing the Sweet. It had taken a few weeks of saving to purchase it, but it was all worth it to Marion when she saw the excited look on Andres face. Emilie flew over, curious to see what was going on.

Marion carefully pulled the cloth-wrapped Sweet out, being sure not to damage it in any way. She placed it into Andres' hands, and grabbed the textbook from her desk. Flipping through the pages, Marion stopped on the one she was looking for.

"Here! It says you have to spin clockwise for over five seconds," Marion explained. She raised an eyebrow. "Only during the day too.

She shot a quick glance out the window. "It should be fine. Do you want to do it right now?"

Andres nodded in excitement, and three of them ran out of the bakery. It was still bright outside, with a few people milling about. Marion and her partners ran down to the bottom of the bridge, where there were less people. All of them tried a few practice spins without the Sweet, before they were sure they could do it.

With the Sweet held tightly in his hands, Andres began spinning a circle. Marion followed suit, trying her best not to get dizzy. After what felt like long enough, they came to a stop, throwing one hand in the air like they had seen the trainer in the tutorial do. As soon as they did that, Andres began to glow a bright white, the blinding light engulfing their vision.

Once the light faded, a light brown pokémon stood before them, his body looking like it was made of layers upon layers of whipped cream. Two red, strawberry shaped barrettes were attached to the top of his head. Marion clapped her hands together, and Emilie followed suit.

"It worked!"

Marion was dead tired.

After waking up early to help make pastries, and then running the store all day, Marion was ready to check out for the evening. Her feet felt like we're being stabbed with every step, and her back ached from being hunched over all day.

Marion opened the door to her room, careful not to disturb Emilie, who was trying to sleep. After navigating through her messy floors, Marion took off her apron, and flung it onto the bed.

She slumped onto her computer chair, spinning to face her sticker-covered laptop. She quickly pulled up the video chat app she had stored, sending a call to Will. Soon enough, his smiling face appeared on the screen. As soon as he saw her, his grin widened.

"There's a bunch of flour on your face," Will laughed. "Nice look!"

Marion rubbed her cheeks, finding that it was covered in white powder. "Dammit. Oh well. How's Nimbasa going?"

"I'm gonna battle Elesa tomorrow!" Will said. "I spent most of today training."

"Did you get to go on the Ferris Wheel?" Marion asked. "I've always wanted to go on it."

"Yeah, I did..." Will mumbled. He scratched his cheek, his face flushing pink. "Lydia ended up joining me there."

"How did that happen?" Marion said. "Don't you two hate each other's guts?"

"I wouldn't say hate..." Will muttered. "More mutual dislike. It was a complete accident anyways. We were practically shoved in there by her younger brother."

"Was it awkward?" Marion asked.

"Kinda," Will replied. "It turns out she's afraid of heights, so it got kind of awkward. I managed to distract her though..."

He trailed off, averting his blue eyes from the camera. His cheeks were red, and he scratched his head. Marion felt the smallest stir of jealousy inside her at his embarrassed reaction. Whatever was going on between Will and his rival was clearly something. Marion brushed that feeling off. It was probably nothing.

"Well, it sounds like you had a good time." Marion said evenly.

Will nodded. "Yeah, it was good. We parted ways afterwards, even though her brother tried to make me come for dinner. Tricky little bugger that boy is.

He stretched his arms. "Regardless, today was good. How was yours?"

"The usual," Marion said. "With it being mid-fall and all, the tourist season has tapered off. Dad and I have enough money saved to keep us through winter, and we do have the regulars."

"Once I become Champion, it'll be busy year round!" Will proclaimed.

"I suppose you're right," Marion said. "That kind of stuff'll draw in customers. Two more badges to go, correct?"

"Yep. Just Elesa and Marlon left," Will replied. "Then, Victory Road, the Elite Four and Iris."

"That'll be tough, won't it?" Marion said. "All of those trainers... How's your team?"

"Well, Braviary is as great ever," Will laughed. "He'll be my ace for sure. Then there's Excadrill and Gothitelle. Zebstrika and Azumarill too. Maybe I'll catch one more."

"Sounds good to me," Marion replied. "I should be getting to bed. It's late here. Good night!"

"Night!"

"Marion, I've got an order for you!"

Marion looked up from the till she was managing to see her father holding a bag of pastries. "For who?"

"I need you to bring these to Will's parents," Alan said. "It's a last minute thing. Very important. Erica can handle the till while you're gone. Take Emilie and Andres too, alright?"

"Okay?" Marion said, drawing the word out. "I'm kinda confused, but alright."

She grabbed the bag from him, and dodged a customer or two as she ran out of the bakery, her partners tailing her. It was midday in Village Bridge, the sun shining bright in the crisp air. Even during winter, there were small groups of tourists milling around, admiring the frozen lake below the bridge. The ever familiar-sound of the singing quartet filled the air.

Marion dodged a pack of yelling children as she walked down the stone stairs towards Will's house, almost losing her footing on a patch of ice. She breathed a sigh of relief when Andres steadied her. She gave him a quick pat on the head as thanks. Once reaching Will's house, Marion opened the door, the bell above it ringing as she did so.

The inside of the store was filled with toys and souvenirs, with Mrs. Fleur in the center of it all. tending to some customers. When she saw Marion, she gave her a wave, brushing a strand of green hair behind her ear. She ushered the customers out of the store once she was done ringing up their orders, and flipped the sign in the front from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED.'

"There you are Marion!" she said, "Come with me to the back."

She grabbed Marion's hand, and led past a heavy wooden door that led to the living quarters of the Fleur family. Marion sat down on one of the blue couches, and Mr. Fleur poured her a cup of tea. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Fleur took a seat on the couch across from Marion, and stared at her.

"So uh, how are things you?" Marion mumbled.

"Can't we just meet a family friend once in awhile?" Mrs. Fleur asked.

"You didn't invite my father though," Marion muttered. "This whole thing feels off to me."

Mr. and Mrs. Fleur exchanged a look, and Marion's stomach turned.

Mrs. Fleur turned back to her, a fake smile on her face. "We wanted to talk to you about your and Will's relationship!"

"...Ehhh!?"

"That's right!" Mr. Fleur said, shooting his wife a look. "Lily and I wanted to discuss that very much!"

"Me and Will are just friends," Marion said uneasily. "Nothing more."

Mrs. Fleur smiled. "Oh, okay! Will's always talking about you when he called. We were just wondering if you two had anything going on."

Something weird is definitely happening. They're stalling.

As much as Marion wanted to leave this delightfully awkward conversation, that wasn't an option. Already, she could feel anxiety building up in her, wondering what Mr. and Mrs. Fleur really wanted to talk to her about.

"If that's all then," Marion said. "I should really get going-"

" No!" Mr. Fleur shouted. "You can't leave yet!"

"...Why?" Marion said. "Is there something you two need to tell me?"

"We need to..." Mrs. Fleur said, drawing the final word out. Her eyes fell on the bag in Marion's hand. "We need to talk about those sweets!"

"What?"

"That's right!" Mr. Fleur said. "What exactly are they?"

"They're a couple Pecha tarts," Marion said. "You ordered them, remember!"

"Of course!" Mr. Fleur yelled.

He glanced at the clock, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. Mrs. Fleur kept on shooting looks towards the front door. Marion's stared down at the floor, tapping her feet. They were clearly waiting for something, and were trying to hide it from her.

At least I now know where Will gets his lack of tact from.

The front door burst open, and Will stumbled into the room. He was wearing a bright blue winter coat with jeans and boots, a knit cap messily pulled over his green locks. Five poke balls were attached to the straps of the backpack on his shoulders.

"I'm here!" he yelled. "Nice to see you guys again!"

"Will!" Marion shouted, getting up from her seat.

Will gave her a grin. "Hey Marion! Bet ya didn't-"

He was cut off by Marion throwing him into a tight hug. They almost fell to the ground, but Will managed to anchor himself.

"Didn't know you missed me so much!" Will teased. "I came back to visit before I went to Humaliu to beat Marlon!"

"Well, it's almost been a year since I've seen you in person!" Marion shot back. "How long are you going to stay?"

"Just for the night," Will replied. "I don't want Lydia to get ahead of me!"

"Of course you don't," Marion laughed. "I'm guessing this is why your parents wanted me to stay so long!"

"Did they weird you out?" Will sighed.

Marion nodded, and Mrs. Fleur let out a weak laugh. They swept both Marion and Will into an even larger hug.

"We're just glad you decided to stop by," Mr. Fleur chuckled. "How about we settle down for some sweets?"

Will nodded excitedly, and Marion let out another laugh. "I've got to show you Andres too! He looks even cooler in person!"

She stepped to the side, allowing him to see Andres. Will clapped. "Nice! I'm glad you took my suggestion!

After peeling off his winter clothes, he launched himself onto the couch. "Whew, it's nice to be home, even for just a bit! Nothing has changed, apart from Andres."

He rolled onto his side, releasing Braviary and Azumarill. As soon as they flew out, they ran up to Emilie and Andres, greeting them.

"So Will, how's your adventure been going?" Mr. Fleur laughed.

With that, Will launched into a long-winded explanation about every little thing he had experienced over the last eleven months. He rambled on about his rivalry with Lydia, and how he had caught all the members of his team. Halfway through, Alan came over, more sweets in hand. Will had practically launched himself at him.

During all this, Marion sat next to Will, relishing every moment she had with him. The morning, he was gone, ready to begin the final leg of his journey.

The day has finally come...

Marion looked up from the till again, watching the small television in the corner for any news. Will would be in the Elite Four chambers right now, taking all four of them one by one. If he succeeded, he'd go on to Champion Iris, and challenge her for the title.

"Excuse me Miss, I want some change!"

Marion turned back to the customer, counting out some change. "My apologies sir! Right away!"

The customer rolled his eyes. There was a large camera strewn over his neck, and he wore a visor on his head. He shot a glance at the television, and let out a chuckle.

"Not sure why you're so excited about that match. He'll lose. All of them do against Iris," he laughed.

"Well, anything can happen sir!" Marion replied brightly, giving him her best customer-service smile.

"With a shrimpy kid like that?" the customer scoffed. "I'd be surprised if he even made it past the first Elite Four."

"We shouldn't base our expectations on how they look," Marion said, her smile beginning to tighten. "Iris is quite young, no? And didn't Hilbert and Rosa become Champion when they were each fifteen?"

"They were exceptions," the tourist muttered. "Besides, if you ask me, those Pokédex Holders were whack."

Marion clenched her fists. "Well, here's your change sir. Have a nice day."

As he left, Marion took a moment to take a deep breath. Will had been training for ages. He would win for sure, wouldn't he?

"I lost."

Will's dry voice came from the speakers of the laptop which confirmed the sinking feeling Marion had in her stomach. She'd suspected he hadn't won due to lack of fanfare, but to hear it verified was still disappointing.

"Oh…!" she stuttered, "Well, that's only once! Everyone has losses!"

"But if Lydia beats the Champion before me, it's all over," Will grumbled, "Add in the fact that Iris is one of the most powerful trainers in the region, it's clear I'm screwed."

"It could've been worse?" Marion offered, "At least Rosa isn't Champion anymore?"

"Iris isn't much easier," Will mumbled.

"Well, don't give up!" Marion encouraged. "I, and everyone else in Village Bridge, believes in you!"

Will gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks Marion."

Marion continued, "No matter if you're Champion or not, I'll always look up to you!

She trailed off, her cheeks turning bright red. "Besides, you'll always be the Champion in my heart."

"O-oh!" Will stuttered. "Well, uh, I, er... I need to train. Thanks for the encouragement."

The call ended, and Marion bashed her head against the desk.

"Here you go sir, one slice of oran berry pie."

Marion sent the plate down the customers table, before hurrying to the next table. She was delivering orders today, so she was constantly running all over the place. Her feet were already aching in her flats. It was hot in the store too from the ovens, and Marion was sweating in her cardigan and dress.

Every now and then, she'd send cursory glances to the television. It was a month since Will had lost the first time, and according to his words, Lydia was having trouble with Iris as well. He was currently going for round two, and should be battling Iris at the moment.

For some odd reason, she felt nervous every time she thought about the battle. She wasn't even the one battling, yet a cold pit was buried in her whenever she looked at the television.

Erica gave her some more sweets to deliver, and Marion hurriedly ran around the bakery to the numerous tables. A aguav tart for Mr. Sharp, a slice of chocolate cake for one of the children, a cup of tea for the sweet old lady who came in every day... Her brain felt like it was mush from remembering all the orders she had to keep straight. She hurried back to the counter, and sent a quick glance to the television.

The empty tray she was holding clattered to the ground with a crash, causing customers to turn at the source of the noise. The room fell dead silent as they stared at the television, which had a single bright red headline blazing across it.

Champion Iris Drago defeated by Challenger Will Fleur.