"Little one, you look completely bushed," Kaminari noted of Astrid as the Rowlet skittered in through the blue curtain doorway.
"Ah, I feel it, too…" Astrid tiredly affirmed.
"We'll get you a place to roost soon, worry not," Niles gently assuaged her.
"Arashi, you're sharing a room now," Kaminari informed, giving her son a glance.
For what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, the Froakie's face lit up and he let out a happy squeal. "Yes! It's like a sleepover that never ends!"
Niles and Kaminari both shot each other amused looks at Arashi's antics, and Astrid figured this was nothing out of the ordinary. As easygoing and laid-back as the Greninja and Inteleon seemed to be, she couldn't place how, precisely, they had evidently raised such a wildly excited child… which she couldn't help but chalk up to the gods having a sense of humor. That must have been the only reasonable explanation for everything that had happened that day, she thought to herself.
Nonetheless, she had to admit, she was certainly ready for a roost. Niles retrieved one of the baskets from the main room shelves and moved its contents elsewhere, and the Rowlet found it rather cozy being snugly curled up inside of it- apparently such was normal to her species, or so Arashi's parents seemed to indicate. She liked it even better when Kaminari nestled it into one of the empty stone cupboards in Arashi's room, and the Greninja certainly seemed rather amused at her taking such an instant liking to it.
"If you need anything- either one of you, but Arashi already knows this- you can come wake us," Kaminari noted, reaching up to turn out the lantern on the ceiling and giving Astrid a glance. "And if that strange beast shows up for any reason, it'll quickly figure out it wandered into the wrong den."
Astrid gave a little nod, and shortly the room was left dark. She heard the curtain swooshing as Kaminari strode out.
"Hey, Arashi…?" she inquired softly, glancing down at the little blue cushion the Froakie curled up on.
"Yeah?" was the soft-but-happy reply.
"What was that whole 'team' thing you were talking about earlier...? We… go on missions and explore uncharted places…?"
"M-hm!" was the excited answer, hardly above a whisper.
It seemed to be the best way to obtain the information she wanted, whatever the case may have been. And seeing as she definitely wanted answers...
"… I'm in if you're in," she declared.
The Froakie's lively grin wasn't too visible in the dark, but Astrid could certainly hear his bubbly gasp of cheer. "You are?! Yes!" he softly exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low but not completely succeeding.
Astrid chuckled, though just a bit.
"Hey, can we talk about this in the morning or something? I'm a little sleepy, and you seem more tired than anyone," Arashi inquired.
"Sure," Astrid agreed.
"G'night, Astrid~"
"Goodnight, Arashi."
The next morning though, just as the sun was beginning to show itself, a certain Nidoking walked along the sandy path out of town without a care in the world, carefully clutching a little stack of papers bearing the image of a Rowlet.
"What a lovely morning," Nez mused to himself.
A few Magikarp Splashed about in the lake, perhaps trying to outdo each other in how high they could go, until a Gyarados poked up from the surface and utterly put them all to shame. The Nidoking giggled happily at the big splash the Atrocious Pokémon made before it vanished into the waters again.
"And what a ferociously lovely 'Mon!"
Not even a sudden Rain Dance could rain on Nez's parade. It was simply too beautiful a day, or so the Nidoking would have indicated had there been anyone there to ask him.
Tranquil Town soon became rather small on the horizon, and the sandy path turned to dirt with some trees dotting the ground on both sides and a rocky cliff face to the west that the trees disappeared into some ways off.
"Hum, hum, Craggy Crossroads, here I come…~" Nez hummed.
Crack!
He perked up a bit, glancing around with a grin still on his face but seeing nothing. "Oi, do I have company? No need to be shy, now! Nez ain't gonna fight ya!"
… Nothing. There wasn't a single other figure to be seen among the shrubs and trees. He brushed it off as a branch somehow getting itself into a less-than-stellar position and snapping, though it certainly sounded like something else. Still, if it was to be concerned with, it would show itself, and if it wasn't, he wasn't going to pay it any mind. The morning mist still on the ground was too nice and the fresh air too peaceful.
Nonetheless, a slight breeze blowing through managed to shake one of the papers in his hand loose and carried it backwards. "Ah, by the gods!" he exclaimed, quickly turning around to reach for it.
However, it shortly appeared he wouldn't need to reach far, for someone else had caught it in a copper-plated wired hand, the other hand raised with a green sphere of energy already formed in it and poised to attack.
Nez stared for a moment at the creature before him, and it seemed to stare back… or at least it probably would have, if it had anything resembling a face on the spiked glowing ball that formed its head. Its entire body was coursing with electrical sparks running along the cables that formed it.
The creature spoke first, pointing the Energy Ball at the ground and away from the Nidoking, though the attack wasn't fading. "Alright, it's too late for me to not be seen," said its metallic voice. "If you're looking for someone that the Rowlet belongs with, that's me."
Nez, however, growled and narrowed his eyes at the creature. "… You're the beastie she told us about," he snarled, instantly putting Astrid's description and the beast's visage together.
"So you know I'm a Beast and not one of your kind. I'm not sure how you got that info, but that's not something I'd expect anyone on this world to know. Who told you?"
"It's plainly obvious you're a crazy beast, ya devil," Nez shot back. "Why don't you tell me something- who goes attacking little unevolved lassies or laddies in a forest while they're confused and scared?"
"I don't have time to explain myself. I need that Rowlet, and she's supposed to be with me instead of whoever has her now. And I definitely don't need you broadcasting her position to everyone else like you're intent on doing, either."
The Nidoking snarled again, looking the creature over. Whatever it wanted with her, just from the way it was carrying itself in the conversation, he had to doubt it was anything that Astrid would've wanted a part in. Niles and Kaminari had described her as being extremely flustered and wary, and anyone that put another Pokémon in a state like that without provocation couldn't have been up to anything that wasn't nefarious, Nez decided. He wasn't buying it, not for one second.
"Devil, ye ain't got good intentions, I can tell."
The Energy Ball pointed back at Nez, a jolt of electricity coming out of the beast's other hand that sparked the lone paper into igniting and quickly burning away. "Doubt me if you want. You wouldn't understand my intentions even if I told you. But if it's force you want to settle this with, then that's not a problem- I've faced foes a lot more formidable than you, believe me."
Nez's claws tightened up into something of a fist and he stared daggers, for this clearly wasn't a creature that could be negotiated with. "Oho, I ain't afraid of ya, beastie! If little Astrid can't give ya the what for, I will!"
The Nidoking leaped up and slammed the ground with a mighty stomp on his way back down, setting off an Earthquake while the Beast before him let the Energy Ball go. Nez jerked sideways and let the attack sail past, the Beast likewise jumping back and dashing aside before one of the fissures could strike. It wrapped one arm around a tree branch and pulled itself up out of the Earthquake's reach, its body taking a rainbow-colored glow that shortly flared into a blinding Dazzling Gleam.
"Agh-!" Nez cried, shielding his eyes.
Even if his Poison-typing would normally resist a Fairy move, Nez felt the attack, and it certainly wasn't a dazzling feeling like the move's name would imply. The light outright burned, making him grit his fangs.
"Are you sure about that?" came the metallic voice again.
The gleam faded fairly quickly, and Nez charged the tree the creature took cover in to Body Slam it over. The Beast jumped down, another Energy Ball glowing in one hand while the trunk splintered and snapped with the Nidoking's force. A loud clattering followed as the tree went toppling over, yet still the Beast was unharmed, running opposite the direction the tree fell and toward Nez. Another growl came from the Nidoking, who picked himself up and pointed his venomous horn at his foe. He rushed again, intending to give the Beast a Poison Jab, but the wired creature was faster in shooting an Energy Ball.
And by the gods above, did it have energy to it. Nez would have let out a cry of pain, but his body just wouldn't respond for the pained feeling that quickly overtook him. He stumbled and fell onto the ground, little snarling gasps escaping his maw and his limbs trying to move but just feeling far too heavy.
The Beast strode up, completely unbothered, and snatched up Nez's posters (that had a few holes torn in them from the Nidoking's claws). "That's the absolute last thing that needs to happen right now," the metallic voice mused, sparking the papers into igniting.
Crackle!
It hadn't been a tree branch- it was the creature's body crackling with electricity. The Nidoking wasn't worried about the sparks, but anyone else probably would have been.
"A-agh…! Ye…!" Nez gasped, countenance pained and contorted in frustration.
… He didn't like this wired creature. Whatever it wanted, it gave Nez a sinking feeling in his chest. One shaking claw lifted off the ground, but Nez's vision blurred over and faded to black before he could even reach for the Beast.
. . . . .
However, at the same time elsewhere on Tranquil Beach, there was little trouble to be seen anywhere. Astrid's feathers were still a bit ruffled out from sleeping, and Arashi still rubbed his eyes a bit, but they were both content as they perched on the table and made quick work of a few pieces of fruit for breakfast. It appeared Niles and Kaminari had already been stirring some hours before, for they weren't drowsy at all and Niles in particular was organizing the contents of a bag he then slung over one shoulder.
"What's the situation this time?" Kaminari inquired of her mate.
"Well, a few individuals of questionable standing have given indications that they are affiliated with probably the most wanted Pokémon this side of the continent, thus she may or may not have a syndicate. I'll tell you more later," Niles answered.
Arashi started grinning. "Ooh, you mean Salem?!"
Niles chuckled. "Yes, dear, but everything else is classified," was the response.
Astrid wasn't going to ask questions. The wanted poster in town had told her all she needed to know.
"You've got a mission tonight as well?" Niles asked Kaminari.
"Yes, an outlaw sighting, but I don't expect it taking long," the Greninja answered. "The one tomorrow, on the other hand, might keep me gone for most of the day, but that's par."
The Inteleon nodded. "I should be back before sundown at the latest," he noted.
Kaminari looked at the two younger ones present. "If I have to leave before then, I'll ask Nez or Reina if they can keep an eye on you. Normally there wouldn't be anything to worry about, but if there are any more rogue creatures running around after yesterday, I want you accounted for."
Astrid and Arashi both nodded.
Niles, though, reached his arms around Kaminari and embraced her, and she returned the gesture.
"I love you, honey," said the Inteleon.
"I love you too, dear," was the reply.
Arashi rolled his eyes a bit at their gesture, looking slightly amused. Astrid angled her eyes downwards, feeling a bit awkward at it all.
"I'll see you all later!" Niles called, strolling out through the curtain door.
"Bye, Dad!" Arashi called back, leaping down from the table.
Astrid too leapt down shortly.
"By the way," Kaminari said, casting her gaze on them again, "Niles and I discussed it last night that, since you two cleared a dungeon by yourselves, we're not so worried about you venturing outside of town alone but only if you stick close to each other. Just be careful- and I say that more for you, Arashi."
Her son got a sheepish look. "A-alright, Mom…~"
Astrid only nodded without a word.
In any case, shortly the two of them were out the door, Astrid flapping along to keep up with the Froakie. There were no wired creatures on the beach nor the steps going through the rocky faces, which greatly put Astrid at ease. She felt quite a bit better after a good night's rest, though somehow she felt that sleeping in a basket nudged into a shelf would have been strange in any other case. As was the case with most things, she had no reference point to go by to be sure, though.
The town didn't seem to be as abuzz as it had been yesterday, however. There weren't many Pokémon strolling around outside their houses or talking to each other, which Astrid chalked up to it being early in the day and thus perhaps they were sleeping. Nez wasn't there to call at them, and none of Arashi's associates that Astrid had met yesterday were out and about. The Rowlet didn't mind the relative quietness, but Arashi, on the other hand, seemed to notice something was off.
"Sheesh, where is everyone? Lila's always up by now at the least, and Nez is always out and about…" he mused.
Astrid looked around. "This… isn't normal? I mean, it was around midday when you found me yesterday, right? No one is still sleeping?"
Arashi shook his head. "No, the only Pokemon that would still be sleeping are Hoothoot and Murkrow…"
As far as Flying-types went, a Staraptor- one that Astrid easily recognized from the previous night- went speeding overhead towards the beach. They gave him a glance but otherwise thought nothing of it.
The Kecleons were out, however, and Arashi bounced up to them.
"Good day~" the green one chirped.
"Can we help you~?" asked the purple one.
"Is there some huge event that we missed?" Arashi inquired. "Why's town so quiet?"
At that, the Kecleons instantly got a bit wide-eyed and looked at each other, as if a bit unsure of the words to say. Arashi tilted his head to the side and studied them, while Astrid started feeling a bit uncertain at seeing their uncomfortable gestures.
"W-well…~" the green one stammered.
"You might just want to go see for yourselves…~" the purple one's voice trailed off as he looked to the northeast, "I know that Nidoking is quite a sweet creature, but…~"
"That species isn't known for being weak, either…~" the green one likewise seemed rather unsure.
That piqued Arashi's interest, and Astrid likewise had a few questions too.
"Nez? Did something happen to Nez?" Arashi pressed, looking concerned and leaning on his hands a bit. "What'd he do?"
"Oh, he didn't do anything, but…~" the purple one still wasn't sure of what to tell them.
"Just go to the town's gate and ask…~" the green one instructed.
Astrid and Arashi looked at each other, then set off towards the town boundary with worry in their expressions. The Rowlet couldn't imagine anyone having trouble with the Nidoking; even if she had only met him one day ago, the fact that he was not a troublemaker could not have been more blatant. The only thing that came to mind was another Pokémon driven out of their mind like the Rhyperior, or perhaps a feral like the Deino that gave them trouble in the tunnel, and if that was the case, that didn't bode well either. Yet, if incidents like those were supposed to be rare…
Sure enough, at the edge of town had gathered something of a crowd, and instantly Trixie and Charlie came running up to them.
"You guys! What happened?!" Arashi inquired, hopping up.
"W-what's wrong…?" Astrid inquired.
"Nez got attacked and they beat him up real good, like, real good," Trixie answered.
"Nez! Astrid's here, you can ask her!" Charlie called over his shoulder.
Arashi looked to the Rowlet, who looked to the Aipom with slightly wide eyes. Several of the other Pokémon gave their new company some glances and stepped aside.
"A-ask me what…?" Astrid hesitantly inquired.
Both the Aipom and Croagunk motioned them to follow along, which Astrid did with Arashi close behind as they scooted through the others gathered around. Lila was there at the front too, giving them a knowingly perturbed look.
Trixie hadn't been lying, they found out fairly quickly. Nez was slumped on the ground, eyes barely open and his tough purple hide singed in several places as if he'd been burned by pure energy. His breathing was labored, and he was barely able to respond even as a Flareon tried to nudge an Oran berry into his mouth. There was no blood, no bones sticking out anywhere, yet merely looking at him was enough to send a chill down their spines.
Astrid gasped, holding both her wings up. "A-Arceus above! Are you alright…?!"
"Nez! Nez, what happened?!" Arashi cried, bouncing closer.
Slowly, the Nidoking's eyes shifted to them.
"He said it was the creature you saw," Trixie noted, giving Astrid a nudge. "Right, Nez?"
Astrid's eyes widened.
"Aye…" Nez gasped out.
The Rowlet whimpered, and Arashi too started getting wide eyes.
The bolt that hit Astrid had hurt, sure, but this… This was something else entirely. She'd woken up just fine from the hit she'd taken, yet Nez was a fully evolved Pokémon native to this world that didn't need to adjust to his body when seeing something else come at him… Here he was, hardly able to move and clearly bearing the marks of a hostile encounter. It almost made her wonder how she'd gotten away from it while still keeping her life.
The Flareon nudged the berry between Nez's teeth with his paw, being very gentle not to unnecessarily touch the Nidoking. A Heracross too very gently closed Nez's maw around it, Nez letting out a little groan of pain. Nonetheless, his eyes blinked a few times afterwards and he gulped the berry down, gaining back a bit of vibrancy.
Gingerly, Astrid walked closer and placed the tip of her wing on the Nidoking's cheek. "Nez…?"
"I seen your beast, lassie…" Nez said, slowly shifting around. "You weren't lyin' at all, not that I thought ya were…"
Everyone gave the Nidoking some space as he carefully got back to his feet, evidently receiving some of the energy he lacked from the Oran berry. The Heracross helped him get steady, getting gentle thanks from Nez.
"W-what happened…?" Astrid asked, eyes drooping a bit. "W-why would it go after you?"
At that moment though, the Staraptor flew over again and a certain Greninja jumped down from his back before he landed, likewise rushing over to the Nidoking.
"Nez! That creature attacked you?!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Is it still here?!"
She already had a Water Shuriken in one hand ready to go after it if it was, but Nez shook his head.
"I was further away from town and closer to the Crossroads," Nez answered. "It knocked me out cold. I have no idea where it's at now- I didn't see it on the way back nor did Cobalt and Blaze while they were helpin' me, and they were the ones more keeping watch."
Astrid assumed 'Cobalt' referred to the Heracross and 'Blaze' referred to the Flareon.
Nez looked to Astrid. "Lassie, you say it was made mostly of black wires with a spiky ball for a head, and it's probably an Electric-type?"
Astrid nodded.
"Then we saw the same beast," Nez declared. "It even outright called itself a beast and said it wasn't a normal Pokémon like the rest of us. I'm inclined to think that's true…"
Several confused mutters and surprised musings went around at Nez's words. Kaminari got a more concentrated expression, her Water Shuriken dissipating but her fingers clenching up just a bit. She took a few steps closer and stuck a hand on the Nidoking's shoulder, studying him intently.
"I'm no battle-seeker, and I'm certainly not as good at it as you are, Kaminari, but my tail has thrown around a few Golems before while I was running errands in feral territory," Nez noted. "This thing wiped the floor with me before I could even touch it, and even though I'm immune to Electric-type attacks and resist Fairy ones, that thing's Dazzling Gleam was just downright painful. And its Energy Ball… Agh, I don't even wanna think about taking one of those again…"
Some more worried voices went around. Astrid's eyes went wide, and looking at her company beside her revealed similar stunned looks of concern on Arashi, Charlie, and Trixie's faces.
"Woooow, that is gnarly," the Croagunk mused, earning herself an elbow to the side from the Aipom next to her and a sideways glance from her Jolteon associate.
"So it talked to you and said it wasn't a Pokémon? What else did it say?" Kaminari inquired.
Nez's countenance shifted from tired to slightly worried, his gaze going to Astrid. "That it's after that lassie there, and I don't think it's got good intentions for her, either."
Wider went Astrid's eyes. Arashi stuck a hand on her wing.
"It noticed that I had those flyers in my hand and was about to attack me before I noticed it, and it said it was the one that you were supposed to be with and that it needed you. Obviously, I didn't believe it seeing as you're scared of the thing, it said it didn't care what I thought and that it didn't need me broadcasting your position, and if I wanted to settle things by force then that was fine. I thought I'd scare it off if I hit with an Earthquake or a Poison Jab, but… You all see how that went. It beat the daylights out of me and burned the flyers, sayin' that was the last thing it needed to happen."
Astrid's beak fell open a bit. A bunch of eyes looked at her, some befuddled and some wide.
"Why would it want her?" said one voice.
"Sheesh, did that thing give her brain damage and cause her amnesia? If it did all that to Nez for just trying to help her…"
"That's almost akin to Salem's antics there…"
A squeak of dismay came from the Rowlet's beak and she looked at the ground, wrapping her wings around herself as best she could and trying to disappear into her fluff. She certainly had some choice words for that creature, but doubted she'd be able to say them if it went after her again. She probably wouldn't be getting away a second time, and perhaps she had just been lucky the first… A million thoughts circled her head, none of which she wanted to think about.
Kaminari noticed and swooped her up, turning the Rowlet towards her chest and shielding her away from everything around them with her hands. "You swear you don't know this creature, Astrid?" she softly inquired. "Does that jog your memory at all?"
"No!" the Rowlet squeaked back. "If I was supposed to be on good terms with it, none of this would have happened! I don't know what it wants or what it's after, and I don't even know who or what it is!"
Several more voices went around, all questioning the creature's motives. Astrid too almost wondered if it had been the cause of her mental state, but somehow she couldn't quite believe that either, as much as she didn't want to believe the explanation she'd already gotten.
A certain Vespiquen's voice piped up. "I shall tell Lucy to keep a watch while she's on her routes. She covers quite a lot of ground in a day; she'll notice if someone is out there that shouldn't be," Reina mused.
"I'm telling the sheriff's office to put out a notice," declared an Ambipom. "Charlie, no more playing in the forest alone."
"It better be prepared to lose a few limbs if it wanders within visibility," Kaminari too said. "It doesn't matter how hard it hits if I outspeed and evade all of its attacks, and that's something a ninja is good at."
Several more musings went around in the same vein, and Astrid couldn't help but be a bit timidly exasperated. Only two days, and it seemed trouble was following her, yet perhaps she was there indirectly because of it if the gods had indeed sent her… But still she didn't like it. It was all so frightening… She still didn't know whose voice she'd heard in the forest, and almost wished she did just so she could ask it what had happened. Yet that certainly was not going to be an option.
In any case, the commotion died down with all the causes of the trouble being addressed. Astrid wanted to let it all blow over, let it all pass, but before she and anyone else in their little brigade trailed off again, she skittered over to Nez.
"Th-thanks for trying to help me… I'm s-sorry this happened to you…" she said shyly, barely able to look up at the Nidoking.
Nez, however, gave her a chortle and knelt down, softly patting her feathers. "This isn't your fault, lassie. You don't have to apologize for anything. Better me out there getting attacked than you."
She nodded gently, then wandered back to Arashi and his bunch.
"Forget what I said this morning about wandering too far, you two. If that thing's around and looking for Astrid, I don't want you any farther than the lake," Kaminari said sternly. "The Rhyperior was a one-off, I'm sure, but this isn't like that."
Both the ones she addressed nodded.
"I'm not even gonna try against that one," Arashi mused uncertainly.
"Good," said his mother. "I don't worry about you often, but I am right now. Stay safe, all of you."
The Greninja went about whatever business she had to attend to, and the five younger ones left looked at each other, several of them still taking it all in.
"Speaking of the lake… Astrid, we should go there," Arashi said, giving the Rowlet a look.
"H-huh?" Astrid replied, a bit uncertain herself.
"Yeah, why just you and Astrid?" Lila inquired, then getting a bit of a grin. "Are you up to something secretive?"
"Yup!" the Froakie replied, then back to Astrid, "Remember what we talked about last night?"
The uncertainty left her- she did indeed remember.
"What, you're forming Team Useless Posers?" Trixie ragged on them.
"No, that can be your team," Arashi shot back without a care, after which he started hopping. "C'mon!"
The Rowlet obliged, though she gave one look back before flapping off. "U-um, see you later, I g-guess…"
She too set off, flapping after her comrade.
The three left looked at each other, shrugged, and too went about their business… or lack thereof, seeing as they didn't have any.
Nonetheless, the lake seemed fine and peaceful, though Astrid couldn't help but glance about warily just to be sure. Tranquil Tunnel's opening was still there, but they weren't going near it, and if the wired creature was hiding in the trees, they had time to make a bolt back for town before it could get too close. She was still going to keep watch and be ready to run, but nothing to worry about immediately presented itself to them.
"This is about us being a team, right?" Astrid inquired.
"Yup!" Arashi replied, grinning. "Are you still down for it? I mean, did sleeping on it change your mind? Or the thing with Nez?"
Astrid thought for a second, carefully mulling things over, then shook her head and replied, "… I'm still on board. I need to find out what I'm here for and why that thing is after me, and sitting around isn't going to get me those answers." She looked sideways and to the ground a bit. "Besides, I… I can't stay as pathetic as I am forever, not with these circumstances… It scares me, but… I can't have other people like your folks and Nez fighting battles and solving problems for me… I gotta do it myself…"
She felt a hand on her wing again, and looked back up at Arashi, who was still grinning.
"Hey, we can do it together," the Froakie said warmly, "It's not every day a human turns up in the form of a Pokémon, and if there's some huge secret to you existing here, then I wanna find it with you! I mean, sheesh, if some crazy wired beast thinks you're special, then you gotta be, right?"
She wouldn't have worded it that way, but she got Arashi's gist and nodded, a slight happiness trickling into her countenance.
"We can both get strong together," Arashi said, taking his hand back from her wing. "And then once we are, maybe we can join the Expedition Coalition and show that beast that it can't just go around messing with other Pokémon! I just know we've got it in us!"
The Rowlet chuckled a bit. "You're a real positive thinker, y'know that?"
The Froakie laughed. "Of course! Someone's gotta be!"
Astrid eased up. "Alright, alright, on the ridiculous chance I'm here to save the world, I wouldn't want to be alone for that task."
"So we need a name," Arashi declared. "You got ideas?"
She thought, then shrugged. "Just what constitutes a good team name? You're the native here- tell me what the norm is."
"Well, you have some teams like Team A.C.T. that just make an acronym from their names- Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar in their case," Arashi noted, looking up at the sky in thought. "And then you have some, like Team Charm, that name themselves for an attribute- being charming and literal treasure charms, in their case. Then you have other ones like the Expedition Society and Rush's Expedition Coalition, which take their names for what they do- going on expeditions, whatever those expeditions happen to be… But honestly, those are all kinda boring! I want ours to sound cooler!"
"Careful, don't talk bad about your idols," Astrid chuckled.
The Froakie gave her a playful nudge in response.
"So, something that sounds cool then," Astrid mused, thinking on it. "Hm, what sounds cool…"
While she was thinking, Arashi, however, lit up again. "I got it! Team Starstorm!"
She gave him a funny look. "Team Starstorm? Where'd you get that from?"
"Well, your name is Astrid, right? It sounds kinda like 'astra,' which means 'star,' and my name means 'storm,' so I just kinda shoved them together! Besides, once we're fully evolved, it fits even better! Stars are pretty, but you only see them in the dark, which is perfect for a Grass- and Ghost-type like Decidueye, and storms are dark and rainy, which is perfect for a Water- and Dark-type like I'll be!"
Astrid tilted her head to the side. "You came up with it, though," she mused. "So why not Team Stormstar? Why's mine up front?"
"Team Stormstar doesn't sound as cool," was the easy reply. "And you were in front while we were in the dungeon, so hey, there you go. But it's got both of us in it, so it works either way, right?"
She couldn't argue with that logic in any way that would make sense, she decided. "… Alright, that works."
"Lovely," the Froakie replied. "So to make us official, we'd have to fill out some forms and stuff we could get at the sheriff's office a little further north… but then Mom and Dad would find out, and honestly, I don't think now is a good time to tell them. You've only been here a little over a day and all, and Mom is saying not to wander too far since that not-a-Pokémon is out, so we should wait a little while before making it official."
Astrid nodded. "That's fine with me."
The Froakie was beaming and couldn't help but clap his hands a little in happiness before throwing them around Astrid. She was surprised, but didn't object and chuckled while returning the hug.
"Well, I'm glad you're so happy about all this," the Rowlet laughed.
"Oh, you've got no idea how happy I am, Astrid," was her response.
They let go, and shortly Arashi was hopping and Astrid was flying back into the town's perimeter.
