Timothy and Gwen struggled to keep themselves together ever since they left Ballonlea. As soon as the group woke promptly at nine in the morning the day after Timothy's match, Ezria assumed the role of their leader. Timothy and Gwen couldn't deny that Ezria made good food, and everyone was better rested with her in command. Still, the raspberry-haired woman after Timothy's heart was anything but humble about it. She took pleasure in showing off how she cared for everyone else, seeing it as a means to prove to Timothy that she was the superior woman to rely on. As far as Ezria was concerned, she successfully took Nurse Joy's advice to obtain her prize.
With less time to ride than before, It took double the amount of days to come back to Stow-on-Side than it did for Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie to travel from there to Ballonlea. Ezria only allowed the group to stay there for lunch and restocking supplies, giving Gwen no time to revisit the mural, much to her disappointment. At the same time, Timothy was thankful that Bea was in Kanto and no one else in town was around to reveal to Ezria that he had lost his first battle with Bea.
Finally, they exited the mountains and began riding through the straight and level road to Hammerlocke. On the evening of the third day riding from Stow-on-Side, Ezria stopped riding and turned her bicycle back into a phone to check the map and the time.
"It's half past six," she said before turning to Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie. "It's another several hours until we get to Hammerlocke. We shall rest here tonight. We'll make it to the city in the afternoon."
Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen nodded and got off their bikes. Timothy and Gwen let Electchu and Winnie down, respectively, before they ordered the Rotom to transform into their phones. Coovers set up a campfire, and Ezria set up a table to cut up ingredients for curry. Timothy found a place a mile away from the campsite to train his Pokemon until Ezria came over to let him know dinner was ready.
The trainers and their Pokémon ate silently until they all had their fill. While Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen finished their last helpings of Ezria's curry, Ezria made tea. Thus, Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, and Ezria sat at the table sipping tea while all of the Pokémon laid down to sleep off dinner.
"Ah, what a comforting way to end the day," she said, smiling with her eyes closed. "I wish I had thought of buying cookies or some sort of dessert before we left Stow-on-Side."
Coovers lightly chuckled and said, "That just makes me think of the sweets Serena makes."
"Oh, yeah. She makes some tasty treats," Timothy agreed.
"Serena, as in the girlfriend of that boy you lost the Indigo League to?" Ezria asked with her eyes open.
"That's the one. She makes delicious cookies and Poké Puffs for everyone's Pokémon," Coovers said.
"I miss Serena's macarons personally," Timothy said. "I had no idea the treat could be so sweet until I had some of Serena's when we traveled with her, Ash, and some of our other friends."
"When you put it like that, Ash is a lucky guy to be with someone like Serena," Gwen said with a smile.
"Yeah, a lucky guy indeed. I wish I met my other half at such a young age." Coovers said, looking at the sky with a lovey-dovey look. "That means I would have experienced many years already of tasting her food, holding hands, going on dates, talking about feelings, and soooooooo much kissing."
"Er, you're talking about this Sonja woman, right? The one you haven't made a move on yet?" Ezria asked.
Coovers paused before he remembered that he was hiding who his crush's real name was and said, "That's right. In fact, we're going to have a date the next time we see each other. The first of many."
"You have a lot of faith in getting together with someone who might never feel the same way," Ezria said.
"You're one to talk," Timothy and Gwen muttered simultaneously.
"What can I say? I live by Serena's example." Coovers said. "Who else would love someone so much that they would sneak into Team Rocket Tower to save their beloved?"
"Wait, they would do what now?" Ezria asked.
"That's right. Team Rocket kidnapped Ash right after they brainwashed all the Psychic type Pokémon," Coovers said.
"Why? What reason would they have to kidnap your friend?" Ezria asked
"Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, saw him as a big threat to his plan," Timothy answered. "He did stop many Team Rocket operations in the past."
"So? That doesn't make him as invaluable as you. Timothy," Ezria said.
Timothy fought the urge to rebuke Ezria for taking down his friend. He breathed through his nose and said, "Well, I didn't have the history with Team Rocket that Ash has, so they probably didn't think much of me as a threat. Besides, if they captured me, I wouldn't have been able to lead everyone to victory."
"Then that is their grave mistake," Ezria said before the edge of her mouth curled up. "Still, going inside the enemy's lair to save the person you care about sounds very romantic. Foolish for someone of Serena's age, but very romantic."
Coovers hummed in agreement, not catching that Ezria called his friend foolish. The four trainers continued to sip their tea in silence, with Timothy still fighting the urge to rebuke Ezria, making Gwen uneasy. Ezria let out an "ah" after taking a long sip before her eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh," she said. "Timothy, I just realized you've never told me the story of when you saved the Psychic type Pokémon."
Timothy stopped mid-sip and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah, I guess I haven't," he says.
"Can you tell me the story now? Perry please?" Ezria asked with a kittenish look.
Timothy turned to Coovers, who gestured to him to do it with a look in his eyes to remind Timothy of the mission.
"I'd be happy to," Timothy replied with a fake smile.
Ezria squealed in delight. She moved her tea back and leaned toward Timothy's side of the table with her arms crossed. Coovers leaned toward Timothy, too, pretending to be just as excited. Gwen continued to sip her tea while sitting next to Timothy, but she looked at him from the corner of her eye, curious. Timothy rubbed his chin and looked at the sky, thinking of how to alter the real story. His action excited Ezria more as she thought he was reminiscing about the battle against Team Rocket. After a minute of brainstorming, Timothy lowered his head to look at Ezria and began his tale.
"When Team Rocket brainwashed all of the Psychic type Pokémon in the world, everyone was in disarray," he said. "Giovanni gave the people of the Kanto and Johto regions a month to surrender all of their remaining Pokémon and become subject to Team Rocket. People lost hope with so many agents and Pokémon under Giovanni's command and no way to communicate with the other regions. That's when I stepped in and said we had to stand together and take the fight to Team Rocket."
Ezria's smile grew, and she rested her head on her hand, watching Timothy with a dreamy look like a schoolgirl staring at the school's star athlete.
"So, with Lance's help, we spent the month Giovanni gave us to create an alliance of trainers and wild Pokémon from both the Kanto and Johto regions. On the evening of the last day, I led everyone to fight for our freedom," Timothy said, holding his fist up to give his story more bravado. "I don't know how long I led the vanguard, but, eventually, our numbers were dwindling, so I ordered a retreat and our second wave of trainers to fight. Luckily, while doctors and nurses were healing our Pokémon, we discovered from a distance that Arceus was held in the machine Team Rocket was using to brainwash the Pokémon. With legions of Pokémon and Team Rocket agents in the way, it looked like there was no way we could get it out of there. That's when I got an idea."
Timothy reached into his backpack lying next to his feet and took out the Master Ball. He pressed the button so it enlarged to the size of his hand, and held it out for everyone at the table to see. Ezria gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, looking at the Pokéball in awe, while Gwen looked at it confused.
"What is that?" Gwen asked.
"The Master Ball," Timothy answered. "With it, you can capture any Pokémon in the world with this device without needing to battle it at all."
"And this is the special Pokéball you used to catch Arceus? That was your idea?" Ezria asked.
"Sure was," Timothy said. "I created a cavalry of trainers with their Voltorb, Electrode, Graveler, Golem, Rhyhorn, Tauros, Rapidash, and Arcanine and charged through enemy lines. It was a long and dangerous ride, but I made it to the bridge connecting Team Rocket Tower to the mainland, riding on my trusty Arcanine, Fenrir, with Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey while Blitzwing and Gengar flew behind. Victory looked certain when we got to the other side until we were ambushed by a tall, hideous man with mechanical eyes, arms, and legs with his Pokémon."
Coovers looked away and covered his mouth to hide a snicker.
"A man with mechanical eyes, arms, and legs? What was someone like that doing there?" Ezria asked.
"It turns out this demented soul was a Team Rocket agent who was severely injured in a fire many years ago," Timothy said, waving his hands around as though he was telling a ghost story. "Team Rocket's head scientist, Dr. Zagar, saved the man and replaced his damaged body parts with mechanical ones, making him this half-man half-machine puppet to do Giovanni's bidding. The only thing on the cyborg's mind was a desire to crush anyone who opposed Team Rocket with his powerful and ruthless Pokémon, including a Charizard that could Mega Evolve. This is why he was assigned to prevent anyone from attempting to free Arceus and his name was Agent Basker."
"Incredible," Ezria said. "But I imagine you defeated him without your Pokémon breaking a sweat."
"You would think, Ezria, but the truth is my Pokémon had been battling at the front of the battle and only had a little time to regain their energy before using some of it again to defend the cavalry just to get to Arceus," Timothy said.
"Which means they were not in the best state for a match, leastways against someone with a Pokémon who can Mega Evolve," Gwen said.
"Correct," Timothy said.
"But, you still won, right?" Ezria asked.
"Barely," Timothy answered. "By the end of the fight, Blitzwing, Gengar, and Fenrir were down, and Poliwrath and Odyssey passed out using all of their energy keeping Mega Charizard at bay before Electchu finished it off with Hyper Beam. But just when it seemed like victory was assured, Agent Basker summoned Shockwave, planning to use my own Pokémon to stop me with its Psychic moves with it brainwashed."
Ezria's eyes widened in suspense, and she asked, "What did you do?"
"I ordered Odyssey to attack Shockwave with Bone Rush," Timothy said.
"You did what?!" Gwen shouted. "How could you do that? Shockwave is Odyssey's best friend."
"I know, and I hated that I had to make Odyssey do it, but it was necessary for the plan," Timothy explained. "Odyssey charged toward Shockwave, but Shockwave stopped it using Psychic. Agent Basker roared with laughter, but it was all a distraction so I could throw the Master Ball toward Arceus and capture it. With Arceus out of the machine, Shockwave and the other Psychic type Pokémon were out of Team Rocket's control. Agent Basker let out a scream of rage and attacked me, but I blocked his attack and knocked the daylights out of him. Thus, the Pokémon were freed, Team Rocket was overrun and arrested, and the world was saved."
Ezria sighed blissfully after Timothy finished his story. Coovers kept his mouth covered, trying hard not to laugh when Timothy brought up Agent Basker. Gwen looked at Timothy skeptically the entire time Timothy told the story. Silence overtook the campsite for several seconds before Ezria applauded.
"Magnificent. That was a better story than I was hoping for," she praised. She leaned to Timothy again with another flirtatious smile. "I especially love the part where you beat an evil Team Rocket agent, who was taller than you, and his body was half machine. I hope you mind me saying this, but I find that very attractive."
"Uh, thanks?" Timothy said hesitantly.
Ezria giggled, mistaking his reluctance for bashfulness. Silence overtook the campsite again as the four trainers returned to sipping their tea. After several minutes of silence, Ezria sighed and finished her tea before she stood up.
"Well, everyone, I'm going to set up my tent and turn in for the night," she said. "Timothy, are you planning to train with your Pokémon some more?"
"I am," Timothy replied.
"Alright, but don't be up too long. I want you in your sleeping bag by nine, and I'll set an alarm on my phone to check," Ezria ordered.
Timothy rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, ma'am."
Ezria nodded, satisfied, before she grabbed her backpack and walked several yards away to pinch her tent. Timothy waited a minute before he gulped down the rest of his tea and stood up to nudge Electchu with his foot lightly. The Mouse Pokémon groaned and stood up to tell the rest of his Pokémon to get up, and Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Knightblade got up to follow their trainer. Coovers finished his tea next and stood up to put out the fire and return his Pokémon.
Gwen stayed seated, drumming her fingers against her mug. She looked behind to see Timothy beginning to train with his Pokémon again, then to Ezria, making her she was focusing on her tent. After a minute of debating with herself, Gwen pursed her lips, and she got up to pour the rest of her tea into the remains of the campfire. She checked with her Pokémon to make sure they were still asleep and then walked over to Timothy and his Pokémon. Timothy was instructing Blitzwing and Knightblade as they dueled, using Steel Wing and Sacred Sword, respectively. Timothy heard the sound of footsteps and turned his head to see his crush walking over to him.
"Hey, Gwen. What's up?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to say what a riveting story that was," Gwen said sarcastically. "Frankly, I'm amazed Ezria is so gaga that even she would buy that story."
Timothy snickered and scratched the back of his head, looking back at watching his Braviary and Aegislash duel.
"Yeah, it's moments like that that I'm worried about how ugly it's going to be if she finds out the truth," he said.
"You should be worried," Gwen said. "The more you lie, the worse it's gonna get."
"I know," Timothy said, going from scratching the back of his head to rubbing his neck. "I guess I'm not cut out for being an agent of the International Police if I'm this guilty of playing this grand role to manipulate someone."
"I'm glad to hear it," Gwen said. "Still, you should hold back on how far you go when you're talking nonsense like a man who is half-machine, and you single-handedly rally two entire regions full of trainers and lead them to battle."
"Actually, there's a little bit of truth in some of those things," Timothy said.
Gwen furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I did lead the people of Kanto, but the real strategists behind the battle were Lt. Surge, the Vermillion City Gym Leader, and the final Frontier Brain, Brandon," Timothy said. "In that regard, I was really third-in-command. Professor Oak also led many wild Pokémon in Kanto, another Frontier Brain named Anabel led the wild Pokémon in Johto, and our friend, Misty, recruited water Pokémon to flank the enemy from behind. Lance is the one to be impressed with because he led the entire force of Johto trainers all by himself."
"I see," Gwen said. "What else is true?"
Timothy took a moment to think about it and said, "Well, Giovanni did give us a month to surrender our Pokémon, and people were terrified. I made the convincing argument that we should fight, but Brock, Dawn, Max, and some of our other friends said that we should fight to save Ash and our Pokémon before that."
"And I suppose it was your idea to use the Master Ball to free Arceus?" Gwen asked.
"Nope. That was Electchu's idea," Timothy answered.
Gwen looked at Timothy and then at Electchu, who was training with Poliwrath, baffled and asked, "Are you serious?"
"I sure am," Timothy said. "You see, Coovers led a small team to infiltrate Team Rocket Tower, which Serena was a part of. They discovered where Team Rocket was holding Arceus, but they didn't try to free it because Giovanni still had the Gieldanstone. As long as he did, he could just put Arceus back in the machine he was using to brainwash the Pokémon, or maybe even use Arceus' power to destroy his enemies. So they had to focus on saving Ash and taking the stone from Giovanni first. But, when they were rescuing the captured members of the International Police along the way, Dr. Zagar activated a failsafe program that prevented anyone from going to the top of the tower, where Giovanni was. Only Serena and Ash's Pikachu could save Ash and reach the top before the program was activated, so only they could attempt to take the Gieldanstone from Giovanni. And if that wasn't enough, they adjusted the machine Arceus was on so that Arceus couldn't get out of the machine even if it was ordered to through the Gieldanstone. The machine was also autonomous, and it couldn't be destroyed without also killing Arceus."
"Oh my goodness. Team Rocket really stopped at nothing to make sure they won, didn't they?" Gwen said.
"They sure didn't," Timothy said. "No one knew what to do when Coovers gave us the news. Brandon, Lt. Surge, Brock, me: we all thought our efforts were in vain. We would surely have lost the battle if Electchu didn't think of using the Master Ball to get Arceus out of the machine."
"Did it come up with creating a cavalry to get to Arceus too, or did you actually think of that?" Gwen asked.
"I really thought of it," Timothy answered. "I meant it when I said it was a dangerous journey to Arceus too. Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Gengar had to use some of the energy they regained just to protect the cavalry. Not a lot of trainers and Pokémon in our cavalry made it to the other side."
"And the cyborg?" Gwen asked.
Timothy fell silent at Gwen's question, making her curious. After half a minute, Timothy turned his head to Gwen and said, "That's where the story of Trent and me continues. You see, when Dr. Zagar found Tent, his left eye and arm were badly damaged that he was given robotic ones. Since then, Trent worked for Zagar while I thought he was gone, giving himself the name Agent Basker. Apparently, he was part of the project where Team Rocket was looking for the Gieldanstone. Coovers, Brandon, and I found it, but we were ambushed by multiple Team Rocket members, including Trent. That's when I learned he was still alive."
"And that's when they got the Gieldanstone?" Gwen asked.
"No, we were saved at the last minute," Timothy said. "There's a Pokémon who has a history with Team Rocket. It wiped out their memories of the Gieldanstone and transported them back to their headquarters."
"And who was that Pokémon?" Gwen asked.
"I'm afraid that's a secret," Timothy said.
Gwen furrowed her brow and said, "I don't like friends keeping secrets from me, Timothy."
"Trust me, if I could tell you, I would," Timothy said. "But this Pokémon's privacy is very important to it, and I have to honor its wishes as its friend."
Gwen's frown deepened for a moment, and then she sighed and said, "Okay, I trust you, but how did Team Rocket get the Gieldanstone anyway?"
"It turns out Trent's robotic eye recorded everything he saw, including everything he heard about the Gieldanstone," Timothy said. "All he had to do was look through his files, rediscover everything about the stone and bring the information to Giovanni. From there, they infiltrated International Police Headquarters, stole the Gieldanstone, summoned Arceus, and, well, you know the rest."
"I see," Gwen said. "So, Trent was the cyborg named Agent Basker who tried to stop you from catching Arceus."
"Pretty much," Timothy said. "His Arbok poisoned Fenrir just as my Pokémon and I made it to the island, so it didn't last long when our Pokémon teams battled each other. The rest of the story was true in how the battle ended, including how I barely won with Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey left, Trent trying to use Shockwave against me, and I tricked him into getting Arceus out of the machine. But, one detail I left out was that Electchu and Poliwrath beat the crap out of Trent for all the pain he caused them before he tried to punch me, and I knocked him out."
"But I thought you're against using Pokémon to attack people after what you did to that poacher?" Gwen said.
"I didn't order my Pokémon to attack him. I just let them let out their anger." Timothy said. "Still, you could say I was making an exception for everything my Pokémon and I went through. Though, you could say focusing on not hurting people went out the window when we were fighting both people and Pokémon that night. Do whatever it takes to stop Team Rocket once and for all."
Gwen frowned disapprovingly before sighing and saying, "I guess it can't be helped when you put it like that, especially when using the Master Ball on Arceus was the only way to win."
"Not the only way," Timothy said. "I may have gotten Arceus out of the machine, but if Serena hadn't destroyed the Gieldanstone when she and Ash faced Giovanni, Giovanni would have used it to force Arceus out of the Pokéball and make it go back into the machine. Worse yet, he might have ordered Arceus to use Judgement to destroy all of us for our efforts. My plan amounted to anything because Ash and Serena were there to stop Giovanni."
"So, I'm hearing you humbly admit that there were three people who saved the world?" Gwen asked.
"Not just three," Timothy said. "Brock and Holly stopped a Team Rocket agent from destroying the camp we were using to heal Pokémon. Brock and several doctors and nurses healed all the Pokémon I needed to form the cavalry. Coovers and his team rescued the International Police. I can go on, but at the end of the day, many heroes saved the world from world domination that the people and Pokémon of Galar should know about. Not just me. If I get the chance to let Rose and Ezria know that when this is over, I will."
"I will hold you to that," Gwen said. "To be honest, I'm sick and tired of hearing everyone, including you, going on about you being this amazing hero who won Pokémon Leagues and single-handedly saved the world."
"Honestly, Gwen, so am I," Timothy said. "I didn't win the Hoenn and Johto Leagues or beat Lance for fame. I did that for the dream I share with my Pokémon and it was no skin off my back when people I fought for weren't singing my praises before I got here. If I hear someone say that I saved all of the Psychic type Pokémon again a thousand years from now, it'll be too soon."
"A thousand? I'm thinking a million years." Gwen said.
The two of them chuckled before they silently watched Timothy's Pokémon train.
"So, what happened to Trent after the battle?" Gwen asked.
"He was arrested along with all of Team Rocket save for a small group that defected and helped Serena rescue Ash. He's doing life in prison." Timothy said.
"And Giovanni?" Gwen asked.
Timothy's face fell, and he paused before he answered.
"He fell," he said. "His office at the top of the tower was badly damaged when Ash and Serena faced him. The floor gave out, and he slid to the edge, but the Pokémon that erased his memory, which Giovanni had a past with, saved him. For its compassion, Giovanni caught it with a Pokéball before the Pokémon could react. But no sooner did that happen that the floor underneath him gave way. The Pokéball fell off the edge and Ash and Serena had no Pokémon available that could save him. All Giovanni could do was struggle until he fell off the edge screaming."
Gwen winced and looked away, trying not to imagine a man falling to their doom the easy Timothy described it.
"So, Giovanni's desire for the power of this Pokémon was his undoing," she said.
"That's right," Timothy said.
The two of them were silent again, still watching Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Knightblade having their mock battles. Then, Gwen squirmed and said, "I'm starting to wonder if that will happen to Chairman Rose if we fail to stop him. Getting himself killed because he wants Eternatus's power, I mean."
Timothy frowned and looked at the night sky.
"If he is as careless about what happens to others even after a Gigantamax Pokémon threatens lives, his obsession with Eternatus's power could doom him too," he said.
"I hope not," Gwen said. "I can never forgive the chairman for what happened to my mom, but I don't want him to end up like her any more than I want anyone else to meet her fate."
"Yeah, me neither," Timothy said.
Gwen's fear grew as she thought of Eternatus's power destroying everyone, including Rose. Then she got an idea that made her cheeks slightly pink, and she looked back at the campsite. Coovers was getting ready for bed, while Ezria was nowhere to be seen. With the door to Ezria's tent closed, Gwen concluded the raspberry-haired woman was asleep, meaning she could do what she wanted without Ezria seeing her.
Gwen reached out and grabbed Timothy's hand with her cheeks still pink. Timothy's heart raced at the feel of Gwen's hand before he realized what had happened. He turned his head to Gwen and saw she was looking at him with concern in her eyes.
"Do you think there's any hope we can convince Chairman Rose to abandon his cause, Timothy? That we can save him?" She asked.
Timothy's heart went from breathing rapidly to aching at the look of fear in Gwen's opal eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn't think of anything to say. His lack of response filled Gwen with dread, and she looked away, letting go of Timothy's hand. Timothy winced, and the pain in his heart increased, feeling guilty for failing the person he had developed feelings for. He softly groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Then suddenly, Timothy's mind went to Ash and Serena. He thought of Ash facing challenges with a confident grin and watching Serena and her Pokémon, making her audience smile at the Cremini Town Pokemon contest. Timothy then thought of what Serena said before the contest when the two of them discussed whether Ash would return her feelings.
"I will never forgive myself if I give up on Ash just because the odds are too great. That just means I have to keep on trying to whatever end. It's just like Ash said to me a long time ago; don't give up until it's over."
Serena's words made Timothy think of how he thought there was no hope of changing Ash for the better. He looked behind to ensure Ezria couldn't see him and gently took Gwen's hand. Gwen looked at Timothy's hand clasped around her, taken aback, and she looked up to see him giving her a warm smile.
"As long as Rose hasn't fully carried out his plan yet, there is always hope," he said. "Don't give up until it's over."
Gwen stared at him for a moment before she smiled as she clasped his hand back.
"Don't give up until it's over," she said.
Timothy's smile grew, and he squeezed Gwen's hand. The two of them continued to stare at each other, completely forgetting everything around them.
As they looked at each other, Knightblade was still dueling with Blitzwing. The Royal Sword Pokémon spun around to attack its partner with its shield, but it stopped in mid-spin as it saw Timothy and Gwen holding hands and staring at each other, smiling. Knightblade froze in place, dumbstruck at its trainer behaving that way with someone other than Ezria. With Knightblade distracted, Blitzwing smacked it in the sword with its glowing wings, not knowing its partner wasn't looking. Knightblade groaned in pain before it glowered at Blitzwing. They began arguing, making Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave stop their training, wondering what was going on. Timothy and Gwen snapped out of their moment and ran to the Pokémon.
"Break it up! Break it up, you two!" Timothy shouted as he forced the Pokémon back.
"Knightblade, Blitzwing, please calm down," Gwen said.
It took a few seconds before the two Pokémon stopped arguing and turned to Timothy and Gwen. They yelled their stories of what happened with Knightblade pointing at Blitzwing with its shield.
"Slow down. One at a time," Gwen said. "What happened?"
Knightblade repeated its story, earning a glare from Blitzwing. The Valiant Pokémon made its case as soon as Knightblade was done, and its claim made Knightblade angry. They began bickering again, and Gwen scoffed before making her next move.
"ENOUGH!" She yelled.
Knightblade and Blitzwing stopped arguing and moved back in the air, looking at Gwen in fear. Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave felt shivers down their spines, feeling the aura of Gwen's wrath around them. Timothy took a step back, taken aback, as Gwen spoke in a motherly tone.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?" She rebuked. "Knightblade, Blitzwing didn't realize you were looking away. That is no way to talk to your friend. And Blitzwing, you should know better than to lose your temper just because Knightblade is yelling at you."
The Pokémon looked down in shame, fighting the urge to cry.
"Wait, so what happened?" Timothy asked.
"Knightblade got distracted, and Blitzwing hit it with Steel Wing, not realizing Knightblade wasn't paying attention," Gwen said.
"I see. And what did you get distracted by Knightblade?" Timothy asked.
Knightblade grew uneasy and awkwardly gave its trainer an honest answer. The other Pokémon looked at it, surprised, before turning to Timothy and Gwen. Gwen's eyes widened, and her face turned red in embarrassment.
"D-Don't be silly, Knightblade. That didn't happen. No way," Gwen said, waving her hands defensively and chuckling nervously. "You must have imagined that."
"Aegis Aegis Aegislash?" Knightblade asked.
"Of course, I'm telling the truth. Cross my heart." Gwen lied.
"What did Knightblade think it saw?" Timothy asked.
"Don't worry about it. It isn't important!" Gwen shouted.
"Uh, okay," Timothy said. "In any case, Knightblade, you should learn to mind what's happening, and Blitzwing, you should pay attention to what your partner is doing. Now, say you're sorry."
Knightblade and Blitzwing paused before they quietly apologized. Timothy smiled, satisfied until he noticed Gwen still blushing.
"Gwen, are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine," Gwen lied. "I...I think I'm going to turn in. Good night."
"Uh, okay. Good night," Timothy said.
Gwen walked away with her head down, hoping Timothy hadn't seen her beet-red face. Timothy watched her walk away puzzled, and Knightblade looked between the two trainers, wondering if what it saw was just its imagination. Electchu raised its eyebrow as it watched Timothy watch Gwen leave, suspecting that what Knightblade saw was not its imagination. Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and glanced at Gwen again before he shook his head and turned to his Pokémon.
"Alright, everyone, let's get back to training. We don't have long before it's bedtime," he said.
Timothy's Pokémon party nodded and went back to dueling with their partners. Electchu was attacking Poliwrath with Iron Tail, and the tadpole Pokemon defended itself with Dynamic Punch. Electchu and Poliwrath wrestled with Electchu's fist and one of Poliwrath's fists as though they were locking swords.
As they did, Electchu glanced at Timothy, watching Knightblade and Blitzwing closely to ensure they didn't fight again. The Mouse Pokémon's partner was staring intently, but he also had an edge of a smirk. Electchu looked at Timothy curiously before it went back to its mock battle, but while it blocked Poliwrath's punches, it began to wonder if Timothy and Gwen holding hands meant that the latter was feeling something for its best friend too.