TEAM: Twigs (Grookey)

Flare's POV

I'm really doing this. I'm going on my own Pokémon journey… somehow. I hope I haven't kept Hop waiting too long…

I never really left town so I wasn't used to exploring new places alone. I barely visited Wedgehurst, even if it was easy to get there from the shortcut on Route 1. Though, thanks to Twigs, I reminded myself I wasn't really alone anymore.

I found Hop and Buddy by Route 1's signpost. He saw me coming and started waving at me, still not winded as usual. I brought him up to speed as we fell in step along the path.

"... So Sheep really didn't jump the fence, huh? Weird…" Hop put his hands behind his back and looked like he was thinking it over. He dismissed it quickly. "I wonder if I can get Buddy to jump that high. Only one way to find out!" Typical Hop.

He nodded at his Wooloo, who nodded back. Their enthusiasm made it seem like they shared the same thoughts sometimes. I glanced at Twigs on my shoulder, who was busy admiring the scenery we passed by. I wondered if we would share that kind of excitable bond as well one day.

"So…" I looked towards Hop and tried to find my way into the conversation. "What did you call me here for?"

"Hmm?" He cast his gaze at me. "You brought your Rotom Phone with you, didn't you mate?"

"Yep."

He looked toward a house in the distance in Wedgehurst. "See that there? That's where the professor's granddaughter lives. She'll be able to hook your phone up with the Pokédex feature. You can't miss it!"

I followed his gaze and noted the Pokéball symbol on the building with the purple roof. "A Pokédex should really help. Especially with Twigs and any other Pokémon I'll catch."

"Whoa, mate!" Hop looked at me in surprise. "Catch some more Pokémon right away? What are you, heading off to be a trainer like I am?"

I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. "That's right." I sheepishly hiked my bag up. "My mom actually talked me into it. She gave me spare Pokéballs and everything."

Determination flashed in Hop's eyes. "You should've told me earlier, mate! With you tagging along, this journey oughta be even more fun! If you want to catch some Pokémon, there's actually some things you should know…" He started to reach for his green bag.

Me and Twigs eyed him curiously. "Like what?"

It took him a while before he fished his phone out. "League catching rules for trainers… Here it is… because a lot of trainers are gonna go exploring this time of year, it'd be best if we don't catch too many Pokémon per route. That part's easy…" He scrolled through his phone some more. "There's some new league rules this year to spice things up. Trainers are to put their caught Pokémon in duos and only use those duos per battle unless rendered unable to fight." He looked up from his phone to smile at me before I could finish processing this. "You got all that, mate?"

I hesitated, rolling the duo policy around in my head some more. "I… think so. Duos, got it." I'll figure it out.

"That's good! There's just one more thing here…" He glanced down at his phone only to have his eyes widen. "I completely forgot! I have to hurry and find Lee! Let's go, Buddy!"

Huh? Wait! Hey, wait up! I wanted to call out, but Hop and Buddy had already run off. Gone without a trace before I could do anything. Whatever happened to staying close?

Twigs was shaking her head beside me. "Sounds like a handful, that laddie is. Good thing Sev was in his ball, I dinnae think he could run like that."

There was still something on my mind, and I thought about it for a second as I looked at her. "Hey Twigs, you were listening, weren't you? You understand that duo thing Hop was talking about?"

"Mostly, aye." She scratched her head for a second. "Sounds like you'll have to find someone to pair me up with. You know how to catch a wild Pokémon?"

I hesitated. "... no. Is it as easy as politely asking to throw a Pokéball at them?"

"Oh gee, I'd certainly take the polite over having to fight, golly!"

Me and Twigs looked at each other in surprise. That cheerful voice came from neither of us. We heard the sound of chewing coming from a nearby patch of grass.

A small squirrel Pokémon scurried out from the grass and looked up at us, Oran Berry in paws. "Hiya, trainer! Couldn't help but overhear what y'all were saying 'bout needing a wild Pokémon to catch!"

A Skwovet, I recognized. I didn't expect to meet another kind Pokémon so soon. "Hey, little guy. I'm Flare. Do you really wanna join us?"

He nodded eagerly, taking another bite out of his berry. "That's right! Do this little Route 1 critter a favor and take me along! I wanna see the world like you guys!"

His earnest tone felt endearing. Not to mention I also found Skwovet quite adorable. "Well, if you ask like that, how could I say no?"

He did a little salute. "Crumbs is my name, eating berries is my game! I'll try not to let you down, honest!"

His tone only kept me smiling as I reached into my bag to pull a Pokéball out. As I did so, he pressed his head against the button, letting himself be captured into it. The ball made a single click noise.

"Wow." Twigs was wide eyed beside me. "Didn't expect the laddie to be that easy to win over."

I was still staring down at the Pokéball in my hands, still a bit ecstatic at getting another new Pokémon so soon. "Yep."

Author's POV

It didn't take too long after that for Flare to reach Wedgehurst and find the building Hop told her about. She knocked only to hear a "come in" from whoever was inside. Flare let herself in.

Books. Books on shelves everywhere. Flare assumed she was in a library for a second until she noticed the advanced-looking lab equipment at the far back. Excited barking was heard as an excited Yamper ran to her feet.

"You must be Flare!"

Flare looked up from the Yamper to see a very pretty lady in a brown coat approaching her. Her orange hair was laden with green heart designs.

Flare waved at the sophisticated-looking lady, trying to keep herself composed. "Are you the professor's granddaughter? I was told I could get a Pokédex for my phone here."

The nice lady introduced herself as Sonia and offered her a spot for tea while she got the Pokédex set up. As Flare watched Twigs and Crumbs sit on the table with tea of their own, she wondered how she never heard someone this notable-looking was just a route over.

It was then that she heard her from the lab part of the room. "You're Judith's daughter, right?"

Flare stopped sipping. "Did you know her?"

Sonia nodded, twirling a finger through her hair. "We were good friends who met during the Gym Challenge a long time ago."

Flare thought back to her mother and wanted to sigh. "And I'm only hearing about this now…"

Sonia looked back with a similar exasperated smile. "To be fair, she never told me much about her daughter, either. Well, better late than never!" She went back to tinkering with Flare's Rotom phone, seeming hard at work as her Yamper was lazing about nearby. All the while Flare wondered if there were any other friends her mother never told her about.

It didn't take much longer after that for Flare to get her phone back with the Pokédex installed.

Sonia wore a proud smile on her face. "It's not often I get visitors, so I'm glad to help!"

Flare thanked her and slipped her phone into her pocket. "Now… I just need to find Hop…" she muttered. "He said he was looking for Leon…" Twigs climbed back on her shoulder while Crumbs got to her with soaked whiskers.

The mention of Leon caught Sonia's attention. Her exasperated smile returned. "That Leon… Mr. Too Lost To Recognize I Was One Of His Rivals. You just missed him."

Flare was using a napkin to wipe Crumbs' face as she heard this. "Wait, he was here?"

"Was," Sonia replied. "Doing his usual visits before going back to doing champion duties. If you're looking for him, he should be at my gran's house past Route 2."

The blonde trainer nodded, now with both of her Pokémon perched on each of her shoulders. She thanked Sonia and left in a startled hurry.

The professor's assistant sighed and whipped out her own phone. "Friend of Hop, I'd bet… I should really see what Judith has been up to lately."

"You must be a messy lad if you drink tea that sloppily."

"Golly, I can't help it! A critter like me has never been treated like that before!"

Flare couldn't help but smile as her Pokémon bantered behind her while she was walking down Route 2. She brought her eyes to the path ahead with its patches of grass about. "Hop must've run through here. I wonder if there's anyone I can ask who has seen him."

"Aye, you could ask Spike. He's cool."

The name was unfamiliar to her. "Who?"

She then turned around to see a third Pokémon following Twigs and Crumbs. The little Chewtle looked up at her.

"Spike, pleased to make your acquaintance." His deeper voice betrayed his tiny Chewtle size.

Flare was really confused now. "How long have you been here? I don't remember catching you."

Spike shook his head. "You didn't."

Crumbs looked up at Flare with disappointed eyes. "You didn't? Oh gee, I couldn't tell! Spike was here talking to us for so long that I thought he was one of us!"

The Chewtle looked pleased at the comment. "I happen to get that a lot from the other wild Pokémon. You could say I'm pretty sociable, kind of a celebrity for the Route 2 Pokemon. Though the last trainer that passed by here didn't pay me much attention. Must've already had a Water type."

Flare nodded. "That must've been Hop. Where Hop's going, Leon should be there too!"

The trainer quickly turned around to pick up the pace, but was quickly stopped when Spike called for her. "Hey now, you're not gonna pass me by without letting me on your team, are you? Not to toot my own underdeveloped horn, but you could say I'm a pretty special sociable Chewtle. Marked for greatness, you could say."

Flare found herself surprised at how forward this Chewtle was in asking to be caught. All the while Twigs and Crumbs were eagerly nodding at her in unison.

"Do it."

"Do it."

Flare smiled at them as she brought out a Pokéball. "Well, the more the merrier. Welcome to the team, Spike!"

She lobbed the ball and it bopped Spike right on the head, a beam of light bringing the Chewtle into the capsule.

Twigs stared at the ball. "You know lass, I didn't expect us to encounter two friendly wild Pokémon in a row. They're not usually this friendly last I remember."

"Golly, I much prefer having a friendly bunch around!" Crumbs commented. "I can still fight, but being friendly is better!"

While her other Pokémon were back to bantering, Flare picked up Spike's Pokéball and stared at it. She felt a sense of accomplishment knowing her party of six was already halfway filled so quickly. "Now to just find another Pokémon to pair you with…"

Flare's POV

We decided to pick up our pace after catching Spike. I really hoped we didn't miss Leon already. There was a house by the end of the route with a yard similar to Hop's.

Speaking of Hop, he saw me coming and enthusiastically waved my way. "Flare! There you are, mate! Help me out here!" He seemed to be talking to Leon about something in front of someone's house.

What trouble did you get into this time? As I quickly reached him, I had needed to catch my breath from running too much. "You left me back there, Hop… Why'd you do that?"

"Sorry 'bout that, I just really needed to get to Lee before we missed him! Don't worry, I would've gotten you an endorsement letter too!"

"Endorsement… letter?"

Leon turned to me and nodded. "Anyone who wants to join the Gym Challenge needs an endorsement letter from a prominent figure, Bounsweet."

B-Bounsweet?

Hop nudged his arm. "Don't call her that. We're past it now."

Leon simply chuckled and looked at his little brother. "If you really wanted an endorsement letter so bad, couldn't you have asked Judith? She's a trainer who knows you well, isn't she?" I found myself a bit surprised at the mention of my mom again.

Hop's expression changed, looking as if he thought about it for a second. "Can't deny how close we live, but I didn't know about that trainer part." His grin quickly returned. "Besides, I'd rather get my endorsement from the Champion! It'd mean a whole lot more for when I actually reach champion level like you, Lee!"

I noticed Leon couldn't help but smile. "Oh little brother… I admire your passion, but you're being a bit too reckless about this. Let's not forget about your story about the Slumbering Weald."

He did have a point. I was still thinking about Leon's suggestion. "Er, Mr. Champion, if we're still troubling you, I can always just ask my mom-"

It didn't occur to me that we were standing at someone's front door until the door actually opened. A gentle-looking grandma with glasses and a bird-themed cane walked out.

She looked towards Leon, fidgeting with a cord attached to her glasses. "I was wondering when you were going to visit, Leon. Come here to ask about the Dynamax phenomenon, hmm?"

This lady did come off as the professor type with her coat and all. I supposed this was the grandma lady Sonia mentioned.

She looked towards us. "Nice to see you here too, Hop. And you must be Flare. I'm Professor Magnolia. Fresh young trainer, aren't you dear?"

Magnolia seemed friendly. She seemed naturally caring, like my mom, but much older. I gave her a meek little wave. "You could say that, er, professor. I just got my Pokémon today." I looked to see Twigs and Crumbs on my shoulders while Spike was following me on the ground nearby.

"I've grown as a trainer too, professor!" Hop stood in front of her, excited as always. "They're all in my Pokéballs right now, but I've finally caught more Pokémon!"

Magnolia smiled at us both. "It's so nice to see the youth move forward to be our next generation." It is then that she wore a familiar exasperated smile. "I still kind of wish my granddaughter would do the same."

I looked over at Hop and noticed how strange it was that his Pokémon weren't out. Not even Buddy. I asked him about it.

"Hmm? I did some training against the wild Pokémon on Route 2 on the way here, mate. They're all still fighting fit, but I just thought I'd let them rest for now." He eyed my Pokémon and smiled. "Looks like you've made more new friends, too! Did you train up as well?"

"Uh…" I looked towards Twigs to see her facing me with an expectant look, as if I should already know the answer. Crumbs did the same. As did Spike. I couldn't save face. "Nope. But that was mostly because I was hurrying after you!"

He just grinned at me. "Can you blame me, Flare? An endorsement letter from the Champion would make for a great page for my legend! Yours too!"

I still wasn't too sure about that legend part. The thought of being like those cool trainers in those stadiums was enticing, but for the most part I was still in it for the fun of having all these new Pokémon companions.

Speaking of Leon, he was still here talking to Magnolia about something.

"Oh Leon, why won't you endorse them?" The professor egged him on. "They're such promising youths. Isn't it part of your vision to see young Galar trainers get stronger?"

"That is true… but even still…" Leon looked deep in thought about something. "The path to being a strong trainer isn't an easy one. I know someone who has gone through many hardships along the journey. There's a lot when it comes to the battling."

"Hmm?" Magnolia raised an eyebrow. "Do you not believe these trainers can be strong enough?"

Strong? "Well-" I tried to speak but a stick poked my cheek.

I looked to see Twigs giving me an encouraging look. "No need to doubt yourself, lass. From what I've seen, I think you've got what it takes."

Even after I got my Pokédex, I still felt like Twigs was more experienced than me when it came to battling. Mainly for obvious reasons. Still, hearing her approval helped.

Meanwhile Hop didn't seem discouraged in the slightest. "Come on Lee, there's gotta be some way we can prove we're strong enough for this!"

I nodded alongside him.

Leon looked at all of us and smiled. "Guess I'm outvoted, then. How about I referee a battle between you two? Winner gets my endorsement!"

"Wait…" I quickly realized. "Whoever wins?"

Leon nodded.

I looked at Hop to see he was worried too. It was jarring to see his smile fade like this. "So Lee, does that mean…"

I tried to reassure him with a smile. "Well, I can always just ask my mom for an endorsement if I lose-" I was poked. "I'm just playing it safe, Twigs."

Leon nodded at me. "At least there's an alternative. There's no pressure. I just want to see you two have a good battle now that you've caught more Pokémon!"

No pressure… right… Whatever the case, I was glad I didn't have to end up potentially shutting down Hop's ambition. Thank goodness.

As we made our way to the yard area, it at least looked like Hop was still raring to go.

He brought out a Pokéball. "Alright, Flare! I know I lost last time, but now I'm going all out!" He smacked it with his other hand. "Time to bring out my new recruit! Let's go, Knightley!"

Out of his Pokéball flew a Rookidee. It flew around us before slowly taking its place in front of Hop. "I'll make you proud, sire." It looked like it did a little bow.

I blinked. "Whoa. He looks honorable."

"Hope he fights as well as he's a show off." Twigs crossed her arms. "Either way I won't do well against a Flying type."

"Lemme at 'em!" Crumbs hopped off of my shoulder. "I know how to battle! I've seen plenty of Rookidee on Route 1, too!"

Spike just curled up by my feet. "You two can have fun with that pair thing. I'll just sit this out until you need me."

I nodded at my Skwovet. "Well, sounds good to me! You got this, Crumbs!"

The Rookidee scoffed haughtily. "Mere morsels, more like."

Leon looked at the two of us and nodded. "Trainers, begin!"

"Power Trip, Knightley!"

"As you wish!"

His Rookidee was quick to take flight and ram into Crumbs. He reeled back a bit but still stood his ground. He shook it off and looked around as the bird circled around for another blow.

I had to actually give out commands this time. I knew Crumbs' moves already, so it was just a matter of trying to match the energy of those trainers on TV.

"Use Tackle, Crumbs! Meet it head on!"

Crumbs nodded at me. "I gotcha, Flare!"

He stood his ground as the Rookidee swooped down. As the distance closed, Crumbs ran forward and headbutted the Rookidee, leaving them both pushing against each other.

"Leer him while you're up close!" Hop called out.

The Rookidee quickly shifted its stare to look Crumbs dead in the eye. It was enough to catch him off guard and get sent reeling back from the attack.

He tumbled for a bit before getting up. "Don't worry 'bout me! This critter still has some fight in him!"

"Alright Knightley, finish with Peck!" I heard Hop call out as the Rookidee swooped in once more.

The bird was coming quick. I had to think fast. "Pounce on it with Bite, Crumbs!"

He nodded at me and began running ahead towards the Rookidee. The bird's beak started to glow with pure energy. Knightley flew quick and straight, seemingly undeterred from its course.

I saw the window of opportunity. "Now, Crumbs!"

He jumped on command, getting the timing just right to land on Knightley's back. Both Hop and the Rookidee seemed surprised by this.

"Look at me, world!" My Skwovet looked overjoyed to be where he was, clinging to the back of a bird. "I'm a flying squirrel!"

Hop looked panicked. "Shake him off!"

But Crumbs already got to work and sank his teeth into the Rookidee. Knightley cried out and skidded across the ground.

"It appears… I've been bested…" Knightley groaned before being returned into his Pokéball.

"Well, that's some Skwovet you got there," Hop commented, bringing out another Pokéball. "Knightley is unpaired for now, but I'll make sure he gets his chance to shine another time. But right now, this wave is gonna crash right over you!"

Out his next Pokéball came Sev, who appeared much more ready for battle than before. I called for Crumbs to take a breather.

"A moment to rest? Golly, I'd like that!" He came back to sit down next to Spike and took a berry out of his… tail?

I quickly stopped wondering where the berry came from and turned to Twigs. "You ready?"

She nodded. "As I'll ever be, lass." She hopped off my shoulder and readied her stick. "Oi, Sev! I'm not gonna go easy on ya this time!"

The Sobble stood firm. "N-Neither will I, Twigs!"

This time I knew Twigs' moves so I should finally be able to call the shots this time. "Branch Poke!"

"You know what to do, Sev!" Hop confidently called out.

Know what to do? I wondered what he meant when Sev suddenly dodged by going invisible again.

Me and Twigs looked equally perplexed. How did Twigs sense him last time? Could I use my Pokédex to maybe find him-

A blast of water splashed over Twigs. And another. And another. Before we could find out where the water came from, another blast was fired from somewhere else entirely.

Twigs grunted, trying to shake off the water. "He's gotten fast! Where are you, Sev?!"

"I'm right here!"

He suddenly reappeared behind Twigs and quickly smacked her with his tail. Twigs tried to lunge back at him, but he disappeared immediately. We were back to square one.

I didn't know what to do. Twigs continued getting hit by more blasts of water. Whenever one would hit Twigs, another would come shortly after from the opposite direction. Think, think! My Grookey was just blindly lunging at nothing while all I could do was watch. How do those trainers on TV handle this?

As another blast of water hit Twigs from the front, I noticed something. "Behind you, Twigs!"

She quickly turned around in the opposite direction of the water blast and swung her stick, striking something unseen. Sev quickly materialized upon impact and reeled on the ground, clutching his side.

"Owie…" he groaned. "That… actually hurt a bit… I yield…"

I heard Hop sigh. "I would've thought it'd take longer before our strategy became predictable! You got a good eye, Flare!"

His praise felt good. It only made sense to do the same. "You still put up a good fight despite the type disadvantage!"

Hop looked flattered. "Don't forget I still have an ace up my sleeve! This isn't over yet, mate!" He brought out another Pokéball.

I noticed Twigs helping Sev back up before the Sobble was returned to his Pokéball.

Hop smacked his final Pokéball. "We might be against the wall, but that's just my kind of match! Go get 'em, Buddy!"

He seemed to put all the more oomph into his throw this time, sending it flying into the battlefield before his Wooloo popped out. I knew this was the Pokémon he had the longest, but I've actually never seen what Buddy was like in battle.

I called Twigs back. "Take a breather, Twigs! Tag out with Crumbs!"

She nodded and walked back to Crumbs' place. "Ta, Flare. I need some time to dry off."

As Crumbs passed by her, he put his berry away and they did a sort of high five with their paws. "By golly, I won't let you down!"

Hop's grin grew confident. "Normal type against Normal type? Time to show you how Buddy is the superior one here!"

His Wooloo bleated as if to emphasize his point.

"Time to show our stuff, Buddy! Defense Curl!"

Buddy seemed to tense for a bit as his wool… expanded? It just looked like he got a little bit fluffier.

I still didn't know what just happened, but I had to call out a command. "Crumbs, Tackle!"

My Skwovet started running ahead while Buddy just stood still. Crumbs rammed headfirst into the Wooloo's body and suddenly got stuck.

I stared in surprise. He's stuck in the wool?!

"We got him!" Hop called out. "Now shake him off and use Double Kick!"

A Fighting move? There was little I could command Crumbs to do before the Wooloo used his hooves to knock him flying back.

Crumbs was sent tumbling to my feet. "Was not expecting that…" He seemed dazed.

I gave him a reassuring smile as I returned him to his Pokéball. "You still did good, Crumbs. Rest for a while."

Twigs readied her stick and stepped onto the field. "I'll take it from here. It won't be as easy to take me down!"

I nodded at her. "His face is still vulnerable. Try using Branch Poke on it!"

"Hold it right there, Flare! It's not gonna be that easy!" Hop called out, still as confident. "Use Tackle, Buddy!"

His Wooloo started to roll around at a startling speed, zipping around too fast to track a weak point.

"Argh, another quick one. I'm just gonna try to take a lucky shot!" Twigs didn't hesitate for my confirmation before rushing towards the rolling wool.

"Wait, Twigs-" But she already rushed into the wool and got run over by the rolling rampage. I sighed. "Are you okay?"

Twigs was left lying down on the ground, looking a bit shaken up from just getting rolled over by a Wooloo. She then got up and shook it off, reaching for her stick. "Today's really not doing me any favors in liking sheep."

"Alright Twigs, use…" I wanted to call out another command, but hesitated when I saw Buddy stop in place and look up at something. I noticed Hop was doing the same, too.

"Look at that, Flare!" He called out, pointing at something in the sky.

This could be a trick! I knew what kind of mischief Hop could pull. But…

Against my better judgement, I followed what he was pointing at to see a sparkling red trail descending down from the sky. Two sparkling red trails really close to each other, actually. They were like comets, and I was startled to see how close they were to where we were, ending up on a spot in the yard very close to us.

"Are those what I think they are?!" Hop cried out, not even hesitating to run past me and into the small dirt patch where the things landed.

I tried to call out to him. "Wait! Are those even safe?"

"Of course they're safe!" Color me surprised when Leon of all people started excitedly running towards the stones from the sky too.

There I stood just watching two goofballs frantically search the dirt for something that fell out of the sky. I shouldn't have been surprised to see how similar they both were.

I noticed Magnolia walking closer. "How perplexing… That didn't appear very natural."

I assumed she was talking about Hop and Leon's reactions and if so then I could agree to some extent.

"Found 'em!" Hop quickly stood up with something sparkly in his hand. "Look what I found, Flare! It's a Wishing Star! There were two in there so there's one for you too!"

Before I could question it even further, Hop placed a stone thing in my hand, leaving me to observe it for myself.

"A… Wishing Star?" I repeated. The stone seemed barely palm sized, looking like a tiny blue meteorite in shape. There was some sort of glowy reddish energy pulsing through its cracks.

Magnolia came up to us and nodded. "Yes, Wishing Stars. Rare minerals meant to contain and harness Dynamax energy. I can use them to get you Dynamax Bands since those are vital tools for the Gym Challenge."

"That's a good idea," Leon added. "You can't Dynamax without a band and having the professor make you one saves you the trouble of having to buy one from Macro Cosmos."

"Hmm yes…" Magnolia's gaze trailed off. "Macro Cosmos…" She sounded… troubled.

It didn't seem like Hop noticed the professor muttering and immediately handed her the Wishing Star. If it was for the Gym Challenge, I supposed it was necessary, so I handed her mine as well.

Magnolia's gentle smile returned. "Thank you, dears. I'll be heading indoors now to get to work. It will take a while so feel free to head in for tea."

As I watched Magnolia head on back into her house, Hop smiled at me. "Exciting stuff, wasn't it, mate? It's not every day just anyone finds a Wishing Star! I got so caught up in it that I almost forgot we were supposed to be battling!"

I nodded, his enthusiasm as contagious as always. "Yep, the… battle…"

It took until seeing Twigs expectantly staring at me from the battlefield to realize. Judging from his fading smile, it seemed Hop realized at the same time as well.

"There'll be no need for that, I've seen enough." Leon called out to us with a grin. "You two really battled well there!"

I suddenly remembered why we did this in the first place. "So who won?"

Leon looked proud as he reached into his cape pocket and pulled out two envelopes. "You both get endorsements!"

"We… what?"

"Really, Lee?!" Hop excitedly reached for the envelopes, taking one and handing the other to me. "I thought you said that the winner gets endorsed!"

He nodded. "That's right! I think you gave it your all in that battle, both attacking and counter-attacking appropriately. You both have learned a lot for your first day! Sounds like winning to me!"

Hop and Leon just continued to grin while I stared at the envelope in my hands. Twigs hopped back on my shoulder to stare at it too while Spike looked up at us.

My Chewtle looked intrigued. "Maybe let me try a shot at that battling thing next time. That looked loads more exciting than anything I saw at Route 2."

Twigs nodded at me. "You did good, lass. I don't think we could've lasted against that Wooloo, but we still got that endorsement prize at least."

Now that she mentioned it, I found it odd that Leon already had two letters prepped and ready just for us.

"Wait…" I spoke up. "Did you plan to give us both endorsement letters from the very start?"

Leon chuckled. "Figured it out, did you Bounsweet?" Hop nudged him. "I just figured I wanted to see you battle with something on the line. Tends to make battles more exciting, if I do say so myself."

"Right…" I suppose he had a point. At least Hop looked super ecstatic to be holding an endorsement letter in his hands, while I was mainly relieved.

Leon then put his hands on our shoulders. "Now come on, you two! Let's head inside so we can wait for those Dynamax Bands!"

I sheepishly chuckled and obliged. As I tucked the letter into my bag, I was still surprised at all this excitement that happened in just a day.

The three of us were seated at Magnolia's table as she got to work in another room over. Me and Hop's Pokémon were let out to roam and help themselves to the Pokémon food given to us.

The tea the professor prepared was really good too. Tasted just like the tea Sonia prepared earlier, or that could just be me with how I had three tea sessions in the same day.

"Where are all your other Pokémon, Lee?" Hop asked. "Ever since you visited, I noticed you only brought Charizard's Pokéball with you."

"Oh, that?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "It's going to be a bit before I can get challenged to any official battles, so in the meantime I just sent them on any Poké Jobs they wanted to do. That or resting in the PC."

Poké Jobs? I took another sip. I was getting full from all the tea I had today, but I supposed I should try to finish my cup to be polite. I think I remember Mom mentioning her Pokémon doing Poké Jobs…

"I've been thinking of sending them on Poké Jobs that involve café work." Leon swished his cup around. "I'm not the best at cooking, but maybe they'd be better at it than me. Only other person I can think of from the top of my head who can make tea this good is Sonia."

"Good thing I'm here, then."

We looked to the doorway to see Sonia standing there with her hands on her hips, Yamper nearby.

I waved at her. "Hi, Sonia."

Hop waved enthusiastically. "Hey, Sonia! Good timing!"

Leon seemed glad. "What brings you here? More nerdy lab work?"

"Yes Leon, more of that nerdy stuff," she replied with a smile and an exaggerated tone. "My gran actually called me here a while ago. Wanted me to check something out."

Hop's face fell. "So no curry?"

She gave him a sad smile. "Sorry, Hop. Maybe next time."

I watched her as she walked off to what I assumed was Magnolia's lab room. "I never got to try any of her curry." I started to feel a bit left out.

Hop nudged me. "You oughta try some whenever you get the chance!"

I made a note of it. Maybe when I have the time. A lot's happened today. In the meantime, I just took to watching all our Pokémon going about nearby. Surprisingly, Hop's Pokémon seemed to crowd around Spike. He wasn't kidding about the sociable part.

Magnolia returned to us not long afterwards with those Dynamax Bands she was talking about. She gave one to me and the other to Hop. "The Wishing Stars in those bands will allow you to harness Dynamax energy and use it to Dynamax your Pokémon in certain spots."

I slipped it on my wrist and looked at it, recognizing it as those techy wristbands I saw trainers wear. I still had no idea how the Dynamax part worked, but getting the band was a start. I made sure to thank the professor.

Hop excitedly showed off his band. "With the endorsement and the Wishing Star… now we're cooking with gas! With all that's happened today, it looks like we're off on the adventure of a lifetime!"

"Right!" I looked at my band once more and glanced at my bag. "So… where to now?"

Leon motioned for us to follow him outside. "If you want to register, you can take the train to Motostoke. There's a station you can take in Wedgehurst."

Wedgehurst, got it. I called all my Pokémon back into their balls as Hop and I followed Leon outside.

He sent out his Charizard. "I'm in a hurry, so this is where I go now. The Chairman needs me to attend Champion things as usual. Good luck, you two!"

Hop waved as Leon got on Charizard's back. "See you later, Lee! Next time we meet, it's in the stadium! Hopefully!"

I found myself smiling at how Hop had enough excitement and confidence to make up for the two of us. I waved Leon off as well.

His Charizard took flight and started to fly out of view. "Don't forget to have a champion time!" I heard him call out.

That must've been the second time I heard him say that. "I think it sounded cooler on TV."

"And yet it never gets old." Hop grinned. "Now, onto the train to Motostoke! Our legend is about to begin! Race you, Flare!"

"Hey, wait-"

But he had already taken off down the path through Route 2. I sighed. Typical Hop. Though I couldn't really blame him. I had to admit our battle earlier felt thrilling, so more of that to come must be exciting!

I used that thought of excitement to spur me as I ran after him. With how much went on, maybe today really did mark the beginning of our legend.

Author's POV

"So what did you need me to look at, gran?" Sonia stepped into Magnolia's lab, taking a gander at all the equipment about. It still looked like sophisticated equipment, but it wasn't as well kept as her area in Wedgehurst. "I noticed you gave those trainers Dynamax Bands today. Does it have to do with Wishing Stars?"

"Yes, Sonia." Magnolia propped herself up with her cane, face serious. "Did you bring your laptop like I asked? I need to access my security camera feeds."

"Your… security cameras?" Sonia raised an eyebrow and sighed, getting her laptop out of her bag and setting it up. "Right. I forgot you had those installed. I thought we both established that Wishing Stars don't fall near any area of civilization. Why are they here again?"

Magnolia huffed. "It's also to be on the lookout if anyone from Macro Cosmos decides to fly by. But that's besides the point. There were actually Wishing Stars that fell here!"

Sonia paused in disbelief. "That isn't natural."

Magnolia nodded. "That's what I said too, dear! Get the feeds ready!"

With a hastened pace, Sonia opened up her laptop and did just that, accessing past security feeds. A view from Magnolia's roof was shown on the screen.

Sonia's stare widened as she saw the sparkling red trails descend into the yard. "Wishing Stars? Here? That shouldn't be possible!"

"My thoughts exactly. I saw it when it happened and I knew something was off." Magnolia stepped toward the screen and played back the footage, stopping the playback when the stones were mid-descent. "There. As if two Wishing Stars at once wasn't unnatural enough, the trail left by these two lacked any curve."

Sonia pondered over the footage for a second. "It looks like the trail is just pointing straight up. These Wishing Stars weren't naturally launched, they were dropped from above! Gran, do you have any feed of anything higher than this?"

Magnolia nodded, and Sonia flipped through the feeds until she found a camera view far zoomed out. She looked closely at the camera feed and waited for the moment the stars were dropped.

"There!" She stopped the footage, her attention focused on a speedy blur in the sky, right above where the Wishing Stars landed. "It's hard to see… but this confirms that the stars were dropped from above. What do you think, gran?"

Magnolia narrowed her eyes at the blur. It was hard to make out what exactly it was. It speedily disappeared in the next few seconds of footage, too. "Too fast to track… but we knew it was there in the first place. Still, I wonder what reason this… thing has for doing this. When I had my hands on them, I saw that the Wishing Stars were completely authentic. Who in the world would have access to a surplus of authentic Wishing Stars and just drop them here?"

"Could it be someone from Macro Cosmos?"

Magnolia shook her head. "Couldn't be. They're too centralized on profit to just hand these materials out for free." She narrowed her eyes at the figure, trying to make out any features other than the dark speedy blur. "Just who are you?"