TEAM: Twigs (Grookey) & Crumbs (Skwovet), Spike (Chewtle)

?'s POV

"I see it in you… your potential shall reach fruition elsewhere. Go forth, and find your place. When the time comes that you find good allies, you'll find yourself worthy of the destroyer of worlds…"

That old man probably didn't want me anyway. Especially if he went through the trouble of sending me way off the island. But little did he know that I could use that liberty to begin anew. So what if I couldn't run fast like my brothers? From that moment on I was a free Slowpoke! I didn't need to go crawling back to any of them when this Corviknight taxi was bringing me to a new tomorrow!

Couldn't help but wonder what that geezer was yabbering on about before he sent me away. Didn't really think much of it but I liked the part where he said I'd be a destroyer of worlds or something along those lines. It wasn't often I got praise sung to me. If that were the case, nothing wrong with keeping the title dubbed to me.

Hook, destroyer of worlds. Had a nice ring to it.

Flare's POV

"Well… looks like we've finally caught up."

By the time I made it to Wedgehurst Station, Hop had already finished buying tickets for the two of us, proud as always.

I sheepishly accepted mine. "You really didn't have to. Don't I have to pay since you beat me here?"

Hop just smiled. "No need to sweat it, mate. You can just treat me to something next time. Least you made it here before it was too late! It's almost time for the Motostoke train to depart!"

"Wait for just a little bit, Flare!"

Hop seemed surprised to see someone suddenly coming up to us. "Oh! Hey, Flare's mum!"

As I turned around to face her, I found myself surprised too. Not only because of my Mom being here, but also because she came here holding Banana in her arms. I was still pretty sure Munchlax were crazy heavy.

She smiled at us, surprisingly not looking tired despite her heavy load. "I told you Hop, calling me Judith is fine."

I spoke up. "What're you doing here, Mom?"

She set aside an arm to bring out a technical looking cylinder capsule, using her other arm to continue holding Banana with surprising ease.

I recognized the device. "Your Pokémon Box Link? W-Wait, are you giving it to me?"

She nodded, clearly pleased with herself. I still wanted to decline, but I still ended up with it in my hands regardless. Even if she didn't look like it, I was thinking Mom was getting tired of holding Banana with one arm.

I stood in disbelief as I held the capsule in awe. "Why are you giving it to me?"

She gave me a knowing look. "Well you obviously need it more than me, dear! You're the one off on a Pokémon journey now, so I figured it'd best be with you instead of collecting dust back home. I already registered you in it and made it so that anything you send through there heads straight to me. Hopefully Magnolia won't mind."

"Wow…" I still hesitated for a moment before putting the capsule into my bag. "Thanks, Mom."

"My pleasure, dear. If you need camping supplies or anything from home, that box link will warp them right to you!"

"I know, I know, I remember reading the manuals…" I sheepishly smiled it off until she set Banana down so she could hug me.

"Take care, dear. If you need anything you can always give me a call."

I wasn't used to leaving home, so I was hesitant at first. Still, I was open to doing this new trainer thing out. I had Pokémon with me so I didn't have to worry about being alone. From the look on my mom's face, she knew that too.

Her smile stayed kind, her stare brought to something behind me. "You better get going, Flare. You might miss your train."

It then came to my attention that Hop was waving for me by the ticket gate. I quickly made sure my bag was still with me before hurrying after him. "I should really be going, then! Bye, Mom!" I waved after her.

She waved back. "Good luck, you two!"

Luckily Hop and I made it just in time to get our tickets accepted. We quickly tried to find some seats only to see that the train itself was really long. It looked like it's been carrying a lot of people from all around the region.

I wasn't used to being around this many unfamiliar people all at once. Yet, I still found it exciting to possibly share a goal with all these other trainers. Thankfully it didn't take much longer for me and Hop to find some free seats with a table between. We sat across each other.

Before long I was watching the world behind us zoom away as the train began moving. I saw some of the other trainers here bring their Pokémon out, so I let out my own so they could sit down on the table and enjoy the view too.

To my surprise, Hop came back to our seat with boxes of pastries. He set one down near me.

I stared at the box. It was one of those packs of cookies based off of Pokémon. A lot of recognizable Pokémon around Galar, it looked like. "Hop, I thought you said you were going to the bathroom."

He just wore his trademark grin and opened his pastry box. "I did. But along the way I got these cookies since they just so happened to be selling them!"

I took a cookie box and let some of my other Pokémon on the table reach for the cookies. "Haven't you spent enough today?"

Hop didn't seem to mind as he took another cookie and let his own Pokémon out to help themselves. "Can't start our journey on an empty stomach! We gotta treat ourselves while we're still on the road!" He handed a cookie to Buddy. "Look! This one looks like you!"

I couldn't help but be amused at Hop's continued excitement. I tried looking in my box to see if there were any cookies of my Pokémon. All the while Twigs, Crumbs, and Spike were staring curiously as I continued rummaging through the cookies.

No luck, other than a Drednaw cookie I found and gave to Spike. He gladly scarfed it down while I settled with giving Alcremie and Slurpuff-shaped cookies to Twigs and Crumbs. Least it made for a cute picture.

Hop took out his phone as well, but it looked like he was using it to read something instead of snapping a pic. "They really did make most of these cookies based off of the Gym Leaders' Pokémon. Lee's, too!" He handed another cookie to his Pokémon. "They already have Wooloo and Corviknight ones, but once I become Champion they'll have Sobble cookies for Sev!" He looked at his Sobble, who looked eager about the idea.

I thought about all of Hop's champion talk for a bit while I idly chewed another cookie. "So if this gym challenge is supposed to end with becoming the champion, where does that put me?"

"Well!" Hop hesitated for a second but went back to smiling afterwards. "I guess that makes you my rival! You've kept me and my team on our toes in both of our battles! We can count on each other to get stronger and be at our best!"

I smiled at the idea. "Works enough for me. Maybe I'll reach champion level like you too!"

"I'd like to see you try, mate!" His smile grew confident. He started patting Buddy's head. "You may have given us a tough time battling, but you've yet to beat my ace!"

I tried to match his competitive tone. "You could say the same about my team, too!" I noticed Twigs' proud smile as I said that. "Well, even if for the most part I still don't know what I'm doing. I've just been following you."

Hop still smiled at me and took out his phone. "That's fair. I oughta send you the gym procedure I've been reading! Has everything an up and coming gym challenger needs to know!"

I pulled out my phone to see that it didn't take long to receive the documents Hop was talking about. Articles detailing stuff like gyms to even this place called the Wild Area. "Wait, why are you still helping me? Aren't I your rival?"

"Just because we have to battle doesn't mean we can't help each other! I'd prefer if we both were at our best for when we battle next!"

I smiled at the sentiment. Even if we were each other's competition, we still got to be friends throughout the journey. "I'd like that too. Well, may the best trainer win!"

"Cheers to that, mate!"

Author's POV

That day on the train was quite eventful. Different trainers were traveling for different purposes, leaving their Pokémon out and about to roam and do what they please. Some people were particularly confused when a certain unfamiliar Pokémon was found roaming without a trainer. Said surprise was soon overthrown when the train had to stop a station early.

"Attention, passengers. We're going to have to make our stop here because another flock of Wooloo are blocking the tracks. This is the second time this week. Any passengers set for Motostoke are better off leaving here and traversing the Wild Area. Have a great day."

The announcement was met with several groans from almost everyone who started to gather in the Wild Area Station. Not including Flare and Hop, who thought differently of the scenario.

"You know what this means, mate?" Hop once again took his excited stance as his Wooloo shared his enthusiasm. "Now we get to explore that area ourselves! There's countless wild Pokémon we can catch and train against out there!" Sev and Knightley were perched on his shoulders and seemed to agree.

Flare saw what the Wild Area looked like when she was browsing the articles Hop sent her. She felt similarly. "I might be able to have a full party by then!"

Hop nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit, mate!" He already got to running out the station door. "I'd say race you to Motostoke, but it'd probably be better to train while we can! See you, Flare!"

"See you too, Hop!" Flare waved after him as Buddy rolled away. Twigs and Sev waved at each other, too. Hop and his Pokémon quickly ran out of sight, leaving Flare by herself with her Pokémon.

Rather than hurriedly run off after him, Flare took a second to observe her surroundings. Trainers around took to waiting, some grumpily waiting for the track Wooloo to go away. Some were trying to bust their way to the tracks to deal with the Wooloo themselves. Some were lined up by the station's Pokémart. There was a pink haired trainer in the line Flare noticed, though she didn't look like someone who was on the train but still stood out.

Twigs poked Flare. "Are we going to the Wild Area or what? I'm sure the lot of us are itching to get there!"

Crumbs nodded from Flare's other shoulder. "Yup, yup! I've never been to any place like that, golly!"

Flare sheepishly smiled at them. "Alright, alright. I just wanted to stop and smell the flowers, is all."

With a new sense of excitement in her step, Flare headed out of the station to be greeted by the sight of the expanse beyond. A huge space of wilderness, some wild Pokémon wandering out and about. And right across the land ahead were the steps leading up to Motostoke City.

Twigs hopped to the ground and took a deep breath of satisfaction. "It's good to be back on familiar ground. You mind if we stop by Bridge Field?"

Flare recognized the name and took out her phone. "Well, it says we can't go to that part of the Wild Area unless I get three Gym Badges first."

The Grookey looked mildly inconvenienced. "Aye, that's alright. Means we gotta hurry up and get those Gym Badges then."

Crumbs wore a sad smile. "Aww, come on, Twigs. Would it hurt to relax in a big place like this?"

Spike popped out of his Pokéball. "Hey. I still feel left out from that battling thing you guys did before. Can't I get a hand at that training thing?"

The three then broke into incoherent arguing that Flare couldn't keep track of.

"Guys, guys, please…" She kept up a smile. "We don't have any badges yet, but we can still take our time and train here. I want to try to get a full party before we do anything else."

Spike slowly nodded. "Maybe getting paired up would be nice. Surprised I've been unpaired for long considering how I'm Route 2's sociable celebrity."

Crumbs raised a paw. "I would like to volunteer to be Spike's partner." Twigs poked him.

Flare just smiled and pet him. "I can't exactly switch up my pairs unless I lose a battle. Which I don't plan on doing."

Twigs looked proud. "Sounds good to me, lass. Let's get to catching."

The Pokéball shook once, twice, thrice. It sat still and clicked. Flare picked it up, feeling triumphant at successfully catching another Pokémon.

Crumbs let out a sigh of relief nearby. "She put up a mighty fine fight… Did we get 'er?"

Flare nodded, putting the Pokéball in her bag alongside Twigs' and Spike's. "Yep. Spike is gonna be glad to finally have a partner now. I'll introduce them later. Thanks, Crumbs."

The Skwovet felt flushed at the praise. "Oh, golly, don't mention it!" He suddenly hesitated. "Whew, that battling got me pretty hungry. Can we take a break to eat?"

Flare thought it over for a second. "Sure. All we've had is snacks so far. I can probably make some curry."

Crumbs' eyes lit up in excitement. "You can make some of that curry stuff? Golly, I'd like that!"

Flare nodded. "I can try to set up camp before we continue training. I can use the box link to get cooking supplies too."

And that's what she did. From her box link she managed to retrieve a foldable tent and cooking supplies, a large pot included. She sent out Twigs and Spike to admire their camping space as well.

She had them line up. "Alright, team. We just caught a new member, but maybe it'd be better to greet her with the smell of cooking curry. All we need…" Flare eyed her equipment, thinking for a second. "... is some campfire, berries, and some ingredients."

Twigs had a little smirk on her face. "Proud you're making your own decisions this time, lass. I'll take the fire. I know my way around firewood."

Crumbs eagerly nodded. "I got berries! I'm a critter with a good nose and I even got my own surplus!"

Spike wanted to speak up. "And I got… well, I got nothing. I'm sociable with Pokémon, not food. Those two aren't the same thing, last I checked."

Flare chuckled. "There was that Pokémart in the station. I could buy ingredients there. You think you guys can set things up while I go?"

Twigs and Crumbs nodded.

Spike walked up to Flare's side. "I'm coming with. Don't know how I can be useful, but maybe you can use my adorable Chewtle-ness for a discount."

Spike was obviously sarcastic, but Flare took his suggestion earnestly. "Sure you can, Spike."

The Chewtle hesitated a bit, but still ended up following Flare anyway. All the while Flare was just glad to have some company with her.

Once the two reached the station, Flare was surprised to see that there were far less trainers than before. She remembered seeing most of them leave into the Wild Area, some with their own bikes, but she didn't expect to see just one trainer here. It was the same pink-haired trainer she saw buying stuff before. It looked like she was going to take a different train route, and all she had to do to gain access was flash a special looking ticket. She still stood out, wearing a bright purple and green outfit and a big white ribbon on her head. Of course Flare noted that she was another trainer taller than her.

It was then that she realized why she was so keen on observing her. "Wait, aren't you Gym Leader Klara?"

The girl turned around, her expression just as extravagant as her outfit. "Oooh, finally, some recognition! I was wondering when I would get the recognition I deserved!"

Flare was right. She felt meek about all the smiles she was getting from an actual gym leader. "W-Well, I saw you in the league qualifying matches. Why wouldn't anyone recognize you?"

Klara pouted. "Because I lost in the first round… Nobody ever remembers the losers that don't qualify for the year… Rrgh, that Avery." She mischievously giggled to herself. "At least he got his just desserts in the next round! Aaaanyway, what's your name, trainer? You must have a good eye if you still remember me from the league matches!"

Flare hesitated, surprised at being asked the question. "I-I just happened to watch the league matches a lot, is all. I'm Flare."

Klara eagerly nodded. "You definitely look like you have some flair to yourself! I won't be able to give you any Gym Badges this year, but I'll remember you in case we meet again!" She eyed the station manager with an irritated look. "Now if only this stupid train would let me board already… What's the hold up?! I have training to do for next time!"

The station manager stammered for a bit. "Miss, there's still a passenger on board who's still getting off!"

Klara stomped a foot. "Still?! Who could possibly-"

Her question was answered when a pink creature came slowly walking out the ticket gate. Klara's mood completely switched from annoyed to ecstatic. Flare looked on with intrigue, too. As for the creature…

Hook's POV

That train ride felt bizarre.

People kept casting me weird looks. Have these insolent humans never seen a wild Pokémon take a ride before? Let alone a Slowpoke like myself? There were these sheep creatures rolling around that they didn't think strangely of. Weird sheep got pats on the head and everything. Pats would've been nice…

And then at long last the train finally stopped at a station somewhere. I stepped out and breathed in that fresh new air that definitely smelled nothing like island. Less island was good enough for me!

I had a proud look on my face as I looked around me. Two human girls in particular already had their eyes cast my direction. The taller one had my attention, the one with hair bearing a shade of pink like my own pinkness. Surely she was a trainer. I couldn't quite figure it out, but something about her stuck out that gave her a larger presence. A large presence must've meant she was a strong trainer!

It was then that I overheard what she was saying to the other girl. "Oooh, a Slowpoke! I already have one, though. How about you catch it, Flare?"

I was stricken. I was left to be caught by this lesser trainer?! Must the competition of fellow Slowpoke continue to rue me?! Didn't help that the other girl had short blonde hair similar in shade to the yucky yellow markings that rested on my head. The Pokémon by her side was just a little Chewtle, a runt of a species several times smaller than me.

I had to assert myself. "I'll have you know that I go by Hook, destroyer of worlds! If you are to contain me, know that I won't yield without a fight!"

It seemed that my volume managed to intimidate them. At least, I noticed the trainer hesitate to give out a command.

"This guy's weird…" I heard her mutter in a tone the complete opposite of taking me seriously. Hmph.

It was then that I noticed the little Chewtle heading my way. "I got him!" he called out, lunging at me with a speed greater than I could react. Before I knew it the tiny thing was trying to sink its teeth into the hide on my head, but to no avail. My hide was too thick for his attack to be effective.

With a quick motion of my paw, I focused my psychic energy into the runt and managed to chuck him straight to the wall. I may have been too slow to dodge but the speed at which I throw my targets wasn't to be underestimated.

"Spike!" The trainer called out.

The sound of distress alongside the noise of my throw's impact already was enough to put a smile on my face. "When you can barely put up a fight, how can someone like you consider yourself worthy of my power-"

Once again I proved too slow to react when an accursed metallic ball hit me right in the face.

Flare's POV

Whew… The Pokéball I just threw shook for a bit before finally clicking. I let out a sigh of relief as I picked it up, then went to check on Spike. He was teetering on the other side of the room and looked as if he was gonna fall over. I caught him before he could fall and took out a Potion as I held him.

He slowly stirred and opened his eyes as I sprayed him. "Urgh… not the eyes, not the eyes."

"Oh! Sorry, Spike." I quickly realized what he meant and put the Potion away. I set him back down on the ground and watched him try to stay on his feet.

"Look at you, gym challenger! Catching that rare Pokémon with ease!" Klara beamed at me. "Weeeell, rare in Galar's mainland, that is. They're kind of everywhere at the Isle of Armor."

I noticed Hook's Pokéball start stirring in my hand, as if he was grumbling about something.

I wondered about that place Klara mentioned. "The Isle of Armor? Where's that?"

"Oh, it's just a big lump of land super far from here. Bit off from eastern Galar, can only get there if you have a special pass like I do!" Klara showed off the ticket she flashed earlier. "Though, they're kinda hard to come across today…"

The station manager cleared his throat. "Anyways, with that Slowpoke dealt with, you're free to head there now."

Klara nodded and gave me a little wave. "I best be off now! Good meeting you, Flare! Maaaay be unlikely, but see you soon, 'k?"

With a cutesy wink she walked into the train and waved me off. The train was gone before I knew it. I just stood there.

Spike was looking up at me. "Let me guess. You forgot to ask for her autograph? Picture, too?"

I sighed. "Yep… well, at least it's not all bad." I looked down at the Pokéball containing our new team member.

Spike grunted, still looking shaken. "You tell me."

Cans of ingredients with me, I managed to head back to the campsite with two new catches. With this kind of progress it wouldn't take long until we could get the curry ready for our new recruits!

I saw the little light of a campfire to see Twigs and Crumbs lounging around it. They were using sticks to roast berries above the fire.

Crumbs waved at me. "Hiya, Flare! We got the things ready! Made a new friend, too!"

A new friend?

I was wondering what he meant until I noticed him feeding some roast berry pieces to a Grubbin nearby. The Bug type happily scarfed it down and then noticed me.

"Sup." She spoke out. "You guys seem nice and also happen to have food. Mind if I tag along?"

I just smiled. "That makes six, then." I rolled a Pokéball to her and she gladly let herself be caught. I then looked at Twigs and Crumbs. "This is the second time you two have gotten a friendly wild Pokémon to join us. What's up with that?"

Twigs just smiled and shrugged. "Beats me, lass. Maybe I'm just as good with Pokémon as Mr. Sociable here."

Crumbs just continued gobbling into his stick of berries. "It's like I told y'all! I just like being friendly! Sounds pretty obvious to me that bein' friendly gets you friends!"

"Well, whatever the case…" I put the Grubbin's Pokéball into my bag and went to pick up my large pot. "It's time for some curry!"

It had been quite a bit since I cooked curry on my own, but then again, I wasn't even alone. Crumbs wasn't kidding when he said he had a nose for food and ended up helping a bit with preparation. He was even the one who poured in one of the cans of food I bought earlier.

Crumbs sniffed the can. "This stuff smells good. What is it?"

I looked at its label. "Some food tin from a restaurant called Bob's Your Uncle. Safe for humans and Pokémon alike."

His eyes lit up. "A restaurant?! Golly, we're gonna be eating real fancy tonight!"

We didn't have to keep Twigs and Spike waiting much longer until the curry was ready for everyone. I continued stirring and got a whiff of what was cooking in the pot. "All right, smells good! I can handle preparing the servings from here. Thanks, Crumbs."

"I'm just glad to help!" He said before hopping off.

In the meantime… I felt through my bag and found the other half of my party that had yet to be sent out. I guess I can let you guys socialize while you wait.

Spike's POV

About time I was introduced to my partner.

With a flash of light, Flare sent the Pokémon out of its Pokéball. An Oddish, eh?

She curiously examined her surroundings, wide-eyed at everyone else here at the campsite. A curious one, she seemed. Eyes over here, girl.

I spoke up. "So you're the Pokémon I'm getting paired up with." This caught her attention. I put on a cautious look and paced around her. Then I gave her a friendly look. "Spike the Chewtle. You could say I'm a sociable Pokémon. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The Oddish looked at ease with me and smiled back. "I'm Tilda!" And then she went back to looking around herself. "Is this what getting caught is like? Where's the human who threw the ball at me?"

Geez she's energetic. "Easy, easy." I stepped into her line of sight. "She's just preparing some food for all of us. Maybe after that we'll do some proper training."

"Training?!" It seemed what I said caught Tilda's full attention. "Do we get to battle more and grow stronger? I've always wanted to evolve and grow hands!" She stopped by… trying to exert herself, it looked. "Nope… no hands yet."

Least her enthusiasm was enough to get a chuckle outta me. "You and I share the same sentiment, then. I'm looking forward to growing big and strong too. We just need to pull our own weight in the meantime and do more battling."

"We?" Tilda tilted her head. "Oh, right! You said something about being paired with me, right? What's that about?"

My hypothetical brow furrowed as I thought it over. "Something to do with the league rules, I heard. Pair us Pokémon in duos. Now that means we're battle partners or something. We have to rely on just each other and no one else to back us up in battle."

This Oddish's excitement came back in full force. "So you can back me up, right? Sounds fun!"

I nodded. At least it seemed she had no objections, and neither did I. "I'm sure we'll be a pretty good team, Tilda. Haven't gotten a chance to yet, but I can use my Water Gun to take down any Fire types you might have trouble with."

"Wait, you're a Water type? You can do that?!" It's as if everything I said was the most exciting thing to her. "Now I know I can trust you! Uh…" She forgot my name.

Oh well. At least her excitement was fun to be around. I smiled at her. "Spike. Don't you forget it, partner."

Tilda nodded. "I won't!" She started looking around again. "I smell something good! Are those roast berries?"

I followed her line of sight to see her staring at Crumbs. That rascal still had some of the roast berries from earlier. I shook my head. "That Crumbs. I know we're still waiting for the curry, but how do you feel about nagging that squirrel for berries?"

My response was met by the Oddish hopping with excitement. "Let's!"

Hook's POV

Back to being a blasted trainer's Pokémon because I couldn't dodge a blasted ball…

I wasn't too thrilled about being caught yet again. Though, I did hear something about my new trainer being a gym challenger. If she really was part of this gym challenge I've heard so much about, I could still find some use out of it. Perfect opportunity to show off my battle prowess and everything that old man was missing.

Yet, even if I thought this trainer wasn't worthy of cultivating my potential, it wasn't as if I could break free any time I wished and made a run for it. Even then, Slowpoke running speed is far from impressive.

With regards to my new trainer, there was a catch I never quite got. From what I heard, us Pokémon were supposed to be paired in duos. A confusing rule at first, but with that in mind I was at least hoping I would end up paired with someone powerful just like myself.

Imagine my surprise when I was let out to receive the news that I'd be working with a puny bug. It was so small I could crush it with my paw if I deemed the action worth it.

I looked at my trainer with disbelief. "You can't be serious."

I saw her try to keep up a smile. "Please just get along! She's our newest recruit!" She hastily said, maintaining a polite tone. I could tell she still wasn't taking me seriously. I couldn't even get another word in before she hurried off to attend to a smoking pot of whatever she was cooking.

A sigh escaped my mouth as I accepted that this was my life of confinement now. I heard what seemed like yawning right next to me. I sat and looked down at the pincer-mouthed insect. A Grubbin, I assumed. It looked up at me as if it just awakened.

"Sup." It spoke, a boring lazy tone expected of its insignificance. "You have any food?" Not even shrill or chipper for such a small creature. Just boring.

This inferior being was asking me for something as simple as sustenance. Too impatient to wait for curry, I supposed.

I rolled my eyes, bringing my gaze onto the rest of the area in the process. A small chubby squirrel shoveling berries into his mouth caught my eye. "You should ask that Skwovet over there. Being chunky is a good sign of knowing how to get food."

I looked back at the insect to see it sizing me up. "You look pretty chunky yourself." Was that snark?

My eyes narrowed at the insolent creature. "It's natural. Unless you happen to have Galarica Twigs in your diet, I can't help you."

It seemed that the Grookey next to the Skwovet looked at me for a second, but it could've just been my imagination.

"Galarica whatsits?" The bug looked puzzled. "Never heard of it."

Disbelief escaped my mouth once more as a sigh. Typical. "You mean to say that you've never seen or heard of the spice of wonders? Bearing an iconic scent and a taste that only esteemed Slowpoke like myself could enjoy?"

"Nope." The little creature didn't even hesitate to respond. An evident lack of sophistication in how it didn't even take a second to ponder over my description.

"Blast it all." I found myself uttering, casting my gaze away. "I'll probably have to make my way back to that forsaken island to indulge again. You're better off plucking berries from the pudgy squirrel."

It was then that I caught the little thing dare to crawl closer to me. The sight of such an insect that close within my vicinity made me want to desperately inch away. And yet, I couldn't help notice what I assumed was a glint of admiration in eyes looking up at me.

"Berries are getting kinda boring. I've always wanted to try something different. New stuff is cool."

Dare I say it for a second I felt intrigued to inquire about the creature rather than vice versa. "Are you saying you find intrigue in new and possibly unfamiliar matters?"

"I think so." It still continued to look up at me. "Never saw any Pokémon like you around either. Slowpoke, was it? That talk about Gawhatsits is new too. I'd say you're pretty cool."

There was a lack of tact in this thing's speech but I still got caught off guard to hear it utter praise for me. "Thanks for the kind words, then." Thanking it would only be a suitable formality.

The creature looked more pleased with itself than it should. "Don't mention it. You think you could let me try a Gawhozit sometime?"

Just thinking about that blasted island made me want to scowl. "I'll… consider it." I supposed I could just let the insect hear what it probably wanted to hear, even with my empty intentions.

"Cool." Its pleased look seemed to indicate I said the right thing. Bless the stars it started to crawl away from me. "In the meantime I guess I'll take your advice on the berries. I'll be sure to bring you back some too…"

The sudden trailing off indicated it was asking for my name. I supposed I better respond for the sake of formality. "I go by Hook." I lowered my voice, muttering the rest to myself. "... destroyer of worlds…" Even amidst my situation I had to remind myself of what was to come for me.

I was pretty certain then that I heard the insect tell its name back, but I couldn't be bothered to listen.

Twigs' POV

I didn't know what we did to draw so much attention, but you couldn't bet on me to predict how much company we suddenly got. All Crumbs and I were doing was waiting for some food. Well, the laddie was helping himself to some wee snacking, but I didn't think it was that interesting of an activity. I was only kidding when I said we matched Spike in charisma.

I was just asking the squirrel boyo for a share of his pile when suddenly everyone else was doing it too. Other than that loner Flare said she caught. Don't remember seeing a Pokémon like that anywhere around here. He looked… lonely. Even if Flare wasn't here for our little roast berry feast, she was busy getting the curry ready. On the other hand this Hook guy was just brooding.

I remembered hearing Cress being paired up with him. I gave the little Grubbin a prod. "What's his deal? Never saw a lad like him before."

She looked indifferent and only glanced at me before eating more roasted Oran. "Neither have I. He's weird, but I've dealt with worse." She looked like she would've shrugged if she could. "Hey you. Crumbs, right? Save me some leftovers."

I took another glance at the lone Slowpoke lad. "I'm genuinely wondering if he used to have a trainer. That's usually what brings about grumpy Pokémon like him."

What I said got my circle of allies to stare at me.

It even got Crumbs to stop mid chew. "Sounds like the kind of thing only a Pokémon who used to have a trainer would know."

I saw Spike nodding nearby. "Might explain why your species is so rare."

I shook my head. "That ain't the case for me. I was raised at the daycare in Bridge Field and just happened to meet a fair share of them grouches."

Cress stared at me curiously. "Bridge Field, huh. I think I've heard how that's part of the second half of this Wild Area place."

That Oddish lass suddenly ran in front of the Grubbin. "You're from that part of the Wild Area?" She energetically hopped in place. "There must be strong Pokémon there! Did you do a ton of battling?"

I chuckled at her excitement but tried to keep my modesty. "Not as much as you'd think. I was raised by the daycare and helped raise other wee Pokémon as well. Exciting stuff, but I wasn't as involved with the other wild Pokémon out there."

"Aww…" She looked really disappointed and walked away.

"Hmm." Spike watched her leave. "Are all you Wild Area mons like this?"

"Nope." Cress spoke up.

"Alright, everyone!" I heard Flare call out from ahead. "The curry's ready!"

"Yay!" The Oddish lass did a full 180 and cheerfully ran towards the pot. Calm down, you ain't an ingredient.

Spike sighed. "Well, I'm not obligated to, but I'm taking it upon myself to make sure she doesn't do anything rash. We should do these food gatherings more often. I did a lot of it back with my fellow Route 2-ians. I'll see you guys later."

"Me too." Cress nodded, turning to walk away with some berries on her head. "Gotta make sure Hook doesn't starve."

With everyone leaving that just left me and Crumbs. He was shoveling his face with his tail berry stash as usual.

I gave him a poke. "Save some room in your stomach for the curry, lad."

He didn't even bother stopping. "Golly, do you know who you're talking to? There's always room in my stomach for more!"

"Aye, fair enough. Got any more berries for me?"

"You can always count on me for that!"

Flare's POV

Curry time went surprisingly well. Even if it was my first time making something for a large group, it was the thought of that large group that kept me going. It helped that we set up camp at a spot where more wild Pokémon couldn't bother us.

I watched my team as they all dug into their plates of curry. All six of them. We all sat together and talked as we ate, mostly just about Spike's time at Route 2. At the very least it was nice to see Tilda get more excited to be paired up with a "celebrity". However the wild Pokémon call it. As for Cress and Hook…

I saw her crawling away with her plate on her head. It looked like she was heading towards Hook, who was brooding with his curry in the distance.

Twigs noticed too and followed with her own plate. "Oi, Cress. Had the same idea?"

"That's right. Not going to disturb him or anything, but just thought I'd watch from a distance to make sure he doesn't get attacked."

"Aye. I like the way you think, lass."

I watched the two walk off and felt weirdly proud about it. This was my team. I was the trainer of all these Pokémon and I was just sitting here listening to this Chewtle talk about Yamper. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

I took a look back to see Hook still brooding to himself with his curry. I was curious about what his problem was, but I would rather respect his space. Maybe he'd open up later on if I did this right.

Still never figured out why he was on that train in the first place…

At the very least I was glad most of my team got along just fine. All six of us. Twigs, Crumbs, Spike, Tilda, Hook, and Cress. I told myself this was the dream team that would get me far in this gym challenge. Maybe we'd do really well in badge collecting and somehow reach the champion level Hop talked about.

Of course, if we were to get there, we'd have to actually train too.

After we finished our curry and cleaned up, everyone seemed on board with the idea of taking some time to train. We found a nice patch of grass with wild Metapod everyone could come out and fight against. Even Hook was willing to pitch in and fight.

I felt a bit bad having to watch my whole team go out and fight docile punching bag bugs, but I made sure they didn't go too far. Especially Hook. He kept using Confusion to hurl his enemies at each other and I had to stop him at times. It's as if he really wanted to show off.

"Geez, and I thought I was boastful." I heard Spike comment before using Water Gun on another Metapod to knock it out.

Getting to see everyone here doing their own thing allowed me to see what they did well in battle. Of course Hook liked using Confusion, Cress had some biting attacks like Spike, and Tilda shot poison projectiles. Twigs and Crumbs just stuck to the same moves they used before.

"You're doing great, you guys!" I called out from time to time.

Soon enough when everyone was tired they just settled with resting in their Pokéballs for the meantime. Almost everyone. Twigs was with me as we watched Crumbs walk around all the fainted Metapod.

I called out to him. "Crumbs, I think there aren't any left to fight! We should get going!"

Crumbs looked towards us. "I know! I'm just leaving them berries!"

Berries? Now that he mentioned it, I noticed that what he was doing was taking Oran and Sitrus Berries from his tail and leaving them by the fainted Pokémon.

"You sure that's safe, lad?" Twigs called out too. "They might get up and attack you!"

He just looked pleased with himself. "Golly, don't worry 'bout me. I can't just leave these poor guys like this after we knocked 'em all out. I just do this every time I win a fight against a wild Pokémon."

Twigs sighed and looked up at me. "I know the lad has a good heart. Just afraid that kind of kindness is gonna get him hurt."

I gave her a reassuring smile and pat her bun. "He's been doing great so far. I know I can trust him with this berry thing."

She mustered a smile back. "True. I just can't help but be a bit protective."

I understood her sentiment. "Being protective is good too."

Twigs nodded. "Aye, fair enough."

"I'm done, y'all! I think I got all of 'em!" We both looked to see Crumbs hopping back towards us. "Y'all must've missed the sunset that just happened. Look at the sky!"

To our surprise, we somehow missed how the sky started to darken into early evening while we were talking. What was even more surprising was how noticable the stars were at this hour.

Twigs appeared enamored as well. "The sky never looked this lovely around the Wild Area before."

Crumbs joined us. "Golly, never saw a sky this pretty before. Stars are awfully bright at this hour too."

My Skwovet was right. I was a bit confused why the stars were out when it was barely evening, but it was a pretty sight all the same.

"Wait…" I just realized. "… if it's evening, we really must've spent a long time here." And then I remembered where we were supposed to be going. "I was supposed to meet Hop in Motostoke!"

"Oi!" Twigs didn't hesitate to climb onto my shoulder. "What're we lollygagging about for, then? We need to get a move on!"

Crumbs nodded and climbed on as well. I quickly double checked to make sure everyone's Pokéballs were with me before running ahead.

While I would've liked to enjoy the bright view of the night some more, I had to hurry. And so I continued running ahead under the light of the stars.