TEAM: Twigs (Thwackey) & Crumbs (Greedent), Spike (Drednaw) & Tilda (Gloom), Hook (Galarian Slowpoke) & Cress (Charjabug)

Spike's POV

I still can't believe I got to see all that with my very eyes.

Even after that Gym Battle I still felt the energy of witnessing it firsthand. Getting to be on the field myself definitely beat just watching it from these large lobby monitors. Even if it was jarring considering that meant front row seats to seeing a giant honey-drooling Tilda instantly beat a fellow Drednaw. Also jarring realizing I was technically part of the spotlight considering how that trainer from Turffield was back for another picture. Surprising, but the attention was nice. Even as we were waiting in the lobby for Flare to get changed out of her Challenger uniform, all I could think about was gym battling.

"Look, Spike! I think these badges are supposed to show off who the winners are!" Tilda sat as she waited, holding the Challenger Band that Flare let her borrow. She was looking up at it, the usual excited wonder in her eyes. "This blue badge is definitely you, but this green badge… I'm not green. But I can't be the blue one, because you're not green either!"

I chuckled. I still wasn't sure why she insisted on holding me in high regard when she carried that whole fight. She's stronger than she takes herself for. I decided to humour her. "Maybe we're both the blue one."

"Ooh!" Tilda looked at me, pleased at the suggestion. Only for a little while, though. "Wait, then who's the green badge? What if it's Flare? But she's not green… is she? I should ask her later!"

"Sure, knock yourself out." My thoughts were elsewhere at the time. My mind was still recalling the memories of being right there at the stadium, leaving me longing to be back on the field. That Nessa person said something about the next Gym. Fire type Gym. I smiled as the idea formed in my head. I was already looking forward to it.

It wasn't much longer until Flare came back, already changed back into her black jumper look. Her eyes were confident behind those glasses. Success looked good on her.

Her tone was certainly certain too. "Okay, team!" But she was quick to drop it. "Now it's time that we… go… everybody?" She blinked, looking at me. "Spike, where's everyone?"

I was confused too. "What do you mean, everyone should be…" I looked around me to see that I was wrong. "Nobody's here."

Except Tilda, of course. She was just as shocked as we were with her wide-eyed stare. "I thought that was normal! I haven't seen any of the others ever since we came back! What if they're hiding or something? Ooh! Maybe they're hiding somewhere so they can surprise congratulate us on our victory!"

Me and Flare both knowingly looked at each other, probably thinking the same thing. Oh brother. At least Tilda's optimism was amusing to be around.

I spoke up. "If they're not here, they could be outside."

Flare nodded. Even if her prior confidence had faded into a frown, I saw her look of resolve. "Hope they haven't gone too far then."

The three of us were quick to head out the lobby doors, greeting us with the sight of Hulbury once more. It looked different under the lens of someone looking for someone missing. Four someones, actually. Five? Did the Egg count?

I looked up at Flare. "We could cover more ground if we split up. I have the feeling they wouldn't all just leave as a single group."

Flare nodded. "Good point."

"Ooh!" Tilda spoke up, standing between us. "If we're going to be splitting up, I'm gonna be tagging along with Spike, right?"

Flare had a sheepish albeit amused smile on her face. "Go ahead, Tilda."

"Yaaay!"

Even if I was still confused about why that was worth being so excited about, I didn't mind all too much. Something told me letting Tilda wander these streets on her lonesome wasn't a good idea.

Flare looked at us. "Let's meet back at the Pokémon Center later."

Big red building, can't miss it. "Sounds good to me."

Tilda was quick to reply. "Got it!"

And with that we broke off and headed down separate paths to start searching. I didn't know exactly where the others were, but I was already coming up with an idea.

"I hope we find any of the others soon. I have to tell them about my weird stadium dream!" Tilda was frolicking about as usual. She looked at me. "Do you know where we should start looking?"

"You could say I have a hunch. Get on." I let her climb back onto my shell. I brought my eyes ahead, looking for any nearby expanse of water. "Now… where looks like a good spot to fish?"

Flare's POV

They couldn't have gone that far. They've only been gone for… how long? When did they decide to leave, anyway?

The questions kept me confused as I looked all around the streets I was heading through. There I was thinking I could go get one gym badge without any weird complications.

I was nearing The Captain's Table, and at that point I wasn't sure what I was thinking. My team wouldn't just head into another building… would they?

The idea to peek in through the windows came to me, but I quickly noticed I wasn't the only one who thought of it. Several people were clamoring to get a look through the glass as I stood behind the commotion. There had to be a reason they were all here.

I overheard an older guy speaking from the front. "Heheh! This place is great! It's full of seafood!" Something told me he was here for a different reason than everybody else.

Still, even from my spot behind everyone, I tried looking over to peek through the windows, hoping to see if any of my Pokémon wandered inside. I managed to see some of the Pokémon of the customers inside, but nobody was familiar. Though I was a bit surprised to see an Indeedee waiter. Fancy…

"Flare!" I was immediately surprised by the call nearby and looked to see the familiar brown coat and orange locks. "In the mood for some seafood, are you?"

"Sonia!" I was surprised to suddenly see her here. "What're you doing here? More fieldwork?"

"Not exactly." She looked pleased with herself, already bringing a finger to twirl her hair. "I just stopped by here because I had a restaurant reservation for today. If you'd like, I could sneak you in. I saved a table for two, but there's probably extra room."

"Er, no thanks." I was sheepishly smiling as I declined, hesitant at the thought. "I'm just looking for my Pokémon. You haven't seen any of them wandering around, have you?"

"I don't think so… You might want to try looking somewhere else." Sonia seemed to remember something and reached for her bag. As she did, I noticed it was a cute black purse with a Pokéball symbol. "But before you go, you should probably take these. I caught your Gym Battle earlier and thought you'd find these useful."

I accepted the stones she handed me. One was shaped like the sun and the other had a leaf emblem on it. I gratefully took them and put them into my bag. "Thanks, Sonia. By the way, who are you going to eat with, anyway?"

Sonia smiled fondly. "A good friend of mine. You may have already met her."

Then, as if on cue, a lady came up to Sonia, one wearing a more casual blue top and a hat. She seemed vaguely familiar.

"Looks like I've made it just in time, Sonia. I didn't expect the coat, though. Fieldwork?"

Sonia wore an exasperated smile. "Fieldwork. You know how gran is."

It's only when I caught the lady's poised look did I recognize her. N-Nessa?! I almost missed her distinct stare with how much different she looked and carried herself. Her casual outfit almost made me forget I was standing right by a Gym Leader.

Nessa's stare eventually trailed off and landed on me. "Oh, Gym Challenger. It's nice to see you again." Her smile seemed more genuine than when I faced her in the stadium. The casual demeanor must've sold it. "I don't think you ever told me your name."

I thought going by numbers was the standard for Gym Challengers! I quickly looked to Sonia, who simply gave me a smile as if to egg me on. "I'm Flare…" I quickly stopped myself before I could refer to Nessa as Miss.

Nessa smiled at me once more, and I found myself more at ease. "You must be a friend of Sonia's then. Care to join us?"

I found myself hesitant once more, recalling Sonia's offer in a new light. A fancy restaurant meal… with a Gym Leader?! But it didn't take me much longer to come up with my answer. "No thanks." I tried to decline as politely as I could. "I still need to find my Pokémon. They've… wandered off."

Nessa nodded. She wasn't disappointed that I declined, which was what I was hoping for. "Sounds like you better get on with that, then. Good luck, Flare."

"Right!" Her words gave me a newfound confidence that let me turn away and continue my search. And so I continued down the streets of Hulbury as I kept on wondering.

If they're not here… where are they? I've already passed the Pokémon Center…

…

I forgot to ask for an autograph.

Spike's POV

"This wasn't what I had in mind."

Tilda must've thought about something else when I mentioned fishing. She ended up leading me towards this spot where all the boats were, which was quite far from where I originally planned on going. I don't know what was more surprising, how Tilda confused fishing for sightseeing, or how I just let her lead me all the way here.

I had to admit it was a nice view, sitting by the sea like this. Just chilling by the seawater and watching the clouds go by with company by my side. Of course, eventually, I realized that it wasn't a good time to just relax.

I got up. "Come on, let's go. We still have to find the others."

Tilda was disappointed, which I pretty much expected. "But Spike, can't we just continue enjoying the view some more? This is a good spot for fishing, isn't it?"

Oh brother. "I wasn't planning on doing the fishing myself, you know. It was part of the search. I swim, not fish. Besides, you might fall in the water if you keep sitting on the edge like that. We better go."

"Oh, alright." At least she wasn't too stubborn, the honey drooler. I let her climb back on. "Where are the others hiding then? Ooh, do you think they're taking up fishing too?"

I chuckled. "Not too far off, actually."

"Yaaay!" She seemed pleased to be right. I was happy for her too.

I took her back to this spot I had my eye on, and it wasn't too far from the stadium. Right by the street across it was a staircase leading to a lower wooden dock area. I saw some nets and rods about and assumed it would be a good fishing spot. Lo and behold the fruits of my deduction when the first thing I see is the unmistakable Slowpoke and his Charjabug friend. At least, I think they're friends.

Cress seemed to notice us coming, probably acting as a lookout of sorts. Tilda was quick to hop off my shell to start talking to her. As for Hook, he was facing away from the water to dip his tail in, so he saw us coming too. Though it seemed like he was focusing on something else.

"One second." He spoke before I could say anything. And so I let him do his thing.

Right as Hook said that, he quickly lifted his tail out of the water, causing a splash with how fast the motion was. As he did so, an Arrokuda was flung into the air. Hook quickly turned around and pointed at it, casting some sort of psychic move and tossing the floating fish into the other side of the dock where the water was. I had to admit his display left me in awe for a bit.

"And that makes thirteen…" I heard him mutter as he turned back around to face me. "I see you're back. Are you here to boast about your victory? On how you got to Dynamax, perhaps?"

I tried not to let his remarks phase me. Keeping it cool. "You must've missed the match then. It was Tilda who did all the heavy lifting."

Hook raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting to what looked to be intrigue. "Is that so?"

"That's right." I looked to Tilda to see that she was still excitedly catching up with Cress. Maybe I could learn something from her. I looked back to Hook. "You should've been there to see it all. Why'd you leave?"

"Ah…" He briefly trailed off to drag his tail out of the water. "I simply saw the other two leave and thought it was okay to follow suit." An Arrokuda suddenly leapt out of the water, but Hook psychically tossed it back in without breaking a sweat. "I've been meaning to do some more training. Cress here simply insisted on keeping watch."

"Looks like that's been going well." You've been doing that since Route 5. But I did take note about how he mentioned the others leaving first. "Twigs and Crumbs? Figures. You happen to know where they went?"

Hook sighed, his gaze briefly trailing elsewhere. "Unfortunately, no. Neither of us caught where they went. I take it you two are all searching for them."

I nodded. "Flare's searching too. Speaking of, now that we've found you guys, we should try to meet back up with her."

"Hmph." I caught his sneer. "If we're going to be waiting for the other two anyways, then I don't see why I should be going so soon." As if to assert his point, he dipped his tail back into the water.

There it is. Wouldn't take a genius to figure out Hook was the stubborn type. There was no denying that there was still some tension between us. That and I don't think he seemed too happy about me being evolved, for some reason. However, I didn't want to start anything. I'll take a different approach.

I simply just sat next to him and faced the water. "Go ahead, then."

He blinked at me. "You're just… going to let me?"

I nodded. "By all means." An idea came to me. "If you want help getting fights, I can help chase those fish into your tail. I can swim, after all."

"Ah…" Hook paused, as if he didn't see me wading about the pond I was in yesterday. "Very well, then. Assistance would be… appreciated, to say the least."

I found myself with a bit of a smile. Swimming didn't sound too bad. I wasn't the type to just jump in, so I carefully lowered myself down, submerging myself.

There were a good deal of swimming Pokémon down here in this spot. Mostly Arrokuda, but I also saw some Basculin and Chinchou here and there. And wading around near the bottom were some Chewtle. To think I used to be that small…

None of the Pokémon here seemed to mind me sharing their swim space, only giving me passing glances as they swam by. The lack of attention left me a bit surprised, but I remembered I had a job to do. I watched as an Arrokuda swam over to Hook's submerged tail and bit into it, only to be flung out of the water. There's the ticket. I just needed to find a good foe to lead on.

As I was looking through the Basculin and Chinchou, a new possibility revealed itself. A Wishiwashi. I've heard word about how weak these runty fish were. As it swam close to Hook's tail, it just wimped out and edged away from it. I had an idea. This I gotta see. I felt a bit devious thinking that.

It felt even more devious to swim over to the Wishiwashi in an attempt to scare it. I didn't even have to look threatening for the little thing to try swimming away from me. It darted away faster than the Arrokuda did, but I was even faster. It didn't take me much longer to herd it over to Hook's tail, which it ended up bumping into. The tail quickly swung upwards as if by reflex, launching the Wishiwashi out of the water. I definitely wanted to see how fast this would unfold, so I quickly looked up over the water.

As I brought myself back to the surface, I brought my eyes to the sky to see where the Wishiwashi was. I had to squint a bit, and I didn't know if it was because of how small it was or how high it was launched. All of a sudden, I noticed splashes going on around me, small figures leaping from the water and up to where the Wishiwashi was launched. What the…

Hook looked at me, just as confused as I was. "I can't… grab it! What did you make me fish up?!"

"It should just be a Wishiwashi!" I looked back up to see the silhouette above us growing larger. "They're just… weak." I stopped myself right as I realized I was wrong. Very, very, wrong.

For some reason, what was falling from the sky was not a small Wishiwashi, but some huge demon fish that was diving right toward us. Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

I quickly pulled myself back onto the dock and tried to prepare something to stop the behemoth over us. I prepared a Rock Tomb boulder, creating a large rock out of nowhere and headbutting it up. And then the demon fish just swallowed it, barely phased. I was shocked to see that my attack barely did anything, but I was even more shocked when I realized where the demon was going to land, maw-first. Not towards me and Hook, but-

Wait, no!

But the giant demon fish landed right where Tilda and Cress were, slamming face first and swallowing them before they could do anything.

"No!" I yelled. Hook yelled. We both heard each other's cries, even if we were both focused on staring down the demon on the docks in front of us. I had to admit, I was riled up. I was ticked. And in denial.

That was, until the demon started roaring. It wasn't until I noticed the energy enveloping it did I realize it was in pain. I noticed the familiar green energy combined with the distinct zapping of electricity. The demon was busy flailing about in pain, which gave us all the time in the world to fight back.

I took my chance and this time used Rock Tomb to strike with a rising pillar. It knocked the demon back into the air where it came from, spitting out Tilda and Cress in the process. I suddenly stopped when I saw them falling, only to see them caught by psychic energy before they reached the ground.

With a sigh of relief, I looked to Hook, who seemed to be glaring up with even more malice than I had. He suddenly leapt up with surprising speed that made me think he was floating. Enveloped in what looked like psychic energy, Hook flew towards the demon, soaring through it with a powerful headbutt.

When he weakly levitated down to land by me, he seemed shaken up, quivering on his feet. "I have… never used that much energy before."

I wanted to assure him that the worst was over, except I looked back up to see the giant demon's figure… falling apart? That only added to my alarm. "It's coming back down!"

Hook gave me a strained look. "Are the others…"

I looked to see Tilda and Cress still staggering nearby, so I leapt to their side. I nodded at Hook.

I brought my eyes back to the sky, eyeing the demon fish and getting ready to put up a Protect barrier just in case. It was still hurtling down at us, body falling apart, until all of a sudden it stopped, remaining suspended midair. I noticed the aura around it and saw Hook holding it in place with psychic energy. With a hefty swipe of his paw, he hurled the demon back into the water with a large splash.

As the resulting brief drizzle came over us, the silence that followed gave me the impression that the threat really was gone. I let myself sigh in relief.

I looked to the two by my side. "You okay?"

Tilda was quick to shake it off, coming back to me all smiles. "It was scary, Spike! I thought you were there, but it was just some big dumb rock! The rock scared me so much, I didn't know what to do!"

At least Cress seemed calmer. "Good thing I came up with the idea of fighting back. I… wasn't going to be eaten today!" She seemed proud about that. Hard to tell with the weird eyes.

Though afterwards Cress and I looked to another point of concern: Hook's condition. From how he tossed away that great large demon, it was no wonder his breathing was so heavy. We all rushed to his side.

"Hey." Cress spoke calmly, as if to reassure him. "Couldn't help but notice that was a new move you used there. The psychic headbutt one."

To my surprise, Hook actually cracked a brief smile. "I noticed as well." So flattery is the way to go, huh?

I nodded in agreement. "Impressive new attack, there. You helped a lot against that demon… whatever that was." What happened to the Wishiwashi?

He wore a cocky smile. "Of course my skills would stand up to such a foe. After all, I am the…" He briefly paused to trail off. "Yes."

Even with the way he proudly held himself, I could tell he overexerted himself that battle. "What say we head back? Flare should be able to heal us up, or at the very least we could get some snacks from Crumbs."

Cress nodded, egging him on. "You know, you were right about the whole chunky advice. You oughta actually ask him for berries sometime."

Hook seemed to heed her advice in particular. "Very well, then."

I was pleasantly surprised to see how easily Cress coerced him. The same stubborn Slowpoke that thought too highly of himself. As we were heading back up the staircase, I made my way closer to the little Charjabug. "How do you do it?"

"Hmm?" Cress looked up at me inquisitively. "Oh, that. Beats me. How do you do it?"

I knew she was referring to the Gloom cheerfully frolicking nearby, the one still intent on being not too far by my side. "Honestly, beats me too. I just let it happen and roll with it."

"Heh." She chuckled, amused. "I can sorta relate. Though sometimes I have to make the first step myself."

I was amused as well. "Whatever works, really."

"As long as they're happy…"

"... and as long as they're safe."

Author's POV

As Hulbury was known for being a seafaring town, it was also known for its variety market. Outdoor stalls for customers to gather, be it for the fish, the incense, and the like. Flare took her search to this location, though she just ended up confused at how this many people could remain gathered here. She was greeted with a certain bitter pungency, similar to the flowers that have since stunk up her bag.

Flare found herself straying away from the herb shop, only further dejected with how she had yet to find any of her Pokémon. 'Where could they even be?' She hoped Spike and Tilda were more successful in their search, at least.

Another landmark Hulbury was known for was its lighthouse, a staple for towns by the sea. While it was by the ocean to help guide on foggy days, there was also a statue built next to it, representing two near identical Pokémon. Contrary to the Hulbury Market, this spot was more tranquil instead of lively, serving as a place to enjoy the view. Two Pokémon in particular took advantage of that fact.

"Golly, are you sure about this, Twigs?" Crumbs stood uneasily, clutching the incubator.

"Come on, the view ain't that bad!" Twigs beckoned him towards the railing. "It's just some water, lad. If something happens I'll be sure to catch…" She hesitated, Crumbs giving her a knowing look. "Aye, alright. I'm not goin' to let you fall, though. Let me hold the Egg."

"Well… if you say so." Crumbs slowly walked up to the railing, handing Twigs the cylindrical capsule as he did.

The Greedent peered over the railing, expecting to flinch, but ended up keeping his eyes glued to the sight. It was easy not to look down when he was more focused on the sky and sea ahead. It was an expanse that left him with more wonder than the need to fear possibility.

"Oh, gosh…" Crumbs remarked, still looking ahead. "I didn't know the sea could look so nice. Did you already know this?"

"Nah." Twigs chuckled. "I didn't even grow up near any oceans. There was a lake near Bridge Field, but that's about it."

Crumbs turned to look at her. "Well, it is a nice view and all, but should we even be here now? I don't reckon Flare would like it all too much if we wandered out without her permission."

Twigs just smiled, patting his head. "I dinnae think she'd mind. Besides, it's just this one time. All for the little one. I didn't want the Egg hatching in some bustling loud waiting room."

"The lil' one?"

As Twigs set the capsule down, both she and Crumbs kept their eyes on it. For that moment, they both saw promise within that purple Egg. Neither of them expected to maintain such a responsibility in the first place, but neither of them were going to miss out on seeing new life come forth.

"You sure it's gonna hatch soon?" Crumbs asked. "Real soon?"

Twigs nodded, confident in her judgement. "I've taken care of Eggs before, Crumbs. I know when these things are about to hatch. It's why I decided to come to this nice quiet spot. The less predictable part is actually raising the thing."

"Oh, golly…" Crumbs hesitated. "How long does that last?"

Twigs raised an eyebrow, amused. "Until it grows up and can make it on its own. Might be different because we're with Flare, but it should be all the same. You… have been raised by parents, haven't you?"

Crumbs sheepishly scratched his head. "I don't remember all too much, really. Where I came from, the critters I've seen weren't really in any families. This is all… new, actually."

"I bet the concept of family is gonna be new to the little one too." Twigs looked through the capsule's transparent glass, affectionately staring at the Egg. "You still in, Crumbs?"

The Greedent nodded eagerly. "Oh golly, of course! I may not know much about being a parent or whatever, but I'm open to trying new things. I'll try my darndest to take care of it!"

Twigs smiled, gladly patting Crumbs on the head. "It'll be nice to know I won't be doin' this alone."

"I won't let you down, no sirree!" Crumbs smiled, looking through the glass at the Egg as well. "There won't be any angry mommies coming to throw me off any trees, right?"

Twigs gave him a knowing smirk, raising an eyebrow. "Depends."

"Golly."

All of a sudden, the Egg started stirring, beginning to glow within the capsule. Both Twigs and Crumbs immediately stopped what they were doing and kept their eyes glued to the blinding flash inside. Just as quick as the light came, it also faded, the incubator device sensing this and opening its lid in response. Slowly peering out were the two large beady eyes of the purple baby lizard, wide with wonder.

The Toxel looked up at Twigs and Crumbs, tongue already poking out of its mouth. "Pbbbth."

Both Twigs and Crumbs just gasped, completely enamored by the new life before them. The Toxel simply sat confused at their reaction.

Twigs carefully picked up the baby, gently setting it down on the floor. "You handsome little beaut. I love you already."

"Pbbbbth."

"Golly…" Crumbs still sat stunned, almost nervous to try prodding the child with a paw. "I've never seen a Pokémon like that. Is it a Poison type?"

Twigs chuckled, briefly giving him a look. "That's a Toxel, I recognize them from Bridge Field. They are Poison types, but they're also Electric types, so if you're not careful they can zap you."

The little Toxel heard this and started clapping its hands, amused. "Pbbbbbbthap! Pbbthap!"

The two simply sat wide eyed once more, giving the clapping Toxel stunned looks.

Crumbs blinked. "Did he just…"

"... speak?" Twigs finished.

The two just gleefully squealed to themselves as the Toxel continued clapping happily.

"Pbbthap!"

Twigs picked up the baby in her arms. "You like zap, dinnae ya?"

"Pbbthap!" The Toxel paused, suddenly noticing a rumbling from its stomach. "Pbbbth…"

Crumbs was quick to notice, already fishing through his tail. "I got this! Here you go!"

Twigs accepted an Oran Berry from Crumbs and handed it to the baby. "This'll fix you right up… Zap."

"Pbbthap!" The Toxel happily accepted the Oran Berry and started nibbling into it.

Crumbs stared at the child curiously. "Can I… hold the baby?"

Twigs nodded casually, an encouraging smile on her face. "Just be careful, will you?"

The Greedent was left to hold the little child, the Toxel still feasting on its meal. He was still comprehending it all. A living, breathing, and eating child in his very paws. Crumbs didn't speak, but his mind was still lively in processing it all. He realized that this time there wouldn't be any angry birds to punish him for his commitment. Twigs stared on, feeling similarly. 'I'm gonna protect you and I ain't gonna let anything stop me,' they both thought in unison, rejuvenated with the feeling of newfound purpose.

A sudden voice called out to them from afar. "Twigs! Crumbs! There you are!"

They both snapped out of their thoughts to see their trainer in the distance. Twigs was quick to react.

"Crumbs!" She told him. "Let's get going! We need to show Flare!"

Crumbs just blinked as Twigs ran off, unsure of what to do. "W-Wait for me!" He gently set the Toxel down onto the ground and ran after Twigs.

Having been left behind, Zap simply sat there, clueless, having already finished the Oran Berry. The Toxel's attention was then caught by the statue next to the lighthouse, depicting two Toxtricity. There was an inscription by the statue, Zap's large beady eyes observing it curiously.

'To the ones who have watched over our city and over our seas. Dedicated to the heroes who protected Hulbury in its darkest hour.'

Of course, Zap couldn't read. "Pbbth."

"Aw shucks, can't believe I left you here." Crumbs was quick to return, scooping the child up in his arms and carefully making his way back to Twigs and Flare.

Spike's POV

The time eventually came when Flare came back to the Pokémon Center like she said, though she did keep us all waiting for quite a bit. At least she came back with Twigs and Crumbs, so we also got our fill of berries. And it wasn't just berries that the two brought back.

Heh, was wondering when that thing was gonna hatch.

We all couldn't help but flock around the new kid, the baby boy Toxel sitting on the ground. Tilda especially was excited to see the little thing. Course, Twigs and Crumbs were there to stop anyone trying to come too close who might accidentally smother the child. Mainly Tilda.

"Everyone, this is Zap." Flare introduced us all, coming down to pat its head. She sheepishly chuckled. "It… looks like he'll be traveling with us now."

Twigs nodded eagerly. "That's right. I'll make sure he stays out of trouble. But we're all his new family now, you hear?"

"Whoa." Cress crawled up to him, looking up. "He's bigger than me! You sure he's just a baby?"

Zap just stuck his tongue out and made a noise, using one of his own paws to pat Cress on the head. Well, more like slap. Charjabug looked squishier than I expected.

I chuckled. Least the kid looked like he had a sense of humour.

Now that the team was back together, and with a new friend to boot, we were almost ready to leave. Almost.

Flare let us select few Pokémon wait outside the Pokémon Center while she went in to buy some items. Though, there were some others who joined her. Twigs, Crumbs, and Zap went in, probably to take it up with the nurse, which was understandable.

What was curious was that Flare called Tilda inside… for some reason. Not that I minded all that much. Definitely more quiet than I was used to, though. It was just that waiting here by myself might make people think I'm some lonely, miserable Drednaw.

"You look like a lonely, miserable Drednaw."

"Shut it, Cress." I spoke, slowly batting an eye. "I'm trying to nap here."

"I wouldn't say so." She sounded judgemental. "I know a nap when I see one. That ain't it."

"Alright, you got me." I got back to my feet, dropping my facade. "What're you talking to me for? Aren't you supposed to be keeping your battle partner in check?"

"I would, but the Hookster is doing a better job at this sleeping thing than you are." She squirmed aside to let me confirm that he was indeed sleeping nearby. "Also I'm bored. From the looks of things I guess you're waiting for your battle partner to come back as well."

I was surprised at how observant she was. Must've been those bizarre bug eyes. Still, I was also surprised at something else in particular. "Hookster?"

"Don't tell him I said that. He definitely wouldn't like it." She stopped for a second to dart her eyes back and forth, as if checking if the coast was clear. "Sometimes I've heard him refer to himself as a 'deployer of furls' or something like that. Too much of a mouthful for me, anyway. Don't tell him I said that either."

And yet your nickname for him just adds another syllable. "I won't." I brought my eyes back to the Pokémon Center, only to see those doors still closed. "I'm just wondering what's taking Flare and Tilda so long."

"Oh yeah?" She brought her gaze to the doors as well. "It's probably nothing too concerning."

I started to frown. "Hopefully she wasn't injured in that fight earlier." I pondered the possibility. If she had any injuries on the docks, I must've missed them.

"Don't worry about it all too much. As someone who was also in the belly of the beast, I can tell you we both got outta there unharmed." Cress started to sound amused, laughing to herself. "You should've seen her trying to hug that big rock that was there for some reason. She was all 'aahh, save me Spike!' and stuff."

I had to admit it was pretty funny. Couldn't help but laugh a bit alongside her. "Sounds like Tilda, alright."

Just as I was expecting Cress to laugh about it some more, she seemed to suddenly freeze up. "Well…" She eventually spoke. "I think I've just about had my fill of conversation. I'll go make do with my own nap. Later, Spike."

I just watched curiously as she crawled back to Hook. "Yeah… later." That was… weird.

I sighed, once more left to wait for something to happen. Waiting wasn't really that exciting an activity anymore. If only those doors would just open…

And then they opened. And out came a large red flower with legs, bounding right towards me.

"Spike!" The large red flower spoke with a voice I instantly recognized. "Look at me! I'm a Vileplume now!"

I just stood stunned for a moment. Sure enough, this was Tilda in full bloom. Large distinct flower on her head and no more weird honey drooling. Though what was weird to see was how she was now taller than me, leaving me in the shade of her thick petals.

"Wow." I took a second to blink. "You're fully evolved now. How'd that happen?"

Tilda was hopping excitedly, leaving me to sidestep the slowly moving pollen that spread. "I don't know! But it was cool! Flare let me touch some magic stone of my choice and now I'm taller than you! I still have hands, too!" She then started to pat me on the head the way Flare would. "Pat pat. You're a big lug."

"Look who's talking." You've had hands since you were a honey drooler, you know. But I wasn't complaining. Headpats would do.

Quickly afterwards Flare headed out of the Pokémon Center alongside everyone else. Looks like Tilda just rushed out to meet me the first chance she got. Cute.

With all that said and done we were off to… wherever the next place was gonna be. Still, seeing everyone in a good mood like this was a familiar sight. And with a second badge, a new kid, a demon vanquished, and an oversized flower, I wouldn't blame anyone. I was feeling pretty good about it too. Looks like we'd be leaving Hulbury just as happy, if not happier, as we were when we came.

Author's POV

"... and I'm telling you, she just used her Gloom for the whole fight." Nessa recalled the tale, her lively expression a complete one eighty from the calm nature she had in the stadium. "The whole fight!"

"Mhmm…" Sonia spoke from her side of the table, still chewing the forkful of dessert cake she snagged from Nessa.

Upon seeing this, Nessa blinked at her now empty plate and exclaimed in objection. She sighed. "Not much has changed, huh? I still can't beat a Grass type at my Gym. And I still can't stop you from finishing my cake." She shook her head. "And I'm supposed to be the girl who's also beat Milo, for crying out loud!"

"Chin up, Nessa." Sonia gave her a reassuring smile, twirling her fork in her hand. "You haven't even used your strongest team yet. Plus, the people here still love you. There's that crowd of people outside clamoring for you."

Nessa's expression shifted at the mention, glancing at the audience by the window. "That crowd isn't for me. Apparently someone else super famous is eating here as well."

Sonia was surprised to hear it. "Someone else? Who?"

Nessa shrugged. "I haven't seen them. I wouldn't know."

While the two ladies were conversing with each other, there was another table for two right nearby. However, only one portly man was seated there.

"Come now, Oleana. Do please take a seat." The man in shades spoke to his spokesperson, who simply insisted on standing next to him. "It helps to keep a low profile, you know. You could say you… stand out."

The man had a good hearty laugh at his little quip, while Oleana simply didn't react. She stood there, deadpan, like a pale long-haired ghost woman. "No." She paused, giving the man more time to laugh to himself. "Mr. Chairman, with all due respect, but I doubt remaining subtle will do us any favors. There is a crowd of people outside who already know you are here. It is best we make haste onto more important matters."

The supposed chairman in disguise only paid partial attention, vigorously indulging himself in his fancy meal the whole way through. "Yes, yes, I do acknowledge your point. However, I promised Bede we wouldn't leave until he came back to us with more of what we needed."

Oleana raised an eyebrow, the slightest bit of expression on her emotionless face. "The child, sir?"

"Who else, Oleana?" The chairman smiled proudly. "It is nice to see him so willing to help my cause."

Oleana paused. "If he is taking this long to get back, we would best try to meet him halfway, then."

The chairman thought about it for a second. Then, with a moment of finality, he got up from his seat. "Well said! Haste it is! Time is of the essence, and the sooner we acquire more resources, the better. It is as they say. When something needs to get done, there's no time like the present, after all!"