I never would've gotten this far if it wasn't for you. Thank you, for everything.

Kibe and Arienne climbed out of the subway station, emerging onto Mode Street, part of a large, moving group of passengers. They let Garchomp and Audino out from their Poke Balls, and both Pokemon seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. They were headed for a seafood restaurant that Arienne had recommended.

"Y'know, I live in this area…actually, my apartment building is just down the street. I never thought I would be retracing my steps for lunch…"

"Wait, really? Then you've probably been there before, right?"

The crowd gradually thinned out as they crossed the street, to the side opposite of Kibe's apartment. Pidove could be heard crying out above them.

"I don't eat out a lot. I'm paying my own way through, so I prefer to save money when possible."

"I see…my parents pay for me alongside my scholarships. That must be tough… What kind of job did you have before landing this position?"

"I was a tour guide at the Desort Resort. It paid pretty well, but it was grueling work, as you would expect. Well, it was my own decision to be independent. I chose this for myself, so I don't really regret it. Is this the place?"

Audino had stopped in front of what seemed to be an upscale restaurant. The words "Lillies of the Cove" were emblazoned over the double wooden doors. Arienne had taken in what Kibe had said and sent it out the other ear, it seemed. Just what kind of places did she think were appropriate for a pair of supposedly broke college students?

"H-Hey, does this place need a dress code or something?"

"Only for dinner service."

About an hour later, Arienne nonchalantly walked out of the restaurant, a distraught Kibe following behind her. He scrolled through his phone, looking at the absolute state of his bank account.

"Do you eat out like this every day?"

"Hm, I try to eat out here at least three times a week. This city naturally has a much wider selection than Nimbasa, after all."

It was hard to disagree with her there. Contrary to what he had said earlier, Kibe had personally dined at many of the finest places in the city, although he was being dragged to them. The pair reentered the subway, Pokemon partners stowed away. It was less crowded now, so both of them were able to sit down. The sound of the train whistling through the tunnels rumbled in their ears, and they were lightly shaken from the car shuddering. They were one seat apart.

"Say, Kibe. You seem pretty skilled at battling. Why did you stop?"

"Well, part of it was that I grew up. Once my family and I moved from the Sinnoh region, I began to refocus myself, looking away from that childish dream of becoming Champion."

"With your skills, I think it's certainly possible! At least a League win, for sure! Apparently that Nathan guy had also reached the finals of the Unova League. He lost to the Masked Man."

"...Is that so? Well, it's none of my business anymore at any rate. I have different goals now."

Kibe looked away from Arienne. But she could still see how he really felt from the side of his face.

They were back in Dr. Foxglove's lab suite. Light shone through an open window, through which one could see the very same Battling Club grounds that Kibe had battled upon just a couple of hours ago. But now, there was someone else with her: a short man about as tall as the professor, standing next to a sleek Zangoose.

"I would like to introduce you two to one of my graduate students, Lewis!"

"Nice to meet you two! I'm a graduate student working on my doctoral degree under Dr. Foxglove. My thesis is about Pokemon types, and how the Terastal phenomenon alters a Pokemon's biological composition. Pokemon Biology is already an incredibly complex field of study, and these new discoveries only complicate things even more. But I accept the challenge and want to uncover this mystery myself! This is my partner, Zangoose."

He's certainly enthusiastic. Kibe and Arienne introduced themselves much in the same way as they did to Dr. Foxglove. Lewis shook their hands, and then stated that he had urgent business to attend to, and walked out.

"How many times do I have to tell him to just call me Miranda? He's going to go pick up a rare Pokemon that was shipped overseas from the Paldea region. So, you guys had a little fun during your break, huh? I saw the whole thing."

"Please don't remind me…" Kibe held his head in his hand due to how embarrassing the whole experience was.

"For my part, I thought you looked pretty cool!" Audino also nodded furiously at her Trainer's remark.

"Yeah, Kibe. Don't put yourself dow-HAHAHAHA! Haha…Anyways, the reason I called you back here so soon is to tell you guys about your first assignment. Take a seat!"

Kibe and Arienne sat next to each other on the same couch as before. There was some coffee set out.

"The Pinwheel forest, as you guys know, is a vast forest across the Skyarrow Bridge, and past the newer Skywheel suburb. The development of said suburb for workers in Castelia City has naturally led to some of the forest being removed, and the migration of certain Pokemon species as a result. However, compared to the overall land area of the forest, only a small percentage has really been cut down. Over the past several months, the International Pokemon Association's Environmental Protection Branch has been conducting a survey of the forest, seeing which Pokemon species were living where, and what's changed since the construction. It's basically a census. However, the Association's team wasn't able to finish. Apparently, there was some issue at Twist Mountain. So, they asked my department to survey the deep interior, and since I'm the newest associate professor and my team won't be "contracted" until later this year, it came to my desk…" Arienne was a little confused.

"Is that really how it works? Do they really need a full professor to handle something like this? I feel like this is something that most people can do, right?" Kibe took the baton to respond.

"It's not really that simple. Past the outer woods that most people, Trainers and non Trainers alike, travel through on their way from Nacrene City to Castelia, the woods get far more dense as you head north. The forest almost becomes an entirely different place… It's impossible to take vehicles up there, as the foliage is too thick. Whoever takes this job has to be prepared for a multiple night expedition, as well as a lack of outside support. They'll need to carry everything they need on their backs, and likely need to pot water as well."

"...I couldn't have said it better myself. You stole my thunder!" Dr. Foxglove pouted. "So, as you could probably guess, I want you two to take this job! Over the next week, you guys will familiarize yourselves with the gear I've prepared. Tomorrow, I want you guys to bring anything you DO have, so we can compare it and see if you need anything different than what I got. A week from now, you guys will set out from the Outer Pinwheel Forest, heading north to take a survey of the Pokemon species living there. The innermost part of the forest is nestled against a practically uncrossable mountain range to the north; it serves as a dividing line between the Pinwheel and White Forests. So that's as far as you'll go. What do you think?"

"That sounds REALLY steep for our first job…just how long will we be out there?" Arienne didn't seem to like the idea of camping out for a long period.

"We're planning for about three days. It might take a little longer than that, but if it does, you guys will have to return, restock, and head back out. So do your best while you're there, so you don't have to go back!"

"I don't think you have to worry on that front. My family actually lives in Skywheel, so the forest is basically my second backyard. I've been through it many times, albeit not in the interior all that much. At most, I've flown over it with Garchomp."

"Yeah, but I still have to keep up with you…Anyways, I'm not complaining. I know this is what I signed up for!" Arienne puffed out her chest confidently, with Audino mimicking her. "What I really need to do is support you. Leave the data recording to me!"

Kibe looked at her a little dubiously. Was she really not complaining? However, this was yet another one of those things where he knew he shouldn't question it. He elected to pick up his coffee instead.

"Thanks for the help, I look forward to working with you. I'll work on clearing the path, and locating Pokemon." Dr. Foxglove leaned back on her couch with a satisfied grin.

"It sounds like you guys have it all worked out! As I said earlier, we'll start working out the specifics of your gear tomorrow. For now, tell me about that battle of yours!"

Kibe sighed despondently as Arienne began animatedly regaling exaggerated tales of her courage and his prowess to the professor.

"Hey man, how was the first day?"

"Exhausting. You?"

"I was chilling in an office chair at a computer the whole time. My eyes are a little blurry though…maybe I'll need glasses…"

Kibe and Peter were in the common room of their apartment, flopped on chairs in exhaustion. Archen was riding Garchomp around as he crawled on the floor around the kitchen. The strength and energy displayed at the midday match was nowhere to be seen now. It was nearly evening.

"I already had some suspicions from our first meetings, but I really think that my partner is just a sheltered rich girl. She walked into that one-star restaurant down Mode today for lunch like it was a Poke Mart!"

"Lillies of the Cove? That place that flies out fresh seafood from eastern Hoenn DAILY?"

"Yep, that's the place. My checking account is nearly wiped out, and I'm not going to be paid until AFTER this expedition into that jungle of a forest!"

"...Man, I know you're trying to go your own way and all, but I really don't think you have ground to stand on…" Peter was a little doubtful of Kibe's sincerity, since he knew what Kibe's dad did for a living.

"...Shut up…" Kibe laid his head on the table and looked outside. Archen was now sitting on the patio table, looking at the sunset.

"Let's go on that walk."

Kibe, Peter, and their Pokemon were walking through Castelia Park, a wide expanse of greenery in an otherwise concrete jungle. Hundreds of Trainers and regular people were enjoying themselves, just like them.

"Archen, don't fly off too far! Garchomp, sorry to bother you, but would you go with him? I don't want him to get into any trouble…" Peter begged Garchomp to babysit Archen. Garchomp seemed to grudgingly oblige, and took off lazily after Archen.

"I don't think you have to worry about them. Garchomp sees Archen as a sort of little brother, so I'm sure he'll watch him properly…I think…"

"H-Hey, this is something you need to be sure about!"

Kibe and Peter, with Tyrunt riding piggyback, slowly walked down a more secluded forest path. It was darker here, the evening sun drawing the shadows of the trees to blanket the path.

"So, how was your first day really? I don't have a partner since astronomy is mostly just messing with computer programs, so I'm sure it's more complex than what you said." Kibe sighed.

"I think…she's a good person. She cares a lot about her Pokemon, which is honestly the most important thing. I don't truly have doubts about her capabilities, given that she was the only applicant out of dozens other than me to land a position..."

"You sure the reason you don't like her isn't just that she reminds you of yourself?"

Kibe scowled, and stopped.

"What the hell is your deal? Of course not!" Peter just stared back at him, with Tyrunt over his shoulder looking at some fruit. The sun had set, bringing cool night air wafting through the trees.

"...I think she reminds me…of what I could've been. If what happened to me had never occurred. She still lives with her parents, for goodness' sake. I thought I had gotten over it…but I clearly still haven't."

"Maybe she'll help you come to terms with it. It's not like she doesn't have her own problems, everyone does. I do. But the way we deal with them is by reaching out to others. This will be good for you, I'm sure of it."

"...Thanks, Peter." The two of them looked up to the night sky, and watched Archen and Garchomp soar above them.

A week passed.