~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

(Mimikyu sitting at a table with three people.)

And then...

(Shuffles deck before placing a card down.)

I play my commander! Kenrith, the Returned King!

(Animation of Elk transforming into crown occurs.)

Aha! Noice.

(Turns head.)

Oh, hello there. Erm... Yeah, this is what I've been doing for a while. Catching up on an old card game that I haven't been able to play with others since the pandemic. Depressing, but I'm confident that things won't be like this for too long. At least... I hope. Heh. But anyway, I wanted to bring something up before the chapter starts.

...

...

I'm gonna hold off this fic for a while.

(The three other players on the table): *GASP!*

"But why!?"

"You're doing fine!"

"You piece of garbage!"

Yeah, yeah, pfft. I'm not exactly stopping this fic, I'm just gonna prioritize in finishing those damn retypes of my other fic, To Be A Hero. (Check it out if you're a fan of my hero academia and Dekubowls.) But yeah, I'm gonna try to speedrun and catch up with my chapters. And the main reason I wanna catch up to them is...

I wanna make another fic.

(Three other players): *GASP!*

"Another masterpiece!?"

"Of what series!?"

"Really? Another harem?"

Heh, you'll find out down the line. But I NEED to actually catch up with my work on TBAH before that, so that's what I'm going to be trying to get out as many chapters to catch up on where I want to be with it.

But anyway, I don't wanna take up too much space in the intro, so I'll bring up one more thing that I forgot to bring up last time!

I'm sure many of you watched the Sword and Shield expansion pass update/direct for the Crowned Tundra (I think it was for that?). And near the end of that direct, I'm sure all of you saw the video...

THAT video...

The video that showed me 14 god damn years of my life passing by... The music video at the end was too beautiful and I legit cried, man. I can't post a link to the official video here because of some weird issue with the link, but that video is an anime opening man. It's MY anime opening. It's so beautiful.

Title:

"Gotcha" by 'BUMP OF CHICKEN' (Heh, funny name.)

Check it out if you haven't. It's beautiful.

And also check out this guy's English cover of the full song! It's just as amazing! This is basically my fic's anime opening! It's PERFECT! (For some reason, I can post THIS link but not the other, weird.)

watch?v=iDpPmFIhQho&ab_channel=SilverStorm

But that's enough for the intro, we'll talk more after we discover what sort of trouble Victor brings himself into this time!

(Gets back to the game and sees a card played.)

Did... Did you just play a Rhystic Study? You god damn degenerate.

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):

FanFictionReaderIne: Pfft, was the reveal of the villain even a surprise to be honest? Thanks for your comment and encouragement for life, and I hope you enjoy what's to come!

Martial Arts Master: The more you know, heh.

KingPlotBunny: I really liked Zinnai too, who doesn't love a bit of crazy?

Mazzax Manacry: I guess I can understand that introduction can take space, but I viewed it necessary because I don't think everyone played every single game and knows each of the characters. Unless I'm just assuming and everyone knows them. Thanks for enjoying the fic though!

Acebun815: Thanks for your consideration. And yeah, I guess I really should appreciate my work and writing more.

Lelouch of Zero: Who doesn't love an edgy big brother with his fluffy little sister? Pfft, I find the dynamic hilarious.

Anon Omega: Hm, I never thought about how characters would react with each other beside Victor, heh.

IanAlphaAxel: Thanks for enjoying the fic as always!

Leafy: Yeah, I loved Archie and Maxie's designs from ORAS and they had much more personality there.

Silver Crow: Heh, yeah, harems are great to write. But I don't really know if I'd make Victor's harem bigger with out-of-region girls because there's a lot more work. But do expect Klara and maybe Peonia to have their screentime MUCH later in the fic. They are mostly post-game content after all.

jtmarch12591: Heh, interesting. I didn't know it meant that.

5AT05H1L1NK: Yeah, I really felt like a whole season went by with how I left it off and was just like 'it's perfect.' But yeah, this where things get a lot more serious. New threats, new allies, new knowledge about the wild area, and much more. And I do love your in-depth comments, they're greatly appreciated. Sadly, I don't think I'll have a valentines day special because of how disorganized my upload schedule is, but I really SHOULD do something with the Applin tradition. It'd just be hilarious.

Exia Zero: Huh, I didn't think about what the Love Ball would be used for. That'd be a nice idea.

Wolfy365: I call bs, winning by standing still in Hex-a-gon is impossible. Get this man outta here.

Lildeevil: I actually only played the game once at my cousin's house. Never played it again though. The game is alright.

the willyrex: *GASP!* I did miss you willy! I haven't seen you since chapter 19! You should comment more, grow the popularity of the fic and show me some of that big brain, lol. And to answer your questions about other protagonists, you won't really be seeing any of them. And Gloria's British voice in pokemon masters is actually how I kinda hear her in the fic when she's not going full Scottish, if that makes sense. But anyway, love your comment and hope to hear from you again!


~{Bridge Field-7:23PM}~

Dark clouds covered the sky, clouds even blacker than earlier in the day. It was a clear sign that something was going to arrive, something dangerous. Despite this, Victor and his friends remained together on a picnic blanket. And just to the side of their seating was a small campfire under a curry pot.

Gloria and Victor themselves were the ones currently cooking curry for dinner, both working hard with smiles on their faces in hopes of creating a good meal. Everyones' pokemon were free from their pokeballs to either frolic about or remain seated around their trainers. This included a sighing Ace, who currently had a peacefully sleeping Pixie laying against him.

"You guys almost done!?" Hop asked as he drooled with stars in his eyes.

"That's the fifth time ya asked! Sit ya pants down and shut it! We'll be done in a wee bit!" Gloria snapped at the boy while stirring the pot of curry.

"That really does smell good... so I can see why he's so excited. It's amazing how well you kids can cook." Nessa smiled as her Drednaw, the only female on her team, laid next to her. And like her Drednaw, the rest of her pokemon had also been released.

Her Golisopod, a large arthropod pokemon with armored plating around him, was hunched over and staring down at Victor's sleeping Charjabug. The menacing figure narrowed his eyes in doubt that this small creature was the one who took down his trainer's Drednaw, even if her moveset was restricted due to the Gym rules.

Nessa's Pelipper, a white and blue pelican pokemon with a large yellow beak, was planted on the ground with both Twilight and Sky beside him, the birds curiously eyeing the bird of the Gym Leader.

Her Barraskewda, a long fish-like pokemon with an underbite, was swimming in a lake a few feet away from everyone, happily swimming around as Bubbles joined him in apparently trying to race, failing miserably against the blazing swimming fish.

There was then Nessa's friendly Quagsire, a light blue, bipedal, and amphibious pokemon with tiny black eyes and a wide mouth. He was sitting on the grass with his usual derpy smile, getting confused looks from those like Luna or Thwackey as to why he looked so... blank.

And finally, there was Toxapex. A relatively small-bodied pokemon but with large, spiked, and blue star-fish like tentacles to form a large dome around him. He had the two front tentacles up to reveal his moody-looking face, giving an impression that he didn't care about the others around him. Despite this, he appeared to be chatting with Ace, the rabbit pokemon careful not to wake the sleeping child-like Togepi leaning against him.

"I really like your team, Nessa!" Victor smiled as he dumped some more chopped carrots into the cauldron of curry. "Your Golisopod looks so cool, and he always took care of Grass-types pretty well."

The Gym Leader's Golisopod examined Tesla in his large palm before turning his head to the trainer who mentioned him, which was then Victor noticed him carrying his Charjabug.

"Is he curious about Tesla?"

Nessa smiled at Victor's remark about her pokemon and pet her Drednaw's head. "Yup, they're all my precious babies! Although Gym Leaders have an overall typing they prefer on their pokemon, we still know how to make up for our other weaknesses. Take Quagsire and Pelipper over there, for example."

"Pelipper's flyin' type helps to do something against grass-types, and ye Quagsire can take on electric-types..." Marnie muttered.

"Of course you've mastered type advantages." Hop chuckled.

"Why does hearing him say that suddenly annoy me?" Gloria deadpanned as she continued stirring the pot of curry.

"Too bad Raihan's damn dragon types make me want to tear my hair out..." Nessa sighed with a twitching eye.

"Yeah, dragon types really are one of the hardest types to deal with... Oh, hey! Curry's done!" Victor cheered.

Tesla opened his eyes with a flash of red in them, the pokemon vanishing from Golisopod's hand and appearing next to Victor.

"Charja! Charja!"

"G-Gol!?" Golisopod blinked as he stared down into his hand where Tesla had been a second ago, doing a double-take.

The rest of the pokemon stopped what they were doing with their own eyes flashing in interest at food, even Nessa's professional team.

Victor could already sense the tension as to who would get their food first, making him pout.

"Keep in mind that we only have enough to serve about half of you for now. But I don't want anyone fighting!" He firmly said with a lifted finger before anyone could do anything.

"We're giving the youngest ones first!" He declared.

Tesla seemed to frown at this news before turning around and squirming away in minor annoyance.

"Actually, how old are my pokemon?" Victor wondered when he saw Tesla squirm towards the back of the group.

Victor and Gloria then started serving the smaller pokemon their plates of curry, all of them humming in bliss as some used utensils to eat while others shoved their faces in.

As the two trainers started to make another batch of curry, a grinning scientist stared down at them from the edge of the Motostoke bridge. Colress projected a screen on his wrist that zoomed upon the group as he recorded his notes aloud.

"Hm, it's apparent that subject V-49 isn't experiencing any effects of Dynamaxing compared to what we've seen in earlier footage. So the negative effects he experiences from Dynamaxing don't linger too long after completing any pokemon battles. I won't have any definite ideas about what Dynamaxing is doing to him unless I ask directly. Perhaps I can even take a sample for my studies? I do already have a few vague theories as to how Dynamax energy is changing the boy's body..."

Colress's Magnezone awkwardly floated beside his trainer as several people passing the bridge admired the Magnet Area pokemon. After all, he wasn't a pokemon you would ever see in the main areas of the Galar region. But he paid no mind to these people and simply listened to the scientist ramble while expertly typing away on his arm, eyes sparkling in interest as he watched Victor through his projected screen.

Magnezone turned his head and glanced down in the same direction as his trainer, eyes zoning in on Victor specifically. From a glance, he didn't notice anything interesting about the boy, but he knew he was anything but normal.

"Come on, Magnezone! Let us make haste and finally get answers on our interesting subject!"

"Mag?"

Magnezone turned to his trainer just in time to see him jump onto the bridge railing, making a few passing people gasp.

"MAG!?" Magnezone was quick to point one of its magnets to Colress and activate it. The metal materials around Colress, most notably the metal around his wrist's keyboard, were enough to suddenly yanked him back.

"Oh, my word?" Colress looked rather unfazed by the ordeal, simply smiling as his arm stayed stuck to his pokemon. "What's wrong, Magnezone?"

"Mag! Mag!" The three eyes of Magnezone seemed to frown as he released the magnetic pull from his trainer.

"Oh? Could it be that you don't want me to simply dive down there? But what reason could there for that? I assumed you'd simply hover me down." Colress asked.

"Mag! Zone!" Magnezone floated over the edge of the railing and used one of his magnets to point the best he could at the group below.

"Oh, forgive me, my loyal pokemon, but I can't understand what you're trying to tell me, no matter how familiar you are with me!" Colress innocently smiled. "This scenario and your actions can have several messages behind it, and I'm afraid I won't be able to conclude what is it you're trying to tell me without evidence or clearer details!"

Magnezone had a deadpanned expression as he floated in place, his three eyes then closing as he tilted his body down in a sigh. Seeing this wasn't going anywhere, he turned around and started hovering down towards the group below.

"Oh? Is he going to fetch him for me? How thoughtful!" Colress laughed as he got back to typing on the keyboard on his wrist. "It appears that my own pokemon has lost patience with me once again! How peculiar!"

Magnezone had unamused half-open eyelids as he hovered down towards the group, with Victor and Gloria already finishing their second batch of curry and were already distributing the meal to the rest of the pokemon.

Of course, with a pokemon clearly flying towards them, many of the group noticed him and turned their heads with looks varying from curiosity to suspicion.

The trainers beside Gloria and Victor were eating their food happily with sparkles in their eyes, not noticing the pokemon yet.

"Mmph! Mmph!" Nessa squealed as she swallowed her curry. "This is too delicious!"

Hop scarfed down his food while Marnie's own eyes sparkled as she took another spoonful of curry, both nodding in agreement.

Gloria started to serve her own plate with a happy hum before noticing an out-of-place figure coming towards them, making her turn her head with her eyes widening.

"Eh? Ain't that a Magnezone?"

Hearing that, Hop choked on his food and started repeatedly coughing.

Everyone stopped their eating and glanced up in surprise. Victor himself had just given Ace his own plate when he heard Gloria's claim, making him turned his head at the steel pokemon coming.

"Hold on, those aren't native to the main part of Galar. Why is one here?"

Magnezone felt nervous as he felt the gazes of everyone on him, yet he still carried on all the way to the boy.

Nessa smiled as she admired the Magnezon float by, "Wow, I rarely ever see any Magnezone. Not even in the league."

"But... What's it doing here?" Marnie muttered aloud as she took another spoonful of curry while keeping her gaze on the pokemon.

Her question was answered as the pokemon stopped in front of Victor, clearly having some business with him.

"Eh?" Victor blinked in confusion as the Magnezone's three eyes stared at him.

"Wait, if he came to me specifically... Did he hear about 'that' part of me?"

"Heh, it looks like he's interested in you!" Hop laughed.

Magnezone floated in place for a few seconds with his eye focused on Victor, being only a foot away from him.

Victor felt awkward with the silence and cleared his throat, then putting on a smile.

"Er... Hello there!" He reached forward and gently pat Magnezone on the head. "Did you come for some curry?"

Magnezone just sighed.

"Mag..." (Sorry about this...)

"Eh?" Victor blinked in confusion.

In the next moment, Magnezone suddenly zoomed to Victor's legs and scooped him off the ground.

"Wha-!?" Victor was surprised to land on top of Magnezone and was suddenly raised into the sky.

"WHOA!" Seeing the increase of elevation, Victor reached out and held onto the antenna in the center of Magnezone's head so he wouldn't fall.

"VICTOR!?" Gloria's eyes widened in horror to see her friend taken.

"Thwakey, Razor Leaf!" Hop immediately jumped up.

"No! You could hit Victor!" Nessa stopped him, then lifting her hand up. "Pelipper! Go with both Corvisquires after him!"

"Cor!/Pel!" All three flying types quickly flapped their wings and soared into the sky after Victor.

Gloria had a menacing aura of murder as she pointed up. "Luna, Midori! Hitch a ride and get that stealin' SON OF A-!"

"Kirl!" Both Kirlia's shouted before she finished, teleporting onto the flying types to go up with them.

Magnezone was sweating nervously as he saw his life flash before his eyes, quickly hovering up towards the Motostoke bridge with Victor on top. He honestly didn't want to do things the way he did, but he had to separate Victor to communicate with his trainer. This was the simplest, if not the riskiest, action to take.

"Hey!? What gives!?" Victor shouted over the wind pushing against him. He used one hand to hold onto his beanie while the other kept a tight grip on the kidnapping pokemon's antenna.

"Mag! Zone!"

"Huh!?"

"Mag! Magnezone!" The pokemon frantically shouted.

Victor's eyes widened.

"He needs me to... meet someone? To talk about... WHAT I am?"

His expression turned rather serious and dark, contrasting with his eyes unnaturally glowing.

"Fine... Let's 'talk.'"

Colress stood behind the railing as he watched his subject get carried to him, smiling excitedly despite the persuing pokemon close behind.

Victor caught sight of the man staring at him in the distance, the boy glaring back at the out-of-place scientist. He pulled himself up to crouch on top of Magnezone and waited as he neared the bridge, then leaping off and landing with a small slide on the solid ground of the brick bridge.

Both humans were a few feet away from each other as Magnezone quickly hovered next to his trainer, hiding behind him.

Victor noticed the sparkling in Colress's eyes and already felt uneasy about him, staring suspiciously and keeping a cautious stance.

"Okay... So who are-?"

Colress didn't waste a second and appeared right in front of Victor in a flash, grabbing the boy's hand with both his own to perform an energetic handshake.

"Subject V-49! It's so good to finally meet you!"

Victor was taken aback by the man's genuinely welcoming tone, blinking several times with a new look of confusion. "Wha-?"

He didn't get to say anything as Colress had suddenly pulled up Victor's sleeve and was now feeling his arm with both hands.

"A good physique for a young boy, no doubt due to training to adjust to your superhuman abilities." Colress's glasses flashed in interest.

Victor flinched at the sudden close contact and pulled his arm away. "Hey-!"

Colress just moved on to grab both of the boy's cheeks to turn his head to him, staring into his brown eyes.

"No sign of any stress or lingering Dynamax energy." He rambled. "Nor any sign of physical backlash either, unless there are marks hidden underneath your clothing-"

Alarms went through Victor's head after hearing that implication.

He swatted Colress's hands away.

"Whoa, no touchy!"

He backed up with his own hands in a karate-chopping stance, a stern look on his face.

"Nooooo touchy! No touch!"

"Cor!"

"Kirl!"

Victor looked up to see Twilight and Sky arrive with Luna and Midori on them. Nessa's Pelipper led the group, looking rather hostile and ready for action. Upon seeing them, Magnezone flinched and kept even closer to Colress in case something happened.

"Ooo! Are all of these your pokemon? I recognize your Corvisquire and Kirlia, but there's another pair of the two? And there's even a Pelipper mixed with them?" Colress stared as he typed this information onto his wrist.

He didn't even seem to mind their dangerous auras and simply turned back to Victor.

"So subject V-49, I've come to ask you to comply with my research involving yourself as the subject matter! I admit that I haven't been interested in you when I first heard of your pokemon abil-!"

"GAH!" Victor panicked upon the mention of himself, as people were passing by, and instinctively uppercut Colress under his chin, sending him flying upward into a spiral.

The pokemon and walking passersby all had their eyes widen in shock as the scientist's body crashed on his back, comedically kicking up dust.

"Crap! I reacted like Gloria!" Victor realized as he started sweating.

The pokemon had blank faces as they perched onto the railing, both Kirlia's jumping off with similar gazes. After seeing that sudden punch and how nervous the Magnezone from earlier became, they wondered if Victor even needed help.

"M-Mag! Magnezone!" The magnet area pokemon hovered up to Victor.

"Just hear him out!? Why!? Who even is he!? And why do you both know who I am!?" Victor loudly whispered to him, trying not to raise his voice as people passed.

The two then heard creepy laughter coming from the ground and turned to see Colress shakily picking himself up with a satisfied smile.

"That's... That's definitely supernatural strength... How marvelous..."

Victor stared at the man before letting out a sigh and rubbing his temples.

"I have no idea what's going on... He doesn't give off the feeling of a 'bad' guy, but it's clear there's something off about him..."

He turned to the pokemon group that came for him, who were currently staring at him as if waiting for instructions.

"Um... You guys can head on back. I think I'll be alright. I don't even think this guy would try anything with people around..." Victor reassured them.

The pokemon simply stared back with unconvinced looks, knowing it would be foolish to simply leave Victor alone with a person who basically kidnapped him.

Victor realized what their looks were saying and sighed again.

"Fine... Midori, Twilight, you both stay with me. The rest of you just go back. This guy..."

Victor and the pokemon turned to see Magnezone helping a creepily giggling Colress up.

"...seems harmless?"

The pokemon didn't seem much more convinced but nodded anyway as Midori kept close to Victor while Twilight remained perched on the railing. Luna turned to Midori with a worried look, but the male Kirlia turned back to her with a simple smile to reassure her. Luna reluctantly teleported back onto Sky before the two and Pelipper took off back to their trainers.

"Okay... So back to what I meant to ask you first..." Victor started, turning back to Colress with a serious gaze. "Who. Are. You?"

Colress dusted himself off and adjusted his glasses once more, keeping a composed stance and smiling despite the mark under his chin.

"Ah, it appears I let my excitement get the better of me. Allow me to formally introduce myself." He put an arm across his chest and politely bowed with his eyes closed. "I'm Colress, leading pokemon researcher for Team Rainbow Rocket. Once again, it's a pleasure to meet you, subject V-49!"

Victor blinked several times as he processed the information the man bluntly admitted without too much of a care. He turned left and right to see if anyone had heard, only to realize that the previous passerbys had left by now, leaving them alone on the bridge.

Victor then turned to Colress while keeping a blank expression, slowly pulling out his Rotom phone and raising it to his ear.

"I would appreciate it if you'd hear me out first before making any rash decisions." Colress innocently smiled.

"Magnezone! Mag!" Magnone quickly floated beside Victor and repeatedly tilted his body up and down as if pleading to him.

Victor stared suspiciously at them, still holding his phone in hand.

"Okay..."

*Vrrrrrrr! Vrrrrrrr!*

Victor flinched as his phone suddenly started to vibrate, to which he became nervous to see Gloria's name on the screen.

"Ooooooh boy..."

He raised it his ear and used his other arm to point at Colress.

"Give me a minute, don't go doing any evil stuff!"

"But of course." Colress smiled as he stood in place.

Victor turned his back to him but repeatedly glanced back to make sure Colress wouldn't do anything, then answering the call.

"Hey, Glor-"

*VICTOR!*

The boy pulled away from his phone as he comedically gripped onto his beanie, the item nearly sent flying from the explosion of force that came from the shouting.

*Are ya alright!? What the bloody hell happened!? Why did our pokemon come back without you!? Are-!*

*Gloria, rampaging him with questions won't help!* Victor heard Nessa in the background.

*You alright, Victor? What was all that?* Hop's voice cut in.

Victor cautiously brought his phone back to his ear as he once again glanced back to Colress, who hadn't moved from his spot and was still keeping the same smile as before.

"I'm actually kinda confused myself... But apparently, this guy just wanted to talk to me."

*So he sent a bloody pokemon to kidnap ya!? I'm coming up there to rip off his *bzzzt* and shove it up his *bzzzt*!"

Victor blinked in confusion. "Er... I didn't quite catch that. What'd you say?"

*N-Nothing! She said nothing!* Hop's voice sounded panicked and was followed by the sound of struggling, with an additional, *Let me go!* being heard from Gloria.

"Um..." Victor deadpanned. "You guys good?"

*Y-Yeah, everything's fine!* Hop said, being the one on the phone now.*We just kinda had to... 'calm' Gloria down a bit. We're trying to use Wooloo and her pokemon to cuddle her up. But anyway, so someone just wanted to talk to you? Are you really sure about that?*

"I mean..." Victor glanced back at Colress again, the man still not having moved from his spot with the same expression he's been holding up.

"Okay, that's starting to get a little creepy..."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. He's polite, at least. You guys can't really get up here, and I've already got Midori and Twilight with me anyway. I'll head back down soon. Just enjoy your curry before it gets cold."

*Hm, but are you sure- AH! Tesla! That's my plate! Get away from-!*

The call then cut off, leaving Victor mildly surprised before shrugging and putting away his phone.

He turned back to the still waiting Colress.

"May I speak now?" Colress asked with a raised finger.

"..." Victor narrowed his eyes at him. "You may-"

"So, as I've said before-!" Colress abruptly interrupted,"-I'm Colress, the leading pokemon researcher of Team Rainbow Rocket! But-!"

He showed a white grin.

"I'm only in Rainbow Rocket for personal reasons."

Victor raised an eyebrow as Colress clapped his hands together.

"You see, my dear superhuman friend, I only have one goal in participating with such a despicable group! And that is to discover how to bring out the true strength of pokemon!"

He put his hands behind his back as his gaze became focused on Victor's eyes.

"I don't care for any such plots that the organization may have, and I actually despise most of them, one more notably from the rest. But they have the resources that allow me to conduct my research, so I'm only complying with them for it! So I'm confident to say that I'm not your enemy, subject V-49."

Colress then kept silent as he stared directly at Victor, seeming to let him speak about what he heard.

Victor frowned as he lifted a finger.

"Okay... First of all, my name isn't V-49... It's Victor. Vic-tor! Got it?"

"Understood, subject Victor." Colress politely nodded.

"Just, Victor!"

Victor then crossed his arms.

"And second of all... Even if you are telling the truth, should you really be admitting your opposition to your own organization when they're probably listening right now? And what do you want with me if it's not to try and bring me in? And why should I believe anything you say?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about anyone listening in! Oh, except that man that'll be walking by us in a few seconds."

Victor and Colress turned to a normal man cheerfully walking by them. Only, he started to sweat nervously with growing discomfort at the stares of both males, feeling as if they were expecting him to do something. He sped up his pace across the bridge and made his way towards Motostoke, hoping they wouldn't go after him.

Once he was clearly out of earshot, Colress turned back to Victor.

"Now we don't have anyone to worry about listening to our conversation. Rainbow Rocket's abilities to listen are clearly limited in many areas, including here. We're in the middle of a clear bridge with nowhere they can go to effectively listen to us without being seen. Even if they somehow get under the bridge, they wouldn't be able to hear our conversation up here. So I'm not worried about being reported for my words."

Colress then brought up his left arm and started typing on the keyboard on his wrist.

"And as for what I want with you, Victor, I believe I mentioned it already!" He projected a screen from his wrist that showed clips of the three Gym Trainer battles Victor had completed so far. "My goal is to simply discover how to bring out the true strength of all pokemon!"

Victor stared at the screen with a look of confusion.

"But... what does that have to do with me? I don't really see how I connect to bringing out a pokemon's strength?"

Colress turned off the projection and glanced down at Midori, who was holding the pants of Victor's leg while suspiciously staring at the man. He then turned to Twilight, who threateningly narrowed his eyes at him before finally turning back to Victor.

"I've watched your battles against powerful Gym Leaders so far! I've seen you confidently lead your pokemon without worry and simply obliterate gyms without too much trouble! I know that the pokemon in gyms are severely different than official league teams, but they're still controlled by powerful trainers and are still powerful pokemon nonetheless! Some of your pokemon even took out two opponents before finally getting knocked down! I can see that your pokemon are already stronger than I would expect in a normal trainer, and I wish to see if your superhuman abilities are the cause of it! If your powers can actually cause a pokemon to become stronger! So I wish to keep close inspection of you to discover how they're being influenced!" Colress rambled in excitement.

Victor had a deadpanned expression at what he was hearing, Midori having the same look while Twilight looked uninterested at what the scientist said.

"Um... Sorry to crush your hopes, but my pokemon don't get any boost from me or my... 'abilities.' All the fighting they've done was from us working together, nothing else."

"Even then-!" Colress said without any of his interest diminished, "Your pokemon have clearly proven themselves to be stronger than the average trainer's pokemon already! How long have you known them?"

That had Victor put a hand to his chin and think.

"Er... It varies with each one. My starter, Ace, about a week, and the others for just a few days since starting my Gym Challenge."

"How marvelous!" Colress blurted out with his arms open. "Despite not being familiar with them for too long, you've worked with them on such a professional level! And even if your supernatural abilities have nothing to do with that, of course, as a man of science, I'd still want to study you just to discover what is it about you that brings out such strength from your pokemon! I find it fair for both of us!"

Victor narrowed his eyes. "Fair?"

Colress started rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Of course! I get to satisfy my curiosity and discover what it is that truly makes a pokemon powerful, and I can help you discover just what's happening to your body."

Victor flinched and instinctively backed up, holding his beating heart as a drop of sweat went down the side of his head.

"So you even saw-?"

"Dynamax Energy is outstanding, isn't it?" Colress sighed in joy, making Victor confirm what the scientist hinted at. "Energy that allows pokemon to achieve a higher level of power. We know what Dynamax Energy does to a normal pokemon, and we know it doesn't affect humans besides some boost in vitality from Dynamax meals. But for someone who's a part of both sides..."

His smile almost looked as if it was turning smug.

"We don't know what it's doing to such a person."

Victor's eyes narrowed on him, Midori frowned as he stepped in front of Victor, and Twilight emitted some threatening clicks from his mouth.

"I'm sure you would like to know, as would I." Colress spoke with sincerity, his smile unfaltering. "You may not trust me, Victor, but believe me when I say I'm only acting out of my own interests. Don't think I'm expecting anything enormous out of you. All I'm asking is to allow me to observe you on your journey, even from afar. That, and..."

Colress innocently smiled as he raised his hand, to which a small, empty vial of the sort appeared.

"Some blood."

Victor was suddenly in a fighting position, eyes dilating at what Colress implied.

"AS IF!" His increase of volume startled Midori and Twilight, the boy sounding as if he would fight tooth and nail to make sure the man didn't get anything from him. "Why the hell would I give you what you'd need to make more of me!?"

Colress just let out a laugh. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Victor! A blood sample isn't nearly enough to successfully or effectively make a clone of someone. There would be much more required from bone to tissue samples. The world hasn't even gone through any breakthroughs in cloning humans yet! And even if making a clone of you was successful, there would no doubt be many health problems in them that would defeat the purpose of making the 'perfect' soldiers Rainbow Rocket wishes."

Victor just kept frowning.

"Even then, Rainbow Rocket could still use my blood to recreate... everything. Everything from those years ago... All the others that were with me... I saw them gone one by one, never understanding where they went, what was happening, why it was all happening until I was finally gone."

His eyes suddenly lost all color in them as he stared at Colress with a dangerous aura of pressure.

"I'll be damned if I let something like that happen again."

Colress's Magnezone, Midori, and Twilight all felt chills as they felt the influence Victor gave off all around him.

"How... intriguing." Colress grin had faltered for a second when he felt a chill, but his smile quickly returned. "You truly are amazing."

He put a hand under his chin and cleared his throat.

"Victor, once again, it's not as easy as simply acquiring some blood for Team Rainbow Rocket to repeat the process all over again. I don't even know what types of actions they took to create you in the first place, as I wasn't part of the team who created you. But know that I don't have any malicious intent towards you. I simply wish to assist you while satisfying my own desires, to comprehend and discover exactly how your body is adjusting to your abilities. To discover how you, whether your powers or your own humanity, are influencing strength in not only your pokemon, but others.

Victor kept his cold gaze as Colress continued.

"All the information I discover, I will, of course, share it with you. However, this also means I'll have to share it with the high-ups of Rainbow Rocket as well. And I may even be able to supply you with information back about the organization! I've noticed the pain you've felt when Dynamaxing, and it's clearly been getting worse with every gym battle. What if the next time you choose to Dynamax... something else occurs? Something you can't control?"

Victor slowly stood up straight but kept his head down with shadowed eyes.

Colress adjusted his glasses with a reassuring look, "You don't have to consider me an ally, but I don't want you to considered me an adversary. I simply wish for the two of us to have a mutual exchange. We both get to dive deeper into what's occurring to you, and we may find a solution to fix the problem and perhaps go even further beyond that."

Victor still had his head down, but the pressure of the aura around him dwindled.

"I'm sure you don't have too many people you can turn to for such a problem, so what do you say?" Colress finished confidentially.

The only sound following his words was the gentle breeze passing through the group as the dark clouds moved overhead. Magnezone was nervously shaking as he hoped that things would end well while Victor's two pokemon waited patiently for their trainer to make the call.

As Victor looked up, the color returned to his eyes despite still having his serious expression.

"Fine."

Colress's eyes sparkled.

"But-!"

Victor marched up and grabbed the taller man by the collar, pulling him close.

"You'd better stay out of sight. I don't need anyone reporting that an adult is stalking a minor. You can only come to talk to me when I'm alone. And if I ever feel like you're up to something, I won't hesitate to send you ten feet into the ground."

Colress simply chuckled at the threat as Victor let him go with a push.

"Here's to a healthy and mutual relationship!" The scientist cheered as he opened his arms and looked up into the sky.

Magnezone levitated next to Victor while Colress self-celebrated.

"Mag, zone. Magnezone..." (I know you doubt him, but he won't try anything... He's too self-absorbed in his... studies.)

"I'll keep that in mind..." Victor sighed, not exactly convinced.

"Now, let us start the first step to our cooperation with one another!" Colress pulled out the empty vial once again along with a syringe.

"Do you really need my blood!?" Victor asked as he instinctively took a step back.

"But of course! I must see how Dynamax energy has already affected your DNA so far."

"Ugh..." Victor seemed to not like needles. "Wouldn't you give Rainbow Rocket that as well?"

"Not exactly. As of now, and mentioning it for the third time, I'm technically the leading researcher for Rainbow Rocket. There isn't anyone else that needs this supplement because I need it to discover what kind of changes you're going through. I'm also supposed to do what I can to repeat the process that gave you your superhuman abilities, which I will, of course, have to work on, but as I've also said, getting blood isn't enough for that. For me to get even close to recreating another specimen such as yourself, I need much more information that requires your presence with equipment at the Rainbow Rocket base, which I know you wouldn't cooperate with. And not to mention I would actually encourage you to avoid getting taken there!"

"This guy talks a lot." Victor thought as he blinked.

The boy gulped down air and reluctantly walked forward while pulling his sleeve all the way up. "At least do it on my shoulder. I don't want my friends to notice any marks."

Colress took his arm as he got the vial ready. "It'll be harder to extract from the shoulder, and you'll most likely feel more discomfort."

"Don't really care."

"Then thank you for your contribution!" Colress cheered.

Victor nervously shivered as Colress got a cotton swab and rubbed some alcohol on his shoulder. He then kept his eyes stuck as he watched the needle go into him. He flinched as he watched his very essence getting sucked out, making him turn pale, yet didn't take his eyes away as dark red filled the vial Colress held.

"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I absolutely hate it." He repeated over and over again.

Colress filled the vial and pulled the needle out of Victor, then providing another cotton swab and bandage to gently put on top of the marked area.

"It supposedly gives a worse feeling when you're watching it happen." Colress told him as he capped the vial and examined it.

"But I need to know the timing when a needle is getting stuck into me!" Victor shivered as he pulled his arm back and rubbed the bandage.

"I suppose, but now I can finally make some progress!" Colress beamed as he proudly held the vial in the air.

"Don't just show that off..." Victor grumbled as he glanced around to make sure no one was walking by.

Colress quickly slipped the vial into his shirt pocket and politely bowed.

"Thank you, subject Victor! I'll make sure you benefit from this as much as I will!"

"Wait, so what are you going to do now?" Victor asked him.

Colress stood up straight and rubbed his chin, "I was going to ask you several questions involving yourself, your abilities, and your experiences, but I think we shall leave that for another time after I analyze this sample."

He turned his head left to the dark clouds still gathering up.

"The weather is changing quickly, and I don't wish to be around when it... 'escalates.' Not to mention your acquaintances may end up taking action if you're not back soon. So I'll save my questions for the occasion that you're alone again."

He turned back to Victor.

"But until then, I suggest you avoid Dynamaxing. Until we meet again, young trainer."

"Wait!" Victor said before Colress could turn away, looking more concerned now. "Colress... right?"

"The one and only." The scientist smiled.

"Well... Since you're going to ask me things, I want to ask you things as well."

"May I answer your questions another time?"

"Then let me ask just one." Victor once again had a rather cold expression to him as the air tensed up around him.

Colress sensed how serious it was and kept his attention to him, his smile faltering.

"Alright. Ask away."

Victor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opening them and asking.

"Do you know who killed my dad?"

Midori and Twilight felt chills at how demanding Victor sounded.

Colress stared at Victor with a somewhat emotionless expression, the wind gently blowing his hair.

"Ah... The professor..." He adjusted his glasses, not keeping his eyes away. "I'm sorry to say that since I wasn't with the team that worked with him, I hardly interacted with him. So I don't have any clue as to who's responsible for his death."

Victor looked down, eyes looking empty, almost desperate.

"Then... can you tell me who is the Rainbow Rocket leader?"

There was a moment of silence before Colress looked down and started typing onto his keyboard.

"If I were to report that kind of information, my risk of death would be imminent. I'm checked weekly for any signs of treason, and they'll no doubt discover if I gave away any names." Colress immediately responded. "Pokemon really are frightening as they are amazing..."

"..."

Victor turned his back to him.

"Thanks anyway..."

Colress formed a small smile as he turned to Magnezone and nodded, cueing the pokemon to move closer to Victor.

"My Magnezone will take you back. I'm sure your companions have waited for you long enough."

Victor turned his somewhat downed eyes to the Magnezone hovering low for the boy to climb. Victor dishearteningly climbed on top of him with Midori jumping onto his lap, glancing up at his trainer with worried eyes.

"Kirl... Kirl?"

"I'm fine, I just... I don't like thinking about it, but I feel like I have to know." He then turned his head to Colress with a stern glare. "And don't get me wrong, Colress, I don't trust you."

"As expected. But I hope you'll trust me to get results. Till we meet again, subject Victor."

Magnezone then took off over the bridge as Colress heard, "It's JUST, Victor!"

Colress simply grinned as he watched the boy getting taken back, letting out a pleased sigh.

"He claims he doesn't trust me, but it's clear he's the type that doesn't like to think badly of people. We'll work just fine."

As Victor got carried downward, he rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that he had to change his composure before he got back to his friends.

"Kirl?" Midori nudged him as Twilight flew close.

"I'm okay... I don't really think I could've refused him. There isn't really another way I could figure out what's happening to me..."

"Cor?" Twilight chirped.

"Professor Magnolia? No..." Victor shook his head in disapproval. "That'd be bringing her into danger. They'll hurt whoever isn't meant to know about me. So... This is all I can do for now. I just hope he's not as bad as he seems..."

"Mag..."

"No offense, but I don't really think I could take the word of someone who kidnapped me." Victor said as he glanced down at the Magnezone carrying him, causing the pokemon to flinch and apologize.

It didn't take long before they came close enough for their friends to see, who were all actually packing the picnic up.

"VICTOR!"

The boy saw Gloria jumping up and down while waving her arms, visibly happy to see him.

The group had their pokemon still out, who were all gazing up at the boy coming down to them.

Victor himself immediately cheered up just seeing them, even leaping off Magnezone before they got close enough to the ground.

"Hey, guys!" He happily shouted before landing on the ground in a crouching fashion.

Midori landed right beside him in the same stance, then getting up simultaneously as Victor with a happy smile while Twilight fluttered to the ground.

Gloria immediately burst forward towards the Magnezone with fire in her eyes.

"IM'A MELT YA INTO A DAMN POT!"

Magnezone turned blue in fear and immediately fled into the sky at blurring speeds.

"GET BACK HERE YA-!"

"Just gonna stop this before she even says the implications."

Victor appeared in front of Gloria with his arms open, and she crashed into him.

"Wha-!?"

"Shhhh..." Victor kept one arm holding the girl while the other had already removed her bonnet and started to gently pat her head.

"O-Oi! H-He's gettin' away-!"

"Let him be. It's okay." Victor calmly answered despite Gloria struggling in his arms.

"B-But he-!"

"He only wanted me to talk to someone, and I'm fine. No need to... 'melt' him. Okay?"

"O...Okay..."

The others watched as Gloria practically melted in Victor's arms, the girl turning completely red as she was now pouting.

"That's so cute..." Nessa giggled.

"I've only been hugged like that from Piers... Is it comfier if someone else did it?" Marnie wondered with a light blush despite her emotionless gaze.

"Hey, Victor! What did that guy want from you?" Hop asked, the only one not staring due to having already seen this sight many times before.

Victor turned to him with a reassuring smile.

"He was interested in me because he watched my gym battles. I guess you could call him a fan. Heh, I'm becoming pretty famous, heh."

"But to suddenly use a Magnezone to kidnap ya? Ain't that goin' a little too far?" Marnie asked aloud.

"Heh, you could say he didn't wanna be overwhelmed if he came here, so he just zipped me away." Victor chuckled.

"Victor, that's not something you should really laugh about. It's still considered abduction." Nessa said as she walked over to him with a stern look on her face.

"I'm fine, Nessa. Let's just-"

A sudden flash occurred in the sky and made the group flinch, to which everyone looked up to see the dark clouds.

"Wait... Was that-?"

*BOOM!*

The sound of thunder cracked the sky in an ear-splitting boom.

"KYAH!" Someone shrieked as more flashes of light occurred, followed by more cracks of thunder.

Nearly all the pokemon jumped and started running around in panic.

Marnie just stared up at the sky with her usual blank stare, not looking fazed at all.

"Huh... Lightning..." She muttered.

"That kinda spooked me..." Victor panted with a breath of relief, caught off guard by the sudden sound. "You alright, Marnie?"

Marnie turned to him and simply nodded, "Yeah. Spikemuth's loud all the time. I'm used to sudden loud noises."

"Hmph, who's scared of a little lightnin'?" Gloria scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"Er..." Hop sweatdropped as his gaze made everyone else turn to what he was referring to.

Nessa was crouched on the floor, holding her head with both hands and trembling on the ground.

"SHE'S SCARED!?" Everyone thought in black and white.

Nessa's pokemon were gathered around their trainer as they comforted her, not looking too surprised at her reaction.

"Um... Nessa, are you...?"

Victor didn't finish as Nessa flinched at the realization that there were others around her. She jumped to her feet and turned around to the staring teenagers as she tried to recover, putting on a nervous smile as sweat started waterfalling around her.

"Am I what!? Who's what!? Am I something?! Nope! Nothing! I'm nothing!" She rapidly spoke before awkwardly laughing, rubbing the back of her head, and trying not to break character.

"Jiiiiiiiiii..." Everyone else stared blankly at her, even her pokemon.

"Wh-What?"

"Nessa, you're scared of lightning." Victor simply declared. His voice made it clear that he wasn't making fun of her nor worried. He was just simply stating a fact.

The model flinched while visibly blushing in embarrassment.

"Wh-What!? No, I'm not-!"

Another sudden flash occurred, followed by another immediate boom.

"KYAH!"

"Yup..." Everyone thought with straight-faced expressions.

Victor then felt something fall on him.

"Eh?"

He checked his hand and saw a water droplet on it, making him look up.

Then another drop of water landed on him, followed by another, and then another.

"Ah, pants!" Hop shouted as he also looked up. "It's raining!"

"Grab everythin'!" Gloria shouted.

"I didn't even get to eat!" Victor comedically cried.

For the next few moments, all trainers and their pokemon rushed to put away all the supplies they used to cook. In the meantime, Victor pulled out a red blanket and immediately wrapped it around the shivering Nessa.

The girl turned to him in surprise as Victor pulled her to her feet.

"We've gotta go! Can you show us where any of those caves you mentioned are?!"

"Y-Yeah!" Nessa answered as composed as she could.

"Come back, everyone!" Gloria said as she started returning pokemon after pokemon into their Pokeballs. Hop and Marnie followed her actions and returned their own pokemon, which was then followed by Victor and Nessa doing so as well.

"Will you be alright?" Victor asked Nessa in concern.

The model wrapped the blanket around her into a hood to shield her from the now rapidly attacking rain.

"O-Of course I-!"

*BOOM!*

"EEK!" Nessa immediately crouched down again and clutched her head.

Victor didn't want to waste any time as the rain started coming down even harder, so he immediately got close to Nessa and crouched down beside her.

"I got this!"

Nessa's eyes shot open when she felt him touch her. "Huh? What are you- GAH!"

The model was lifted off the ground and onto Victor's shoulders in a piggy-back position, the boy looking determined as he adjusted her on top of him.

"Just shield yourself and point me ahead to the cave, Nessa!"

"Wha-!? HELL NO! PUT ME DOWN!" Nessa frantically shouted as she attempted to lift herself off.

"Sorry!" Victor said as he started running forward.

"VICTOR! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YA TWO DOIN'!?" Gloria shrieked with flaming eyes and a murderous aura.

"Finding a place to stay! Come on!" Victor simply shouted as more lightning struck, making Nessa double over on him and shield her head in fear.

"Nice job, Victor! You can carry an entire wave on you!" Hop laughed as he ran next to his friend, pulling his jacket over himself to keep the rain off him.

"That's not funny, Hop! AND PUT ME DOWN, VICTOR!" Nessa shouted once again, grabbing the boy's head and shaking it while her face turned as red as a Magikarp.

She forced his head to look up at her, but Victor simply gave her an innocent smile despite the sudden pulling.

"Don't worry, I'll get you somewhere safe!"

Nessa froze when she felt warmth coming from the boy despite the chilling rain that landed on her. The smile from him was one of his more earnest and comforting ones, but it made her feel annoyed by how weakened she felt because of it.

"UGH! Th-This-!"

She let go of his head and covered her face with her hands, comedically steaming intensely.

"Th-This is SO EMBARRASSING!"

Marnie ran with Morpeko beside her, the girl's eyes sparkling to see Nessa getting carried so easily by Victor.

"That looks like fun!"

Gloria's teeth were grinding as she threatened to burn a hole behind Nessa's head with her glare, using every ounce of self-restraint to not dropkick the model right there.


~{Bridge Field Cave- A Few Minutes Later}~

A small fire flickered in the middle of the group of trainers. Rain poured violently just outside the cave, with both thunder and lightning joining it occasionally. Three different colored tents were all set up a few feet away from the trainers surrounding the fire, their sleeping quarters already set up.

Hop was smiling as his hands were near the fire, his blue jacket drying on a rock since it had become rather soaked in the rain. His pants were with it to dry as he had on some orange shorts.

Gloria was only a little worse than Hop. Her gray sweater and bonnet had gotten soaked as well and were drying near the fire, leaving her in her magenta button-up pink dress. Her exposed legs had gotten wet from running outside, so she was sitting in front of the fire to warm them up while using a towel to dry them.

Marnie, on the other hand, had gotten in worse condition compared to the other two. Her leather jacket and pink dress were terrible to be in during a rainstorm, as the thin clothing and her exposed legs left her freezing, even if she had changed into her Scrafty onesie once again. She had her onesie on and a towel wrapped around her as she sat on a rock stump near the fire, blushing and hoping the others wouldn't point out her childish nightwear.

Victor was wearing a white shirt with a Shuckle design with the addition of gray sweatpants. He was standing up as he rustled his hair with a blanket to dry it, a consequence of carrying Nessa due to the trailing water from her landing on him as he ran. He smiled as he watched Ace kicked some sticks into the fire before he focused his attention on the last trainer of the room, who was feeling sorry for herself.

"I got carried by a kid... I got carried because I got scared of lightning... They were perfectly fine... They kept calm while I panicked... I'm a failure of an adult..."

Nessa was muttering a storm as she remained black and white with an emotionless expression. She was lying on her side, a blanket wrapped around her body as she hugged her legs. She still wore her Gym uniform despite it being soaked, not fazed at all by the cold.

"Don't feel bad, Nessa... It's okay to be afraid of something." Victor said as he sat beside the woman and pat her back.

"Heh, does being afraid of lightning have to do with being a water-type trainer?" Hop joked.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Nessa shouted as she turned back, surprising the group. "Pokemon Thunderbolts are different than normal lightning! At least with Thunderbolts, you know where it's being aimed at! But lightning just comes out of nowhere and is too GOD DAMN LOUD!"

She started huffing angrily while everyone stared at her with widened eyes.

"Um, were you always this bad with lightning?" Victor asked her.

Nessa looked down as she started to grumble.

"I was small when I went swimming in a lake... It was the first time I heard thunder so loud... Not to mention there were some Electrike hanging around, and because of their damn Lightning Rod ability, lightning of course, had to keep striking them like two feet away from me..."

"Oh god, that's close." Hop thought nervously.

Silence then overcame the group as Nessa just kept her eyes down while grumbling, flinching at each instance of thunder and lightning striking outside.

"..." Victor reached up and gently rubbed her head with a smile. "There, there."

More cross-veins emerged on Nessa as she suddenly shot to her feet out of Victor's reach and grabbed her head with both of her hands in frustration.

"ARGH! That's not making me feel any better! I'm not supposed to be comforted and treated like a kid! You guys should be the ones scared so I can be the adult here!"

"Some adult, shoutin' like a wee lassie scared by a bug in class..." Gloria muttered.

Nessa was facing the wall and hugging her legs, sulking with a comedic blue aura of depression around her.

"That was harsh, Gloria..." Hop sighed with his head shaking in disapproval.

Victor scooted closer to Nessa and rubbed her back.

"It's okay. Even adults need to be comforted once in a while, remember?"

Nessa recalled when she and Victor went to the Lake Of Outrage, the boy helping to bring light on her life throughout the dark time she was in.

She pouted upon recalling the memory.

"But I shouldn't be getting carried by a kid."

Victor laughed, "Oh come on, Nessa! I'm not that much younger than you!"

Nessa turned to Victor with an unamused gaze.

"A few years is a lot." She rose a finger and poked him on the nose. "kid."

Victor blinked as he rubbed his nose, then chuckling before standing back up. "I'm just saying you shouldn't feel ashamed of yourself. You've done that enough already."

"Yeah, yeah..." Nessa grumbled as she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. "Acting like he knows everything..."

A flash occurred outside with the addition of thunder, making the young adult flinch and wrap her blanket tighter.

"I-I'm just gonna call a Flying Taxi..." She stood up with the towel wrapped tightly around her, stuttering as she pulled out her phone.

"Right now? In that?" Marnie questioned in worry as she glanced at the furious rain just outside the cave.

"Y-Yeah, I don't have anything to sleep in, anyway. And you guys only have three tents." Nessa said as she stood up and walked towards the end of the cave to make the call.

"S-Sorry for having your tent share with me, Gloria." Marnie said to the girl sitting next to her.

Gloria just shrugged, "It's fine."

"Heh, I thought you'd be disappointed that you didn't get to sleep with Vi-ACK!" Hop's words were cut off as a rock nailed him right onto his forehead, sending him back with a thud.

Marnie and Morpeko shivered as they saw Gloria angrily huffing with a blush on her face, her hand steaming from how fast her throw was.

"As if I could do something that embarrassing!" Gloria growled.

"Gloria, please don't kill Hop." Victor sighed as he walked over to his unconscious friend and picked him up from the ground.

"He asked for it..." Gloria muttered to herself with a pout.

"What did he even say?" Victor sighed as he carried the boy toward his respected tent.

As Victor got closer to the back of the cave where the tents were, he heard Nessa raising her voice.

"Are you serious!? But you've flown through sandstorms before! What's wrong with a little rain!?"

"Uh oh... That doesn't sound good." He paused.

"Y-Yeah, I'm somewhere dry... What!? Oh come on! Please!"

"I think she's stuck here..." Victor turned and carefully went into Hop's tent, gently putting him onto his sleeping bag.

He then quickly slipped out and turned to Nessa, who hung up her phone with a blank stare.

"Um... Something wrong?" Victor asked as he approached her.

Nessa lowered her phone and turned to Victor with her head down, letting out a sigh.

"Well... It turns out I'm not heading back after all..."

"So the Flying Taxi's don't come in the rain?" Victor asked her.

Nessa rubbed the back of her head as she looked up depressingly. "No... It's just that the weather in the Bridge Field is too harsh for the Corviknights... None can come..."

"Then you're staying with us tonight!" Victor cheered with his hands up.

Nessa groaned, "But I don't even have anywhere to sleep-!"

"You can use my tent while I group up with Hop, and I could give you a t-shirt and some shorts. You're pretty skinny, so they should fit perfectly!"

"I don't know if he unintentionally insulted or praised me." Nessa deadpanned.

"I'll find something for you, be right back!" Victor happily turned back and dove right into his tent.

"Wait, you really don't have to." Nessa said as she crouched by Victor's tent and peeked inside to see the boy digging through his backpack.

Victor glanced back at her with a bright smile, "It's fine! I'll make sure you feel really comfy! Just warm yourself up by the fire!"

"There he be going again... Always thinkin' about everyone else..." Gloria muttered.

Nessa, feeling chilly, took Victor's advice and walked over to the others by the fire, albeit with a moody gaze. She planted herself on a rock stump, resting her head into her hand with a grumble.

"Somethin' wrong?" Marnie spoke up, picking up on her mood.

"Hm?" Nessa uncaringly tilted her head to her.

"Ya ain't still pissin' about havin' us take care of ya? Get over it. Can't help it with the sudden rain." Gloria said without turning away from the fire.

"You really have a foul mouth, don't you?" Nessa deadpanned.

"Meh." The girl simply shrugged and rubbed her hands together to continue warming herself up.

"Here you go, Nessa!" Victor came out of his tent, holding a black t-shirt with a pink Pikachu design in the center and dark blue shorts.

"Oh, thank you." Nessa took the two articles of clothing and examined them in her hands.

"And you could even use my sleeping bag if you like! I know it might get cold even in the tent!" Victor smiled.

"Hold up now, Victor. I think that's about enough." Nessa smiled sweetly, her previous mood already melting by the warmth of earnestly Victor had. "I really appreciate it, but that's your place to sleep."

She reached forward and pinched his cheek, giggling a bit. "Think of yourself some more, alright?"

"I'd prefer thinking of you more." Victor immediately responded as he sparkled innocently.

"E-Eh?" Nessa's smile was wiped into a shocked blush.

"That's... pretty bold." Marnie thought as she repeatedly blinked in surprise.

Morpeko stared rather disappointingly at Victor.

"Mor..." (Simp...)

Ace sweatdropped as he heard this.

"Are they... GOD DAMN FLIRTIN'!?" Gloria had menacing symbols emitting from her as she stared lifelessly at the two, the campfire almost seeming to burst in flames by her presence.

Nessa maintained her embarrassing surprise for another moment before surprisingly pouting.

"Ow!" Victor himself was surprised by a sudden flick on the nose from the model.

"Stop doing that."

Victor rubbed his nose with comedic tears as question marks appeared around his head.

"Doing what!?"

"Not thinking before you speak..." Nessa mumbled, turning her head away to hide her blush. "Ugh... He keeps catching me off guard..."

Gloria was glaring daggers.

"Um... Maybe we should hit the hay?" Marnie suggested, noticing the rather awkward atmosphere.

"Yeah... We should." Gloria agreed coldly.

By this point, Nessa felt chills and finally noticed Gloria's threatening aura towards her, causing her to nervously sweat.

"Wh-What?"


~{Bridge Field Cave-11:13PM}~

"Ugh... I can't sleep at all..."

Nessa shivered despite having blankets wrapped around her, the model currently residing within Victor's red tent by herself. She was wearing the t-shirt and shorts given to her by the boy, both fitting pretty well as he had said before. Despite the light clothing and few blankets around her, Nessa wasn't shaking from the cold, but rather from the sounds of intense thunder and lightning booming just outside.

"This sucks... Some adult I am... Getting treated dinner by kids, getting scared in front of them, and then needing them to provide me a place to sleep..."

She gripped her blankets tightly with a large blush.

"But getting carried like that... God damn it."

She unraveled herself from her blankets and sat up, revealing that her hair had been done in a large bun for sleeping. Her eyes had, of course, adjusted to the darkness of the tent but were still blurry from unsuccessfully trying to sleep through the booming noises outside.

Nessa sighed as she rubbed her head.

"Victor really is too nice for his own good..."

She glanced down at the shirt provided by the boy, tugging at it and picking up something from it. She curiously brought her head down and took a whiff.

"Hm, smells like him."

Immediately after the thought, Nessa froze with a blank expression.

"Hold up."

She blinked multiple times in the span of a few seconds, then facepalming.

"What the hell am I doing?"

She shook her head and let herself fall back on the blankets making up her 'bed,' then letting out another sigh.

"You know what? Don't even question it. You've just been stressed lately. You're just getting over your issues, after all. That was just some... 'weird' side effect."

"..."

Nessa groaned.

"That doesn't even make sense..."

She turned to her side and brought the blankets over herself, trying to snuggle up and finally get some sleep.

She managed to doze off for a bit, missing out on the sounds of movement and mumbling. She breathed softly as she had unconsciously curled into a ball and kept breathing in the black shirt she was wearing.

*BOOM!*

"EEP!" Nessa shot up with her eyes wide open by the sound of thunder once again, then clamping her mouth with her hands to muffle a scream.

She was frozen in place for a few seconds before she let out a breath of relief.

"God damn it..."

Being wide awake once more, Nessa groaned and rubbed her eyes.

"Noi...Noi..."

"Zig... Zig!"

"Huh?" Nessa rose her head as she picked up on the sounds of skittering with the addition of whimpering.

"Pokemon?"

Nessa frowned as she wondered if they were sneaking in to steal something, having her somehow pull out a Pokeball and slip on her sandals before crawling out of the tent.

She carefully poked her head out but was immediately surprised by what she saw.

A fire had been set up again despite having been put out earlier by them. And around the fire were several types of pokemon huddled around. Zigzagoons, Cufant, Stufful, and even a few Noibats were shivering as they kept close to each other, wrapped in blankets. They had a mixture of expressions on their faces, from relief to fear as they kept close to the new fire for warmth. A few Wimpods scattered around the place nervously, not seeming to need the warmth of the fire but filled with anxiety.

"What in the world!?" She got out of the tent, and all the pokemon's eyes instantly turned to her in shock.

Nearly all the pokemon moved from their spots and hid behind the fire, trying to use it as a wall between them and Nessa while trying to keep their warmth.

Nessa gazed at them curiously, feeling bad at how scared they appeared.

"Hey, little fellas. How did... you..."

Her voice trailed off when she turned her head to look at where they came from, only to notice a trail of water drops leading from outside the cave to the fire. Normally this wouldn't be surprising, as it makes sense that water would be dripping off the pokemon from the storm outside. However, what made Nessa's pupils shrink was the added sight of wet footprints along the ground.

"Wait..."

She blinked several times and turned to the pokemon who were still hiding, then immediately turning back and rushing to the tents.

Nessa poked her head into Hop's blue tent, only to find the snoring boy with the space next to him lacking a certain person. Nessa's panic grew as she pulled out from the tent and hurried to Gloria's tent, peeking inside to see both the shapes of Gloria and Marnie peacefully sleeping side by side.

Nessa felt her stomach drop as it seemed her initial worry was correct. She immediately pulled away from the tent and turned her head to the exit of the cave where the footprints led, seeing the heavy rain and lightning flashing outside.

"THAT IDIOT!"

The model tossed up every single one of her Pokeballs, and her team came landing on the cave floor.

All the smaller pokemon by the fire shivered in fear to see such large and powerful pokemon come out, wondering if they would be forced to leave.

"Quagsire, Toxapex, watch over these guys! The rest of you, you're with me!" Nessa exclaimed, barely able to keep her voice down with how frantic she was.

"Gol!/Arro!/Pel!/Dred!/Tox!/Quag!" Her team agreed.

Nessa snatched one of the dropped towels from the wild pokemon and wrapped it around herself, then running towards the cave's opening with her chosen pokemon behind her.

*BOOM!*

Nessa skidded to a halt and turned pale as lightning flashed outside with another explosion of sound violating her ears. She backed up and tightly wrapped the towel around her as her breathing hardened, bumping into her Golisopod, who stopped behind her.

"Gol? Gol?" The large pokemon appeared to frown as he noticed his trainer's panic, placing one of his large plated hands on her shoulder while using the other to point outside for his teammates. "Gol!"

The rest of her pokemon rushed out to look for the missing boy, none bothered one bit by the heavy rain. Golisopod then looked down at Nessa hyperventilating with a hand on her chest, eyes dilating as she stared outside.

Golisopod started to gently pull her back to lead the model to bed, but surprisingly, Nessa pulled forward as she slowly, but surely, steadied her breathing.

"Gol?"

Nessa gulped nervously as she took a step forward and wrapped the towel to cover herself and form a hood in the way someone would wrap a cloth over themselves in a desert.

"O-Okay..." She said with deep breaths.

Golisopod curiously stared at his trainer and waited.

"Victor... When I find you... I'm GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nessa let out a war-cry as she charged forward, shocking her Golisopod and even frightening the other small pokemon that had been gathered by the fire.

In Gloria's tent, both girls sleepily cracked their eyes open with sleep bubbles emitting from them, with Marnie being the one to slightly rise up.

"Hmmm... What was that?"

Gloria didn't even seem to care as she just shuffled a bit in her sleep.

"*Yawn...* Probably Hop dreamin' he beat Leon... again..." She mumbled as she slowly went back into her slumber.

"Oh... Alright..." Marnie was too sleepy to argue in her cozy Scrafty onesie, simply lying back down and snoozing again.


~{Author's Post-Notees}~

(Mimikyu plays a card down.)

And then I play Fractured Identity to exile my own Phage The Untouchable, giving each of you a copy. But because you didn't cast it from your hand, you guys lose the game.

(Everyone at the table falls back from their chairs.)

Heh, I love doing that.

(Turns to you.)

Anyway, so Victor finally met the funny internet explorer man! Things seem to have gone well, Colress seems... 'unique' but that might not be a bad thing! But yeah, after this chapter, I'm focusing on my other fic. Don't worry though, as I actually have ANOTHER chapter of Galar's Secret Miracle already typed out! I'll post it when I feel it's right and the comments accumulate for this chapter! (Plus I gotta do a bunch of editing and rereading on the next chapter anyway before I post it. It takes a while.)

But... thanks to everyone for sticking with me all the way up here, and I hope you leave a comment and share stories of YOUR pokemon life growing up. 14 years man... 14 years flashed right before my eyes. I'm curious to know what kind of things flashed before yours when you saw that video. But as always, thanks for the comments, thanks for reading, and thanks for always being amazing!

(Shuffles deck back up again.)

Now let's get another game!