As soon as Chairman Rose and Oleana were out of sight, Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Ezria, Electchu, and Winnie went to the nearest store to restock supplies. The group split up so that Timothy and Electchu grabbed Pokemon food, Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie grabbed food for the trainers, and Ezria grabbed additional supplies. When they all met up at check out, Ezria insisted on paying for everything, declaring that she should take responsibility as the group's "new guide" and that money was no problem. Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen thanked Ezria, but in his mind, Timothy was suspicious that Ezria did it to impress him with her wealth.
After they gathered supplies, the group walked down the street to the mine at the end of the road. They went inside with Ezria taking the lead, Timothy and Electchu following behind her, and Coovers, Gwen, and Winnie at the back. As soon as they were inside, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu were enamored to find themselves in a purple cavern with several pools of water inside and lit by crystals of many colors. Gwen and Ezria were amused with how the two men and the Raichu were entranced, with the latter particularly enjoying Timothy's reaction.
"I never pegged him for someone devoted to being strong enough to beat every regional Champion and yet be entranced over something like a mere mine," Ezria thought. "Then again, it's been so long since I've been here that I have forgotten how beautiful this place is. If Timothy's friends weren't here and Electchu was in its Pokéball, this would almost be like we're on a date."
Ezra's cheeks turned pink, and she covered her mouth to hide a bashful giggle. She looked back at Timothy and debated for a moment before she decided to walk slower until she was right next to Timothy and Electchu. Timothy grew nervous, knowing what was on the raspberry-haired woman's mind simply from how she smiled at him as they walked.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ezria said.
"Yes, it is," Timothy said politely.
"Do you normally enjoy seeing sites like this in your travels?" Ezria asked.
Timothy took a moment to think about it and answered, "You know, I don't think I normally do. Then again, I don't normally travel throughout an entire region. I haven't really needed to when I already have my gym badges for nearly every region."
Ezria's smile widened, and she said, "Well, it's only natural that you would enjoy the sights here in Galar. There's no other region like it."
"You really love the Galar region, huh?" Timothy said.
"I do. It's the most wonderful place in the world," Ezria said.
"That's quite a claim," Timothy said. "Have you ever traveled to other regions?"
"I don't need to go to other regions. I know that Galar is the best," Ezria said. "Its beauty and majesty are precious to me. I would gladly do everything I can to protect it as its future Champion."
"Oh, really? And what makes you so sure you will be its Champion and not me?" Timothy asked.
"Because it's my destiny to be the first person to defeat Leon in a Pokémon Battle and take away his titles as Monarch and Galar Champion," Ezria said.
"That sounds all well and good, but I'm going to beat Leon. You can have what's left next year." Timothy said.
Ezria raised her eyebrow in amusement and said, "I've been training my whole life to be more than strong enough to remove Leon from his mantle. Do you honestly think you'll stop me?"
"Well, I have won two Pokémon Leagues, defeated Lance, who is also said to be unbeatable, and defeated you in battle. So, I like my odds against you." Timothy said, smirking.
Timothy waited for Ezria to make a comeback, such as saying that he got lucky with their double battle on the outskirts of Turffield. But instead, she gave him a flirtatious smirk with her eyebrow still raised. Timothy wondered if he did claim that he was going to win the Galar League or if he flattered her without him realizing it.
"Well, we're just gonna have to find out after the Gym Challenge, won't we?" Ezria said.
"Uh, yeah, I guess we are," Timothy said.
Ezria's smirk grew, pleased with Timothy's response. She faced forward to focus on following the path but glanced at Timothy as she walked with her cheeks blushing. Timothy turned to Electchu and mouthed, "Was it something I said?" The Mouse Pokémon gave a puzzled look, showing that it didn't have a clue. Timothy grew more confused as he looked back at Ezria, who was still blushing with a smile as she led the group and began to worry that she would behave that way no matter what he said or did.
Timothy, Ezria, Coovers, Gwen, Electchu, and Winnie went further into the cavern for the next few hours. Timothy and Electchu continued to walk beside Ezria, but Timothy kept silent, worried that he would somehow lead Ezria on more if he spoke to her. Unfortunately, whether he struck another conversation or not, Ezria was happy just to be walking beside her crush. Eventually, the group found themselves in an ample empty space with a small pond on the left side. Ezria walked ahead of everyone to scan the area before she smiled and turned to the group.
"Let's stop here for dinner," she said.
"Are you sure? Wild Pokémon might attack or something while we eat," Coovers asked.
"On the contrary, this is a common place where miners stop for lunch," Ezria said. "We're far enough into the mine that we're close to where the miners work. We would probably be bumping into a few of them if we came here earlier in the day. Besides, we're close to the end of the cavern, so after dinner, we can make our way outside and camp for the night."
Timothy and Coovers looked at each other, unconvinced with Ezria's answer, and turned to Gwen. She gave them a nod, and Timothy said, "Alright, if you're sure, then I guess now's as good a time as any to eat."
"Excellent," Ezria said with a cheerful smile. "Then allow me to make dinner for all of us. I can make a mean curry."
"Curry sounds great." Coovers said.
"Alright then. If I can get you boys to help with setting up and supplying me with water for the rice, that would be fantastic." Ezria said.
"Can do," Coovers said.
"Well, if you three are going to work on dinner, then Winnie and I are gonna have a look around the area," Gwen said.
Ezria's smile melted into a suspicious frown, and she asked, "Are you doubting that I know the rest of the way?"
"Oh, no. We just want to explore," Gwen said with a forced smile. "We won't be too far away."
Ezria continued to glare daggers at Gwen, skeptical of Gwen's reply. Then she scoffed and waved her hand, and Gwen and Winnie went ahead further into the cavern. Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu looked at each other, concerned with the tension between the two women, before Timothy and Coovers began helping Ezria with dinner. Coovers helped Ezria set up two fires, one for the rice and the other for the sauce, while Timothy and Electchu went and found water to fill up the pots. After Timothy played his part, he decided to train his Pokémon to pass the time. As Ezria cooked with Coovers helping, she watched Timothy's Pokémon train with a loving smile, happy to see Knightblade getting along with Timothy's party as it trained.
After nearly an hour of cooking, Ezria and Coovers tasted the sauce and nodded to each other, agreeing that it was done.
"Hey, Timothy, food's ready," Coovers said.
"Alright," Timothy said. "I'll go get the Pokémon bowls."
"No, I'll take care of that. Why don't you look for Gwen and tell her?" Coovers said.
Ezria glared at Coovers without him, Timothy, or the Pokémon noticing, not wanting Timothy to be looking for a different woman. She then sighed in defeat, accepting that she still had to drain the water from the rice and set up the table with Coovers.
"Yes, you better look for her. Let's hope she didn't go too far." she said.
"Okay," Timothy said before turning to Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Knightblade. "Why don't you guys help set up while I look for Gwen and Winnie?"
Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Blitzwing nodded, while Knightblade leaned forward then back as a way to nod as well. Timothy smiled and walked in the direction where he last saw Gwen and Winnie. As he went further into the cavern, he noticed mining machines and carts around the area.
"Guess we are close to where the miners are working." Timothy thought.
After a couple more minutes of searching, he found Gwen and Winnie sitting on a boulder next to a pond. Gwen had her sketchbook out, drawing a pair of Noibat hanging upside down on the ceiling above the pond. The Soundwave Pokémon were napping together with crystals glowing around them on the ceiling. Gwen was sketching the Noibat with a serene smile that warmed Timothy's heart. After a moment, he tiptoed behind Gwen and lightly poked her arm, trying not to startle her. She turned her head to him and frowned.
"Is dinner ready?" She asked.
"Yep, Ezria and Coovers are setting up as we speak," Timothy said.
Gwen's frown deepened, then she looked back at her sketch with a glum look. Timothy gave her a sympathetic smile, figuring she wanted to work more on her drawing.
"It looks really good," he said.
"Thanks," Gwen said, not looking at him.
"Are you really not done with it? It looks complete." Timothy asked.
"It isn't because I want to color it too." Gwen said.
"Oh, I see," Timothy said. "At least you found a perfect opportunity to draw something you don't see every day. How often do you see a pair of Noibat sleeping on a ceiling full of pretty crystals?"
The edges of Gwen's mouth curled up, and she looked back at the Noibat.
"Not very often, but they are very cute together." she said.
"Yeah, they seem like a happy couple." Timothy said.
"Teddiursa." Winnie agreed.
"They do," Gwen said. Her smile turned into a frown, and she looked at Timothy disapprovingly. "Speaking of which, you and Ezria seem to be getting along very well."
"Well, I have to make it look that way for the mission," Timothy said. "We're supposed to be friends with her and the chairman."
"Are you sure? Cause you two seem to be liking each other more than friends." Gwen challenged.
Timothy hesitated and scratched the back of his head.
"She does appear to think of me that way, I grant you," he said. "It worries me that I somehow lead her on when I'm not interested in being in a relationship with -"
"Oh, please, don't insult my intelligence, Timothy," Gwen rebuked. "You were flirting with her."
"Flirting? I wasn't flirting," Timothy said.
"Yes, you were. You were playfully bantering, and she was giving you a look," Gwen said.
"How is that flirting?" Timothy asked. "I told her I would win the Galar League and beat Leon. She asked if I really think I will instead of her, and I explained why I like my chances. Flirting is calling each other handsome or pretty and giving each other pet names and whatnot."
"You expect me to believe that you weren't flirting by teasing her?" Gwen asked. "It looked like you were given the way she reacted."
Timothy tilted his head and asked, ''Can teasing count as flirting?"
Gwen and Winnie looked at each other and then back at Timothy.
"Timothy, you do know there's more than one way to flirt with a woman, right?" She asked.
Timothy looked at Gwen even more confused, and Gwen's eyes widened in disbelief. She began to snicker before she and Winnie laughed out loud, with Gwen almost dropping her sketchbook. Timothy felt embarrassed by the way they were laughing, as though he asked a question with an obvious answer.
"How could you not know that?" Gwen giggled.
"Well, I mean, I've never heard of people flirting that way," Timothy said. "Most of how I describe flirting sums up how Coovers flirts with a woman or how our friends, Brock and Holly, flirt with each other. I was just acting competitive with my rival. That's what trainers do."
Gwen snorted and said, "Good grief. I can't believe a grown man like you barely knows anything about flirting."
"Well, how am I supposed to know this stuff?" Timothy asked. "I mean, this would explain why Ezria reacted the way she did, but I've barely gained interest in something like romance over the past couple of years. How am I supposed to know if it looks like I'm flirting?"
Gwen and Winnie looked at each other again, smirking.
"Tell you what, I'll explain it to you when you're older," Gwen said.
"What? Come on, I'm around the same age as you," Timothy said.
Gwen snickered again and said, "You know, when you're not focusing on the mission or ranting about Pokémon training, you're kind of cute."
Instantly, the area became silent, with Timothy's and Gwen's eyes widening. They looked away from each other, flustered, and Gwen cleared her throat.
"For the record, that wasn't flirting," she said.
"Thanks for the clarification," Timothy said.
Winnie looked back between Timothy and Gwen, confused. Gwen saw Winnie look at her from the corner of her eye, and she mouthed out, "I don't know why I said that." Timothy looked up at the ceiling as though it was the most exciting thing in the world, and yet the right side of his mouth began to curl up until he heard Coovers's voice from a distance.
"Timothy! Gwen! Where are you guys?!" Coovers called out.
"Over here, Coovers!" Timothy shouted.
It took a couple of seconds until Coovers turned to find Timothy, Gwen, and Winnie by the pond.
"What are you guys doing standing around for? Everyone's waiting on you," he said.
"Alright, we're coming," Timothy said.
Gwen broke out of her flustered state and glumly looked at her sketch, remembering that she wasn't done. She sighed and closed her sketchbook before she and Winnie got off the boulder and followed Timothy and Coovers. But as they walked, Gwen's mind returned to what she said to Timothy, and her cheeks again turned to a light shade of pink. Unbeknownst to her, Timothy looked down at the ground as he walked behind Coovers, smiling as he thought about the same thing.
By the time Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen returned, the table had been set up, and the Pokemon, excluding Winnie, were waiting in front of their bowls to eat. Ezria was relieved to see Timothy, for she was worried that he had gotten lost and might have been attacked by wild Pokémon while he left his Pokémon party behind. Timothy and Gwen apologized for taking so long to come back before Gwen took out Noctowl, Spoink, Mudbray, Drifloon, and Cufant. Her Pokémon walked over to the bowls of Pokémon food waiting for them, and Gwen filled Winnie's food with honey.
As soon as everyone was settled, Ezria told everyone to dig in. Timothy, Coovers, and Gwen thanked her and began eating their curry while the Pokémon started eating their food. Ezria watched Timothy closely as he took his first bite of curry. As soon as Timothy swallowed his first bite, he couldn't help but smile from tasting the rice and sauce together. He then noticed Ezria looking at him and looked away, forcing a wooden expression on his face as he continued his meal, but it was too late. Ezria's heart skipped a beat, and her lips stretched to the sides of her face, ecstatic that he liked her cooking.
As Timothy ate, he turned his head to the Pokémon while they enjoyed their supper. He smiled as Knightblade enjoyed a conversation with its sibling as they ate together. He then looked at Ezria's other Pokémon to see a Scyther and an Avalugg eating next to Sirfetch'd and Weezing. Timothy grew puzzled, however, as he looked at the Pokémon eating next to Weezing that looked like a massive goliath with a body of coal atop it, had a large, coal-black body, with two legs and a pair of stubby arms, alongside two massive spikes atop its shoulders and It bore a head consisting of a pair of eyes and a mouth, atop which it carried a large amount of heated coal.
"It's a Coalossal," Ezria said, knowing what was on Timothy's mind. "They are commonly found in other mines across Galar."
"Coalossal, eh?" Timothy said as he took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokemon.
"Coalossal. The Coal Pokémon. A Rock and Fire type." Rotom said. "It's usually peaceful, but the vandalism of mines enrages it. Offenders will be incinerated with flames that reach 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit."
"Interesting," Timothy said as he turned his head to Ezria. "Considering that your other Pokémon are a Scyther and an Avalugg, I assume Coalossal is your third Pokémon to represent a shield?"
"That's right. You will rarely find a Pokémon with such strong defense apart from Doublade, Avalugg, and Weezing," Ezria said. "On a side note, who says you can check out who my other Pokémon are? Are you trying to plan how to face them the next time we battle?"
"If I was, it's your fault for taking out your entire team," Timothy said. "Besides, you already know everyone from my team is, so who says you have to be the only one knowing the other's party?"
Ezria smirked and said, "Fair enough," before she went back to her curry, Timothy scooped another mouthful of curry until he realized something and turned to Gwen, who was sitting next to Ezria. She looked up from her food, noticing that Timothy was looking at her.
"That didn't come off as flirting, did it?" Timothy mouthed out.
Gwen rolled her eyes and shook her head. Timothy sighed in relief with his hand on his chest and went back to his meal.
As soon as everyone was finished eating, everyone returned their Pokémon, excluding Electchu and Winnie, and Coovers helped Ezria put away the table. Timothy and Gwen washed the dishes at the pond with Electchu and Winnie helping. Once everyone was done, Ezria began leading the group again, not so subtly making sure she was walking beside Timothy. Timothy kept his gaze away from Ezria, pretending he didn't know she was there. Ezria put her hands behind her back and looked at Timothy with a smile as her cheeks heated up.
"Did you notice Knightblade and Doublade being so happy to see each other?" She asked.
"I did," Timothy said without looking at Ezria.
"I think it's very sweet that they were talking to each other as they ate like they used to when Knightblade was my Pokémon," Ezria said. "It's almost like Knightblade never left its brother's side."
"I bet," Timothy said.
"Do you have any siblings?" Ezria asked.
"Three. Two brothers and a sister. I'm the oldest," Timothy replied.
"How nice," Ezria said. "You know, technically I'm the oldest because I was born five minutes before Venarge."
"You don't say," Timothy said.
"I do, and I make sure he doesn't forget it," Ezria said, grinning. "Do you get along with your siblings?"
"I do," Timothy answered. "I don't see them often because of my travels, but I get along when I see them."
"That's good. I can't say I'm the same with Venarge, but you do strike me as someone who cares about their siblings with that kind heart of yours."
"Thanks," Timothy said plainly.
"Are any of your siblings married?" Ezria asked.
"My sister and my first brother are. She has a daughter, and he has two boys and a girl," Timothy said.
"Aw, how nice," Ezria said. She played with her fingers, her hands behind her back, and her pink cheeks turned red. "So, tell me, Timothy, what do you look for in a woman?"
Timothy finally turned his head to Ezria, and she looked away, feeling a thrill from asking the question. Timothy furrowed his brow as it once again became clear what the conversation was building up to.
"You know, that's a good question, Ezria," Coovers said, giving Timothy a teasing grin. "Is there a particular kind of lady that interests you?"
Timothy glowered at Coovers, mouthing out, "You're not helping!" but his reaction only made Coovers snicker. But as he looked behind, he saw Gwen, walking beside Coovers with Winnie, looking at him with a curious look. Timothy thought she wanted to know only as her friend, but when Gwen realized he was staring at her, she looked down as though the ground was fascinating. Timothy was confused by Gwen's reaction, and he began to wonder if she was wondering what his answer was as only a friend or maybe she was as interested as Ezria was. As Gwen looked down, however, her eyes widened, and she let out a scream.
"Timothy, watch out!"
Timothy only had a moment to react before he felt something grab his leg with three sharp objects piercing through each side. He fell on his side, screaming, and looked to see something like a bear trap holding his leg.
"Timothy!" Ezria screamed.
Electchu's tail glowed white without hesitating, and it slammed against the bear trap-like object, but the Mouse Pokemon's Iron Tail didn't scratch it. Electchu tried to hit again, but Timothy started rolling back and forth in pain, leaving Electchu unable to get an opening.
"Coovers, Ezria, hold him down!" Gwen ordered.
Coovers and Ezria got down on their knees, and Ezria forced Timothy on his back while Coovers held his legs down. Timothy continued to move violently, trying to break Coovers and Ezria's hold on him as Gwen turned to Winnie.
"Winnie, use Fire Punch, now!" She shouted.
Fire surrounded Winnie's paw, and it punched the top of the bear trap-like object. The object uttered a loud "Stun" and let go of Timothy's leg. Timothy stopped struggling and lifted his head up to see the bear trap-like being move a few feet away from him with a gray face that looked like a Stunfisk inside. Ezria gave the creature a dark look as she and Coovers each took out a Pokéball before Gwen stepped between them and the wild Pokémon.
"Let me handle this," Gwen said.
She got down on her knees, and the teeth of the wild Pokémon's bear trap-like body glowed white as it prepared to attack. But before it could move, Gwen glowered at the Pokémon, and it instantly became afraid as though she were a large beast about to devour it. It moved back as Gwen's opal eyes pierced through its soul.
"Listen here, Stunfisk, my friend is not food!" she roared. She turned to Timothy and rolled up the instream of Timothy's pants to show three cuts on each side of his leg. "Look what you've done to his leg!"
"Wait a minute. That's a Stunfisk?" Timothy asked as he took out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokemon.
"Stunfisk. Galarian Form. The Trap Pokemon. A Ground and Steel type. Its conspicuous lips lure prey in as it lies in wait in the mud. When prey gets close, Stunfisk clamps its jagged steel fins down on them." Rotom said.
"So, it's part Steel instead of part Electric. That explains why Winnie's Fire Punch did a lot of damage to it." Coovers said.
"And why Iron Tail hardly did anything," Timothy said before turning to Electchu and petting its head. "Thanks for coming to my aid right away, pal."
"Cha." Electchu squealed.
The Galarian Stunfisk struggled to look at Timothy's leg like a child caught breaking something. It whimpered as it tried not to cry from Gwen yelling at it, but then it felt something petting it, and it looked up to see Gwen giving it a small smile.
"There there, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was just worried about my friend," she said in a soothing voice. She took her backpack off her back and took out a super potion. "Here, let me heal your wound."
The Trap Pokémon hesitated, unsure if Gwen was the same person who was yelling at it. Then, it moved closer to let Gwen spray the top of its head where Winnie punched it. It winched at the feel of the spray touching its injury, but after a moment, it felt the pain go away. It took several seconds before Stunfisk realized it was healed and bounced with glee.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," Gwen smiled. "Now, go find a different place to hunt prey, okay?"
Stunfisk gave a cheerful "Stunfisk" to say yes before I bounced away. Once the wild Pokémon was gone, the cavern grew silent, with Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu staring at Gwen.
"First, she makes Gengar cry, talks to Winnie about honey, and now she makes a wild Pokémon feel ashamed for attacking?" Coovers asked. "This woman has an amazing gift."
"Raichu," Electchu agreed.
Timothy nodded before he felt Ezria's arms around his head and pulled him towards her. The raspberry-haired woman squeezed him while rubbing her cheek against the top of his head.
"Oh, Timothy, I was so worried," Ezria said. "That Stunfisk scared me half to death. And look what it did to your poor leg."
"Come on, Ezria, it's not that bad," Timothy protested. "These scratches aren't even– ouch!"
Timothy felt a sharp jolt of pain as he lifted his leg, forcing him to lower it.
"I rest my case," Ezria said.
"We better get that leg treated," Coovers said.
"Agreed. Let's get out of the mine so that no more wild Pokémon attack," Gwen said.
"Sounds good to me," Timothy said before looking up at Ezria. "Ezria, do you mind letting go?"
"I do mind, actually," Ezria replied.
"Please, you're making me feel uncomfortable when you hug me like this." Timothy said.
"I'm not letting you go." Ezria said.
"Ezria, the sooner we get Timothy out of the cavern, the sooner we can treat his injury." Gwen said.
Ezria glared daggers at Gwen for insisting that she stop hugging her crush. Then, she sighed in defeat and said, "I guess you're right. Treating his wound is the priority."
With that, Ezria and Coovers stood up and helped Timothy to his uninjured foot. They wrapped Timothy's arm around their shoulders, and the group continued their journey. After a couple of hours, Timothy, Coovers, Gwen, Ezria, Electchu, and Winnie made it to the end of the cave. They walked half a mile into a green pasture before Gwen stopped and turned to the group.
"This is far enough. Let's camp here," she said.
Coovers and Ezria nodded and gently lowered Timothy into a sitting position on the grass. Gwen knelt next to Timothy, taking out a towel, bandage wrap, and her thermos from her backpack. She rolled up the top side of Timothy's jeans, poured water from her thermos on the towel, and wring the towel.
"Now, hold still. This might hurt a little," Gwen said.
She gently pressed the towel against one of the scratches, and Timothy flinched. He fought the urge to move again as Gwen cleaned his wound.
"Do you think his leg is going to be better tomorrow?" Coovers asked.
"Hard to say. If the pain lets up overnight, it might be good enough for Timothy to ride his bike, though he may have to take it easy," Gwen said. "Worst case scenario, it'll take an extra day to get to Motostoke."
"Are you going to be okay being behind schedule that much?" Timothy asked half-jokingly.
Gwen glared at him, making him uneasy. Then she sighed and said, "I'll just have to deal with it and have us ride our bikes longer to make up for lost time. Besides, the important thing is you're okay."
"Raichu," Electchu said.
"Teddiursa," Winnie said.
"I agree. I'd rather it take us longer to get there as long as Timothy gets better," Ezria said.
"Of course, you agree," Timothy mumbled.
"Coovers, Ezria, why don't you guys set up while I take care of this," Gwen said. "We should try to get as much sleep as possible."
Ezria looked daggers at Gwen, not wanting to leave Timothy's side. Then she huffed and searched for a good spot to set up her tent. Coovers took out his and Timothy's sleeping bags from his backpack and laid them on the grass beside Timothy and Gwen. He then went to find a good place to change into his pajamas and brush his teeth. Gwen continued to clean Timothy's cuts on both sides of his leg, then she took out the bandage wrap and began wrapping around them.
"You've done this before?" Timothy asked.
"My mother taught me how to handle scenarios like this whenever our Pokémon or ourselves get injured," Gwen answered.
"Well, then it's a good thing we have you as our guide," Timothy said.
"Indeed," Gwen said. "And for the record, if I was leading, I would have seen the Stunfisk was hiding ahead of time."
"How do you figure?" Timothy asked.
"Remember what your Rotom Phone said? A Galarian Stunfisk's mouth sticks out from the ground to lure its prey," Gwen said matter-of-factly. "If you bother to look ahead when going through that mine, you can easily avoid them instead of our glorious 'guide' distracting us by acting like a love-struck schoolgirl."
Timothy snickered as Gwen continued to wrap his leg. Then, his smile faded, and he cleared his throat.
"Speaking of which, I meant what I said earlier," he said. "You haven't led us astray before, and I trust that you will always lead us safely till the end of the Gym Challenge."
"Good," Gwen said, her eyes still on Timothy's leg.
Timothy frowned, hoping to get a better response. He became silent for a few seconds before he smiled again.
"And thank you for saving me," he said.
Gwen stopped wrapping and looked up at Timothy. The way Timothy was smiling to show his appreciation made her cheeks turn into a subtle shade of pink. Gwen looked back down to continue wrapping Timothy's leg.
"You should be thanking Winnie too. The Stunfisk let go of your leg because of its Fire Punch," she said.
"That's true," Timothy said before turning to Winnie. "Thank you, Winnie."
"Teddiursa," Winnie said with a cute smile.
Gwen grew silent as she took out a pair of scissors to cut the wrapping and tied it in a knot. She pulled Timothy up, and turned her back on him, standing still for a moment as a small smile formed on her face.
"And you're welcome," she said.
Timothy smiled as Gwen and Winnie walked away. Then, he took out his pajamas, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a mug from his backpack and began looking for a place to change and brush his teeth. He winced as he limped away from the campsite, trying not to show that he was still in pain. Electchu watched Timothy skeptically and turned its head to make sure Ezria was still setting up her tent, and Gwen went to look for a place to change into her pajamas in the opposite direction. It sprinted over to Timothy and stopped in front of his path.
"What is it, Electchu?" Timothy asked.
"Raichu? Rai Rai. Rai, Rai Rai Raichu Rai Raichu," Electchu answered.
Timothy gave his partner a puzzled look and asked, "Is there something wrong with thanking her and letting her know I trust her?"
"Rai Rai Rai Raichu Rai Raichu," Electchu said.
"I'm not acting weird again. I just wanted to tell my friend how I feel," Timothy claimed, emphasizing "friend."
Electchu looked at Timothy unamused, and Timothy scoffed. Unbeknownst to them, Ezria finished pitching her tent and was about to go inside to change when she saw Timothy and Electchu talking.
"Electchu, what do you want me to do? Just not speak to her at all, so you don't think I'm thinking of her differently?"
"Rai Rai Rai Rai Raichu Rai Raichu."
"I can't ignore her. She travels with us."
"Raichu Rai Rai Raichu Raichu Rai."
"Yeah, well, maybe I like talking to her and wouldn't mind having more conversation with her."
"Chu Rai Raichu?"
"Of course, just as a friend."
"Chu Rai Rai Rai Raichu Rai Raichu?"
Timothy's cheeks heated up, and he paused before saying, "Well, sure, she's not bad looking, but that doesn't automatically mean anything. I mean, what if we come across a female Raichu? Should I just assume you're interested in more than friendship just because you like having conversations with that Raichu?"
Electchu hesitated and looked away as it said, "Rai Raichu Chu Rai Raichu."
"Exactly. So, don't worry about who I talk to and what I talk about," Timothy said defensively. "It's not like I think of her that way anyway."
Electchu sighed and walked away to the sleeping bags, saying, "Raichu. Rai Rai Rai Rai Raichu."
"I will keep it that way," Timothy said as he began limping away again.
Ezria watched Timothy until he was out of sight and then turned to Electchu. The Mouse Pokémon looked back to where it last saw its partner before it rolled its eyes and huffed before curing into a ball. Timothy's partner was still unconvinced, and Ezria knew it. She covered a squeal with her hands as she went inside her tent.
"So, Timothy likes speaking with me, and he's sticking up for our time together in front of his Pokémon," Ezria thought. "It's just as I suspected. He can't resist me, just like all the other men. He even said I'm not bad looking. It's only a matter of time before he accepts what he really wants."
Ezria's cheeks flared up, thinking of Timothy confessing his feelings to her as she changed into her pajamas, got inside her sleeping bag, and laid down on her side. She opened the door to her tent slightly to see Timothy and Coovers come back in their pajamas and get into their sleeping bags. Ezria's smile grew as she watched Timothy begin to fall asleep.
"Just you wait, my future, loyal knight," she whispered as she began to doze off. "Before you know it, your heart and allegiance will be mine forever."