Finally the 3rd and final part of the start of this story!

I've been having a lot of fun writing this, and hopefully you've all been enjoying it.

Meet Up Area, Nighttime

After the meal, the pair of trainers were cleaning things up. Time had passed by so quickly, that it was now dark outside.

"Guess we should camp here for the night." Victor said.

"T-together?!" Marnie flustered. How dense is he?

"I have a tent you could sleep in, if you're scared of the dark." Pretty dense.

"But what about you?"

"I'll be okay. I'll even sleep in front of the tent, so nothing can get to you." Victor laughed.

Marnie scoffed. "Fine, as long as you don't try anything."

"What would I try?" He asked confused.

"Forget it." Marnie said, crawling into Victor's tent. "But when we get to Motostoke, I'll be getting my own tent. I won't risk you getting sick... Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Victor said, taking up his guard position in from of the tent. He had a grin on his face, happy that Marnie's going to be traveling with him. He can't wait to see what happens next!

- A short time later -

Marnie hadn't fallen asleep yet. There was a boy nearby, so her caution was understandable. But she could hear Victor speaking to someone outside. So, her curiosity getting the best of her, she crawled past her sleeping Morpeko, and silently unzipping the entrance to the tent, she poked her head outside. While she could mostly only see Victor's back, she could see him looking down at his lap, and up at the sky. Sobble was sitting on his lap, and the pair were looking up at the starry night sky, talking and bonding.

"Wow, he's sweet and kind." Marnie thought, a warm smile growing on her face. "This might not be so bad. Plus, he's kinda cute..."

Marnie's face burned red when she realized what she had just thought of. Ducking back into the tent, she mentally scolded herself, trying repeatedly to say that there were no room for such thoughts during this adventure...

Meet Up Area, Morning

The next morning, Marnie and Morpeko were awakened to the smell of something cooking. Poking her head out of the tent, she saw Victor once again hard at work.

"What smells so good?" Marnie asked.

"Oh, hey Marnie! Breakfast will be ready in just a few-"

Looking over at her, what he saw made his eyes go wide, his mouth hang open, and made him drop his spatula.

"W-what's wrong?" Marnie asked.

She began touching her face, wondering if something was on it. That's when it dawned on her. When she had gone to sleep, she had let her hair down. So now Victor could see what Marnie looked like, au natural. And she was even cuter than normal!

Her face exploding red, Marnie dove back into the tent, "Forget what you just saw!"

"Too late..." Victor happily sighed. If only he could have taken a photo!

- A short time later -

The pair of trainers and their Pokémon enjoyed breakfast, while a still embarrassed Marnie tried to act as if nothing happened. When they were done, and cleaned up, it was now time to get going!

Except-

"Oh, hey Victor, there you are. Long time no see!" A loud voice called out.

Looking behind them, they could see that they were joined by a certain red-head.

"Hey Sonia, what's up?"

"Glad I ran into you Victor, I was meaning to give you something for your journey, and I-" Sonia had started talking to him, but then paused when she realized Marnie was also there. "Hey, aren't you..."

But Marnie waved her off, not wanting her to say out loud who she was related to. So she tried to change the subject. "Did you say that you have something for Victor?"

"I do. But more importantly... what's going on here!?" Sonia exclaimed. She leaned in closer to them, stroking her chin. It then dawned on her. "Aww Victor, did you get yourself a girlfriend? Wow, you work fast, you stud!"

Both trainers' faces exploded red as they tried to deny their relationship.

"He's/She's not my boyfriend/girlfriend!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

"Suuuuure..." Sonia teased. "You're even answering together! Oh wait, you're both not still at that age where you think the other has cooties, do you?"

Victor facepalmed, while Marnie just looked away into the distance, still red-faced.

"We're just friends..." Victor tried to tell Sonia.

But she had her eyes closed, an all-knowing smirk on her face, as she twirled the end of her ponytail with her finger. "~Uh huh, if you say so~" she sang.

"What do you want Sonia?" Victor grumbled.

"Hmph, how rude! And after I went looking for you to bring you these gifts!"

She then handed Victor and Marnie a couple of tickets. "Well, my work here is done. I'll see you later!"

They had to wonder if she's talking about more than just delivering the passes to them...

Leaving them behind, Victor and Marnie looked at each other, still a bit embarrassed. They then read the tickets Sonia gave them.

"The... Isle of Armor?"

"The... Crown Tundra?"

That's right, the DLC will also be a part of the story!

I could have had this attached to the end of the previous chapter, but I think this fits well as it's own here.

So let me know what you've all thought of things so far, anything I should work on.

Until next time!