"Tell me, Mag, and give your honest opinion. What do you hope to gain from studying history?"

"What…do I hope to gain? Well, I suppose I hope to learn more about Lord Arceus. I guess that if I study some of the chosen people he put here, I can learn more about HIM. And maybe it'll give me a direction for my own life. Besides, I want to be like you, Abuelo!"

"Ah, I was expecting you to say something like that. Well, I suppose I should ask you another question, then. Do you LIKE history, Mag?"

"History is most certainly an excellent learning tool, especially for someone who doesn't excel in the sciences, such as myself."

"Come now, Mag. You avoided the question. I'll ask you again: do you LIKE history?"

Abuelo…that's a good question.

I found myself considering this as I walked the streets of Mesagoza, heading towards the academy. I still don't have any interest in attending the school whatsoever, but I must admit that their library is quite impressive. Hisuian Sneasel (for lack of a better name, I'll simply be referring to my Sneasel by their region of origin) sat on my shoulder, continuing to take in his new surroundings with wide eyes. His origins truly perplex me, but sometimes I doubt my ability to find the answer. Is there even an answer? I feel like I'm committing some kind of heresy by trying to find answers to something that Lord Arceus has given me. And how am I supposed to even explain how I ended up with this peculiar Sneasel? The academy won't accept the idea that he was revealed to me via divine revelation! My own priest didn't believe that Lord Arceus revealed himself to me!

But then again, maybe he didn't. Maybe there's some kind of logical explanation. I could have fallen asleep when I was at the church and that could have been some kind of bizarre dream. Maybe Abuelo kept this little fellow hidden from everyone for some reason unbeknownst to me. He's very friendly towards humans, though, so I'm not sure why he would. It seems so cruel to keep him locked up like that! Far too cruel for someone like Abuelo.

But, regardless of where this little one came from, I have to give credit where credit is due. Miss Flora, the strange individual I met in Alfornada, helped jump-start my research into this new companion of mine and I have learned many fascinating things about him. I've learned that despite being from the same species, he is quite different from his dearest Johtonian brother in nearly…every way imaginable. But I appreciate him for giving my other Sneasel the companionship he so fervently craved. I reckon that the two are just about inseparable. When both are outside their balls, they do practically everything together…including getting themselves into trouble, much to the dismay of my poor Farigiraf. Johtonian Sneasel now has this light in his eyes that I hadn't seen…well, ever. The situation that brought Johtonian Sneasel to me was quite unfortunate. Abuelo had taken me over to Montenevera in order to do…something with Ms. Tyme, though the initial purpose of our little expedition has escaped me. The Glaseado Mountain can be quite unforgiving at times, especially for smaller creatures such as Sneasel. We found mine wandering around the city, picking fights with some Greavard or Houndstone that call Montenevera their home. He wasn't very strong at the time, so he wasn't exactly…winning them. He found himself getting beat around by the ugly dogs, and eventually he chose to give up, hiding behind a building in hopes that they would leave him alone.

"Ah, poor thing. Looks like he ended up separated from the rest of his pack. I'm sure he'll find his way back eventually," Abuelo said. He was never a fan of the cold, so I was guessing that he wanted to get off of the mountain as soon as possible. However, it didn't take long until he had a change of heart. As we walked, he glanced back towards Montenevera, asked me if he thought Sneasel would be okay, and then, he eventually gave in, turning around and heading back.

We found my Sneasel curled up against a wall, eating a half-spoiled Berry, most likely stolen from one of the dogs he chose to pick a fight with. Abuelo had problems with his blood sugar, so he often carried around plenty of snacks with him in case he would get ill; feeling pity for Sneasel, he ended up giving one to him. Sneasel obviously wasn't very trustworthy of humans, as he gave us a few hisses and even tried to swat at Abuelo's hand when he was offered food, which most certainly would have drawn blood, though once he realized that we weren't going to leave, he cautiously started to eat. He had a few minor injuries, but Abuelo and I figured that he'd be able to heal. After all, it seemed like getting something to eat perked him up.

As we were going to head home for good, however, he began to follow us. Though I had my Florges, then a Floette, and my Lopunny by then, I had no interest in acquiring any other Pokémon, nor did my grandfather, so we prayed that by following us, he would find his pack and leave us…but that did not happen. We didn't see a single Sneasel for the rest of our expedition, and this little guy followed us to the very end.

"Come now, we can't take him to Porto Marinada. He won't do well in the hot weather," I told Abuelo, who was further examining the little guy. How was an Ice-Type supposed to live so close to a desert? "We're going to have to tell him to go back. There's no place for him here." Once I said this, Abuelo looked at me and scoffed.

"Don't say that! Lord Arceus provides a place for everyone. He provided a place for Saint Myriam when she left her homeland to marry Adaman of the Diamond Clan. This fellow is nothing more than a displaced foreigner, just as she was so long ago! If the Diamond Clan provided a place for her, than we shall provide one for him. Who knows, Mag, you may need to find your own place someday," Abuelo said with a smile, opening his arms for the Pokémon. Sneasel was reluctant, but allowed Abuelo to pick him up. Mere days later, Sneasel was entrusted into my care. And now…here he is, accompanied by another Sneasel, whom he adores.

As I walked through Mesagoza, I saw that the city was still being terrorized by Team Star nonsense. I turned my head away from them, not even wanting to make eye contact with them. They disgust me, they really do. However, I soon heard one of them say something that forced me to turn my head.

"I heard that Doña Flora is in the library!"

"Really? What do you think she's doing in there? Team Star hasn't seen her in months!"

"Someone from the Caph Squad said she was in Alfornada a few days ago! We should go see what she's up to!"

I listened to this conversation, shaking my head. Doña Flora? She has to be part of Team Star. She's trying to hide it, but I know she is. Team Star may not have a Psychic-Type squad, but…perhaps she uses that Espathra of hers to hide her true team. If they call her Doña, she must be high in the ranks. I didn't even know she was a student. She doesn't wear a uniform. But, regardless, I was glad she was in the library. I wanted to thank her for helping me learn about Sneasel. If she is a Team Star member, she's the least pathetic one for sure.

I finally made my way to the courtyard, entering the main building. As much as I dislike some of the academy's policies and its philosophy, the architecture is very nice. The library is a beautiful, expansive place with books rarer and more valuable than Abuelo, bless him, could ever hope of owning. And thanks to the computer system they have in place, I was able to locate an exact book about Hisuian Pokémon that just might give me more insight on Sneasel!

However, much to my dismay, I found that the book was on a shelf that I am far too short to reach. I looked around for a tall student to possibly ask for help when my eyes met with a very…large young man. Yes, tall, but also very broad and wearing quite the large backpack. I assumed he was an older student at first, but after speaking to him, he can't be much older than myself.

"Uhh…excuse me? Sir! Do you mind grabbing a book for me? It's on the top shelf," I said a bit sheepishly. As the boy turned, I heard a bunch of noise coming from his backpack, presumably from how much stuff he had crammed inside of it.

"Which one?" He asked, walking over. He had a somewhat annoyed tone to his voice, but at least he was willing to help. His gaze was overall a bit intimidating, but I could also sense some sadness.

"The third one to the left! Yes, the big blue one."

"Here you go. Hisui, huh? My dad read about it once. Before he got caught up in…all the nonsense he's been doing now, at least."

"Really? I have a lot of questions about the subject…do you think I co-"

"He's busy." He said that so bluntly and with so much force that I decided to drop it. Maybe they have a strained relationship? I don't have room to talk. I don't even know my father.

"Well, thank you for grabbing the book for me. I…see that you have one as well! What are you studying?" I asked, trying to maintain some form of small talk. It wasn't much, but I hoped I could cheer him up at least a little.

"Have you ever heard of Herba Mystica?" He asked.

"Uhh..I think! I think they're those herbs that people claimed had healing powers. Used to use them in medicine?"

"Exactly! The Treasure Hunt is starting soon, and I've decided that I'm going to seek them out and see if they really can heal. But…nowadays, they seem to be sought after by these huge Pokémon! Titans. I'm…not quite sure that I can take 'em on myself, so I'm looking for someone who would be willing to help me out," he said. He stared directly into my soul as he said this. The way he spoke with so much passion…it was actually kind of inspiring. Here I was, struggling to figure out if I actually liked history while he seemed to know his ambitions in life and the treasure he wanted to seek out.

"W-Well, I'm not sure if I'm the best candidate for that. I'm not much of a battler…I'm not even a student or anything. My grandfather used to be involved here before he passed away."

"Mr. Fernando?" He asked. My eyes widened.

"Sí…Mr. Fernando. H-How did you figure that out so quickly?"

"I'm a humanities student. He offered me a lot of good advice…and you mentioned that he passed away. Besides, you have that same look in your eyes that he always did," he replied. When he said that, I felt like Lord Arceus was tugging on my heart and telling me that I needed to help this boy in any way I could. Of all the people I could have asked for help! Am I even in control of my own life anymore, or is Lord Arceus just controlling me like a marionette? I don't know.

"W-Well, I suppose I could help you. My grandfather wanted me to carry on his legacy, so I could always try to take a historical approach to this while also helping you with your Treasure Hunt. Perhaps I can do a bit of research on Herba Mystica and then compare historical accounts with what we discover! That would be a good entry point for me…" I suggested, trying to figure out some way I could connect the two points. I mean, it would be an easy research paper, and crediting him in it could really help with any future humanities career he may pursue. I have a lot of faith in my Pokémon; I'm just a lousy Trainer. They can battle, but can I control them? I'm not sure.

"Hey, that's the spirit! I've been doing my own research and found five Titan dens scattered throughout Paldea. I can send them to your phone and once the Treasure Hunt begins, so can we!" He said, a hopeful tone to his voice. Well, at least I managed to help cheer him up…considering that doing so was my entire point of continuing to speak to him. Even if I practically sold my soul in the process. We exchanged introductions, as well as contact information. He introduced himself as Arven. I recognized the name; perhaps Abuelo mentioned him before. He seemed to think fondly of my grandfather, at least. He also sent the locations of the dens over to my phone, saying that the first one we'll be searching out is the Stony Cliff Titan, which seems to be located near Artazon. Quite far from Porto Marinada, so I'll have to make preparations ahead of time. Arceus almighty, what on earth was I getting myself into? But Arven seemed very happy to have someone accompanying him, at least.

"Well, I have to get to class, but I'll let you know when we'll be taking on the first titan! See you around, little buddy!" Arven exclaimed before running off. He's…like a Tauros in a china cupboard, I swear. He could plow someone if he tried hard enough. But he seems like a pretty nice guy. But now I'd have to start researching this Herba Mystica stuff as well as Sneasel. I couldn't help but wonder why Arven was so interested in it, though. To each their own, I guess.

Now that I had the book, I found a table, sat down, and pulled out my notebook. Abuelo always had me hand-write my notes and research, but I'm trying to slowly switch myself to doing things digitally. I suppose I'm just a little old-fashioned and there's something about my own handwriting that helps me get…into things a little more than a font on a computer does. The book was written about 150 years ago, so the language is a bit old-fashioned, but I was able to get the basics down. I learned that Sneasel is a Poison and Fighting dual-type, which gives him a natural advantage over his Johtonian brother. I also learned that, unlike Johtonian Sneasel, Hisuian Sneasel does not evolve into Weavile. Rather, it evolves into a Pokémon known as Sneasler. Sneasler, unlike Weavile, is a Pokémon that prefers solitude and leaves its pack to go out on its own, which concerns me a little. If both of my Sneasel were to evolve, would Sneasler choose to leave his brother and send him back into his previous sad state? The book did not mention any cases of domesticated Sneasler, so I'm not quite sure how ones with Trainers differ from ones without. The book also mentioned that in Hisui, certain Sneasler were once revered as noble Pokémon by the Pearl Clan, believed to have been specially blessed by Lord Arceus himself. As a relative of Saint Myriam, I've done a fair share of my own research on Hisui's clan system in order to learn more about my own family. Though I mainly focused on the Diamond Clan, as that is the clan that Lord Arceus sent Saint Myriam to, the Pearl Clan is similar in customs and beliefs. One of Paldea's Gym Leaders, Grusha, once told Abuelo that his family lineage can be traced back to Gaeric, a Pearl Clan warden who looked after a noble Avalugg. I think it's fascinating to learn about family history. I love to research my own family. I am fascinated how my family has roots in a far-off region in the east, but at the same time is so deeply rooted in Paldea. As I briefly mentioned before, I am distantly related to Saint Myriam through her dearly beloved uncle, Jianjun. He had many children; my family descends from his only daughter. His granddaughter was the one who left her home region for Paldea. Our current surname, de Arceus, still seems to be shrouded in mystery, however. One of our descendants is believed to be a great Paldean soldier and nobleman, and though his achievements are often exaggerated for the sake of folklore, it's commonly accepted that he changed his surname to de Arceus because he genuinely believed that Lord Arceus himself told him to do so. I always thought it as silly, but after my own revelations…I can't say I still think that. From Saint Myriam, to him, and now to me…perhaps Lord Arceus really does have some involvement in this family. But I suppose that's just mere speculation. I can't prove it.

As I finished doing my research, which admittedly took a few hours, and put the book in a collection bin, I finally saw the person whom those Team Star nobodies were speaking of earlier: Flora. And she was accompanied by…Miss Camilla? I don't know Camilla personally, only through Abuelo. But I know she's a recent graduate of the academy…and Mr. Hassel's daughter. She's extremely intelligent, a musical genius, and was raised extremely well by her father, so I'm not sure why she was choosing to spend time with Flora of all people.

"I mean, that's just what I overheard Director Clavell saying. I know it wasn't right of me to be eavesdropping, but I just got curious, is all. I know you care about them a lot, so I just wanted to let you know. I'm not sure if they'll actually do it, but I don't want it to come as a big surprise to you if they do," Camilla explained as the two girls walked down a flight of stairs, getting closer to where I was sitting. Great, now I was the one who was going to be eavesdropping.

"Thanks for telling me, Mims, but I don't think they'll do it. Last year loads of people were saying, 'Oh, for my Treasure Hunt, I'm gonna take down Team Star! I'll show them!' And look what happened…nothing. For as long as Team Star exists, so will people spouting a bunch of nonsense on how they're going to make them pay for what they did and all that garbage," Flora replied. She has a bit of a dirty mouth, and for my own sake, I'm choosing not to write out her profanities. I just don't feel right doing it. I…see the conversation was about Team Star again. Director Clavell said that someone was planning on taking them down? Good. It's about time they own up to their actions. It's about time the academy does something about them. Haven't they caused enough chaos already?

"So, where are you heading now?" Flora asked.

"I actually have another meeting I need to get to. Director Clavell…he told me that the academy is planning on getting rid of its music program next year. He said that not enough students are interested enough for it to continue."

"What?! They can't do that! After all the time the academy spent promising you a job! Pretty freakin' pathetic of them."

"I don't think Papá was too thrilled about the news either…he says he didn't, but I think he went and gave Director Clavell a talking-to about the situation. Clavell told me that he and La Primera, as well as Mr. Salvatore and Ms. Tyme, are going to try and work things out with me. The fact that Ms. Tyme is going to be there scares me, Flora. She's always said that I excel in STEM as well as the humanities, and I have this sinking feeling that she's going to try and hire me as the computer science intern the academy has been looking for."

"Well, a job is a job, at least. I think you could do anything you put your mind to, Little Miss A+. And don't give your poor dad too much slack for going and talking to the director. You'll always be his little girl, no matter how old you get. Anyone with eyes can see that you're his whole world, Mims. If my dad loved my mom and me as much as your dad and Brassius love you, I don't think I'd be nearly as messed up as I am," Flora said, trying her best to laugh at her little joke, but nothing really came out. Camilla put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, I know…but I don't want the school to hire me for being Hassel's daughter. I want the school to hire me because they think I'm someone worth hiring. And…I want to be a musician, not a computer science teacher. Music is my passion, and being able to make a career out of it is my life's dream, Flora! I'm passionate about music like Papá is passionate about art…I always see how happy he is being the art teacher here, so I guess I want something like that for my life, too."

The girls had a little more small talk before Camilla had to head to her meeting. Their conversation had me reflecting on a lot of things, too. For one thing, it continues to sadden me how places like Uva Academy continue to disrespect the arts. I understand that STEM is important, but things like music are too. So many people love music, but they don't really know what goes into it! Music is still a viable profession! I'm not musically inclined or anything, but I do appreciate a good performance. As a historian, I love watching performances of classical masterpieces…but I fear that those may be lost to time someday. But not just that…Flora briefly mentioned family dynamics. She called herself messed up. Maybe…I'm a little messed up, too. I don't know my father and…barely know my mother. Maybe one of the reasons I look up to Saint Myriam so much is because of her sort of…matronly charm. But I often question why Lord Arceus allowed me to be born into such a broken home. Yes, we have money, but…can money really fix all the brokenness present in my family? I don't think so. But listening to Flora made me feel a bit better about my constant questioning. It's a shame that so many people suffer from brokenness, but it felt nice to know that I'm not alone.

"Flora!" I called once she and Camilla parted ways. Once she saw me, a smile spread across her face.

"Magdalen! Hey, girl!" She said, walking up to me. "Fancy seein' you here! I didn't know you go here."

"Oh…I actually don't. My grandfather used to teach here, is all. I didn't know you go here."

"I…actually don't go here, either. I was actually just here visiting a friend."

"Yeah, Camilla. I…overheard you guys talking earlier. I think it's absolutely horrendous that they're trying to take away the music program!" I said, crossing my arms. Though, I wanted to lighten the mood a little. "Do you want to take a walk with me? It's a gorgeous day."

Flora agreed and we went outside, each letting out some of our Pokémon. I chose to let out the Sneasel and Tinkaton whilst Flora let her Tauros and Espathra walk with her…though I believe they're her only two team members. For a minute I thought she was giving my Tinkaton a dirty look, but I must have been mistaken.

"So ya heard about the Team Star thing too, eh?" Flora asked.

"Yeah, I heard Camilla talking to you about it. Do you really think they're going to try and take you down?"

"Come again, girl? Whadaya mean take me down?"

"I overheard some members talking about you. They seemed happy that you were around. I didn't know that you were involved with them. Why didn't you tell me when I was talking so badly about them the other day?" Flora just laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm not part of Team Star. They were just talkin' about me because I'm good friends with their bosses, is all. I like 'em, but I'm not one of 'em. And as for your question…I really don't think anything will happen. When they work together, they're pretty darn strong. People have tried to take 'em out before, and they never have. I'm not worried."

"You're good friends with their bosses? So…do you know Ortega, then?" I asked, looking down at the sidewalk. "He's that friend I was talking about when we first met. I haven't talked to him in a long time."

"Yeah, I know him! I was actually just talkin' to him a few days ago. To be honest, I kinda figured out that he was the guy you brought up that day. Well, during our conversation, your name happened to pop up, and-"

"Oh, no…what did he say?"

"Well, he was pretty defensive at first, but that's just Ortega. He started yelling about how he doesn't know anyone named Magdalen, but once I kept insisting that he did, he lowered his gaze and finally 'fessed up to it. Well, he insisted that we keep most of our conversation private, but he told me, 'I'm mad at her, but I don't, like, hate her or anything.' He sounded excited when he talked about you though." Ah…classic Ortega, still mad at me! But, I guess I didn't really take the time to think about my own emotions, especially ones involving Ortega. And I guess I didn't really take his emotions into consideration, either. He has every right to be mad at me, even after a year. I said some pretty mean things to him. But I guess that after a year, I'm…also still mad at him. I'm mad at him for giving up the life he had to join Team Star in their nonsense, let alone the arguments that came alongside it. I feel bad for hurting him, but he hurt me, too. On the other hand, it's been so long since we've properly talked…and he did still have the decency to come to Abuelo's funeral, even if he didn't try and talk to me. Maybe he figured that I wanted to be left alone. I was kind of a mess.

"Y'know, I think you should try talking to him again sometime. Keepin' in touch with old friends can really pay off, especially if you find yourself goin' through a rough patch…kinda like you are now. I kinda learned that by talking to Mimi today. Even though it wasn't a super fun subject matter, it was nice to get to talk to her after a while," Flora said. For someone who seems to be a bit of a bum, at least she offers some good advice. She really had me thinking. I barely noticed that I lost sight of Tinkaton.

"I know, I know. I suppose I don't have the courage to go and talk to him. I think it'll just end in more arguments. You know Ortega! I know he's going to yell at me. And even if I deserve it, it's not necessarily something I want to put up with. And with how much I hate Team Star, I don't even know if I want to be friends with one of its bosses."

"Oh yeah? Well, you're talking to me. Sure, I'm not a member or anything, but I sympathize with them. I egg them on a lot, especially the Navi Squad. I do share Tagtree Thicket with 'em, after all. You don't mind talking to me?"

"That's different! You may sympathize with them, which is something that I'll never understand, but you're not like them. You don't hurt or harass anyone like they do! You didn't cause so much terror to the academy that they had to entirely restaff! You didn't, Ortega did! I can be friends with someone who has some…unfortunate beliefs, but someone who does that? My grandfather would never want me to associate with someone like that. It's a shame. He liked Ortie a lot."

"How'd he react to Team Star? Did he know that Ortega was in it?" Flora asked, looking up at the sky. Some birds were flying by. She seems to be fascinated by birds. I suppose that explains her…somewhat flighty personality.

"He didn't talk about it a lot, at least with me. But I've tried to piece things together from conversations I overheard. If I had to guess, Abuelo tried to convince Ortega to leave, but gave up after a while. He wasn't technically working at the academy whenever the staff all started stepping down, though he was still frequently involved with it. Even when they restaffed, he was just as devoted. He just…didn't want to give up on them, I suppose. He had a lot of hope for that school, and that hope…it really only died when he did. I would have given up a long time ago," I replied. My heart felt heavy and I wanted to cry again.

I've been trying my best to tell myself I've gotten over Abuelo's death, but truth be told, I haven't. There's still so many days where I wake up and make my way to his study or his bedroom, only to see that he isn't there. Sometimes I still find myself calling out to him, only to hear my mother's dejected sigh in response. I haven't been able to eat his favorite foods, sing his favorite songs, or even sit in his favorite chair at the dinner table without feeling like I'm going to fall apart. I've been reading through his personal memoirs that he kept stashed in his study, and learning about his life is fascinating, but also saddening. I read, from his own hand, about things such as his marriage to my grandmother, the birth of my mother, my mother's relationship with my father, and the death of my grandmother. However, the one that I continue to think about is the one written about the account of my own birth.

"Lord Arceus above, how I praise thee! Alejandra and I have just met the newest addition to our family; our sweet Lúcia has given birth to a healthy baby girl! This past year has been filled with uncertainty regarding Lúcia's tumultuous relationship with [all instances of my father's name were scratched out following my family's complete separation from him] and her ability to parent, but I now have no doubts that this child will live a safe and happy life. Lúcia has decided to name her Magdalen Constanza, her second name being after Alejandra's beloved mother. She is a most precious child! She's quite tiny for a full-term baby, but they've assured us that she is healthy as can be. And by Arceus, her hair! She was born with a full head of dark hair, just as her mother was. Holding her in my arms for the first time brought me the most joy I've felt in decades. Now that [my father] has proven that he wishes to have no involvement in this sweet little girl's life, I will do my best to fill his shoes. A return to fatherhood is a little frightening, but at the same time, I'm looking forward to it! I fervently pray that Lord Arceus will be by Magdalen's side as she grows, and by mine as I watch her grow."

I understand that it's a simple account of my birth, but through my grandfather's writing, I felt his deep love for me. Given my mother's relationship with my father, I could have very easily been given up after I was born, or not born at all…but Abuelo dearly loved me, and I have no doubts that he convinced my mother to love me as well. Mother's love faded after a while, but his never did. I'm often reminded of the words that my great foremother wrote to her beloved: "I loved you before I ever knew you. Wherever you call home, I do too. Surely I would follow you to the very ends of the earth. Death is the only force in this world that will part me from you." I used to think that she was merely being romantic, as well as quite dramatic, but through my grandfather, I've seen that kind of love in action. I now know that this great love is more than just romantic. Abuelo loved me before he ever knew me…and he was there for me, no matter what I did or where I was. We weren't always together, but we were never truly apart…until now. Death truly is the only thing able to part people. But now that it has parted us, the pain is unbearable. Never has such a profound dread been able to take over every aspect of my life like this. I truly feel pathetic. No, beyond pathetic. Helpless. I feel helpless.

"Well, maybe he gave up on him because Team Star has something worth protecting. I'm not saying you have to agree with 'em or anything, but, y'know, maybe they ain't all bad," Flora said with a smile. I mean, she was trying, at least. Perhaps she loves them as much as I hate them. We were both making decent points, but I could tell that neither of us were really getting anywhere with our arguments. And eventually, Team Star faded from our conversation entirely…though another issue soon popped up. And unexpectedly at that.

Flora was talking about her job at a rehab center for avian Pokémon as we watched some birds fly by. Most of our Pokémon were accounted for, but I still couldn't find Tinkaton anywhere. It's a shame, she loves to watch birds. She was talking about a Braviary with a broken wing that she and some of her coworkers were helping recover, when suddenly, a Corviknight that was passing by…was hit with a large rock. And I immediately knew who was responsible for it. Flora cursed, immediately getting up from her spot and running as fast as she could towards the bird, who was knocked off track and was falling. Arceus above, I've never seen someone run so fast! She could probably outspeed her Espathra at that pace!

It took a while for me, who isn't athletic in the slightest, to catch up to Flora, but she seemed to know exactly where to go, which was impressive. In fact, there was a good point in time where I lost her, only able to locate her from the sound of her voice.

"Tauros! Raging Bull!"

Once I heard her voice, with a Sneasel in each arm, I found where the Corviknight fell. My poor little Tinkaton had been utterly overwhelmed by her Tauros, so I quickly returned her to her ball. As for the Corviknight, the poor thing was on the ground, blood leaking from where Tinkaton had struck it, though still obviously alive. I wanted to feel angry for how Flora treated my Tinkaton, but…if she hadn't fought her off, the Corviknight would have probably been a goner. There…wasn't really a good outcome for this situation.

"Ya fell pretty darn hard, old girl. Little demon got'cha right in the wing. B-But you're gonna be okay," Flora said nervously, looking the large creature over. The Corviknight seemed to be in shock from the fall, her breathing shallow and her body largely unresponsive to Flora's actions. I wanted to step in and help, but I knew that the best thing I could do was stay out of it. Flora knows how to care for an injured Corviknight…I don't.

"Old girl's in worse shape than others I've dealt with before. I…have to get her help right now. She probably won't have enough time for me to call the others. I-I don't like doing this, but…" Flora said, rummaging through her belongings and pulling out a spare Poké Ball. She gently tossed it at the injured Corviknight; the Pokémon barely put up a struggle and was caught very easily. She was probably too weak to even try and break out. The ball trembled in Flora's hand. She looked like she was going to collapse. As I mentioned, she seems to love birds very dearly.

"I'm…so sorry. She's still such a young Pokémon, I-I don't really know how to control her yet! I didn't know she was going to do that!" I said, praying that Flora wouldn't take her anger with my Tinkaton out on me.

"It's their instinct. They're always gonna do it. Every part of me wants to tell you to get rid of that cursed thing, but I don't even wanna know what it would do in the wild. But if I had my way, I'd eradicate the entire species from the face of the earth. They're nothing but trouble," Flora said. "I'm sorry, Magdalen…I gotta go get her some help. I'll…see ya some other time."

With that, I watched as Flora put her Tauros back in his ball, then…jumped on the back of her Espathra, who quickly took off in the opposite direction. What a strange girl she is. She's very passionate, but very strange. As for myself, I just figured that it was time for me to go home. I'd achieved everything I hoped to in Mesagoza, and now Tinkaton was hurt. It would be best fo us-all of us-to go home and get some well-needed rest.