White was all that Evan saw. When he uncovered, another rasped groan escaped from his throat. His body's light feeling had turned heavy once. The back of his head throbbed. He must have hit his head again.

"Gnnngh…god, what's with things and hitting me in the head…" Curling over, he noticed the cool atmosphere. He jerked up, gasping from shock. "Wait…what? What happened?"

Upon looking around, he didn't recognize the sanctum. He thought he ended up dead from that weird spell that Leo had used. He was supposed to be dead, right? So why was he in a very lavish and massive bedroom? There was a large king-sized bed with drapes on the other side, and a desk and lavish drapes everywhere. He couldn't make heads or tails of any of this. As he looked suspiciously around, his attention went towards Squirtle and Caterpie, the two sprawled on their backs as dazed as he was.

"(Ugh, Professor Oak, please…I'm too full.)" Squirtle groaned. His stomach was vaguely grumbling.

An even larger grumble came from Caterpie's stomach. "(Mmmm, is it lunchtime yet…?)" he turned and swiveled. "(Gngh! Beedrill…stay away!)"

"Guys?" Evan barked.

Squirtle and Caterpie managed to awaken at his call. Snorting awake, they looked around, seeing that they were in a new location. The once darkened courtyard they were in was now something large like the Professor's Lab, though perhaps to a smaller extent. Much smaller than they expected. Evan scooted towards them, with them crawling up to him.

"You guys okay?" he asked them.

Squirtle hazily rubbed the back of his head. "(Uh, yeah…I think so. I mean I feel somewhat tingly…)" he turned towards Caterpie. "(Hey, you okay?)"

Caterpie nodded. "(Mhm, yeah I'm fine.)" he looked down at his stomach. "(…well okay, a little hungry.)"

"(…well okay then.)" Squirtle passively shrugged it off as a good sign. Though given the situation they were in beforehand, any sign that didn't mean their immature deaths had to count as good. "(So where are we you think?)"

Evan looked curiously around to realize that Rinkah and Kaze were both in the corners, panting rather heavily. He tried to wrap his head around the situation, but he was only drawing a blank. The last thing he remembered, that shot should've killed him, right? So why was he in a different room?

He looked ahead, dazed and confused. 'What's going on here? First a new place and almost getting killed by a sword…what kind of a place did I end up in?'

The last remnants of the group had faded away, leaving a wide area in which there was nothing there. Leo withdrew his hand and looked passively at his handiwork accomplished.

The young prince turned his eye towards Garon atop and standing firm. "Father, the enemies have been dispatched. I believe that this shall suffice?" he questioned astutely. "Please, forgive my brother for his soft-hearted actions. I only ask that you would be merciful in his punishment for this error caused…"

"L-Leo…" Corrin was in shock. Not because of how his brother was attempting to defend him, but more of what he had done. Even with barely enough strength his blood ran cold.

Garon furrowed his heavy brows, his demeanor no less different. "Enough!" he sniped. "I will consider the matter at another point. For now, this shall do for now…I will have to talk to you later about this act, Corrin." The mighty king turned and started walking away, leaving everyone be in what transpired.

Elise turned towards Camilla. "Big sister, that was close, wasn't it?"

"Quite so, little Elise." The eldest sister stated. "Although…" she frowned as she turned towards the courtyard. Elise followed her sister's tune.

Ignoring Corrin's state of shock, Leo gave him an astute look. There was a tension in the air as Corrin rushed over to confront him. He almost fell over but regained his composure quickly. "Leo…how could you?! What have you done?!" he demanded scornfully.

Leo said nothing. His gaze alone wouldn't be enough but Corrin persisted.

"Those people were already defeated. It wasn't fair to have just up and rid of them like that! Why did this have to…" He turned away with a pained look. "Damnit!"

"Don't act so spoiled." Leo momentarily scoffed. "Is that any way to thank me after doing you a favor?"

Corrin's gaze softened. He turned back to him with suspicions. "A…favor? Leo, did you…?"

"Enough, the battle is over." Their attention went towards Xander. The eldest brother walked pass Corrin, staring away from him after the events that occurred. It was understandable, but that didn't make it any less distasteful. "Corrin, one day your kind heart will end up putting you on your death bed. In battle, you can't always show mercy to those who mean harm."

Corrin looked towards his eldest brother, a serious opposition in his red eyes. "Maybe…" he paused. "But better to die by kindness than regret it."

Xander closed his eyes, acknowledging his claim. "…well said." He turned towards the guards posted. "Guards! Bring the prisoners' belongings to my quarters at once! I'd like to inspect them!"

A soldier saluted at the questionable request. "Y-yes, sir!" He turned around and ran off with one more guard to do as told.

"Wait, what's going on?" Corrin tried fitting the pieces together. He turned towards Leo for the answers. "Leo, you didn't. You…"

For the first time, Leo showed what seemed to be a genuine smile. "Normally, I wouldn't be so lenient to appealing with those who begs. But you know how Camilla and Elise get, they'll make a fuss if I ever get you upset." He shot a look at his siblings, who smiled warmly at him. "At ease. They were weakened. They're fine."

Corrin sighed in relief. He could rest easy for the night now. "Leo…thank you." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about teasing about your collar earlier."

Leo's face flushed a light pink as he tried covering up the memory. "It's…fine, younger brother. But don't bring it up again…I mean it."

"Sure."

Xander turned towards Corrin, ushering him to another direction. "Come. We have business to take care of." He walked off, with an expectant Corrin in tow.

Squirtle and Caterpie were laying around, seemingly dozing off in Evan's lap. He held onto his Pokémon as he was applying Potions to their wounds. They seemed to sting, but he remembered the medicine from the classes he took back in school. He made sure to be gentle.

Watching him silently nurse his party to good health, Rinkah and Kaze had come around a while back. They were silently observing their little castaway with scrutiny in their eyes. If it wasn't for the situation they were in, they'd go over and question them. But they were too tired, and they had underestimated their opponents.

Kaze furrowed his brow, his attention alluring towards Rinkah. "Is something the matter?"

Rinkah shook her head, wincing. "It's…nothing." She lied. "I'm just surprised is all."

Kaze leveled with her. "I understand. We shouldn't even be alive, yet we were given a grace this one time…" His mind traveled back towards Corrin when he came to his aid. That moment he should've been slain. But the prince saved him. It made him grow uncertain about something.

"Is something the matter?" Rinkah retorted back.

Kaze shook his head. "It's nothing, I assure you." He looked at Evan. "But I'm surprised. When he told me he was looking for his fellow pets, I wasn't imagining them like that."

Rinkah shot a look at Evan as well. She understood his confusion and questionable motives. She never heard of such animals before. Size wise, they weren't as muscular as she thought. But Evan commanded them. 'What kind of a land from the south did he come from?'

Before she could question him, the door locks unhinged. Everyone stopped and turned to find Corrin and Xander entering Xander's room. Around them were gathered belongings that looked like Evan's backpack, along with spare kunai that belonged to Kaze.

Evan shot a reminiscing look at Xander and Corrin, his eyes widened. "Wait, aren't you…?"

"Come with us." Xander spoke in a harsh, subtle tone. He seemed to be telling them to stay quiet. "We will show you the way out."

Evan shot a look at Squirtle and Caterpie. He didn't know what to expect next.

Outside the underground castle topside, nobody could see, but it was night out. Crows cawed and sailed over the night sky. If one looked closely those crows hat pointed hats and witch broom-like tails. Back to the streets of the Capital, nobody was out due to curfew. This was the perfect time to make a getaway.

Stationed with Kaze and Rinkah, Evan was standing meters away from Xander and Corrin. Their expectant faces showed they meant no harm. Xander stepped forward. "I trust that you understand why you all are here now, right? You have my brother's chivalrous heart to thank for your freedom. I advise that you disappear now, before our king takes notice."

There was a moment of silence falling before the three. Kaze turned his attention towards Corrin, his intentional stare sending some kind of message he was supposed to understand. He turned towards Evan to give him one as well, though he seemed more confused. Before anything else, the ninja turned his heels and swiftly moved.

"Wait, Kaze?" Evan reached out to him, but it was too late. 'Damn, he moves fast…'

Rinkah turned towards Corrin, her left brow twitching. "I am not some prisoner meant to be freed." She pridefully boasted. "You said your name was Corrin, right? The next time we meet, I'll make sure to remember this…"

Corrin was undeterred by her declaration. "I was hoping we'd come off as friends by next time…"

"Hmoh! You truly are a softhearted fool." She scoffed. "Did you forget that I am Hoshidan? I am an enemy."

"Maybe now you are." Corrin rebuffed, his tone was surprisingly more confident than what Rinkah and Evan expected. "But I'm hoping. Hoping for the day we if Nohr and Hoshido can actually find peace in this troubled world of ours."

Rinkah raised a brow. She wasn't one to respect someone so easily, no less an enemy, but she had to admit, what Corrin suggests is something that intrigued her. "…hmph. There were rumors about a young Nohrian prince who was locked away and knew nothing. Suppose the rumors are true…" she smirked. "Perhaps the next time we meet, the world may show you the errors of such ways."

She took off, leaving her comment to hang in the air. Evan watched her take off with a furrowed brow. "Well that was rude." He murmured.

Now it was just him. He turned his attention towards the Nohrians ahead that were now waiting for his turn to disappear. A hard-pressed silence fell on them, specifically him and Corrin as they locked eyes.

"I…um…thanks for you know, sparing us back there." Evan stuttered. "Corrin, right?"

Corrin nodded. "Yeah, I am." He stepped forward, giving Evan a sifter look. "And who might you be?"

"Evan."

"Evan…I see. I trust that we'll meet again, hopefully as friends."

A small smile tugged on the corners of Evan's lips. Granted, he didn't necessarily had the finest experience here in Nohr, but he did learn a lot. And from the look in Corrin's eyes, he meant his words. For a brief moment, he remembered that man in his dream. 'Guess dreams can come true.' He nodded and turned away. "Yeah, me too…"

As he started walking away towards the direction Rinkah and Kaze took off, he eventually came to a realization. He turned around. "Um…you guys have a map on you by any chance?" Corrin and Xander's blank stares told him otherwise. "O-okay. Okay. I get it." He turned around and sighed to himself. "Guess I'll wing it this time around…"

He walked off, albeit aimlessly. Xander and Corrin watched him and the others take off into Nohrian's countryside with free reign. Xander looked down at Corrin's expression.

"Corrin."

"Yes, brother?"

"That face that you are making, is something troubling you about that person?"

Corrin dismissively shook his head. "No, I wouldn't say that, brother. It's just…I think that I had a dream, and I saw him…is that a matter of fate, you think?"

Xander turned his back to the streets. "Fate is something that's fickle, even to the likes of myself. One cannot simply control fate…they can only be guided towards it. Perhaps someone is guiding our fates right now but we can't see it. Now then, come along. I'm sure that Father will want to have a word with us after what we've done."

The two walked away from the Capital exit, heading back to the underground castle.

Once he stepped outside the borders of Nohr's Capital. He saw nothing but nearly dead grass, no doubt from the lack of rainfall that made it seem so dry. He could be mistaking it for a seasonal delay like Autumn or something, but he didn't want to take chances. Dead, crooked trees lead to plains of yellow grass through the trail that ran through it.

He sighed exasperatedly again. "Guess I don't have much a choice, do I?" He started his way, walking as calm and fast to get out of Nohr's line of sight. After what happened, no one could blame him. "Okay, well better somewhere than nowhere…"

He walked through the woods with careful glances all around. He occasionally looked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, but found his backside vacant of eyes. He heard a small splash from a creek nearby. He turned and saw a Poliwag breaching along with a few of its kind. He dismissed them and tried to focus ahead.

A whistle from above got his attention. "Hm?" He looked up, seeing a small set of red eyes glaring down on him from a perch. The small blue bird even had a black mask on it.

It was a Rookidee, and it was looking at Evan expectantly.

"Is that a Pokémon?" Evan wondered. "Or…wait." He backpedaled to be safe. For all he knew, this land could be playing tricks on him. And he remembered from schooling that it was better safe than sorry. 'Guess there's only one way to be sure.' He pulled up his PokeDex, which showed Rookidee's icon.

"Rookidee, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Jumping nimbly around, this small-bodied Pokémon takes advantage of even the slightest opportunity to disorient larger opponents."

Rookidee fluttered down from its perch. It had a light bounce on its tiny feet and whistled out again.

'It looks like a Flying-type, so I'll have to keep Caterpie out of this just to be safe.' He pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it in. "Squirtle!"

Squirtle came popping out of the Poke Ball, looking reasonably rested. He took another look at his surroundings an realized his new opponent. "(Oh, a Pokémon.)" he spoke flatly. '(Well, I guess it's not as bad as that last time.)'

The Rookidee hopped towards Squirtle, its beak glowing bright for a Peck attack.

"Dodge it!" Evan demanded. Squirtle did as told and jumped to the side, leaving Rookidee's small beak to leave a small hole in his place. "Tail Whip!" Squirtle turned around and shook his tail cutely, making a blue aura indicate Rookidee's Defense falter.

Rookidee whistled again as it hopped in Squirtle's direction. Instead of going for the beak, a dark haze fogged up around the bird. When Squirtle turned around, his shell as struck by the bird in the haze. Though he only stepped back.

'Was that Power Trip?' Evan pondered. He thought only Krookodile would know that attack. It wasn't a very common attack he was aware of. He quickly dismissed his statements to focus on the battle. "Squirtle, Tackle!"

Squirtle tucked his head in and bolted into Rookidee. The impact was so strong that the bird jumped and fumbled until a meek stop. Squirtle adjusted his stance and remained wary as Rookidee stammered back up, bouncing ahead bravely to attack with its beak. But Squirtle knew better from his experience to take damage and jumped back, evading the beak.

"One more time, Tackle!"

"(Here I…GO!)" Tucking his head in, he charged his whole body into the bird, slamming it head-on. The bird whistled before it fell on its back, fainted.

Evan sighed in relief. "Guess that wasn't so bad." He turned towards Squirtle and pulled out his Poke Ball. "Thanks Squirtle, nice work."

Squirtle nodded. "(Thanks.)"

He recalled Squirtle into his Poke Ball and watched the Rookidee hastily jump way into the dark woods. He knew from that battle that it was in fact a Pokémon, that was definitely a given. Though it would've been nice to capture it, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

He continued his way, minding his surroundings in the process. He had to be exceptionally careful of what came above and if eyes were watching him. He already met a tiny bird that surprised him, and to be frank, he was fed up with surprises for one day.

'First, I end up in a new land.' He listed. 'Then I end up catching a Caterpie…followed by getting knocked up and sentenced to death by a guy I saw in my dream the other night.' He groaned as he clutched his head. "I better find somewhere to hide so I can process this mess…"

He took one more look around as he came to the end of the trail coming up. He came to a stop when broken tree branches moved off to the side and sharply turned. Cautious, he saw what looked like a gray rabbit-like creature with stubby limbs and bucked teeth. What he took into account was the very large ears. The ends were brown, and looked a lot like hands.

'Another Pokémon?' He pulled up his PokeDex, analyzing what this opponent had to be.

"Bunnelby, the Digging Pokémon. They use their large ears to dig burrows. They will dig the whole night through."

The Bunnelby was on all fours and sniffed the ground to hopefully where food could be found. It was about to hop off until he heard shuffling. His ears twitched, making him turn in curiosity towards the Trainer that was a few meters ahead of it. Immediately its guard went up.

"Alright, let's do this quick." Evan threw in his Poke Ball. "Caterpie!"

The Worm Pokémon emerged from his capsule, his little toes wriggling around with his tail. "(Oh, a bunny?)" He seemingly welcomed the change. At least it wasn't a bird. Worms and birds do not mix.

On instinct, Bunnelby tucked in his head and charged for Caterpie with Tackle.

"Caterpie, dodge and use String Shot!" Caterpie wormed his way off to the side to avoid Bunnelby's pouncing. The little worm hissed before firing thread directly in Bunnelby's face. The rabbit recoiled as he was laced all over in silk. A blue aura indicated his Speed going down harshly.

"Alright, now use Tackle!"

"(Alright, here I go!)" Caterpie reeled his head back before he came forward banging his pink-red horns on top of his head in Bunnelby's face. The rabbit winced but remained fine. Not much damage.

The Bunnelby responded by suddenly leaping away. The rabbit became a blur for a moment before reappearing in another spot. Caterpie looked shocked at how quick he maneuvered that the thread didn't hold him down.

"(Uh, did he just speed up?)" Caterpie worried. He was so surprised that Bunnelby hopped into him with Tackle, putting him on the ground.

"Caterpie!" Evan saw his little worm seemed worn out. He balled his fists tight as he looked at Bunnelby bouncing in place. 'It knows Agility, so using String Shot won't help.' He reached for Caterpie's Poke Ball and chose to withdraw him. "Sorry Caterpie, take it easy for now."

The worm moaned as he withdrew from battle to safety. The wild Bunnelby looked raring to go after that instance.

Sighing to himself, Evan got another Poke Ball out. "Okay, Squirtle. Get it hard!" He threw the capsule, bringing out his Squirtle for another round. "Counting on you."

Squirtle nodded in understanding. He looked back as Bunnelby's eyes glowed red. The Leer attack lowered his Defense via a blue aura. Squirtle retained his mild disposition and affirmed his stance on the ground.

"Squirtle, Tackle!" Squirtle understood and went to strike Bunnelby. His whole body rammed into the rabbit, putting him on the ground. The rabbit quickly got up, a deep red aura enflaming his body. He zipped everywhere, his Agility maneuvering him to where Squirtle had trouble keeping up. 'Not that move again.'

Squirtle looked all around as Bunnelby was shifting everywhere. The rabbit's quick-footed maneuvers made it hard to keep up with him. "(Where? I thought he was there?)" He turned around, and a gray blur tackled him to the ground. He yelped in pain. "(Gah!)"

"Squirtle!" Evan yelped. The situation was pretty bad. He knew this was tough, but he didn't expect it to be like this. "This is so not like the games and school."

Squirtle slowly arose to his feet as Bunnelby reappeared behind. Another red aura surged around him, making him vanish. Squirtle heard a whiff in the air and saw a gray blur pouncing everywhere. He couldn't make heads nor tails. What's worse, he's taken a bit of damage from that attack. He was getting desperate.

"Ahead of you!" Evan warned.

Squirtle turned around as Bunnelby was zigzagging to his spot, eyes glowing red. Squirtle's Defense felt like a downhill as the rabbit was closing in. Getting urgent for his sake, Squirtle took a deep breath, feeling something come up…and it wasn't bile.

A jet of bubbles shot from his mouth directly into the rabbit when he was too close. It was a pure luck shot, and the bunny was unfortunate as the attack soaked him. He was pushed into a nearby tree, slamming into the bark. He groaned as the deluge ended, allowing him to slide slowly down the bark onto his stomach, swirls in his eyes.

Evan looked surprised by this turn of events. He looked at Squirtle, who in turn showed astonishment. "Squirtle…I think that was Bubble."

Squirtle blinked in surprise before looking down at his bruised shell. "(Uh, sure. I think you're right.)" he looked at the unconscious Bunnelby at the bark's base. '(Though that was just straight up luck. I'll take it.)'

Evan chose to return Squirtle and looked at the wild Bunnelby. He sighed tiredly. The Rookidee before wasn't that big of an issue, but he has to find somewhere to heal up. He chose to make headway for the fields beyond the woods in search of clues to his mystery.

As he walked away, the wild Bunnelby was stirring awake. He shook his head and grimaced at what he was feeling was bark against his fur. Trying to stand, he heard the creaking of wood over him, and the sound of feathers. His ears twitched again…and turned to see a long beak belonging to a Fearow aimed for him.

The rabbit shrieked as the Fearow bared its talons.

As Evan left, a chill ran down his spine as he heard the caw of large birds back in the forest. He fastened his pacing.

He was walking for what felt like an eternity. The winds pounding his face didn't make him feel anywhere nearly relaxed. This was definitely not the Route 1 that he imagined. Heck, Route 2 even. Scratch that, could these even be called routes anymore. He looked towards the night sky, realizing that it was seemingly darker than…well, it was dark already.

"God, what's with this weather?" he pondered. "First lightning. Then magic blasting…and now I can't even tell time." He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering angered words to himself. A low grumble caught his attention. He looked down at his stomach, realizing he was hungry. "Guess I should try and eat something?"

He found a suitable spot in the grassy fields where a rock was. Finally sitting down, he unpacked his stuff. He pulled out his Poke Balls and healed Squirtle and Caterpie with two more Potions he had on hand. The turtle and worm looked so relieved, especially the worm. He looked down at his feet and was surprised by the grass.

"(Oh! Grass!)" He'd prefer leaves…but beggars couldn't be choosers. He started devouring the grass, but the caterpillar found his appetite to be soured by the taste. "(Bleh! Oh…tastes like spoiled leaves.)"

Squirtle sat up, looking over at Caterpie curiously. "(So you eat leaves?)"

Caterpie turned to him. "(Hm? I mean, sure. Why wouldn't I? They're so delicious, and crunchy…oh! But the best kinds of leaves, are the ones after a nice rain! The leaves take in water…mmmm, makes eat bite trickle water down my mouth.)" he was actually salivating at the imagination he was having.

"(Whatever keeps you sane I guess.)" Squirtle saw the small plate of Pokémon Food put in front of him.

"Here ya go, guys. Eat up." Evan sat another dish in front of Caterpie. "Eat up, we need our strength…I know I sure do."

He watched as Squirtle, and eventually Caterpie, chow down. The worm sniffed the food and tilted his head. "Mm…smells funny." He ate some pieces. His eyes blinked a few times before he looked between Evan and the food. "(…but tastes better than stinky grass! That's for sure!)" He dove right in, munching down like he hadn't eaten in days.

Evan sat back and reached for a plastic bag with a half sandwich inside. He looked down at it and sighed to himself. "Well…down the hatch." He took a small bite of it, chewing it up from the loafy bread, to the meat that was in dead center. As he chewed it, he had a feeling he hadn't had in a while. He nearly gagged it out. "Bleh! Oof!" He coughed. "Oh, god! What the hell?!" He smacked his lips, getting a feel of the taste. "Bologna? I told mom I hate bologna! God!" He looked solemnly down in regret of what he said. Now granted, the bitter taste in his mouth was pretty bad, but it was something his mother made. Heaven knows how he's going to tell her this, let alone if he can to behind with. He didn't even know where he was to begin with. For all he knew, it could be a dream come true. Then again, flying Pignite and laser-spewing Magikarp don't just grow on trees either. Overall, he couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation. But one thing was certain: He wasn't in Kanto anymore. And wherever this place is, they play by a different set of rules.

Shivering in displeasure, he had to eat the bologna sandwich while he still could. Taking one more bite, he chewed up another piece of the sandwich. He continued the slow process until he could stomach only half of it. He chose to put the rest in the plastic bag it came from and sighed. "…bleh, should've packed some breath mints to rid this stupid taste in my mouth…"

Just as he was packing up his things and readying to head out, he was unaware of the tree that stood not very far. On a crooked branch, where lightning had struck earlier, there was something shining wedged the oved when the winds started picking up. It eventually fell over and flung through the winds.

"Alright, we better start moving and find a safer place to hide tonight I guess." Evan stated. "I sure know we can't go back there, so…let's just tread lightly and-!"

BAM!

Something smacked across the side of his head, knocking him to the floor again. Squirtle and Caterpie flinched at how abrupt that hit was. "Ugh…god. What is it with this place and pushing me down?" he groaned on the grass. He weakly pushed himself up and over, sitting upright. Gathering his bearings, he looked around to see what struck him.

"What the hell just…?" His eyes widened when he noticed something shimmering in the grass beside him. A small yellow disc laid in the grass, almost blending in with it. He moved gently over to grab it and held it up to his face to read the label.

"A…TM. I didn't think I'd find these guys around here either." He fathomed. Out of curiosity he squinted his eyes and looked at the description. "'TM 82: Electroweb'." He raised a brow. "…huh…I-I didn't even know that was a thing…"

Looking at the TM in surprise, Caterpie hissed. Something that Evan picked up on. "What is it?" He looked at the TM, then back at Caterpie. "Wait a second…"

To test his theory, he held the Tm up to Caterpie. The outer rings of the TM had shined a green light like a traffic signal. Caterpie's tail wagged excitedly while Squirtle looked passively interested.

"Okay, I did not see this coming either." Finding no reason to back down, Evan shrugged. "Alright, I guess it's worth a shot. I mean…I've never heard of this TM, but if it'll help us…" He looked at the machine one more time, then to Caterpie. "Alright, let's just hope for the best."

"(Oh boy!)" Caterpie wiggled closer and bowed his head. Evan gently placed the disc's end against Caterpie's horns. T that moment, a faint yellow light engulfed Caterpie, transferring the TM's power into his own. The waves of light eventually subsided, and Caterpie and Evan separated.

"Just like they taught and showed us in school." He muttered to himself. He gave the TM another look, seeing its front and back still intact. 'Guess this TM doesn't go away either. I wonder when they started getting more durable?' He chose to dismiss the question and stashed the TM away for the time being. 'Oh well, no sense of asking these questions. Only one way to find out.' Gathering his bearings again, Evan looked down at Caterpie. "Alright pal, you see?"

Caterpie nodded. "(Yeah, I wanna get stronger!)"

"Okay then. Use Electroweb!"

"(Okay! Here I go!)" Caterpie took in another breath, aiming for Evan.

"What?" Evan backed away. "No, wait. Caterpie! I didn't say-!"

The tiny worm happily spewed thread, but it was yellow and crackling in static. Poor Evan screamed as he was laced in paralyzing thread that stunned his entire body. All while Squirtle looked on with a mild expression. "(Oh boy…)"

After what felt like an eternity of getting the static-filled threading off him, Evan stumbled through the rough terrain as he adjusted his beanie. "Note to self: Don't forget to point." He growled to himself. He should've done that in the first place. Proves how tired he was.

'There's gotta be a stream nearby or something.' He mentally cursed himself for not thinking sooner than this. 'Maybe I better head back to that pond in the forest. At least there was a water source that I could use.'

He thought about turning back to the woods for a moment, but the sounds of running water. Taking to his heels, the smell of shore water enticed his nostrils. He made a beeline for the small ledge that came up close to him, where he overlooked what he was looking for all this time.

It was a small stream of water that ran across their feet. There was loose gravel along the stream, but nothing serious that made it any different from a normal stream. The sounds of running water coming from the mountains was music to his ears.

"Thank god." He breathlessly gasped. He tripped his way down the ledge to the base. His feet went from dead grass to loose gravel. He moved carefully towards the stream and bent down, scooping up water and drinking it up. It was nice and cool. A little bitter, but it was freshwater no less.

Taking a few more scoops, Evan was replenishing himself. Once he was all satisfied and a stomach filled with water, he sighed to himself. "That's a load off my chest…now I just gotta worry about shelter for the night."

As he was trying his best to endure what ideas he'll have to come up with, he was completely aloof to something the made ripples in the water. It looked totally invisible, unless if one had very sharp eyes.

A small splash got Evan's attention. He uncovered from his small daze and turned towards the shores. He looked down, seeing something fade in and crawl up from the water. "What the…?"

He was dead silent when he saw a very tiny chameleon with a bubble-like head gently crawled up to him. When he got an observing look at it, he saw the bubble-shaped head with a yellow fin on top. The tail was curled up, too. On top of that, there was the fact that it just stood there expectantly at him. He didn't know what to say, let alone do about that.

He blinked once, in which the creature blinked back. The chameleon sniffed the air suspiciously and leaned in towards Evan.

"Um…hello, little guy?" he replied awkwardly. He stuck his finger out slowly, seeing if the creature was gentle. When it saw the finger, it shivered in place. He recoiled too. "You don't like people much I take it…?"

The chameleon nervously approached a little closer – just a bit. She sniffed Evan's finger and blinked a couple times. With a high-pitched squeal, she crawled in circles around him. He stood up, alarmed by this action.

"Wait, okay! What are you doing? Is this some kind of mating call or something? Because I hate to disappoint, but I don't…"

"Sobble!" a feminine voice shouted to the north.

Evan stammered at the call. He turned his attention towards said direction, and what he saw caught him by surprise, in more ways than one. Just as the feminine figure closed to a stop to see this beanie-wearing teen, said teen was noticing this figure as well.

The person was a woman about average height, maybe just a slim bit taller than him. She had dark, smooth skin with chocolate brown eyes. She had silky smooth black hair that ran like a waterfall down her lower back into a ponytail at the waist, held by a red band. A gray V-neck T-shirt hugged, as well as showed, her ample cleavage, with a polyester black jacket to keep her warm. She had black leggings that hugged her thick thighs down to the shins, where the ankles were revealed with white tennis shoes.

What caught him by surprise was the bagpipes that she had around her waist. He was momentarily confused by that but got over it as he and her looked shocked.

"Um…s'up." Evan nodded questionably.

After findings two small rocks to sit down on, the two teens took a moment to collect their bearings. Sobble wagged her fin at the girl's side as she sat her bagpipes down.

"So…you're a Trainer, too?" Evan questioned.

The woman lightly shook her head. "No, not exactly." She looked down at Sobble as the little female chameleon was slowly crawling up her leg to her lap. "I actually just know this Sobble from my home. She's just shy around new people."

"Oh…I guess that explains a bit then." He looked down at Sobble, who curled up upon seeing Evan's face. He furrowed his brow. "Anyways, how the heck did you end up here?"

The woman tried to think, putting a hand to her chin. "…well, it's…complicated. It was morning when I was out by the morning stream, after taking my younger sister to school." She could still vaguely remember it. She mistook it for the sun getting brighter, but she didn't think it would be so bright it would send her elsewhere. "I was…playing my bagpipes for my Sobble, and the next thing I knew…I'm in an open field with lightning striking everywhere."

Evan looked down with sympathy. "Huh, you too, right?"

The woman looked towards him in surprise. Evan continued.

"Yeah, it was really strange. I was walking out of town with my new Squirtle. Just as we were entering Route 1, just…everything went white. It's hard to describe. The next thing I knew…I ended up here." He shook his head. "I have no idea what's going on, do you?"

The woman shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked annoyed with the lack of results she wanted. "Great. So even you don't know either…"

Evan adjusted his beanie. "Sorry." He turned towards the direction he came from. "But if it means anything…I think I know something about this place."

This made her eyes widen, her spirits perking again. "Excuse me?"

Evan nodded. "Okay, so here this…"

For the next minute, Evan explained to her his experience with Nohr. He went into detail about what he paid attention to, but more or less he was more telling of all this magic he saw, including the war in which they came into the crossfire of.

By the end of the explanation, the woman tried to process everything he said. "Got that?" he ended.

"Yeah, I think so." She looked down, processing to summarization. "So there's two nations…Nohr and Hoshido, I think…and you've been to Nohr."

Evan nodded. "Yeah. And trust me, they aren't very…nice, I guess." He veered away to a low mumble. "Since they tried to kill me and all…"

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just…" he groaned. "This is all so confusing. But, the way I see it, we better make do, or be doodoo. I don't know about you, uh…Miss…Misses…?"

"Freya. And I'm from the Galar Region." She said. "This is Sobble." She presented the timid creature, who looked at Evan shakily. "It's okay, he won't hurt us. Say hello."

Sobble looked towards him, her throat clearing. "(Um…h-hello…)" she quipped.

Evan looked down at the small creature. He pulled out his PokeDex, choosing to analyze to little lizard.

"Sobble, the Water Lizard Pokémon. When it gets wet, its skin changes color, and this Pokémon becomes invisible as if it were camouflaged."

'Invisible when wet…' Evan pieced it together, showing shock. 'Wait, so that's why I didn't see it at first.'

"So, what do you we do now?" Freya questioned.

Evan looked down, trying to guess about the question himself. Though, regrettably, even he was a little more than stumped. "I don't know. We can't go to Nohr because of outsiders, and for all we know, this Hoshido place might be just as bad."

"Did you at least get a map when you were in Nohr?"

Evan slightly pulled his beanie over his head, grimacing at his failed attempt. "I tried. They only gave me enough time to flee." He looked at Freya again, his brow furrowing at a realization. 'Wait a minute…'

His mind went back to the dream he had the other night. He vaguely recalled the many faces he saw in the dream, that was a given. Corrin was definitely one of them. Was she part of the scene too?

Trying to distract himself from overthinking, he had an idea sprung into his head. "Say, I have an idea. Why don't we battle?"

Freya blinked. "Excuse me?" she sounded more snobbish, though unintended. "A battle…now?"

Evan glanced away. "Yeah I know, it's weird right?" he faced her again. "But look, we're in some place with people that can actually kill us. If we're going to get out of this somehow, the least we can do is stick together. And that means we have to see how strong we are so we can depend on each other…at least for the time being."

Freya looked away, mumbling to herself. 'Well, I suppose he isn't in the wrong.' She looked at Sobble's wagging tail, then back at Evan. She didn't have a lot of time to consider, but given the pros and cons, the least this can do is give her some company so she isn't completely alone. And if he had food and water, they could split it until they reached a settlement and go from there. Thinking about the plan, Freya meekly grinned. "If you insist. Sobble, are you ready?"

"(Okay…)" The lizard quipped. She looked towards Evan, a little more confident than before. "Get ready…I hope.)"

Spreading out along the loose gravel on the stream, Freya held her bagpipes in hand while Evan readied a Poke Ball. The two pulled out two Poke Balls, setting themselves up for the battle.

"So how do you wanna do this?" Evan called from the other side. The water running impaired his voice some. "Can you hear me?!"

Freya raised a brow. She took in a deep breath, her bagpipes ringing some. She held it up and blew into it harshly. The ringing of the instrument was loud enough to make Evan cringe.

"Gah! Geez!" He winced. "My freaking…okay, I take that as a yes." He recovered from her 'testing' and looked up at her. "You have more Pokémon than Sobble, right?"

Freya nodded. "Yes, I have two at the moment. I just caught one earlier today."

"Good. Then let's make this a 2-on-2 battle." Evan knew the rules, and how to function in a battle. He spread his legs, taking a deep breath. He battled against other kids in school using the school's Pokémon. But now this was a real Trainer Battle. 'My first Trainer Battle.' He thought calmly. 'Just remember what they taught you, Evan…okay.' He pulled the Poke Ball back and threw it. "Go, Squirtle!"

The Poke Ball opened, bringing out Evan's Squirtle again. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon stood on his hind legs looking mildly ahead.

Freya pulled out her Poke Ball and readied herself. "I need to see what this one can do." She threw the capsule. "Go, Rolycoly!"

The Poke Ball burst open with a little rock-like creature that was a little shorter than Squirtle. It was a mineral-shaped creature with a rocky-hard-edged body like a crumbled piece of coal, with couple larger rocks along the sides. On the front was one large red eye with a white sclera that was on a large rock. It was on a rock-like wheel, much like a unicycle.

Evan pulled out his PokeDex, choosing to analyze it.

"Rolycoly, the Coal Pokémon. It can race around like a unicycle, even on rough, rocky terrain. Burning coal sustains it."

The Rolycoly stood in place as he glared at Squirtle. The Water-type gestured mildly and in kind. "(How's it going?)"

"(…)" The Rolycoly balanced himself in silence.

Squirtle blinked and dismissed the gesture. "(Um…okay then.)" He braced himself for battle. "(Ready!)"

'If that thing's like a rock, then it must be part Rock or Ground.' Evan figured. 'Only one way to find out!' He gestured out towards Rolycoly. "Squirtle, use Bubble!" Squirtle took in a deep breath and exhaled clear blue bubbles at Rolycoly.

The coal remained completely still as the blue bubbles blasted him head-on. The popping bubbles erupted like firecrackers. The blast was enough to slam Rolycoly on his back, thudding harshly.

Freya gasped in shock. That attack caught her by complete surprise. 'I thought he said he was just a new Trainer. His Squirtle already knows Bubble…' She looked down at her Rolycoly as he weakly got up in silence. "Be careful."

The Rolycoly eyed Freya for a moment before facing Squirtle again. A massive red aura enflamed his body, increasing some stat by a large margin. Freya smirked at this.

Taking a notice at the stat boost by a large margin, Evan was getting wary while Squirtle retained calmness. They waited for what Freya would do.

"Tackle!" Rolycoly followed the order, rolling on his underside at Squirtle. To even Squirtle's shock, Rolycoly was a stone blur that bolted into him head on. He fell on his back, grunting hard.

Evan winced at that attack. "That was fast…" he murmured. 'Wait…so that aura that enhanced him was his Speed?'

"That would be Rolycoly's Steam Engine Ability." Freya pointed out. "Whenever he's hit with a Water or Fire-type move, his Speed increases drastically."

Evan grimaced mentally. This isn't what he had in mind. First Bunnelby, and now a rock that gets more Speed with every move? Something about this whole Speed thing was just driving him crazy. He chose to focus on the battle, having Squirtle answer his command. "Use Bubble!" Once again, Squirtle unleashed a jet of bubbles at Rolycoly.

"Dodge it." Rolycoly obeyed and used his intense Speed to zip off towards the side, evading Squirtle's new move. "Smokescreen!" Rolycoly expelled a black soot cloud that billowed its way towards Squirtle. The turtle covered up as the soot cloud covered him, enveloping him in a blue aura.

Squirtle rubbed his eyes weakly, keeping the soot out of them. "(Gngh…I can't see!)"

"Squirtle, brace yourself!" Evan warned. He knew this would be the counterattack Freya was looking for. He didn't know how to expect it as he watched her reach out.

"Rapid Spin!"

"(…)" Nodding in understanding, Rolycoly spun in place. He became a spinning top and wheeled himself through the cover.

"Squirtle, straight ahead!" Evan warned. Squirtle uncovered and looked around for which way was forward. Rolycoly's cycling body crashed into him, putting him on the floor again. "Damnit." He muttered.

Rolycoly cycled his way out of the dissipating smoke. Another red aura flared around him, increasing his Speed even further. Squirtle shook himself up and grunted as he faced Rolycoly now that the smoke was gone.

"Use Bubble!" Again, Squirtle fired countless bubbles into Rolycoly.

"Dodge and use Rapid Spin!" Freya commanded. Rolycoly blurred towards the side and dodged the bubbles. He spun like a top and bolted into Squirtle again, being so fast he couldn't even see him. Again, he floored while Rolycoly had a red aura enflamed him.

'This isn't good. Squirtle is going to run out of steam if he takes one more hit.' Evan grimaced.

As Squirtle attempted standing again, he was feeling lightheaded; dizzy in fact. He straightened himself up as he faced Rolycoly, who was still spinning in place. As he labored, his breathing was rasped and cool. A blue aura enveloped his body, his eyes flaring a similar crystal blue aura for a moment.

Evan's eyes widened in realization. 'Wait…of course! Torrent!' Realizing Squirtle's Ability, he knew he had a chance. He balled his fists tight. 'Now I just have to wait for them.'

"(I'm…not done yet.)" Squirtle assured. "(Evan…what now?)"

Freya swiped her arm. "Rapid Spin!" Once more, Rolycoly spun almost twice as fast as before. The ground looked to be drilled in as a small dust trail followed the coal blur at Squirtle.

"Now Squirtle, spin with Bubble!" Evan shouted.

'(That's a new one.)' Squirtle realized. '(But what have I got to lose? Okay…here I go!)' Closing his eyes, Squirtle opened his mouth wide and began pivoting all around. Jets and sprays of bubbles went everywhere, like a wall of bubbles was obscuring the battlefield with an active land mine of liquid that Rolycoly sped right into.

Freya's eyes widened in realization. She could only watch as the wave of bubbles expanded towards the fast-moving Rolycoly. The bubbles looked stronger than before, and bigger. Rolycoly was blasted backwards, toppling onto his back and fumbled to his side to Freya's legs. She looked down, seeing Rolycoly unconscious.

The bubbles soon dialed down, revealing Squirtle coming to a stop. He shook his head to rid of the dizziness. "(Phew…that's a second wind, I guess.)" He looked at his fallen opponent, seeing the one swirl in his eyes. He seemed proud of that.

Freya pulled out Rolycoly's Poke Ball, bending down to pick him up. "Rolycoly, are you alright?" She got a small movement as the coal was weakly opening his eye to glance at her smile. "That was very good. You rest now."

Rolycoly went back into the Poke Ball, and instead another Poke Ball took its place. She looked up, staring at Evan. "You surprised me. Your Squirtle's Bubble was stronger than before." She commented.

Evan nodded in acceptance. "Thanks. That's because of Torrent." He explained. "But your Rolycoly's Steam Engine Ability was something I didn't see coming. I didn't think it'd that fast that easily."

"Much appreciated." Freya giggled. Her face fell serious as she went for the next choice. 'She only leveled up after helping me catch Rolycoly…hope she's okay in battle.' She tossed the capsule outwards. "Go! Sobble!"

The Poke Ball opened, summoning her Sobble out in front. The little lizard looked ahead, stunned at her opponent. Immediately she shook in fright.

"(Y-you sure look tough.)" Sobble shuddered. She looked specifically at Squirtle's blue aura around his body. It looked so frightening that she wanted to cry. As a matter of fact, a few tears were piling up around her eyes.

Squirtle was taken back by her. "(Um…are you okay?)" All he saw was Sobble beginning to weep in fear. He couldn't make heads or tails. If anything he felt a little sorry for her. "(Um, don't take this personally, okay?)"

Evan reached out for a command. "Use Tail Whip!" Squirtle turned his back, wagging his tail cutely…but it was towards the stream. "What…?"

Freya's eyes widened in realization. 'Rolycoly's Smokescreen is lowering his accuracy. We can do this!' She reached out. "Sobble, use Pound!"

Sobble sniffled. "(O-Okay!)" She hopped up towards Squirtle as he was shaking his head to rid the blurriness. Sobble closed her eyes and meekly smacked Squirtle's face, stuttering him. "(I'm sorry!)" She pulled back in fear and remorse.

Squirtle rubbed his cheek, barely feeling a sting. '(She didn't even hit me that hard…)' But he stammered off. '(Crap. Gotta pull through this!)'

"Use Bubble!" Evan shouted. Squirtle inhaled deeply and fired an intense stream of large, blue bubbles, no doubt empowered from Torrent. The jet of bubbles blasted Sobble, exploding into mist. She cried out as she slid on her back, crying outwards and shuddering at the attack.

"Sobble, it's okay!" Freya assured. She looked between the crying Sobble, then towards her bagpipes. She looked back at Evan, realizing what she had to do. 'I can't believe I have to do this.'

She licked her lips, moisturizing them as she put them against the flute end. She started playing the bagpipes, her fingers making low, smooth glides as she was playing a relaxing tune. Evan and Squirtle looked towards each other, hearing the melody. As awkward as it was, they couldn't deny that it actually sounded…pretty nice. They looked back ahead, seeing what the music was doing to Sobble.

The whimpering Sobble was calming down, hearing one of her favorite morning tunes with Freya. She sniffled and soon came to a stop. She purred low, signaling she was better.

"All better now?" Freya asked, earning a nod. "Good." She sighed in relief. "I'm sorry about that. She really likes hearing my music, so it calms her down."

Evan adjusted his beanie nervously. "O-oh…okay." He stuttered. "It…it was a good tune though."

Freya smiled meekly. "Thank you. Now then…" She sat the bagpipes to her waist and pointed ahead. "Use Water Gun!" Sobble nodded and faced Squirtle again, firing a jet of water at him.

"Dodge it!" Evan shouted. Squirtle moved to the side, evading the jet of water that soaked the rocks. "Now, Tail Whip!" He watched Squirtle turn around again, wagging his tail cutely. This time, it was aimed at Sobble. A blue aura signaled her Defense drop. 'We have to hurry.'

But Freya wasn't going to allow that. "Sobble, Growl!" Sobble opened her mouth wide, expelling a huge shriek that distorted airwaves around Squirtle. He covered his ears as a blue aura enveloped him, lowering his Attack stat. "Now! Pound!"

"Tackle!"

Sobble hopped ahead quickly with squinted eyes. Squirtle moved as fast as he could with his full body. Both reptiles cried out as they closed the gap quickly, hitting each other. Squirtle's whole body swayed ahead, but Sobble shrieked out, meekly swiping across the shoulder and face with the back of her fin before turning away. Squirtle fell forward, his attack unable to score.

Sobble retreated while Squirtle laid on the ground. Evan was stunned as Squirtle had swirls in his eyes. He was unable to battle.

"You did it, Sobble." Freya cooed. It was like talking to a child with her. "Yay!"

Sobble ceased her shuddering and looked ahead. She saw Squirtle laying down, not moving. "(O-Oh…I won?)" She perked. "(W-Wow! I-I did it! I did it!)" Her tail wagged back and forth in her excitement.

Evan frowned and groaned. "Thanks Squirtle, get a rest." He returned Squirtle to his Poke Ball, looking back at Freya and Sobble. He was actually surprised at how wimpy – but swift – Sobble was. He didn't realize this before, but there's been a lot of Speed controversy happening. And believe t or not, Freya and her team was tripping him. He pulled out his last Poke Ball. "Okay, it's all you buddy. Do us proud! Go, Caterpie!"

The Poke Ball opened, summoning the worm again. He faced ahead, looking raring to go. "(I'll do my best! At least, I'll try to!)"

Seeing how small her opponent was, Freya thought it would be easy. "Let's make this quick, Sobble. Use Water Gun!"

Sobble opened wide and sprayed more water from her throat into Caterpie. The poor worm didn't have a chance to dodge and was doused bad, making him fumble away with a weak groan.

"Hang in there, Caterpie." Evan encouraged. This gave Caterpie the courage to stand up again. Although he looked dazed from that blow. "Okay, try your String Shot!" Caterpie hissed and shot thread from his mouth. The silky thread laced around Sobble, making it hard for her to move around. A deep blue aura indicated her Speed being decreased.

Sobble tried worming out of the thread, but to no avail. She weakly whimpered. "(Mmmm! Meanie thread! It's too sticky!)"

"Sobble, stay focused!" Freya warned. This shook Sobble out of her whines and looked at Caterpie.

Evan groaned at the opportunity. "Okay, this time, please, do not hit me, okay?" He instructed the worm. He pointed at Sobble for clarification. "Okay, try out that attack! Use your Electroweb!"

Freya's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

Caterpie spewed thread again, but instead of normal silk, it was static embedded in the thread. It stretched into a giant net that spread over Sobble as she was stuck and snared her. She cried out as the electrical thread stunned her, inflicting large amounts of damage to her.

"Sobble!" Freya watched the netting vanish, along with the threads. Yet again, another blue aura enveloped Sobble, now leaving her Speed at half of what it was. She grimaced at the situation. 'I had no idea Caterpie could learn that.'

"(Owww~!)" Sobble cried. She was tearing up and crying on the spot. The gesture made Evan want to facepalm…but he knew better. He had to take the shot.

"Sorry about this. Caterpie, Electroweb!" Once again, Caterpie spewed a static thread that bloomed into a net that shadowed over Sobble.

"Sobble, dodge it!"

Sobble sniffled and opened her eyes. She saw the static net again and squirmed away. But she was too slow to get away. The static electrocuted her again, making her cry out harder as the netting was stunning her nerves. She plopped onto her stomach moaning, tears running down her face.

Caterpie maneuvered back in place with small crawls. He looked ahead as Sobble was getting back up with a blue aura flaring around her. A crystal gleam was seen in her eyes now. This made Caterpie nervous. "(Uh…)"

"Torrent, too?" Evan murmured. "Can't take chances again then…"

Freya reached out. "Sobble, Water Gun!"

"Caterpie, Electroweb!"

Both Pokémon reared their heads back and fired static thread expanding into a net, along with a jet blast of water that was a lot stronger. The two attacks met in the middle, meeting at a brief stalemate and mist. The mist cloud shield over, showing a tie. The typing of the moves was what made the tie. Had it not been for the static n the web, it'd overpower the netting and blast Caterpie.

"Sobble, Pound!" Sobble rushed through the mist cloud towards the other side. She burst through smacked Caterpie's face with her head fin.

"Stay strong!" Evan encouraged.

Caterpie murmured low as he looked ahead. He seemed shock as the blue aura flared higher as Sobble opened her mouth for another Water Gun. If this hits, he's done.

"Use String Shot at the mouth!" Evan shouted.

Freya's eyes widened. She watched Caterpie's thread expel at close range once more, this time not aiming for the body, but largely around the face and mouth. Sobble clamped shut as the threads kept her mouth shut so she wouldn't swallow any of the thread. Again, her Speed went down two whole stages as a blue aura flared.

"Tackle!" At close range, Caterpie reared his head back and slammed his horn into Sobble's head. The jolt of pain sent her onto her backwards onto her back.

"Sobble, break free!" Freya shouted.

Sobble tried desperately to get the threads off her face. Her forelegs moved slow, so she was removing the threads down her mouth so she can breathe. Thankfully it was getting somewhere…but it wasn't quick enough.

"Caterpie, Electroweb!"

With a battle cry of assurance, the little worm fired one more static-filled thread that turned to a net. Sobble's speed was too slow as she could only gasp before the netting stunned her once more. She grunted hard as Freya's eyes were glued at the sight. She watched Sobble endure the netting as its electricity dispelled the threading around her mouth by frying it. The netting disappeared as well.

After what felt like an eternity, Sobble lowly whimpered as she fell onto her back, unconscious. Caterpie blinked several times, before he realized what happened.

"(W-we won…? I won?!)" The worm's tail wagged around happily. "(I WON! YAY!)"

"Alright, wait a go, Caterpie!" Evan cheered. He ran on over, kneeling to Caterpie and rubbing his head. "That was so good. I'm really proud of you."

Caterpie smiled cheerfully at his Trainer's expense.

Freya sighed and walked over towards Sobble, who remained unconscious. Granted, that was her first Trainer battle as well, but she seemed to be taking it well…though she was a little glum with how Sobble was defeated. She picked Sobble up, cradling her with a soft smile.

"Is she okay?" Evan asked.

Freya looked towards him, showing no signs of angst. This gave Evan some hope. "It's okay. Looks like she just needs a good rest is all. You did good as well."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Evan smiled. He and Caterpie looked towards each other again before facing Freya. "So are we cool now?"

Freya returned Sobble to her Poke Ball before facing him again. "Yeah, I say we're alright. You've got some pretty good tricks up your sleeves. Bubble while spinning, and Electroweb. That's impressive."

"Well, I was educated in Pokémon Battle tactics growing up…" he shook his head. "But we won't ger into that right now. So how about it, do you wanna stick by me for a while? At least until we know what to do?"

Freya looked down at Evan's hand. She reached and shook it with her own. Her grip was surprisingly smooth and moist. "Sure. I'd like that. Thank you."

With that, Evan and Freya shared two small smiles. Despite the cold winds brewing about, neither seemed to mind. At least neither was alone in this world anymore. If there were more of them, they had to be sure to look around.

"So, uh, one question." Evan said.

"Yes."

"…please tell me to like bologna sandwiches." He toothily smiled wide, earning a raised brow of confusion from his new comrade.

"Excuse me?"

Party Data:

Evan

-Squirtle (Male)

Lv: 7

Item: None

Nature: Mild

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble

-Caterpie (Male)

Lv: 6

Item: None

Nature: Modest

Ability: Shield Dust

Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Electroweb

Freya

-Sobble (Female)

Lv: 7

Item: None

Nature: Timid

Ability: Torrent

Moves: Pound, Growl, Water Gun

-Rolycoly (Male)

Lv: 5

Item: None

Nature: Quiet

Ability: Steam Engine

Moves: Tackle, Smokescreen, Rapid Spin

Alright, now that we have Gen 8 out now, I finally am able to get into their movesets and fiddle with them. And in case you guys weren't aware just yet, yes, I checked, and Caterpie can in fact learn Electroweb vis TM now in Sword/Shield. So I chose to add in the ole TM gimmick and items you can find like in the games.

I know the game is out right now, but I wanted to get this chapter done beforehand. To be honest, I'm still waiting for my birthday on Thanksgiving to see about a Nintendo Switch and Pokémon Sword. And yes, it's a fact that my birthday is Thanksgiving this year. Yay me!

So anywho, to all my American readers out there, Happy Thanksgiving, eat well, and I'll make sure to update when I can for the next chapter! :)