It was a bit of a hike, with a bit of an ice cream break in comfy Los Platos, but Momo eventually made it to massive Mesagoza. She still only had Diego the Fuecoco along for the ride, since all the Pokémon she encountered seemed like small fry, but she figured not taking the time to catch anything made the trip quicker. Her newly named Mirage the Miraidon was technically part of the team, but he also didn't really do anything other than sleep so he didn't count. Didn't count yet, or so Momo liked to reassure herself.

As Momo made her way through the sights and sandwich places of Mesagoza, she decided she would finally let her hair down with a new look. She had to look the part of someone new and fresh, and what better way than by going with a style that was apparently called a 'romantic tuck'? Momo didn't exactly have those kinds of thoughts on the brain, but she liked the way her hair trailed down the sides of her face. And if she did manage to live out the namesake with some sort of academy excitement like all the stories she read?

She giggled to herself in front of the salon mirror. "A girl can dream."

Her freshness streak only perpetuated as she ran into some sort of intervention on the way up. Apparently some troublemaker students were bothering a girl and trying to get her to join a group called Team Star, so Momo was quick to step in. With some help from Nemona, Momo figured out what a Tera Orb was, which finally got Diego to spew out some real flames to drive those Team Star guys off.

"Yeah, you heard her!" Momo waved a fist. "She's not interested in your weird frat group!"

It was a shame about the girl, she ran off as soon as Momo introduced herself. No biggie, Momo knew she'd have plenty of time to make friends once she got herself enrolled. She held up her backpack's straps, proudly flipped her romantically tucked brown hair, and took the treacherous climb up the so-called "worst staircase in the world". Nemona just jogged up with ease while Momo ended up crawling those last few steps. It certainly took her breath away, though she figured that was a constant when she saw the building's Pokéball structure shine against the moonlight.

She may have brought her own leisurely reading materials, but as soon as she stepped inside to see the library that spanned several floors, that blew Momo's mind as well.

"I wonder if they have any manga…"

She didn't see herself as the most dedicated bookworm, though as she pondered the idea, she only grew more excited at the thought of meeting her own fellow cultured folks. That energy carried her all the way to the director's office where she was supposed to go, though since that involved another staircase climb, it was back to crawling and breathlessness for her. Still, she assured herself that it was simply a matter of getting used to architecture designed for people much taller than her. Not that she was short, of course.

Momo stopped by Director Clavell's office to finish getting settled into her new life. She knew how this meeting would go, Pokémon school guidelines, when and where she was allowed to send out her Pokémon, what she could or couldn't wear. So much for cosplay.

The briefing went mostly as expected, and Momo fought back the urge to yawn from how tiring the trip up those stairs were. She was about to, but she quickly saved it by turning it into a gasp as the TV in the room suddenly flickered on. And just like that, Momo was given a very special assignment from Professor Turo on her very first day. Something about taking care of her Miraidon, which was weird, because Momo didn't remember telling anyone else about her special looking Pokémon.

Director Clavell seemed shocked when Mirage came out of his Pokéball, though Momo quickly assured him he was probably just some sort of shiny Cyclizar or something. He seemed to buy it, though he kept muttering questions about a crater area. Momo had her own questions as well, mainly about her encounter with a supposed professor's kid at the lighthouse, but she was too busy still catching her breath to bother.

Mirage really was her responsibility now, so Momo silently pledged she would focus on doing whatever it takes for his care. And so she spent her thinking time focusing on that. All for a good grade from the good professor, of course. Not that Mirage seemed to be asking for much other than space to sleep. By the time Momo got dismissed to her dorm, she found herself relating to that big sleepy hunk of metal.

Momo had finished unpacking her stuff, which were really just a few school essentials and several personal volumes she intended to binge, then fell onto her bed with a satisfied sigh. Normally, the idea of schoolwork would be intimidating her, but she knew she'd be fine. With dreams of grandeur and friendship fueling her smile, Momo drifted off to sleep.

Another day, another chance to shine. In academics, of course. Momo got up, fixed her hair up in the dorm mirror, and checked by the sleepy Miraidon near her bed.

She patted Mirage's head, her gaze softening over the lack of energy the Miraidon still had. He didn't seem ill or anything, but those fierce eyes and coursing electrical power she saw a long while ago by Cabo Poco seemed long gone now. And sometimes, she even caught him shuddering in his sleep. Whenever that happened, she placed Diego by his side, but that didn't ease anything, so it definitely wasn't a problem with him being cold.

"Guess the cafeteria's sandwiches still aren't helping, huh?" Momo spoke with a soft smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure today's lunches will work. I'll get you fighting fit soon, Mirage."

It had been about a month or so since Momo's efforts at the academy, but she still held on to that hope. Gotta greet the morning with a smile, after all. As well as the friends she knew she would eventually make.

Another day of walking to class and waving at everyone she saw, but none of the other students waved back at her. Yet again, Momo spent her opening class periods wondering why that was.

Maybe they didn't like her laugh. Or maybe her greeting came off too strong. Or maybe they didn't like the fang. Nonsense, everyone loves the little fang, that's what her grandma said. Her grandma even said that everyone would love her laugh too. Maybe they just weren't in the mood to binge the latest volumes of Powerful Plasma Pawmot with her. Definitely that.

"Mondela?"

"Guh!" Momo blinked with a start, her eyes shooting up from her desk. "Er, yes Mr. Salvatore?"

"Can you tell me what emotion Pikachu is trying to convey?" The language teacher gestured to his Pokémon companion beside him.

"Piggah!"

Momo bit her lip for a second. No piggie, er, biggie, she studied enough to know this. She didn't spend a whole night doing Pikachu impressions for nothing, after all.

"Pikachu is angry." Momo nodded with certainty.

Her teacher beamed a jovial grin. "Correct, Mondela!"

Momo's smile grew ever wider at that, and she briefly wondered if her little fang was poking out, among other things. Like if there was anything she was forgetting about her other subjects. Getting questions right always did make her feel good, and that kept her energy going strong into her other subjects. Which she absolutely needed, because she just remembered that she had battle studies class next. Not that she had anything against Ms. Dendra, but it was just that the class was a bit…

"Let's go, another few laps around! Your Pokémon can't be in tip top shape if you're not in tip top shape either!"

Momo had no idea what exercise had to do with making her Fuecoco fight better, but protesting wasn't her strong suit. So it was back to sweat, sweat, and tears for her.

"Float like a Vivillon, sting like a Vespiquen…" Momo quickly muttered to herself between breaths. She didn't have it in her to swing her arms properly anymore. "Float like a Vivillon… sting like a Vespiquen…"

"Float like a Vee… sting like a Vee…" There came the gasps from the equally winded girl beside her.

"What's… what's a Vee?"

The girl glanced at her through foggy glasses. "Nice to see you too, Mondie…"

Momo mustered a smile back. "Always a pleasure, Penny."

As exhausted as Momo was, thinking about the only other friend she made quickly perked her up. It was about time that blue and red haired girl from the staircase came around and became her friend, though it still happened in such a way that came as a surprise.

After failing to get a potential friend to listen to her gushing about the lore of Powerful Plasma Pawmot, Penny overheard it all and approached her. Quite sneakily, at that. She asked if Momo also wasn't from here, if her name was short for anything, refused to call her Momo for some reason, and the rest was history, if that history was talking about more manga.

Momo wasn't sure what a STEM student like her was doing in a physically oriented class like this, but she appreciated the extra opportunities to meet up with a fellow cultured fellow.

Momo's floppy arm nudged Penny's also floppy arm. "So why are you still wearing a dark colored jacket for a class like this?"

Penny smirked. "I could ask you the exact same thing."

There was a shared solace in their sweaty struggles, which then turned into a shared gasp when Ms. Dendra, who also wore the same color, breezed past them effortlessly. Teachers were just built different, they agreed.

They had a lesson on cheering after that, which just confused Momo even more because she never remembered signing up to be a cheerleader. It was certainly less flamboyant and more straining on her voice than she expected, and both her and Penny agreed that it was not worth the throat pain. When all was said and done, Momo and Penny gave each other raspy goodbyes as they split up for their other classes.

"Why does it feel like I'm forgetting something…" Momo muttered to herself as she racked her brain. She knew she had home economics class next, which she remembered because of how hungry battle studies left her. She made it to the right classroom, Mr. Saguaro was there and everything, what was she missing?

"Put your phones away," Mr. Saguaro spoke sternly from the front, crossing his arms. "You're going to be working on your pair project today."

"P-Pair project?" Momo would've cried out in surprise if her throat didn't leave her coughing instead.

She helplessly looked around herself as she noticed everyone else there joining up with their partners. Not only did she forget this was happening today, but she also forgot to find someone to pair up with. Penny wasn't taking this class, and Nemona was busy using her student council president privileges to skip it and do something else. That didn't leave Momo with many other options.

"Mondela."

"Eep!" Momo straightened herself, stepped out of her seat, and shuffled over to Mr. Saguaro.

Thankfully, she wasn't called to get chewed out like a sandwich for forgetting about the project. Conveniently enough, there was one other student who didn't have a partner, and Mr. Saguaro insisted that be who Momo pair herself up with. Momo sighed with relief, though she couldn't help but wonder who else would still be a loner at this time of the school year. And then she headed to her partner's desk, where she saw his shaggy fringe, the hefty looking backpack, and the downtrodden frown which was inclined to look away from her.

"Um…" Momo cleared her throat. She recognized him, but she couldn't recall his name. "I didn't expect to see you here. I don't think I've seen you in any of my other classes before."

He gave her a brief glance. "I've been… too occupied to attend my classes recently, and I need to catch up badly. Please don't ask me about it." He didn't seem to recognize her, and his voice seemed… sad? "Let's just get this done."

"Oh, okay." No time to get distracted with other questions, there was a project that needed doing. She looked at the desk with the provided materials, which were just a pair of cut hoagie buns. "I'm remembering that today's project is supposed to be about meal powers, something about them being stronger when the sandwich is being made with more people, I think."

"Alright, gotcha." He quietly nodded.

Momo spent an awkwardly quiet few seconds staring at the lack of other materials in front of them. "I think we were supposed to bring our own ingredients, which I forgot. I can just ask Mr. Saguaro if he can let us go to the school shop for this."

"No need."

The guy placed his weighty backpack on the desk, and Momo watched with intrigue when there was a delectable aroma that wafted when it was opened. One by one, ingredients were taken out, some that even seemed freshly prepared, leaving Momo utterly stunned as she wondered if he also hauled a fridge in there or something.

"That tackles the issue with ingredients." He held his head up proudly, though his expression was still rigid. "Okay, are there any other specific instructions or anything?"

"I think that's it…" Momo rapidly flipped through her notebook, tapping her chin with the Pokéball eraser topping her pencil. "Also, I… don't know the first thing around making a proper sandwich. I know I have pretty good grades, but tests are completely different from actually doing it. The sandwich stuff, I mean."

"Don't sweat it." He gave her a reassuring nod. "I'll help take it from here. You can say I know a thing or two about the culinary arts. Pass me those tomatoes."

"Oh, okay!"

Now they were getting somewhere, and that got Momo going. She gladly played the part of assistant, passing around and carefully placing ingredients as instructed. It was kind of ironic that this guy needed to catch up on grades yet he was the knowledgeable one here, but Momo didn't mind. Their sandwich was coming along nicely, and Momo was surprised to see just how adept this guy was when it came to sandwich composition. Whenever she handed the ingredients to him, the way he sliced and placed things was calculated and precise, and they got it done unexpectedly quick. Before long, he placed the other hoagie bun down, and she placed a sandwich pick down the middle.

"Whew." He wiped his brow, proudly placing his hands on his hips. "That's our sandwich project done and ready. Nice work."

"Heck yeah!" Momo exclaimed, and in her excitement, she held her hand up for a high five.

He paused for a moment, raising his eyebrow, then his stare eased up as he returned the gesture. "We got that done quick. Is it alright if you pass this in on our behalf once class is over? I have to… head out so I catch up on my other projects. Yep."

"Oh, absolutely. I'll even clean up." Momo gave him a dutiful salute. She had already gotten to work cleaning up their workplace and washing the supplies they used. "It's the least I can do for how much you carried this project."

He put on his backpack and chuckled at her enthusiasm. His face was still etched with a troubled stare, but with the faintest of genuine smiles, he gave her a pat on the back. "Thanks, little buddy."

"You're welcome!" Momo held a proud smug smirk, only for a second. "Wait, did you just call me little again?"

But he was already gone, yet again. Momo then realized she forgot to ask for his name and slapped her forehead, which only ended up covering her face in suds. Well, at least the sandwich they made was still okay. It looked professionally made, and the more she stared at it, the more she wanted to sink her teeth into it. But she knew better than to do that, of course.

Lesson learned, at least. Asking for names is important. Soap does not taste good. And making a sandwich always feels better with a companion.

It was a rather busy day of classes for Momo, but that didn't make it any less lively for her. At last, it was time for lunch, and she was looking forward to seeing Penny again, as well as indulging in a much needed gulp of water.

"I've been waiting here for a while, Mondie." Penny waved from her lone table. "What took you?"

"Oh, Nemona just wanted me to meet someone." Momo set her lunch tray down. "Someone called La Primera, apparently she's a big deal. Then she asked me if I wanted to fight the Pokémon Gyms in a test or something."

"I've heard about it… Um, isn't it the assessment that lets you become a champion rank trainer or something?"

"I think that's what she said." Momo shrugged as she took a bite of bread. "Getting badges sounds fun, but becoming champion… might not be my thing. I mean, I wouldn't have any free time for anything, you know?"

"Pretty sure champions work differently here in Paldea." Penny nodded. "More of a shared status of strength than just a single throne."

"Huh." Momo paused, rolling the idea around in her head. "That does seem interesting. Might actually consider it now. Explains why Nemona kept calling herself a champion but still seemed like she had time to do whatever she wanted. Even if she's too busy trying to battle other students to have lunch with us."

Penny stopped and stared. "Thought she was your friend. Why doesn't she just battle you?"

"Oh, hehe…" Momo's sheepishly touched her fingers together. "Probably because I still only have one Pokémon who can battle. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to catch some more, but back home, I saw some awesomely large Pokémon I would love to have. There aren't any here, but I just have a feeling I'll know what I really want as soon as I see it." Saying it out loud, Momo realized how silly of a dream it sounded. "... you get it, right?"

"... I think I do." Penny's blank stare made it difficult to tell if she actually did.

The conversation fizzled out after that, and the both of them went back to their lunch. Momo tried prodding Penny on if she had any Pokémon that were strong, but she just kept it vague, said they were all in her room, then assured Momo that she did not want to visit her dorm. So much for that. Not to mention conversation was hard to pick up with a full mouth. Then at last, Momo found something to talk about when she remembered their shared interest in manga. She asked Penny what her favorite scene in Powerful Plasma Pawmot was so far, and that got her to perk up.

"Oh!" That got a smile out of Penny. "It'd have to be when Plasma finally avenges his Zeraora idol by shaking the mountain with his new attack-"

"His Doubly Shocking Plasma Fists!" Momo excitedly finished. With a smirk, she pushed up her glasses. "Ohohoho, Penny. I knew you were cultured, but I didn't know you were that cultured."

Penny rolled her eyes, stirring her spoon on her empty plate. "You're more… eagerly open about this stuff than I am, Mondie. I'm not sure how you can laugh or declare this stuff out loud so confidently."

"If you must know, I want to credit the magic of heroism for it all." Momo took a volume out of her backpack and gleefully hugged it. "For making me want to be flashy, to be interesting, to be just like the inspiring heroes in all these stories!" She giggled. "I mean, I don't think I'm going to save the world or beat up bad guys or anything, but a girl can dream, right?"

"Heh." Penny chuckled. "Here I was thinking you're loud and cheeky because you like purple."

"That too." Momo giggled. "Was it that obvious?"

"I mean…" Penny stared at her, pointing her utensil. "Purple glasses frames, purple eyes that may or may not be natural-"

"They're natural."

"…purple uniform… and a lavender colored phone case?"

Momo crossed her arms with a hauguty look. "Not everything has to be hard purple. I like being soft sometimes."

"Right." Penny smirked. "I'm just surprised your hair isn't purple too."

Momo's own smirk was proud. "I'll have you know I was very, very tempted to dye it, but I have enough self respect. I'm not gonna do that just so I can stand out." She suddenly blinked at Penny's red and blue hues, realizing what she just said. "Er, no offense."

"I don't mind. Honestly, I like laying low anyway." Penny's stare trailed towards a clock on the wall, and her eyes widened. "Uh… I… I think I have to go now."

"How come?" Momo watched in surprise as Penny hastily set her tray aside to get up. "Lunch period isn't even close to being over."

"I have… stuff to do for my STEM classes. Yep." Penny nodded to assure her. "Wanna meet up again later? Since midterms are coming soon and all."

"It'd always be a pleasure." Momo sneered. "How about we do it in your dorm instead of mine this time?"

Penny rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're lame, Mondie."

"No, you're lame."

Penny snickered. "How about the library? Sound good?"

"Okay, okay. Later, Penny."

"Later, Mondie."

Momo waved her off as she left the cafeteria. "Ohohoho! I'll see what your room looks like one day. You won't keep your totally cool Pokémon a secret from me forever, Penny." She giggled to herself as she scarfed down the last of her meal.

With that done, she got up to make her way to order the rest of the cafeteria's daily specials. Carrying several bags of sandwiches did give her some weird looks from the other people in line, but it was a small price to pay for Mirage's sake. She kept up her proud and dedicated smile as she walked away.

"Wait, you! I was wondering why that laugh sounded familiar!" Someone else in the line called out to her. It was the guy with the backpack. "You're the girl from the lighthouse! I… don't think I got your name."

Momo snickered. She always did like getting recognized. About time. "And you're also the guy from the lighthouse! And home economics class earlier today! I… also didn't get your name!"

"I…" He blinked. "Wait, why didn't you just ask Mr. Saguaro?"

"... good point." She hid her embarrassment by freeing her grip, letting her plastic bags fall with a soft thud. Then Momo made a show of mystically moving her hands in a bizarre fashion before pushing her glasses up. "If you must know who I am, I'm Momo, the one and only! How's that for an introduction?" She held her hand in front of her mouth for a proud, haughty laugh.

Rather than looking impressed by her performance, the guy just gave her the same incredulous look everyone else did. "Yep, you're definitely the girl from the lighthouse, alright. I can see why a lot of people have been… talking about you. Well, the name's Arven."

Momo blinked for an excited moment. People were talking about her? How come they weren't talking to her, then?

She quickly shook her head. Couldn't get distracted when Arven just reminded her of his name. "Right, that's your name, guy from the lighthouse. I'll try and remember it this time." She quickly picked up her plastic bags of sandwiches, one for each hand. "Now if you excuse me, lighthouse guy, I have to get these sandwiches to the lighthouse Pokémon I have to feed now. I paid good money for these sandwiches and my Miraidon likes 'em warm."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait."

Arven's voice held both hesitation and hastiness. Momo turned to walk away, but he still looked like he had something to say, so she stopped and raised an eyebrow at him.

He sucked in a breath, then composed himself. "I might need your help for something, Momo."

"Oh, no big deal." Momo relaxed her shoulders. "Let me guess, need help studying for midterms? I suppose my two-person study group might have room for one more."

"Not that. Okay, I might actually need help with that, but that's not what I'm actually trying to ask you for…" Arven hesitated for an unusually awkward second. "What I'm trying to ask for is… well, think of it like another sandwich project. That was fun, right? Okay, think of that, but with a bit more adventure."

Momo's smirk perked up with intrigue. "I'm listening."

They took their conversation to a nearby table, and just as Momo's interest picked up, so did Arven's. He spoke about how passionate he was about the picnic life and getting to cook and whatnot, which Momo thought was obvious from earlier. For someone she remembered for being grumpy and rude, she didn't expect to see him so lively in front of her, and then he started talking about the adventure part. Supposed miracle herbs that could cure just about anything if all five were eaten. He made it a point to mention that they'd also make for delicious sandwich seasonings, which got Momo's thinking cogs turning once more.

She rested her chin on her hands, watching more intently as Arven continued talking about those mystical miracle herbs and flipped through a violet colored book as he did so. They were super rare, they were exclusive to the Paldea region, and they were dangerous to seek out because they were being guarded by-

"Hold on a quick tick," Momo spoke up with widened eyes. "What exactly are… Titan Pokémon?"

Arven crossed his arms and frowned. "They're supposed to be these big, strong Pokémon that are guarding these herbs for some reason, but there's not much known about them other than some reported sightings. That's where my problem is. I really want to get those herbs for myself, but… I'm not very good at Pokémon battles. Don't have any friends with strong Pokémon to lend me a hand, either… or any friends actually. And I'd never hear the end of it if I went crawling to that student council girl… so I'm asking you."

Momo was mainly focused on the part where he said they were big and strong Pokémon. Ideas were already forming, and she found herself rubbing her hands as her smirk grew. "So… these Titan Pokémon. Can I catch them?"

Arven hesitated, likely in the face of Momo's devilish gaze. "I mean… I'm pretty sure they're still Pokémon. I don't see why not. Does this mean you're going to help out?"

Momo's smirk lingered. In a deliberately suspenseful moment, she rested her elbows on the table and drummed her fingers together. "Well-"

"Oh, shoot!" Arven slammed his hands on the table as he looked towards the wall. "I'm gonna be late! Sorry, I lost track of time, and I have a lot of studies I need to catch up on now!" As he got up, he quickly rummaged through his bag. "Maybe just let the idea stew for a bit, and we can get more in the details and stuff if you ever have time. If you want. A-And here, a little gift for listening and all."

He tossed a small pouch Momo's way and bolted.

"Give the idea some serious thought! Please!"

Momo was left stuck with a dumbfounded gaping look as he ran out. "And I was going to say yes, too. Wasn't going to say no to another potential friend…"

That unexpectedly hasty shriek of his still echoed in her ears as she checked the pouch he left.

"For a guy with such a heavy looking pack, he seems to have a lot of experience with running as if his life was on the line. I'm not sure what to think about that fact." She peered into the pouch and blinked at the crystalline particles that shone back at her. "Whoa… stardust. I wonder where he got this stuff?"

Feeling more satisfied, Momo tucked the pouch away and picked up her bags of sandwiches. She stared at the clock on the wall, then the doorway Arven just hurriedly disappeared through moments ago.

"Well, that's the second time the clock has robbed me of conversation. Guess being in general studies gives me a pretty liberating lunch schedule compared to everyone else. I can see why Nemona enjoys it so much."

Abrupt interruptions aside, Momo still felt proud of herself for how her lunch period went. It was the most conversation she had ever had with anyone ever, and it only picked up when she got a call from some shady person named Cassiopeia who was hacking her phone. Momo didn't question it, she just picked up in giddiness once this Cassiopeia person mentioned a secret operation to take down the group of Team Star, and Momo was ready to go all in. Could've done without the skipping of her signature introduction, though.

"I already know who you are, Mondela. You could say I've heard about you crossing paths with Team Star before. Now-"

"Aw, but I was so excited to introduce myself!" Momo waved her fist at her phone. "It's not the same if I don't let you know that I'm Momo, the one and only!"

"The one and only Momo, huh? Alright then."

Cassiopeia may have been hard to read thanks to that voice changer of theirs, but Momo noticed there was the faintest hint of snark in their voice as they said that.

Their little newly founded Operation Starfall briefing was cut short when Director Clavell entered the cafeteria, and Momo hoped he didn't overhear much. They were just about done anyway. Secret operations are called secret for a reason, but that at least got Momo another excited adventure motive in store for when it was time to properly set out.

"Oh, right, I gotta pass midterms first!"

With her proud head held high, Momo puffed her little heart out and made her way to the library. Gotta study for midterms, pass those tests, and stay in the good graces of all her teachers so she'd be free to finally set out to explore the rest of Paldea. It'd be another study night with Penny, and then maybe some more binging back in her dorm.

Momo giggled with more giddy excitement as she recalled the badges, herbs, and bosses awaiting. Nothing would stop her stride, and she knew it was all the better for it. After all, she knew that sooner or later, it'd be time for the Treasure Hunt to finally begin.