Traveling through Paldea was its own adventure, and in the days and weeks Momo went on roughing it through the greater fields, she experienced a lot. However, something she never experienced was being woken up by her Rotom Phone furiously trying to stab her with its pointy end. Until today.

So it turned out that keeping Cassiopeia waiting on that Operation Starfall thing rewarded Momo with a very rude albeit very ticklish wake up call. Alright, alright, it was next on Momo's to do list anyway, totally. One westward flight later, past the formerly boulder-ridden mountains, Momo found herself with some peculiar encounters around the Team Star base as she headed to the spot Cassiopeia instructed her towards. While she would've liked to do another sneaky maneuver with the long way around, she was made to storm the base from the front gate like a decent purpose. At least with her Crocalor, Bombirdier, and Klawf, she gave that Dark type base a heroic charge, then prepared herself when that defiant boss of theirs finally rolled out.

Momo stood her confident ground as she watched that giant party wagon approaching her, though she also had to resist the urge to gawk in amazement. "Stand aside, evil doer! The one to finally put a stop to your misdeeds is I, the one and only Momo!" She smirked, flexing her arm as she pushed up her glasses.

"Funny you mention that." That squad boss of theirs raised an eyebrow from his elevated position. "Name's Giacomo, but some of my good friends call me Momo."

"Whaaaaat?!" Momo's jaw dropped. With a huff, she angrily rolled up her sleeves. "I thought you Team Star hooligans were just a bunch of bad guys before, but now this is personal!"

"We get that a lot."

It was an epic showdown for the ages, mano-a-mano, Momo to Momo. While she was initially unsure about her odds against that Starmobile of his, Brawn the Klawf was ready to put up a fight and live up to her namesake. Rocks flew, waves of dark energy reverberated over the wicked music, and it all came down to one final clash. In the end, crystals collided against engines, and the raw energy of a terastilized Klawf was enough to shut down Giacomo's reigning chariot.

Momo hoped Cassiopeia would be satisfied with that, and with a handshake and a heartfelt talk later, she got to depart Giacamo's base and meet Cassiopeia's supply unit.

"What?! Penny, this is where you've been?!"

"Uh… hi Mondie." Penny met her with a meek smile and wave. "Helping Cassiopeia out with Operation Starfall is… also part of my STEM classes."

It was a surprise to see her here, but a pleasant one, which made Momo's expression light up. "Wow, if I knew that sooner, I would've done all this epic Team Star stuff so much earlier!"

Penny looked exhausted, as if the poor girl ran all the way here to deliver her stuff, but there was still a hint of that smile nonetheless. "Glad to see you're at least getting that grand adventure you loved talking about so much. It's… nice to see you again."

Momo giggled. "Always a pleasure, Penny."

All Penny was supposed to do was deliver some special TM making materials and dip, but Momo insisted on less dipping and more sticking. They skirted around the outskirts of the Segin base, with Momo excitedly relaying each and every detail about her adventure while Penny kicked one or two pebbles. There was a lot Momo wanted to catch up on, and she figured this was as good a time as any to make sure her storytelling skills were top notch.

"... without a moment's notice, right at my time of need, I managed to call upon the divine lightning from above! Miraculously appearing by my aid as it did before, it swooped down from the skies, carrying me out of danger before smiting the massive Klawf and obliterating her to smithereens! Punching her in the face as it did!" Momo held her chest out, leaning forward on her soles. She flexed her arms so that they framed her face, and with a smirk, she pushed her glasses up. "Another splendiferous victory for the one and only Momo! Ohohoho!" As she declared that cry, a flock of Swablu took off behind her.

Momo held that unsteady pose for a while, taking deep breaths as she awaited Penny's hopefully overwhelming positive response. However, Penny simply stood there with a skeptical eye, with the only applause coming from the wild Nymble that had decided to watch.

"I don't know why…" Penny spoke slowly. "…but I have a hard time believing that's actually how it happened."

"But I tell no lies!" Momo almost stumbled, correcting herself with a wide eyed stomp. "Splendiferous is even a real word, I looked it up!"

"That part I can believe." Penny pointed towards Momo's legs. "Just don't know how you 'punched a Klawf into smithereens' when that very some one is still here and looking very huggy right now."

Momo looked down, just noticing the gentle tugging on her pant leg by the Klawf who affectionately looked up at her. "Well." Momo knelt down to hug her. "That's because the lightning blast that struck her was a lightning blast of friendship. Same one that left the Bombirdier smitten too. That's why I used the word smite. Because I'm just that good." After giving Penny a smug nod, she got back to caressing her Klawf. "Who's my good big Brawn, the absolute sweetest Klawf ever, yes you are, yes you are…"

Penny let out a quiet chuckle. "Good to see you're at least… as eccentric as always, Mondie. I wouldn't be too shocked to hear if you've used your 'lightning blasts of friendship' to make tons of other friends by now."

"Oh. Weeeeeell…" Momo found herself gingerly touching her fingers together. "Other than these two Pokémon, I've only actually made… one more friend. Human friend. It's a bit of a funny story." Funny in the sense that Momo realized he didn't recognize her after the lighthouse because she changed her hairstyle. She left that part out. "How about you, Penny? Made any friends?"

"Me?" Penny's eyes were wide, and then she was the one tapping fingers. "N-No. I've never made any friends before. Just you."

"Ah." Momo's smile turned sad for a moment. "Least… we're both loners in our own way."

That warmed up Penny's expression a little bit. "That's true."

"And we found friendship in each other thanks to the power of anime."

"Cheesy, but also true."

The two continued down the dirt path in moderate silence, talking about all the friends they didn't make. Penny tucked her hands into her pockets and kicked another pebble. Momo kicked it back. They kept this up for a while, kicking the same pebble back and forth, up until Momo overdid it and accidentally scared away the Nymble that was trailing them.

"Aw." Momo let out a sigh as the watched the flighty little bug hop away. "Another potential friend driven off. Do you think… it's hard for us to make friends because it's hard for people to like us? Because I've been trying to figure that out for a while." Momo hesitated for an insecure second. "It's not the fang, right?"

"That's a bit of a harsh takeaway, isn't it?" Penny gave her sleeve a nudge. "Maybe it's just hard because we're both pretty new to the academy and all."

"That works." Momo mustered a smile as eyes trailed downwards.

The thought still lingered in her head for a while. Momo wasn't usually too concerned with trying to please everyone, so she spent a good while wondering why she was suddenly concerned about how likable she was. Making a new friend in Arven should've been enough, right? He said as much that they were friends.

A familiar warmth returned, but rather than it being one of comfort, it made her feel antsy.

"Hey, Penny." Momo brought herself to look up at her. "Just between us, I need some advice. I wanna ask how you'd know if someone likes you."

Penny didn't waste a second. "Stalk their social media. Hack into their drafts and see who they text. Control their phone camera if you must."

Momo hesitated with a full blush. "I meant… like you as a person, that kinda stuff. Since I have trouble making friends and all that."

"Still applies." Penny shrugged. "If you can't do that, I suppose you'll just have hope that… whoever you're worrying about can accept you for who you really are. You can't really win people over by trying to impress them or putting up a front or something. Guess you just gotta be yourself and hope for the best."

Penny's stare slowly faced ahead, vague as usual. Momo wasn't sure why, but she was sure there was a certain intenseness in Penny's gaze and tone as she said that. With a reassuring smile, she gave her a pat on the back, and Penny did the same. Whatever this Operation Starfall thing was, it definitely seemed like something important to Penny, and Momo wasn't opposed to catching up with her again. So it was off to the next Team Star base for her.

"... and that's where I've been lately."

"You've been quite busy," Arven spoke with a slight mouthful of churro. "I know those Team Star guys were trouble but… twinkling beams of friendship? I thought they were supposed to be the 'evil overlords of name stealing', as you put it."

"I'm merciful." Momo crossed her arms with a smug grin. "Actually, I did think Team Star would be pretty evil, but they were surprisingly chill. The first guy even let me stop by for the night to jam out to his tunes. I guess Mela did leave me with a sore hand after our handshake, but the whole 'hasta la vistar' gesture thing they all got going on looked cool. Hold on, I think I can do it if I try…"

"Don't, you'll just drop your churro in the process."

"Okay, okay." Momo sat back down on the bench. "So how'd you get here before me? I thought the way here was blocked by Team Star."

"There was a path off to the right with a river. Skipped the blockades by jumping over it." Arven nodded with a hint of pride in his voice.

Momo's eyes widened. "You can do that?!"

"Almost got soaked, but I did." Arven chuckled and shrugged. "They weren't Basculin infested."

Momo snickered. "Guess you're more gutsy than I took you for, Arboliva."

Arven frowned. "Okay, that's not even close to my name."

"But you're just as leafy as the statues in Artazon."

"Not sure what you mean by that, but alright."

Momo continued to giggle to herself while Arven rolled his eyes.

"Grumpy worrywart." She nudged him.

"Little buddy." He nudged her back.

Being loud and proud about their recent achievements only seemed fitting, since Momo planned to meet back up with him in the grandiose city of Levincia. Lights and billboards made the already bright day even brighter, and Momo wasn't opposed to going city sightseeing with him again. She made sure to tell him all about her new Team Star adventures, from those big nasty starmobiles all the way to who the heck Clive was. She did leave out the part about what she discussed with Penny, a guy like Arven definitely wouldn't have been interested in hearing about that stuff, yep. The part where Mirage popped out for an affectionate slobber session with Penny was more entertaining to talk about, at least.

"Remind me not to get on your brute's bad side." Arven shuddered. "Or… on his overly good side."

Momo gave him a mischievous sneer. "No promises."

Talks of all her exploits left Arven impressed, even with Momo's storytelling flair aside, considering all he had to say for himself was catching a new Pokémon since they last met. It wasn't all bad, while they planned to discuss their next plan of action, she bought him some churros from the city. All paid for with the League Points Cassiopeia got her. The churros themselves were nothing fancy, but tasty all the same.

Besides, Momo knew very well that where she and Arven were, there was sure to be a titan nearby. And where there was a titan, it would be herb time, then sandwich time. Momo found herself looking forward to a lot of aspects of sandwich time. A new team member, a new miracle sandwich to bite into, and most importantly, another step in curing Mirage and Mabosstiff.

"Alright, Momo! 'Tis the season to cut some titans down to size! You ready?"

"Way ahead of you, Arbol!"

It psyched Momo up, it psyched Arven up, and with their minds full of vigor and their stomachs full of churros, they set off into the construction wastelands ahead, ready for what awaited them. Through a shared ride on Mirage, they left marks on their sandy tracks, following directions towards a dug up area past abandoned scaffolding.

Clumps of large dirt mounds were crushed under Mirage's wheels, and through a speedy chase, the ground shook when the massive red body of the Titan Orthworm emerged from the ground to reveal itself. It busted open a cave wall with its arms, letting out a fierce roar as it powered itself up. Even with their foe's herbed rejuvenation, Momo and Arven still stood their ground, sharing stalwart stares and determined dispositions. Their steely eyes met the formidable form of the titan of lurking steel.

"Doesn't matter how big an opponent is! Victory's gonna taste so good seasoned by my Toedscool!"

"Hey, you just made a bad seasoning pun earlier, you can't do that!"

Arven's Toedscool and Momo's Crocalor brought the fight to the titan, with Momo activating terastilization straight away just so their combined resolve shined ever brighter. The two trainers already discussed their game plan before the encounter, and as the Orthworm started to use its long body to circle them, they stood back to back, silently nodding at each other. Arven played his role of support, having his Toedscool daze the Orthworm with Supersonic, and as it staggered into a wall, Momo's Crocalor followed with an overwhelming offense of sparkling flames.

The air crackled with the sheen of flame against yielding steel. In one fell swoop, the Orthworm shrunk back down, and as it did, Momo dashed ahead with an Ultra Ball in hand. One, two, three, click.

"Easy peasy, all in record time!" Momo whooped, giddily skipping in a spin before holding the Ultra Ball skywards. "Titan Pokémon obtained!"

"We did it, Momo! Way to go, little buddy!" Arven caught up to her with a giddy gait of his own before meeting her for a high five. His energy still lingered, ever evident in his faint grin and his excitedly clenched fists. "Did you get a good look at its face, though? I didn't expect a big ol' Titan Pokémon to be such a lil' cutie!"

"All according to plan." Momo held a proud smirk as she polished the Ultra Ball on her jacket. "Only fitting to have such a cutie Pokémon for such a cutie like myself, of course."

Arven paused, looked over her, and scoffed. "Sure, buddy."

He tousled her hair and walked ahead with a chuckle. Momo trudged along after him with an exaggerated outburst, one that continued until her defensive claims of cuteness echoed around the cave they walked into.

"Still feeling a bit salty?" Arven's look was smug, and he licked his finger as he flipped through his book. "Guess you and this herb are quite alike, then."

"Shut uuuuup." Momo stuck her tongue out, though she resisted the urge to giggle.

It was time for that third herb. The Salty Herba Mystica. Herba Mystica three-a. Helps with aching, numbness, muscle stuff, all that good stuff. Momo watched as Arven continued reciting herb facts, chilling in her seat with eyes of intrigue and slight anticipation. Then Arven took out his backpack, his ingredients, his other equipment, and Momo could only stare as his demeanor went from antsy to artful in a single breath.

It was back to that display of passionate talent that Momo couldn't take her eyes off of. After more heated cries of 'yeeeaaarrrt' and 'huwatcha' with some 'hiya's on the side, handfuls of whole ingredients were dropped. Sandwiches were prepped. Picks were hurled like masterfully aimed throwing knives. Arven topped it off with a cool smirking flourish as he sprinkled some extra seasoning over the salty sandwiches. When the air settled, his proud composure was met with equally proud staring as Momo clapped afterwards.

"Sorry to keep ya waiting!" Arven cleared his throat as he handed Momo a plate. There was a brief meekness on his face as Momo stared back, but he still held that stride of pride. "Here you go, another of your favorite ol' Arven sandwiches!"

Momo's wide eyes were mirrored by the Miraidon that had already appeared and sat and stared beside her, long tail swishing.

"Figured this might happen." Arven let out a less than surprised sigh. "Don't worry—I made extra this time for that brute of yours."

Momo happily got a good whiff of her warm sandwich as Mirage leapt to fetch the one tossed his way. She watched as Arven set down Mabosstiff's portions, and as she saw the worry in his eyes, she felt something tugging within. Not that she was staring at the way he gently caressed and looked over his Pokémon. She just wanted to pet the poor doggy too, absolutely. Better eat the sandwich so her hands would be free for that. And so she dug in, and with the way those salty flavors nabbed her taste buds just right, she found herself giddy with the way she bounced and swayed in her seat as she kept eating. Very strong crunch too.

"You're really gobbling that thing down." Arven sat in his seat, his pleasant smile directed right at her. "Good sandwich?"

"Mghrgh?" Momo was briefly surprised, and she hastily gulped down her mouthful before clearing her throat. "Good sammich."

"You mean sandwich?"

Momo nodded with a cheeky smile. "Sammich."

Arven shrugged. "Alright, sammich."

"Speech functions temporarily enabled. Propulsion powered leaping functionality restored."

Momo lurched from her seat to gasp at Mirage. "Whoaaaa-"

"You might wanna close your mouth there, little buddy." Arven chuckled. "Not exactly run of the mill ingredients. And also so you don't catch any flies."

"Okie dokie." Momo grinned before meeting her Miraidon's equally excited stare. "Another power boost, Mirage! Talk about reaching greater heights!"

"Least that brute seems to be benefitting from the herbs in his own way." Arven shifted in his seat, especially more so when Mirage eagerly bounded his way to nudge at his shoulder. "Hey, don't go trying anything slobbery! We're not exactly pals! A-And I hope you at least bothered to taste that sandwich before swallowing it down, I worked very hard on it!"

Momo giggled, calling back her Pokémon to spare Arven from such a fate, then started caressing her happy Miraidon's hide. "You know Arven, these herba merba sandwiches of yours are really helping. I've never seen Mirage so lively before. Though… other than recovering, you think eating all these herbs is gonna make him all big and stuff?" There was a bit of hesitation in her tone, but the more she mulled it over, the more evident the excited glint in her eyes were. "All big and strong, like those titans?"

"Actually… hmm." Arven set his sandwich aside, pulling out that violet book once more. "I'm sure there's a more detailed page about Titan Pokémon somewhere…"

Mirage tilted his head one way, Momo tilted her head the other way, and they both found themselves staring as Arven flipped through those pages. His focused eyes and furrowed brow kept going through the little book for a while.

"There we go…" Arven spoke up with certainty. "It is true that it's actually something in the herbs that's making the Titan Pokémon so big and strong. Though that kind of gargantuan size and power is kinda rare, apparently. Those kind of changes probably only happen to Pokémon who have already gorged too much on a specific herb, like an overdose, if that makes sense. Something about their bodies getting used to the overwhelming energy and adjusting in size to match. Least that's what I'm gathering from this book here." He closed the book with a satisfied look. "Eat herb, get better. Eat too much, get bigger. I understand that much to a tee, at least."

"Hmmm…" Momo was quick to understand as well, and that got the diabolical gears in her head turning. Her chin rested comfortably between her finger and her thumb. "So the only Pokémon who can grow super big are ones who have already…" An idea struck, and Momo found herself stifling a giddy giggle. She looked down to see that she still had a good helping of her sandwich left, and she started to wrap it up to go. Definitely something to test out later down the road.

"You seem pretty pleased with yourself, Momo," Arven remarked with a raised eyebrow, leaning forward with a hand on his knee. "Not what I expected since I just answered your question with a no."

"Oh, it's nothing." As Momo tucked the half-eaten sandwich into her bag, she hid her smiles behind her plate. "As if I needed a reason to be pleased with myself, of course. You sure have been studying though."

Arven scoffed. "I wish." Shaking his head, he sighed. "I'm the last person you should be praising about academy stuff. Looking into Mabosstiff's situation had me losing track of all sorts of schedules and assignments, and I just barely managed to scrape enough study time to pass my midterms. Doesn't help that I'm no good at making friends or asking for help."

"Wait, really?" Momo leaned out of her seat with a beaming grin. "I'm no good at making friends either!"

Arven lurched back in surprise when Momo lurched forward. He had recoiled on his rock seat, having almost fallen over in his shock. "That's not… something that you should sound so proud about, you little maniac…!"

As funny as it'd be to see Arven tumble over, Momo reached for his arm, pulling him upright just so he could see that innocent little maniac's smile.

"Maybe once the second half of the education term rolls around, we can help each other out!" Momo beamed eagerly. "And I'd help you catch up on academics and all that!"

Arven looked a bit put off by Momo's sudden enthusiasm for schoolwork. "You? You can do that?"

"Yep yep!" Momo's eyes were sincere, and she remembered her run-ins with Nemona and Penny. "I like helping my friends! Well, the few friends I have. I scratch your back, and you scratch mine! Maybe in return, you can teach me how to make sandwiches in the cool the way you do!"

Momo's stare of admiration lingered for a second, and at that moment, the soft look of hope on Arven's face returned.

"You got yourself a deal, Momo." Arven chuckled. He held out his hand, and Momo shook it. "It wouldn't surprise me if you were as good at studying as you are at battling. For as… energetic as you are, I'll admit you can keep a head as cool as a cooler when it counts."

"Ehehe…" Momo found herself sheepish at the compliment. "Well, I'm nothing if I'm not eccentric. And cool. And if the going gets not-cool, then I try and keep going cool by… trying not to worry about things out of my control. Yep." And also by focusing on things that made her happy, but Momo found herself leaving that part out. She was busy focusing on crossing her arms and trying to look cool.

Arven watched as Momo's footing briefly staggered with her indecisiveness on what pose looked better. "Right. Cooler-headed." He briefly glanced over Momo's shoulder to spot the foodless napkin on the floor. "Oh. You done with your sandwich, Mabosstiff?"

The mound of fur stirred, and Arven knelt by him. Momo was quick to join his side, the both of them staring in expectant silence. Mabosstiff's frail and heaving body looked up at them, quivering orange eyes fixated on one, then the other. There was a whine when he couldn't get up, then, in one effortful breath, Mabosstiff let out a gravelly yet mellow bark.

Arven's expression was in bewildered awe. "'R-ruf'?! You… you heard that, right, Momo? Mabosstiff just woofed! Right?!"

Momo covered her mouth to hide her squeal. "He did! He boofed! He really really did!"

Mabosstiff's eyes slowly glazed over the two once more, and as if to reaffirm what just happened, he woofed again.

"See! See that!" Arven's grin was radiant, and in between relieved breaths was the urge to laugh. "I knew I wasn't just hearing things! It's… it's been so long since I heard that woof!" His expression quivered with his eyes, and with a sniffle, he knelt down to embrace his Pokémon. "Oh, Mabosstiff! Who's my best bud, huh? Who's the best of boys? You are, yes you are!"

"Aww…" Momo's eyes watched as Arven continued hugging Mabosstiff, even getting licked in the process, and couldn't help but feel her lip quiver as well.

She carefully knelt down to Mabosstiff's side, hoping to give the big floofy boofy doggy some well deserved petting as well. "Good boy. Big boofy boy. The goodest boofy boy. Don't tell Mirage or Diego I said that, 'kay?"

Even as weak as he looked, his tail was wagging, and Momo gave him a pat on the back. Then she caught a glimpse of Arven's joyful tears, an urge tugged at her, and she reached over to give him a quick pat on the back as well. Her heart called out in her gestures, tearfully wishing them both all the solace they deserved.

Though Mabosstiff was the center of attention, that interest shifted when one hand accidentally ended up over the other. With that coincidental touch, Momo's eyes met with Arven's. Their fleeting stares locked for a moment, and both were quick to turn away, drawing back as they did. A wordlessly awkward moment later, they wiped their tears and sniffles away and composed themselves.

Arven was the first to get back up. "Whew. That's herb number three. You know what that means."

Though Momo turned away, she still nodded. "Yep… we're more than halfway done."

"And Mabosstiff is definitely getting better!" Arven's excitement picked up. "Oh, and your brute too!"

Momo felt the urge to scoff, then faced him with a smirk. "His name is Mirage. If anything, you're the brute, you… tall guy."

"Alright, alright." Arven snickered. He tousled Momo's hair, then she tried and failed to do the same, leaving him chuckling some more. "I just wanna say… lately I feel like my luck's finally been turning around. I mean, ever since I teamed up with you, good things keep happening! So I hope you're still in it to stick it out until we're done!"

"You bet I'm sticking around!" Momo elevated her enthusiasm to match his. "I always look forward to doing this with you, and nothing's gonna stop me from seeing it through! You and me, together!"

Arven's faint smile grew ever wider, and for a moment, ever softer. "You and me!"

Filled in heart and stomach alike, Momo stuck to sticking around, insisting on helping out with cleaning up. She was always good at helping out with chores back home, though she didn't like the dwindling excitement that came with these cleanup times in particular. Cleanup time meant the end of sandwich time, and for some reason, she didn't like that. She wasn't sure why she felt so reluctant to part ways with Arven, they did it quite easily back at Artazon, but she wasn't… not going to do something about that.

She found herself glancing at how dutifully he managed to fold everything up before cramming it into his backpack. The thought of leaving to be alone on the road again made her heart sink. But she did so well last time, so why did this time feel different?

Momo briefly mustered her courage, gathered her ideas, then spoke. "Hey, wanna go sightseeing?"

Arven had just put his backpack back on to give her an odd look. "You mean… sightsee again? I thought we already spent a good deal walking around Levincia."

Momo didn't want to lean too hard into certain implications. "Think of it as… me helping you with art study, yep! You know the Ten Sights of Paldea? That's something from Mr. Hassel's class! And it turns out, I just remembered we're actually pretty tippity tip close to one!"

Arven mulled it over for a second, then responded with a friendly chuckle. "Is this your idea of trying to repay me for another… ahem, sammich?"

"Yes." Momo decided to go along with it. She didn't wanna make things awkward by dwelling.

Arven's smile was lighthearted, and as he walked past her to tousle her hair again, Momo felt at ease.

"Repay away, little buddy."

"Whatever you say, Archen!"

"Still not my name, but okay."

It was chilly back out on these high up northeast routes, so the extra warmth was appreciated. After the Miraidon's quick nap, Mirage was ready for riding, and it was out the cave and into the night with two passengers aboard. The sensation of going together for an evening ride was something Momo found familiar, though something still felt… different.

The idea with Mr. Hassel's sightseeing discussion as well as being able to take Mirage's new jumping skills for a test drive were all honest, albeit convenient excuses. Excuses for… something. Whatever it was, all Momo knew was that she wanted to keep Arven around for a little while longer, and that she had to keep her eyes on the road. Momo held on to Mirage, and Arven held on to her, and Momo found her heart racing as Mirage took another momentous leap. Racing with how Mirage raced through the air, of course.

Momo shuddered, and she wasn't sure if it was because she felt cold or warm. Her tense posture leaned forward as they picked up in speed, having her squinting through her glasses to focus on where they were headed. Leaping up the dug out craters, steering around sleeping Cufant, keeping close to the cliff railings amidst winding paths, it was up and down and all around until their destination was found. As Momo dismounted Mirage, she peered over the cliff area they were at, the one that overlooked a river leading to a waterfall a ways below.

"Here we are!" Momo grinned and spread her arms with a flourish, though she glanced at the nearby sign to make sure she got the place right. "The Million Volt Skyline! One of the Ten Sights of Paldea!" With a proud giggle, she found herself skipping towards the view.

"Are you sure it's safe to be this high up?" Arven carefully dismounted Mirage, begrudgingly sticking close to him instead of following. "This is cliff territory, a-and that sign says no sitting!"

But with that, Momo sat. "Live a little, you worrywart!" She gestured to the spot next to her, dangling her legs off the edge. "We're here for adventure! Take a looksee!"

She watched as Arven gulped, then gingerly inched closer. Cautiously, he took his spot, though his eyes remained low all the while. "So… that's a waterfall. What's so special about it?"

Momo huffed, then tapped at his chin. "I thought you cooksy types were supposed to be artsy types. Look beyond the waterfall."

She giggled, then relaxed into a satisfied sigh as she basked in the view once more. It was a good thing she stopped by at such an hour, she figured. Past the waterfall below was the body of water that would form the beaches around Levincia. And with that line of sight, she was greeted with the best view of that grand city against the night sky. The distant lights illuminated the place, with the outline of Levincia's grandeur shining like a beacon, a glamorous star in the sky to be admired.

Momo let her eyes indulge in the awestruck view. "Dazzling…"

"It's actually real nice…" She glanced to see that Arven calmed down, a peaceful look resting on his face. "I'll be honest, I've never actually gotten to see a sky high view like this before…"

Momo smirked proudly to herself. "You can thank me for the learning experience later."

He stopped to clear his throat, raising an eyebrow Momo's way. "Was… was there a catch to you bringing me here?"

Momo's smile slipped. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know…" Arven chuckled. "Like back at Artazon and all? Is some hidden Sunflora gonna lead us on another wild Yungoos chase or something?"

"No catch! I swear!" Momo cried out flusteredly. "I just thought… it'd be cool to experience this view with you! You know, so we'd both have something nice and pretty to look at. Yep." She felt how flushed she was and cleared her throat. Sincerity was difficult. She wasn't sure how else to explain her need for company.

Arven stopped to stare at her, almost narrowing his eyes, but his gaze softened up. "I guess I just never took you for the quietly sightseeing type. You really can be soft sometimes."

"Got me there." Momo found herself sheepishly rubbing her sleeve. "I used to go sightseeing a lot with my parents. Views are great, but I'm not used to enjoying them alone." Her truthful words slipped out almost too easily.

"Oh, your parents…" Arven's expression wavered for a moment. "They must've been quite the people if they had time for you."

"No, my parents still ended up too busy to do anything with me as the years went on. They're still back in my home region." Momo let out a halfhearted chuckle, looking back at the city. It seemed so far from where she was. "Raising me was a tough effort, and eventually they got super caught up in their super important jobs and stuff. One of 'em is even a top notch Pokémon champion, if you can believe that."

Arven paused, almost looking surprised for a second. "Actually, I can believe that." His sad smile mirrored hers. "My parents never really had time for me because of… things. I don't really like talking about it."

"Oh…" Momo felt the urge to inch closer. So she did. "Well, that makes the two of us then. Welcome to the club."

"Glad to be here."

Momo looked up at him to try and read his expression. "Do you actually mean that?"

Arven glanced back, rolled his eyes, and his stoic face held the faintest smile. "Sure."

They both found themselves staying silent for a while, going back to staring at the view. Nothing wrong with that, Momo supposed. It was kind of relaxing, kicking back against the breeze and taking in the view of views. Though, for as calm as this was supposed to be, she still found it odd that her heart was still racing even if all she was doing was just sitting.

She felt Arven shudder beside her and heard him mumbling. "Brrr… it's pretty chilly all the way up here."

"Oh! I have just the thing!" Momo quickly perked up. She almost unzipped her jacket, then quickly realized hers would be too small. So instead, she took out a Pokéball.

Arven raised an eyebrow as Diego popped out. "Your Crocalor?"

Momo proudly nodded with the happy little gator on her lap. "His name is Diego. He may be cold blooded but he's good at keeping me warm." The Crocalor yawned during her spiel. "Okay, Diego, mooooove…"

But the heavy Diego had curled up asleep on Momo's lap, and she could only groan uselessly as she tried to get him to budge. It was like trying to pick up a big warm rock, and Momo did not have any experience in picking up big warm rocks.

"This was so much easier when you were a Fuecoco…" Momo grunted through gritted teeth.

Arven snickered, which made Momo want to glare at him. "Mabosstiff was like this all the time. I got this. Let me just move closer."

"H-Huh?"

Now it was Arven who had moved to her, and Momo could only blink in surprise when she realized their shoulders were now touching. In that quick moment, Arven gently picked up Diego and set him down so he was curled up on both their laps.

"There. Now we can share." Arven grinned, dusting off his hands before ruffling Momo's hair. "Don't want you to be cold either, little buddy. Maybe I should catch a Fire type of my own if I'm gonna travel to places like these."

Momo was quick to feel her own kind of warmth. "Yep. Good idea."

They were both warm now. It was only natural to keep friends this close, right? Well, the last time they were this close, it was to comfort her, so Momo held on to that thought as she leaned left ever so slightly, leaving her head on his shoulder. He didn't mind, and with a breath, Momo calmed down. Just for extra warmth measure, she reached over to give him a pat on the back, he reached over to give her one as well, though after that their hands happened to stay there. No biggie.

Just two good friends, staying warm close and enjoying the view together. At least, Momo hoped she was still doing this friend thing right. They were both fellow loners in that regard in more ways than one, finding friendship in each other thanks to the cheesy power of… cheesy sandwiches. And Momo liked helping her friends out, so doing this to give him the chance to have something cool to look at was the right thing to do, surely.

With another quiet breath, she tried to collect her thoughts. They were here to admire the view, here because she didn't want to see this alone. Here so he could sightsee because his parents didn't have time to let him experience that with someone. The very thought had her lean further into his side.

The most she knew about Arven's parents were that Professor Turo guy who gave her that Miraidon watching assignment on her first day at Uva. Other than that there wasn't much else she saw of the guy other than the few phone calls she got regarding Mirage's status report. If Arven really was the son of a professor, she could've asked him more about it, but she respected his choice not to say more.

Momo often found herself glancing back at Arven. While his eyes were still fixed ahead, there was still that rigid look on his face. Maybe that similar parental history was why he looked so troubled all the time, well, as if the Mabosstiff situation wasn't enough. She found herself hoping she could see him smile again.

The spotlights of Levincia blared onward, and Momo tried to look ahead. At least she had her own good memories with her parents. There were watchtowers and lighthouses back home too. Yet, those places and memories seemed so far away now, and while she liked to look back at them fondly, Momo accepted that those times were far out of reach and would likely stay that way. That was in the past, and the only gift of present she could stay close to today was…

Momo's eyes found themselves elsewhere. Nice and pretty and dazzling. Yep.

Arven's eyes eventually glanced away from the view, and Momo's stare hastily darted away. "You know, a spot as out of the way as this would be a neat spot for a picnic."

Hearing him speak again was tantamount to snapping her out of a trance. Thankfully he didn't catch her looking. "Oh yep!" Momo mustered her proud know-it-all smile as she pushed her glasses up. "Mr. Hassel said the Million Volt Skyline is a pretty 'fleek selfie spot', and it's also popular for…" She found herself trailing of. Romance. The word was on her tongue, but the implications that came with it weighed her down. "... camping! Yep, you know, I know a thing or two about camping! Did it back home, it was some pretty intense stuff, ehehe…"

Arven raised an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like you've been through some exciting things, wherever you're from. Now you got me interested about this camping stuff."

Momo's expression lit up with excitement. "I can talk more about it if you'd like. I have so much I could gush about, like…" Though her smile was nigh unstoppable, she found herself hesitating. She remembered what happened last time she tried gushing to someone she wished was her friend. With a wavering stare, she brought herself to look at him. "Hey, Arven? Do you think I'm… talking too much? In the annoying kind of way?"

For a moment, Arven paused. With a gentle look, he reached over to gently ruffle her hair. "You can sure be a little demon sometimes, I'll give you that. But truth be told, I still like having you around. And of course I like hearing your stories, Momo."

Momo was surprised, and for a moment, she wanted to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing or hearing things. It was faint, but his stare looked genuine. She wasn't sure why, but he was genuinely okay with hearing her out. She wasn't sure why, but that also made her heart skip with more joy than usual.

"Okay!" Momo grinned. "So there were these tents, and we were in 'em, and…"

As if sparking a distant bulb, Momo's interest caught on as she recalled her precious memories. Amidst her spiel, while she didn't exactly have room to strike a pose, she still tried her best to make it something worth listening to.

Levincia still shone brightly in the distance, but Momo's enthusiasm was coming pretty close to being just as radiant. She saw Arven's expression lightening up as she continued, with that hopeful smile she liked trying to coax out of him. It was a smile that made her smile, an interest that kept her interested, an emotion that had her feeling… something.

Though Momo's words spoke of her old region experiences, as her heart continued racing with excitement, her thoughts reveled elsewhere. Her heart still longed for thrills and excitement, the kind that were a dime a dozen on her titan catching spree. Yet, her yearning for heart racing thrills felt different somehow.

A faint suspicion popped up frequently in Momo's thoughts, but she tried pushing that particular r-word deep down. She couldn't afford to get choked up on her words when she was busy relaying scary tales of wild things, after all. Besides, her emotions definitely, absolutely, were not feeling that special something, right?