It had been a busy, busy couple of days for Momo.

While she was mostly in the clear for her subjects and assignments, she wasn't quite yet in the clear in terms of busywork. It turned out that being a Paldea champion came with some additional tasks courtesy of Geeta herself. At least they weren't the paperwork kind of tasks, moreso the kind that trusted her with visiting the cities of Paldea to 'check up' on all the Gym Leaders again. With great championships came great responsibility, and an often winded Momo understood just how hardworking Nemona must've been before her.

The academy would always be there for her to come back to, at least. A good champion would always have time for her best buddies, and Momo held that title in stride as she stopped by the cafeteria to catch up with her beloved friends.

"... so let me get this straight." Arven blinked at the three of them. "Everyone's been lifted by Nemona… except me?"

Penny nodded, having already finished her meal alongside everyone else. "For me, it was in Area Zero. And Mondie…"

"Ehehehe…" Momo touched her fingers together. "It looked fun, so there was that one time I asked her, and she did. I like being held, okay?"

Momo's fleeting glances met the smiling faces of her friends, though it was Arven's she kept her gaze on for a second longer.

"Wait!" Nemona slammed her hands on the table, pointing at Arven. "You're lying! I know I've lifted you before! It was when we were kids!"

Arven's eyes were alarmed, and he slammed the table back. "W-We don't talk about that! That was a long time ago, so it doesn't count!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

They had both leaned over the table and continued their spat, and while they were doing that, Momo and Penny leaned back in their seats with similarly bewildered looks.

"I didn't even know they knew each other that long," Momo whispered. "How long do you think they're going to go at it?"

"Depends." Penny raised a cheeky eyebrow at her. "Do you argue with your man often?"

"N-No!" Momo brought her flustered eyes away. "We don't argue like that! And he is not my man!" She crossed her arms. "He's my grumpy worrywart. There's a difference." Secret's still safe, nailed it.

Nemona was really starting to sound fired up now. "If I was able to lift you like that back then, do you think I can still do it now?"

Arven was quick to back away. "Don't try it!"

Another incident for the books, another bit of commotion for the cafeteria, another set of giggles to share. Momo didn't mind the extra eyes that gathered, watching Nemona trying to bench press a whole person. As unconventional as it was, she was proud of where she stood, enjoying such a moment with her friends. Friends she was proud to have made, and to have gone through this entire Paldea journey with.

Plus, she didn't know it was that easy to make Arven squeal. Now she was getting ideas.

Thankfully, the argument settled down before either Nemona or Arven could lose their lunch or break anything. They all had other things to do, or so they said, and as they walked away, bickering for a bit once more, they each split off where the hallways deemed it convenient. But before that, through those corridors, it was like the four of them were all taking their steps down the long road home again, as if the call for adventure that shone still dwelled within each and every one of them. Of course, Momo had no way of knowing if they were actually thinking that, but her giggling heart could always dream.

While neither the past nor the future had been kind to any them, Momo was glad she still had this present to spend with these people. People who had so much passion to show, people who had so much distance to shoulder, people who had so much to learn about how loved they really were. People like her, who she could unapologetically be herself around.

"See ya, Nemone! Later, Penny! Take care, Arvie!"

Penny didn't get a nickname, because Momo knew she didn't like those. But the more she thought about it, the more she started to mull over the idea of coming up with one…

A notification blip. Momo pulled out her phone faster than it could levitate itself out of her pocket.

"Meet me at Chez Arven. There's something big I wanna talk to you about. :)"

What a fancy way of hollering her over. If it weren't for Momo trying to keep a low profile, she would've twirled and giggled and squealed with glee on the spot. She waited a few seconds to make sure Nemona and Penny were out of earshot, then did that anyway, frolicking all the way to where the dormitory hall was.

"Arvie!" Momo called out, knocking on the door. No response, but she did hear the sound of the lock clicking. "Your door's unlocked, so I'll just step on in and-"

"Gotcha!"

Not even a few steps in, and Momo was ambushed by a pair of arms emerging from behind the coat rack. Appearing from his raincoat hiding spot was Momo's one and only, who had swiftly scooped her up for a spinning hug.

"Arvieeeeee…!"

All at once, the joy in their smiles was back in full swing, excitement carried throughout their laughs as the world spun around them, where all they could see was each other. What a thrill it was to be with him like this, being hugged and twirled by him without a care in the universe, a yearning solidified by their embrace. Spinning hugs were Momo's favorite for a reason.

"Whew…" Arven's blushing face smiled back at her. A good view to have. "How's that for being held? Don't think I didn't catch you staring back there, little buddy."

"Ehehehe…" Momo giggled, relishing their closeness for a good warm second. Then she grabbed his shoulders so she could plant a kiss on his lips. "You deserved a Momo kiss for that. A lifetime supply, even!" It was so easy to get him so blushy.

Arven blinked for a flustered second before his smile grew. "I… I thought you already promised me that before. And a while before that. And a while before that, too." His lips met her forehead for a prolonged second.

Momo was almost embarrassed at how easy it was for her to blush in return, but she didn't mind. "Well, now you can say you're entitled to several lifetimes of Momo kisses!" Her temples felt blessed by his worship.

"Easy, easy." Arven chuckled, setting her down on a chair before tousling her hair. "You're sure enthusiastic today. Do you think any of the others suspected a thing back there? We've been playing the subtle game with them for a while now."

"Psssh, do you have to ask?" Momo held her haughty smile where she was, turning to lean against the backside of the seat. "Nemona and Penny still don't suspect a thing about us! I wanna see how long it'll take for them to realize!"

She was so proud of herself for keeping their super special secret, giddily rocking in her seat.

"So! What did you wanna talk about? Did you wanna nerd out good ol' triple P? Did you wanna talk about any more secret date ideas we could have? Did you wanna lie down and watch another documentary? Ooh, or did you want a nap buddy again?" She liked playing nap buddy.

Arven blew out a breath with a shifting expression. "Okay, you're going to want to sit down for this."

But Momo was already sitting down.

"A-Anyway…" Arven cleared his throat, sitting down on his bed. "There's just something serious I wanted to talk to you about, Momo."

Her eyes were still on him, but she eased her giggling urges for a little bit. "I'm listening, Arven. So what's up?"

"Okay." Arven looked to be mustering his expression. "So… you know that I've been having trouble figuring out what to do with myself lately? I've been doing a lot of thinking, and reading, and mainly thinking. Thinking about how much fun I've had finding all the Herba Mystica together with you, but also how insanely rough it's been to see Mabosstiff all ill and weak thinking there's nothing I could do about it. And I figured there's gotta be other people who are still suffering like that, worrying about their sick or hurt Pokémon. So… so I… I… uh…"

Momo noticed he was stumbling over his words, struggling to keep his eye contact, hesitating. She still watched him with a smile, intently listening, intently understanding. "Go on, Arvie."

As if soothed by her voice, he looked back at her, taking a breath as he rubbed his hands together. "Don't laugh, okay?" With a huff of his own, the determined gusto in his expression returned. "I've decided that I… I'm gonna become a cook! I'm gonna make super healthy food, bursting full of the stuff Pokémon need to feel great! I know I'm no professional, but… I want to help people and their Pokémon in my own special way, and that's enough for me!"

The passion in his eyes was enough to spark the excitement in Momo's as well. Him being so sure of himself was more than enough for her. "I'm so, so proud of you, Arvie." She let a few squealing giggles out at that. "Know that I'll be behind you all the way! In terms of this cooking stuff, I already know you're a natural!"

A glimpse of relief, then determination. "A natural? I'm self-taught in everything I know, y'know!"

Momo felt her heart soften with her inner pride. "And that's how I know you'll be able to pull this off." She knew well that all her friends worked so, so hard to achieve what they did, every single one, and that included her too.

Even if he told her not to laugh, Arven looked just about ready for his hopeful smile to turn into that. Another breath, and he rubbed at his eyes with a sleeve before looking at her. "Whew, so you're really okay with this?" He steadied his gaze with the faintest uncertainty. "You're really okay with someone as amazing as you being with someone with dreams as humble as mine?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Momo's voice was gentle as she joined him, sitting by his side with every bit of admiration and reassurance in her stare. "You're perfect. I don't want you to change a thing."

That seemed to catch Arven by rosy surprise. Momo felt similarly, feeling that often dream-like sense of disbelief whenever something magical left her mouth. But it felt right all the same, just as her smile did, just as his smile did, just as the wonderfully awkward moments they spent together were.

"So yeah." Arven eventually breathed out the words with a laugh. "Thanks, Momo. I knew I could count on you to be all supportive like that. The culinary world might be a bit different, but I swear—I'm gonna be just as famous as my parents!" He looked to her with a smirk. "So I'm gonna start taking this seriously now! Which means I can't afford to have you distracting me during home ecs with that eye thing you do! It's one of the few classes I'm good at!"

Momo smirked back, fluttering her eyelashes at him the best she could. "You're lucky we share classes."

She loved winning his smile over like that. Arven carefully put an arm over her shoulder. "Alright, I'll admit, you're not wrong there. I've been… unbelievably lucky."

"Besides…" Momo leaned closer against his side, easing into his touch, looking up at him all the while. "I like making the most of the hours we get nowadays. You know Geeta still has a bunch of stuff for me to do for arranging that Academy Ace Tournament event."

Arven chuckled. "You mean the School Battle Brawl?"

Momo shot him a look. "Arven, I love you, but I have to agree with Nemona on Academy Ace Tournament being a cooler name." She couldn't keep her glare up for long. He was too beautiful for that. "Whatever the case, just know I'll always have time for you. That's a Momo promise!"

"I really don't deserve you, you know." But Arven's warm smile was deserving of that and more. "Director Clavell's still on my side with the School Battle Brawl thing though."

"Shhhhhh."

She loved giving him her Momo everything. Momo promises, Momo kisses, and all the Momo nudges that left them bumping shoulders as they laid down on that bed, staring up at his ceiling, wondering about the stars beyond. It felt illegal to be in the moon's splendor this early in the day. Of course, they spent some glancing seconds staring at each other instead, indulging in the pride of all the smiles they earned from each other. There was a grin in particular that Momo got a particularly close look at.

"No way." Her eyes widened with awe and amazement as she leaned closer. "Arvie! You didn't tell me you had a lil' fang too!"

"O-Oh, right." All it took was a sheepish chuckle, and that corner of his face was hidden once more with him inching away. "I don't remember the last time anyone's seen that. I've been told I got it from my mom or something… It's definitely not as cute as yours, though."

Momo's shining smirk was proud as always, and she carried that in her encouragement. "I'll have you know I come from a fang appreciating household, so you don't need to be shy about that! My grandma loves the fang, and I bet she'd love yours too!" Another thought passed her mind, and her tone softened as she reached for his hand. "You deserve that love, Arven."

Arven wasn't usually the smiliest person, but that seemed to tug at a very specific heartstring. He took her hand, gentle in his touch, and bumped her shoulder. "Little buddy."

"Grumpy worrywart." She giggled as she returned the gesture. "You know, you're not that much of a grump or a worrying wart anymore." All the sweet and caring gestures said as much.

Arven raised an eyebrow. "So what does that make me now?"

She matched his eye-level, inching another moment closer. "Mine." She gave him a Momo kiss for that.

That little peck earned her a close look at Arven's widened eyes. "Just… just asking, was that a line you got from one of the romance stories you've read, or…"

"Nah." Momo had a proud wink to show for it. "It came from the heart."

With how close they were lying to each other, it took every bit of restraint for Momo to barrel into Arven for some good ol' cuddling, but her Rotom Phone had other ideas. Arven's, too. With that notification blip, they had both sat up to see what supposedly urgent messages awaited them.

"Ooh." Momo's curious eyes lit up as she read the message. "Director Clavell wants us to do some extra recon work in Area Zero!"

"Again?" Arven blinked back at her. "Guess there are still more of those Paradox Pokémon wandering about. Looks like our merry band of four has more to deal with over there."

"And that's my favorite part! The journey, the friendship, the discovery! Maybe today's the day I'll stumble across a shiny Pokémon!" The thought of imagination-spanning possibilities had Momo giddily hopping to her feet in an excited twirl. "So what'll it be, Arvie? Think you and your chef self are up to the task of all this?"

The resolve in Arven's eyes hadn't wavered one bit. "Don't forget who you're talking to, Momo!" The fire in his eyes matched hers. "Even if I'm an aspiring cook, I still have the experience of having a herbaceous-ly powerful Pokémon team under my belt! They're still stars!"

There was that confidence. "As much as I love it here in the Uva, I cannot wait to get a move on to Pokémon pastures to explore with my epic team!" She offered Arven her hand. "So, ready to head on to some more blood-pumping, spine-chilling, powerful Pokémon adventures?"

"I mean, I gotta get involved in these dangerous adventures if I wanna get my hands on some exotic ingredients, don't I?" He met her eye before accepting her hand, standing up alongside her. "I'll always be up for that excitement. Also means I can scope out some nice spots for picnics. I know Mabosstiff's been raring for more of the quiet sightseeing we like so much."

"That sounds just like you, Arvie." Momo giggled, holding on to him with the intention of never letting go. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Uniform and comfy pullover? Check. Trusty backpacks filled with stuff to do? Check. Arven kisses? Check, even if a Pokémon interrupted their moments more often than Momo liked. Least she can say Mabosstiff kisses weren't in short supply. Maybe she could give Arven some Mirage kisses in return.

Walking past photos of treasured experiences old and new, Momo readily headed off with her favorite people towards whatever treasures awaited them. Her journey had always been one about yearning, whether it was attention, company, or prestige, but now she was content with what she had and who she was. She would always have her Pokémon, her friends, her experiences, things she swore to stick by. A beautiful reality, and one she was sure to make the most out of.

With one door closed, a couple more would open, but wherever Momo went, she was glad to be able to take this journey with Arven, now and always. The book may have closed on their little hunt for finding themselves, their callings, and each other, but new chapters awaited them. All alongside new dreams, new hopes, and new moments. They were ready to face the future, alongside whatever paradise it had in store for them.

"... if it makes you feel any better, I bet my parents would love you. If you ever met them, I mean. Since I kinda met one of yours and all."

"... let's just consider that an adventure for another day, alright?"

End.