Another yearly quarter. Another mandated committee get-together. Another two days of overtime to make up for it, he figured.

Maybe it was his own fault. After he skipped out on two of these parties in a row, she "strongly encouraged" him that he'd better make this one. With that kind but hiding smile on her face that he knows all too well.

And of course, to add bitter irony, Geeta herself ended up having to take a raincheck due to some big event happening at Uva Academy.

And so the Exceptional Everyman Larry was here. Dressed up in his favorite black business suit. In the staff lounge of the Pokémon League building. With all the other Gym Leaders and Elite Four members of the League. And now that Larry was here, he proceeded to party the way he usually does.

By standing around. Sharing pleasantries with whoever decided to come up and seek company with him for a minute. But when he truly needed something to do, there was always the crafts table.

Most of the spread at this party was the typical standard. The usual fruit salad bowl offered by Brassius and the town of Artazon on one table. Delicious finger foods and a big seafood roast provided by Kofu and his restaurant staff.

I know I should probably check out that place. But I just don't know if I'm a seafood person. …Or a Kofu person.

Grusha made plates of apple fritter.

Where does he get the apples from?

And once again, Tulip brought… that. The last time Larry asked, he was told that it's yogurt. A gourmet yogurt good for your "keratin" or something like that (that apparently he "could really use"). He still wasn't too sure about that, gazing down at the weird, frothy pink goo looking back up at him from the decorated clay bowl.

It doesn't even have a smell. Shouldn't yogurt have a smell?

But it was the bug-loving chef Katy who always put in more effort than anyone else, and Larry was always the first to notice. At each one of these get-togethers, she brings all sorts of specialty sweets. Marshmallow Pokémon pops. Home-baked cookies with a warm Sweet Heart on top. The Pecha Berry pie she made last party was agreed by everyone to be her most delicious contribution yet.

Creative dishes like those always made these parties feel vaguely worth it to Larry. Katy's sweets were never in any doubt the most delicious things on offer. And just like every other time, Larry would think to himself that he really should take a visit to Patisserie Soapberry sometime to see what else their menu has to offer.

Maybe sometime this month if I can arrange for a day off…

This time however, Katy had clearly outdone herself, even though she also had to suddenly pull out at the last minute. One of her assistants had brought in a huge dessert tray filled to the top with cupcakes. But not just any cupcakes.

These were all gourmet blue-colored cupcakes with a sparkling white frosting on top, wrapped in a glittery foil, with bits of fruit poking out when you peeled it away. And on each one of them was a specially made pick with two gleaming silverish-blue bug-shaped antennae. The confectionary itself consisted of a vanilla mold with Oran Berries and Kelpsey Berries baked in for flavor, her assistant explained.

"Compliments of the chef!"

Larry realized these had to be even better than ordinary, because they had been deceivingly popular among the guests. He saw the full tray when it was brought in, around the same time he and the first guests arrived. Now that he had made his way to the table an hour or so in… only four remained.

"They look truly splendid, don't they?"

Larry felt his shoulders raise a little. He turned his head to see the Gym Leader of Artazon standing next to him.

"Oh-ho! Sorry if I gave you a fright, my friend," Brassius apologized. "I forget you scare easily."

"I don't scare that easily," said Larry. "You're just a bit extra sometimes."

"Well, jumpy or not, I'm positively leaping at the beauty of Katy's sweet delights this year!" He picked up one of the cupcakes. "It's as beautiful to look at as it surely is to eat!"

"Berries add flavor to anything you know," Hassel chimed in, suddenly standing next to them as well.

"Yes," Larry tried to join in. "It really adds a—"

"Excellently said, Hass! Taking a vanilla cupcake, so sweet on its own, mixed with such flavorful fruits is a bold and striking affirmation indeed! And look at that stunning decoration on top!" Brassius marveled.

He continued, "The choice of sparkling teal and silver to complement the cerulean blue frosting, and the way those antennae swirl as if in tune with Mother Nature's own love of round patterns. I'd never have pinned our dear Katy for having such an artist's eye!"

"Hmmm," said Hassel examining it further. "Now that you mention it, those antennae look awfully familiar… Have you ever seen them before, Larry?" So someone had noticed his attempt to chime in.

"It looks almost exactly like the jewel a Bug Pokémon wears when it's Terastallized," said Larry.

"Ahh! So you are very perceptive for allusions as well, my blossoming friend!" Brassius replied. He gave Larry a light pat on the shoulder, which made him flinch a bit. "Yes, yes! I see it now! Look! With the magnificent Tera-inspired crown in place, I think that's exactly what she was going for!"

Brassius grabbed one cupcake and handed it off to Hassel, then took another plate and a cupcake to examine it more himself.

"It's funny though," Brassius remarked, looking at it more closely. "In all my years as a trainer and then a Gym Leader, I've seen all manners of magnificent Tera Jewels shining upon a Pokémon's noble dome. But… Bug might be among the rarest ones I've ever seen."

Larry turned to face him directly. "That's surprising."

"Why is that?"

"You specialize in Grass Pokémon, right? I would think some trainers want to Terastallize their own Bug Pokémon when they're facing you, since their moves have an advantage against your Pokémon's type."

"Hmm! You might think so, yes. But in fact, most of the trainers who have challenged my beautiful blossoms will typically engage with a blazing Fire-type or a majestic Flying-type in order to Terastallize. Even when facing against my beloved 'Trulewoodo'!"

"Hmmm," Larry pondered, gazing at the cupcakes again. "How strange."

Brassius took a bite of his cupcake, chewed it very gracefully, and then swallowed.

"If I were to hazard a guess why, it might be because you don't find too many little skitterbugs around Artazon who can wallop a good punch. In fact, I think to a lot of trainers Bug Pokémon still carry a reputation for being weak."

"I guess I never thought about it that way before." After a few seconds, Larry decided to take a cupcake for himself and walk off with his plate.

"Yes, sad really… Mind you, much as I have all the respect in the world for Katy as a fellow artisan, I think the fact that she sticks to using a small team and offering easy challenges as she does might only hinder that mindset so—" He stopped when he noticed Larry had left. "Oh. Lost yourself in your own musings again, Brassius. How embarrassing."

Across the mountains and down the rolling gray hills to the cozy town of Cortondo, noises of pans, ovens, and spatulas lined the busy kitchens of Patisserie Soapberry.

With the final day of the Olive Harvest Festival upon Cortondo, the pastry shop had been busier than ever today. It wasn't just that all of Cortondo's locals had congregated for the big harvest. This year, news of the feats from the kid from Uva Academy who had recently been anointed a Champion traveled wide, and so did the town's boasts that she had helped ensure a fruitful harvest by excelling at the Great Olive Roll more than any challenger to date.

Thus, the big festival also drew in Paldeans from the neighboring areas as well as excitable tourists from other regions. And they all seemed to have brought quite the sweet tooth with them.

Making sweets for the Olive Harvest Festival is already more taxing than on usual days, Katy felt, since it means she needs to brush up on remembering all her olive-centered recipes that she can only make when the little fruit is in season.

But this year's harvest saw one of the hugest turnouts the pastry chef had ever seen, and ultimately it turned out to be one of the Soapberry's busiest days on record. Katy had stayed up extra late the night before to prepare enough goods for her staff to start with before heading up to the Pokémon League party, but it only took the morning crowd for most of those pre-baked goods to vanish, and for her to realize her help was going to be especially needed today.

Which was especially disappointing given how hard she worked on her special Terastallized Bug-Berry Cupcakes for the party. For her, half of the fun of making extravagant sweets like that is seeing the looks of joy and delight on her colleagues' faces when they feast on them.

But it couldn't be helped. Work is work, and there'll always be another quarter. Now the sun was starting to go down, and people were starting to make their way back home or to their hotels as the Oricorio Olive Marchers finished their last dance show at the center street of town.

While Katy got out another pan of olive-stuffed crème rolls from the oven, her assistant chef Krista stepped in through the kitchen doors.

"I think those festivalgoers have finally all petered out, Chef!" Krista informed her boss.

"Thank heavens for that!" Katy replied, wiping sweat (along with a bit of cream cheese) off her face.

"TEE TEE!" Her Tarountula helper chirped up as it began to tie ribbons over the crème rolls.

"If you don't mind my saying, Chef, I think I can handle the shop on my own for the rest of the evening if you still want to make that party with all the Gym Leaders."

"Oh, thank you Krista! You're such a peach!" Katy smiled. "But… It's getting late now," she said, somewhat mournfully looking at the clock. "I think the party will be winding down by the time I make it up the mountain. So… I think I might just stay here."

Tarountula gave a sad chirp. Katy smiled at it, and gave its tiny chin some skritches.

"I really did look forward to seeing everyone's smiling faces, but it is what it is. I'll just have to look forward to the next gathering and hope I can make it then." Katy stopped to exhale. "For right now, I just really hope they enjoyed my cupcakes."

Katy straightened her hat and tied her apron strings tighter as she prepared to create more treats for the next batch of hungry pastry lovers.

Larry was in heaven.

The cupcake he had just finished was one of the most delectable, most deliciously flavorful things he had ever tasted in his life. It made him flash back to his childhood for a brief moment; all the sugary, juicy sweets he used to eat as a kid. A burst of sudden joy seemingly encapsulated into this one pastry.

Internally, he was in awe. Externally, his face just looked still. Like he was deep in thought. Rika and Hassel, sitting at the table with him, had stopped talking a while ago and were both staring at him in confusion.

"Uhhh, Larry?" Rika said, waving a hand over his face. "You still with us, buddy?"

Without taking his eyes off his plate, Larry stood up.

"I have to get another one of those."

Then he walked away, leaving both Rika and Hassel there with perplexed expressions.

"He must've really enjoyed that cupcake," said Hassel.

Larry made his way over to the crafts table, where for once chance seemed to smile upon him.

The last cupcake was still there. Sitting on the tray. Just begging to be eaten. Larry could almost feel his mouth salivate as he marched over to the tray and reached out to take it.

…Just as he was about to however, an oversized yellow jacket sleeve suddenly sniped it.

"Hey," he said in a voice too low for anyone to hear. Much less the person who took it.

"Hey, hey, hey! Your eyeballs are MINE— caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? Iono! 'Ello, 'ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!"

"Hey," Larry tried to say again.

"I'm here at an exclusive party hosted by the Pokémon League and it is AMAAAAAZING!" Iono's Rotom Phone fluttered in front of her face, broadcasting to all her loyal fans. "There are so many other Gym Leaders and Elite Four members here too! Sound off! How many of my fabulous Ionites wish they were here partying with me right now?"

"That's not—"

"AWWWW! Look at all those Iono hearts in the chat!" Iono gushed to her phone screen, not hearing Larry at all. "You guys are all so sweet! I wish you were here with me too! But that's why I'm here to bring the party to you, by showing you this yummy cupcake!" She held a Tera Cupcake up to the floating phone.

"Isn't it cool-looking? It was baked by the one and only Katy of Cortondo!" Iono squealed. "I can't believe I just got to do a collab stream with her recently, she is so fabulous and talented!"

"I was going to have tha—"

"And now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! Iono taste tests Katy's delicious Terastallized Cupcake! Nyohoho!"

And then, as Larry watched in stony despair, Iono proceeded to gobble up the whole cupcake in less than three bites, spitting the Tera Jewel pick onto a plate afterwards.

"Mmmm-mmmm-YUUU-HUUUM!" she exclaimed, dancing her head around animatedly. "That was one of the best cupcakes I've had in all of Paldea! It's a scrum-diddly-licious blend of vanilla and berries in one cake, so savory it should be illegal! KATY SHOULD BE ARRESTED FOR WAR CRIMES!" she screamed, showing her sharp teeth. "All jokes aside, I def give it 5 stars, hee hee! What about you, Mr. Larry!?"

Her Rotom Phone suddenly thrust itself right into Larry's face, as if Iono always knew he was standing behind her.

"Behold! The famous Gym Leader who puts on the best giga-façade as a super normal everyday business-y guy, Larry of Medali! You're live in front of thousands of viewers from around the world! Say hi!"

"…No." It wasn't the first time Iono had involuntarily roped him into her stream, and he approached it with the same level of excitement as before.

"Fufufu! Same ol' Larry, everybody! So, Mr. Boring Businessman Larry…" she called him in a mocking low voice. "What is your spicy hot take on Katy's amazing cupcakes?"

"They're good," he said matter-of-factly.

"They're good!" Iono repeated in the same deep voice, making a funny face while doing so. "Ha-ha! That's our Larry, such a way with words! We need to collab more often Larry, the viewers love you!"

Larry just shrugged, knowing that probably wasn't true, and calmly walked away.

Truth be told, that cupcake was more than good.

Larry often found he could write a good poem on how he felt about a meal he was extremely passionate about. And boy could he write a sonnet about just how good Katy's Terastallized Cupcake was. But he wasn't about to spare such words just to feed that kid's ego, especially since she probably would force him to do more "collabs" after that.

Regardless, Larry took a look around the whole room, hands in his pocket. All the other Gym Leaders and Elite Four members were having a grand old time. Ryme was up on the presentation stage singing a soft, very soulful song. A departure from her usual hardstyle raps, but she does boast about loving to surprise people.

"And you took my heart out to sea… Like a ghostly whisper I float aimlessly, searching for a soul…"

Everyone at the party clapped along with the beat. Not a single one of them were paying any attention to Larry… which was the perfect opportunity.

Usually, Geeta would reprimand Larry for trying to leave a party early. But by a rare stroke of luck, she sent out a mass text saying she couldn't attend for the rest of the evening due to an exorbitant amount of paperwork (which likely meant a lot of that was going to fall on Larry's lap the next day, so small graces).

So Larry took advantage of this rare opportunity and left through the door.

With a fresh batch of crème rolls ready to be served, Katy decided to go and put them out herself. As she stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room of the Soapberry with the whole plate of rolls stacked in a pyramid, she was surprised to see a young teenage boy at one of the tables perk up in excitement and stand up from his chair.

"Oh! Umm…" he piped up, looking a little bit embarrassed when he saw how full Katy's hands were.

"Well Chef, looks like someone really wanted to see you!" Krista yelled from the counter. A male clerk putting things away underneath the counter chuckled with her.

"You're Miss Katy, right?" The boy shyly asked. "The Gym Leader here?"

"Why yes, I am!" she responded, giving a small polite bow. "And look at you, all spry as a Nymble! I take it you're here for the Gym Challenge?"

"I-I am," he answered. "I came here this morning for the Challenge, but got caught up in all this fun harvest stuff going on. I just completed the Gym test now. But um… they told me you're probably still very busy! So I can stay around town a while longer and wait until you're ready, or… come back tomorrow."

"Hmmm…" Katy set down the tray of crème rolls and thought for a second. "I'll tell you what. You've been waiting all day with this festival on, and you look very eager to battle. I love that kind of energy in you young trainers. Krista?" She turned to her junior staff. "It looks like I may take you up on that offer after all. Think you and Damian can watch the store for a bit?"

"Of course, Chef!" Krista replied, bowing.

Damian stood up and hastily bowed as well. "Yes, Chef!"

"You really mean it!?" The boy asked excitedly.

"The early bird gets the worm after all!" Now that Katy was accepting a challenge, she was presenting in Gym Leader mode, quirky metaphors and all. "Head back to the Gym lobby and tell the staffer that I'm ready for a battle! She'll guide you to the Battle Court."

"You got it! Thank you again, Miss Katy!" the boy shouted as he took off out of the shop.

My, my. What a feisty young trainer. He reminds me a lot of me when I was his age.

"This may yet prove an exciting match."

Just after she said that, Katy heard an ecstatic rumble from within her satchel. She pulled out a Premier Ball containing a Pokémon, which started vibrating ever so slightly in anticipation.

Katy sighed sadly. "No. No. I'm sorry, my dear companion… It's another Gym Challenge. You know I've been asked to keep them on the easy side."

A soft, dejected hum sounded from within the Ball before Katy put it back.

"What's fair is fair," she reassured. Though as she stepped out and walked down the road to where the Battle Court was, she couldn't fully wipe that frown off her face.

It sure doesn't seem fair all the time, though…

Larry's stomach audibly rumbled as he walked down the stairs.

Somehow, having that one last Tera Cupcake taken away gave him a weird sense of non-closure. It was all he could think about heading down the stairwell. He was now convinced he might not even sleep tonight fretting about it. Like he gets enough sleep already.

And the more he thought about it, the more he concluded there was only one thing to try for it.

A ridiculously small hope, but worth a shot.

By the time he reached the bottom floor and walked outside the League building, he was dialing a number on his phone.

"Hello." He gave his name and his registered flyers' club ID to the person on the other line. "I'd like a lift to Cortondo, please."