The evening was calm and serene; nobody else inside the Pokemon Center except for Nurse Shizue. She stood behind the counter, cleaning some sort of spill on the counter.

"So" Frank still had his wings in his kimono pockets. "Where were you staying again?"

Benedict explained as he led him to the stairs

"Room 204" he pointed at the door. "There's only two beds, but there's a futon, the floor rugs and I'm sleepin' in the bathtub!"

Frank tried not to laugh

"I'm more of a bathroom rug guy, but you do you"

The two birds walked inside the room and closed the door. Tank and Kidd were still fast asleep, bundled up on both beds.

Benedict walked over and unfolded the futon

"Well if y'all don't mind, I'm gonna go sleep in the bathtub"

"Well try not to drown in there"

Frank deadpanned and climbed up on the futon.

"I won't!" Benedict yelled as he locked the door. "I got my Pokemon to pull me out!"

He placed his backpack under the doorknob and sighed in relief.

He took a quick shower to take things off his mind. After getting out of the shower, he wrapped himself up in a towel. He pulled out some clean clothes and set them on the counter. Benedict looked up at the mirror; he cringed and looked away. Not today, he thought.

He dug around the cabinets, pulling out a large bottle of vanilla scented bubble bath. Hmm...

Fifteen minutes later, he got the bubble bath already and climbed into the bathtub. The temperature was warm enough to relax, but cool enough not to burn anything. He pulled his hair back in a low bun and relaxed underneath the hot water.

Benedict placed his wings on the edge of the bathtub. He looked at the bubbles crowding the water's surface. It was calming how they blended together in a pastel hue of iridescent rainbows. He thought about how much better tomorrow would feel. Sure, his friends would still be sick, but at least he had Frank by his side to ease everything.

An hour later, Benedict climbed out of the cold bath and let it drain. He dried himself up with the same towel from earlier; his feathers puffing up like a cloud from the cloth. He grabbed some clean clothes and got dressed for the night. Benedict grabbed his backpack off the floor, unlocked the door and walked out to the suite. He looked around; noting that Frank already was asleep on the futon, while Tank and Kidd were still on both beds.

Aw screw it!

Benedict placed his backpack near the futon. He laid his head on top of his backpack and fell asleep soon after.

The night came and went.

Frank woke up first. He glanced around the room, relieved that he was somewhere warm and comforting instead of sleeping on some Hoennian route.

The eagle got up and stretched. He looked around the suite; the younger animals were still fast asleep.

He checked his Rotom Phone; huh, only five fourty-five am, he noted.

Frank went downstairs to heal up his Pokemon. The healing machine took longer than usual.

"So" Nurse Shizue tried to make some small talk. "Which Pokemon did you start with?"

"A Croagunk" Frank stated.

"She's, how do I put this, not with me anymore"

Nurse Shizue frowned

"Oh. That's a shame" she changed the subject. "Hey, do you know Champion Apollo?"

"Yeah," Frank explained. He looked at the red and white barrette on her right ear, it reminded him of somebody he knows….

"He's my, um, cousin"

"Ooh how exciting!" Nurse Shizue squealed. The healing machine dinged. She walked over and grabbed all six Ultra Balls.

"Is it true you Hawkians all train Steel types?"

"Most Hawkians"

the eagle corrected her. "I prefer my Flying types, thank you"

He grabbed his Poke Balls and headed back to the suite. Let's get this day over with, he thought to himself.

The morning went better than expected. Kidd was less demanding and snippy, where Tank mostly slept all morning, only waking up for the small stuff like more cups of tea. Must be the medicine at work, Benedict thought as he and Frank dug around the bathroom for the last tea packets.

The afternoon was calming. The two birds went to the Poke Mart for some convenience bento boxes, tea boxes, hot noodles and cold drinks. After paying for their food, they walked outside. The air felt colder than usual.

Benedict and Frank headed back into the suite and set their stuff down. Kidd sat up in his bed, brushing Aries' fur until she sparkled under the lamp lights. He still looked tired, but not as bad as he was yesterday.

"Oh, welcome back guys" Kidd looked up from his Pokemon.

"Y'all sound a lot calmer today" Benedict pointed out. "Gettin' better, huh?"

"Mhm"

Kidd nodded.

"Pikapi!" Aries waved. She trilled and cooed in joy. "Pi-KA!"

Tank looked up from his bed. He sniffed the air

"Is that curry?"

"Sure is!" Benedict pulled out the curry bento box. He handed it over to Tank.

"Thanks so much!" Tank smiled a little as he dug into the curry rice. The thinly sliced carrots and potatoes went well with the thick sauce and chewy rice.

Benedict sighed in relief. For once, everything would be okay, he thought.

The rest of the evening was calm; the guys spent most of it streaming bad movies to snark at.

The next morning was a relief; Kidd and Tank were finally all better.

Everyone gathered their stuff up and checked out of the Pokemon Center. They walked through the rest of the town until they made it to the outskirts.

Route 114: A mountainous path of many cliffs. Trainers who come here often have to ride larger Pokemon in order to make it to Meteor Falls.

The group stopped near a small garden. Small trees and bushes grew from the dirt, all neatly arranged in perfect lines. A sign poked out from one of the patches. It read

"Trainers: Please help yourself to some produce. But be careful, wild Pokemon MAY attack you!—generously donated by Leif Ross"

The guys helped themselves to plenty of produce; juicy red strawberries, plump pink peaches, bright firm oranges and crisp sweet cherries.

The group kept walking through the dirt paths of Route 114, talking with each other in between bites of fruit.

Everyone stopped in front of a large lake. Several wild Surskit darted across the water's surface, chasing each other in tandem. A thin bridge was connected between the lake, gently swaying back and forth. The wood had large splinters poking out, while the bridge's ropes were frayed from months of frequent use.

Kidd pointed at the lake

"So, what are we gonna do about that bridge? Because I am NOT crossing that thing"

"Well if y'all ask me" Benedict pointed at it. "Since it looks like it'll break in a step, we could just walk 'round it"

"Huh? No way!" Tank pointed out. "Look at how thick the woods are around it! We'd be stepping in wild Pokemon territory, and they'd make us their next meal!"

Kidd shook his head

"We could just swim through it, you know. In fact, I did that back on Route 110"

"Yeah, but look!" Benedict pointed. "The water here's way dirtier than anywhere else. We might swallow somethin' nasty an' then you two'd get sick again!"

"Boys, boys" Frank held his wing out. "Don't you guys have Pokemon big enough to swim across the lake?"

The younger animals shook their heads no.

"Figures"

Frank lit up a cigarette. He took a deep inhale in. "Look, just for today, I'll let you guys borrow some of my Pokemon"

He tossed several Ultra Balls in the air, releasing his Skarmory, Talonflame and two other Pokemon. The taller one was a graceful white swan Pokemon, while the shorter one was a mauve bat Pokemon with large black wings and a long bumpy tail. The four Pokemon cried out

"Shkraaaa!"

"Talooooooon!"

"Swanna, swa!"

"Glllliscor!"

"I call dibs on Swanna!" Benedict raised his wing. "I've seen 'em before back in Castelia, an' thought they looked pretty"

"Swannaaaaa!" the white swan trilled. She flapped her wings and kneeled her head down, letting Benedict pet her silky head feathers.

Kidd held his hoof out

"In that case, I choose Talonflame!"

"Talo-talo!" Talonflame cried out, lightly pecking at Kidd's head.

Tank walked up to the bat Pokemon

"Hey there, big guy!" he stood on his tiptoes so he could scratch the Pokemon's chin. "I think we're gonna be great friends!"

"Gliscor, gli!"

the bat Pokemon wagged his tail happily.

Frank nodded at his Skarmory

"Ready to go?"

"Skhraaa!" Skarmory roared as he spread his wings out.

"Then let's go" Frank finished his cigarette.

He put the box back in his pocket before climbing on top of his Pokemon.

The four animals held on tightly as their Pokemon flew over the lake. The breeze felt mildly cold as the Pokemon picked up speed.

A wild Azumarill popped its head out of the lake, throwing its body against the bridge and destroying it into pieces. Frayed ropes and broken pieces of wood floated on the water.

A large group of Pokemon ran through the thick woods. These Pokemon were bipedal white felines with red scarred fur, glaring pink eyes, large grey claws and thick bushy tails. They chattered with each other as they zipped in between the bushes.

"Leader Swordheart," one of the Pokemon asked. "Just where has Lady Dawnheart ran off to?"

"Dawnheart? I have not seen her in days, General Stonetail" Swordheart, the tallest Zangoose with the pinkest scars, growled. "I believe she is…. still acting out over our arrangement"

"But Leader Swordheart!" another Pokemon, this Zangoose with a moon-shaped mark on his back, complained. "If my Moonclaw does NOT find her, he'll be utmost distraught! We arranged their engagement for months and she bails out?! For Arceus' sake, what if she was captured by some hooligan of a trainer! She will bring shame to us Zangoose!"

"Look, Cloudclaw!" Swordheart roared back. "I am WORKING on her. Dawnheart will come to her senses eventually. Even if we have to dispose of any trainers trying to catch her. She is a Zangoose at her core, and she cannot fight that"

The horde of Zangoose solemnly nodded. They darted away from the lake and into the thicker parts of the woods, looking for prey to feast on.

On the other end of Route 114…

A large pack of serpentine Pokemon were on the move. Their bodies were dark purple with bright yellow markings. Their tails and fangs were sharp and a bright shade of red. They slithered through the rocky surfaces and darted past the craters.

"Eyy, Andolino" the shortest Pokemon called out. "Yah mind tellin' me where ya boi's at? I haven't seen 'im in days, man"

"Which onna em bois, Barzini?!" Andolino hissed back. "I had seven o 'em"

"He means the youngest, ya dingbat!"

another Seviper barked back.

"Oi ya mean Giorgio." Andolino deadpanned. "I dunno 'bout ya, but he's been, er, sneakin' way from us. Thinks he's turnin' into a pompous twit now. If he had a run in with some trainer, then, er, oh well, that's how the other six ended up!"

"Well ya gotta get 'im back" Barzini hissed. "Us Sevipah's gotta stick t'getha, less one of em pompous Zangoose steals 'im way for, er, suppah"

The other Sevipers hooted and hollered before following Andolini into a thick field of grass. They slithered and darted through the foliage, their movements nimble and fluid.

One lone Seviper stood behind a boulder, looking back and forth to make sure no other Pokemon was in sight. He looked at the Zangoose next to him and sighed in relief

"Think we're safe fer now, Dawnie"

"I can't take this nonsense anymore, Giorgio!" the Zangoose grunted as she sat down. "Father's such a two-timing sociopathic prick! All he cares about is pushing me to be with that selfish twat Moonclaw!"

"Yah tellin me!" the Seviper gently wrapped his body around the other Pokemon. "My old man's tryin' ta get me with some snotty priss who hates battlin', an' all my bros got captured already now! I miss those dudes but I don't even know who all caught 'em!"

"I don't know how much longer we can keep this up, Giorgio!" Dawnheart held her claws out. "Just once would father see me as one of the clan, instead of some prize to give away to a cohort!"

"An' I know my old man sees nothin' in me. Hey" Giorgio hissed. "Yknow what we gotta do now?"

"What's that, Giorgio?"

Dawnheart tilted her head.

"We gotta get us caught by a trainer already" Giorgio slithered off of Dawnheart. "Any trainer, as long as they catch both of us together!"

"Wait, caught?" Dawnheart gasped. "But why?!"

"Just think 'bout it Dawnie! No other 'mons of our clans, to tell us who we can and can't vibe with, just someone willin' to train us to battle!" Giorgio pointed his tail upwards.

"Y-Yeah!" Dawnheart perked up. She grinned in glee "Just once, WE could battle for ourselves. No obnoxious clans to ruin our joy. We could start new lives! Make new companions! Get some refined new nicknames!"

"That's the spirit, Dawnie!' Giorgio cheered. He pointed his tail at her chest "An' thats what I like 'bout you. Ya got spirit, ya ain't a pushover like the chicks from my clan"

"And you treat me like the intellectual equal I am" Dawnheart wrapped her claws around his tail. "Let's do it, Giorgio. Let's get us a trainer!"

The two Pokemon ran across the cliff in tandem, having fun as they searched high and low for any trainers willing to catch them.

Back in the field of grass…

"I'm tellin' ya, boss!" Barzini hissed out. "I smelt a Zangoose 'round here!"

Andolino rolled his eyes

"Suuuuuure ya did, Barizini"

"He ain't lyin', boss" another Seviper stopped in his tracks. "I saw a, er, clump a fur on the ground that smells just like em. Ya think one of em Zangoose took yer boy?"

Andolino turned around and glared

"No, they wouldn't! Giorgio ain't endin' up as food for 'em pests! An' I'm gonna find 'em no matter WHAT. Even if those got danged Zangoose kill us all!"

The other Seviper roared a strong battle cry.

Giorgio and Dawnheart stopped in the middle of a large crater. They looked around the crater; phew, nobody in sight. The two Pokemon panted heavily, sweat dripping off their bodies.

"That was close, Dawnie" Giorgio twisted in his spot.

"You're telling me!" Dawnheart exclaimed. "I thought that Pidgeot was going to kill us next!"

Giorgio reassured her

"But we made it! An' either way we're—"

The two Pokemon froze in their tracks. Two deep voices screamed in anger

"STEP AWAY FROM MY DAWNHEART YOU UNCOUTH DEGENERATES!"

"EYY GET YER STINKIN' PAWS OFFA OUR GIORGIO, YA FILTHY RATS"

Giorgio and Dawnheart gasped and tensed up. They glanced around their surroundings, shocked at their respective clans surrounding the crater. The other Pokemon's bodies were tightly pressed together, forming a barrier nobody could get out of just by crawling out.

The pack of Zangoose stood on the left. Swordheart shook his head

"Dawnheart?!" he roared. "You- you're associating yourself with those wretched bastards?!"

"Y'guys are the bastards, ya pompous twit!"

Andolino hissed. "I shoulda ask why Giorgio's gonna let 'imself get killed by one a ya!"

"Pa, ya don't understand!" Giorgio snapped. "Dawnie an' I are just—"

"I don't give two shits what this 'Dawnie' tramp thinks a ya, Giorgio!" Andolino rolled his eyes. He pointed his tail at Dawnheart

"She's a Zangoose, an' all their kind cares 'bout is killin' us and takin' over our spots"

"Your spots?!" Swordheart hissed. He put a paw on his chest "Our territory isn't up for you poison-slinging rotten-hearted rogues to dominate!"

"Yea we're poison types but at least we ain't goin' round killin' wild Pokemon over the damn ground!" Andolino barked back. "Y'all know how many Swablu y'all killed off just this year?!"

"That's enough, pa!" Giorgio screamed, glaring as the bigger Seviper shut his trap. "If y'all are gonna be so petty 'bout this, then I ain't wantin' no part of this!"

"Me too!" Dawnheart pointed at her father. "I want to be my own Pokemon, and not some prize for you to give away, Swordheart!"

"Fine!' Swordheart turned his nose up. "If you wish to be a disgrace to us Zangoose, go ahead and leave!"

"I hate ta' agree with the likes of 'him, but" Andolino turned away from the other Pokemon. "if y'all are brave 'nough to mingle with 'er kind, y'all can giiiiiiit on outta here!"

The other wild Pokemon left the surrounding crater, leaving Giorgio and Dawnheart to themselves.

"Good riddance!" Dawnheart exclaimed in glee. She threw her claws up in the air "I'm so glad to be rid of those overcontrolling pricks"

"Heck yeah!" Giorgio wagged his tail around in a circle. "Now we can do whatever!"

The four animals stopped in their tracks. They saw two packs of Pokemon snarling at each other. The feline Pokemon growled and swung their claws in the air, while the serpentine Pokemon hissed and dripped thick purple goo from their fangs. The air smelled faintly of wet animal fur and sulfur.

"What the?"

Tank pulled out his Rotom Phone. He put the phone on silence as he scanned the two different species. The text read

"Zangoose, the Cat Ferret Pokemon. A normal type. Memories of battling its arch-rival Seviper are etched into every cell of Zangoose's body. This Pokémon adroitly dodges attacks with incredible agility"

"Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokemon. A poison type. Seviper's swordlike tail serves two purposes—it slashes foes and douses them with secreted poison. This Pokémon will not give up its long-running blood feud with Zangoose"

Tank stepped forward to get a closer look. A heavy rock fell off a nearby cliff, landing with a thud.

The hordes of Zangoose and Seviper broke out into a brawl. All the wild Pokemon roared and hissed as they clawed and bit at each other. One Zangoose slashed at a Seviper's throat, while another Seviper snuck behind and wrapped its tail around its enemy's throat. Another Zangoose bit down on a Seviper, thrashing it in the air until the snake fell limp against the dirt.

"Boys, get a Pokemon out" Frank grabbed an Ultra Ball from his pocket. "If they're in our way, we HAVE to battle them to their senses!"

The younger boys nodded. Together, they tossed their Pokeballs in the air and sent out Jojo, Fern and Aquarius.

Frank held his Ultra Ball out in front of him.

He sent out a large avian Pokemon. The Pokemon had brown and beige feathers, sharp pink beak and claws, and long flowing red and yellow feathers from its head.

"Pijyaaaaa!" she called out.

"Y'all got a Pidgeot?!"

Benedict yelled in surprise.

"Yeah, I do!" Frank barked out. "And she's got this shit on lock!

Pidgeot, use Hurricane!"

"Pijyo!"

Pidgeot's wings glowed white. She flapped her wings as hard as she could, forming a large tornado in front of her body. The tornado picked up momentum as her wings batted harder.

"PIIIIIIIIIJOOOOOOOOOO"

She screamed as she launched the tornado through the air, knocking most of the Pokemon over like bowling pins. The remaining four Pokemon tensed up, refusing to let themselves fall to just a bird.

The younger boys nodded in determination.

"Fern, use Leaf Blade on Zangoose!"

Fern's arms glowed bright green. He jumped through the air, screeching as he crash landed between a Zangoose and Seviper. He sliced and slashed at the Zangoose, small leaves flying off his arms. The wild Zangoose hissed and slashed back, but got punched in the throat by Fern.

"Aquarius, Mud Shot to blind that Seviper!"

Aquarius jumped next to Fern. She held her flippers open and spewed multiple balls of mud into Seviper's face. The fang snake Pokemon flinched as the mud exploded in its face, coughing up a storm.

"Jojo, Double Kick the snot outta that Zangoose!"

Jojo sprinted through the chaos. His legs glowed white as he jumped up and kicked the largest Zangoose in the face. The Zangoose flinched backwards from the kick, spitting out blood and fangs from the impact.

A Seviper snuck up behind Jojo, immediately curling its tail around the Combusken's neck. Jojo choked and sputtered as the Seviper squeezed his body tightly.

"Aquarius, Water Gun that Seviper!"

"Fern! Help Aquarius out with Quick Attack!"

Fern darted through the field. He landed a swift tackle against the wild Seviper's back, temporarily stunning the snake.

The wild Seviper let go of Jojo as it swayed back and forth. Jojo jumped back on his feet, darting around for any Zangoose left to take on.

Aquarius screamed as she spewed a strong jet of water at Seviper's throat. The Seviper shook its head back and forth, refusing to let a little water stop it. Its fangs dripped poison as it launched itself at the three Pokemon. Fern, Jojo and Aquarius braced themselves for the attack.

"Pidgeot! Finish it off with Swift!"

Pidgeot opened her beak. She screeched as she shot several yellow stars at the remaining Seviper. The stars exploded in the air as they knocked Seviper out.

Dust cleared away from the ground. The younger boys gasped in surprise from the sight. Most of the wild Pokemon had run off into the forest, leaving behind two Zangoose and Seviper each. The four Pokemon were lying across the ground, their bodies unmoving and gravely wounded.

After seeing the carnage, the four trainers returned their Pokemon to safety.

"Oh my Arceus…"

Tank whispered under his breath.

Kidd covered his mouth with his hooves, unable to look away from the Pokemon.

"Are… are they…"

Benedict choked out.

Frank put a wing on the younger bird's shoulder

"Yes" he looked down at the ground. "they're gone."

He looked at the other two animals

"And before anybody asks, we had nothing to do with this"

Tank sighed in relief.

"I knew Zangoose and Seviper hated each other, but I didn't expect them to go that far"

"And what about the bodies?"

Kidd pointed at one of the Seviper.

"Leave them be," Frank explained. "If another trainer finds our DNA all over them, they could frame us for Pokemon murder, if they wanted to. It's for our own safety"

The boys nodded in agreement. They let the bodies stay put and kept walking through the trails.

On the other end of Route 114….

Giorgio and Dawnheart were having the time of their lives, leaping from rock to rock without stumbling.

"Quite fun, isn't it?" Dawnheart called out.

"Heck yeah it is!" Giorgio yelled as he torpedoed through the air. He landed on a smooth stone, curling into position. "I coulda do this all day!"

A large blue bird Pokemon called out to them

"Hey, lemme join ya guys!"

He hovered close to the duo. His body was bright blue, while his wings were white and shaped like clouds. He had two long feathers trailing from the his head

Dawnheart didn't move at all from her rock

"Oh, hi Altaria!"

"Hello to you two!" Altaria waved one of his wings. "So, what's new in the world of Giorgio and Dawnheart?"

"Eyyy not much, Alty boy" Giorgio waved with his tail. "We finally left our annoyin' clans, so now we're free!"

"Well it's about time!"

Altaria cheered. "So have you two decided what to do now?"

"Of course" Dawnheart closed her eyes and nodded. "We're going to get us a trainer"

"Excellent news"

Altaria high fived her with his wing. "Who knows, maybe that trainer might've caught one of my children too"

"Wait, y'all got kids?"

Giorgio asked.

"Um….yes. Many of them" Altaria awkwardly chuckled. "You two haven't met any of them. Most of them got captured by Trainers, but there's several who live over in Route 115"

Dawnheart stayed silent, her body as stiff as wood.

"Somethin' botherin' ya, Dawnie?" Giorgio slithered closer.

Dawnheart pointed nearby the fields

"Yeah. There's a trainer coming by"

A light blue rhino ran through the fields, eagerly jumping through the grass and on the lookout for something.

"Oh goodness" Altaria gasped. "In that case, I must be going. Good luck on being caught, you two!"

The wild Altaria flew off to the mountains, watching as both Pokemon waved goodbye.

"See y'all later!"

"Take care!"

Tank ran up to the two Pokemon. He tightly clutched the straps of his backpack

"The heck?" Tank muttered under his breath. "I know those two species are at war, but what are these two doing here of all places? I gotta check this out!"

Dawnheart leaped in front of Giorgio. She growled at the trainer and clawed in the air

"Just what do YOU want from us?"

"Dawnie!" Giorgio nudged her. "He wants to reason with us. Give him a chance!"

"Alright, alright!" Dawnheart crossed her arms. "But if he tries anything funny, we're attacking him!"

Tank leaned down to the Zangoose's eye level

"So, I know your groups hate each other, but what happened with you two?"

The wild Seviper slithered in front. He darted his tail around, explaining everything: the territory disputes, generations of the Zangoose and Seviper feuds, the close companionship budding into romance.

"Hmm….falling in love despite two groups hating each other…" Tank placed his chin on his hoof. "Hey, that reminds me of this story! It's called Roselias of the Parfum Palace! There's a Zangoose and Seviper that fall in love in that one too, but it's mostly about sword-fighting and classic Kalosian-style tragedy"

Dawnheart and Giorgio looked at each other. So they weren't the only ones of their species to be that close…

"In fact, I came to ask you two" Tank held out two empty Poke Balls. "How would you like to be caught together?"

The wild Pokemon chattered with each other.

"I don't know about this, Giorgio. I mean, what if he turns out to be abusive?"

"Aw come on Dawnie! I mean, did y'all see how he talked to us? The guy's alright"

"Hmm. But if he lays a hand on either of us, we're both bailing"

"Got it"

Both Pokemon looked back at Tank. They smiled and nodded.

Tank flicked both Poke Balls in the air, standing still as both balls absorbed the Pokemon. The Poke Balls landed on the ground, rocked twice and stopped. Small white stars shot out in the air.

The rhino picked up both Poke Balls. He tossed them upwards, releasing his new Pokemon.

"Hey, you know what else I was thinking, guys?" Tank asked. "How'd you two like some nicknames?"

Giorgio and Dawnheart nodded in approval. Now that they were both caught Pokemon, they could start their lives over with new names.

"Let's see…" Tank tapped his foot against the ground. He clapped his hooves

"I got it! Zangoose, how does Oscar sound? And Seviper, you look like an Andre to me!"

The Zangoose and Seviper thought to themselves. Both names sounded…surprisingly pleasant. No longer would they be tied down to their former clans, now, they'd be in their own group, run their own lives, all while traveling the Hoenn region.

"ZanGOOSE!"

"Seeeeeeviper!"

Tank nodded and smiled

"Glad you guys like them!"

The rest of the group walked up to Tank.

"Oh, hi guys!" Tank turned around and waved. "Look what I caught!"

"Now I thought we dealt with those two earlier," Kidd pointed out. "I mean, did you see the carnage they left behind?!"

"Not these two!" Tank shook his head

"They got kicked out of their groups for falling in love, so I took them in!"

"Hmm, two Pokemon from different groups, end up fallin' head over heels anyways. Why does that sound familiar?" Benedict crossed his arms.

"Probably from every romance story ever" Kidd snarked before laughing. "Snotty uptown girl falls in love with humble downtown guy, they can't be together, so they die in the end"

"Just like in that cartoon!" Benedict joined in. "Y'know, the one about the alcoholic horse!"

"I don't think THAT counts as a romance" Tank laughed as he returned the Pokemon to their balls. "It was more 'had a bad fling, girl got pregnant, now they're married and hate their son and die miserable'"

"Boys?" Frank gently scolded the group. "I'd love to listen to you guys argue over the alcoholic horse show, but we really need to get a move on"

Oh, right.

The group walked through the rest of the field, avoiding any traps set in place or rocks big enough to trip on.

A murky green wolf stood in front of the mountains, his arms crossed behind his back. His face was wrinkled, not from age, but from exhaustion and trauma. His eyes were unusually dark, like grand underground paths. He wore a grey turtleneck sweater, a long brown cardigan with a stone on the lapel and mushroom patch on the chest, a grey belt, dark brown pants and tall black boots.

"So, Professor Blathers is it?" he looked at the animal to his right. "What can you tell me about Meteor Falls?"

"I'd be quite honored," the other animal, a brown owl wearing a white labcoat and green bowtie, explained. "You see, Meteor Falls is one of Hoenn's oldest natural landscapes. The Draconids, an ancient race of alligators reside here, it's said they connect with Dragon-type Pokemon. Why it's also said this spot was where a meteor struck down in wartimes, kickstarting humanity's extinction"

The wolf calmly nodded

"Fascinating. And tell me. Are there still meteor remains to be found here?"

"Why yes, it wouldn't be Meteor Falls if there were no meteors. It would just be another part of Hoenn" Blathers chuckled. "If I remember right, most meteor fragments are built into the caves"

The wolf turned around. He snapped his fingers twice.

"Built into the caves, you say?"

Two orange deer, wearing similar clothing to their boss, snuck up behind the duo. They opened a large brown sack and threw it over Blathers' head.

"What the-" Blathers gasped. He struggled inside the bag, clawing and trying to break out of the thick burlap material. "What are you hooligans doing?!"

The two deer flipped the bag over, closing it shut so Blathers couldn't break out, but leaving enough room to let him breathe. It was too early in the day for suffocation.

"Oh, I'm sorry Professor," the wolf chuckled.

"But we need this information to stay in Team Cottage, no?"

"You. You ruffians!" Blathers hollered from the bag. "Unhand me this instant!"

"I don't think so"

The wolf patted the bag

"Starting today, you're property of Team Cottage, so you have to listen to us now."

He looked at the two deer and snapped his fingers

"Beau, Fauna, follow me into Meteor Falls"

The buck saluted his boss

"Yes, Leader Dobie!"

"Anything you say, Leader Dobie!"

the doe nodded.

"Excellent"

Dobie smiled as he led everyone into the nearby cave.

"You two were always my best cohorts"

The quartet of young men stopped in front of the cliff. Small pebbles rolled off and onto the flat grounds. Large boulders poked outwards, their points sharp enough to impale even the toughest iron.

"Yeah, we're totally climbing this"

Kidd snarked.

"You're telling me"

Frank crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Pijyo!"

Pidgeot headbutted her trainer on his side.

"Wait, you think we should go up anyways?" Frank pointed at the cliff.

"Do you see how unsteady it is?"

Pidgeot shook her head and chirped. She spread her wings out, her long feathers rustling in the wind.

"Oh, right. Flying upwards" Frank nodded.

The bird Pokemon chirped and cooed. She spread her wings out, staying still as the younger boys climbed onto her back. They grabbed onto her back feathers, firm enough to stay on but gentle enough that her feathers wouldn't hurt.

"Pijyo!" Pidgeot flew upwards. She grabbed Frank by the back of his coat collar.

"Wha— HEY!" Frank yelled. He crossed his arms "Pidgeot, you are not carrying me like this!"

Pidgeot turned her head up. She ignored her trainer's protests and flew up anyway. The flying-type looked on as she soared over the steep mountains.

After finding the flattest surface possible, Pidgeot gently landed nearby a small cave. She spread her wings out to let the younger boys climb off, then opened her beak to let Frank free.

The eagle scolded her

"Next time, warn me before you pull that stunt"

"Pijyo" Pidgeot closed her eyes and turned her head up. She stood still as Frank returned her to his Ultra Ball.

Intense arguing echoed from the cave. From what the group could hear, they guessed someone was a hostage being threatened.

"...We gotta get in there fast" Frank told the boys.

The group sneaked behind a large boulder, looking for any other animals their way. No wild Pokemon, no trainers, no poisonous plants.

After the coast was clear, they sprinted together into the cave, ready to take on anything or anyone in their way.