Several minutes after Superintendent Rose left, students figured out they needed to put their Pokemon back in their Pokeballs to get them off of Sordward and Shielbert. By then, Sordward and Shielbert's hairdos were ruined, and their suits were covered in food from the ground. Oleana waited until her superiors got on their feet to whisper in their ears that Superintendent Rose rejected their project. Sordward and Shielbert grew livid and assigned detention after school to everyone in the cafeteria. Cross and his team were given a month's detention as punishment for starting the food fight. Timothy, Coovers, and Sonia were disappointed they were also getting detention when they wanted to return to Wedgehurst as soon as school ended for Timothy and Electchu's party. Still, they agreed it was an acceptable sacrifice for the good of the Magnolia Paddock.
For the rest of the school day, students kept their Pokemon in their Pokeballs regardless of whether they partook in the food fight. During the last class, Timothy, Coovers, Sonia, and the other students in detention were given random assignments for their punishments. The assignments varied from cleaning classrooms, bathrooms, and vents, scrapping grease off of the stoves and ovens in the cafeteria's kitchen, and cutting grass with scissors. Anything Sordward and Shielbert could think of to ensure everyone was given something to serve detention.
Timothy was tasked to mop the second-floor hallways, including the stairways. It was draining, especially when the mop was worn out and the mop head needed to be replaced twice. When he finished, it was twenty minutes past 3, and the janitor inspected Timothy's work before letting him go. Timothy took out his Rotom Phone and called Coovers as he rushed to the nearest staircase.
"Hello?" Coovers greeted.
"Hey, I just got released," Timothy said. "Where are you guys?"
"Sonia and I finished our detention an hour ago. We just had to shake the dust out of a few chalk erasers," Coovers said. "We're already taking the train home to set up the party."
"Great. See you then," Timothy said.
Timothy hung up and waited until he was in the main hall to take Electchu out of its Pokeball. His trusty Pikachu yawned and stretched, feeling as though the food fight and getting affected by the pheromones was just a dream. Electchu turned around to see Timothy kneeling in front of it, smiling.
"We did it, pal. We saved the paddock," Timothy said. "Coovers, Sonia, Oshawott, and Yamper are already home to set up the party, so let's not keep them waiting."
"Pikachu," Electchu chirped.
Timothy scratched behind Electchu's ears before Electchu jumped onto his shoulder. He took out his Rotom Phone again as he walked to the front entrance, getting ready to turn it into a bicycle. As soon as Timothy stepped outside, however, he stopped at the sight of Tulip standing in front of him with her hand on her hip. Kirlia, sitting up next to Tulip, stood up, relieved that its partner's target had exited the building. Electchu grew uneasy as Timothy stood still, as though Tulip's hazel eyes magically froze Timothy's body in place. Tulip smiled flirtatiously as she and Kirlia walked toward Timothy and Electchu.
"Hey, Timmykins," Tulip said.
"H-hey, Tulip," Timothy said. "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I've been waiting for you," Tulip said. "Kirlia, Dendra, Medicham, and I were lucky to have decided to eat lunch outside on the lawn before that little mayhem in the cafeteria, and we heard that everyone got detention. Since you and your friends have the same lunch period as us, it's a no-brainer that you also got detention. From there, it was a matter of waiting until after you did your time."
"Oh, y-y-you really didn't have to do that," Timothy said.
"But I wanted to," Tulip said. "As I recall, you rejected my invitation to join my friends and me at the Battle Cafe yesterday. You owe me a little restitution by joining me for a MooMoo milkshake today."
"Er, I would love to, but Electchu and I have somewhere to be," Timothy said.
"Pikachu," Electchu said.
"Oh, come on, Timmykins. Surely whatever you have going on can wait," Tulip said with a playful pout. "Stay for one milkshake. It'll be fun. I'm buying."
"That's awfully generous of you, Tulip, but I really -"
Timothy's voice died in his throat as Tulip stepped closer to him and Electchu until they were inches apart. Tulip put her hand on Timothy's arm and gently stroked it, making goosebumps appear all over his body. She leaned her face closer to Timothy's and batted her long eyelashes to put him back in her hook.
"One milkshake," Tulip whispered.
Timothy's face was beet red. Common sense dictated that he stuck to his guns, yet he couldn't deny that he wanted to spend a little time with Tulip before he moved to Unova. For all Timothy knew, this was his only opportunity to hang out with the popular girl whether in Motostoke or whatever school he would attend at Black City. If nothing else, he didn't want to disappoint Tulip while she was unaware he was moving.
"Y-yeah, okay. Why not? One milkshake," he said.
Tulip smiled and put her arm over Timothy's shoulder, making Electchu hop off. Timothy's blush covered his face as he let Tulip guide him and Electchu to their destination. Kirlia smirked as it walked beside its partner, knowing that boys like Timothy could not resist Tulip for long. Electchu looked at Timothy in disbelief, having never imagined that he would cave.
"Pika, pika, pika, pika," Electchu said as it ran to catch up.
"Relax, Electchu. It's just one milkshake," Timothy said. "We've got hours until the party."
"Pi…ka...chu," Electchu said in unease.
Timothy, Tulip, Electchu, and Kirlia turned north from Motostoke High and went down several blocks until they reached the Battle Cafe. Several customers enjoyed espressos, milkshakes, and various sweets with their Pokemon. Some customers and their Pokemon Timothy and Electchu recognized from the Pokemon battle team tryouts.
At a 6-person table in the far left corner, Dendra and Medichan were seated. Medichan was eating Pokemon sweets while Dendra chugged a milkshake with five empty glasses in front of her. She wiped the milkshake on her lip with her arm just before she saw Timothy and Tulip, their Pokemon, behind them. Dendra smirked as she saw Tulip's arm over Timothy's shoulder, knowing as well as Kirlia that her best friend always got her way.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join us. How's it going, Timothy?" Dendra greeted.
"Going very well, all things considered," Timothy said. "That's quite a collection of empty glasses you got there. Did you drink all of those milkshakes?"
"Sure did," Dendra boasted. "I'm addicted to the stuff. I make up for it with all the training Medichan, and I do throughout the day. Nothing wrong with you and your Pokemon treating yourselves after you get stronger. That's the way I like to look at it."
"Medichan," Medichan said.
"Well, I don't know how that works, but to each their own," Timothy said.
"Indeed. I wouldn't try to drink so much at once for the sake of my figure, but it does one good to get a milkshake on occasion," Tulip said. "On that note, what kind would you like, Timmykins?"
"Uh, vanilla is fine," Timothy said.
Tulip smiled and turned to the man with bright yellow hair working behind the counter.
"Gunther, be a doll and bring an Oran Berry shake, a vanilla shake, and two bowls of Pokemon treats to this table, will you? And be sure to put it on my tab," Tulip said.
"But of course, Ms. Tulip," Gunther said with a smile.
Gunther got started on the milkshakes with the help of his Milcery, while Timothy, Tulip, Electchu, and Kirlia went to sit down with Dendra and Medichan. Tulip cleared her throat loudly, and it took Timothy a moment before he realized she wanted him to help her to her seat. Tulip sat two chairs to Dendra's right and patted the chair between them, signaling Timothy to sit there. Kirlia sat beside Medichan while Electchu hopped on a seat next to Tulip. Dendra finished the rest of her milkshake, then slammed the glass on the table with an " Ah" before turning to Timothy.
"So, Timothy, enlighten us with what transpired at the cafeteria," Dendra said. "All we know is that there was a food fight. When we passed the cafeteria on the way to fifth period, it looked like a tornado hit it."
"Ah, well, it's pretty simple really. Someone threw potatoes at Cross from the Pokemon Baccer team, and he started throwing food at people when no one confessed. Before long, everyone was throwing food at each other," Timothy said.
"Oh, it can't have been that simple. I heard you were the person who shouted 'Food fight.'" Dendra said.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, that was me. I'm a little surprised anyone noticed amidst what was going on, really," Timothy said.
"Timmykins, darling, you surprise me. I had no idea you could be so unruly," Tulip said.
"Kirlia," Kirlia said.
"What can I say? My friends and I never had a food fight before at our old school, so I thought it would be fun to seize the opportunity," Timothy said. "Besides, it's not like I was throwing food to display superiority like Cross. Right, Electchu?"
"Pikachu," Electchu agreed.
"Ugh, I hear that," Dendra said. "Those Pokemon Baccer guys have gotten on my nerves. They think they own the school because Principal Sordward and Vice Principal Shielbert push their program. I'm still peeved that Cross and his team made Coach Surge postpone Pokemon battle tryouts. Getting more detention than everyone else for starting that food fight oughta take them down a peg."
"Medichan," Medichan agreed.
"I wouldn't worry about that, Dendra. The Pokemon Baccer team will probably be taken down a peg even more before you know it," Timothy said.
"Oh, and what makes you sure of that, Timmykins?" Tulip asked.
Timothy shrugged with a boastful smirk and said, "Call it a hunch."
Tulip and Dendra looked at each other with raised eyebrows, silently agreeing Timothy knew more than he was letting on. Before they could press on the matter, Gunther stepped in with the milkshakes and bowls of Pokemon sweets. Timothy and Tulip thanked Gunther, and Electchu hopped on the table so it could eat its sweets.
Despite worrying how long they were staying, Electchu couldn't deny the bowl of sweets was irresistible. Timothy fought the urge to chug his milkshake like Dendra, for even if it was vanilla it was the sweetest one he ever had. Tulip smirked as she watched Timothy enjoy his milkshake while she took a sip of hers. It was amusing that a guy and his Pokemon partner from a small town would be taken by sweets in the big city so quickly.
As Timothy finished his shake, a pop song began to play from the speakers on the ceiling. Tulip tapped her foot and hummed to the melody while drinking her milkshake. Then, something clicked in her mind, and she gave Timothy another flirtatious look.
"Oh, I love this song. It's so much fun," Tulip said. "Dance with me, Timmykins."
"What? Dance?" Timothy asked, taken aback. "Is that a thing in this cafe? No one else is dancing."
"Oh. Don't worry about that. Just have a little fun. Show me more of that unpredictable side, Timmykins," Tulip said.
Tulip grabbed Timothy's hand and pulled him out of his seat. He continued to sputter in protest as Tulip pulled him to the center of the cafe, which was enough space for two people to dance. Electchu tilted its head, puzzled by Tulip's sudden decision, while Dendra, Kirlia, and Medichan smirked.
"My, my, my. She's getting creative with this one," Dendra said.
"Medichan," Medichan said.
"Kirlia," Kirlia said with a nod.
Tulip let go of Timothy's hand and, with her eyes closed, began swinging her hips and moved her arms up and down. Timothy grew uncomfortable standing before Tulip as she danced until he saw other customers cheering to his surprise. People clapped hands, and Pokemon stomped their paws/hooves to the beat. Some took out their Rotom phones and began recording live videos on social media.
"Dance with me, Timmykins. I know you're not," Tulip said with her eyes still closed.
Timothy hesitated, before he gulped and began swinging his hips while shaking his arms with his hands turned into fists. To his surprise, people in Pokemon cheered louder as they noticed him join Tulip. Dendra stood from her seat and shook her fist, chanting, "Go, go, go, go," getting the other customers to chant with her. Timothy smiled and began to dance faster, encouraged to keep going.
The song ended, and the customers applauded. Tulip took a bow and then grabbed Timothy's hand, guiding him to bow with her. Timothy turned to Electchu and mouthed, "Check it out." Electchu bit its lips and lowered its ears, worried about how much its partner was enjoying himself.
"Again! Again! Again!" Dendra chanted.
The other customers cheered and chanted, "Again" with Dendra. The Pokemon joined the chant in their respective languages, except for Electchu. Tulip looked at Timothy with another flirtatious smile that made him smile bashfully.
"What do you say, Timmykins?" Tulip asked.
"I don't know. Electchu and I better get home," Timothy said.
"Aw, come on. Just one more dance," Tulip said with another playful pout.
Timothy stepped back as Tulip walked toward him until his back was against the wall. She batted her eyelashes again, making Timothy's cheeks heat up more. Customers chanted, "dance" while clapping in unison. Electchu's unease grew, certain at this point that its partner would cave. Timothy fought the urge to give in to Tulip's wishes until he scratched the back of his head with a reluctant smile.
"Okay, just one more," he said.
The customers cheered, and Tulip's coquettish smile returned as she took Timothy's hand and led him back to where they danced. Dendra took out her Rotom Phone and plugged it into Gunther's stereo, where Gunther was playing cafe music. She opened a music app and played a faster, louder pop song.
With her hand still holding Timothy's, Tulip pulled Timothy until they were a foot apart, put his hands on her waist, and her arms around his neck. Timothy's face was cherry red as Tulip led the dance until he began to get the hang of it. Several customers got off their seats and joined dancing with their Pokemon. Dendra gestured to Kirlia and Medichan to join, and Kirlia used Confusion to get a reluctant Electchu to dance with them. Eventually, Electchu itself began to enjoy dancing to the song's beat.
The music app began another song after the other ended, but Timothy and Electchu were too lost in the fun to notice. Tulip let go of Timothy's neck, and Timothy removed his hands from Tulip's waist so they could do their own dances while still close to each other. People and Pokemon cheered for Timothy and Tulip while still dancing with them.
As Timothy danced, he heard people chanting his and Tulip's names. At that moment, he felt he had finally reached his goal of becoming popular. To Timothy, it was like the universe rewarded him for fulfilling his scheme against his enemies by giving him one night where all eyes were on him and he was with the most popular girl in school. A wide smile covered half of his face as he danced, feeling like he was on top of the world.
"Pika! Pika, Pika, Pikachu!"
Timothy looked down to see Electchu jumping and waving its arms while looking at him panickingly. It used its tail to point at a black clock hanging above Gunther at the counter. Timothy looked at the clock and gasped to find that it was 7:16. He took out his Rotom Phone and turned it on to show the same time.
"Oh, no," Timothy said.
"Timmykins, what's wrong?" Tulip asked, still dancing.
Timothy was so focused on the time that he didn't hear Tulip. He rushed to the front door, pushing through people and Pokemon dancing and bursting out of the cafe with Electchu running behind him. Tulip called out to Timothy, but he ignored her as he turned his Rotom Phone into a bicycle. Electchu hopped onto Timothy's shoulder as he got on his bike and pedaled as fast as he could, heading straight to Motostoke Station.
When they got to the station, Timothy and Electchu waited 10 minutes to board a train going south. Timothy ensured they got in the front car so that when the train reached Wedgehurt Station, he would be in the car closest to the exit. As they waited anxiously for the train to make its final destination, Timothy brainstormed ways to explain himself, hoping that Coovers and Sonia would understand beyond reason. Electchu was worried about how it could look at Coovers, Sonia, Oshawott, and Yamper in the eye, knowing it failed as Timothy's voice of reason.
After an hour, the train stopped at Wedgehurst Station, and Timothy and Electchu got off as soon as the doors opened. They raced to the station's exit and took a left to Sonia's house, only to stop to find Coovers, Sonia, Oshawott, and Yamper standing a few yards away from the entrance. Coovers crossed his arms while giving Timothy a disapproving look, while Oshawott and Yamper gave Electchu looks that strengthened its guilt in failing to bring his partner home on time.
Timothy's eyes, however, were fixed on Sonia. She was holding her Rotom Phone, where a video of Timothy and Tulip dancing was playing on social media. When Sonia saw Timothy, a new set of tears came from her puffy red eyes. Sonia whimpered as she stared at Timothy with a look of betrayal before running home, sobbing with Yamper following.
"Sonia, wait!" Timothy called out.
Timothy took a few steps to run after Sonia, but Coovers grabbed him with both arms and held him back. He pushed Timothy away and stepped in front of him, with Oshawott holding its scallop to keep him from trying to go after Sonia.
"You really disappoint me, Timothy," Coovers said.
Timothy stood taken aback by Coovers calling him Timothy instead of Timbo before he said, "Look, I'm sorry I'm late. Tulip invited me to a milkshake and I lost track of the time. That's all it was."
"I couldn't care less what your explanation is," Coovers said coldly. "What's really important is that you not only ditched us but you broke Sonia's heart. And to think that I had hope for the two of you."
"What are you talking about?" Timothy asked.
Coovers huffed and shook his head before he said, "You might not care, and she wouldn't want me to be the one to say it, but Sonia loves you. She really, really loves you. She's been in love with you for as long as you've been in love with her."
Timothy's eyes widened, shocked for a moment before he furrowed his brow.
"Don't lie to me, Coovers," Timothy said. "I get that you're angry, but you don't have to go so low as to say that."
"I'm not lying," Coovers said.
"Then, where was this on Valentine's Day?" Timothy asked.
"Sonia was pressured to deny her feelings," Coovers said. "She spent the day before Valentine's Day writing a letter to express how she feels before Abigail intervened. She would've told you when you made up, but she couldn't think of a way to make her feelings convincing."
Timothy's frown weakened as Coovers gave his explanation. He looked at Electchu, who was equally surprised, then turned to Oshawott, who nodded. Timothy looked down in thought, slowly realizing how it made sense. Then his hands turned into balls of fists, and he raised his head to look sullenly at Coovers.
"So what?! Sonia had months to make a move!" Timothy shouted. "What?! Was she waiting until we were in our 40s to give a hint?!"
"At least Sonia holds on to her feelings. You threw away yours because it was inconvenient and then decided to chase the first girl who bats her eyelashes at you," Coovers said.
"I didn't throw away my feelings! I came to terms with the fact that what I want can never happen!" Timothy shouted. "Besides, lecturing me on who I pursue is rich coming from a guy who used to crush on every girl he saw! Heck, if you never met Erin, I bet you would've chased after Tulip, too!"
"Yeah, I chased every girl I've ever thought was pretty, and I might've acted that way with Tulip if I never met Erin. I'll give you that," Coovers said, unfazed. "But every time I fawned over a girl, I had hopes that one of them would be the one, and now that I found Erin, I will devote my life to making her happy. But you? You've had your Erin by your side all your life. I was jealous of you for that and yet simultaneously rooted for my best friends to realize their feelings and take the next step. To have what I've always wanted. But, if it's so easy for you to ditch Sonia - ditch all of us because of another girl, then maybe it's going to be easier to make new friends than you think, in which case it's better that you're leaving after all."
Timothy looked at Coovers as though his best friend had punched him in the face. Electchu stood on all fours, shocked with its ears perked up, and even Oshawott was surprised despite agreeing with Coovers to a degree. Coovers turned around to turn his Rotom Phone into a bicycle, and Oshawott hopped on his shoulder as he got on.
"Coovers, wait," Timothy said.
"You know what? I've been waiting, and I've had enough," Coovers said. "Have a nice life in Black City. You too, Electchu."
"Oshawott," Oshawott whimpered as it waved Electchu goodbye with tears in its eyes.
"Pikachu," Electchu said sadly.
Timothy opened his mouth and stretched out his hand to plead to Coovers again, but Coovers rode away before he could think of anything. He stood still for a moment before he shut his eyes and turned his hands into a ball of fists in frustration. With a sigh, Timothy lowered his head and stared at the ground as Coovers' words sunk deeper into his mind. For the first time in their lives, Timothy and Electchu felt truly alone.