One by one, the days in Paldea flew by like leaves in the wind. A few days became a week and before long that week turned into two months. And the esteemed guests from Arcana had all found their own paths and were beginning to walk them as best as possible. Schoolwork, battle clubs, special mentoring classes and simply doing their best all-around was the trend for all eight of those who had been invited to participate in Uva Academy either as students or as chaperones.

Wanting their night of dancing to become a secret they wouldn't bring up, Bridgette and Justin had decided to postpone their "etiquette" lessons for the foreseeable future. Whereas Bridgette would spend her mornings surfing outside of Levincia and afternoons watching over their student charges, Justin had resumed making videos from his dorm room with occasional help from Lizzie and Tommy. The distance they were keeping between themselves was both necessary and a nightmare for both. Bridgette found herself enduring many sleepless nights dreaming of that night between them and eager for more, while Justin would find himself daydreaming even while recording videos for his Vlog. It was a system that could not last and eventually, both would have to face each other again.

Amanda's shame about missing time with Billy was short-lived, as once she had finished jotting down every last note she could from the Violet Book before returning it to Arven, she had again confined herself to the Uva Academy Library, pouring herself into her studies and neglecting her boyfriend all over again. It was mostly unintentional, but Billy felt the sting of it all the same, especially since La Primera had taken it upon herself to again worm her way between them and bring Billy on dates with her. Billy, needing to keep his word to Michael about trying to keep the borders open permanently, could not outright refuse her and thus was practically Geeta's own personal plaything most days. He'd beg Amanda for some alone time, but she would promise him she was close to being finished. Every day, the response would be the same. The only silver lining for him was that at least he was sure Amanda wasn't cheating. But given his incredibly close proximity to Geeta, he was beginning to feel as if he were doing it to her.

Lizzie had taken to spending as much time as possible trying to draw the inner strength out from Miraidon. The Violet Book had apparently given insight to Amanda regarding a bit of Miraidon's power, but how to unlock it remained a mystery to both. Nevertheless, she would ride Miraidon all over Mesagoza, even down to the small village of Cabo Poco to the south of the prestigious academy. After spending most of the day doing that, she would dedicate the rest of her time to maintaining her friendship with Justin, taking part in a few videos with him and helping him set up a potential reveal video for Miraidon in the future. She did take note of how distant Bridgette and Justin had become but chalked it up to Bridgette abiding by their boundaries. She still felt a bit of shame in lambasting her as much as she had but couldn't bring herself to apologize. Pride had always been one of her shortcomings. Until then, she simply awaited the announcement of her and Arven's adventure for the Herba Mystica.

Tommy found himself in a difficult situation regarding both his status as a rising student in Uva Academy and between the two girls he was more than eager to befriend. Penny had kept her door shut to him mostly, only an occasional conversation between the two would remind him that they were at the very least still "acquaintances" as she had called them. But she remained close guarded and vigilant as she had been when they first met, with the two barely getting a few sentences worth of conversing between them. Tommy tried to get more out of Nemona as well, but she remained both blissfully unaware of his crush on her and almost took their friendship or rivalry or whatever you'd call it as if it were a game. Someone had started a rumor about the two of them dating and before Tommy could even broach the subject, his friend had written it off as if they were being rumored to being something called "battle buddies". The obliviousness of Nemona to his feelings was starting to get on Tommy's nerves as he awaited the call to action from Cassiopeia, who had also not contacted him since the first day about their plans to topple Team Star and save Uva Academy from its bullying problem. Despite being surrounded by potential friends and opportunities, Tommy felt more alone than ever.

Morgan and Addison had taken to the school life very well, with both excelling at the classes they were taking and being considered the best students by many of their teachers. Addison had even been offered by Mr. Jacq, their biology instructor, about the possibility of relocating her to more advanced classes, but she turned it down in the hopes of trying to find out anything about White Island in her studying time. She continued to try and connect with Cole as well but found Morgan stopping it at every turn. Clearly, her roommate's crush on Cole was only getting stronger and she could only watch as Morgan tried in vain to woo Cole into dating her. Addison knew how Cole wanted to find Paige and could not bring herself to ruin Morgan's dream crush just yet. Addison would often use her free time trying to either meditate with Galatea, determined to find the whereabouts of the last hope she had for finding Ryan. Cole and she would sometimes use some time with one another to maintain their "distanced friendship", but Addison was finding it harder and harder to spend time with him, as the more she did, the more she saw Ryan in his shadow. And on top of that, maintaining the need for secrecy was eating away at her and she could sense the same coming from him. One of them was bound to break first and then it would be a matter of deciding which path to take next.

But time was not on the side of any of the Arcanan Guests in Paldea, as rumors of a special "hunt" of some kind was coming up rapidly. And whether or not everyone knew it or not, the status quo in their new lives was about to change for them forever...

{}

Tommy couldn't understand why everyone was running around in excitement on the morning of their two-month anniversary of being in Paldea. All of his fellow students seemed to be sharing in some kind of exciting secret neither he nor any of his other fellow foreign visitors to the region seemed to notice. Kids would spend time in class whispering about "The Hunt" constantly, prompting many of the teachers to need to settle the students down. In fact, apart from Ms. Dendra, who seemed to encourage them all for being exciting, the other teachers had to prohibit the mentioning of the Hunt until after their midterm exams, which had just wrapped up the day prior.

In his desire to please his parents and potentially win some extra "brownie" points with Nemona, he poured himself into studying in all of his free time. He even stopped spending all of his time with his Class President crush and instead found himself in the library with Morgan, Addison and Cole in an attempt to ace all of his tests. His friends were surprised at how seriously he was taking his studies and the quartet would do all they could to ensure they passed all of their classes, at least whenever Addison wouldn't be mopey about Ryan or either girl being too clingy with Cole. While Morgan's crush didn't shock him, Addison's shockingly growing friendship with Cole did. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that Addison, who had insisted she was there to find the way to bring Ryan back, was trying to cozy up to their new roommate. He even would have lashed out at her over it had she not been on the verge of a breakdown, prompting Tommy to assure her he was there for her. Once they had reaffirmed their friendship (with Addison playfully turning down a request from Tommy for another kiss), they resumed their studying.

Though on occasion, Nemona would stop him from even making it to the library and, in her own words, "kidnap" him to come along with her and battle up their Pokémon to make them tougher and stronger. And Tommy would remain glued to her side, the two exploring as far as they were allowed to during their school days trying to catch as many Pokémon as they could. In these quests, Tommy had caught a handful of more Pokémon, including a Numel and a Barboach to add to his team. On occasion, when he would summon his own inner courage, he would broach the topic of feelings with her, but she would again dismiss him and assure him to be patient. They would have a chance to expand on their friendship/rivalry once this "Hunt" started...whatever it was.

When Tommy received his midterm results, he was initially a bundle of nerves, but was relieved to find that all of the studying he'd done with his friends had paid off. He and Cole had even outscored Addison and Morgan on two of their exams, the first being Ms. Dendra's Battle Studies and the other being Professor Sexton's history exam. The remaining ones Tommy passed thankfully, meaning he could send his report card to his parents and make them proud. He was passing every class, trying to make new friends and hopefully becoming the kind of man his parents hoped he'd be.

But on this morning, Tommy woke up to find the school a buzz with excitement. Neither he nor Justin, who had slept in for the day, knew why everything was the way it was. As he stretched his body out and let out a loud yawn, they could hear kids running past their dorm room in mass ecstasy. "What time is it?"

"9:00, I think" his roommate replied as he himself slowly got out of bed.

"Why are so many people already running around like crazy?!" Tommy grumbled. "Don't they know it's after midterms?"

Justin shrugged. "Beats me. I guess we're a bit behind the others." He slipped out of his bed and looked himself over. "Well, not exactly a looker this morning, am I?"

Tommy could only assume his roommate was beginning to get dressed as he tried to turn himself over in sleep. But before he could possibly lull himself into sleep, his eyes squinted open to see Justin's Galarian Wooper looking down at him with the same doofy smile his usual species was best known for. Without prompt or warning, the Pokémon leaped onto the boy, almost crushing his rib cage. Tommy let out a wheeze before the Pokémon bounced off and returned to Justin's side.

"Could you control your Pokémon?!" Tommy coughed out, before regaining his composure. "Before it kills me?!"

"Sorry" Justin replied earnestly, clapping his hands. His Wooper hopped happily over to his trainer, allowing Justin to snare him in its Poké Ball. Tommy's roommate than resumed getting himself ready for the day. "I want to see what's going on around the Academy. The rest of the kids are too excited for this to be something trivial. You ought to see it for yourself."

Tommy let out a yawn and finally got himself out of his bed. "Alright. But only because I'm starting to think this might be what I think it is." He didn't want to get his hopes too high, but after weeks of wondering why the Academy wasn't being keen on allowing students to go off on their own to either challenge Gyms or catch more powerful Pokémon, he had an idea that this was about to become allowed for all students, himself included.

Unlike Justin, Tommy simply flung together an outfit, not caring if it matched or was even clean. The only thing he took care to find was the Pokémon on his belt. Sure enough, he had all of his Pokémon: Applin, Fuecoco, Numel and Barboach. He frowned to himself, wishing he could have his proper Pokémon work alongside his new Paldean acquisitions. But until Bridgette allowed him to have his others, these four would have to do. "I wonder which Gym I should challenge first."

"You think this is what all the hubbub is about?"

"It's gotta be. What else could be more important?" He then thought for a moment. "Applin is a Grass and Dragon type, Fuecoco is Fire, Numel and Barboach both have Ground Typing with Fire and Water added. A rock type gym would probably be easy for me, but I don't think Nemona mentioned there was a Rock Type Leader."

Justin nodded as he continued to prepare for the day. "She's right. Our Mathematics Teacher, Ms. Tyme, was a former Gym Leader who specialized in Rock Types. Her sister took her place as a Ghost Type expert."

Tommy nodded. "I doubt I'm a match for Ms. Tyme's sister, so I guess I'll go with a Bug or Grass Type first, then." Once his Poké Balls were secure and his team set, he rushed for the door. "Don't wait for me!" He ignored whatever reprieve he would have gotten from Justin, only to nearly ram himself into their other roommate as she seemed to be just waking up. Both collided with one another and fell to the ground.

"Ow!" Penny cried out.

"Oh Penny! Sorry!"

"This is what I get for letting La Primera bunk me up with boys, I guess" she grumbled as she checked herself for any injuries. "Do all boys hit like tanks in video games?"

Tommy, already feeling ashamed for barreling her over, did all he could to not make the accident any worse. "I'm really sorry, Penny."

"I'd have been shocked if you weren't running around like all the others" she replied, once she was sure she only had very superficial damage if anything. She slowly began to climb back up, initially ignoring Tommy's offering of his hand to help her up, but when her legs almost slipped from beneath her, Tommy caught his roommate and helped her to stand back up. As they finally were able to stand up by themselves, the two came apart and Penny finally addressed him properly. "After all, it is your first ever Treasure Hunt."

"Treasure Hunt?"

Penny nodded. "Yup. The School's biggest biannual event. Basically, all students are set loose across the region to uncover whatever it is they believe to be their special treasure. The more academically inclined kids discover things in the library or out on Pokémon catching sprees. Some kids challenge Gym Leaders. Others soak up the sights of the Paldea Region. Whatever you want to do."

"So it's open to all students?" Justin asked as he poked his head out of his and Tommy's half of the dorm room.

"That's what I just said" Penny replied sarcastically. "Got any plans for yourself, Justin?"

Justin thought for a moment. "I think I do. But I can't do it on my own. I'll have to find Lizzie or Bridgette and ask for their help."

"Why not me?" Tommy asked.

This prompted his roommate to laugh. "Unless it's about Pokémon Battling, I don't think you can help. Honestly, I doubt Lizzie can help either. So I guess that leaves Lady-uh, I mean Bridgette." He then slipped back into the Deluxe Dorm Room to resume getting ready. "I've got to see if the school will let me post about this on my Vlog."

"They haven't stopped you before, I doubt they will now." Once he was sure he and Penny were alone, he returned his full attention to his other roommate. "Do you have a special treasure."

Penny seemed taken aback by the question. "I-well-its kinda complicated-." She turned her back to Tommy. "I think I have one. But its gonna take a long time and a little bit of work to get it locked down."

"Do you need help?"

She smiled slightly. "You should focus on your own Special Treasure before helping someone else with theirs, Tommy. I thought you'd be chomping at the bit to go off on a journey with that Class President girl. You know, the one they call your girlfriend?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "She's definitely not my girlfriend. And besides, before I can even think about that, I promised someone else I'd help them. But I'd put that aside if it meant I could help you." He recalled his sole conversation with Cassiopeia regarding their plan for Operation Starfall, but had yet to hear from this mysterious person since. He wanted to keep his promise to help, but if Penny needed help, he was sure Cassiopeia could understand.

Penny sighed. "I appreciate the offer, but I think you should focus on the others you want to help. If that's your treasure, I mean."

"Who says that's my treasure? Isn't it supposed to be what I want?"

"Well, what do you want?"

Tommy looked away, before he summoned the confidence to say what he wanted to. "I want to get to know you better."

Penny's eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. Tommy could even see some color rushing into her face. "I-uh-well-see ya around!" She slipped behind her door and quickly shut it, bolting it shut and locking her inside her room.

"Penny?!" he called out but got no response. He sighed and made for the hallway. He walked down the halls and towards the elevator, which he would share with several other students. All of them seemed to be excited for their own chances at getting a "special treasure".

"What do you think your treasure will be?" one asked.

"I hope I get to challenge some Gyms" another added.

"I want to ace all my classes."

"I want to see rare Pokémon."

Then, all four faces turned towards Tommy. Despite being initially caught off guard, he replied earnestly. "I wanna help my friends find their treasures."

One of the boys that Tommy recognized from his History Class with Professor Sexton, eyed him curiously. "Really? I thought you'd be going along with Nemona everywhere, Tommy."

"I've got more friends than just Nemona" he replied playfully. "There's Addison, Morgan, Cole, Justin, Penny and-" Tommy would have went on, but the elevator doors opened and all of the students were greeted with the sight of their Class President staring at them all intently. The other kids stepped away, but Tommy remained shocked that Nemona had found him so quickly. "Nemona?"

"There you are!" she declared. "You missed Director Clavell's speech!"

"I got a bit of extra sleep" Tommy admitted. "I needed it after you had us battle that Ursaring yesterday."

Nemona laughed. "Yeah, I went a bit over the top with you, didn't I? But we can plan out our next day later. Come on!" Nemona grabbed Tommy and pulled him out of the elevator. Tommy could not do a thing as his 'friend who happens to be a girl' took his hand and led him out towards the Main Entrance of the Academy, quickly brushing past other students as she dragged him along behind her. The two made it up to the top of the massive staircase that led down to Mesagoza when she finally stopped to address him.

Tommy finally anchored himself down and sighed. "Now what's this all about?"

"This is it, Tommy!" she declared. "The day we've both been waiting for." She took up Tommy's hand in both of hers, either ignoring or completely oblivious to the color getting into her friend's face at this action. "You'll get to start challenging Gyms today. I have to as well, if I want to keep my Champion Ranking, but I want you to be able to challenge them first."

"Nemona, I-"

"We can talk later!" she exclaimed, quickly putting one hand to Tommy's mouth to quiet him. "We've got to get you to Cortondo to challenge Katy. She's a baker, but an expert in Bug-"

"MmmMmmmMmph?" Tommy tried to get her attention, but to no avail.

"Or do you want to take on Brassius the Grass Type Leader?" Nemona inquired, completely oblivious to the fact that she was effectively silencing her protege. She became super excitable at the thought of Tommy being a Gym Challenger and began to bounce around excitably.

Tommy took the moment to wriggle his head from Nemona's grasp and tried to settle her down. "Alright, Nemona. Calm down. We have plenty of time to plan things out." It was at that moment that his Poké Gear began to buzz in his pocket. While he tried to keep Nemona from running around and dragging him, he also tried to grab at his phone and answer the call from whoever it was, expecting it to be Billy ready to lecture him about being careful on this Treasure Hunt of his. But to his surprise, it was the same unknown number it had been the last time he had made contact with Cassiopeia. He anxiously picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Tommy" Cassiopeia's distorted voice called from the other side. "The time has come. I need your answer about our plans for Operation Starfall."

This caught Nemona's attention. "Operation what?"

Tommy was shocked when his Poké Gear immediately switched to Speaker Mode. "Who's that with you? The Class President?"

Nemona gasped. "How did you know that?"

"I have two 'I's' on everything at every moment" Cassiopeia replied. "Now would you mind giving me a moment with Tommy? Don't need the Student Council getting involved in this."

Nemona seemed about to protest, but Tommy took her hands to regain her attention. "It's okay, Nemona. Remember that person I wanted to help deal with Team Star? This is them. We can talk later, but right now I need to talk to my friend here." Nemona looked sad, but nodded and took several steps back so as not to interfere with Tommy's conversation. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Tommy returned to Cassiopeia. "Now, you wanted my answer?"

"I already have it" Cassiopeia responded quickly. "unless you were lying to Nemona. You're going to help me take down Team Star?"

For the first time since the day prior, he had a conclusive response to something. "I'm in."

"Good. Now I should warn you. Team Star already knows a bit about you. The kids you beat a few weeks back went and blabbed about you to anyone who would listen. And you drew the attention of the Team Star Bosses. There are five of them in total, though there are rumors of a sixth, even bigger boss that might come out of hiding in the future."

"And how do these bosses factor into this?"

"Team Star is only as strong as its leaders. If you take down the leaders in Pokémon Battles, their honor code will force them to disband their squads. Each squad is led by one of the five bosses. There's the Segin Squad, the Schedar Squad, the Navi Squad, the Ruchbah Squad and the Caph Squad. I understand you may have reservations about fighting the bosses all at once, so I suggest you head to take on the Segin Squad first."

"Where can I find these goons?" Tommy growled, recalling how the Syndicate had done far worse than bullying to the people of Arcana, including his sister. He would not allow more bullies to cause problems anywhere he stood.

"The Segin Squad operates in the West Province. Their base is located in the northeastern section of the Province, to the south of Cascaraffa. Its leader, Giacomo, is considered the weakest of the Bosses, but he is still a dangerous Pokémon Trainer. You should prepare yourself for a rough battle. The Segin Squad treats him like a king, so you can bet they'll want to protect him from you." The other line was silent for a moment before continuing. "It may do you some good to train with the Class President for a bit before you challenge him."

"You think I can't handle him now?"

"I can't guarantee you the other squads won't come after you if you beat Segin" Cassiopeia warned. "And the other four are much more dangerous than Giacomo is. You need to be prepared for anything."

Tommy thought for a moment before realizing this was a chance for him to prove himself a strong trainer not just to Nemona and Cassiopeia, but to Billy and Bridgette as well. Taking down Team Star could earn him respect from the other students, the faculty and everyone else who had looked down on him as a kid. He might even convince Addison he was worth a shot after all.

"What do you say, Tommy?"

"What's in it for me?"

Cassiopeia seemed to snicker on the other side. "Don't worry. I doubted you were only interested in adulation and praise. I have rewards for you if you succeed. Enough League Points to sate even the most gluttonous consumer you could be, not to mention more than enough Pokémon Materials to make Technical Machines for any moves you might want to learn. If we work together, Tommy, no trainer in Paldea will be able to hold a candle to you. Even La Primera would have to give you her respect."

Tommy smiled at this. "I'm in."

"Good" Cassiopeia replied. "I'll be keeping an eye out for any updates regarding the Team Star Bosses. Once you're close to the Segin Squad's base, I'll call you again." With that, the call ended almost as quickly as it began.

Once Tommy had placed his Poké Gear back into his pocket, Nemona returned to his side. "So you really are gonna take on Team Star?"

Tommy nodded. "I have to. My friend is counting on me." He glanced up at her to try and alleviate her concern. "You know how important it is to help friends in need, right?"

Nemona smiled. "I hear that. Alright, I'll let you do your own thing for a bit. But don't think I won't be keeping an eye out for you, Tommy. A trainer with your potential could breeze through the Gym Leaders in no time." She offered Tommy a hand to shake. Not willing to pass this chance up, Tommy took her hand, pulled her forward to within an inch of him, stood up on the tips of his toes, and planted a kiss on Nemona's cheek before letting go and standing in front of her as proud as ever. Nemona put a hand to where Tommy had kissed her and giggled. "Another Arcanan tradition?"

"You could call it that" Tommy smirked, trying to hide his blushing face. Nemona grinned at this and sprinted down the steps and out of sight. Tommy looked down as she vanished out of his line of sight and let out a smile of his own. Alright, Cassiopeia said I needed to train to take on this Segin Squad. But luckily for me, I doubt Cassiopeia or anyone else knows what I have in store. He knew that no base Team Star had could possibly contain his Donphan or any of his other well-trained Pokémon. But to get access to them, he needed to talk to Bridgette. And that was the first true objective of his side of Operation Starfall:

Operation Mermaid.

{}

Once she got word from Justin about something called a "Treasure Hunt" taking place throughout Paldea, Lizzie took it upon herself to meet up with her old friend inside Uva Academy itself. She secretly hoped this would mean an opportunity to finally take Miraidon around the entire region, as she felt like a prisoner being all cooped up within the boundaries of Mesagoza. But for the time being, she would speak with Justin in the hopes of seeing what his plan would be for this grand time outside of the Academy.

But upon arriving in the Academy's main entrance, all she found was Addison and Morgan seated at a table going through books of Paldean History, Mythology and Lore. There was no immediate trace of Justin or anyone else for that matter. Even Amanda's own table she'd basically hijacked for her own was empty, with Amanda likely trying to do all in her power to earn the forgiveness of Billy for abandoning their time together for her research. Lizzie had apologized for interrupting Billy's proposal and even offered to tell Amanda of Billy's intention, but this only made things worse as Billy told her just to stick to her job of watching over Justin and protecting the kids. But given all of the time he was spending assisting that Geeta woman, she could only assume that he didn't seem to mind the loneliness as much.

With no one else to turn to regarding Justin's whereabouts, Lizzie made her way over to Addison and Morgan's own table. Addison, she could only assume, was pouring into her research about trying to find the way to bring Ryan back. This was something Lizzie was unsure if Addison could actually achieve, but given all of the things she'd accomplished to this point, Lizzie figured the only person who could even consider such a feat of bringing someone back from the dead, it would be her. After all, she'd already done the impossible in reversing time to save everyone (with Lucas and Justin's help) and defeated Mewtwo. She'd been through so much and of all of the Arcanan Heroes who went to Mirage Island, was the only one who didn't have their Happy Ending. She deserved it, even if it didn't mean reuniting with Ryan.

Morgan, on the other hand, despite being eager to help Addison since they were told of this impending journey to Paldea, seemed to be in another world. She was daydreaming about something. Lizzie could only imagine, despite not being too keen on romantic feelings, that she was crushing hard on a new student. And her observations of their charges seemed to ring that the boy she'd met on that evening outside of the Poco Lighthouse, Cole, was the recipient of Morgan's budding feelings. But Morgan's less than happy mood seemed to show that Cole was not quite as receptive to her as she hoped. But Lizzie had no interest in delving into the love affairs of a girl who wasn't even hers to look after. Let Amanda pick up the pieces of Morgan's shattered heart. She needed to find Justin.

Neither seemed to notice her approach at first, so Lizzie took the time to call out to them. "Morning girls. Is this what you're both doing for the Treasure Hunt?"

Addison nodded. "I don't really have any interest in the Pokémon Gym Challenge. And I have enough Pokémon, including Sprigatito and Hatenna. So my only focus from this point on should be White Island and how to get there." She glanced over at Morgan, noticing her doodling on a piece of paper and humming to herself, apparently more enamored with Cole than ever before. "It'd help if I had someone reading books with me, though. Right, Morgan?"

Morgan blinked. "Hmm? You say something?"

"Look, if you're seriously this hung up on Cole, you need to go and talk to him before he goes off on his own Treasure Hunt."

Morgan sighed. "I've tried. But he's being such a...ergh! Such a boy!"

"Boys do tend to be boys" Addison teased as she resumed her reading.

"I bet he's still sleeping. I know he was in a meeting with Professor Sexton late into the night before going to bed. That's why he turned down our study date."

"There's also nothing to study for in the next few weeks. Class doesn't resume until the Treasure Hunt is over."

Lizzie, though curious to see where the back and forth between the two would go, cut to the chase. "Have either of you seen Justin? I wanted to see what his plans were for the Treasure Hunt before it began."

Morgan shook her head. "I haven't."

Addison, on the other hand, seemed to have an answer. "Well, he was a bit more excitable than I'd have thought when I bumped into him. Something about his Vlog and how he was going to show Paldea to the rest of the world. I hope he doesn't get in trouble with the Pokémon League or something."

"I thought he'd have asked me" Lizzie replied, somewhat confused as to why he hadn't.

"He didn't ask Tommy either" Morgan mentioned. "Both of them went in search of Bridgette for something, but at different times."

Lizzie frowned. It's always Bridgette, isn't it? "I'd get why Justin would, but why Tommy?"

"Who knows?"

Addison lowered the book. "He's been a bit more serious lately. Trying to grow up. I hope he doesn't change who he is too fast though."

Morgan giggled. "Or that he's still playing the long game in hopes of winning your love?"

Addison scoffed at this. "Not gonna happen and I hope he knows that too."

Lizzie folded her arms. "Well, I'd imagine Justin must have found his way to Bridgette by now, so I guess I'll hang around here until anyone needs me." She would have walked off on her own, had she not nearly bumped into one of the other new exchange students. Jovi, if her memory served her, was usually an excitable teenaged girl with a pair of Plusle and Minun following her at every turn. But something about her seemed...off. As if she were either deeply tired or put off by something. "Uh, hi Jovi. Is everything okay?"

"Have you seen Cole?" she inquired, her voice strangely lacking any of the warmth and energy she was said to have.

Lizzie, despite being put off by the oddity of Jovi's behavior, simply chose to abide by her request. "I think Morgan said he was still sleeping in his dorm room."

Jovi nodded and turned in an almost mechanical way before making her way down towards the elevators, nearly getting bowled over by another student who was anxiously running towards her. Lizzie almost laughed at how uninterested and outright dismissive Arven was of the girl as he approached her, his backpack overflowing with traveling and cooking gear. Once he saw her, Arven skidded to a stop and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Howdy there, Lizzie! Hope you're ready."

"Huh?"

Arven's enthusiasm dropped only slightly. "You forgot our adventure?! For the Herba Mystica?"

Lizzie gasped. "Oh my gosh. Honestly, I kinda did." But to avoid any further awkwardness, she nodded eagerly. "But I can be ready to go in a few minutes. I was honestly wondering if you'd given up on the quest, especially considering no one has seen you in class for a while."

Arven rolled his eyes. "I've got more important things to do than hear those teachers try to compare me to my parents. Besides, unless any of them teach a class about the Herba Mystica, what's the point?!" He reached into his bag and pulled out the Violet Book, clinging to it much more closely than he had before. "Thanks to Professor Amanda returning the book to me, we can actually begin this. Now, the book doesn't have anything specifically about the locations of the Titans who are supposed to be guarding the Herba Mystica, but I've done some scouting the last few days and I think I have an idea of where three of them are."

Lizzie had to admit that if something meant a great deal to her new comrade, he was almost stubbornly determined to see it through. "Well, I'll do what I can to help beat down these Titans. Then we can see if the Herba Mystica can help Miraidon."

Arven chuckled. "That brute is still with you?"

"Of course he is!"

"I'd have imagined you'd have let him loose by now. The glutton." He cleared his throat to avoid any tension and pressed on. "There is one Titan that's actually not too far from the gates of Mesagoza, to the east and just outside of the town of Artazon. It's said to make its home in the gorge. A second that's a bit of a hike up a mountain past Cortondo, but there's some kind of landslide causing the road there to be impassible. Then the one in the Asado Desert, but there's a massive sandstorm going on there. The other two are still up in the air."

"Well, I've dealt with a lot of issues in my lifetime" Lizzie began, but paused for a moment when she realized she sounded exactly like Mark would in one of his 'Big Brother Lectures'. Sheesh, of the two of them, why did I have to take after Mark more than Michael? She sighed and resumed. "I've faced sandstorms and rockslides in my life. And some of the most terrifyingly strong Pokémon out there. I think you've got quite a helpful partner at your side, Arven."

He grinned. "Of course. When it comes to Ma...uh, when it comes to my Treasure, I don't go unprepared. Though, to play it safe, I think we should tackle the Titan closest to Mesagoza first. What say you. Adventure Bud?"

"You're the brains and I'm the muscle" she teased.

"Then off to Artazon!" he exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air in excitement. "I'm gonna go pick up some supplies. You take that brute with you out to the Eastern Gate and I'll meet you there." Without another word, he burst from their conversation and out the doors of Uva Academy.

Lizzie shrugged. "Then that's my plan, I guess." She glanced over towards the girls, who were back to what they were doing before she had spoken to them. The only one of them that may be a problem is Tommy. Morgan and Addison won't get into any trouble. And if they do, Bridgette and Amanda both can help them out. And Justin is safe and sound. I think I can afford to go on my own adventure for once. She turned towards the doors and smiled to herself. At least unless Billy gets involved.

{}

The time apart from Amanda had become almost constant for Billy to endure. The only time the two would get together was in the dead of night, as they shared their hotel room and in turn a bed. But even then, it would be Amanda taking a power nap of a few hours to refresh herself and then rush right back to the library. They hadn't even shared a meal together since the night Lizzie had interrupted his attempt to propose. Billy was on his own for most of the time, as even Tommy was exceeding his expectations in terms of behavior. He was doing well in his classes, he was becoming close to the Class President and had become something of a rising star in class. No one needed him, which left him feeling a bit directionless in a region he still felt foreign in.

And whenever he did have some moments alone, he would constantly be peppered into spending time with Geeta. And the nature of their time together was rapidly changing. He could have chalked up Geeta's advances before as polite and lightly flirtatious, if he was being incredibly generous. But that generosity had run its course. Now, Geeta was being upfront with him. The nature of their time together went from being polite and diplomatic to outright dates. Dinner parties, public Pokémon Battles, public events across the region and her personal favorite (as well as his least), walks alone throughout Mesagoza. She hadn't made a move on him, though the space between the two was becoming uncomfortable close. Had he not feared a reprisal of rejecting La Primera being them getting booted from Arcana before Addison could at least make an attempt to find White Island, he'd have turned her down any of the times. His fear of letting Addison down was only further compounded by his absolute dread of letting Michael down in terms of Paldea sealing itself off forever to them. He was one of the few Kingstons who had yet to disappoint Michael in some way and he didn't ever want to do that to someone he'd always thought of as a hero. If that meant he was skating very close to dating Paldea's "princess", so be it.

Therefore, when Geeta again insisted on joining Billy on his morning jog, he allowed her to. To her credit, Geeta could not only keep pace with him no matter how fast he went, but also on occasion showed yet another appealing side to her in her athleticism. Had he not been keeping Amanda in his thoughts with every passing day, Geeta would have checked every box in Billy's ideal woman of his dreams. Athletic, charming, intelligent, a very talented Pokémon Trainer, passionate, virtuous, kind and above all beautiful. The longer Amanda kept him at arm's length for her research, the harder these traits were to ignore.

After the two had completed a race of sorts up the long slope to the Pokémon League HQ, with Geeta coming out on top with the dexterity and speed of a Lopunny, Billy finally had to concede another victory to her. He chuckled, tired and drained from their lengthy exercise-filled morning. "You beat me there, Your Highness." With that acknowledgement of his defeat, he slumped onto his rear end and took in a deep breath to calm himself.

"I tend to keep up with my Pokémon in their own exercises" Geeta explained, not at all fatigued from their rigid routine. "I'm impressed you were able to keep up with me at my peak. Not many can do it. Even Rika and Ms. Dendra have conceded as much to me." She looked towards the Pokémon League, her tone becoming more serious. "I have a legacy to maintain, William. One I do not plan to let slide out of my grasp anytime soon."

"I get that" Billy replied. "I don't want to ever lose sight of my own legacy."

"The legacy set by your grandfather, correct?"

He nodded. "Grandpa's been gone for almost twenty years, yet it still feels like all he taught us still goes through each and every one of us. Some of us got it faster than others. But it's felt good to comprehend it at all, even if it was a little late coming my way."

"I do believe your grandfather would have been proud of you" she said gently. "I hope I can do right by my father's own legacy." She turned back towards him and noticed him on the ground and smiled contently to herself. "You truly ought to indulge on those breakfasts I offer you. Protein is important in the morning, you know." She made it over to his side and held out her hand.

"I'm not a big breakfast person" he admitted. "But I do appreciate how welcoming you've been to us, Geeta."

"I am always welcoming to my guests, William. At least the courteous and polite ones, which you all from Arcana have proven to be." She extended her hand again. "No need to slump in the dirt on my account." Billy reached up and let Geeta pull him to his feet. He intended to initially check in on Tommy, but was unsurprised when Geeta kept him beside her. "The legacy of your grandfather may be a tall task, but at the very least you have cousins to rely on to carry it on." She frowned. "Not like me."

"You're alone?" Billy asked, caught off guard by Geeta's vulnerability.

"My Pokémon and the people of Paldea are my family" she reminded him. "Beyond that...ruling Paldea has been a bit of a lonely experience." She took a deep breath and grasped his hand tenderly. "My father died when I was a girl. There has been a Ruling Council that has governed Paldea since, as they do not believe I am ready to uphold the responsibilities of being called "La Reina". They like to say it is to allow me to become one with the people, but I know they look down on a woman ruling on her own."

"Is that why they haven't named you a Queen, yet?" Billy asked.

She nodded. "Director Clavell has spoken for me many times to assure the Council of my readiness, but they have their doubts. The 'Old Way' is very strong here."

"Wish you'd been in Arcana all this time. We've had strong women calling the shots for ages. Even Michael relies on his wife and Grand Vizier for a lot."

She smiled at this. "And being the only one who can assume the throne, we've stagnated ever since. The Council was against my attempts to open the borders, but the Academy stood firmly behind me in welcoming the new students. And that decision has gained me a bit of respect among them, I hope." She led him away from the gates of the Pokémon League and out towards the rock wall that overlooked the wide and open plains of Paldea's Western Province. "And I was proven correct. The exchange students performed exceptionally well in their midterm exams. I must say, I didn't expect your students to be so knowledgeable."

"Addison and Morgan aren't very surprising. Those two have always had good heads on their shoulders. Tommy taking things seriously has been reassuring for me."

"I see he and Champion Nemona have gotten along quite well" she claimed. "Almost as if the two bring out the best in one another. I hope that continues for the rest of the Arcanans and Paldeans in interactions."

"Tommy can be a bit of a problem, but it's good to know Nemona has brought out a lot of the good side in him. And from what I've seen, the boy Cole has become friendly with Addison and Morgan."

Geeta nodded, though she seemed more restrained than before. "I see a bit of myself in that boy. Lost and directionless. I found him outside of the Great Crater of Paldea, alone and injured. I took him back to the Academy to have him nursed back to health. He is an orphan, you know. As a fellow child without parents, I do whatever I can to help students who are in those kinds of unfortunate situations. We have a program here at the Academy for children like Cole. We cover the tuition and various expenses for them, provided they continue to give us their best effort in class. Cole is one of the bright spots of his class. We have another little girl, a few years younger who is also very bright, but orphaned as well. It shows you do not need to have familial support to succeed. And it makes me feel a little less alone, if you get what I mean."

"I do" he answered. "Losing my Dad made me have to step up as a man of the family. But doing so alongside my cousins has helped a lot. They're more than family to me. They're my best friends. I hope you at least have friends to lean on."

The two stopped their progression at the rock wall before sitting down beside one another. "Friends? Someone in my position is lucky to have people who are looking out for my best interests instead of their own. I am fortunate to have a few I could depend on in any situation, though. Rika is as indispensable as she is loyal, arguably my best friend. Hassel is very much like an older brother or an eccentric uncle. Director Clavell has been more of a father to me my entire life than my own was. And Dendra is perhaps my other closest confidant." She eyed him with a soft, doe-like glance as she grasped his hand. "I hope I can look to you as someone like that, William."

Billy gulped but nodded. "I assure you that you have my fullest support if you need it."

"That's good to hear" she responded. The two then sat in silence, a calm and gentle breeze the only thing reminding them that the world was going on all around them. Billy was beginning to feel strangely comfortable in these situations. He'd been so on edge the first few times he and Geeta had been alone, but now, having gotten to know her over the last several weeks, it was almost as if the universe was scheming for something to change. And all while Amanda remained in the back of his head, he tried to do his best to be respectful and courteous to Paldea's "Princess" without making it seem as if he had some well of romantic feelings for her. The tightrope he now walked was becoming thinner and thinner, with the abyss of losing his girlfriend on one side and losing Paldea and letting Addison and Michael down on the other.

"About the borders" Billy said, finally breaking the void between them. "What would it take for them to remain open permanently?"

"The Council would have to approve of it" she reasoned. "Or, they would have to let me take up my father's crown to do so. If they allowed me to do so, I'd be able to reopen Paldea to the world. One of the many issues I've brought up with them recently that they don't seem to be taking seriously. We may be thriving as a society on our own, but outside contact is vital. If we'd established it, we might have been able to help in that struggle with that monstrous Pokémon you all endured."

"I guess that means, so long as I'm supporting you, we should find a way to get them to give you a chance to rule on your own, right?"

"It's not that simple. There are certain factors that would allow me to do so, but none of them are in my power to do. In the event of a great crisis, where the region's safety is at stake and the Council is torn about what to do, I would be able to call upon an emergency session to fix the crisis. And if I did an adequate job, they might extend my length on the throne indefinitely. But given how quiet and peaceful things have been, I doubt that is a path we can travel." She looked down at their joined hands and seemed to be trying to muster the strength to say something.

"Is there another way?" Billy inquired, though in the back of his head he suspected what it might be.

"The other way..." she began but seemed nervous to even broach the idea. "The other way...is for me to give them a reason to believe I can rule on my own."

"And that would be..."

"I'll admit, until recently, I wasn't a fan of the idea. But if it's the only way for things to be...I may have no other choice."

Billy became incredibly nervous. His tightrope walking was about to be next to impossible. He could feel himself wobbling like crazy, doing all he could to remain balanced internally as the moment that might define his life came upon him. He wanted to run, to scream, to insist that Amanda was the only one for him, to tell Geeta of his plan to marry her. And yet, he couldn't say a thing. Because he was going to end up a loser in either situation. He could only brace himself for whatever La Primera was about to say.

"I must...marry a suitable consort" she finally spoke up.

"I see...that could be problematic."

"And it cannot be just any man" she continued. "though many have tried to assert themselves to me. I suspect they either wished to rule through me or to simply be able to call someone like me their wife. I lost count after so many years of would-be suitors coming along to woo me." She rose to her feet and pulled Billy up beside her. "I-I don't want to impose, William. I shouldn't be troubling you with my issues."

"I understand" Billy said in almost a whisper. "After all-"

"I know you have a girlfriend and I suspect that if she saw us together like this, she'd get the idea that I was-"

"I think it would be best if she didn't know we were meeting as much as this." He frowned. "Then again, she's still so focused on her studying that I-"

Geeta frowned. "She's still at that?"

Billy echoed her facial expression. "And she still won't even give me the time of day. And to think I was-"

"I for one find that incredibly rude" she lamented. "You are not something one can simply put on a shelf and pick up at will. You are human and you have your own emotional needs." She gave him a very gentle smile and took a step closer to him. "Miss Fouritz ought to have taken my warning to heart. You deserve someone who will treat you as you deserve to be treated, William. If she is so intent on studying all Paldea has to offer, she ought to allow you to be free. There might be...well...someone out there for you who can see you for everything you are. And won't treat you as a trophy."

"Amanda doesn't do that" he assured Geeta. "She's just excited about-"

"How long can that excitement go on without her realizing what she might miss out on?" She moved even closer, their bodies now separated by an inch at most. "I know there is someone out there who will care for you as one like you deserves to be."

"Geeta, I-"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Both Billy and Geeta turned to see a red-faced and apoplectic Amanda glaring in their direction. Her fists were shaking in anger and it seemed directed almost entirely at Geeta, much to Billy's relief. However, unlike their previous encounter, Geeta did not seem inclined to step aside. In fact, she was anchoring him to her side.

"Professor Fouritz" Geeta spoke with both polite respect and a curt sneer. "We meet again."

"Amanda" Billy began, but she completely ignored him as the immeasurable anger in her face was all Billy needed to keep his mouth shut.

"How many times do you have to be reminded that Billy is IN A RELATIONSHIP?!" she snarled.

Geeta, true to her intent, did not stand down. "It would seem about as many times as you need to be reminded that you yourself are in one."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Billy was desperate to get out of the situation, but he knew if he managed to get out of Geeta's grasp, Amanda would keep him anchored to her side. He simply froze in shock and wished that it had been Daniel or Chris in this situation instead of him.

"In the nine weeks you've been a guest in my region" Geeta replied coldly, "I've seen you a grand total of a single time with William. You seem to be content with the books of Uva Academy's Library by your side instead of him. Commendable for a scholar such as yourself, but woefully inept as one with a romantic partner. I have been in the company of your own boyfriend more than you have. Relationships must never take a backseat to the pursuit of knowledge, lest you find yourself on the losing side."

"The only thing I've been content with is that I know I can trust Billy not to do anything stupid" his girlfriend replied. "And knowing him as I do, I know he isn't dumb enough to have done anything uncouth with someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Geeta repeated, offended. "Miss Fouritz, I've opened my borders for you and in return I've been rudely disrespected-"

"The only one rude around here has been you trying to worm your way into Billy's arms!"

"She's not trying to-" Billy interjected.

"Stay out of this, Billy" Amanda warned.

"Trying to control someone you don't even seem to love?" Geeta replied. "How does that bode for an everlasting relationship?" She pulled Billy to her side and squeezed his hand. "If you must know, William has been nothing but a polite and upstanding gentleman to me. So much so that I wonder how it is someone with the manners and emotional depth of a Dunsparce could have won the love of someone as good as him. I've learned much about him, perhaps more than you recently. After all, the last man I'm sure you've listened to is the writer of the Violet Book."

"You do NOT want to see where my Arcanan manners take people like you" Amanda hissed.

"If you must be aware of the situation, Miss Fouritz, then I must admit that I have grown fond of William. I see him for what he is and not as some trophy to parade around. And, given time, I imagine he may come to see me the same way."

Billy closed his eyes and moaned. Arceus, kill me now...

"He won't be seeing you as anything besides our host while we're here!" Amanda fired back. "And I'm prepared to make sure it stays that way, got it?!"

Geeta smiled, though this one was icier than one Billy had seen previously. "Very well. If it's a challenge you want, a challenge you shall get."

"Oh no..." Billy groaned. Amanda may know a great deal about Pokémon, from their anatomy, typing, battling prowess and potential capabilities, but battling was never one of her strong points. And from what he'd seen of Geeta, she was not one to be trifled with in terms of her own talents. She might even be one of the few trainers capable of beating the best of the world, such as Leon, Cynthia, Michael or Annette.

"You name the time and the place!" Amanda spat out angrily.

"The Battle Square in Mesagoza" La Primera replied. "Tonight."

"You're on!"

Geeta returned her attention to Billy. "Very well. We ought to allow the esteemed Professor to prepare herself for this battle, William. Shall we resume our talk?" She began to tug Billy back towards the Pokémon League HQ, but Amanda had seen enough and yanked Billy backwards and nearly sent him hurdling down the steep hillside, standing in-between the two.

"You can prepare alone, as you're going to be after tonight! Billy stays with me!"

Geeta seemed eager to say something, but this time remained silent. She fired a look at Amanda then returned a much calmer and gentler smile towards Billy. "We shall see how strong you are, Miss Fouritz. Do not hold back in our battle, for I can assure you that you shall experience the full power of my own talents as a trainer." With that, Geeta walked off alone towards the League HQ. Billy knew that she was, despite the clear power gap between them, going to train mercilessly demonstrate her talent to Amanda.

He glanced towards Amanda, who was shaking in anger, distress and nervous energy, all bundled up in one compact set of feeling. Her eyes remained locked on Geeta, even as she vanished beyond their sight. He put his hand on her arm and felt just how anxious and emotional she was about to become. "Amanda? Sweetie, are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay" she replied through her teeth, as if fighting off an immense amount of pain. The wind seemed to be blowing her long blonde hair in various directions, as if signaling the coming storm. "I'm angry, I'm hurt, I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed and I'm absolutely horrified of facing her. But I don't have another choice. I won't let her walk all over our relationship, even if it means I'm going to get embarrassed in a loss to her." She held out her hand for Billy to take. "I'm so sorry, Billy."

"I shouldn't have gotten so close to her" he admitted. "Give her that false hope. I'm just trying to be polite to-"

"I know what you're doing" she interrupted. "And Michael and Julia would be proud of you. But now is the time to make me proud."

Billy took her hand and held it tightly. "Of course. However you need me to help, I'll do it."

She squeezed his hand as tightly. "Those maps we were given show areas where powerful Pokémon are said to appear. You're taking me there so I can catch them. And when I have them ready to go, I'm either going to bury her in her own little world, or embarrass myself in front of thousands of spectators. But the point will be made regardless. I am yours and you are mine, Billy. And no vile harpy is going to change that."

"What about the kids? Tommy and Morgan?"

"If I thought Morgan needed a chaperone, I'd have spent the last several weeks tailing her instead of reading every book in that stupid library. And unless you feel like you need to babysit Tommy, I think he can handle a day without you. Now are we in this together or not?"

Billy, reassured by Amanda's words, pecked her cheek. "As you said, I am yours and you are mine Amanda."

"Good" she winked. "Now let's get a move on. First stop is outside of Levincia to pick up a regional Tauros." Without another word, Amanda dragged Billy back down the pathway towards Mesagoza, Billy lamenting the fact that he'd left the engagement ring in the side drawer of their hotel room with every moment they walked away.