Chapter 37: Chimera

Summary:

A Monitor makes contact with Zeryph, finally, after the incident from a few days earlier. The team takes on a Dungeon and faces a major loss. And, gains a surprise recruit.


I woke up to the feeling of a hand on my shoulder. I noticed that the color in the room had changed, becoming black and white. Like everything had been frozen in time, much like with what Dialga has done in the past.

"Good morning, Mr. Ketchum. Is that what you go by, now? Or would you rather have your first name used?" I jumped up quickly at the sound of the unknown voice, only to regret it as I was hit with a head rush.

"Just Zeryph is fine, please. Ugh…" I put a hand on my head. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Monitor Two-One-Four. And, no, I'm not the one normally assigned to your case. You've caused quite the mess, recently, and we were only just able to reconnect." His face was obscured by a mask, likely due to protocol. "I've been sent to figure out what it was you did, along with making some updates to prevent it from happening again."

"Yeah, that was me." I watched as he sat down on the bed across from mine, careful to not brush against Suicune. Not that she'd notice if he did, since he'd put the room in a time-lock. "Well, partially anyway. I had some assistance from a few others."

A blue flash filled the room as Dialga appeared. I'm not even slightly surprised that he'd noticed what was going on.

"Zeryph, we have a-" He paused as he noticed the Monitor. "Who on Earth are you?"

"To you? Nobody important." If the Monitor was unnerved by Dialga's ability to ignore the time-lock, he didn't show it. "I'm here on official business, to figure out what happened here a few days ago. There was a massive incident, you see. Whatever Zeryph did, caused a major disruption that nearly fried the System." I mentally cringed when I heard that. I didn't know it was that bad. But it certainly explains why the System has been quiet for the past few days.

"Ah, yes, it's true. My brothers and I, aided our Father in breaching the void. We brought Zeryph back after he had fallen in battle. Had we not done it, well, to say it ends poorly is an understatement." Dialga said.

"Right, well, it has still caused us no small amount of trouble. I'd like to say we could disable it, but if you're strong enough to create a breach…then there's not much we can do. Instead, I'm going to manually trip an update. Since Zeryph has a base portal now, it's not hard to set it as a respawn point." I watched the Monitor bring up a series of holographic screens, then begin to go through things faster than I could really keep up with.

"Oh, and also, adding in the new expansion stuff for what's part of the ninth generation. Sorry for the headache, kid, but that's just part of the big stuff." He finished what he was going over, then hit a button to send it all out. "It won't take long for everything to kick in. I must be going now, and…try to not break the System again." He stood from the bed, pressing something on his left arm as he did. He proceeded to break apart into small flakes of light, and disappear. The room's colors returned to normal as the time-lock faded away.

"That was…unexpected." Dialga said. "So, these…Monitors, they watch over the System, right?"

"Yeah, they do. Something goes wrong, and it's usually one of them that has to deal with it. Well, that's my guess anyway. I know about as much as you do, really." We both noticed as Suicune began to sit up and stretch, yawning quietly as she did. I felt movement next to me as Lexie also started to wake up. "Good morning, ladies."

"Mmm…morning Zeryph." Lexie finished her stretch. "Oh, hey Dialga."

"Dialga? Here?" Suicune was surprised.

"Yes. I was looking into something that I had sensed. It seems to just be something related to Zeryph's abilities." Dialga said. "I must be going, as well. Have a pleasant day, all of you." He then disappeared, as well.

"I didn't know you were already in contact with the Creation Trio. Or, at least Dialga." Suicune said. There was a quiet thump as she hopped down from her bed.

"We have been for a while. In fact, if I'm remembering right, Dialga was personally assigned to us." Lexie said. I started to get up, only to be suddenly hit by pain. I fell back onto the bed, and put both hands on my head, using what Restoration skill I had to soothe the sudden headache.

"Zeryph?" I waved one of my hands at Lexie.

"I'll be fine, just give me a moment." It didn't last too long, and once it had cleared, I got up from the bed. Once I was up, I took a few minutes to change into something better suited for exercise. From there, Lexie and I headed out. Liz met us outside, planning to join in like she had yesterday.

The workout went as it usually does, apart from Liz joining in. She stopped about a fourth of the way in, just like she had the day before. Lexie and I continued on for the next ninety minutes, stopping at the mark and heading back inside. After a shower, and a change in my case, we went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I took the lead today, fixing pancakes, while Lexie handled some sausage and eggs.

The smell soon drew everyone to the dining room. With some help from two of Liz's Pokemon, her Audino and her Serperior, we served breakfast. Following our meal, I took my team, plus Suicune, outside. Then, I pulled open a dungeon portal. I'd discussed the idea of a run today, with my team, as part of settling into a routine. Training on some days, with dungeons on others. A dungeon every couple weeks, perhaps.

There's also the possibility of the System setting up a Raid, for Mt. Silver. But, it hasn't yet, and I'm hoping that it does. Especially since we have yet to experience one, so we won't know what to expect. In truth, I'm hoping that Turnback Cave is also a Raid, for when we get to Sinnoh.

Once my team and I, as well as Suicune, had stepped through the portal, it closed behind us. A check at the map showed that there were four arenas ahead. The usual notification popped up, and I dismissed it. There's a possibility for some tokens today, hadn't seen those in a while. Even more interesting is that, for the first time since Solais joined us, we get a recruit for finishing this one.

While I was going over the information, my team was briefing Suicune on what to expect. Then, I gave out the Empowerment seeds to those who were going to take one. Bursts of power filled the starting chamber, then the room shook as Mewtwo powered up, himself. When I gave the signal, he started things off by blasting open the doors with Psystrike, then charging into the first battle hall. Kaorah and Lexie were the second ones in, then the rest of us followed.

Suicune was the only one not fighting. Mostly because she didn't know how to work with us. And, I guess the idea of killing Pokemon, even if they are fake, didn't sit well with her. It didn't take long for the heavy hitters to clear the room, either. Mainly because of the fact that Mewtwo is no longer holding himself back.

While they handled that, Cerise handled the search for any loot that there happened to be. She found some money for me to use, some extra Empowerment Seeds, and some selling items.

"I can't believe you put yourselves through stuff like this." Suicune spoke up. She still hadn't joined in, resulting in the enemies being cleared out before she could. "Especially having to kill like this. I mean, yeah, they might not be real, but…"

"Yeah, I know. The bosses as you'll see, are much more real than these others are. Sometimes, what gets thrown at us is a Legendary. Or some who belong to the Mythical classification." I said. "The only ones who do fall under that, at least for now, have been Darkrai and Zeraora. I don't know if Genesect counts or not."

"They also have special traits that most normal Pokemon don't have. Like the Genesect having a drone fleet that gave it Wonder Guard." Melanie said. "Or what we had for the Darkrai encounter."

"Oh, that was a good one. I still wonder what the raid system is supposed to be. I know it's based off how that battle went, but we haven't seen one yet." I'm still looking forward to the day that we do.

"Maybe Mt. Silver will be turned into one as we near the end of our second month." Mewtwo said. "Personally, I really hope it does. It'll be a great test of our abilities."

"Oh, for sure." I walked up to the door for the first arena. Unlike previous cases, I could feel two presences on the other side, instead of one. They were powerful, much stronger than normal bosses. I'm thinking that more Legends are going to be added to the list. Mewtwo seemed to sense them as well, based on how his expression changed to a slight frown.

Then, the door opened. Two dragons with a somewhat identical appearance, waited for us. The one on the left had a somewhat bulkier build. He was white and blue, with a red triangle marking on his chest. Next to him, one with a slimmer, more feminine build. Her colors were mirrored from his, being white and red, with a blue triangle. The male had red eyes, while the female had yellow.

[Latios]

[Level 20]

[Soul Dew]

[Primary Moveset- Luster Purge, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Dance, Ally Switch]

[Special trait- Mega at-will, telepathic link]

[Latias]

[Level 20]

[Soul Dew]

[Primary Moveset- Mist Ball, Helping Hand, Tailwind, Heal Pulse]

[Special Trait- Mega at-will, telepathic link]

So, it looks like Latios is the attacker, while Latias acts as his support. But, it's just as likely that she has the same moves he does, just that they aren't listed as her primaries. Much as I'd rather take down the support first, it would be wiser to deal with Latios, then see if she'll agree to yield whenever her brother does.

"A human?" Latias broke the silence first.

"Seems like it. And this team…they're strong, very strong. I can feel it." Latios said.

"Hey, human, answer some questions for us, please. How did we get here?" Latias asked.

"Yeah, and, where are we, anyway? We're supposed to stay in Altomare, not…wherever this is." Latios said. So, these are the Movie duo, specifically. Didn't think I'd meet them early, but it'll help out when we get to that point. Since they should remember us. I'm not going to let Latios die, I promise that much.

"Since you're both Psychic, that's much easier to answer." I stepped forward, and held out my hands to the both of them. "Go ahead, I'll share what information is necessary." I felt them grab my hands, and I allowed them to probe my mind for the answers they sought. It did leave me with a slight headache, but that's only because there's two at once. As Psychics, they feel much more powerful than Mewtwo, but only because they've had much longer to hone their powers than he has.

"Ooh! Interesting! So, to get through this room, your team has to beat us in battle." Latias was the first to figure it out. "Finally, something that might actually be fun. It gets kinda boring just…sitting around all day. Even walking around, disguised as a human, doesn't make up for it very much."

"She's right, actually. Even though it's our sworn duty, it's…rather dull." Latios agreed with his sister.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Latias asked. The duo backed off, then the room shook as they powered up and shifted into their Mega forms.

[Zeryph, I get the feeling that we might actually lose this one.] Mewtwo said.

[You're probably right. They likely know how to work together very well. And since they're Psychic, they have a mind link.] I said. [Still, give it everything you've got. Melanie, Solais, and Cerise are our best bets here. Lexie could shift into Ghost, if she was still in her base form. Kaorah can do a fair bit, but without something to ground the pair, her Ground-type attacks will be useless.]

[Perhaps I can assist, as well. As you know, I am capable of using Ice attacks.] Suicune's voice echoed. Mewtwo had set her up with our own mind link, when we entered the Dungeon portal. [We fight until either side yields. I won't go any further than that.]

[We only go until the opponent yields, in the case of Legendaries. It's better than doing lethal damage, in case they don't respawn properly, outside.] Which, they probably will. And in the case of the Creation Trio or Arceus, we can't get anywhere near doing that much damage, anyway.

"Hey, maybe if they win, we could join their team." Latias said.

"Have you forgotten? We can't leave the place we guard. Even if time doesn't flow the same in here as it does outside." Latios said.

"Well, at the very least, we'll have someone we can call for help, in case of trouble." Latias said.

"Right…but we can discuss this later. We have a fight to worry about." Latios said.

Cerise was the one to make the first move, without having to be told. She'd disappeared into the shadows above as soon as we'd entered the room. And, she had been waiting this whole time. As soon as she had her shot lined up, she unleashed two arrows in quick succession. The arrows skimmed past the dragons, lightly cutting their skin, and landing in their shadows.

Both of the dragons winced, and the Spirit Shackles locked them in place, keeping them from dodging when Solais hit them with Night Slash. They both quickly broke out of the shackles shortly after. Latios immediately hit Solais with Dragon Pulse, only for her to catch it with her horn. Latias quickly retreated, just narrowly avoiding a Dragon Rush from Kaorah, while also launching a Heal Pulse at her brother.

She then also buffed his attacks with Helping Hand, while he used Ally Switch to trade places with Latias, allowing her the space to heal herself with Recover. While, at the same time, he had charged up a Luster Purge, which he unleashed at point blank. Kaorah was launched backwards, recovering in the air in order to dive into the ground.

While Ground attacks were mostly useless, Dig was not. Though they could sense Kaorah under ground, it remains to be seen if they can dodge her once she starts to use her full speed. Latios proved that they are definitely fast enough to react, when he ducked under a swing from Mewtwo. He retaliated with a Shadow Claw, forcing Mewtwo to teleport away.

Latios then charged up an Aura Sphere in his right hand, before turning and slamming the swirling ball into Solais, as she'd attempted to land a Payback. The sphere exploded, blasting her backwards across the arena. She tumbled to a stop, knocked out immediately. Her body returned to base form, and she disappeared as the System returned her to the outside for safety reasons.

As for Latias, she was having trouble focusing on support, as both Lexie and Melanie were onto her. They were steadily backing her into a corner, just beneath where Cerise was waiting with an arrow drawn. She began to charge energy into her right hand, having figured out what they were doing. When she slammed it downwards, the ground shook violently.

This gave her the opening to escape that she needed, and as she did, she sent out a burst of energy that boosted her speed a great deal. It also happened to boost Latios, as well. Evan was quick to catch on, quickly replicating the use of Tailwind in order to help us keep up.

The next burst of energy she sent out, caused the arena's open sky to darken. Then, it began to rain. The flames that covered Lexie's body hissed, quickly going out under the downpour. She wouldn't have enough time to revert her form, before both of the twins hit her with Water Pulse. She was, immediately, knocked out of the fight. She was still awake, but too weak to continue. I sent her home so she could rest.

Latios then gathered lightning into his hands and shot a thunderbolt at Evan. Had she not been stunned by Latias using Earthquake, Kaorah would've been able to easily intercept it. Since she wasn't able to, it was a direct hit. And, due to the rain, it had also been boosted. Evan was the third to go down, as a result.

The fourth out was Cerise, who Latias caught with a Shadow Ball after chasing her down. The pair then switched focus onto Kaorah as she emerged from the ground. They blitzed her, using Ice Beam as soon as they were close enough that she couldn't dodge in time. On top of that, they both followed up with a synchronized Aura Sphere. Kaorah slammed into the wall behind her, then slowly fell to the ground. As she faded away, the twins next went after Melanie, quickly taking her out of the fight as well.

This left only Mewtwo and Suicune as the last two standing. From the moment the twins started to synchronize, this battle had rapidly gone downhill. This was certainly a difficulty spike we weren't expecting, and we're paying for it. Latias caught Suicune with a Thunder Wave, and because she's not actually part of the team, the attack paralyzed her like it was supposed to. Locked in place, she had no way of avoiding the Energy Ball from Latios. She was quick to bow out afterwards, and I sent her to the base.

As the last one standing, Mewtwo knew he didn't stand a chance. He powered down, raising his hands in surrender. Just like with Suicune and her brothers, he knew it was a better option to give up than try to fight. Even with how powerful he is, we both know he's not at the levels he's capable of reaching.

One thing's for sure, he's certainly right about this not going well. And I definitely agree. The twins totally wrecked us, that's for sure. Latios and Latias both powered down. They didn't seem to be even slightly winded.

"Well, Mewtwo, you were right. That did not go well." I said.

"Are we going to have to fight you again?" Latios asked.

"You will. For the next two months, my team is training for the Indigo League." I told him. "We're going to come back for a rematch, one day. So I hope you'll both be ready for it."

"Sure! That was the most fun I've had in a while." Latias flew up to me, eagerly accepting a handshake I offered her. "And considering what level your bond with your team is, maybe you might get a reward if your team wins."

"Sister, please, don't flirt with the human." Latios said. Latias caught what her bother said, then began to blush, her cheeks taking on a much lighter shade of red than what was on her body.

"Brother! Shame on you." She then shook her head and giggled. "I wasn't going to go that far. I was only going to offer to join their team. Maybe Zeryph could ensure the safety of the Soul Dew for us, too."

"Ah…yes, right. That makes more sense than…never mind." Latios floated over and accepted a handshake, himself. "Zeryph, I look forward to facing your team again, when you're all stronger."

"I'm also looking forward to it. Don't let yourselves get rusty before then." I told the pair, then, they disappeared as the System sent them home. Mewtwo and I then returned to the outside. Once we had, we went through to the cabin in order to bring the others back.

Liz quickly mobilized her team, and they helped us move everyone into the medical bay so she could check them over. Melanie began to help out once she was up. Kaorah's dorsal fin had been damaged from her hit with the wall, and Solais had suffered some cracked ribs from the Aura Sphere she took.

Once everyone had their injuries handled, they were all left to rest. Mewtwo and I sat down together in the foyer, and shifted over into the mindscape. We're going to go over the battle with the twins, in order to figure out a proper strategy for them. We'll need to be better prepared for our rematch in the future.


[Unknown]

[Mt. Silver]


The snow crunched under heavy feet. The mountain wind howled, screaming into the ears of a cloaked form. Her claws dug through the snow, scratching at the rock beneath. If not for her abilities, she likely would've frozen to death.

Just a few days beforehand, she'd woken up in the chamber she'd been sealed in. Only for the glass to be smashed from the outside as something set her free. The moment after her release, she'd been shoved through a portal of some sort, onto the frozen mountain range she's been trapped on for the last couple days.

She'd tried to go back, but the golden ring that had sent her here, was already gone. Forcing her to find somewhere safe. Hunger was starting to set in, but at least water wasn't an issue, thanks to the mountain springs. The only hard part was breaking the ice to get through to it, without falling in. As well as managing to even get any with the helmet she was forced to wear.

The temperature had slowly begun to rise as she began to descend. Soon, her eyes caught something in the distance, far below. Orange and white lights, though, she didn't know what the symbol on the building meant. However, something had told her that was the place she needed to reach.

Her descent had been steady, until she felt a rock slip. Her eyes widened in alarm, and the ground gave way. She felt herself falling, then there was a loud crunch as she hit the ground. Her world immediately went black.


[Zeryph]


Mewtwo and I were broken out of our meditation at the sound of a rumble. It was very close by, likely a slide somewhere up on the mountain. Liz's team immediately sprang into action. Even if there weren't trainers up on the mountain, her team was still required to go and search. As, there could be injured Pokemon.

Mewtwo and I were given our own gear so we could go along with. Melanie joined us as well, just in case, despite still being tired from the failed Dungeon. With our gear secured, we hurried outside and rushed up to where we heard the rumbling. We could see the dust and the snow from the Center.

Evan also decided to join us, and I fitted him with the flight harness. As soon as I was secure, we took to the sky to search from the air. It only took us a moment to reach the site. I dismounted and began to search through the rubble, until I found her. Her body was coated in short black fur, with a long silver mane that covered her head and neck. A large crest stuck upwards from her forehead, the large feathers that extended from it had faded.

Her head was lying in the remains of a broken helmet, and though she was knocked out, the helmet seemed to have saved her life. Her forelegs and talons resembled the limbs of an insect, while her hind legs were armored with purple scales, on her thighs, her shins, and the tops of her paws. She had a fish-like tail, as well. Though it also seemed like it was supposed to glow, like her crest, it was dim.

Her face was armored with silver metal, and two drives stuck out from the sides of her head. Much like the other traits that seem to be meant to glow, there was no light from them. She was bleeding, and quite clearly injured, but it seems that, fortunately, she'll survive. I took the flare gun from the kit Liz gave me, aimed it to the sky, and squeezed the trigger. I winced at the pop from it firing off, but it sent the ball of red light up into the air.

It was a few minutes before the others arrived. Mewtwo and I carefully helped to load the Silvally onto a stretcher once it was assembled, then Mewtwo teleported us back to base. Liz rushed us back into the emergency area to get the Silvally set up for emergency treatment, and if necessary, surgery.

Melanie had started to feel for her injuries as Mewtwo and I were ushered out.

"What was a Silvally doing up on the mountain?" Mewtwo asked.

"She was likely a Type: Null before she fell. The helmet seems to have saved her life, I hope." I said. "And, that's a good question. I know for a fact that she definitely was not left up there by a trainer. This has Hoopa written all over it." I'm certain that it's Hoopa now. That specific Legendary definitely seems to be the type that would do something like this. Just to see what happens as a result of it.

And because of Hoopa, there's now an injured, freshly evolved Silvally, who's been dumped in the wild. And, if she was stolen from our world's Aether Foundation, then…there's gonna be some serious trouble in the future.


[Break]


It was about ninety minutes before Liz came and found us- Mewtwo and I. She informed us that the Silvally had been taken care of, and that she was awake now. It wasn't long after that she slowly walked out into the hallway. She walked over to me and leaned in close, then nuzzled me. It hurt a little, and pushed my head back. So, it must've been harder than she intended.

"Thank you. For saving me, I mean." Her voice was soft, and smooth. Because of her augments, it had a slightly robotic sound, too. "I didn't think that the ground was loose, until it gave way."

"But, you're here now, at least. I think that helmet you had on was what ensured your survival." I told her.

"Hm, maybe. But it was you that found me, so you get credit for it, too." I stood up and stretched. She stood a bit taller than I was, but only by about a foot. Her head was at eye level, but her crest is what gave her the extra height. "So…any idea how I got here? To the mountain, I mean."

"Most likely, a Legendary, known as Hoopa. Known to be quite a bit of a troublemaker. Especially when in their Unbound form." I told her. "Anyway, since you're here, what will you do now?" I asked in return.

"Joining a team seems like a better idea than trying to go off on my own." Not only because she won't know how to survive in the wild, but also…the Foundation is going to be hunting her…if she's from our version, anyway.

"Could join mine, then." I said. "I mean, why not? Even as strong as the team already is, we've always got room for more."

"Well, you did save me, so…sure." I pulled a Pokeball from my inventory. Mewtwo showed her where to touch, and, she was pulled in when she made contact. As soon as the ball clicked, I let her back out. Honestly, kinda surprised that she was able to be caught anyway. I would've thought that the Foundation would already have her assigned to one. But it seems that, for whatever reason, that wasn't the case.

"Cozy." She stretched after she was back on solid ground. "However, I think I'd prefer to stay out, if that's OK."

"Sure. Everyone else does, already, so I don't see why you can't, as well." I said. "Now then, a name. How about, hmm…" I thought for a moment, before I said something. "Kalina. We'll go with that."

"Sure. Better than being called, uh…whatever my species is supposed to be." Kalina said.

"A Silvally. And, to be honest, your species isn't naturally born. Instead, you're a lab creation." I said.

"Believe me, I know what that feels like." Mewtwo spoke up.

"I…see. Well, it certainly explains the mismatch of my parts." Kalina shifted her legs. "Thanks for being honest. It would've been worse to go for so long and learn that later, rather than just learning it right away. In truth, I don't remember anything prior to being woke up and dumped on the mountain."

Her stomach decided to interrupt any further conversation, growling loudly and startling us.

"I'll have Lexie make some lunch. You should take her to the base and help her set up a room." Mewtwo said. "We're almost out of space, too. Wonder who the last three will be."

"I already have one idea, a Lucario. However, we haven't really gotten that opportunity yet. As for the other two…still thinking on that. Might be the last four if the Eon Duo joins, but they'll be fine sharing a room, too." I said. "Go on, we'll be along when we can." As Mewtwo went to find the others, I pulled open a base portal. Kalina was surprised by how similar it looked to the one that sent her to us. Minus the golden ring, of course. That all but confirms that it was Hoopa who was responsible.

On the other side, she was awed by the cabin. I let her take her time to look around, then took her back to where the team rooms were. We walked to one of the empty ones, which I unlocked and opened.

"Here we are. This will be the room you stay in." I told her. "Go ahead, try the bed out." I watched her step up onto the bed, the mattress sinking under her weight. She shifted before laying down, quickly making herself comfortable.

"Mm, this is nice. What material is it?" She asked.

"Gel foam. It'll always keep itself cool for you, no matter what. Including matching whatever your type happens to be." I said. "Should be real nice when you get to sleep, tonight. If you choose to sleep here instead of in the Pokemon Center. If you stay with us, you'll be sharing room with Cerise, who you'll meet in a few minutes."

"Ah, perfect. Now…what about lunch?" Her stomach decided to rumble, once again. I motioned for her to follow, and opened a portal as she got down from the bed. The moment we were back outside, we went for the dining room. The others got to meet Kalina, and she was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming they were. She'd already met Mewtwo and Melanie, of course.

Lexie made her extra, after learning about how long she'd been without eating. We made sure to caution her, making sure that she'd eat slowly, as to avoid any problems that could come from eating too fast. When she tasted it, she was quick to dig in, but made sure to pace herself. Still, she finished before everyone else did.


[Break]


While we let the food settle, everyone had plenty of time to introduce themselves. Kalina knew very little about herself, but that's only because she's been awake for just two days. Surprisingly, she seems to be able to shift types at will, without the memories, unlike a normal Silvally. While yes, this is rather busted, I think she'll limit herself to one type for a battle, outside of certain situations.

Mewtwo had her change to Psychic, then helped her learn how to use telepathy by linking her to the rest of us. While he was doing that, I used the market system to get the weight bands she'll be wearing. I helped her put them on, and once they were, we started to walk to the mountain cave where we're training.

Suicune offered to help her through the starting routine, which she accepted. As for the rest of us, following a warm up, we settled into our much more intense training. Kalina seemed to be eager to push herself, breezing through the starter stuff and quickly joining the rest of us. She ended up being the second to stop, later on. As we got into the evening hours, we all stopped, and returned to the Pokemon Center to clean up.

Following that, as always, was Lexie and I working together on supper. After supper was over with, Lexie pulled me outside to talk. The others headed to bed, with Cerise showing Kalina where to go.

"What do you need?" I asked Lexie, as the door to the Pokemon Center slid shut.

"Nothing serious. I just wanted to get you alone for a little while." She wrapped her arms around me. "Nothing big tonight, though. Maybe tomorrow, if things go well." She said.

"Got something in mind, then?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. I was thinking, maybe…a date? The last one we were on, was fantastic. But, not to Unova this time, since we've done that already." Lexie said.

"Sure, I'd be glad to take you for one. Maybe the cross-world thing has some pocket worlds we can go to. Like a park, or something like that." Lexie smiled.

"That would be perfect, actually." Lexie and I shared a kiss, then she pulled away. "C'mon, let's go get some sleep. Today has been exhausting, between that lost battle and training so hard."

"Yes, it has. Wanna stay with me again, tonight?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. Maybe this time you won't be rudely awakened." Lexie said.

"You two are so cute together, you know that?" Liz asked as we headed back inside. Lexie blushed and let out a light, nervous giggle.

"Ah, you saw that?" Despite the blushing, Lexie didn't seem as uncomfortable as I thought she would.

"I did. But, as you know, I grew up in Unova. So, no worries." Liz said. "Have a good night, and, enjoy your date tomorrow, whenever you both go out."

"We're probably gonna go out in the morning, and spend the day out. Give everyone a chance to work on their own stuff, rather than sticking to the routine." I said. "Anyway, have a good night." Lexie and I headed to bed afterwards, leaving Liz to lock the place up for the night. We entered our room quietly, as Suicune was already asleep. Lexie quietly closed the door, then she crawled into the bed beside me, snuggling up to my side.

It didn't take long before she was sound asleep, and I went along, soon after. Much like previous nights with her, I didn't have to cover up. I'm looking forward to tomorrow now, too. It's gonna be a great day out, I'll make sure of it. Perhaps, tomorrow night might be just as good, too.