After what felt like an extra ten or so hours than what Billy had said it would take, Addison's mind broke free of it's meditative trance as she realized they were finally approaching Paldea. It would very likely be another half an hour or so before their arrival, thus prompting her to assess her current situation and that of her friends as the plane's final approach was imminent. She'd used enough time trying to clear her mind of all other distractions and troubles, now she wanted to see how her friends were doing.

As if he were right where she left him, Addison's attention first fell on Tommy, who after they had both completed their entry exams together had resumed his prior request of holding hands with her so as to not lose out on his first crush completely. Though he was sound asleep and had let go of one of her hands in his dream, the other was still grasping hers. Addison smiled at the boy who still thought the world of her and gave him a gentle kiss on the head. Hopefully, once his attention was distracted by the sights and sounds of Paldea (and hopefully a new girl he could fawn over), they could resume their normal friendship as it had been before his crush on her formed. But for the time being, she didn't mind letting him dream. She even reached over and plucked up his other hand and held it, hopeful he wouldn't try to pin the blame of him falling asleep on her breaking their promise.

Morgan, like Tommy, was also sound asleep in her own seat, having let her music drown out her eternal fear of heights. When she wasn't breathing as if she had just run a marathon out of complete anxiety, she was almost serene in her slumber. You wouldn't know the two completely opposite sides of her were in fact the same person unless you bore witness to what she had the few times she'd dealt with Morgan on takeoffs.

A very gentle bell signaled that the captain was set to make a statement. "Attention, passengers. This is your captain speaking. We will be arriving in Mesagoza in approximately ten minutes. We would like to ask you turn off all electronic devices, remain seated with your seatbelts fastened and all Pokémon returned to their Poké Balls if they happen to have made their way out. Thank you for flying Air Arcana."

"It's about time" she heard Billy remark behind her. "My legs are basically dead right now."

"You've been able to walk around this entire time, Billy" Bridgette teased.

"It's different and you know it."

"I can't wait to see what Paldea looks like!" Amanda shrieked excitedly.

Amanda's jubilant response was what finally woke Tommy and Morgan from their naps. Morgan stretched out her limbs but remained glued to her seat before glancing around as her senses returned to her. Tommy, conversely, was almost comatose while being woken up and turned over on his side, unintentionally releasing Addison's hands. She giggled and tussled the boy's hair as she followed Morgan's footsteps and began to stretch herself out.

"Tommy!" Morgan snapped. "Wake up!"

The boy picked his head back up before falling back to sleep.

"It's okay" Addison commented. "Let him sleep."

"He's going to miss the first sight of Paldea, though."

"He'll have plenty of opportunity to see Paldea while we're at school, Morgan. Besides, it lets me be able to sanitize myself." Now that Tommy was no longer latched to her, she took a moment to use her hand sanitizer to clean her hands and make sure she didn't go into a new region with clammy hands. Once she had completed her ritual, she glanced out the window, hoping to catch the first glimpse of the region. But they were still too high, as all she could see were clouds. She held her hand close to her heart. "We're so close, Ryan."

So close and yet still quite far, Galatea warned her telepathically.

"Don't be so negative" she teased her friend. "A step forward is still closer."

I will feel better once we know for sure that this Island of ours is real. After that, we'll see. I do sense...something...

"What is it you see?"

I sense something...strange. Not particularly good or bad...but something familiar...a presence I haven't felt since...

Addison was curious. If Galatea was sensing something and informed her, it was usually something impactful. But what could possibly be in Paldea that would feel familiar to her? Unless...

"Is it Helena?"

If only. My child's energy is very different from this one I am sensing. She is off on her own, hopefully honing her own powers the way I or her father did. No, this energy feels strange and yet familiar. As if I've felt this energy before, but I have never properly identified it until now. Galatea was deep in thought. A peculiar idea. Wouldn't you agree?

"Could it have something to do with the visions we were having about White Island?"

Possibly? But this feels different.

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out once we land."

I hope so. If you don't mind, I'll be...as you humans say..."laying low" for a time. My mind isn't functioning as it is meant to, and I will only be a hinderance to you going forward.

"Are you feeling okay?"

I am, I hope. With that, Addison felt as if her Gardevoir was blocking herself off to her mentally. She was surprised Galatea felt it was necessary to do so but shrugged it off to them adjusting to a new region and climate and thus returned her attention to the ongoing conversations around her.

Tommy was finally waking up. He looked around until they made eye contact. He nodded sadly. "Well, a promise is a promise. I guess you're off the hook, milady."

Addison smiled and nodded. "So it would be. But that doesn't mean you won't find a girl when we make it to Paldea. Just give the region a chance." She looked down at the boy with a knowing glance. "I already had two of my dearest friends in the world wage a war over me. I am not going to watch it happen a second time when Ryan comes back. You hear me?"

Tommy nodded, a touch dejected. "I hear you. But I doubt this 'magic princess' girl you brought up will be there."

"I don't recall ever saying she'd be a magic princess" Addison teased. "But I can say you will meet that 'special' girl while we're here. I guarantee it."

The plane began its final descent towards the airfields of Mesagoza, with Addison trying to glance past her friends to see what this new region looked like. Whenever Morgan or Tommy's head bopped aside, she finally spied some of the locale. Much of the area around Mesagoza was luscious greenery. Wide and open plains where Pokémon of all shapes and sizes could frolic and play. Nothing new, as Arcana also had those things. But to her, the idea of something new was what mattered. The pastures seemed a touch greener. The waters seemed a bit bluer. The mountains seemed to be taller and broader. And though she had spent a great deal of the last few years of her life in Kingston Castle, the site of the massive castle of Uva Academy made her realize she was finally in a brand-new place and gearing up for a brand-new adventure. The plane bounced a bit upon landing on the ground, but eventually leveled itself out until coming to a peaceful stop.

Addison, Tommy and Morgan unbuckled their seats and finally took their first steps since they took off from their last stop. But they were hardly able to reach the main aisle to exit the plane before Bridgette approached them with a large sack.

"Okay guys" Bridgette exclaimed. "We've finally made it."

Morgan looked to Bridgette and then the sack. "Okay, but what is the sack for?"

Tommy folded his arms sadly. "We have to lie now, right?"

Bridgette sighed. "Oh, don't think of it like that. This is a start of a new adventure for you all. But in order to ensure that we don't have any problems with the locals, this is something we agreed upon. While you all are in Uva Academy, you need to be considered new trainers. The last thing we need is for Paldea to think we're trying to strongarm them into opening up their borders. I need you guys to give me your Pokémon until such a time when we can explain how you all got so many powerful Pokémon."

Morgan shrugged. "I don't have many Pokémon to begin with."

One by one, the kids took the Pokémon off their belts and handed them to Bridgette. Tommy seemed to be doing so grumpily, whispering something under his breath as he placed each Poké Ball into Bridgette's sack. Morgan happily handed her few Poké Balls over, though she did feel somewhat saddened by parting ways with her Smoochum. Once she'd done so, Addison elects to deposit her own Pokémon. Her Rockruff, her Vaporeon, her Bayleef. But when her hands fell on her final Poké Ball, she suddenly realized she couldn't do it.

"No. I can't."

"Addy, you have to" Bridgette spoke softly.

"I can't give up Galatea!"

"Addison, it won't look good on you if you have such a powerful-"

"She isn't just a Pokémon! She's a part of me! Please!"

Billy rose and stood beside Bridgette, but to Addison's relief, sided with her. "Let her keep her, Bridge. Let's not forget if it weren't for her, none of this would even be happening." Addison looked up at Billy and smiled almost tearfully. Though she did not know him as well as she did her idol, she knew that Billy was at least cut from the same kind of cloth as Michael was. He nodded to her politely as if to reassure her that he understood. "We owe her this much, at least."

Bridgette seemed reluctant to give up, but when she saw how relieved Addison was by Billy siding with her, finally relented. "Oh, very well. We'll just say she's an Emotional Support Pokémon. Now let's go. I want to be able to smell fresh Paldean air." She then waved for all of the students to pass her.

Addison looked back and saw Justin taking his time to collect his belongings before handing Bridgette his own Pokémon. She then made eye contact with Billy and mouthed the words "Thank You" to him before strolling out towards the exit to the plane. But there seemed to be a bump in the road, as she was being blocked by Morgan, who in turn was being blocked by Tommy in the middle of the exit. Addison tapped on Morgan, who glanced back at her and giggled. "What's so funny?"

"Remember how you said Tommy would find his 'special girl'?"

Addison blinked in astonishment. "We've been here for 45 seconds. How did he-" She did not get to finish the sentence as Tommy basically sprinted his way down the stairwell towards whichever girl had caught his attention next. Though Addison was thankful Tommy would no longer be magnetized to her side, she couldn't help but be very slightly offended by how very easily the boy had dropped her from his pedestal of affection for another girl. She gently brushed passed Morgan to see this mystery girl.

The girl was taller than Tommy, which might make her look down on him both figuratively and literally. But Addison could not deny her beauty. Her complexion was eerily similar to both of the Pines women she had come to know and love. She had long black hair with a single streak of teal-green hair in the front. Her eyes were brown and her smile warm. But the moment Addison delved into the girl's aura, she found something she was not expecting: the spirit of a trainer. And not just an eager Pokémon Trainer. But an expert one at that. That was something she could not compete with, recalling how initially envious she was of the quick friendship Ryan and Dawn had struck up when she had arrived in Arcana from Sinnoh. This girl would be far more compatible to Tommy than she was, which she could accept.

Behind her was a man in a violet-colored suit with white hair and a pair of glasses he would occasionally push so as they did not slide down his crooked nose. In his hands, he held a briefcase which Addison could only theorize contained their "first" Pokémon on this new journey throughout Paldea.

Tommy tried to act cool in front of his new crush as he made his way down the stairwell but tripped over the last step and landed hard on the ground. The girl was quickly by his side with a panicked look on her face. "Aiyee! Are you alright?!"

"Huh? Oh yeah! I do this all the time! Uh-that is, I mean that I'm a tough guy! I didn't even feel a thing." He tried his best not to rub the spot on his arm where he had fallen.

"Oh, thank goodness" she replied sweetly. "For a minute, I was worried." She held her hand out to him. "I guess you could call that a Paldean welcome!" Tommy reached up and let her pull him to his feet. Once he had his feet underneath him, the girl shook his hand politely. "I'm so glad that I was chosen to welcome you all to Uva Academy. My name is Nemona. I'm the Class President of Uva Academy."

"Tommy!" the boy replied, doing his best suave impression, much to both Addison and Morgan's amusement. He cleared his throat as the two continued to shake hands, the tone of his voice deepening to sound more tough and masculine. "Tommy Queensbury."

"We've heard much about you from your father, Thomas" the elder gentleman behind Nemona said politely. "We hope you'll find Uva Academy most welcoming to you all."

Nemona laughed at this. "It's so great to see new people coming to the Academy." She made to stop shaking Tommy's hand but was surprised when the boy held on. "Oh, hehe. I take it this is some kind of Arcanan tradition?"

Tommy, who's eyes now shined with an enamored glow, nodded. "Yes. Uh, actually. It's a sign of respect for someone as...uh...you know...inexperienced as me to be attached to someone as...cool...uh, I mean older and more beau-NO! I mean wiser than me! It would be my honor to be shown around by the Class President of all people."

The old man pushed his glasses up and chuckled. "It would seem you've made yourself a friend quite quickly, Nemona."

"I guess so" she replied happily. "But I can't exactly do the same with the others when I only have two hands."

"I don't think either of us needs the same kind of help that Tommy does" Morgan replied as she strode down the steps. "Tommy needs far more help than either of us do." Though Addison could tell Tommy was embarrassed of this, he kept his focus on his new burgeoning crush and said nothing. Once Morgan had far more gracefully made her way onto Paldean soil for the first time, she bowed more respectfully to the others. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Morgan Augustine."

Addison followed in suit and nodded knowingly to both the elder man and Nemona. "And I'm Addison Tenton. Prospective student here at Uva Academy."

"So it would seem all of our Arcanan Guests have arrived" the man spoke eloquently. "I am Director Clavell, chief official of Uva Academy. It is our esteemed honor and privilege to welcome you to the Paldea Region. I hope you all are prepared to begin the next journey towards adulthood here at our illustrious academic institution." He held out his free hand. "I trust you all have your entrance examinations filled out?"

"I have them here!" Bridgette called from behind them. She made her way down and handed the papers the quartet had filled out to the Director. "They gave them to a chaperone for safekeeping. I'm Bridgette Duon, Addison's chaperone."

The Director took the forms from her and nodded kindly to her. "Thank you, Miss Duon. I shall go over these forms before classes are set to begin." He glanced around for someone before looking towards Bridgette in confusion. "Forgive me, but I seem to recall that four applicants from Arcana were set to arrive today. What has happened to the good Mr. Jacques?"

Addison looked behind their group and noticed Justin slowly making his way out of the plane and down onto the runway outside of Mesagoza. He surveyed the area with a slight bit of timidity. "So, this is Paldea, is it?" He then, after realizing his uncouth behavior, sprinted down the pathway and bowed politely to both Nemona and Director Clavell. "It's a pleasure to be here, sir. Milady. I am Justin Jacques. The fourth student."

"We have classes for people his age?" Nemona inquired.

Clavell chuckled at this, but only briefly. "My dear Nemona, we have classes for all ages. They simply often take classes later in the day when compared to students your age. Justin's will also be more advanced than the more rudimentary programs we will be offering to Miss Tenton, Miss Augustine and our young friend Master Thomas here."

"So we're gonna be classmates?!" Tommy excitedly chirped.

Nemona smiled down at him. "Of course. I'm showing you all the ropes of being a master Pokémon Trainer."

Addison took a moment to try and read Nemona's mind once more. To her amusement, she could not find any trace or acknowledgement that Tommy was trying to flirt with her. She was as oblivious to it as she expected Justin was to the crush that Bridgette was developing for him. She simply thought Tommy was being a much friendlier and cooperative student and not a lovestruck little fool. She did her best not to reveal her intent as Clavell cleared his throat.

"Now, may I have the honor of meeting our last two chaperones?"

"That would be us!" Amanda called from the plane. The excitable future Professor of Arcanan Pokémon Studies rushed down the stairs to greet their new hosts, leaving Billy behind to carry not only her luggage, but his own as well. Addison could only imagine Lizzie was behind him, grumpily telling him to get on with it. Once Amanda's boots touched Paldean soil, she let out an excitable squeal. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long! To see the beautiful region of Paldea up close!" She made eye contact with Clavell and smiled warmly. "I'm Amanda Fouritz. Student to Professors Julia and Maria Pines and future Pokémon Professor of the Arcana Region. But for now, just the humble guardian of Morgan, here."

"Pines?!" Nemona gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Is that like-"

"Ah, a Pokémon Professor?!" Clavell responded kindly, interjecting before Nemona could finish her thought. "Which university did you complete your education in?"

"Veilstone University in Sinnoh" she proclaimed. "But I've heard so many good things about Uva Academy, I just had to come and see for myself."

"Indeed, they say few academies in the world match ours" Clavell spoke proudly.

Billy barely managed to make it to the ground before the bags began to fall from his hands. Tommy let go of Nemona for a moment to assist him in picking up the luggage, as did Justin. Once Billy had a moment to collect his breath, he bowed politely to Clavell. "It's an honor to be your guest, sir. I am the chaperone to Tommy, here. The name's Billy Kingston."

Clavell nodded. "Would you be the son of this King of Arcana I spoke to?"

Billy laughed. "Alas, the King was four years old when I was born. We're only cousins. He would be here if not for some health woes he's enduring back home. But he and his gracious Queen all send their regards."

"And we do wish a speedy recovery for such a kind and devoted man." Clavell then eyed the last member of the Arcana group sauntering her way out of the plane. "Is...this young lady another student? I'm afraid our classes are-"

"This is Lizzie West" Billy interjected. "The King was a little nervous about the safety of our students, so she was sent along to be an added arm of security on their behalf."

Lizzie brushed passed the others, looking around at the sights and sounds of the new region. To Addison's confusion, she seemed quite unimpressed. "What's the deal with this place?"

"Lizzie?!" Billy groaned.

Clavell, to everyone's relief, chuckled. "Ah, a young lady with no filter. Fair enough. I'm sure we can find accommodations for you in one of our various Hotels in Mesagoza. Perhaps even in the Chaperone Hotel we have booked up for the remaining chaperones." He then opened the briefcase, quickly placing the completed forms inside and drawing forth four Poke Balls. "Though the grading of your entrance exams will determine the courseload you will be assigned to for the upcoming semester, these Pokémon are not a part of how you did on your exams. All students who do not have Pokémon of their own are gifted one of their own to begin. And, if I recall correctly from the information given to us, none of you have Pokémon of your own, correct?"

When none of her clearly nervous fellow students answered, Addison took the initiative. "Well, you see, I have an Emotion Support Pokémon. But she is my mother's Gardevoir. I've never even held a Pokémon all my own." She eyed Bridgette out of the corner of her line of vision, heaving a sigh of relief as Addison feigned the story about Galatea.

"None of the rest of our students have any Pokémon to speak of" Billy added. "At least as far as I know."

Justin coughed nervously. "Ye-yes sir. I've always wanted one, but-"

"But his mother never allowed it" Lizzie spliced in. "You know how overprotective mothers can be."

Clavell nodded, oblivious to the ruse. "Very well. Then I present to you all a gift." He held his hand out to caution the trainers. "But, be forewarned. Here in Paldea, we have a rather interesting custom. While the other Pokémon of the region can be caught or acquired in the traditional ways we've done since the days of old, a trainer's first Pokémon is given differently. For you see, the Pokémon in these balls must choose their trainer." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as they began to slide, before casually tossing the balls into the air and dispensing four Paldean Pokémon for the trainers to choose from.

The first Pokémon that emerged into view was a Pokémon that seemed familiar to Addison. Though it's coloring was off and it possessed two bone-shaped gills on the sides of its head, she had an idea that this Pokémon, like with others from other regions like Lizzie's own Raticate, was in fact a regional variant of Wooper. It seemed to be as normally jolly and oblivious as other Woopers are, which made it smile brightly upon coming out of its ball and looking at each trainer in a carefree manner.

The remaining three were completely foreign to her, as well her fellow students. The first had many feline characteristics, with green fur all across its body and what appeared to be a mark of a leaf on the center of its head. Beyond that, it simply licked its paw after appearing in view before stretching its small body out and letting out a soft mew. Addison took a brief whiff of the aromas this Pokémon gave out and was tantalized, as if the very aromas of an arboretum were penetrating her senses. She looked down at the little one, who eyed each trainer curiously before again resuming licking its paw.

The second was a small, bipedal reptilian looking Pokémon with a very slight tuft of fire atop it's head that appeared to glow every now and then. It also possessed a set of square, golden scales on its underbelly. Though she could only imagine this Pokémon would, like other Fire Types, become ferocious and intimidating by the time it reached its final form, this one seemed to be as equally jolly as the Wooper that had preceded him. He opened his wide jaw and let out a barking sound as if trying to sing before falling on his backside, prompting the trainers to laugh at the sight.

The final Pokémon was a white duckling creature with a coif of hair atop its head made out to not only look like a well-made pompadour, but it seemed to be made entirely out of water. He would occasionally use his tiny wings to make any necessary adjustments to its hair as if he expected to be performing in a beauty competition instead of battling. He would occasionally tap his blue, webbed feet together in a rhythm while his eyes darted from one trainer to next while occasionally letting out soft quacks.

Nemona took the moment to introduce the trainers. "These four are local guys. This one here is a Wooper. You'll only find this little guy here in Paldea. I know they have blue ones where you all come from, but here it's brown."

"We should also make it known that it is both a Poison and a Ground type here" Clavell added.

Nemona nodded. "Si, Director. It's also really popular among the rookie trainers like you guys!" She then gestured to the other three. "These ones, however, are found only here in Paldea. No other variants that we know of yet, hehe. I'd like to introduce you all to Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly."

While Justin remained behind observing the four, Morgan, Addison and Tommy all knelt down and awaited the Pokémon coming up to inspect them curiously. Sprigatito came first to Morgan, sniffing her outstretched hand before ducking away from the girl's attempt to pet her. She then proceeded to completely disregard Tommy, fluffing her tail almost dismissively at the boy before she made her way towards Addison. Unlike with Morgan, Sprigatito did amuse herself by playing with Addison's outstretched fingers by batting at them with her paw before rolling over on her side and mewing until she would receive the pets she requested. Addison smiled and obliged, prompting the Pokémon to meow with delight before leaping up onto Addison. She climbed up Addison's arm, unintentionally scratching her arm in the process before reaching her shoulder and nuzzling her contently.

Nemona smiled warmly at this sight. "I guess Sprigatito's made its mind up."

"Well, hello there, sweetie" Addison laughed as her new friend continued to rub her body up against her playfully. "Are you saying you want to come with me?" Sprigatito let out a happy mew and leaped into Addison's arms contently.

Few besides Justin noticed the Wooper waddling about as Addison and her new Pokémon seemed to get along quite well. The Wooper seemed to be looking for the same kind of attention before seeing Justin as the only one giving it any kind of attention. It soon hopped it's way over to the young man and let out a chirp of delight. Without Justin even being able to respond in kind, the Pokémon bounced up and into his hands.

"Oh, hello there" Justin responded politely. "I guess you like me, huh?"

"Two down" Billy grinned from behind the kids.

Tommy reached into his pocket for an Oran Berry as perhaps a way to bribe one of either Fuecoco or Quaxly to choose him over Morgan. Morgan folded her arms in a huff. "Wow, Tommy. Way to show you've matured."

The boy chuckled at this. "Think of it as me weeding out Pokémon for you, too" he winked.

The Quaxly looked at Tommy's berry before flipping his hair in an exaggerated flip as if to reject this less than generous gift. However, when he spied some of the tools Morgan kept in her pocketbook sticking out, including a hairbrush and comb, he happily quacked and waddled his way over to her. Morgan did not even have the opportunity to react as her new Water Pokémon friend snuggled up to her, though seemed to be eyeing her brush with a gaze of intensity. The last standing member of the White Guardians scooped her Quaxly into her arms and smiled, as her Pokémon did his best to show affection without doing much damage to his spectacular hair.

This left Tommy with only his Oran Berry, which disappeared from his hands just as quickly when the Fuecoco practically vacuumed it into its mouth, swallowing it whole in one bite. The small little Fire Type let out a growl of delight before bounding down towards Tommy and waving his small stubby arms at him. Tommy lowered his hand to Fuecoco, who happily batted his fingers as Addison's new Pokémon had before letting out another happy bark before falling onto his backside. With one burst of flames from the tuft atop his head, he was back onto his feet. And all four Pokémon had new trainers.

"So it's decided" Clavell declared. "Sprigatito will go with Miss Addison, Quaxly with Miss Morgan, Fuecoco with Master Thomas and Wooper with Master Justin." He then turned towards Nemona. "Miss Nemona, would be so kind as to take things from here? Teach these fertile young minds what it means to be a true Pokémon Trainer. And do make sure to have them back at the Academy before sunset. I would like them to get acclimated to the school before classes begin." His attention went to the chaperones and Lizzie. "I shall escort you four to Mesagoza. Once you are all settled, we can go over your roles here at the Academy along with the other students."

"Are you sure our charges are in good hands?" Amanda wondered.

"Rest assured, Miss Fouritz, I trust no new students to better hands than our Student Class President." He gestured towards Nemona. "She is the finest student Uva Academy has seen since my old friends Turo and Sada. Now, if you all do not mind, there is much to see in Mesagoza."

"Don't cause any trouble for Nemona" Billy warned Tommy.

"Why am I always the one being called out?"

"When Addy and Morgan cause trouble, I'll be shocked." He then waved to the others as he collected some of their belongings before Clavell stopped him.

"Our porters will care for their belongings" the Director informed him. "And your own as well."

Billy chuckled. "Well that's a relief. Tired of being treated like a Mudsdale with all the things I had to carry."

"Oh come on" Amanda replied teasingly. "I only gave you one bag!"

"It was clearly all Lizzie's bags."

"HEY!" Lizzie snapped. Clavell soon walked away from the runway with the chaperones behind him.

This left Nemona in charge of the four "rookie" students. She turned and flashed a grin at the four of them. "Ordinarily, I'd battle each of you to see what you're all made of, but I've found that this can be a little off-putting to people like you with not a whole lot of experience. So until you guys show your battle prowess off in the future, I'll let you guys grow as trainers at your own pace."

"Who says we're not good enough?" Tommy declared, doing his best to sound tough to Nemona.

Nemona laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, Tommy, but I'm a Champion-Ranked student here at the Academy. There aren't many people in the school who are better than me. You'd have to grow remarkably fast as a trainer to catch up to me. I don't think it's impossible, though. You all seem like you'll become good trainers in no time." She gave them all a thumbs up. "Trust me, with me as a teacher, you won't be lag too far behind."

"Let's just hope we can keep pace" Morgan responded playfully.

"Well, the best way to start would be to help your Pokémon toughen up a little" their mentor explained. "And to catch a few more. Fortunately, Paldea has a bunch of cool and cute Pokemon that can fit on any team. Let's go see some of them down by Los Platos."

"Wait" Tommy exclaimed. "YOU'RE A CHAMPION?!"

Nemona brushed her hair back proudly with her hand. "I don't mean to brag, but-"

"That makes you the most awesome girl I know!"

Addison stared blankly at Tommy for a moment, before shaking the feeling out of her head. Morgan noticed this and giggled. "Not used to someone else hogging the spotlight, eh Addy?"

"Oh shut it" Addison growled back.

Tommy raced over to Nemona's side, his eyes glistening with both excitement and adoration. "It would be my honor to learn from you." Without warning, he grabbed Nemona's hand and pulled her along down the hillside and towards the small town Nemona had called Los Platos. He called back to the others. "Hurry up! Or I'll run past you three like nothing!"

Addison folded her arms in frustration at the rapid heel turn her situation with Holly's brother had taken. "The entire trip here he wouldn't even let me go to the bathroom on my own. And now he's got a new girl to fawn over like that?!"

"Didn't you tell him he'd find someone here?" Justin inquired.

"I didn't expect this quickly. It's off putting."

Morgan glanced to Addison. "Do you think it's your gift telling you something is off?"

Addison shook her head. "No. It's just...shocking. I guess Tommy really didn't care about me as much as he let on."

"Or he's trying to put on a show. Remember, he's here for different reasons than you and I are. He needs to find his path in life. You and I need to find White Island."

Justin shrugged. "I guess this is a win-win situation for you then, Addy. Tommy wins because he got someone else to give his attention to. And you win because now you don't have to worry about him being too clingy with you." He gulped. "Reminds me too much of my time with Madeline Kingston."

Addison nodded. "I suppose you're both right. Besides, I'm more curious about Nemona herself. Galatea mentioned something about sensing a familiar presence. And Nemona seemed to recognize the name 'Pines' when Amanda said something about it. Could this be the presence she was referring to? Does Nemona have some sort of connection to the Pines Family?"

"You mean like a relative?" Justin wondered aloud.

"Wouldn't that be nice?!" Morgan exclaimed. "The Queen and Piper having relatives when they thought they were alone in the world."

"Are you guys coming or not?!" Tommy shouted. To everyone's astonishment, Tommy and Nemona had somehow made it all the way down the hill in the time the three of them had been conversing. "The Pokémon aren't going to be around to catch forever, you know."

Addison smiled. "At least he isn't changing too fast." She looked down at her Sprigatito, who was happily settling in her arms. "So, Sprigatito? Do you want to help me catch some Pokémon?" When her new Pokémon happily mewed in delight and tried licking her face, she smiled. "That settles it. Come on, guys. We've got a journey to begin!' Without waiting for a response, Addison made her way down the hill.

{}

Mesagoza was, without a doubt, the largest city in all of Paldea. Billy could tell just by the sheer scope of it that thousands, if not millions of people were nestled into the tall and spacious buildings that adorned it. Unlike a city as grand as Titanio in Arcana, however, there was a sense of tranquility in it. No massive downtown districts, amusement parks or entertainment areas called this city home. Judging from what the brochure he'd browsed through earlier had mentioned, this would be the city known as Levencia to the East. This one had a calming atmosphere about it, with the only sources for entertainment seeming to be the random Pokémon Battles taking place in the streets between students looking to see who the best was out there. The rest was the usual fair: shops, restaurants, hotels and various other dwellings for the locals to peruse and enjoy. And the only sight worth witnessing lie to the north of the city, where at the top of a massive staircase, loomed the might Uva Academy, a dwelling made up of what appeared to him to be a Medieval Castle. Not unlike the ancestral Kingston Castle, it was tall, domineering and had several towers jutting out where Kings and Queens had once lived. Now, unlike Arcana's, this one seemed only to house students of the Academy. For once, Billy was thankful to be in a Hotel Room instead of a fortress like this.

Director Clavell was into a lengthy monologue about the history of Mesagoza and Uva Academy, an aspect that thrilled the scholarly Amanda but bored the other three chaperones utterly. Lizzie was the first to wander off, with Billy and Bridgette both knowing all too well that keeping her on the leash would be a taller task than they initially anticipated. Before she was out of earshot, Billy shouted to her.

"Hey! Make sure you stay close to the city, Liz! I don't need you running off on your own just as soon as we get here."

"You're acting as if I'm a little girl, Billy!' she snapped back as she wandered off towards one of the shops nearby. "I'm older than you!"

"Don't forget who put me in charge" he replied. "Don't make me tell Michael you're mouthing off."

She glanced back and let out a beleaguered sigh. "Fine! I'll be back when I'm done shopping." With that, she skipped off to be on her own.

"How that woman made it to thirty years acting like that, I will never know" Billy grumbled.

"Having Mark and Michael serving as brothers to her had to help level her out" Bridgette replied. "Let her be. It's better she goes off on her own now while we know Justin and the others are in good hands. It's not like Nemona's going to get them into trouble or anything."

She would have added more, but the duo's attention was drawn by a battle taking place on a block nearby. Bridgette looked over towards Clavell, who was intellectually stimulating Amanda with his tales of Paldean past. She and Billy then walked over to the battle to investigate it. Children of all ages were gathered around and witnessing two Pokémon and their trainers duking it out. Billy was surprised Paldea had its own Tauros variant, with the one the trainer facing in their direction had possessing black fur instead of the more traditional brown. But it appeared to be as formidable and as intimidating as a normal one.

The second Pokémon in the battle was one Billy was safe to say he had never seen before. It looked like a strange flower bulb of a Pokémon, with dark-colored petals covering most of its exterior, save for a small cone-like structure that made up its head. The bright yellow eyes the Pokémon showed off as it floated about in front of its trainer haunted Billy, who was deeply curious about what this Pokémon was capable of and who it's trainer might be.

"It would seem that I have you on the ropes for once, La Primera!" the first woman warned. "My Tauros has never let me down before."

"It would seem you have improved yourself, Ms. Dendra" a second woman replied casually. "But my Pokémon is still not fighting at full capacity just yet."

Billy made it through some of the eager children in the crowd to see who were battling. The first woman was an over-excitable woman in a track suit that Billy could only theorize would be a Battle Studies teacher of sorts. He recalled how his own training under Malcolm and Bridgette had been nothing like the ones these students were receiving and wondered if he had missed out in receiving a formal education under Professor Maria Pines that his cousins and sister had gotten.

The second woman was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women he had ever met in his life. Long, black hair that fell to the base of her spine. Deep blue eyes that resembled the ocean and like the Pokémon she commanded, pupils that were a bright yellow, as if meant to draw in unsuspecting foes into a trance. A slender physique covered in a black, full body suit and olive-colored skin that made Billy for some reason think of Julia and Piper back home. He could definitely tell that only a place like this could have once been the ancestral homeland of two of his cousin's wives.

"Glimmora!" the woman called Primera gently spoke to her Pokémon. "Sludge Wave!" Glimmora, which until recently had been in its protective form, suddenly sprawled itself out of its shell so to speak, before unleashing a thick, toxic wave of liquid upon the unsuspecting Tauros. Within moments of making contact, Ms. Dendra's Tauros fell by the wayside, collapsing to the ground with little resolve. Ms. Dendra recalled her exhausted Pokemon and let out a grunt of defeat.

"Usu! I lost!" She fell to her knees and let out a loud groan, before leaping back to her feet and laughing. "And that's why they call you, La Primera!"

"There are quite a few reasons why" La Primera replied contently. "But this is indeed one of them. If these are the talents you are showing the students of Uva Academy, then I am sure we will grow a new generation of Champions in no time." She looked to everyone in the crowds surrounding them. "And I'd like to thank you all for coming to observe our battle demonstration."

"Way to go, La Primera!" a girl shouted.

"Can you battle again?!" a boy pleaded.

The woman was startled by this. "Oh my. I only have the time to complete one such-well, I'm sure you were all looking forward to more from me." Her eyes darted in all directions, hoping to find an opponent. "It would seem that our most recent Champion, Miss Nemona, is not here. Odd, considering she always has time to witness or participate in a battle." She and Billy then locked eyes and she wore a bright smile on her face. "Well, well. A new face? I haven't seen you around the city. Who may I be addressing?"

Billy tried to wave off the notion of them engaging in battle, only for Bridgette to reply teasingly from behind him. "You don't want to mess with him! He's Arcanan!"

"Bridge!" Billy hissed back.

But the crowd took notice and gasped at the sight of a foreigner in their city. Before the kids could swarm him with questions however, La Primera walked past them and stood before him, taking a bow of respect to him. "Ah, so one of our esteemed guests from the Arcana Region has witnessed my battling skills and wishes to challenge me?"

"I never said-" Billy tried to backpedal, but Bridgette gave him a playful shove forward, prompting Billy to fall to the ground in front of the woman. The children all cheered for the upcoming battle as Billy leaped to his feet and shook himself off. "Well, I...uh...I don't think it's the time or place to-"

La Primera's eyes flashed as she studied him casually. "Yes. You will make an excellent opponent for me to battle." She walked over to her Glimmora and gave it a Full Restore before returning her attention to her new opponent. "Come now. Introduce yourself."

Billy gulped as he walked over to where Ms. Dendra had stood before as the Battle Studies teacher drifted into the background to witness the match about to unfold. "Well...uh...I'm a Gym Leader from Arcana."

"Surely a Gym Leader has more flair than that" La Primera goaded.

"Didn't Malcolm and I teach you anything?!" Bridgette laughed.

Billy sighed. If they want a show, I guess I can put on a show this one time. Taking a page from his old mentors about showing off with a flourish, Billy flung his arms behind him and echoed his opponent's intensity with his own brand of it. "I'm the one they call the 'Iron Titan'! Unflinching, undaunted by the challenges flung at his feet and unyielding to all opponents. I guard the path to the Pokémon League as Iron Mountain's infallible warrior!"

"Maybe dial it back a notch" Bridgette giggled.

"The name's William Roderick Kingston! The only man who makes Steel bend to his will!" La Primera eyed Billy with a kind of hunger he had only ever seen from Amanda, making his resolve initially waver, but he remained defiant in his stance. "And even Champions won't make me bend the knee!"

She clapped proudly at his flair. "Well, well. A Kingston? I've heard much about your family and their exploits. Are you this fabled King of Arcana I've heard so much about?!"

Not on your life, sweet cheeks! "No, but I was trained and trusted by him. Anyone who wants an audience with His Majesty gets through me!"

She then held her hands out and began her own introduction. "Then allow me to introduce myself. I am she whom Paldea answers to and loves. She of the noblest of lines and proudest of families. Chairwoman of Uva Academy and the Grandest Champion of them all. La Primera, known to only my closest associates as Geeta, shall grace the Iron Titan with a battle!" She gestures for her Glimmora to join in on the battle. "This shall be 1 on 1. Choose your best Pokémon to match against me! And do not hold back, lest I think poorly of our guest for thinking so low of myself."

Billy looked back towards Bridgette, who nodded. She knew they needed to go all out here. Billy reached onto his belt for one of his most trusted Pokémon. "Let's do this, Toph!" From out of his Poke Ball appeared his trusted Excadrill, who showed off her sharpened claws almost immediately to the new opponent.

Geeta smiled at this. "I see you're well aware of my Pokémon's strategies. Poison does not do well against Ground. However, our Pokémon share the same weakness. Use Earth Power, my Glimmora!"

"Double Team!" Billy ordered.

His Excadrill created illusionary copies of itself, resulting in the molten geyser of magma to incinerate a facsimile of his Pokémon instead of the real deal. Before Billy could make his next counterattack however, Geeta prepared a counter of her own.

"Acid Armor!"

The Glimmora bathed itself in its own toxic goo, resulting in a dramatic uptick in its defensive prowess. Billy realized an Earthquake of his own now would do little to the Pokémon that now stood before him. He needed an alternative strategy for his Excadrill to employ. Fortunately, thanks to some training with Greg during the leadup to the Master Cup Finals, he had just the trick. "Scorching Sands!" Utilizing the very molten ground Geeta had used against him earlier, his Excadrill kicked up a sandstorm that ripped and tore at the Glimmora. It did little damage, as Toph was far more capable a Physical Attacker, but it did leave its impact by leaving Glimmora with a burn.

"Impressive" Geeta remarked. "I see Arcana has talented trainers."

Billy remained focused on the endgame. The Burn was a start, as it would begin to drain Geeta's Pokémon of its strength. But this would not hinder her from utilizing another Earth Power to make his actions pointless. He needed a big hit here. And he only had one chance to finish this thing off. With his Excadrill holding a Scope Lens, he knew if this Earthquake didn't finish the Glimmora off now, he wouldn't win.

"Earth Power!"

Geeta's Glimmora once more caused a massive geyser of energy to rip through the ground. And this time, Billy was not so fortunate to have his Excadrill dodge it. The blow did tremendous damage to his Pokémon, who only managed to avoid fainting by the skin of its teeth. He truly only had one chance of winning this exchange and chose to take it.

"Earthquake!"

His Pokémon slammed it's heavy, metallic claws into the ground, causing a massive tremor that prompted nearly all of the kids watching to grab onto one another or a solid object to avoid falling over. The Glimmora was struck hard by the blow, so hard that it spun around and around until landing hard on the ground. Billy realized he had landed that slim critical hit he had so desperately needed when Ms. Dendra hurried over to examine Geeta's ace Pokémon.

"Glimmora's...down?"

Geeta was caught off guard by this turn of events but kept an icy smile and clapped. "Well done, Billy. I see you live up to your reputation."

"BILLY! BILLY! BILLY!"

Billy was himself not expecting the extremely positive reception his battle with Geeta would net him. He'd just beaten their best trainer in a 1 on 1 matchup and they were hailing him as if he had defeated Michael in battle. He glanced back towards Bridgette, who had seemingly vanished into the crowds, likely answering a call from either the Director or someone back home. This left him alone to soak in the adulation and praise of a new audience. He took a bow of respect in front of them, which only caused the cheers to grow louder and more boisterous.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed a taste of Arcanan power" he remarked, his nerves still tingling from the intense battle.

Geeta approached him after recalling her fainted Pokémon, a smile on her face. "I must say. No one has been able to defeat my Glimmora in quite a long time, William. Consider me truly enticed by the power of Arcanan Pokémon Trainers. I hope the students you are chaperoning have a fraction of your prowess."

Knowing how Tommy had fared in the first few rounds of the Master Cup, Billy replied with a grin. "I'm certain the kids won't disappoint you, La Primera." He returned a bow to her. To his surprise, Geeta seemed initially flustered. Fearful that he had let it seem he was flirting with her, he returned to standing straight. "Well, if that's all, I should get back to Director Clavell before he bores my-"

"Surely the Director can spare some time for La Primera?" she replied courteously. "Especially when I still know so little about the man who bested me."

Billy could feel his throat going scratchy as Geeta approached him. "Uh, I was talking more about my girlfr-"

"You see" Geeta explained, ignoring his nerves, "it would be an honor for me to take he who defeated Paldean Royalty out for his own private tour of Mesagoza."

"I'm sure you-" Billy paused at this unexpected revelation. "Pal-Paldean Royalty?"

She grinned as he recognized her status. "La Primera is not just for being the best Pokémon Trainer, as I told Ms. Dendra before. I am the heir to the Paldean Throne, after all. Or, as you call it in your own kingdom, a Princess." At those words, all but Billy immediately fell to their knees and bowed to her. Billy would have followed in kind, had Geeta not took his arms and prompted him to remain standing. "Guests do not bow before me unless it's in court. Which I haven't held in some time. Surely your own King does not make you bow, does he?"

Billy laughed. "No no no. Michael hates that." He glanced down at his Poke Gear, confused as to how he had not received a single message from Amanda or Lizzie. Instead, all he got was a text from Bridgette explaining she was going to taste some of the samples at a local vegetarian restaurant. The only thing he could assume is that Amanda was now fully engrossed in researching all of the Pokémon the entire region of Paldea had to offer her, which would certainly trump any plans he had of proposing. He then lowered his Poke Gear back into his pocket. "I suppose it would be rude of me to deny a Princess an audience."

"La Primera" Geeta corrected flirtatiously. "But you may call me 'Princess' as you see fit, William." Geeta looked back towards Ms. Dendra. "Please inform Rika that I have taken an esteemed guest of ours on a tour of our illustrious region. And if Director Clavell asks anything, I'm sure Rika can fill him in."

Ms. Dendra nodded. "As La Primera commands."

Geeta returned her attention to Billy. "Shall we?" She casually offered him her arm.

Billy gulped. Though certainly no slouch when it came to women, Billy was not used to someone just blatantly flirting with him, at least not since he and Amanda had gotten together. But he couldn't exactly reject the audience of a princess, least of all when he was expected to be one of the lead dignitaries on behalf of his family. So, with a deep breath and a thought of how Amanda would ream him in for accepting an offer like this from another woman, slipped his arm into Geeta's. The two ignored the teasing coos from the onlookers and Geeta led Billy off on his own private tour of Mesagoza.