There were a lot of things to consider about Galar's sudden change of heart. As far as he knew from his father's stories, they only became part of the international scene because of their Champion's less than stellar remarks. Proclaiming himself the 'world's strongest champion' so early in his tenure didn't win him any allies.

The first world championship was… an experience, if he wanted to be polite. Champions from all over the world tried their best, yet their inexperience at an international level showed. Wrong calls, misremembering types, some of them not having access to every 'battle gimmick.'

The funniest thing is the first official world champion was the dark horse: Gloria Southerland. The Galarian 14-year-old that took the crown home.

"Watch out!"

Bang!

A lamppost rudely interrupted his thoughts. Daniel groaned as he massaged his forehead, hearing the cackling children not too far away. The sound alerted the moth, who was distracted by another pile of snow.

"Are you ok?" The same voice that alerted him sounded closer this time. She sounded concerned, but he could notice she was holding back her laughter as well.

"Yeah. Don't worry. That's what I get for being distracted outside." He blinked away the dizziness and took a proper look around him. The streets looked unfamiliar, quite possibly a wrong turn because of having his head in the clouds. The four children already moved on from their spectacle, instead focusing on arguing about whose father was the strongest.

Daniel was just outside a small pastry shop called 'Pâtisserie Royale'. There were signs outside with names that sounded Kalosian, like macarons, Éclaires, pain au Chocolat, even Poke puffs.

The woman appeared to be around his age, going by the subtle wrinkles. She had metallic blond hair tied up in a ponytail. Freckles sprinkled her face, especially on her cheeks. A pair of round glasses gave a gleam to her deep blue eyes. Her uniform was a white chef's coat with pink edges, a black apron, and a small pin depicting a Whimsicott wearing a berry crown. The shovel in her hands and the small snow pile to the side gave him her reason to be out.

"I've been getting awfully distracted lately." He shook his head. "Lots of things to think about."

"You need to be careful, mister!" She said with her arms crossed. "What if next time it's something more dangerous? Like manhole! Or a car! Or a stampede!"

Her voice sounded animated and, going by the way she rolled her R's and inflexed on certain words, had a Kalosian accent. The smile on her face gave away that she wasn't angry at him, just amused. He just chuckled and nodded along.

"I'll be careful next time, promise!" He looked at the inside of what he assumed was her bakery. It looked cozy, furniture made in wood, showcases full of Kalosian treats…

"Volca…" And a hungry Pokemon focused on them.

"Sorry for her, it's just that it's been a while since we last ate some Kalosian pastries." He said with a wry smile. She flinched when he mentioned Kalos, but her smile stayed the same.

"Oh! Don't worry!" She shook her head. "Would you like to buy some?"

"Not for now, maybe some coffee." He said with a shake of his head. Mothra looked disappointed, but did little else to convince him. They still had the poffins they splurged on earlier after all.

The inside was much warmer than the outside. Sadly, he had to return Mothra because of her size. He had to promise her a sizeable portion of the poffins they had, especially the sweet ones. Still, she clicked her mandibles in disapproval as she disappeared.

Looking around, he saw there was only another patron: an older gentleman drinking coffee by himself on the corner, reading a newspaper. The man acknowledged them with a nod and returned to his reading.

A quick look at the menu felt like a stab in the chest. "Expensive…" The prices were easily double that of the bakery where he bought poffins for his Team. He was sure they tasted amazing just by looks alone, but still.

"Just a cup of coffee, black." Daniel said with a wry smile.

"Sure thing! I'll be right back!" The woman nodded enthusiastically and went back to behind the counter.

While the woman prepared the coffee, he discreetly released R2 into his glasses form. "Undercover." He whispered. There was a small ding, and the glasses slowly transitioned from its red and orange tints into a sleeker black frame with transparent lenses.

With subtle hand movements, he could pull out the press release from the league. The information was a bit blurry because of the tint of the glasses, but still legible. Although, the internet speed lets a lot to be desired.

"Let's see…"

Boldness or naivete? Shocking declarations from the Galarian League!

The new Galarian Champion, Leon Auer, shocks the world with his first acts after assuming the position of Champion. At a press conference in Wyndon, the young star said:

"I want to cultivate a strong international community! To gather people around the world that enjoy this great sport and deepen our connections between trainers and Pokemon! My responsibilities prevent me from touring the world, but I want to make that first step myself! Show that I'm serious! I'll be visiting the grand region of Unova in the hopes to make that dream a reality!"

The Unovan Pokemon League released a statement confirming the meeting between the two young Champions. The Unovan Pokemon League released a statement confirming that the two young Champions will meet, but they did not specify the date. However, we speculate that it will be in about a month. There has been some discontent among the citizens after the movie shooting gone wrong in Opelucid city. The damages-

He stopped at that point, startled by clinking porcelain. The aroma of coffee drifting in front of him reminded him of where he was.

"Thank you." He nodded at the woman with an embarrassed smile. "My head is in the clouds lately."

"I noticed that." She smiled sweetly. Daniel could see it was strained. Artificial. He was too used to seeing expressions like that back at home.

"Is…anything wrong?" He ventured, taking a small sip. "Damn, this is just like Aunt Genevieve makes it."

"Do you…" she bit her lip nervously. "Are you from Kalos?" She asked in a whisper.

"My family, yes." Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Really?!" she exclaimed, stars shining inside her eyes. "Oh! Sorry!" She bowed to the gentleman. He just dismissed with his hand without taking his eyes from the newspaper.

"My name is Amélie. Nice to meet you!" Her voice was lower, but the energy still came through. "I'm from Coumarine city!" She extended her hand.

"My name is Daniel; I have some family in Lumiose and Santalune. Nice to meet you too," Daniel said with a smile, gently shaking her hand. "Technically New Lumiose and New Santalune, but close enough."

"Oh! Let me!" She suddenly left in a hurry to the counter, leaving Daniel puzzled. When she returned, she carried Pain au Chocolats and a couple of Éclaires.

"Sorry I can't-"

"Nono! This is a gift!" She said with a smile. "It's been a while since I last spoke with someone from back home! There are some extras for your Volcarona, too."

"As if I don't spoil her enough." He said with a chuckle. "Thank you for the gesture."

A bite was enough to blast him back to home. Warm, buttery, flaky, filled with the sweetness of chocolate. The image of his aunt making some for both him and Aidan every other week. The small fights that broke between the two when one of them had 'the bigger one.' Absolutely ruining their first batches when they started to learn.

"Tastes like home." Daniel said, wiping a small tear that threatened to escape his eye. "Sounds a bit corny, but my compliments to the chef." He lifted the cup in appreciation and took another sip. The bitterness complimented well the sweet aftertaste, enhancing the flavor.

"Thank you! I made them myself." Her smile illuminated even more after that. "I've been doing them since I was young!"

The rest of their small conversation was exchanging stories. Daniel had to 'sanitize' his a little, omitting details and changing some names. R2 and Donald were invaluable in pulling information on the fly to keep up with her topics.

Amélie was an immigrant that arrived to Unova when she was 17 years old. After running away from home trying to strike it big in another region. It was a moderate success, thankfully. The food and coffee were more expensive than the competition, but their novelty and 'high class' feeling of them made her stand out. Granted, she couldn't beat old giants already settled in Unova, but it was enough for her.

It was hard for her to learn unovan by herself in the beginning. She had some skills because of the Galarian classes everyone had in their schools, but it was evidently not enough.

«Cela faisait si longtemps que je n'avais pas parlé kalosien. Les regards étranges que j'ai reçus au début étaient blessants, mais au moins personne n'était impoli.» Since both spoke kalosian, they eventually ended up speaking it. Amélie was particularly thankful for that.

«Je peux imaginer.» He nodded in understanding, taking another bite of his pain au chocolat. «J'ai eu quelques problèmes quand j'étais plus jeune et j'ai visité pour la première fois. Arceus merci, les quelques malentendus que j'ai eus étaient minimes.»

«Oh vraiment ? Quand avez-vous rendu visite pour la dernière fois?»

«J'avais 15 ans. Je rencontrais ma famille pour la première fois, j'ai même capturé des...» He coughed into his fist, catching his slip. «Bonbons pour la première fois.»

«Excellent ! Quel genre de bonbons préparait-il ?»

After finishing his snacks, Amélie packed the ones for Mothra in a small bag for later. He would have to give them to her without the rest of the team knowing. Or at least the young dreepy. Their nature manifesting by themselves was enough. He didn't want to give them reasons to cause trouble.

He left the store with a smile and plans to come back in the future when he had money to buy more stuff. Amélie, much like her pastries, was sweet and had a lot of energy for a 41-year-old. More than that, it was great having friends unrelated to his mess.

With a clear mind and lighter steps, he returned home. It was time to prepare for his lessons.

—-

"He seems like a pleasant chap." The gentleman nodded, taking a last sip of his coffee.

"You think so, Mr Cedric?" She asked, a bit surprised by the sudden interest of his regular.

"Yes." He nodded. "Quite the coincidence to see him here, but I shouldn't be surprised." The man commented as he folded his newspaper.

"You know him?" She took his cup and cleaned the table.

"Of him." He corrected. "But it shouldn't be a problem. Still, anything happens. You know you can call me."

"Will do! Have a great day Mr. Cedric!"

A/N: Translations:

- It's been so long since I spoke kalosian. The strange looks I received at first were hurtful, but at least no one was rude.

- I can imagine. I had some issues when I was younger and first visited. Thank Arceus, the few misunderstandings I had were minimal.

- Oh really? When did you last visit?

- I was 15 years old. I was meeting my family for the first time, I even captured some... candy for the first time.

I'm finally feeling like a person again. Sorry for the Silence all this time. I should be able to pick up my pace and return to writing now that it isn't hard to stare at a screen for longer than a few minutes. On an unrelated note, I picked Monster Hunter Rise from game pass. Great game, great music, great monsters. 10/10