A massive splash of water erupted from the lake like a towering geyser, immediately capturing the attention of everyone present. Me, Diamantina, and even the two Shuffle humans and their pokémon turned to look at it. Beyond the curtain of water a now familiar penguin was revealed, who rushed towards the Arcanine in a single breath, immediately locating the worst threat. This was Visine, the gym leader's Empoleon! We had split because she had heard some commotion from the water and went to investigate. Some irrelevant territorial dispute between water-types, she would later tell us. But at least she was back now, and a fully evolved water pokémon like her was the perfect match to take down the fire-breathing canid!

The Empoleon stood between us and the rest of them with an aggressive pose, not attacking, but ready to. "Report the situation, as briefly as possible. I notice your leg is hurt."

How attentive. "They are trying to find the way into Diamantina's secret cove!"

Visine fired the briefest of glances at the Popplio close by my side, then fired another one at the humans. "I don't recognize the humans, or their pokémon. Arcanine, know that no humans are allowed into the Popplio coves without our explicit authorization."

The Arcanine's growl intensified, his eyes becoming bloodshot with fury. "Of course you would want to control everything, you lapdog of the League."

"Access into the Crow's Foot lake is forbidden at all. You have no business here. You shall all leave this place immediately. Or I shall invite you out."

"Oho." He chuckled, flames escaping his maw. "Do go on. Do invite us out."

"Who's that?" the grunt asked in an obvious panic, as he held his Pidgey and hid behind the larger human. "Is that a wild?"

"An Empoleon…" Baldy's expression soured as he scanned the penguin's sharp wings. "The Lozenge's gym leader infamously has an Empoleon as her ace. We are in trouble if this is her." He reached for his belt as if on instinct, then clicked his tongue. "Dammit, I only brought Myriad to this mission because my other pokémon were busy with other tasks. Myriad! You will have to solo this, partner!"

The two evolved pokémon glared into each other's eyes for an uncomfortably long time. Visine wouldn't have the help of a human trainer to guide her, but it was patent to see that she was the stronger pokémon, and had a type advantage on top of it all. Even so, I wouldn't dare bet on who would be the victor.

But as I would soon find out, the answer would be 'neither'.

I almost began crying in the spot as my nose twitched. I would recognize that soothing scent anywhere and everywhere. Jarque. He was nearby. And the scent was becoming stronger, drawing closer each passing second.

"Goddammit," the Arcanine said, relaxing his attitude, not looking as combative anymore. "Two humans incoming."

Wait, he's right. Other than Jarque there was the approaching scent of one mature woman… oh, that was the gym leader for this place, Aluette! Visine's trainer! Baldy looked at his Arcanine with a raised eyebrow for a moment, but soon understood. The grunt instead remained confused all the way until the two humans made their appearance.

"Clove —!" Jarque didn't even have time to finish uttering my name when I was already in his arms, rubbing my wet head against his shirt. I hoped he wouldn't mind. But he began to caress my head, even though it was wet and cold and horrible. "Don't ever go off on your own again, Clover! You got us so worried!" Fine, I expected a bit of a lecture. That one's on me. But I knew he couldn't stay angry at me for long. "I'm so glad you're okay, girl…"

As he pressed me against his chest he heard me wince and immediately took notice of my wounded leg. He wasted not a second to find a healing potion in his bag to apply to me, while Valentine began to hug me, crying all over me. I was wet enough already, thanks. And now I was getting teary-eyed myself too, dammit. For once, I really appreciated the Fennekin's warm fur, and she didn't seem to mind that cuddling up to me was getting her wet all over.

While Valentine went on and on about how worried she had been and Jarque nursed my leg, Aluette stepped forward to address what to her was an unknown party. "Would you be so kind to identify yourselves?"

The grunt was pulling at his expensive-looking black suit, and even with my wet nose I could smell the fear in his sweat. By contrast, Baldy looked perfectly serene. "I am Gilbert, and this here is my good friend Theil. You would be Aluette, am I correct?"

"You would be, yes." The blue-haired woman lifted her chin as she looked at them, specifically at their wardrobe. "Black suits on white shirts, with bow ties. I take it you are with that one non-profit, the Shuffle Foundation, yes?"

"I'm honored you have heard of us, miss."

"Scarcely. In any case, I'm afraid you don't have authorization to be here." She shook her hips in a very calculated way to bring attention to her belt full of colored spheres. The Shuffle team guys only had one pokémon each. She had brought a full suite of six. "Access into Crow's Foot is forbidden without explicit permission from the League or a related organism. This enclosure is a protected nature reserve for pokémon."

"My bad, we were not aware." He placed a hand on his chest and bowed his bald head. "We were just taking a stroll through this fine place and, I'm almost ashamed to admit, I got us a little lost. I'm not that good with directions, you see."

I cringed a little when Jarque applied his potion on my wound, but it would help me heal faster. Jarque, Valentine, and I watched the interaction between these adult humans. Diamantina was also watching from the other side, near the border of the lake. I figured there was nothing to fear. They wouldn't be so stupid to attack a gym leader that had brought a full roster. Goodness, the Empoleon alone might be enough to subdue them if they got rebellious.

I noticed Jarque gritting his teeth as he glared at the Shuffle guys. He probably could tell they were lying. There was a good chance that the gym leader could too. But we were pretty far from any human settlements, and even if they couldn't realistically defeat Aluette, they could gravely wound any of us. Maybe it was best not to tempt fate, as much as I would want us to.

"I shall accompany you outside, then," Aluette offered. She was acting far more diplomatic than Jarque. "Since you said you're bad with directions."

"Of course! Much appreciated." He was wonderful at hiding his disappointment. Assuming he was disappointed, which I could only gather from context.

And with that, we all left together. At least no one ended up truly hurt. My injured leg got much better after a few hours thanks to Jarque's potions, and the ranger that was outside the lake had twisted his ankle, but they told him it would heal in two to three weeks. It would always surprise me how long human wounds took to heal. And on that note, I was just glad Jarque was fine. And Valentine too, I guess.

Back to the ranger settlement in the Lozenge, Aluette 'fined' the Shuffle people for trespassing, whatever that meant, and then they finally left. A few hours had passed since our first encounter, so the scent trail I had left behind should have vanished by now. Even if they somehow sneaked into the lake again, they would have no way to know were the Popplio coves were.

"What is the Shuffle Foundation?" Jarque asked, a bit out of nowhere.

The gym leader looked around her, as if to double-check that the Shuffle goons were gone. "A non-profit organization that, according to their own mission statement, aims to achieve equality between humans and pokémon. Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as we can tell. Plenty of charitable institutions like that. They were established some years back, although they've had a significant growth in numbers in these past few years."

Jarque rubbed his cheek as he stared at her, absent-minded. "That's it…?"

She looked around again, then began to whisper. "They've gotten into trouble with us before, if that's what you mean. Not the first time we catch them trespassing into a nature reserve. Some petty crime here and there from some of its members, but it's not like the organization itself is dangerous. I'm sure most of them are well-intentioned, and just take things too far from time to time."

Jarque turned to avoid eye contact as he tapped his feet. "So no relation to Team Shuffle?"

Aluette adjusted her deep-blue hair. "Sorry? Team Shuffle?"

"Uh, it was a team of scientists in Holon that… You know, it doesn't really matter. Maybe it really is just a coincidence after all. Not like 'shuffle' is a rare word or anything."

She stared at him for a moment. I didn't know how to interpret that gaze. Inquisitive? "True, I think the professor told me you were born in Holon, the region south of Baraja. I did hear that a few years back — Oh, look who's back!" Her train of though was interrupted by the arrival of her Empoleon. "Good to see you back."

My ears sprung up before I even looked. Was my nose deceiving me? I could catch the scent of not one, but two familiar water-types. Earlier, Aluette had brought back with us the Popplio that had helped me, to check on her health. But once the rangers confirmed she was unhurt, the Empoleon had offered to carry her back to her cove, since it would be a long distance walking for a water-dweller like a Popplio. The Empoleon wasn't the best at land either, but she could manage. But now the penguin was back, with the Popplio also on tow. Why was she back?

"You brought Diamantina back?" Aluette asked Visine as she shifted towards Jarque. "The rangers give them names, since that isn't all that common in the wild."

Jarque arched an eyebrow. "You can tell them apart…?"

"Yes, when you're used to their presence. They differ in the length of their fins, the size and tone of their noses, the color and shape of their frills, or even in the way they move."

"I wouldn't know. First Popplio I see." Jarque stared at her intently, as she was held by the Empoleon and returned the stare with a smile. "I was wondering why there was a Popplio back there with Clover. Was the Shuffle Foundation after her or what?"

"We have no way to know," the woman said as she shook her head. Technically, neither she nor her Empoleon had witnessed anything out of order. They had not heard any part of the conversation Diamantina and I held with them, and our word alone would not be seen as evidence of anything. Annoying. "But why did you bring her back, Visine? Were you not going to carry her back to her cove?" She waited as the Empoleon placed Diamantina on the ground, at my level, and then the Empoleon made some gestures with her wings. "You did bring her to her cove… but then she asked you to bring her back to the settlement? Is that it?" Visine nodded. Jarque and I were not too far behind, but I was impressed by how she could understand her pokémon through simple wing motions.

"I forgot to thank you!" Diamantina said to… wait, to me? Why was she staring at me, smiling? No! I forgot to thank you!

"What for…?" I said, playing it cool. I bet the sucker didn't even notice my tail wagging behind me.

"For taking such risks to help me back there. If it weren't for you, they would have made it to my cove."

And if it weren't for me, she wouldn't have gotten in trouble in the first place. And she had bothered to make it all the way back just for this? It almost made me feel bad.

"Who is this?" Valentine asked me. She wasn't quite hiding behind me, but almost.

I didn't have a chance to answer when the Popplio had already jumped forth in front of us, making the poor Fennekin squeal. "I'm Diamantina, one of the Popplio in the Lozenge! Nice to meet you!" Now the Fennekin really was hiding behind me. "And you are…?"

The scaredy fox peeked out from behind me, but didn't give an answer. Fine, I'll do the honors. "She's Valentine, another of Jarque's pokémon. Uh, Jarque is that stud over there, my trainer."

Diamantina looked up to Jarque for a rather long moment, then back to Valentine. "Clover helped me a lot out there! She's really nice!"

Why wasn't she bothering to mention that she saved me from the lake, twice? Or that she risked showing me into her kind's secret hideout just to heal my leg's wound?

"What are they talking about?" Jarque asked as he watched us interact. I liked that sweet smile on his face.

Aluette chuckled as she fluffed some of Visine's feathers. "Who knows? They were just on an adventure together. We trainers don't need details on every single thing our pokémon do. Let them have their secrets." She looked to us. This human seemed nice, I guess, but I hated how pretty she was and how Jarque was stealing glances at her from time to time. "I assume she's thanking your pokémon, or saying goodbye to her. But what will you do now, Diamantina? It is getting late. Are you spending the night in the settlement, or do we have Visine return you back in a moment?"

Diamantina fixed her wistful gaze on Jarque. "I am about to figure that one out." She turned to me and Valentine. Mainly to me. My ears perked up. The sea lion looked so serious right now, so non-flippant compared to mere moments ago. "Clover, I want to challenge your trainer."

Oh? What was this silly Popplio talking about? I chuckled nervously. "Dummy, a pokémon cannot fight a human."

Behind me, Valentine rubbed her nose against my neck to call my attention. "Clover, I think she means challenge as in…"

I looked at Diamantina, then at Jarque. Then at Diamantina. Then back at Jarque. Oh.

Diamantina was a wild pokémon. Jarque was a trainer.

Aluette watched with pursed lips as her Empoleon poked at one sphere in her trainer's possession, then pointed two wings at Diamantina and Jarque. The gym leader cocked her head with a knowing smile. "Not how I expected this to go." She tapped at Jarque's shoulder, since he was busy looking at us with a dumb smile on his handsome face. "I think Diamantina wants to challenge you, Jarque."

He blinked at her in silence a few times, as if he was having trouble interpreting her words. "What? That's silly. A pokémon cannot fight a… Oh, damn."

"Indeed. She must have gotten attached to your Sprigatito, or is very impressed with her." She moved out of the way, and her Empoleon followed her. "You are free to refuse her challenge, of course. But for the record, I'm pretty sure you are the first human that Diamantina has considered challenging. It takes a lot of courage for a wild pokémon to leave behind her old life and show herself before a human trainer."

Jarque got in position. The spheres of colors were expensive, but I knew for a fact he had bought a small amount of those of red and white this past month, just in case. "Is this okay? I mean, isn't the Lozenge a natural reserve? Can I just catch a pokémon here?"

"Any time a pokémon deems a human worthy enough to challenge them, it's because they want to be caught. Location stops mattering. I would guess she went with Visine to her cove before to say goodbye to her kin?"

I was still a bit taken aback by all this. Diamantina wanted to join us. Like Valentine, she wanted to be a member of this team. She had made it clear before that her father allowed any member of their tribe to leave, but only under their own will. And she didn't seem all that alarmed when she found out I had a trainer either. Was joining a human something she had been contemplating, and my arrival an opportune stroke of luck?

"Are we sure this is truly okay?" Jarque asked once more. "I thought the Popplio species were starters. Isn't the League very stingy about who can and cannot be partnered with those kinds of pokémon."

"Yes, but you are a registered trainer that has passed our exams, and you already have two starters with you anyway. The extreme loyalty that starter species project towards human requires us to handle them with care, but if the professor deemed you trustworthy enough to partner you with a starter species, I would say you pass the bar. And as a gym leader officially appointed by the Pokémon League, I can attest that there is no deception or extortion involved in this encounter." She added a brief sigh. "Paperwork's going to be a nightmare though, I will give you that."

"Then…" Jarque looked down to us. I looked up to him. I nodded. I knew what to do. "Clover, you're up."

I took a determined step towards Diamantina. My leg didn't hurt anymore. A handful of hours had passed, and man-made potions did wonders on our bodies. So at least I would get to face Diamantina at full strength. What did I have to do here? We had never caught a pokémon before, but I think I knew how it went. I had to weaken her without actually making her pass out, correct?

"Good luck, Clover!" Valentine cheered from behind me. So I would be alone for this one, uh? I suppose the goal was to impress Diamantina so that she would accept joining us, and ganging up on her would not get us in her good graces.

"Do your best, Clover," the Popplio said to me. Coming from anyone else I would have assumed it to be a taunt.

"Clover!" It's Jarque! I'm ready! "Hone Claws!" Oh, we're starting strong! I began to rub my claws against the ground to sharpen them, and also to confirm that my paw was fully healed. It didn't hurt anymore, thank goodness. Diamantina watched with joyful interest, not acting yet. What was she waiting for?

"Careful, Jarque," Aluette warned him. "Pokéballs have an inbuilt fail-safe so that fainted pokémon cannot be caught, by design. That is a strict requirement from the League when manufacturing their technology, to ensure a pokémon is caught only if they wish to be. Don't up your attack too much."

"Roger that. Then go for Leafage next!" I charged at the Popplio, who covered herself with her flippers. That would do nothing! I grew sharp leaves from my claws and used them to batter her, then jumped away to dodge a pitiful blast of water. "Keep going, Clover!" I dashed behind her to disorient her, then lunged at her for another slashing of leaves, forcing her against the ground before retreating to safety in case she counterattacked. I was simply too fast for her.

"Hah, you're too strong for me, Clover." Still lying on the floor, she raised her head just enough to fire a smile at me. "I guess this is as far as I go."

Huh? It was over already? No. No, that couldn't be. "Stand up."

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing? Weren't you testing us? Isn't that why we're doing this?"

"Oh… It's okay." She giggled at me. "You all seem like fine people. And I've already said goodbye to everyone in the colony, so it would be embarrassing to turn tail and return now, you know?"

I glared at that big smile of her. "What is wrong with you…?"

"Pardon?"

"Why… Why are you so friendly? Why aren't you angry at me? Why aren't you angry at me for not thanking you?"

She titled her head, her eyes wide. "Thanking me for what…?"

I shook my head. I shook it again. I couldn't believe it. I refused to. Did it not even register in her mind that she had done something worth my appreciation? Was helping perfect strangers something so ordinary to her, so drably mundane and quotidian, that the thought wouldn't even flash across her mind?

"Is she down?" Jarque asked, watching the Popplio still lie on the floor. "Can I throw the pokéball now?"

"You're not taking this seriously, Diamantina," I complained to the water-type, scowling as I circled around her. "The goal of this encounter isn't merely for us to prove ourselves to you. You should also prove yourself to us. And right now, you're disappointing." I noticed her mouth twitch. "Don't tell me you're happy with this."

But my words might have come too late. As she had stayed still for too long, Jarque had taken the chance to throw the sphere of red and white at her, and her body had disappeared into it. I won't even pretend to understand the technology behind those spheres.

As I stared at the unmoving sphere in front of me, a million thoughts assaulted my mind. Is this what I wanted? The team would no longer be just me, Jarque, and Valentine. I was barely still adapting to the Fennekin, even though we had been together for seven months now. And now I had to deal with yet another pokémon stealing my trainer's attention? Did I even trust her enough? She had been helpful, yes, but she seemed too naive, too optimistic. Would that not be a hindrance? Is this someone we could rely on?

I let out a small yelp of alarm as the sphere broke open before my very eyes, releasing the sea lion. I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upwards. So we were not done after all.

"Look, okay." The Popplio stood on her hind flippers. This would have been comical, if it weren't because she now towered over me. She was older, I suppose. "Have it your way, then."

"She broke out!" Jarque shouted in a quivering voice. It's okay, don't falter now. "Does this mean she doesn't accept us or…?"

"No, not yet," Aluette said, watching by Visine's side. "So convince her. The battle isn't over. It has barely started."

He was quick to spring up to form. "Then let's keep going! Clover, keep on the pressure!"

I stared in perfect silence at Diamantina as she stood upright. What did I want, exactly? It would be so easy to allow myself to be defeated. There was no way Valentine would be able to deal with a water-type, so if I fainted — or pretended to faint — here, that would all but guarantee Jarque would not catch this Popplio. It was so, so tempting.

But that would only delay the inevitable. Jarque would get a third pokémon at some point. I had to accept it. He couldn't possibly complete the gym circuit with only two pokémon against leaders that used three. And if someone would join us no matter what, wasn't a Popplio actually a great candidate? If she joined us, our team would boast all three primary elemental types, making for a very balanced team. That would lower the chances of Jarque needing to catch a fourth pokémon! Also, a Popplio was a starter species, so they were innately loyal to humans and liked them. So I would not have to fear her turning against us or Jarque.

And I guess this Diamantina girl seemed nice enough. And she was cute-ish, but not in this stereotypical fashion that appealed to humans, like it was with me and Valentine. So she wouldn't steal too many headpats from me either. Then I guess I could very, very begrudgingly accept having her around.

So here we go.

I walked closer to her, but still kept my distance. There was something about her gaze that was foreign to me. "You think I'm a good person, don't you?" she asked me, tilting her head innocently. "You think that I do what I do from the good of my heart. But here's the thing: I learned long ago that the best way to get others to help you is to help them yourself first."

I let out a soft murmur as I hung my head, watching her movements attentively. "Unless you're unlucky enough to meet an ungrateful prick like myself."

"Oh? Is that what you think?" She shaped her flippers into a cup and began to blow into them. "But I am a bit miffed, I will admit." I felt a sudden chill. "Just a bit," she added with a wink. "But if you are so kindly asking me to apply myself and give you a good beating, my, it would be most rude not to oblige."

"We'll see about that!" I rushed to her and delivered another Leafage against the standing, unmoving Popplio. She winced, but didn't budge. She was good at taking hits, uh. I felt my feet grow cold. No! This was no time to get scared!

"Maybe I'm not such a good girl, Clover," she said as her smile morphed into a smirk. My fur began to feel a tad colder now. "Maybe I'm just trying to use your team and your trainer for my own selfish benefit. Is that something you have considered?"

"I have considered everything, trust me." Of course I didn't trust her. I didn't fully trust Valentine, and I had been with her for more than half a year. But we would need a third teammate at some point, and if it weren't this Popplio, I wouldn't trust them whoever they were either way. So we might as well aim for someone strong.

"And have you considered this?"

Her words sent another chill down my spine. No, hold on. This wasn't even a metaphor. It never was. I felt, like, actually cold. The tips of my paws felt numb, and I was starting to have trouble coordinating my legs. I let out a sigh, and it became visible under my breath. It was actually cold, it wasn't just my imagination.

"Clover, run towards me!" Jarque ordered. I could tell something bad was coming, just not that bad. Oh, well. Running was what I did best anyway. I turned my back to the Popplio and began to make my way back to my trainer. Jumping into a hug sounded so tempting! But as I made my legs work, something felt off. Was my leg not fully healed? No, that couldn't be. It wasn't pain I felt. But was I… moving more slowly? It was so subtle that a slower pokémon would never have noticed.

The chilling breeze behind me grew in intensity, which made me wonder why there was a chilling breeze trailing behind me in the first place. I dared to look back, just in time to catch the Popplio releasing a thin mist that was coming to envelop me. She had an ice move! Why didn't I anticipate that? Silly Clover! You know many water-types know ice moves! There was no escaping it now, I could tell, no matter how fast I tried to bolt away. But Jarque had asked me to run to him, so run to him I would.

The pain almost made me stumble, but I endured. I yelped out in pain, spittle escaping my mouth, my chilly breath reminding me of the situation. My legs felt so numb now. I couldn't possibly maintain my usual pace in this state. Thank goodness I had reached Jarque at least! He was already kneeling, his hands ready to receive me for a comforting head caress.

"All's good. You're doing great, Clover." Yes! Butter me up more! "That was maybe Powder Snow or —" He made a low humming sound as he took one of my tiny paws into his hand. "No, that must have been an Icy Wind. Let me check those legs." My legs did feel particularly numb, yes. Jarque took an item from his backpack, a transparent container that stored a cyan-blue liquid, and sprayed it over my cold legs. This made me giggle and kick out my legs. That tickles! "Approach her for another attack, Clover. With caution. With deliberate steps. Very methodically. You feel me?" I looked into his eyes, that reflected confidence, as if they were giving me a devilish smirk. So I smirked back. Oh, so that's what we were going for this time!

I walked towards the Popplio, each step taken with meticulous care, as if dancing around her. There was a thoughtful look on her eyes as she studied my movements, and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in either amusement or mischief. "Now what was that? Some kind of human medicine?"

"Who knows? Using items in trainer battles is forbidden. But this isn't a trainer battle." My pace was slow and premeditated as I approached. No rushed movements. "So… why do you want to join us after all?"

A cute chuckle escaped her lips. "Quite a belated question for such an important topic. Do you care so little about the motivations of your potential teammates?"

"Less than you imagine. So long as you're helping us, I don't really care if you have your own reasons." I raised my head, furrowing my brow more with curiosity than anything else. "But you did say you want to use us. What do you mean?"

She lifted her face in an odd display of pride. "I want to evolve."

I stopped moving. "Into a Brionne?"

"As a stepping stone, yes. But no, I meant I want to evolve into a Primarina." She extended out her flippers, as if reaching out to an invisible dance partner. "Surely you noticed that my colony is all Popplio and Brionne, with nary a Primarina to be seen. And my colony is the rule, not the exception. Pokémon like us evolving to their last stage in the wild is extremely rare, not impossible but almost unheard of. The wilderness is too dangerous to safely train and become stronger." She turned her flippers in Jarque's direction, and feigned hugging the air. "Which is why so many pokémon covet the company of humans. Training under a human would allow me to grow stronger much faster than I ever could in the wild! So I will collaborate in exchange for guidance and easy access to food and valuable items, and plentiful opportunities to fight mighty foes with little to no consequence on defeat!"

"Right…" I started pacing around her in a circle. "And where's the part where you're using us?"

"You will help me evolve. That's the plan. Then I can return to the wilderness and reap the benefits. Become the biggest fish in a small pond! So, see? I told you I'm not such a good girl after all."

"I dig that," I uttered on instinct, making her arch an eyebrow. "I prefer it if I know what your deal is. And of course you would want to evolve! Who wouldn't? But that only means that you will want to apply yourself. I really don't see the part where you're using us." I tapped one of my legs against the floor a few times. "Okay, I think I killed enough time. Should be kicking in soon." I leapt at her. "Let's go!"

I landed a prompt Leafage on the unsuspecting Popplio, but again she winced but didn't move. How durable was this girl? She let out a soft huff that felt chilly even at a distance. "Icy Wind slows you down to a crawl, as it numbs your legs. I sure hope you're not underestimating me?" With a potent puff she released another small, localized chillstorm, but I wasn't falling for that trick twice! I crouched into a ball and rolled to her side, delivering another sharp-grass claw against her hide as I barely dodge her icy assault. "How are you still this fast?" She now had me right in front of her, at her mercy for a point-blank strike. To her merit, her next ice attack came out almost instantaneously, and would have struck any slower pokémon. But I jumped to the side, ran around her in a circle as she tried to follow me with her attack, and struck her from behind to pin her against the ground.

I ended on top of Diamantina, pressing my two front legs against her, keeping her face-down against the chilly, wet grass. I heard a faint giggle, which made me lean closer, then a clear chuckle. Not a defeated laugh, but a cheerful one. "So you were only pretending to be slow," she said, turning her head just enough to look at me sideways. "How are you so agile in spite of my Icy Wind? At least the first one did hit you."

"The item Jarque gave me before wasn't healing medicine. Not a potion. It was an X Speed!" From this close, I could practically taste the puzzlement on her face as she blinked in silence at me. Right, this was a wild. "Um, an X Speed is a human-made item that makes you very fast for a short time… Uh, Valentine explained it to me once, that it triggers some, uh, cells or adrenaline or some mumbo-jumbo like that. Well, I don't really know! But what I know is that it makes you fast, fast enough to counteract the effects of your Icy Wind and then some!"

"Did your human anticipate this when he asked you to run to him? Or was he just being extra cautious before an unknown foe? Oh, I suppose it doesn't matter much either way." She flapped her flippers around in a rather comical fashion. "Well, I'm down. Your little coterie seems like fun, and that's what's most important if we're going to be together for a long time, perhaps." She looked into my eyes. That gaze was so earnest. "You have convinced me. Have I convinced you?"

I still really wasn't sure about this, but Jarque catching a third pokémon at some point was an inevitability. Might as well get it out of the way already. And if I had to deal with another teammate no matter what, you couldn't do much better than a fellow starter. I don't think she was as fond of humans as Valentine, but she didn't seem to have a negative opinion on them either. It would do.

"Welcome to the team, Diamantina." She was reliable if anything. And she had helped me lots, saving me twice from the lake, and bringing me to her colony to patch me up without asking for anything in exchange. In spite of me showing no gratitude. Really, maybe I should thank her after all. Make sure we start on the right foot and all that. "And, uh…" Why was she smiling at me so cutely. "I, well…" This didn't make me feel embarrassed or anything. That would be silly! "So, like…" Oh, just spit it out, you stupid cat! "That was cool how fast you swum back there in the lake…"

Her smile grew wider and wider, and I could tell she was trying to hold back a giggle. And I could tell she was trying her hardest, but eventually she just let herself go and began to laugh openly. I looked aside to avoid her gaze. No conceit to be found in her laughter. At least it wasn't long-lasting, and she was quick to recover her composure and flash me another of her pacifying smiles. "It is not the words that matter, Clover. Words are cheap. Anyone can utter out a dumb 'thank you'. That means nothing on its own! But you risked your safety for me, for my colony. And that isn't cheap. And that means something, even on its own." She giggled again in an adorable voice. "So, see? I helped you, and that made you want to help me. Just as I said would happen!"

Ugh, this one was gonna give me lots of trouble, I could tell already. But she was fun, and I couldn't help but smile against my will.

"Okay, now she's down," Jarque said, readying another of his spheres of red and white in his grip. He had a small amount of them, but it's not like he could just keep wasting them. "Let's go for attempt two."

He flung the round orb through the air, sending it soaring towards the lying Popplio, who made not the slightest effort to dodge. And so, she went into the sphere. I released a long sigh. There was no going back now. This team had yet another mouth to feed. I would have to get used to her presence. Ugh, I still had to get used to Valentine's presence, although I was doing better in that regard. So the sphere shook once. I'm sure with time I could — Wait, why did it shake? No, my imagination, surely.

Then it shook a second time, and my tail stood upright as I adopted a combat stance. There was no way she was breaking out again after all that, right? After such an embarrassing scene! Has she gotten second thoughts? No, there was no way! It shook once again, this time more drastically than the two previous times.

I bared my fangs at the item. Goddammit! See? This is why you don't trust people! This is why you don't make friends! So what if she helped me out or whatever? She was probably only doing it for her own benefit! Like, she told me she was doing it for her own benefit! Why was I so dumb? Why was I thinking that maybe we could get along or…? No! Stop filling you head with false hopes, you dumb cat! Argh, I was so going to bark at that damned sphere once it shook again!

Any moment now…

Any moment…

I relaxed my posture and sat down, my breathing having grown faster. Take it easy. It's not moving. It's not moving anymore. It's over. It's done. I breathed out, slowly. I felt so conflicted. Was this good or bad? Should I be happy or not?

I looked around me. Jarque's face was as if glowing with that radiant smile, and the sparkling of his eyes reminded me of a beautiful starry night sky. He was outstretching his arm wide and shouting in joy for the heavens above, as if trying to grasp distant clouds. Valentine was hopping in place, her small young body unable to contain this much emotion. Had I ever seen her so enthusiastic? Even the gym leader was offering Jarque and then me and thumbs-up as she nodded, and I could see a subtle grin on the Empoleon's beak. There were even some rangers around clapping at us and cheering. One of them was crying! I hadn't even noticed a few of them had gathered around us to watch.

Jarque ran to me, practically bouncing in his steps, as if he approached in a dance. He triumphantly grabbed what was now Diamantina's sphere in one hand and lifted it high, while trapping me with his other arm in an embrace and kissing my forehead.

I didn't feel so conflicted anymore. Whatever problems emerged in the future would be dealt with in due time. But right now, at this moment, under Jarque's warm embrace and surrounded by everyone's jovial cheers, I could say without a shadow of doubt that, yes, I was happy.

"I got so jittery!" Valentine said to the Popplio. They were so close they would kiss if either leaned their head. "You gave us a good scare! When the pokéball started shaking at the end, I thought you were about to break out of that one too!"

"Aw, sorry for making you nervous, love," Diamantina said in a saccharine voice. Coming from anyone else it would have come out as sarcastic. Coming from her, it sounded sweet and reassuring. "My older siblings always said that if you are going to accept joining a trainer's team you have to play a little hard to catch, literally, so that they would appreciate you more. Besides, I'm told humans love those kinds of excitements. Would your — our human have gotten so ecstatic if I had shown zero resistance and just meekly stayed still? I'm sure the struggle made it feel all the more earned!"

Talking to her, it did seem like she planned to tag along since the beginning. If anything, it was my pestering that forced her to get more serious. But all in all, I kind of preferred it like this. I had to agree, victory did feel all the sweeter because she fought back, even if she almost gave me a heart attack.

Diamantina gave the Fennekin a sudden, unsolicited hug. It wasn't the first time. And I had been on the receiving end myself a couple of times too. She had only been in the team for like two hours! Still, I was surprised how fast Valentine had adapted to her presence. To think she was scared of the water-type a few moments ago. I guess it helped that Valentine actually seemed to appreciate the Popplio's spontaneous hug fits. I usually tried to escape them, which only made her want to embrace me tighter.

"In any case, I'm glad to have you in the team!" Valentine cheered, her tail swinging like a fluffy pendulum. "I'm sure you'll love it here! And if you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask!"

The Popplio caressed the fox's fuzzy cheek, then leaned closer to me and whispered. "She's such a sweet kid." She then trapped the Fennekin into another inescapable lock, not that the fox made any effort to break away.

I didn't feel left out or anything. After all, I had Jarque. Although he was busy talking to the other humans right now. Well, we were going to stay the night in this ranger settlement since it had gotten late, and continue our travels come morning, so it made sense that he would have to spend some time away from us. But I didn't feel bad in the slightest watching those two hug each other while I was just standing here, alone. Her flippers were always wet anyway! And who would want to hug a fox with wet fur either?

Taking advantage of the fact that I was engrossed in my distinctly non-envious thoughts, the dastardly Popplio leapt towards me, Fennekin in tow, and forced all three of us into a big shared embrace. How dare she? This wasn't enjoyable at all, how her flipper tenderly caressed the back of my head while Valentine rubbed her cheek against mine. Bah. But, I mean, Diamantina had just joined us, so I suppose it would only be courteous to let her have her way this time. That only went to show how mature and wise I was!

Diamantina began to talk, not even breaking the group embrace. "So you are traveling all around Baraja and fighting gym leaders like Aluette? That sounds fascinating! I have never left the Lozenge, and I usually only spar against my family. And sometimes Visine. I don't think I quite get all the details, but it sounds like fun." She rubbed her big pink nose against my cheek. It felt pretty soft, like she was nuzzling me. "I don't understand the language that humans use all that well, but you'll help me out, right, chief?"

"Uh? Sure, I guess I…" I stayed staring at her eyes for what must have felt like an uncomfortable time to her. "Chief…?"

"Are you not our chief? You are our human's first pokémon and the leader of the team, right?"

My ears perked up. "I am the chief. You're absolutely right." Like, she wasn't wrong. I was starting to like her more already. "So you can depend on me for anything. We'll make you evolve in no time, Diamie!" Now she was the one that stared at me in silence, forcing me to avert my eyes. "Um, your name is kind of like too long, and I heard your mom call you that so…"

"Oh, that is perfectly fine! It sounds cuter too!" she said, giggling as she placed her cheek against mine. Okay, I had expected her to be affectionate, but I might have terribly miscalculated. "And about the evolution thing, there is no haste. Realistically it will take us at least a few years before we fully evolve. So let's just enjoy the journey. We'll get there when we get there. In the meanwhile, let's just lend each other a paw or a flipper, yes?"

It was too early to judge whether letting, uh, Diamie into the team was a good or a bad decision. It was what Jarque wanted in the end, so I would respect it. And if the sea lion stumbled or failed to measure up, well, that's what the team leader was here for, right? Jarque would only be even more impressed with me if I managed to lick her into shape! Diamie wasn't as strong as me, obviously, but was also weaker than Valentine. Still, her type did offer her unique advantages and disadvantages. At the end, everything would depend on how much a wild pokémon would care about us and our goals. Time would tell if this was the correct choice or not.

But at least, this team counted with three pokémon now, which would allow us to challenge any of this region's leaders. And so, obtaining more badges had become an option in the horizon.